November 22, 2009
Ken Newton - Senior Reporter/Columnist
Ken Newton, News-Press senior reporter/columnist, got his first daily newspaper byline in 1977 and has worked full-time as a print journalist for 29 years.
A life-long Missourian, he grew in the state’s Bootheel. Ken earned a degree in English from Southeast Missouri State University and taught high school in the St. Louis area for two years. He began newspaper work in Cape Girardeau in June 1980, eventually holding positions ranging from sports editor to managing editor.
He moved to the News-Press in July 1994. His one-on-one interviews have included George H.W. Bush, John Edwards, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, John Glenn, Alice Cooper and Loretta Lynn. He has served in professional leadership roles in the Missouri-Kansas Associated Press, the AP Managing Editors and the Mid-America Press Institute.
Ken and his wife, Connie, have three children. They are members of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in St. Joseph.
Recent Stories
Mug shots as levelers of the law
Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009
Swagger suited John Gotti, the mob boss who accented his $2,000 Brioni ensembles with $400 handpainted ties.
Federal numbers show local poverty on the rise
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009
The number of Buchanan County residents living in poverty has risen by about 2,900 since the beginning of the decade, a federal report said Wednesday.
By percent, the increase roughly matches the state’s over that period.
According to a report by the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program, the county had 12,706 people living in poverty in 2008. That was up from 9,800 people in 2000.
Man thrived 58 years as a car dealer
Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009
The small-town businessman drove a 1954 Ford but had his eye on a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air. Bob Crouse laughs, remembering the day he tried to close the sale.
Understand the times. A half-century ago, car dealerships had a viable place in the rural communities of Northwest Missouri.
Tarkio businesses sold new Buicks, Fords, Oldsmobiles and Cadillacs. In Rock Port, customers could buy new Chevrolets and Plymouths. Oregon had a dealership, and Mr. Crouse ran his garage and showroom in Mound City.
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009
One summer evening, I saw B.B. King play a concert on an outdoor stage.
It was the end of a hot day. Thousands of people had waited through lesser acts. The night sky spread out overhead, nothing to hold in the attention.
When the time came, an elderly man came into the lights with a guitar named Lucille. He would perform in a chair.
Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009
Groucho Marx, the great mangler of logic, had a proposition that required a healthy dose of convolution.
Reluctant dance partner turns longtime caller
Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009
Larry Liebig considered it an act of appeasement, though with very specific conditions. His wife and a couple of friends had been after the state trooper to try square dancing. He gave in, making a wet-blanket pronouncement as the couples got into the car for their dance date in Excelsior Springs. It was 1968. Mr. Liebig remembers it like this: “We’re going to take this lesson, we’re coming home and I don’t want to hear another thing about square dancing.”
Day honors those seeking lasting peaceTuesday, Nov. 10, 2009
No one knows what thoughts of nation stirred in the minds of James Bear or Clark Gilbert or Karl Lange.
World's end can show its bright sideSunday, Nov. 8, 2009
Archaeologists digging in the outback of China made a discovery several years ago that had historical and culinary significance.
Federal Notes: Bond participates in energy-bill boycottFriday, Nov. 6, 2009
When the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee counted votes Thursday on greenhouse gas-reducing legislation, no mark stood next to Missouri Sen. Kit Bond’s name.
Nor that of any other Republican.
Student balances college with rodeo riding
Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009
The student stands in the stable stall, shovel in hand, and considers a 21-year-old’s lifestyle choice.
Responsibility comes with the gig, Amy Hudlemeyer says. Paps, the sorrel who loves to run, never cleans up after himself.
She puts the scoop to work on horse droppings, not the typical university experience. Only gloom commends the afternoon, and a cold rain taps hard against the metal roof.
It’s not difficult to imagine fellow students with different pursuits this gloomy day.
JOB SEARCH
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