Ken Newton
Friday, Nov. 21, 2008
Professor digs deep to uncover Missouri’s past
Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008
Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008
Friday, Nov. 14, 2008
Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008
Preserving wartime memories
Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008
Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008
Office holders offer praise for Roy Blunt
Friday, Nov. 7, 2008
Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008
Election evokes history, but governing lies ahead
Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008
Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008
Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008
Monday, Nov. 3, 2008
Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008
Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008
Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008
Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008
Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008
Election judge appreciates the privileges of Americans
Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008
Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008
Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008
Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008
Wall becomes a battleground
Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008
Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008
Monday, Oct. 27, 2008
Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008
Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008
Airport issue spills into final debate
Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008
Kansan sees a heritage worth saving
Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008
Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008
Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008
Jill Biden drops by Democratic HQ
Monday, Oct. 20, 2008
Jill Biden rallies Dem volunteers in St. Joseph
Monday, Oct. 20, 2008
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008
Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008
Good manners, sharp words
Friday, Oct. 17, 2008
Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008
Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008
St. Joseph native helps lead a MU tradition
Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008
Barnes aims to repair GOP 'failures'
Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008
Friday, Nov. 21, 2008
Several Northwest Missouri counties lead the state in the number of older residents in the work force.
Professor digs deep to uncover Missouri’s past
Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008
History remains a realm of headstrong governors and foolish disputes, of sovereignty challenged and men ready to do battle with pitchforks.
Thomas Spencer stands hours in courthouse back rooms looking to document long-gone people and events. The historian’s burden brings with it assorted dead ends and some treasured “aha!” moments.
Age recommends the courthouse in Keosauqua, Iowa. Built in 1840, it somehow eluded the infernos that claimed so many other firetrap courthouses in the 19th century. Hence, primary-source records survive, and Dr. Spencer found himself amid them, going through boxes of court cases dating back more than 160 years.
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008
Missouri’s congressional delegation has taken to task a federal agency decision that threatens to alter the retirement status of some state educators.
Kansas governor appoints Democrat to succeed JenkinsTuesday, Nov. 18, 2008
The election of Republican Lynn Jenkins to the Kansas 2nd District congressional seat has led Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to appoint a Democratic lawmaker as the next state treasurer.
Leaders that match U.S. heartTuesday, Nov. 18, 2008
Americans followed their worst moment with some of their best work.
Two-way thinking on economySunday, Nov. 16, 2008
Bad economic news appears so prevalent these days that business publications should come with a box of tissues.
Help wanted?Friday, Nov. 14, 2008
Nobody’s hiring, huh? Tell that to the federal government.
Palin's a star, but don't expect Blunt to disappearThursday, Nov. 13, 2008
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt's trip to Miami this week, his last as a member of the Republican Governors Association, provides a lesson in the speed of changing political fortunes.
Preserving wartime memories
Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008
Warren S. Hinton saw enough of Europe during his first and only trip there.
He saw destruction caused by ancient volcanoes and modern bombs. He stood where citizens watched gladiators battle in Rome and where soldiers, nearly two millennia later, watched countrymen die in Dachau. He explored a temple that survived 2,500 years and witnessed too many young men dying.
Mr. Hinton departed the continent in the fall of 1945 and never went back.
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008
Our culture depends on convenience. We Americans enjoy nothing more than shorthand.
Voting for some sense of fairnessSunday, Nov. 9, 2008
Call it, if you wish, part of the St. Joseph experience. But I guess, with a certain reading of Tuesday’s election result, you could call it part of a broader national experience.
One of my former neighbors worked at Quaker Oats half of his life, a dedicated guy who rose through the ranks of a company in his hometown. Through circumstances beyond anything that had to do with his considerable abilities, his corporate loyalty and his work ethic, he lost his job.
Office holders offer praise for Roy Blunt
Friday, Nov. 7, 2008
As Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt stepped aside as minority whip, the second-ranking Republican in the U.S. House, politicians weighed in with praise for their long-time colleague.
Region's reps remain solidly conservativeThursday, Nov. 6, 2008
A Republican congressman from Virginia, Tom Davis, made some news last spring by writing a memo suggesting his party needs to "rebrand" itself. It was a soul-searching piece of writing, and a prescient one.
Election evokes history, but governing lies ahead
Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008
Bill Caldwell can’t shake the image, a boyhood memory that came to mind as the nation elected its first black president. The Buchanan County Democrat remembers dining at a Morrison’s Cafeteria in Orlando, Fla. African-Americans cooked the food, carried the trays and washed the dishes. But they weren’t allowed to eat in the restaurant. “I asked my dad, ‘How come?’” he said Wednesday. “Being in the Deep South in the 1960s and seeing where we’ve come from in some places, to electing a person of color, I’m very pleased.”
Little bang for the buckThursday, Nov. 6, 2008
In the end, the sound and fury signified nothing.
Graves turns back Barnes’ challengeWednesday, Nov. 5, 2008
KANSAS CITY — Congressman Sam Graves found himself outspent in a year dangerous for Republicans. But he bucked a national trend in winning a fifth term on Tuesday.
The incumbent Republican prevailed in the toughest race since his first election to a U.S. House seat in 2000, beating Democrat Kay Barnes by a 61 to 35 percent margin. With 354 of 450 precincts reporting at 11:15 p.m., Mr. Graves had 128,646 votes compared to the challenger’s 74,198. The lawmaker looked on his way to winning majorities in all 26 counties in the 6th District.
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008
The possibility of a Northwest Missourian taking the state treasurer’s office stood within reach, but both campaigns were hesitant to call the election late Tuesday night as his opponent saw a late boost in votes.
About 55,767 votes separated a Savannah, Mo., Republican and a Florissant, Mo., Democrat at 11:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008
As a portent of what will be a major story in this election, and as a nice picture of the democratic process, hundreds beat the sunrise in St. Joseph Tuesday morning to cast votes.
Quietness of voting grows loudTuesday, Nov. 4, 2008
Studs Terkel died on Friday. A Chicagoan and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, he stood as one of the nation’s foremost voices when a rabble needed rousing.
Barnes returns to St. Joseph, recollects campaign 'adventure'Monday, Nov. 3, 2008
Party horns, posters and an air of celebration greeted Democratic congressional candidate Kay Barnes as she returned Sunday to the place her campaign began 538 days before.
Barnes wraps up campaign in the place it beganSunday, Nov. 2, 2008
Party horns, posters and an air of celebration greeted Democratic congressional candidate Kay Barnes as she returned Sunday to the place her campaign began 538 days before.
A time to shine for unsureSunday, Nov. 2, 2008
Anyone doubting theories about electoral undecideds has never been in a large group trying to order pizza.
‘A critical moment in our country’Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008
James Treu deals in history, not meteorology. But the professor recognizes when political barometers run amok.
So do established politicians, who know the normal legion of voters and stay in close contact with them. But they feel discombobulated in the midst of so many newly registered and first-time voters.
“That really takes them out of their comfort level,” said Dr. Treu, chairman of the history and government department at North Central Missouri College in Trenton. “When you get a year like this, it really kind of blows that out of the water.”
A year like this, indeed. Presidential politics blew in something different in 2008.
Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008
Sam Graves and Kay Barnes agree on what they disagree on. Everything.
The candidates for Missouri’s 6th District congressional seat concur that they would represent the region from different outlooks.
The Republican incumbent says he has never had an opponent more liberal. The Democratic challenger says she has never had an opponent with a fuller record of failed incumbency.
Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008
Congressman Sam Graves has broadened his lead over challenger Kay Barnes in the 6th District U.S. House race, according to poll released Wednesday.
Election judge appreciates the privileges of Americans
Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008
The world’s most populous nation has a political group called the China Democracy Party. The host government considers it a subversive organization.
Carol Burns traveled to China a few years ago as part of the national board of the YWCA. The St. Joseph woman calls it a blessing to have seen other parts of the world, to have witnessed up close the lives of those who lack what her home country provides at its core: the right to vote.
Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008
How low will he go, Republicans want to know. Does Barack Obama believe the nation's defense budget should be cut by 25 percent?
Hulshof, trailing in poll, undeterred in governor raceWednesday, Oct. 29, 2008
Congressman Kenny Hulshof told a room of less than 20 Republicans who showed for the gubernatorial hopeful’s St. Joseph rally to ignore the polls Tuesday.
Carnahan family hits the road for ObamaTuesday, Oct. 28, 2008
Two Carnahans appear on Missouri ballots next week, but even more of them can be found on the campaign trail for Democrats. Tom Carnahan came to St. Joseph Tuesday evening with a get-out-the-vote message and a pitch for Barack Obama.
Wall becomes a battleground
Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008
One of democracy’s small skirmishes played out on Frederick Avenue Monday, with Democrats and Republicans conducting a hearts-and-minds battle for a brick wall.
Campaigns reach far for moneyTuesday, Oct. 28, 2008
They live near and far, and they send money. Collectively, they send lots of money.
Welcome to Crazy SeasonMonday, Oct. 27, 2008
AFTERNOON UPDATE: Welcome to Crazy Season. Expect anything as the campaign enters its last week. Especially sign vandalism.
Common ground hard to come by in Kansas 2nd District raceSunday, Oct. 26, 2008
Candidates in the Kansas 2nd District congressional race — incumbent Nancy Boyda and challenger Lynn Jenkins — identify many things that frustrate them about Washington.
In the home district, the campaigns’ philosophies and tactics provide each with a good measure of frustration as well.
Ms. Boyda, the Democrat who surprised long-time lawmaker Jim Ryun two years ago, worries about the nation’s military readiness as wars in Iraq and Afghanistan spend human and materiel resources.
Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008
Rail lines came to Lilbourn before a post office. As workers cleared the cypress swamps of Southeast Missouri, the St. Louis, Memphis and Southwestern Railroad Co. hauled the lumber through this settlement.
Airport issue spills into final debate
Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008
Campaign accusations have exceeded the commonplace in Northwest Missouri as the father of one congressional candidate threatened to sue his son’s opponent for defamation. An attorney for Bruce Graves, father of incumbent Rep. Sam Graves, sent a letter to Democrat Kay Barnes objecting to a political ad regarding the family’s relationship to the airport in Tarkio, Mo. The Barnes campaign, which released the letter, continued its assertion that the Graves family got “a sweetheart deal” on access to the airport land and that the facility got $750,000 in taxpayer-funded renovations.
Kansan sees a heritage worth saving
Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008
Cedric Priest stands in a Brown County field and points out the spring where settlers watered their animals and the hillside where fires burned clean native grasses, only to have nature renew the growth.
The Kansan knows all that crunches underfoot, the little bluestem and big bluestem, the side-oats gamma and the goosegrass. His botanical education came not from classrooms but from walking this quarter-section, stepping over badger holes and inspecting what man employed and the Almighty created.
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008
Missouri Sen. Christopher Bond found a reason to agree with Joe Biden, his Senate colleague and Democratic vice presidential candidate.
Attacks continue during 6th District congressional debateWednesday, Oct. 22, 2008
KANSAS CITY — Sam Graves and Kay Barnes filed this year to run for office, but the congressional candidates accused one another on Tuesday of running from office.
No coattails in the 6th DistrictTuesday, Oct. 21, 2008
Presidential campaigns have frequented the region. Missouri has been tagged a battleground state. The question arises about coattails on the state’s down-ticket races.
Questions on health care go beggingTuesday, Oct. 21, 2008
Stories like this come up every so often. Sometimes, they get framed in the context of famous people having the same troubles as the rest of us.
Jill Biden drops by Democratic HQ
Monday, Oct. 20, 2008
Jill Biden visits St. Joseph Democratic headquarters, Sunday.
Jill Biden rallies Dem volunteers in St. Joseph
Monday, Oct. 20, 2008
Jill Biden told a group of St. Joseph supporters Sunday that she sees the effects of failed economic policies on students in her classroom. A teacher of English composition at Delaware Technical and Community College, she maintains her course schedule four days a week even as her husband, Democrat Joe Biden, runs for vice president. “I’m seeing students who can’t do their homework because they can’t afford the books,” Dr. Biden said. “I’m seeing students who can’t come back for extra help because they can’t afford the gas.”
McCain campaign heads to the Kansas City areaSunday, Oct. 19, 2008
John McCain brings his Republican presidential campaign to the Kansas City area Monday.
Country needs an accountingSunday, Oct. 19, 2008
Bless the innovations of some roguish souls. There seems a bottomless pit of mischief in their hearts.
Presidential candidates plan stops in K.C. areaSaturday, Oct. 18, 2008
Both presidential candidates will be in Kansas City in the coming days.
Good manners, sharp words
Friday, Oct. 17, 2008
Opponents in the Northwest Missouri congressional race combined good manners with sharp words in a St. Joseph debate Thursday night.
Standing a few feet apart and speaking in unhurried tones, Republican incumbent Sam Graves and Democratic challenger Kay Barnes tossed barbs back and forth during the hour-long session.
Mr. Graves sought to portray his opponent as a big-city mayor with liberal friends like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Ms. Barnes cast the election as a referendum on the economic troubles overseen by the Republican during his eight years in Congress.
Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008
Democrat Barack Obama plans to bring his presidential hopes once more to western Missouri this weekend.
6th District race attracts national attention, moneyThursday, Oct. 16, 2008
The cost of running for Congress in Missouri’s 6th District continued its rise into the stratosphere Wednesday.
Third-quarter financial disclosure reports required by the Federal Election Commission showed Republican incumbent Sam Graves and Democratic challenger Kay Barnes topped the $4 million mark in contributions.
The race for the Northwest Missouri seat has attracted national attention, and dollars, as the two candidates set a torrid fundraising pace.
St. Joseph native helps lead a MU tradition
Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008
Chester Brewer knew the value of promotion. Erik Bolton spends 40 hours some weeks following his inspiration.
Legend holds that Mr. Brewer, a football coach and athletic director at the University of Missouri, worried over attendance for the annual football clash with Kansas. The rivalry game had moved around with the years, most often in Kansas City and even once in St. Joseph, in 1907.
In 1911, the game would be in Columbia, and Mr. Brewer thought it a good idea, from a turnstile standpoint, to invite previous Missouri graduates to “come home” for the event. More than 9,000 did just that.
Barnes aims to repair GOP 'failures'
Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008
Democratic congressional candidate Kay Barnes said Tuesday that her campaign aims to change the policies of the last eight years in Washington, failures embodied by her opponent, Rep. Sam Graves.
