Ken Newton
Senior Reporter/Columnist

Contact Ken via e-mail
Call Ken at 816-271-8678.

St. Joseph shows growth in latest census figures
by Ken Newton
Wednesday, July 1, 2009

St. Joseph gained population during the first eight years of the decade, but not to the extent of some of Missouri’s suburban communities. One of them, O’Fallon, located in the western sprawl of St. Louis, supplanted St. Joseph as the state’s seventh-largest municipality, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released today. By the bureau’s estimate, St. Joseph had a July 2008 population of 76,197. That represents 2,207 more people in the city limits than in the decennial census eight years earlier.

Graves, audience speak out against tax policy
by Ken Newton
Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Republican Rep. Sam Graves sees tax-policy opportunity and a fast-reversing pendulum in the recent dealings of Congress.

The hustle of a city's audacity
by Ken Newton
Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Mankind hustles in its attempts at dominion over nature. The chore proves arduous, and you better pack a lunch to get it done.

Dedicated to feeding the hungry
by Ken Newton
Thursday, June 25, 2009

Flash back to a hot July, 16 years removed, and Inez Duncan recalls the gloom.
A running-wild river devastated the people of St. Joseph, the great flood putting the water plant out of commission and destroying the livelihoods of too many in a flash.
People who one day had good jobs found themselves the next day eligible and in need of the services provided in local food pantries like the one Mrs. Duncan ran at the St. Joseph Cathedral.

Milling around problems
by Ken Newton
Sunday, June 21, 2009

Leisure needs a bailout. Americans have lost the capacity to mill around. Can we blame this on a national hyperactivity, a need to be in motion at all times? Is it a Starbuckian syndrome, our population with nerve endings atingle?

Weighing the price of clean energy
by Ken Newton
Saturday, June 20, 2009

Farmers plant a crop, but they hope to reap a balance. With energy concerns, Jim Veraguth believes, that becomes tricky.
Mr. Veraguth manages MFA Agri Services in St. Joseph and sees farmers in constant calculation on the fluctuating demand for corn to make ethanol and the shifting profitability of acres when weighing fertilizer costs against the price brought for the crop.
“It’s just an all-tangled mess whenever you start looking at that,” he said. “When it gets right down to it, it goes back to what’s the cost of that barrel of oil.”

Graves wants to slow energy legislation
by Ken Newton
Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Farm-state Republicans in the U.S. House, including Northwest Missouri's Sam Graves, want to apply the brakes to congressional consideration of climate change and energy legislation.

Peddling a new law on pedaling
by Ken Newton
Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The church reached out to those on two wheels, extending a blessing last month to dozens of riders lined up on a Denver sidewalk.

Czar wars make crowd in the capital
by Ken Newton
Sunday, June 14, 2009

Crossword puzzle writers use the word “czar” a lot. Must be something about the odd proximity of the “c” and “z.”

Jenkins heads to Gitmo Monday
by Ken Newton
Friday, June 12, 2009

Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins represents the Northeast Kansas district that includes Fort Leavenworth. She is familiar with the military detention barracks there and believes them ill-suited to handle the transferred terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. On Monday, the Republican lawmaker will get a ground-level view of the other end of this discussion.

State aids in clean-energy economy
by Ken Newton
Friday, June 12, 2009

Northwest Missouri contributed to a positive report on clean energy released Wednesday by a national public-policy organization.

Children’s author uses homegrown experiences
by Ken Newton
Thursday, June 11, 2009

The tale started at bedtime. First, a routine: some stalling, whispered “I love yous,” more stalling, blankets tucked in. Then, a request ... tell us a story, mom.
Julie Wilson obliged. It came in bits, a yarn of Bunny Gail and the doings of a bunny day. In the moments before sleep, the children got a moral, some lesson to take into their slumber.
The book started after this bedtime. The quiet of the deep evening, her husband on the night shift, gave the St. Joseph mother moments to give Bunny Gail life on paper.

McCaskill proves a driving force in contracting reviews
by Ken Newton
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Sen. Claire McCaskill holds a hearing today on waste, fraud and abuse allegations in private security contracts at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. She will do this as chairwoman of the Senate Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight. But that is not the only thing the Missouri Democrat has in the works as Wednesday dawns in the nation's capital.

Some cheer the chaos of this city
by Ken Newton
Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The priest had a suggestion, prayer to be offered with local aim.

Mannerly acceptance of money
by Ken Newton
Sunday, June 7, 2009

Woody Allen, in the character of Alvy Singer, recalled the joke of two women talking at a mountain resort.

Never tired of the classroom
by Ken Newton
Thursday, June 4, 2009

Hamilton Henderson reserves a place in his memory for the community within the community.
It served as his village, as in the Kenyan proverb that “it takes a village to raise a child.”
His parents raised him in an apartment above the Tapee Fruit Market. But so did adults in the Downtown neighborhood, an ad hoc collection of folks with names like Hershewe and Lipira and Spugnardi.

Fairfax hospital lands $15M USDA loan
by Ken Newton
Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Community Hospital of Fairfax, Mo., celebrates 60 years of operation this November. On Tuesday, it celebrated a number of even greater magnitude. The primary health care provider for Atchison and Holt counties got a $15 million guaranteed loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program. Northwest Missouri Congressman Sam Graves, who lives in Atchison County, announced the loan’s approval on Tuesday afternoon. The money will go toward construction of a new hospital building.

Royals and GM see fall from grace
by Ken Newton
Tuesday, June 2, 2009

That George Brett’s words carry so much weight speaks badly of the team he professes to support.

Talking heads and high seas
by Ken Newton
Sunday, May 31, 2009

One wonders if some inventive Sumerian went to sleep that night, 5,500 years ago, proud of having put the wheel to practical use.

Essay writers reflect on broad experiences
by Ken Newton
Friday, May 29, 2009

Carl Merrigan voted in his first election in November after hours serving as a student poll worker. The Bishop LeBlond High School senior believed what he did during that day gave him a special appreciation for taking a ballot in the booth that evening.

Health report contends 'hidden tax'
by Ken Newton
Thursday, May 28, 2009

Families USA, a national organization that promotes affordable health care, put out a report Thursday morning that repeatedly featured the phrase "hidden tax." Most Americans have a deep suspicion of the taxes they can see. The idea that some taxes lurk out of sight only increases their unease.

In an industry of happiness
by Ken Newton
Thursday, May 28, 2009

Racks strain against the inventory, the gowns with their taffeta and beadwork encroaching on the small shop’s walking space.
Hanging everywhere is the couture of proms and christenings and, as June arrives, weddings. The attire serves the landmark events of local lives, and Phyllis Fetter toils in this industry of happiness.
For years, brides-to-be have arrived at her St. Joseph shop, delighted with the chore ahead. The shopkeeper matches them, thousands of them, with dresses that will elicit tears when seen in a church aisle and praise when seen many years later in a picture album.
Sometimes, a fiance joins his betrothed at Bridal Boutique, tuxedo shopping, and the moment proves pure joy.

Take action to honor a sacrifice
by Ken Newton
Tuesday, May 26, 2009

America’s recent wartime experience, and for that matter, the experience of every war of this nation, teaches us that men and women who serve do so not from a place, but from a frame of mind.

Ghosts of Iraq
by Ken Newton by Alonzo Weston
Monday, May 25, 2009

A press release, terse and sterile. Names lie flat on the page, the brio and brotherhood of Marines reduced to numb statistics. Sgt. Michael E. Bitz, a Californian, drifted from job to job before finding personal structure in the Corps. Lance Cpl. David K. Fribley, born in rural Indiana, had a sports management degree but enlisted after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Born to wave the flag
by Ken Newton by Alonzo Weston
Sunday, May 24, 2009

There was little doubt William Allen was destined to serve his country in the U.S. Marines. His life and, ultimately, his death seemed inextricably bound by that call to service.

Can’t take the military out of the soldier
by Ken Newton
Thursday, May 21, 2009

Everyone calls Robert Casebolt by his nickname, Casey. He just calls himself lucky.
The St. Joseph man served in the Air Force and retired after 20 years. He counts the 20 years as a blessing. He walked away from the service intact.
Not a day goes by that Mr. Casebolt doesn’t think about those who never got his chance.

State back in business of executions
by Ken Newton
Tuesday, May 19, 2009

And the public favors putting murderers to death. The Pew Research Center and the Gallup organization conducted surveys that show popular approval of the death penalty hit a high of 80 percent in 1994.

Arriving at a name for the ages
by Ken Newton
Sunday, May 17, 2009

My father’s first name was Willos. During more than five decades on this planet, I’ve never met another Willos.

Working to lighten his load
by Ken Newton
Thursday, May 14, 2009

Watch your step, Merrill Steeb advises, and it seems like good counsel.
He leads the way into a deep bay where old vehicles sit bumper to bumper. Items on the floor demand some careful stepping, including a collection of glass shards from a salvaged window, double-paned.

Article focuses on Graves' passion for aviation
by Ken Newton
Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Congressman Sam Graves grew up in a house within sight of the Tarkio, Mo., airport. He turned that proximity into an adult passion for flying.

Paint peels, but danger makes a list
by Ken Newton
Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Call it peeling paint, but that proves an insult to folks who manufacture paint.

New world of concern over intake
by Ken Newton
Sunday, May 10, 2009

Anatomists say the circulatory system extends thousands of miles through the human body. That’s head to toe. Sadly, vascular unpleasantness escapes at times for headline sensation.

Democrats will honor Truman
by Ken Newton
Thursday, May 7, 2009

Harry Truman was a homegrown, meat-and-potatoes kind of politician. The Buchanan County Democratic Central Committee wants to honor him just that way tonight.

A rich history told in murals
by Ken Newton
Thursday, May 7, 2009

A steam engine locomotes itself through Kelly Poling’s consciousness. And old buildings have modern facades stripped to reveal ornate woodwork and bygone transoms.
And, for him, a bare-brick canvas.
The artist likes the stuff of aged photographs, faces and places preserved in black and white. He values an era when structures had arched windows, beautiful glasswork and architecture with no fascination for clean lines.

Twitter works, tram doesn't for McCaskill
by Ken Newton
Tuesday, May 5, 2009

The high-tech vehicle worked. Unfortunately for Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, the lower tech vehicle did not.

New storm blows in with a fury
by Ken Newton
Tuesday, May 5, 2009

When the fish don’t bite, the mind wanders. Too much time to ponder the grim fate of a nightcrawler.

Launched into limelight, respected by history
by Ken Newton
Sunday, May 3, 2009

The Jackson County judge spent the eve of his 49th birthday in the Hotel Robidoux, having come to St. Joseph to attend an American Legion function. He left fellow veterans to their revelry and, instead, composed a letter to his wife.
“It was a good party but I had to leave it,” the man wrote. “As usual they got too rough, and I’m still in politics.”
In the letter, written 76 years ago this week, Harry S. Truman professed devotion to his beloved Bess and called himself, in the aftermath of successes and failures, an “idealist.” He speculated on a soft job to take him into the future, unable to know the next year would take him to the U.S. Senate and later to the vice presidency. History would ultimately put him in the White House.

Politics tailors surprises
by Ken Newton
Sunday, May 3, 2009

The Del Floria tailoring and dry cleaning shop resided just below street level in New York City. Maybe the proprietors could get a spot out of cashmere, maybe they couldn’t.

Gower man true to his school
by Ken Newton
Thursday, April 30, 2009

The football coach waited at the front door as the sophomore arrived for his first day at East Buchanan High School. He had a question for the mid-year transfer.
Did the boy play football?
Try to, Charles Eugene Snyder said.

The sirens of disease wail away
by Ken Newton
Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Sirens sang in St. Joseph Sunday. A wall cloud, or something of the sort, engulfed the local skies and put weather authorities in a command mode.

Reaching to show humanity
by Ken Newton
Sunday, April 26, 2009

Time’s up on the first 100 days of the Obama administration. When the calendar makes it to Thursday, the nation will get collectively reflective.

Federal Building goes quiet
by Ken Newton
Sunday, April 26, 2009

Clara Eiman went to work at St. Joseph’s Federal Building in 1971 and remembers the bustle of the place. In addition to housing the city’s main post office, the building at Eighth and Edmond streets proved a federal outpost for multiple departments: Agriculture, Civil Service, Defense, Interior, Justice, Labor, Treasury. The U.S. District Court, where Mrs. Eiman would work for 27 years, had loaded dockets.

Political activist strives for change
by Ken Newton
Thursday, April 23, 2009

Paul Hamby flinched not a bit at the description. Surprise does his activism little good.
He stood in a crowded meeting room to ask U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill about a piece of legislation that would mandate an audit of the Federal Reserve. Congressman Ron Paul, the former presidential candidate, offered the bill and made the cause a rudiment of his followers’ post-campaign movement, Campaign for Liberty.
Mr. Hamby, a Campaign for Liberty regional coordinator, heard the senator call some of Dr. Paul’s ideas “wacky.”

Anti-tax, but some are willing
by Ken Newton
Tuesday, April 21, 2009

My sister had the day off Monday. She works in Massachusetts, and the state celebrated Patriots’ Day, a nod to battles that began the American Revolution.

Our faith in the face of adversity
by Ken Newton
Sunday, April 12, 2009

An elected official who represented counties in the Missouri Ozarks once told me about a surefire indicator for economic health in that region.

Session with senator focuses on accountability
by Ken Newton
Friday, April 10, 2009

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill went to Washington two years ago demanding government accountability. She came to Northwest Missouri in recent days asking constituents to hold her accountable.

Federal lawmakers use recess to pay visit to constituents
by Ken Newton
Thursday, April 9, 2009

Most Wednesdays find members of Congress in the nation’s capital. This Wednesday, representatives from the region looked content to be in a school auditorium and a field with manure.

‘Speaking to the soul’
by Ken Newton
Thursday, April 9, 2009

Jerry Anderson remembers growing up in a church that did little with music. A willing guy with a good voice stood up to lead the singing. That was it.
His first year of college, he took a $15-a-week gig directing choirs at the small-town church. He found spirit but no tenors, no basses. Three monotonic men met with Jerry 45 minutes before each choir session, the teenager playing notes on an old piano until the men could match them.
“Within a year, all three could sing parts,” Mr. Anderson recalls. “I really don’t believe it when someone says, ‘I can’t sing.’”

Rural areas need part in recovery
by Ken Newton
Tuesday, April 7, 2009

“Howl” never shows up in weather forecasts.

Sen. McCaskill will visit region
by Ken Newton
Monday, April 6, 2009

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill will be making a couple of stops in Northwest Missouri this week.