Helping others in our community is at the heart of the Daily American Republic’s Difference Makers program. Where there’s a need, someone normally finds a way to uncover a solution. That never-say-no attitude is what keeps many programs, organizations, and individuals from suffering the kind of fate that hinders a community...

Growing up in a small town gave Christy Frazier-Moore the opportunity to learn from those who helped others in their time of need. “Growing up in such a small town of Eminence (Missouri), I learned to value those small-town values. When I moved to Poplar Bluff, while it was bigger, it still had those values,” Frazier-Moore recalls...

Word is getting around about all the good things that are happening in downtown Poplar Bluff. Buildings are being purchased and renovated. Buildings are being painted. A variety of stores are opening or preparing to open. And the Rodgers Theatre’s renovation is hitting full stride...

To say there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes at the Daily American Republic in preparation for this year’s Difference Makers banquet would be a huge understatement. Since the last time I wrote about the program, we have added a band, silent auction, games with chances to win cash, and a cash bar...

A Daily American Republic employee set a goal a few years ago to eventually host our Difference Makers banquet and celebration in the Black River Coliseum. The idea for that came when advertising director Christy Pierce first learned of the program and had hopes of it becoming so big the largest venue in Poplar Bluff would be needed...

COVID-19 has cast a pandemic misery on many communities around the world. Poplar Bluff, Butler County and Southeast Missouri haven’t been exempt. But how communities and states have handled the situation varies widely. Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce President Steve Halter hit the nail on the head in a story in the Daily American Republic a week ago today...

The year 2020 may perhaps be remembered as one of the most unexpected in U.S. history. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way most of us do about everything in our lives (or don’t do), there have been peaceful protests in our streets demanding equality, rioting by some who take advantage of situations, and a presidential election like none other in modern times...

Wow! The past two weeks at the Daily American Republic have been anything but normal. And we’ve loved every minute of it. First, the decision was made to not conduct our Difference Makers program in person this year because of COVID-19. This is something we didn’t want to do, but believed was necessary. ...

A tough decision was made Friday morning at the Daily American Republic. The newspaper decided a month ago to move forward with its annual Difference Maker banquet at the Holiday Inn banquet hall Aug. 20 at 6:30 p.m. Even though we are in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, the DAR came up with many safety measures to help keep the attendees as safe as possible. ...

Presidential campaigns have always piqued my curiosity. I used to joke and say it was the closest thing to a sporting event you could get on the news side of the newsroom. Little did I realize I’d go from an elementary student watching Richard Nixon easily defeat Hubert Humphrey in 1968 — thanks in part to George Wallace’s run as an Independent — to witnessing what’s happening today...

The coronavirus pandemic has touched most of us in some manner since it began earlier this year. Some more than others, though I’m not sure any of us can say we haven’t noticed a change in our lives over the past five or six months...

There appears to be a little bit of light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel. How quickly that light becomes blindingly bright is anyone’s guess. Many are feeling better now that they can get out and about to enjoy a little more than they could prior to the May 4 “reopening” of Missouri. But it’s going to be some time before our lives — financially, socially, and culturally — are back to anything close to normal...

Many area businesses are preparing to spring back to life Monday. After a month or more of being closed or with reduced hours because of Missouri’s Stay-at-Home order and the coronavirus, they’re looking forward to recouping some lost revenue...

COVID-19 has changed our lives in ways we didn’t think was possible and it could be a while before we return to anything remotely resembling normal. Many area establishments, on their own, changed the way they do business early in the pandemic to help flatten the curve of positive cases. When Gov. Mike Parson issued the state Stay-at-Home order, some businesses were forced to close...

Inspired. Impressed. Encouraged. Pick any adjective, and you would successfully describe how I felt following the 7th annual Leadership Day activities at Eugene Field Elementary School in Poplar Bluff on March 13. The theme for the two-hour program was “Be the Change!” Mission accomplished...

An economic development director shared with me years ago the most important part of his job was to keep the current jobs in the community in place. Working to bring a factory and 500 jobs to the area was/is important, but he refused to overlook the hundreds and thousands of jobs already providing a financial impact for families and businesses...

As I write this, Christmas is still a few days away, and the Christmas spirit is alive and well at the Daily American Republic. Our stockings are hung in anticipation of the big day. Our secret Santas have been keeping the mood cheerful for a few weeks. The stockings are outside my office, so I see employees checking them throughout the day...

A year ago I was a 39-year veteran of the newspaper business that felt like it was the first day of kindergarten. As I pulled into the back parking lot of the Daily American Republic I took a deep breath. When I got out of my vehicle, a friend who accompanied me that day said, “You’ve got some people staring at you.”...

Pick up a newspaper, turn on the TV or radio or scroll through your social media accounts and it’s as plain as the nose on your face. We have become a divided society. It’s now more frequent for an “Us vs. Them” mentality instead of an “Us” solution. Instead of sitting down and solving our problems together, it’s easier to be loud, dominate with a point of view and not listen to anyone but others who are like-minded...

I enjoy taking a couple of small walks during the day. Thanks to a desk job, my back isn’t the best. The walks help keep my old bones feeling better. Co-workers like to give me a hard time about being careful and I should tell someone I’m leaving. The insinuation is the newspaper office — located in downtown Poplar Bluff — isn’t in the best of neighborhoods...