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Read from the past, learn something today
Posted Friday, March 29, 2024, at 4:09 PMI’m the primary writer of the Dash to the Past column, where the DAR highlights the top local articles from 50, 75 and 100 years ago. My most frequent reactions to the words of yesteryear are: • Wow, that’s fascinating!... -
The bar hasn't moved, Rep. Smith
Posted Saturday, December 9, 2023, at 12:00 AMWhen the first resolution to expel former-Rep. George Santos failed, I wondered who on earth still wanted this guy around. His Oct. 10 indictment listed 23 counts of identity theft, money laundering, theft of public funds, various frauds and lying to both the House of Representatives and the FEC. He is almost comically corrupt, though the family members whose identities he stole and the campaign donor robbed of $45,000 probably don’t see any humor... -
Who’s your favorite cryptid?
Posted Saturday, November 11, 2023, at 12:00 AMHe’s seven feet tall. His eyes glow red. He might have caused the catastrophic collapse of the Silver Bridge into the Ohio River in 1967 — but I love him. I’m referring of course to my favorite cryptid, Mothman. Mothman is the monstrous mascot of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, a place I’ve never visited and have no personal connection to. ... -
Freaking out one more time about my Missouri Press award
Posted Saturday, September 30, 2023, at 12:00 AMThere’s a difference between knowing you’ve won and actually being handed the prize. I knew for months I was among the four recipients of this year’s Outstanding Young Journalist Award, and I was thrilled, but it was more like knowing a favorite holiday is coming up — great news, but not immediate... -
First years of school stick with us
Posted Saturday, August 26, 2023, at 12:00 AMI had the chaotic yet fun privilege of covering Poplar Bluff’s first day of school this week, and that got me thinking about my own early school experiences. It’s amazing how much our early grade school years stick with us — once I found a few memories, more and more popped up... -
Bad communication hygiene
Posted Saturday, June 17, 2023, at 12:00 AMI want to be right. I certainly don’t want to think about being wrong. Maybe that’s why I’m drawn so easily into spaces that back up my rightness with one-liners and flashy graphics. But lately, those environments are losing their shine — in fact, they look downright grimy... -
I have all these scraps for a reason
Posted Saturday, March 25, 2023, at 12:00 AMWhen I began working at a quilt shop in my hometown, I thought, “This is great — a way to be around art without getting sucked into yet another medium!” A few months later I bought a sewing machine and started quilting classes. That year I made a slightly wonky Christmas table runner for my family, a puff quilt for a best friend’s first baby, and three stuffed foxes for my youngest cousins. ... -
Welcome Corps presents opportunity for Southeast Missouri hospitality to shine
Posted Saturday, January 21, 2023, at 12:00 AMWatching refugee caps over the last several years has been depressing. After a steady decline through the 2000s, America lowered the limit of refugees admitted from 85,000 in 2016 to only 18,000 in 2020. I was brought up to believe compassion, justice, and diversity were part of the American identity, so watching this felt like a betrayal... -
Thankfulness makes life worth living
Posted Saturday, November 26, 2022, at 12:00 AMWe’re all thankful for big, good things. For instance: this year I was in two weddings for people I adore, I earned a promotion, and I found money for bills I didn’t expect. These things all made me happy, but if they were the only things I felt thankful for, I wouldn’t be a happy person... -
Volunteering with animals is rewarding for humans
Posted Wednesday, November 23, 2022, at 9:20 AMFor years I wanted to volunteer at a shelter, but never felt I had the time. That changed earlier this year when I brought a stray kitten to the Animal Welfare Alliance and decided to help them out as I was able — usually for a few hours on the weekends... -
Stepping forward in my career
Posted Saturday, November 19, 2022, at 12:00 AMIt’s been a little over a year since I joined the DAR. Moving to Poplar Bluff was a leap of faith and it has definitely paid off. Today, I am thrilled to announce another step forward in my career as I accept a promotion to assistant editor... -
Pumpkin, pecan, apple — oh my: these seasonal favorites may surprise you
Posted Saturday, October 1, 2022, at 12:00 AMIt’s time for a specific flavor palate: rich, sugary, and preferably served in a pastry shell. In other words, pie time! Here’s where our most popular autumn pies came from. Pumpkin pie History.com says pumpkins originated in Central America and traveled to Europe with returning explorers in 1536, where the English promptly wrapped them in pie crust. ... -
Meet my beloved kleptomaniac cat
Posted Saturday, September 10, 2022, at 12:00 AMI don’t have the brainpower to write about any global, national, or local issue whatsoever. Can I just tell you about my cat instead? Imagine, if you will, the softest gray tabby, with dainty white paws and eyes that give Amanda Seyfried a run for her money. She is the sweetest, cuddliest lil button you’ve ever met, who purrs like a jet engine while sleeping in your lap. Her name is quite fittingly “Sugar.”... -
Are we in the Midwest or the South?
Posted Saturday, July 23, 2022, at 12:00 AMI’m genuinely curious, readers: do you regard Southeast Missouri as part of the Midwest or the South? I’m from Illinois, and my first introductions to Southern life were family visits to the Carolinas and college in Tennessee. When I moved to Southeast Missouri I was struck by several Southern traits y’all have, but there’s no consensus on whether we are south enough to be South... -
Tucker’s five rules of journalism
Posted Saturday, June 11, 2022, at 12:00 AMDuring interviews I sometimes like to say “That’s a great quote!” I do this to let interviewees know I appreciate their insight, to hint I need a second to finish writing before we move on and finally, to watch them panic internally as they try to remember exactly what they said... -
I wonder what’s under the water?
Posted Saturday, May 14, 2022, at 12:00 AMSwimming in lakes always gives me a blind feeling because from the surface I can only guess what’s below me. As drought in the Southwest continues sipping away at Lake Mead, Southwesterners seem to have a similar feeling as long submerged towns, vehicles and even bodies are being revealed... -
Sweating like a what now?
Posted Saturday, April 9, 2022, at 12:00 AMLast week my fellow staff writer Amber Hornbeck used the word “womperlooly,” meaning “something large, crazy and/or messy.” This got the whole office on the topic of regional expressions, to which I added a rural East Central Illinois-ism that I’d only ever heard between June and August and in proximity to corn fields: “I’m sweatin’ like a steam fettah!”... -
Joining the world in supporting Ukraine
Posted Saturday, March 5, 2022, at 12:00 AMVirtually every update I get on my news feed is Ukraine. I read most of them, trying to keep abreast of what in hell is happening. This conflict feels more urgent to me than other atrocities in my lifetime, which is likely a combination of current circumstances, media coverage and years of mutual side-eying between Russia and America as well as the sheer barbarism of the invasion... -
TNR good for cats and communities
Posted Saturday, January 29, 2022, at 12:00 AMShould Butler County create a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program? I believe so. I’m a sucker for stray animals. My family knows this. My friends know. Most importantly, the animals know, and I interact with plenty of stray cats and dogs — especially the cats, and I’ve seen many of them since moving to Poplar Bluff. What surprised me is the lack of resources for them... -
An underrated Christmas classic
Posted Friday, December 24, 2021, at 12:00 AMWhat makes “A Christmas Carol” one of the best Christmas stories of all time? Much of it is Scrooge himself — in the first act he carries out his miserliness with panache and enviable self-assurance. How many people would accuse their co-worker’s ghost of being an indigestion-induced hallucination? Exactly one...
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