Articles

Kathy Love’s e-mail wasn’t a dirty joke, an ad for a new drug or a chance to win a million dollars. It was a lunch invitation for a friend and expressed her concerns about the direction of her employer, the Missouri Department of Conservation.

The content of Love’s e-mail didn’t attract any immediate attention. But the header for her message — “Happy New Year” — did, and about two weeks later, on Jan. 26, she was told it was the reason she was being fired.

The faint haze of smoke and the rumble of chugging tractor engines filled the Boone County Fairgrounds on Friday and Saturday at the National Antique Tractor Pullers Association’s championship weekend.

Friday’s competition was open to the public, provided their tractors met certain safety standards. Saturday’s grand prize championship was restricted to competitors who had done two of the 18 pulls that began with the November season opener in Columbia. Competitors from all over, but particularly the Midwest, participated in the championship.

Increasing achievement for the Columbia Board of Education’s main beneficiaries — the students — is a top concern for the five candidates running for two seats in Tuesday’s school board election. The question is what ideas they have for this important issue.

Martina Pounds, running for the first time, said parental involvement in the school district’s decisions could be a huge step in helping the school environment.

State

Most state departments have a policy covering e-mail use and they must give this information to new employees.

His name is Paul. Only the freshmen need reminding. Paul Williams can’t walk the hallways at Rock Bridge High School without hearing an enthusiastic, “Hey, Paul. How’s it going?”

Nobody knows how old he is — some say he’s in his 60s. Why ask? The students keep him young.

When people hear the word “exercise,” they often think of a weight room full of bodybuilders or a row of treadmills filled with women staring blankly at a television above them.

But exercise is much more than just lifting weights and running, and it can be adapted to encompass all kinds of people.

Just over 53 years ago, Delpha Walters met her husband at a dance in Moberly. It was her first square dance, and though she had been introduced to Frederick a few years earlier, she didn’t pay any attention until that night.

There must have been something about the toe-tapping, traditional tunes. Or maybe it was the carefree, whip-around-the-floor dancing that stirred something in Delpha. Whatever it was, two weeks later she and Frederick were engaged and within two months they were married.

Phyllis Cree sits in a straight-backed chair before the fireplace mantel that displays her watercolors in her one-story brick home off Old 63. Her softly curled white hair contrasts with the vibrant hues of her paintings: the deep roses and purples that create a vase of tulips in one image, the vibrant greens that form trees in another.

She points to one of her favorite paintings, an oil of the Hinkson Creek Ford done in late summer. A dense forest of dark green swirls against the golden yellows of trees that reflect the coming autumn. In the foreground, the ford almost seems to shimmer with light. Cree explains why she was drawn to the spot:

FREDRICKTOWN — Just three hours as the crow flies from the city of Columbia, the St. Francis River cuts an ancient groove through jumbled granite at the base of the Ozarks’ oldest mountains.

The Saint’s water flows like glistening green ink through a prehistoric gorge, at times becoming a roiling froth as it navigates boulder gardens and spills over rocky ledges, creating crushing rapids and a constant, rhythmic roar.

I’ve had it with winter! If I have to wear one more black outfit, I think I’ll scream. All of my sweaters are pilled, and I hate wearing a coat, especially one that weighs as much as I do. And I’m tired of wearing socks and cloddy shoes.

I’ve read every book on the best-seller list, and some I wish I hadn’t bothered with. I’ve cleaned closets and rearranged my kitchen; now I want to get out of this house.

A poet looks at the world as a man looks at a woman,” wrote Wallace Stevens. The Harvard-educated native of Pennsylvania worked as a lawyer and composed poetry in his head as he walked to work at Hartford Accident and Indemnity Insurance. He found poetry and beauty in the birds, trees, sights and sounds of his daily life. Art, poetry and beauty are like a vine with three distinct branches twisted and curled to form a strong living bond. Without them, life would be dull and lifeless. We don’t always take the time to stop and see the beauty and poetry of life, so here’s a chance for you to see the art of our surroundings. Stop and gaze for a while. Think of this as an open gallery. Enjoy.

Chocolate milk and an array of chocolate-laden treats were savored Wednesday night by members of MU’s Jewish community at the Hillel Center’s eighth annual celebration of “Chocolate Seder.”

“The best thing about the Chocolate Seder is the ability to celebrate Passover in a different way — a nontraditional way ... (that) makes the observance come to life,” said Cipporah Yaghoubian, an MU senior who was been active in the Hillel Center, the Jewish student center, for four years.

It’s Thursday night at Jack’s Gourmet Restaurant, a little after 6 on one of those surprisingly warm spring days. The pale lights on the gray wall cast a silence that not even screaming red leather seats can break.

Jim Poletti is there to play piano.

Krista Viefhaus decided that 10 innings of softball were enough.

Viefhaus’ home run in extra innings in the first game helped Columbia College sweep a doubleheader from Lindenwood University on Thursday at Columbia College.

It’s easy to draw comparisons between Annika Sorenstam and Maria Ohlsson.

Although Ohlsson is taller than Sorenstam, she resembles the LPGA phenom in many ways. Both hail from Sweden and are exceptionally competitive.

Lauren Schwartzman is relaxing into perfection.

As Missouri intensifies its efforts for precisely pointed toes, stuck landings and smiling showmanship, Schwartzman has found herself easing out of superstitions.

Missouri first baseman Cody Ehlers has proved he responds well to pressure.

On Sunday, with Missouri facing a sweep for the fourth straight year in a Big 12 Conference opening series, Ehlers, a senior, hit home runs in his first two at-bats, driving in the first three runs of a 12-0 win against Kansas State.

There are never any members of the Missouri Spirit Squad at University Field, but Joanne Loethen is always there to compensate.

“Everybody calls me the cheerleader because I’m always doing cheers and yelling as loud as I can,” Loethen said.

The Hickman boys’ tennis team started its season by winning at district opponent Rolla 9-0 on Thursday.

Hickman’s Nate Bohon, Kyle King and Sean Schofield won their singles matches in straight sets. Bohon teamed up with Erich Chen for one of the Kewpies’ three doubles wins. Omeed Latifi, Zach Coble and Greg Anderson added wins for the Kewpies.

Jon-Eric Meyer wasn’t happy with the way he acted on the court, but he was happy with his win.

Ben Loeb, the Rock Bridge tennis coach, found no reason to be upset with his team’s 7-2 victory against Helias at Bethel Park on Thursday. The Bruins improved to 2-0.