Local Columnists

Legislation, whether it be to end mass murders or to save the U.S. budget, needs to be created in a clear-headed and rational manner and not with political gains in mind.

Allowing people who want to secede could help the country make up years of progress just by not having to listen to the negativism these people espouse.

The most important thing I can do is continue to ask good questions of my reporters and editors to help cover the search for solutions.

The experts generally seem to agree on a few steps that would make a difference, but they’re also in agreement that rampages such as the ones at Sandy Hook Elementary, Columbine or Virginia Tech probably can’t be prevented altogether.

I really don't believe there is an all-out "War on Christmas" any more than I believe in a Republican "War on Women." What I do see, though, is a deplorable lack of tolerance for the beliefs of others.

Pundits who say the Newtown shootings occurred because of a lack of religion are masking the problem. Why blame atheists and secular humanists for the action of one man who may have had a mental defect and easy access to guns?

Missouri legislators reject right-to-work laws that prohibit unions from requiring workers to pay dues as a condition of their employment.

The dispute over an Enhanced Enterprise Zone in Columbia represented a larger ongoing battle between citizens resentful at being pushed around and those who they see as doing the pushing.

We should enjoy and appreciate the rest of 2012 rather than "dwell morosely on dashed election hopes."

Two local decisions to leave office and one to pursue re-election call into focus a question central to the person who seeks political office: "Who will you serve?"

A poorly written sentence, an illogical sequence of cause and effect, missing facts and incorrectly spelled names make Missourian's copy editors to go "dooziewhopper."

It can be hard to be happy in any kind of relationship, including a marriage, shared workplace or friendship, if there are no shared values or respect for diversity.

When elections are over, the work of the voters is not any more over than for the persons elected to office. If we thought the issues and other reasons were worth voting for, we ought to ensure that they are addressed.

MU journalism students compile inspirational stories about people who have somehow overcome the odds.

When voters approved a renewable energy standard in 2004, Columbia was on the forefront of that issue. One activist is hoping to return the city to that pioneering position.

College Report Source, along with their brethren, do three things that are at best questionable, at worse the encouragement of cheating.

The president's position, even defined as an initial offer on the table, cannot be considered a serious proposal by any reasonable standards.

One of the most wonderful things about Christmas is the way it fills the heart with joy and thanksgiving. People don’t just wish their own Christmases to be filled with joy, but they wish joy for everyone.

Missourian reporters and editors had to consider a number of issues in our reporting of the story surrounding Michael Dixon Jr. and the allegations against him.

The story of Michael Dixon provides a glimpse of the role the new social media platforms play in journalism and in public discourse, raising difficult questions for consumers and practitioners of journalism.