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Every once in a while, something crosses your desk that reminds you why preserving local history matters. For me, lately, that has been the growing collection of historic glass negatives we’ve been sharing through our Historic Images Frozen in Glass project. I’ll be honest — when we first started scanning these fragile pieces of photographic history, I expected them to be interesting. What I didn’t expect was to be fascinated almost daily by what appeared on the screen as each image was restored. Many of these negatives are more than a century old. When you hold them in your hand,…

By David Sharp Knox County began their February 9, 2026 non-conference boys basketball game with an 8-2 run and went on for a 57-45 win at Marion County. Nathan Penn gave the Eagles a 5-0 lead with a three pointer at the six minute mark of the first quarter. Isaac Shahan capped the Eagles opening run with another three ball at the 5:14 mark of period one. The Eagles were hot from the field early on. Coope Clair canned a three ball then a field goal for a 15-8 lead with 5:14 to go in the first quarter. Knox County…

Jacob Ronald “Ronnie” Peterson, age 74, of Colony community, passed away Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Iowa City, Iowa. He was born July 29, 1951, in Kirksville, Missouri, the son of Jacob Price “Jakie” and Virginia Mae Elder Peterson. He was married to Diane McSorley and to this union one son was born Aaron Todd Peterson. On May 21, 1983, in Mexico, Missouri, he was united in marriage to Nancy Kay Meyer. Ronnie is survived by his wife, Nancy Peterson of Gorin, MO; his mother, Virginia May Peterson of Gorin, MO; two children, Grant (Elisha) Peterson of Barnhart, MO, and…

By David Sharp Highland traveled to Winfield High School to play their March 3, 2026 girls Class 3 Sectional contest with top ranked Principia. The teams played a close first half, then the Panthers (28-2) closed on a 10-2 run for an apparent 46-45 win. Highland subsequently filed a protest with the Missouri State High School Activities Association citing NFHS Basketball Rule 2.11.11 and several procedures for resolving protests not being followed. This reporter recommends accessing the MSHSAA web site if possible and reading a MSHSAA News Statement for a more complete explanation of the nuts and bolts of this…

By Echo Menges RUTLEDGE, Mo. — Representatives from a wide range of public safety agencies and community organizations are expected to attend the Knox and Scotland County Local Emergency Planning District (LEPD) meeting on Tuesday, March 24. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Rutledge Community Center, 23615 Main St., in Rutledge. Food will be served free of charge for those in attendance. Local Emergency Planning Committees and districts were created under federal law to help communities prepare for hazardous material incidents and other chemical emergencies. The committees bring together representatives from emergency response agencies, local government, businesses…

Team NEMO won the Knox County Chamber of Commerce Trivia Tournament held Saturday evening, March 7, 2026, at the Knox County Community Center. This year’s players included Brent Karhoff, Steve Terrill, Mike Alward, Mary Couch, Mike Mingroni, Emily Baker, Peggy Gaines, and Jessen Miller. The tournament featured five teams who answered 110 trivia questions across 11 different categories. Players were invited for an evening of family friendly fun and food to raise money for KC Chamber projects. Photo by Echo Menges

I’ve been getting ready for spring for the past couple of weeks, and about the time I think it’s here, that stupid groundhog has to flex his forecast muscle and prove he was correct about six more weeks of winter. I was talking with family in South Carolina recently and told them I like the Midwest because of the change of seasons—sometimes you can see all four seasons in a single week. But spring is coming. The turkeys are already gobbling a little, and I’ve heard they are strutting as well. Besides, I had robins in my yard last week,…

By Brandon Lorenz and Emerson Smith, Missouri News Network JEFFERSON CITY — A bill passed by the state House on Thursday would create a standardized grading system that would be used to grade the schools themselves. House Bill 2710, sponsored by Rep. Dane Diehl, R-Butler, would grade all public and charter schools and their districts on an A-F scale for their efficiency in educating students. The grading would be based on student performance, staff, finances and other categories. The proposed plan holds the the State Board of Education accountable for developing the annual report but leaves the option to have…