Welcome to our new web site!

To give our readers a chance to experience all that our new website has to offer, we have made all content freely avaiable, through October 1, 2018.

During this time, print and digital subscribers will not need to log in to view our stories or e-editions.

Top stories

Fayette Honors Martin Luther King

Fayette honored civil-rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. on Sunday with a community meal at First Baptist Church followed by a ceremony in the Assembly Hall at Central Methodist University. …
Abby Arnette

Fayette school board names CMS principal as district CPI trainer, rehires former FFA teacher

The Fayette Board of Education unanimously approved a $4,599 proposal to establish Clark Middle School principal Abby Arnette as a district-wide CPI trainer during its regular meeting held on …

Firemen 42nd Annual Sweetheart Dance February 1

The Fayette Volunteer Fire Department will host its 42nd annual Sweetheart Dance on Saturday, February 1. The popular dance has been held yearly for more than four decades as a fundraiser for …

Welch, Tuggle named Higbee Courtwarming Royalty

Higbee senior Ronnie Welch (right) was crowned 2025 Courtwarming Queen on Friday night in a ceremony between basketball games. Fellow senior Landon Tuggle was named Courtwarming King, but he was …

Light agenda greets Fayette city council in first meeting of 2025

A short first meeting by the Fayette city council opened the new year last week. Board members approved more than $484,000 worth of invoices for payment, granted a business license, and approved a …
Top Sports Stories
Freshman Eastin Hill posted 12 points against the fourth-ranked team in Class 2.

Lady Falcons drop contest to fourth-ranked Clopton

The Lady Falcons fell to an old postseason rival Friday night at the Mid-Missouri Invitational, sponsored by Ramey, at Harrisburg. Fayette lost to Clopton, at the time ranked fourth in Class 2, …

Ritter has career night as Lady Tigers dominate on Courtwarming

The Higbee girls cruised to a 68-7 conference win over Northwestern (Mendon) at home for Courtwarming on Friday night. The Lady Tigers remain unbeaten in the Carroll-Livingston Activities Conference …

Tigers’ defense wears down Northwestern in lopsided CLAA win

The Higbee boys turned a three-point advantage in the first quarter into a double-digit halftime lead en route to a dominating 74-42 conference win on Friday over Northwestern (Mendon). The …

Harrisburg girls take down Boonville at Mid-Missouri Invitational

The Harrisburg Lady Bulldogs (Class 2) hosted Boonville (Class 4) on Friday evening as part of the Mid-Missouri Invitational. Both teams, deploying similar styles of play, battled throughout, with …
Letters

Advanced Directives

To the Editor, As we begin a new year, many of us embrace January as a time for fresh starts and meaningful resolutions. However, there’s one resolution that’s often overlooked but …

Honoring Jimmy Carter and the Truth About Hospice Care

To the Editor:   The passing of President Jimmy Carter marks the end of an admirable life dedicated to service, compassion, and humanity. While we mourn his loss, we can also reflect …

Local News
Area Artists Highlight Winter Show
The Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art, on the campus of Central Methodist University, is kicking off 2025 with the colorful and tactile show “Musical Conservations.” Featuring the work …
Left to right: Kathy Baylor, Paula Thies (Secretary), Larry Harrington, Nancy Shepherd, Lori Malin, Allen Garrett (Vice President), Jamie Page, Sarah Page (Board Member), Amy Busker, Pat Hilgedick (Board Member), Susan Craig, and Julie Parrish (Treasurer).
Common fund raises $37,750
The Fayette Area Common Fund rang in the new year with a joyous celebration on January 9, when several agencies in the Fayette community that received grant checks.   The Fayette Area …
Members of Fayette Together Tim Jackman (left) and Lue Lockridge-Lane present a dozen donuts to Howard County Sheriff Jeff Oswald on Thursday afternoon.
Fayette Together honors local law enforcement
Tim Jackman and Lou Lockridge-Lane, members Fayette Together, handed out donuts to the Howard County Sheriff’s and the Fayette Police departments on Thursday, January 9, in commemoration of Law …
LaFayette owners hope to open in May
Fayette’s most anticipated new business hopes to be up and running in time for graduation season in May. Owners Brandy Asbury and Matt Buckman, former longtime co-managers of Emmet’s …
Contested races in Fayette, Higbee emerge as filing period ends
Contested races have opened for seats on the Fayette city council and school board, as well as the Higbee school board. Filings for Glasgow, New Franklin, and Harrisburg school boards, and New …
County officials sworn in ahead of New Year
HOWARD COUNTY OFFICIALS elected in the November 5, 2024, General Election were sworn into office by County Clerk Shelly Howell and Circuit Clerk Teresa Syferd on Tuesday, December 31, in the Howard …
Glasgow Police Chief Polson resigns
Glasgow Chief of Police Tyler Polson resigned his post early last month. A public notice   from Glasgow Mayor Joseph Gibbs stated that Polson voluntary resigned on December 6. The city has …
Winter storm sweeps across US
FAYETTE WAS TRANSFORMED INTO A WINTER WONDERLAND on Sunday as a massive winter storm swept across the US from the Rocky Mountains to the east coast. Fayette received around seven inches of snow, …
Sheriff’s Dept. investigate shots-fired calls in Armstrong
Howard County Sheriff’s deputies responded to shots-fired calls in Armstrong the day after Christmas, but were unable to locate the source of the shots. Calls came in shortly after 7 p.m. …
Obituaries
Ruth Ann Owen
Ruth Ann Owen, age 81, a longtime Fayette resident, passed away on January 2, 2025, at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia. Ruth Ann was born at Lee Hospital in Fayette on October 14, 1943, a …
Jul Eschrich
Julann “Jul” Eschrich, age 67, of Holts Summit, Mo., passed away unexpectedly at her home on December 25, 2024. Jul was born in Columbia, Mo., on April 10, 1957, a daughter of Julian …
James D. Polson
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of James Douglas Polson, or ‘Jimmie Doug’ as he was affectionately called, on January 4, 2025, in his hometown of Fayette, …
Janet Lynne Addison
Fayette resident Jan Addison, age 79, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 16, at The Lodge following a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Janet Lynne Addison was born in Des …
Margaret Ann Quinlan Hopkins
Margaret Ann Quinlan Hopkins, of Boonville, passed away on November 28, 2024, at Ashley Manor. She was born on June 16, 1932, at the home of her maternal grandparents in Auxvasse, Mo., the only child …
Kevin Strodtman
Fayette resident and lifelong farmer Kevin Strodtman, age 56, passed peacefully at his home following a three-year battle with cancer. Kevin Joe Strodtman was born July 17, 1968, in Fayette, Mo. …