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Ruling sparks school changes
With Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow having issued a temporary restraining order regarding Illinois COVID procedures in schools, districts across the state are rethinking tpolicies. Grischow issued her ruling…
Monroe County Christian School growing
Since Monroe County Christian School first opened its doors four years ago, its student body has quadrupled in size. Leaders attribute this growth to the school’s unique approaches. As board…
Changes on horizon for Waterloo schools
Looking toward the future was a large theme of Monday’s Waterloo School Board meeting, with talk of technology updates and potential COVID protocol shifts being hot topics. Waterloo Superintendent of…
Future taking shape in Columbia
The Columbia City Council was once again looking to the future during last Tuesday’s meeting. The city’s comprehensive plan – as well as the future growth of several Columbia businesses –…
Nurses try hard to keep up the fight
Whether manning a hall in a long-term care facility or an intensive care unit in the largest hospital in St. Louis, local nurses in every sector of health care are…
Are you a cynic or idealist? | Ott Observations
In my previous column I wrote about how some of us live consumed by fears created by politicians’ propaganda, while others live focused on hope for creating a better world.…
2021 Year in Review
From COVID rising and declining and rising again, to all the impacts locally as a result, 2021 was definitely an interesting year in Monroe County. There were also plenty of…
Waterloo School Board adapts to times
From stopping potential spread to food distribution issues, much of the Dec. 13 Waterloo School Board meeting was spent discussing weathering yet another pandemic storm. In keeping with the county’s…
Opportunities on horizon for Columbia students
A lot of ground was covered during a brief Columbia School Board meeting Thursday night. Columbia School Superintendent Chris Grode addressed a viral TikTok school shooting “trend” that caused school…
Being the Ricardos | Movie Review
After growing up with “I Love Lucy” reruns, many of us are anxious to see a good story about everyone’s favorite redhead, everyone’s favorite bandleader husband, everyone’s favorite neighbors, all appearing…
Columbia talks subdivision, levies taxes
The plan has changed, but the discussion is the same regarding a proposed subdivision in the northern part of Columbia. During Monday’s Columbia City Council meeting, public input on a…
Columbia School Board talks taxes and more
This month’s Columbia School Board meeting prompted a handful of discussion topics, with potential district growth and Illinois Association of School Board resolutions taking up the majority of the meeting. …