I’m not a smart toad, but I did grow a fancy mustache and grew out my hair to look like a mad scientist.

Let’s cut to the chase to open this week’s prose.

Editor, Webster County Citizen:

Since my good pal Steve Richards, superintendent of the Seymour R-II School District, hasn’t yet unveiled a full-scale drawing of the local district’s new gymnasium, I got out my pencil box, protractor and slide rule, then came up with my own design for the new gym.

A couple of years from now, southern Webster County’stwo high schools, at least the ones with campuses in WebsterCounty, will have new gymnasiums.

This week, the House was in Jefferson City for a Special Session called by Governor Parson. This Special Session served two primary purposes: the first, renew a tax on healthcare providers known as the Federal Reimbursement Allowance (FRA) tax, which is matched by federal dollars at a higher…

I gotta admit, this one plain frosts me.

There are nine different buildings on the west side of the Seymour square.

I was a bit surprised to learn last week that it’s not illegal to drive a riding lawn mower on the streets of Seymour.

Webster County, we have a problem with COVID-19.

I’ve gotta say, this alleged crime baffles me.

The 2021 Legislative Session ended at 6 p.m. this past Friday, May 14. I am so honored that another bill I sponsored was truly agreed and finally passed and is now headed to the Governor’s desk. This bill, HB 432, includes several provisions to help vulnerable persons in our State. One of th…

There is now only one week remaining this Session. This week, both the House and Senate truly agreed and finally passed all the budget bills for the upcoming fiscal year and sent them to the Governor’s desk by the required constitutional deadline. I was honored to help with the budget bills …

I’ve enjoyed seeing visitors from the district at the Capitol these past few weeks. On Tuesday, fourth graders from Seymour Elementary came to the Capitol for a tour of the building, including the whispering gallery. Governor Parson also surprised them and led a tour of his office! I love mo…

There are only three weeks left for this Session, so the Capitol has been busy this week trying to pass the budget and legislation. The Senate has started their mark-ups of the budget bills, meaning they’re adding increases or decreases to the appropriations that we approved in the House a f…

This week, the Missouri House and Senate delivered two bills that I’m sponsoring to the Governor’s desk for his approval and signature. These two bills, HB 429 and HB 430, began as the foster care tax deduction and adoption tax credit to give more financial assistance to families who provide…

The House and Senate continue to move quickly this Session to pass meaningful reforms into law. This week, the Senate gave overwhelming bipartisan approval to my HB 429 and 430, which would give much needed financial relief to Missourians serving as foster care and adoptive parents. The bill…

This week, the House passed a majority of the bills that will fund state government for the upcoming fiscal year. The spending bills that we did not get to this week will be considered after Easter. The topic that took up much of the House’s discussion this week was Medicaid expansion. As th…

Editor, Webster County Citizen:

The House of Representatives and Senate came back from Spring Break this week and went straight to work. The House Budget Committee, which has a constitutional deadline each year to write the state’s budget, voted on amendments to the Governor’s proposed budget. The House Budget Committee wi…

The House was busy this week as we worked to pass several good reforms before leaving for next week’s spring break. One of my greatest privileges as your State Representative is teaching our youth about the political process. I look forward to returning to Jefferson City along with my collea…

I’ll open this week’s column with a one-liner that often appears several paragraphs into my prose.

A lot of exciting things took place at the Capitol this week. I am so honored to have been appointed Vice-Chair of the House Special Committee on Redistricting. This committee is responsible for redrawing Missouri’s congressional districts based on the 2020 Census. As the Census was delayed …

My bills regarding foster care and adoption were the first House bills to be heard in a Senate committee this session. The first bill, HB 429, would add a tax deduction for expenses incurred while providing care as a foster parent. The second bill, HB 430, would expand the state’s existing a…

It was a snowy week here in Missouri, and I hope that you and your families are staying warm and safe. The House only held technical sessions with no committee hearings on Monday and Tuesday due to weather. My colleagues and I returned to the Capitol for normal business on Wednesday and Thur…

Just exactly what kind of a death-trap organization is my employer?

Readers with school-aged children likely are ready for the “February Freeze Out” to end.

This week at the Capitol started with me leading prayer in the House Chamber on Monday. I’m honored that my colleagues asked me to say a prayer for the legislature this year. My bill to establish the Birth Match Program, which would help the state to better identify newborns who might be pla…

Editor, Webster County Citizen:

There’s a little girl who needs your prayers.

The Missouri House continues to move forward legislation that reflects Missourians’ values and interests. As someone who is pro-life, I was honored to present my “Birth Match Program” bill (HB 432) before the House Children and Families Committee. This bill would help the state to quickly id…

Early last week, the city of Seymour posed a question on its Facebook page.

Editor, Webster County Citizen:

I’m down here on South Cantrell Street offering my first tutorial. Although I’m standing in front of the city of Seymour’s salt shed, this tutorial is for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT).

Last week, thanks to the diligence of North Ward Alderman William Pogue and his quest for the simple truth, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) provided the city of Seymour with some answers regarding the seemingly eternal situation with the smell of gasoline and associated ga…

Okay, local motorists, your assistance is required.

Editor, Webster County Citizen:

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a 1924 letter to the editor in the Seymour Citizen from J.P. Newton, where he tells about the look of Seymour in 1884. Ironically, one of the improvements that Newton asks for in the future is a water system. Two years later in 1926, the historic water tower j…

I first met Dr. Dennis Robinson about 25 years ago.

Editor, Webster County Citizen:

Last Thursday, I received an interesting e-mail from the Georgia Department of Education announcing that legislators in the “Peach State” had voted to give a one-time, $1,000 bonus payment to every K-12 public-school teacher and school-level staff member in that state.

House members received their committee assignments from the House Speaker this week. I am honored that the Speaker has entrusted me to continue serving on the Budget Committee and ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly and efficiently. I was also appointed to four more commi…

The men and women recently elected to the Missouri House of Representatives were sworn-in to their offices on January 6, 2021. Representative Hannah Kelly, who was first elected in 2016 to represent Wright County and a portion of Webster County, also began her two-year tenure as the Assistan…

Happy New Year!

As a representative of the people and a member of the House Budget Committee, my priority is making sure taxpayer dollars go to the state programs we most desperately need funded.

Although I have hundreds of them, perhaps my favorite memory of Joe Easter came about 10 games into his first season as the head boys’ basketball coach at Seymour High School.

Seymour’s celebration of the month-end Christmas holiday arrives Saturday.

During my 26-year military career, I’ve been stuck with so many needles that I’m immune to diseases ranging from the Black Plague to yellow fever.

I must be psychic.