Free Republic

Ella Rogers saw the piece of paper in her yard and couldn't quite figure it out, at first. It was a canceled check, dated 1996 and written to a water company. Just a slip of paper, signifying a payment on a long-ago utility bill. The check was written by a woman in Joplin, whose house was destroyed in Sunday's storm. "She lost everything," a colleague of the Joplin woman told KSPR News on Tuesday. "We just collected money in the office for her because she doesn't have anything left." Save for her life, of course -- and her connection to...

A woman who calls herself a "hardcore street activist" and "psycho babe" of internet radio is accused of locking her daughters out of her house because they wouldn't do what they were told. Christie Czajkowski, 37, is charged with five felonies in Taney County: -Two counts of felony child abuse -Two counts of endangering the welfare of a child -One count of resisting arrest On Thursday, Taney County Judge, Tony Williams, reduced her bond from $50,000 to $10,000. Two hours after her bond reduction hearing, Czajkowski posted bond and left the jail. KSPR talked to Czajkowski about the charges ...

A woman who calls herself a "hardcore street activist" and "psycho babe" of internet radio is accused of locking her daughters out of her house because they wouldn't do what they were told. Christie Czajkowski, 37, is charged with five felonies in Taney County: -Two counts of felony child abuse -Two counts of endangering the welfare of a child -One count of resisting arrest Czajkowski was being held Tuesday night on $50,000 bond. Here's what happened, according to a probable cause statement obtained by KSPR NEWS: A sheriff's deputy and children's services worker went to Czajkowski's residence Monday night to...

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin spoke at College of the Ozarks Tuesday night. In her 50-minute speech before a crowd of several thousand people at the Point Lookout, Mo., campus, Palin stressed the importance of people speaking out, even if it's not popular. Quoting former Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, Palin said standing up for "what's right when it's unpopular is a true moral test." She said the United States is in a "crisis of confidence" and spoke of "economic, military and values-oriented battles" ahead. Palin was at College of the Ozarks to speak on patriotism, citizenship and civic engagement. Earlier...

Greene County (Missouri) prosecutors have charged a 61-year-old man with felony unlawful use of a weapon, after the man fired his handgun while chasing a suspected purse snatcher. Charles R. Webb was arrested Friday night. According to police: Webb "fired several shots at a vehicle being driven by a suspect, who had stolen a purse from a female on the parking lot of the Price Cutter, 3620 E. Battlefield Rd. "At 9:15 p.m. a 75-year old Springfield woman was walking to her car when a white male described as being 18-20 years old with black hair, ran past her and...

Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who discovered LSD and thereby gave the psychedelic generation the pharmaceutical vehicle to turn on, tune in and drop out, has died. He was 102.

Jim Talent's loss wasn't so much a slam-dunk by the Democrats. Talent WON in 2002 with 49.8 percent of the vote, to Jean Carnahan's 48.7 percent. Talent LOST in 2006 with 47.4 percent of the vote, to McCaskill's 49.4 percent. The Dem gains .7 percent; Talent loses 2.4 percent. A glaring difference: The Libertarian candidate went from 1 percent in 2002 to 2.3 percent in 2006. Libertarian gains were more pronounced in southwest Missouri's 7th District: ?In Lawrence County, McCaskill pulled 35.2 percent -- exactly as much as Carnahan in 2002. But Talent's share dwindled from 62.2 percent to 59.7...

A 20-year veteran in his family’s stage show, Dennis Mabe, died Wednesday morning. A spokesman for the Baldknobbers Jamboree Show says Mabe died at a hospital in Springfield after suffering a massive heart attack last Friday. Mabe, 49, was a second-generation performer in the Baldknobbers Show, founded by his father, Bill, and other Mabes in 1959. Bill Mabe died last year. His wife Renee, daughter Tifini, son Garrett and son Denton survive Dennis Mabe. Funeral arrangements were pending on Wednesday afternoon. The family canceled the show on Wednesday but said it resumes on Thursday.

House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) today announced that he and his wife Abigail have adopted a son. Alexander Charles Blunt, 18 months, was born near Moscow, Russia, in 2004. "Abby and I are so glad to add this little guy to our family," Blunt said. "So far, Charlie has spent every day of his young life in an orphanage or hospital. "We are so fortunate and so pleased to be able to share our lives and opportunities with him." The Blunts had worked with a Texas-based agency for a year prior to the adoption. Blunt has three adult children...

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt and his wife, Melanie, are parents of a boy. William Branch Blunt was born at 7:08 p.m. at St. John's in Springfield, Mo. The baby's grandfather is Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Strafford), the Majority Whip in the House.

<p>Not that I'm expecting sympathy, but I'm about to have a very bad day.</p>

A hilarious television moment topped ABC's Thursday evening newscast, with Ted Koppel in the D.C. anchor seat. Ted introduced a phone interview with a subway official in New York, first name "Bob," who said it was a pleasure to talk with Koppel and added, "Thank you for taking my call dot com." Huh? As the interview progressed, the guy on the phone kept urging people to go to the website (www.thankyouforcalling.com) to download important information. "Bob" eventually got the pole off his national stage. The website, BTW, is about the art of pranking national live newscasts. Didn't see this posted...

<p>Waynesville — A former Willow Springs High School teacher admitted Tuesday she had sexual contact with one of her students.</p> <p>Rebecca Gregory, 39, pleaded guilty in Pulaski County Circuit Court to an amended charge of child endangerment — the result of a sexual relationship she had with a 16-year-old student.</p>