Opinion

Do you feel frustrated and angry about the news about lead in local water systems? Well, you should. There had to be a great many people who knew about this threat long ago.

DEAR ABBY: I am a gay man who came out late in life. I have three grown, married children and five grandchildren. They are my world, and we are all very close. I’ve had one partner. My family readily accepted and welcomed him because he made me happy. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out.

One of the biggest challenges in Monett these days comes from driving in and out and through the northeast corner of town after 3 p.m. on a school day.

DEAR ABBY: I’ve always been close to my children, but now that they are adults, it seems I’m losing my connection with one of them. He married a girl of a different race, and while that doesn’t bother me, I have a strong hunch she’s the reason he has distanced himself from not only me, but also the rest of the family.

Dear Dave, Our 21-year-old son is in college, and we’ve always warned him to stay away from credit cards. Despite our warnings, we recently learned he got a store-branded credit card.

Every 10 years it seems downtown Monett needs to undergo a revitalization effort. Several ingredients go into this equation that have to be reviewed, in part to recall what worked before and what didn’t.

DEAR ABBY: I have been involved with a married man for the last five years. He lied to me about his status.

Missouri’s Senate is heading into uncharted territory that could disrupt the legislative process for the remaining months of this year’s session. It involves a deep split among Senate Republicans by members of a new national conservative organization who are challenging Missouri GOP Senate leaders.

Working at a newspaper is no easy job. Over the years, I have conducted many interviews with prospective reporters who imagined a life of ease, sitting behind a desk in a climate- controlled office, tap, tap tapping away at a keyboard from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.