October 2025

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For the first time in about 30 years, a Clay County jury has handed down a death sentence, according to Clay County Prosecutor’s Office Communication Specialist Cher Congour. The decision came after jurors found 28-year-old Joshua T.

The City of Excelsior Springs approved plans to expand Crown Hill Cemetery through the construction of a new columbarium garden designed to meet rising demand for cremation options and long-term memorial space.

As fewer young people enter the trades, one Excelsior Springs Area Career Center (ESACC) teacher is making an effort to show a handson career can be rewarding. Carpentry and construction instructor Bronson Smith is helping students at the Career Center find purpose in the work they build from the ground up.

Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part series covering historian and author Mark Gardner’s presentation during the Fall on the Farm celebration at Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site and State Park. Part one highlights Gardner’s introduction, the historical ties between the Watkins and James families and the rare Civil War–era letters preserved at the site. Part two will detail Gardner’s discussion of how the James brothers’ wartime experiences led to their infamous years as outlaws, the Pinkerton raid that shook the county and ways Missouri’s frontier history continues to shape modern legend.

Paid Advertisement Nestled in the valleys surrounding the East Fork Fishing River, The Overlook at Crystal Lakes Mo. has quickly become a source of pride for Crystal Lakes.

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CLOSE FINISH Excelsior Springs senior Gabby Scrivener can say she finished her high school girls golf career as one of the top 30 golfers in the state in Class 3. She was nearly one of the top 20 girls golfers.

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Residents will have another chance to safely dispose of personal documents during the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Community Shredding Event, now rescheduled for Nov. 8.