By Ken Midkiff

Thousands of folks from St. Louis take float trips on the Current and Jacks Fork rivers – designated in 1964 by the US Congress as the Ozark National Scenic Riverways (NSR).  Congress also gave a mandate to the…

Let’s face it, the Endangered Species Act can create quite a burden. If your goal is to build dams or open federal land to mining, logging and oil drilling, all those threatened animals and plants just get in the way.
Congress…

With grocery prices up nearly 6 percent over the past year, it might seem odd that the federal government is paying farmers a fortune to not grow food.

Odd but true. The government last year paid $1.8 billion to farmers for…

Earlier this week, I wrote a blog item about the debate over U.S. domestic oil exploration. It includes background information on the issue, including data about estimated oil reserves and U.S. production, importation and consumption.

Some politicians who have opposed expanded offshore…

A few years ago, Mahlon B. Wallace III of Ladue, a retired pencil company executive, rancher, wildlife art collector and philanthropist, purchased a small bronze statue by the noted wildlife sculptor Kent Ullberg. “Reaching Elephant,” it was called, an African…