Stories by Gary Castor

COMMENTARY: Skirting the issue In the 1950s when television was in black and white as was the distinction between acceptable and unacceptable behavior, comedian Milton Berle would occasionally wear a dress in a skit, causing the st... June 24, 2022

Trump lashes out at Jan. 6 committee as he teases 2024 run Trump lashes out at Jan. 6 committee as he teases 2024 run U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., speaks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s “Road to Majority” event, Friday, June 17, 2022, in Nashvil... June 18, 2022

Told repeatedly he lost, Trump refused to go WASHINGTON (AP) -- Donald Trump was told the same thing over and over, by his campaign team, the data crunchers, and a steady stream of lawyers, investigators and inner-circle allies: There was no vot... June 11, 2022

News Tribune journalist tabbed Young Journalist of Year The Missouri Press Association has named Layne Stracener, community engagement editor at the Jefferson City News Tribune, as the 2022 William E. James/Missouri Outstanding Young Journalist for daily n... May 4, 2022

LISTEN: NT on Tap -- Capitol Avenue demolition In this week’s episode, Managing Editor Gary Castor and Nicole Hillen, who covers City Council, chat about the demolition, repairs and redevelopment of properties along East Capitol Avenue.<i... April 13, 2022

LISTEN: NT on Tap -- How the opinion page process works In this week's episode, Managing Editor Gary Castor and Opinion Page Editor Gerry Tritz chat about the process of the News Tribune's opinion page.<iframe class="castos-iframe-player&qu... April 6, 2022

LISTEN: NT on Tap -- Cole County Cycling Controversy In this week's episode, Managing Editor Gary Castor chats with reporters Jeff Haldiman and Joe Gamm about the Cole County Commission flipping a decision to install signage along county roads used ... March 30, 2022

LISTEN: NT on Tap -- Report says Alzheimer’s disease cases, deaths rising In this week’s episode, Managing Editor Gary Castor and reporter Joe Gamm talk about Alzheimer’s, including  the science behind it, how it affects people, risk factors, and new inform... March 22, 2022

LISTEN: NT on Tap -- National cemetery expansion efforts In this week’s episode, Managing Editor Gary Castor and reporter Joe Gamm chat about a group of local veterans’ efforts to expand the Jefferson City National Cemetery.<iframe class=&quo... March 17, 2022

Come join the conversation Nearly four years ago, the News Tribune began hosting monthly Reader Advisory Board meetings, where members of the community and News Tribune staffers come together for frank, honest and respectful di... March 13, 2022

Missouri House bill would budget $2B in pandemic-related school funding JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A budget plan advanced Wednesday in the Missouri House would budget about $2 billion in federal funding for K-12 schools struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.Most of ... February 10, 2022

Missouri logs first case of omicron variant The omicron variant of COVID-19 has made its way to Missouri, with the first case announced Friday. In a news release, the Department of Health and Senior Services said it was notified by public healt... December 4, 2021

Key factors fall in line to form frost Editor's note: Meteorologist Maddie Est will be writing a weekly column explaining weather trends and topics. Temperatures in the 70s this past week were a welcome change from the chilly mornings of l... December 2, 2021

Preparation is key to success Winter is coming. For "Game of Thrones" fans, the three words serve as a warning and call for constant vigilance. Being the lords of the north, the House of Stark strove to always be prepared for the ... November 20, 2021

Pro-Parson PAC fined by Missouri Ethics Commission The political action committee created to advocate for Gov. Mike Parson accepted an illegal contribution of $150,000 last year from an out-of-state group. In a consent order filed this week, the Misso... November 18, 2021

Attorney general sues Springfield schools over CRT documents Attorney General Eric Schmitt alleges in a newly filed lawsuit that Springfield Public Schools wants to avoid scrutiny of its curriculum and training materials -- and is violating the Missouri Sunshin... November 17, 2021

Missouri legislative leader joins crowded U.S. Senate race One of the top Republican lawmakers in the Missouri General Assembly filed paperwork Monday declaring his intention to run for the U.S. Senate. Senate President Pro Tem David Schatz, a Franklin County... November 17, 2021

Missouri's thin dental safety net stretched amid Medicaid expansion At the Access Family Care clinics in southwestern Missouri, the next available nonemergency dental appointment is next summer. Northwest Health Services, headquartered in St. Joseph, is booked through... November 17, 2021

Cass County lawmaker joins crowded GOP 4th Congressional District race State Sen. Rick Brattin became the fifth Republican to enter the 4th Congressional District Republican primary Monday, announcing his bid by declaring that his conservative record outshines his GOP ri... November 16, 2021

Missourians say they can't get federal food assistance due to long call wait times Just as the school year was ending this past spring -- and with it, free school lunches -- Erin Bay learned her monthly food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was... November 16, 2021

Attorney general seeks texts, emails about metro mask mandates Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt wants to know what four Democratic executives in Missouri's largest metro areas said in emails, texts and other communications about mask mandates to fight the... November 16, 2021

Capital City senior awarded presidential scholarship A Capital City High School senior has been awarded a presidential scholarship from John Brown University. Kacy Highfill will receive $112,000 total for four years toward her college education. John Br... November 13, 2021

Be cautious when buying gift cards As holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, you may be considering gift cards for friends or relatives who have everything or those who live far away. Gift cards are an easy solution to people wh... November 12, 2021

Free health care clinic in southern Missouri shuts doors MOUNTAIN VIEW -- It was already 1 p.m., and Sheri Noble's Monday was just getting started. There were prescriptions to call into the pharmacy, times to coordinate for people to pick up donated supplie... November 12, 2021

PACs tied to Missouri lobbyist scramble to account for missing cash A pair of political action committees connected to a Missouri lobbyist under FBI scrutiny have begun taking steps to account for nearly $170,000 in cash that went unreported on disclosures to the stat... November 11, 2021

Nancy Northway helped pave way for women serving in National Guard Nancy Northway has an interesting military background spanning many fascinating historical experiences. Completing service with the National Guard in Missouri and Indiana, she began her career in the ... November 11, 2021

U.S. Colored Troops veteran still remembered by school he helped found One of the best-known founders of Lincoln University may be William Logan Bennett. He was a fixture of a half-century of annual Founders Day activities, sitting on stage in full uniform. For several y... November 11, 2021

Blair Oaks hires assistant superintendent for 2022-23 year Consolidating several district-level duties, the Blair Oaks R-2 School District has hired Kimberley Walters as assistant superintendent for the 2022-23 school year. Walters is the principal of the dis... November 11, 2021

Lutheran church in Lohman founded by German immigrants in 1852 During the 1840s, scores of hopeful individuals departed their German homeland in pursuit of the promise of a better life in the United States. Many eventually settled in the community that in later y... November 11, 2021

New funds, strategy may help reduce lead exposure for Missouri children It's clear lead exposure is a problem for Missouri's children. An estimated 4.5 percent have elevated levels of lead in their blood, more than almost any other state in the country. What's far more di... November 9, 2021

Missouri Senate leader decides against 4th District congressional run Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, announced Monday morning he would not run for Congress. Instead, he said in a letter posted on Twitter he will continue to serve in the Missouri Senate... November 9, 2021

Mark your calendars; Living Windows returning to downtown Jefferson City's High Street and downtown area will come alive again this winter, as the annual Living Windows event returns Dec. 3 to the Capital City. The annual event was canceled last year due to ... November 6, 2021

Missouri drops to last in nation in number of vaccinated nursing home staff Even as nursing homes worked through the summer to get Missouri over the halfway mark in employee vaccinations, the state fell further behind peers, dropping to last in the nation. And while neighbori... November 6, 2021

As flu season begins, officials encourage vaccinations Like clockwork, flu season has arrived. With it comes another decision about whether to receive a vaccination or not. Flu season officially began the first week of October and runs until April (but ma... November 6, 2021

Opportunities of bluff top development missed If the bluff top upon which Heisinger Lutheran Home now sits could talk, it would tell of things that might have been. Sandwiched between St. Peter's cemetery to the west and the Old Catholic Cemetery... November 5, 2021

Mental health staffing shortages limit access to patient care A staffing crisis across state-run mental health facilities has decreased access to care for patients, with some waiting months for services, state officials told the Mental Health Commission on Thurs... November 5, 2021

Cole Spring Baptist Church has tended to spiritual needs of community since 1835 In 1831, the pioneering families of Enoch Enloe Sr. and Lamon Short decided to settle near the area that eventually became Russellville after a wheel on one of their covered wagons broke. Four years l... November 5, 2021

Wilde shares story of commitment to police force, National Guard, family During his three decades of service in the Missouri National Guard, Eric Wilde has been labeled a "mustang" -- military slang for those who began their career as an enlisted soldier prior to becoming ... November 5, 2021

Federal vaccine rule for private businesses to kick in Jan. 4 WASHINGTON -- Many private employers beginning in January will have to ensure their workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or will undergo weekly testing and wear a face covering, under a new f... November 5, 2021

Missouri Democrats back Biden agenda, tout path to victory in U.S. Senate debate Six Missouri Democrats running to be their party's U.S. Senate nominee shared a debate stage for the first time Wednesday night, with each voicing support for the president's stalled domestic agenda a... November 5, 2021

Cole Spring Baptist Church tends to spiritual needs of community In 1831, the pioneering families of Enoch Enloe Sr. and Lamon Short decided to settle near the area that eventually became Russellville after a wheel on one of their covered wagons broke. Four years l... November 5, 2021

BBB tips: Prepare your home, car for winter As temperatures drop, Better Business Bureau (BBB) urges consumers to make sure their homes and vehicles are ready for winter. The last thing anyone wants is to be left out in the cold when winter hit... November 5, 2021

Corizon loses challenge on prisoner medical care contract The company providing health care to state prisoners failed to prove a competitor misled state purchasing officers to win the $1.4 billion contract, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ruled Thursd... November 5, 2021

Federal subpoenas sought records from Missouri medical marijuana regulators Twice last year, a federal grand jury demanded the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services turn over records pertaining to the medical marijuana program. The pair of subpoenas, issued by the... November 4, 2021

Lawsuit over state prison health contract begins The company fighting in court to hold onto Missouri's prison health care contract targets "puffery" language of little meaning to show a competitor misled the state, an assistant attorney general said... November 4, 2021

Database shows Missouri residents what contaminants are in drinking water Missouri and Kansas residents may be drinking unsafe amounts of arsenic, nitrates and other chemicals -- even if their provider is meeting federal drinking water requirements, according to data publis... November 4, 2021

Health director: COVID cases, hospitalizations trending down Positive cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations in Cole County have trended down during the last month, Health Department Director Kristi Campbell told the County Commission on Tuesday. "In September,... November 3, 2021

Natural gas prices could be 30% higher this winter After a historic cold snap depleted natural gas reserves in February, prices for heating could be as much as 30 percent higher this winter, prompting concerns about increasing bills for Kansas and Mis... November 3, 2021

County forming advisory panel for COVID-19 funds The Cole County Commission is looking for residents who want to help advise the county in spending its federal COVID-19 relief funds. The commissioners agreed Tuesday to form an advisory committee and... November 3, 2021

Lawsuit calls ballot summary of school-voucher petition misleading Proponents of an initiative petition that would ask voters to prohibit the state from issuing tax credits to offset the cost of private school tuition have filed a lawsuit, alleging the ballot summary... November 3, 2021

Stories by Gary Castor

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