Rolla Daily Digest Thursday, October 22, 2026
Ty's Take
There's something about a slow week that cuts through the noise and reminds you what actually matters in a place like this. Veterans working to put names on a wall so we don't forget who didn't come home. Kids at the Sixth Grade Center earning recognition for doing right by each other. Someone giving blood because the Red Cross needs it, and getting a Chiefs shirt out of the deal. These aren't the stories that make you lean forward, but they're the ones that tell you a community's still got its hands on the wheel. Rolla's not perfect, and Lord knows we've got our share of bigger fights to sort out, but when you see folks showing up for each other and for memory, you stop worrying so much about what the headlines missed.
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Phelps County Focus
Veterans fundraising to recognize Vietnam KIAs with new honor wall
A coalition of veterans organizations is raising funds to build a new honor wall at Rolla's Veterans Memorial Park that will recognize Vietnam War veterans and name those killed in action from Crawford, Dent, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Texas counties. The project needs $5,000 in donations and help...
In defense of popular sovereignty
A letter writer argues that Amendment 6 strengthens popular sovereignty by protecting citizens' right to petition their government and requiring broad legislative consensus to overturn voter-approved initiatives. The writer defends the 367,000 Missourians who signed the petition and the state's...
Go the extra yard for local patients, give blood, score a free Chiefs T-shirt
Community Blood Center of the Ozarks is hosting a blood drive in Rolla on Monday, November 9 at First Baptist Church's Ministry Center, offering donors Kansas City Chiefs T-shirts and entry into a tailgate prize drawing valued at over $1,400. Blood collected at the drive will supply patients at...
Grace, gratitude and the family you find
Michelle Roark of Rolla discovered she had HER2-positive breast cancer on New Year's Eve 2024 and found compassionate care at Phelps Health and the Delbert Day Cancer Institute during her treatment. Facing overwhelming medical bills while working through chemotherapy, she struggled to qualify for...
Letter to editor had dramatic headline
A letter writer questions the dramatic headline used for a previous letter about Amendment 6, noting that hundreds of thousands of Missourians have signed petitions without such alarming characterizations.
Sixth Grade Center receives Tiger Spirit trophy
The Waynesville Sixth Grade Center won the traveling Tiger Spirit Trophy for placing first in the 2026 Homecoming Parade. Sixth Grade Principal Kevin Schnicker and Superintendent Hilary Bales accepted the award on behalf of the school.
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