USA Today

My kids refuse to believe it, but I used to be a runner. That's one reason why I appreciate the fact that one 5K run in Missouri was just voted one of the best races in America. That matters because it was the people who participate that vote.

If you're a traveler who frequents the Branson, Missouri area, there's good news as one of the newer hotels in that area was just voted by readers of a major website as one of the top 10 in America.

I am not an easy person to surprise. I've been on this earth long enough to have seen a few things and done a lot of things. That being said, I was surprised when I saw who readers of USA Today chose as the best department store in America. It's a store who's story began in Missouri.

I can tell you from experience that the best awards come from the audience. That's one reason why an award for a Missouri cookie shop means so much. It comes from the readers of USA Today who say one of the best in the country is in the Show Me State.

There's one place in Missouri that was just declared not only the biggest tourist trap in Missouri, but one of the top 100 in the world.

We start with a prediction. The readers of USA Today will soon confirm what we in the Midwest already know - that Branson's Silver Dollar City's "Old Time Christmas" is the Best Theme Park Holiday Event in America.

The warm winter we just enjoyed has led to an early lawn mowing season. With that first mowing session of the season comes the realization that there is much more than grass in your yard. Somehow a neighbor's dog has made its way into your yard and made a deposit or two.

It's always nice to see a local community receive recognition from a national publication. This week, USA Today published Idyllic America: Picturesque towns in each state, a photo gallery featuring one picturesque town for each state in the country. Hannibal was chosen to represent Missouri.

There was a story aired on KHQA Wednesday night regarding the potential to have a tax levied on the amount of miles you drive.  The state of Oregon drivers, according to an article in a recent USA Today newspaper, could get a taste of what the future may hold for the rest of us. They will pay taxes not on the amount of gasoline their cars burn, but on the number of miles they drive.

The votes are in and the next phase of the Best of the Road Contest is about to begin for all the finalist cities, of which Quincy is one! The Mayor's office sent out a news release today thanking everyone who voted for the City of Quincy in the past weeks.