Prime Magazine

She put the "Tennille" in the popular 70s music duo of “The Captain and Tennille” and enjoyed two huge number one Billboard hits – “Love Will Keep Us Together” and “Do That To Me One More Time.” But Toni Tennille also brushed shoulders with…

“Coulda, woulda, shoulda called Atkins!” It’s an earworm that can last all day, and the company and the family this locally known ditty represents has a long history in Columbia and Boone County. Beginning in the 1920s, T.E. “Country”…

Fifty-six-year-old Cheryl Howard has what some might call grit…actually, a whole lot of it! That’s what kept her on the job as executive director of the historic Nora Stewart Early Learning Center near downtown Columbia when she wanted to…

In this column we are looking back at historical places in Boone County.  Ernie’s Cafe was founded in 1934 by the owner Ernie Lewis, for whom the cafe is named. It was reported to be a popular place for couples to go to dinner and there…

Recognized for hundreds of television roles dating back to the 1950s, Peter Mark Richman broke into film alongside Gary Cooper in the 1956 civil war western, “Friendly Persuasion.” “But I'm not only an actor, I’m also a playwright,”…

Once while manning the sign-up table for a Divorce Care class at church, Warren and Shelly Mayer were horsing around, being playful, teasing each other as they tend to do. And when a woman who observed their back-and-forth banter approached…

On a Sunday morning in early spring, parakeets are chirping somewhere in Helmi’s Gardens as the wind picks up and buffets the plastic on the greenhouse outside. The warm morning sun causes the roof to creak and shift as it expands…

Anyone who’s ever met 80-year-old dance instructor, Halcyone Ewalt Perlman, will readily agree that she’s a lady, and a lovely one at that. She’s an artist with a penchant for beauty and her south-side Columbia home is evidence of…

If you watched much television back in the 1970s, you couldn’t miss the television commercial that touted, “When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen.” Back then, E. F. Hutton was one of the most respected brokerage firms in the…

In the last 29 years, Drs. Neil and Lyanne Riley have sought adventure in 31 countries, on nine trips, on five continents — two people on one motorcycle. They have been detained in Russia, bungee jumped in New Zealand and went on safari in…

Four decades before James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster “Titanic” made waves at the Academy Awards with 11 wins, Audrey Dalton signed on for Hollywood’s 1953 recreation of the famous 1912 maritime disaster. “Our version only received one…

By Beverly Northup Beverly is a life-long Columbia resident and recently submitted this essay on her memories of Columbia. I have many fond memories of my childhood while growing up in Columbia where I was born and raised. I was…

Clyde Ruffin describes himself as “classic overachiever.” And, if you push the rewind button of this quiet man’s life, you’ll probably agree. He graduated ahead of schedule three times and was an assistant professor at age 23. He preached…

On Valentine’s Day, it’s all hands on deck at The Candy Factory. Friends and family converge on the sweets shop from as far away as Texas for the annual chocolate-covered strawberry production line. They are the workforce that aids Sam and…

With more than a dozen books and several short stories published, Liz Schulte is one of Columbia’s most prolific authors. Schulte writes urban fantasies, paranormal romances and romantic suspense. Often she utilizes short stories to blur…

Weight loss, health and money management consistently appear as New Year’s resolution themes made by American adults each year. At least 40 percent usually make resolutions, according to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, but by six months…

Most people agree that the stereotypical “only child” is often characterized as spoiled, pampered, a “brat,” often lacking social skills, but Penny Campbell is as far away from that description as you could possibly get. When you ask the…

Richard Anderson appeared in more than 200 films and TV shows throughout his career. But it’s not just his well-known role as security chief Oscar Goldman in “The Six Million Dollar Man” that elicits fan questions on the classic…

We recently asked readers to submit articles on their childhood heroes. Here is the second place submission, written by Michael Murrah.

Verna Laboy is a “social entrepreneur.” At age 57, she’s spent most of her adult life connecting people, creating support groups, mentoring, and pointing a spotlight on the needs and challenges of Columbia’s First Ward.