Mike O’Brien, former editor and columnist for the News-Leader, and Dianne Elizabeth Osis, founding publisher of the Springfield Business Journal, are among those to be inducted.

Two Springfield journalists will be among those joining the Missouri Newspaper Hall of Fame on Sept. 20 during the Missouri Press Association’s annual convention in Springfield. The 2024 class is the 34th group to be inducted since the Hall of Fame was established in 1991.

This year’s inductees are Mike O’Brien, former editor and columnist for the Springfield News-Leader; Dianne Elizabeth Osis, founding publisher of the Springfield Business Journal; Doug Kneibert, former editor of the Sedalia Democrat; and Michael Stair, former city editor for the Joplin Globe.

Hall of Fame inductees (or their families) receive Pinnacle Awards in honor of the inductees’ service to the Missouri newspaper industry and their communities. Inductees’ plaques will join the permanent display of inductees in the MPA office in Columbia and in the student lounge in Lee Hills Hall at the Missouri School of Journalism.

Mike O’Brien, former News-Leader editor and columnist, to be inducted to Missouri Newspaper Hall of Fame

For nearly 60 years, Mike O’Brien has been a driving force in keeping those in southwest Missouri informed and entertained. He started in 1966 as an intern with Springfield Newspapers — never mind the fact he was an advertising major at the Missouri School of Journalism. O’Brien’s well-known nose for news, informative columns, photography work, and ability to grab a reader’s attention ensured a steady string of assignments after that.

After graduating in 1967, O’Brien joined the dual Springfield Leader & Press and Springfield Daily News operation. He remained there through the papers’ merger into the Springfield News-Leader. He left the newsroom in 1987 as associate editor but continued as a columnist for another 20 years.

Throughout his career, O’Brien has embraced the future of the profession, including setting up Springfield Newspapers’ first computer system and teaching colleagues how to use it. He also helped younger reporters develop and hone their skills. “OB” is regarded as a true master of the journalist’s craft, serving as a role model and mentor for budding journalists.

Over the years, O’Brien has been asked to return to the newspaper to provide new reporters with a lesson on all aspects of the job and share history of the Ozarks. O’Brien’s departure from the News-Leader was the journalism profession’s gain as he joined the faculty of Missouri State University and later Drury University. He continues to fulfill the role of training the next generation of journalists at Drury.

A master of adaptation, O’Brien has worked in all the newsroom roles of a print newspaper. But at heart, he is a beat reporter. Today, O’Brien’s beat is writing occasional feature stories for the Springfield Daily Citizen website and writing on social media about community issues that interest him.

Dianne Elizabeth Osis, founding publisher of the Springfield Business Journal, to be inducted into Missouri Newspaper Hall of Fame

Dianne Elizabeth Osis produced her first newspaper, Top’s Executive Journal, in July 1980 from her kitchen table, with only an academic background in journalism. Standing for The Ozarks Pulse, it was inspired by a similar publication from her time working at a law firm in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was the first business journal in Missouri.

The newspaper, initially published every other week, limped along in its early years because people in the area were not familiar with the business journal concept. Osis persisted because she believed the newspaper model could work in Springfield, and in 1983, the publication was renamed as Springfield Business Journal, bringing new success.

A move into Springfield’s fledgling downtown in the mid-1980s, combined with Osis’ determination, meant the newspaper embraced the up-and-coming area and in turn the businesses supported SBJ. She would further show her commitment to the downtown by purchasing and renovating a former hotel to serve as the newspaper’s offices.

Community leaders credit Osis’ vision and commitment as a significant factor in the revitalization of Springfield’s downtown, helping to build confidence with others in the area and inspire a resurgence of investment over the following years.

Regularly volunteering for community efforts, Osis is an example of an unselfish leader and seen as “a model for a civic-minded journalist” with many of the same traits that made her a good journalist also applying to her work on various boards and committees.

Osis’ work as one of the first female business journal publishers in the nation broke barriers and paved the way for other women in the industry, including her daughter, Jennifer Jackson, who succeeded Osis as publisher of SBJ in 2011 and as president of SBJ Publishing in 2017. Her commitment to journalism and mentorship of aspiring journalists continues to have a lasting impact, fostering growth and success of countless individuals during her career.

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – The economic truce between Kansas and Missouri could be over after Kansas legislators approved the STAR Bonds intended to lure the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals across the border.

In 2019, Governors Laura Kelly and Mike Parsons signed an agreement that prevented Kansas City metro communities from poaching each other’s businesses across state lines. Kelly claims the Chiefs were never discussed in the truce, but Kansas City, Mo. Mayor Quinton Lucas feels the Kansas lawmakers crossed the line.

”I do think that this ends what was a good compromise,” Lucas said, “I think that will long term be bad for the taxpayers and it’s something that frankly we all need to sit down and see if there’s a way we can rebuild.”

Kansas leadership insists this bill is meant to unite both sides and ensure the sports franchises are not swayed to relocate to a completely different part of the country.

“The fan base is on both sides of the line and we heard it in our debates that, ‘We have the benefit of the Chiefs over here,’” Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson explained. “Well, the same would be true in Kansas. It’s not really a war. We want to keep the Kansas City Chiefs in the Kansas City area because there would be a loss if we lost that franchise in this area.”

While the owners ultimately decide where the teams call home, Kansas now has a seat at the table.

“We don’t know if they’ll jump the state line but we have to do our part and now they can do their part,” Kansas Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins emphasized.

The ball now remains in Jackson Co., Missouri court, where voters rejected a sales tax to finance a new Royals stadium in downtown Kansas City, Missouri a few months ago.

“It was largely in part about leverage and the teams are in an exceptional leverage position,” Lucas said. “Now I think what they are able to say is, ‘What’s the best deal we can get over here and what’s the best deal we can get over here,’ and then at the end of the day, what’s the deal they’re going to take.”

The lease on the Chiefs and Royals’ current complex runs through 2031, but the clock is ticking with both teams recently emphasizing the need for renovations or relocation.

Copyright 2024 WIBW. All rights reserved.

From ancestral discoveries to creating awareness to seeking post-conviction relief, one St. Louis woman is working to honor her family by raising awareness about the legacy of racism and slavery.

Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge discovered that she is related to Celia, a Callaway County slave, who was executed in 1855 after defending herself against her owner. According to Westbrooks-Hodge, Celia was purchased by Robert Newsom for the purposes of being a concubine after his wife’s death.

“After about five years and bearing at least one child for Robert Newsom, she had two children in total, she got tired of what she was enduring and she was, she killed Robert Newsom,” she told Missourinet.

She seeks post-conviction relief to clear Celia’s name in the Calloway County courts.

“The Callaway County courts will have jurisdiction here,” she explained. “So, it is our hope and our plan to appeal to the prosecuting attorney of Callaway County asking him to file a motion with the Callaway County courts to overturn Celia’s conviction.”

She is hoping others can learn about what she calls inhumanity.

“Let’s talk about what happened here in Missouri because when we study the past, when we study these atrocities, we’re better able to recognize the warning signs and then our children can stand in the gap, and they can prevent these things from happening again,” Westbrooks-Hodge said. “Those things we don’t understand, if we don’t recognize the warning signs, they’re doomed to repeat.”

Westbrooks-Hodge is a descendant of Celia and Robert Newsom’s daughter who was born in 1854.

Click here to listen to her interview for Show Me Today.

© 2024, Missourinet.