Central Mo News is an online-only news publication based in Warrensburg, Mo., centralizing on local news coverage in the area, but with an ongoing look at the up-and-coming music scene in Central Missouri and the Greater Kansas City area. Central Mo News’ target audience is varied, as Warrensburg is a somewhat rural town, but is also home to the University of Central Missouri, which has a young population with a large interest in entertainment news.
To submit ideas for content or advertising inquiries, please email centralmonews@gmail.com.
Meet the Staff:
Editor-in-Chief Andy Lyons
Lyons has a passion for sharing the stories of those who have a passion for music. An avid-concert goer, Lyons has attended close to 100 concerts showcasing genres from rock to country to metal, and used his love of both music and writing to create Central Missouri News, writing reviews and articles about some of the hottest bands in the music industry today. Lyons has experience interviewing artists who have been featured in Rolling Stone and Revolver, as well as smaller up-and-coming artists in the Central Missouri and Kansas City areas.
He earned his Bachelor of Science in journalism from the University of Central Missouri in 2013, and earned his Master’s of Arts in Mass Communication in 2016 from the same institution in Warrensburg, Mo. His work has been published on digitalBURG.com, the Sedalia Democrat, WhatCulture.com, and the Muleskinner, where he served as news editor for one year and as managing editor for one year. His work at the Muleskinner and digitalBURG was recognized by the Missouri College Media Association and the Associated Collegiate Press, winning a total of five awards.
Lyons’ favorite bands include Deftones, Korn, In This Moment, Pink Floyd, Foo Fighters, Explosions in the Sky, and Nine Inch Nails. His dream interview would be with Chino Moreno, lead singer of the Deftones.
Contact Lyons for story pitches or other inquiries at centralmonews@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @theLYON85.
Reporter Mitchell Brown
Brown is someone who fell in love with reading and writing at an early age. By age 7, Brown knew he wanted to write for a living. The desire never faded.
Throughout the years, writing remained a constant in his life. At age 14, he began publishing a DIY xeroxed fanzine focused on independent and underground music, which ran off and on for four years. The layout was rudimentary, with hand-cut-and-pasted clip-art and pictures, and Brown’s prose was not as developed as it currently stands, but the constant writing served as the building of a foundation.
As a student at the University of Central Missouri, he has continued to sharpen his writing skills through both academic and journalistic writing.
From 2010 to 2014, he wrote news stories and opinion pieces for UCM’s newspaper, the Muleskinner, with topics ranging from arts and entertainment to political issues. In 2014, he made a transition from print journalism to broadcasting, with a role as onscreen talent on Central News and later doing double-duty as talent and researcher/script writer for “This Week in History,” with both programs being produced through UCM’s Central Media Network.
Brown’s continued interest in journalism comes from a deep-rooted love of knowledge and information, with the belief that the best journalists are information addicts. He believes the primary goal of journalism should be to document and inform, coupled with an unyielding belief in the free-market of ideas and that many points of view should be represented within the national discourse.
Follow him on Twitter @MebMitchell
Metal Head Cosa
Photographer Geula Justice