Sept. 20 is opening night for Stained Glass Theatre’s 42nd season, THE Message. Each show this season has an amazing message you won’t want to miss. “The Forerunner” is the first show in the season, with the message of the messenger. more

The Showcase Ozark Business Expo was held last weekend on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. This year’s expo, held at the Ozark High School’s Ozark Innovation Center, marked the return of the business expo to Ozark after five years. more

The City of Ozark recently announced the celebration of Good Neighbor Week, which runs from Sept. 28, 2024, to Oct. 4, 2024. This special week is dedicated to fostering community spirit, encouraging neighborly acts of kindness and strengthening the bonds that make Ozark a wonderful place to live. more

Just one month after Ozark’s Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center received $100,000 in grants allowing the addition of two preschool classrooms, Tiger Paw received another grant allowing families to save money. This new grant, valued up to $780,000, will pay tuition for students who will enter kindergarten in the 2025-26 school year. more

The 2024 Billings Fair was held this past weekend, Aug. 30-31, at the Billings Community Park. The event featured vendor booths, food trucks, live music, a parade, tractor pulls and more. If you missed out on this year’s festivities, be sure to mark Aug. 29-30, 2025, on your calendars for the 59th Annual Billings Fair. more

Harrison, AR — Carpenter Media Group (CMG) and Phillips Media Group (PMG) announced on Aug. 30 they have reached an agreement for CMG to acquire PMG’s 16 community newspapers spread across Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois, as well as Nowata Printing Company in Springfield, Missouri. more

Dickerson Park Zoo and Community Blood Center of the Ozarks (CBCO), the sole supplier of blood, platelets and plasma to patients at 45 area healthcare facilities, are partnering together to help boost the region’s blood supply for local patients. more

Members of the Nixa and Spokane FFA Chapters joined more than 725 FFA members and agricultural leaders at the Missouri State Fair last month on Aug. 13, for the Missouri State FFA Food Insecurity Day of Service. The event is held in conjunction with the Missouri Farmers Care Foundation Drive to Feed Kids, a year-long effort to stand in the gap for the one in seven Missouri children facing food insecurity. more

Ozark School District Assistant Superintendent of Operations Dr. Curtis Chesick is looking forward to an amazing 2024-25 school year at a bit of a slower pace, thanks to the completion of three storm shelters, one indoor activities center, a new HVAC system and the installation of solar panels — all within the last year. more

Finley River Art Gallery on the Ozark Square is currently exhibiting a traditional art competition that was open to the public. Sixteen entries were submitted for the "Go Big" competition, where all work had to be a minimum of 864 sq. in. The winners were announced at a reception the evening of Friday, Aug. 23. more

A new chapter for Ozark High School (OHS) student activities began on Aug. 22, 2024, as the Ozark community, along with state and local representatives, school and District staff, OHS band students, cheerleaders and JROTC cadets gathered to cut the ribbon for the OHS storm shelter/gym and the new indoor activities center. more

On Saturday, Aug. 24, over 600 people volunteered from James River Church to pack and deliver over 4,000 gifts to police officers, firefighters and medical professionals in the Springfield and Joplin areas. These gifts were brought to over 100 locations in 6 different counties throughout southwest Missouri to let our local heroes know how loved and appreciated they are. more

The City of Ozark recently announced the opening of the Garrison Springs Community Forest. A ribbon cutting ceremony took place at the main gate of Garrison Springs on Aug. 20, marking the official launch of this exciting new addition to the city's green spaces. more

The highly anticipated Showcase Ozark Expo is returning this year, bringing together local businesses, community leaders and residents for a day of celebration, networking and entertainment. Set to take place on Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Ozark Schools Innovation Center at 1600 W. Jackson, Ozark, this year’s expo promises to be an incredible brand-new experience. more

The City of Sparta and the City of Nixa celebrated National Night Out last Tuesday, Aug. 6. more

Citizens of Christian County exercised their right to vote in this past Aug. 6 primary election. With a total of 17,171 ballots cast, voters decided which candidates will represent their political party in the upcoming general election in November. more

August has arrived, and with it, the 2024-2025 school year. The Missouri State Highway Patrol is encouraging parents to include conversations about safety when preparing their student for school. It is also important that drivers be prepared for the change in traffic patterns, as students begin another year of instruction. In 2023, four people were killed and 403 injured in traffic crashes involving a school bus. In Missouri last year, a total of 877 traffic crashes involved school buses. more

Several 2024 graduates of Ozark High School have received scholarships administered by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO). more

The Historic River District (HRD) celebrated Ozark’s 136th birthday on Saturday, Aug. 3. more

Congratulations to 10 Ozark School District employees for receiving Ozark School District Foundation Fund grants totaling $5,232. more

Scotty McCreery will bring his Fall of Summer Tour to the Aetos Center for the Performing Arts in the Meridian Title Company Performance Hall Friday, Oct. 4, at 7:00 p.m. more

The City of Ozark announced on July 31 the completion of a significant upgrade to the FEMA storm shelter located at the Ozark Community Center (The OC). Remote access and other security features have been installed and are fully operational, providing improved security and accessibility. more

Ozark School District’s Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center is adding two preschool classrooms this school year, thanks to two $50,000 Preschool Start-Up Grants through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. more

The popular MOBUCK$ linked-deposit loan package application portal has been reopened. more

The Clever Police Department has a new chief of police. Mike Evans started his new position on July 15, taking over the role from previous Chief of Police Jeffrey Lofton. more