On Saturday, Sept. 23, the Greene County Suicide Prevention Network and the Christian County Suicide Prevention Network, facilitated by Community Partnership of the Ozarks, hosted the Suicide Awareness Walk for a Life at OTC Richwood Valley Campus in Nixa. more

The heat of summer has broken, making way for cooler temperatures and more outdoor exploration for many areas of Mark Twain National Forest, including the Chadwick Off-Highway-Vehicle (OHV) Riding Area. The Chadwick OHV Riding Area has more than 70 miles of trails to explore. Motorcycles, ATVs and UTVs less than 50 inches in width can ride the trails with Forest Service OHV permits and as long as the vehicles are safe to operate and the drivers understand the rules of trail riding. more

You already know a library card gets you books, but this fall, it’s also a front-row ticket to the Outdoor Concert Series. Grab lawn chairs and blankets and book it to the Christian County Library, where there is plenty of parking, for an evening of toe-tapping music and fun for the entire family. more

Last week, on Sept. 19, the U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, recognized Mathews Elementary as a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School based on its overall academic excellence. more

On Wednesday, Sept. 20, approximately 45 arborists and tree care industry professionals from across Southwest Missouri donated a full day’s work to honor America’s military service men and women by providing tree care at Springfield National Cemetery located at the corner of Seminole and Glenstone in Springfield. more

Tractor Supply Company, the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States, announced at the end of last month the Ozark location of Orscheln Farm & Home has begun its transition to Tractor Supply. more

The Dickerson Park Zoo is celebrating its 100th birthday this year — and Community Blood Center of the Ozarks (CBCO) donors are invited to join the party. CBCO, the sole supplier of blood, platelets and plasma to patients at 44 area healthcare facilities, is partnering with the Dickerson Park Zoo to help boost the region’s blood supply for local patients. more

Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announced last week an assessor from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA), will arrive on Aug. 7, 2023, to examine all aspects of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services. Verification by the assessor that the Missouri State Highway Patrol meets the Commission’s stringent standards is a vital part of a voluntary process to maintain accreditation — an esteemed recognition of law enforcement professionalism and excellence. more

The gripping new World War II drama, “Reveille,” is set to captivate audiences on Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, when it releases On Demand via Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Charter/Spectrum and others. more

Sunday night’s storm downed trees and power lines, leaving thousands throughout the county without power. more

Elizabeth Picking, Livestock Specialist with University of Missouri Extension, notes that reports of large swarms of blister beetles on grass pastures and home gardens came out of Howell, Taney and Barry counties last week. more

The Truman Boulevard extension project in Nixa is complete, and the road opened to traffic on Friday, June 30, following a ribbon cutting ceremony. more

The City of Nixa is now able to accept payments again, following the launch of a new and improved payment system and account software. The City is now introducing the community to new online tools called “myNixa” and “NixaPay.” more

The Nixa Police Department announced last week the implementation of Flock cameras in Nixa to solve and reduce crime. Four automated license plate reading (ALPR) cameras built by Flock Safety have been installed in the community. Flock Safety is a public safety technology company which helps neighborhoods, communities and law enforcement work together to fight crime. more

Last Tuesday, June 20, the Nixa Public School Board held a special meeting in which the board members heard public comments and voted on the status of seven books in the school library system. Ultimately, the board removed four of the seven books. more

Cledas Manuel, of Nixa, is a representative for Modern Woodmen of America and is one of a small percentage of financial representatives worldwide to achieve membership this year in the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). more

A large gathering of artists, friends, family and community members welcomed Lucid TLC Arts with a ribbon cutting grand opening celebration Wednesday, June 21. The opening of Lucid TLC Arts at 214 N. Massey Blvd. in Nixa has been a dream come true for Nixa native, artist and owner Tiffany Collins. She has a passion to bring art to her hometown. more

Nixa Parks & Recreation now have authorization to spend up to $100,000 on repairs for the community pool to resolve the leak. more

As drought conditions worsen in Missouri, the Division of Fire Safety (DFS) urges Missourians to put fireworks safety first as they prepare for Independence Day celebrations. Over the last three months, the percentage of Missouri considered abnormally dry or in some state of drought has grown from 7.5 percent to 93.3 percent, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?MO) released June 22. more

Local Elks Lodges throughout the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Panama Canal celebrated Flag Day on June 14, 2023, but according to Mike Klinger, Past Exalted Ruler and Public Relations Chairman for Christian County Elks, the Christian County Elks celebrated Flag Day on Sunday, June 11 with a gala event. Over 70 members and guests attended the Elks event at the Christian County Elks Lodge in Ozark. more

The Nixa Police Department will soon be hiring the first two new police officers following voter approval of a tax increase which is dedicated to funding new police staff and construction of a new Police Headquarters. more

Least Of These, Inc. and Christian Action Ministries are expanding their mobile food pantry service areas to fill the hunger gap in Stone and Christian counties. Least Of These will begin serving once monthly at Spokane in Christian County and Christian Action Ministries will begin serving at Blue Eye, Cape Fair and Hurley in Stone County. more

The Historic River District (HRD) has announced that gifts in memory of Debby Spencer (Nov. 5, 1959-May 9, 2023) are being accepted through Aug. 1, 2023. Checks may be sent to HRD and mailed to HRD c/o City of Ozark (PO Box 295, Ozark, MO 65721) or Finley River Community Foundation (PO Box 1176, Ozark, MO 65721) or through Community Foundation of the Ozarks (cfozarks.org, log into Donate Now, scroll to Historic River District, click “donate” and put Debby’s name in note line). All gifts will be acknowledged and are tax deductible, as provided by law. more

The Missouri Department of Agriculture announced that the Missouri Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) and WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program (WICFMNP) have launched for the 2023 season. Both programs are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service and assist low-income recipients in obtaining fresh Missouri Grown produce. more

On June 15, Nixa Parks & Recreation learned the exact cause of the leak in the Nixa community pool. Leak Investigators LLC, determined the leak is coming from a 90 degree pipe fitting which has cracked approximately 8 feet underground. Fortunately, the leak is not directly under the pool, however, as it is under the pool deck (the concrete pad surrounding the pool) repairs will require digging through the pool deck. more