The Nixa Chamber of Commerce held their annual Nixies Gala at the Ozarks Event Center on Saturday, Feb. 15. Guests enjoyed a catered dinner, professional photography and an evening of music and dancing. The Chamber also celebrated some of their outstanding members with an awards ceremony. The following awards were presented: more

Bonnie Winn Crain passed away at almost 90 years of age on Feb. 14 in Ozark. Bonnie was born on April 16, 1935, and was raised in Osceola, the youngest of three rascally daughters of Riley and Amrine Winn. True to her stubborn nature, Bonnie chose Valentine’s Day to rejoin her husband, Mike Crain, after just over nine years apart. Knowing her, we expect her first question for him was, “What have you been up to?” Bonnie will be dearly missed by her kids, Doug (Jane) of Tulsa and Michelle of Ozark, plus her cat, Missy, of the home. Grandchildren are Adam Crain and Libby Warren (Mike) of Tulsa, Emma Satterfield of Chicago, and Riley Crain of Madison, Wisc., plus a great-granddaughter, Trinity Crain, of Tulsa. She’ll also be missed by the remaining Ozark Bunch whose ranks are getting thinner and thinner. Special thanks to all of the healthcare and service providers who gave Mom such excellent care during her final months. Bonnie will join Mike at the Missouri State Veteran’s Cemetery in Springfield sometime during the spring thaw. Per her wishes, there are no services planned at this time. We’ve kept this short because Mom knows she’s paying for every penny. more

Mamie Wernink more

If Graham Bennett had to go through a bout of senioritis, he’s glad it struck him a year early as a junior. more

Shirley Jones was born on July 5, 1947. Shirley loved spending time with her family, being outside with her beautiful flowers, and working in her yard. Shirley was a member of Ozark Family Church where she loved her pastor and had many great friends and great memories. She would tell everyone about her Church and encourage them to come every chance she had. She will missed dearly by family and friends, but they know Shirley is at peace with her Lord and Savior in Heaven, with no more sickness and no more pain. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gary Jones, the love of her life for 42 years. Shirley is survived by: three children, Mike and Sharon Jones, Teresa and Ashley Burks, Tom and Emily Jones, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A celebration of life will held at a later date. more

GALENA, MO - - The Christian County Livestock & Forage Conference will be 6 to 8:45 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 20, at the First Baptist Church, 105 Kennedy Ave., Clever, Missouri. A catered barbecue dinner will be provided free of charge, compliments of program sponsors, including Bank of Billings, Christian County Farm Bureau, Christian County Soil & Water Conservation District, Earlybird Feed & Fertilizer, Nixa Hardware and Seed Company, Phillip Veterinary Services and Southern Bank of Clever.University of Missouri Extension agricultural business specialist Wesley Tucker will discuss “Bullet-Proofing Your Beef Operation.” “Making our Farms More Drought Resilient” will be the theme for two other presentations. Sarah Kenyon, regional grazing coordinator with Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, will focus on warm season forages. Ian McGregor, MU Extension field specialist in livestock, will focu on the cool season forage side of drought management. more

Have you ever wondered what your student will do when they finish high school? What job, what career, what are the employment options? Is college or technical school an option? Will they live with others? Will they need support or will they live independently? more

A new nonprofit is launching in Christian County to serve our neighbors in need. Christian County Cares (Community Action and Resource Services) goal is to insure basic needs are being met. Our focus will be on immediate needs and filling in current gaps in our system. We will partner with area nonprofits to supplement and serve our community needs. On March 1, we will be hosting a Paddle Party Fundraiser at Cassidy UMC Church. Tickets are $20 and include a meal and 2 paddles for pre-registered. The registration form is on the Christian County Cares Facebook page. Our website is christiancountycares.org. Email is christiancountycares@gmail.com. more

Bobbie Gipson, age 73, passed away on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, after a short illness. Bobbie was born and raised in Chicago, Ill. She attended and graduated from Wayland Academy, Beaver Dam, Wisc. After graduation, she met and married Steven Pate. While he served in the army they lived in Germany. Following their divorce they remained friends. She then met and married Kenneth Gipson. While he served in the Navy they lived in Philadelphia, Penn., New Orleans, La., and Dallas, Tex. Following Ken’s death in 2005 Bobbie met John Duncan and they moved to Nixa. more

White River Valley Electric Cooperative held a ribbon cutting on Thursday, Feb. 6, to dedicate their new building that will serve the residents of Christian County. The Nixa Chamber of Commerce, Ozark Chamber of Commerce, and Sparta Chamber of Commerce along with more

A Nixa teen is one of three people who have been arrested in the Feb. 3 shooting of a man in Dupo, Ill. Kingston Todd, 16, is charged as an adult with First Degree murder, possession of a firearm without a firearm owner’s identification (FOID), and forgery. Also arrested was Bryce Rhodes, 18, of Festus, Mo., who was charged with unlawful sale of a firearm, possession of a firearm without FOID, and obstructing justice. A 15-year-old juvenile, who was not identified, was charged with First Degre murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and possession of a firearm without FOID. more

Attendees at the Ozark Community Awards Banquet, held at the Ozark Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 8, enjoyed an evening of fun and festivity as they gathered to honor teachers, first responders, and others who made outstanding contributions to the community in 2024. In addition to the awards, the highlights of the evening included a catered dinner, the traditional game of Heads & Tails, and a live auction. more

We are not looking forward to this week's weather forecast. There is a lot going on in the schedule, and bad roads are not good for that. But we are luckier than most places around the U.S. more

Repeating Events: more

The following events are happening at your local library in February. For more information or to register, please call 417-724-6100 or visit christiancountylibrary.org/newsletter more

Midwest Marruci Baseball (MMB), a competitive baseball program in Ozark, is raising money to help the family of one of their youth ball players with a GoFundMe page. more

Cynthia “Cindy” Elaine Gardner, age 51, of Billings, Mo., passed from this life on Feb. 1, 2025. She entered this life on Sept. 1, 1973, in Branson, Mo., the daughter of James Junior Lewallen, and Billie (Chase) Cody. Cindy was saved and baptized in the spring of 1996 at Verona Baptist church in Verona, Missouri. more

Christine Wilson more

A now-former Christian County corrections officer found herself behind bars at the jail she worked at after she allegedly smuggled methamphetamine into the Christian County Jail. Heaven Sutton, 22, faces one count of delivery of a controlled substance. more

Ozark, MO – The Ozark Board of Education is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Growcock to fill a vacant seat on the board following the recent departure of former member Guy Callaway. Growcock will serve the remaining term, which extends until April 2026. more

The Ozarks Chamber of Commerce will host the 2025 Ozark Community Awards Banquet on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Ozark Community Center. The ceremony will feature the awards to Ozark’s leading citizens. The Chamber will present awards for Business of the Year and Chamber Star of the Year, and the Ozark School District will present awards for Elementary Teacher of the Year, Secondary Teacher of the Year, Elementary Staff in a Supporting Role ( in both the Operations/Business Division and the Learning Division), and Leader of the Year. more

The Groundhog says more cold weather, and I believe him. These springlike days can't last long in February. more

Timothy Heinlein more

Son, brother, soldier, husband, father, musician, friend. more

Donald Riley more