Betty Sue (Bessinger) Bryant Rucker more

Helen Smith more

Downtown Ozark Market Days returned to the Ozark Square on Saturday, May 2. Eighty-six vendors, including businesses, craftsmen, and organizations registered for the event. Attendees were able to peruse the various booths, which included food items, clothing, handmade jewelry, art, vintage items, and more. Downtown Ozark Market Days will be held on the square from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month through October. For more pictures of the event, visit the Christian County Headliner News website at https://ccheadliner.com. more

Children’s Smile Center (CSC), a Christian County nonprofit providing dental clinic services in six local counties, is pleased to celebrate on May 11 the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting for its new dental clinic on the east side of Nixa. more

Downtown Ozark Market Days returned to the Ozark Square on Saturday, May 2. Eighty-six vendors, including businesses, craftsmen, and organizations registered for the event. Attendees were able to peruse the various booths, which included food items, clothing, handmade jewelry, art, vintage items, and more. Downtown Ozark Market Days will be held on the square from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month through October. Here is a collection of photos from the event. All photos by Steve Chapman. more

Repeating events: more

When Joe Richter took over coaching the Ozark Bowling Tigers from Ted Barbee, he started with a young team. more

The Nixa and Ozark Police Departments will join law enforcement in Springfield, Hollister and Indian Point in adopting the Blue Envelope Program, an initiative designed to create safer interactions between police officers and people with special needs. It was announced that the departments would begin using the program during a press conference held in cooperation with Arc of the Ozark, Abilities First, and Burrell Behavioral Health at the Greene County Public Safety Center on Monday, April 20. more

The Christian County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with OTC and the Missouri Sheriff’s Association, is offering a new 700-hour Basic Peace Officer Law Enforcement Academy, to be taught in Ozark. The academy will begin instruction on Monday, Aug. 3. When instruction ends on Thursday, Dec. 17, those who have successfully completed the training will have earned a Class A Peace Officer License with the State of Missouri. more

The Ozark Chamber of Commerce held their annual Showcase Ozark Expo at the Ozark Innovation Center on Saturday, April 25. Almost 70 businesses and organizations set up booths at the event, during which they were able to meet with attendees to discuss the services or products they had to offer. Many of the vendors had games that the attendees played for prizes, or offered special giveaways. more

The Ozark Chamber of Commerce held their annual Showcase Ozark Expo on Saturday, April 25. Almost 3,500 people attended the event, where they were able to connect with almost 70 businesses and organizations. A collection of photos from the event can be seen here. Except where otherwise noted, all pictures taken by Steve Chapman. more

Christian County Lions Club is hosting a shred event on Saturday, May 2, from 10 am - Noon at the Price Cutter Store in Nixa, Mo. This is an excellent opportunity to safely dispose of documents with sensitive information. There is no cost. If offered, we will gratefully accept a donation, but there is no cost. more

Congratulations to Ozark School District's 2025-26 OZcar Staff of the Year winners for each building! Ozark is blessed to have such a passionate, caring and supportive staff. While these are the building winners, dozens more staff members were nominated. The District winners will be chosen from these building winners and will be announced in August. more

Teresa “Terry” Kay Montgomery more

When the Children’s Smile Center first began providing dental services to Medicaid-eligible children in December of 2006, it was based in a 3,100 square-foot facility in Ozark. Now, almost 20 years later, the clinic has a new home; a 7,300 square-foot building located in Nixa, about three-and-a-half miles west of its original location. The clinic began seeing patients in the new location on Jan. 22. more

Shirley Ann (Killman Spain) Lasiter, 75 of Ritchey, Mo., went home to be with Jesus on Friday, April 10, 2026, at Cox Hospital in Monett, Mo., surrounded by her loving family.  She was born March 21, 1951. Her parents were Bill and Christina Spain of Monett. She grew up in Monett and graduated from Monett High School in May of 1970. She married Charles Ray Lasiter on May 9, 1970, and they shared almost 56 amazing years together.  more

Surrounded by friends, family and supporters from the community, Dr. Matthew Green prepares to cut the ribbon at a ceremony celebrating the one-year anniversary of the opening of Ascent Direct Primary Care on Thursday, April 1. Ascent provides quality healthcare at a reduced cost by allowing members to pay a monthly membership fee, taking insurance companies out of the equation. For more information, call (417)595-0956, send an email to info@ascentdpc.com, or go online to their website at https://www.ascentdpc.com.  more

(Editor’s note: This article first appeared on the Christian County Headliner News website on Wednesday, April 8. It has been updated to include quotes from Christian County Presiding Commissioner Lynn Morris and Ozark Mayor Don Currence.) more

Patrick J. Stewart, 67, passed away April 10, 2026, at home in Nixa, MO, surrounded by his loving family and dear friend John Otterson. Patrick was born July 3, 1958, to Terrance W. Stewart and Therese A. (Cunningham) Stewart in Janesville, Wis. He grew up in Madison, WI and graduated from Queen of Apostles High School in 1976. Patrick was united in marriage to Phyllis (Gibbs) Stewart on October 30, 1982, in Madison, Wis. more

Thomas Newton Schriver, 89, of Springfield, Mo., passed away peacefully on April 8, 2026. more

Signal Food Stores celebrated the grand opening of their latest location with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, April 9. The store, located at 1750 State Highway 14 East in Ozark, is Signal’s thirteenth location, and the second in Ozark. It offers gasoline, a beer cave, bean-to-cup coffee, food, soft drinks, and more. It also features several photos from the Bruce Pegram Collection at Christian County Library. more

County Senate Bill Three failed in the Christian County General Municipal Election, held on Tuesday, April 7. Out of the 10,152 votes cast over the measure, 5,286 votes, or 52.07 percent, were against Senate Bill Three, while 4,866 votes, or 47.93 percent, were in favor. Had Senate Bill Three passed, Christian County property taxes for all current Christian County residents would have been frozen at the 2024 rate, unless significant improvements were made to a property. In that case, the tax rate would have been recalculated at the then current level but would remain the same going forward. Future Christian County residents would also have had their property tax rates calculated at the rate they moved into the county, but their rates would also have been frozen at that level going forward. more

Marjorie Lea Bossing more

Patricia Ann Lee more

Elizabeth "Kay" McGinnis more