Nixa, MO – Beginning Monday, June 1, adults who have developmental disabilities will have a new place to connect as Developmental Center of the Ozarks debuts expanded services in a program aptly named “DCO Connects”. more

CASA of Southwest Missouri has received a $20,000 grant as part of the Coover Regional Resiliency Grant Program, a partnership of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation and Commerce Trust. more

Larry Gail Wilcox more

MacBien "Mac" Russell Rost more

Robert Eric Christoffers more

The City of Ozark celebrated the Chadwick Flyer Bridge with a ribbon cutting ceremony, held on the west side of the bridge on Thursday, May 14. more

It has been a week of celebrations for almost all families. more

A day that starts with prayer is a day rooted in peace. It is choosing to entrust everything, your worries, your dreams, your desires, and also your challenges, into God’s hands before the business and craziness of the world begins to pull at you. more

The Chadwick High School Class of 2026 graduated on Thursday, May 14. Here is a gallery of photos from the ceremony. All photos by Steve Chapman. more

The Sparta High School Class of 2026 graduated on Friday, May 8, 2026. Here are pictures from the ceremony. All photos by Steve Chapman. more

Shirley Ann Maples more

I wrote this column at least 40 years ago. I don’t remember exactly when, but it reflects on my experiences on a farm no longer mine to ramble, and an era of youthful innocence and simple joys. I cannot turn back the clock to those years, but I can cherish the memories. Perhaps mine will touch on yours, too. more

Richard Kendall Caudron, age 91, passed away on April 30, 2026. He was born on Aug. 4, 1934, in Kansas City, Kansas, to Louis and Bennie Caudron. more

Samantha Yarbrough more

A Springfield man will avoid prison time in favor of probation after pleading guilty to three felony charges in the Christian County Courthouse on Wednesday, April 29. more

Two members of the Christian County Lions Club were recognized at the club’s meeting on Tuesday, April 21, for their contributions to the organization and the community since the founding of the Christian County chapter of the Lions Club in 2011. Adam Kreher, a charter member of the club, was presented with the Melvin Jones Award, which recognizes exceptional humanitarian service and is considered the highest possible honor a member of the Lions Club can receive. Meanwhile, Marcus Kret was named the Lion of the Year in recognition of his 15 years of service to the club. Kret moved back to his native Texas shortly after being presented with the award. more

Members of the community gathered at the Stained Glass Theatre in Ozark to observe the Ozark National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 7. more

It is Friday morning, and he is loading his fishing gear into his old V-bottom boat, which is already hooked to his truck. Then he loads his old canvas tent and other camping gear. It has seen many camping trips over the years. He puts it in his truck bed along with a cooler of food. more

A Sparta man was arrested and booked into the Christian County Jail on Monday, May 4, after he allegedly touched a girl inappropriately and shot her with a BB gun. Travis Lawrence Callagy, 40, is charged with one count of third-degree child molestation and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. more

One person was injured during a shooting at Diversified Plastics, Inc. in Nixa on Friday, May 8, the Nixa Police Department (NPD) reported in a posting on their Facebook page. The NPD also reported that the alleged shooter was subdued by employees at Diversified Plastics and was taken into custody shortly after officers arrived on the scene. more

The students of Sparta High School’s Class of 2026 celebrated the completion of their high school studies with their graduation ceremony on Friday, May 8. Forty-seven seniors walked across the stage and received their diplomas. A gallery of photos from the ceremony can be seen on the Headliner website. more

Jackie and I made a doctor stop on Thursday, then went to Bailey's Beauty shop for a haircut. Cara was there at the same time. That meant some catching up of wedding plans for Allie coming up on Tuesday evening. It takes a lot of work to make some beautiful memories. more

A Springfield man who worked at a Nixa manufacturing plant is facing multiple charges after he allegedly shot a coworker during an argument. Kale Daniel Lawrence, about 21, is charged with first degree assault - serious physical injury, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. more

When Michele Pierce was a girl growing up in Bordentown, N.J., she used to spend a lot of time reading crime novels set in the earlier part of the 20th century. Now, she’s written one. more

‘Once upon a time, a teenage daughter wanted a horse…’. That was the beginning of Jeffrey and Tammy Miller’s farm story. In 2017, the Millers purchased acreage in suburban Nixa, located in newly Agri-Ready Designated Christian County. HHH Ranch (Happy Highland Homestead) is located ‘a stones throw’ from Nixa High School and the Miller family enjoys sharing their Highland cattle and agriculture’s story in their community. Their unique suburban setting provides endless opportunities to advocate and educate. more