A Christian County deputy sheriff was fatally shot in Highlandville on Monday, Feb. 23, according to a Blue Alert posted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. more

The Sparta Lady Trojans played the Chadwick Lady Cardinals in a basketball game on Tuesday, Feb. 19. The Lady Cardinals defeated the Lady Trojans, 56-49. Photos by Steve Chapman. more

The Nixa Eagles played the Central Bulldogs at Nixa High School on Friday, Feb. 20. The Eagles defeated the Bulldogs, 89-57. All photos by Steve Chapman. more

Sue Ann Call more

The final weeks of my senior year in high school —1965 — marked the beginning of a new and exciting time in my life. more

A few weeks ago, I got up that morning and looked out the window. The thermometer said it was below zero. I decided it would be a good day to get my fishing stuff ready for days with beautiful sunny skies and gentle breezes. Some wise person once said, “No winter will last forever, and no spring skips its turn.” more

The Nixa High School Bowling Team had their first competition of the 2026 Bowling Season on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at Enterprise Park Lanes in Springfield. Coach David Evans said the team made a strong showing at the event. more

Marilyn Bernice Harris more

Columbia, Mo. – A student musical composer from Nixa is a winner in the 2026 Missouri Composers Project (MOCOP) statewide competition for best new choral musical compositions. more

Jennifer "Brandy" Hamm more

The students at John Thomas School of Discovery (JTSD) in Nixa celebrated women working in science, engineering, and technology fields on Tuesday, Feb. 10 as the school observed International Day of Women and Girls in Science. more

February always takes me back to the farm, more specifically those cold, blistering mornings. more

Students in the Billings School District got the opportunity to show the community what they can do at the Billings School Talent Show on Thursday, Feb. 12 at the Billings Elementary Rock Gymnasium. Over 25 students showcased their skills, which included singing, dancing, juggling, and playing musical instruments. Between the performances, Jason Tutterow and Jaxson Bastura, the masters of ceremonies, entertained the audience with jokes. more

Paula Jean Schone more

Charles “Bud” Norris, age 93, of Ozark, Mo., passed away on Feb. 3, 2026. He was born on July 24, 1932, in Neptune, N. J., to Charles and Bessie (Waters) Norris. more

Lawrence Dale Raines, passed away Feb. 10, 2026. Dale Raines was born on Jan. 25, 1924, in Greenfield, Mo., and was the youngest of eight children, born to Reverend F.B. Raines and Nora Frances McDonald Raines. more

Had a call from a past student of mine. He is quite an artist and is making train pictures for this year's Railroad Day in June. There was a second planning meeting for that day on Friday evening. More and more folks are getting involved with great ideas. Maurice Harris will be doing the ham bar-b-q again this year. Watch for a list of new events after the March meeting. We want rain again this year, but not like last year when we were wading in mud. We need grass. more

Charlotte Ann Smith more

Izekiel David DeVenney more

Robert Reed Hartley was born on July 14, 1948, in Birmingham, Ala. and died on Feb. 11, 2026, in Ozark, Mo. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a B.S. degree in business and marketing. He was a veteran of the Marine Corps Reserves during the Vietnam War and also served in the Army National Guard Reserves. Rob married Judy Junkins and had two children, Austin and Casey. Rob and Judy owned over forty Mexican restaurants and became multi-millionaires. Rob further worked as Vice President of Marketing at KinderCare Learning Centers, president of The Caring People, and Director of Development for CBN’s 700 Club. Rob moved to Missouri to become Vice President of Marketing for Silver Dollar City and eventually owned Mountain Man Nut & Fruit Company. Later in life, he was awarded Top Salesman at Balboa Bed Company and First Employee of the Month and Employee of the Year at Wonders of Wildlife Aquarium. Rob served on various boards and ministries, giving generously and supporting the local and international church. He considered it his spiritual gift to pray and encourage people. He was an avid photographer who loved capturing nature and people, especially his family. Rob’s funeral was held at Ozark Full Gospel Church on Tuesday, Feb. 17, followed by military honors and burial at Weaver Cemetery. He is survived by his wife, Judy; his children and their spouses, Austin and Andrea, and Scotty and Casey; his sister Christy, and his twelve grandchildren, who loved him dearly. more

Donna Lou Spivey more

The League of Women Voters of Southwest Missouri strongly believes that voters in Southwest Missouri should be deeply concerned about the unjust redistricting map passed by the Missouri Legislature during the special session in September 2025. This action is an attempt by the Republican majority in the Missouri Legislature to create congressional districts favorable to Republican candidates. To put it plainly: Missouri politicians sliced up communities to pick their voters. The League of Women Voters believes voters should pick their politicians. We are adamantly opposed to any attempt to strip any voters of their collective power in Missouri. Passing this redistricting map during a September special session was not only unprecedented—it was a blatant attack on our democratic process. more

Drury University students will once again provide free tax preparation services through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The annual tax preparation service is open to the general public and is designed to benefit low-to-moderate income taxpayers and senior citizens. more

JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Department of Transportation is helping build future leaders by encouraging youth to explore careers at MoDOT. The department invites students across Missouri to apply for the 2026 Youth Transportation Conference (YTC) in Jefferson City. Each year, MoDOT sponsors this event to give students the opportunity to apply STEM concepts learned in school to real-world transportation challenges. more

Kevin Lee Cutbirth more