JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – State Rep. Jamie Ray Gragg (HD-140) is issuing the following statement to express concerns with the City of Springfield regarding the upcoming 2025 Ozarks Pridefest. This event is taking place in downtown Springfield on June 14th featuring drag performances that will have detrimental effects it will have on children and families in the Ozarks community. more

Jeffrey P. Ray, acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced on Wednesday, May 14, that a Nixa woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to making false and fictitious claims against the United States and wire fraud. more

Two Nixa High School alumni were recently inducted into the Nixa Academic Hall of Fame. more

East Elementary was full of hoots and hollers on Wednesday, May 14, when Principal Karen Capen announced to staff and students that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) named Ozark East Elementary School one of eight Missouri Gold Star Schools for 2025. more

Christopher “Kit” Bond, who served Missouri as a state auditor, governor, and United States Senator, died in St. Louis on Tuesday, May 13. He was 86. more

Springtime, when I was a boy on the farm, would find me at the river at least one day or evening a week.

Evenings came earlier in those days before daylight saving time, getting us done with milking and on the river shortly after nightfall — just about the time catfish came out of hiding and began feeding.

Ours were not long, drawn-out excursions, usually just quick trips down to the Pomme de Terre at Potter’s Ford or The Lost Bridge. Two or three hours were plenty to either catch a small string of bullheads or maybe a few big, black perch right before dark.

Most often, Dad and I and my brothers staked out our spots on a gravel bar on our favorite hole just up from the Potters Ford slab. The gravel road there was well-traveled, and the place where we pulled in well-used, but only by local folk.

With our lines baited and cast near the far bank, we propped our rods in forked sticks and watched by lantern or carbide lights for the lines to tighten or go slack, or the rod tips to bounce.

Seldom did we head back home without at least one meal on the stringer. The best part of each trip, though, was not the fish, but just being there with Dad — usually in the middle between me and a younger brother. Sitting on upturned buckets, chunks of wood, or our tackle boxes, we listened for muskrats splashing in a slough and watched for eyes of raccoon reflected in the lantern light.

Sometimes Dad would share stories of earlier trips which produced cats bigger than any we ever hoped to see; of course, those tales were of bigger, more distant waters than these, and some of them may have been true. With any luck, he never got to the end of a tale before a rod. The tip bounced, and one of us was too busy to talk or listen. “Got one,” Russell would exclaim excitedly as he frantically reeled it in.

Must be a big one, I thought, from the way his rod was bowed. But in the lantern light, the truth was told — a big snapping turtle, mean-tempered, dirty green, and quick to snip the line before we could drag him in.

Just as well. Tie on another hook, Russell, grab some bait, and give it another try.

Another splash with that cast, and again it was quiet. Dad’s cigarette glowed red in the dark, wisps of smoke evident in the growing light.

“Moon will soon be over the ridge,” Dad said as he flicked his smoke into the water. “Better start packing up.”

And so it was, on that spring night and many others like it, when I was a boy on the farm.

Copyright 2025, James E. Hamilton, P.O. Box 801, Buffalo, MO 65622

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Raymond Donald Kissee more

Don’t give up! In 1952, Florence Chadwick attempted to swim the ocean waters between Catalina Island and the California shore, through foggy weather and choppy seas. more

Century Elementary has been recognized as a Model Professional Learning Community (PLC) at Work School. The school received this honor from Solution Tree for its sustained success in raising student achievement. Century is one of about 600 schools and districts in the United States and Canada to receive this honor, and the fourth school in Nixa to earn this achievement. more

Sixty years ago, I was a 17-year-old high school senior in what now seems another time and country. more

I used to be a fidgeter. I'd tap on things and bounce my leg so fast that Tom would sometimes reach over and put his hand on my knee as if to say, "Enough. That's driving me nuts." Fidgeters don't often realize that our small yet frenetic movements can make the table shake just enough to be annoying. more

My name is Kelsey Brabo, and I am writing to express my gratitude for the invaluable support that Care to Learn provides to our community and to share our need for increased funding. more

Since launching the Academy Model in 2021, Ozark High School has been working to provide students meaningful career exploration and real-world experiences through Client Connected Projects (CCPs). And now, thanks to a $5,000 Coover/Rural Schools Partnership Career Exploration Grant, the high school can bring real-world learning to more students through teacher training. more

OZARK, MO – The City of Ozark is proud to announce that Garrison Springs Community Forest has been awarded the 2025 Innovation Award in the Large City category by the Missouri Municipal League (MML). This prestigious award honors outstanding municipal projects in cities with populations between 15,000 and 30,000 that showcase forward-thinking solutions and deliver lasting community impact. more

Dear Editor, more

Cosmopolitan Club of Ozark, a Christian County service organization, held their final meeting of the year on May 6 at Estes Farms, Cassidy Station. Cat Edie, event coordinator, gave club members a tour and a history lesson of this amazing property. more

Cindy Robbins, assistant city administrator for the city of Nixa, has been selected as the 2025 Richard R. Noll Outstanding Assistant Award recipient by the Missouri City/County Management Association (MCMA). The award is given to individuals who hold an administrative position responsible for assisting the chief administrative officer with various administrative duties and responsibilities. more

Bobby Joe “Pops” Baldridge, age 79, of Ozark, Mo, went home to be with our Lord Friday, May 2, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born June 21, 1945, in Pharoah, Okla., to Wilburn and Leora Baldridge. Bob married his high school sweetheart, Juanita (Morgan) on April 9, 1965. Together, they raised three amazing sons, Paul, Steven, and Shawn Baldridge. more

Jean Edley more

On Friday, May 9, Clever High School  hosted its annual Decision Day, an event for the Class of 2025 to announce their post-graduation plans – which range from college, trade school, the military, or entering the workforce – as they set out on their paths to career success. more

Three area school districts were awarded grants from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) recently. According to a press release from the CFO dated Tuesday, May 6, Billings R-IV, Nixa R-II, and Ozark R-VI each received a $5,000 grant from the organization. more

John Deere broke ground on an expansion of their Reman Core Center facility in Strafford on Monday, May 5. The project is expected to expand the current Core Center facility by 120,000 square feet and represents an investment of $13.5 million in the area, according to information provided by Dan Bernick, Public Relations manager for John Deere. more

A Highlandville woman was killed on Thursday, May 8, in a collision involving six vehicles, according to a traffic crash report filed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. According to the report, the crash occurred shortly before 9 p.m., when a 2015 Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycle being ridden northward by a 49-year-old man from Strafford on US 160 crossed the centerline of the highway and struck the 2000 Pontiac Firebird the woman was driving southward, causing the Firebird to skid across the highway and strike a northbound 2019 GMC Sierra head on. more

A Nixa man was convicted in a 2019 murder case on Wednesday, May 7, by a jury in Platte County. The jury found Todd Blankenship, 52, guilty of First-Degree murder in the death of his wife, Stacie Whiteley. Blankenship was also found guilty of armed criminal action, Third-Degree domestic assault, and Fourth-Degree domestic assault. more

The Nixa Parks and Recreation Department hosted their Health and Wellness Expo at the X Center on Saturday, May 3. Attendees at the event got a chance to experience massage therapy, learn about judo classes, try out exercise demons, and experience Yoga in the Park. They also had the opportunity to sign up to win prizes. more