Dorothy “Jane” McCullough more

Ozark High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) students demonstrated their skills and business knowledge at the 2025 FBLA District Competition on Feb. 4, earning 46 medals, seven district championships, and 24 state qualifications. more

A Christian County man was one of two people arrested in a case where they allegedly beat a man severely and stole his car. Jayden Wright, 19, of Ozark, and Jared Dimmitt, 42, of Fair Grove, were booked into the Greene County Jail on Thursday, Feb. 6. more

On Monday, Feb. 10, Gretchen House, a senior at Chadwick High School, was informed that she was a finalist in the National Merit program. This was a highly impressive achievement in itself, as out of the 1.3 million students across the country who took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), only 15,000 were chosen as finalists. For House, however, the designation also carries a special significance: She is the first student in the Chadwick R-1 School District to ever be named a finalist in the National Merit program. more

The Christian County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) will hold their 2025 Youth Academy starting March 1. The course will meet each Saturday from March 1 through March 22. The Academy is open to high school students living in Christian County. more

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

Have you ever gotten a package you didn’t order? It might seem like a fun surprise, but it might be the setup for a scam known as brushing. more

Nadine Dean 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

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

Lawrence Edward "Ed" Montgomery, age 66 of Springfield, passed away Jan. 26, 2025. He was born on Sept. 12, 1958, in Batesville, Indiana, the son of Lawrence and Geneva (Cameron) Montgomery. more

Charles "Chuck" Swearengin 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

(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.)--The deadline is quickly approaching for Missouri agriculture students interested in applying for a 2025 Missouri Corn Scholarship. High school and college students pursuing a career in an agriculture-related field must submit the necessary forms no later than Feb. 14 to be eligible for one of seven $1,000 scholarships awarded by the Missouri Corn Growers Association, the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council, and the Missouri Corn Foundation. more

Stockton, MO-“Adding value to your cattle helps make your cattle operation profitable,” says Patrick Davis MU Extension Livestock Field Specialist. Therefore, MU Extension is partnering with Missouri State University to provide the SW MO Beef Cattle Conference, which will educate cattle producers on strategies that will add value to their beef cattle operation. 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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo - Drury University students will provide free tax preparation through the university's IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site. The annual tax preparation service is open to the public and is designed to benefit low-income taxpayers. 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

Springtime in nature has fostered creativity in songwriters for generations. As a result, people have long been able to mark the end of winter by listening to lyrics about April showers, May flowers, and robins that are bobbin.’ However, you won’t find any songs about ’possums having young in the spring. That’s probably due to the fact that, of the several emotions opossums evoke from humans, musical admiration isn’t one of them. Quite the contrary – most people find their sneering facial expressions disgusting, their lumbering gait clumsy, and their overall appearance repulsive. more

I notice that I’ve given a “C” rating to every movie I’ve reviewed in 2025. That’s four straight times I’ve basically said that the movie, while not worth writing off entirely, isn’t worth recommending. I even split the review last weekend and gave out two “C” ratings. Director Mel Gibson’s “Flight Risk” ends the “C” streak. It doesn’t end the streak by earning my recommendation, but by being a movie that I feel is indeed worth writing off. 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