Jacob Sayre, 18, pleaded guilty on March 6, 2024, to a charge of involuntary manslaughter - 1st degree and a charge of delivery of controlled substance except 35 grams or less of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid, as listed on Casenet. Count 2 — endangering the welfare of a child - 1st degree - death of a child - no sexual conduct — was dismissed as part of a plea agreement. The first charge was also amended from 2nd degree murder to the involuntary manslaughter charge. Both charges are class C felonies. more

Nixa High School's student-produced news magazine, “Wingspan,” and its related website, NixaJournalism.net, earned a Silver Medalist award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). more

More than 60 local grocers partnered with Ozarks Food Harvest for the 25th annual Check Out Hunger campaign, raising nearly $48,000 from customer donations to provide more than 142,000 meals across the Ozarks. more

Meda knows bondage. She has spent her entire life a fortune-telling slave, forced to use her gifts to the benefit of her masters. But when a strange man comes into her life, proclaiming the way of salvation, she comes to the realization that her bondage goes far deeper than the chains around her wrists. more

Late last month, the Missouri Democratic Party announced the opening of the mail-ballot request period to vote in the Presidential Primary election scheduled for Saturday, March 23, 2024. Registered Missouri voters can request a ballot online at https://request.mrgvote.com/Missouri or call 855-433-8683 to request their mail ballot. more

The Missouri Republican Party announced former President Donald J. Trump as the winner of the 2024 Republican Caucus on Mar. 2. more

Singer Danny Gokey is scheduled to perform at Nixa’s Aetos Center for the Performing Arts on April 25 at 7:00 p.m. more

The Ozark Police Department (OPD) has announced the launch of a new hiring campaign that offers paid academy training to new recruits. This program is designed to encourage passionate candidates to join the department and serve the community without worrying about the time and financial commitment of attending the police academy. more

In January, Clear Creek Golf Car and Utility Vehicles, a 45-year distributor for Club Car based out of Ozark, acquired Ozark Golf Cars and Utility Vehicles, marking its fourth acquisition in three years. With the addition of Ozark Golf Car’s Ozark and Clinton locations, Clear Creek Golf Car has expanded from two stores to 11 within the last five years, acquiring the Club Car distributor in Little Rock in early 2021, then the Club Car distributor of Oklahoma and an E-Z-GO dealer in Russellville, Arkansas, in 2023. more

Colton Dixon and Jordan Feliz are bringing their Love and Light Tour to Nixa’s Aetos Center for the Performing Arts this Saturday, March 2. more

The Nixa Parks & Recreation department continues working to repair and improve the pool at the Nixa Aquatics Center. The City anticipates construction work on the repairs and improvements to begin in March. more

Stop by Spokane School District later this month and you will see a clear message throughout the district — there is always hope for the future. Thanks to a Silver Dollar City Foundation grant, the district is laser-focused on spreading a message of hope to students and parents. more

On Feb. 18, Nixa High School’s a cappella choir, “Nixapella,” participated in the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA, the same competition featured in the movie “Pitch Perfect”) quarterfinals at Liberty High School. This region is one of the most competitive in the country, drawing competitors from across five states. Nixapella, in only its third year of existence, not only won the entire competition, they beat the winners from the previous two years. more

Are you, or someone you know, an author in the area? The Christian County Library is hosting a Local Authors Expo this spring — but first, authors are needed. more

The annual election for the Christian County Health Department Board of Trustees will be held on April 2, 2024. Christian County voters will decide which candidates will fill three open seats on the five-person Board of Trustees. Those elected will each serve a four-year term in the position. more

The City of Nixa has opened up bidding for graphic design services, photography services and videography services. The city is looking for qualified and talented local creative professionals to establish a contract for hourly work. more

The Ozark Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2024 Ozark Community Awards Banquet this past Saturday, Feb. 17 at The Ozark Community Center. more

At a special board meeting Feb. 5, the Ozark Board of Education approved the hire of Sgt. John Wilkerson as the director of school police starting for the 2024-25 school year. more

Lucid TLC Arts is moving to a new location in downtown Nixa. The art gallery, owned by artist Tiffany Collins, is moving from 214 N. Massey Blvd. to 111 South Main St. more

Nixa’s Aetos Center for the Performing Arts is celebrating its one year anniversary this month. more

The Nixa Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual Nixies Award Gala this past Saturday, Feb. 10 at Ozarks Event Center in Nixa. more

The University of Missouri Extension Council of Christian County held its annual election in January, resulting in the addition of two new council members and the re-election of one incumbent member. more

The Ozark Parks & Recreation Department plans to plant new trees at Finley River and Neil Grubaugh parks after a tree company removed 24 trees in the Fall of 2023. more

The Missouri Thunder and Carolina Cowboys, two of the founding teams in the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Camping World Team Series, announced a trade Feb. 2 sending the 2020 PBR Rookie of the Year Boudreaux Campbell (Crockett, Texas) to the Missouri Thunder in exchange for the Thunder’s first-round pick in the 2024 New Rider Draft, a position to be determined in the upcoming draft lottery. more

The bridge along Smyrna Road over the Finley River commonly known as Green Bridge was recently inspected in January by Lochner, Inc., an engineering firm specializing in bridge inspection working for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). more