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

Charges were dropped on Friday, May 2, against Louis Krenn, a medical doctor who was accused of sexually abusing a foreign exchange student living in his home last year. 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

When Bella Hill was six, she knew that she wanted to go to college, even though she wasn’t sure what that meant at the time. more

As student loan payments and debt collection return, Better Business Bureau® (BBB®) warns borrowers to be on the lookout for loan forgiveness and debt collection scams. more

The Christian County Elks Lodge #2777 in Ozark hosted a warm and touching celebration in honor of Mother's Day, paying tribute to the love, strength, and devotion of mothers throughout the community. The special event brought together families and members for an evening filled with appreciation, fellowship, and heartfelt moments. more

Christian County Library Events more

Sixty-eight years ago, Nixa mayor and local barber Finis Gold came up with an idea. When spring arrived, most of the men from Nixa took off work, and teenagers skipped school to go sucker grabbing in local rivers and streams. Locals always called it sucker grabbin’. I was 10 years old back then. A few years later, I became a sucker grabber. more

Ozark, MO – The Christian County Commission is pleased to announce the sale of two lots from the County Government Plaza development near Highway 14 and 25th Street in Ozark. more

Robert Shank more

The Christian County Senior Citizens Service Fund is providing emergency disaster assistance for seniors of Christian County of age 60 and above who were impacted by the April 29 storms. Funds of up to $600 per household are available; up to $200 for food spoilage, and up to $400 for debris cleanup. more

We all go through our busy lives each day, never really thinking about how there will be a time when tomorrow never comes. We postpone things we want to do or should do until a future day, but in most cases, we never do them. more

Gardening season has awakened in me a troubling vice — impatience. I didn’t use to be this way, but digital cameras ruined me. more

James J. Mikulin, 76, passed away peacefully. He is survived by his wife, Janet; daughters, Rebecca and Sandra; grandsons, Philip and Oliver; and sisters, Delores, Ginny, and Jean. more

Christian County has a new nonprofit, Christian County Cares. Our goal is to help our neighbors with currently unsupported emergency needs. We are also working with established nonprofits to help increase the impact, with the goal of maintaining shelters, utilities, and meeting basic needs. more

Two Ozark Police Department officers, Marco Cabrales and Dakota Inlow were both promoted to the rank of corporal recently. more

(Editor’s note: Given the tremendous efforts by many line workers and others to restore electricity to homes left powerless after the April 29 storm, it seemed only fitting to include this article in this week’s issue.) more

Nixa High School sophomore Jasmyn Piwko has won the 2025 Congressional Art Competition. Her drawing "Vintage Visit" will hang in the Capitol in Washington, D.C. for the next year. She will receive flights from Southwest Airlines for her and a guest to attend the awards ceremony in D.C. June 11. Pictures courtesy of Nixa Public Schools more

Nixa Journalism students competed at the national level and learned about journalism from a variety of journalism experts during the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Seattle last week. In addition to participating in specialized learning sessions, they earned several accolades during the event. more