Ellen Marie Weed more

Brock Kissee returned to his alma mater Thursday to attend a ceremony in which his Sparta uniform number 24 was retired by the Trojans. more

Jax Adams is a bit of a break from the norm as a wrestler and sprinter. more

Warmer weather means everyone is getting out more, including door-to-door salespeople. Better Business Bureau® (BBB®) advises consumers to make safe, smart decisions about door-to-door offers. more

Sherry Oberbeck more

Linda Kay Schnur more

Charles Eugene Gray, a beloved husband, father, and friend, passed away peacefully on April 12, 2025, at the age of 90 in Mt. Vernon, Mo. Charles lived a full and generous life, devoted to his family, his work, and his community. more

A windsock shaped like a hot air balloon with a spiral tail is suspended above our backyard deck. When the wind blows, the balloon spins, and the spiral twirls below it, catching my eye when I walk past the window. more

I love springtime here in the Ozarks. To most people, the sound most associated with springtime is all the bird songs. But my world is also brightened by the love-inspired songs that male peeper frogs make during their breeding season to attract the females of the species. more

James Andrew Moore, 69, of Springfield, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 12, 2025, in his home. Jim was committed to his family and a Christian. He greatly enjoyed NASCAR and other types of racing, close friends, and summers at the lake. more

The Nixa Drone Team 2319 X, consisting of Dalton Jones, Andrew Durbin, and Faith Helterbrand, took first place at the 2025 All-Service JROTC Drone National Championships on Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5. The tournament, which included 83 drone teams from around the United States, included teams from Hawaii and Samoa. After 160 grueling qualifying rounds, Team 2319 X, as well as Nixa's two other teams, placed high enough in the seeding to advance to the single-elimination rounds. However, only 50 percent of the teams advanced. more

Rylan Sutton is on track to become the first member of Ozark’s 100-hit club since 2019 grad Blake Mozeley. more

When I was a boy, dinner and supper were much different from today. more

For over 43 years, I was in the pharmacy industry owning a 26-store pharmacy chain. I saw local families come in every day, getting medications to help with their health needs. Increasingly, I and many others in this industry were seeing patients – people we have grown to care for deeply – struggling with a new challenge: opioid addiction. It is a constant struggle to look out for fake prescriptions, watch for signs of abuse, and defend our stores from theft. more

It was dusk on an evening in mid-April several years ago. My wife and I were at our cabin near Mark Twain National Forest. I was on a hilltop where I could see something I had heard about from our neighbors. A rarely seen bird called the woodcock. more

A man wanted in Douglas County for first-degree burglary and stealing, more than $25,000, was captured by Christian County deputy sheriffs after a brief chase on Tuesday, April 8. Shane Worthey, 44, was taken into custody near Sparta. more

Congratulations to our Ozark Tigers who are retiring! They were recognized during an all-staff meeting April 7. We are so thankful for their many years of service! Combined, they have more than 500 years of service in education. We will miss them and wish them the best of luck in the future. more

JEFFERSON CITY, MO — The Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday returns this spring, giving Missourian’s the opportunity to save money on select purchases while stimulating economic activity in the state. more

Since 2021, identity and information theft reports to BBB Scam Tracker SM have totaled more than 16,600 and monetary losses are rising, according to a new study by the Better Business Bureau’s® International Investigations Initiative. more

Christian County voters approved Ambulance District Property Tax Relief, a ballot measure that the Christian County Ambulance District put forth on the ballot for the election held on Tuesday, April 8. During the election, 2,770 people, or 52.29 percent of the voters, cast “Yes” votes for the proposition, while 2,527 people, or 47.71 percent of those who voted, cast “No” votes. more

The Ozark Chamber of Commerce will hold the 2025 Showcase Ozark Community Expo at the Ozark Innovation Center on Saturday, April 19. The event is free and open to the public more

Congratulations to the EagleAir staff for being recognized in NBCU Academy's nationwide student broadcast news contest. Freshmen Alexander Eggleston, Scarlett Mahy, and Dusty Stewart won a 6th Place Finalist award for Outstanding Video News Report from the NBCU Academy contest called The Edit. The contest required students to create a video news package centered around the subject of "wellness," using the Adobe Express video editing app. Their news package focused on how students can balance screen time with overall health. The Edit Spring 2025 contest received submissions from schools across the United States, with registrations from over 600 teachers representing more than 23,000 students. more

The Sparta Park Board held their annual Easter Egg Hunt at Roller Park on Saturday, April 12. About 150 children vied for a share of 17,000 candy and prize-filled plastic eggs in the park. Participants took part in the egg hunt in one of five categories: Special needs, ages 0-1, ages 2-4, ages 5-7 and ages 8 and up. Those who found special tickets in their eggs were able to claim additional prizes. Children were also treated to a special visit from the Easter Bunny. more

That old wind just keeps on blowing and moving things around. When I look out and things look strange, it is because that was either in the backyard or maybe out in the field the day before. more

Christian County Deputy Sheriff and D.A.R.E. Officer Bill Whitaker officially retired on Wednesday, April 2, after a four-decade-long career in law enforcement. Whitaker got his start with the Springfield Police Department, and he transferred over to the Christian County Sheriff’s Office in 2009. In his retirement, Whitaker plans to spend more time with his grandchildren and catching up on projects around his house. He won’t completely disappear from law enforcement, however; he plans to remain with the Christian County Sheriff’s Office as a reserve officer. more