Local News


The Cooper siblings, from left, Brody, Kinsley and Jackson, recently visited the McWilliams pumpkin patch in West Plains. They are the children of Rick and Haley Cooper of Thornfield.
It’s that time of year, when pumpkins, apple cider and crisp, fall air set a festive tone in the Ozarks. Listed here are Halloween and fall events that residents can visit or attend in the coming weeks.  Those organizing a local fall or Halloween-themed event should contact Jessi Dreckman at jessi@...

It’s not every day that Ozark County Sheriff’s Deputy Seth Miller’s job includes a taser deployment – and a frozen pie.
Ozark County Deputy Seth Miller was conducting his regular patrol on Highway 160 in Theodosia around 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, when he activated his lights and sirens as part of a routine traffic stop of a red Jeep Cherokee.  After exiting his patrol vehicle and approaching the Jeep, Miller...
Shirley Garrison and son Heath Garrison have once again transformed the lawn around the Isabella-area home where Shirley lives with her husband, Ronnie Garrison, into an eye-catching and traffic-stopping seasonal fall display. Even though their home on Lake Road 619, off HH south of Isabella, is...

The Ozark County Times won 18 awards in the Missouri Press Better Newspaper Contest for news stories and other items published in 2020. Above: Times staff members include, from left, advertising manager / publisher Jenny Yarger, editor Sue Ann Jones, owner Norene Prososki, ad designer/office manager Regina Mozingo and reporter/graphic designer Jessi Dreckman.
The Ozark County Times was honored with four first place awards, four second place awards, seven third place awards and three honorable mentions in the Missouri Press Association’s 2021 Better Newspaper Contest Better Newspaper Contest. Participating newspapers were notified of the award winners in...

Jeremy Fowler, 28, shown here with his wife, Bakersfield High School teacher Tori Fowler, and their two children, Sadie, 3, and Josiah, 6, sustained severe injuries Saturday when a 1,400-pound zero-turn mower flipped onto him as he was loading it after mowing a Viola, Arkansas, cemetery. Jeremy is an EMT with Fulton County (Arkansas) Hospital Ambulance service, a volunteer firefighter / first responder with the Caulfield Volunteer Fire Department, and assistant youth pastor at Pomona Assembly of God. His friends and relatives have started a gofundme.com fundraiser campaign to help the family with expenses while he is recovering.
Friends and relatives are asking for prayers – and financial help – for Jeremy Fowler and his family after the 28-year-old Caulfield resident suffered a severe injury Saturday as he was finishing a mowing job at a Viola, Arkansas, cemetery.  Jeremy’s mother, Bakersfield resident Kelly Fowler, told...

Gainesville native Louie Joe Scott, who now practices law in Poplar Bluff, was recently inducted into the Missouri Intercollegiate Hall of Fame during an Oct. 1 ceremony in Columbia.
Former Ozark County resident and Gainesville High School graduate Louie Joe Scott, who now lives in Poplar Bluff with his wife, Judy, was inducted into the Missouri Intercollegiate Hall of Fame during a ceremony Friday, Oct. 1, at the Tiger Hotel on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus....
Ozark County Prosecuting Attorney John Garrabrant has announced his retirement, effective Dec. 1. Garrabrant says that while he’s looking forward to his retirement, he’s enjoyed his time working on behalf of the state in Ozark County.  “I’m thankful for all the residents in Ozark County, most of...

The Fitzpatricks Gillian and Michael “Goose” Fitzpatrick moved to Wasola from Maine in 2018 to find a simpler way of living for themselves and their six children, four of whom have special needs.
Those traveling down Highway 95 in the Wasola area may have noticed Michael “Goose” and Gillian Fitzpatrick’s farm. The attractive property is accented by a hand-built cedar-trimmed farm stand featuring homegrown organic vegetables, fresh herbs and bright, colorful flowers grown on the family’s...
  Ozark County’s annual Trunk-or-Treat event, will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, on the Gainesville square. The event, hosted by the Ozark County Chamber of Commerce, is free, and everyone is welcome to join in on the fun.  Children and adolescents in costume can visit vehicles parked on the...

At their Monday meeting, the Ozark County Commissioners and County Clerk discussed options for new courthouse doors that may be purchased with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Presiding Commissioner John Turner said he hopes the doors will help solve two problems: improve access to the building by those with disabilities and help fewer people touch the door handles with their hands. ARPA funds can be used for infrastructure that helps combat the spread of the covid-19 virus. This photo shows the Ozark County Courthouse’s west entrance, accessed by a set of steps or a concrete ramp that leads to the courthouse’s current doors, which must be opened by pulling the handles from the outside or pushing the doors from the inside of the building. County officials have said that the courthouse doors and steep grade of the ramp make it difficult for those with disabilities to access the courthouse. The door does have a button to push for handicap accessibility, photo below, but that feature is currently not working.
The Ozark County Commissioners have been hesitant to jump in and start spending funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) due to the lack of guidance from the federal government concerning how the funds can be spent, but Presiding Commissioner John Turner says the county is exploring the...

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Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423