News
It’s that time of year, the end of summer vacation draws near for school-age children around the Ozarks.
In less than a month, Ozark County students will be back in class trying to acclimate to the early mornings and long afternoons in the classrooms.
Local schools have announced their registration...
The Ozark County Commissioners voted last week to become a “Purple Heart County,” a designation made by the Military Order of the Purple Heart to signify that a county honors Purple Heart medal recipients and the sacrifices they’ve made to earn the decoration, which is awarded to members of the...
Photo courtesy Julie Rothenberg Theodosia city employees Eric Jeffery and Tim Anderson clear branches following a severe thunderstorm that downed several trees and knocked out power to hundreds of people in the west side of Ozark County on July 17.
County and area road crews were busy this past week clearing downed trees and tree limbs from roads and right-of-ways following a thunderstorm that packed winds of around 70 miles per hour.
The National Weather Service office in Springfield said it was straight-line winds, not a tornado, that...
Times photo/Jessi Dreckman The Ozark County Commissioners are pictured here, from left, Western District Commissioner Layne Nance, Eastern District Commissioner Gary Collins (seated) and Presiding Commissioner Terry Newton. The commissioners’ office, located in the upper level of the Ozark County Courthouse, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. The office is closed from noon to 12:30 p.m. for lunch. Friday appointments can be made by calling the office at 417-679-4096.
During Monday’s meeting, the Ozark County Commissioners accepted a $265,910.30 bid from Radio Communications Specialists (RCS) of Springfield for a big upgrade to the communication systems of the Ozark County Sheriff’s office and all of Ozark County’s volunteer fire departments.
The commissioners...
Times photo/Jessi Dreckman The Ozark County Courthouse’s west entrance looks a bit different after last week’s removal of the long ramp that led into the courthouse. The ramp was removed after an engineering firm released a report that said the ramp was dangerous and non-ADA compliant. The stairs and walkways on the east and west doors will also be removed and rebuilt later this fall.
The crumbling handicap ramp on the west side of the Ozark County Courthouse is gone, and Presiding County Commissioner Terry Newton said the county is moving forward with redoing the courthouse entrances to make them more accessible and more attractive.
The ramp, which was deteriorating and...
A bevy of improvements to the Ozark County Jail are continuing, as county commissioners signed off Monday on a plan to have the building painted this fall.
Commissioners Terry Newton, Gary Collins and Layne Nance opened the one and only submitted bid to have the jail building repainted.
The sole...
Times photo/Jessi Dreckman A project to replace the sidewalks and stormwater drainage on Third and Main Streets in Gainesville is now complete with the exception of some finishing touches.
The Gainesville City Council met for its monthly meeting Tuesday, July 11, at City Hall. This month’s meeting had a light agenda and lasted less than 30 minutes before the council entered into closed session.
All council members were present: Renee Schmucker, Treva Warrick, Lana Bushong, Dana...
These buildings on the south side of the Gainesville square are some of the ones that will be professionally power-washed and cleaned in early August, removing the dark buildup.
Thanks to the Ozark County Community Foundation and the Gainesville Lions Club, several buildings on the Gainesville square will be a little brighter in a couple weeks when the crew with Chaney Monument/D&D Signs professionally cleans the brick and stone faces of the structures.
Gainesville...
Ozark County Sheriff’s Deputy Josh Sherman stands with new K9 Karo. The Belgian Malinois was obtained by the OCSD from a grant aimed at helping replace K9s after the legalization of recreational marijuana. Karo is trained as an apprehension dog in addition to drug, human and evidence detection.
The Ozark County Sheriff’s Department recently welcomed a new member to the team, K9 officer Karo.
Karo, a year and a half old male Belgian Malinois, can sniff out and alert his handler Deputy Josh Sherman to the “big three,” as Sherman calls them: methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine.
What Karo...
Times photo/Bruce Roberts A fisherman takes out his boat Monday at Theodosia on Bull Shoals Lake. Lake traffic is up this summer, thanks to less rainfall and lower than recent lake levels.
For the first time in years, the absence of a major spring flooding event has resulted in almost normal lake and river levels, which means big business for area outfitters and resorts on Ozark County waterways.
“We have to be in a drought situation before we even see close to normal lake levels,”...