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The lakes are rising, closing roads again The Ozark County Commissioners say both Bull Shoals and Norfork Lakes are high again this spring, causing area road closures on both sides of the county. At their Monday meeting, the commissioners said that on the eastern side of Ozark County, signs are up at County Road 551 in Tecumseh, known locally as Smokey Road, pictured here, warning motorists that the road is impassable due to the backed-up waters of Norfork Lake. On the western side of the district, Haskins Ford on County Road 863, and the “Steel Tracks” crossing on County Road 861 in the Isabella area, along with the Gulley Spring Creek crossing on County Road 614 in the Pontiac area are all impassible due of the high level of Bull Shoals Lake. As of 9 a.m. Monday, Norfork Lake was 15 feet above flood pool with a water level of 567.05 feet, and Bull Shoals Lake was 20 feet above flood pool with a water level of 679.39 feet. The commissioners said they think the levels are only going to get higher, as rain is forecasted for most of the week.
The Ozark County Commissioners say they’ve begun the process of setting up the online government portal account for the money the county will receive as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, but they aren’t in a hurry to designate the funds yet.
“Christy and I were working on that Friday,”...
John Cole has been missing for two years, and his wife Angela, pictured with him in this file photo, is still searching for any information in the case.
The two-year anniversary of John Cole’s disappearance looms this Friday, May 21, and his wife Angela says it doesn’t feel like they’re any closer to finding out where he is than the day he left.
“It is hard not knowing if he’s alive or deceased somewhere,” she told the Times late last week.
She’s...
Covid-19 vaccinations are now available at the Theodosia Family Medical Clinic at 4900 Highway 160 in Theodosia. Physician Masa Kinoshita told the Times the clinic is vaccinating patients with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only one dose.
If a patient has insurance, there will...
Melinda “M.J.” Walrath stands next to the newly installed “blessing box” located under the covered awning of the former senior center on Third Street in Gainesville, now an outreach building for the Gainesville First Baptist Church.
Blessings come in all shapes and sizes, and thanks to an effort from several area residents, a new, bright purple “blessing box” is sure to help those in the community who need it.
Blessing boxes are traditionally stocked with canned goods, beans, rice and other dry goods for those who need food...
Hot, fresh funnel cakes Darlis Bincent of Victory Family Worship’s food truck hands a freshly fried funnel cake to 2019 Hootin an Hollarin festival attendee Charles Miller. Organizers are now accepting applications for vendors for this year’s festival, to be held Sept. 16-18 in Gainesville.
The 60th annual Hootin an Hollarin festival will be held on the Gainesville square Sept. 16-18, longtime chairwoman Nancy Walker told the Times Monday morning. Last year’s festival was canceled due to the covid pandemic, but the 2021 “is a go,” Walker said.
Vendor co-chairs Barbara Luna and LaVese...
The Ozark County Health Department will be giving first doses of the covid-19 vaccination from 8 a.m. until noon Thursday, June 3, at the OCHD office on Third Street in Gainesville. Everyone age 18 and older is now eligible for the vaccination, according to the state’s phased covid-19 vaccination...
Times photo / Jessi Dreckman The Ozark County Commissioners are suggesting that the US Army Corps of Engineers move the Theodosia Park to Rainbow Ridge, a Corps-owned point located across the lake and about a quarter-mile north of its current location near Theodosia Marina Resort. The point can be seen on the left side of this photo that was taken Monday near the Theodosia bridge. The approximately 100-acre property has a gentle slope that would likely be less affected by Bull Shoals Lake’s frequent high water levels. The current campground and boat ramp are often not accessible when the lake is backed up over them.
Editor's note: This story has been updated from the print edition to correct a county road number and a county employee's job in the citizens' comments section.
Former Western District Commissioner Greg Donley attended this week’s Ozark County Commissioners’ meeting to discuss a proposal for...
Times photo/Jessi Dreckman MoDOT’s Statewide Transportation Program plan, which includes proposed highway projects scheduled for the next five years, includes adding shoulders and rumble strips to Highway 5 north and south of Gainesville, including this stretch of highway that runs between The Antler and the Gainesville Veterinarian Clinic. The plan also includes washing the Theodosia bridge, pavement improvements to Highway 181 and guardrail repair across the county.
The Missouri Department of Transportation has released its latest Statewide Transportation Program plans, which include scheduled projects for 2022-2026. The proposed plan is available for public review and comment from now until June 4. The plan can be viewed in its entirety at https://www.modot....
More than 200 people attended the 33rd annual Lions Club Auction Friday night, May 7, in the Gainesville High School gym. The event raised $19,500 this year.
This year’s Lions Club auction netted $19,500 for Gainesville’s summer ball program and other local projects supported by the Gainesville Lions Club. The annual fundraiser, now in its 33rd year, was held Friday night at Gainesville High School.
In past years the auction has raised these amounts:...
Mr. Cartwright Ray Cartwright teaches art and music to kindergarten through eighth grade classes at Thornfield. He has taught at Thornfield for 13 years. This photo was taken recently at his Sparta home as he was preparing to practice “Pomp and Circumstance” on the piano in preparation for the combined kindergarten and eighth grade graduation ceremony at the school. Hanging on the wall is a reproduction of one of his favorite pieces of artwork, the Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) work “Two Young Girls at the Piano.” Cartwright says he has often discussed the piece, which was painted in 1892, with his students, especially as they study impressionism art.
Nestled among farmland and quiet, rolling hills, Ozark County’s smallest school district has a unique charm all its own. Thornfield School, the only kindergarten through eighth grade district left in the county, has just over 40 students and a small group of teachers who care deeply for the...