Signs lined the door of the courtroom poling place in the Ozark County Courthouse during the April 3 General Municipal Election.

Almost a year after the historic 2017 flood, some Ozark County water crossings still show signs of the damage it caused. Large stone blocks line the crossing known locally as the “cheese plant bridge” on County Road 503 south of the Gainesville post office.The blocks temporarily replace the washed-away guardrail, part of which dangles off the downstream side of the bridge over Lick Creek. Ozark County Western Commissioner Greg Donley told the Times Monday that FEMA had recently approved funding to replace the guardrail, rebuild the “rock blankets” under the north and south ends of the bridge and do other work to restore the bridge.

River of Life Farm owner Myron McKee inspects the water flow at The Falls on the North Fork of the White River. A native population of rainbow trout creates a unique fishery here and brings anglers from all over the country.

Gainesville Schools’ bus mechanic Jerry Beasley was pleased that the district’s 16 buses passed the recent annual inspection by the Missouri State Highway Patrol at 100 percent – for the sixth year in a row. Beasley, a 1983 GHS graduate, has been the district’s mechanic for 27 years. He says he’s seen a lot of changes in the vehicles since he hired on with the district in 1996. For one thing, all the buses are diesel now and may have computerized components. The price has gone up too. A new bus these days can cost $85,000, he said.