Local News
Many local residents are wondering if the early-morning fire that occurred last Saturday at a home on County Road 609 in Pontiac is connected to the search warrant executed on the same house seven days prior that led to the discovery of methamphetamine, paraphernalia and used hypodermic needles in...
photo courtesy of Brixey/Rockbridge VFD Responders stayed on scene for several hours as the roadway was cleared of the spilled gravel.
Seventy-year-old Gainesville resident Kenny Pickett is now home recovering after spending four days in the hospital last week due to injuries he sustained when he rolled the MLH dump truck he was driving on Highway 181, north of Gainesville, July 14.
“We really appreciate all the prayers, calls,...
Photo by Katelyn Allen On the last evening of Piland's senior camp, Luke Brantingham, who preached the evening services, baptized four campers in a stock tank set up outside the chapel.
Since the 1950s, local children and teens have been making memories, having fun and learning about Jesus during their time at Piland Youth Camp in the Thornfield area.
The theme for this summer’s camp was “I am Unashamed” based on Romans 1:16. Linda Hannaford was the camp director, and Laura...
photo courtesy of Missouri State Capitol Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed House Bill 594 into law last week. The bill is wide sweeping and has many various components, but one important part for Ozark County is the ability now for the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department to begin collecting the half-cent law enforcement tax that was approved by voters nearly three years ago. Pictured, from left, Ozark County Western District Commissioner Layne Nance, Sen. Brad Hudson, Gov. Kehoe, Ozark County Sheriff Cass Martin and Ozark County Sheriff’s Department Administrator Curtis Ledbetter.
Almost three years after Ozark County residents overwhelmingly passed a half-cent sales tax for law enforcement, the tax will finally be able to be collected.
In early July, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed into law HB 594, which eliminates capital gains tax in Missouri and has the amendment...
Water system work is coming
City Water Specialist Jessi Price says work on the city’s $4 million water upgrades will likely begin in the next few weeks. Workers warn that there may be some disruption to water service while construction is being completed. The $4,252,500 project is being funded...
The Gainesville City Council is currently investigating options for installing a more permanent pipe-style gate at Hoerman Memorial Park. Currently, the park has the cable and post system pictured above, but the city hasn’t been able to find a good system of utilizing it. With continuous vandalism at the park, the city is now considering installing a more permanent pipe-style gate that will be closed at night and reopened in the morning, a duty Councilwoman Lana Bushong volunteered to handle now. The city council also approved purchasing and installing more cameras at the park to attempt to catch the vandals in action.
The city council had a lengthy discussion about park security and ways to help curb the vandalism that occurs regularly at Hoerman Memorial Park.
Mayor Gail Reich said she drove through the park at 10:20 p.m. a few nights before the meeting, and there were three adults in cars up at the park in the...
Gainesville Fire Chief Kevin Piland reported that the department had 23 calls last month (June), including 16 medical calls, one structure fire, four motor vehicle crashes and two brush fires.
Piland said the department also conducted five fire safety inspections, and responded to four special...
BVFD photo Bakersfield Fire Chief Greg Watts inspects what remains of a 2011 Dodge Citadel after the vehicle caught fire parked at Century Bank’s Bakersfield location last Friday, July 11.
Bakersfield firefighter Luke Croney’s quick actions last Friday afternoon likely kept a bad situation from becoming a whole lot worse. Croney said he had stopped in at Evan’s Kwik Stop, across Highway 101 from Century Bank of the Ozarks, before heading to work that morning.
“I was just killing time...
Cade Nold was honored as the 2025 Boys Track Athlete of the Year by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame at a presentation program in Springfield on June 18. He’s pictured here after the presentation with Dora High School track coach Sheree Nold, right, and assistant coach Kaitlyn Perkins. Sheree Nold is also Cade’s mother.
Last month, Cade Nold was named Boys Track Athlete of the Year by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame during presentation ceremonies in Springfield. It was the third year the 2025 Dora High School graduate had been nominated for the award and the first year he won.
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame...