Local News
A trailer home in Caulfield went up in flames during the early-morning hours of Nov. 27, the day before Thanksgiving. The residents, Aaron and Brittany Davis, were not home at the time of the fire, but the structure was a complete loss.
According to the dispatch report from the Ozark County...
Christmastime is here, and there are several events planned in Ozark County to celebrate the season.
To add your Ozark County holiday event to the list, email jessi@ozarkcountytimes.com.
• Library Christmas giveaway table (now through Dec. 13) - The Ozark County Volunteer Library is hosting a...
Nancy Walker has never been one to criticize others, but she keeps thinking Gainesville’s Wonders of Christmas Committee could have found someone more deserving to honor as the 2024 Jingle Bell Parade marshal.
[Reporter checks notes. Nope. No one deserves the honor more than Nancy, who has been...
The annual Wonders of Christmas on the Gainesville Square festival and Jingle Bell Parade will be held this Friday, Dec. 6. The festival opens at 5 p.m. with vendor booths, which will remain open throughout the night. Also at 5 p.m., there will be singing in the gazebo, located on the courthouse...

A family is pictured here working together to hang Christmas bulbs on the town Christmas cedar at Village Hall in Theodosia during the 2023 inaugural Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. This year’s Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony and Holiday Kick Off event is being held this Saturday at Village Hall, and everyone is invited.
This year’s Theodosia Christmas Tree Lighting and Holiday Kick Off event will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at Village Hall.
Festival organizers Nancy Wilson and Karen Metzger have been working hard on festival plans for the fun and festive event, and it’s shaping up to be even better...
On Nov. 21, the Thornfield VFD, with mutual aid from Squires VFD, Wasola VFD, Ava Rural Fire Department and City of Ava Fire Department, responded to a house fire on JJ Highway. The firefighters thanked deputies from Ozark County and Douglas County Sheriff’s Departments for responding as well....
Wasola residents Jordan and Darci Dimirsky have an extra reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving season. Just over two months ago, their 1-year-old daughter, Dawna Kay, was released from the hospital following a 32-day stay recovering from serious injuries sustained in a Sept. 7 car crash.
Dawna,...

photo submitted by Heather Eastburn This home, located near Hodgson Mill on the banks of Bryant Creek, was heavily damaged for a second time following flood damage it sustained in the historic 2017 flood. The home, which is owned by Nat and Anita Sledge and was built by a family member 120 years ago, was uninhabited last week when Bryant Creek reached a depth of 29.79 feet Tuesday, submerging half of the structure under muddy water. The Sledges opted to build another home higher on a hill after the 2017 flood, when the river hit at a record high 33.07 feet on April 30, 2017. At presstime Tuesday, the Bryant Creek had receded to 5.5 feet deep.
Heavy rain and severe storms last Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 4-5, led to one of the highest recorded flooding events Ozark County has ever seen - and many residents here remarked how the devastation felt eerily similar to the historic April 30, 2017 flood that marked the highest water levels ever...
Jim Hagewood, an 80-year-old Longrun man, was rescued last Tuesday night, Nov. 5, after spending a terrifying 20 hours stranded in a creek near his home after his truck was washed off a low water bridge around 1:30 a.m. that morning.
Officials say the truck was washed a mile downstream before it...
Just prior to the regular weekly meeting of the Ozark County Commissioners, Western District Commissioner Layne Nance said the west side of the county experienced more damage during flooding earlier this month than during the 2017 flood. He said the extra damage was likely because of several small...