Local News


Christian Ries, shown with coach Joe Humbyrd, recently broke the national record in the deadlift category in his class with a 405-pound lift. In the deadlift, a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground.
Gainesville High School sophomore Christian Ries recently competed in the Warriors Powerlifting Federation Warrior Champion-ships held at STS Fitness in Harrison, Arkansas.  Ries competed in the push/pull division which consists of two disciplines, the bench press and the deadlift.  He lifted a...
The Ozark County Toy Drive, a charity effort that offers free Christmas gifts to those in need, will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at the First Baptist Church Event Center on Third Street in Gainesville. The annual event offers gifts for Ozark County children and teens age 17 and younger. ...
The tributes that honored former First Lady Rosalynn Carter after her recent death reminded me of my own long-ago encounter with Mrs. Carter’s legendary kindness. It happened 43 years ago, in 1980, when I was a rookie reporter at a big-city daily newspaper in Ohio. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter...

Members of State Senator Karla Eslinger’s family were on hand to congratulate her following the Tuesday, Dec. 5, announcement of Eslinger’s appointment as Missouri Commissioner of Education. Pictured with Eslinger, center, are her son-in-law, Gainesville R-V School superintendent Justin Gilmore, and her daughter, GHS business teacher Chelsey Gilmore. Eslinger’s youngest daughter Katy Chapman, not pictured, has also made education her career and currently serves as the Ava Elementary School principal.
The Missouri State Board of Education announced Tuesday, Dec. 5, that Senator Karla Eslinger will assume the role as the state’s next commissioner for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) effective June 1, 2024, after concluding her work in the Missouri Senate during the 2024...
Those interested in filing for seats coming open on Ozark County’s school boards and municipality boards can do so now through Dec. 26. File at the respective school or city/village office during regular hours. Filing will not be held at schools when inclement weather leads to a school day closure...
The Ozark County Commissioners accepted a bid for culvert pipes during their Dec. 4 meeting. Viebrock Sales and Service from Sedalia was given the contract to furnish culvert pipes for the county. The accepted bid for 16-gauge aluminized pipe is $54,048 and $74,331 for the ADS storm drain dual wall...
Ozark County government was given a “fair” rating the audit released in November by Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick. Though the Ozark County Commissioners and County Clerk have said they are happy with the “fair” rating, they also recognize there are certain areas that the county can...

Charlotte Holmes
Editor’s note: In memory of Charlotte Holmes, who died due to a heart attack Nov. 28 at her home in Mammoth, we’re reprinting, from the Dec. 25, 2019, edition of the Times, the story about Charlotte’s visit to heaven while a medical team worked to restart her heart when it stopped for 11 minutes in...

Times photos/Jessi Dreckman Gainesville Elementary Principal Ben Hopper is pictured here with students, from left, Bentley Rodrigue, Valerie Moseley and Kobi Adams, in front of the elementary school’s front entrance. The doors have been outfitted with a new school safety window film that prevents those outside the school from seeing inside the building. The film appears transparent when a person is inside the building looks out. The same security film-covered door in the photo above is pictured from the inside below, showing that it is nearly invisible when standing inside looking out.
This year the Gainesville School District has installed a few new physical security measures to help make the school a safer place for students and staff, Superintendent Justin Gilmore said. The upgrades have been funded by a $100,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary...

Antler Motel and Thomas & Douglas CPA took home the second place float prize during hte 2022 Jingle Bell Parade with a Home Alone-movie themed float.
This year’s Jingle Bell Parade, set to begin at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, is shaping up to be one of the biggest and best yet!  Parade coordinator Paula Rose told the Times that as of Monday afternoon, she had 12 floats, 20 festive vehicles, numerous classic cars, the Gainesville High School band and...

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Ozark County Times

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Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
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