News
The following positions were announced in the Times in December, and candidates were invited to file to run for the positions from Dec. 10-31, 2024. Candidate profiles for local contested races will be published closer to the election date.
NON-CONTESTED
Two file for two positions on...
Patricia Ann Santos Duvalier
Patricia Ann Santos Duvalier, 59, of Dora, is now charged with second-degree murder and first-degree assault in connection with a March 14, 2023, incident in which she reportedly beat a 37-year-old non-verbal, disabled woman that she was hired to care for. The woman died as a result of the injuries...
Lutie School’s newest annual performance report, released by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, marked a large increase over the 2023 report.
Just as students across Ozark County receive report cards, the school districts are also graded on their performance and continuous improvement through the Missouri state-issued Annual Performance Reports. The APRs are “kind of like a grade card for how the school districts are doing,” Bakersfield...
The photo, above, shows the building which housed Bank of Gainesville (now Century Bank of the Ozarks) from 1927 to 1958 in its most current state before renovations began to bring it back to resemble its original appearance, pictured in the 1950s photo below.
If you’ve taken a drive around Gainesville recently, you may have noticed the boarded-up front of a building on the west side of the square next to the old Ford Market building where The Hair Shop is housed. Hidden behind the wood, a transformation is unfolding.
The building in question was the...
Ozark County Commissioners, pictured from left, are: Western District Commissioner Layne Nance, Eastern District Commissioner Jim Britt and Presiding Commissioner Terry Newton.
The Ozark County Commissioners met Monday for their regular meeting with newly elected Eastern District Commissioner Jim Britt serving in his first month in the new position. Britt replaces longtime commissioner Gary Collins, who retired at the end of 2024.
The commissioners said they are...
J.B. and Stacy Duke received this letter from a company called Property Site, asking them to pay $123 for their property deed, which is available for just a few dollars at the local Ozark County Circuit Clerk and Reorder’s Office.
Residents across Ozark County have recently reported receiving a notice from the company called “Property Site,” asking residents to pay a $123 fee in exchange for a copy of their deed or property assessment profile. Officials say not to send in the money — it’s a scam.
The letter pictured at left...
It was pure joy that Brantley McCullough experienced during this weekend’s snow event. Brantley is the son of Randy and Erica McCullough of Gainesville. More photos can be found on the Ozark County Times Facebook page.
The first snow of 2025 in Ozark County blew in last weekend, blanketing these rolling hills in 6 to 8 inches of snow. The white landscape provided a picture-perfect backdrop for kids across the county to make wonderful winter memories. Children crafted snow angels, built snowmen and engaged in...
photos courtesy of Pontiac-Price Place Volunteer Fire Department This home on Potts Lane, near the Missouri-Arkansas line, was demolished in a New Year’s Eve fire. Firefighters from four different departments responded and contained the fire to the structure-area, but the home was lost. It was fully engulfed when a neighbor first spotted it and called it in to 911. No one was home at the time, and there were no injuries except, sadly, a pet that is thought to have perished in the blaze.
It was around 7:15 p.m. New Year’s Eve when the Timber Knob Volunteer Fire Department was first dispatched to a house fire on Potts Lane, a home located in a rural area between Highways 5 south and J/201, southwest of Mammoth.
The call came into the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department’s dispatch...
Lutie Superintendent Kathalee Cole, pictured second from left, presents a $500 donation check to officers with the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department. The funds will be used to purchase a stab- and bullet-proof vest for the sheriff’s department’s K9 officer. Also pictured, from left, are OCSD Deputies Jeff Lane, K9 handler Josh Sherman, K9 officer Karo and Lutie School Resource officer Zach Fowler.
Thanks to a generous donation from Lutie School, Ozark County Sheriff’s K9 officer Karo will now be better protected with a piece of equipment that could save the dog’s life. The $500 donation will be used to purchase a bullet- and stab-proof vest fitted for the canine deputy.
“We proudly donated...
Six of Ozark County’s elected officials were sworn into office for their new terms after being elected in the 2024 Primary (all candidates ran as Republicans) and General Elections.
Pictured, from left, are: Assessor Jama Berry, Public Administrator Melinda Abraham, Coroner Gene Britt alongside...