Local
The West Plains City Council met in special session on July 1 and approved the hiring of Earlene Rich as the city’s finance director.
Rich, a Certified Public Accountant, comes to West Plains with 12 years of city government experience. She served as Deputy Finance Director for the city of...
The City of Birch Tree has been awarded a Community Development Block Grant project in the amount of $836,046 to replace two problematic and undersized culvert bridges over Birch Creek. This infrastructure has been the cause of numerous instances of flash flooding in the community. The bridges...
An update on the city’s sewer repair project was given during the most recent meeting of the Mountain View City Council. “The wheels are turning slowly,” mayor Donnie Pruett told those in attendance when the question was asked. Rural development was given an environmental assessment to continue...
Even as news of the arrival of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in the county broke last week, the Annual Report published by Ozarks Healthcare breathes a message of hope and triumph over difficult circumstances. Though the release of the annual report is routine, 2020 was a year that disregarded...
A series of both usual and unusual causes disrupted electricity service for hundreds of residents in Howell County throughout the latter part of last week.
On Wednesday, July 7 in Willow Springs, a circuit went out on the northwest side of the city that affected about 100 people, including...
Lonnie Whitaker, author and popular columnist for this publication, has won two awards from the Missouri Writers Guild. In the category of Best Newspaper Column, Whitaker took third place for his story titled, “An Ozark Girl’s Golf Odyssey.” A reprint of his award-winning submission will appear...
Willow Springs earned its “Bear City” moniker on the early morning of July 8 when a lone black bear appeared in the yard of a home on Highway Z. The Simandl residence is outside of city limits, but is only three miles down Highway Z. Andrea Simandl took several photos of the bear in her yard and...
Investigation remains ongoing after a child died in an accidental shooting in West Plains on July 1. Howell County Sheriff’s deputies and investigators responded simultaneously to the scene on County Road 3010 at approximately 3:45 in the afternoon.
Prior to their arrival, deputies and first...
Project Aware wants both those who can help and those who may need help to know the organization is still in operation. The nonprofit, started in 2016, exists to help residents in the Willow Springs School District with unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances, said board member JT Tooley.
“We...
UPDATED at 12:17 with information regarding the driver's route prior to the crash and expected charges from HCSO.
A high speed pursuit that began in Howell County bled into Willow Springs Sunday night as Sheriff’s deputies chased Luke T. Riley into town. Riley, 33, of Willow Springs, had...