Local News


After consulting historic flood maps and doing their “homework,” Tim and Sandy Johnson built their “forever home” on the North Fork of the White River near Blair Bridge. They spent their first night in the cabin on Friday, April 28, 2017.
Editor’s note: This story, part of our continuing coverage of the survivors of the historic 2017 flood, includes edited excerpts from an email written to us last month by Sandy Johnson, recalling the year since the disaster.   One of the riverside homes destroyed by the April 2017 flood on the...

The Rockbridge mill today: This photo of the Rockbridge grist mill, taken last week, shows the mill’s current appearance after the 2017 flood damage was repaired. The renovation plan included adding diagonal wood facing to the lower half of the mill after that section of traditional red siding was ripped from the building by the floodwaters.
Although Ozark County’s historic flood in late April 2017 damaged Rockbridge Rainbow Trout Ranch in a significant way, the resort only paused in its usual operations and was quickly back up and running. Now, a year later, it’s business as usual at the tucked-away resort, which got its start in 1954...

When the floodwaters receded enough so that they could enter the Mansfield Building Supply in Gainesville that Saturday evening, April 29, 2017, Jeremy Welch said he and co-worker Robert Hogue found “a big mess” inside the business, where water still stood 18 inches deep.
Editor’s note: This story is part of our continuing coverage of survivors’ stories one year after Ozark County’s historic 2017 flood. See additional stories and photos on pages 2, 3 and 16.   It was raining a little on that Saturday a year ago when Jeremy Welch and Robert Hogue closed the Mansfield...
The Ozark County Health Department is offering free cholesterol screenings now through May 31, while supplies last. Those interested should call the health department at 417-679-3334 during regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, for an appointment and more information. 

Greg Blair of Bradleyville, left, and Buck Comstock of Protem were the first place overall winners Saturday in the White River Valley Electric Co-op’s Hooked on Education tournament out of Theodosia. The team’s 18.21-pound catch won them $2,400.
White River Valley Electric Cooperative’s annual Hooked on Education Fishing Tournament Saturday, May 5, out of Theodosia Marina brought out 178 boats, the largest number to date. The annual event raises funds for WRVEC’s scholarship program for youth in the WRVEC’s five-county service area. The...

James Dabney, center, was presented with the Servant’s Heart Award, the highest honor presented each year during Nurses’ Week at Baxter Regional Medical Center in Mountain Home, Arkansas. ICU director Susan Musgrove, left, nominated Dabney for the award. Also pictured is Shannon Nachtigal, BRMC vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer.
Gainesville resident James Dabney, RN, was recognized May 1 by Baxter Regional Medical Center staff when he received the Servant’s Heart Award during a ceremony at the hospital in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Each year during Nurses’ Week, BRMC staff members have an opportunity to nominate a nurse who...

Photo courtesy Caroline Israel When the North Fork of the White River reached historic levels during the flood of April 29-30, 2017, many James Lane neighbors took refuge in the home of Dan and Caroline Israel, which stood a little farther away from the river than others did. In this photo, their barn, close to the river, stands surrounded by floodwater.
When the North Fork of the White River flooded last year, damaging or destroying several homes on James Lane, a small community of riverside homes near Dawt, many of the residents there fled to the home of their neighbors, Dan and Caroline Israel.  “I think for a while there were 18 people here,”...

Dee Shoemaker took this photo of a hummingbird, apparently chilled beyond moving and lying among the fern fronds on her deck at Theodosia when a recent cold snap swept through. “After the day warmed, he woke up and flew away,” she said.
Springtime in Ozark County means the flowers are blooming, trees are budding, babies are arriving and colorful migrators are passing through.

A year after an historic flood destroyed her family’s riverside home, Katie Hoversen wears the Irish cross she found in the sand next to the fencepost she clung to after being swept away by rushing water. “I always have it with me,” she told the Times.
When the bad dreams come, Katie Hoversen is back in the water, clinging to the fencepost.“I still dream about it,” the Tecumseh resident said recently, a year after the home she shared with her husband, Ted, and their daughter Ryia, was swept away in the historic flood on the North Fork of the...
Theodosia’s 2018 Sizzling Summer Kickoff will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 26, next to Cash Saver Pantry on Highway 160 in Theodosia.The Theodosia Area Chamber of Commerce will sellburgers and brats, and organizers said a band will perform to entertain those attending. Games for...

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Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423