Citizens Memorial Hospital and Osceola Medical Center announce the appointment of L. Michelle Shoemaker, FNP-BC, family nurse practitioner, to the medical staff. She has more than 28 years of nursing experience and has worked for CMH for over four years. more

See what’s going on in Polk County! Mark your calendars for these upcoming events. Some events may require registration or admission fees; please contact the organization for more details. more

Josie Choate, an 8th grade student at Halfway R-3 Schools, has taken the first step to become an internationally recognized artist by winning a local competition sponsored by the Halfway Lions Club. more

Jerrell Dee Wilson more

DEATHS more

DEATHS more

Weather report more

Mary Tipton Etter more

J. Scott Crowell more

A firefighter with the Central Polk County Fire Protection District was hurt in a single-vehicle wreck at around 10:45 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23 after he responded to a house fire. more

The Bolivar Liberator boys, although they practiced hard over the Christmas break, had some trouble getting out of the starting blocks Monday, Dec. 26, at the Springfield Blue and Gold Tournament. more

How well do you know Polk County? more

Citizens Memorial Hospital Addiction Recovery announces the appointment of Courtney Brummel, NP-C, to its medical staff. more

Two people from Louisburg were hurt in a recent single-vehicle wreck near Bolivar at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 22. more

Four Missouri Southern State University students from Polk County earned their way onto the Dean's List for the Fall 2022 semester. more

See what’s going on in Polk County! Mark your calendars for these upcoming events. Some events may require registration or admission fees; please contact the organization for more details. more

As I write, pastors and others are laboring over a final, meaningful message for Christmas. That is as it should be. Those who are called should do their best to communicate the birth and meaning of the Savior; but words printed on paper struggle to communicate the ecstasy of the event. That is better done by poets and hymn writers. Hence, I am reprinting a Christmas message I first penned twenty years ago. God bless you, and Merry Christmas! more

Dallas County residents Vondie Arthur and her husband Butch adopted their dog Coalette, known prior as Jaylah, from the Polk County Humane Society or PCHS. According to the owners, Coalette had been abandoned, starved, and needed a foster family due to limited space at the shelter. It was through the fostering program that the sweet, black, 70-pound pup found her forever family. more

With just three days left until Christmas, Polk County, along with most of the rest of the country, found themselves in the grip of a historical winter storm. Record breaking temperatures and wind chills caused havoc for business and shoppers alike. First responders, electrical linemen, plumbers and heating repairmen found themselves overrun with problems to fix. Businesses that expected to welcome lots of Christmas shoppers closed their stores early, if they even opened at all. Black ice covered the roadways very early on Thursday morning, Dec. 22, then changed to snow mid-morning with wind speeds in the 35 mph range. The upcoming holiday, however, looks to be a little warmer — in the 20s. more

DEATHS more

DEATHS more

Citizens Memorial Hospital welcomes Chad Garner, RN, BSN, CEN, as the director of hospital nursing services. more

Bolivar City Hall will be closed Monday, Dec. 26, and Monday, Jan. 2, for the holiday season. For more information about Bolivar City Hall, call 417-326-2489 or visit bolivar.mo.us. more

The Polk County Courthouse will be closed Monday, Dec. 26, in observance of the Christmas Holiday. more

The theater class of Bolivar Middle School presented their winter play, The Grunch, Dec. 15 through Dec. 17. The Grunch is a new children’s musical based on The Grinch by Dr. Seuss. more