Start the new year by making a lifesaving commitment. Community Blood Center of the Ozarks (CBCO) invites you to take the 56-Day Challenge in 2026. Give blood, save lives, repeat and you could win up to $56,000 in Visa gift cards, sponsored by Adam Swenka with Flat Branch Home Loans and The Giving Branch. more

Bolivar Technical College (BTC) honored graduates from the Class of 2025 during its commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 13, in Bolivar. Family, friends, faculty, and clinical partners gathered to recognize students who completed nursing programs that prepare them to step confidently into their nursing careers. more

On Saturday, Jan. 10, 1-3 p.m., there will be a birthday celebration for William “Bill” Pool. The celebration will be at Parkview Healthcare Library, located at 119 W. Forrest Street in Bolivar. more

POLICE REPORTS more

Here we are at the beginning of a brand new year with all sorts of possibilities ahead. I have friends who are frantically trying to get their New Year resolutions firmed up and are wondering what mine will be this year. It is apparent that I haven’t given it enough thought as I haven’t had any clever responses yet. There’s always the old standby resolutions of losing weight, exercising more, consuming more water and all those healthy things. There’s no argument that I could benefit from any or all of those, but there are other things we could consider, too. Things like being more patient, more kind, and more giving to other people all through the year. There’s also things like being better to this earth we live on by reducing the amount of trash we dispose of and reusing everything we can find another use for and, of course, recycling! more

It is January and a typical cold morning as I get out of bed. The first thing I do is go and kneel down in front of our little wood stove, stir the hot coals, watch the orange glow, and add more firewood. The flames begin to dance, and I close the door. more

The yellow school buses lined up outside the Meyer Wellness Center Dec. 18, their doors swinging open as wave after wave of excited students from Bolivar schools poured out. It was Kids Day at the SBU Bearcats women’s basketball game, and more than 700 kids filled the stands with laughter and boundless energy. more

This past week, two Bearcat football members were named to the Don Hansen NCAA DII All-American team. Senior wide receiver Kamau Ransom and sophomore defensive lineman Caleb Saner both earned Honorable Mention Awards. more

The Space Taters, a FIRST LEGO League (FLL) team based in Bolivar and part of Reboot Robotics, recently wrapped up their rookie season, marking an exciting milestone for the homeschooled students involved. more

Entries will be two-person teams, (youth hunters are encouraged to participate). $30 per team due by midnight Feb. 6. Individuals may hunt, but must pay the entire entry fee. more

New members of the Polk County University of Missouri Extension Council will be elected from Jan. 12 to Jan. 16 from candidates nominated by county citizens. more

Wednesday, Jan. 7 — Spaghetti WG noodles and meatballs, green beans, breadsticks, banana split dessert. more

Sammy Burks more

Phyliss Garrison was the winner of the gift card to Brenda’s Cafe after winning the November I-Spy game, correctly guessing Pizza Hut as the location. Phyliss is proof that reading the paper doesn’t just provide you with news and entertainment, it can pay off as well. more

University of Saint Mary Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Michelle Metzinger has announced the Fall 2025 Dean's List. The following USM student from Bolivar ended the semester with a 3.5 GPA or better. more

Upcoming events at Bolivar Elks Lodge more

A columnist gets to know her competition more

Hi, I'm Cordelia! I'm a senior lady who has sadly had to come back to the shelter in hopes of finding my last forever home. I was adopted a few years ago and loved dearly but sadly my owner had to go to a nursing home and so I'm back here. I'm a sweet girl but I do have diabetes and a hard time seeing/hearing. Can you give a loving senior girl like me my last home? more

HI LOW CONDITIONS more

A crowd filled the Springfield-Branson National Airport the morning of Dec 22, 2025 as retired Army Sergeant First Class James “Dan” Bunch finished a journey that began more than half a century ago in Vietnam. On a different kind of mission than his first in 1968, Bunch returned to Vietnam last month as one of seven honored veterans among a select team of 20 College of the Ozarks students and 10 sponsors with the C of O Patriotic Education Program. While angry mobs and protests awaited returning soldiers in the late 1960s, more than 100 friends, family, supporters and strangers stood cheering with American flags and signs welcoming Bunch, along with retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 Gregory McManus and College of the Ozarks President Brad Johnson back to US soil just days ago. more

Citizens Memorial Hospital welcomed its first baby of the new year with the birth of a baby boy, Benjamin Mitchell Denney. more

On Dec. 13, 2025, the Polk County Sheriff’s office responded to a report of suspicious activity in the 4100 block of South 77th Road in Bolivar. The caller reported a deceased male lying in the roadway. Deputies arrived on the scene and confirmed the individual was deceased. more

How well do you know Polk County? more

Francis Clifton Hutto more

Elvin Eugene “Gene” Meese more