The Southwest Missouri Council of Governments will be hosting a public meeting on Thursday, March 2, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., located at the Bolivar City Hall, 345 S Main Ave, Bolivar, MO 65613. This meeting is to gather public input on the transportation needs of seniors and individuals who have disabilities or who are impoverished. more

Jerald Andrews, the President Emeritus of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, has been appointed to the State Fair Commission by Gov. Mike Parson. more

Southwest Baptist University announced the launch of its fully accredited online campus, SBU Worldwide, beginning with the Fall 2023 semester. SBU Worldwide will offer 100% online degree and certificate programs to students around the globe. more

Baseball is catching on in the community, as Bolivar resident Joe Arnold makes it his mission to play a game of catch with someone new every day for an entire year. more

Liberator Wrestlers competed in the Class 3 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships at Mizzou Arena February 24-25, 2023. The team placed 8 out of 47 and four wrestlers brought home hardware: Cooper Moore, Blake Goodman, Riley Beckman and Trey Brewer. more

The organization formerly known as Polk County House of Hope will now be called Hope’s Safe Haven, a transition that provides a more encompassing and accurate depiction of the organization’s influence in the local community and beyond. more

The Boys Liberator Wrestling team competed in the Class 3 District 3 tournament February 17-18, finishing behind Carl Junction for 2nd Place. Bolivar filled all more

Thursday, Feb. 16, students and members of the school board, along with Bolivar school faculty, joined Dr. Asbill in the official groundbreaking for the new FEMA building to be located at Bolivar Middle School. An earlier article stated that the building was scheduled to be completed in October 2023. more

The Bolivar Police Department was recently made aware of a phone scam targeting local residents. more

Restore 12:12 Ministries, a faith-based organization devoted to supporting young adults in Polk County, held a ribbon cutting event on Friday, Feb. 10 to celebrate the opening of the ministry’s R&R House, a temporary home for people ages 18-25 who are in need of a stable, affordable living arrangement as they overcome challenges in their lives. more

Recognizing an urgent need for growing our local healthcare workforce, Erin Mock, Director of Nursing Education at Bolivar Technical College and Charlotte Gray, President at Bolivar Technical College, spearheaded a grant proposal to the Missouri State Board of Nursing (MSBN) in the fall of 2022. more

Rachel Urrutia, a former Bolivar native, recently joined the book publishing team at Abound Publishing, based in Alma, Arkansas where she currently lives. more

Friday, Feb. 10, 100 volunteers had the honor of welcoming 124 guests to Night to Shine 2023, the first in-person event since the beginning of COVID. more

At just 23 years of age, Bolivar resident Dustin Coffin is on his way to running his own restaurant, having already mastered the successful food truck business Dusty Bob’s. more

Bolivar Intermediate School was covered with pretty girls, proud dads, flowers, ice cream and lots of smiles and laughter. The Valentine’s Daughter Dance, Thursday, Feb. 9, was a first time for third graders and a final time for fifth graders, to enjoy a fun evening of socializing and getting their dancing shoes busy. more

On February 2, 2023, a Polk County jury found defendant Raymond L. Hilliard guilty of one count of driving while intoxicated (DWI). Evidence was accepted by the Court to prove that Mr. Hilliard was a persistent DWI offender due to having two prior DWI convictions, from years 2000 and 2018. Due to the persistent offender status, this charge is a class E felony, and carries a range of up to four years in prison. Sentencing is set for April 3, 2023 at 8:30 a.m. more

Polk County Sheriff’s Office recently conducted a murder-suicide investigation at a Bolivar residence on Friday, Feb. 3. more

Community Outreach Ministries recently made their 2022 Annual Report available to the public, highlighting some of their work and accomplishments from the past year. more

Three people from Bolivar were hurt in a single-car wreck at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31 near the town of Polk. more

On Monday, Jan. 23, Governor Mike Parson announced the appointment of Tim Francka, of Bolivar, to the Missouri State University Board of Governors. more

Local elections in Polk County are set for Tuesday, April 4. Several boards and other races will be on the ballot. more

The Bolivar Herald-Free Press is asking the public to nominate a Polk County pillar, an individual in the community who has contributed to the pride and progress of the county. These pillars will be featured in the BH-FP’s yearly Pride and Progress special section to be released in the Wednesday, Mar. 29 newspaper. more

The 69 McDonald’s Restaurants in the Ozarks area kicked off the 30th annual Share a Heart Campaign on Tuesday, Jan. 24 by giving customers the opportunity to donate to Springfield’s two Ronald McDonald House Charities. more

Citizens Memorial Hospital announces plans to expand mental health services in 2023 by making mental health appointments more readily available for patients in their service areas. more

Several injuries resulted from a two-vehicle collision on Mo. 13 at Rt. KK on Saturday, Jan. 21. more