Politics

Just over five percent of registered voters cast a ballot during Tuesday’s election in Webster County. Unofficially, Shane Callaway and Tom Dixon were elected to the Niangua School Board. Niangua voters also approved Proposition 345, a tax levy question for the Niangua School District. Maria Henry-Waterman and Warren Paul Brooks were elected to the Fordland School Board. David Smith was elected to represent the Southern District of Webster County 911. Michele Day was elected as the Webster County Nursing Home District Representative for Sub-District 3-B. Alicia Hagen was elected to be the Mayor for Seymour. Natalie B. McNish was elected to serve as the Mayor for Marshfield. Brett Simmons and Jim Budd were elected as Fordland Aldermen. Fordland voters also passed a sales tax on sales of marijuana.

A 3% Sales Tax on adult-use recreational marijuana was heavily passed throughout the Ozarks on Tuesday. Voters in Rogersville, Nixa, Republic, Fordland, Dent County, Pleasant Hope, Billings and several others approved the issue. Billings has committed to use the extra funds for “capital improvements and operations of public safety services”...

The Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival in Marshfield, MO always offers so much. It is a hodge-podge of part Presidential history and part pop culture history. Descendants of U.S. Presidents congregate in Marshfield and there are often roundtable discussions about various topics. Along with the Presidents, the Festival is big with First Lady history. In fact Laura Bush attended one year with both her twin daughters, Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Bush Hager.

If you've ever wanted to see a bear close up, you should see video that was shared by a driver in Wright County, Missouri who realized that just outside their window, a curious bear was staring right at them. Since this is a YouTube short, there's no time stamp indicating...

The following is being posted on wrightcountyjournal.com and on Facebook for election candidate Danny Lathrom due to a printing error in the March 27 issue of the Wright County Journal. We truly apologize for this error. Profile:. I am Danny Lathrom a Wright County native and a Mountain Grove graduate...

The State Auditor’s Office has begun a regular audit of Wright County. The State Auditor’s Office last released an audit of a Wright County government office in December 2016. The report uncovered more than $7,000 in fraudulent activity by the former Wright County Collector. The audit issued a rating of “poor” and detailed how the former collector allowed county property tax records to be manipulated in order to give about $6,500 in property tax breaks to herself, her family members and others. She also forged nearly $500 worth of checks from county accounts and unlawfully paid herself approximately $700 in railroad and utility taxes and property tax commissions. A progress report issued in 2017, found the county clerk and commission had taken on new oversight responsibilities to review property tax records to ensure payments made by the county collector and staff are properly handled. A follow-up audit gave a fair rating to all the other offices, describing several issues in the prosecutors office including a failure to separate accounting duties or perform supervisory reviews in order to create appropriate checks and balances when dealing with sensitive bank records and information. The audit also recommended the county improve procedures related to confiscated and seized property in the sheriff’s office. The State Auditor’s staff are back in Wright County and had a meeting with office holders on Monday.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) announced that Marshfield’s Yellowstone Industrial Park has been designated a Certified Site, which identifies the more than 120 acres as shovel-ready for development, with the potential to create jobs, add to the city’s tax base, and spur further economic growth. WEDC’s Certified...

The annual Carry the Cross event is coming once again to Wright County on Good Friday, March 29. Crosses will be positioned every quarter-mile alongside Highway 60 between Mountain Grove and Cedar Gap. Organizers say there are still several available spots between Macomb and Cedar Gap available. Also this week,...

Due to space allowance and press deadlien constraints with the March 27 Wright County Journal, the following City of Mansfield candidate profiles were unable to be printed. We apologize for the inability to publish them. City of Mansfield (two year term) Profile:. Background. Moved to Mansfield (1974), graduated from Mansfield...

Due to space allowance and press deadlien constraints with the March 27 Wright County Journal, the following Norwood R-I School Board candidate profiles were unable to be printed. We apologize for the inability to publish them. Norwood R-I School Board (three year term) Candidate: Rick Bruffett. My name is Rick...

The Missouri Department of Transportation is going to begin a bridge project in 2025 that will result in the replacement of the Highway 64 Niangua River Bridge. MODOT is inviting interested parties to attend a public hearing Tuesday from 4:30 to 6pm to get information about design plans and traffic impacts. The Route 64 bridge over the Niangua River was built in 1931 and is experiencing deterioration. According to the Highway and Transportation Commission approximately 1320 vehicles use the bridge daily. The new bridge will be 21 feet wider and will include 4-foot shoulders and will include a pedestrian crossing. The new bridge will be constructed adjacent to the existing bridge. The public meeting on Tuesday will be held at the Nature Center at Bennett Spring State Park. Those who attend may come at any time between 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. to learn about the project and ask questions.

UPDATE 3/25/24 – The AMEC statewide outage map shows that power is back on for Laclede Electric Cooperative and Se-Ma-No Electric Cooperative customers in Wright County and Douglas County. Original story: WRIGHT COUNTY, Mo. — Some areas in Wright County and Douglas County lost power Sunday afternoon, affecting thousands of people. According to the Laclede […]

WRIGHT COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) - More than 2,000 people are without between Wright and Douglas counties Sunday afternoon. According to the Se-Ma-No Electric Cooperative, Sho-Me Power has three substations without power in the area, which is affecting residents of Mansfield. Crews are working on the issue. An outage map shows...

If you've ever wanted to see a bear close up, you should see video that was shared by a driver in Wright County, Missouri who realized that just outside their window, a curious bear was staring right at them. Since this is a YouTube short, there's no time stamp indicating...

Due to space allowance and press deadlien constraints with the March 27 Wright County Journal, the following Norwood R-I School Board candidate profiles were unable to be printed. We apologize for the inability to publish them. Norwood R-I School Board (three year term) Candidate: Rhonda Coatney. Profile: My name is...

STRAFFORD, Mo. (KY3) - Due to excavation in the area, a crew hit a water main in Strafford. The break had led to a Boil Water Advisory for part of the city. The water main break happened at Bumgarner and South Madison. The advisory only impacts the southwest part. South...

If you've ever wanted to see a bear close up, you should see video that was shared by a driver in Wright County, Missouri who realized that just outside their window, a curious bear was staring right at them. Since this is a YouTube short, there's no time stamp indicating...

If you've ever wanted to see a bear close up, you should see video that was shared by a driver in Wright County, Missouri who realized that just outside their window, a curious bear was staring right at them. Since this is a YouTube short, there's no time stamp indicating...

When Missouri voters approved the ballot initiative legalizing marijuana in 2022, one part of the plan authorized cities and counties to enact a 3% tax on marijuana sales in their communities (once again upon voter approval). Many cities proposed such taxes in 2023, but several cities in the greater Springfield area waited until 2024 to consider it, including Nixa, Republic, and Rogersville. The argument in favor of voters approving the tax is straightforward enough, but the debate over what to do with the new tax revenue is more complex. ...

SEYMOUR, Mo. (KY3) - The city of Seymour is recovering from the severe storms Thursday. The fierce winds snapped limbs and ripped the roof off of a building downtown on the square. The city says it’s working as quickly as possible to tackle cleanup and that the building is vacant.