RE Smith has started moving dirt in the first phase of the construction of the performing arts center at Cassville High School. The district passed a bond issue in April to fund the building, with a guaranteed maximum price of $9,865,987, subject to additions and deductions by change order. The project’s expected completion date is September 2024.

Though they were outnumbered, the boys in the foreground managed to pull their way to victory over the girls in a friendly game of tug of war at the Back 2 Bash on Aug. 2. The event, hosted by the Eagle Rock Friends of th eLibrary, aimed to collect school supplies for local children in need.

A storm sporting straight line winds caused tree damage to properties along Highway 90, west of Washburn, Wednesday night. Without electricity after the storm passed, James and Cindy Huggins were sitting on their covered front porch when the century-old oak tree near their house split and landed atop their pickup. Josh Corn, of Treesout Express, was on site the next morning and said he anticipated having the entire tree removed by the following day.

After being dry for several months, the channel below the Dry Hollow bridge in Roaring River State Park is flowing again, albeit with muddy water, after several inches of rain were received over the weekend in the Cassville and Washburn areas. Carl Bonnell, Deputy Regional Director of the Ozarks Region of State Parks, onsite at Roaring River State Park Monday morning, said his team did a great job in alerting campers to the possibility of flooding overnight Sunday night. "We let people know that the National Weather Service had issued a flood watch, and to be prepared to evacuate if necessary," Bonnell said. "Luckily, we got off easier than we might have, and the storms moved out without the river overflowing its banks." Bonnell said the river crested at about 1.6 feet above its normal flow, and was down to a little over one foot above by Monday morning. "We're in good shape down here," he said.

The Harvest Community Garden in Shell Knob may see its largest crop yet this year, as Director Betty Ragland said she thinks the garden may top 1,000 pounds of produce. In its seventh year, the Harvest Community Garden is a volunteer-run half-acre plot behind the United Methodist Church in Shell Knob, and all the produce harvested stays local.

As a senior project manager for independent retirement communities across the United States, Chuck Leininger knows well that people — of retirement age or otherwise — need a place to gather for meals. With his someday-retirement in mind, several years ago, Leininger and his wife Carol, residents of Lincoln, Neb., purchased a house and property near Table Rock Airport, near Golden.