West Plains Daily Quill

12/12/2025

Celebrate the businesses that make West Plains shine! Last day to vote is December 31st. Vote today at WestPlainsDailyQuill.net/BestOf

12/09/2025

Last day to nominate your favorite businesses! Go to WestPlainsDailyQuill.net/BestOf to get them on the ballot now.

12/07/2025

I hear the calls for us to dig deeper, to move faster, to be everywhere at once. I hear the frustration when justice seems slow, or the news doesn’t seem so timely. I hear it and, frankly, I internalize it. I remember what it was like when we had a bigger newsroom and we could do all of these things much more easily....

We can’t promise to be the first to break every piece of bad news. What we can promise, though, is this: When we speak, it will be true.

Early Monday morning I woke up to an obituary in my email inbox. I knew it was coming, I’d had several messages over the weekend asking if I’d heard. But this wasn’t the usual obituary submission. In fact, it wasn’t a submission at all. It was a link to the New York Times’ obituary for a m...

12/07/2025

Tickets for the band’s annual "Beef and Hog" giveaway drawing will be available for purchase at the concert. The fundraiser offers three prizes: first place is a half beef and half hog; second place is a half beef; and third place is a half hog.

The West Plains High School Band program will host its annual Christmas concert at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 at the West Plains Civic Center, 110 St. Louis St.

12/07/2025

"What stood out most is that our athletes didn’t just wrestle, they stayed composed, supported each other and kept improving match by match," said West Plains girls wrestling Head Coach and boys assistant coach Lianna Ward. "That’s the kind of foundation that builds a program."

The West Plains Zizzer wrestling program is off to a strong start, highlighted by a sweep of the boys' duals at the West Plains Assembly Meet on Tuesday, and a top-10 finish for the Lady Zizzers at the Esmond Ford Invitational on Nov. 29.

12/07/2025

Homeowners and renters in 20 counties — including Howell, Oregon, Ozark and Shannon — must apply for FEMA assistance by Dec. 22.

FEMA assistance may provide funds for home repairs, essential personal property replacement and temporary housing for those whose primary homes were left unsafe.

Missouri residents affected by the severe storms and flooding that occurred from March 30 to April 8 still have time to apply for federal disaster assistance, including help with rent, but the deadline is approaching.

12/07/2025

Compared to last week, slaughter cows and bulls were steady to $2 higher at the Ozarks Regional Stockyards on Wednesday. Demand was good on a moderate supply of slaughter animals and a light supply of replacement cattle. Total receipts were 481 head, up from 467 last week.

WEST PLAINS, MO., Nov. 26, 2025 — Compared to the previous week, slaughter cows and bulls were steady at the Ozarks Regional Stockyards on Nov. 26. Demand was good on a light supply of slaughter animals and pairs and a moderate supply of bred cows. Total receipts were 467 head, down from 760 the w...

12/07/2025

The hall at Glenwood School included preschool through second grade classrooms, the library, nurse’s station and the early childhood resource room. Winners will be treated to a lunch at El Charro.

12/07/2025

According to Becky Thomason, the store will be closed Monday and Tuesday. It will reopen Wednesday, operating under a "cost plus" concept.

Thomason explained that under this program, the shelf price will reflect the cost of the product, with a 10% surcharge added to the receipt total during checkout.

G & W Foods has announced it will transition its Willow Springs location to a new pricing model next week.

12/07/2025

The Quill presents “Handy Roots,” a new column by Maggie Adair. A native of the Handy community near the Oregon-Ripley County line, Adair shares memories of her Ozarks upbringing and family history:

"Like many other young men, he had seen another part of the world in the Great War. He loved to tell stories of his experiences in Europe, how the French girls threw themselves at the doughboys with hugs and kisses as they marched along the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe, thanking them for coming to their rescue from German occupying forces. His tales were seared in my young memory."

Editor’s note: The Quill presents “Handy Roots,” a new column by Maggie Adair. A native of the Handy community near the Oregon-Ripley County line, Adair shares memories of her Ozarks upbringing and family history. We begin this week with part one of a special three-part series honoring her fat...

12/07/2025

Students and families at Ozark Horizon-Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled collected the food to benefit the Martha Vance Samaritan Outreach Center. In addition to the collected items, Thrivent Financial awarded a $250 grant to purchase additional food for the drive.

12/07/2025

Pace Construction Company was awarded a $1.85 million contract for pavement resurfacing on two major routes in Howell County: U.S. 63 from south of U.S. 60 to north of P Highway, and U.S. 160 from County Road 6070 (Old U.S. 160) to U.S. 63.

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has awarded contracts for several road and bridge projects in Howell, Ripley and Wright counties.