Sports

Area residents can get their first look at the 2021 Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Volleyball team in action at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, during the annual Grizzly Alumni Volleyball Game at the West Plains Civic Center arena. The game will pit the 2021 Grizzlies against players from previous squads. The contest is being held in conjunction with the university’s Move-In Weekend activities and will be free...

By Fred Miller U of A System Division of Agriculture The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the University of Missouri Extension will co-host a Turfgrass Online Field Day Aug. 12. The virtual field day is free and online registration is open now through the day of the event...

Week of July 19 and July 23, 2021 Star of the Week 2 Game Score Plus Handicap Rich Lewis 187 07-19 Game Winners Pit 1 Brooks and Gruger 179 Pit 2 Lewis and Hollis 183 Pit 3 Prusak and Garner 187 07-23 Game Winners Pit 1 Jones and Weeks 183...

FPBA consists of 16 landowners and community members in Perry, Bollinger, and surrounding counties. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), Quail Forever, and local landowners have joined together to create the Foothills Prescribed Burn Association (FPBA). Through the partnership, landowners gain access to resources and expertise as they work together to improve their woodlands and grasslands as neighbors helping neighbors. ...

Thirteen-year-old Robert Audrain IV is the latest record holder for longear sunfish under alternative methods. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) congratulates Robert “RJ” Audrain IV of St. Louis for catching the latest state record longear sunfish under alternative methods. Audrain was fishing from a private pond in Franklin County July 3 when he caught the 5-ounce fish. The previous record was caught by Audrain’s father on the same day in 2020 from the same location...

Interpretive staff at Current River State Park invites the public to a blackberry feast at the Blackberry Bramblers workshop from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 25 or Monday, July 26. Park staff will make a wide range of wild blackberry treats for participants to sample and learn how to make including blackberry jelly, blackberry kefir ice cream, blackberry cobbler and more. ...

Representatives from Missouri State Parks invite the public to attend an informational meeting at Current River State Park on Saturday, July 31. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. at the barbecue house. The barbeque house is the screened-in picnic area, located to the left of Current River Lodge in the main area of the park...

Interpretive staff at Current River State Park invites the public to learn about journaling and its similarities and differences over time at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3. The workshop is approximately two hours long. This class will introduce participants to the wonders of nature journaling, not just words or drawings, but rather how to use both as a way to remember their time in nature. ...

Representatives from Missouri State Parks invite the public to attend an informational meeting at Echo Bluff State Park on Saturday, July 31. The meeting will begin at 11 a.m. at the amphitheater. The public is invited to share comments and ask questions about the site and its operations. Representatives from the site will be present to provide information and to answer questions...

Ha Ha Tonka State Park staff invites visitors to “get out and play!” at the visitor center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 31. Participants will have the opportunity to take part in more than 10 outdoor games and activities, including horseshoes, washer toss, cornhole, ladder ball, disc golf and more...

Learn about the benefits these reptiles provide to people at this free event. Snakes are among Missouri’s most misunderstood animals. That’s unfortunate because underneath a snake’s frightful reputation is an animal that performs valuable pest-control services for humans and, with the exception of a few venomous species, is relatively harmless...

Learn more at jobs.mdc.mo.gov/job/Jefferson-City-Conservation-Agent-Trainee-MO-65109/760051400/ Interested in a healthy, rewarding, outdoor career to help protect and manage wildlife resources for future generations? The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is currently recruiting and accepting online applications to fill an academy class of conservation agent trainees...

MDC Turkey Biologist Reina Tyl tells all on Missouri’s wild turkey numbers. Interested in learning more about Missouri’s wild turkey population? Curious how fall harvest is affecting turkeys? The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Wild Turkey Biologist Reina Tyl is myth-busting and shedding light on wild turkey population trends for hunters, landowners, and managers...

It’s not often that a fish is the subject of a presidential address, but that’s exactly what happened in 1987 when President Ronald Reagan proclaimed June 25 National Catfish Day. In keeping with the 34-year annual observance, we’ve compiled a few great ways to enjoy one of Arkansas’s most eligible sport fish...

Get more information on MDC managed deer hunts, preview hunt details, and apply starting July 1 at mdc.mo.gov/managedhunt. Beginning July 1, deer hunters can apply online through the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) website for a shot at more than 100 managed deer hunts throughout the state this fall and winter...

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission voted unanimously at the Thursday, June 17 meeting to authorize the agency’s director to enter into a 10-year cooperative agreement with Arkansas State University to manage a 160-acre tract bordering Cypress Bayou WMA in White County and allow public hunting access to that property under the current regulations of the wildlife management area...

The following scores from the Cherokee Village Horseshoe Pitching Association are for the weeks of June 14 and June 18. Star of the Week, 2 Game Score Plus Handicap was Paul Prusak (185). June 14 game winners: Pit 1: Clementi and McHugh (173) Pit 2: Howe and Yanke (185)...

The Cave City Cavemen recently participated in 7-on-7 football tournaments. The first was at Southside (Batesville). Five teams participated in the tournament. The Cavemen went 3-1 in pool play beating Mountain View, Salem and Bald Knob. Cave City’s only loss in pool play was to the host team, Southside, by a touchdown. In bracket play, the Cavemen beat Southside by a touchdown, and then beat Mountain View in the finals by a touchdown...

These bug-eyed insects emerge to bring us the soundtrack of summer. It wouldn’t be a Missouri summer without the pulsating hum of its annual cicadas. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages you to learn more about these bug-eyed insects and the important role they play in the ecosystem...

To help its community prepare for the upcoming school year, Ozarks Healthcare will offer free athletic physicals for area student athletes from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 22, at Ozarks Healthcare Pediatrics located at 312 Kentucky Ave. in West Plains...

When left to their own devices, livestock can be picky eaters, Dr. David Fernandez, Extension livestock specialist and interim dean of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, said. Animals allowed to graze freely over an entire pasture will often repeatedly graze the most palatable plants, while ignoring other nutritious, but less palatable forages...

The Peitz Cancer Support House of Mountain Home will host a benefit fishing tournament on Saturday, Oct. 30 out of Bull Shoals Boat Dock in Bull Shoals, Ark. The tournament is pre-registration only and limited to the first 75 entries. The entrance fee is $250 for a two-person team. Registration begins July 12, 2021 and ends on October 1, 2021...

The following scores from the Cherokee Village Horseshoe Pitching Association are for the weeks of June 7 and June 11. Star of the Week, 2 Game Score Plus Handicap, was Wayne Yanke (203). June 7 game winners: Pit 1: Flanery and Simmons (189) Pit 2: Matheny and Gruger (192)...

Almost half of the nation’s bridges are not on the federal highway system and often cannot qualify for federal funds On Tuesday, June 8, U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Bob Casey (Pa.) announced that they have introduced the Support for Community Bridges Act. ...

The application period for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Wildlife Management Area Deer Permit hunts is open until midnight, July 1. Hunters interested in pursuing white-tailed deer on some of the most popular public deer hunting areas in the state may apply through the AGFC’s licensing system at www.agfc.com...

Thanks to a proclamation by Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Thursday, anyone may fish in Arkansas without a fishing license or trout stamp from noon Friday, June 11, through midnight Sunday night, June 13. The proclamation was read at today’s commission meeting by Megan Perkins, agriculture liaison to Hutchinson’s office...

Will Hehemann, writer/editor UAPB School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences In Arkansas, one farmer’s weed is another farmer’s favorite forage, Dr. David Fernandez, Extension livestock specialist and interim dean of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, said...

Will Hehemann, writer/editor UAPB School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences Growing vegetables in containers is an activity that can bring families joy and the reward of enjoying fresh, tasty vegetables from right outside the door, Shaun Francis, Extension horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), said...

The following scores from the Cherokee Village Horseshoe Pitching Association are for the weeks of May 31 and June 4. Star of the Week, 2 Game Score Plus Handicap, was Archie Matheny (112). May 31 game winners: Pit 1: Prusak and Matheny (186) Pit 2: Watts and Brooks (180)...

Bears are looking for food. MDC reminds people that a “fed bear is a dead bear.” With spring underway, Missouri’s growing population of about 800 black bears have left their winter dens with some wandering great distances in search of food, territory, and mates. With bears active and on the move, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds people to “Be Bear Aware.”...

Regulation considerations designed to promote long-term sustainability of unique fish. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is seeking public input on potential regulation changes for both recreational and commercial paddlefish harvest in the state...