Donnie Ray McClellan, 67, is running for West Plains mayor against incumbent Mike Topliff. more

On Monday, Missouri 8th District U.S. Rep. Jason Smith was tapped to serve as chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means, a position that, if confirmed by the House Republican Conference, will leverage him into a powerful leadership role with regard to taxes, Social Security, federal benefits such as unemployment and Medicare, child support laws, and foster and adoption programs. more

A suspect who, in late December, reportedly shot at a law enforcement officer with Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Troop G was found dead Dec. 30 at a Florida casino, ending a multistate manhunt, reported the patrol. more

Unofficial election results released by Douglas County Clerk Karry Davis indicate that 52.3% of the registered voters in Douglas County cast their ballot in the election, with 9,757 registered voters and 5,104 ballots cast. more

Texas and Oregon county’s midterm elections saw roughly half of registered voters turn to choose candidates for local and statewide offices and cast ballots on whether to approve several constitutional amendments. more

Nearly half the voters in Howell County turned out to cast a ballot in Tuesday’s midterm general election to decide on pivotal races for county collector and circuit clerk as well as other local and statewide offices. more

Election judges in Howell County said voter turnout for the 2022 general election was far more than they anticipated. more

On Tuesday morning, West Plains Elementary first graders took a walking tour of downtown West Plains, which included a stop at the West Plains Daily Quill. As they walked, the children compared the buildings of today with images in their booklets, “West Plains Long Ago." The first group, above, was led by teachers Sarah Cobb and Abbey Bonham, while another group, below, was treated to the history of downtown with City of West Plains Public Relations Coordinator Cody Sanders as their guide. A former Quill staffer, Sanders pointed out the historical significance of the Quill’s window display, which shows large-scale replicas of front pages from several newspapers and journals published in West Plains over the 184 years since the West Plains community was first settled by Josiah Howell. The Daily Quill has been in publication for 119 years, having started out as the West Plains Weekly Quill 18 years prior. The entire first grade at West Plains Elementary participated in the tour. In addition to Cobb and Bonham, teachers include Ashlea Adams, Kimberly Davis, Sadie Roberts, Amber Russell, Jennifer Scharnhorst and Jennifer Skeeters. more

“My policy is the policy of what the majority of the residents in the 8th Congressional District believe, and that is we need to use all forms of energy to drive down the energy crisis that you see right now,” Missouri 8th District House Rep. Jason Smith told the Quill. more

Residents will vote Tuesday on whether to hold a state constitutional convention. more

Among the four constitutional amendments facing voters in the Nov. 8 general election is Missouri Constitutional Amendment 5, a relatively short ballot measure that would modify the state Constitution to create the Missouri Department of the National Guard.  more

“‘No chance’ is if I didn’t run for Congress,” Randi McCallian said. more

Polls open for in-person voting from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day in Howell County — but residents unable to head to their polling place on Nov. 8 now have another option.  more

Four constitutional amendments will be put to voters in Missouri's general election on Nov. 8. more

A debate between candidates Mark Collins and Janet Crow for Howell County Collector was held Thursday evening at the West Plains Civic Center, sponsored by Howell County News and moderated by Howell County News owner, editor and publisher Amanda Mendez. more