Weather report more

Sherill Harrill happily poses with her gift card to Brenda’s Cafe after winning the I-Spy game, correctly guessing Bolivar City Hall. Sherrill is proof that reading the paper doesn’t just provide you with news and entertainment, it can pay off as well. more

Southwest Baptist University alumni and friends will celebrate Homecoming on Friday, Oct.6 and Saturday, Oct. 7 on the Bolivar campus. more

Thursday, Sept. 28 saw important people from Bolivar, surrounding areas, and throughout the state gather at the parking lot of CMH for the groundbreaking ceremony for the hospital’s 117 thousand square foot expansion building. The addition will add an operating room, nine ER rooms, two cardiac units, an expanded cafeteria, and labs. more

Bolivar Herald-Free Press announces the hire of new editor, Nicole Emmons. more

How well do you know Polk County? more

Bolivar’s Lady Liberator tennis hosted their District Championship on Saturday, bringing in teams from Clinton, Lamar, and Nevada. Tensions and emotions were high throughout the sunny and hot day. “Not only is it physically demanding on a hot day like today, tennis is 90% mental,” head coach Nathan Rothdiener said about his team’s preparation going into today’s contest, “You are out on an island, nowhere to hide when things go bad, and you have to battle your opponent, the conditions, crowd, and your own emotions. As a coach, we do our best to reiterate to the girls that success is not defined by wins and losses, it’s defined by how you approach the game.” more

Lady Liberators softball hosted three games in the second half of this week. As the team looked to turn their season around for a late postseason push, they fell short of their opponents. On Thursday, Sept. 28, Bolivar hosted the Kickapoo Chiefs. This has become a match-up known for being physical and filled with great play. However, by the end of the 4th inning, Bolivar was down 4-3. The Lady Liberators could not consistently get hits throughout the contest. Kickapoo put up nine runs in the next two innings as their offense outplayed Bolivar’s defense. After the poor defensive performance, the bats fell silent for the Liberators, failing to record a run and only having 3 hits in the final 4 innings. It was an unexpected outcome for a Bolivar team that has seen major improvements throughout the year. more

Boys more

Two of the best football teams in the Ozark Conference faced off on Friday, Sept. 29, in Bolivar. The Camdenton Lakers with a 4-1 season came to Plaster Stadium to meet the Bolivar Liberators also 4-1. more

Life really keeps us guessing. I began my professional career in Colorado Springs after I graduated college in 2014 with a Master's in History. I was offered a job at my alma mater, the University of Colorado, as a co-professor in a few history and humanity classes. I then began teaching history at a community college, then moved on to teaching middle school history for a couple of years. Initially, teaching college was not on my radar, but I loved it. Then teaching pre-teens about WWI and the Cold War was never a consideration, but I thrived doing it. I figured everything was set. I was going to be a historian, teach history, and grow old in Colorado. As is often the case, however, things do not always go to plan. more