COM sees the Polk County community coming together despite a loss of half a million dollars of food aid. more

Aldermen Tricia Bel-Price, Justin Ballard, Dusty Ross, Steve Sagasar, Ashley Raines, Alexis Neal and Brian Wilson were present; Jonathon Moores was absent. Others present included City Administrator Thomas Relford, Mayor Mike Stephens, City Attorney Don Brown, and City Clerk Paula Henderson. more

Citizens Memorial Hospice will host its annual Lights of Remembrance event from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, at the Kerry and Synda Douglas Medical Center, 1155 W. Parkview St., in Bolivar. more

After an amazing game plan and execution last week against Log-rog, the Liberators hoped to put another solid game plan in play against Carl Junction in the district playoffs. more

How well do you know Polk County? more

The 2025 tennis Lady Liberators are leaving their mark on a program that already boasts a reputation for success. This class of Bolivar athletes closed the season with some impressive stats but will be remembered for more than just what they accomplished on the court. For the second consecutive year, the Lady Liberators found themselves among the elite few playing on the final day of the Missouri high school girls tennis season. In a re-match of the 2024 State Championship, Bolivar fell to Clayton in the state semifinal round Thursday, Oct. 30 but returned Oct. 31 for a win over Kennett and a Class 1 third place finish. more

Friday, Oct. 31 found the Bolivar square filled with spookiness, scariness and lots of cuteness! Kids of all ages enjoyed the annual Kiwanis Club Costume Contest along with business owners and churches handing out goodies. more

The hot topic for the Bolivar Board of Aldermen for the last several meetings has been whether or not to continue a contract with Empire District Electric Company, d.b.a. Liberty, for street lighting services. On October 14, 2025, a bill to extend the service for one year was tabled. Tuesday, Oct. 28, the bill, which reads, “An ordinance authorizing an agreement with the Empire District Electric Company, doing business as Liberty, for a temporary extension to the Municipal Electric Service Agreement for streetlighting until September 2026,” was presented for a rollcall vote. Aldermen voted two ayes and five nayes. The city will not be in a contractual agreement with Liberty at this point. Those in favor of extending the contract were Alexis Neal and Steve Sagasar. Those opposed were Dusty Ross, Tricia Bel-Price, Justin Ballard, Ashley Raines, and Brian Wilson. more

Marcia Talley Able more

Barbara Jean Perry more

Mary Elaine McGinnis more

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri ticks are worse than a Transylvanian vampire on Halloween. Many people think ticks are most active during summer. However, fall is prime time for ticks. Deer are primary hosts for ticks, and fall is when deer move due to mating season and to find vegetation to build fat reserves for winter, says Emily Althoff, University of Missouri Extension and Lincoln University urban entomologist. more

Addison Paige Martino more

The Bolivar Herald-Free Press invites residents to send their engagement, wedding, baby, and other milestone announcements. more

For those who have lost a loved one, the holiday season is often the most difficult time of the year. If this describes your situation, we want to try and help by providing a special event called “Surviving the Holidays.” more

Marcia Talley Able more

INSIDE TODAY’S ISSUE more

Campbell Grove Missionary Baptist Church will be having a revival held by Brother Matt Millam. The revival will start Monday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. more

Zion Lutheran Church will be hosting a chicken noodle dinner and bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The meal will be served from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (dine-in or to-go). Cost for the meal is $10 for an adult, $5 for a child. more

Jean Vincent will speak on the history of the Cherokee in Missouri and Northern Arkansas at the Nov. 6 meeting of the Polk County Genealogy Society. Vincent recently presented this program for the local DAR group. PCGS is looking forward to hearing Vincent’s presentation. The meeting is Thursday, Nov 6, at the PCGS Research Facility on the southeast corner of the Square. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. with a short business meeting that includes the election of officers for 2026. In October the nominating committee presented the following slate for election: President-Cay Sergent, Vice President-Betty Doyle, Secretary-Leta Gass, Treasurer-Julie Trout, and Member at Large-Lou Thelen Kemp. There were no nominees from the floor. more

Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, Nov. 2 at 2 a.m. more

Liberator soccer closed out the regular season Tuesday night with a big win following a week with senior celebrations, program milestones and challenges from opponents, schedules, and weather. more

Watch for our full report on the Oct. 28 Board of Aldermen meeting in the Wednesday, Nov. 5 issue of the Bolivar Herald-Free Press. more

A charter bus carrying around 50 members of the Bolivar, Dadeville, and Fair Play FFA Chapter en route to the National FFA Convention was involved in an accident near Phillipsburg, Missouri, on Wednesday morning. The bus lost control and tipped over around 7:30 a.m. more

Kids of all ages love the excitement of Halloween, but costume and traffic safety are essential for trick-or-treaters. These tips can help make it a safe and fun night, rather than turning it into a ‘boo’ kind of night. more