Fall and winter at Lake of the Ozarks usually means a lull in activity and a break on the roads. That's not so this year. In the next few weeks, new roads will open to traffic, detours will reroute vehicles and fresh projects will get underway. Combined, more than $200 million has been spent by the Missouri Department of Transportation in the lake area. The projects have transformed the landscaped, redefined how residents and tourists get from one destination to another and even made it a little safer to travel.

(AP) — Missouri's environmental director announced Monday that he was resigning to take a job to help oversee a $20 billion fund for people harmed by the Gulf oil spill.
Mark Templeton, the director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources since 2009, said he was resigning effective Wednesday to become the executive director of the Office of the Independent Trustees of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust. The fund was established by BP PLC and is administered by two trustees — John Martin, a former federal judge in New York; and Kent Syverd, the dean of the Washington University law school in St. Louis.

It took more than a year to build the Osage River Bridge beginning in 1932. On Tuesday, a few seconds passed, and the 77-year-old structure was sent crashing into the river below.

A billow of dust rose above and hung in the sky. The noise from the blast ricocheted and echoed in the valley creating a thunderous boom when it reached people’s ears.

“It was awesome,” Cody Limbach, of Iberia, said after the demolition.

Limbach was one of more than a hundred people who gathered on Route 17 in Tuscumbia for the countdown to the implosion.

“It’s a piece of history. I had to be here to see it,” Cyrilla Doerhoff said, who waited for the blast as well.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has referred several cases to the Missouri Attorney General’s Office for allegations of violating the state’s Clean Water Law.

Banking officials warn area residents that the lake area is experiencing a type of employment fraud involving “secret” or “mystery” shoppers.

The scam preys upon the individuals whose desire to secure a job blinds them to the scam.  Victims are promised an easy-to-perform part-time job that works within their schedule and pays well.

Scammers lure their victims in with job postings advertising secret shopper positions. Such ads tout the ease of the work, the short hours and the money to be made from merely visiting stores each day to make purchases, and they stress that no special training or educational background is required.

Farmers in the Lake of the Ozarks area became eligible for federal emergency loans after a designation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The USDA initially designated 55 Missouri counties as natural disaster areas because of heavy rains, flooding, flash flooding and damaging winds that occurred between Feb. 1 and July 15.
Laclede, Moniteau, Benton, Maries and Cooper counties are included in the initial grouping of 55. Farmers and ranchers in Camden, Morgan, Miller and Pulaski counties are also eligible for emergency loans because their counties are adjacent to the disaster area.

The 77-year-old Osage River Bridge will come crashing down. Demolition of the first section of the bridge is scheduled for the morning of Aug. 31.

The Eldon School District will likely seek an increase in the tax levy for the 2010-2011 school year.
Superintendent of Schools Matt Davis said that the school is living within its means, but it needs some help.

“The Eldon community passed a tax levy increase in 2006 for 30 cents,” Davis said.  

“The district has not fully used the 30 cents for the past two years. This year, the Eldon School District is going to need to raise the operating tax rate by 10 cents to generate an additional $170,000 in revenue.  This will enable the school district to maintain the resources necessary to provide a quality educational experience.”

Officials with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources have already ruled Sunday evening's 1,000-gallon sewer line break had little environmental impact and no lasting concern, according to Lake Ozark Public Works Director Matt Michalik.
Investigators assessed the scene Monday after the city reported the release to DNR.

The Lake Ozark Board of Aldermen will meet in regular session on Tuesday, Aug. 24.

Miller County celebrated the new Osage River Bridge with grand opening festivities on Monday. The celebration brought nearly a thousand people to the bridge to recognize the nation's first project to start construction under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

State Rep. Rodney Schad (R-Versailles) faces opposition in his bid for reelection to a fourth and final two-year term in the Missouri House of Representatives. Challenger Randy Dinwiddie will appear on November ballots as an independent candidate vying to represent Missouri's 115th House district.

Road construction outlook from the Missouri Department of Transportation: Aug. 16

Back-to-school serves as a time for kids to reunite with friends after summer vacation, get excited for the upcoming year of learning and compete in fall sports. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, this time of year also makes kids more likely to be involved in an auto accident.

In Osage Beach, police officers will watch for risky behavior from drivers of all ages, especially in the area of School of the Osage High School and middle school in the afternoon.

In Lake Ozark, the police department takes a proactive approach in the school zone surrounding Mills Elementary.

Troopers remind school zone travelers that all drivers must stop on a two lane road when a school bus displays stop signs and flashing lights. On a four lane road, drivers behind the bus may not pass when stop signs and flashing lights are displayed.

Lake Ozark Fire Protection District Chief Mark Amsinger said a meeting on Thursday is the district's annual public hearing to set the tax levy on assessed valuation for the coming year – not an attempt by the district to increase rates on unaware taxpayers.

The new Osage River Bridge in Tuscumbia is nearing the home stretch towards completion.

The last major step will begin next week when the bridge is closed off to passing traffic forever. Missouri Department of Transportation crews will spend the next four days connecting Route 17 across the new bridge, just 20 feet upstream, before traffic will resume.

Motorists will be detoured around the area using routes 17, C, 42, 52 and U.S. 54.

The bridge will be closed to traffic between Thursday, Aug. 12, and Monday, Aug. 16. The closure is expected to start around 8 a.m. Motorists are asked to be prepared ahead of time.

At 10 a.m. Monday, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on the bridge with a community celebration following.

Take a look at Tuesday's election results.

As voters across the nation head to the polls today, here is a list of tips to ensure a smooth process at your polling place.

August primary election info
Polls open 6 a.m.
Polls close 7 p.m.
What to bring to the polls A valid form of I.D.
Acceptable forms of I.D. include Driver’s license, non-driver identification card, passport, military I.D., Missouri institute of higher education (college/university) I.D., a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check, or a voter identification card
After you show I.D. A poll worker will offer a choice of four primary ballots. Each voter chooses one ballot corresponding with their party of choice for this primary.
The majority of polling places in the tri-county area do not allow electioneering. Campaign materials, including signs and buttons, may not be distributed or displayed within 25 feet of the outer door of a polling place.

Focusing on the principles used to create the Sharing & Caring Foundation, the board of Sharing & Caring has committed to a community-wide summer fund raiser scheduled for the first week of August this year.

“We Will” week is set for Aug. 2-8 and is designed to provide capital funds to support the charitable service organizations that provide services to people in Camden County that have specific needs. The Sharing & Caring Foundation (S&C) has been providing needed funds to a variety of local organizations since 2005. The express goal of S&C is to support local non-profit organizations and provide a convenient means by which businesses and individuals can give back to the local community.

Nearly 42 hours after a standoff with police began, two children locked inside a home in rural Miller County walked out. Law enforcement authorities at the scene quickly entered the home only to find the man they had been at an impasse with had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The victim has been identified.

"We're just glad the kids are safe," Miller County Sheriff Bill Abbott said. "That was our main goal."

The two children - a boy and a girl - were whisked away by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment for dehydration and rest.