Rolla Daily Digest Thursday, July 23, 2026
Ty's Take
Election season is heating up in Phelps County, which means the real work starts now: voters actually showing up to know who's running for what and why they should care. The GOP forum giving folks a chance to size up the county candidates face-to-face beats any mailer that ends up in the recycling bin, and with the August primary just ahead, that's the kind of thing that separates informed choices from default votes. Meanwhile, the Rolla Mission's music program and OAT's stage are doing what institutions do best around here, reminding us that a town's backbone isn't just its votes or its commerce but the places where people come together to create something. And for what it's worth, a smooth chanterelle on the state mushroom seal feels about right for a county that's got forest and stream in its bones.
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Phelps County Focus
Phelps County will hold its August primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 4, with only one statewide office on the ballot: state auditor. Historical turnout data from the county shows that August primaries attract significantly fewer voters, with 23.5% participating in 2024 when a senator and governor...
County GOP hosts forum for county candidates
Three Republican primary candidates for Phelps County recorder of deeds presented their qualifications and answered questions at a candidate forum hosted by the county GOP.
OAT’s ‘Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein’ a flirty, fun adult comedy
Ozark Actors Theatre brought Mel Brooks' classic musical comedy 'Young Frankenstein' to life in its second show of the professional summer season.
Baum brings power of music to The Rolla Mission
Ronnie Baum, a former resident of The Rolla Mission who overcame homelessness and incarceration, took 20 current shelter residents to a Kansas City Symphony concert on June 21 to experience Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, the piece that inspired him through his darkest times. Baum chartered a bus...
Baum brings power of music to The Rolla Mission
Ronnie Baum, a former resident of The Rolla Mission who overcame homelessness and incarceration, took 20 current shelter residents to a Kansas City Symphony concert on June 21 to experience Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, the piece that inspired him through his darkest times. Baum chartered a bus...
Smooth Chanterelle posed to become Missouri’s state mushroom
The Missouri Mycology Society celebrated the successful passage of legislation making the Smooth Chanterelle Missouri's official state mushroom at a foray held at Rolla's Audubon Trail Nature Center, with State Rep. Tara Peters noting that the governor must sign the bill by mid-August for it to...
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