Fireworks show draws a huge crowd
July 8, 2026
Webb City Parks and Recreation announces that it is adding a youth volleyball league to its schedule this fall.
“Whether your child is brand new to volleyball or looking to improve their skills, this league is the perfect place to learn, compete, and have fun,” says Kong Lee, recreation center director.
There will be two divisions:
• Coed 3rd/4th grade
• Coed 4th/5th grade
All games will be played on Monday nights at The W Club in King Jack Park.
Practices will begin as soon as Oct. 5. Games will be played from Nov. 2 to Dec. 14 (except for Thanksgiving week).
Registration is open now online. Tuesday, Sept. 8, is the sign-up deadline.
Applications are available for coaches.
Meanwhile, the following signup deadlines are approaching for fall sports:
• FLAG FOOTBALL – July 20, for pee-wee (5-6 years) and junior (7-8).
• FLAG CHEER – July 20, for incoming kindergartners through third grade.
• FALL SOCCER – July 20, for U4, U6, U8, U10 and U13.
Last week’s prediction that one bridge on Highway 43 would reopen as the next one is closed has come true.
Bottom line: Highway 43 remains closed, just in a different place.
The Missouri Department of Transportation announces that the bridge on Highway 43 over the North Fork of Missouri opened at midnight Monday.
The bridge over Spring River will now be rehabilitated, which will result in the closure of Highway 43 for up to five months.
The North Fork bridge was closed in March to allow contractor crews to replace the bridge deck/driving surface, paint bridge girders and add pavement markings and object markers at either end of the bridge.
Both bridge projects are part of a larger project that includes rehabilitation of the Highway 43 bridges and the Route M bridge over Duval Creek. The Route M bridge is currently under construction, with completion expected later this summer. For more information on the project, see the project website.
Whether starting a small container garden on a porch, planting a native canopy tree, or filling a bed with many grasses and wildflowers, anyone can garden with native plants – no experience or “green thumb” required. For would-be gardeners with little or no gardening experience, the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Grow Native! program has launched a free Guide for Beginning Native Plant Gardeners for do-it-yourself native plant gardening in the lower Midwest.
The online Guide for Beginning Native Plant Gardeners (or “Beginner’s Guide”) features step-by-step instructions for planning, preparing, and installing a new native plant garden, worksheets to guide the process, and beginner-friendly garden plans.
Special topics include conducting a site assessment, transforming areas of lawn into native plant beds, and shopping for native plants. It also includes links to resources from Grow Native! and its conservation partners with information about the region’s pollinators, songbirds, butterflies, edible native plants, and more.
The Beginner’s Guide is available to use online at grownative.org/beginner-guide or to download as a PDF.
“When I started thinking about native landscaping in my own yard, I was very enthusiastic about native plants, but didn’t know where to start,” said Emily Gustafson, MPF’s Director of Operations who developed the guide. “With the new Beginner’s Guide, we sought to craft a resource tailored to folks just starting out that would be accessible, practical, and inspirational, while drawing on the wealth of educational materials Grow Native! has produced over so many years.”
While intended primarily for residential projects, the Beginner’s Guide can be instructive for schools, community and volunteer groups, churches, and others getting started on small native landscaping projects.
From prairies to rocky glades, wetlands, and woods, the lower Midwest is home to many habitats where native plants thrive and are the basis for a healthy food chain. To provide food and habitat for native pollinators, butterflies, songbirds, and other wildlife, you can use native plant species from nurseries and seed sellers in home gardening. Native plants also help people, by providing shade, intercepting and absorbing rainwater, storing carbon, producing food for people to eat, reducing mowed areas, and creating beautiful, resilient landscapes that can be enjoyed throughout the year.
