Here’s a breakdown of elections in Carl Junction Ward 5: (seat left vacant after Tiffany Cossey’s recall in November 2024) Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInCARL JUNCTION (KY3) - Carl Junction police arrested a former teacher accused of possession of child pornography and stalking The district placed Smith on administrative leave in 2024 when the investigation began Investigators seized electronics at Smith’s residence and workplace They say they found numerous images of child pornography on Smiith’s school-issued electronic device said they did not find any images of the student he is accused of stalking They argue the stalking charge is based on a pattern of concerning behavior directed at the student over several years The Carl Junction Police Department asks that you call (417) 649-7070 if you have any information regarding the case To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com Please include the article info in the subject line of the email Catie Cummins is the New High School Athletic Director and Assistant Principal for the 2025-26 school year The Carl Junction Board of Education approved her appointment at its April meeting Cummins will step into the role following the upcoming retirement of longtime Athletic Director Rich Neria Neria has served Carl Junction Schools for 28 years as a teacher and coach and he has led the district’s athletics and activities as Athletic Director since 2018 His dedication and leadership have left a lasting legacy that will continue to impact students Cummins currently serves as Junior High Activities Director and as a physical education teacher for the Neosho School District She brings nearly a decade of experience in athletic administration and physical education along with a strong foundation in student engagement and program development “We are thrilled to welcome Catie to Carl Junction,” said Dr “She is a dynamic educator with a strong background in athletics and leadership I’m excited for the impact her energy and experience will have on our high school athletic and activity programs.” Cummins began her career in education and coaching in 2016 she was named Junior High Activities Director where she successfully oversaw student programs and built strong relationships with student-athletes Cummins played softball at Pittsburg State University where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Physical Education She later completed a Master of Education administration and is working on a Specialist in Educational Administration Cummins is passionate about promoting student involvement teamwork and leadership through athletics and extracurricular opportunities She looks forward to joining the Bulldog community and building on Carl Junction’s strong tradition of excellence municipal elections throughout the region are gearing up for contested races and key decisions that will shape local governance Here’s a breakdown of the upcoming elections in Webb City with incumbent Brad Baker facing a challenge from Fred Fletcher-Fierro Baker has been serving by appointment since Jonathan Shull’s resignation and Debby Darby (4th Ward)—are running unopposed for reelection while the remaining incumbents are poised to retain their seats Oronogo residents will vote on a proposed 2 percent use tax on online purchases Approved by the Board of Aldermen in November 2024 the measure requires a simple majority to pass The ballot language frames it as a fairness issue ensuring online businesses charge the same tax as local retailers Mayor Charles Wilkins has touted the tax as a funding boost for the police department though the ordinance allows future boards flexibility to redirect the funds and Darrell Orender (3rd Ward)—are unopposed for reelection The board remains short one member following Jason Guild’s resignation from the 2nd Ward seat on March 7 Carterville’s ballot features five council races including two contested seats and one open to write-in candidates Mike Dudley and incumbent Cody Franks are vying for a two-year term while no candidates have filed for the one-year unexpired term in the same ward incumbent Brenda Cupp faces challenger David Peterson Incumbents Warren Myers (1st Ward) and Judy Martin (2nd Ward) are running unopposed solidifying their positions barring a write-in surge Joplin’s Board of Education election will see voters choose two candidates for three-year terms currently held by incumbents David Weaver and Donnie Greenlee II Weaver is seeking reelection alongside challengers Lori Musser The top two vote-getters will secure the seats making this a competitive race to watch on April 8 Carthage’s City Council election promises drama with five two-year terms and one one-year term on the ballot amid ongoing legal disputes Ward 2’s vacant two-year seat has only Ray West running David Thorn and George Butler III are competing for the seat held by Terri Heckmaster while Katrina Short and Jack Perkins vie for a one-year term vacated in September 2024 who assumed the mayor’s role in October 2024 after Dan Rife’s impeachment Keith Hurlbut and Ron Wells are running for a seat left vacant after Tiffany Cossey’s recall in November 2024 with Ed Hardesty and David Bren Flanigan filing to run for a one-year term this election hinges on two pending court cases filed by impeached former mayor Dan Rife Neosho’s City Council has two open three-year seats Incumbent Carl Cobb is unopposed in Ward 4 while Jacob Evans and incumbent Angela Thomas are competing for the at-large seat The Neosho Board of Education election features two three-year seats with incumbent Jonathan Russell running alongside challengers Terra K Incumbent Stuart Puckett is not seeking reelection Carl Junction’s election includes a crowded mayoral race and several aldermen contests Incumbent Mayor Mark Powers is stepping down prompting five candidates—current Alderman LaDonna Allen and Tom Paul—to file for the two-year term Hollie LaVigne (Ward 1) and David Pyle (Ward 3) are incumbents seeking reelection while James Shanks runs for Flinn’s Ward 2 seat and Anita Francis seeks Allen’s Ward 4 seat The Carl Junction Board of Education has two three-year seats up with incumbents Larry Cowger and Bob Hays joined by challenger Julia Crow Check back with NewsTalk KZRG to stay updated on all election news A vocal music teacher in southwest Missouri has been accused of stalking a female student for more than five years was initially charged mid-January with first-degree stalking laptop computers used by Smith — but owned by the Carl Junction school district where he taught until last fall — were searched Images found on both laptops depicted juvenile victims exposing their genitals and performing sex acts with other children Smith was charged with possession of child pornography There is no indication the images depicted the girl he was allegedly stalking or other Carl Junction students was placed on administrative leave and is no longer employed employees and others prompted the school board to issue a lengthy public statement It was posted to the district's Facebook page on Jan "We recognize that questions arise when a former employee is criminally charged for such offenses The safety and security of our children continues to be our utmost priority," the school board wrote "You have our assurances that we will continue to be diligent in assessing our systems policies and procedures to ensure we have effective security measures in place to protect our children we will continue to support the individuals impacted by this situation." 30 that Smith had been accused of stalking a student who attends the high school that stalking was occurring during the school day or at school activities "There was also no mention of anything pertaining to possession of child pornography," the school board wrote "Because the report involved a current student the employee was immediately placed on leave and has not been on school property again to the district’s knowledge." the district addressed "certain classroom practices" by the teacher — including allowing his own child and other students to eat lunch in his office Court documents used to charge Smith said the stalking started in September 2018 arranged for her to eat lunch in his office More: Christian County correctional officer jailed, charged with delivering drugs to inmates Most of the inappropriate communication was initiated by Smith outside of school hours and despite complaints and disciplinary action Smith continued to find ways to have private interactions with the girl The documents say that when the girl moved from the intermediate school to the junior high The girl reportedly blocked Smith from her phone and social media accounts but he found other ways to contact her She told an investigator that because of Smith she is anxious and afraid and it has interfered with her ability to feel safe at school or while interacting with teachers The district said in its statement that on Oct investigators shared the content of the text messages sent to the girl the district started the process to fire Smith Smith was last in the choir room and his office on Aug In court documents used to charge Smith with possessing child pornography an investigator said the laptops seized from Smith's office were password protected Investigators found 387 still images on one laptop and 251 on the other laptop that met the definition of child sexual abuse material and depicted young girls and boys investigators said the images were not of students and were downloaded onto the district laptops from an external device Smith is certified to teach instrumental music K-12 His certification to work as a K-8 principal has expired according to online records kept by the state Smith was arrested and charged in both cases with bond set at $100,000 for the stalking charge and $300,000 for the child pornography charge A powerful storm ripped its way through Carl Junction on Easter Sunday afternoon leaving a trail of destruction in its wake With wind gusts clocked as high as 92 miles per hour prompting the closure of Carl Junction schools today particularly along Fir Road and other western Jasper County neighborhoods With emergency first responders working tirelessly the Carl Junction community also saw volunteers checking in at the CJ Community Center to assist with cleanup efforts Damage in the area included uprooted trees broken windows and a lot of debris scattered A large portion of Carl Junction lost power with Carl Junction Schools announcing the Monday closure via their Facebook page urging residents to “be safe Bulldogs” as the community rallied to recover Rainfall totals in the area reach five inches and more in some spots The National Weather Service has conducted its damage survey from the Easter Sunday storms and it was confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down north of Galena before crossing over to Missouri west of Bellville The tornado continued northeast through Carl Junction before lifting near the intersection of County Road 210 and H Highway in northern Jasper County actually we were very lucky that with the damage that did occur we did not receive any reports of injuries except for one person who had fallen but that was inside their house and was not storm related,” Carl Junction Chief of Police Mark McCall said we’re very fortunate that we did not have the injuries.” While there were no injuries from the storm reported there was damage throughout the path of the storm Aside from downed limps and uprooted trees If you are assessing the damage to your home particularly if you’re climbing into your roof “If you’re working at an elevated position you need to take precautions,” McCall said insurance companies and everything recommend that you do have a tie-off system in case you do slip or something you don’t fall all the way to the ground wear gloves when you’re dealing with any type of debris or anything “Most of the common injuries we get reports of are if there’s roof damage it slices them because of the jagged edges There are people who get up on their roofs and it’s not quite stable and they fall and that creates injuries in itself.” Southwest Missouri knows how to lend a helping hand If you are interested in volunteering to help the clean-up job in Carl Junction McCall asks that you check in at City Hall first you check in at our City Hall,” McCall said “And that’s just so they can get a name if FEMA or the state emergency management agency wants any tracking of hours and who worked and volunteered and everything we let residents know that if they have a need for volunteers they can also let us know at City Hall and we can get their name on a list And as volunteers that are capable of helping them By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com) the Carl Junction baseball team returned just two full-time starters but the Bulldogs went on to finish 18-17 for their first winning record since 2021 Carl Junction returns nearly everyone this fall in Phil Cook’s third season at the helm in his second stint as Bulldogs coach after leading the program from 1997 to 2000 “We lose Cody Hollingsworth who was our second baseman and a good leader but he’s really our only full-time starter we lost so we’re bringing everybody back and we’ve got a lot of good arms coming back,” Cook said “We’ve got probably several people fighting for that one spot left but even those guys who are returning starters That’s the cool thing about this team this year is we’ve got some depth a senior who had a hard time getting in the lineup last year because he was hurt He’ll be fighting for a spot and there are several other juniors who played part of the time but didn’t settle in as a full-time guy This year they’re going to fight for that and it’s going to be fun “The thing that amazes me the most is how much these guys have matured physically in one year,” Cook said “Especially our freshmen going to sophomores Some of these guys have gotten big and those sophomores who are now juniors The team’s list of returners is highlighted by first team All-Central Ozark Conference utility player Brody Pant a junior who manned third base as a sophomore and is on a record-breaking offensive pace for the Bulldogs two triples and seven home runs and he tied for the team lead in RBI’s (26) and runs scored (31) while also stealing six bases if he’s not the best player in the area he’s definitely one of the top five,” Cook said and he’ll break the school career record as a junior and I suspect by the time he graduates he’ll probably have most all of the offensive records in Carl Junction He’s one of the best players I’ve ever coached I think he’s one of the best players in the whole region and it’ll be fun to see him and tough to beat him out at third base.” who Cook said is drawing a lot of college interest for his pitching prowess figures to hold down first base when he’s not on the mound He was a .291 hitter who led the team with nine doubles and he drove in 21 runs and scored 16 in addition to stealing all six bases he attempted Junior Aidan Spencer could fill in at either corner infield spot when Endicott or Pant are pitching At catcher the team returns senior Braxten Jones who earned 87 plate appearances in 30 games last season as the team’s primary starter behind the plate who started at times last season and saw action in 10 games with several players including senior Gabe Sitton and junior Craig Hayes in contention there Sitton played in 28 games last season and Hayes played in 33 and was a .313 hitter who scored 20 runs; he started last season and was the team’s leadoff hitter late in the year Junior Cooper Vediz also played at shortstop last season and was a .282 hitter with six doubles two triples and 15 runs driven in; he also drew more walks (12) than strikeouts (9) and stole a handful of bases Senior Aidan Streight was a full-time starter in center field last season and will likely bat fifth or sixth in the lineup with “great speed and some power,” Cook said scored 31 runs and drew a team-high 26 walks and stole a team-high 14 bases Senior Wyatt McAfee will be a three-year starter and should play in left field drove in 26 runs and scored 27 and was second on the roster with 11 steals “He’s led the team or been second in hitting as a sophomore and junior and I look for him to be one of our high average guys,” Cook said “He’ll bat three hole I’m sure and he does a good job in left so he’ll be tough to beat out.” In right field the team returns junior Brayden Larery (4 doubles 15 RBI’s) and Hayes also saw action there last season Sitton is another player who could see time in the outfield Carl Junction’s pitching staff will be anchored by four experienced starters in Vediz Vediz led the team with 52 innings pitched last year and went 8-2 in 10 starts He struck out 73 and walked 31 while pitching to a 1.35 ERA Cook said that earned run average was one of the 10 best in school history “He’s right-handed and probably somewhere in the mid to upper 80’s velocity wise,” Cook said Endicott struck out 36 in 39.1 innings and went 3-5 with a 4.98 ERA just bigger and taller and he has some really tough pitches,” Cook said “He pitched against some really tough teams last year but had a strong summer and I look for him to really excel this year.” ranked third on the team with 40.1 innings pitched and he also went 3-5 with 20 strikeouts and Cook said he could be poised for a great year Larery is another left-handed pitcher who was second with 41 innings pitched; he was 3-2 with 36 strikeouts and a 2.05 ERA “He really came on late in the year and pitched really well in our districts but was great all year,” Cook said “I look for him to really take off this spring Hayes and Spencer will also contribute on the mound Spencer pitched 14 innings and struck out 8 “We’re really deep on the mound and probably our challenge is going to be making sure they get enough innings and enough work,” Cook said and a lot of tough opponents so we’ll need all the pitching we can get.” The Bulldogs are slated to host a March 14 jamboree with Webb City and Republic if construction on their new stadium is finished in time The district leveled the old baseball field and has installed an all-turf playing surface Carl Junction opens the regular season March 21-22 in the Edmond Oklahoma tournament; the team’s first home game is March 28 against Baxter Springs Frontenac Kansas (May 3) and Pittsburg (Kan.) Colgan (May 3) “We’re in a new conference with the (Ozark Mountain Conference) and that is a tough baseball conference in my opinion,” Cook said it’s one of the better ones in the state and that’ll be fun We’re still playing most of the old COC schools and we’ll be in the Fort Scott (Kansas) tournament too to see some Kansas City schools.” By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com) Although the Carl Junction Lady Bulldogs graduated a large senior class in 2024 they do return their top goal scorer and goalkeeper in 2025 The Lady Bulldogs started the 2024 season 7-0 before finishing 14-9 overall and 5-4 in the Central Ozark Conference Michael the Archangel in the finals of the Class 3 District 7 Tournament as the No had 37 goals against and recorded 9 shutouts on the season is confident in the 2025 version of the young Lady Bulldogs as they make the move to the new Ozark Mountain Conference but we have several girls that played varsity last year as freshmen gaining valuable experience,” Miller said “We will have to move players around to fill the key positions we lost from our seniors but I’m confident in our players to make those adjustments “We have our goal scorer back and our goalkeeper did an outstanding job and I’m looking forward to seeing her growth from last year The questions we must answer as a team are can we score goals this year and who is going to control the middle of the field and distribute the ball and can our defense contain the other teams and adjust in the run of play We will be young and lack experience at the back end.” Juniors Ella Anderson and Jadyn Howard will lead the young Lady Bulldogs roster this season scored 29 goals with 6 assists; named Class 3 All-Region 4 and All-Central Ozark Conference first team “Ella has done a great job for us starting her first two years and has 48 goals in two years for us,” Miller said “She will be our most experienced player this year after graduating eight seniors last year and we’ll be looking for leadership She plays club soccer in the offseason in Arkansas and is working on improving her craft.” junior goalkeeper – Recorded 9 shutouts and had 5 penalty kick saves; named All-Central Ozark Conference honorable mention “Last year was Jadyn’s first year playing soccer and she did an outstanding job in goal for us.” won the team’s Newcomer Award for new players to the program with the biggest impact “We are hoping for a big year from Grace in her second year We are looking at switching positions for Grace and putting her in the middle of the field for us She also plays club soccer in Springfield (and we) can’t wait to see how much she has improved.” “(She) played in 20 games for us last year and we’re hoping to move Hartley to the center of our defense.” “(Lakyn) played in 23 games last year and was a pleasant surprise as a freshman She played club in the offseason and is going to be a key part of our success this year She is an energizer bunny and has a motor that goes on and on.” “Nevaeh played in 20 games last year and is another high-energy girl and works hard on the field We are expecting Nevaeh to start this year and build off last year’s success.” junior defender – Scored 1 goal with 2 assists “Valarie played in 21 games last year and is looking at playing another position for us this year because of her versatility moving back to center back We are hoping she can stay healthy because our depth is going to be an issue this year.”   junior – “Babe played JV last year and really stepped up in the offseason and looks to be challenging for a starting varsity spot.” Miller has a couple of freshmen he thinks could contribute to the team’s success this season in Morgan Stauffer and Kylee Ingle “Morgan Stauffer is an incoming freshman that has looked good this offseason and we’re looking for her to make impact on the varsity team this year,” Miller said “Kylee Ingle came out this summer and has a high work rate and is strong and fast to the ball Kylee is another girl looking to make an impact on the varsity team.” The Lady Bulldogs graduated 15 goals and 26 assists from last season that Miller said the team “must find with new players or some stepping up and having a better year” with the loss of Audrey Fletcher defender – Scored 1 goal with 3 assists; named to All-Central Ozark Conference second team; a four-year varsity player and three-year starter 14 assists; earned Class 3 All-State second team Class 3 All-Region 4 and All-Central Ozark Conference first-team honors “Hailey did an outstanding job last year playing attacking mid as the offense ran through her,” Miller said she had her best year as a player because she did a great job seeing the field and setting players up to be successful “Sara was another girl in the middle of the field we relied on defensively and on offense “Anna came back and played her senior year after taking a year off for track and she had one of the biggest goals of the year in the semifinal game in district She really helped our team success last year.” “Josie played center back and became a full-time starter last year and helped run the back line She was a big part of the nine shutouts we had.” defender/midfielder – 1 assist; played in 17 games Letzy Poroj – “Played in 15 games and helped on the offense for us.” The Lady Bulldogs will host a jamboree with Joplin and will see Webb City (March 25) and Carthage (March 27) again when they open the regular season at home “Webb City is our rival and in our district so it will be important for seeding purposes as well as bragging rights,” Miller said of his team’s schedule “We are also looking forward to playing Joplin and Carthage as well as Neosho and looking to be the best team in southwest Missouri but I feel strongly about the coaching of our players I feel that our team can come together and gain continuity by the end of the year to make a run in districts.” A former Carl Junction teacher has been arrested on allegations of possessing child pornography and for alleged stalking of a minor Carl Junction Police took 52-year-old Craig S. Smith into custody after an extensive investigation into inappropriate behavior toward a student The Carl Junction School District website last listed Smith as a Junior High Vocal Music teacher Search warrants at Smith’s home and workplace led to the seizure and forensic analysis of his personal and work issued electronic devices which then led to the discovery of more than 600 images of child pornography on two of Smith’s school-issued devices A newly posted probable cause statement says those victims ranged in age from six months to 17 years old Police say it is important to emphasize that no images of the stalking victim were included in this material They say the stalking charge is based on a pattern of concerning behavior directed toward a minor student over the last several years Newly posted court documents say since 2019 Smith sent thousands of electronic communications to Victim 1 Most of these communications were initiated by Smith Pyle has 28 years of experience in education most recently at CJ where he was Assistant Superintendent of Operations and High School Principal He’s a graduate of MSSU and PSU and received is Doctorate in Education from Southwet Baptist University Philip Cook who announced his reetirement in January and will leave the district at the end of June after 20 years as superintendent Pyle will be an exceptional leader for our school district,” said Carl Junction Board of Education president Larry Cowger “We look forward to working closely with him as we collectively strive to provide our students the best possible educational experience,” Cowger added By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com) Carl Junction girls basketball took a step back in 2023-24 While the 15-12 Bulldogs enjoyed a winning season the program snapped an eight-season district title streak after falling to Marshfield in the semifinal round Head coach Ryan Odaffer will look to field replacements for a talented graduated class “I think returning three starters in the same system will help us hit the ground running better this year than last,” head coach Ryan Odaffer said I am excited to see what we can do now that the girls are comfortable in the new system and schemes.” Carl Junction’s second-leading scorer behind Scott The 5-foot-8 senior averaged 10 points and 3 assists last season “Our best all-around player and is the leader of our team,” Odaffer said of Williams She will be joined by 5-foot-7 senior Kenna Ellison 5-foot-7 junior Jadyn Howard and 6-foot sophomore Madalyn Huffman Odaffer on Ellison – “Shooter and will bring experience to our team Odaffer on Harris – “Works hard and hustles down the floor She finishes extremely well around the basketball Odaffer on Buerge – “Defensive stopper Lead us in 3-pointers made and our third leading scorer.” Odaffer on Howard – “Second on the team in rebounding (131) and third in assists (44) Jadyn has a chance to take her game to the next level this year She will be asked to do more on both ends of the floor and I think she is ready for that challenge.” Odaffer on Huffman – “Played in 23 varsity games last year as freshman and started several games throughout the season She has some big shoes to fill with Kylie graduating but the experience she got last year will help her be successful this year She has an opportunity to be a dominant post player for us She led the varsity team in field goal percentage and led our JV last year in scoring and rebounding.” Odaffer also expects a host of varsity newcomers to step in and compete for minutes this season in Jaisie Hocut “These girls all have a chance to play and make an impact on varsity this year,” Coach Odaffer said “We will see how they do in practice to start the year and then how they develop throughout the season There are going to be several girls that are going to surprise a lot of people.” For Carl Junction to take the next step and return to district dominance Odaffer believes team chemistry and willingness to make the necessary sacrifices will be key factors throughout the season’s development “We look to compete every game and work hard and improve every practice,” Coach Odaffer said so we will look to mesh them together to have the best team we can put on the floor come conference and district time of the season and our youth is going to be huge down the stretch I don’t know who is going to rise out of the mix but it will be fun to watch them throughout the season and to see who emerges from the pack.” The Carl Junction School District is addressing concerns from parents after a now-former junior high teacher was arrested for stalking a student and for having child porn on his school issued laptops Craig Smith was taken into custody last week after an extensive investigation into inappropriate behavior toward a student Court documents say Smith more than 600 images of child pornography on two of his school-issued devices “We understand our community has questions about the recent arrest of a former employee of Carl Junction Schools Most questions have centered around what information the District had and when This statement is intended to provide clarification about those questions and to foster transparency with our community.