News – Wednesday, January 21st 2026
The Shannon County Sheriff’s office reports that three people have died in a house fire near Eminence. Firefighters responded to the scene Monday morning, but investigators have not yet determined what caused the blaze. The Missouri State Fire Marshal is now handling the investigation, and authorities have not released the identities of the victims. The Shannon County Sheriff expressed gratitude to the numerous agencies that assisted with the response, including the Eminence Area Volunteer Fire Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Fire Marshal’s Office, American Red Cross, Emergency Management, the Coroner’s Office, and Mercy EMS. The sheriff acknowledged the emotional toll such incidents take on first responders and emphasized the importance of community support during difficult times, stating that the strength of Shannon County has always been found in its people.
Meramec Regional Community Foundation (MRCF) will be awarding two community grants of up to $1,000 each. Preference will be given to projects that focuses on community or economic development and projects that will assist at-risk children and/or low-income families. Any nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations, schools, faith-based organizations and governmental entities looking to address these needs are encouraged to apply. Organizations and governmental entities must be based or provide service in the Meramec Region to qualify. The MRCF has awarded grants to further local projects through its community grant program and in the 13 years since the program was initiated, $24,400 in grant funds have been awarded to 68 community projects throughout the region. The grants are made possible through the Meramec Regional Community Foundation Community Grant-making Fund, which was created by a $30,000 donation from Meramec Regional Planning Commission. A portion of the fund’s earnings are distributed each year through grants. Applications for the 2026 grant round will be accepted online only until 5:00 in the afternoon on February 2, 2026. For more information on this grant opportunity, contact Bonnie Prigge at bprigge@meramecregion.org or 573-265-2993.
Missouri’s 2025-2026 deer hunting season ended January 15 with a preliminary total harvest of 301,954 deer, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. The harvest included 145,222 antlered bucks, 25,129 button bucks and 131,603 does. Top harvest counties for the overall deer season were Franklin with 6,770, Howell with 5,490 and Callaway with 5,346. Hunters harvested 275,656 deer during the 2024-2025 deer season. Deer hunting ended with the close of archery season. Hunters checked 62,203 deer during the 2025-2026 archery deer season. Top archery counties were Jefferson with 1,571, Franklin with 1,272 and St. Louis with 1,076. Last year’s archery deer harvest total was 56,516. MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle said Missouri hunters enjoyed a successful season. He noted the harvest rebounded from last year’s lower total, especially across much of southern Missouri. The 2025-2026 harvest total was slightly above the five-year average and marks the sixth time the harvest total has exceeded 300,000 deer. MDC reported four non-fatal, self-inflicted firearms-related hunting incidents during the season, with one involving deer hunting and others involving other game. More information on 2025-2026 deer harvest totals by season, county and type of deer is available on MDC’s website. Past year harvest information is also available on MDC’s website.
The Missouri Department of Transportation postponed road closures for core sampling on Phelps County Route HH over Spring Creek. Originally scheduled to begin January 19, crews will now begin taking core samples at the bridge site just south of Road 29 on February 9. These dates could change. For traffic updates, call 1-888-ASK-MoDOT or visit MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map.