Ann Leach

Perry and Debbie Johnson own Bicycle Specialists and share their passion for cycling through their business, coaching youth mountain bike teams, and promoting cycling for health, transportation, and community engagement despite their different riding motivations.

The Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex will host three diverse February performances: internationally acclaimed pianist Steven Spooner, Grammy-winning children's hip-hop group The Secret Agency, and Aquila Theatre's production of Pride and Prejudice.

Chase Marcus survived a rare form of leukemia in 2017 thanks to life-saving blood transfusions, and now he and his wife Alyssa advocate for Community Blood Center of the Ozarks. The former youth minister was a week away from death when blood donations saved his life, and five years later he and Alyssa are expecting their first child, calling it their "miracle baby."

Connect2Culture welcomed the Annie Moses Band, a group of Juilliard-trained siblings from Nashville, for two Christmas performances on December 17, 2022, at the Beshore Performance Hall in the new Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex. The popular ensemble, whose mother once taught at Ozark Christian College, returned to Joplin as part of Connect2Culture's Curtains Up Series to perform holiday favorites and original compositions.

Clint and Cathy Jo Loy's Carthage home features 11 full-size Christmas trees and decorations in every room, continuing a family tradition that began with Cathy Jo's childhood and now hosts annual open houses for about 120 visitors. The home was featured in the Carthage Holiday Homes Tour in December, with Cathy Jo carrying on her father's legacy of elaborate Christmas displays while creating new family traditions.

The Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex opened in downtown Joplin in November 2022 after 15 years of planning and over $19 million in fundraising, becoming the new home for George A. Spiva Center for the Arts and Connect2Culture. The complex features a 435-seat performance hall, four art galleries, and an outdoor amphitheater, fulfilling Harry Cornell's vision to support local artists and provide a major community cultural asset.

Captain William Davis and Officer Rick Hirshey discuss how the Joplin Police Department is coping with recent fallen officers and trauma, with Hirshey recovering from serious injuries including facial fractures and a damaged vertebrae. Both officers expressed gratitude for overwhelming community support while highlighting the department's need for more officers and continued commitment to serving Joplin.

The Empire Market in Joplin is adding a commercial kitchen funded by donations in memory of longtime downtown business owners Bunny and Jane Newton. The kitchen will help local farmers create value-added products, expand the free Kids Meal Program, and provide cooking education classes while supporting the market's mission of strengthening local food systems.

The George A. Spiva Center for the Arts is preparing to move to the Harry M. Cornell Arts and Entertainment Center by year-end while searching for a new executive director to guide the organization's future growth. The move promises to strengthen synergy between art forms downtown and provide more space for exhibits, storage, and programming that has served amateur and professional artists since 1948.