BRANSON, Mo. | The Missouri Water Patrol says two people were seriously injured in a boating accident caused when the driver was distracted by a dog.

The Patrol says the accident in Lake Taneycomo in southwestern Missouri on Saturday happened when 58-year-old Michael Gonzalez of Rockaway Beach was distracted by a small dog onboard.

The boat then hit a log in the water and went airborne before landing on the bank and hitting a tree. full story

Branson, Mo., is remote and has a tiny year-round population. But it also has the kinds of outdoor activities and family-friendly theater productions that attracted eight and a half million visitors last year, earning the city the unofficial nickname “Vegas without the gambling.” Read full story...

By CHRISTINE NEGRONI Published: April 20, 2009
New York Times

A five-year Chillicothe tradition becomes a new site for  the bright lights of Branson.

Teresa Foli, pageant executive director and the 2002 Mrs. Missouri, stated that the pageant will be in Branson next year in March.

“It was fun to have it in my hometown,” said Foli. “I am also really excited to have it held in Branson. The city of excitement really is the perfect place for the pageant.” Click here for more...

The second-fastest growing metro area was Columbia, with 1.5 percent population growth in 2008 and 12.8 percent growth from 2000.

Branson, meanwhile, was the fastest-growing micropolitan area in Missouri, according to MERIC. A micropolitan area is defined as an urban cluster of between 10,000 and 50,000 people.

The Branson area had a population of 78,574 in 2008, up 1.8 percent - or 1,406 people - from 2007 and up 14.9 percent from 2000.
read full story...