The latest local news, weather and high school sports in and around Columbia and Jefferson City

Thursday evening the Lake Area Chamber of Commerce lighted up the new Lake Ozark welcome sign.

The Chamber collected about $50,000 in donations and local businesses donated another $30,000 in materials and labor to build the sign.

Chamber Board of Director member, Joe Roeger headed the building of the sign.

The sign has LED lights that will change with the seasons.

It is located just south of the Osage River bridges on Highway 54. It was installed because of the new bypass.

Roeger said it was about two years in the making. MoDOT has leased the land to the Lake Area Chamber for the next 70 years.