Children in the Jefferson City area received custom-built playhouses Saturday during River City Habitat for Humanity’s first Playhouse Build event at Capital Mall.

Local businesses, volunteers and community organizations spent the day assembling and decorating the playhouses. Each playhouse was designed around a child’s favorite colors, hobbies and interests.

The children and their families were presented with the finished playhouses at the end of the event.

River City Habitat for Humanity said the event was created to give children a special place to imagine and play while bringing the community together in support of the organization’s mission.

“A playhouse may seem like a simple structure, but to a child it’s a castle, a clubhouse, a fort, or a place where their imagination can come to life,” Susan Cook, the executive director of River City Habitat for Humanity, said in a news release. “We hope this becomes a tradition that our community looks forward to each year.”

Nine teams participated in the inaugural event, including Hitachi, Samco Business Products, Jefferson City Medical Group, the Home Builders Association, Capital City Business Builders BNI, Jefferson City Parks, Habitat Women Build and community volunteer teams.

Hitachi served as the event’s presenting sponsor.

“Our team was super excited about sponsoring it because we are giving back to the community and we are giving back to little people,” Leanna Ritter, a Hitachi Energy employee, said. “What’s better than little people?”

Scruggs Lumber donated the plywood used to build the playhouses, and Sherwin-Williams donated the paint.

River City Habitat for Humanity has partnered with local families, volunteers, businesses and community organizations since 1993. The nonprofit says it has helped build more than 138 affordable homes in the Jefferson City area.

One of Missouri’s largest lakes is among the cleanest in the nation, according to a new report.

A study conducted by Lake.com, a vacation rental platform for properties near or on water, focused on the 100 largest lakes in the United States and their chemical data from Jan. 1, 2020, to July 15, 2025.

The lakes were tested for eight of the most commonly measured characteristics that can suggest their cleanliness, including pH, ammonia and lead.

What’s the cleanest lake in Missouri?

Lake.com rated the Lake of the Ozarks as the fourth-cleanest lake in the country.

The lake earned a 1.85 out of 10 in its pollution score, bolstered primarily by its low pH and sulfate levels, as well as its lack of lead and ammonia.

The report listed the following measurements for the lake:

• Dissolved oxygen: 7.5 mg/L
• Phosphorus: 0.01 mg/L
• Sulfate: 1.66 mg/L
• Turbidity: 2.3 NTU
• Difference from pH7: 2.3 pH
• Pollution score: 1.85/10

Phoenix’s Stage 1 fire restrictions could limit where people can use fireworks ahead of Fourth of July celebrations. Phoenix leaders say professional fireworks shows are still planned, but they’re urging residents to leave the fireworks to the pros. Under the city’s updated rules, fireworks are banned on city property and within one mile of mountain preserves, desert parks and wilderness areas. Pop-up fireworks tents are appearing across the city, but police are already checking for vendors selling without permits. Anyone caught setting off fireworks illegally could face a $2,500 fine, possible jail time and even bigger costs if they start a fire.