Month: March 2021

The Springfield Police Department is looking for a missing Springfield man.

Zachariah L. Moore, 22, was reported missing just after 5 a.m. on Thursday, March 25. He was last seen on Tuesday, March 23, in the 800 block of North Farmer Avenue.

Moore is a while male, 6 foot tall, 145 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair. He was last seen in a tan jacket and jeans, with either white tennis shoes or barefoot.

Police say that Moore suffers from a mental disability rendering him incapable of self care. He may be under the influence of controlled substances and not on his prescribed medication.

Police are seeking to confirm his well-being.

Anyone who has information about Moore’s location should call 911 or the Springfield PD at 864-1810. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Crime Stoppers at 417-869-8477.

by Erin Hedlun, Evangel

Dr. Joel Griffin has been honored posthumously with the 2021 Outstanding Jazz Educator Award by the Missouri Music Educators Association. Griffin served as an associate professor of music and the director of jazz studies at Evangel from 2012 until his passing last fall due to injuries sustained in an auto accident.

“Dr. Joel Griffin was an exceptional musician and educator whose focus on excellence impacted students and the greater music community,” said Dr. Tom Matrone, chair of Evangel’s Music Department. “I am so grateful to have known and worked with Joel. I cannot think of a more qualified individual to earn this honor.”

The Outstanding Jazz Educator Award, formerly known as the Jess Cole Award, is presented to an individual for their outstanding contributions to jazz education. The recipient is selected by the executive board of the Missouri Association for Jazz Education (MOAJE). Griffin was selected unanimously as this year’s award winner.

“Joel was a master teacher, loved by each person he came into contact with,” said Aaron Scriven, director of bands for Kickapoo High School and MOEJE member. “He pushed his students and colleagues to be the best. No one is more deserving of this award.”

Scriven, a long-time friend of Griffin, recently presented the award to Griffin’s wife, Kara, and family.

Griffin was a gifted saxophonist, composer, and educator. He had been part of the professional music scene since 1998.

A native of southern Missouri, he held a bachelor’s degree in saxophone performance from Missouri Southern State University, a master’s degree in music theory from Missouri State University, and a Doctor of Music Arts in Music Education with a research emphasis in jazz studies from Boston University. 

Griffin was known for his ability to connect with students and his deep love for his family. Griffin and Kara have three children.

The city of Springfield will be kicking off an initiative aimed at having residents work to clean up the community.

“Clean Green Springfield,” a series of City-wide cleanup events, will take place during April and May. Several city departments will be working with community partners to organize the events for community volunteers.

“We want to be known as the cleanest city in the state,” Cora Scott, Director of Public Information & Civic Engagement, said in a statement. “Our citizens are incredibly giving of their time and once they become aware of a problem, they want to be a part of the solution.”

The staff of the city’s Environmental Services have been working on a “litter index” and have completed a trash assessment of the city’s streams. They found an average of 155 pieces of trash in a 100-foot stream section, with nearly 60% of the trash found in the streams some form of plastic.

The city is encouraging residents to participate in one or more of the cleanup events, which will range from neighborhood cleanups, to roadside trash pickups, to stream cleanups.

“At the very least, we hope that these activities remind us all to simply not litter,” Scott said. “I see young children encouraging their families to help pick up trash and more importantly, to not litter in the first place. Maybe we should learn from that. We may also uncover additional challenges to the affordability of waste disposal. At any rate, we have been blown away by the early positive response to this idea and are excited about the project.”

Some of the scheduled cleanups are:

Point-of-Pride Cleanup Events

April 3: West Meadows

9 a.m. – noon | Saturday, April 3

Help clean up the new West Meadows Trail and stream section near College Street and Fort Avenue. Trail improvements at this brownfields redevelopment area were completed in fall 2020. Ripe with history, West Meadows includes historic Fulbright Spring, the location of one of Springfield’s earliest settlements. The area was also the location of a Union soldier encampment during the Civil War and lies adjacent to historic Route 66. 

 PARKING: Limited parking at the trailhead at 304 North Fort Avenue. More parking available at the Route 66 Roadside Park (1200 W. College Street).

Jordan Creek 

9 a.m. – noon | Saturday, April 10

Help clean up the section of Jordan Creek and Greenway Trail stretching alongside Kansas Expressway from Grand Street to Mt. Vernon Street. Two bridge reconstruction projects, including pedestrian safety and greenway trail improvements were recently completed in the area, making it a new focus for pedestrian and bike activity connecting to neighborhoods and nearby Cruz Dog Park. 

PARKING: Parking is available at the City Utilities Meter and Service Center at 2115 W. Grand

Wilson’s Creek at Scenic Avenue

9 a.m. – noon | Saturday, April 17

This section of Wilson’s Creek passes nearby Ewing Sports Complex and flows alongside the Wilson’s Creek Greenway Trail. 

PARKING: Parking is available at Ewing Sports Complex (1400 S. Scenic)

 Fassnight Creek at Grant Avenue

9 a.m. – noon | Saturday, April 24

A focal point along the future Grant Avenue Parkway route, Fassnight Creek nearby Parkview High School, Fassnight Greenway Trail and Fassnight Park needs some TLC! Parking at Fassnight Park. 

PARKING: Parking is available at Fassnight Park (1305 S. Campbell.)

The city is also hosting neighborhood cleanups:

• April 3 – Midtown Neighborhood – 8 a.m. – noon – Cox North Parking Lot off Benton Ave.
• April 10 – Tom Watkins – 8 a.m. – noon – Faith Assembly Church, 3001 W. Division.
• April 17 – Bradford Park – 8 a.m. – noon –  Walnut Lawn and Kickapoo
• April 17 – Mark Twain – 8 a.m. – noon – Sunset Church of Christ  – 1222 W. Sunset St. 
• April 24 – Robberson – 7 – 11 a.m. – Pathways United Methodist Church – 1232 E. Dale
• April 24 – Woodland Heights – 8 a.m. – noon – 304 W. Chase St. 
• May 1 – Weller – 8 a.m. – noon – Turning Point Church – 1722 N. National 
• May 8 – Doling  – 8 a.m. – noon – Christ the King Church – 2357 N. Broadway 
• May 15 – Rountree 7 – 11 a.m. – University Heights Baptist Church – 1010 S. National
• May 15 – Phelps Grove / University Heights – 7 – 11 a.m. – Springfield Art Museum – 1111 E. Brookside
• May 22 – Westside Betterment – 7 – 11 a.m. – Study Alternative Center – 2343 W. Olive
• June 5 – Bissett – 8 a.m. – noon – Bissett Elementary – 3014 W. Calhoun

In-depth information and registration can be found on the city’s Clean Green Springfield website.

The Taney County Health Department is holding a two-day vaccination clinic in conjunction with the Missouri National Guard on Thursday, April 1, and Friday, April 2.

The Department hopes to vaccinate 2,400 residents over the two days with the Pfizer vaccine.

 “Phase two, which is open now, includes anyone working in the hospitality and tourism industry,” Lisa Marshall, TCHD Director, said in a statement. “We are highly encouraging our community to get vaccinated, especially those in public facing roles. These vaccines are safe and effective and provide another important tool to keep the virus from spreading.” 

The clinic will take place at the Shoppes at Branson Meadows, 4562 Gretna Road, and will take place between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Thursday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday.

Applicants must live in Missouri or work in Taney County, must be 18 years of age or older (16 and up with legal guardian), and qualify as Phase 1 or Phase 2.

If you are interested in being vaccinated, visit this website or call 417-334-4544 extension 570.

The historic Riverside Bridge is now closer to being in its permanent new location.

Construction crews placed the truss for the bridge next to the restored Ozark Mill as part of the redevelopment of the area. The bridge will be used as a foot bridge and a private event venue. The more than 100 year old bridge will eventually be connected to an Ozark Greenways trail that will run between Ozark and Springfield.

The bridge is part of the Finley Farms project from Bass Pro founder Johnny Morris and his daughter, Megan Stack. The bridge will connect to the renovated Ozark Mill and the wedding chapel at Finley Farms.

The bridge is placed on the location of the Chadwick Flyer railroad spur that is being converted to be part of a nine mile trail between Ozark and Springfield.

Crews are working to complete the bridge but do not have a timeline for the completion of the project.

(photo courtesy Kathee Baird)

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department and Missouri State University have announced a mass vaccination event at Hammons Student Center on April 8th and 9th. The goal of the event is to vaccinate 10,000 residents over the two day period, making it the largest single-site event in the state.

The head of the health department says the event is an attempt to speed up the community’s vaccination rates.

“Today 15.5% of people in Greene county have been fully vaccinated,” Acting Health Department Director Katie Towns said on Twitter. “That is good but slower than we hoped. We are thrilled to offer this clinic in partnership with Missouri State to give our community the chance to safely get back to normal as soon as possible!”

Health department officials say vaccinations are growing in importance as the variants of COVID-19 begin to appear in the state.

Individuals who want to receive the vaccine during the event will need to register through Missouri’s Vaccine Navigator program. After registering on the website, you will receive an email from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services with a link to register for the event.

You must be 18 years of age or older and a resident of Missouri.

If you have issues, contact the Springfield-Greene County Health Department at 417-874-1211.

Much of southwest Missouri will experience sub-freezing temperatures as low as 25 to 30 degrees from late Wednesday night through Thursday morning.

As a result, the National Weather Service has issued a Freeze Watch for the Ozarks for that time period.

Forecasters say frost and freeze conditions could kill early blooming crops and other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.

To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes, they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly.

If you have an in-ground sprinkler system, you should drain it and cover above-ground pipes to protect them from freezing.

Release from Missouri State

The Missouri Valley Football Conference has canceled the North Dakota-Missouri State football game (Saturday, April 3) at Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D., due to positive COVID-19 test results and subsequent contact tracing in UND’s Tier 1 personnel, which consists of student-athletes, coaches, managers and staff.

The game cannot be rescheduled as UND and Missouri State do not share an open weekend on either April 10 or April 17.

Valley Football athletically related activities will take place only to the extent permitted by local environments and applicable national, state, local and institutional guidelines in order to safeguard the health and safety of participants, staff and fans.