Month: April 2021

The Springfield Fire Department is wanting business owners to take a close look at their establishments for fire code violations.

The SFD released a list of the 25 Most Common Fire Code Violations in hopes that local businesses will use the list to correct problems before they would be cited by inspectors. Chief David Pennington said that the purpose of the Fire Code Enforcement Program is to “ensure a safe community for our neighbors and our friends visiting the community.”

While the list is targeted at businesses, Chief Pennington told KWTO that although the fire code doesn’t apply to most individual homeowners or renters the principals within the code can help residents keep their homes safe.

“Ensuring your address is well marked and easily identifiable, not using extension cords in place of permanent wiring, or piggybacking multiple power strips, general housekeeping, etc.. can all be applied to keep your family safe in your home,” Chief Pennington told KWTO. “Having working smoke detectors in every bedroom, in the hallway and on each level of your home, in addition to having a practiced escape plan, are also very important to keeping your family safe in the event of a fire.”

The list of the common fire code violations is available from the City of Springfield’s website.

For the second straight night, a hard freeze is possible in the Ozarks.

The National Weather Service has issued a Freeze Warning for all but our far southwest counties from 10 p.m. Wednesday through 9 a.m. Thursday.

Forecasters say overnight lows will fall below freezing across much of the area.

Temperatures in the mid 20’s to low 30’s could result in a hard freeze.

Any sensitive and uncovered vegetation will be at risk of dying, with potential impacts to early crops and buds.

Tuesday’s morning low hit 26 degrees, marking the coldest temperature reading in Springfield this late in the year.

Alamo Drafthouse announced the opening of ticket sales for their reopening April 28 and gave information about their schedule going forward from that date.

The theatre will operate 10 screens Thursdays through Sundays following the special Wednesday opening night event.

“We have missed the Springfield community tremendously, and we’re looking forward to getting back to what we love to do – bringing guests the best film, food, and drinks all in one seat,” Marc Evans, Springboard Ventures managing partner, said in a statement. “The safety of our guests remains our first priority, as well as giving them the most enjoyable experience possible upon their return.”

The theatre will require all guests to wear masks except while eating or drinking, maintain physical distancing, and seats will have a two seat “buffer” between guests. The theatres will be cleaned and disinfected between showings.

There will be a “reduced menu” that is “focused on Alamo favorites” for theatres and the Backlot bar area will be open for in-house seating and to-go orders.

Food orders for movies can be made at the time of ticket purchase. In-person orders will be accepted upon arrival at the theatre.

Missouri State University’s next five baseball games scheduled through April 27th have been canceled due to positive COVID-19 test results within MSU’s Tier 1 personnel, which includes players, coaches, managers and staff.

The university says subsequent testing and contact tracing confirmed the positive test results that led to the cancelation of Tuesday’s game against Missouri, revealed MSU does not have the minimum number of medically-cleared players to host the four-game home series with Southeast Missouri State scheduled for April 23rd through 25th at Hammons Field.

The Bears’ game at Arkansas is also canceled as the team will be unable to complete the university’s return-to-play protocol before the April 27th game in Fayetteville.

The games will not be made up.

The Bears are scheduled to play again on April 30th at Southern Illinois.

Community Partnership of the Ozarks announced Tuesday the area’s cold weather shelters for the community’s homeless population will be open Tuesday night.

The current forecast from the National Weather Service is calling for a low temperature of 24 with gusty winds. A freeze warning is also in effect for tonight.

“Since the forecast is calling for below-freezing temperatures, Crisis Cold Weather Shelter partners have worked collaboratively to open sites outside of the normal cold weather season timeframe,” Michelle Garand, Vice President of Affordable Housing and Homeless Prevention at Community Partnership of the Ozarks, said in a statement. “We are thankful for all of those who have come together so quickly to provide this critical service for the most vulnerable members of our community.”

Community Partnership will be sponsoring campers at the Gathering Tree’s Revive 66 campground, so those needing shelter will not have to pay tonight, and CPO will also provide shuttle service to First Unitarian Universalist’s shelter.

City Utilities will also provide free rides on their buses to a shelter location.

Central Christian Church will host a meal presented by Gathering Friends and that location will also serve as a central pickup location for shelters.

Pick-up times for transportation to Crisis Cold Weather Shelters are as follows:

• First Unitarian Universalist Pick-up at 6:30 p.m.
• East Sunshine Pick-up at 7:30 p.m.
• Bus passes will be provided throughout the day at the O’Reilly Center for Hope and during the evening meal for women accessing shelter at Grace United Methodist, which will open at 8:15 p.m.

The Greene County Assessor is telling real estate owners to watch their mailbox.

The Assessor is in the process of sending Value Change Notices to residents because 2021 is a property reassessment year. The notifications are being sent to residents who have increases in their property values.

Assessor Rick Kessinger estimates that almost three out of every four Greene County taxpayers, 74 percent, will see an increase in their property values and will receive a Value Change Notice. The increases are based on multiple factors including current land values, construction costs, and recent market data.

“All property fluctuates in value over time, however in recent years we have seen more substantial changes to real estate prices due to increases in the market and the overall availability of property,” Kessinger explained. “Reassessment simply ensures that a property is evaluated the same as other comparable property for taxation purposes.”

A new law has been put into place regarding Value Change Notices. If a Notice shows a 15% or more increase in assessed value since the last assessment, not including new construction or improvements, residents can request an interior inspection of the property within 30 days of receiving the Notice.

Those who prefer not to have an interior inspection because of COVID-19 concerns (or any other reason) may go through an appeals process.

Two phone lines have been set up to help citizens who have questions or concerns:

• 417-829-6180 for questions regarding residential or agricultural properties.
• 417-868-4094 for questions regarding commercial properties.

The lead teacher of the Health Sciences Academy at Mercy has been named the 2021-2022 Springfield Public Schools Teacher of the Year.

Dr. Amanda Adams was named to the honor during the Springfield Public Schools Celebrate SPS event Monday. Adams was selected from the other four finalists: Melanie Donnell (York Elementary), Dr. Bob Lynch (Glendale High School), Terri Schaffitzel (Pleasant View Elementary), and Cary Sikes (Gray Elementary).

The Health Sciences Academy is an SPS Choice program for eighth grade students. Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the school was suspended for this school year, so Adams stepped into a role as a teacher with the SPS Choice program, Greater Ozarks Center for Advanced and Professional Studies (GO CAPS.)

“My proudest moment as an educator is when students come back and share how what they experienced in my classroom has made an impact on their lives,” Adams said.  “As I interviewed former students as part of my doctorate work, one student shared that as an adult he thought back to when he was happiest and he returned to what he enjoyed as a student and pursued a career as an EMT.”

Adams began her career at SPS as an eighth-grade science teacher at Pershing Middle School in 2008. She left Pershing in 2013 to become lead teacher at the Health Sciences Academy. She was accepted into SPS’s leadership building program in 2017, and completed her doctorate degree in Educational Leadership, Curriculum, and Instruction in March 2021.

Winter weather makes a return to the Ozarks one month into spring.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Springfield and areas generally along and north of Highway 60 during the day on Tuesday.

Snow will move into the area from the morning into the early evening hours, with the greatest chances from mid morning into the afternoon.

We’re expecting less than an inch of snow accumulation in Springfield, with one to two inches up in central Missouri.

A few slick spots will be possible with the heaviest bands of snow, but overall impacts should be limited.

A freeze warning is in effect from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning as temps drop into the mid to upper 20’s with a widespread frost and a hard freeze that will kill crops.