Month: May 2021

Mercy hospital Springfield held a blessing ceremony Monday for a new emergency room specialized for kids.

Because of COVID related concerns, the hospital held a private blessing ceremony for the $7.5 million, 6,300 square foot emergency room.

“Seeing adults in crisis or with traumatic injuries can be really frightening for kids,” Dr. Anna Grimes, Mercy Kids emergency physician, said in a statement. “This ER eliminates that, with a separate, child-friendly waiting area, 11 exam rooms and a ‘sensory room’ for children who have autism or anxiety.”

The Mercy Kids in Springfield program has specialists in a number of categories including pediatric neurosurgery, hemathology and oncology, and endocrinology.

“One of the scariest things I’ve experienced as a parent is hearing that my child was in the ER,” Brent Hubbard, president and COO of Mercy Hospitals Springfield Communities, said in a statement. “But with this new space as the welcoming ‘front door’ to the care provided by our outstanding team, kids and families will find comfort in what can feel like a chaotic time. Rest assured that our local Mercy Kids team is ready to care for your children.”

The Mercy Kids ER will open to patients June 8.

Coming soon to your local park….COVID-19 vaccinations! The Springfield Greene County Health Department says it’s working with the Springfield-Greene County Park Board to hold vaccination clinics in areas with low rates of shots and where the most people could be reached.

The first event took place Monday morning from 10 a.m. until noon at the Japanese Stroll Garden Pavilion at Nathaniel Greene/Close Memorial Park.

Here are the other events set up for the coming weeks and months, per a health department news release:

Friday, May 28 

• Rutledge-Wilson Farm Park – 3825 W. Farm Road 146 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Vaccine offered: Pfizer (ages 12+) or Johnson & Johnson (ages 18+).

Wednesday, June 16 

• Jordan Valley Ice Park  – 635 E Trafficway from 12-3 p.m. Vaccine offered: Pfizer (ages 12+) or Johnson & Johnson (ages 18+). Free admission to that day’s 12:30-3:30 public ice skating session for everyone receiving vaccine on location.

Saturday, July 17 

• Dickerson Park Zoo Pavilion – 1401 W Norton Rd. from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Vaccine offered: Pfizer (ages 12+) or Johnson & Johnson (ages 18+). Free admission to the Zoo that day for everyone receiving vaccine on location.

In addition to these opportunities, the Health Department and the Park Board are scheduling clinics at all three Family Centers. More information will be released soon.

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Inquiries from the public can be made by contacting the Health Department’s call center at (417) 874-1211 or by email at coronavirus@springfieldmo.gov.                             

Greene County Presiding Commissioner has been elected to be the state’s representative to the National Association of Counties board of directors.

Dixon was elected by the members of the Missouri Association of Counties and immediately begins a one-year term on the NACo board.

“I am honored to serve on the NACo board of directors and I look forward to the opportunity to help increase membership as well as help facilitate strong communication between MAC and the national organization,” Dixon said in a statement.

Dixon will be advocating for county priorities in federal policy, promote successful county initiatives and policies, and work to enhance the public’s knowledge of the importance of county government.

Paul Ipock, Webster County presiding commissioner and president of the Southwest County Commissioners Association of Missouri, was enthusiastic about Dixon’s appointment.

“As a fellow county commissioner, I am very proud that Bob was elected for this position. In all of his elected roles he has represented citizens well and he will continue that same level of service on the NACo board,” Ipock said in a statement.  

The Missouri Division of Fire Safety has announced the explosion and fire at the Kosan Crisplant Missouri Inc. facility in Marshfield on May 13, 2021 which sent a huge plume of black smoke into the sky that could be seen for miles was accidental.

Investigators say the fire began outside near a loading dock where propane cylinders were being readied for reconditioning. The initial fire led to the explosions of multiple cylinders.

Witnesses provided enough information that investigators “could not eliminate” the cause of the fire being a spark from a dropped cylinder igniting propane.

The Marshfield Fire Protection District requested the MDFS investigation. The MFPD assisted the investigation along with the Missouri Propane Safety Commission.

A Greene County deputy seriously injured during a December 2020 incident has received a $10,000 grant from Running 4 Heroes.

Lt. Steve Westbrook has been given the R4H Injured First Responder Grant for the month of May. The organizations has given more than $136,500 in grants to 18 first responders in the United States who have been injured in the line of duty.

Lt. Westbrook was injured in December 2020 when a domestic violence suspect who was fleeing from multiple law enforcement agencies drove off the road and struck Westbrook’s vehicle in an apparent deliberate action. Lt. Westbrook was standing next to his vehicle at the time. The collision threw the deputy a significant distance causing significant injuries that required multiple surgeries.

Running 4 Heroes was created through the passion of Zechariah Cartledge, a young man with a passion for running. Zechariah was inspired by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, who provides housing for veterans and first responders critically injured or for the families of those men & women if they give their life while on duty. He began to raise funds for first responders through running.

“Our First Responders do so much for us. I want to let them know they are appreciated,” Zechariah said.

Zechariah, his father, and members of the Running 4 Heroes Board of Directors came to Greene County on Saturday, May 22, to present the grant to Lt. Westbrook.

“It is such an honor for this young man to recognize Lieutenant Westbrook’s sacrifice and reach out and not only run in honor of him but to bless him with this gift,” Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott told KWTO. “I appreciate his foundation and what he stands for.”

A Marshfield woman is dead after a single car accident Saturday.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says that 39-year-old Robin Medina was traveling southbound on Route A about five miles south of Marshfield when her vehicle left the roadway into a ditch, struck the side of a driveway crossing the ditch, causing the car to go airborne and overturn several times.

Medina was pronounced dead at the scene around 10:29 p.m..

The crash is the 41st fatal crash of the year for the MSHP Troop D.

A local radio legend has signed off the air.

“The Old Record Collector,” Wayne Glenn, announced his retirement live on the air Saturday at the end of his “Remember When” show on 93.3 FM and 560 AM KWTO. The show aired 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

It was Glenn’s 2,232nd broadcast.

Glenn has been a radio personality on 101.3 FM KTXR and KWTO since the late 70’s.

“This is Wayne Glenn saying this is my last show of Remember When in the series that began in 1978,” Glenn announced. “This is my 2,232nd show and I will be doing no further Remember When programs at all anywhere on the radio. They haven’t run me off the air. It’s my own choice. My health is good, but I feel like the time is right.”

Glenn says next Saturday, May 29th, KWTO’s Bonnie Bell will be interviewing him about his career from 10-11 a.m.

“I want to thank everybody, and there are so many, that have made it possible for me to be on the radio all these years,” Glenn closed before trailing out with “Gone Fishin.”

Wayne Glenn has been collecting vinyl records since 1969, and bought his first record as a graduation present for himself after gaining a teaching degree from then Southwest Missouri State College (now Missouri State University).

He has collected well over 15,000 records, which he finds at flea markets, auctions, garage sales and other similar locations.

Glenn graduated from Nixa High School in 1965 and holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in education.

He’s also a published author, who has written more than a dozen books on Ozarks history since 2000.

In August 2019, Glenn announced he was ending the weekend programs he had done for 42 years, and launched a new “reboot” of Remember When on Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m. His previous show on KTXR would last for seven hours.

Glenn’s show later returned to KWTO for three hours each Saturday.

The city of Joplin is hosting a special memorial service on Saturday, May 22, to mark the 10th anniversary of the deadly EF-5 tornado that took the lives of 161 people.

The ceremony will take place including a gathering in Cunningham Park around 5:41 p.m., around the time that the deadly twister first touched down in the city. The list of the names of the 161 membres of the community who lost their lives will be read, and prayer & music remembrances will take place.

The main program at Cunningham Park, 26th and Maiden, will begin at 5:15 p.m.. Former Missouri Governor Jay Nixon will speak, along with Joplin community members who have been involved in the city’s rebuilding. Mayor Ryan Stanley will serve as the event emcee.

Seating will be available, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets for the community time in Cunningham Park. Various organizations will have activities, booths, and information in the park starting around 3 p.m..

The tornado on May 22, 2011 reached winds over 200 m.p.h. and left behind over $2.8 billion in damage to homes, businesses, and the infrastructure of the city of Joplin. The storm is the costliest and deadliest tornado since 1950, the date the National Weather Service began keeping records.

The twister was on the ground for an estimated 38 minutes, leaving a damage path 22.1 miles long and at the maximum a mile wide.

The city announced this week that their recovery efforts from the storm have been given a Project of the Year award from the American Public Works Association.

The “Green Area Infrastructure Recovery” involved placement of streetscapes, sidewalks, recreation areas, parks, stormwater and sanitary sewer systems in primary commercial and residential areas. The city placed 40 miles of streets and over 20 miles of sidewalks to replace damaged or destroyed infrastructure.

“The award exemplifies what happens when a collaborative process involves everyone working for the same goal,” Jack Schaller of design company Olsson said in a city statement. “We worked with almost every department of the city on these projects, making this honor something that was truly earned by the City of Joplin. On this week of the 10-year anniversary of the tornado, it is humbling to be recognized for how far we’ve come from one of the darkest days in Joplin’s history.”

More information can be found on the Joplin Proud website.

(radar photo courtesy National Weather Service)

Police say they have still not identified a suspect in a fatal shooting in the 1600 block of east Chestnut Street early Thursday morning, but they have released the name of the victim.

Officers say at 3:35 a.m., 9-1-1 got a call saying someone was lying in the roadway.

When police arrived, they found a man who had suffered a gunshot wound.

The victim, identified as Bobby Gooch Jr., 18, Springfield, was rushed to a local hospital, where he died.

Detectives say they continue to investigate the shooting, and they’re asking anyone who has information about the incident to call the Springfield Police Department at 417-864-1810 or call Crime Stoppers at 417-869-TIPS (8477).

The Christian County prosecutor has filed charges of first degree murder and armed criminal action against a man from Ozark in the shooting death of a man who lived with him.

Larry Shaw, 88, was arrested at the scene of the shooting in the 2700 block of north 31st Street Wednesday morning.

Officers were dispatched to the home for an unknown medical call, and found Kenneth Barnes, 52, dead outside the house.

Court records show Shaw showed no remorse for the killing, and told investigators he was tired of being mistreated by Barnes.

He clamed Barnes called him names and used vulgar language and he was tired of being ordered to do chores around the house, so he shot Barnes.

Investigators say Shaw admitted to being “tickled” he shot the victim.

The Ozark Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit continues to look into the killing.