The Christian County prosecutor has brought charges against the man involved in a shootout with law enforcement near Ozark Tuesday afternoon.
Jensen Faught faces charges of armed criminal action, burglary and property damage.
One of the bullets struck a deputy in the neck.
He was treated and released from a hospital Tuesday night.
The owner of the shed Faught barricaded himself in says he damaged several collectibles that were stored in the shed.
Drury University says it’s started a new school year with two-thirds of its faculty, staff and students vaccinated against COVID-19.
Here’s the full press release from the university:
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., August 25, 2021 — Drury University began the 2021-22 academic year with approximately two thirds of its campus community vaccinated against COVID-19.Classes for Drury’s 148th academic year began on Tuesday, Aug. 24. Though vaccination is not required for attendance nor employment, Drury students and employees are asked to self-report their status, if vaccinated. Proof of vaccination allows eligibility for incentives and exemption from randomized asymptomatic testing for both students and employees.
As of this week, 84 percent of faculty, 65 percent of staff and 68 percent of students have provided proof of vaccination. The overall rate is approximately 68 percent. The latest data on vaccination rates at Drury can be found on the Panther Plan dashboard online.
“We’re very pleased that two thirds of our students have so far chosen to protect themselves and others by getting vaccinated,” says Dr. Tijuana Julian, dean of students. “We expect the number to rise in coming weeks as students take advantage of the many opportunities to get vaccinated at clinics in Springfield, and as they talk to their peers who are vaccinated.”
Drury held an on-campus vaccine clinic Monday afternoon where 24 students received a shot. As part of a broader incentive program, the university will extend fall break in late October from four days to five if at least 70 percent of day school students are vaccinated by that time.
“I’m happy to see our campus respond so positively to the vaccine, which is the primary tool at our disposal to end this terrible pandemic,” says President Dr. Tim Cloyd. “At the same time, I am not surprised by the numbers. Drury students demonstrated their leadership and care for one another last year as we held classes in-person without major disruption from the virus. This track record, combined with the vaccination rates, gives us great confidence in our ability to once again focus on teaching, learning and mentorship this year.”
Preliminary Fall Enrollment
There were 1,352 students in Drury’s residential day school when classes began Tuesday, compared to 1,417 at this time last year, a decrease of 4.5 percent. The primary contributing factor to the decrease was a large graduating class in May, says Kevin Kropf, executive vice president for enrollment management, marketing and communications. Drury’s incoming class has 413 students, which is an increase of 5 percent over last year’s incoming class. The number of transfer students increased and retention held steady.
“Enrollment is exactly where our forecasts predicted it would land,” says Kropf. “We’re extremely pleased with our incoming class, which includes an increase in students from the Springfield area. We believe the way our campus handled the pandemic last year may have led more local students to choose Drury’s close-knit social and learning environment for their college career.”
College enrollment has declined in the Midwest and across the nation in recent years. In Missouri, college enrollment dropped 16 percent statewide between 2015 and 2020, according to the Missouri Department of Higher Education, from 378,636 to 318,486. Drury has responded to the long-term trends through the launch of the Your Drury Fusion academic platform, focusing on holistic advising through the Robert and Mary Cox Compass Center and adding new co-curricular programs. The university will open the C.H. “Chub” O’Reilly Enterprise Center and Breech School of Business Administration in fall 2022.
All data is preliminary and based on opening week head counts. Final enrollment totals will be available following Drury’s official census day in early September.
Just five days after the Mercy Health System announced it’s raising its minimum hourly wage to $15.00 across its four-state network, CoxHealth Systems says it’s minimum hourly rate will be $15.25 starting in October.
In a news release, Cox says in addition to greater compensation, this change carries a call to arms for the region. More people are needed to help meet the dramatic increase in demand for care, both spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic and in light of anticipated future growth throughout the region.
CoxHealth President and CEO Steve Edwards says “we recognize health care can often mean long hours and difficult work, and that is is not for everyone. But it is also a place where one can fulfill a higher calling, and have a sense of purpose and mission in service to humanity.”
The news release states the change represents the health system’s largest starting wage adjustments in its history, impacting 6,500 employees Of those workers, 5,000 are entry level positions, and 1,500 are colleagues up the career ladder.
Cox’s total investment is $25.5 million, and all employees who earn less than $15.25 per hour will automatically increase to the new rate.
The pay increase will be effective in October, and employees who are affected by the change will be notified in the coming days.
Police in Springfield are investigating an assault early Wednesday morning at an apartment complex in the 500 block of west Walnut.
Officers say the police department’s Criminal Investigations Division processed the scene for several hours at the Cedar Knoll Apartments.
No information has been released on a possible suspect.
The subject of a manhunt and shootout with law enforcement in Christian County is in jail.
The suspect attempted to steal a vehicle, at gunpoint, from a homeowner in Ozark.
The homeowner called 9-1-1 and the suspect ran into the woods, prompting a manhunt involving deputies from three other counties, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Springfield Police.
Officers received a tip that the suspect was near Elk Valley Road.
He barricaded himself in a garage and fired several shots at deputies, striking one of them, before Springfield Police fired gas into the garage.
The suspect came out of the garage and surrendered to Christian County deputies.
The deputy is in stable condition at a local hospital.
Cox Health confirmed it plans to build a 22 thousand square foot clinic in the center of Springfield.
It will be at the corner of National and Sunshine on land formerly owned by the late Springfield lawmaker and businessman B. J Marsh (pictured above).
Cox Health President and C-E-O Steve Edwards says the Marsh Family reached out to Cox about buying the two acres.
Edwards says the clinic is still in the design phase.
The pilot of a single engine Piper has died in a crash near Adrian in western Bates County.
The crash was reported Monday morning after the plane was overdue at an airport on Sunday afternoon.
Another pilot spotted the wreckage in a field and landed to help get emergency responders to the site.
Authorities say the plane had taken off from a private airstrip, with just the pilot on board.
The victim’s name has not been released.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating, along with state and local authorities.
Schools requiring kids to wear masks to class are now facing legal scrutiny from Missouri’s Attorney General. Here’s the latest press release from the MO A-G’s office on a lawsuit filed Tuesday:
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt today filed a class action lawsuit against school districts forcing a mask mandate on schoolchildren and teachers. The lawsuit, which is a reverse class action that was filed earlier this morning, names Columbia Public Schools, the Board of Education for the School District of Columbia and their board members, and the Superintendent for Columbia Public Schools as defendants.
“Forcing schoolchildren to mask all day in school flies in the face of science, especially given children’s low risk of severe illness and death and their low risk of transmission. Additionally, forcing schoolchildren to mask all day could hinder critical development by eliminating facial cues and expressions,” said Attorney General Schmitt.
“We filed this suit today because we fundamentally don’t believe in forced masking, rather that parents and families should have the power to make decisions on masks, based on science and facts. I am committed to fighting back against this kind of government overreach. Americans are free people, not subjects.”
The lawsuit, which incorporates three counts argues that the imposition of a mask mandate on schoolchildren is arbitrary and capricious, that the mask mandate is subject to § 67.265, and that the mask mandate is unlawful as to schoolchildren.
To support the claims that the mask mandate, the lawsuit argues that children are at an extremely low risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19, that children are at a low risk for spreading COVID-19, that masks fail to provide adequate protection against COVID-19 in children, and that masks are detrimental to the development of young children. Citing Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services data, the lawsuit notes that zero children under the age of 10 have died from COVID-19.
Further, the lawsuit notes that children make up less than 1 out of every 100,000 people who are hospitalized in Missouri. Citing a study from the United Kingdom, the lawsuit states, “Data from the United Kingdom regarding fatality rates from the delta variant show the case fatality rate from delta is lower than other variants, and it is near 0.0% for those under fifty years old.”
Citing numerous medical studies, the lawsuit also makes the point that children have a low risk of transmitting the virus to other children.
A Netherlands study cited by the lawsuit confirms that, “(1) children play a minor role in the spread of the novel coronavirus, (2) the virus is mainly spread between adults and from adult family members to children, and (3) the spread of COVID-19 among children or from children to adults is less common.”
The lawsuit, citing another study from the United Kingdom, states, “the author confirmed that there is very little evidence that the virus is transmitted in schools.”
Specifically relating to the efficacy of masks themselves, the lawsuit argues, “Mask use by the general population shows, at best, a marginal impact on the spread of COVID-19. And most studies show no distinguishable difference between places with mask mandates and those without them.”
The lawsuit continues, “Though the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control advocates for universal public mask use, it has conceded that the evidence of the benefit in wearing a surgical mask was ‘of low to moderate certainty’ and failed to show statistically significant benefits.”
Moreover, the lawsuit says, “One study found that ‘[r]ates of infection were consistently higher among those in the cloth mask group than in the medical mask and control groups. … The poor performance may have been because the masks were not washed frequently enough or because they became moist and contaminated.’”
Lastly, the lawsuit argues that masks are a hindrance to development, especially in young children and those with special needs. A study cited by the lawsuit, which surveyed 25,930 schoolchildren, noted that 68% “complained about impairments caused by wearing the masks.”
The lawsuit, citing the World Health Organization, states, “The World Health Organization notes that masking young children raises social and communication concerns. Specifically, researchers are concerned that masks may ‘hinder verbal and non-verbal communication.’”
The lawsuit also notes that the Columbia school districts continue to impose a mask mandate despite the Columbia City Council’s rejection of a citywide mask mandate. The suit incorporates three counts:
Count One: Declaration that the mask mandates are unreasonable, arbitrary, and capricious.
Count Two: Declaration that the mask mandate is subject to § 67.265 and expires without Board of Education authorizations
Count Three: Declaration that the mask mandate is unlawful as to schoolchildren The full complaint can be found here: https://ago.mo.gov/docs/default-source/press-releases/2021-08-24—columbia-schools-petition-file-ready.pdf?sfvrsn=b365e116_2
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt recently filed suit against St. Louis County and City, Kansas City, and Jackson County for imposing a mask mandate. A St. Louis County judge issued a preliminary injunction last week halting the imposition of the mask mandate in St. Louis County.
Springfield City Council approved the purchase of the Fieldhouse at Monday night’s meeting.
The city will pay six million dollars for the facility with money from bonds and carryover funds from previous years.
The 46,000 square foot facility has basketball and volleyball courts.
It will be run by the Springfield Park Board.
The body of a man who fell off of a dock at the Lake of the Ozarks Sunday night has been recovered.
The Highway Patrol says divers recovered the body of 32 year old Kegri Ilu of Warrensburg around 3 a.m Monday morning.
Ilu slipped and fell off of a dock at Darby Hollow Cove on the Osage Arm of the lake.