The Logan-Rogersville Fire Protection District says it is experiencing a staffing shortage.
Chief Richard Stirts says the department is short four firefighters.
He says that leads to the current firefighters having to work extra shifts and that can cause burnout.
He says his department has also seen an increase in emergency calls, but the staff shortage has not impacted response times.
He hopes to recruit some new firefighters when they hold their training academy in January.
Nearly 1,500 students could lose a ride to school due to a transportation change.
Springfield Public Schools officials said, in a press release, that starting Nov. 8, the district said they are having to switch back to only allowing elementary and K-8 students, who live more than two miles from school to ride the bus.
Middle and high school students must live 2.5 miles or more from school to be eligible to ride the bus.
Chief Communications Officer Stephen Hall said it all centers around the nationwide bus driver shortage.
Willard High School students are mourning the loss of a classmate who died in a crash early Sunday evening.
Reese Johnson, 17, was a senior and was involved in a head-on crash with another vehicle on Farm Road 105 just north of Willard.
The other driver, Robert Hicks from Springfield, also died.
A passenger in Hicks’ vehicle was taken to the hospital with moderate injuries.
Investigators say Hicks’ vehicle crossed the center line and hit Johnson’s car.
The school says it’s providing grieving resources for high school students throughout the day Monday in the school library.
Chris Six, Bailey Strohl
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.- Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams says the suspect in an officer-involved shooting has died from his injuries.
Williams identified the suspect as 40-year-old Douglas J. Knakmuhs. An officer who was on routine patrol noticed Knakmuhs at the Kum & Go around 2 p.m. Sunday. Williams said Knakmuhs is a suspect in a recent shooting investigation and had outstanding warrants for drugs.
The officer and Knakmuhs exchanged shots but neither were injured from the incident. Chief Williams says the officer had a bullet pass through his pant leg but was not struck.
After shooting towards the officer, Knackmus ran in the direction of Lexington Avenue and Walnut Street.
Moments later, a call came in from a home in the 1800 block of West Elm, and the person stated the suspect had broken into her home and was holding her husband at gunpoint.
As KOLR-10 reports, an SPD officer went into the home and shot at Knakmuhs, who then fell and dropped the gun, the husband was able to escape.
A tense situation involving a gunman in a West Springfield neighborhood Sunday afternoon.
An officer approached a suspect at the Kum and Go on South Kansas Expressway and College Street.
The suspect fired a shot at the officer and then ran in the direction of Lexington Avenue and Walnut Street.
Police set up a perimeter to catch the suspect.
A woman called 9-1-1, from a residence at 1800 block of West Elm, and said the suspect had broken into her home and was holding her husband at gunpoint.
Police shot the suspect.
He was taken to the hospital.
The man, held at gunpoint, and his family were no injured.
Greene County clerk Shane Schoeller has been appointed to fill a vacancy on the United States Election Assistance Commission Technical Guidelines Development Committee.
The committee assist the U. S. Elections Assistance Commission by providing recommendations on voluntary standards and guidelines related to voting equipment and technology.
Schoeller was elected last month as President of the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities.
Schoeller was elected Greene County Clerk in 2014.
A man is in serious condition after a shooting in Buffalo.
The Buffalo Police Department posted a news release on Facebook saying officers responded to the 100 block of north Locust on Thursday.
During the investigation, it was learned a man had been shot and had to be transported to a hospital in Springfield.
One man was taken into custody.
The police department says more arrests are expected.
Chris Six, Bailey Strohl, KOLR-10
DALLAS COUNTY, Mo.- A Missouri State Fire Marshal report has classified the fire at the property where Cassidy Rainwater allegedly was kidnapped as arson.
According to the incident report, the incident is labeled as second-degree arson. The report also says around $40,000 was lost from the fire, and the classification is undetermined and criminal.
As KOLR-10 reports, the fire happened at the Moon Valley Road property on the evening of October 4. During the initial investigation, a Dallas County deputy found a device resembling a tripwire. That discovery led to the Springfield bomb squad investigating the incident.
Saying they can’t let down their guard, several colleges and universities in Springfield are extending their masking requirement for another 30 days.
Missouri State University, Drury University, and Ozarks Technical Community College all established mask mandates prior to the start of the fall semester.
MSU and Drury are requiring students to wear masks in classrooms, while OTC students are expected to wear a mask anywhere on campus, unless they’re actively eating or drinking.
Springfield Police are looking for a hit-and-run driver that struck a pedestrian in a motorized wheelchair on West Chestnut Thursday afternoon.
A pickup truck hit the pedestrian while turning out of a business parking lot and then drove away.
The pedestrian was taken to a local hospital.
It is believed their injuries are non-life threatening.
According to police, they are looking for a black Or dark maroon Dodge Ram pickup.