Former Major League Baseball player Bill Virdon at age 90.
Virdon grew up in West Plains and retired to Springfield when his career ended.
He won the Rookie of the Year in 1955 playing center field with the St. Louis Cardinals.
He later helped the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Yankees in the 1960 World Series.
He later went on to manage the Houston Astros, leading them to three postseason appearances and was named Manager of the Year in 1980.
Springfield Police are investigating a shooting on the North side of the city.
Officers found a man with a gunshot wound to his hand at Lee and Nettleton Tuesday afternoon.
Police say the man had been in a fight with three men.
One man was arrested. Police are still looking for the other two suspects.
State Auditor Nicole Galloway’s office has completed an audit of financial records for the Greene County Commission for a three year period ending in 2019.
The overall rating for the years audited is “poor.”
The county’s response to the audit is included in this press release from the county commission:
The State Auditor’s office has completed an audit of certain operations of the Greene County Commission. The audit looked at three years of financial records ending in December of 2019. In January of 2019, Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon, who had just taken office, and two former Commissioners, requested this state audit.
It’s important to note that the findings of this audit reflect the conduct of the previous Commission. The State Auditor’s office gave several recommendations for the county’s professional services, disbursements, and email policy. Solutions to many of the recommendations in the audit have already been in place since 2019. That same year, the county also implemented a transparency portal on www.greenecountymo.gov that shows current expenses and revenues in the county budget.
The audit evaluated the previous Commission’s internal controls over financial functions, compliance with legal provisions, and management of certain financial transactions. The overall rating of the years audited was “Poor”. The primary issues stemmed from complaints surrounding the 2017 county sales tax campaign.
“The findings are not surprising. The public was very aware of the issues with the prior Commission. Beginning in January of 2019, the current Commission took steps to remedy many of these issues. We have also addressed other issues using the guidance provided by the State Auditor’s office in accordance with Missouri law,” said Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon.
This is the final report from the State Auditor’s office on these issues. The overall rating of a previous audit of Greene County in August of 2020 was “Good”.
Former NFL and Mizzou wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham is back in jail for 180 days for violating probation.
Court documents say his 2019 sentence was executed, and his probation revoked.
That sentence was on a resisting arrest charge, and he was to serve two years probation.
A trial date has been set for Rebecca Ruud, the woman accused of killing and dismembering her daughter, Savannah Leckie in Ozark County in 2017.
Ruud’s bench trial will happen on March 7, 2022.
The Missouri Supreme Court assigned the case to Judge Calvin Holden in 2017, but because the trial is now a bench trial, it will take place in Holden’s courtroom in Greene County.
The Greene County ARPA team has made recommendations to the Greene County Commission on how to allocate $56.9 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
There are 66 eligible categories in the American Rescue Plan Act legislation, which strongly suggests that municipalities consider and incorporate equity focus to ensure underrepresented and underserved community pockets receive eligible funding.
Here’s the list of data and reports the team reviewed to provide the latest information on the impact of COVID-19 on Greene County residents, as included in a news release from the Greene County Commission.
The ARPA team compiled a 95-page report after an extensive review of the data. The report has detailed analysis of every section listed. For a complete breakdown, please read the entire report available at www.greenecountymov.gov.
In summary, the ARPA team proposed 12 categories of priority needs to reflect the input from the public. The team recommended the first funding phase be divided into three broad categories: Community, Collaboration, and County.
The Community category prioritizes and responds to the requests of nonprofit organizations and small businesses. The Collaboration category would be set aside for collaborative projects between the county, city, and/or state. The County category would be utilized for the requests of county officeholders and possible county facility and operational needs.
Vaccination was omitted from the final list due to vaccination being readily available through the Springfield-Greene County Health Department.
An application process will be used to award the funds. The ARPA team will use the top priorities as the primary way to rank and recommend grants. Diversity and inclusion are being addressed through an overall equity plan consistent with U.S. Treasury recommendations.
Below is a broad timeline of the ARPA process:
After the release of the Greene County ARPA community survey, the Commissioners read every public response, including input from citizens that live outside of Springfield. They will now use the Needs Assessment Report, along with recommendations from community volunteers, to implement funding priorities.
Greene County has already received $28.4 million in funding. The remainder of ARPA funds will arrive in 2022. Commissioners have until 2024 to allocate or commit all funds and an additional two years to spend the funds.
The Springfield Police Department is investigating a shooting from over the weekend in the 800 block of east Morningside as a homicide.
Officers were dispatched to a home Sunday morning at 11:35 after a 911 caller stated a man had been shot at their residence during a disturbance.
When police arrived, they found Matthew Turner, 38, Springfield, dead on scene.
During the investigation, police identified a suspect, who has been interviewed by detectives, but no arrest has been made at this time.
Once the investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office for review and a decision on whether any criminal charges will be filed.
Initital reports indicated Turner knocked on the door of a house and started talking to the homeowner outside.
Police say a fight ensued while the two talked, and Turner apparently assaulted the homeowner before the homeowner fatally shot him.
Getting to work on time has been a big challenge this Monday morning for traffic along James River Freeway in the Republic area.
MoDOT closed down all lanes of traffic, both eastbound and westbound, between I-44 and Highway MM so crews can work an injury crash.
A number of emergency vehicles responded to the scene around 7:00 a.m.
MoDOT expects cleanup could take hours, so motorists should avoid this area until the wreck is cleared.
The Brookline Fire Department and several area firefighters battled a blaze near Route 266 and North Farm Road 89 Friday night.
Dry and windy conditions caused the fire to spread.
The exact cause of the fire and amount of damage is unknown.
A woman has now been charged for an attack on another woman in the Roundtree Neighborhood of Springfield.
Greene County Prosecutors charged 29 year old Jimica Wells with first degree assault.
According to a Probable Cause statement, Wells was upset when she went to her ex-boyfriend’s house and saw another woman’s purse.
After she left, Wells attacked the victim, because she thought she was the owner of the purse.
The attack was captured on a security camera. She is being held in the Greene County Jail.