Month: November 2021

The Missouri Job Center is hosting a Healthcare Hiring Event on Tuesday (November 9th) from 9:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. at the center’s southside location at 2900 east Sunshine in Springfield.

The industry-specific event features nine area employers with wide-ranging jobs in the healthcare field.

Director of Workforce Development for the City of Springfield, Sally Payne, says the hiring event coincides with the conclusion of the America’s Promise grant, which focused on training for healthcare jobs.

“It’s important to provide that warm hand-off once someone completes training, Payne said. “However, the event is open to anyone wanting a job in healthcare.”

Participating employers include: Citizens Memorial Hospital, Community Blood Center of the Ozarks, CoxHealth, CSL Plasma, Lakeland Behavioral Health, Mercy, QPS Bio-Kinetic, Springfield-Greene County Health Department and Walmart.

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department expects more shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine for kids 5 to 11 in the next few weeks.

A spokesman for the department says they’ll be receiving a few thousand doses from the state, saying it’s important not only for the kids’ personal health, but for the health of their high-risk family members.

Last week, the FDA authorized the use of Pfizer’s smaller-dosed vaccine for children ages 5-11.

The health department started giving the shots for kids on Thursday at its vaccine clinic on east Battlefield near Fremont in Springfield.

A shortage of school bus drivers is causing nearly 1,500 students in Springfield to lose a ride to class starting Monday

The R-12 district notified parents last month it would change its transportation plans, noting the change was temporary.

Beginning Monday, elementary and K-8 students must live two miles or more from school to be eligible to ride the bus.

Middle and high school students must live two and a half miles or more from school for bus service.

Christina Randall, KOLR

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — An altercation led to a stabbing Saturday afternoon in north Springfield.

According to police, a person was stabbed around 3:30 p.m. outside of Motel 6 on North Glenstone Avenue.

Authorities say two men were walking their dogs on the opposite of a privacy fence separating Motel 6 and Econo Lodge hotel properties. There was a hole in the fence and both dogs started barking at each other and started fighting.

As KOLR-10 reports, the dog owners were able to separate the dogs and then both men started arguing about the dogs which led one of the men to stab the other. The victim suffered a non-life-threatening and was transported to a local hospital.

Christina Randall, KOLR

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Authorities have arrested a man accused of breaking into homes around Greene County.

As KOLR-10 reports, Greene County Deputies were dispatched to the 2900 Block of West Ellison Drive after a man attempted to force entry into a home. The suspect was unsuccessful and fled away in a vehicle.

Later, deputies were dispatched to the 5000 Block South Burrows Avenue for an active assault. According to police, the same suspect entered into an open garage where the victim was and the suspect threatened him with a knife. However, the victim’s spouse was able to call 911 which scared the suspect and the suspect fled away in a vehicle.

The 7th Annual Ruck ‘N’ Run to celebrate U.S. Service Members takes place on Saturday (November 6th) in Republic.

Ruck ‘N’ Run is a nonprofit Veterans organization created by an Army Drill Sergeant.

The boot camp inspired walk/run gives the community a tangible way to honor and engage with our local Veterans.

So far, the group has donated more than $18,000 and more than 8,700 pounds of food to help Veterans in need.

The group has also created the Military Kids scholarship, which will be awarded to two local high school students during the event. The food lasts as least six months for Veterans and their families who are homeless or at risk.

The Opening Ceremony starts at 8:30 a.m.

More than 2,800 runners are expected in Springfield this Sunday, November 7th, for the Bass Pro Shops 15th Annual Conservation Marathon.

You can count on traffic to be shut down in much of central Springfield along the race route.

The city says the race will encompass east Trafficway to Sunset and from Kansas Expressway to Ingram Mill.

Runners will be on the routes starting around 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

You can expect delays if you want to cross any of the race routes.

Traffic impacts should be minimized after 9 a.m., but parishioners are encouraged to considering altering their usual routes to church, using Chestnut Expressway and National to Walnut Street to access downtown.

Springfield police pulled over a school bus after a report of a disturbance involving a student with a knife.

Police stopped the bus near Sunshine and Highway 65 just before 6 p.m. Thursday.

Officers confiscated the knife.

Springfield Public Schools says no students were hurt and all arrived home safely.

Police and the school district are investigating the incident.

The Missouri State women’s volleyball program has been hit with three years of probation by the NCAA, including a one year postseason ban, fines and scholarship reductions.

The infractions came during the tenure of former head coach Melissa Stokes.

Here’s the official release from the NCAA:

The Missouri State women’s volleyball program committed numerous violations involving recruiting, benefits, athletically related activities outside the playing season, and impermissible coaching activity, according to a decision released by a Division I Committee on Infractions hearing panel.

Additionally, the former women’s volleyball head coach was personally involved in many of these violations and permitted others, thereby violating head coach responsibility rules. As a result of these violations, Missouri State failed to monitor its women’s volleyball program.

Over the course of a three-year period, the former women’s volleyball head coach provided or permitted her staff to provide approximately $16,200 in impermissible recruiting inducements and benefits. Most of these benefits were for free or reduced-cost housing — including at rental properties owned by the head coach. The housing benefits enabled prospects and enrolled student-athletes to come to campus during multiple summers and participate in conditioning workouts and volleyball camps.

The head coach and her staff also arranged free tutoring and other academic assistance to help two prospects meet initial admission and eligibility requirements. Additionally, the head coach allowed a prospect who was not academically eligible to travel and receive expenses as part of the team’s foreign tour and provided a fundraising credit that permitted another student-athlete to participate in the tour, which was inconsistent with the school’s policy. As a result of the inducements and benefits outlined above, 13 student-athletes competed in a total of 150 contests while ineligible.

Additionally, within this same three-year period, the head coach violated countable athletically related activity rules by directing incoming and enrolled student-athletes to participate in activities during summer volleyball camps. The head coach also exceeded the permissible number of countable coaches when she provided monthly payments and free housing to volunteer coaches.

According to the panel, a failure-to-monitor violation occurred because the compliance office failed to engage in standard industry practices, such as spot-checking practices and camps and monitoring summer housing arrangements. Additionally, they did not fulfill their obligation to provide adequate rules education to coaching staff.

After the head coach’s separation from the school, she provided false or misleading information when interviewed by the NCAA enforcement staff. Specifically, she denied being involved in several of the violations, which was contrary to information obtained during the investigation. The head coach’s actions violated NCAA ethical conduct rules because she did not meet her obligation to cooperate with an investigation.

After considering aggravating and mitigating factors, the panel classified this case as Level I-Standard for the school and Level-I Aggravated for the former head coach. The panel used the Division I membership-approved penalty guidelines to prescribe the following measures:

• Three years of probation.
• A one-year postseason ban.
• A fine of $5,000 plus 1% of the women’s volleyball program budget.
• A 5% scholarship reduction.
• A 12.5% reduction in official visits during the 2019-20 academic year (self-imposed).
• A three-week ban on unofficial visits during the 2019-20 academic year (self-imposed). An additional four-week ban on unofficial visits for one year during the probation period.
• A three-week ban on all recruiting communications during the 2019-20 academic year (self-imposed).  An additional four-week ban on all recruiting communications for one year during the probation period.
• A five-day reduction in evaluation days during the 2019-20 academic year (self-imposed).  An additional five-day reduction in evaluation days for one year during the probation period.
• A five-year show-cause order for the former head coach.
• Should the former head coach become employed in an athletically related position within the membership, she will be suspended for 50% of regular-season contests in the first season after the show-cause order.
• A vacation of team and individuals records of contests in which student-athletes participated while ineligible.

Members of the Committee on Infractions are drawn from the NCAA membership and members of the public. The members of the panel who reviewed this case are Stephen Madva, attorney in private practice; Joel Maturi, former Minnesota athletics director; Joe Novak, former football head coach at Northern Illinois; Jill Redmond, executive senior associate commissioner at the Atlantic 10 Conference; David M. Roberts, special assistant to the athletics director at Southern California; Tom Sullivan, president emeritus of Vermont; and Sankar Suryanarayan, chief hearing officer for the panel and university counsel at Princeton.

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