Month: December 2021

The Willard School District says Superintendent Dr. Matt Teeter has resigned, effective June 30th, 2022.

School Board President Kip Baker says the Willard School Board of Education would like to thank Teeter for his time and dedication to the district and wishes him the very best.

“The Willard School Board of Education will work to create a search and selection process for the district,” Baker said.

Here’s the message Dr. Teeter sent to staff and the Willard community:

Dear Willard Family!

I want to thank each of you for the opportunity you have given me to serve our amazing community since July of 2017 as your Superintendent.  I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish for students, staff, and our community over these years. I am so excited to also see what the future holds for this wonderful student-centered district.  

I would like to thank the Board of Education for their willingness to take a chance on me and allowed me to continue the excellence that the Willard Public Schools has to offer.  I also want to thank them for being so understanding in this very unique situation.  

I had a plan to serve in this district until I retired, but sometimes, our plans are not ours.  Each day I seek to be in the right place at the right time to serve in my calling, which is to “Love Well, Lead Well, Learn Well, & Live Well.” Over the last several months, specifically, the last two weeks, there has been a shifting in my spirit which I have wrestled with.  On Sunday, my wife and I had an overwhelming realization that included unquestionable and unimaginable peace, that my time serving as Superintendent in Willard is done sooner than we expected. 

My family and I are excited to be staying in Willard.  We continue to plan for our three children to graduate here with the incredible options that our district provides. My wife will continue to serve as a PreK teacher.  We love Willard and see this as our permanent home.  I will continue to be an active parent and supporter of our Willard School Family and community.

You may ask, what is next?  Honestly, we are not sure. This is certainly a leap of faith, but if the past is any indicator, I will land solidly on my feet loving and serving others well!  

With tremendous appreciation and gratitude, I have submitted my letter of resignation as Superintendent of Willard Public Schools to our board effective June 30, 2022.  I look forward to continuing to live in and serve this wonderful Willard Community.

Blessings,

Matt Teeter, Ed. D.

The CEO of CoxHealth says the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations for the system has been steady for the last two weeks, with 58 as of Monday.

But Steve Edwards has tweeted the forecast for next week is projecting an average number of 81 to 92 patients.

He says it’s because the Springfield-Greene County Health Department has seen a doubling of positive COVID-19 tests compared to two weeks ago.

He says the Delta variant is still growing, with Omicron not yet being a factor.

Because of city-wide maintenance, Springfield Police Department non-emergency phone lines are experiencing a temporary outage Tuesday between Noon and 7 p.m.

The non-emergency lines will be fully operational again on Wednesday, December 8th at 7 a.m.

Many reports can be filed online by going to the police department’s website:

The name of a man killed in a motorcycle crash in November has been released.

Springfield police say 52 year old Dale Goben of Springfield lost control of his motorcycle, while trying to avoid another vehicle, on Sunshine Street on November 20^th.

He suffered severe injuries and died on November 25^th.

All of his family members have now been notified.

Springfield Police are investigating a possible homicide.

Police responded Monday afternoon to a report of shots fired at a house on North Marion.

Officers arrived to find one person dead from a gunshot wound.

Springfield Police say one person of interest is in custody and officers are awaiting approval for a search warrant to investigate further.

Police say they now have a positive identification on remains found in a field in El Dorado Springs back on September 29th.

Investigators say Timothy Taber, 56, was from El Dorado Springs.

He was reported missing back in March.

The remains were found near the Dollar General store on south First Street.

Authorities say they do not suspect foul play.

The Springfield Police Department is investigating a homicide that happened late Saturday night along a sidewalk in front of the Southside Senior Center near Fremont and Seminole.

Police were dispatched to the scene at 11:07 p.m. and found the victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

The victim, who has been identified as Trevor J. Hale, 41, Springfield, was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The Springfield Police Department Homicide Unit responded to the scene and detectives are actively investigating the crime.

Anyone who may have information related to the shooting is asked to contact the department at 417-864-1810.

If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 417-869-TIPS (8477) to provide the information.

This is Springfield’s 24th homicide of 2021.

We’re tracking a line of severe thunderstorms that have been tracking south of the Springfield metro area Sunday night.

The National Weather Service says in addition to heavy rain and continuous cloud to ground lightning, these storms are capable of producing winds up to 60 miles per hour and up to quarter size hail.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for Christian, Barry, McDonald, Taney, Ozark, Douglas, Stone and Howell Counties until 4:00 a.m. Monday.

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Taney and southeastern Stone Counties until 10:45 p.m.

Quarter size hail has been reported in the Table Rock area just after 10:00 p.m. Sunday.

60 mile per hour winds and quarter size hail are possible with a line of storms located south of Kimberling City and moving east at 45 miles per hour. The storms will impact Branson Forsyth, Kirbyville, Hollister, Blue Eye, Lampe, and Ridgedale areas.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued for northeastern Ozark and southeastern Douglas Counties has been allowed to expire at 10:00 p.m.

Spotters have reported pea size hail in Drury as part of that storm, with nickel size hail north of Gentryville.

Pea to dime size hail was reported in Gentryville as well around 9:30 p.m.

Earlier, we had Severe Thunderstorm Warning for portions of Christian, Douglas and Taney Counties.

We’ll keep you up to date with the latest warnings on 93-3 and A-M 560 KWTO.

Springfield used car dealer Chris King has pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and identity theft.

King, who runs Queen City Motors, admitted he used customers’ information to apply for auto loans in their names without their knowledge and kept the money.

A source in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri says King pleaded guilty just before he was about to be indicted.