Month: March 2022

Springfield Fire Firefighters responded to a fire at the Springfield Inn for the third time this month.

The Springfield Inn is at the corner of Glenstone and Battlefield.

Crews arrived on the scene just after 4:30 PM.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

The Springfield Inn is set to be demolished as part of a revitalization project.

Springfield Police arrested a man after he started a fight with officers at a convenience store.

Officers were called to the Kum and Go at 1500 North National.

Clerks had asked the man to leave.

The man became confrontational when the officers arrived.

There were no injuries.

Charges have not yet been filed.

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department is warning local restaurants of a scam.

Some Springfield restaurants received calls from people claiming to be inspectors with the health department.

When the restaurants asked the names of the caller or questions pertaining to their last inspection, the caller hung up.

The Health Department is not sure what the caller’s motive is, but for restaurant employees to ask the name of the caller.

After leading the Georgetown Hoyas in scoring and rebounding as a freshman, Aminu Mohammed is testing the NBA waters.

Mohammed averaging 13.7 points and 8.2 rebounds this past season under head coach and NBA legend Patrick Ewing. He was named to the Big East’s All-Freshman team after having a standout season.

He was a three-year star at Greenwood, accumulating a five-star rating as a recruit and was named the 2021 Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year. He was selected as a McDonald’s All-American as a senior and scored over 3,000 points in his high school career.

According to reports, Mohammed will go through the pre-draft process, but has elected not to hire an agent.

Not hiring an agent allows him to withdraw his name from draft consideration and return to college if he chooses.

Some mock drafts have Mohammed predicted as a second round pick.

The National Weather Service has implemented a freeze warning for much of south and central Missouri during the overnight hours of Friday.

The freeze warning will be in effect from midnight until 9 a.m. Friday morning, with temperatures expected to drop below freezing as low as 28 degrees.

The risk of frost covers portions of southeast Kansas, as well as portions southwest, south central, west central and east central Missouri.

The National Weather Service encourages residents to take steps to prevent damage to pipes in the event of freezing overnight. Ensure pipes are drained or have a slow drip, and have your heat set to at least 60 degrees.

As the band played the school fight song, the ninth head coach in the history of Missouri State Lady Bears basketball got a standing ovation as she stepped to the podium at Plaster Student Union Thursday.

Beth Cunningham, who brings 20 years of coaching experience at the college level, including nine as a head coach at Virginia Commonwealth, says it’s an “honor and a privilege to lead this program.”

Cunningham spent the last two seasons serving as an assistant coach on Kara Lawson’s staff at Duke University, replaces Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, who accepted a head coaching position at Virginia after three seasons at MSU.

She thanked Coach Mox, as well as former Lady Bears Coach Kellie Harper, for the tremendous success they’ve had at MSU and says she consulted both coaches before accepting the job at Missouri State.

Cunningham says she has vivid memories of being recruited by former Lady Bears Coach Cheryl Burnett when she was graduating high school in 1993.

Cunningham says although she didn’t ultimately end up coming to Springfield, she was very aware with the success Burnett was having and the tradition she was building at then Southwest Missouri State.

The new coach says the players are the most important group. “You’re my motivation, you’re my inspiration,” Cunningham said. “Leading our program is never about one person. It’s not about me, and it never will be. It’s about you. My one and only mission is to number one, assist you to be the very best person you can be, and number two, the very best basketball player you can be.”

Missouri State Athletic Director Kyle Moats says he got a head start on the process of selecting a head coach, knowing that Coach Mox’s success would make her an attractive candidate at a Power Five school.

President Clif Smart confirmed the University of Virginia contacted MSU several weeks before the season was over, saying they had an interest in Mox.

Smart says he and Moats interviewed two finalists for the job on Saturday and Sunday, spending Sunday afternoon with Cunningham in North Carolina.

The two offered Cunningham the job Sunday evening before flying back to Springfield.

The new coach met with the team Wednesday night, and the MSU Board of Governor’s approved Cunningham’s contract Thursday morning.

Cunningham’s contract is for five years, with a base salary of $320,000.

Additional achievement incentives for NCAA and WNIT appearances, conference championships, coaching honors, attendance average, and APR standards are also included in the agreement.

Listen to the entire introduction and press conference here.

Greene County voters who are wanting to vote absentee in-person can this Saturday.

Greene County clerk Shane Schoeller said eligible voters can bring a valid form of identification to the County Clerk’s office from 9 am to 10 pm Saturday.

You can also vote absentee on Monday from 8 am to 5 pm.

Texas County authorities have arrested the brother-in-law of a woman found dead earlier this week.

The Texas County Sheriff’s Office says Joshua Goodchild faces first-degree murder charges in the death of his sister-in-law, 31 year old Nikki Goodchild.

Nikki Goodchild’s children found her body in their home Monday evening.

Investigators have not released a motive for the shooting.

Missouri State University revealed Wednesday night they have found the person that will run the successful Lady Bears program.

Beth Cunningham has been tabbed as the 9th head coach in the programs history.

She replaces Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, who led Missouri State for three years, making the NCAA Tournament twice, excluding the 2020 tournament which was cancelled.

Cunningham has an extensive résumé. Her coaching career began at VCU, where she was an assistant coach from 2001-2003. She then spent the next nine seasons as the program’s head coach, compiling an overall record of 167-115.

She then stepped down to become an at Notre Dame from 2012-2020. She has spent the last two seasons as the associate head coach at Duke.

She played her college basketball at Notre Dame, graduating as the programs all-time leading scorer.

A statement from Missouri State University can be seen below:

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — After an extensive national search, Missouri State University has selected Beth Cunningham as its next women’s basketball head coach. She will be formally introduced during a news conference Thursday on the Springfield campus. Thursday’s news conference will start at 10 a.m. in the Plaster Student Union Ballroom East, located on the third floor. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m., and the public is invited to attend. Metered parking is available in close proximity to Plaster Student Union. Cunningham, who owns an impressive 20-year collegiate coaching resume, arrives in Springfield from Duke University, where she has spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach on coach Kara Lawson’s staff. Prior to her stint at Duke, she spent eight seasons (2012-20) as an associate head coach at Notre Dame for Hall of Fame coach Muffet McGraw. She was part of one of the best stretches in NCAA women’s history as Notre Dame compiled a 244-19 record in that span with seven straight 30-win seasons, six conference titles, five NCAA Final Four appearances and the 2018 National Championship. The Irish followed that up with a runner-up finish in the 2019 NCAA Championship, finishing the year with the No. 1 scoring offense in the country (88.6 points per game). Before returning to her alma mater in the summer of 2012, Cunningham spent 11 years on the coaching staff at VCU, including one year as an assistant coach (2001-02), one as associate head coach (2002-03) and nine seasons as head coach starting in 2003-04. She is the Rams’ all-time leader in women’s basketball coaching wins with a 167-115 (.592) record and postseason appearances in each of her final five seasons. From 2008-12, VCU averaged better than 22 wins per season, including back-to-back 26-win seasons in 2008 and 2009, and the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth in 2009. At VCU, Cunningham coached three WNBA draft picks, two All-America selections, two Colonial Athletic Association Players of the Year and 18 all-conference selections. During her playing days at Notre Dame (1993-97), Beth (Morgan) Cunningham was a trailblazer, leading the program to its first NCAA Women’s Final Four appearance and a 31-7 campaign her senior season. She was a two-time Associated Press and WBCA honorable mention All-America choice, four-time first-team all-conference selection and two-year team captain. The Irish were 97-32 in her four seasons, including a pair of conference titles and three NCAA appearances. She departed as the all-time leading scorer in Fighting Irish women’s basketball history with 2,322 points (which now ranks third), having set or tied 28 school records during her career. She was also a fixture in USA Basketball circles as both a player and coach, first suiting up for Team USA four times from 1996-99 (winning three medals including a gold at the 1997 USA World University Games) and later serving as the athlete representative on the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team Committee and the USA Basketball Women’s Collegiate Committee. Following her amateur career, Cunningham spent three seasons playing professional basketball, including two years with the Richmond/Philadelphia Rage of the American Basketball League (ABL) and one year with the WNBA’s Washington Mystics in 2000 before embarking on her coaching career. Originally from Bloomington, Ind., Cunningham was a standout two-sport performer at Bloomington South High School, earning all-state honors in both basketball and tennis. She was inducted into the Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame in June 2011. She graduated from Notre Dame in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the top-ranked Mendoza College of Business before going on to earn her Master’s degree in Sports Leadership from VCU in 2003. Cunningham and her husband, Dan, are the proud parents of three daughters (Margaret, Carly and Gretchen) and one son (Danny). She will be the ninth coach in the history of the Missouri State Lady Bears program and replaces Amaka Agugua-Hamilton who accepted a head coaching position at Virginia last week after three seasons at MSU. Cunningham’s contract is a five-year agreement through the 2026-27 season, with a base salary of $320,000. Additional achievement incentives for NCAA and WNIT appearances, conference championships, coaching honors, attendance average and APR standards are also included in the agreement. Her hire is contingent upon formal approval by the Missouri State University Board of Governors later this week.