Month: June 2022

In a statement Thursday, the Greene County Commission announced the first round of ARPA funds going to local institutions.

The funding totaled nearly $23 million to ten business and institutions in the county.

Below is a list of those receiving ARPA funds and the amount they were awarded.

• Habitat for Humanity of Springfield, Missouri – $475,000
• Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) – $750,000
• Greene County Family Justice Center Alliance – $855,670
• Council of Churches of the Ozarks – $1 million
• Missouri State University – $1.455 million
• Neighborhood Coalition Group – $1.5 million
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield – $2 million
• Vecino Group – $4.5 million
• Ozark Empire Fairgrounds – $5 million
• Burrell Behavioral Health – $5.325 million

In a statement from the Department of Justice, six people from Springfield and Rogersville have plead guilty for their roles in a conspiracy to transport catalytic converters.

24-year-old Evan Marshall of Rogersville is the most recent defendant to plead guilty, as today he accepted responsibility on one count of transporting stolen property across state lines.

Marshall’s guilty plea was an admittance to transporting over $1 million worth of stolen catalytic converters across state lines during a period stretching from December of 2019 through October 2021.

He told investigators he had bought catalytic converters from some of the other defendants in the case, and was transporting and selling them to a business in Mountain Home, Arkansas.

Marshall sentencing has been scheduled for a later date. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

Several Juneteenth celebrations are scheduled in Springfield this weekend.

The holiday is officially observed on Monday. The Juneteenth Freedom Walk will be held Saturday. Participants will gather at Jordan Valley Park and walk to the square downtown.

There will be activities for kids at Jordan Valley Park after 11 AM, and a music festival downtown from 6-9 PM.

For more information, visit https://www.itsalldowntown.com/calendar/juneteenth-freedom-walk-celebration/

Laclede County Prosecutors have charged a Lebanon man with more sex crimes involving children.

Marcus Hill in currently in the Laclede County Jail waiting trial on second-degree charges of sodomy and tampering with a witness.

Investigators say another former victim reported him after seeing a report about Hill on a local TV station.

His car lots are also being investigated by the Missouri Attorney General’s office.

To help address the growing mental health crisis facing the United States, the Aurora-Marionville Police Department has taken it upon themselves to address the issue in their community.

Police Chief Wes Coatney announced the hiring of a mental health officer within the department to help people in the community.

According to Coatney, the officer will work directly with the Clark Community Mental Health Center to address concerns throughout the area, both with officers and everyday citizens.

Coatney wants community members to know you can contact the mental health officer for assistance with mental health issues at (417) 678-5025.

A Texas native has been sentenced in Springfield for drug trafficking in Southwest Missouri.

Court documents show Tanner Houghton, 41, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Authorities tracked Houghton to a hotel in Branson West and surveilled him as he drove to a convenience store in Reeds Spring. Officers then attempted a traffic stop of Houghton.

Houghton tried to flee the scene, and even backed into a patrol car that was blocking the store’s exit.

Once police got Houghton and another suspect, 35-year-old Brittany Brannan, out of the vehicle, they conducted a search of the car’s contents.

Officers found multiple firearms, a large amount of ammunition, as well as nearly 300 grams of methamphetamine, over 100 fentanyl tablets and 40 grams of heroin.

Houghton’s 25 year prison sentence will be conducted without the possibility of parole.

High temps in the 90’s to around 100 will continue through next week and potentially through the next 10 days.

The National Weather Service says rain chances are minimal over the next seven days and chances for rainfall are minimal over the next two weeks

. We will have a slight chance for thunderstorms across the far Northern Ozarks this evening into late tonight, but severe storms are not expected.

Evangel University has received the largest gift in the institutions history.

The Green family, which owns commercial chains Hobby Lobby and Mardel Christian and Education donated ten million dollars to the Christian institution, the largest in it’s 67 year history.

The donation will play a major role in Evangel President Mike Rake’s 22 million dollar construction agenda. The plan includes a new arena and fieldhouse on campus, as well as renovations for dormitories on campus.