Month: February 2023

The main threat from storms entering southwest Missouri after midnight Monday morning is 60 mile per hour winds.

The storms that prompted tornado warnings in Oklahoma have shown a weakening trend as they approached southwest Missouri late Sunday night.

The National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Newton, McDonald and southern Jasper Counties until 1:00 a.m. and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for southern Barton and northern Jasper Counties until 1:15 a.m.

60 mile per hour wind gusts are the biggest threats with both of these storms as they move through the Joplin, Carthage and Lamar areas.

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

A line of strong to severe thunderstorms will move through the Ozarks late Sunday night into Monday morning.

The National Weather Service says the primary hazard will be damaging straight line winds of 75 miles per hour, generally west of Highway 65, before the line weakens.

Small hail the size of nickels will also remain a lower end threat, with the tornado threat very low. The threat for flooding is also very low.

Forecasters say there will be the potential for downed trees and power lines, with power outages, as well as damage to roofs and siding.

There are still some question marks with this system.

The weather service says certainty is very high that the line of storms will occur, but uncertainty exists regarding how quickly these storms will weaken as they push east across southwest Missouri.

While confidence is high that these storms will produce wind gusts of 40 to 60 miles per hour, there is still uncertainty regarding how widespread 60 to 75 mile per hour winds will be across western Missouri.

Winds will also be high outside of thunderstorms, with a Wind Advisory in effect from 6 p.m. Sunday to noon on Monday.

Southwest winds will be 20 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts up to 50.

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

From a Springfield Police Department news release:

Springfield, Mo. – The Springfield Police Department’s 2022 crime report tracks and analyzes more than 50 crime types in three categories: crimes against persons, crimes against property and crimes against society. The report also contains a comparison to crime report numbers from 2021.

In 2022, there was a 5.1 percent decrease (-315 reports) for crimes against persons, a 21 percent decrease (-3,257 reports) for crimes against property, and a 19.2 percent decrease (-520 reports) for crimes against society. Overall, crime in Springfield in 2022 was down 17 percent (-4,092 reports) compared to 2021.

“Through tracking and releasing crime data, we can give citizens a realistic look at crime in our community,” Police Chief Paul Williams said. “The information helps us identify successful policing strategies as well as highlighting areas where we can make improvements through community-wide participation in crime prevention.”

This is the second year SPD has been able to compare a full year’s worth of crime report data since switching to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), administered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in January 2020. The implementation of NIBRS allows for a significantly more comprehensive look at crime in the community compared to the data tracked in previous years.

The 2022 crime report also features updated clearance rates. Clearance rates are fluid and change over time as investigations progress and eventually lead to prosecution. The side-by-side comparison serves as an example of how clearance rates have and will continue to evolve.

SPD’s crime prevention initiative was launched in 2022 and will continue in 2023 with focused efforts to reduce crime in the community. With the public’s help, SPD can continue the trend of reducing crime in Springfield. To learn more, visit springfieldmo.gov/crime.

Annual Crime Report

Authorities in Springfield are investigating after a car drove through the front windows of a local building.

Officers were called to the area of 1340 West Sunshine near Fort Avenue, where they discovered an SUV in the lobby of the building, with the front windows shattered.

The name of the business has not been released, but police say it was a storage area for the building next door.

The driver of the vehicle was treated for minor injuries at the scene. No one else was hurt.

Branson Police are preparing for a large number of motorcycle club members who are visiting the area this weekend.

The Branson Police Department has requested assistance from nearby law enforcement agencies and the highway patrol.

The Highway Patrol issued a statement saying that it will provide a few additional troopers for the area but does not anticipate any problems.

Four students from College of the Ozarks had the opportunity to participate in the US Naval Leadership conference.

The conference, held in Annapolis, Maryland January 22-23, was designed to educate military and civilian men and women on leadership principles that are applicable to military, business, and academic settings.The theme of this year’s conference was “Returning with Honor,” as this year marks 50 years since Vietnam POWs returned to the United States.

The four students who attended were Matthew Isherwood, senior nursing student and Missouri National Guard (MOARNG) senior officer candidate; Ian (Josh) Hallam, junior engineering major and MOARNG officer candidate; Esther Schieffer, junior piano major and MOARNG officer candidate; and Emily Phillips, senior elementary education major.

A release out of the college reports that Emily Phillips said the conference ‘reminded her of the importance of sacrifice and commitment in a leadership role. This allowed her to expand her knowledge on leadership and to see how leadership can be taken into areas beyond the military and business worlds’

“I was also heavily impacted by hearing a variety of views on leadership,” Phillips said. “Although their perspectives differed from mine, hearing their thoughts made me think of how God creates the standard of good leadership. His word is the ultimate leadership handbook. As a follower of Christ, I must lead others in a way that brings glory to the name of Jesus.”

Four people were injured when a Springfield school bus and a pickup collided this morning.

The bus driver, an attendant, and the driver of the pickup were injured.

The bus went off the road and struck a tree after colliding with the pickup.

The crash happened in the 700 block of East University Street.

This is a news release from Sheriff Jim Arnott:

Trespasser-Response

A wood treatment plant in Northwest Springfield that closed more than 10 years ago continues to affect the neighborhood around it.

The old Kerr-McGee plant released chemicals linked to cancer. The multi state environmental trust project is cleaning up the site and has found chemicals in the soil and groundwater around the old plant.

Wells in the area have been shut down and residents now get their water from City Utilities.