A one year old child is dead in a house fire in Strafford.
The mobile home was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. A three year old made it out of the home alive, but family members were unable to rescue the younger child.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. The State Fire Marshall is investigating.
Several communities had issues on the ballot about school bonds, tax bonds for public safety and sales tax on marijuana.
Surprisingly all of them passed.
The city of Springfield had three ballot issues.
Question 1 had to do with the wording on the City Charter, Question 2 was about amending the City Charter pertaining to contracts and biding and Question 3 was about the hotel-motel tax.
All three passed.
The voters in the cities of Nixa, Marshfield, and Clever passed propositions to raise taxes to fund public safety.
Willard, Fair Grove and Billings has fire protection district bond issues that required a 57-percent majority to pass and all three got it.
Voter passed school bonds for Springfield, Republic, Ash Grove, Strafford, Nixa, and Marshfield.
Strafford also passed a tax levy increase, as did Fordland for the schools.
The City of Ozark and Christian County passed sales tax on marijuana sales.
Local elections are concluding here in southwest Missouri, and we at KWTO are here to bring you the latest.
Below is a list of all the local school board races, with winners percentages in bold:
Springfield School Board Race (Top 2 are voted in):
Republic School Board Race (Top 3 are voted in):
Willard School Board Race (Top 3 are voted in):
Walnut Grove School Board Race (Top 3 are voted in):
Nixa School Board Race (Top 3 are voted in):
Election night is drawing to a close, and results are flooding in.
Below are the results of every major mayor and city council race in the local area:
Springfield Mayor’s Race:
Branson Mayor’s Race:
Ozark Mayor’s Race:
Springfield City Council General Seat C:
Springfield City Council General Seat D:
Springfield City Council Zone 3:
City of Ozark Ward 2 Alderman:
City of Marshfield West Ward Alderman:
Polls are officially closed and election results will be coming in shortly.
Below is a list of the major races and ballot measures we’ll be following.
To follow Greene County election races, click here.
We’ll have results here and on 93-3 A-M 560 KWTO with separate stories on all of the different elections, including mayoral and city council races, school board races and so on, right here on 933kwto.com
Mayor/City Council Races:
Springfield Mayor’s Race:
Springfield City Council General Seat C:
Springfield City Council General Seat D:
Springfield City Council Zone 3:
Ozark Mayor’s Race:
City of Ozark Ward 2 Alderman:
Branson Mayor’s Race:
City of Marshfield West Ward Alderman:
School Board Races:
Springfield School Board Race (2 voted in):
Republic School Board Race (3 voted in):
Willard School Board Race (3 voted in):
Walnut Grove School Board Race (3 voted in):
Nixa School Board Race (3 voted in):
Ozark School Board Race (3 voted in):
Ballot Issues:
Christian County Sales Tax Issue:
City of Springfield Question 3:
City of Springfield Question 1:
City of Springfield Question 2:
City of Nixa Question:
City of Marshfield Proposition:
City of Clever Proposition:
City of Ozark Question:
Fire Protection District Ballot Issues:
Willard Fire Protection District: Proposition Fire
Fair Grove Fire Protection District: Proposition Fire
Billings Fire Protection District: Proposition Fire
School District Ballot Issues:
Springfield R-12 School District Proposition S:
Republic R-3 School District Question:
Ash Grove R-4 School District Proposition K.I.D.S:
Strafford R-6 School District Proposition K.I.D.S:
Strafford R-6 School District Proposition 2:
Nixa Public Schools Question:
Marshfield R-1 School District Question:
Fordland R-3 School District Question:
The Springfield-Greene County Park Board will use a digital ID system for admitting people to outdoor pools this summer.
The pool connection includes each customer’s name, address, phone number, picture, and emergency contact.
Starting Saturday, May 27th, all swimmers ages 3 and up will need a free pool connection to enter. You can fill out an application online or on paper, then make an in-person visit to a family center or outdoor pool to have your picture taken and complete the application.
Park Board Director Bob Belote says it’s important to know who is in the pools and how to reach their emergency contact.
The City of Springfield has told the owner of the Hotel of Terror that he needs 400 more signatures on his petition.
Sterling Mathis submitted over 2,100 signatures on a petition to get a decision about his property before voters. City officials have told Mathis that he needs the signatures of at least 10 percent of those who voted in the April 2022 election.
Those signing must be residents of Springfield.
Mathis has until 5 PM on April 10th to submit the additional signatures.
Strong nighttime tornadoes are a risk for a large part of the Ozarks Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, including the Springfield metro area.
The National Weather Service says confidence is increasing that areas along and east of a line from Springfield to Branson may have at least a few strong tornadoes of EF-2 strength or above.
This area is in a “moderate,” or level 4 risk for severe weather, which also includes the potential for up to tennis ball size hail during the evening into the overnight hours.
Forecasters say there is some degree of uncertainty on a cap of warm air aloft that could limit thunderstorm updraft development.
The entire area has the potential for damaging winds up to 70 miles per hour, especially as a line of storms moves through southwest Missouri during the overnight hours.
The National Weather Service timeline for severe storms shows the greatest threat after 10 p.m. Tuesday night, continuing past 4 a.m. on Wednesday.
In addition, gusty winds are possible through Tuesday night outside of any thunderstorms, with a Wind Advisory in effect at 2:00 p.m. and going through 1:00 a.m. Wednesday.
Wind gusts of 35 to 50 miles per hour are expected, with the highest gusts west of Highway 65.
We’ll have the latest forecast changes and severe weather watches and warnings at 93-3 A-M 560 KWTO.
Police say there were no serious injuries in a crash near downtown Springfield.
Springfield Police say a Kia Soul ran a red light at the intersection of Main Street and Chestnut Expressway near the U.S Post Office around 5:30 p-m Monday.
The Kia struck a black S-U-V causing it to flip on its top.
Police say one person in the Kia and three people in the S-U-V were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
From a College of the Ozarks news release:
POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — College of the Ozarks has been accepted for readmittance to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), per the official notice on April 2, after a brief separation from 2021-2023. With this membership, the following C of O athletic teams will compete in the NAIA: men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country and track and field, women’s volleyball, and men’s baseball.
During the fall 2022 College of the Ozarks Board of Trustees meeting, the board voted for the College to begin the application process for admittance to the NAIA. The lengthy process meant that the application did not affect play for the 2022-23 academic year. Student athletes were informed of this by their coaches.
“In April 2022, the C of O Board of Trustees asked our new president to research athletic alignment and recommend a path forward that would be best for the College and our student athletes,” said Shawn McKenzie, board chairman and C of O alumnus. “In reviewing the information Dr. Johnson provided at the October 2022 board meeting, the board voted to reapply to the NAIA. Our admittance to the NAIA provides significant opportunities for our student-athletes to compete at a high level. The College remains deeply committed to our Christian values and honoring our nation’s veterans.”
“The board was clear, and I want to be as well,” said Dr. Brad Johnson, College of the Ozarks president. “Our commitment to biblical values and to patriotism remains unchanged. We will remain true to our biblical values. We will stand to respect the United States flag and honor our Veterans. We will hold firm to the five pillars of the College. As men and women committed to our Christian faith and biblical values, our number one desire is to glorify God in all that we do. That includes being a witness to those around us, letting our light shine, and sharing with others the testimony of what the Lord has done in our lives. We value the contribution and hard work of our student-athletes and hope to provide the best opportunities for them to play, compete, and represent College of the Ozarks in our community and beyond.”
Membership for C of O is effective in July 2023, and teams will play as part of the NAIA beginning in fall 2023. The College also will continue its membership in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). The College of the Ozarks women’s Basketball Team, the Lady Cats, recently clinched the NCCAA title as national champs on March 18, 2023.
“The College has a wonderful story to share,” said Dr. Eric Bolger, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College. “This story is grounded in Jesus Christ. It includes values of hard work, engaged citizenship, and the life of faith. The College desires to pursue good and share that good with others, including through intercollegiate athletics. We are excited to once again be members of the NAIA.”