Month: January 2024

Freezing rain will move into the Ozarks late Sunday night and last through Monday morning.

The National Weather Service says ice will accumulate and this will affect the Monday morning commute.

North of Interstate 44, a glaze to .10 inch of ice is expected, with areas along and south of I-44, including the Springfield metro area, expected to have ice accumulations of .10 to .20 inch.

Localized ice amounts near .25 inch are possible southeast of Springfield, which could cause a few power outages, with wind gusts of 25 to 30 miles per hour adding to the problem.

Forecasters say probabilities are greater than 75% that we will see travel impacts, especially on untreated roads and overpasses.

Get road conditions from across the Ozarks and around the state of Missouri here with the MoDOT Traveler Information Map.

The weather service says the wintry weather may start with brief sleet, arriving in the Joplin area as early as 9 p.m. Sunday and in the Springfield and Branson areas by midnight.

The sleet will change over to freezing rain during the overnight hours and continue for most of the morning for the Springfield metro area.

The freezing rain will then change over to all rain Monday as temps rise. This could start as early as 9 a.m. in the Joplin area and around noon in Springfield and Branson, with areas southeast of Springfield like Ava, West Plains and Houston, potentially not seeing a changeover to rain until around 3 p.m.

Click here for the Sunday morning’s winter weather packet from the National Weather Service, with additional information on the Winter Weather Advisory, forecast ice amounts, and probabilities on accumulations.

Keep tuned to 93-3 and A-M 560 KWTO during the morning commute Monday for the latest on the freezing rain, road conditions, school closings and other important winter weather information.

A woman is in critical condition after she was hit by a car walking across an intersection in West Plains.

Investigators say the 26-year-old was crossing the intersection of Porter Wagoner and 7th Street when she was hit.

She was transported to CoxHealth in Springfield with life-threatening injuries.

Authorities at the scene believe the woman was not walking in the designated crosswalk area at the time of the crash.

The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation, which is still ongoing at this time.

A handful of schools in southwest Missouri are closed on Friday due to winter weather.

Here are the public schools in the Ozarks not in session:

Alton

Bakersfield

Couch (AMI Day #4)

Dora

Gainesville

Koshkonong (AMI Day #4)

Lutie

Rolla

Van Buren

The Springfield – Greene County Park Board has named Jim Fisher as Interim Director of Parks.

Fisher will serve as Interim Director until a permanent Director of Parks is named.

Fisher has served as Assistant Director of Administration since 2015.

Fisher has spent nearly 40 years in parks administration.

Fisher is replacing Bob Belote, who is retiring.

The former city clerk of Merriam Woods has pleaded guilty in federal court to a fraud scheme.

According to a Department of Justice news release, 28-year-old Breanna Gamble of Ozark, also known as Breanna Delcour, admitted to forging a signature to purchase a motorcycle using city funds.

She also used the city’s credit cards and bank accounts to make purchases from Amazon, Victoria’s Secret, Ticketmaster, and Reliable Chevrolet.

She pleaded guilty to wire fraud which is subject to up to 20 years in federal prison without parole.

As deputies with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office continue to investigate the circumstances behind an animal abuse case that caused the death of a dog, they are asking for any useful information the public may have.

During a press conference Thursday, Sheriff Jim Arnott said the department is offering a $16,000 reward for information that will lead to an arrest and prosecution of the suspect(s).

Authorities were called to the scene along Farm Road 66 near Fellows Lake on January 11, where a dog was found tied up with numerous injuries, including burn wounds up and down the body.

The animal was taken to a nearby veterinarian, where it died at around 8:00 p.m. that night.

The suspect, if apprehended, could face charges of felony animal abuse and third-degree arson.

If you have any information and are interested in the reward, call the Greene County Sheriff’s Office hotline at (417) 829-6230.

The search for Missouri State University’s next president is coming down to its conclusion, with three finalists being released today.

The university Board of Governors approved three finalists for interviews:

• Dr. John Jasinski, former Northwest Missouri State University president and current MSU Provost
• Dr. Roger Thompson, Vice President of student services and enrollment management at the University of Oregon
• Dr. Richard Williams, President of Utah Tech University

They were chosen from a pool of 48 applicants from across the country.

The three candidates will have interviews on campus beginning in February for a two-day visit at both the Springfield and West Plains campuses.

The decision regarding who will succeed current President Clif Smart will be made shortly after the interviews.

Bakersfield (AMI 4)

Couch (AMI 3)

Dora

Gainesville

Koshkonong (AMI 3)

Lutie

Mountain View-Birch Tree- Liberty

Thornfield

Van Buren

West Plains

Willow Springs

Winona