Governor Mike Parson has signed an executive order to prepare for winter weather expected in Missouri this weekend.
Governor Parson’s order suspends the regulations of hours for commercial vehicles that transport residential heating fuels.
The executive order also activates the Missouri National Guard for response efforts.
The executive order will expire on January 26 unless it has to be extended.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM until noon Friday for central and southern Missouri.
The Weather Service says there is a possibility of an inch of snow accumulation, high winds, and ice that might freeze on wet pavement causing hazardous travel conditions.
Use caution on your Friday morning commute.
The weather continues to change here in southwest Missouri, and this weekend will be no different.
Weather experts are predicting that temperatures on Friday will fall into the low 20’s to high-teens.
According to the National Weather Service, snowfall could also be seen in Springfield Friday, but will be less than an inch.
An inch to two inches of snowfall could accumulate further north into Lake of the Ozarks and Central Missouri.
There is also a chance of snow Sunday afternoon and evening, but the exact amounts are limited.
The Ozark Empire Fairgrounds is welcoming people to its newest attraction, the Wilson Logistics Arena.
On Thursday, officials at the fairgrounds held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the $25 million facility.
The venue will hold concerts, trade shows, and other events. Most notably, it will be home to the Ozarks Lunkers, the Springfield-based Arena League team coming to town next year.
The ceremony was held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. but the festivities don’t end there.
A grand opening party will take place tonight, highlighted by a concert performed by country music star Russell Dickerson beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Snapshots from the ceremony can be found below:
After months of controversy, a developer in Springfield is withdrawing their zoning request for a project at the corner of National and Sunshine.
City officials say BK&M withdrew the rezoning earlier this week. Specific reasons have not been released.
Spokespeople for the company do say, however, they plan on filing a Planned Development in the future.
A statement from the City of Springfield describing the difference between rezoning and Planned Development reads as such:
“A planned development differs from rezoning to a conventional zoning district because a site plan, and accompanying set of development standards, are used to direct development of the property. During the weeks following application deadline, City staff does an in-depth evaluation of the request, evaluating the request based on the impact on the community as a whole, and not on the special interests of the property owner, and how well the application addresses policies from the comprehensive plan and/or City ordinances. Based upon this evaluation, staff prepares a report and recommendation to the Planning and Zoning Commission.”
A timetable for when the application for the new request will be filed has not been released.
Officers in Springfield are searching for a suspect accused of stealing from a restaurant located on East Sunshine.
Investigators say the man was caught on video taking items from La Paloma on October 20 of last year, which included digging through dumpsters outside the restaurant.
He was seen driving a white pickup truck on the footage while committing the burglary.
If you have any information, contact Springfield Police or call Crime Stoppers at (417) 864-1755.
With the snow that fell in the Ozarks on Tuesday, a number of districts have called off classes again on Wednesday.
Here’s the list of public schools closed in southwest Missouri:
Camdenton
Climax Springs (AMI Day #2)
Cole Camp
Crocker
Dallas County R-1 (AMI Day #2)
Dent-Phelps
Dixon
Fordland
Green Forest (MO) R-2
Hermitage
Hickory County R-1-Skyline
Houston (closed due to weather/illnesses)
Humansville (AMI Day #2)
Laquey
Licking
Macks Creek
Marshfield
Newburg
Niangua
North Wood R-4
Oak Hill R-1
Phelps County R-3
Plato
Richland
Rolla
Salem, MO
Seymour
Stoutland
Success
Swedeborg
Warsaw (AMI Day #2)
Waynesville (Virtual Learning Wednesday)
Weableau (AMI Weather Day #2)
Wheatland
A pedestrian in Springfield is being evaluated at an area hospital after being hit by a car at a busy intersection.
First responders were called to West Bypass and Sunshine Tuesday afternoon, where the pedestrian was sitting in the roadway.
According to witnesses, the pedestrian attempted to cross the road southbound at a red light and was hit by a car going eastbound.
The pedestrian was evaluated at the scene and taken by ambulance to the hospital. Reports say they suffered non-life threatening injuries.
A man from Marionville is in custody, accused of abusing a less than one-year-old baby and having sex with a minor.
Investigators say 23-year-old Zachary Bridwell was arrested on January 4 after a call was made by the Missouri Department of Social Services.
DSS called Aurora-Marionville PD after a six-month-old infant was admitted to the hospital with serious injuries, including bruising on her neck, head, jaw, legs, and ribs.
She had also suffered a stroke from a blood clot that was caused, allegedly, from Shaken Baby Syndrome. That blood clot was removed during emergency surgery after the infant was admitted.
Officers interviewed Bridwell, as well as the child’s mother, who they discovered was underage.
Bridwell admitted to having a sexual relationship with the minor, and also confessed to hurting the child.
He claimed to be possessed by “a spurt of blood rage” and that he only meant to hurt the baby, not kill her.
Bridwell is facing charges of first-degree assault, sexual exploitation of a minor, abuse of neglect of a child, and second-degree statutory rape.
A wintry mix will transition to snow through the day on Tuesday, bringing one to three inches of snow and slushy accumulations on roadways in the Ozarks.
Areas across south central Missouri may see little to no snow accumulations.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for much of southwest Missouri through 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The National Weather Service says minor to locally moderate road impacts are expected, especially along and north of I-44.
These impacts may linger into Wednesday morning.
Precipitation should generally be all snow by 12-2 p.m. and clear by 6-8 p.m.
Roads in the Ozarks are mainly just wet Tuesday morning, but may become snow covered for the afternoon commute.
Stay tuned to 93-3 and A-M 560 for the latest forecast information and local news updates on our first accumulating snow of the winter.