Month: March 2024

Super Bowl hero Mecole Hardman, Junior will share about his life, challenges and how he found success as a way to inspire others to follow their dreams at the Aetos Center in Nixa next month.

Hardman, who caught the Super Bowl-winning touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes in overtime, will appear in the Meridian Title Performance Hall at Aetos Center on Sunday, April 21st at 7 p.m.

The event is also a fundraiser for Care to Learn, and proceeds from the evening will go to help meet the health, hunger and hygiene needs of local students.

VIP tickets that include an after party at 14 Mill Market are $175. Regular floor seats are $75. Balcony seats are $50.

Presale access will start on Thursday, March 7th.

General public access begins at noon on Friday, March 8th.

Tickets and information will be available at www.aetoscenter.net.

Officials with the Springfield Police Department are attempting to find new ways to attract officers to fill several vacancies.

At a city council meeting last Monday, SPD Chief Paul Williams said the department has 57 openings.

He told the council they are creating hiring incentives as a new recruiting tool to bring people in. $5,000 for new officers, $10,000 for experienced officers.

The 57 openings are more than twice the national average for a department, something Williams hopes will be fully addressed in the next couple of years.

He also mentioned potential student loan reimbursement for officers that are facing higher education debt.

With all of these ideas being discussed or being put into action, Williams still says he is looking for high-quality people for the department, and that the standards of SPD will not change.

After months of searching, interviews, tours, and open forums, the Missouri State Board of Governors has found its next university president.

Richard “Biff” Williams was revealed as the choice Monday morning in a news release from Lynn Parman, the chair of the Board of Governors at MSU.

He has over 25 years of experience in higher education, including the past decade as president of Utah Tech University from 2014-2024.

Williams also spent time at two other Missouri Valley schools, he was provost and vice president of academic affairs at Indiana State University. Previously, he was an associate dean for the Northern Iowa University College of Education.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in lifestyle management from Weber State, got his master’s in athletic training from Indiana State, and earned his PhD in curriculum and instruction from New Mexico State.

Williams was also a finalist to be president of New Mexico State.

He will succeed current MSU president Clif Smart, who announced his retirement in September of last year.

The official press release from Missouri State University can be found here.

A house fire near Rolla Saturday night has claimed the lives of three people.

The Phelps County Sheriff’s Department says an off-duty deputy, who lived near the house, responded to the fire call, and noticed a young boy outside.

The deputy attended to the boy until paramedics arrived.

Crews from several area fire departments responded but were unable to get inside because the house was fully engulfed.

The names of the victims have not been released. The fire is under investigation.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has been asked to investigate a death at the Howell County Jail last weekend.

The Howell County Sheriff’s Office says Angela Brown was arrested around 3:45 PM Saturday afternoon for possession of a controlled substance.

She died around 5:30 pm after arriving.

The Highway Patrol has asked for a toxicology report.

A man is dead after a single-car crash north of Branson Friday night.

The Highway Patrol says a car driven by 35-year-old Jarred Napper of Lebanon ran off Missouri 76, striking several trees before overturning.

He was pronounced at the scene.

The Republican Primary Caucuses in Missouri have been called with Donald Trump receiving a wide majority of the votes. Trump won 100% of the delegates in Greene County and Christian County

The former President has won every state that has held a primary thus far, and said in a Truth Social post “Thank You Missouri! Together, we are going to make America Great Again”. This is one of the final contests before “Super-Tuesday” on March 5th.

Silver Dollar City will be welcoming its newest ride, albeit a familiar one, later this month with a celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

SDC officials say the grand opening of the new Fire in the Hole will take place on March 30 beginning at 9:45 a.m. with a ceremonial “trip down the tracks”.

A ribbon-cutting will also take place by the mayor of Silver Dollar City, Brad Thomas.

The ride will be located inside, featuring three drops, LED displays and enhanced audio for an immersive experience, as well as a water splashdown at the end of the trip.

Spokespeople for the park say it is the largest investment into a single attraction in SDC history, costing an estimated $30 million.

The 2024 season for Silver Dollar City opens on March 9.

For registered Republican voters in Missouri, Saturday is a big opportunity to help determine who the GOP nominee will be in the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election.

Saturday, March 2, is the Republican Presidential Caucus for the state, the first since 2012, where each county will vote for their respective nominee.

Voting will open in person at 8:00 a.m. and remain open until midnight Saturday night at polling locations statewide.

A list of a few polling locations can be found below:

• Greene County: Oasis Convention Center, 2546 North Glenstone, Springfield, MO
• Christian County: Ozark Junior High, 1109 West Jackson, Ozark, MO
• Lawrence County: The MARC, 822 West Mt. Vernon, Mount Vernon, MO
• Dade County: Dade County Courthouse, 300 East Water Street, Greenfield, MO
• Polk County: Polk County Courthouse, 102 East Broadway, Bolivar, MO
• Dallas County: Shewmaker Center, 500 West Main, Buffalo, MO
• Webster County: Seymour High School (Gymnasium), 625 East Clinton, Seymour, MO

A full list of county polling locations statewide can be found here.

Anglers lined the banks of Missouri’s three state trout parks long before daylight Friday for the opening day of the state’s catch-and-keep trout fishing season.

The opening horn sounded at 6:30 a.m. Friday at Roaring River State Park in Cassville, Benett Spring State Park near Lebanon, and Montauk State Park near Salem.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources says trout park campgrounds, lodging and restaurants will be busy this weekend, and visitors should come prepared with water and snacks.

Missouri residents ages 16 to 64 and nonresidents ages 16 and older are required to purchase a fishing permit and a daily trout tag.

A resident fishing permit is $13 for a year and daily permits are $8.

The daily limit is four trout.