One man is dead following a crash along Crenshaw and Ridgecrest.
Authorities say 35-year-old Andrew Hendrix was driving northbound on Crenshaw Friday afternoon around 12:30pm when his black Chevy Corvette when off the road and hit a tree.
Following the collision, the car caught fire. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The exact cause of the crash, as well as the cause of Hendrix’s death, are still under investigation.
The family has been notified of the death. It is the sixth fatal car crash in Springfield in 2024.
The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office is searching for possible suspects after an ATM in Urbana was broken into and cash was stolen.
Investigators say the break-in happened at OakStar Bank along Highway 65 early Monday morning, between 5:00 and 6:00 am.
According to deputies, the truck that was used in the burglary was also reported stolen from a resident in Preston, MO, a small village in Hickory County.
Information about the case is limited at this time, and we’ll continue to update this story with more as evidence begins to come in.
The Emergency Department at Mercy Hospital in Springfield remained open Sunday despite police responding to a man who shot himself outside the main entrance.
Mercy released a statement thanking their security team, care providers, and the Springfield Police Department for quickly securing the scene, and ensuring patient care was not interrupted.
Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms will be possible over the Ozarks Monday night through Tuesday evening.
A strong cap will initially be in place, with most of the area staying dry.
Parts of central Missouri will have the best chance of getting storms Monday evening.
All of the Ozarks is under a level 2 “slight risk” for severe weather for Tuesday.
Any storms that do form will be capable of producing hail up to the size of golf balls and damaging wind gusts. There’s a low chance of a brief tornado.
We’ll have any watches or warnings issued by the National Weather Service on 93-3 and A-M 560 KWTO.
The City of Springfield’s pedestrian safety program SGF Yields says driver compliance at crosswalks has gone down since 2023.
In 2023, compliance was at 51-percent and it had decreased to 49-percent in the first quarter of this year.
Springfield Police and SGF Yields are planning an increased enforcement at designated crosswalks.
Here is the complete news release from the City of Springfield.
Driver compliance at crosswalks continues to fall, Police preparing for new waves of enforcement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Courtesy of City of Springfield
The study sites for the first quarter of 2024 include: Grant Avenue north of Talmage Street, Bennett Street at Delaware Avenue, Kimbrough Avenue near Grand Street, Kimbrough Avenue at Bennett Street, Ingram Mill Road at Seneca Street and a mid-block crosswalk on Commercial Street.
“While Springfield has come a long way in crosswalk safety, we are still not where we need to b,” explains Traffic Safety Professional Mandy Buettgen-Quinn. “Drivers should be stopping 100% of the time when a pedestrian is waiting three feet from a crosswalk – but the reality is, only a little less than half of drivers are giving pedestrians the right-of-way and about half our pedestrian-involved crashes occur in crosswalks. We want pedestrians to stop crossing at random locations, we need to make sure our crosswalks are safe and respected. That is why we are excited to bring back crosswalk enforcement in partnership with the Springfield Police Department.”
Funded through a $21,120 grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation that funds overtime-based enforcement for hazardous moving violations, the Springfield Police Department, in partnership with SGF Yields, will conduct weekly driver Yield Checks at well-marked crosswalk locations. The goal of the exercise is to further increase our local yielding rate at crosswalks through education-focused high-visibility enforcement, making our community more pedestrian friendly.
“Starting April 17, decoy officers will conduct weekly high-visibility crosswalk enforcement. The locations will be announced ahead of time and a ‘crosswalk enforcement ahead’ sign will be placed ahead of the enforcement site,” says Buettgen-Quinn. “For the first four weeks, only warnings will be given out. We give drivers plenty notice, because the Yield Checks’ main objective is to change driver habits through public education. However, unfortunately, some people will not change their ways unless it hits their pocket books.”
How Crosswalk Yield Checks Work
Three police officers will station themselves at a designated crosswalk location for approximately four hours, monitoring for driver compliance. One officer will act as a decoy pedestrian, a second will function as a spotter and a third will be in a patrol car, ready to stop those who do not properly yield to the pedestrian.
Posted signage will alert drivers that they are approaching a Yield Check location. Those who are stopped will be provided a warning and educational materials. After a warning period of a one month, drivers may receive citations for blatant violations. Officers may also address any pedestrians that do not follow regulations and put themselves or others at risk.
The public will be notified of upcoming Crosswalk Yield Check locations in advance via news release and social media. Results of the exercise will also be reported to the public.
Crosswalk Yield Check locations are determined by Springfield Public Works and Springfield Police Department with guidance and input from citizens through the SGF Yields Citizen Action Group.
About Crosswalk Compliance Studies
Quarterly crosswalk assessments have been conducted by Springfield Public Works Traffic Operations division since 2017. Assessments evaluate driver compliance at six crosswalk sites with similar traffic speeds and characteristics. Two locations are studied each quarter as a control group. The remaining sites are selected from each of the four City Council zones. Results from each location are averaged to produce a snapshot of driver compliance across the city.
Springfield’s crosswalk compliance average in 2017 began with only 25% of drivers yielding. Since then, efforts in public education, crosswalk improvements, amendments to local crosswalk regulations and crosswalk enforcement “Yield Checks” have made an impact on local driving habits. Crosswalk improvements included construction of pedestrian refuge medians, raised crosswalks and installation of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) at multiple crosswalks.
Learn more about SGF Yields crosswalk compliance assessments at springfieldmo.gov/sgfyields.
For the first time in more than a decade Sheriff Jim Arnott, is not alone in the Greene County Sheriff’s race.
Former Fair Grove School Resource Officer Ben McMains will run against Arnott in the Republican Primary. McMains announced this decision saying “Something needs to change” and “Citizens of Greene County deserve better”.
That election takes place in August, whoever wins that Primary race will run unopposed in the November General Election.
Missouri State University will soon begin work on a new building that will house the Alumni Association, with the building being named after current MSU President Clif Smart.
The Clifton M. Smart III Advancement Center will be built at the corner of National and Bear Boulevard, across from the Davis-Harrington Welcome Center.
The plan was made possible by a wealth of donations, including a seven-figure pledge by an anonymous donor.
The donation was made in honor of President Smart, who will be stepping down this summer.
The approximately $20 million project will begin in 2025, with hopes it will be completed by the summer of 2026.
Smart said Friday, “I was stunned to learn someone had given an anonymous lead gift to name the advancement center in my honor. I have loved being president of this university and am so pleased my name will be forever associated with it. Thank you.”
Three teenagers are now being committed to the State Division of Youth Services after they allegedly assaulted another teen at Hickory Hills Middle School.
In late January, Derick Moore received a call that his 14-year-old daughter Preslee had been injured after three other girls physically assaulted her in the school’s gymnasium.
Reports say the girls “blindsided” her, pushing her down and stomping on her head and neck.
Preslee was rushed to a Springfield hospital and was treated for a severe concussion, hemorrhaging of her eye, and an orbital fracture of her skull.
The three girls were each held during the ensuing investigation. Two were held in Greene County, while a third was held in Christian County.
Earlier this week, they were sent to the State Division of Youth Services, the most severe punishment for a minor, outside of being tried as an adult.
The girls will be at the facility for an unspecified amount of time. They will not be convicted of any charges, and if they complete the program and stay out of trouble, they will have no criminal record as adults.
After a warm and dry weekend with temps reaching into the 80’s across southwest Missouri, the National Weather Service says confidence is increasing in an active weather pattern for the start of next week.
Forecasters say severe thunderstorm chances return Monday night and Tuesday, with additional rounds of storms possible through mid-week.
What’s still unknown is the exact track of the system, as well as exact timing and potential weather hazards.
We’ll keep you up to date with the changing forecast and the latest on any severe weather threats on 93-3 and A-M 560 KWTO.
