Month: August 2024

A woman from Billings is dead following a car crash near the town over the weekend.

Authorities in Lawrence County say 18-year-old Jaylyn Bourne-Padilla was driving westbound on Highway 14 near Billings early Saturday morning, August 3, when the vehicle went off the side of the road and hit a tree.

She was rushed to CoxSouth Hospital in Springfield, where she later died of her injuries.

Highway Patrol Troopers investigated the crash. It is the 56th fatality for MSHP Troop D this year.

A man from Springfield is dead, and an investigation is underway, after the man was hit by a car while walking.

Springfield Police say 33-year-old John Slaner was walking near the intersection of Hayes Avenue and Blaine Street in northeast Springfield on July 13 when he was hit by an unknown vehicle.

Officers found him unresponsive at the scene, and rushed him to a local hospital for medical care.

Authorities say Slaner died of his injuries on Saturday, August 3.

The circumstances of the crash are still being investigated, including a possible cause and if criminal charges will be filed.

The driver of the vehicle that hit Slaner has not been identified at this time, at least not publicly.

Business and community leaders throughout the Ozarks are mourning the death of Springfield attorney and businessman Sam Hamra, who died on Friday at the age of 92.

Hama opened the first Wendy’s in Springfield on west Sunshine back in 1976, and Hamra Enterprises owns and runs more than 150 restaurants and other projects across the state.

Hamra’s son, Mike Hamra, who is a Democrat candidate for Missouri Governor, shared word of his father’s death on Facebook Saturday. “He loved his family deeply and cherished and appreciated any time that he could spend in enjoying life with them,” Hamra said.
He loved southwest Missouri and worked to contribute back to the Springfield area.

Springfield Mayor Ken McClure, who awarded Sam Hamra with the Key to the City in 2022, called Hamra “a community builder who expressed his love for southwest Missouri by continually contributing to the Springfield area.” McClure said “Sam was one-of-a-kind and made an impact on so many aspects of Springfield.”

Hamra was named “Springfieldian of the Year” on January 26, 2018.

Two men from Purdy are in custody after an investigation into a drug trafficking operation led to their arrest.

Investigators say 67-year-old Dennis McMullen and 61-year-old Ronald Green were found inside a home during a search warrant where a large amount of cocaine, as well as fentanyl, were found inside the house.

There was also an eight-year-old girl inside the home at the time the search warrant was executed.

McMullen is charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, first-degree drug trafficking, possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Green is facing a single charge, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

Both men have confessed to multiple crimes in the case, and are being held in the Stone County Jail.

Greene County Clerk Shane Scholler has announced changes in two polling places in the upcoming August 6 election.

Voters in the North Republic B precinct will go to the Christ Community Church on Farm Road 115 at Brookline Station to vote.

Voters in the Taylor precinct will go to the Sunshine Baptist Church on Sunshine Terrace.

The changes are due to location availability and redistricting.

Voters in those precincts will receive at notice from the County Clerks Office.

Missouri’s Secretary of State, Jay Ashcroft, is suing President Joe Biden over a recent executive order that attempts to expand voter registration and access to election information.

Ashcroft filed the suit this week, claiming Biden’s executive order undermines state government, and should be considered federal overreach.

In a statement, Ashcroft said, “Missouri has a robust and effective election system in place, and it is the responsibility of the states, not the federal government, to manage voter registration and election procedures. This executive order undermines state sovereignty and threatens the integrity of our elections. This legal action is not about partisan politics; it is about maintaining the balance of power between the states and the federal government as intended by our Founding Fathers.”

The son of former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, Jay is in his second term as Missouri Secretary of State. He is in the midst of a campaign to be the state’s next Governor, replacing outgoing Governor Mike Parson.

Tax Free Weekend is coming up in Missouri this weekend.

All counties in the state will be participating in the tax free weekend, which runs from Friday, August 2nd, to Sunday, August 4th.

During tax free weekend, clothing, personal computers, and general school supplies will be exempt from sales tax.