Month: December 2024

A Springfield man has been sentenced to 4 years in prison for stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise from Harbor Freight.

Timothy Rable stole more than 12-thousand dollars worth of items from Harbor Freight in September and October. All of the thefts were caught on camera.

Springfield police say Rable was a suspect or person of interest in more than 15 thefts between April 2023 and October of 2024.

Nixa Police are looking for a man who struck a bicyclist Monday night.

A witness told Nixa Police that the bicyclist was crossing Scott Wayne Street when he was struck by a blue minivan.

The witness and the driver helped to bicyclist to his home, but the minivan driver left when the ambulance was called.

The driver is described as a white male with dark hair between 17 – 20 years of age.

If you have any information, you are asked to contact the Nixa Police.

A Phelps County man has been charged in the death of an infant in 2023.

Phelps County Deputies arrested 25-year-old Caleb Gorman of Salem Tuesday.

He is charged with one felony count of abuse or neglect of a child – resulting in death.

Investigators say his 14-month-old baby died on Fentanyl poisoning.

Gorman is being held in the Phelps County Jail with no bond.

(Photo courtesy of the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department)

Demolition has begun to make way for Missouri State University’s new Performing Arts Complex.

The Judith Enyeart Reynolds Performing Arts Complex is expected to be completed in the spring or summer of 2026. Tim Reynolds and the C.W. Titus Foundation donated about 17 and a half million dollars for the project.

That was matched by an appropriation from the state legislature. The new complex will include acting and dance studios, and a modernized black box theater space.

The next step is official, as the City of Springfield and the Springfield City Council work to bring professional soccer to the Ozarks.

City officials say that the council unanimously voted Monday night to sign a letter of intent with the USL, or United Soccer League, for negotiations to begin for the process of placing both men’s and women’s professional teams in the Springfield market.

During the meeting Monday, the council also agreed on a formal announcement, which will be held this afternoon, December 17, at 2:00pm at the intersection of National Avenue and Traffickway Street, which is the location of the proposed stadium the teams would play in.

The next part of the process will now include a viability study by the City of Springfield to determine the chances of professional soccer being successful in the area. The cost of the study may be shared by the USL, according the Springfield City Council.

Considerations are also being made for a joint agreement with the league and the city for the purpose of creating a multi-purpose sports complex for the team’s to play in, as well as the ability to host other events.

Following the announcement, Amanda Ohlensehlen, Director of Economic Vitality and Workforce Department in Springfield said, “We believe this partnership could elevate Springfield’s sports landscape, provide new entertainment options, and drive significant economic and community benefits.”

Showers and thunderstorms pushed through the Ozarks early this morning, dumping several inches of rain in some spots.

The National Weather Service says more than three inches fell east of Ozark, with three and a half inches near Sparta.

There were several water rescues, including one along Highway Z south of Fordland and another off Webster County Road 557 and Highway T-T.

Fire has destroyed a house in Springfield. The home in the 2200 block of North Weller Avenue was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on the scene Sunday.

Firefighters say the roof had already collapsed and fire was coming out of all of the doors and windows. No one was in the house at the time and there were no injuries. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The Public Works Department tore down what was left of the house for safety reasons.