Month: January 2025

After 22 years in business, a staple in downtown Springfield is closing.

According to a post on the Ernie Biggs Facebook group, this weekend will be the final one before the piano bar closes for the foreseeable future. The post mentions the closure is due to financial challenges. It’s the second major bar downtown to announce its closing, with the first being Tropical Liqueurs.

The venue on South Avenue was known for its musical act involving two dueling pianists playing lively music. The business says it’s deeply grateful for the love and support it’s been shown over the years.

The owners of a Springfield-based chain of convenience stores are suing the city of Springfield.

The lawsuit says the city of Springfield denied Rapid Robert’s renewal of their business and liquor license because the convenience stores have video gaming machines, which are banned by the city code.

Rapid Roberts says they meet all the qualifications for the renewal of their business and liquor license and that the city’s refusal to renew them is unlawful.

Springfield Police have arrested a suspect in an armed robbery at a bank Thursday afternoon.

Police say a man with a weapon entered the O’Bannon Bank on East Sunshine around 2 pm Thursday and demanded cash.

The suspect left on foot with an undisclosed amount of money.

There were no customers in the bank at the time.

Officers apprehended the suspect around 5 PM at the intersection of National and Kearney.

The investigation is ongoing.

The owners of a Springfield-based chain of convenience stores are suing the City of Springfield.

The lawsuit says the City of Springfield denied Rapid Robert’s renewal of their business and liquor license because the convenience stores have video gaming machines which are banned by the city code.

Rapid Roberts says they meet all the qualifications for the renewal of their business and liquor license and that the city’s refusal to renew them is unlawful.

Greene County sheriff’s deputies have received upgrades to their vehicles.

The vehicles are now equipped with vehicle safety gateway technology. The technology alerts deputies when their patrol vehicles might cross and helps them be aware of nearby patrol cars when responding to emergencies.

The equipment can also alert the public of the location of patrol vehicles via navigation apps like Apple Maps, Maze, and Stellantis.

The annual Everyone Counts campaign is underway.

The campaign is a three-day effort to count the number of homeless in Greene, Christian, and Webster counties. The count is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The campaign also helps local organizations connect with unsheltered people and provide them supplies and services.

Bolivar Police Chief Mark Webb is retiring. Webb says his final day with the Bolivar Police Department will be February 14th.

Webb has been police chief in Bolivar for 11 years and has been in law enforcement for 45 years. Webb is a native of Springfield.

He worked for the Springfield Police Department for 27 years as a patrol officer, investigator, and leader of the department’s gang unit and drug task force.

A man is dead and another hospitalized with serious injuries after a two-vehicle crash in Newton County.

The Highway Patrol says a 57-year-old man from Fairview was attempting to pass a car in his jeep on Missouri 86.

The jeep struck the car, ran off the left side of the road and overturned throwing the driver from the jeep.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the car was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries.