Month: January 2025

Today marks the first day of the 2025 Missouri legislative session in Jefferson City.

Day one revolves around calling the session to order. Governor-Elect Mike Kehoe has told lawmakers he’d like to see the, focus on a wide-ranging anti-crime bill, workforce and childcare issues, and education. Legislators are also expected to work on changes to the income tax, and taking a closer look at the recently passed Amendment Three which legalizes abortion in Missouri.

Session will come to a close on Friday, May 16th.

One of Springfield’s oldest manufacturing plants has announced plans for layoffs.

Timken Belts notified the state labor leaders Tuesday that it plans to permanently cut almost 100 jobs within the next few months.

Timken manufactures industrial belts and currently employs 475 people.

The factory was originally known as Dayco.

Timken Belts took over the factory in 2015.

The City of Mansfield has lifted a boil order that has been in effect for almost a week.

The boil order was issued after a well pump failed and so did a backup pump on New Year’s Day.

The city says it lifted the boil order Tuesday after water test from D-N-R came back clear.

Camdenton R-III

Climax Springs R-IV  (AMI Day #2)

Crocker R-II

Dallas County R-I  (AMI Day #2)

Dent-Phelps R-III

Dixon R-I

Eminence R-I (AMI Day #3)

Gasconade C-4 (AMI Day #2)

Green Forest R-II – MO

Hermitage

Hickory County R-1 Skyline

Iberia R-V

Lakeland R-3 Deepwater

Laquey R-5

Lebanon R-3  (AMI Day 3)

Newburg

Osceola Public Schools  (AMI Day 1)

Phelps County R-3

Plato

Richland R-IV (AMI Day #3)

Rolla

Salem

School of the Osage  (Virtual Learning Day)

Stoutland

St James R-I

Success

Swedeborg

Warsaw R-IX (AMI Day #2)

Waynesville

Weaubleau

Wheatland R-II

Flu cases have nearly doubled in Greene County, and it’s caused both Mercy and Cox Health to restrict visitors to their NICU units. Both hospitals say they are only allowing visitors 14 and older for now to protect their patients.

New numbers from the Springfield-Greene County Health Department show the number of flu cases jumped to 397 the week before Christmas, with more than 750 cases reported overall this flu season.

The March of Dimes says children younger than two years old are more likely to have complications from the flu, with babies who are born preterm also at increased risk for complications.

Snow and ice-covered secondary roads in the Ozarks have forced a number of schools to call off classes on Tuesday.

Here’s the list of southwest Missouri public schools and colleges not in session Tuesday:

Ava

Camdenton

Climax Springs (AMI Day #1)

Cole Camp

Crocker

Dallas County R-1 (AMI Day #1)

Dent-Phelps

Dixon

El Dorado Springs

Eminence (AMI Day #2)

Fair Grove (AMI Day #1)

Fordland

Gasconade C-4 (AMI Day #1)

Halfway

Hermitage

Hickory County R-1 (Skyline)

Houston

Humansville (AMI Day #1)

Iberia

Laclede County (Joel E. Barber) (This day will be made up January 17)

Licking

Logan-Rogersville (AMI Day #2)

Macks Creek

Manes (AMI Day #1)

Mansfield

Marshfield

Newburg

Niangua

North Wood R-4

Northeast Vernon County

Norwood

Oak Hill R-1

Osceola

Phelps County R-3

Plainview

Plato (Daycare closed)

Pleasant Hope

Raymondville R-7

Richland (AMI Day #2)

Rolla

Roscoe

Salem, MO

School of the Osage (Virtual Learning Day)

Seymour

Southwest Baptist University-Salem

Sparta

Stoutland

Strafford (AMI Day #1)

Success

Swedeborg

Texas County Technical College (Delayed Tuesday 1 Hour–9am start)

Warsaw (AMI Day #1)

Waynesville (Virtual Learning Tuesday)

Weableau (AMI Day #1)

Wheatland

 

A scary situation played out Sunday evening at the Aurora Police and Fire facility when a man entered the lobby armed with a gun.

Authorities say the man, who’s from Aurora, placed the gun to his head and then pointed it at Aurora-Marionville police officers numerous times. The man repeatedly asked officers to shoot him.

When officers had the opportunity to make a move, they successfully deployed a Taser on the man, and after a brief struggle, he was taken into custody. The man was taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries and faces numerous felony charges.

Beginning tomorrow, KWTO’s morning show, Wake-Up Springfield, becomes Wake Up Missouri.

Don Louzader will continue to have the local news, sports, and traffic reports you’ve come to expect, and Randy Tobler and Stephanie Bell will keep you up to date with the latest news, analysis, and opinion throughout the show.

Wake-Up Missouri runs from 6am-9am on 93.3FM and AM560 KWTO.

The winter storm that blanketed the Ozarks and much of Missouri over the weekend is gone, but our coldest weather of the season remains in place for a couple of more days.

Wind chill readings as low as 5 to 10 degrees below zero prompted the National Weather Service to issue a Cold Weather Advisory for Springfield and areas west of Highway 65 through 10am Monday.

Springfield officially received 1.2 inches of snow, while Kansas City had 11.6 inches on the ground, and the Columbia area got 5 inches of snow, but a slot more sleet.

Parts of northern Missouri, including Cameron and Saint Joseph, picked up 13 inches of snow.

Some areas north and east of Springfield had more than a half inch of ice, downing trees.

A number of power outages remain across the state. Get information on power outages in the Ozarks and statewide here.

Road conditions are improving in the Springfield area and points south, but many roads in the central and northern parts of Missouri are still snow and ice covered. Get statewide road conditions here with the MoDOT Traveler Information Map.

The cold temps will remain with us through midweek as we don’t warm above freezing until Thursday.