News

Two more Taney County residents have died of COVID-19.  They're related to the nursing home cases the Taney County Health Department reported on August 5.  The total number of deaths in the county from COVID-19 is five.

As of August 3, a total of 72 cases had been confirmed in four facilities, according to the health department.

Cox College's learning model will look different when classes start back up on August 17.

The college’s curriculum will be delivered in a hybrid model of in-person and virtual classes, according to a news release.  The goal, it said, is to keep students off-campus “when appropriate.”

When students arrive on campus, they’ll be required to undergo a screening for COVID-19 symptoms and get a temperature check.  They’ll also be required to wear masks.

Greene County now has 14 deaths from COVID-19.  The Springfield-Greene County Health Department says a women in her 80s who was immunocompromised is the latest in the county to die of the illness caused by the coronavirus. 

This is the third COVID-19 death in Greene County in August.

As of Friday morning, there were 588 cases of COVID-19 in the county.  There were 60 people hospitalized with the illness, and 13 of those were in ICU.

The City of Springfield is planning intersection and traffic calming improvements in the Cherry and Pickwick area.  And it’s asking for public feedback.

The planned improvements will be along Cherry Street from Fremont on the west to the railroad crossing on the east.  The project design includes what are called “bulb-outs”—extensions of the curbline into the roadway.  They are intended to narrow the street, which will force traffic to slow down, according to the city.  But they’ll also reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians and provide more greenspace.

Burrell Behavioral Health is expanding services to Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield youth and families.  Burrell signed a memorandum of understanding this week with the Boys & Girls Clubs to include clinical behavioral health services.  A licensed Burrell clinician will now be located on-site at the Musgrave and Fremont units to provide individual and group therapy sessions, according to the Boys & Girls Clubs Facebook page.

Another Greene County resident has died of COVID-19.  According to the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, the latest death was a woman in her 80s who was immunocompromised. 

There’s now a total of 13 deaths related to COVID-19 in Greene County.

When classes resume in Springfield Public Schools August 24, students will only go in-person two days a week because of the pandemic.  And some parents have opted to go to all virtual learning.  A local healthcare system is going to offer its employees a place where their kids can continue to learn while they go to work. 

CoxHealth’s Meyer Center will close its doors at the end of the business day Wednesday, August 12. And, when it reopens, it will be as a student care program for children of Cox employees.

There are 70 cases of COVID-19 associated with four nursing homes in Taney County.

According to the Taney County Health Department, residents and family members have been notified of the positive cases.

As of Tuesday at 3 p.m. there were 32 cases of COVID-19 at Point Lookout Nursing and Rehab, 34 at Shepherd of the Hills Living Center, three at Forsyth Nursing & Rehab and one at Lakeside Mountain Manor.

Springfield voters have agreed to impose a 5,000 dollar annual fee on short-term lending businesses, commonly referred to as payday lenders. 

Critics of "payday," or "title" loans say they prey on the poor and reinforce the cycle of poverty. A task force recommended the annual fee to Springfield City Council earlier.

The issue was posed to Springfield voters as "Question 1" on Tuesday, and nearly 57 percent said "yes" to imposing the fee on payday lenders.