News

City Utilities is asking everyone who uses its properties around Springfield for recreation to follow the CDC’s guidelines and stay six feet from other people.

According to a news release from CU, a lot of people have been visiting Fellows Lake and McDaniel Lake for fishing and other forms of recreation. 

Missouri is moving forward with its first alternate care site for COVID-19 patients, according to Governor Mike Parson.  In his Wednesday press briefing, Parson said a hotel in Florissant, in the St. Louis region, is being converted to a care facility and could be used as early as next week if needed.

He said the care site will assist hospitals in the St. Louis region treating an increased number of COVID-19 cases.

The Missouri National Guard was on-site Wednesday to start the preconstruction process, and construction is expected to begin this weekend. 

The Springfield Regional Arts Council has published an "Update on Artsfest 2020" at https://www.springfieldarts.org/index.php/Artsfest.  It reads in part:

Missouri State University Tent Theatre was preparing for their 58th consecutive season of plays and musicals performed in the big tent erected every spring behind Craig Hall by the MSU Theatre and Dance Department.  
However, due to the Coronavirus, it was announced that "with heavy hearts, but sincere optimism for the future, Tent Theatre announces the cancellation of its 2020 summer season scheduled for June 10-July 18."
The "Note To Our Audience," published at https://tenttheatre.missouristate.edu, continues:

The Greene County Clerk, Shane Schoeller, is reminding residents that although the date for the general municipal elections changed to June 2, the deadline for voters to register for the August Statewide Primary election remains the same.

The deadline to register to vote in the August primary election is July 8.  Registering and updating your information can be done on the Greene County Clerk’s website. You can also print the form off and mail it in to the clerk’s office.

As COVID-19 continues to spread, healthcare workers fighting the outbreak are facing extraordinary circumstances that could take a toll on their mental health. Burrell Behavioral Health is offering those workers free resources to get through the crisis.

The City of West Plains is waiving late fees for people having trouble paying their utility bills.

Because of COVID-19, the City of West Plains says it’s making it a point  to work with individuals and their personal situations.

According to a news release, the city has developed an application where residents can request some help, including on late and delinquency fees, suspension of disconnected services, and unique payment options.

When the application has been received, city staff will call to discuss the application and decide on a custom payment plan.

Missouri lawyers are helping to answer legal questions about COVID-19 and its impact during this uncertain time. 

Missouri.FreeLegalAnswers.org is a virtual legal clinic produced by The Missouri bar and the American Bar Association

Springfield-Greene County Health Department director, Clay Goddard, said the stay at home and social distancing measures that are in place seem to be working.

Goddard told Springfield City Council this week that case counts in the county have remained flat.

But he said citizens should continue to stay at home as much as possible.

A vendor error has led to bills being sent by CoxHealth with letterheads for clinics where a patient did not receive treatment.

CoxHealth said in a news release, bills for a variety of CoxHealth clinics were printed on letterhead for Springfield Neurological and Spine Institute, which is a CoxHealth affiliate clinic.  No patient privacy was breached in the error, but Cox officials say there may be confusion for patients when the bills arrive in their mailboxes.

Even through Christmas is still more than eight months away, it will feel like the holidays if you glance at a CoxHealth building after dark soon.

Christmas lights will be turned on at all CoxHealth hospitals in southwest Missouri after volunteer, Marilyn Prosser, suggested it.

Steve Edwards, president and CEO of CoxHealth, says, in this time of uncertainty, the lights signify a sense of joy, hope and faith.  He hopes the lights bring smiles to the community.

They’ll remain on after dark for the foreseeable future. 

Many people taking care of loved ones with Alzheimer’s have a lifeline that they’ve come to rely on: Caregiver support groups. But those meetings have been canceled due to the coronavirus.

Even though they can't meet in person, some group leaders are staying connected with members in other ways, including meeting online. Mark Applegate leads an Alzheimer’s Association support group in Springfield. He said caregivers still need support during this time.

Demand for chicks is up this spring, and it’s likely due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

"When you go to the grocery stores you're finding eggs off the shelves and no chickens to cook, so that's got people with chickens on the mind," said Sean Richardson, a fourth generation owner of Estes Farm Hatchery in Mt. Vernon. 

The major retail stores Estes Farm Hatchery supplies chicks to have extended their buying season, one as long as a month, according to Richardson.

He joked that it’s taken a pandemic to make more people appreciate chickens.