News

Another Greene County, Missouri resident has died of COVID-19.  The Springfield-Greene County Health Department said the latest fatality was a woman in her 80s.  She was not in long term care.

That brings the total number of Greene County residents who have died of the illness to 430.

The health department urges people to continue to wear masks, social distance and wash their hands often.  You can find COVID-19 vaccine information at vaccine417.com or by calling 417-874-1211.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri House has passed legislation to crack down on protesters who block roadways. The Republican-led House voted 98-50 to pass the bill. The legislation would make repeatedly blocking traffic a felony. The tactic is often used to draw attention to racial injustice. Protesters angered by the death of George Floyd blocked traffic on Interstate 70 in the St. Louis area last summer.

City officials in Springfield and local health professionals continue to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. 

The number of people seeking the vaccine has dropped by 43 percent since April 9, according to the Springfield-Greene County Health Department at a press briefing Tuesday.  As of Tuesday morning, 33 percent of Greene County residents 16 and older had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

A steady supply of the Pfizer vaccine is allowing Mercy to offer walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations, according to the health system.  The vaccines are available at 4520 S. National Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  You can also make an appointment by going to mercy.net/MOVaccine.

Vaccines are also available through Mercy at various sites around the Ozarks.

Springfield City Council voted unanimously Monday night to amend city ordinance to remove requirements to wear face masks outdoors except for gatherings of more than 500 where people are less than six feet from one another. 

The decision comes after the CDC last week announced new guidelines that said it’s safe to unmask outdoors if you’re vaccinated.  The agency also declared it was safe for unvaccinated people to participate in outdoor, unmasked activities with members of one’s household or other fully vaccinated people. 

The host of KSMU’s long running bluegrass program, Seldom Heard Music, is featured this month in a national music magazine.  The article about Mike Smith, titled, “Mike Smith, A Music Seldom Heard,” was written by Dale McCurry with editing by Bambi Grinder, cofounders of Noteworthy Music.  It’s in this month’s issue of Bluegrass Unlimited, established in 1966 and now a publication of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Legislature is the latest statehouse fighting to undo voter-backed ballot measures. Missouri's GOP-led Senate this past week voted against paying for voter-approved Medicaid expansion. The battle between Missouri lawmakers and voters is just one example of pushback to direct democracy. The purpose of ballot initiatives is to let voters address issues that lawmakers don't act on.

Fewer people are getting the COVID-19 vaccine in southwest Missouri.  And area public health departments hope to increase the number of people who are getting their shots through a new initiative.

Cara Erwin, spokesperson for the Springfield-Greene County Health Department said they’re working with other health departments in the 417 region on the initiative, called Vaccine Champions.

Severe weather is a possibility, mainly from 6 p.m. to midnight, according to the National Weather Service office in Springfield.  Any storms that can develop this afternoon could also become severe, it warns.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Springfield nursing assistant has been charged with sexually abusing a 75-year-old bed-bound patient.

CARTHAGE, Mo. (AP) — A gathering that traditionally has drawn tens of thousands of Vietnamese Catholics from across the U.S. to southwest Missouri has been canceled for a second straight year because of the pandemic.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Springfield police have relaxed policies on marijuana and tattoos to bolster recruiting and fill vacancies.