Josh Conaway

Where most people see the COVID-19 pandemic as a national emergency, scammers are using the opportunity to prey on others--and some are targeting the elderly.

Imagine getting a great deal for a vacation overseas from a travel website. You make a down payment, but the “agency” sends a message saying the trip has been postponed. Eventually, they tell you that due to the coronavirus, they are not issuing any refunds. This is one of many scams reported to the Better Business Bureau in recent weeks.

The coronavirus outbreak is especially dangerous for senior citizens and those with weakened immune systems. One option for when senior citizens run low on food is to turn to senior centers.

Former Missouri Governor Bob Holden campaigned for former Vice President Joe Biden in Springfield ahead of Tuesday's presidential primary in Missouri.

Holden, who served as Missouri’s governor from 2001 to 2005, spoke on Sunday at a campaign event to promote a phone bank to get out the vote for Biden. Holden told KSMU Biden’s greatest asset is a unifying type of leadership.

The Missouri Nurses Association has endorsed a 2020 ballot initiative to expand Medicaid to nearly a quarter million Missourians. 

According to a news release from Healthcare For Missouri, which supports the initative, the Missouri Nurses Association joins 120 other organizations throwing their weight behind the effort to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot this November. 

The program would bring in federal funding to cover most of the cost to expand Medicaid eligibility for Missouri’s lower-income and disabled population.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks presented five agencies $120,000 in grants to tackle challenges facing the region.

The grants reward what the Community Foundation calls “collective impact efforts.”  There are five partnerships, which represent over 25 organizations, and they're basing their efforts on the annual Community Focus Report, which highlights “red flag” issues facing Springfield and Greene County.

Bridget Dirks of CFO told KSMU the grants help tackle specific problems, even long after the money is awarded.

As the House of Representatives debates articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, we asked Springfield citizens their opinion on the issue.

Kevin Atkinson, 60

“I think this impeachment is a farce. It’s just that simple. There is absolutely no Constitutional basis for it, and is merely an attempt to override the will of the people electing our lawful President.”

Aidan McKenna, 18

Burrell Behavioral Health will open a new expansion to one of its main facilities in Springfield Thursday.

The Connection Center is a major expansion at Burrell’s main location on E. Bradford Parkway.

It’s been renovated from office space to be more welcoming to clients and speed up access to mental health services.

Matt Lemmon is a spokesman for Burrell.

On Saturday morning, Democratic candidate Betsy Fogle and her supporters went door to door to campaign for her as a future state representative. Fogle hopes to flip the 135th district from Republican Steve Helms, who’s represented it since 2017.

About a dozen volunteers and staff knocked on doors near the MSU campus.