Branson West

BRANSON, Mo. - City leaders are excited about Mercy's major expansion plans for the Branson area- including a new “super-clinic” "It really is the continued growth and health care needs with the baby boomers aging and needing  health care more and more," stated John Swope, president and CEO of Mercy Springfield. Not quite a full-scale hospital, the new 62,000 square foot facility will go up where the old Branson Inn now stands.  It'll have doctor's offices, urgent care, surgery center- and pharmacy "It is smarter for us to take our services to the patient than expect everyone to drive to Springfield," explained Swope.

GALENA, Mo. -- The owner of Predator World, a former business in Branson West, is charged with repeatedly abusing two teenagers.   In a case filed by the Stone County prosecuting attorney on Wednesday, Breck Wakefield is accused of regularly having sexual encounters with two boys who worked or volunteered at Predator World from 2001 through 2008.  The former employees are now 20 and 27 years old.  The probable cause statement used as the basis...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A man is being questioned for a shooting in Branson West. The man, whose name has not been released, was taken into custody after a traffic stop on I-44 west of Springfield last night. The shooting happened at a duplex on Fritts way in Branson West. It happened a couple of hours before the man was pulled over. The Stone County Sheriff says the victim of the shooting has non-life threatening injuries.

BRANSON WEST, Mo. - A suspicious fire is under investigation in southern Stone County. The flames broke out early Sunday morning at a mobile home near Aunts Creek Road and Stevens Lane in Branson West. Investigators say it appears the home was vacant. No one was hurt.

Students and staff at two high schools in the Ozarks are mourning the losses of classmates.  A teenager from Branson West and another from Newburg died in separate crashes on Tuesday. In Phelps County, troopers say Devin Jones of Newburg died on Tuesday afternoon when his car ran off a county road north of Rolla and smashed into several trees.  Jones, 18, was a senior at Rolla High School. A passenger in the car, Dylan Harmount, 17, of Rolla, was flown to a hospital in Columbia with serious injuries.

In just the last few weeks, we've received a number of phone calls from viewers saying they've been paying too much in taxes on their cellular telephone bills.  For some of you, the problem could extend to many of your bills. ---- REEDS SPRING, Mo. -- With his brand-new Droid in hand, Tom Skrzeczkoski is loving his cell service.  Just a few weeks ago, however, he considered changing providers after he learned he was paying too much.  "It's around $2 a month," he said.

  SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Two companies pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday for violating the Clean Water Act in the development of Indian Ridge Resort Community near Branson West.  Both companies admitted they failed to prevent storm water runoff at a construction site from discharging silt into Table Rock Lake. The two firms are the developers of Indian Ridge Resort Community.  They're Indian Ridge Resort, represented in court by owner and president James Shirato Sr., and North Shore Investments, represented in court by owner Donald Snider Jr.   They pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. Magistrate James England to the charge contained in a superseding indictment that was handed up on Sept.

STONE COUNTY, -- He wanted to be a marine, but his life was cut short. Reeds Spring is mourning the loss of a well-known high school student. Mason Weitzel was a junior and a student athlete. He was driving home from a birthday party Tuesday night, but he never made it. Weitzel crashed into trees on highway DD, south of Branson West. Troopers say his 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo hit two trees then burst into flames. "He was fun to be around.  He always made people happy," said friend, Nathan Huston.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Two companies were fined in federal court on Thursday for violating the Clean Water Act in the development of Indian Ridge Resort Community near Branson West. Two firms involved in the development of Indian Ridge Resort Community -- Indian Ridge Resort, represented in court by owner and president James Shirato Sr., and North Shore Investments, represented in court by owner Donald Snider Jr. -- were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Ortrie Smith.

BRANSON, Mo. - Skaggs Hospital in Branson is marking a medical milestone as its Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab program celebrated its 25th birthday this past weekend. It began in November 1987 and had 7 patients in its first month, and since then it's helped more than 8,500 people. The program helps people who have had a heart attack or heart surgery or been diagnosed with a major pulmonary illness. In 1998 it opened a branch in Branson West which has helped more than 1,200 patients alone.

BRANSON WEST, Mo -- A new bill passed by Congress is snuffing out the roll-your-own smoking business.  Hundreds of small businesses across the country are closing up shop because of a law that is meant to create jobs. "We opened up on Nov. 1 with something that nobody had ever saw first," said Liberty Smoke Shop owner Johnny Hagerty. Hagerty started a roll-your-own cigarette business in 2011. "I opened up another store over in Hollister," he said. By the spring of 2012, he owned three stores: Liberty Smoke Shop in Branson West, Freedom Smoke Shop in Hollister, and Independence Smoke Shop in Lampe.

BRANSON WEST, Mo. -- It was touted as one of the Branson area's biggest housing developments in years.  Indian Ridge Resort broke ground in 2006, but construction stopped years ago and now the vacant property is going on the auction block. Nestled in the rolling mountains of Stone County, above Table Rock Lake, 13 condos in various stages of completion were to be dream homes.      The construction loan for one lot -- or half of one condo -- was $440,000, according to court documents, which also indicate more than 20 people had already bought a home, but they never got the chance to move in. Now, a little more than 25 acres with all the structures will be put up for auction with an opening bid of $550,000.

BRANSON WEST, Mo. - A suspicious fire is under investigation in southern Stone County. The flames broke out early Sunday morning at a mobile home near Aunts Creek Road and Stevens Lane in Branson West. Investigators say it appears the home was vacant. No one was hurt.

STONE COUNTY, -- He wanted to be a marine, but his life was cut short. Reeds Spring is mourning the loss of a well-known high school student. Mason Weitzel was a junior and a student athlete. He was driving home from a birthday party Tuesday night, but he never made it. Weitzel crashed into trees on highway DD, south of Branson West. Troopers say his 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo hit two trees then burst into flames. "He was fun to be around.  He always made people happy," said friend, Nathan Huston.

Students and staff at two high schools in the Ozarks are mourning the losses of classmates.  A teenager from Branson West and another from Newburg died in separate crashes on Tuesday. In Phelps County, troopers say Devin Jones of Newburg died on Tuesday afternoon when his car ran off a county road north of Rolla and smashed into several trees.  Jones, 18, was a senior at Rolla High School. A passenger in the car, Dylan Harmount, 17, of Rolla, was flown to a hospital in Columbia with serious injuries.

BRANSON WEST, Mo. -- A crash south killed a teenager from Branson West.  Troopers say Mason Weitzel ran off Highway DD nearly five miles south of Branson West just before 10:30 Tuesday night.  His 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo hit two trees and then burst into flames, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Weitzel, 17, died at the scene.  He played football and baseball at Reeds Spring High School.  He also worked in the Food Department of Silver Dollar City for two seasons.  Reeds Spring High School officials had grief counselors on hand for students on Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Two companies were fined in federal court on Thursday for violating the Clean Water Act in the development of Indian Ridge Resort Community near Branson West. Two firms involved in the development of Indian Ridge Resort Community -- Indian Ridge Resort, represented in court by owner and president James Shirato Sr., and North Shore Investments, represented in court by owner Donald Snider Jr. -- were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Ortrie Smith.

GALENA, Mo. -- A man from Hollister who is charged with statutory sodomy pleaded not guilty in Stone County court.   Investigators say Kyle Larue, 53, posed as a teenager while chatting with the victim on a social media site.  They say Larue then met the 15-year-old boy at the Walmart bathroom in Branson West, where the assault happened.    Larue's next court appearance is set for Feb. 21.

GALENA, Mo. -- A 53-year-old man is accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in the bathroom of the Walmart store in Branson West.  Kyle Larue, who has addresses in Hollister and Fort Smith, Ark., is charged second-degree statutory sodomy. Investigators say they learned about the crime shortly after it happened on Jan. 8.  They used store surveillance photos of the boy's attacker and his vehicle, plus a trace on his cell phone, to locate Larue in Hollister.  They arrested Larue and then got a search warrant for his home.  They say they found the clothes worn by the teenager's attacker inside the home.

BRANSON WEST, Mo. -- A 53-year-old man from Hollister faces a sodomy charge, accused of  sexually assaulting a teenage boy in the restroom of the Branson West Walmart on Sunday. Kyle Larue of Hollister is charged with the act involving a 15-year-old boy. The boy told police he had had been chatting online with someone who identified himself as a teenager named "Jeremy" from Arkansas. Court documents say they met through a social networking site and the phone number given from "Jeremy" was the same phone number registered to Larue.