Greene County

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Springfield voters decided several issues dealing with how the city conducts its business. A proposal to eliminate the February primary election for city council passed with 59 percent of the vote.  Two questions dealt with the initiative petition process.  Voters narrowly defeated a question on changes to the petition process.  But then approved a requirement to increase the number of signatures needed. The other issue was whether to renew an eighth-cent transportation sales tax.  That passed easily, gaining 81 percent of the votes.

BATTLEFIELD, Mo. -- This weekend's hot, humid weather has proved problematic for local fire crews.  A grass fire broke out in the 2800 block of West Grayrock, just outside the Springfield city limits.  No one has said yet how many acres were scorched, but residents in the nearby neighborhood were fighting the flames with garden hoses until crews could arrive.  An ambulance also responded with ice water and Gatorade to make sure firefighters didn't...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- There is a big drop in flu cases in Springfield and Greene County. The number of cases dropped to 71 last week, that's half the previous week.  Doctors expected the peak to hit this week, but say high numbers could continue through mid-April.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo -- While some experts believe the country might be headed toward a second recession, leaders here in the Ozarks are seeing growth -- the kind they believe will brace us for another economic storm, if that happens.  The housing market isn't anything like it was a few years ago, but it's also nothing close to a standstill. The Greene County Mayors' Association finds the number of building permits issued overall here in the Ozarks is increasing slightly. In Battlefield alone there are at least three new neighborhoods and just about half a dozen homes are for sale.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and experts say the number of cases in Greene County continue to increase at an alarming rate. Jennifer Doland says she's a survivor of domestic violence and it's a miracle that she's alive.  If it wasn't for her mother and available resources, the worst thing would have happened. "I would probably be dead.  I would be dead for sure," said Doland. She got out and now she tells her story, hoping to send a strong message.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Flu cases in Greene County are up again this week.  Also, please note last week's number has been revised slightly upward following more reports that we didn't have by the time the update went out last week.  The total number is now 390 cases after five weeks of reporting. Vaccine Availability We have been hearing some anecdotal reports of vaccine not being available at retail locations. As far as we know, the overall supply of vaccine is still adequate.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- This week began with a case that's frightened many and frustrated detectives.  Everyone wants to know how and why a kind elderly couple was stabbed to death in their home just outside the city.  The Greene County sheriff still believes the attack was random, and that's motivating detectives even more as they try to track down who did it. What's most worrisome about what happened to Don and Helen Willingham is that it seems...

Rogersville, Mo. -- Dozens of Greene County families are facing the holidays with no access to running water.  The well for the Oak Crest neighborhood near Rogersville broke in July.  Since then, the landlord of the property said he has made efforts to fix it.  But longtime local well drillers said the problem could have been fixed within just a couple weeks. "I fill these up for cooking and cleaning, and I use these cat litter jugs for flushing the toilets and things of that nature, said Teresa Simmons, an Oak Crest resident.

GREENE COUNTY-- A developing story from north of Springfield and just east of Highway 13 and Ritter Springs Park. A man suffered burns after an explosion in his mobile home around noon on Sunday on Farm Road 92. He was taken to a Springfield hospital. Firefighters in Ebenezer say they were able to get the fire knocked down pretty quickly and keep it contained to the mobile home. The cause and origin is under investigation.

GREENE COUNTY, Mo -- It's a different way to help those in need. If people can't make it to the food pantry, the food pantry will come to them. Volunteers with Crosslines want to make sure no one goes without. "We want to make that easier and come out here to them," said Crosslines Director, Tom Faulkner. Most food pantries are inside the city limits, which can be a challenge for some out in the county. "There might be some issues with transportation or a medical issue where they can't get out," said Faulkner.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A boom in small businesses is being reported by the Missouri Department of Economic Development.  Home based businesses are leading the way. For Gayvn Sky it was art that lead to creating a business. "I needed an opportunity to make money and do what I like to do and also be able to take care of my son 24 hours a day," Sky said. For Nanette Willis it was dog treats that sparked the idea. "[The] Commercial Street Farmers Market is where I started selling them.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Springfield-Greene County Library Center on South Campbell Avenue was evacuated for roughly two hours on Thursday after a suspicious bag was found.  The Springfield Police Department Bomb Squad responded to the scene, and everyone inside the building was asked to leave. Springfield-Greene County Library spokeswoman Kathleen O'Dell said the library reopened at about 1 p.m. after authorities investigated a satchel that was left inside the concourse of the building.  The bag and its contents were not dangerous.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A Springfield man has pled guilty to four counts of statutory sodomy in a 2011 case. Nicholas Rountree, 20, admitted to abusing a 12-year-old family friend, according to Greene County prosecutors. The boy, now 14, was testifying during Rountree's trial when Rountree abruptly stopped the testimony and confessed. The Greene County Prosecutor says the two met in the same Boy Scout troop. The boy's mom called police after she noticed suspicious activity between the two. Rountree will be sentenced in June.

BRANSON, Mo. -- The Taney County prosecuting attorney charged a man with assaulting a man who was found dead in an apartment on Friday afternoon.  Sean Roberson is not charged with murder yet because investigators have not determined the cause of death. As of Saturday, Roberson faces assault, armed criminal action and burglary charges.  Branson police haven't released the victim's name yet but Ivan Valentin says the victim was his brother, Andros Valentin. He says he found his brother's body in a bathtub at the Park Place Apartments.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A woman from Conway is charged with causing a fatal crash while she was driving drunk in northeast Greene County last fall.   Krystal Cook, 22, could face a prison sentence between five and 15 years if she's convicted of first-degree involuntary manslaughter. Darrel Wilson, 23, of Fair Grove died last Dec. 8 on northbound U.S. 65 a mile south of Fair Grove near Shelby Road.  Wilson's Jeep hit a pickup driven by Cook that was driving southbound in the northbound lanes.  Cook's pickup veered off the west edge of the lanes into the median before it came back into Wilson's path.

Springfield, MO - City of Springfield Internal Auditor Kristy Bork completed an audit report covering operations of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department. The report was accepted by City Council's Finance and Administration Committee on March 26, 2013. The report suggested opportunities to enhance and further mitigate risks, based on audit objectives. The audit is part of Council's approved annual audit plan and is available on the City's website:   springfieldmo.gov . The audit covers the Health Department's general operations and financial transactions for which the City Council has governance.

GREENE COUNTY, Mo. - One of the five people charged with kidnapping and murder in Greene County will be in court today. Windy Friend will have a hearing this morning. She is one of three people charged with first-degree murder in the disappearance and murder of Rusty and Rebecca Porter. The couple vanished from the home near Willard back in April 2011. Their remains were found in rural Taney County 3 months later.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- With 18 new influenza cases reported this week, Greene County now has seen six consecutive weeks of declining numbers.  The total is lower than any point since the first week of reporting -- the week after Thanksgiving, when there were nine cases.  The peak for Greene County was the second week of January.  Here's how the numbers of new cases have gone starting with that week: 231, 191, 221, 135, 81, 63, 54, 20 and 18. ...