Greene County

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Greene County Sheriff's Department has received several reports in recent weeks of thieves taking air conditioner units from businesses and vacant homes that are for sale.  Copper and other recyclable metals seem to be the target of the thieves.  Sheriff Jim Arnott urges owners to secure such items and other metal appliances. Residents should call 911 if they see suspicious activity around closed businesses or vacant homes. Arnott asks for anyone with information regarding such thefts to call his office at (417)

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management didn't just help Joplin with the recent tornado.  Its leaders also learned how to better respond to disasters. "It's a very complicated network of systems and resources and connections that have to be made all at once," said Greene County Emergency Management Director Ryan Nicholls. Staff say there are three big lessons they took from Joplin, starting with the importance of setting up support for the many agencies and groups that come in to the disaster zone to help.

EBENEZER, Mo. -- A one-vehicle crash in northern Greene County killed a man from Flemington early Friday.  Timothy Wright, 34, was the driver and was thrown from his eastbound 1993 Honda Prelude after it ran off the right side of the road and rolled several times.  He died at the scene.  His passenger, Sabrina Wright, 33, has moderate injuries and was hospitalized in Springfield. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the crash was a little before 4 a.m. on Highway CC near Farm Road 137.  The Highway Patrol report says neither of the Wrights wore a seat belt.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Greene County sheriff's deputies arrested five people on Saturday night as part of their Cinco de Mayo drunken driving crackdown, according to a news release from the sheriff's department. Deputies also issued seven citations for driving while license revoked, five tickets for driving without insurance, two citations for failure to obey a traffic control device, one for failing to register a vehicle and one for possession of 35 grams or less of marijuana. The release did not give names or ages of those arrested.

WARSAW, Mo. -- The Benton County Sheriff's Department says the investigation of the homicide of a girl whose body was in Truman Lake is now focusing on Dallas County.  Investigators think Khighla Parks, 15, may have been killed in the Buffalo area.  Khighla lived south of Willard in rural Greene County. A boater found Khighla's body in Truman Lake on Sept. 30.   A Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab matched the body's DNA to Khighla on Friday.  Before Friday, no one had reported seeing Khighla since Sept 20, when she was walking near her home near Highway AB at Highway.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The flu bug is spreading throughout Greene County. Cases throughout the county rose to 390 through the first five weeks of reporting.  County health leaders report an increase by 34 cases compared to a week ago. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department says the overall supply of the vaccine is still adequate.  However, demand too has spiked at retail locations as the bug spread.  The county health department has...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Greene County will have a new presiding commissioner for the first time in 16 years.  Jim Viebrock, a former Republican state representative, beat incumbent Democrat Dave Coonrod.  Coonrod has served on the County Commission since 1988 and has been presiding commissioner since 1994.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The number of new cases of influenza declined last week in Greene County.  The county health department says there were 122 new cases, down from 157 the week before.  They were evenly split, 61-61, between Influenza A and Influenza B.  

FAIR GROVE, Mo --  The number of flu cases continue to grow in Greene County. That's prompting at least one school district to fight the bug. The strategy at Fair Grove appears to be working. Not one flu case has been reported in the elementary school. Administrators say it's all about prevention. The Fair Grove custodial staff ups the ante during flu season.  They go through bottles of disinfectant. "We touch all the touch points, with light switches, desks, anything a teacher, student, administrator might come into contact with we wipe down daily.  We look after our students here.  We want our students to be here," said Andrew Garcia, Custodial Supervisor.

GREENE COUNTY, Mo., -- Two people are behind bars after deputies raided a meth lab Friday night. Greene County sheriff deputies were called to the Colonial Motel on west Sunshine a little after 9:30pm because of a strong odor.       Deputies knocked on a door and said when it was opened a "chemical cloud" rolled out. A man and woman were arrested for manufacturing methamphetamine. Charges are pending.

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. -- The flu bug is spreading throughout Greene County. Cases throughout the county rose to 390 through the first five weeks of reporting.  County health leaders report an increase by 34 cases compared to a week ago. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department says the overall supply of the vaccine is still adequate.  However, demand too has spiked at retail locations as the bug spread.  The county health department has...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Colleagues remember Jim Payne, a former mayor and county commissioner, as a bridge builder.  Payne died Saturday at age 89. Payne was mayor of Springfield from the 1972 to 1978.  After a taking a break from government service, he was a Greene County commissioner from 1989 until he retired in 2004.  He was also longtime real estate agent. Dave Coonrod, a former Greene County presiding commissioner, says Payne was an expert in compromise on complicated issues during a period heavy growth in the metro area.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.  - Those in charge of the goings-on of Greene County government kicked off the year with a swearing-in ceremony.  The event marks the beginning of another twelve months, and renewed hope for better financial times. "The last three months of 2012 we began to see signs that the economy was starting to turnaround-it was very very slow," stated commissioner Harold Bengsch. But when it comes to the county finances- there are some worries. "It is out hope that some of the concerns that we have don't materialize" Bengsch said.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. --Beware of flu season. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department reports a spike in influenza cases for the week of December 16-22.  However, health leaders say the increase is not as much as the previous week.  The biggest number of cases fall between the ages of 5-14 and 25-49. Statewide, cases remain above historical averages.  However, those cases decreased from the previous week's count.

WARSAW, Mo. -- An autopsy couldn't determine the cause of death for a teenager whose body was found weighted down in Truman Lake.  Khighla Parks, 15, disappeared from herhome in western Greene County in September, several days before boaters found her body on Sept. 30 near Warsaw. Benton County Coroner Jim Miller says the autopsy found no sign of trauma, disease or drug use.  Khighla's body had only an insignificant amount of alcohol in her blood.   Miller says medical examiners think asphyxiation is a possible cause of death.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Greene County officials are looking for feedback on a financial plan for next year. The first of two public study sessions on the county's 2013 budget is scheduled for today. That meeting takes place between 10:30 and noon today at the Archives building, 1126 N. Boonville Ave.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Crime Stoppers says fugitive James Fenimore was arrested on Jan. 9 after a citizen recognized him as being featured on a Crime Stoppers bulletin last Dec. 12.  Fenimore was wanted in Greene County for violating terms of his parole, first-degree tampering with a vehicle, and three misdemeanor charges. People with information about this fugitive, or any other felony, can call Crime Stoppers at (417) 869-TIPS (8477).  You may also submit your information securely online .  You do not have to give your name and no attempt is made to find out who you are. Crime Stoppers takes information about drug dealers, wanted felons, and all other felony crimes.  It pays rewards of up to $1,000 in cash for the information that leads to the arrest and the filing of charges against people involved in felonies.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.-- The Springfield-Greene County Health Department says there were 24 cases of reported influenza in week 2 of the flu season, Dec. 2-9. The number of cases was nine in the first week of reporting. The health department says that number only reflects people who sought medical treatment, and there were likely more cases that were not reported. The health department says it is still not too late to get a flu shot. Health officials recommend it for everyone over the age of six months.