Republic

REPUBLIC, Mo. -- A city police officer was hurt when her patrol car was hit by a pickup on Friday afternoon.  The Highway Patrol says the truck ran a stop sign and hit the side of Officer Jennifer Stephens' car on Oakwood Avenue at East Hamilton Street. Stephens, 25, is in a hospital in Springfield with moderate injuries.  The truck's driver is Kyle Maxwell, 25, of Springfield.  He wasn't hurt.

REPUBLIC, Mo.-- Fire crews are investigating what cause a fire that destroyed a barn near Republic.  Crews were dispatched to the blaze near farm roads 170 and 75 Saturday night just before 8:00. Firefighters say the fire did minimal damage to two other buildings on the property before they were able to knock down the flames.  Two chickens were the only casualties.

REPUBLIC, Mo.-- A man is dead and a woman injured after a motorcycle crash near Republic. The accident happened shortly after 8p.m. on Saturday night.  It was along Farm Road 156. Troopers say Casey Jameson, 35, was killed when he drove his motorcycle through the intersection without stopping at the stop sign and was broadsided by a pick-up truck. Jameson was pronounced dead at the scene. There was also a woman passenger on the motorcycle, she was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.  Authorities say neither on the bike were wearing helmets.

Republic -- Investigators say a spark from the fireplace may be to blame for a house fire early Sunday morning in Republic. Crews were called to the home near Beal Road and Farm Road 194 shortly after 1am. When firefighters arrived the family had made it out safely, but the fire had already spread into the crawl space and filled the house with smoke. "We had some cutting saws to open the floor up and get to some of the hot spots and to get to some of the fire and get it out. Fortunately, it didn't get up into the walls or in the attic," said Henry Bos, Billings Fire Protection District's Chief.

REPUBLIC, Mo. -- A local group is building new churches that can stand up to Mother Nature's fury. The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses already built one in Joplin following last year's deadly EF-5 tornado.  A brand new church on Highway N north of Republic is built with Insulated Concrete Forms -- basically giant Styrofoam-type Lego blocks that can withstand winds up to 250 miles per hour. The blocks are a foot thick with a six-inch reinforced concrete center. Once the foundation is poured, more than 500 volunteers built the new church in about two weekends -- all without accepting paychecks.

REPUBLIC, Mo-- It started with heavy rain, high winds, and then a loud crash. That's how Republic homeowner Ron Smith described what he heard while inside his home Saturday night between 9:00 and 9:30 pm. Smith says he was on the telephone with his sister when he heard the storm blow up and then the crash outside. Smith had to get out his big flashlight to see the damage. The wind had destroyed his greenhouse, another out building and blew the roof off his barn. A chair in one part of the yard and a trash can were blown across the property and wedged into a fence.

REPUBLIC, Mo.-- A cigarette left on an apartment deck is believed to be the cause of a fire at the Palms Apartments on the east side of town Thursday afternoon. The damage was confined to the deck. Nobody was hurt.

REPUBLIC, Mo. -- The Republic Lady Tigers of Coach Kris Flood played every bit like the number one seed in Class 4 District 11 Wednesday night. They dominated the Marshfield Lady Jays of Coach Gary Murphy in all facets of the game in a 66-36 win that propelled Republic into the district championship game Friday night.  Marshfield, led by point guard Lauren Aldridge, played a very competitive first quarter, as the Lady Jays only trailed top...

Police in Republic are trying to figure out what caused a driver to slam his car into the front of a Walmart. It happened just before 8 p.m. Saturday night at the Supercenter on Highway 60. Police say somehow, the driver lost control and hit a post box at the front of the store.  While the accident didn't damage the building, the car was beat up. The driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

REPUBLIC, Mo., -- Some of the faithful in Republic found a fun way to support Joplin tornado recovery efforts. Destiny Church hosted a "Hope For Joplin" community outreach on Saturday.       There were games for the kids and hot barbeque for everyone.       It was all to help meet the changing needs of the recovery effort. "The word is now we got plenty of food, we got plenty of water.  Now we need cash. We are just doing our part to raise money and reach out to the people of joplin the best way we know how," said Jason Iles, associate pastor of Destiny Church.

REPUBLIC, Mo. -- Nearly 3,000 customers lost power for a short time around the noon hour in the Republic area Monday. Empire District Electric says there was an issue with the transmission line that feeds a substation.  Most of the outages were in the south and east areas of the city.  The utility says it has a crew working to fix the problem. 

HALLTOWN, Mo. -- A home in rural Lawrence County was destroyed by a large fire on Monday morning. At least three fire departments fought the fire, which was reported in a home on Lawrence County Road 2040 just before 6 a.m.  Firefighters from Mount Vernon, Bois D'Arc and West Republic responded but could not save the home. Firefighters also used tankers to help fight the blaze, which was roughly three and a half miles to the northwest of Halltown. Investigators will try to determine what caused the fire.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Soldiers from the Missouri National Guard's 935th Aviation Support Battalion are coming home today. More than 130 soldiers will be reunited with their family and friends this afternoon at 1:30, at Remington's on West Republic Road. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon will speak at the ceremony, and the community is also invited to welcome the soldiers home from their deployment to Kuwait.

REPUBLIC, Mo. -- A shuttle bus carrying students from Republic High School to Republic Middle school was forced off the road by another vehicle on U.S. 60 near the Republic Ford Lincoln Mercury dealership on Wednesday afternoon.  No one is hurt. Attempts were made to contact parents of students on the bus immediately after the crash. The police investigation was continuing late Wednesday afternoon, but initial indication shows the bus driver was not at fault.  All students were bused home as soon as possible.  The bus was pulled out of a ditch about 4 p.m.    

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The widow of a man from Macon who died when a tractor- trailer caused a chain reaction crash in Republic sued the driver of the big rig and his company.  Mary Gresham's husband, Corey , was killed in the crash around 9 a.m. March 27.  Lawrence Coan of Kimberling City also died in the crash.  Gresham is seeking damages from the driver, Lei Sun, 31, of Alhambra, Calif., and the Daniel Orchard Transportation...

REPUBLIC, Mo. -- City police believe a man who fired a shot into a home because of a dispute with a woman is an illegal immigrant who is using someone else's name.   That's why Helio Avila is charged by the name of John Doe with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.  Police also believe Sunday was not the first time that Doe has fired a gun in his neighborhood. According to the probable cause statement, police went to a home at 3423 E. Haile St. on Sunday.  Witnesses said Doe argued with a woman in the driveway, then pulled out a gun and fired a shot at a man who was watching the argument from a window in the home.  Police found the bullet hole under the window, as well as a spent .380 shell next to the driveway.

REPUBLIC, Mo -- Hundreds of people spilled out of a small pavilion at R.J. Martin Park on a brisk Tuesday night to remember one of their own who died too soon.  Republic High School student Garrett Blotter, 16, was killed in a horrific car accident on Miller Road around 7:30 Monday night. At the candlelight vigil, there were moments of weeping and moments of laughter as people remembered Garrett.  His friends said, in spite of his young age, Garrett was driven and was already thinking of his future after high school.

REPUBLIC, Mo. -- This community spent Tuesday dealing with tragedy.  A one-vehicle accident on Monday evening killed one teen and left another in critical condition.  The driver, Garrett Blotter, 16, died in the crash, while Desmond Roy, 16, is in a hospital in Springfield. The Republic High School principal says it was a long, rough day, with many students leaving school throughout the day, but the school did what they could to help kids cope.  Messages full of memories, love and loss covered banners on the walls of the school, as students and staff grieved.

REPUBLIC, Mo. -- A crash killed one teenager and seriously injured another on Monday night.  The Missouri State Highway Patrol says a car driven by Garrett Blotter ran off Miller Road at Lynn Avenue and hit a tree about 7:30.  That's near the Republic Community Center. Blotter, 16, died at the scene. A passenger, Desmond Roy, 16, was flown to a hospital in Springfield with serious injuries.   The highway patrol says Blotter and Roy were wearing their seatbelts. Republic Police Chief Mark Lowe said investigators are trying to determine if speed was a factor.

REPUBLIC, Mo--Throngs of cheering friends and family welcomed home their winning boys basketball team on Sunday in Republic; the celebration was 50 years in the making. The Republic Tigers on Saturday claimed the state championship title in Columbia, Missouri. The team won the game by 54 to 51. The last time the team brought home the title was back in 1963.