Willow Springs

WILLOW SPRINGS, Mo. -- A man died Monday evening in a crash near his home.  The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Clifford Hayes, 21, drove off Missouri 76 west of Willow Springs and hit a tree. He died later that night at the hospital.

WILLOW SPRINGS, MO., --  A prayer vigil was held Sunday morning at the MoDOT headquarters in Willow Springs. The city's Chamber of Commerce leaders, along with members from several churches in the area, circled the building to pray to keep the MoDOT jobs in town. The transportation department is facing severe budget cuts because of declining revenues and federal funding cuts. The agency is looking at laying off about 1,200 people and closing the district offices in Willow Springs and Sikeston.

Two businesses are destroyed after an early-morning fire in Willow Springs. Investigators say it happened early this morning at the building that housed Willow Woodworking and Robert's Pawn Shop.  It took three tankers to get the blazes under control. No one was hurt in the fire however the building is a total loss.  No word yet as to what exactly caused the blaze but investigators think it may have started due to an electrical malfunction.

WILLOW SPRINGS, Mo. -- Slick roads caused by freezing fog resulted in dozens of apparently minor accidents on Wednesday afternoon and early evening.  Multi-car accidents, mostly of the fender bender, variety, are reported at both junctions of U.S. 63 and U.S. 60 in Willow Springs and Cabool.   Other accidents are reported north of U.S. 63. 

WILLOW SPRINGS, Mo. -- Ambulances took two men and a woman to a hospital on Wednesday morning after all three were shot in a rural area northeast of Willow Springs.  Howell County Sheriff Mike Shannon said the call about the shooting came in about 5 a.m.  In a news release, Shannon identified the three people as Gregory Riley, 34, and Regina Riley, 34, both of Willow Springs, and Johnny Starry of Mountain Grove.  The news release didn't say...

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- A man from Mountain Grove is charged with shooting two other people on May 11 at a home a few miles northeast of Willow Springs.  Johnny Starry, 33, faces two charges of first-degree assault and two charges of armed criminal action.  Investigators think Starry tried to kill Regina and Gregory Riley and their children at their home because they were going to testify against him in an upcoming court case; the nature of that...

WEST PLAINS, Mo.  -- A third person is jailed for a murder in Howell County. Bradley Jenkins, 22, from West Plains was arrested just before midnight Monday in Willow Springs.  He faces charges of second-degree murder, robbery and armed criminal action for the death of Jackie Yarber last Friday night. The sheriff's department had received a tip about a body along a county road outside of West Plains.  That's where they found Yarber's body on Saturday.

Douglas County, MO - A Douglas County lake is now closed to the public.  The 30 acre Noblett Lake is now dry, after the water was drained by vandals.  Police are still looking for the people responsible. The lake is located south of Willow Springs.  The U.S. Forest Service says the day use area and the nearby Ridge Runner trail will remain open.

Willow Springs, Mo--The Missouri Highway Department's plan to cut its budget by millions of dollars is taking a big toll on three small communities in Missouri.  MoDOT is closing three district offices in the state and cutting 12-hundred jobs.   Willow Springs is one of the district offices getting shut down. For more than 40 years Bill Easley worked for MoDOT. "I do think they need to look at cutting out some of the fat in the main office," said Easley. He does not agree with the new plan and says if department leaders really want to cut corners, they should start from the top. "They need to eliminate the director, assistant director, and several of the top up there," said Easley.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- The Howell County coroner says a 7-year-old boy from Willow Springs died Wednesday morning.  Because the cause of death is unknown, by state law, a Child Death Review Board will look into it.  The board includes law enforcement officers and representatives from other agencies.  An autopsy will be in Springfield on Thursday.

WILLOW SPRINGS, Mo. -- A 2-year-old boy died in a house fire on Wednesday morning.  Police Chief Dan Dunn says the fire started around 7 a.m. and destroyed the home at 715 Park St. The victim was Cooper Bittick, son of Chelsea and Gary Bittick.  Dunn said the fire chief tried to get into the home to save Cooper but was driven back by heat and smoke.  Dunn said the fire spread quickly. Dunn says an investigator for the state Fire Marshal's Office determined the cause was a grease fire in the kitchen.  Cooper's body was in a back room.

CLEAR SPRINGS, Mo. -- A house fire killed a 16-year-old boy in a remote rural area of southern Texas County on Thursday morning.  Texas County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Wes Campbell says it appears Ian Hatfield was not able to get out of his upstairs bedroom. The boy's father says he spotted the fire about 6:40 a.m., according to Coroner Thomas Whittaker.  The father couldn't get to the stairway to rescue the teenager, so he went outside and put a ladder up against a wall to try to get the boy out through a hole in the wall, because he couldn't get the ladder to a window.  Unfortunately, he couldn't get Ian to come to him, even though he could hear his voice, and then the heat and smoke forced the father off the ladder.

WILLOW SPRINGS, Mo.-- A woman inspired by her own addiction and loss of a loved one is taking a stand against meth in her community.  Donna Barbrow started the Mothers Against Methamphetamines chapter in Willow Springs, and is stepping up the fight against meth that she began years ago. It's a drug that took over Donna Barbrow's life for years.  She started using meth when she was 23. "If you try it once or even twice, you're hooked," Barbrow...

Two businesses are destroyed after an early-morning fire in Willow Springs. Investigators say it happened early this morning at the building that housed Willow Woodworking and Robert's Pawn Shop.  It took three tankers to get the blazes under control. No one was hurt in the fire however the building is a total loss.  No word yet as to what exactly caused the blaze but investigators think it may have started due to an electrical malfunction.

WEST PLAINS, Mo.  -- A third person is jailed for a murder in Howell County. Bradley Jenkins, 22, from West Plains was arrested just before midnight Monday in Willow Springs.  He faces charges of second-degree murder, robbery and armed criminal action for the death of Jackie Yarber last Friday night. The sheriff's department had received a tip about a body along a county road outside of West Plains.  That's where they found Yarber's body on Saturday.

Douglas County, MO - A Douglas County lake is now closed to the public.  The 30 acre Noblett Lake is now dry, after the water was drained by vandals.  Police are still looking for the people responsible. The lake is located south of Willow Springs.  The U.S. Forest Service says the day use area and the nearby Ridge Runner trail will remain open.

Willow Springs, Mo--The Missouri Highway Department's plan to cut its budget by millions of dollars is taking a big toll on three small communities in Missouri.  MoDOT is closing three district offices in the state and cutting 12-hundred jobs.   Willow Springs is one of the district offices getting shut down. For more than 40 years Bill Easley worked for MoDOT. "I do think they need to look at cutting out some of the fat in the main office," said Easley. He does not agree with the new plan and says if department leaders really want to cut corners, they should start from the top. "They need to eliminate the director, assistant director, and several of the top up there," said Easley.

WILLOW SPRINGS, MO., --  A prayer vigil was held Sunday morning at the MoDOT headquarters in Willow Springs. The city's Chamber of Commerce leaders, along with members from several churches in the area, circled the building to pray to keep the MoDOT jobs in town. The transportation department is facing severe budget cuts because of declining revenues and federal funding cuts. The agency is looking at laying off about 1,200 people and closing the district offices in Willow Springs and Sikeston.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- A man from Mountain Grove is charged with shooting two other people on May 11 at a home a few miles northeast of Willow Springs.  Johnny Starry, 33, faces two charges of first-degree assault and two charges of armed criminal action.  Investigators think Starry tried to kill Regina and Gregory Riley and their children at their home because they were going to testify against him in an upcoming court case; the nature of that...

WILLOW SPRINGS, Mo. -- Ambulances took two men and a woman to a hospital on Wednesday morning after all three were shot in a rural area northeast of Willow Springs.  Howell County Sheriff Mike Shannon said the call about the shooting came in about 5 a.m.  In a news release, Shannon identified the three people as Gregory Riley, 34, and Regina Riley, 34, both of Willow Springs, and Johnny Starry of Mountain Grove.  The news release didn't say...