Michele Skalicky

The first incident happened on September 17. A 13-year-old girl was waiting for her school bus at Seminole and Weller when a white male in a white vehicle attempted to entice her into his vehicle, according to the Springfield Police Department.  She refused and ran.

The second incident happened October 8.  Two 13-year-old girls and one 12-year-old girl had just gotten off their school bus at Pickwick and Wayland when they noticed a white male get out of his vehicle and begin following them.  They began running and screaming, and the man ran from the area.

Three priests accused of sexually abusing children four decades ago have been identified by the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese.

In a news release, the diocese said two priests, the Rev. John Brath and Monsignor John Rynish, have died.  Brath died in 2014 and Rynish in 2001.

A third priest, Rev. Fred Lutz, retired in 2011 from active ministry.

According to the diocese, each priest is accused of committing sexual abuse in the 1970s, but some of the allegations were made recently.

President Trump’s visit to Springfield last month cost the city of Springfield $123,944.92.  At the Springfield City Council meeting Monday night, Springfield City Manager Jason Gage said costs break down to $12,707.02 for the airport; $924.55 for Emergency Communications; $2,013.96 for Environmental Services; $8831.78 for Fire; $819.38 for Parks; $82,305.87 for Police and $16,342.36 for Public Works.

According to Gage, the total may change a bit due to adjustments departments might make after reviewing payroll costing reports, but he doesn’t expect it to change much.

Springfield Public Schools has a new tip line to allow anyone with a concern to more easily share it with school officials.

Tips can be submitted anonymously via text at (417) 319-2901, online or through the MySPS app, and tipsters remain anonymous.

SPS spokesman, Stephen Hall, said the tip line is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week by school police, so any tip will be promptly investigated.

The Springfield Conservation Nature Center will celebrate its 30^th anniversary with an open house Friday (10/5) from 5 to 9 p.m.  There will be cake and a timeline of the nature center’s last 30 years.   A live musical performance by musician and primitive skills specialist Bo Brown starts at 7 pm. No registration is required for the open house, but you must register for the concert by calling (417) 888-4237.  Learn more here. 

Springfield City Council is accepting applications for the Board of Public Utilities.  They’ll be accepted until Oct. 19, and interviews will take place Oct. 31.

Two seats are open:  One requires residency in the Springfield city limits, and the other allows applicants to reside anywhere in the City Utilities service area.

An Arizona company is recalling more than six-and-a-half-million pounds of raw beef items that were shipped nationwide due to salmonella. 

According to the USDA, 57 patients in 16 states have been sickened by salmonella, and the Centers for Disease Control has determined that raw ground beef distributed by JBS Tolleson was the probable source of the illnesses. 

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was first found in Missouri in 2012 in the northwest part of the state.  The disease affects cervids (deer and elk) and is always fatal.  There is no vaccine or cure.

To date, CWD has been confirmed in 11 counties:  Adair, Cedar, Cole, Franklin, Jefferson, Linn, Macon, Perry, Polk, St. Clair and Ste. Genevieve. 

Help is headed from Springfield to a part of Indonesia devastated by a tsunami that was triggered by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake.

Convoy of Hope’s Disaster Services Team left Tuesday morning for Palu, Indonesia on the Island of Sulawesi, the worst-hit area.

The death toll at last report was just over 1,340 people and is expected to rise, possibly significantly, as search and rescue efforts continue.

The RAP Back program was authorized in the state by Missouri House Bill 1350, which went into effect in late August.  It allows entities that are enrolled to receive ongoing status notifications of new arrests, both in Missouri and in other states, once employees’ fingerprints are in the system.

Those wishing to serve on Springfield’s City Council can pick up packets at the City Clerk's Office in the Busch Municipal Building starting this morning (10/1).   Six seats will be up for election on April 2:  Mayor; Zones 2, 3 and 4; and General Seats C and D.

The first day for filing will be Dec. 3, and completed applications must be delivered to the City Clerk’s Office during normal business hours (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) Dec. 3 through Jan. 15. 

Local artists have been busy making bowls to help raise  money to fight hunger in the Ozarks.

The fifth annual Empty Bowls fundraiser to benefit Ozarks Food Harvest and its partner agencies will be held Friday, September 28, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Panera Bread on S. Campbell.  The public is invited to stop by and make a donation to receive a handcrafted bowl and a meal of soup and bread from the restaurant.

A lawyer with practices in West Plains and Eminence has been sworn in as president of the Missouri Bar for 2018-2019. 

Ray Williams is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Law and has served on the university system’s Board of Governors. He’s also served as chair of several Missouri Bar committees.  He has a general practice representing clients in civil and criminal matters in south central Missouri. 

Meetings are planned in October to discuss several topics pertaining to Missouri’s transportation system.  The Missouri Department of Transportation will meet with planning partners in each of its seven districts.  They’ll discuss the current condition of the transportation system, how MODOT currently spends its funding and how best to use revenue from Proposition D if voters approve it on November 6.

Harvest Fest at Rutledge-Wilson Farm Park, 3825 W. Farm Rd. 146 in Springfield, kicks off Friday night (9/28) at 6:30 and continue weekends through October 28.  The event features a pumpkin patch, corn maze, hayrides, carnival games and a haunted trail (beginning October 5). 

Leaders from several Springfield organizations, including the Springfield Fire Department, CoxHealth and Mercy, gathered at the Springfield Regional Police & Fire Training Center Wednesday to officially launch PulsePoint in the region.

The app notifies those trained in CPR, and who have downloaded it on their mobile phones, of a medical emergency within 1500 feet of their location as well as the exact location of the emergency and the nearest automated external defibrillator (AED).

Governor Mike Parson has made a decision, and it has nothing to do with legislation.  Parson announced Thursday that he and his wife, Teresa, will host the 1^st annual Parson Family Fall Festival at the Missouri Governor’s Mansion on October 6.  The event, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. will feature vendors, activities for kids and a bluegrass band.

Fifty-nine nonpartisan judges will be up for retention on the November 6 ballot, and the Missouri Judicial Performance Review Committee is helping voters to make informed decisions when they go to the polls.

The committee has reviewed the performance of the 59 judges and has made the information available to the public at YourMissouriJudges.org.

Dale Doerhoff, chair of the statewide committee, said they “want to make sure the people of Missouri have good judges who are fair, impartial and skilled.”

Starting Monday, October 1, applications will be accepted for those who want to apply to fill the Springfield City Council Seat C position vacated by Kristi Fulnecky’s resignation.

You can apply in the Springfield City Clerk’s office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. October 1^st through the 12^th. 

Applications can be downloaded or picked up in the clerk’s office on the fourth floor of the Springfield Municipal Building, 840 N. Boonville.

The Missouri Department of Conservation and Missouri Department of Natural Resources are hosting Women’s Fishing Day at Bennett Spring Park on Saturday, September 29.

The free event, for women and girls of all ages, will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. at the park near Lebanon, and a portion of the fishing area in Zone 2 will be reserved for the female anglers.

Volunteers, including members of the Capital City Fly Fishing Club, will host how-to seminars on fishing, fly casting, cleaning and cooking fish between 11 and 2.

The George O. White State Forest Nursery is taking orders now for native trees and shrubs.  The Missouri Conservation Department owns the 750-acre nursery and conservation area in Licking, which distributes around 2 and a half million seedlings each year.  It’s been in operation since the mid 1930s, and at the time was under the ownership of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Missouri Department of Conservation acquired it in a land swap, according to State Forest Nursery supervisor, Mike Fiaoni.

The City of Nixa has a new city administrator.  Jimmy Liles stepped out of his role as Nixa’s police chief at Monday night's city council meeting and into his new role as city administrator.

"I'll tell you, I'm very excited about the opportunity.  You know, I'm pretty honored and humbled that the mayor and city council elected to hire me to fill that position, said Liles.

Nixa City Council performed two national searches and received applications from more than 100 “highly qualified” people from across the country, according to a news release from the city.

Absentee ballots are available starting Tuesday, September 25, for eligible voters who won’t be able to vote at their regular polling place November 6.

According to Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller, you can vote absentee at his office, 1126 N. Boonville, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until October 22 when hours will be extended to 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through November 2.

The County Clerk’s Office will be open for absentee voting on two Saturdays:  October 27 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and November 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There are more students than ever before this fall semester at Missouri State University.  According to a news release from MSU, the university has set a new fall enrollment record for the seventh year in a row.

Enrollment on the Springfield campus increased by 40 students to 24,390.

The Springfield campus also set a new record for graduate student enrolloment, whihc increased by 5.8 percent to 3,709.

There are 26,182 students enrolled in the MSU system.  Fall 2018 is the second highest fall enrollment, down 34 students from last year's record enrollment.

MSU Chinese students and the Scholars Association will celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Friday (9/21) from 4 to 8 p.m. at Phelps Grove Park.  The event will include games, shows and Chinese food, including moon cakes.  Tickets are required for entry and are $10.

Several streets are closed on the Missouri State University campus in advance of President Trump's visit to Springfield where he'll speak at JQH Arena:  John Q. Hammons Parkway from Madison to Cherry; Holland from Madison to Cherry; Clay from Cherry to Harrison;  and Bear Blvd., Madison St. and Harrison St. from John Q.