The number of COVID-19 cases in Joplin continues to increase.

The Joplin Health Department announced five new cases of the illness Wednesday.  That brings the total number of cases in the city to 29.  

Two of the new cases are contacts of a previously known case. One is a person who recently traveled in the United States, and the other two cases are believed to be community acquired, according to the health Department.

Learn more here.  

There’s been another potential exposure to COVID-19 in Greene County.

According to the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, a person with the illness who had not been diagnosed went to the Walmart Supercenter in Republic Sunday, June 7, around 2 p.m. and to Lowe’s in Republic the same day around 3 p.m.  They were infectious and symptomatic and were not wearing a face covering.

Anyone at those locations at those times should monitor for symptoms and contact a health provider if any develop.

A man who allegedly ran over a Springfield police officer with his SUV this week is now charged with two felonies.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's Supreme Court won't take up a lawsuit over whether a proposal to expand Medicaid health care should go before voters.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The co-owners of a family-owned Missouri newspaper have resigned after the publication of a racist syndicated cartoon.

The cartoon published in Wednesday's Washington Missourian shows a masked black man grabbing a white woman's purse. She asks for someone to call 911 but the man says, “Good luck with that lady ... we defunded the police.”

The Howell County Health Department reported a five-case increase of COVID-19 in the county on June 9. This brings the total of cases reported in Howell County to eighteen.

Three of the latest cases live in the Peace Valley area and two are in West Plains.

A national organization dedicated to helping men of color through college has moved its offices to the Springfield campus of Missouri State University.

Springfield Mayor Ken McClure is praising police officer, Mark Priebe, "for his courageous actions."  The 21-year veteran of the Springfield Police Department was injured when he was struck by a vehicle at the department's headquarters on E. Chestnut Expressway Tuesday morning.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — The remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal are moving across parts of the Midwest after lashing the South, unleashing downpours and bringing gusty winds.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Springfield police shot a man after he hit an officer with a car outside police headquarters.

Police Chief Paul Williams says the man became irate after being asked to leave the headquarters Tuesday morning. Williams says the man came back in an SUV and when an officer tried to flag him down, the man drove toward him, crushing him against a barrier.

Update:  The officer injured in the Tuesday morning incident has been identified as Mark Priebe, a 21-year veteran of the Springfield Police Department.    The suspect is 28-year-old Jon Tyler Franklin Routh.

Original Story:  A police officer and a suspect are hospitalized after an incident Tuesday morning at the Springfield Police Department Headquarters on E. Chestnut Expressway.

A second public meeting Tuesday night, June 9, from 6 to 7 will focus on the Fassnight Creek Stormwater Improvement Project near the Springfield Art Museum.

The City of Springfield says it will be a combined in-person and virtual event with limited capacity at the Springfield Art Museum auditorium.

You can view the session and submit questions via Facebook live on the city’s page or at springfieldmo.gov/SAMstormwater.  That's also where you can view details about the project.

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department says there’s been another potential exposure of COVID-19.

Before they were diagnosed, a person with the illness went to Bricktown Brewery, 2040 E. Independence in Springfield, on Sunday, May 31 around 6 p.m. for around one and a half hours.

They were infectious and symptomatic and not wearing a face covering.

Health officials say anyone at the restaurant at that time is at low risk of developing COVID-19 but should watch for symptoms.

DELLWOOD, Mo. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) — A police officer from a St. Louis suburb has been suspended and is under investigation by local and federal authorities after a video was released that appears to show a police SUV knocking a man to the ground and striking him before arresting the man.

FLORISSANT, Mo. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) — About 200 protesters gathered in a St. Louis suburb in the wake of a video that appears to show a police SUV knocking a man to the ground before an officer jumps on top of the screaming man, hits him several times and handcuffs him.

Springfield Police estimate there were around 2500 people at Saturday’s protest rally for racial justice on Park Central Square.  On a hot and humid day, speakers challenged the crowd—skeptical they were as mad as they were last weekend when protests were held at Glenstone and Battlefield.  One person asked the crowd “Did you all settle down and get comfortable again?”

But people who went to the rally are eager for change.

Park Central Square was filled with hundreds of protestors Saturday.  They held up signs that said "Black Lives Matter," "Racism is a Pandemic," "No Justice No Peace" and "Police the Police."

Springfield Police estimate there were 2500 people in attendance.

After listening to speeches about why people should continue to push for an end to racism, the group marched to the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge where they kneeled before proceeding to Springfield City Hall and the Springfield Police Department.

  A lot of doctors know from the beginning of their training what they want to focus on. For Dr. Curtis Schreiber, though, it was different. He trained in neurology at the Mayo Clinic, and he does practice as a general neurologist.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has signed a bill into law that will allow people to vote by mail this year if they’re concerned about the coronavirus.

KANSAS CITY (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) — Missouri reported a sharp increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases this week, particularly in the Kansas City area.

Missouri State University president, Clif Smart, has announced that he and his wife, Gail, will make the first contribution towards a George Floyd Scholarship at the school.

His message on Twitter Friday is in response to a challenge issued during Floyd's memorial Thursday in Minneapolis.

Scott Hagan, president of North Central University in Minneapolis, challenged all colleges and universities in the U.S. to establish a scholarship in memory of Floyd.

Smart said he'll share details next week on how people can donate to the scholarship.

This week on KSMU's "Arts News" we hear from Avery Parish, coordinator of the First Friday Art Walk, about the impact of the pandemic and social distancing on the monthly Springfield arts event.                                   

Evangel University’s fall semester will look different this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The school will start back up a week earlier than usual—on Friday, August 21.  Fall break has been canceled, and the last day of the fall semester will be Friday, November 20. School officials say ending the semester before Thanksgiving will reduce the amount of travel and protect students, faculty and staff from increased risk of spread of the virus.

For this segment of our series, we’re taking you on the road to learn about the unique challenges facing our rural neighbors with dementia.

I pulled up to the senior center in Ava, Missouri, in Douglas County, and stepped inside.  Five men were playing pool. This was in early March, about a week before the new coronavirus swept through the Midwest.  

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department is warning the public of some possible COVID-19 exposures.

Before they were diagnosed with the illness, a person visited the Price Cutter, 1831 W. Kearney, Saturday, May 30, during the 9 a.m. hour.  They were infectious and symptomatic and were wearing a face covering.  A person with COVID-19 visited the New Image Thrift Store on N. Kansas that same day during the 1 p.m. hour while wearing a face covering.

For this segment in our Sense of Community series, Dementia in the Ozarks, we’re looking at the shortage of geriatricians—and what that means for the aging population here in the Ozarks.