Christian County deputy helps deliver baby near intersection of 160 and Guinn Road

(From the Christian County Sheriff's Office)

Christian County Sheriff's Office wants to welcome little Levi Burton into the world, officially.

There wasn't much time on Tuesday morning as the birth took place roadside near the intersection of Hwy 160 and Guinn Rd. 

As the moment approached quickly, Deputy Hicks was near and had the rare opportunity to offer assistance in catching little Levi, because he was way too excited about seeing the Ozarks and obviously had no intention of waiting to get to the hospital.

According to a message sent today, mom (Katie) and Levi are doing great!

City of Branson buys land for new police department

(From the City of Branson)

The Branson Board of Aldermen has approved a contract to purchase a 5.5-acre piece of land from the Tanstone, LLC for about $950,000 that will be the future home of the new Branson Police Department building.

The land is located at Forsyth and Oak Creek Drive. The City will purchase this land and is looking at additional land for a new fire station, using the Public Safety Fund, fulfilling what the City promised to do after citizens passed the public safety sales tax in 2017.

“We made a promise to spend that money on the taxpayers and to improve their safety and that’s what we are going to do. Purchasing this land to expand our police services is a great start,” said City Administrator Stan Dobbins.

Not only will the centralized location allow the Branson Police Department to expand in number, something they have no space for in its current building, but the location will allow a centralized hub for citizens to access Police services with a new state of the art Emergency Operations Center (EOC) that will double as a community room. As the City of Branson continues to grow, the community room will be regularly used by community partners and police working on sustainable solutions to neighborhood issues.

While this new building provides the ability to grow the Department, it more importantly, will provide the opportunity to align the department with Industry Standards regarding:

Dispatch Services
Evidence Collection/Storage
Records/Records Retention
Investigations / growth/technology
Officer Wellness (work-out facilities/showers)
Patrol Operations (technology/intelligence lead policing)

In addition to approving the purchase of the land, the Board also approved the purchase of new mobile radios for the police and fire departments, new in-car and body cameras for the police department, and two new school resource officers for the Branson Public School District. City officials are also in the process of acquiring land for a new fire station that will also be purchased through the public safety sales tax.

Once the land is acquired for the fire station, the City will take requests for proposals for architects to design both the fire and police stations plus and an engineering firm to build the two buildings. City officials would like to break ground on these buildings in 2019. This is all part of the City keeping its promise to the community, when residents passed the safety sales tax, to keep the community a safe place to live, work and play.

Additional Info...

Springfield motorcyclist killed in accident at College and West Bypass

(From the Springfield Police Department)

On September 1st at 10:48 am, Officers from the Springfield Police Department were dispatched to a serious injury accident at College and West Bypass.

A 1999 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven Gary W. Jones, age 65, of Springfield, was northbound on West Bypass. A 2006 Ford Freestyle driven by Jenny Stiles, age 47 of Harrison, Arkansas, was westbound to go southbound from College to West Bypass. The vehicles collided in the intersection. Jones was ejected from the motorcycle and was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Next of kin has been notified. Impairment is not suspected and the investigation is on-going. This is the 13th Fatal Crash in Springfield in 2018.

Christian County Dissolution of Marriage Petitions

The following petitions for dissolution of marriage were filed this week in Christian County Circuit Court:

Alan W. Hilton vs. Kathy E. Hilton
Michael E. Mayes vs. Linda S. Mayes
Keslie N. Naffa-Wack vs. Bradley J. Wack
Jessica E. Rainey vs. Trey A. Rainey


Erica L. Pilgrim vs. Mark Pilgrim
Mary E. McConnell vs. William A. McConnell
Britny A. Goodman vs. Zachariah J. Goodman
Brian D. Heath vs. Ashley N. Watkins-Heath
Christina M. Price vs. Michael A. Price

Taney County Dissolution of Marriage Petitions

The following petitions for dissolution of marriage were filed this week in Taney County Circuit Court:

Christopher R. Horsey vs. Tina L. Horsey
Sanchez M. Sunshine vs. Joseph R. Sanchez
Mary H. Ballance vs. Rodney D. Ballance
Briana M. Delgado vs. Christopher D. Delgado
Tena M. George vs. Donald E. George
Stephanie Smith vs. Jacob Whitehill

Stone County Dissolution of Marriage Petitions

The following petitions for dissolution of marriage were filed this week in Stone County Circuit Court:

Nichole M. Johnson vs. Manuel Preston Johnson
Kayla May Gregory vs. Jonathon Clark Gregory

Lawrence County Dissolution of Marriage Petitions

The following petitions for dissolution of marriage were filed this week in Lawrence County Circuit Court:

Christine E. Ebright vs. Charles A. Ebright
Brian A. Reid vs. Chassidy M. Reid
Taylor M. Johnson vs. Austin R. Johnson
Kirk S. Kleeman vs. Kara E. Kleeman
Reanna R. Payne vs. Michael J. Payne

Greene County Dissolution of Marriage Petitions

The following petitions for dissolution of marriage were filed this week in Greene County Circuit Court:

Ashley Little vs. Matthew Little
Erica J. Byrd vs. John W. Byrd
James M. Enlow vs. Kara A. Greer
Kristina M. Keith vs. Kyle L. Keith
Joel Baruch Howard vs. Dustin Thomas Howard
Justin Scott Potter vs. Lisette Sonya Potter
Maleia K. Plevka vs. Matthew D. Plevka
Dustin L. Baumgardner vs. Phaedra C. Baumgardner
Gregory H. Morris vs. Tiwanda L. Morris
Abbey Lynn Parrett vs. George Jacob Parrett
Christina D. Whitworth vs. Jeremy W. Whitworth
Apryl Deerwester vs. Jarrod Aaron Deerwester

Jessica Diane Newsome vs. Robert Bruce Newsome
Kelly Diane Taylor vs. Eric Glen Meinert
Tammy L. Patrick vs. Jeffrey Patrick
Jeri K. Comstock vs. Chris S. Comstock
Shannon Michelle Cook vs. Anthony Shawn Cook
Jeremy S. Snow vs. Rachael E. Mhire Snow
Chelsey N. Walters vs. Cody A. Walters
Christopher J. Sample vs. Ellen L. Colley
Billy R. Raubs vs Christina L. Raubs
Steven Lipe vs. Lindsey Hackler
Anthony Saxton vs. Kashandra Saxton
Billy Bunch vs. Lacie M. Bunch
Angela D. Fairchild vs. James M. Fairchild
Dorel Taranu vs. Lidia Calina

Gray Elementary teacher receives Golden Apple

(From Springfield Public Schools)

Gray Elementary School teacher Stephanie O'Mealy was awarded the Golden Apple from FOX 5 for her efforts as an outstanding kindergarten teacher.

"I was shocked," she said. "It's so great to be recognized for the work that I do for my students."

O'Mealy has taught kindergarten at Gray Elementary School for three years and was surprised on Tuesday, Aug. 28, when she returned to school briefly on her maternity leave after giving birth to her son, Landry. During the award presentation, she was read the words her nominator Caitlin Robertson wrote in submitting O'Mealy for the monthly award by FOX 5. 

"Mrs. O'Mealy is the most genuine teacher with a great can-do attitude that is very contagious with the children, faculty and parents," wrote Robertson in her nomination. "She worked very hard last year, volunteered to help with extra after hours events for the children and help fundraise for the schools, even when eight months pregnant!"

O'Mealy received $250 furnished by BluCurrent Credit Union and will be profiled on FOX 5. She was presented the award by members of the FOX 5 news team and a representative from BluCurrent.

Her son, Landry, was also there for the presentation.

Springfield Art Museum celebrating 90th anniversary

(From the Springfield Art Museum)

Weisel & Kelly Galleries
September 15, 2018 - February 17, 2019
Opening Reception: September 14, 5:30 PM

Please join us as we celebrate the Museum’s 90th Anniversary in a big way. Decades: 90 Years of Collecting features 90 incredibly diverse objects – ten per decade – while examining the history, shifting trends, priorities, and variety of our permanent collection. A wide range of objects will be exhibited including paintings, prints, photography, ceramics, textiles, jewelry/metalwork, furniture, historical objects, and many others.

Art lovers will recognize many of the featured artists including: Arakawa, Calder, Frankenthaler, Gilliam, Rembrandt, Tiffany, and many, many more.

Patrons will see objects from the cultures of Burma, China, Egypt, India, Japan, Mexico, the Near East, Papua New Guinea; and from the Kuna, Mapuche, Makah Tribe, and Zuni peoples. 

Don’t miss this incredible exhibition 90 years in the making! Free and open to the public.