U. S. Bankruptcy Court Petitions- Springfield

Christian County

Derek Lee Johnson
Austin Lee Cooper
Carlos Julian Fleities and Pamela Louise Fleities
Kristina M. Beckham

Greene County

Robert Clinton Staley
Melia Nicole Davidson
James Anthony Ward, Jr., and Jennifer Marie Bordelon
Valerie Michelle Parrish

Howell County

Clayton Edward Willis and Angela Jean Willis
Timothy Floyd Stewart and Linds Sue Stewart



Laclede County

Patrick Alan Wehner
Jesse Robert Haefner
Breena Nicole Greek-Woodrum

Polk County

Michelle Renee Barnhart

Pulaski County

Heidi Christine Newsome
Joselin Grant Viljevac and Allison Paige Viljevac
Christopher Shawn Johnson

Taney County

Steven T. Wilson
Jeffery Donald Hurshman

Texas County

Terry Wayne Couchman and Dina Ann Couchman
Guy Thomas Shanks

Webster County

Sandra Sue Cudworth



Wright County

William Francis Lander and Pamela Sue Lander

Licking man sentenced to 12 years on child pornography charge

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Licking, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for receiving and distributing child pornography.

Wesley Warren Norris, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 12 years and seven months in federal prison without parole.

According to court documents, Norris used a peer-to-peer file-sharing network to receive and distribute images and videos of child pornography over the internet. Norris admitted that he had downloaded hundreds of files containing child pornography. Investigators located 145 images and 1,325 videos of child pornography on Norris’s electronic devices. Norris pleaded guilty on June 25, 2018, to receiving and distributing child pornography.

Norris, according to court documents, was previously convicted of endangering the welfare of a child for providing K2 to a minor female who overdosed. Norris also told investigators that two minor females had accused him of molesting them.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Texas County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

Agenda posted for Springfield City Council lunch meeting

Springfield City Council Lunch 
Tuesday, December 11, 11:30 am 
Busch Municipal Building – 4th Floor Conference Room 840 Boonville Avenue 

TENTATIVE AGENDA 

1. Follow-Up from the City Council Meeting of December 10, 2018.

2. Walkability Action Team and ADA Sidewalk Survey – Randall Whitman and Dawne Gardner.


3. Any and all matters to come before City Council.

4. Adjourn to Special City Council Meeting-Closed Session.

Scenic Avenue to close at railroad crossing north of Battlefield Road next week

(From the City of Springfield)

Scenic Avenue will close at the Missouri and Northern Arkansas (MNA) railroad crossing north of Battlefield Road beginning 6 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11 through 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12 to accommodate an emergency railroad crossing repair.

Drivers are advised to use an alternate route.

Access to Horton Smith Golf Course, Springfield Botanical Gardens at Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park and all area businesses will remain open.

Traveling robot allows Delaware Elementary kindergarten student to attend classes

(From Springfield Public Schools)

Caleb Miller is a kindergartner who loves the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? He lives in the Gray Elementary School attendance area but attends classes at Delaware Elementary School -- thanks to a special robot.

“He’s a very social little boy, and he especially enjoys being around his peers,” said Desire’ Miller, Caleb’s mother. “But to be in a classroom setting every day isn’t a good option for him, but with the robot, he loves being able to attend school.”

Five years ago, Caleb Miller was born with a complex congenital heart defect that required a heart transplant at four months old. While waiting for a heart transplant, he had a massive stroke that took his left hemisphere of his brain, and his eventual transplant left him very vulnerable to airborne illnesses. Contracting a cold could mean a hospital stay for Caleb, so school wasn’t an option, says Miller.

But that wasn’t an option for the SPS Assistive Technology team, made up of SPS occupational therapist Gary Koeppe and speech language pathologist Steven Kleinsasser. After helping Caleb to secure funding for a communication device, they went about the task of getting Caleb to attend classes, in whatever way worked for him.

“With Caleb, thinking about what we provide him specifically, our hearts just went out to him,” said Koeppe. “So we asked a big question: How do we give him that school experience, where he can at least have some interaction with his peers, have fun and enjoy school?”

Koeppe wrote a Missouri Assistive Technology Reimbursement Grant for a $2,900 telepresence robot, later named Hal 9000. Now, a couple of times a week, Desire’ logs on to Caleb’s Chromebook and connects to the robot, booting it up and driving it down the hallway to Melanie Miller’s kindergarten class. There, Caleb attends calendar time, hearing what day of the week it is, the day’s weather, waving to his classmates and more -- just like any kindergartner.  

“We’re exploring ways to help students like Caleb, who are immunosuppressed, who can’t come to school but want that interaction,” said Pam Marion, assistant director of special services, who has worked with special education team members to support Caleb since he was 3. “It’s really neat to see him interact with his friends and to see his friends interact with him, thanks to this robot. It wouldn’t be possible otherwise.”

To make Caleb’s remote learning possible, the Assistive Technology team collaborated with the Information Technology department to install advanced Wi-Fi connections in an older portion of Delaware’s building. The improved signal improved the quality of the livestream, which the IT department continues to tweak and improve.

Supporting Caleb and his learning matters, but he is just one student the long-time Assistive Technology team supports every day. In the last three years, the AT team has placed around 50 augmentative/alternative communication devices in the hands of students and their staff and families, allowing those students to better learn and use language to convey their thoughts, feelings and desires -- a life-changing development.

“AAC devices give students who are nonverbal a voice and a means to express themselves,” says Kleinsasser. “This allows them to more effectively participate in their academic, social and, generally, in their overall life.”

Attending music class and calendar time has become a part of Caleb’s routine, and thanks to Caleb’s communication device, Caleb now asks his mom to read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? She’s happy to read to him, knowing what he wants and the colors he’s learning.

“SPS has bent over backward for Caleb to make sure we feel loved and that our family’s not forgotten, even though he can’t be in a regular school setting,” said Miller. “It’s been amazing to see so many people acknowledge how special Caleb is, which we know, but it’s been so amazing to have so many people at SPS see it, too.” 

 

All eastbound lanes of I-44 west of Springfield open following bridge replacement

(From MODOT)

TRAFFIC ALERT
All Eastbound Lanes of I-44 OPEN at MM 64.2 West of Springfield Following Bridge Replacement

What: All eastbound lanes of I-44 OPEN at Pickerel Creek (Mile Marker 64.2) west of Springfield

When: 10 a.m. today (Friday, Dec. 7)

Why: Eastbound I-44 reduced to one lane and shifted to median to allow contractor crews to replace the deteriorating Pickerel Creek bridge

Traffic Impacts:
Both eastbound lanes of I-44 open at Mile Marker 64.2 at Pickerel Creek west of Springfield
Cleanup work continues including pavement striping, installation of edgeline rumble stripes, removal of work zone signs, etc. However, traffic impacts will be minimal.

Project Facts:
Total project cost: $3.4 million.
Prime contractor: Hartman and Company of Springfield
Project started on July 6, 2018, and was completed one week ahead of schedule

Seligman teens, 12-year-old injured when car slams into tree

Three Seligman residents were injured in a one-vehicle accident 4:42 p.m. Thursday on Farm Road 2290 at Seligman.

According to the Highway Patrol report, a 1998 Toyota Camry driven by Brian K. Swadley, 18, Seligman, ran off the roadway and struck a tree.


Swadley and a passenger, Lexie R. Swadley, 12, Seligman, were treated for moderate injuries at Mercy Hospital, Rogers, Arkansas.

Another passenger, Tyler L. Swadley, 17, Seligman, was treated for minor injuries at Mercy.

Mount Vernon man killed in head-on collision with semi on 174

A Mount Vernon man was killed in a two-vehicle accident 3 a.m. today on MO 174, four miles east of Mount Vernon.

According to the Highway Patrol report, a 1997 Chevrolet Blazer driven by Bruce D. Berg, 23, Mount Vernon, crossed the center line and struck a 2014 Kenworth driven by Robert D. Rees, 52, Aurora, head on.


Berg was pronounced dead at 5:50 a.m. by Dr. Jason Brocker at Mercy Hospital, Springfield.

The fatality was the 124th this year for Highway Patrol Troop D.

Springfield mayor sends holiday message via video Christmas card

(From the City of Springfield)

Springfield Mayor Ken McClure sends his warm holiday wishes in a video Christmas Card produced by the City of Springfield’s Department of Public Information & Civic Engagement. Please consider sharing it as you deem appropriate. Happy holidays from all of us at the City of Springfield!

Mayor Ken McClure’s 2018 Video Christmas Card from SGF CityView on Vimeo.

Springfield Environmental Services offering tips on holiday recycling, repurposing, creating less waste

(From the City of Springfield)

Springfield Environmental Services is wishing residents a happy and green holiday with a new education initiative centered around sustainable holiday practices. 

“Green Holiday SGF” kicked off Dec. 1 with a series of daily social media posts featuring tips on a variety of sustainability topics to help residents consider recycling, repurposing and creating less waste throughout the holiday season.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans throw away 25 percent more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period. That’s about 25 million tons of garbage or 1 million extra tons per week going to our landfills.

“Our busiest days at the landfill are easily the days following Christmas,” says Springfield Superintendent of Solid Waste Erick Roberts. “Our recycling centers also tend to slow down during the holidays. It’s a busy time for families, but it’s important to remind residents that it can be easy and even fun to recycle and repurpose your holiday materials.”

To view daily tips, residents can follow @SGFEnvironmentalServices on facebook or Instagram, or @SGFEnvironServi on Twitter. All resources can be found on the City’s website at http://www.springfieldmo.gov/estips.  For questions about recycling opportunities in Springfield, call the recycling hotline at 417-864-1904.

SEASONAL RECYCLING RESOURCES: 

Household holiday recyclables

The following holiday items are accepted at the Lone Pine (3020 S. Lone Pine Ave.), Franklin Avenue (731 N. Franklin Ave.) and Yardwaste Recycling Center (3790 S. Farm Road 119, Brookline) facilities open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. during the winter season (Closed Dec. 25 and Jan. 31):

• Paper - Wrapping paper, tissue paper, greeting cards and paper decor with no foil or glitter are accepted.
• Paperboard gift boxes and wrapping paper tubes are accepted. These technically qualify as paper, so please deposit in the paper bin.
• Corrugated cardboard boxes are accepted. Please flatten to save space.
• Plastic, glass & aluminum drink containers from your holiday parties. Yes, we’ll even take those red plastic cups! Please rinse out first.
• Plastic and metal food containers from your holiday meal prep. Must be rinsed and free of food. No need to remove lids or labels. No plastic bags please!

Holiday Lights

As residents begin to haul out the holly, they may notice a string of lights or two that no longer work. Holiday lighting can be recycled at the following locations:

AAA Certified Computer Recycling Center
528 N. Prince Lane  -  417-866-2588
Fee:  None

Computer Electronics Recycling
2935 W. Chestnut Expy  -  417-864-4415
Fee: None

All Metal Recycling
3340 W. Division  -  417-862-0011
Fee: None (Pay 10 cents/lb.)

Commercial Metals Company
634 E. Phelps  -  417-862-0548
Fee: None (Pay 10 cents /lb.)

Artificial Trees & Holiday Decor

Artifical trees and holiday decor in usable condition are accepted for free at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore (2410 S. Scenic Ave.) and many local thrift stores. Call ahead to confirm need prior to arriving. Trees in poor condition may be disposed at the Springfield Sanitary Landfill.

Plastic Shopping Bags

Residents are encouraged to grab their reusable bags and totes before heading to the stores. This is a great way to reduce single-use plastics that ultimately end up in the landfill.

If you forget your totes at home, plastic bags can be recycled at most large retail and supermarket locations. Many thrift stores will also accept clean plastic bags.

Shipping & Packing Materials

Styrofoam peanuts and sheets are accepted at AAA Certified Computer Recycling Center (852 N. Prince Lane) for $5 per load.

Bubble wrap and air packs may be returned along with your plastic shopping bags to any major retailer and supermarket that accepts them. Just remember to pop before recycling to save space.

You can also check with local packing and shipping businesses who may accept reusable packing materials.

Live Christmas Trees

The season is only beginning, but residents should keep in mind that live Christmas trees are not accepted at Missouri landfills.

The City’s Yardwaste Recycling Center will accept live trees for no charge Dec. 26, 2018 - Jan. 31, 2019, otherwise, the $5 gate fee will apply. Please remove all decorations and tree stands.