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Springfield Daily Citizen
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Official account of the Springfield (MO) Daily Citizen. Visit sgfcitizen.org to read the best community coverage and sign up for our daily newsletter.
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: After placing third at state last year, Willard wrestling standout Adia Hull is aiming for a state title. Her junior season is off to a good start.

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Willard wrestler Adia Hull. Text on the image reads, "Citizen Athlete."
December 12, 2025 at 10:03 PM
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A Willard woman is charged with felony second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, financial institution accounts fraud and stealing after she allegedly strangled and beat a 74-year-old man to death and took money out of his bank account.

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A patch for the Willard Police Department (Photo from the city of Willard)
December 12, 2025 at 9:49 PM
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Emma Rowlett and Alena Gilmore, of Springfield, say a permanent diversionary court is essential to ensuring consistent support to Springfield’s homeless populations.

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Pastor Christie Love and Holly Madden bring hot food to men in a homeless camp in January 2022. (Photo by Dean Curtis)
December 12, 2025 at 9:00 PM
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The former owner of Affordable Towing has pleaded guilty to mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. Dennis Cleveland was previously convicted of tampering with the emissions controls of his company’s diesel towing vehicles.

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Dennis Cleveland pleaded guilty in federal court Friday, Dec. 12, 2025 to mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. (Photo: Greene County jail)
December 12, 2025 at 8:24 PM
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The holiday parade season is a whirlwind for Central High's Kilties. As the all-girl Scottish drum and bugle corps celebrates 100 years, its members and alumni will serve as the grand marshals for Saturday's "Wrapped In Plaid" Springfield Christmas Parade.

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Central High School's Kilties, founded in 1926, will serve as the grand marshals for the 2025 Springfield Christmas Parade. (Photo courtesy of the Kilties)
December 12, 2025 at 8:01 PM
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The Springfield City Council is one step closer to creating an internship program to assist council members with legislative research and other tasks. Jack McGee has details on the proposed program and the next steps.

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The Springfield City Council meets on Monday, October 20, 2025. (Photo by Jym Wilson)
December 12, 2025 at 7:02 PM
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In case Springfield-area college basketball fans haven’t noticed, good things are going on at Evangel. Lyndal Scranton has details on the Valor men and women, as well as the teams at Drury and Mission.

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Garrett Davault scored a career-high 30 to lead Evangel past Baker in the second round of the NAIA Tournament and into the Round of 16. (Photo by Evangel University Athletics)
December 12, 2025 at 6:23 PM
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IN-DEPTH: One insurance advisor says he’s never witnessed a more distressing health plan enrollment season, as Greene County residents are facing a loss of benefits and rising health care costs. Here's what's behind that double-whammy.

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Michael DeFontes, a health insurance advisor in the Springfield area, talks about the number of clients he has who are impacted by a recent policy change regarding Cox HealthPlans insurance. The notebook has been blurred to shield confidential information. (Photo by Kathleen O'Dell)
December 12, 2025 at 6:00 PM
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Springfield's Birthplace of Route 66 Plaza is getting a boost from Missouri State. The school is donating about 2,630 square feet of space near the intersection of Jefferson and Park Central East to the city of Springfield.

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The Park East building at 318 W. Park Central East is adjacent to a parking lot owned by Missouri State University. The lot is the site of the former Colonial Hotel. (Photo by Jeff Kessinger)
December 12, 2025 at 5:01 PM
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OPINION: For the first time, maybe ever, Missouri State had a football coach that a more-established school wanted to hire as its own head coach. Lyndal Scranton says Ryan Beard's departure is a testament to the growth of Bears football.

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Missouri State head coach Ryan Beard patrols the sideline against SMU at Plaster Stadium on September 13, 2025. (Photo by Bruce Stidham)
December 12, 2025 at 4:00 PM
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FREE TO ALL READERS: A referendum petition seeking to repeal the ordinance that authorized the rezoning for a controversial housing development proposed on East Division Street has been deemed insufficient by the City Clerk’s Office.

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Residents of the neighborhoods adjacent to the proposed East Division Development listen to speakers at a meeting of the Springfield City Council on Monday, October 20, 2025. (Photo by Jym Wilson)
December 12, 2025 at 3:25 PM
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Blue Room Comedy Club has filed a lawsuit against Springfield Comedy Club, the landlord of the downtown property that leased to the business and a ticketing company.

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Blue Room Comedy Club was located at 420 W. College St., and has been replaced by the new Springfield Comedy Club. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
December 12, 2025 at 3:12 PM
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UPDATE: The Daily Citizen's Ryan Collingwood reports that Missouri State offensive coordinator Nick Petrino will serve as the Bears' interim head coach in the Xbox Bowl.

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Missouri State offensive coordinator Nick Petrino's passing offense ranked fifth in NCAA Division I FCS in in 2023. (Photo by Joe Thomas/Greenbox Photography)
December 12, 2025 at 2:52 PM
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UPDATE: Ryan Beard is leaving Missouri State to take over as head football coach at Coastal Carolina.

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Missouri State football coach Ryan Beard high-fives wide receiver Jmariyae Robinson during the first-half against Montana Aug. 31, 2024. (Photo by Brooks Nuanez, Skyline Sports)
December 11, 2025 at 11:53 PM
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Lisa Rau, a former KY3 anchor and longtime Silver Dollar City public relations director, has died. She was 64.

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Lisa Rau with her mother, Barbara “Bobbi” Rau, circa 1993. (Photo provided by Lisa Rau)
December 11, 2025 at 9:43 PM
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Report: Coastal Carolina looks to hire Missouri State’s Ryan Beard as head coach.

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Missouri State football coach Ryan Beard high-fives wide receiver Jmariyae Robinson during the first-half against Montana Aug. 31, 2024. (Photo by Brooks Nuanez, Skyline Sports)
December 11, 2025 at 9:40 PM
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Battlefield is getting a new sit-down restaurant, owned by John Palazzolo, the son of the founder of Rocco’s Pizza. Palazzolo's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria could open in the first week of January.

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Palazzolo's owner John Palazzolo poses with his namesake sign on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Battlefield. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
December 11, 2025 at 7:42 PM
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Springfield's retail scene stretches well beyond downtown and Historic Commercial Street. Republic Road is lined with boutiques and specialty shops, so Juliana Goodwin spent an afternoon exploring what’s available for holiday gifts.

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Holiday home décor and Christmas gifts fill the front of Baglady Boutique on Republic Road in Springfield, a shop known for seasonal décor and unique home items. (Photo by Juliana Goodwin) Kansas City–themed apparel and accessories fill a display inside Bree’s Little Closet, a women’s clothing boutique on Republic Road in Springfield. (Photo by Juliana Goodwin) Handcrafted necklaces and interchangeable pendants are displayed at Artistic Works By Lu on Republic Road in Springfield, a boutique known for its unique jewelry designs. (Photo by Juliana Goodwin)
December 11, 2025 at 7:29 PM
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Members of the O’Reilly family have provided the lead donation for the new Children’s Mercy With Mercy Pediatric Clinic, to be built on Mercy’s south Springfield campus in Ozark.

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A rendering of the Children's Mercy pediatric clinic planned for Mercy Springfield's south campus in Ozark. (Provided by Mercy)
December 11, 2025 at 7:00 PM
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When Michael Scharpf's mother died, he used his extensive background in video and photography to create her memorial video. That experience launched him on the path to creating In Moving Memory, offering memorial videos and living interviews.

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Michael Scharpf removes a photograph from a wedding album for scanning. (Photo by Jym Wilson)
December 11, 2025 at 4:30 PM
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Overland Addict, a Nixa business that sells a variety of outdoor gear, will close its storefront. The business will continue with e-commerce on its website.

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Overland Addict's Nixa storefront facing Highway CC. (Photo by Zoe McIntyre)
December 11, 2025 at 4:08 PM
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A Springfield attorney is being sued by a client, who alleges he grabbed her breasts during a meeting. Don Harmening is also facing a criminal charge related to the incident. He denies the allegations and is filing a civil suit of his own.

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The law firm of Don Harmening off of Bennett Street in Springfield. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
December 11, 2025 at 2:02 PM
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St. George's Donuts is coming to Nixa this spring. The newest store for the long-running business will open in the same shopping center as the new PaPPo's Pizza.

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Nick St. George of St. George's Donuts smiles inside his Sunshine Street location on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Springfield. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
December 10, 2025 at 7:47 PM
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FREE TO ALL READERS: Incumbents Judy Brunner and Shurita Thomas-Tate were the first, and only, candidates to turn in materials on the first day of filing for the April school board election. No other candidates have picked up packets for running.

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Judy Brunner, left, and Shurita Thomas-Tate were sworn into office as members of the Springfield school board on April 11, 2023, by Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller. (Photo by Shannon Cay)
December 10, 2025 at 6:44 PM
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MoDOT has updated its Sunshine Street East Corridor project to include fewer medians and more U-turn lanes. It appears ready to push forward with those plans despite continued opposition from some business owners and elected officials.

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MoDOT is moving forward with plans to install medians on East Sunshine Street, among other improvements. In response to concerns from the local business community, MoDOT has scaled back some of the proposed medians and is reducing the number of driveway removals compared to what was originally proposed in 2023. (Photo provided by the city of Springfield)
December 10, 2025 at 6:01 PM