Good morning, Springfield.

On Friday night, Victory Mission provided hundreds of hot meals for those in need at Freedom City Church in Springfield.

The nonprofit continues its decades-long holiday meal tradition that began on Wednesday at Passion Assembly of God Church.

University of Missouri professor Chris Connor released his book Conspiracy Theories and Extremism in New Times to separate fact from fiction about alt‐right groups and various conspiracy theories.

KY3's Steve Grant discussed the work during an interview in Springfield.

Wildlife officials said that only 5% of poaching cases were detected nationwide as recent Missouri incidents involving elk, deer, and black bears drove restoration costs over $1.185 billion in 2023 (residents can help by reporting details to designated hotlines).

Crews repaired a power line that sparked an acre-fire near Farm Road 183 & Highway AA north of Springfield on Thursday, and they quickly contained a roadside fire on Highway 60 in Rogersville.

Fire officials urged residents to avoid outdoor burning and clear combustibles amid dry conditions.

The new Battlefield Fire Protection District facility opened Friday (using the Jaws of Life at its ribbon-cutting) to provide expanded training and maintenance space with three bays, a classroom, office, and storage; the old building will be repurposed as a burn building for live-fire practice.

Springfield released a traffic safety report that identified city-managed intersections with the most crashes.

The report showed that Campbell + Grand led with 22 crashes and seven injuries, improvements were completed in March and upgrades at Battlefield + Scenic are planned.

Members of the O’Reilly family donated funds to secure naming rights for a new $30 million pediatric clinic at Mercy’s south campus near its orthopedic hospital and emergency department.

Construction will start in December + the 40,000 sqft facility will open in December 2026.

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at CoxHealth raised a record $456,856 in gifts and pledges during Miracle Week + officials expect more donations to further boost the total as funds support care and equipment for children and families.

New Missouri State head football coach Casey Woods made his first Springfield appearance during halftime of the Lady Bears' game (against Gonzaga) at Great Southern Bank Arena on Friday.

He signed a five-year contract following Ryan Beard's departure and will hold an official press conference later.

Festival of Lights Free Ice Skating

2:00 PM - 4:45 PM — Brightspeed Ice Park — Free entry, $3 skate rental — Enjoy free ice skating and holiday lights at the park.

OMRR's Run for the Ranch

9:15 a.m. — MSU Parking Lot #22 — Registration fees apply — Participate in a variety of races from a 5K to an endurance run on a scenic route.