Springfield News-Leader
U.S. wages its first AI-assisted war in Iran
Hundreds of Iranian civilian deaths in the war have put the U.S. military’s new AI systems in the spotlight and raised concerns from lawmakers over whether these systems are making deadly mistakes. Experts and former officials say the military’s...
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Vance heads to Pakistan to hold talks with Iran
Vice President JD Vance has described the Iran truce as “fragile.” Starting April 11, he’ll be tasked with negotiating in person with Iranian officials to turn the two-week ceasefire deal into something more lasting and durable.
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Plan to replace MO income tax with sales tax sees business opposition
Armed with additional information about the city’s plans for a $175 million convention center, voters once again rejected an increase to the lodging tax that would have funded the downtown project. With all precincts reporting, the tax measure failed...
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At least 8 dead after police pursuits
A string of high-speed police car chases resulted in at least eight deaths and several injuries over a span of less than a week, marking the latest deadly incidents in an upward trend of police pursuit fatalities in the United States. In Texas, police...
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Public defender shortage ripples across legal system
The Oregon Supreme Court on Feb. 5 issued a ruling that will have a wide impact. More than 1,400 criminal cases had to be dismissed, the justices ruled, due to lack of adequate counsel available for defendants. Like other states, Oregon must provide...
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TSA sharing data with ICE elicits concern about rights
The deportation of a Guatemalan mother and daughter who were detained before boarding a flight raises new questions about how the Trump administration is using government databases for immigration enforcement. The Transportation Security...
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‘They need the blood — we’re here to help’
At only 20 years old, Cooper Roy was involved in a life-threatening car accident a year and a half ago. After numerous surgeries and a long road to recovery, his story has inspired his former high school to organize its largest blood drive yet, hoping...
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Behind the scenes of Branson’s ICE vote
In February, Branson’s Board of Aldermen unanimously signed off on a plan to have the city’s police department enroll in a program to carry out immigration enforcement actions. The public meeting drew dozens of people opposed to the agreement, with...
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SNAP-Ed saved money, helped Americans eat healthier
If the government had found a way to save $10 for every dollar it spent helping low-income people get healthier, wouldn’t it make sense for it to keep doing that? Well, that’s exactly what the U.S. government did when it piloted the SNAPEd program in...
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Route 66 kickoff events, celebrations coming soon
Springfield, which is known as the birthplace of Route 66, will be hosting the kickoff to a national celebration of the historic road’s centennial. From April 30 through May 2, the city will be host to concerts, classic cars, exhibits about Route 66...
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Lawyers raise bullet issue in Kirk case
Attorneys for the man accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk said a federal law enforcement agency did not connect the bullet found during autopsy to the alleged murder weapon. Tyler Robinson has been charged with aggravated...
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SPRING INTO ACTION
With weather warming up and summer fast approaching, Springfield and the surrounding areas are blooming with events to keep you busy. Here are 19 Ozarks events happening in April. Explore the The Man Show Expo at Ozarks Empire Fairgrounds When:...
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Protesters in Springfield rally again to say ‘No Kings’
Protestors of all ages, races and genders showed up with signs decrying President Donald Trump’s administration and declaring that “Democracy is not for sale” and “Respecting everyone hurts no one” on March 28 for the No Kings protest in...
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Where to take Easter Bunny pictures and go on egg hunts
The Easter Bunny has hopped into the Ozarks, just in time for spring. You can catch a free photo with him at Bass Pro Shops through April 5 or at Battlefield Mall through April 4. Looking for something to get you out and moving around? Here are...
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GRANDMA’S LEGACY
About the Women of the Year project USA TODAY’s Women of the Year is a recognition of women who have made a significant impact in their communities and across the country. Meet this year’s honorees at womenoftheyear.usatoday.com. At 4 a.m. every...
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‘Trump slump’ hit U.S. tourism in 2025
With an upcoming FIFA World Cup being staged across the nation, 2026 was supposed to be a bumper year for tourism to the United States, driven in part by hordes of arriving soccer fans. And yet, the U.S. tourism industry is worried. While the rest of...
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TSA wait times reach record levels
The Transportation Security Administration has reported unprecedented airport security wait times amid the partial government shutdown, but travelers from across the country are reporting wildly different experiences. During the 43-day shutdown last...
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Voters to decide fate of Hotel of Terror
The fate of the Hotel of Terror will be decided by Springfield voters in August. At its Monday, March 23, meeting Springfield City Council voted unanimously to ask voters whether to continue to use eminent domain to seize the property. Council...
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Former fan describes departure from MAGA
Rich Logis stood before a crowd of 300 Democrats and said the thing they least wanted to hear. “MAGA was exciting,” he said. “It was exhilarating, and it was enthralling. It was new. It was novel. And, most importantly for myself, it was a...
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Tie & Timber Pizza Kitchen prepares to open
Tie & Timber Beer Company is nearly ready to serve up fresh slices of pizza in the bustling Cherry and Pickwick area. After venturing out to expand and build a second building on its property in late 2024, the craft brewery will soon welcome guests to...
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Renderings revealed for convention center
After some delay, but still in time for the April election, Springfield city officials shared a conceptual design for what could be a new convention and event center. At an unveiling event Thursday, March 19, city officials revealed a conceptual...
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Trump’s ‘war on fraud’ a 50-state problem
President Donald Trump declared a new “war on fraud” during his State of the Union, embracing a task that has eluded presidents for decades. He even tapped his vice president to lead the effort. h “This is the kind of corruption that shreds the fabric...
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AI school flips learning on its head
Matt Shenker recently witnessed a group of fourth and fifth graders at Alpha School Scottsdale doing what he said boys that age do: calling each other fat and making jokes at each other’s expense. At most schools, a teacher or staff member would step...
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‘Illegal machines just hiding in plain sight’
The first criminal charges have been filed in Greene County against a convenience store owner for housing unregulated video lottery terminal machines, or VLTs, in a local store. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced the charges at a...
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Israel kills another top Iranian official
Israel said it had killed Iran’s intelligence minister in its second targeted killing of a top leader in two days, as President Donald Trump suggested he might abandon the task of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic, Iran’s huge Pars...
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Wanted: Volunteers to host nuclear waste
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration’s plan to unleash a wave of small futuristic nuclear reactors to power the AI era is falling back on an age-old strategy to dispose of the highly toxic waste: bury it at the bottom of a very deep hole. But there’s...
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Spring break in the Ozarks offers a change of pace
Springfield Public Schools’ spring break is here — and lasts until March 20. So what do you do when you’ve exhausted all of the games, crafts and movies at home? We’ve got a few ideas for you. An asterisk denotes events that are free. When: Through...
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Silver Dollar City Resort celebrates milestone
Above: Construction crews lower the final rooftop into place on Silver Dollar City Resort on March 13. Folks gathered at the site of Silver Dollar City’s new resort Friday, March 13, to celebrate its “crowning” – the construction crew lifting the...
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LIBERTY AND FAITH
The first pages of a new White House prayer anthology open with a myth: a depiction of English colonists landing at Cape Henry, near present-day Virginia Beach, Virginia, raising a tall wooden cross and dedicating the land to God through prayer. The...
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6 U.S. service members killed in crash over Iraq
Six more U.S. service members were killed when their refueling aircraft crashed after a midair collision over western Iraq, officials said March 13, as the joint U.S.-Israeli war on Iran reached the two-week mark with few signs of slowing down. The...
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‘Keep the hometown feel’
The outdoor concert venue in Lampe, near Table Rock Lake, is fondly cemented in the brains of many Baby Boomers and Gen X-ers as “Swiss Villa,” despite its name change in 1995 to Black Oak Amphitheater. Nestled along a winding two-lane highway in the...
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Ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz
Iran has taken credit for two of three ships struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on March 11 as the country traded strikes with the United States and Israel across the Middle East and the U.S. average gas price hit $3.59 a gallon. Iranian...
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Trump threatens Iran over waterway
President Donald Trump on March 9 predicted the Iran war will end “very soon” now that U.S. forces have decimated the country’s navy, air force and political leadership, but a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps slammed the president’s...
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Local patriots, history buffs celebrate American Revolution project
History buffs, veterans, folks in colonial garb and those wanting to celebrate America gathered Sunday, March 8, to mark the local opening of a traveling exhibit on the American Revolution. The welcoming of the national exhibition marks the first of...
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AI photos, videos blur truth in Iran war
Iran strikes a U.S. Navy fleet in the waters off Bahrain. Missiles land in a densely populated area in Tel Aviv. Emergency workers find the body of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in airstrikes, lying in rubble. These images and...
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SOLAR
ATOPEKA, KS fter wind turbines came to Ford County, Kansas, in 2006, the roads got fixed, schools were rebuilt and for the first time in decades, dozens of new houses were constructed. h “We just added another crop,” said Deloyce McKee, 76, whose...
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Trump lawsuit could end affirmative action
When the Heritage Foundation think tank drew up an expansive transition plan in anticipation of Donald Trump’s return to the presidency, one of its chief policy goals was eliminating affirmative action, which Project 2025 dubbed “affirmative...
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Birthplace of Route 66 Festival replacing parade
With Route 66 turning 100 years old this year, Springfield is focused on celebrating the Mother Road throughout the year. While the Queen City will host the national centennial kickoff celebration at the end of April, it will still hold its annual...
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United States foreign relationships strained
WASHINGTON – On the night he was elected to a second term, President Donald Trump tried to put to rest con“I’m cerns raised by his critics that he would lead the United States into war. “I’m not going to start a war,” he said during his victory speech...
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Building owner paints over mural inspired by local artist
The Springfield art community experienced a keen loss this weekend when it discovered that a mural inspired by Ozarks artist Robert E. Smith had been painted over with gray primer on Feb. 27. Multiple posts on social media expressed dismay and...
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U.S. fighter jets crash in Kuwait due to friendly fire
Three American fighter aircraft crashed in Kuwait on March 2, with crews surviving “unscathed” and in stable condition, the Middle Eastern country’s defense ministry and the Pentagon said, as the congressional debate over President Donald Trump’s...
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Convention center predesign taking shape
At the final convention center workshop on Feb. 26, attendees were invited to play by putting together building blocks, divvying up a fake budget and picking their top concepts and programs that a proposed convention and event center might...
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Mermaids, parades and more this March
From mermaids to a St. Patrick’s Day parade to hunting for eggs, March is packed with all sorts of events in the Ozarks. Here are 21 things to do this month in and around Springfield. Seuss Science Day at the YMCA When: March 7 Where: Pat Jones...
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Push to automate science with AI has constraints
Consistent with the general trend of incorporating artificial intelligence into nearly every field, researchers and politicians are increasingly using AI models trained on scientific data to infer answers to scientific questions. But can AI ultimately...
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Organizations provide resources, funds for families of fallen deputies
The deaths of two Christian County Sheriff’s Office deputies and the wounding of two other law enforcement officers have shaken the Ozarks. As families, colleagues and local communities grieve, organizations are stepping up to help support the families...
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Trump touts ‘roaring economy’ in speech
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump declared the country is booming, his opponents are “crazy” and his administration is engaged in unprecedented levels of “winning” in a marathon State of the Union address that comes as polls showed deep skepticism of...
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Ex-ICE lawyer testifies to Congress
ICE supervisors are teaching “new cadets to violate the Constitution” amid President Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations, a former agency lawyer testified to members of Congress. “The ICE academy is deficient, defective, and broken,” former...
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Ukrainians mourn homes, loved ones lost in the war
DZENZELIVKA, Ukraine – Halyna Popriadukhina, 65, has fled her home three times as Russian troops have marched deeper into eastern Ukraine during four years of war. Tired of running, she hopes Ukraine can somehow hold them back. “I’m afraid there’s...
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Foster hometown pride to grow civic engagement
Eileen Higgins won a historic victory in December. She became the first woman ever elected mayor of Miami, as well as its first Democratic mayor since 1997. h Although the stakes in the city’s Dec. 9, runoff election were high, interest was not − 4 in...
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Community opposes BESS
Dozens of Greene County residents filled the courtroom in the Historic Courthouse on Tuesday, Feb. 17, many standing for more than two hours at the Greene County Planning Board meeting. They filed into the standingroom-only meeting to show their...
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‘He’s going to be himself again’
NASHVILLE – Phil Vassar’s heart stopped beating. His eyes rolled back. His skin turned blue. Doctors told him he died. Twice. The odds of the Nashville singersongwriter and pianist surviving a 2023 “widow-maker” heart attack, a complete blockage to...
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STUDY: PLANET IS IN WATER BANKRUPTCY
The world is now using so much fresh water amid the consequences of climate change that it has entered an era of water bankruptcy, with many regions no longer able to bounce back from frequent water shortages. h About 4 billion people – nearly half...
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New municipal court building would cost $42 million
Springfield is looking at an upgrade to its municipal court building, but such an endeavor is costly and all the funding has yet to be identified. Architects with N Form Architecture presented to Springfield City Council the findings of their study and...
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Civil rights icon Jackson dies at 84
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering civil rights icon who battled alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., negotiated global hostage releases and shamed corporations for their lack of diversity and failure to support voting rights, died on Feb. 17. He...
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States take sides in immigration fight
State lawmakers across the country are ramping up efforts to either support or block the Trump administration’s massdeportation efforts, wading deeper into a policy arena that’s long been the province of the federal government. While immigration...
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AI COMPANIES GEAR UP TO SELL ADS
Eighteen months ago, it was plausible that artificial intelligence might take a different path than social media. Back then, AI’s development hadn’t consolidated under a small number of big tech firms. Nor had it capitalized on consumer attention,...
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Jenny Lind Hall expected to have a working elevator after 2 years Repairs finally progress
For the first time in about two years, tenants at Jenny Lind Hall — an affordable housing complex for seniors and residents with disabilities — could have a working elevator. With repairs completed, contractor TK Elevator (TKE) told the News-Leader in...
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‘DANGEROUS’ STAKES
Seventy-five dollars is all Sam needed for his next round of sports bets on his BetMGM app. Well – it wasn’t officially his. He was 17 years old, and the legal gambling age in his home state of Arizona is 21. Sam used his mom’s ID behind her back to...
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Student informants spur academic freedom debate
Texas A&M University told philosophy professor Martin Peterson in early January that he could not teach some of Greek philosopher Plato’s writings that touch on “race and gender ideology.” The university’s local chapter of the American Association of...
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Police gain immigration enforcement powers
After hours of testimony Feb. 10, Branson’s Board of Alderman unanimously approved an agreement that will bestow upon Branson Police Department officers the powers to carry out immigration enforcement. The vote came after the tumultuous conclusion of...
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First defendant in Nguyen murder gets max sentence
The first of five defendants in the November 2023 shooting that killed Chaviz Nguyen and injured his pregnant girlfriend Haley Frillman has been sentenced. Greene County Circuit Judge Todd Myers sentenced Elysha Bedell to serve the maximum sentence on...
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Hundreds protest against ICE outside Super Bowl
SANTA CLARA, CA – They came, they marched, they chanted − all under a close watch. But it wasn’t ICE agents who patrolled the streets on Super Bowl Sunday, as many had anticipated. Hundreds of people on Feb. 8 took over a main thoroughfare less than 2...
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New grassroots group helps ICE detainees
While Greene County has not been the backdrop of mass immigration sweeps seen elsewhere in the country, one local grassroots volunteer group is working to ensure those detained and held in the local jail for Immigration and Customs Enforcement can...
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‘There were a lot of sick people in there’
They stole a few hours of sleep under glaring LED lights, crowded in by dozens of other detainees. They shivered through fevers and flus, praying deadlier diseases weren’t stalking their confines. Then, just as they feared their confinement would...
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MAGA vs. Bad Bunny splits Super Bowl
Sen. Tommy Tuberville was thrilled to attend the Super Bowl in 2025 when he hitched a ride on Air Force One, joining President Donald Trump and several other Republican lawmakers for the big game. “Happy Super Bowl Sunday,” the Republican senator for...
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‘Because of the hope’
Growing up in Vietnam, owning a business in the U.S. was a far-fetched daydream for Lee and David Luu. But on March 29, the couple will celebrate 35 years of owning Springfield’s Cashew Station Drive-Thru. The local Chinese food spot at 620 E....
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Lawmakers turn focus to reform Trump’s ICE
WASHINGTON – The latest government shutdown is over, and Capitol Hill is already bracing for another high-profile brawl over President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts that could land one federal agency with a shutdown all its own. As...
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Valentine’s, Galentine’s events in the Ozarks
Valentine’s Day (and its friendship counterpart, Galentine’s Day) is fast approaching — do you have plans? Here are some ideas in the Springfield area for things to do with your friends or lovers. Moth Market: Eat Your Heart Out When: Feb. 7 Where:...
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Trump actions worry free-speech advocates
The FBI search of a Washington Post reporter’s home on Jan. 14 was a rare and intimidating move by an administration focused on repressing criticism and dissent. In its story about the search at Hannah Natanson’s home, at which FBI agents said they...
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20 events coming to the Ozarks in February
February isn’t just for Valentine’s Day. There are chili cook-offs, day camps, expos and musicals to be experienced in the shortest month of the year. Here are 20 events happening in the Ozarks this month to keep you active during the winter. When:...
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‘Crunchy’ podcasters flip script, criticize vaccines
CLEVELAND – The word “crunchy” once defined a progressive outlook in the health and wellness world: Crunchy moms of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s espoused yoga, granola and wheatgrass, alongside broadly left-leaning political views on everything from...
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Deportations from ICE street arrests increase
The Trump administration dramatically increased deportations by arresting migrants on American streets, often without criminal records, according to a new report. The Deportation Data Project’s report, released on Jan. 27, shows the sweeping effects...
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Consumer-driven future seen for GLP-1 drugs
LONDON – Ask executives in the health care industry about the future market for weight-loss drugs and the analogies are telling: monthly GLP-1 medicine subscriptions like a streaming video membership; dose decisions managed on a smartphone app; access...
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At home in the snow
Freezing temperatures and several inches of snow has kept most Springfieldians indoors. But on Tuesday, Jan. 27, it proved to be the perfect day for penguins from the local aquarium to leave their exhibit and take on an outdoor adventure. Seventeen...
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See the lineup for Route 66 centennial kickoff concert
Springfield, known as the Birthplace of Route 66, is set to host the start of a national celebration of the Mother Road’s centennial. Over the course of four days, the Queen City will set the stage with several events, including a concert hosted by...
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Bitter cold expected to keep snow around for the week
This weekend finally brought some winter fun to southwest Missouri as several inches of snow allowed Springfieldians to go sledding, make snowmen or simply cozy up indoors. While forecasts that called for a foot or more of snow were not borne out,...
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