Springfield News-Leader
Michigan swimmer to tow 250 cannonballs
Jim Dreyer, the 62-year-old long-distance swimmer who calls himself “The Shark” and has achieved unusual feats in the water, is planning a new test of strength: The Michigander aims to tow 250 cannonballs while swimming 22 miles. Take that, UFC...
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LOWER CRIME RATES AT RISK
The United States is experiencing one of the steepest declines in violent crime in modern history, including a murder rate at its lowest point in more than a century. Homicides across 35 major American cities fell 21% in 2025, amounting to 922 fewer...
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Special bench unveiled at the Patriotic Party in Park
The Saturday night thunderstorm that prompted flash flood warnings passed by cleared out just in time for the Patriotic Party in the Park, honoring America’s 250th anniversary and National Flag Day on Sunday, June 14. The Rachel Donelson Chapter of...
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Downtown Springfield decked in rainbows for Ozarks PrideFest
George Cherry took the microphone from GLO Executive Director Aaron Kitchens on Saturday, June 13 and looked out into the colorful crowd at Park Central Square with pride. Cherry recalled moving to Springfield in 1980 as an openly gay man at a time...
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Custom-built Chateau Charmant listed for $1.5M
More than two decades ago, Robert Palmer drew a castle and told his wife Bonnie Palmer, “I want to build you a castle.” The drawing came to life as the Palmers, alongside their daughter, built what is now dubbed Chateau Charmant, French for “Charming...
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FBI Director: Securing World Cup a ‘huge lift’
ABOARD FBI JET – With 48 teams, 36 base camps and 11 stadiums, the World Cup, which kicked off on June 11, is one of the biggest security challenges the FBI has ever faced. That’s before you account for 3 million visitors, including heads of state,...
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Public PayCheck report
The wages and benefits of public employees consistently are among the top expenses local governments and entities fund using tax dollars. With the use of taxpayer funding comes public scrutiny, as well, thanks to Missouri’s Sunshine Law, which ensures...
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1 dead, damage reported after storms hit Midwest
Severe storms and tornadoes that tore through the Midwest on June 11 left one person dead, downed trees and plunged thousands into darkness with power outages. The storms capped multiple days of outbreaks across several states, with tornadoes, storm...
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‘Along the way’
It was his eighth day in the saddle of a bicycle, pedaling day and night and dealing with the summer heat, when 66-year-old Joe Barr cycled through Springfield the morning of Wednesday, June 10. The Queen City was just a temporary stop on his journey...
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Forecasters: Brace for coast-to-coast heat wave
Summer heat is on the way from coast to coast, forecasters say, with high temperatures well into the 80s and 90s and even 100s in some areas. In fact, the national temperature outlook map for June 11-17 shows that abovenormal temperatures are forecast...
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Trump’s aid cuts undermine justice
IZIUM, Ukraine – Roksolana Makar braved icy roads and the threat of drone strikes to interview a woman in the Ukrainian town of Izium who said Russian forces tortured her. Surrounded by woods and farmland, Izium still bears scars from a 2022 Russian...
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QUESTIONS SURROUND STADIUM RENAME
Just a week before the Route 66 Centennial celebrations began, the city of Springfield, Springfield Cardinals and other partners announced the renaming of the city’s baseball field, from Hammons Field to Route 66 Stadium. More than a month later, and...
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Carr family gift supports ‘The U’ at Ozarks Tech
The Durham Company Carr Family has donated a significant sum to support the new Michael L. Parson Student Union at Ozarks Technical Community College, according to a community announcement. The gift, described as a six-figure contribution, will help...
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Top spy agencies feud over turf, mission
WASHINGTON – The CIA has stopped contributing to some intelligence assessments, including those related to the Iran war, produced by the office of the nation’s top spy as disputes over intelligence-sharing and areas of responsibility boil over, say...
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AI partners could upend human relationships
When the movie “Her” debuted in 2013, its plot felt like science fiction. The protagonist, Theodore, is a jaded man with no vigor for life. He comes alive after talking daily with his artificial intelligence chatbot, Samantha, with whom he eventually...
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County commission OKs subdivision outside Willard
Despite hours of testimony in opposition over the course of several public Greene County meetings, the Greene County Commission unanimously approved the rezoning of 14.3 acres for a subdivision just outside Willard city limits. Springfield Councilman...
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Area women sew clothes for children in poverty
Every month, groups of women in three southwest Missouri cities gather for a work day. Some cut men’s shirts, others sew fabric into dresses and shorts, while others oversee and check garments for quality control. Together, these Ozarks women,...
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‘AN OBVIOUS NEED’
Women experiencing homelessness in Springfield finally have a dedicated space to turn to for a warm and safe place to lay their heads at night. Crosslines Community Outreach officially opened its new Safe to Sleep shelter space Thursday, May 28,...
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War impacting MO farmers’ diesel costs, crop plans
While industries across the U.S. are experiencing shortages as a result of the war in Iran, it appears Missouri farmers could come out without much impact — this year, at least. The conflict has seen closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway for...
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‘FAR MORE THAN A BUILDING’
The Missouri State University Foundation announced May 27 more new private gifts for the Clifton M. Smart III University Advancement Center, including a custom “Mo State” Steinway player piano. During Wednesday’s event, the foundation also announced...
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Trump often repeats debunked claim
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has repeated his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him at least 107 times in the last six months, keeping the grievance front and center even as he faces new political risks from the war with Iran...
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Cannabis legalization spurs innovation
Innovation in health care saves lives. But not all health innovations have enough evidence to actually benefit patients. Barriers to innovation are often higher in illicit or restricted markets, including cannabis, stem cells and cryptocurrencies....
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DOJ scrubs news releases about Jan. 6 from its site
The Justice Department acknowledged that it has removed web pages that detail charges, convictions, and other information related to the myriad defendants involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. After Washington Post staff writer Meryl...
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THE LIMITS OF LOCKDOWNS
There have been 63 school shootings – meaning any time there is gunfire on a school campus – so far in 2026. h They happen so often that preparing for one has become normal. Students as young as 4 years old routinely practice for the possibility of a...
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Trump announces 5,000 troops to Poland
President Donald Trump said on May 21 that an additional 5,000 troops would deploy to Poland, an apparent reversal of an earlier threat to reduce U.S. military presence in the country, as his administration has floated pulling American forces from...
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Shifting gears downtown
Over the decade that the Springfield Brewing Company’s Community Bike Shop has operated, it has constantly grown and expanded. This summer, the shop will open a second location, adding a storefront on Commercial Street. The Community Bike Shop started...
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Universities still hold Native remains, artifacts
Many universities and museums in the United States have long held Native American burial artifacts, other sacred objects and even human remains. Most of these collections were acquired in the late 19th and 20th centuries. They came from grave...
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Subdivision proposal fails to win over planning board
A rezoning that would have made way for a larger subdivision on 93 acres of land just outside Willard was recommended for denial due to infrastructure concerns. A new proposal was presented Tuesday, May 19 that would rezone only a portion of the...
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AI ventures into literature
At some point in the next several months, I am hoping to receive a modest check as a member of the class covered in the class-action settlement Bartz v. Anthropic. In 2025, the artificial intelligence company Anthropic, best known for creating the...
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Judge tosses evidence in Luigi Mangione case
A New York judge has partially granted a request to toss crucial evidence obtained after law enforcement located Luigi Mangione in the wake of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione, 28, was found at a McDonald’s in Altoona,...
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Cuba faces possible Trump ‘takeover’
The federal government’s moves to indict former Cuban President Raúl Castro will ramp up pressure for regime change in Cuba and could be a prelude to a U.S. military operation, just as the Trump administration sent troops into Venezuela in January to...
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‘I don’t want another mother to feel like this’
Humansville Police Chief Michael Mason took his own life Dec. 14, 2025. He was one of at least 27 law enforcement officers who died by suicide last year, according to the Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection. His mother, Emily Hatcher-Irwin,...
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About this series
This article is one in a two-part series covering rural law enforcement and mental health, and is part of a larger project produced in partnership with Ozarks First. News-Leader reporter Susan Szuch and Ozarks First digital content producer Kathryn...
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Historic buildings demolished in Galloway
Heavy equipment, large dumpster containers and temporary fencing made their way onto a controversial Galloway Village property on Thursday, May 14, as demolition work began, expected to tear down a nearly 100-year-old building on Lone Pine...
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‘Vision come to life’
Mercy’s pediatric center in Springfield is marking a major milestone this week, with the center’s final beam being raised into place on May 12. The O’Reilly Pediatric Center, 6375 S. Innovation Ave. in Ozark, is anticipated to open in...
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Centurylong effort aims to keep nations White
Whiteness appears to be an official immigration credential in the eyes of the United States government. The Trump administration in late 2025 slashed the annual cap on refugee admissions to 7,500 for budget year 2026, down from the 125,000 cap set in...
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Trump needs positive China summit outcome
BEIJING – A year ago, President Donald Trump predicted that towering trade tariffs would bring America’s main economic rival to heel. He heads to China this week with that ambition blunted by court rulings, narrowing his goals to a few deals on beans,...
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Building community one request at a time
Long songs, songs that describe motion or songs about the seasons – if that list has you thinking about driving home from work with the windows down, you may already be a fan of KDRU’s Friday Happy Hour. h The brainchild of Drury communication...
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Tensions over AIPAC highlight political rift
WASHINGTON – A growing number of Democratic primary challengers are making opposition to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee a campaign issue as they seek to unseat party incumbents backed by the influential pro-Israel advocacy group. The...
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Msu alumna chasHs drHams
A year after graduating from Missouri State University, Callandra Hudak packed up and drove more than 1,600 miles to Los Angeles to chase her dream — acting. While she may have left her home state in the rear-view mirror, she carried her Missouri roots...
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Charting his own path
It’s been nearly 1,000 years since King Henry IV stood barefoot in the Italian snow to beg forgiveness after clashes with Pope Gregory VII, and over two centuries since Napoleon imprisoned Pope Pius VII in France. Now, a battle is underway between a...
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Demographic dynamics upending the world
Government-shaking protests in Bangladesh, Iran, Nepal and Sri Lanka – to name a few – have all in recent years been linked to what demographers call a “youth bulge.” Meanwhile, the economic slowdown in China and ballooning public debt in the United...
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City Council approves limits to campaign donations
Candidates running for a Springfield municipal office in next year’s elections will be limited in the monetary amounts they can accept from donors. With strong support from local groups, Springfield City Council unanimously approved campaign finance...
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Low Trump approval threatens Senate GOP
A few months ago, the prevailing thinking in Washington was that while Republicans could lose the House in the 2026 midterm elections, their Senate majority was secure. To win control of the Senate, Democrats would need to upset four GOP incumbents,...
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Route 66 centennial brings classic cars to Commercial Street
Route 66 does not touch Commercial Street, but on Friday and Saturday the historic district was buzzing with visitors, live music and a classic car rally as it hosted festivities celebrating the Mother Road’s centennial. While much of the national...
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New downtown plaza dedicated to Mother Road
At 4 p.m. on April 30, 1926, a telegram was sent from downtown Springfield’s Colonial Hotel to Washington, D.C., officially naming the iconic highway Route 66 and making Springfield its birthplace. h Exactly 100 years later, as the clock struck 4 p.m.,...
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Springfield in the spotlight
America’s most notable highway — Route 66 — is officially 100 years old. To kick off the national celebration of the Mother Road, NBC’s 3rd Hour of TODAY broadcast live from downtown Springfield Thursday, April 30. h The broadcast featured a live...
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‘THERAPEUTIC BENEFIT’
The Food and Drug Administration has announced the winners of national priority vouchers to study the therapeutic effects of psychedelic drugs, shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order paving the way for more research. In an...
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26 Ozarks events happening in May
May is jam-packed with events this year. From musicals to 5Ks to the Route 66 Centennial Celebration Kickoff, there’s something for everyone. Here are 26 events happening in the Ozarks this month. Pick up some new reading material at the Friends of...
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A MAHA mutiny could reshape the farm bill
WASHINGTON – Ahead of the midterm elections, the Make America Healthy Again movement that was key to President Donald Trump’s return to the White House is causing friction within the Republican Party. The emerging political fracture is already...
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MAGA-esque politics popular in U.K.
LONDON− King Charles III isn’t an elected politician. But his trip to the United States has political implications. And with extreme movements on the rise in the United Kingdom, echoing divisions among Americans, the monarch’s state visit to mark the...
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Experts say areas ‘overdue’ for major hurricane impact
After more than 100 years, is this the year that Tampa, Florida, gets a direct hit from a hurricane? How about Miami, where it has been 34 years since Andrew hit? Or could it be southern New England’s turn for the first time in decades? While none of...
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Food aid doesn’t make people loafers
Millie Morales believes in hard work. h “I feel that as an American citizen, we all have a great opportunity to be able to improve our life,” the 58-year-old woman explained in an interview I conducted with her in 2025. “Are you willing to put in the...
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Oklahoma couple bringing 1926 car to Springfield’s Route 66 parade
Jackie and Ed Fogle have deep ties to Route 66. The couple spent their 2001 honeymoon driving the Mother Road in a 1959 Cadillac convertible. This spring, they plan to do it again in a 1926 Hupmobile and make Springfield’s National Route 66 Centennial...
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Consumer sentiment slumps to record low
WASHINGTON – U.S. consumer sentiment fell to a record low in April as households shrugged off a ceasefire in the war with Iran, remaining focused on the inflation fallout from the conflict. The University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers said its...
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Board denies rezoning for subdivision near Willard
More than 90 acres of land west of the airport are being considered to be rezoned to make way for a new subdivision that could include several hundred homes. With the future of Willard infrastructure uncertain and nearby residents worried about the...
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Touch of Broadway in the Midwest
Good news! It’s back! The musical “Wicked” has returned to Springfield for an eight-show run, from April 22 to 26, at Juanita K. Hammons Hall, 525 S. John Q. Hammons Parkway. Tickets are available online at HammonsHall.com. Crews unloaded and began...
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Strict water use rules sweep nation
With drought stretching from coast to coast, water restrictions are already in effect in many states even before the thirsty summer season begins. More than 61% of the nation is now in a drought, the highest percentage in nearly four years, according...
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Answers sought after Louisiana massacre
SHREVEPORT, LA – Residents of this historic riverfront city remained shaken a day after a gunman opened fire April 19 and killed eight children in the nation’s deadliest mass shooting since January 2024. They were looking for explanations – and...
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Latino vote shifting away from Trump, GOP
In the 2024 election, President Donald Trump dramatically improved his performance among nearly all groups of voters from four years earlier. Trump’s growth among Hispanic voters was especially notable, increasing by more than 10 points from 2020 to...
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CLOSED ROADS, OPEN ART
Efforts to bring Jordan Creek back above ground have been ongoing for more than a year. The project, which still has several months of construction ahead, includes lots of moving dirt, heavy equipment and several lengthy road closures that have left a...
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‘COMMUNITY OF CARE’
Springfield students collected more than 83,000 meals during the 2026 Food Fight, breaking their previous record for the annual food and fund drive. The event, now in its 15th year, involved 38 Springfield Public Schools and two administrative offices...
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Bear exhibit in full view as zoo opens boardwalk
After nearly five years, Dickerson Park Zoo visitors will once again get a closer, and more convenient, look at the bear exhibit. On Tuesday, April 14, the zoo officially opened its new Bear Boardwalk, which connects the Missouri State University Bear...
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‘ICONIC STRUCTURE’
The Historic Jefferson Avenue Footbridge has been closed for a decade. While a celebration of the bridge and its long-awaited rehabilitation is planned to align with the National Route 66 Centennial Kickoff Celebration, pedestrians will have to wait a...
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The high cost of U.S. health care
In announcing its “Great Healthcare Plan” in January, the Trump administration became the latest in a long history of efforts by the U.S. government to rein in the soaring cost of health care. h As a physician and professor studying the intersection of...
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Local artists find inspiration in Route 66 for new exhibit
You probably know Randy Bacon best for his portraits: Intimate pictures that focus in on the subject’s face, often in black and white, capturing their emotions and a sense of who they are. He’s trying something different with his newest exhibit,...
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Trump reevaluates U.S. NATO membership
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is reexamining the United States’ relationship with NATO, as his irritation with America’s allies who refused to join the war against Iran reaches a climax. “Unfortunately, after this conflict has concluded, we...
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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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