Webster County

Webster County has a new Commissioner.       Susie Knust took the oath of office Friday morning in Marshfield.       "I'd like to accomplish ways for Webster County to be able to attract more business so that therefore we can try to reach the common goal of more jobs. I'm not sure yet why we're not attracting as much business as we'd like. We are moving ahead, but again, I need to get myself up to speed on ways we can do that. " says Susie Knust.       Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Knust to the Northern District seat to replace Lyndall Fraker, who was elected to the State House.

A man is in police custody in Webster County after allegedly shooting a woman in Seymour Tuesday night. Webster County Sheriff Roye Cole tells KSPR that the call came in around 9 Tuesday night that a woman had been shot at a house near Pee Wee Crossing and Highway 60. Cole says the gunman was a man in his 20's, who fled before officers arrived. A Christian County deputy saw the suspected gunman walking along a county road a few hours later. The man had ditched his car and gun in the Highland Springs area.

WEBSTER COUNTY, Mo. - If you live in Webster County, health experts want to hear from you. A series of health meetings start Tuesday night. The goal is to collect information and ideas to improve public health. Tuesday night's meeting is at 7 at Nazarene Church in Rogersville. It's at 379 Redbud Road. Two similar meetings are scheduled for Monday, December 17th at 7:00 p.m. at the Senior Center at 205 S Commercial Street in Seymour and Tuesday, December 18th at 7:00 p.m. at the United Methodist Church at 220 S. Elm in Marshfield.

A huge grass in Webster County is now contained.   Multiple crews responded to the scene at Highway 38 and Mill Road, near Marshfield. We're told one firefighter was injured while battling the fire but no details on his condition have been released. The sheriff says about 50 homes had to be evacuated as strong winds spread the fire.     The Missouri Department of Natural Resources used bulldozers to build a fire break to finally contain it.

WEBSTER COUNTY, Mo. - Firefighters were fighting a large grass fire in Webster County Thursday afternoon. Several departments sent firefighters to 10090 Missouri 38, just west of Village Drive, west of Marshfield. There are reports the fire has burned at least one structure, and a firefighter has been injured. There was no information available about how bad the injuries are, or just how may buildings have burned.

A Webster county woman charged with child abuse will spend five years on probation and do 100 hours of community service. Investigators say Lee Howard was taking care of an eight-year-old boy who appeared underfed and sleep deprived. They also say that witnesses told them Howard punished the boy by making him wear a diaper to his karate class. Helen Brown, who lived with Howard and the child, was also charged and pleaded guilty earlier this year. Brown was sentenced to 60 days in jail and two years probation.

SEYMOUR, Mo. - A Hartville man is dead after a car crashed into his motorcycle. It happened Saturday night on U.S. 60 just east of Seymour. Authorities say 63-year-old John Mcalister was rear-ended by a man driving a car as he slowed down to make a turn. Mcalister was thrown from the bike and pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, a 29-year-old woman, was also ejected and is in serious condition.

A Webster County Family has lost their home to a fire. Several fire crews were called to the 1900 block of Century Farms Road, near the Webster-Greene County line at about 10 Thursday night. KSPR was told that the house was fully enfulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. The people who lived in the house were not there when the blaze started, but one person who lived there was in the neighborhood. He said that he heard a loud bang around the time the blaze broke out. No one was hurt.

No children were hurt, but authorities say a horse had very minor injuries after it, and the buggy it was pulling, rear-ended a school bus near Seymour. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says it happened just before eight this morning in rural Webster County. Troopers say the bus passed the buggy on Highway P, then returned to the right lane and stopped to pick up a student. They say the horse then ran into the bus.

Rural areas of the Ozarks were some of the  hardest hit by the ice and snow on Thursday.  In Webster County southeast of Marshfield, they truly were iced in. Turnbo Road was eerily quiet late Thursday afternoon.  All of the action was inside the Fletchell house. "Just started doing my push-ups not too long ago. " Gabe Fletchell, 11, was certainly not wasting his first official snow day of the school year. "Recently, we've been doing 200 but now I do 210. "  That's push-ups, in sets of ten.  While other kids may have been sledding, Fletchell was working out.   That was probably for the best since his sledding hills were covered in ice. The Fletchells live off B Highway, a road so twisty and curvy that the Webster County sheriff calls it one of the most dangerous in the county, and that's in nice weather.  A mother and her infant were killed in a fiery crash there just last week.

MARSHFIELD, Mo. -- In the first eight days of 2013, Taney County issued double the number of Carry Concealed Weapons permits than this time last year. Polk, Webster, and Greene counties also report a high number of permits requested in the last eight days. Polk County has 14 new applications. In all of January in 2012, the county had 22 applications. Webster County is seven away from reaching last year's January total. Greene County has nearly 110 applications. In 2012, that January number was 141. As interest in gun ownership growing, so does enrollment in CCW classes.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- 4-year-old Nicholas does what he can to pass the time in the tax line: play with the rope. His mother, Pavla, patiently waits while people inside the Greene County Tax Collector's Office hurry to get payments in on time. "It was good, it was fine. (The line) wasn't too long, too bad," smiled Pavla Quinn. The process runs like a well-oiled machine to keep the line moving and the money coming in. Girls at the counter collect the payment slips, scan, receive money, and print out a receipt.

MARSHFIELD, Mo. - School officials in Marshfield nearly canceled school this week because of hundreds of kids that are out sick. Superintendent Mark Mayo says his schools usually see 95 percent attendance, but that has gone down to about 85 percent in four of the five district school buildings. Roughly 300 kids are out sick. Teachers have armed themselves with Lysol and hand sanitizer, but many children continue to catch illnesses. The situation became such a concern that Mayo initially wanted to call off school the last part of this week, but decided against it. "We decided if we dismiss school, there's more likelihood that they would be exposed to the flu away from school than in school," Mayo explained.

MARSHFIELD, Mo. -- Marshfield school officials almost canceled school this week because of the hundreds of kids that are out sick.  Superintendent Mark Mayo says his schools usually run at 95 percent attendance.  It has gone down this week to about 85 percent in four of the five buildings. That equals about 300 kids out sick.  Teachers have armed themselves with Lysol and hand sanitizer but are still seeing sick kids. It is so unusual and such a concern, Mayo wanted to cancel school the last part of this week but decided against it. “We decided, if we dismiss school, it's more likely that they would be exposed to the flu away from school than in school, so we decided to stay in school for the last few days of the week before Christmas break,” said Mayo.

WEBSTER COUNTY, Mo. - If you live in Webster County, health experts want to hear from you. A series of health meetings start Tuesday night. The goal is to collect information and ideas to improve public health. Tuesday night's meeting is at 7 at Nazarene Church in Rogersville. It's at 379 Redbud Road. Two similar meetings are scheduled for Monday, December 17th at 7:00 p.m. at the Senior Center at 205 S Commercial Street in Seymour and Tuesday, December 18th at 7:00 p.m. at the United Methodist Church at 220 S. Elm in Marshfield.

A Webster county woman charged with child abuse will spend five years on probation and do 100 hours of community service. Investigators say Lee Howard was taking care of an eight-year-old boy who appeared underfed and sleep deprived. They also say that witnesses told them Howard punished the boy by making him wear a diaper to his karate class. Helen Brown, who lived with Howard and the child, was also charged and pleaded guilty earlier this year. Brown was sentenced to 60 days in jail and two years probation.

A huge grass in Webster County is now contained.   Multiple crews responded to the scene at Highway 38 and Mill Road, near Marshfield. We're told one firefighter was injured while battling the fire but no details on his condition have been released. The sheriff says about 50 homes had to be evacuated as strong winds spread the fire.     The Missouri Department of Natural Resources used bulldozers to build a fire break to finally contain it.

WEBSTER COUNTY, Mo. - Firefighters were fighting a large grass fire in Webster County Thursday afternoon. Several departments sent firefighters to 10090 Missouri 38, just west of Village Drive, west of Marshfield. There are reports the fire has burned at least one structure, and a firefighter has been injured. There was no information available about how bad the injuries are, or just how may buildings have burned.

MARSHFIELD, Mo. -- A man shot last Saturday in Diggins is dead and the Webster County sheriff says the man accused of pulling the trigger faces upgraded charges. Sheriff Roye Cole says Travis Parker of Fordland was shot in the face with a .2-caliber pistol.  He died on Tuesday in a hospital in St. Louis. Joel Cook of Diggins was arrested on Saturday and charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.  The sheriff says charges against Cook will be changed as a result of Parker's death.