Latest news with #OzarksFirst
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
A thousand gather for 'No Kings' protest in Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — At least 1,000 people are gathering in Springfield for the 'No Kings' protest this morning, June 14. Watch the video above to see footage of protestors as they demonstrate along the streets. Ozarks First crew members report that protestors are lined up on both sides of the road from Jefferson Ave. to Benton Ave. and growing east towards Drury University and Ozarks Technical Community College. There's a significance presence of protestors on East Battlefield, as well. Ozarks First will continue to cover the protest through the day. The 'No Kings' protests are happening today across every state in the nation. The rallies are to show opposition to President Trump's recent actions and policies. Click here to read more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Vinyl Vault: A look into ‘Breakfast in America′ by Supertramp
Each week in The Vinyl Vault, Ozarks First's Parker Padgett and Tony Nguyen dive into a featured album, highlight standout tracks and explore what makes it truly unique. The vinyl of the week this time is 'Breakfast in America' by Supertramp from 1986. Breakfast in America is Supertramp's sixth studio album. It won two Grammy Awards for Best Album Package and Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording, as well as nominations for Album of the Year and Best Pop Performance. Singles from Breakfast in America include 'The Logical Song', 'Breakfast in America', 'Goodbye Stranger', and 'Take the Long Way Home'. Check out the video above to hear the breakdown of the album. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mautz shuts out Tulsa, gets first AA win
Hello everyone, I'm Dan Lucy on the Ozarks First digital desk. The Springfield Cardinals continue their mastery of the Tulsa Drillers. In our Cardinals Nation update. Springfield shutout Tulsa 3-0 Wednesday, Leonardo Bernal provided the offense with a two run homer. And lefty Brycen Mautz shut down the Tulsa offense. The 23-year old from San Diego, California finally got his first Double AA victory. Mautz's win comes in his tenth start for Springfield. In the game, Mautz struck out nine Drillers in six innings of work. He gave up two hits and no runs, his earned run average is 3.18. The win was long in coming for the southpaw. Mautz went on the injured list in late May, but is back and healthy. And that showed Wednesday night against Tulsa. Springfield has four more games left in this series against Tulsa. And the Cards are 7-1 against the Drillers this season. For more sports watch Ozarks First news at nine and ten. And I'll see you then. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SGF Mayor address concerns about potential conflicts of interest with apparel at city events
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Social media posts have sparked concerns about potential conflicts of interest by new Springfield Mayor Jeff Schrag. Schrag, who founded Mother's Brewing Company, but only owns a small minority share in the company, made many residents raise their eyebrows when, during a controversial meeting on May 27 over the hiring of Springfield's newest city manager, Schrag was sporting a shirt with the Mother's logo on the front. Schrag sat down with Ozarks First and said it wasn't something he was paying attention to that day. '[It's] little shock no one to know that I don't spend a great deal of time thinking about what I'm wearing. Why I chose to grab that shirt the morning of the vote, I don't know. I don't have any memory of it. It wasn't necessarily intentional. I wear a lot of logo wear. I'm proud to wear Mother's logo wear. I also have a lot of Missouri State logo wear. So I'll continue to wear things with the Mother's emblem on them at Springfield Official Events,' Schrag said. Ozarks First did some digging into Schrag's wardrobe at official city events, and aside from an appearance at the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival press conference, Schrag has never worn a shirt with Mother's Brewing Company logos on it- except for that May 27 Special Council Meeting. 'I had a series of shirts made with the city flag on them. I love those shirts. I'm wearing one now to wear at events. I don't mind wearing logo wear, so I don't feel like it's a conflict of interest in any way. The city is not doing any business with Mother's Brewing Company, and that's where the conflict of interest or the ethics requirement comes about from the city charter and I'm a believer in adhering to those things, so no, I don't find a conflict and I'll keep doing what I've been doing,' Schrag continued. Ozarks First asked Schrag if, for any reason, Mother's Brewing Company entered into an agreement with the city, or sponsored a city event, if that would change Schrag's approach, or if it would have to be a case-by-case basis. '[It'd be] a case-by-case basis. I don't think it would change my approach,' Schrag said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Calming Box' sparks controversy in Aurora
AURORA, Mo. — Parents in Aurora are outraged after photos of a 'calming box' inside one of the school buildings surfaced online. 'When we were first starting [our child] with getting help in the school and the special needs room for his ADHD, we were told there was a sensory room where there were like weighted blankets and puppets and squished balls and stuff like that, but nothing even remotely close to a calming box,' said parents Mikayla Thomas and Tiya McKinney. Photos show a box made of wood, with padding on the walls and the door, which does not appear to have any latch of any kind. For Thomas and McKinney, they weren't aware of the box, and say it's a source of trauma. 'I turned it around to [my son], and he just froze completely and started crying. Whenever I asked him was like, Have you ever seen this? Do you know what this is? He couldn't even talk. He couldn't even talk, and he just started crying,' McKinney said. 'Seeing your nine year old break down like that, it hurts for one, and it makes you feel like crap because you had no idea that this was going on and you couldn't protect your kid,' Thomas said. Ozarks First reached out to the Aurora School District. Dr. Ben Yocom, the district's superintendent, gave this statement: 'The Aurora R-VIII School District is aware of a recent social media post by an individual using the pseudonym 'Splater Butt' concerning a calming space located within one of the District's behavioral classrooms. The post includes a photograph of a calming space and refers to it as a 'box.' To clarify, the calming space (sometimes referred to as the calming box) does not include a top (roof) but rather is completely open. Students in the calming space can stand straight up, stretch out their arms completely, safely navigate the padded walls in the calming space, and are completely visible and accessible while inside the calming space. There is no locking mechanism on the door of the calming space and no student is left alone or unsupervised in the space. The calming space is an established component of the classroom environment designed to support the behavioral and emotional regulation of students. The District remains committed to ensuring safe, lawful, and developmentally appropriate support for all students. As such, the calming space is utilized in two capacities: (1) voluntarily by students as a self-regulation strategy; and (2) as part of a restrictive behavioral intervention consistent with Missouri Revised Statutes § 160.263 and Board of Education Policy JGGA: Seclusion and Restraint. As transparency and student safety remain priorities in the District's behavioral support practices, each school year, the District provides parents and guardians with information regarding the calming space, including the opportunity to view the area in person. Parents who have questions, concerns, or complaints regarding the calming space are encouraged to contact Superintendent Dr. Ben Yocom at 417-678-3373.' Thomas and McKinney say they don't care if the box or space has a roof. 'Regardless of if there's an open top, it really doesn't matter. There are a hundred different ways that I could explain that a child could get hurt in that thing, with or without a top, with or without a door, with or without a teacher present in there. It's just not safe. It's not okay. It's not safe,' Thomas said. Thomas and McKinney say until changes are made, their kids won't be part of the Aurora School District. 'I feel like the only way that we would feel comfortable putting our kids back in this school district is if we have a 100% certainty that this is being removed,' McKinney said. 'It's not okay. The way they're using it is completely wrong.' The two say contacting parents is the best way to maintain a level of trust between parents and school staff. 'Call. Let us take care of our child. If you can't ultimately calm them down, give us a chance. We've raised them. We've been with them their whole life. Every single day. We are with them. You're only with them four days out of the week. Don't traumatize them,' Thomas said. Thomas says she's meeting with an attorney on Wednesday to discuss potential litigation and encourages any parents who have endured a similar situation with the district, specifically regarding the calming box/space, to reach out over social media through her fiancé's Facebook account. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
