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Springfield Daily Citizen
@sgfcitizen.bsky.social
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Official account of the Springfield (MO) Daily Citizen. Visit sgfcitizen.org to read the best community coverage and sign up for our daily newsletter.
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During our end-of-year NewsMatch fundraising campaign, generous community partners are matching every dollar you give. Your donations ensure that the Daily Citizen can continue to provide reliable and unbiased local news and information.

Donate: sgfcitizen.org/donate/
Two people shaking hands. Text on the image reads, "Every dollar given goes twice as far. Help us fund the news you rely on."
November 26, 2025 at 9:59 PM
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The Douglas County Prosecutor has dismissed charges against one of the three men charged with the 1989 kidnapping and murder of 24-year-old Kelle Ann Workman.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/government/c...
Kelle Ann Workman was last seen alive mowing the grass at the Dogwood Cemetery in Douglas County. (Photo by Steve Pokin)
November 26, 2025 at 9:11 PM
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First look: Can Louisiana Tech’s Conference USA-leading defense cause trouble for Missouri State quarterback Jacob Clark?

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/news/first-l...
First look: Missouri State vs. Louisiana Tech
November 26, 2025 at 7:30 PM
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IN-DEPTH: The arrival of the Lily-Tulip plant was arguably the most impactful economic development of the 20th century in Springfield. Learn more about the cup factory that built the Queen City's middle class in this installment of "Ozarks Echoes."

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/in-depth/the...
An exterior view of Lily-Tulip plant in 1953, after the extensive landscaping and expansive front lawn had a year to take root. (Lily-Tulip Archive)
November 26, 2025 at 6:00 PM
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Pickwick & Cherry, the "training kitchen and occasional bakery" in Rountree, has rallied its customers to help people in need enjoy the same kinds of desserts this Thanksgiving. @joehadsall.bsky.social has a look inside the “piepocalypse.”

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/economy-grow...
Jennifer Whalen prepares apple pies for the Thanksgiving holiday. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
November 26, 2025 at 4:30 PM
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Notebook: Missouri State’s bowl chances have become slimmer, but there’s hope. Ryan Collingwood breaks it all down.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/springfield-...
Missouri State football's student section hangs a sign pleading the NCAA to allow the team to play in an upcoming bowl game. Based on current rules, MSU cannot play a bowl game in its first year in Conference USA since moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
November 26, 2025 at 3:00 PM
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Iguana Roja Restaurante is shutting its doors after “key members” of its team retired. The Mexican restaurant in Ozark was known for its "fairy dust," a signature spice blend that coated its tortilla chips.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/economy-grow...
Iguana Roja Restaurante announced it is closing on Nov. 25, 2025. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
November 25, 2025 at 9:03 PM
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FREE TO ALL READERS: The political action committee behind an unsuccessful Galloway rezoning campaign in 2022 has been fined for ethics violations. Among the three violations was a contribution from an unregistered LLC.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/government/e...
Galloway ballot issue Question 1 signs. (Photo by Shannon Cay Bowers)
November 25, 2025 at 8:30 PM
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OPINION: Coming off the worst record in its Division I history, Missouri State desperately needed a good start to kick-start a spark of interest in the program. But after a 3-3 start, Lyndal Scranton writes that alarm bells are sounding.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/springfield-...
Springfield Daily Citizen sports columnist Lyndal Scranton
November 25, 2025 at 7:30 PM
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November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month. Our Makayla “Spitfire” Salkil, who was homeless for six years, shares her experiences and talks about what she wishes the community understood about the challenges and dangers homeless youth face.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/government/s...
Makayla “Spitfire” Salkil was on the streets for much of her adolescence before finding help through Abbie Dynes and other advocates for the unhoused community in Springfield. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
November 25, 2025 at 6:05 PM
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From his running watch to his hearing aids, columnist Steve Pokin says his high-tech gizmos seem to have a will of their own. Has he become a servant of his own personal technologies?

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/steve-pokin-...
Columnist Steve Pokin's high-tech arsenal: Garmin watch, iPhone and hearing aids. (Photo illustration by Ellie Frysztak)
November 25, 2025 at 4:30 PM
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FREE TO ALL READERS: An Afghan asylum-seeker who fought the Taliban is being held by ICE in Springfield. A Kansas City-based immigration attorney has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Dadfar’s warrantless arrest and detention as unlawful.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/government/a...
Mohammad Ali Dadfar, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, has been detained at the Greene County Jail in Springfield, Missouri, since early October. (Contributed photo)
November 25, 2025 at 3:25 PM
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Diana Brazeale, who has represented the Ozark area on the Christian County Library district’s Board of Trustees since 2023, will step down at the end of November to focus on her wellness and her business.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/government/c...
Christian County Library Board of Trustees Vice President Diana Brazeale listens to community members speak during the August meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Nixa. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
November 25, 2025 at 3:08 PM
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After a successful year of charity golf tournaments, O’Reilly Auto Parts dispersed grants totaling $850,000 to 36 Springfield-area nonprofits. The 2025 events raised $100,000 more than the previous year.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/economy-grow...
O'Reilly Automotive Corporate Headquarters. (Photo by Dean Curtis)
November 24, 2025 at 7:30 PM
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Hold Fast Brewing is located not far from the Turkey Trot finish line, so sisters Susan and Carol McLeod decided to open up on their first Thanksgiving in business. Little did they know it would become one of downtown SGF’s liveliest holiday gatherings.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/economy-grow...
Susan (left) and Carol McLeod brewed their first beer on Thanksgiving, which would have been their dad’s birthday. He died six months earlier. Thanksgiving is their busiest day of the year, and they are open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Photo by Juliana Goodwin)
November 24, 2025 at 6:00 PM
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BookMarx owner Josh Arnett says there are about 500 video rental businesses left in America. He's going to make it 501 inside his downtown bookshop next year. Arnett plans to stock "obscure" movies alongside the classics.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/economy-grow...
BookMarx owner Josh Arnett plans to open a video rental store in the back of the downtown bookstore in March 2026. (Photo by Ryan Collins)
November 24, 2025 at 4:59 PM
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PaPPo's Pizzeria & Pub will soon be slinging dough in Nixa. The pizza chain aims to establish a few more stores in the Springfield metro area, while also rapidly expanding in other markets.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/economy-grow...
The outside of the new PaPPo's Nixa location will be at the south end of a strip mall near Route 160. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
November 24, 2025 at 2:59 PM
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Thanks to a group of generous community partners, every dollar you donate to the Daily Citizen's end-of-year NewsMatch fundraising campaign will be matched — up to a total of $22,000. Your gifts help us tell Springfield's stories.

Learn more: sgfcitizen.org/springfield-...
November 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM
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Cam Bruffett is stepping down after three seasons as Parkview High School's head football coach. Bruffett, a standout safety at Fair Grove High School and Evangel University, is heading into his third season coaching the Ozarks Lunkers.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/springfield-...
Scenes from Parkview football's 26-8 win over Hillcrest on Oct. 17, 2025 at Hillcrest High School, including head Parkview coach Cam Bruffett (Photo by Joe Thomas)
November 21, 2025 at 9:24 PM
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"He fit like a glove": How Missouri State linebacker Jalen Brooks emerged as the Bears’ top tackler.

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Missouri State linebacker Jalen Brooks (19) makes a tackle against Middle Tennessee State. (Provided by Missouri State Athletics)
November 21, 2025 at 8:26 PM
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Stuart Venable, of Springfield, says CoxHealth will no longer offer Marketplace health plans in Springfield, Greene and Webster counties next year. The decision has left clients scrambling to line up new care.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/voices-opini...
CoxHealth's medical complex on South National Avenue in Springfield. (Photo by Dean Curtis)
November 21, 2025 at 8:08 PM
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The 60th annual Ozark Christmas Parade is set for Saturday, Nov. 22. The theme is “Diamond Christmas: Sixty years of Sparkle." The Ozark Chamber of Commerce says the event is shaping up to be the largest yet.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/springfield-...
The Christian County Historic Courthouse in Ozark, looking from the east side of the downtown Ozark square toward the west. A ceremonial fountain built in 1931 serves as a memorial to fallen soldiers. (Photo by Shannon Cay)
November 21, 2025 at 7:33 PM
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OPINION: Lyndal Scranton says former Missouri State sharpshooter Blake Ahearn is feeling the itch to coach again. He caught up with the former Bear to talk about coaching, fatherhood, free throws, golf and the NCAA Tournament snub.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/springfield-...
Springfield Daily Citizen sports columnist Lyndal Scranton
November 21, 2025 at 6:46 PM
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Springfield Little Theatre promises "Disney's Frozen," which opens Nov. 21, will be one of the biggest spectacles in its history. Helping provide the magic is the company's new, massive, state-of-the-art LED wall.

Learn more: sgfcitizen.org/springfield-...
As traditional "drop" scenery becomes more and more expensive, Springfield Little Theatre has installed a 36-by-20-foot LED wall to help create stagecraft magic in its productions. (Photo by Paragon 360)
November 21, 2025 at 6:00 PM
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A sprinkler line broke inside Missouri State University’s Robert W. Plaster Stadium Thursday night, causing flooding and damage in the north end of the facility, which includes racquetball courts.

Read it: sgfcitizen.org/schools/spri...
The northwest entrance to Plaster Stadium is blocked by tape on Friday morning, Nov. 21. (Photo by Harrison Keegan)
November 21, 2025 at 4:30 PM