JOPLIN, Mo. — There was something for everyone today at the Joplin History and Mineral Museum.
The Fall Rock and Gem Show has been happening for over 24 years now.
This weekend was a three-day event packed with all things, gem stones geodes and even jewelry made out of fossilized mammoth bones.
Dozens of vendors offered selections from all over the world, from Africa to Brazil.
Curators say that some rare minerals can only be found here in the Tri-State area.
“A lot of us would love to go to Colorado and pan for gold or look for jade in Alaska, but we’re not realistically going to be able to do that. When you come to a show like that, those places kind of come to you. So, you get those things that to us are exotic, but to the person that’s digging them, they’re just everyday,” Christopher Wiseman, Curator, Joplin History and Mineral Museum.
Even if you missed out on this weekend’s show, there is a Joplin Rock Club that meets on the first Tuesday of each month.
Those meetings are always held at 5:30pm at the Joplin History and Mineral Museum.
JOPLIN, Mo. — Some colorful threads became beautiful accessories today.
The Fiber Folks of Southwest Missouri were working hard today at the Joplin Public Library.
Using wooden rigid heddle looms, members were making anything from scarves to Christmas pillows.
They use different kinds of materials blended together to create the desired texture.
Some even used wool from their own alpacas at home.
“Lots of us just do this because we love it. We have fun, um, it’s endlessly creative,” said Colleen Brooks, Vice President, Fiber Guild. “I make wonderful gifts for people, um, so it’s just fun, It’s a great hobby.”
And even if you’ve never touched a loom before, the group encourages others to get involved.
They meet on the first Sunday of each month at 2pm in the Joplin Public Library.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri lawmaker wants more state oversight on religious boarding schools after continued claims of abuse.
Currently, in Missouri, religious boarding school do not have to be licensed. Rep. Sarah Unsicker, D-St. Louis, wants the governor to expand his call for a special session to require all residential care facilities to get licensed with the state.
“I’m sorry that we as a state have allowed this to happen for so many years,” Unsicker said at a press conference Thursday.
Last year, the General Assembly passed legislation that allowed the Department of Social Services (DSS) oversight of unlicensed residential care facilities like background checks, but it did not require them to get licensed.
“Schools would not be allowed to operate without a license and the Children’s Division could revoke the license for things like abuse that’s been happening at Agape,” Unsicker said.
Agape Boarding School is in southwest Missouri and according to its website, it’s for troubled teenage boys. Earlier this month, Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a motion to close the school due to a safety concern for children who live there.
According to the petition, the State of Missouri and Schmitt believe that children should be removed from the school for four reasons:
Reports from students about abuse and neglect from current students.
Corroborating reports from former students.
Staff members were found by the Missouri Department of Social Service to have committed abuse against the students with one staff member facing criminal charges.
Employees had not completed mandatory criminal background checks.
“The allegations are that they are still abusing children,” Unsicker said. “There are Children’s Division workers in the facility 24 hours a day right now just to keep those children safe.”
Unsicker’s legislation would require the state to regulate all boarding schools. The bill would give authority to the state’s Children’s Division to revoke a school’s license if it found the school was allowing abuse. “As long as the licensing regulations are not aimed at religion, then they can’t require the schools to be licensed,” Unsicker said. “As you can see with Agape, they are fighting every single step of the way and a year and half after that bill passed, they’re still running a facility.”
Earlier this week, Republicans House Speaker Rob Vescovo from Arnold, sent a letter to a U.S. attorney asking the office to intervene and shut down Agape. He also tweeted saying he refuses to “turn a blind eye,” and started a tweet-storm with the hashtag “#ShutDownAgape.”
Multiple other lawmakers, on both sides of the aisle, also voiced their support for Vescovo’s call for Agape to be shut down.
“The allegations against Agape are horrific,” Unsicker said. “Slamming children into walls, placing children in handcuffs for days or weeks on end, and restraining children by holding them down on broken glass. People affiliated with Agape have been charged with federal and state crimes, and now Agape is using court proceedings and playing a corporate shell game to hide from the law.”
An attorney for the school told a Missouri judge in September, there was no proof that there was any immediate concern for the student’s safety. Last year, the former school’s physician, David Smock was arrested in Arkansas on eight felony charges that included sexual misconduct involving a child, first-degree statutory sodomy, second-degree attempted statutory sodomy, fourth-degree child molestation, and stalking.
Judge David Munton said in Sept. 12 the school could stay open as long as it was monitored around the clock. Five other employees at Agape were charged with felony assault charges in September of 2021. This week, there was a change of judge in the case after a request from Schmitt’s office. Hearings are set for Oct. 13 and 14.
Gov. Mike Parson has previously said he does not plan to expand the call for special session. Unsicker said she is prepared to file the legislation again for regular session which starts in January.
Temperatures remain above average this week, with highs in the lower to middle 80s expected through Thursday. Low temperatures during this time will only cool into the 50s. Clouds will increase ahead of a cold front on Wednesday, but unfortunately, no rain is expected to fall over the Four States at this time. A stronger cold front will pass over us late Thursday, and that one will bring in cooler air from the north. Temperatures will warm only into the 60s on Friday, with potential low temperatures in the 30s by Saturday morning! We’ll warm back into the 70s by Sunday.
MIAMI, Okla. – Miami Schools will no longer travel to Tulsa McLain schools for any event after a fatal shooting after Friday night’s homecoming game.
“I cannot allow our players, students, staff and family members to return to a place where we have repeatedly been put in danger,” said Nick Highsmith, Miami Superintendent in a statement released on Saturday.
Miami High School was the visiting team for McLain’s homecoming game.
Just as Miami ended the game with a 19-18 victory a 17-year-old Tulsa McLain student was fatally shot and another teen wounded.
Tulsa Police Department and Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers quickly secured the area.
Once the area was secured, Miami School Resource officers rallied the Miami coaches, school administrators and parents attending the game in Tulsa together to get the Miami football players safely on the travel bus and en route to Miami.
The players boarded the bus still in their uniforms.
Highsmith explained the scheduling of Tulsa McLain does not rest with Miami but with the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association.
Highsmith directed Athletic Director Chad Davis to speak with the association and inform them of the school’s position.
Miami schools “will accept any consequence that comes from this decision,” Highsmith said in the release.
The Tulsa Police posted on a social media site the shooting occurred just before 10 p.m., near 4900 Peoria.
Another 17-year-old was taken to a local hospital in critical condition but has improved to stable condition at this time, the post states.
The Tulsa Police Department believes the suspect is a 17-year-old Black male. Police believe the suspect is “armed and dangerous,” according to a Tulsa Police Department.
MIAMI, Okla. – A Miami parent praised the Miami school administrators and coaches for their quick reaction to a fatal shooting following Friday night’s 19-18 win over Tulsa McLain.
“I want to say our coaches were phenomenal,” said Cheryl Moudy, who attended Friday’s game. “I think this will be a very real-life experience for all students there and we should appreciate our small town.”
Moudy said she heard “three loud pops” when the players were on the field shaking hands after the game.
“They were very distinctive for those of us that heard them,” Moudy said referring to the gunshot sounds.
The Miami coaches began yelling at the players to go to the opposite corner of the field from where the shots were heard and lay on the ground.
“If any player even halfway got up the coaches were hollering to get down,” Moudy said.
Several men in the stands took charge and were yelling for people to get down, she said. Everyone moved to the same corner of the field at the end of the stands.
Moudy said there were around 30 police and firefighters on the scene along with emergency vehicles and helicopters circling above the stadium.
Some of the Miami fans bent the stadium fence and held it down so the Miami fans could leave and go straight to the parking lot, she said.
“Once we made it to our car it was a nice line to get out but no one was hateful or mean,” Moudy said. “We all just wanted to leave.”
ST. LOUIS – Five of America’s wealthiest people call Missouri home, according to a Forbes list.
The richest man in the state comes in on Forbes’ list at number 92. John Morris, 74, is the founder and CEO of Bass Pro Shops. His net worth was listed at $7.8 billion.
St. Louis-based heiress Pauline MacMillan Keinath, 88, is believed to be the largest individual shareholder in the privately held food company Cargill. Her net worth came in at $7.3 billion, putting her at number 110 on the list.
Two men from the St. Louis area company World Wide Technology are on the list. David Steward is the founder and chairman of IT for the company. He came in at number 155 on Forbes’ list with a net worth of $6 billion. Jim Kavanuagh, the CEO of IT for the company, came in at number 303 with a net worth of $3.7 billion. WWT works in cloud computing, computer security, data centers, analytics, artificial intelligence, and more.
Lastly, Rodger Riney & family came in at number 332 on the list with a net worth of $3.3 billion. He is the cofounder of the discount brokerage firm Scottrade. It is now a part of TD Ameritrade.
92. John Morris (Bass Pro Shops) – $7.8B 110. Pauline MacMillan Keinath (Cargill) – $7.3B 155. David Steward (World Wide Technology) – $6B 303. Jim Kavanaugh (World Wide Technology) – $3.7B 332. Rodger Riney & Family (Scottrade) – $3.3B
Elon Musk, the man behind Tesla and SpaceX, ranked as the wealthiest person in the U.S. this year, edging out Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Microsoft’s Bill Gates.
Glendale High School sophomore, Charlie Wistrom gathers in the huddle with her football teammates.
GLENDALE, Mo. — As a freshmen at Glendale High School in Springfield, Charlie Wistrom had an impressive soccer season last year, helping her teammates reach the state championship round.
Now a Sophomore at Glendale, Wistrom was recently presented with the opportunity to take her soccer skills to the football field, as a kicker for the Falcons.
“My dad played football, and so did my uncles so I’ve grown up around it, but I don’t really know the story of how my name got brought up in the football meeting to ask me to be a kicker, but they approached me about playing football, and since I’ve always been around it, it felt like the right decision to say yes,” said Charlie Wistrom.
Last Friday night (9/23), Wistrom helped her team to a 21-6 win at home against Bolivar.
The rookie kicker was able to help her teammates with two onside kicks that were successfully recovered by Glendale.
Wistrom was also able to kick a 23-yard field goal through the uprights in the second quarter.
Although she’s comfortable being on the field, whether that be soccer or football, one thing Wistrom says she’s not use to is all of the attention, following her kicking achievements in the game against Bolivar.
“It’s definitely weird. Just because, like, if it were a male coming into football as a kicker, it would just be a normal thing. I think the fact that I am female makes it, like, a little bit more news worthy. Although I don’t think I’m worthy, but I’m getting a lot of attention from it. All of my teachers have brought up me being a kicker and being on the football team, and I don’t know, It’s just weird,” said Wistrom.
Glendale High School sophomore, Charlie Wistrom gathers in the huddle with her football teammates.
Tonight (9/30) the Glendale Falcons are on the road, taking on the Lebanon Yellowjackets.
One thing she’s been working on all week in preparation for tonight’s match up, is being able to kick deeper down the field.
“I’ve really been focusing on it all week, but I think my size has a little bit to do with getting the ball deeper. I have to use a lot more power than what I’m use to, and I know it will take some time, but that’s mainly what I’m working on and it has gotten a little better. Right now, I’m really trying to find the right place on the ball to get it down the field,” said Wistrom.
Charlie’s dad, Grant, is also part of the Glendale team, serving as an assistant coach.
The former Webb City football player, turned pro NFL athlete, played for nine seasons with the Saint Louis Rams and the Seattle Seahawks.
Grant Wistrom says he’s not surprised his daughter answered the call to play football.
“I watched Charlie play football as a kid before she really became interested in soccer,” said Wistrom.
For dad, he says it is exciting to be able to watch his daughter work hard and excel at something she’s becoming passionate about.
“I have tons of pride for my daughter. I just really appreciate the courage Charlie has shown, and to stand up in a role that I think a lot of people in her position wouldn’t choose to do. Just to go out there and especially last week, not just to be on the team, but to be a big part of why we won the game is so exciting to see as her dad and a coach. Last Friday was one of those nights where the memory of that will be with me for a lifetime. Kids grow up so quickly and you don’t get to have a lot of those memories where you’re able to cherish it in the moment, but that’s a memory I will definitely take to my grave,” said Grant Wistrom.
Although Charlie says the opportunity to be a kicker just fell in her lap, her dad believes it’s all part of a larger plan.
“You know, I don’t believe in accidents. I mean, everything happens for a reason. And in the case of Charlie and football, things just things lined up. In a meeting they asked, ‘do you think Charlie would like to be a kicker in football,’ and I said, ‘I don’t know, but I bet she would like to come out here and give it a shot.’ And she came out and showed up, and showed up well, then showed up the next day to practice and kicked even better. And when they saw that, that was all they needed to see,” said Grant Wistrom.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Some Carthage students took to the skies this morning.
Thanks to technology.
Some of the kids at the tech center were manning a drone on the parking lot of Steadley Elementary.
The students are in Angie Fewin’s digital media class, and are in the process of earning their remote pilot certifications.
Steadley Elementary
And there was a reason for the crowd.
A drone was used to take one of this year’s all-school pictures.
This year is the 25th anniversary for Steadley.
“I love having the students come to their old schools and get to do things, because first, they know the school, they know a lot of the teachers and things and they get to come back and see it in a different perspective. And it’s just, it’s just cool for them and the experience they get to do that,” said Angie Fewin, Carthage Tech Center.
And here’s a stat.
According to the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, by 2025, at least 100,000 jobs will be created for drone pilots.
