As another school year quickly winds to a close, some parents are looking for activities to keep their youngsters’ minds and bodies busy this summer. Local universities are offering programs to keep kids both entertained and educated. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark has details.
Many people wax poetic about the good old days of baseball. According to Dr. Stephen McIntyre, associate professor of history at Missouri State University, baseball has always been big business.
On Thursday, Students for a Sustainable Future (SSF), a group from Missouri State University, will host a solar-powered concert called Ecopalooza. This event will focus on promoting sustainable living and raise support for the group’s Beyond Coal campaign, a movement to get the MSU administration to pledge to transition from coal-powered electricity to 100% renewable energy. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark has more.
KSMU's Michele Skalicky talks with Gunnar Nelson about Ricky Nelson Remembered, coming to the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts April 21.
A best-selling children’s author will be in Springfield this week to help celebrate The Big Read at the Library Center. KSMU’s Shane Franklin has the story.
Following the death of Trayvon Martin, the training and limits of neighborhood watch volunteers has come under question. KSMU’s Shane Franklin has insight into the impact of this tragedy on the Springfield Police department’s efforts to use neighborhood watch programs.
In our local history series, Sense of Place, we aim to bring you stories about people and events that have made our region what it is today. For this installment, KSMU’s Emma Wilson explores the life of one artist who left her mark on the Ozarks and the world.
The kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart in 2002 was one of the most followed child abuse cases in the last decade. Smart, who was held prisoner for nine months by her captors, now travels the country promoting the prevention of child abuse. This year marks the ten year anniversary of her kidnapping. Smart is scheduled to speak about her abduction experience at an event hosted by Boys & Girls Town of Missouri. The event will be held at Juanita K. Hammons Hall and is free. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark has details.
Crescent Dragonwagon is well known to Ozarkers for the many years she and her late husband ran a bed-and-breakfast in Eureka Springs. She's known around the rest of the country as a prolific author of, among other things, cookbooks. Her newest one deals with beans. She's doing a book signing (and recipe tasting) in Springfield this weekend, and KSMU's Randy Stewart caught up with her by phone.
Award-winning director, writer and producer Sean McEwen will be at Missouri State University on March 27 to discuss how the ever changing world of media technology influences pop culture, the arts and general interactivity.
The Civility Project, which is an ongoing project that reminds citizens of the importance of respect in matters of public discourse, is celebrating its one year anniversary this week. To honor the occasion, leaders of the project, including members from the Library Center and Community Foundation of the Ozarks, will be hosting the free program series called “Building Common Ground: Discussions of Community, Civility and Compassion.” The program series includes poetry readings, photo exhibits and a soup dinner. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark has more.
This Valentine’s Day, instead of getting your special someone the typical box of chocolates, how about trying something that’s both different and healthy? Give your loved one the gift of heart health by providing alternative foods that might lower cholesterol and the chance of sickness. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark files this report.
Former Missouri State University men’s basketball coach Charlie Spoonhour passed away at his home in Raleigh, North Carolina Wednesday morning at age 72. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark has details.
Supporters and opponents of the proposed E-verify ordinance are campaigning away in Springfield. If approved, the ordinance would require businesses to check the immigration status of all new employees using a federal E-Verify computer system. Some people have raised money to promote their messages through advertising on the radio, phone bank operations, and other venues. Now as the final vote approaches on Feb. 7, the groups are stepping up their efforts to make sure the public is aware of the issue. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark has more.
Local high school students have the opportunity to travel to Africa with Shawn Askinosie, founder of Askinosie Chocolate. Students will travel as part of Chocolate University, a program within Askinosie Chocolate that inspires local students to learn business skills and get involved in the world beyond Springfield. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark talks to Askinosie, who shares how students can get involved in the program.
This week, the Springfield Symphony selected six finalists who are auditioning for the position of music director and conductor during the 2012-2013 season. Each finalist will trade off leading one of the season’s six concerts as a guest conductor, and they will then be evaluated by the audience, orchestra and staff. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark has more.
On Friday, the two-hour episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will feature the show’s efforts in Joplin after the May 22 tornado. The episode shows volunteers from all over the Ozarks, including more than 300 Drury members who designed and built a tribute to volunteers in Joplin’s Cunningham Park. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark has more.
Interested in buying a weapon once used by famous outlaws? Bidders now have a chance to purchase a pair of historic firearms during an auction scheduled later this month in Kansas City. Historians believe these two weapons likely belonged to the infamous bandits Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark has details.
This week marks the ninth year in a row that Smart Chickenhas donated chicken to Ozarks Food Harvest, through the Feed the Hungry promotion. This promotion works like this: the company will donate one pound of chicken to the food bank for every ten pounds of products purchased at local grocers. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark reports.
Chocolatier Shawn Askinosie, founder of Askinosie Chocolate in Springfield, will be awarded the 14thhonorary doctorate from Missouri State University. The nomination was approved this week by the MSU Board of Governors, after receiving recommendations from the Faculty Senate and Interim President Clif Smart. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark spoke with Askinosie and has more.
During the Civil War and in the years after, people in rural southwest Missouri were torn in alliances between the North and South. This tension, fueled through the use of media, religion and unresolved Civil War bias, made these hills the most violent area in the country until the turn of the century. These feelings led to the formation of the vigilante group, the Bald Knobbers. For our ongoing local history series, Sense of Place, KSMU’s Rebekah Clark looks at how the organization, known as the “law-and-order league,” shaped the history of the Ozarks.
Jennifer Moore talks with upcoming singer/songwriter Ingrid Gerdes. Although she now lives in Boston, Gerdes is a graduate of Glendale High School and considers the Ozarks home.
Thanksgiving is a holiday known for family and food. However, some in the Ozarks aren’t able to connect with loved ones or have a good meal. For those of you who might not have any holiday plans scheduled, there are a couple of ministries hosting free holiday dinners and activities this weekend. Their message? No one should be alone over Thanksgiving. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark has more.
