Latest news with #JeffSchrag
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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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
05-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Springfield Fire Deptartment adds 16 new firefighters after training
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Springfield Fire Department (SFD) says the 16 firefighters in its most recent fire academy class have earned their black helmets, making them full-fledged members of the fire department. The firefighters previously wore blue helmets as probationary members of the SFD while they completed their year-long probation as part of Fire Academy Class 524. 'Earning the black helmet is no small achievement,' said Fire Chief David Pennington. 'Each of these firefighters has proven they're prepared to serve our community with courage, professionalism and a commitment to excellence.' Mayor Jeff Schrag delivers first State of the City Address Here are the 16 new SFD firefighters from Class 124: Firefighter Sean Conrad Firefighter Dakota Curnutt Firefighter Trenton Curry Firefighter Gage Curtis Firefighter Owen Fabro Firefighter Andrew Gall Firefighter Gabrianna Gardner Firefighter Trenton Herr Firefighter Corey Hodzic Firefighter Grant McNeill Firefighter Cash Miller Firefighter Kaden Olson Firefighter Brenna Ruyle Firefighter Draven Stapp Firefighter Zachary Stark Firefighter Jason Wassie To learn more about the SFD or how to become a firefighter, visit the Springfield Fire website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mayor Jeff Schrag delivers first State of the City Address
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Springfield city leaders gathered this morning for the annual State of the City Address, the first for Mayor Jeff Schrag. Mayor Schrag has only been mayor for about 44 days, but he highlighted what he has seen from the city so far including resilience, generosity, and growth. He highlighted the work of the administration before him, including lowering Springfield's poverty rate. In 2015, Springfield's poverty rate was 27.5% and is now 19.4%. He also praised the community for banding together after the April 29th storms, recalling the efforts of utility crews working to get the power back on and neighbors helping clear debris. Mayor Schrag says he is proud Springfield is getting the recognition it deserves as a key metropolitan area in the Midwest, including as the host city for the Route 66 Centennial Kickoff. He said the city is moving forward and he is excited for the future and the support from citizens to continue growing through the recent approval of the ¾ cent sales tax. 'We're in a really unique spot, and not only do we have this opportunity, we now have a funding source for that half cent We can actually do some things,' Mayor Schrag said. 'We now have the opportunity to do that if we're smart, if we're forward driven, and if we listen to what the people have to say.' Mayor Schrag said although Springfield may not be perfect, the city is full of potential. He asked the audience to join him in moving Springfield forward. The City of Springfield will be sharing his full speech here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Missouri Senate proposes $30M boost to Springfield Convention Center project
MISSOURI — The Missouri Senate passed a budget proposal last week with over 160 new earmarks, including an additional $30 million for the Regional Springfield Convention Center Complex. The development of the center would need to be approved by Governor Mike Kehoe, as well as a 50-50 match from the city. Newly elected Mayor Jeff Schrag supports the proposition, calling it a 'bold step forward for the region.' 'Projects of this scale only happen through public and private partnerships, so it takes a variety of funding sources to put the pieces all together.' says Rusty Worley, Executive Director at Downtown Springfield Association (DSA). 'So, this is going to be a critical piece to leveraging and making it feasible.' According to Worley, the convention center could drive tens of thousands downtown Springfield and bring millions into the economy. 'We want them not just passing through, we get guests coming all the time checking out Route 66 or going to Bass Pro if we can get them. And instead of them staying a few hours, to spend a night or an extra night. That will really ring the cash register for our businesses across the city, but especially downtown,' Worley said. The convention center is expected to be built along St. Louis Street, near the visitor center parking lot, across from University Plaza. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOLR -
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Greene County and City of Springfield declare state of civil emergency
GREENE COUNTY, Mo. – In the aftermath of the April 29, 2025 severe weather event, the Greene County Commission and Springfield Mayor Jeff Schrag have signed declarations of a local state of emergency. The County's measure is in effect for 7 days and the City's is in effect for 30 days. According to a joint press release issued Friday afternoon, declaring a civil emergency enables the official Greene County Emergency Operations Plan and allows County and City departmental personnel to take all necessary actions to respond to, and recover from, an emergency, including the suspension of standard procurement procedures for a given time other actions to coordinate disaster response and recovery, deploy resources and request mutual aid and state or federal assistance as appropriate. Springfield Mayor Jeff Schrag said in a press release, 'The storm presents a serious challenge and we're still assessing the full impact. But the way our community has responded speaks volumes.' Springfield City Council is expected to ratify the city measure in an upcoming meeting. As utility crews work to restore power to remaining customers still out, Greene County Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon asks residents to be patient and hold on a little while longer. City Utilities has restored more than 90% of outages 'And remember, as far as the power goes, both in the city with C.U. and also out in the county with Liberty, both utility companies said on Tuesday, there could be some folks could be out as long as up to a week, and we're at day four, so just hold on. Help is on the way.' Dixon tells Ozarks First survey crews have reported thousands of trees were knocked down in Greene County alone and at least 50 structures in the county have significant damage. Dixon adds, he believes this is the largest response from Greene County since the pandemic ended. Survey crews will continue to document the damage in the coming days. Dixon asks residents with questions about clean up or repairs to call the Greene County Commission at 417-868-4112. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
