In Our Town with Tom Carlson

As the Nov. 5 general election fast approaches, voters will consider whether or not to adopt a proposed ¾-cent sales tax that would fund public safety initiatives and projects consistent with Springfield's comprehensive plan, Forward SGF. For some, this potential funding is a clear solution to gaps in the city budget while others have aired concerns about the lack of specificity when it comes to the plans the tax will go toward.

In...

More than 100,000 Springfieldians visit one or more of the 10 branches of the Springfield-Greene County Library District each year, but many of us may not know the inner workings of this crucial public service for our community. Luckily, Executive Director Ed Walton is an open book. 

In this episode, host Tom Carlson sits down with Walton to discuss future construction plans and initiatives to increase digital resources within the ...

As Missouri State University students return to campus for the 2024 fall semester, another newcomer is joining their ranks. President Richard "Biff" Williams has just begun his tenure at the university this year, but he already has big plans about what this chapter will hold for the MSU. 

In this episode, President Williams joins host Tom Carlson to discuss his past at Utah Tech University, the strengths and challenges that come wi...

During the excitement of beginning a new school year, many children will experience an added layer of anxiety due to not having the necessities needed to succeed in their classes. To help ensure that every child is given the ability to excel, Springfield nonprofit Care to Learn addresses emergent health, hunger and hygiene needs of students across Missouri while empowering school staff and faculty and centering children's confident...

We often don't choose the circumstances that inform our trajectories in life. For at-risk and foster care youth, difficulties such as poverty, teen pregnancy and incarceration can create monumental hurdles that severely impact early development. Addressing these issues head-on, Springfield-based nonprofit I Pour Life utilitizes full-spectrum programs to promote positive growth and opportunity.

In this episode, host Tom Carlson inte...

When Amy Blansit moved to north Springfield during her college years at Drury University, she fell in love with both the charm of the historic buildings and her late husband Drew Lewis.

Continuing the mission she and Lewis shared of improving the community through asset-based urban development, she founded the Drew Lewis Foundation, which provides programs that foster well-being, self-sufficiency and empowerment for those facing fi...

With anxiety, depression and the risk of suicide on the rise among children and teens, mental health and education experts are searching for answers to intervene in the ongoing mental health crisis impacting our youth. 

In this episode, Tom Carlson speaks with Amy Hill LCSW (licensed clinical social worker), Executive Vice President of Community and School-Based Services at Brightli, to learn about the difficulties young people fac...

Award-winning Springfield photographer Randy Bacon is driven by a simple but profound ideology when it comes to his work in portraiture, filmmaking and the nonprofit sphere: each and every person is a unique individual who deserves to have their story shared with the world. Never losing a sense of wonderment, he has used the culmination of four decades of experience to explore the stories of those who are often overlooked and misun...

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