(Missourinet) – The State Fire Marshal’s office says it can’t determine what started a fire that killed four children at the Lake of the Ozarks late Tuesday.
Evidence indicates that the fire at the Compass Pointe condominium began on the wooden breezeway outside the door of the apartment where four children died. From there, Department of Public Safety spokesman Mike O’Connell said it spread inside.
“The door to that apartment was then opened when they were looking out and trying to fight the fire and that caused the fire to spread in through that open doorway,” said O’Connell. “The burn patterns show that the fire spread in on the floor and the walls as well as in the attic that extended from the breezeway over the apartment.”
O’Connell said investigators had to withdraw from the apartment because the floor was near collapse.
He told Missourinet several things could have started the fire.
“It’s possible that it could have been smoking materials. The air conditioners were mounted outside the apartments on that breezeway, so there’s also an electrical possibility, so those are a couple of possibilities,” said O’Connell.
The fire destroyed enough evidence of its cause that investigators are calling its cause, “undetermined,” which O’Connell says is not unusual.
A report on the fire will likely be released in a couple of weeks.
“The investigators from [Department of] Fire Safety as well as the police department have done interviews with everybody who was involved. They’re putting together those interviews and other findings and investigative materials,” said O’Connell.
The children who died have been identified as Kairi Helton and Zeza Bradshaw, both two, four-year-old Lee Ann Hendrickson and five-year-old Joshua Hendrickson. They were celebrating the birthday of one of the children.
A Kingston woman was arrested after a one vehicle accident in Caldwell County earlier Friday morning.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 21-year-old Emma, Tormey was southbound on Route T two miles northwest of Polo around midnight when she failed to keep her 2015 Ford Focus on the road around the curve and went off the south side of the roadway. Her vehicle hit an embankment causing it to become airborne and crossed over Saler Drive then hit another embankment and rolled over and into a barbed wire fence where it came to a stop facing east off of the south side of Route T.
Tormey was taken by ambulance to Liberty Hospital for treatment of moderate injuries.
The MSHP arrested her on two charges, a DWI and Careless and Imprudent Driving. She was released to the hospital for medical treatment.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Plans for a new video board were unveiled Friday during a special announcement on the next phase of the Spratt Memorial Stadium renovation project.
Steve Craig, founder and CEO of Craig Realty Group and benefactor of the Craig School of Business at Missouri Western State University, has pledged to give Spratt Memorial Stadium a high-definition LED video scoreboard. The board, which will be larger than the screens at many Division I stadiums, is the largest individual gift in the history of Missouri Western athletics. In recognition of the gift, the playing surface will now be known as Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium.
“Once again, Steve Craig has made a transformational gift to Missouri Western,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president. “Thousands of people visit the Spratt Stadium complex every year for football and soccer games, the summer training camp of the Kansas City Chiefs, our spring commencement ceremony, marching band competitions and other special events. Steve’s gift will create an atmosphere for those events that will be second to none.”
The video board will stand at the south end of the stadium, near the Baker Family Fitness Center. At a little more than 65 feet wide and 38 feet tall, or approximately 2,500 square feet, it is believed that the video display will be the largest in NCAA Division II. It will be larger by area than many Division I schools, including the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas.
The brick structure built to house the scoreboard will be approximately 72 feet tall, with storage rooms inside, static signs and displays, and a rooftop fireworks launchpad. Construction is expected to be completed in time for the Spring Commencement Ceremony in May 2016.
Craig said he hopes his gift encourages others to support greatness.
“When you look at things like the St. Joseph Parkway system, St. Joseph City Hall, and many of the other great buildings around town, it’s clear that excellence was one of the values that built St. Joseph,” Craig said. “I believe there’s been a revival in doing things in a great way in St. Joseph, and this is another example. I hope people take a look at what’s going on at Missouri Western and support the things that will allow the university to compete on the national level.”
Video boards remain relatively rare for Division II schools, but are becoming increasingly common in the MIAA, according Kurt McGuffin, Missouri Western’s director athletics.
“Right now more than half of the football-playing schools in the conference have video boards,” McGuffin said. “When you combine the video board with our current renovations and the Griffon Indoor Sports Complex, our facilities will be among the best in the MIAA, which makes them among the best in the country.”
Craig will contribute $1.1 million of the estimated $2.6 million project. Private donors have pledged the rest of the cost through the Missouri Western State University Foundation’s Centennial Capital Campaign.
In addition to the video board, the current Spratt Stadium renovation includes corporate suites, additional chair-back seating for fans, elevator and other accessibility improvements, additional restrooms, expanded concessions area, new ticket office, a team store to sell Griffon merchandise, new press box and fencing.
The Spratt Stadium project, including video board, is part of the Centennial Capital Campaign, designed to raise the resources needed to enable Missouri Western to continue to grow and transform its students, the region and the world. The MWSU Foundation hopes to reach the initial celebration goal of $20 million before the end of 2015, Missouri Western’s centennial year.
The Hiawatha Police Department is asking for help locating a man wanted in a assault investigation.
The department posted on social media asking for help locating 26-year-old Michael B. McCann for a domestic violence incident of aggravated battery.
McCann is described as 5’10” and around 185 lbs.
If you see or have any information on Mr. McCann’s whereabouts contact the Hiawatha Police Department at 785-742-2156 or contact your local law enforcement agency.
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Photo courtesy Hiawatha PD
The Hiawatha Police Department is asking for help locating a woman wanted on a charge of Felony Theft.
The department posted 18-year-old Shelby R. Hopkins photo on social media asking for help locating her whereabouts.
She is described as 5’10” and around 230 lbs. Brown hair and hazel eyes.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the Hiawatha Police Department at 785-742-2156 or the nearest local law enforcement agency.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – U.S. Airmen from the 139th Airlift Wing at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base will host the 50th annual Air National Guard Softball Tournament in St. Joseph next week.
The tournament will be held Aug. 11-15, 2015 at Heritage Park Softball Complex.
An opening ceremony will be held on Aug. 11 at 6:00 p.m. at the park followed by a home run derby.
Fifty-six teams are scheduled to compete in this year’s tournament across five divisions.
This is the fifth time the games have been held in St. Joseph.
The Missouri Air National Guard’s 139th Airlift Wing is comprised of approximately 1,100 citizen-Airmen from local communities throughout the region. The unit operates the C-130H Hercules cargo aircraft and has a dual mission to the state of Missouri and the federal government. Rosecrans Air National Guard Base is located at Rosecrans Memorial Airport, St. Joseph, Mo.
A single-vehicle crash Thursday afternoon north of Pattonsburg injured a 27-year-old McFall, Missouri man.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Elijah Black ran a stop sign a US-69 highway. His Buick left the roadway and went airborne before hitting a utility pole.
Mr Black was transported to Harrison County Community Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Call this guy a hot dog if you like, but this is one impressive dinger. The Canadian softball team Les 4 Chevaliers has been compared to the Harlem Globetrotters. You’ll notice the batter Renaud Lefort walks into the left-handed side of the batter’s box, but takes a right-handed stance.
He knocks the ball out of the park for three runs the hard way.
UPDATE Maryville, MO – The City of Maryville has lifted a boil advisory issued earlier this week for all water users.
The boil advisory was issued Tuesday due to high manganese levels leaving the Maryville Water Treatment Plant.
Thursday the city said results of bacteria testing performed Wednesday are within the acceptable parameters.
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TUESDAY Maryville, MO – The City of Maryville has issued a boil advisory for all water users due to high manganese levels in the water leaving the Maryville Water Treatment Plant.
The city said the advisory goes into effect immediately and will remain in effect until further notice.
The advisory is a recommendation to boil any water used for consumption as a precautionary measure.
Staff noted levels of manganese above the regulation limits and shut down the plant to drain the clearwell.
High levels of manganese cause high turbidity which effects the coloration of the water. After contacting Missouri Department of Natural Resources it was determined to error on the side of caution and issue the boil advisory.
A portion of the problem with the high manganese levels is due to the heavy rainfall and the amount of runoff water entering the water source.
The city said staff is working to get the plant back within the limits and will strive to get the advisory lifted as soon as possible.
