PULASKI COUNTY — One person died in an accident just after 6p.m. Tuesday in Pulaski County.
The Missouri State Patrol reported a 1999 Dodge 2500 driven by Tozh R. Smith, 32, Waynesville, was northbound on Highway U seven miles west of Crocker. The pickup traveled off the road and struck a tree.
A passenger Eric A. Bays, 43, Waynesville, was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported passengers Blythe E. Fultz, 19, and Catlin G. Johnson, 23, both of Waynesville, to Lake Regional Hospital. Smith was not injured.
The occupants of the vehicle were not wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP.
HUTCHINSON — Amtrak has once again suspended the Southwest Chief between Hutchinson and Kansas City because of flooding. Bus service between Oklahoma City and Newton has also been suspended.
Amtrak passengers board buses at Hutchinson during the flooding May 10. Similar busing will be used for Southwest Chief passengers during this round of flooding
Eastbound passengers in Hutchinson will be bused to Kansas City with stops along the way. Westbound passengers will board in Hutchinson as normal. Those getting on or off at Newton should be advised again that the through service bus to Wichita and on to Oklahoma City will not run.
Passengers could experience long delays because of flooding and are asked to go to amtrak.com or call 1-800-USD-RAIL.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — The co-founder of a suburban Kansas City school has been found not guilty of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
Dennis Creason – photo Johnson County
49-year-old Dennis Creason was acquitted Tuesday on several counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
Creason and his wife, of Bonner Springs, co-founded founded Oaklawn Christian School in Shawnee. He was accused of lewd fondling or touching of children under the age of 14 between 2009 and early 2018.
Oaklawn Christian School closed following Creason’s arrest.
Creason testified during the trial that he never had sexual contact with the children. His attorneys argued the five girls who testified were coached about what to say.
But prosecutors argued the children were afraid of Creason and had no reason to lie.
BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — Firefighters have contained a fire at a motel on the main strip that runs through the southwest Missouri tourist town of Branson.
Crews on the scene of Tuesday’s fire in Branson photo courtesy KOLR TV
The fire started around 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Hall of Fame Motel, which is located across the street from Presley’s County Music Jubilee and the Hollywood Wax Museum. City officials said it took firefighters about an hour to bring the blaze in the 143-room motel under control. There are no reports of injuries.
HOLTS SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) — A woman has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2018 death of a 67-year-old central Missouri man.
Amy Steward-photo Callaway Co. Sheriff
Amy Steward pleaded guilty on Monday in the death of David Grant, of Holts Summit. She had originally been charged with first-degree murder and delivery of a control substance.
Steward was sentenced to life for second-degree murder, 10 years for armed criminal action and five years for unlawful possession of a firearm.
Court documents indicate Steward called 911 to report Grant’s death in April 2018. She told Callaway County deputies she found him dead from a gunshot wound to the head when she returned home from a friend’s house.
However, police said Steward’s friend didn’t corroborate that story.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on severe weather in the central United States (all times local):
First responders on the scene of the tornado damage photo courtesy KYTV
The Missouri State Highway Patrol says all the animals are accounted for after a tornado hit a drive-through wild animal park.
Patrol Sgt. Jason Pace says only minor damage was reported Tuesday to buildings at the Wild Animal Safari in Strafford, about 10 miles northeast of Springfield.
Webster County Emergency Management Director Tom Simmons says there were no reports that people or animals were injured. The park boasts on its website of having more than 450 animals.
Simmons also estimated that half a dozen homes were damaged in the county. In neighboring Wright County, a suspected tornado also damaged some homes and a grocery store.
Pace says there also were several water rescues, including one of an 18-year-old woman who was swept off a flooded road near Joplin and stranded overnight.
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WEBSTER COUNTY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on severe weather in the central United States (all times local):
Authorities say a tornado has hit a drive-through wild animal park in central Missouri and blown a tractor-trailer off a nearby road.
Webster County Emergency Management Director Tom Simmons says the tornado damaged some buildings Tuesday at the Wild Animal Safari near Strafford, about 10 miles northeast of Springfield. He said there were no reports that people or animals were injured.
The phone number to the animal park rang unanswered. The park boasts on its website of having more than 450 animals on 350 acres.
Simmons estimates that half a dozen homes were damaged in the county. He says damage assessments are underway.
The tornado came amid storms that have brought flooding and strong winds to parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley’s proposed Do Not Track Act (all times local):
3:15 p.m.
Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley has introduced legislation to give internet users the ability to opt out of tracking and collection of personal data.
Hawley introduced the Do Not Track Act on Tuesday. The proposal is designed after the national Do Not Call list, which allows people to opt out of telemarketing calls.
Hawley’s office says it would allow internet users to opt out of tracking by clicking a setting in their browsers or by downloading an app.
The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general would have the authority to enforce the legislation. Companies would face fines of up to $1,000 per day per person for knowingly violating the rules.
The proposal is the latest move by Hawley in his larger campaign against big tech .
The Missouri State Patrol reported a 2205 Mazda Tribute driven by Christin O. Beasley, 24, Williard, was westbound on U.S. 160 at Farm Road one mile west of Springfield. The vehicle skidded across the center of the road struck a 2006 Kenworth semi driven by Donald J. Bohenna, 43, Kimberling.
Beasley and her husband Brandon A. Beasley, 23, were pronounced dead at the scene. Bohenna was not injured. All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP.
The
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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a couple has died in a crash northwest of Springfield.
KYTV reports that the crash happened around 11 a.m. Tuesday when the couple’s car crashed into a tractor-trailer on Farm Road 123 where it crosses U.S. 160. Their names weren’t immediately released.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — The Latest on severe weather in the central United States (all times local):
3:30 p.m.
One day after President Donald Trump approved a federal disaster declaration for 13 Missouri counties, the state’s governor declared a state of emergency amid new weather problems.
I urge all Missourians to closely follow their local weather forecasts, take storm warnings seriously, and quickly act to protect themselves and their families when necessary.
— Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) May 21, 2019
Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Tuesday cited worsening flood concerns and soil inundation, as well as forecasts calling for severe storms and possible tornadoes into Wednesday morning.
Parson cited numerous instances of flash flooding due to a band of storms crossing the state, storms that resulted in tornadoes and flooding in Oklahoma and Kansas.
Trump’s federal disaster declaration was in response to a March flood that was particularly damaging along the Missouri River in the state’s northwestern corner. The declaration allows for federal aid to help repair roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
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3:10 p.m.
With a potentially dangerous storm bearing down on St. Louis, baseball’s Cardinals are taking no chances, calling off a game against the cross-state rival Kansas City Royals.
The Cardinals announced the decision Tuesday afternoon, while the weather was calm. Forecasters were warning of potentially strong storms expected to arrive shortly after the game was scheduled to start.
The game will be made up Wednesday as part of a doubleheader.
The postponement means only one of St. Louis’ two major sports teams will play Tuesday night. It’s a big one. The Blues can earn a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals if they beat the San Jose Sharks in Game 6 of the NHL Western Conference Finals.
The Blues say they’re working with police and emergency crews to monitor the storm. They say fans should stay in their seats if a storm occurs during the game.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Laura Kelly has signed into law a bill that would allow profoundly ill people who have been unable to find relief with pharmaceutical medications to avoid prosecution for possessing certain blends of oil extracted from cannabis plants.
The cannabidiol oils, also known as CBD, shielded by the Kansas bill could contain no more than 5% THC, the compound that gives marijuana its high.
Known as “Claire and Lola’s Law,” it was pushed by Gwen and Scott Hartley, whose 12-year-old daughter, Lola, suffers from microcephaly, a medical condition in which a child’s brain doesn’t fully develop. The condition has already claimed the life of Lola’s older sister, Claire, who died in December 2018 at the age of 17.
