One person is missing and two had to be rescued during flash flooding near Fordland.
Authorities say a vehicle with three people inside attempted to cross a low water crossing at the Finley River crossing off Highway Z, and became stranded in the rising water.
Two people made it out of the vehicle and to safety by the time first responders arrived, but one person has not yet been found.
The Logan Rogersville Fire Protection District says it’s received many calls about the area in the past.
Between two and five inches of rain have fallen in areas along and south of I-44 from Thursday night into Friday morning, creating flash flooding leading to road closures.
Click here for road closures due to flooding with the MoDOT Traveler Information Map
The National Weather Service says a number of low water crossings have flooded.
Rainfall reports range from between 1.75 and two inches in the Springfield area, to between 4.4 and 4.8 inches in northern Christian County.
We’ve had around 1.5 inches of rain at the Springfield Branson National Airport.
Some of the roads that closed overnight Friday morning include:
Highway 37 northwest of Cassville
Highway W east of Wheaton
Highway FF northeast of Fordland
Highway Z southeast of Fordland
Highway BB northwest of Sleeper (Laclede County)
Highway B southwest of Northview
Highway K in northern Aurora
Damage was also reported from severe thunderstorms that moved through areas south of Springfield Thursday night, including a large tree blown down on Saddlebrook Drive and another one on Highway A near Chestnutridge.
Following the resignation of President Dr. Timothy Cloyd due to family health concerns, Drury University is appointing an interim president.
The university announced Thursday the hiring of John Beuerlein to temporarily fill the role.
Beuerlein graduated from Drury in 1975 before going on to a lengthy career in philanthropy and finance.
Dr. Cloyd was hired as the president of the university in 2016, and was instrumental in the Campus Master Plan and the new O’Reilly Enterprise Center.
No details have been released as to the search for a permanent replacement at this time.
Nixa High School’s Associate Principle, Patti Arnold, is announcing her retirement.
According to the district, Arnold makes this announcement after 31 years of working at Nixa and 33 in education. Arnold has served a total of 19 years as associate and assistant principal at Nixa High School. Prior to that she served as a teacher, a counselor, and coach.
“It has been rewarding and gratifying to see programs, curriculum, and opportunities for students increase over the years to meet the needs of students. Working in education and with students has always been my passion, and I feel fortunate to have been able to have a lengthy career in Nixa doing that,” stated Arnold.
Legislation that would require student-athletes to compete in sports of their biological birth has recieved initial approval in the Missouri Senate.The bill needs one more vote before it heads to the House.
Southeast Missouri State Senator Holly Thompson Rehder, the bill’s sponsor, says that allowing biological males to compete against females would wipe out women’s sports as we know it.
Democrat opponants say the bill is unfair to transgender athletes who want to compete.
One candidate for the Springfield School Board is facing backlash for a social media post made on his account in 2018.
Landon McCarter, co-founder of Secure Agent Marketing, is under fire after a racially insensitive message was put on Facebook from his account.
The post in question depicts black curly hair coming out of the top of a castle with an afro pick in the hair, with a quote that reads, “What would Rapunzel look like if she was black?”
Local voters have voiced their concerns about the post, questioning why the post was made in the first place, and that it may marginalize people of color in the community.
McCarter, in a statement Wednesday, called the controversy “a distraction” and said he doesn’t recall posting the meme.
A bizarre story coming out of St. Robert, Missouri, where a man and woman have been found dead outside a business along Missouri Avenue.
Police say it happened around 10:00 a.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of a strip mall, with a witness saying the man rammed his truck into the woman’s car.
The man, who was 29 years old, then followed the woman, 33, into a salon with a gun.
Officers found the two dead behind the business in the Hidden Valley Plaza.
No names have been released, and there’s no word on whether the man and woman knew each other.
Several rounds of showers and thunderstorms will push through southwest Missouri from late Thursday afternoon through Friday.
The National Weather Service says widespread heavy rainfall amounts of two to four inches are likely, mainly along and south of a line from Joplin to Rolla, including the Springfield metro area.
Localized higher amounts could reach five inches.
Forecasters say flooding and flash flooding are likely since the heavy rain will occur on saturated soils.
A Flood Watch is in effect for much of the Ozarks from 5 p.m. Thursday through 1 a.m. Saturday.
In addition, the weather service says strong to severe storms are possible beginning late Thursday afternoon, lasting into the overnight hours.
Large hail will be the biggest threat, with chances for damaging winds as well.
We’ll have the latest watches and warnings on 93-3 A-M 560 KWTO.
A woman from Springfield is being charged with four felonies after driving with kids on the roof of her car.
Investigators say 23-year-old Katrina Spivey was driving in the parking lot of the Kum & Go on Sunshine near Scenic Avenue in May of 2022 with three underage children on either the roof or hood of the vehicle.
During the incident one of the children, a 15-year-old, was hurt when they fell of the car.
When police arrived, Spivey admitted to drinking alcohol and submitted to a breathalyzer test.
Her blood alcohol level measured at 0.087, just above the legal limit of 0.08.
Spivey has subsequently been charged with:
Prosecutors say she will appear in court for her charges on May 4.
The Texas County Sheriff’s office is still looking for a man who disapeared in late January.
John Dudding was last known to be at his home in the Southeastern part of the county.
Sheriff Scott Lindsey says investigators don’t have a lot of leads right now. Dudding’s son Blaise says when a friend went to check on Dudding, he found his truck door open, a shower running, and a backpack Dudding normally carries with him.