Month: September 2024

A man from Sunrise Beach is in custody after investigators say he drove a school bus filled with kids while under the influence.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 44-year-old Brett Emehiser was driving the bus Friday afternoon after the school day while intoxicated.

Witnesses and children on the bus reported that he was driving erratically during the route.

Emehiser has been charged with 20 counts of driving while intoxicated with a passenger under the age of 17, and 20 counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

He is being held in the Camden County Jail without bond.

One of southwest Missouri’s own is becoming one of the biggest names in music, and Wednesday night she collected her greatest honor yet.

World-renowned pop artist Chappell Roan, born Kayleigh Amstutz, was raised in Willard and graduated from Willard High School before beginning her professional music journey.

At Wednesday night’s Video Music Awards, she won Best New Artist. Previous winners include Billie Eilish, One Direction, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Guns N’ Roses, and others who went on to enjoy great success.

In her speech, she gave thanks to the drag queens and other members of the LGBTQ+ community who are involved in the music industry and those who inspired her.

She also spoke specifically to LGBTQ+ children in the midwest, saying, “I see you, I understand you because I’m one of you. And don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t be exactly who you wanna be.

Roan is openly lesbian, and has been for several years.

Missouri Lawmakers held their veto session Wednesday, dealing with 12 total bills that Governor Parson vetoed.

Out of the 12, just one was discussed. It was a House Bill 2010, which would appropriate money for the Department of Mental Health as well as Health and Senior Services.

Parson vetoed more than 12 Million Dollars of funding from the Department of Health and Senior Service using a line-item veto.

Other Bills were not discussed, and the House adjourned with no veto overrides.

After more than two decades serving the people of southwest Missouri, the popular Heather Hill Farms shop is closing its doors.

Owner Heather Adler opened the store in 2002, serving popular wine and cheese options for folks in the Ozarks.

According to Adler, the decision to close the store comes after the landlord that owns the building raised the rent, which the business could no longer afford.

The building is owned by another popular Ozark business, Lambert’s Cafe.

Adler says the last day for Heather Hill Farms will be September 15, and an auction will be held September 27 to sell off the stores remaining items.

Missouri Task Force 1 has been deployed to Louisiana to help communities hit by Hurricane Francine.

The Missouri Task Force is lead by the Boone County Fire Protection District and is made up of 50 first responders from across the state.

They took 2 K-9s and over one hundred thousand pounds of equipment with them.

Lebanon R-3 School officials have sent a letter to parents saying that a rumor on social media of a school shooting is not credible.

Investigators found the threat on Snapchat came from outside of Missouri and the message never mentioned the Lebanon R-3 School District or any particular school district or community.

The letter to parents said the Lebanon school district makes the safety of students and staff a high priority.

A man is dead after a crash on Route H west of Jasper.

The Highway Patrol says a trash truck driven by 56-year-old Kim Melvin of Joplin ran off the left side of the road and overturned.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A passenger is hospitalized with serious injuries.