Featured Articles from KY3

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - It's a topic almost everyone is talking about in the Ozarks--gas prices. Regular unleaded surged to 3-97 overnight at most stations. That's a 38 cent jump since Monday in Springfield. Those prices are much different when traveling around the state. On the low end, Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff are both around $3.30 In the middle, St. Charles is hovering around $3.68. Kansas City sits at $3.77. Kirksville's prices are around $3.63. On the high end, Springfield is at $3.97.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Powerball fever has again grabbed the attention of the Ozarks. Wednesday's winning numbers: 2, 11, 26, 34, 41 and the Powerball is 32. The jackpot drawing grew to $360 million in only a few weeks.  The latest drawing has a $229.2 million cash value.      

CARTHAGE, Mo. -- The National Weather Service confirms a tornado touched down Monday morning east of Carthage. The EF-1 storm damaged powerlines and buildings near Palimino and 13th street approximately two miles east of the Jasper County seat.  Wind speeds topped nearly 100 miles-per-hour.  The tornado struck a few minutes past midnight. A second tornado Monday morning hit the community of Lockwood.  That was rated as an EF-0.    

Branson, Mo. -- Southwest Airlines announced Monday it will begin daily, non-stop service to three cities in March 2013.  The commitment from Southwest is a big one for the small Branson Airport that in its three-year history has yet to break even.  Southwest's recent merger with Airtran is making the rescheduling possible. "We decided the best thing to do was simply try to remake branson in a way that's profitable for us and for Branson, said Bob Montgomery, a vice president with Southwest.

The American College of Sports Medicine has published a list of 12 exercises it says mimic the impact of a long run or trip to the gym. The high intensity workout is designed for people who say they have little time for exercise. The experts say you are to perform the 12 exercises at a high intensity for 30 seconds each, with a 10 second rest between each. That will create a workout that lasts about seven minutes. The exercises can be performed anywhere and only require a chair and a wall.

Mountain Home, AR - A former Baxter County Jail inmate was arrested on additional charges after jailers found contraband concealed in her jail uniform after she was released from custody on May 19 th .    BETHANY NICOLE WILLIAMS , 24 years old of Flippin, called the Detention Center several hours after being released saying she had left a small container in her jail uniform when she was booked out and wanted to retrieve it. ...

JOPLIN, Mo. -- Joplin City officials have organized a support team of public safety employees and deployed them to Moore, Oklahoma to arrive later tonight. The team included approximately a dozen members from the police and fire departments. This group will offer assistance and conduct an assessment to determine the areas of support that may be needed as the community of Moore continues their search and rescue efforts and begins the cleanup work in their city. “As we saw the devastation that the tornado caused in their community, we began the preparation to send personnel to assist the city of Moore,” said Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr.

SPRINGFIELD -- A woman from Ash Grove is facing charges a year after a crash left two people dead. Prosecutors say Tammy Thompson was changing lanes along West Bypass in Springfield last May when she clipped another vehicle sending it into the opposite lanes where it hit a motorcycle head-on.    The collision immediately killed the couple on the bike-- Gary and Denice Zenger of Bois D'Arc.    If convicted of the misdemeanor traffic charge, Thompson could face up to a year in jail.

      TODAY Upper 80s Warm, muggy, windy afternoon. Severe t-storms late, especially in western and northwestern Ozarks. TONIGHT Upper 60s Chance for severe storms, especially western half. MONDAY Low 80s Scattered storms. Heavy t-storms late. 12-hour forecast 24-hour forecast Satellite & Radar Feels Like Allergy Index Almanac   WEATHER BECOMING ACTIVE We are going to experience a period of active weather from this evening through Tuesday.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.-- The bed bug epidemic that began in 2010 isn't over.  If anything, it's picking up speed.  But local exterminators say their methods of getting rid of the bugs are now tried and true.   Hotels, dorms and hospitals are among places constantly working to keep the bugs out.  But they're even showing up in places like semi tractors and travel trailers. "We're doing several jobs a week lately.  So it's started increasing rapidly, and in the past year or so, it's continued to increase rapidly," says Ivan Eftink, Bug Zero owner.  Eftink says his company did four bed bug jobs this week and has at least that many scheduled for next week.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Storm Prediction Center has issued a new tornado watch through 5 a.m. for a large area of Missouri. Local Missouri counties included in the watch are the following: Barry, Barton, Benton, Camden, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Greene, Hickory, Jasper, Laclede, Lawrence, Maries, McDonald, Miller, Newton, Polk, Pulaski, St. Clair, Stone, Vernon and Webster. Arkansas counties included in a tornado watch that is effective until 6 a.m. include Carroll County, Washington County, Benton County and Madison County.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Springfield Police have released the name of a shooting victim Wednesday night. Police say 22-year-old Cynthia Branyon was shot in the face at her home in the 3300 block of East Whiteside Street.  Branyon's injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.  Neighbors say the multiple gunshots sounded like fireworks set off.  Police found several shell casings at the home.  Witnesses say two men fled the scene after the...

Mailing a letter the old-fashioned way just got a bit more spendy -- by a penny, in fact. The U.S. Postal Service increased the price of postage for first-class mail to 46 cents. That change went into effect Sunday. Meanwhile, postcard prices went up to 33 cents. Sending mail to Canada jumped a whole quarter -- it used to cost 85 cents, but now it's $1.10 to send a letter outside the borders of the U.S.  

BERRYVILLE, Ark. -- Law enforcement officers want help finding Joe Gutierrez.  He's charged with kidnapping and attempted murder for an attack on an ex-girlfriend at a convenience store in Alpena early Wednesday. Investigators believe Gutierrez fired at least two shots through the window of the Red-X store in Alpena about 12:50 a.m.  One of the people in the store is a woman who recently broke up with Gutierrez.  The woman said Gutierrez had previous attacked her and locked her in his car. While Gutierrez went inside the store, the woman got out of the car, ran inside and locked herself in a bathroom.  Gutierrez then barged into the the bathroom and dragged the woman out to the car.   After putting the woman in the passenger side, Gutierrez went to the driver's side.  The woman than got out of the car and ran into the store.   That's when Gutierrez fired shots through the store window and then drove away.