Ozark

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A man from Sparta received a five-year federal prison sentence on Wednesday for robbing banks in Nixa and Ozark.  Joshua Caprarella, 29, is not eligible for parole. Last March 1, Caprarella pleaded guilty for robbing a Great Southern Bank at 717 W. Mount Vernon St., in Nixa on May 6, 2010.  As Caprarella left the bank, he was approached by a police officer and threw the money into the air.  He was arrested immediately. At the time of the Great Southern Bank robbery, Caprarella was on bond and awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to robbing a Bank Midwest, 2004 W. Marler Lane, in Ozark.  Caprarella admitted he presented a note to a bank teller, demanding money, the same way he robbed the bank in Nixa.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Drury Panthers softball team hosted its home opener today at Thompson Field at Meador Park against Northwest Missouri State University. In the first game, the Panthers defeated the winless Bearcats 4-1, highlighted by a two run homerun off of the bat of Denise Taylor. The second game was a bit closer. Drury's Regina Norris would score the winning run in the bottom of the seventh when Amber Hayden hit a single into left field. Panthers won 2-1. Next up for the red and black will be the University of Central Oklahoma on Saturday in Edmond at one and three in the afternoon.

OZARK, Mo. -- A woman whose husband died eight years ago from brain cancer has won an appeal at the U.S. Veterans Administration.  Sheree Evans claimed his death resulted from Edward Evans' exposure to Agent Orange when he was a Marine in the Vietnam War.  A law firm in the Washington, D.C., area says the ruling means Evans will receive widow's benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The law firm, Bergmann & Moore, says the ruling is the first time that the VA has admitted a link between Agent Orange exposure and glioblastoma multiforme, the brain cancer that killed Edward Evans in 2003.

OZARK, Mo. -- A Christian County jury convicted Alex Davis for first-degree attempted robbery, first-degree assault and armed criminal action late Tuesday night.  Prosecuting Attorney Ron Cleek says it's at least the seventh felony conviction against the 31-year-old man from Ozark.  Because he was convicted as a prior and persistent offender, he faces the possibility of three life prison sentences. Last January, testimony at the trial showed, Davis went to a mobile home park with a woman who wanted to rent a home.

OZARK, Mo. - These days many small towns are scrambling to attract new businesses. But when one retailer made plans to set up shop in Ozark, residents said ‘no thanks.’   “We don't want to drive past there and explain to them [the kids] what we don't look at and what's not good for them,” explained resident Christina Tonsing.   Patricia's, which already operates an adult-oriented store in Springfield, wanted to open a new shop on J Highway, off Highway 65.  The site is next door to the state's largest church, James River Assembly.

OZARK,Mo --  Grief compounded for a local family. While attending the funeral of a loved one, the family of seven got a phone call telling them their house was on fire. "This is my little girls baby book. It's just charred," said father and husband Bo Agee. A few precious keepsakes are salvaged. Five little lives enjoyed their new toys from Santa, but the flames took all their gifts away. "It's the best Christmas they had and it's all lost. They are all happy and straight A students.

OZARK, Mo. - Family and friends of an Ozark teenager will be saying goodbye Saturday morning. That's when graveside services for 16-year-old Rachelle Alling are scheduled. Mourners will meet at Barnes Funeral Home in Ozark, and a procession to Alling's grave site will begin at 9:45 a.m. Alling died last Friday in a car crash on Route W in Christian County. Memorial contributions in Alling's name can be made at any Liberty Bank location.   FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF AN OZARK TEENAGER WILL BE SAYING GOODBYE TOMORROW MORNING.

OZARK, Mo. -- Police Chief Lyle Hodges said Monday that the man who was murdered in a parking lot on Saturday night was Michael Tindall, 50, of Ozark.  Hodges says Tindall had a gunshot wound, and an autopsy later Monday would determin if that's what killed him. Tindall's body turned up in a parking lot near his home in the 1400 block of West Hall Street.  Hodges said Sunday that detectives are trying to identify a person of interest seen in...

OZARK, Mo. - Residents in the Quail Run subdivision of Ozark are under a boil water order due to a water main break today. An emergency alert from the City of Ozark stated the city's Water Division is working on a repair to a leak in the Willow Road area. Roughly 125 residential properties are affected. Anyone served by the affected public water system should observe the following precautions, according to the city of Ozark: • Boil water vigorously for three minutes prior to use for cooking or drinking.

CLAYTON, Mo. -- A family from Ozark wants their late daughter's boyfriend, August Busch IV, to pay damages for her death at his home last December.   They filed a lawsuit this week on behalf of Adrienne Martin's 8-year-old son. Martin, 27, died of an oxycodone overdose, but an autopsy found she also had cocaine in her system.  Her family filed the wrongful death lawsuit in St. Louis County Circuit Court.   They say Busch was careless and...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.-- Customers of Panera Bread can enjoy the new pasta dishes Friday, April 12th, and help provide meals for hungry children at the same time. Most second Fridays of the month, Panera donates part of the proceeds for selected items to the backpack program at Ozarks Food Harvest. Panera Cafes in Springfield, Branson, and Joplin are participating in the fundraiser. Panera will donate $2 to Ozarks Food Harvest for any pasta combo purchase, which includes the Tortellini Alfredo, Pesto Sacchettini or RusticPenne Bolognese.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A nonprofit agency serving the Springfield community is the target of thieves twice in less than a week.  The Community Partnership of the Ozarks says someone broke into its headquarters over the weekend, and then its Neighborhood Resource Center on Tuesday night. "This was the door that was up to my office.  They just completely just kicked it in, and, as you can tell, they just went through it," said Anita Kuhns, an employee of the Community Partnership of the Ozarks.

TODAY Falling west Upper 70s east Rain and storms likely. A few could be severe. TONIGHT 40s/50s IRain and a few storms early, then colder with some clearing. THURSDAY 40s/50s Mostly cloudy, windy and much colder. 12-hour forecast 24-hour forecast 7-Day Forecast Pollen Count Satellite & Radar Almanac A Tornado Watch is now in effect for the eastern Ozarks until 9:00 P.M. and includes north-central Arkansas up through Ozark, Douglas, Wright and Phelps Counties and points east.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - This morning's storms have left a handful of scattered power outages around the Ozarks. Outage maps for City Utilities earlier reported up to 50 customers were without power just north of Springfield earlier this morning. Empire District reported two separate outages affecting up to 100 people between Mount Vernon and Galena, and the Buffalo area as well. Storms are expected to continue to impact the Ozarks as a cold front makes its presence felt throughout the day Wednesday.

A new report lists Greene County as having the highest rate of child abuse in the state. The Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA of southwest Missouri, battles that abuse everyday. Beth Atchison joined KY3 Ozarks Today on Wednesday morning to speak about CASA's role in fighting child abuse -- and a fun event coming up in which the community can show their support for the cause. The Superhero Run and Family Walk will take place Saturday with a five-kilometer race at 8 a.m., then a family fun walk at 9 a.m. Superhero attire is encouraged.

TANEY COUNTY, Mo. - A man who led officers from several law enforcement agencies on a chase south of Springfield Tuesday night has not been captured. The chase began at roughly 9 p.m. in Ozark County. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the chase headed west into Taney County, then south on U.S. Highway 65 toward the Arkansas state line. Missouri officers called for help, but no authorities were available to continue the chase in Arkansas. Once the driver entered Arkansas, Missouri agencies stopped the chase.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Storm Prediction Center has issued a tornado watch for the eastern Missouri Ozarks, as well as several counties in the southeast and eastern portions of the state. Missouri counties under the watch in our viewing area include Dent, Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Phelps, Shannon, Texas and Wright counties. The watch includes the cities of Rolla, Salem, and West Plains, among others. In Arkansas, the watch includes the following counties: Searcy, Stone, Marion, Baxter, Fulton, Izard and Sharp.

      TODAY Mid 70s Another warm and windy afternoon. TONIGHT Near 60° Increasing chances for thunderstorms. A few could be severe. WEDNES 60s and falling T-storms. Severe threat will shift east with time. 12-hour forecast 24-hour forecast Satellite & Radar Feels Like Allergy Index Almanac   QUIET CONDITIONS AT MIDDAY The weather was still pretty quiet across the center part of the country at midday but a vigorous system was creating active weather over the northern Plains and Rockies.

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. -- Fire heavily damaged a Lake of the Ozarks landmark.  Lee Mace's Ozark Opry lost a lot of history. It's a legend in the Ozarks - Lee Mace's Ozark Opry brought in fans by the thousands.  Lee and Joyce Mace started the country music show in the 1950s, and Joyce Mace still worked out of an office in the building. "It was just a wholesome family show," says Gene Williams, Joyce Mace's cousin. "Kids always loved it.  It was just a lot of fun to come to," said Osage Beach Fire Chief Jeff Dorhauer.

      TODAY Low 70s Sun to start, mostly cloudy with scattered storms during the afternoon/evening. TONIGHT Upper 50s Chances to t-storms continue overnight. MONDAY Mid 70s Mostly cloudy and breezy. 12-hour forecast 24-hour forecast Satellite & Radar Feels Like Allergy Index Almanac   SCATTERED STORMS DEVELOP TODAY Warm weather is going to continue today but thunderstorms are likely for part of the area.