West Plains

West Plains, MO - Fire destroyed a West Plains business Tuesday.  Flames shot through the roof of the Ozark Treasurers Thrift Store on St. Louis Street.  The fire spread, and fire-fighters couldn't save the former Grocery store.  It also sent thick smoke into the sky.  Investigators are now trying to determine what caused the blaze.  No one got hurt.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a West Plains, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to receiving child pornography over the Internet and possessing child pornography. Scott Allen Johnson, 26, of West Plains, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to the charges contained in an Aug. 29, 2012 federal indictment. An officer with the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force identified Johnson's computer as sharing images of child pornography on a peer-to-peer file-sharing network on Dec. 30, 2011.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- A third person is charged for a murder in Howell County.  Bradley Jenkins, 22, of West Plains, was arrested just before midnight Monday in Willow Springs.  Jenkins, like co-defendants Daniel Baird and Heather Bennett, faces charges of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action for the death of Jackie Yarber last Friday night.  Investigators say Yarber was stabbed or possibly run over by a vehicle. ...

WEST PLAINS, Mo. - West Plains city leaders could decide on a new mayor this afternoon. Longtime mayor Joe Evans died from heart complications Aug. 18. He was 81. Mayor Pro Tem Jack Pahlmann is currently performing the official duties.

SOUTH FORK, Mo. -- A driver died and another driver suffered moderate injuries in a head-on crash south of West Plains.  The Missouri Highway Patrol reports Thomas Sheldon, 39, died after his SUV crossed the center line and hit a tractor-trailer.  Sheldon lived in West Plains.  Billie Barnes of Birch Tree is hospitalized.  The crash happened on U.S. 160 and slowed traffic for much of Wednesday morning. ---- Editor's note: An earlier version of this report identified the victim as Sheldon Thomas.  We apologize for the error.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- It's been a hard landing for folks in West Plains and Houston this week.  Air Evac Lifeteam is re-locating nearly two-hundred jobs.   120 management jobs will move from West Plains to the St. Louis area, and another 30 to Texas.   Also, the Air Evac business center in Houston will be transferred to West Plains.   The 45 employees at Air Evac in Houston found out Wednesday their jobs are moving to West Plains.  If...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - It was a round to remember for a West Plains senior golfer. Courtney Cox carded a hole-in-one Monday at the state golf tournament at Dalhousie Country Club in Cape Girardeau.  The hole-in-one came on the par 3, 132-yard No. 13 hole. The state tourney continues tomorrow.

Emergency management says Saturday night's flooding in West Plains is the worst the city has seen in 20-years. Easter Sunday gave residents a chance to see the damage.  It seems like everyone has a story to tell from the Howell County area. Many residents could only sit and watch and wait to see what would happen to the flood waters.  For some, the flood's current took away landscaping stones while for others, crept anxiously close to their front step.

A man from West Plains is dead after a crash in Arkansas. State police say 26-year-old Christopher Lancaster died when he was thrown from his car near Paragould early Sunday morning, when his car flipped on Highway 125. His passenger suffered serious injuries.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- A man from West Plains faces a prison sentence of 10 to 30 years (life) for shaking his 17-month-old daughter, Breeana, in 2006.   A jury convicted Brian Hawkins, 35, of first-degree assault last Friday. Investigators say the toddler was hospitalized for several bruises, significant bleeding and swelling of her brain.  Circuit Judge David Evans plans to sentence Hawkins on June 1.

                  TONIGHT Near 60° Mostly Clear WEDNESDAY Near 80° Partly Cloudy with scattered afternoon storms THURSDAY Mid 70s Partly to Mostly Cloudy with scattered storms 12-hour forecast 24-hour forecast Satellite & Radar Wind Chill ...

TODAY 30s to low 40s Light rain or snow likely. No additional accumulation. TONIGHT 30s Drizzle likely east, but light snow likely along and west of Highway 65. Another 1-2" possible in spots, mainly grass, etc. SATURDAY 40s Cloudy with occasional drizzle or light showers. 12-hour forecast 24-hour forecast 7-Day Forecast Pollen Count Satellite & Radar Almanac Good afternoon!

TODAY Near 80° Mostly sunny TONIGHT Near 60° Mostly clear WEDNESDAY Near 80° Partly cloudy; a few isolated storms 12-hour forecast 24-hour forecast 7-Day Forecast Pollen Count Satellite & Radar Almanac Good morning!  Today is the last "nice" day in the latest string of spring weather.  Highs will again be near the 80 mark with increasing clouds by afternoon.  In fact, better low-level moisture will work its way north today and we could see a few showers or storms pop up.  Without any upper low or front in the area just yet I don't expect anything organized or widespread.  The big front in the plains will move into the Ozarks by tomorrow morning.  This is where the forecast gets very complicated because there will be a large spread in temperatures on either side of the front.  The exact timing will be the big player in tomorrows readings, but suffice it to say that colder air is on the way.  We'll start in the 50s in most spots, but 40s are likely in far western Missouri.  For areas along and west of Highway 65, including Springfield, highs will be early in the day with dropping temperatures by noon or so.  To the east there is some potential for warming, especially if the sun can come out for a while before the front passes.  This...

                  TONIGHT Low 50s A few evening showers then becoming cloudy with additional showers by morning THURSDAY Mid 40s Cloudy scattered showers and turning colder FRIDAY Near 40° Cloudy with light rain which could be mixed with wet snow 12-hour forecast 24-hour forecast ...

The Storm Prediction Center has issued a tornado watch valid through 5 p.m. for an area of southeast Missouri, including three counties in the Missouri Ozarks. The watch includes Howell, Shannon and Oregon counties, including the cities of West Plains and Eminence. Arkansas counties in the watch include Baxter, Fulton, Izard, Sharp and Stone. The watch has expired for areas west of the affected counties.

TODAY 40s/50s north 60s central Upr 70s south Cloudy and cool north with spotty showers. Partly cloudy and sticky south. TONIGHT 60s Warming up for many; a few showers possible. WEDNESDAY Near 80° Variable clouds, quite warm. Isolated storms. 12-hour forecast 24-hour forecast 7-Day Forecast Pollen Count Satellite & Radar Almanac Good afternoon!

TODAY 40s/50s north 60s central Upr 70s south Cloudy north, mostly cloudy south. A few early showers/storms. TONIGHT 60s Warming up for many; a few showers possible. WEDNESDAY Near 80° Variable clouds, quite warm. Isolated storms. 12-hour forecast 24-hour forecast 7-Day Forecast Pollen Count Satellite & Radar Almanac Good morning!

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.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- Some teachers at Fairview Elementary in rural Howell County are now packing heat.  They have the state and school board's approval for the new security measures. School security has been on many minds since December's tragedy in Connecticut.  "I have a close friend from college who actually lives seven minutes from Sandy Hook, and so she knew three of the children that did pass.  And so that brought a very personal side of it," said Joan Dietrich. Dietrich has a 7th grader, 3rd grader and preschooler all in one school building, so she wants to Fairview Elementary to be safe.  "We had talked about, my husband and I before, what if there was conceal and carry in the school?"

Here's where you can post events that are postponed or canceled because of adverse weather.  Post them as a comment. Editor's note: This is not the place to see or post school closings, early dismissals or late openings.  Any that appear here are unofficial and not to be trusted.  They will be deleted when we notice them. ---- The Celtic Connection show, a Scottish-Irish revue, in West Plains has been postponed from Saturday, March 23, until Saturday, April 5.   ---- REPUBLIC, Mo. -- The Republic Parks and Recreation Department will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt on Friday, March 29, at 7:00 p.m. (the event was originally scheduled for Saturday, March 23)