JOPLIN, Mo. – (WATCH) Missouri Southern tops Missouri Western 10-3 in their series opener Friday night.
Treghan Parker and Henry Kusiak each hit home runs for Missouri Southern.
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CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction hosted an event for the Southwest Missouri Regional Special Olympics.
Athletes of all ages gathered to compete on a Track and Field Day.
During the opening ceremony, students from the Carl Junction High School Philanthropic Club presented a check to the Special Olympics of Missouri for $15,000.
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Good Friday evening, everyone. After a round of scattered showers and t-storms mainly in our northern counties during the morning hours, most of us had a warm afternoon under mostly cloudy to partly sunny skies. After morning lows early around 60°, the vast majority of the area saw highs between the middle 70s and 80° this afternoon. For the rest of the night, the focus will be on t-storm development ahead of both the dry line and the cold front just to our west.
Chief Meteorologist Doug Heady has done a great job making sure everyone knows about the severe threat that will persist late tonight and before sunrise Saturday morning. With the tornado watch out until 11 PM for southeast Kansas west of US 69, we’ll still watch for some isolated supercell t-storms to try and pop up. However, the main show is still set for later tonight after 10 or 11 PM with the cold front working in. A line of t-storms ahead of the front will start pushing into our far western counties by the midnight hour.
As the line of t-storms works in from west to east, the main threats with the line will be wind gusts up to 70 mph and some large hail. Within the line, though, we can’t rule out some isolated spin-up tornadoes. The front will continue to push the line of t-storms toward the Metro area by 3 AM. By the time the storms push into the Metro, SW MO and along the I-44 corridor in NE OK, the storms should be on the weakening trend.
While the severe threat will be around, we’ll also have a threat of heavy rainfall in some spots. The latest Rain Tracker wants some of our western and northern counties to have rain totals range between 1 and 3 inches by the time the storms push on through. Some other areas of moderate to heavy rainfall can’t be ruled out before the storms drop out by morning.
As the storms clear out, we’ll see partly to mostly cloudy skies return to kick off a mainly chilly morning with lows in the upper 50s from US 69 to the east. Our far western counties should have a decent shot to drop into the lower 50s before sunrise.
With partly to mostly sunny skies and a good westerly breeze for the rest of our Saturday, it will be a nice and mild day with highs in the lower 70s.
Mostly clear skies for Saturday night/Sunday morning and mostly sunny skies for much of Sunday means we’ll wrap up our weekend on a dry and nice note. After lows drop into the upper 40s, most of us will see highs back in the middle to upper 70s for Sunday afternoon.
Sticking with Doug’s pattern, our next chance for some severe weather will come at us on Monday. As another warm front returns from the south very late Sunday night and into Monday morning, that will bring in some morning showers and t-storms. While these could be a bit strong, they shouldn’t be severe as we get the AM drive back to work and school started.
However, we’ll need to watch late Monday afternoon and Monday night. If the morning t-storms don’t overwork the atmosphere, another incoming cold front and another upper-level wave could bring in strong to severe t-storms to keep an eye on for Monday evening.
While temperatures will stay mainly mild next Tuesday through Friday, we’ll watch for additional t-storms and another severe threat for both Wednesday and Thursday. Doug’s long range forecast takes you through much of the month of May down below. Have a good night and a great Saturday!
Nick
Next Saturday: Warming up while staying pretty much dry.
May 15th-21st: Cooler start to the week with thunderstorms Tuesday and Wednesday. We warm up toward the weekend with Saturday thunderstorms, most likely severe.
May 22nd-28th: Mild start to the week before we warm up by the middle of the week. T-storm chances Tuesday and Wednesday could be severe. Dry for the rest of the week.
GIRARD, Kan. – Columbus High School junior Kolt Ungeheuer was on the mound for the Titans baseball team on Thursday night, helping the team beat Girard 8-5 in game two of a double-header.
Less than 24 hours later, Ungeheuer smashed the school’s high jump record in his first ever high school track meet – winning the event at the Girard Invitational.
“I’ve been playing a lot of baseball lately. I just decided to come out and try it for the first time since junior high,” Ungeheuer says, “It went well today.”
The junior cleared 6 feet, 10 inches on Friday afternoon. That mark is 6 inches clear of the previous Columbus High School record of 6 feet, 4 inches.
“I didn’t really expect to go that high,” Ungeheuer says, “I’ve only practiced about three or four times. I’ve never actually tried to go that high, so I didn’t really know what to expect.”
“He asked if he could come out this year. It just happened that they didn’t have a baseball game so he was able to come out and compete,” says Columbus track and field coach Heath Perry, “I never expected he would go 6 feet, 10 inches…but he’s an athlete.”
After such success in his first ever high school meet, Ungeheuer says he plans to work on the high jump a little more the rest of the spring.
“I think I will,” he says of practicing the event more, “I’ll always put baseball first, but I have to try to find time to do more of it. I think I can continue to get better if I keep going at it, and practice more than three or four times like I’ve been doing now. Hopefully I’ll just keep getting better at it.”
“I’d like to see him out here. We have our league meet in a couple weeks and regionals about three weeks from now,” Perry says, “With the jump he’s got…he’s up there in the state. We’ll see how we can work it out to get him to meets and practice. We’ll get with coach Tedlock and hopefully get it worked out.”
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JASPER COUNTY, Mo. — Just after 5:30 p.m. reports of a tractor trailer overturned alerted Jasper County E911. Tipsters let us know it was located on Baseline Blvd, about CR-120, east of I-49.
Jasper County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to assist with traffic control.
The driver was already out of the crashed vehicle and was not injured.
GOOGLE MAPS LOCATION OF CRASH. USE TWO FINGERS TO NAVIGATE MAP OR ENLARGE ON UPPER LEFT.
Missouri State Highway Patrol say the trailer was hauling paper, about 35,000 pounds.
Watch for our live! video from the scene.
Stay with Joplin News First on KOAM News Now as we continue to learn more, we will post updates here.
PITTSBURG, Ks. – Pitt State football partners with Kansas Special Olympics to host its annual “Victory Day” at Carnie Smith Stadium. It’s the second year the Gorillas have hosted the event.
“This is one of our favorite events every year,” says Pitt State head coach Brian Wright. “It’s really important to give back. [Our players] are blessed to have the opportunities that they get. Sometimes when you’re working hard in the weight room or out here on the field you forget about the blessings.”
More than 60 Special Olympics athletes got the Pitt State game day experience including the Gorilla Walk and one-on-one time with the PSU players.
“It’s so much fun to watch our guys interact with the kids,” Wright says. “I just think it’s so beneficial for both sides.”
“It brings joy to my heart. They look at you like a big brother,” says Pitt State running back Caleb Lewis.
“My guy William… he’s not really into football, but we were able to play catch and teach him how to throw a spiral,” says Pitt State wide receiver Elijah Harris. “We were able to interact over movies and superheroes, so it’s not just about football. It’s about hanging out with them and making sure they have a good time.”
The day ended with a full team photo at Carnie Smith Stadium.
“It feels very nice to give back to the community. I would do it any day of the week,” Lewis says.
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JOPLIN, Mo. — Late yesterday Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney Theresa Kenny filed charges against the suspect in the Homicide Investigation of Scotty Roller, 36, of Neosho, Mo.
It’s alleged that March 18, 2022, Roller was shot in the back, at a residence, 2502 E Vandalia in Royal Heights in Joplin, Mo. His body then was dumped in a well on family property, 20364 Crane Drive in rural Seneca, Mo.
Damyon D. Fisher, 40, is now formally charged:
Bond was denied and D. Fisher remains in custody.
Additionally, JPD Detectives have submitted charges against Eddie W. Fisher, 64 of Seneca. He is the father of Damyon Fisher.
“Eddie Fisher was present at the address on Vandalia Street when the victim was shot and killed. Following the shooting, Eddie assisted Damyon in wrapping the victim in a rug, loading the body into his vehicle and transporting it to his address in Seneca where he assisted in dumping the victims body in a well.” — JPD DETECTIVES
E. Fisher remains in custody in the Newton County Detention Center at Neosho, Mo. on unrelated charges.
In Jasper County anticipated charges are Felony Tampering with Physical Evidence.
Stay with KOAM News Now as we continue to learn more in this breaking news story.
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JOPLIN, Mo. – Saturday is National Drug Take Back Day and a number of local agencies are participating by having bins available to safely dispose of your old prescription medications. Officials at the Ozark Center strongly encourage everyone to check their medicine cabinets for old prescriptions.
The Ozark Center’s New Directions facility in Joplin deals with issues regarding addiction and overdoses. Lisa Watson with the Ozark Center says events like this are essential to not only getting drugs off the streets, but keeping them out of the hands of area youth. “One of the biggest factors in determining if a person is going to develop an addiction later in life is early use, 70% of people who try substances at a young age, go on to develop an addiction within 7 years.”
Watson says they’ve seen an increase in overdoses in the area. But, she says it’s not just limited to those addicted to drugs and there’s a good reason you need to check your medicine cabinet Saturday and see what needs to be turned in. “But it’s also important to remember too that changing the way you take your medications, so if you’re prescribed a certain medication and you change that, that also increases your chances of an overdose or a medical interaction, so if you have multiple medications around and you accidentally take it out of the wrong bottle, you’re increasing your chances.”
Watson says in order to keep those prescriptions off the streets, it’s essential to take them to safe drop off sites and not simply throw them away. She adds theft of prescriptions medications is also common, which is another good reason to turn in any unused bottles you may have. “Those are things that could absolutely entice someone to break into your car, so these are all about safety precautions, when we talk about harm reduction, harm reduction isn’t just about the substances that are used it’s also about educating our community about techniques that we can use to protect each other.”
If you’re facing any addiction issues, or know someone who is, you’re urged to contact the Ozark Center or the Urgent Behavioral Services facility in Joplin. Click here to search for a take back site near you.
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PITTSBURG, Kan.– If artists in Southeast Kansas had a Superbowl, it would look like the Pittsburg Art Walk.
“I think every community should celebrate art because it’s an important part of the community and just culture.”
Art is so important to the Pittsburg community that the city hosted an event similar to a festival, for artists to share their work with the town, something they aren’t always given the chance to do.
“This is kind of our super bowl and so we’re or allowing them to come out and sell their work and get to know the community and have people come up and buy by their artwork or just get to know the artist.”
Artists like Meranda Belew know firsthand the importance of having a creative outlet.
“It’s a form of expression. It’s a way for people to express themselves, and it’s just a good outlet for people.”
Belew, who makes handmade jewelry says it was her own mother, who inspired her to get involved in art in the first place.
“My mom actually started it years ago. It’s how she kind of showed me how to start my jewelry making.”
Crista Cunningham, President of the Pittsburg ArtWalk committee says she wanted to hand the spotlight to talented artists in the community who don’t always get that recognition.
“Art invokes emotion, and it also demonstrates it just showcases talent. is what it does. There are so many talented people in the community, and they don’t often get a chance to share that with others. and so allowing that to happen in our area in and through this event, that is just fine arts focus. it just brings all sorts of awareness to the area and offers perspective.”
And with a wide variety of art ranging from live music to jewelry, there was something there for everyone.
You can find more event details here.
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