MOORE, Okla. (AP) -Television footage shows flattened buildings and fires after a mile-wide tornado moved through the Oklahoma City area.

Video showed homes and buildings in Moore, Okla., were reduced to rubble, and vehicles littered roadways south and southwest of Oklahoma City.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The suburb of Moore, where Monday's damage was concentrated, was hit hard by a tornado in 1999 that included the highest winds ever recorded near the earth's surface.

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BOSTON (AP) - Boston police said there's been a third explosion in the city, following two blasts near the finish line of the Boston Marathon that killed two people and injured many others.

Police Commissioner Edward Davis said authorities aren't certain that the explosion that occurred more than an hour later at the JFK Library was related to the other blasts, but they're treating it as if it was.

Davis said there are no injuries stemming from the third explosion. The total numbers of casualties from the other blasts isn't known.

Davis urged people to stay indoors and not congregate in large groups.

Police said they received no information before the explosions to indicate they were coming

 

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BOSTON - A group of mid-Missouri runners told KOMU 8 News Monday they were unharmed after two bombs went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Six of the seven women in the group completed the race before the explosion. One of those runners, Quanna Hafer, had just finished the race when she said she knew something was wrong.

"I was walking away from the finish line, I am guessing, the finish line was a couple hundred yards behind me," said Hafer.

She said the police officers on the scene told her and others around her to keep moving. 

"I initially thought it was part of the race, I thought they were doing some type of cannon. But when everyone turned and saw massive black smoke, then there was another explosion pretty much immediately after that," said Hafer.

When Hafer made it back to her hotel, she informed the five others in her group of the news. Runner Haley Schwarz said the group initially worried about their friend Becky Bond who was still running the race.

"[Our hotel] is less than a mile from the finish, so immediately we turned on the news and we got a text from our friend [Bond]," said Schwarz

Bond started the marathon at 10 a.m. Monday morning. She said she expected to finish the race by two o'clock. 

"I was running literally like half a mile from the finish line like, 25.77 or something, and we started coming to an intersection and all these police officers started flying by going the way we were running," said Bond.

It was not long before the police would not let any runners go further in the race. 

"We have been stopped for I don't know, how long, 45 minutes. I don't have a time frame right now," said Bond.

Bond said her husband was waiting for her at the end of the finish line when the explosion occurred. She said she was able to contact her husband by text message, who reported he was unhurt.

Bond said the local community has been very supportive and taken action quickly.

"All the neighborhood people came out with water and trash bags to stay warm with," said Bond.

It may be difficult to reach loved ones in Boston but the Internet is helping make it easier. Google has created a "person finder" that allows anyone request of post information about someone's condition and whereabouts. And the Boston Marathon's website allows you to track athletes by name.

Full list of Columbia and other Mid-Missouri runners registered for the Boston Marathon on www.baa.org:

Anderson, Jennifer L
Bond, Becky
Castagno-Dysart, Dawn
Derose, Jordan
Doisy, Kathy M
Fernandez, Keith
Frazier, Shellaine
Frese, Dana L (Jefferson City)
Heaviland, Dan L
Hillard, Laura J.
Kennelly, Sean M.
Louie, John
Schwarz, Haley C.
Sievers, Anne
Smith, Clint (Fulton)
Tripp, Michael
Washington, William L.
Young, Darrin D

 

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BOSTON (AP) - Two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon have resulted at least two deaths and 57 injuries according to the Boston Police Department.

Bloody spectators were being carried Monday to the medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners. Police wove through competitors as they ran back toward the course.

"There are a lot of people down," said one man, whose bib No. 17528 identified him as Frank Deruyter of North Carolina. He was not injured, but marathon workers were carrying one woman, who did not appear to be a runner, to the medical area as blood gushed from her leg. A Boston police officer was wheeled from the course with a leg injury that was bleeding.

About three hours after the winners crossed the line, there was a loud explosion on the north side of Boylston Street, just before the photo bridge that marks the finish line. Another explosion could be heard a few seconds later.

One woman says she was waiting for her husband to cross the finish line, and, in her words, "it just blew." She described it as "a loud boom, and then glass everywhere." Cherie Falgoust says something hit her head, and she "just ducked."

A runner, Laura McLean of Toronto, says she heard two explosions outside the medical tent. She says, "There are people who are really, really bloody." McLean says, "they were pulling them into the medical tent."

The explosions took place about three hours after the winners crossed the finish line. The second one could be heard a few seconds after the first one.

A runner said, "There are a lot of people down."

Marathon workers were seen carrying one woman, who did not appear to be a runner, to the medical area as blood gushed from her leg.

Photo By NBC Nightly News

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CALLAWAY COUNTY - KOMU 8 News has confirmed that an accident injuring three workers occurred at the Callaway Energy Center around 5 p.m. Tuesday. 

Ameren Missouri officials said the accident occurred in the switch yard area of the facility, but would not give details of what actually happened.

Ameren said the incident did not impact the operations of the facility and the cause is under investigation. 

Ameren said it will not release the status of the workers at this time. 

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RANDOLPH COUNTY - Moberly officials confirmed in a press conference Monday afternoon that an 18-year-old male and 22-year-old  male, both of Macon, were taken into custody without incident.

Mike Fusselman, Randolph County prosecuting attorney, filed charges of first degree murder on Jeffery Jay Nichols and Christopher D. Lewis. Judge Cynthia Suter set the bond at $1,000,000.

Randolph County Sheriff deputies responded to a reported vehicle fire Sunday night on Randolph County Road, in southern Randolph County.

A press release stated that deputies responded to a report of two individuals who had been shot at a residence on Highway Route D while in route in Randolph County.

Deputies arrived to the location of the shooting incident, and two subjects were found to be suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Deputies stated that both were taken to the University Hospital in Columbia. Currently, one of the victims is listed in fair condition, and the second is listed in serious condition.

While at the shooting scene, another victim reported she had been assaulted by two males and her vehicle stolen. At this time, the Randolph County Sheriff's Department received another report of a residential burglary and the theft of another vehicle in the Higbee area.

Deputies linked the stolen vehicles and incidents to the male suspects who had reportedly assaulted and stole a vehicle near the shooting incident.

The release stated that the burned vehicle found of Randolph County Road was determined to have been stolen from a resident in Moberly, according to the Moberly Police Department.

Moberly Police officers also responded to a residence on Morehead Street just before midnight on Sunday. Upon arrival, officers discovered the residence to be unsecure.

Officers made entry into the residence and found the 92-year-old female resident dead as a result of suspected foul play, according to police report. The release stated that an autopsy is scheduled to be conducted at the Boone County Medical Examiner's office on Tuesday.

Moberly Police officers investigated a shoplifting incident earlier in the day at the Moberly Walmart, involving the two suspects.

During the investigation of this incident, officials determined that a Walmart sales associate was able to obtain the license number from the suspect vehicle which was determined to have been stolen in Macon on the same day.

The press release said both subjects are being held in Chariton and Randolph County Jails awaiting arraignment.

Members of the Macon Police Department, Moberly Police Department, Randolph County Sheriff's Department, Macon County Sheriff's Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol and members of a Missouri State Highway Patrol SWAT team covered this investigation.

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RANDOLPH COUNTY - Jeffrey Nichols and another suspect are in custody as of 11:25 Monday afternoon in relation to the shooting incident on Route D in Randolph County and the death of a 92-year-old woman in Moberly.

According to the Macon Police Department, suspects were possibly in a residence in the 100 block of West Third Street with a perimeter being set in the neighborhood.  The Missouri State Highway Patrol tactical unit went to the area and numerous subjects exited the residence including the two suspects. Both were taken without incident and later transported back to Randolph County for further investigation.

KOMU 8 News has reporters in Moberly and Macon seeking additional information.

Authorities are debriefing at the Expo Center in Macon.

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RANDOLPH COUNTY - KOMU 8 News learned that the Randolph County Sheriff's Department was called to a residence in Higbee in which several guns were stolen around 9 p.m. Sunday.

Around midnight, Moberly Police tried to contact the owner of the residence, as his vehicle had been set on fire. Police said they found the 92-year-old victim dead on the scene. At this time, the death is being investigated as suspicious and no further details are available at this time. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.

Local Officals are asking anyone who knows the two subjects in the photo to contact their local law enforcement to report the location of these two subjects. Law Enforcement cautions people not to approach the two subjects as they are considered armed and dangerous.

Authorties are offering up to a $1000.00 reward for information helping with identifying the two suspects.

 

 

 

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RANDOLPH COUNTY - KOMU 8 News has learned that Moberly Police were called to Wal-Mart on a shoplifting incident Sunday night.Two subjects, a white male and a black male were seen stealing items from the store. Authorities said two men got into a stolen vehicle from Macon. The vehicle was seen leaving Wal-Mart with the suspects.  Macon Police Officers report that they found the vehicle located at Jefferson and Morley. 

The Randolph County Sheriff's Department said it got involved when the suspects set a second stolen vehicle on fire. Randolph County deputies then reported they were called to a vehicle accident on County Road 2515. Shortly after, they were called to a report of two shot victims off Route D. Both subjects were transported to the hospital for treatment. The condition of these two subjects is unknown at this time.

Moberly Police told KOMU 8 News the truck owned by one of the shot victims was stolen and crashed. Randolph County was then called to a residence on Route BB for reports of an assault and stolen vehicle. That vehicle is a white Saturn VUE with license FA6T3E.  KOMU 8 spoke with Moberly Police Officers who said they are still looking for the vehicle.

 

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RANDOLPH COUNTY- Multiple police officials confirm shots were fired outside of Moberly Sunday night.

Local residents told KOMU a gunman was driving around, honking his white SUV's horn. Residents said the gunman was waiting for someone to open the door, then would shoot.

KOMU 8 News arrived at Highway BB around midnight.  Officials instructed us to leave the scene due to the rerouting of emergency vehicles.  Officials also said the Moberly Police will release a statement early Monday morning.  Overnight KOMU 8 News was told Randolph County would actually be the main source of information.  We have been in contact with officials since 1 a.m. Monday. 

KOMU 8 News will continue updating the story as "confirmed" information is discovered, as Facebook and Twitter posts may represent rumors. 

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COLUMBIA - The manager of the Columbia Regional Airport confirmed early Friday afternoon the control tower at the airport is on the list of contract towers set to close some time between April 7 and May 7 due to federal sequestration. Don Elliott said the tower is one of 149 set to close.  There was no exact closing date given for the facility.

Public Information Specialist Steven Sapp told KOMU 8 News Friday the closure would not cancel flights in and out of the airport. Sapp said take-offs and landings in Columbia would be handled by Mizzou Approach Control based in Springfield.

The city released the e-mail it received from the FAA outlining the closing, dated Friday.  It is from FAA CEO David Grizzle and states, "In early March, FAA proposed to close 189 contract air traffic control towers as part of its plan to meet the $637 million in cuts required under budget sequestration and announced that it would consider keeping open any of these towers if doing so would be in the national interest. The National interest considerations included: (1)
significant threats to national security as determined by the FAA in consultation with the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security; (2) significant, adverse economic impact that is beyond the impact on a local community; (3) significant impact on multi-state transportation, communication or banking/financial networks; and (4) the extent to which an airport currently served by a contract tower is a critical diversionary airport to a large hub.

In addition to reviewing materials submitted on behalf of towers on the closure list, DOT consulted with the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and conducted operational assessments of each potential tower closure on the national air transportation system. As a result, 24 federal contract towers will remain open because closing them would have a negative impact on the national interest. The FAA will begin a four-week phased closure of 149 federal contract towers beginning on April 7.

An additional 16 number of federal contract towers under the "cost share" program will be able to remain open because Congressional statute sets aside funds every fiscal year for these towers. These funds are subject to sequestration but the required 5 percent cut will not result in tower closures.

Some communities will elect to participate in FAA's non-federal tower program and assume the cost of continued, on-site air traffic control services at their airport (see Advisory Circular AC 90-93A). The FAA is committed to facilitating this transition."

Jefferson City's tower is on a list of "cost-share" facilities that will remain open. Sapp said the Columbia City Council will consider a similar cost-share agreement so it can reopen the tower in the future.

The entire list of towers to close is located here.

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COLUMBIA - Shoppers at Sam's Club and Walmart on Conley Road report being told to evacuate the store Thursday morning because of a threat of roof collapse.  The shoppers said stores were worried the load of snow on the roofs of the buildings is too great.  Eyewitnesses said they could see workers removing snow from some of the roofs.

Company officials for Sam's Club and Walmart said they removed customers from the stores for safety reasons while crews cleared snow from the roofs. 

Shoppers in the parking lot were surprised by the closures.  Customer Shannon Arnold said, "I've never heard of Walmart closing.  Walmart is only closed on Christmas Day."

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COLUMBIA - Home improvement stores were busy Wednesday with people buying shovels and other snow removal equipment ahead of what is anticipated to be a major winter storm.

Westlake Ace Hardware store manager Steve Sholtz said Wednesday has been one of the most packed days of the year. Although the store seemed quiet in the early evening hours, Sholtz said the daytime hours had people rushing to get supplies ahead of the first major snow storm seen in almost two years.

Sholtz said because the weather is so unpredictable, store management doesn't anticipate it beforehand but sees every big storm as a "bonus" for sales.

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COLUMBIA - Firefighters battled a large fire in east Columbia on Wednesday afternoon.

More than two dozen crews were called to Super Recycled Auto Parts on Rogers Road at 12:31 p.m. and worked for about 3 hours to contain the fire. Firefighters had to bring in water because there was no supply nearby. 

Fire officials said everyone present at the business was accounted for. The cause of the fire has not been determined. 

Witnesses called KOMU 8 News to say the smoke can be seen from nearly all parts of Columbia. The black smoke was caused by burning tires. 

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CLARENCE - The chief of police in Clarence confirmed to KOMU 8 News Wednesday that his department has bought the police dog Fano from Columbia Police. Columbia police officials confirmed the sale took place last week, but refused to say for how much--saying KOMU 8 News would have to file a state sunshine law request to get that figure. But Chief Raymond Barton of the Clarence Police told KOMU 8 News his department bought the dog for one dollar.

Barton said Clarence was in need of a police dog and that Fano seemed to be a good fit for the town.  Barton said Fano's main purpose would be drug detection.  Barton said he still needs to evaluate the young dog, but thinks the department would be a good place for him to be utilized.

Fano's former handler, 18-year veteran patrol officer Rob Sanders, was fired by Columbia chief Ken Burton in 2011 for using excessive force against an prisoner.  The dog became the center of controversy as Sanders and his wife urged the police department to sell Fano to them, but the city said the liability risks and chance of aggressive behavior from the dog were too risky.

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COLUMBIA - MU Police announced Wednesday investigators have solved the 2005 murder of an MU professor. MUPD said that with the help of several other agencies, the department has been able to determine Timothy Aaron Hoag was responsible for the crime. Investigators said they received a tip in December that led them to Hoag and were able to connect Hoag to the crime scene with DNA. Police believe Hoag acted alone in killing of Jeong Im, who was a retired assistant professor at MU. The 72-year-old researcher was stabbed in the chest on January 7, 2005 in the Maryland Avenue parking garage at MU. His body was then stuffed into the trunk of a car, which was doused in gasoline and set on fire. 

Hoag jumped to his death from a downtown Columbia parking garage on Aug. 9 of last year. Police were able to confirm that Hoag was at the parking garage on the date and time with information given by another unnamed witness. The witness told police he believed Hoag could have been responsible for the crime, but due to Hoag's "violent nature," was afraid to come forward out of fear for his family.

Chancellor Brady Deaton was at the Wednesday news conference and said he was glad to hear the news. "We are very relieved and grateful for the resolution of the case. This brings closure on the tragedy, to our family, as well as to the University of Missouri and Columbia communities as a whole."

Police are still unsure of the motive in the case. They were unable to speak to Hoag about motive because he was not a suspect until after his death.

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COLUMBIA -- Just two days after a report surfaced from CBSSports.com claiming Missouri coach Frank Haith could soon face some major penalties from the NCAA, the national office has found some improper conduct issues within its enforcement program. On Wednesday, the NCAA announced they will not move forward with a Notice of Allegations surrounding the case at the University of Miami and with current Missouri coach Frank Haith.

The NCAA says former enforcement staff members who had worked with the defense attorney for Nevin Shapiro had improperly obtained the information through a bankruptcy proceeding that did not involve the NCAA.

Association President Mark Emmert has commissioned an external review of the enforcement program. "I have been vocal in the past regarding the need for integrity by NCAA member schools, athletics administrators, coaches, and student-athletes," said Emmert. "That same commitment to integrity applies to all of us in the NCAA national office."

The review will include a thorough investigation into the current issue as well as the overall enforcement environment, to ensure operation of the program is consistent with the essential principles of integrity and accountability. 

During a media teleconference on Wednesday, Emmert also says the NCAA has discovered members of its staff were paying Shapiro's attorney to receive information.

"To say the least, I am angered and saddened by this situation. Trust and credibility are essential to our regulatory tasks," said Emmert. "My intent is to ensure our investigatory functions operate with integrity and are fair and consistent with our member schools, athletics staff and most importantly our student-athletes," he added.

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COLUMBIA -- Missouri Head Coach Frank Haith could soon face serious penalties from the NCAA, resulting from his time at the University of Miami. CBS Sports released a report around 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon stating Haith is expected to be charged with unethical conduct and failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance.

What this means if the report is true is the NCAA could hand Haith a multi-year "show-cause" penalty. It would not necessarily mean that MU could not retain Haith, but show-cause penalties often cripple college coaches and severely hinder their ability to find new jobs. The most recent example is Tennessee's Bruce Pearl, who was fired by the Volunteers after NCAA sanctions and a show-cause order. He did not find another job and currently works as an analyst at ESPN. Indiana's Kelvin Sampson was also handed a show-cause penalty in 2008, and he has not returned to college coaching since. 

CBS Sports says the NCAA was unable to prove the allegations from Miami booster Nevin Shapiro that Haith or his staff paid $10,000 to a family member of former player DeQuan Jones. However, the report does state Haith will be charged with unethical conduct because "the NCAA did not believe his story that payments to his assistants intended for camp money did not wind up going to repay Shapiro, who made the allegations to Yahoo Sports back in August of 2011."

The Missouri Athletic Department has not released a statement on this report. KOMU will continue to bring you the latest developments as they become available.

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COLUMBIA - Parents at a Columbia day care center were not allowed to pick up their children from a day care late Tuesday afternoon after a disturbance nearby threatened safety.

The disturbance started at 520 Noble Court a little after 4 p.m. Tuesday. Three children were inside the day care on Garth and Noble Court and were not allowed to leave and parents were not allowed to pick them up.

Police were on the scene as of 5:45 p.m.and have guns drawn at the standoff. 

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MARSHALL - Police said Thursday they have a person of interest in the fatal stabbing of 32-year-old Rebecca Fisher of Marshall. 

Police said they are looking for 45-year-old Terry Thompson, also of Marshall, who police believe was traveling east of Columbia when last contacted. Thompson is 5'11" and 180 lbs. 

Saline County Ambulance and Marshall Police were dispatched to the scene of the stabbing late Wednesday night, where they found Fisher lying on a porch with multiple stab wounds. 

Fisher was brought to Fitzgibbon Hospital for treatment, but was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. 

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