Author: KMIZ

Haley Swaino

WARSAW, Mo. (KMIZ)

Smoke was rising just past the empty playground at Warsaw North Elementary School on Monday afternoon.

While Warsaw R-9 students and staff had the day off after the district closed Monday for storm damage clean-up, city crews were hard at work burning downed trees and snapped limbs after severe storms.

Two tornadoes touched down in Benton County around 7:30 p.m. Friday near Warsaw, according to the National Weather Service in Springfield.

An approximately 300-yard EF-1 tornado tracked east across the northern side of Warsaw and stopped near Highway 65 after traveling a little over 2.5 miles. The NWS said it flipped multiple mobile homes that were sitting on cinder blocks.

Pitts Homes, Inc., a mobile home dealer in the 29100 block of Old Highway 65, was hit by Friday’s storms.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw at least two flipped mobile homes and some that had blown off roofs or exterior damage. A spokesperson with Pitt Homes said all were display homes and no one was living inside.

A second tornado, an EF-0 about 200 yards long, caused damage to buildings and trees on Highway 83 and Route MM southeast of Warsaw. The maximum winds were recorded at 80 mph, the NWS said.

A carport near Pitt Homes, Inc. was seen flipped and in pieces; some of it mangled in a tree. ABC 17 also saw multiple bent road signs in the area.

Power was reported to be restored on Monday after more than 4,500 customers were without power around 8:30 p.m. Friday. ABC 17 saw many electric crews still working to remove tree limbs and storm damage debris from power lines on Monday afternoon.

The Warsaw R-IX School District announced in a social media post that classes would resume Tuesday.

The district said cleanup crews worked to get the back drive of the John Boise Middle School/High School campus cleared for traffic. An ABC 17 reporter was able to drive through and saw the parking lot cleared around 12:30 p.m. Monday.

Internet and network services were fully restored, according to another social media post. While cleanup continues, the district said the high school will adjust classroom locations as needed.

Scott Gemes, the Superintendent of the Warsaw R-IX School District, said the building that houses some math, science and art classes behind the high school had part of its roof blown during Friday night’s storm.

While the damaged roof was patched up by Monday afternoon, Gemes said some classes in that building will be moved to other classrooms for safety for the remainder of the school year.

A sign at the schools’ entrance was seen blown out next to a downed tree.

A damaged sign and downed tree were seen at the entryway of the John Boise Middle School/High School campus in Warsaw on Apr. 20, 2026. after two tornadoes touched down in the area three days prior.

About 10 minutes away from the school, on Polk Avenue off Highway 65, a local Mexican restaurant had about half its roof torn through.

Manager Lucio Carrera of El Camino Real said most employees were working and some customers were enjoying dinner when tornado sirens started going off Friday night.

He said some time went by and everything seemed to be fine. That’s when chaos hit.

“Everybody was kind of confused what was happening,” Carrera said. “It was so loud. And then the building was shaking, shaking really bad.”

He said what happened next could only be described as a loud, approaching train suddenly crashing.

“The only options we have is go under the tables. And the people in the kitchen, they tried to go to the walk-in cooler,” Carrer said.

Damage inside El Camino Real Mexican restaurant in Warsaw on Apr. 20, 2026. after two tornadoes touched down in the area three days prior.

After what he suspected was a tornado passed, he ran outside to shut the gas off because the hit caused a leak.

Many panicked customers rushed to their vehicles and left, Carrera said. One table still had a customers chips and salsa on it Monday afternoon.

When Carrera went back inside the restaurant after shutting of its gas Friday, he was relieved to see his staff was okay, besides an employee who suffered a minor head bump in the chaos.

Downed ceiling insulation and damage in the kitchen of El Camino Real Mexican restaurant in Warsaw on Apr. 20, 2026. after two tornadoes touched down in the area three days prior.

El Camino Real is expected to be closed for at least two months. Carrera is working with its insurance company.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia woman was charged with a felony after she allegedly threatened to kill a prosecuting attorney on Friday at the Boone County Courthouse.

Morgan Turgeon, 22, was charged with tampering with a judicial officer. She is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. An initial court appearance was scheduled for Monday afternoon.

The probable cause statement says a Columbia police officer saw Turgeon point at a prosecutor say she was going to kill her. The prosecutor was leaving the courthouse when Turgeon allegedly made the threat.

While in police custody, Turgeon allegedly told officers that she was upset that her fiancé was sentenced to three years in prison. She allegedly yelled at the victim advocate before leaving the courtroom and yelled that she wanted to kill the prosecutor. She allegedly denied seeing the prosecutor at the exit or pointing at her, the statement says.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A truck hit several parked vehicles, drove through yards and hit a home’s front porch before driving off early Sunday in Mexico, Missouri, according to police.

The Mexico Department of Public Safety stated in a news release that the driver, Luis D. Soberon-Companioni, 32, of Florida, was arrested a few minutes later during a traffic stop near East Love and Jeffries streets. The damage occurred in the 1500 block of North Olive Street.

Soberon refused to cooperate with a breath test and a blood draw, and police could not find a medical facility to draw his blood because of his agitated state, according to a probable cause statement. He kicked one officer in the groin, after which several officers carried him to a holding cell, the statement says.

Prosecutors charged Soberon-Companioni with four misdemeanors and two felonies. The felonies are for leaving the scene of a crash and tampering with physical evidence, and the misdemeanors are two counts of leaving the scene of a crash and one count apiece of DWI and fourth-degree assault.

An initial court hearing was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. Bond was set at $25,000.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The state presented its opening statement and two witnesses during Day 1 of the jury trial for a woman charged in a Holts Summit murder case.

Heather Smith, 38, is facing charges of second-degree murder, child endangerment, armed criminal action and three counts of unlawful use of a weapon after she is accused of shooting and killing 37-year-old Kara Dills. Smith claims the shooting was in self-defense.

On April 13, 2025, court documents say the shooting started with an argument between Smith and Dills at Hunter Lane Apartments. Attorneys settled on a 12-person jury with two alternates. There were six women and eight men.

During opening statements, the state alleged that prior to Dills’ attack, Smith pointed her gun at Dills mother and boyfriend before she confronted Smith herself.

The state reports Smith and Dills’ mother were residents of Hunter Lane Apartments. Tension began earlier in the day when children who were family members of Smith and Dills got into an altercation in the parking lot while riding bikes.

Video surveillance showed Smith threatening witnesses with a pistol before the shooting. One witness allegedly tried to disarm her after she pointed the gun at several people, but was not successful. Documents say that her 8-year-old son was standing next to her during the altercation.

The state alleged that Smith first pointed a gun at Dills’ mother in front of Dills and her sister. When Dills went to confront Smith, Smith then later pointed the gun at Dills’ boyfriend, causing Dills to go to her car and get her gun.

“Kara confronts Heather about Heather threatening Kara’s mother and Kara’s niece with a gun,” assistant prosecuting attorney Sandra Colhour said. “She withdrew from the altercation and she had, until that point, by all accounts been unarmed.”

Dills allegedly then pistol-whipped Smith on the forehead, documents say. The gun went off, grazing a man on his head, according to the probable cause statement. After Dills lowered her gun and started to walk away, Smith shot her in the stomach, the statement says. She later died.

Smith’s attorneys deferred their opening arguments.

The state also brought two witnesses, Major Curtis Hall and Sergeant Alan LeBel of the Callaway County Sheriff’s office and a neighbor of Hunter Lane Apartments who provided camera footage of the event.

“This is a relatively small apartment complex,” Hall said. “Obviously, somebody had just died. It was  what I would consider a powder keg of emotions.”

Smith’s jury trial is set to continue through Friday in the Boone County Courthouse with Judge Hasbrouck Jacobs, after a venue change was granted.

The court will reconvene on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.

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Matthew Sanders

The showdown over the flashpoint Strait of Hormuz continues into another week as the end of the current, temporary ceasefire draws near.

On Sunday, the United States announced that it had seized an Iranian ship, while the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had once again closed the strait to shipping. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy continues its blockade of ships heading into Iranian ports.

And a ceasefire that has somewhat eased tensions over the past two weeks is almost over.

Do you think a lasting deal can be reached to open the strait this week? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Transportation is scheduled to shut down the U.S. 63 northbound on and off ramps at Grindstone Parkway in Columbia on Monday, according to a MoDOT press release.

The closure is expected to last until the end of June while crews work to build the on and off ramps to the new northbound loop, according to the release.

The portion of East Haven Road after the Grindstone ramps and Lenoir Street will also remain closed during construction for electrical work, drainage improvements, roadway reconstruction and new traffic lights on New Haven Road, according to the release. The road is expected to reopen when the U.S. 63 ramps open as well.

Columbia resident Randy Nichols tells ABC 17 News he is worried it will create traffic.

“It’s probably going to cause a lot of traffic in other areas until they get finished, so it’ll probably be a while,” Nichols said. “If it’s for improvement, I’m all about it. I guess you have to get through the storm to get to the calm.” 

He also lives near the St. Charles road overpass, which was demolished about a week ago. Nichols said it now takes him an extra seven to eight minutes to get to work because he can’t cross the bridge anymore.

Interstate 70 is also undergoing construction as MODOT works to widen the highway to three lanes in both directions from St. Louis to Kansas City as part of the Improve I-70 project.

University of Missouri student Leighton Morris occasionally makes the trip back home to St. Louis and takes I-70 the whole way. He said the construction can make driving difficult.

“It’s like one lane the whole way, pretty much, but sometimes it’s better, sometimes there’s two lanes,” Morris said. “It’s super tight, I swear. I keep thinking the semis are going to hit me every single time.”

Ashland resident Kaz Hazel said she hopes the construction and everything that comes with it will turn I-70 into a faster road.

“Hopefully, it helps to make it a lot faster with the roundabouts and everything that they’re creating. It looks really cool from the stuff I’ve seen,” Hazel said. “It is very much chaotic right now, where we’re getting the backups on Broadway and all.”

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Jessica Hafner

The National Weather Service in Springfield on Monday confirmed a third tornado in Morgan County following Friday night’s severe weather. This tornado brings the total to five between Benton and Morgan counties, with surveys being done farther east in Callaway, Cole, Boone, and Moniteau counties by NWS St. Louis.

The survey team confirmed a pair of tornadoes that touched down in Morgan County shortly before 8:00 p.m.

An EF-1 tornado with maximum winds of 90 mph struck north of Gravois Mills, where several trees were uprooted, two out buildings were damaged, and a home lost a window. The tornado was about 300 yards wide and traveled for about 2.6 miles.

Another short-lived EF-0 tornado tracked north of Barnett, producing winds of up to 85 mph. It traveled for about 1.3 miles and had a width of 150 yards. Meteorologists found tree damage and bent metal rods that were sheltering hay bales.

The team confirmed a third, short-lived EF-0 tornado northwest of Gravois Mills that had wind speeds of up to 80 mph and found uprooted trees and damage to a barn along McCasland Rd.

The team was out on Monday working to finish surveys in Benton County to potentially extend tornado tracks and confirm more wind damage.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Police was on the scene of a crash involving two cars at the intersection of Elm Street and Providence Road in Columbia.

The road was partially blocked off for about an hour Sunday night.

CPD Sgt. Matthew Nichols told an ABC 17 News reporter on scene the crash happened around 6:20 p.m. Sunday. The intersection was partially closed off shortly after.

Nichols said one person was taken to a local hospital from the scene, but would not say the extent of their injuries.

At 7:05 p.m. the road was still facing a partial closure, but according Nichols police expect it to be cleared and fully opened back up shortly.

Check back for updates.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Route K in Boone County opened back up about 20 minutes after being closed due to an accident between a car and a motorcycle.

First responders were called around 5:40 p.m. Sunday to the area of Route K. One lane of the road was closed down shortly after. An ABC 17 News reporter saw crews clear the road and open it back up shortly after 6 p.m.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Kyle Green tells ABC 17 News the extent of the injuries from the crash are unknown at this time.

Check back for updates.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

State and local governments will be given one more year to update their websites and apps to match requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act following an extension by the Department of Justice.

The Department of Justice announced the initial order on April 24, 2024. Local governments with a total population of 50,000 or more were required to make web and mobile applications compliant with the ADA by April 24, 2026.

Effective April 20, 2026 the new deadline will be April 26, 2027. Local governments with a population of 50,000 and below will also get a deadline extension from April 26, 2027 to April 26, 2028.

The requirement falls under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The title focuses on the nondiscrimination based on disability in state and local government services. This includes how local governments communicate with people with disabilities. This also includes all public entities within the local government like county departments and public school districts.

Accessibility improvements are intended to support people with a broad range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, neurological, and physical conditions.

Visual accessibility improvements may include increasing text spacing and using sans-serif fonts to enhance readability. Governments may also adjust color contrast to ensure text stands out clearly against backgrounds. Websites are also recommended to avoid relying on colors like red and green for buttons or links that may be hard to distinguish for color-blind users.

Visually impaired users may also use screen readers, which read website pages to the user. These often follow the page from top to bottom and rely on a clear website order and headlines.

“It’s doable, it’s not impossible, but it’s really, really difficult,” Julie Brinkoff, Project Director of Great Plains ADA Center said. “By adding this one thing, all of a sudden you just change the ability for someone to go through a document easily, to find content, to go back and review content.”

Other additions include making websites friendly for keyboard users who do not use a mouse and including an option to add more time when filling out forms. Alternative text may also be added to describe images on a website through screen readers.

Brinkoff adds that when training organizations in following ADA guidelines, online forms often have many errors.

“When you’re having difficulty with a form or a form can’t be submitted, there should be a pop-up or some type of way that the user is informed that there is a difficulty and what that difficulty is, how it can be remediated,” Brinkoff said. “Think again for the blind user who’s getting no information and, you know, they don’t have a way to even know if the form went through or what’s going on.”

The Boone County government tells ABC 17 NEws website accommodations are moving along smoothly. According to the last U.S. Census from 2020, Boone County has a population of over 183,000. They were initially notified of the updated deadline on April 17.

“It’s a continual effort to make these improvements,” Boone County Southern District Commissioner Justin Aldred said. “When we implement these changes for ADA, it also makes things better for the wider group of users and the community at large that uses it.”

Aldred adds that many changes, like descriptive text, are also helpful for rural residents with limited internet.

“This is something that we want to make really, really good for our users because ultimately for a lot of people that live across the county, this may be their first time interacting with local government,” Aldred said.

The Boone County Government reports to have been working on overall website improvements since 2007, focusing specifically on ADA guidelines after the order in 2024. The team has updated around 455 web pages.

Aldered adds that the changes have not resulted in additional costs, just extra hours for those working on Boone County Government websites.

“We have our local government here with 13 independent elected officials, all sorts of individuals that have different offices, different goals, different objectives,” Aldred said. “Ultimately we have a wonderful I.T. team that supported them and putting changes together and making sure that everything is up to date.”

With the additional time, Boone County’s current plan is to manage how the county’s website interacts with third-party products.

“Just making sure that everything talks to each other properly and that everything works as it should,” Aldered said.

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