Missouri
In the Missouri Ozarks, residents struggle to rebuild after tornadoes
Tim Scott, right, gets a hug from friend Jorden Harris outside Scott’s home he was inside when it was destroyed during a severe storm the evening before Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Wayne County, Mo.
Jeff Roberson/AP
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Jeff Roberson/AP
WAYNE COUNTY, Mo. — People are spread thin through the Ozark hills of this county. Some 11,000 of them live in the small towns and enclaves linked by two-lane highways and narrow gravel roads snaking through the forest.
Then the tornados came. A massive storm system swept through states from Kansas to Alabama triggering fires, dust storms and dozens of reported tornadoes. Three twisters raked Wayne County churning homes into rubble.
Wayne County Sheriff Kyle Shearrer just took over the job three months ago.
“You get so many warnings, nothing ever happens. And this time it happened,” Shearrer said, surveying splintered houses near the town of Leeper, Mo. “As you can see, it’s … it’s just loss. It’s total loss.”
Three people died here, near the banks of the Black River.
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Frank Morris/KCUR
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Frank Morris/KCUR
About 20 miles north, in a valley near Gads Hill, another twister chewed up and spit out homes and parked camping trailers.
Casey Melton has two houses to pick through — his own place and the one where he grew up. It stood for 50 years before the tornado ripped it apart.
Melton and his grandfather managed to get out before the storm hit. He says National Weather Service alerts gave them half an hour to take cover in a FEMA shelter eight miles away. Others here weren’t so fortunate. Three people died less than a block from here.
“These two over here were in their home. They believed they were asleep,” Melton said. “They found them out in their pajamas in the yard, lifelong residents here, good neighbors.”
Destruction from a severe storm is seen Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Wayne County, Mo.
Jeff Roberson/AP
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Jeff Roberson/AP
Looking at the rubble here, it’s hard to imagine anyone surviving. But Jeff and Christina Adler took a direct hit from the tornado in their 28-foot camper. Jeff Adler said they narrowly escaped death.
“All these rocks here were shooting through the windows like somebody was shooting a BB gun at us,” said Adler. “And then it just started to tip over and just started rolling, rolling and rolling. I thought to myself, ‘You know what, this is the way I’m going to die. … I just hope it ain’t going to hurt.’ And you know, right after that, I was laying on the ground.”
They don’t know how they escaped the disintegrating trailer. They just both found themselves on the ground in the hard cold rain, searching for each other.
“I just remember looking up yelling for him, and he was yelling for me. And he jumped on top of me as the storm was going, and we just held each other and prayed,” said Christina Adler.
They got out in the nick of time. The twister quickly ripped the trailer apart and flung sheet metal and all the stuff they had inside across an area larger than a city block.
Property destroyed in the storm.
Frank Morris/KCUR
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Frank Morris/KCUR
“A lot of our camper is in that creek there,” said Jeff Adler, pointing across a field, “And then the actual frame tires are laying in the field on the other side of it.”
The Adlers say they don’t care at all about losing their camping trailer, a retreat from their normal lives in Arnold, Mo.
But they are devastated at the loss of their dog, which also escaped the trailer but hasn’t come back.
“You know the camper, that’s all material stuff. There’s nothing in there that was even worth worrying about. Right now, it’s doing everything we can to find our dog,” said Jeff Adler.
Their 10- or 12-pound, 3-year-old, white Shih Tzu, Piper.
“I think she’ll come to me. I know she’ll come to me. She hears my voice, she will come to me,” said Christina Adler.
And then she broke into tears, calling into the woods near their old campsite, but Piper didn’t come.
A vehicle sits in front of a damaged home and debris from a severe storm Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Wayne County, Mo.
Jeff Roberson/AP
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Jeff Roberson/AP
A fundraiser on Friday helped raise money for a mid-Missouri family’s effort to get their daughter medical treatment.
Hurts Donut from Springfield, Mo., traveled to Ashland to help the Kroeckel family raise money for their daughter, Harper’s, life-changing medical treatment in Italy.
“After exhausting available treatment options in the United States, the family is now pursuing specialized care that offers new hope for her future,” wrote the Hurts Donut shop in a press release. “Because the treatment, travel expenses and extended medical stays are not covered by insurance, the family is facing more than $85,000 in out-of-pocket costs.”
Harper had been born prematurely at 35 weeks and admitted to the NICU, where a nurse discovered a spot that they assumed to be diaper rash on her bottom. However, further inspection led to her diagnosis of Capillary Malformation-Arteriovenous Malformation, or CM-AVM.
CM-AVM is a genetic mutation at the cellular level that causes blood vessels in certain areas to be tangled, causing swelling, pressure, chronic pain and, in some instances, bleeding. In Harper’s case, it could potentially spread to her spine or brain.
The donut shop set up shop at the Ashland Optimists Club and donated 100% of its Special Tribute donut sales to the Kroeckel family, as well as 10% of the proceeds from its dozen donut sales.
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 28, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 28 drawing
Midday: 0-7-2
Midday Wild: 1
Evening: 9-9-6
Evening Wild: 7
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 28 drawing
Midday: 4-5-0-4
Midday Wild: 9
Evening: 1-4-6-7
Evening Wild: 0
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 28 drawing
Early Bird: 04
Morning: 07
Matinee: 09
Prime Time: 06
Night Owl: 15
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from June 28 drawing
05-08-12-33-34
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
- Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
- Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
- Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Missouri
UPDATE: Well-known mid-Missouri attorney charged after sting expected to request home detention | 93.9 The Eagle
A prominent mid-Misssouri attorney has pleaded NOT guilty to a felony charge of enticement or attempted enticement of a child.
56-year-old Daniel Walter Follett is charged in Boone County Circuit Court. He had served as the Missouri Department of Revenue’s (DOR) general counsel until he was fired after last week’s arrest.
Court documents filed by Boone County prosecutors say Follett was allegedly using a prostitution website “to solicit sexual services from a person whom he believed to be a 16-year-old child.” The Boone County Sheriff’s Department’s probable cause statement says Follett allegedly arrived at an address in Boone County last week to pay money to have sex with a female whom he believed was under the age of 17.
Follett, who is currently jailed without bond, is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon before Judge Kimberly Shaw and is expected to request home detention, based on online court records.
939 the Eagle News contacted the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) after Follett’s arrest. DOR released a statement about Follett’s arrest and status last week. It reads: “The Department is aware of an out-of-office incident involving a staff member who was arrested and charged with criminal activity. Following departmental procedures, employment has been terminated with the individual.”
What’s next: Follett is scheduled to appear in Boone County Circuit Court on Tuesday at 1 pm for a bond hearing before Judge Kimberly Shaw. Follett is represented by defense attorney Jessica Caldera, a former Boone County assistant prosecutor. Follett is expected to request home detention from the court until his trial. Boone County prosecutors have described Follett in a court filing as a flight risk.
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