A wildfire south of Rolla on Sunday caused a temporary power outage. Photo by Shylow Belgarde. ROLLA — A wildfire in northern Rolette County spread a little too close for comfort near Rolla on Sunday, causing a brief power outage and some evacuations from nearby homes. Rolette County Emergency Manager Cody Mattson reported that while the cause of the fire had not yet been determined Sunday afternoon, the fire got close to the city of Rolla from the south. Mattson said a Rolette County Sheriff’s deputy had reported the fires damaged several power lines, knocking out power and internet for some of the town. “They’ve evacuated a few residents’ houses just to get out of the area. It’s not affecting any of the structures at this time, but they just want people to get out of the area so the fire trucks and stuff can do their jobs,” Mattson said. “He did mention some of the powerlines did catch on fire. That’s kind of what they were concerned about for the residents in case one of them fell, so they wouldn’t get electrocuted.” According to the PowerOutage.us database, around 1,400 customers in Rolette County were without power due to the outages. Services were restored by 6 p.m. on Sunday. Mattson said the response to the Rolette County fires was kickstarted by a call after noon from the North Dakota Watch Center with the National Weather Service. Wildfires east of Belcourt on the Turtle Mountain Reservation were still burning on Sunday afternoon. A few wildfires started Saturday and continued through Sunday. Photo by Shylow Belgarde. Mattson said earlier on Sunday the Watch Center had identified a hotspot east of Rolette. A farmer had burned some hay bales four days prior when the fire conditions were still moderate, which had continued to burn into the weekend. The National Weather Service enacted a Red Flag Warning and burn ban over western and central North Dakota after noon on Sunday, reporting wind speeds of 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Mattson said there were seven agencies on the scene addressing the fire, including the Rolla, Rock Lake, St. John, Rolette, Mylo, Munich and Dunseith fire departments. Mattson said the call had also gone out to the Rugby Fire Department. “They’re still battling quite a few fires. I just talked with the Tribal Emergency Manager Anita Bloom about a half-hour ago. She was driving in the area of Rolla. She just wanted to check on us. It’s kind of what we do. It’s nice to visit back and forth and see if there’s any resources we can share between the tribal and county government,” Mattson said. Mattson indicated the crews were containing the fires and said he was hopeful the winds would die down later Sunday evening. “By nine o’clock tonight the wind is supposed to die down, thankfully, so hopefully we’ll get a little bit of a break and then maybe a couple days with chances for rain in our area. It looks like really warm temperatures through the weekend, so it might be another battle again next weekend,” Mattson said. NEW TOWN – A grassfire was also reported south of New Town Sunday afternoon, according to a social media post by the MHA Emergency Operations Center. The fire was reportedly under control around 2:30 p.m., but jumped the line and began pushing north. The fire damaged some electric poles, causing outages to about 60 structures in the area of 28th Street Northwest to 30th Street Northwest. The information said power was expected to be restored in a few hours. As of 4:15 p.m., the fire was not fully contained and was located seven miles south of New Town near Littlefield Bay. BISMARCK – As the number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease tops more than seven million for the ... BISMARCK – The North Dakota Democratic-NPL Policy Committee voted to reelect Adam Goldwyn as chair at its recent ... Dr. Dawn Mattern with sports medicine and orthopedics at Trinity Health will host Minot’s 17th annual Doc Walk on ... Brad Thykeson has been appointed as state executive director with the North Dakota Farm Service Agency, U.S. ... First Western Bank, Minot, has announced its expansion into Arizona’s East Valley, with its new Loan Production ... Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of North Dakota, Inc. | https://www.minotdailynews.com | 301 4th St SE, Minot, ND 58701 | 701-857-1900 READ MORERolla man sentenced to 20 years in prison for producing CSAM by Jennifer Weiser Ian Wood was sentenced to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography (Photo from Phelps County Sheriff's Department) A Rolla man was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) charges In January, Ian Wood, 45 pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography He admitted that he recorded videos of three girls when they were naked After the SCAM triggered an alert to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children law enforcement got a warrant to search Wood’s Google accounts filmed without their consent in the hospital where he worked Rolla City Council on Monday rebuked an attempt by one of its aldermen to make the city the first in Missouri to adopt an ordinance that would make it a so-called "Sanctuary City for the Unborn." Alderman Josh Vroman has been working with anti-anbortion advocates in Texas and St He withdrew the legislation from consideration after criticism from several members of the council Vroman said he would bring a new draft of the ordinance to the council in the coming weeks The proposed ordinance would have made it easier for people to sue medical providers that mail mifepristone and misoprostol, two pills commonly used in medication-assisted abortions in the U.S. It would have allowed people to file those lawsuits in municipal court a measure that criminalizes the mailing of certain materials Anti-abortion advocates claim the way the medications are distributed is not safe “These pills are coming into Rolla right now,” said Joe Dalton founder of the Pregnancy Resource Center of Rolla a group that discourages women from seeking abortions and provides pregnancy services “So now you go to the internet and order them The FDA has stated the medications are safe if taken as directed. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is attempting to regulate and restrict their use Rolla Resident Jenny Cunningham told the council she and her husband want to start a family but she is concerned about an ordinance that could affect her reproductive health care rights This turns citizen against citizen during the most terrible and tragic times that people can face in their lives,” she said “This is not the community I thought we moved to that would even entertain something like this The Sanctuary City for the Unborn organization has helped more than 60 cities in Texas New Mexico and Nebraska adopt ordinances restricting access to abortion services at the municipal level and Mayor Lou Magdits said he doesn’t want to see that happen It tells me we're about to be used,” he said “And that's the part that I really feel uncomfortable with.” The Rolla City Council is overwhelmingly conservative and its 10 Aldermen nearly unanimously describe themselves as pro-life But they also say the abortion issue and how Missouri implements Amendment 3 is up to the legislature and legal challenges at the statewide level “I feel like we are out of our lane,” said Alderman Matt Fridley The state of Missouri should have done a better job of this.” Fridley and other council members said they fear lawsuits and bad publicity for the city if they pass an ordinance that may have no real meaning or will be made moot by pending legal challenges to Missouri’s abortion restrictions Vroman said he doesn’t want to wait for the state to decide how to implement Amendment 3 “Either we want to govern as local as possible or we do not and that's what this is Council opposition led Vroman to withdraw his motion But he said he will reintroduce an ordinance in the coming weeks although that will be at the beginning of the city’s legislative process Mo — A Rolla woman has been charged with child abuse and neglect after admitting to spanking a child she was babysitting the victim's mother noticed marks on the child's buttocks after preparing him for a bath The child told his mother that the babysitter Schlueter admitted to officers that she had struck the child on the buttocks with a metal spatula She told officers that the child had repeatedly flipped his middle finger at another child while both were under her care The probable cause statement claims that Schlueter used physical punishment on the child multiple times because she felt that other disciplinary methods had not been effective Schlueter is currently being held at the Phelps County jail on a $25,000 bond ROLLA — One week after an EF-2 tornado swept through Rolla damaging over 750 buildings within city limits Construction crews were repairing damage on Friday in the southeastern portion of the city where the tornado swept through the evening of March 14 Multiple school buildings were damaged in the storm, sustaining roof damage and flooding in classrooms. Rolla Public Schools has been closed since the tornado hit and hopes to reopen March 31 The American Red Cross has a resource center open in the city, and the State Emergency Management Agency will open a multi-agency resource center on Tuesday and Wednesday The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has joined preliminary damage assessments in Phelps County to determine whether the state can request FEMA public assistance To report an error or typo, email news@komu.com Email notifications are only sent once a day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Rolla Public Schools is working on a recovery plan after a tornado damaged three of the district's schools buildings ROLLA — Rolla Public Schools is developing a comprehensive plan to rebuild and ensure student learning after an EF-2 tornado struck the city the night of March 14 Wyman Elementary and Rolla Middle School sustained substantial damage the cost of repairs is still being assessed Structural engineers and architecture firms are currently inspecting the damaged buildings to find a safe path forward for students and staff Rolla Public Schools Superintendent Kyle Dare confirmed that the Missouri United School Insurance Council which is an insurance consortium designed for Missouri public schools Centers are open in various areas of mid-Missouri to help families and individuals affected by severe storms and tornadoes As the district continues its recovery efforts school officials hope to reopen as soon as possible The school district has been closed since the tornado struck over a week ago so our goal is to return Monday after spring break," Dare said Rolla's athletic programs are still moving forward with competitions and practices "All athletics are able to compete right now and I think this helps give kids a break to mentally get away from everything that is going on in our community," Rolla High School track coach Cody Sneed said Have the latest local news delivered every morning to start your day informed their sport is more than just competition — it's a source of comfort "I was terrified I wouldn't have a senior season after this," said Rolla High School senior Jagger Stinson it is also stepping up to support families impacted by the storm The district has made the Rolla High School's athletic facilities available for community members in need providing access to washing machines and showers district leaders remain focused on their top priority: ensuring students and families receive the help they need to have a positive academic experience "We are not going to put kids in a dangerous place," Dare said The Rolla community is coming together to clean up debris after an EF-2 tornado tore through Friday the town night ROLLA — An EF-2 tornado that struck Rolla Friday night damaged more than 750 buildings within city limits the Rolla community has joined together to remove the destruction In several parts of town, downed power lines caused power outages for residents. Winds caused trees to be uprooted, roofs to fly off of houses and flying objects to damage thousands of windows, cars and houses. Rolla Public Schools cancelled school for the week due to severe roof damage to several school buildings volunteers from across Missouri began to help Rolla residents Yesterday we had 371 volunteers check into the command post," said Ben Rudy "They're coming from all different states." Recovery efforts are expected to last through the next weeks The American Red Cross has partnered with local groups to provide supplies and housing to residents who need it said it sounded almost as if rocks were flying through her house Friday evening as the storm came through and it took pictures off the wall and everything She said she remembers how people would always say to go to the basement “I remember I went in the house and sat down in my chair and I just started shaking and I didn’t know if I was having a heart attack or an anxiety attack,” she said Alice said it was the "catch-all" room in her garage that saved her life that tree would’ve went on through this garage and the other one and into my house," she said she said she is grateful for the community that has stepped in to support her and her neighborhood was out of town when the tornado come through She said it was an indescribable feeling to learn about the tornado while not being home "Your imagination goes crazy," Husser said "Our neighbor across the street called and said Both neighbors said it could have been worse and they are grateful for the community support Clay Hahn was home with his daughter when they heard the warning sirens so this is the first time it's ever happened in the 30 years I can remember it in town," Hahn said He said the damage outside their home was so bad he could not drive down the street because it was covered with downed trees One of those branches collapsed on top of his garage roof and several other limbs broke holes in his windows "Then you could start hearing screams and you could hear the trees snap behind us have spent the last three days clearing debris from his yard and neighboring homes He said it will be a long time before things are back to normal but it might be a few days later," Hahn said "It's just one of those things — it'll be done when it's done." Nearly 500 customers in Phelps County were without power Monday afternoon, which is about 4% of customers in the county, according to PowerOutage.us Pat and the court will officially arrive on campus on Wednesday Missouri S&T is gearing up for its 117th annual “Best Ever” St The theme for this year’s celebration is “St when a group of Rolla students declared a holiday on St Patrick’s Day to celebrate the patron saint of engineers Pat’s has since grown to encompass a full week of events sponsored by the St as well as campus traditions that begin in early March Two community-sponsored events are also included in the schedule The current schedule for the 117th Best Ever St Pat’s celebration at Missouri S&T is as follows: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.: Snake Invasion on the Toomey Hall Lawn Students will club plastic snakes with decorative sticks called shillelaghs The event includes dinner and dancing with the live band Syner-Gee Pat’s Follies at the Jack Carney Puck and Plaza a campus landmark located in front of Toomey Hall will officially arrive in Rolla aboard a converted railway car They will proceed from the corner of 6th and Pine streets to the Carney Puck and Plaza on the S&T campus for the final day of St Noon-6 p.m.: Gonzo and Games and Gonzo Carnival at Schuman Park Gonzo and Games is a two-day contest in which student organizations compete in various games The Gonzo Carnival will be held alongside Gonzo and Games featuring booths run by student organizations Students will participate in volunteer work in the Rolla community Noon-6 p.m.: Gonzo and Games and Gonzo Carnival 9 p.m.: Coronation and Knighting Ceremony at Leach Theatre in Castleman Hall Pat’s Queen and her court will be announced and S&T’s Honorary Knights will be recognized The event is open to the public and free to attend 8 a.m.: St. Pat’s 5K and Beer Run. The 5K is sponsored by the Rolla Area Chamber of Commerce and Blue Fish Screen Printing and Designs, while the Beer Run is sponsored by the Rolla Chamber and Public House Brewing Company. Registration is $35 for either race, or participants can register for both events for $60. For more information or to register, visit besteverstpats5k.itsyourrace.com This event is hosted by the Miner Alumni Association and is free and open to the community on a first-come Pat’s Parade on Pine Street in downtown Rolla 1 p.m.: Grateful Board Concert at the Rolla Bandshell 6:30 p.m.: St. Pat’s Concert on the McNutt Lawn featuring multiplatinum recording artist MAX. Tickets are required and are free for S&T students Students may purchase tickets for non-S&T guests for $20 in advance The remaining tickets will be available at the event for the same price For more information on Missouri S&T’s St. Pat’s celebrations, visit the St. Pat’s Board website at stpats.mst.edu About Missouri University of Science and Technology Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.  On March 3, 2025. Posted in Events and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" and a large group of Missouri S&T students has congregated at a pavilion in Rolla’s Schuman Park a short distance from the university’s campus.Just a couple of days ago a sense of merriment filled the air as many of the same students took part in games and a carnival in this location as part of S&T’s St the feeling is a mix of solemness and determination as everyone has come together to help clean up their community in the aftermath of a tornado that hit Rolla late Friday.“Can I get everyone to come stand over here president of S&T’s Lambda Sigma Pi service organization says as she stands atop a picnic table so everyone can easily see her.“I want to go ahead and say thank you to everyone who came out and showed up — I know this past week has been crazy for a lot of us if not all of us,” says the junior in engineering management from Blue Springs as she begins to explain how the day will unfold and recaps what brought everyone to the pavilion so I’m glad that you all are safe and here today.”On Saturday evening Lambda Sigma Pi put out an invitation for volunteers to join them in removing trash and tree limbs and do whatever else they could to help the local community Several S&T fraternity and sorority students heeded the call and provided assistance for residences near Highway 72 and Soest Road One of those volunteers was Zander Kimberlin-Poore a junior in civil engineering from Springfield who also helped out the community on Saturday.When he drove by houses near Rolla Middle School with fallen trees and debris Saturday he says he felt compelled to get his boots from his home and then return back to the area and assist however he could Other S&T students and organizations helped at several residences in the area as well.After his hours of work that day Kimberlin-Poore says he wanted to continue his support for Rolla residents the following day.“It could be you; it could be anybody; you might not know them But you see other people have it much worse and it’s better to be over there helping them.” a sophomore in mechanical engineering from Carthage also aided in the community’s recovery this weekend a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha women’s fraternity was in Joplin when an EF-5 tornado ravaged the community in 2011 when she was seven years old.Now an adult she drove to the Rolla cleanup with her truck shovels and more equipment to potentially use to move trees and other debris.“I keep those things in my truck at all times,” she says so with that and going through the Joplin tornado I have learned it’s always good to be prepared because you never know what type of situation you’re going to be in.” Dr. Grace Yan, a professor of structural engineering at S&T and director of the university’s Center for Hazard Mitigation and Community Resilience and Wind Hazard Mitigation Laboratory immediately started planning Friday evening for how she could support the community she and her students began assessing and documenting damage from the storm She also collaborated with other S&T professors and research centers Saturday and Sunday to fly drones and capture videos and photos.Yan says the team felt it was important to quickly share the materials with the Rolla School District so officials could see the damage to different school buildings and grounds and consider next steps.“The school is a public assembly place that can affect a lot of people — not only kids but also parents,” she says.The City of Rolla could also potentially use the footage when considering changes to building codes to improve structures’ resiliency and the National Weather Service will consider the footage when rating the intensity of the tornado as well as determining its exact path and future risk assessments chief of Missouri S&T’s University Police says he has been proud to see so many people affiliated with the university helping with the recovery efforts.“Missouri S&T’s students faculty and staff have really stepped up this weekend but that’s exactly what I would expect them to do,” says Roberts “It would be hard to list every single organization but their collective efforts so far have been remarkable — and I don’t expect them to stop anytime soon and we want the city to recover as quickly as possible.” I as a former resident of Rolla and my husband a graduate of UMR/ S&T ROLLA — The Rolla community spent Saturday cleaning up debris from a tornado that tore through the heart of Rolla Friday night around 8 p.m. displacing residents and leaving hundreds without power Officials say no Rolla residents were killed in Friday night's storms that have so far claimed the lives of eleven people across the state Extensive damage occurred in parts of Rolla around Salem Avenue near Mark Twain Elementary and Rolla Middle School out Highway 63 near the Lions Club Pak area "We were sitting in our basement; the power flickered and went out And we felt our ears popping," explained Wendy Craighead a Rolla resident who lives off Salem Avenue "You know there are older people that live in this area but until you see it in person – pictures don’t do it justice,” said Steve Guffey who was helping clean a family members yard along Salem Avenue Down the road on Salem Avenue was a heavily damaged Mark Twain Elementary Kyle Gare stated that most of their buildings are without power and that the power outage wiped out the district's food supply “We know you are anxious to learn about plans for the upcoming week We will send out another message tomorrow with more details Please continue to stay away from school buildings and properties but there are unsafe conditions across the district and we do not want anyone to get injured." Other residents along Salem Avenue said they were in storm shelters for over an hour and couldn't fathom the destruction once they stepped out of their homes "I'm wondering how much damage that thing is doing That was probably the most intense winds I have ever come in contact with,” said Jacob Phillips Shaun Wibbenmeyer planned to open his new fitness center “Full Range Fit,” off South Bishop Avenue on Monday only to learn that the building was destroyed in the tornado "I was getting phone call after phone call from friends and family and others letting us know that the gym we had just built But I appreciate having that kind of help from the community I have so much love for everybody that came out today and I am just very thankful for everybody and all of their efforts,” Wibbenmeyer said And some residents were not able to get covered in time A utility crew out doing maintenance work Friday night got caught in the storm where they found shelter in an unlikely place and we decided we would go ahead and get in a culvert pipe The water was at the bottom of the soles of our shoes by the time we got in there it was over our ankles," said Bob Ingram a maintenance worker with Reinhold Electric The American Red Cross has set up an emergency overnight shelter for displaced residents at First Baptist Church Director of the Central and Northern Chapter of the Missouri American Red Cross says they are currently in need of financial donations to support families impacted we opened the shelter and provided a place for people to stay; power is out throughout the area And we are now doing damage assessments to help residents here to recover," Gordan explained Rolla residents say the help from neighbors and community members has been unwavering "It's great watching the community come together here I've seen people pull up in trucks with chainsaws jumping out We have had people walk by offering us food and water,” Ingram explained "Look for us in our next new adventure; at some point we will make it bigger and better and hopefully support the community that has supported us through this," Wibbenmeyer said by | Apr 2 Rolla tornado damage (Photo courtesy of John Butz) The electricity is back on in Missouri’s communities damaged by tornadoes in mid-March but the trail of destruction will be around for a while Federal and state agencies are expected to finish preliminary damage assessments this week on tornadoes that pounded 27 Missouri counties on the night of March 14 One town hit that night was Rolla in southern Missouri Rolla City Administrator John Butz told Show Me Today an EF-2 twister came crashing down on his town “That first 12 hours was kind of a remarkable all hands on deck emergency response,” said Butz there was not a singular ambulatory call despite the devastation in Rolla which when you saw the damage on Saturday morning Butz said two elementary schools and a middle school were targeted by the twister classes resumed Monday at alternative sites “It went through a pretty significant corridor of the community,” said Butz it’s been kind of the repairing of and the clearing of those trees and the debris from the roadways.” more than 4,000 volunteers helped his town to rise above the tornado rubble “It’s been quite incredible to witness this recovery,” he said “We were inundated with people wanting to help immediately people were just kind of using chainsaws and cutting these paths open on roads If it weren’t for those volunteers working alongside our public works crews we would have not been able to open up those roads and be able to get the infrastructure to begin repair.” He said the outpouring of support has put Rolla in a good position to recover He encourages people interested in helping to reach out to other communities hit by tornadoes The night of tornadoes killed at least 12 people in Missouri a man and his dog died a couple days later from carbon monoxide poisoning emitted from running a generator indoors more than 140,000 Missouri homes and businesses were without power Missourinet is a division of LEARFIELD Subscribe here to get our latest news and information delivered to your inbox © Learfield News & Ag, LLC. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Honorary Knights will participate in a coronation on March 14 Pat’s Board at Missouri University of Science and Technology has announced that Andrew Careaga will serve as parade marshal for the 2025 St The Board also announced the 2025 Honorary Knights of St The eight Honorary Knights will be honored during a coronation ceremony at 9 p.m Biographical details on this year’s honorees are provided below communications and marketing at Missouri S&T for nearly 33 years He retired in January 2024 from his dual role as chief marketing and communications officer (CMCO) and chief of staff He joined Missouri S&T in January 1991 as a senior communications specialist and became the university’s first CMCO in 2014 Careaga coordinated a campuswide branding initiative during the university’s name change from the University of Missouri-Rolla to Missouri University of Science and Technology He also chaired the university’s 150th anniversary planning committee leading up to and during the sesquicentennial year Careaga holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an associate degree in general education from Moberly Area Community College in Moberly will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary in the fall Kelvin Erickson is a Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor of electrical and computer engineering at Missouri S&T He also serves as the undergraduate coordinator for electrical engineering Erickson earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from S&T in 1978 and 1979 in electrical engineering from Iowa State University in 1983 He has authored or co-authored several textbooks including Plantwide Process Control and four editions of Programmable Logic Controllers: An Emphasis on Design and Application Lister Florence is a detail unit supervisor and information technology specialist at the United States Geological Survey in Rolla He earned bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering and computer science in 1995 and 2007 and a master’s degree in information science and technology in 2006 Florence has served on Missouri S&T’s Board of Trustees and received the Distinguished Young Alumni Award and has served as an advisor to Missouri S&T’s Epsilon Psi chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity He has also served as a Rolla city council representative for Ward 3 and as mayor pro tempore for Rolla from 2022-2024 Edna Grover-Bisker is the assistant vice chancellor for student life and dean of students at Missouri S&T She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Central Missouri in 1995 a master’s degree in public administration and doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Missouri in 1999 and 2011 Grover-Bisker served as the director of Career Opportunities and Employer Relations (COER) at Missouri S&T The COER office was ranked in the top 20 career centers in the nation by the Princeton Review during her tenure she oversees services and learning opportunities to promote personal and professional development and student success Dorie Paine has served as director of residential life at Missouri S&T since 2014 She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Manchester College a master’s degree in college student personnel services from Miami University in higher education administration from the University of South Florida Paine has provided leadership for the opening of the University Commons in 2016 and redesigned the opening day process for residence halls She also worked to bring new living learning communities to the residence halls helping new students connect through shared interests and experiences Neomia Robinson is the owner of Uptown Bridal & Boutique in Rolla Pat’s Board and Court for coronation and other official events for almost 20 years she worked for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources where she received the Governor’s Award for Productivity and Quality Sue Simmons retired from Anheuser-Busch in 2016 as a senior resident engineer and currently serves as a member of the Kummer Missouri S&T Foundation Board of Directors She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Missouri S&T in 1984 and a master’s degree in business administration from Washington University in 1995 Simmons is a member of the Academy of Chemical and Biochemical Engineers and served for many years on the department’s Industrial Advisory Council She also served on the Career Opportunities and Employer Relations Advisory Council and on the Corporate Development Council Simmons has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2016 and is a past president of the board Simmons was inducted into Missouri S&T’s Women’s Hall of Fame in 2005 Tucker is the vice president at Hutcheson Ford Sales in St He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Missouri S&T in 1990 Tucker was nominated for the Time Dealer of the Year in 2023 Victoria Verkamp is the vice chancellor for university advancement at Missouri S&T Verkamp joined Missouri S&T in 2014 as a senior development officer and was promoted to executive director of development in 2015 and assistant vice chancellor of University Advancement in 2017 Verkamp led fundraising efforts at Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation in Indianapolis She holds bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish and a master’s degree in public affairs,  all from the University of Missouri-Columbia This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The Crusaders overcame a rough start to beat the Bulldogs while Mexico won and Owensville lost in the Class 4 sectionals Monday night 3 seed Helias boys basketball knocked off top-seeded Rolla 60-55 in the MSHSAA Class 5 District 5 final Monday night in Rolla The Bulldogs opened up a 15-4 lead but were held scoreless for the last 7:38 of the first half allowing the Crusaders to tie it at 25 by intermission Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content Get the latest Mizzou and local high school sports stories delivered to your inbox Account processing issue - the email address may already exist The Columbia Parents’ Digest is a newsletter to keep you in the know about raising kids in Columbia Start your day with the latest news stories for Columbia Receive a roundup of the news of the day each evening. (View a sample.) Join the MNN Newsletter for a behind-the-scenes look at how the Columbia Missourian MBA and Vox magazine build connections across Missouri Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account People throughout the region assessed the damage Saturday morning from overnight storms that brought tornadoes and intense thunderstorms There were six storm-related deaths in Wayne County two in Ozark County and one apiece in Jefferson and Butler counties according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol A woman was found dead early Saturday near electrical lines behind her Florissant home As many as 19 tornadoes may have hit Missouri The National Weather Service office in St. Louis identified 12 tornadoes after inspecting damage in the days following the storms including tornadoes that touched down in Villa Ridge NWS personnel expect to spend several days inspecting damage and confirming that tornadoes hit specific areas Residents and officials reported widespread property damage from high winds and blowing debris Louis County’s Office of Emergency Management “There's more substantial damage from this [storm] than I've seen in my career,” Ryan said causing significant property damage and numerous street closings There was likely a tornado in Chesterfield Many affected people got their first assessment of the damage early Saturday morning Shaun Wibbenmeyer looked past police tape at the shell of the nearly destroyed building that had housed the fitness training center he planned to open on Monday Several nearby buildings were also destroyed and entire strip malls sat in rubble Rolla Public Schools reported significant damage to the middle school and two elementary schools reported major structural damage to multiple buildings Purina Farms in Gray Summit and Creve Coeur Park Soccer Complex are among the many facilities also reporting significant damage First responders worked late into the night to extinguish brush fires in Ferguson “Small grass fires turned into large grass fires some of those large grass fires turned into structure fires and events cascaded to where local fire resources were overwhelmed,” Black Jack Fire Protection District Chief Roger Ellison said at the briefing Officials received reports of building collapses Emergency crews started working early Saturday to assess the damage and remove downed power lines and trees. Ameren reported that 103,377 of its Missouri customers and 30,934 of its Illinois customers were without power as of Saturday morning The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings Friday night in Phelps Washington and Lincoln counties in Missouri and Macoupin Washington and Monroe counties in Illinois The weather service also issued a tornado warning for the city of St “There were fire services coming to aid each other law enforcement coming to aid each other,” St “and our residents played their important role in taking shelter and minimizing the impact of this storm — which is worse than we've seen in a really Patrick’s Day run and parade scheduled for downtown on Saturday was due to proceed MetroBus and MetroLink are running most routes Several bus lines in north county were rerouted due to roadway obstructions The city of Rolla was one of the many communities impacted by severe storms Friday night. The Phelps County Central Communications posted on Facebook that a large area of the city of Rolla was impacted and many homes and businesses were damaged The city activated its Emergency Operation Center in response to the storms The post also noted that agencies from surrounding areas have assisted in relief efforts The Columbia Fire Department was one of many agencies who responded the department said it responded to a statewide mutual-aid request to support the Rolla Fire Department through the state's mobilization plan Columbia Engine 2 and Assistant Chief Lester Shewmake were deployed at 9:30 p.m Friday to assist with the damage caused by a tornado Columbia firefighters teamed up with others from the region to perform a search Responders went by foot throughout neighborhoods hit by the tornado and searched through rubble and debris for missing or injured residents Columbia firefighters returned safely to Columbia around 3 a.m The Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District also responded to the City of Rolla Utility 6619 and Pumper Tanker 6615 were sent to Rolla Friday night to assist with relief efforts an emergency shelter was established at First Baptist Church in collaboration with the Red Cross "Rolla is an incredible community that always pulls together in times of difficulty I’m certain that we will come out of this stronger and more resilient I could not be more proud of the efforts of our emergency responders," said Mayor Lou Magdits in a post on Facebook The City of Rolla honored two young men who helped to save a man According to a Facebook post from Phelps County Central Communications Santiago Salazar and Austin Miller-McElroy knocked on a man’s door to see if he wanted his driveway shoveled They said they heard someone inside the residence yell for help The officers could not get the man to say that he needed help and they could not see any signs of distress Salazar and Miller-McElroy insisted that they heard the man call for help they discovered the man had fallen five days earlier and had been lying on his bathroom floor with a broken hip since then Ambulance crews took the man to Phelps Health for medical treatment and then flown to St At the Rolla City Council meeting on Monday Police Chief Sean Fagan presented Salazar and Miller-McElroy with Certificates of Appreciation The Facebook post from Phelps County Central Communications ends this way: “We are very proud of these young men and thankful that they called us Their actions most certainly helped to save a life!” A Rolla man who secretly recorded women at the hospital where he worked was sentenced on Wednesday to 20 years in prison a press release from the Department of Justice says pleaded guilty in January to producing child pornography and receiving child pornography  He admitted to recording young children to create child porn The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified law enforcement about child porn being uploaded to Wood’s Google account along with files of nude women being recorded without their consent at the hospital where he worked He was first arrested for the crimes in December 2022 ABC 17 News is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines | KMIZ-TV FCC Public File | FCC Applications | Do Not Sell My Personal Information GRAND FORKS — Three Grand Forks County fentanyl distribution cases were dismissed Thursday after a federal indictment against the defendants was unsealed and Jomell Emery Helm and Melvin Earl Byrd Each person is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute controlled substances; possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance; and two counts of maintaining a drug-involved premises Byrd and Helm's initial appearances and arraignments occurred Thursday afternoon Mo — The City of Rolla has sparked controversy following Monday night’s city council meeting during which members discussed creating an ordinance to declare the city a “sanctuary city for the unborn.” Ward 1 councilman Joshua Vroman proposed the ordinance which would allow citizens of Rolla to take legal action against any person a federal law which prohibits the distribution of abortion pills by U.S mail services to states where abortions are illegal so the citizens will enforce it through civil court.” which usually means we’re going to enforce it but we’re not going to enforce it; we’re going to give permission to the citizens to enforce it on their own During the heated debate the City Attorney Nathan Nickolaus stated that state law does not specifically mention abortion materials the ordinance aims to address this gap at the local level as state law does not cover abortion pills the proposal raised several concerns among council members and residents ultimately leading Vroman to withdraw his motion before the council could take any action He added that he would reintroduce the ordinance for the council to read and discuss in the coming weeks If passed, Rolla would join 70 other cities in Texas and Nebraska that have passed ordinances limiting access to abortion services and material at the municipal level Larry Gragg will give a talk on “Inez Parker Griggs and the Rolla Community” on Feb university historian and professor emeritus of history and political science at Missouri University of Science and Technology will present a talk titled “Inez Parker Griggs and the Rolla Community” this February The talk is part of the Rolla Public Library’s Black History Month event series on the second floor of the Curtis Laws Wilson Library on the Missouri S&T campus was an accomplished African American poet who gained national recognition in the early 20th century few of us know much about the African American experience in Rolla during her lifetime My talk will be an attempt to help us understand not just her accomplishments but also the nature of the African American community in Rolla between 1875 and 1950.” Gragg began teaching at Missouri S&T in 1977 and chaired the history and political science department for 17 years including Benjamin ‘Bugsy’ Siegel: The Gangster and Forged in Gold: Missouri S&T’s First 150 Years The Rolla Public Library is collaborating with the Missouri Humanities Council The Phelps County Historical Society and Rolla Art Space Transformative Alliance to offer events information and activities that focus on Black history in Rolla and Missouri the State Historical Society of Missouri’s exhibit “African American Heritage in the Ozarks” will be on display at the Rolla Public Library For information about this and other events this February, visit rollapubliclibrary.org/black-history/ Curtis Laws Wilson Library is located on the Missouri S&T campus at 400 W. 14th St. in Rolla. Dedicated in 1968, the library is named in honor of the dean of the university (then named the Missouri School of Mines), who served from 1941 to 1963. Learn more about the library at library.mst.edu On January 31, 2025. Posted in Events A 54-year-old man was also seriously injured in the Thursday fire An elderly woman is dead after a residential fire Thursday evening in Phelps County A 54-year-old man was also seriously injured in the fire According to a Facebook post from the Phelps County Sheriff's department emergency services were dispatched to 13000 Block of Country Road 2250 in Rolla around 7:17 p.m The Missouri State Highway Patrol and neighboring fire departments also responded to the incident the elderly female was pronounced dead at the scene," the Facebook post said was airlifted to the Mercy Trauma Center in St The fire is currently being investigated by the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office “We are deeply sorry for the family's loss Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this incredibly difficult time,” Phelps County Sheriff Michael P The City of Rolla weighed whether it would become the first Missouri municipality to serve as a sanctuary city for the unborn at a city council meeting on Tuesday Rolla would partner with Sanctuary Cities of America a pro-life activist group based in Texas that aims to outlaw abortions within city limits in areas across the country A representative with the group was in attendance at Tuesday's meeting and said at least 70 cities in the U.S are currently designated as sanctuary cities Rolla would enact an ordinance that would make it illegal for any person or organization to ship or receive abortion pills in the mail within city limits citizens would be in charge of enforcing this rule As such, it would be up to residents to take legal action and sue any person or business that distributes abortion medication. Council members said the proposed rule follows the Comstock Act which is a federal law that bans the mailing of obscene materials Residents packed the council chambers at Tuesday's meeting to share differing opinions on the issue Various people expressed fears the proposed ordinance would only push women underground forcing them to turn to potentially dangerous alternative methods "What happens to my body should be my choice with my health professional," one woman said Another woman said the issue was not a matter of right and wrong "Women will just go outside the city limits to have abortions elsewhere," she said A representative for the Missouri State Medical Association was also in attendance and voiced the group's opinion against the ordinance She said self-administering abortion pills can be dangerous and is best left to professionals "I have concerns for women and girls ordering these abortion pills from a third-party company," she said "Not knowing the complications or side effects and not knowing what to do if these complications occur." One woman also said she believes the city must enact the ordinance to help guide women in difficult situations there's still a lot of pain that goes on," she said it's not something you hear--but it happens." some residents pointed to the fact that voters already expressed their opinions on the topic when they decided to pass Amendment 3 this fall therefore enshrining abortion rights at the state-level Many also pointed to potential legal challenges arguing the proposed ordinance could leave Rolla open to costly lawsuits Several residents said they felt Sanctuary Cities of America was attempting to use Rolla as a legal guinea pig of sorts "This ordinance is about scoring cheap political points while gambling with our city's future and it is absolutely shameful," a man said The Sanctuary Cities of America representative in attendance disputed this, saying groups like the American Civil Liberties Union have not been victorious in any cases they've brought against other sanctuary cities so far the ordinance may deter people from coming to live Rolla is also the site of one of the state's remaining planned parenthood clinics after at least three Missouri locations announced closures earlier this fall Despite several council members sharing pro-life viewpoints the group ultimately voted to table any discussion of the ordinance indefinitely saying they felt the rule was too difficult to actually enforce The Rolla School District has experienced a hectic couple of weeks as the community continues to clear debris left by an EF-2 tornado that struck the area on March 14th The district oversees more than 4,100 students and has only until Monday to prepare empty buildings to host students from Wyman Elementary "We're confident that we are still going to get that done We're still trying to get those final details as far as transportation but we hope to communicate that to all of our families by Wednesday We moved 90 classrooms in about six hours," said Rolla Public Schools Superintendent Kyle Dare the district hosted a school supply drive for donations of classroom material from 8 a.m The district will do so again on Tuesday at the Rolla Junior High School cafeteria Dare says the outpouring of support from community members has been incredible He says the district has heard from community organizations and residents wanting to help we lost quite a bit of paper and those supplies we have insurance and are very covered as far as those material things go But this is kind of that way for everybody to help with that immediate need to help school start on Monday." Dare says while the district is still accepting financial donations the physical donations for school supplies have exceeded expectations They have been so plentiful that the district has begun to run out of storage space we are trying to accommodate those who have already donated We respectfully ask everyone else to pause To give us a chance to see what we have and need and were still trying to chase that honestly.” Dare says an announcement will be made once the district has a better idea of the specific materials it still needs he says they are committed to making temporary spaces feel as much like a classroom as possible "Maybe a little anxiety comes with moving whether that is with the students or parents We are planning to have some open house events We want parents to come in that first week and know where their kids are know that they are in an educational environment." Drivers along Interstate 44 between Rolla and St James have been putting up with construction delays for more than two years They will have to wait longer for an end to the $50 million reconstruction of lanes in both directions that includes widening the shoulders to meet current interstate standards Missouri Department of Transportation inspectors found problems with the joints in the concrete on the reconstructed eastbound lanes and how they connect into steel reinforcements That means all of the lanes will not be reopened by the end of September as planned They are doing their own independent testing with a third party to see how widespread the problem is,” said Eric Abbott “After they get that data we will talk to them about the corrective action that needs to be taken.” Abbott said the contractor would be responsible for any cost overruns related to the repairs and he characterized the problem as “an oversight.” Over the winter the stretch of interstate saw numerous accidents and semi-trucks sliding into the median as lanes were rerouted Abbot said those issues are top of mind as MODOT looks to resolve the problems “With the traffic shift in place right now and winter months are just a few months away those are things that we're taking into consideration when we meet with the contractor to determine what the fix is going to be and how long they're going have to do it or when we want them to do it,” Abbott said The 2½-year project has had only a slight impact on the local economy executive director of the Rolla Regional Economic Commission James businesses suffered a little bit at the very beginning when it was really hard to get on and off the interstate there,” Martin said “But I think we’ve handled about as well as a community can.” Louis area from the southwest carries a lot of local traffic as well as being a significant cross-country trucking route But he isn’t concerned about the delay and said the inconvenience will be worth it “I-44 is key to our long-term success and economic growth A couple more months won’t mean that much in the long run,” he said MODOT also acknowledges the delay is undesirable but is focusing on longevity “We want to have a quality product that's going to hold up long term And with some of the issues that we found with our inspections out there it raised a red flag that we need to look into this further,” Abbott said.