| Two Fort Hood Victims Had Ties To Missouri |
| INDEPENDENCE (AP) - Two of the victims of the Fort Hood shootings had ties to Missouri. Capt. John P. Gaffaney and Lt. Col. Juanita Warman were assigned to the 1908th Medical Company in Independence. The 56-year-old Gaffaney was a psychiatric nurse who worked for San Diego County, Calif., for more than 20 years and had arrived at Fort Hood the day before the shooting to prepare for a deployment to Iraq. He supervised a team of six social workers. Gaffaney is survived by a wife and a son. The 55-year-old Warman was a military physician assistant with two daughters and six grandchildren. She was from Havre De Grace, Md. A half-sister, Kristina Rightweiser, said Warman was from a military family. |
| (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Clinic Vaccinates 5,446 Against Swine Flu |
ST. LOUIS (AP) - A clinic in St. Louis County has vaccinated about 5,400 people against swine flu in a single day. Ten-thousand doses of the vaccine had been available at the clinic Saturday at five St. Louis County High Schools. The unused doses will be used later. St. Louis County Department of Health Director Dolores J. Gunn said she was pleased with the turnout. The vaccines are being offered first to those deemed most at risk. That includes pregnant women, children from six months to 4 years, caregivers of babies under six months of age, older youths with health problems and health care workers. Gunn says that once more vaccine has been received, the restrictions will be eased.
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| (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| DNR Investigating Untreated Waste Leak |
| BRANSON (AP) - A state agency is investigating after more than 10,000 gallons of untreated waste flowed into a creek in southern Branson. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources said in a news release that it learned about the problem Friday. The sewage overflow happened Wednesday after there was an electrical outage at a lift station. The water flowed into a tributary of a creek that flows into Lake Taneycomo. It isn't known whether any of the wastewater made it to the lake. |
| (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Crash Near Springfield Kills Pedestrian |
| SPRINGFIELD (AP) - A pedestrian has died after a car struck him as he was walking on a Greene County highway. The Missouri State Highway Patrol identified the victim as 35-year-old Timothy H. Forester of Bois D'Arc. The crash happened Friday night as he was walking on Missouri 266 three miles west of Springfield. Forester was pronounced dead at the scene. |
| (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| DNR Will Enforce Water Well Reporting |
| SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - The chief of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources says the agency will start enforcing water well reporting. Mark Templeton made the announcement Friday after a Springfield News-Leader probe found numerous instances of missing reports or reports that were clearly inaccurate. During a speech in Springfield, he acknowledged there has been only "partial compliance" among major water users in the state. Water users with wells that can pump 100,000 gallons or more a day are supposed to turn in reports annually to the department detailing how much water they used. The information helps determine how the well are affecting groundwater levels. But a review of Greene County well reporting data from 2001-2007 showed dozens of missing reports. |
| (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Missouri College Bars Tattoos for Nursing Students |
| JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - Some Missouri Southern State University nursing school students are upset about an admission policy barring visible tattoos. The Joplin Globe reports that the policy is part of the 2009 school handbook for nursing students. Any tattoos that are visible while students are wearing their uniforms are not allowed. The standard uniform for nursing students at the university is short-sleeved scrubs. Missouri Southern spokesman Rod Surber says the no-visible-tattoo policy at the nursing school will help students who will be entering a field in which some hospitals might have a similar guideline. |
| (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Joplin Duo Help Children, Run Gym |
| JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - Fred and Rico Engberg can't just focus on one business idea. The southwestern Kansas father and son duo run a gym called Team Pain Fight Club in Joplin. The Joplin Globe also reports the Engbergs run a private investigation business, help children in abusive situations and are bail bondsmen. Rico Engberg has a background in law enforcement. |
| (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Missouri Artist Creates Sculptures from Her Woods |
| AVILLA, Mo. (AP) - A southern Missouri woman finds her art supplies in the back woods. Rachel Wilson is a mother of four and has limited financial resources to spend on art. But the Springfield News-Leader reports that she has found she can make sculptures of horses from hedge wood found in the woods. It helps combine her love of horses, nature and her family. About a half dozen of Wilson's hedge horses have been on display at Art Central in Carthage and will continue to be there through this weekend. |
| (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Sedalia Couple Still Having Fun with Old Tradition |
| SEDALIA, Mo. (AP) - A Sedalia couple isn't giving up on tradition. George and Linda McCollum live on a century-old farm in a home filled with antiques. Both retired, the McCollums use hickory bark and corn shucks to weave chair seats, stools and benches. Each year, the two travel to festivals throughout Missouri, demonstrating how to make the chair seats. The Sedalia Democrat also reported that they have learned to play dulcimers and often perform at festivals. |
| (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| DNR Laying Off 48, Far Below Original Estimate |
| JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has announced it is laying off 48 employees in its Division of State Parks and Historic Sites, far fewer than the 100 the agency originally estimated it would lose. DNR spokeswoman Travis Ford says 77 other employees are transferring into different positions or taking pay cuts, and eight are retiring. He says the moves were necessary because of a need to cut $3.7 million from the department's budget. The layoffs are effective Nov. 15. DNR director Mark Templeton told the Springfield News-Leader that none of the state's 80 parks and historic sites will be closed because of the budget cuts. |
| (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Ga. Man Accused In 1976 Mo. Slaying In Court |
| COLUMBIA (AP) - A 65-year-old Atlanta man accused of killing a former University of Missouri student more than 30 years ago appeared in court for the first time Friday. Johnny Wright was arrested in late September after walking into the suburban Lawrenceville police department for a background check he needed to apply for a job as a driver. That was 24 years after Boone County prosecutors charged Wright with second-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old waitress Rebecca Doisy. The woman disappeared in August 1976 and her body has never been found. Wright's case was continued until Dec. 11. Defense attorney Cleveland Tyson Jr. told The Associated Press that his client is "absolutely" innocent. |
| (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Conservation Official Named Technology Chief |
| JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - A 20-year Conservation Department veteran will be Missouri's new technology chief. Doug Young was picked Friday to be the new chief information officer starting Nov. 18. The position is in charge of Missouri's budget for computers and technology and is responsible for deciding what new technological developments should be used. Young started working for the Department of Conservation in the late 1980s and provided computer support to more than 30 offices across the state. He currently is the head of information technology services for the agency. At the Conservation Department, Young implemented a system to allow deer and turkey hunters to electronically check animals they had killed. |
| (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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