| Man With Long Record Arrested After Chase |
| TAYLOR (AP) - A man with an extensive criminal record faces charges after a two-state chase. Scott Roan of Quincy, Ill., was arrested Tuesday on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River. Authorities say the pursuit began when officers tried to stop Roan's pickup near Taylor, Mo. Roan crossed the river into Quincy. Spike strips flattened two tires but Roan drove on, then turned around and went back into Missouri. Police say Roan stopped his truck and ran into the woods, where he was captured. He allegedly was carrying a stun gun and methamphetamine. Roan has five prior felony convictions since 1991 in Illinois, and has served four prison sentences for crimes including aggravated battery, possession of a weapon as a felon, and possession of meth. |
| (Copyright 2008 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Ford Increases F-150 Production In Mo., Mich |
| KANSAS CITY (AP) - Ford Motor Co. is ramping up production of its F-150 pickups, a bright spot in the otherwise dreary automotive industry. The company said Wednesday it will return a second shift to truck production at its Kansas City assembly plant in Claycomo. That shift of about 1,000 workers had been switched to production of the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner small SUVs this summer. Ford announced in October that it planned to restore in January a third shift at its other F-150 plant in Dearborn, Mich. Those workers had been laid off earlier this year as the automaker cut production. The company said Tuesday that truck sales dropped 19 percent in November, which was significantly less than most of Ford's models. |
| (Copyright 2008 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Three Car Thief Suspects Arrested After Chase |
| ST. LOUIS (AP) - Three teenagers suspected of breaking into cars are in custody after a police chase in St. Louis. The chase began around midnight Wednesday on the city's south side, where four teens were allegedly breaking into cars. An off-duty police officer saw them and fired shots. The suspects fled in a minivan, prompting a chase that ended with a crash at St. Louis Avenue and 10th Street. Police say speeds reached up to 80 mph during the chase. The suspects got out of the van and ran. Three were captured. One was still being sought. The suspects range in age from 16 to 19. Their names were not released. |
| (Copyright 2008 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Police To Reconsider Gun Buyback |
| ST. LOUIS (AP) - A program in which St. Louis police buy guns to get them off the streets may get a second life. Last month, police commissioners failed to allocate $57,500 for another year of the program when the vote deadlocked at two votes to two votes. But Mayor Francis Slay, who is part of the commission, had left the meeting. Slay later said he supports the program. Commissioners are meeting again Wednesday, and the buyback program is expected to come up again for a vote, this time with all five members expected to be present. Police bought back nearly 540 guns last year, no questions asked. Still, the city's murder rate has risen sharply this year, and some critics say the money could be better spent elsewhere in the department. |
| (Copyright 2008 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Wounded Deer Attacks Hunter |
| SEDALIA (AP) - A Sedalia hunter bagged a big buck on the second day of firearms season, but the kill caused him a lot of pain. Forty-nine-year-old Randy Goodman said he thought two well-placed shots with his .270-caliber rifle had killed the buck on Nov. 19. Goodman said the deer looked dead to him, but seconds later the nine-point, 240-pound animal came to life. The buck rose up, knocked Goodman down and attacked him with his antlers in what the veteran hunter called "15 seconds of hell." The deer ran a short distance and went down, and died after Goodman fired two more shots. Soon Goodman started feeling dizzy and noticed his vest was soaked in blood. So he reached his truck and drove to a hospital, where he received seven staples in his scalp and was treated for a slight concussion and bruises. |
| (Copyright 2008 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Patrol Seeks Public's Help |
| LEBANON (AP) - Investigators are asking for the public's help to identify the woman whose remains were discovered encased in concrete and stuffed in a toolbox. A hunting party discovered the container on Nov. 15 in a wooded area of Laclede County in southern Missouri. A coroner estimated the woman had been dead for about 10 days. On Monday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol offered new details about the woman in an effort to learn who she was. Authorities say she was 25 to 45 years old, weighed about 145 pounds and had light brown hair and manicured fingernails. She had a surgical scar on her lower abdomen and has had a hysterectomy and gall bladder surgery. |
| (Copyright 2008 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Juror Didn't Feel Defendant Expected Teen's Death |
| NEW YORK (AP) - A juror in the Missouri cyberbulling trial says she didn't feel that Lori Drew expected the teenage victim would harm herself after being subjected to a hoax. But the girl's mother said Drew deserves whatever penalty she receives. In a landmark trial, the 49-year-old O'Fallon woman was convicted in Los Angeles last week on misdemeanor federal charges of accessing computers without authorization. Prosecutors said Drew and two others created a fictitious teenage boy on MySpace and sent flirtatious messages from him to 13-year-old neighbor Megan Meier. The "boy" dumped Megan in 2006, and she hanged herself. Jury forewoman Valentina Kunasz told NBC's "Today" show this morning that she didn't believe that Drew expected Megan to kill herself, noting that Drew knew about the girl's depression. Megan's mother, Tina Meier, said Drew "knew what was going on" and allowed it to continue. She said she was disappointed that Drew was not convicted of additional charges. |
| (Copyright 2008 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Disabled Advocates Wants "handicapped" Off Signs |
| ST. LOUIS (AP) - The Missouri Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities wants to removed the word "handicapped" from signs indicating parking spaces for the disabled. Susan Pritchard-Green heads the council. She says the word "handicapped" is derogatory and insulting for people with disabilities. Instead, she says she'd like to see the spaces marked in blue to be known simply as "accessible parking." The council and other advocacy groups say they'll push for legislation to change the language of the state law governing the parking signs. Pritchard-Green says some other states have already made the change. |
| (Copyright 2008 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Former Supreme Court Judge Bardgett Dies |
| ST. LOUIS (AP) - A funeral Mass will be Wednesday for former Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice John "Jack" Bardgett Sr. Bardgett died Saturday of complications from leukemia at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He was 81 and lived in Jefferson City. Bardgett was a circuit judge in St. Louis County when Gov. Warren Hearnes appointed him to the state Supreme Court in April 1970. He served until August 1982, and was chief justice from 1979 to 1981. Survivors include his wife, Mary, two sons, two daughters, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A wake and visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Houser-Millard Funeral Home in Jefferson City. The funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Jefferson City. |
| (Copyright 2008 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.) |
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| New Law Should Cut Amtrak Delays |
| KANSAS CITY (AP) - A new law is expected to improve the on-time record of Amtrak passenger trains nationwide, especially on the Kansas City-to-St. Louis run. President Bush signed into law a bill giving federal authorities the power to investigate freight railroads when Amtrak's on-time record falls below 80 percent. Fines could be levied if freight lines fail to give preference to Amtrak. State figures show that Amtrak trains were at least 30 minutes late almost one-third of the time in 2007-08. Late-running Amtrak trains have been blamed at least in part for declining ridership between Kansas City and St. Louis in recent years. Freight traffic is supposed to give preference to Amtrak trains on tracks owned by the railroads. But a recent federal report found that some railroads' dispatching practices violate those rights. |
| (Copyright 2008 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Ex-Principal Defends Abuse Call |
| ST. LOUIS (AP) - A former school principal in St. Louis says his conviction for failing to report suspected child abuse could have a chilling effect. Richard "Rick" Sirna told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his case could result in principals calling in incidents even if abuse is not a factor. A jury convicted Sirna in September of misdemeanor charges. The judge suspended jail time. Sirna's troubles began Nov. 6, 2007 at Gateway Elementary. A 10-year-old girl alleged that an instructor inappropriately touched her. Sirna delayed calling the hot line. The same girl had falsely accused a classmate of sexual assault months earlier. Sirna also wondered why the girl waited four days to report the incident. The computer instructor faces statutory sodomy and molestation charges. |
| (Copyright 2008 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Husband of Dispatcher Calls 911 |
| HANNIBAL (AP) - Emergency dispatchers handle tough calls every day, but none as difficult as ones involving their own families. That's what Lisa Potter, a 911 dispatcher in northeast Missouri, faced last week. The Marion County dispatcher was on duty when her husband, Lonnie, called to report their house was on fire. Potter didn't take the call but was nearby and saw her family's address and the description of the fire on the computer screen. The alarming experience took a positive turn when Potter learned her husband and their two daughters, ages 8 and 6, had made it out of the blaze safely. Firefighters later rescued the family's four pets -- two small kittens and two dogs. Potter's husband, Lonnie, says the family hopes to eventually return home. |
| (Copyright 2008 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.) |
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