RIVER RADIO NEWS 112713
MAN ARRESTED IN CONNECTION TO ASSAULT IN STEELE
A Blytheville man has been taken into custody in connection to the assault of a 48 year old man in Steele.
According to Steele Chief of Police Billy Joe Stanfield, 31 year old William Erwin confessed to authorities that he assaulted the man.
Erwin allegedly entered the victim’s residence armed with a handgun Monday night and demanded money. Erwin then struck the victim with a gun and a claw hammer. Officers found the victim bleeding profusely from lacerations to his head.
The victim was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
Erwin is facing charges of first degree assault with serious physical injury and armed criminal action.
PARAGOULD POLICE INVESTIGATING SHOOTING INVOLVING A JUVENILE
Authorities in Paragould are investigating a shooting that reportedly involved a juvenile.
According to the Paragould Police Department, officers along with Arkansas Methodist Medical Center personnel were dispatched to a call Tuesday involving a male juvenile with a gunshot wound.
The juvenile was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not released any additional details about the incident.
WOMAN FACING CHARGED WITH DEFRAUDING CITY OF BLYTHEVILLE
A former executive assistant to the Blytheville mayor is charged with defrauding the city.
The Blytheville Courier News reports that Felisha Bell was arraigned Tuesday on theft of property and forgery charges.
An affidavit says Bell created a false invoice for $4,777 to repair her brother's vehicle after it was allegedly damaged by potholes in city streets. The document says Bell used the mayor's signature stamp, then forged another employee's name on the check to cash it and keep the money.
The report says the brother denies knowledge of the invoice and said he received no money. He has not been charged.
Bell blamed the city finance director for the scheme. The finance director denies the allegation and also has not been charged.
P.A.R.C. FITNESS CENTER TO CLOSE AT THE END OF THE YEAR
The P.A.R.C. fitness center is set to close at the end of the year.
Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center announced the closure Tuesday in a press release, citing an effort to achieve optimal organizational efficiencies and allow concentrated focus on needed medical services for the community.
Current rehabilitation services, including physical, occupational and speech therapies, at the P.A.R.C. will continue to operate as normal. Any fitness members who have paid in advance for membership will receive a refund for remaining months of their membership.
CHRISTMAS CONCERT NEXT WEEK AT THREE RIVERS COLLEGE
Christmas Around the World is coming next week to Three Rivers College.
The Christmas concert will feature traditional Polish Christmas carols, classic Christmas songs like “Silent Night” and “The First Noel,” and selections of classical music performed by the Polish Sinfonia Orchestra.
The performance will begin at 7 pm on Tuesday, December 3rd at the Tinnin Center. Tickets are $10 each.
STAGE COMPANY PRODUCTION OF LITTLE WOMEN TO BEGIN ON FRIDAY
Poplar Bluff’s community theatre group, The Stage Company, is set to open a new production on Friday at the Rodgers Theater.
The first performance of “Little Women” will be held Friday, November 29th at 7 pm. Little Women is based on the Louisa May Alcott novel about four sisters and their mother who struggle to keep their family going during the Civil War.
Additional performances will be held at 7 pm on November 30th, December 6th and 7th. A final matinee performance is scheduled for December 8th at 3 pm. Tickets are available online at stageco.org. Tickets cost $8 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.
THANKSGIVING COOKING SAFETY TIPS
With Thanksgiving coming up tomorrow, it is a good time to remember food safety.
According to the Center for Disease Control, before cooking your turkey, set the oven temperature no lower than 325°F and be sure the turkey is completely thawed.
Check the internal temperature at the center of the stuffing and meaty portion of the breast, thigh, and wing joint using a food thermometer. The food thermometer must reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F.
For optimal safety and uniform doneness, you should cook the stuffing outside the turkey in a casserole dish. However, if you do plan on placing the stuffing inside the turkey, do so just before cooking.
Before eating, make sure your food stays hot. The USDA says keeping food warm is not enough as harmful bacteria multiplies fastest between 40 and 140 °F.
You should set the oven temperature high enough to keep the turkey at 140 °F or above. Stuffing and side dishes must also stay hot. Covering with foil will help keep your food moist.
MISSOURI SUPREME COURT MAKES RULING ON RETROACTIVE PUNISHMENT LAW
The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that the state's constitutional ban on retrospective application of new laws does not apply to criminal statutes.
Tuesday's decision came in the case of a southwest Missouri man charged with possessing a firearm illegally as a convicted felon. The man had been convicted of a drug crime in 2002, when Missouri outlawed gun possession by people convicted of "dangerous" felonies.
A trial court dismissed the weapons charge, finding that the conviction occurred before legislators expanded the gun ban in 2008 to cover people convicted of any kind of felony.
The Supreme Court reinstated the charge Tuesday, making clear that the prohibition on retrospective laws applies only to civil rights and remedies. The issue has arisen previously in cases before the court, including several involving sex offenders.
