RIVER RADIO NEWS 022714
TRUMANN POLICE ARREST COUPLE FOR CHILD ABUSE
A northeast Arkansas couple is facing child abuse related charges.
Authorities say John Hillis has been charged with sexual indecency with a child. Hillis allegedly inappropriately touched himself in front of a young child and showed pornography to the child.
Ashley Hillis has been charged with permitting child abuse. Investigators say the charge was filed against her because the child had informed Ashley about the incidents, and she allowed them to continue.
CAPE GIRARDEAU WOMAN ARRESTED ON METH CHARGE
A Cape Girardeau woman is facing multiple felony charges following her arrest Wednesday in Cape Girardeau County.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 29 year old Lindsay G. Bloodworth was arrested shortly before noon Wednesday on felony charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and first degree endangering the welfare of a child.
SUV HIT BY TRAIN IN NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
An SUV was hit by a train Wednesday morning in Northeast Arkansas.
According to authorities, the wreck occurred on East Northend Avenue in Paragould. The driver of the SUV was taken to a Memphis hospital.
SPELLING BEE COMING THIS WEEKEND TO THREE RIVERS COLLEGE
The Fifth Annual Southeast Missouri Regional Spelling Bee is coming this weekend to Three Rivers College.
Forty-four students from across the region will be competing for the chance to advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
The spelling bee will be on Saturday at 10 am at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center.
Competitors for the Regional Spelling Bee were selected through qualifying competitions held at participating schools throughout the region for students in the first through eighth grades. This year’s competition will feature students from 16 schools across nine counties in Southeast Missouri.
PBHS STUDENTS TAKE POLAR PLUNGE TO RAISE MONEY FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS
Some Poplar Bluff High School students took a chilly swim recently to raise money for a good cause.
The Poplar Bluff High School Student Council took the “Polar Plunge” at Lake Boutin in Cape Girardeau earlier this month.
Historian Lauren McClure told the School Board last week that they were told before the plunge that “the ice was broken up and removed from the plunging section.”
The students jumped into the frigid water to raise money for Special Olympics Missouri.
TWO WAPPAPELLO LAKE CAMPGROUNDS TO OPEN IN LATE MARCH
Campers wishing to get out to Wappapello Lake will be able to use select campgrounds starting in late March.
According to the United States Corps of Engineers, some Redman Creek East sites will be opening on March 21st. Some sites at the Greenville Campground will be opening a week later on March 28th.
Reservations can be made online at recreation.gov or by calling toll free at 1-877-444-6777.
RIPLEY COUNTY ROAD TO BE CLOSED TODAY
Route Y in Ripley County will be closed today as Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a pipe under the roadway.
The work zone will be located one and a half miles north of Highway 160. Work is scheduled to take place today from 8 am to 3 pm.
CAPE GIRARDEAU SENATOR INTRODUCES RELIGIOUS FREEDOM BILL
A Missouri state Senator from Cape Girardeau has introduced a religious freedom bill to the state Senate.
Wayne Wallingford introduced SB 916 earlier this week. According to the Kansas City Star, the bill would allow business owners to cite religious beliefs when refusing to provide service to individuals.
In a Facebook post, Wallingford says that the bill is simply a measure to improve the Religious Freedom Registration Act by allowing individuals to have access to RFRA protections in private lawsuits, rather than having to sue the state for relief after their rights have been violated.
The bill is being compared to others across the US, such as a high profile Arizona bill that gained national attention before it was vetoed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer Wednesday night.
NEW BILL SEEKS TO SPEED SOME EXECUTIONS
A Missouri Republican is proposing legislation intended to speed executions of those who kidnapped their murder victims.
The legislation would limit extensions for appeals, and the Missouri Supreme Court would need to hear arguments in a case within six months of submission of the last written argument. The high court would have another six months to issue its decision.
The measure also would require the court to issue a warrant to carry out the execution no more than 10 days after the defendant's state and federal appeals have ended.
MISSOURI HOUSE HEARS TESTIMONY ON EXPERIMENTAL MEDICATIONS
A Missouri lawmaker with a seriously ill daughter is encouraging colleagues to pass legislation that could make it easier for patients to gain access to experimental medications.
A House committee heard testimony Wednesday on legislation by Representative Jim Neely that would let drug manufacturers give or sell medicines still in the investigational stages to patients.
Neely says many terminally ill patients are willing to try medicines that don't have approval from the federal Food and Drug Administration. But he says access is limited to those medications.
Neely is a Cameron physician whose 40-year-old daughter is dealing with colon cancer and liver failure. He says the legislation may be too late for his own family but could help others.
Several parents whose children have had serious illnesses testified for the bill.
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE LIMITS ENDORSED BY MISSOURI HOUSE
The Missouri House has endorsed legislation attempting to reinstate limits on the amount of money people can receive from medical malpractice lawsuits.
The bill given initial approval Wednesday seeks to re-impose a $350,000 cap on noneconomic damages in medical practice cases.
The state Supreme Court struck down the limit in 2012, ruling that it violated a right to a jury trial that it said had been embedded in the Missouri Constitution since in 1820.
The legislation seeks to get around that ruling by declaring that medical practice claims are not covered through common law in place at the time the constitution was adopted. The bill would instead subject medical malpractice claims to state law.
The House passed a similar measure last year, but it stalled in the Senate.
