RIVER RADIO NEWS 032014
MURDER INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY IN BLYTHEVILLE
Police in Blytheville are investigating a fatal shooting that happened earlier this week.
According to authorities, 51 year old Ronnie Green was found dead Tuesday night. He had reportedly been shot several times.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Blytheville Police Department at 870-762-0400.
CAPE GIRARDEAU MAN FACING STATUTORY RAPE CHARGE
A Cape Girardeau man has been taken into custody on a statutory rape charge.
According to Missouri Case Net, Greggory M. Brown, was arrested by the Cape Girardeau Police Department on a charge of first degree statutory rape, sexual intercourse with a person less than 14 years old.
The incident allegedly occurred last year.
VAN BUREN MAN ARRESTED ON IN CARTER COUNTY
A Van Buren man was arrested Wednesday evening in Carter County.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 34 year old James D. Hill, was arrested on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance.
The Highway Patrol arrest report did not indicate what the controlled substance was.
ONE ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY ATTEMPTING TO FLEE FROM POLICE
A Cape Girardeau teen is facing charges after he allegedly attempted to flee from police yesterday.
According to the Southeast Missourian, 17 year old Devon. J. Smith, of Cape Girardeau, was arrested following a traffic stop Wednesday morning. Smith reportedly attempted to run during the stop and also threw down a handgun he had been carrying.
Smith is facing charges of unlawful use of a weapon and resisting detention.
SEVEN ARRESTS MADE DURING BUTLER COUNTY CHECKPOINT
A Checkpoint this past weekend in Butler County resulted in seven arrests.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, during the checkpoint on March 14th, there was one arrest for driving while intoxicated, two felony drug arrests and four misdemeanor criminal arrests.
A total of 188 vehicles were stopped during the four-hour operation.
OVER $16 MILLION AWARDED TO PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITIES IN ARKANSAS
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded $16.5 million to 105 Arkansas public housing authorities to make major large-scale improvements.
The grants announced Wednesday are provided through HUD's Capital Fund Program. The program provides annual funding to approximately 3,100 public housing authorities nationwide to build, repair, renovate and/or modernize public housing.
The work can include replacing roofs or updating plumbing and electrical systems to increase energy efficiency.
GOVERNOR NIXON SIGNS CHEMOTHERAPY LEGISLATION
Missouri cancer patients soon could find it more affordable to take chemotherapy pills.
Governor Jay Nixon signed legislation Wednesday that limits the amount of money patients could be charged for oral chemotherapy medicines. The bill imposes an out-of-pocket limit of $75 for a 30-day supply, starting next January.
The legislation is intended to make the patients' cost for oral chemotherapy more comparable to intravenous chemotherapy.
Some patients currently are charged thousands of dollars a month for oral chemotherapy, which is covered as a pharmacy benefit. It often has fewer side effects than intravenous therapy. But IV chemotherapy is significantly cheaper for patients, because it's covered as a medical benefit, which requires a routine co-payment for a doctor's office visit.
AVERAGE MISSOURI SALES TAX RANKED 14TH HIGHEST IN UNITED STATES
A new report ranks the average sales tax paid in Missouri as the 14th highest among states, but that's still lower than many of its neighbors.
The Tax Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit research group, compiled the rankings by examining the state sales tax rate and the average local sales tax rate.
Missouri's state sales tax of 4.225 percent ranked 37th out of the 45 states that charge sales taxes. But Missouri's average local sales tax of 3.36 percent was one of the higher rates among states.
The report says Missouri's combined state and local average sales tax rate is 7.58 percent. Although Missouri ranked 14th nationally, its average sales taxes were lower than in neighboring Kansas, Illinois, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
