RIVER RADIO NEWS 032414
SUNDAY CRASH IN LAWRENCE COUNTY CLAIMS LIVES OF TWO FROM VAN BUREN
A weekend traffic crash has claimed the lives of two Van Buren residents.
Authorities say the accident happened shortly before 4 am yesterday in Lawrence County, Missouri, when a vehicle being driven by 30 year old John A. Stephens crossed the center line and hit a truck head on.
Stephens and a passenger, 27 year old Lori L. Stephens, also of Van Buren, were fatally injured and pronounced dead at the scene.
Three children in the Stephens’ vehicle, a seven year old, a five year old and a four year old, all from Ordway, Colorado, were also killed.
The crash happened on Route H, three miles southwest of Mt. Vernon.
WEEKEND SHOOTING AT SIKESTON BAR INJURES FOUR
Four people are recovering from non-life threatening injuries after a weekend shooting incident at a Sikeston bar.
According to authorities, the shooting happened early Saturday morning at Cronies Bar and Grill.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found two people with gunshot injuries and learned from witnesses that two other people had also been shot and had already left the scene seeking treatment.
Witnesses told investigators that 32 year old Antonio Marcel Flenoid, of Sikeston, had approached a group of people in the bar, pointed a handgun at a man and fired multiple shots.
Police later located and arrested Flenoid at an area home. He has been charged with four counts of first degree assault and armed criminal action.
ST. LOUIS MAN ARRESTED DURING CAPE COUNTY HOME INVASION
A St. Louis man has been taken into custody after being arrested at the scene of a Cape County home invasion.
According the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Department, the incident happened at around 6 pm Friday at a home on County Road 411. They say they received a call from a woman who said a black male had broken down the door and entered her home.
Responding deputies found the man in the home with a knife and belt in his hands. The woman told officers that the man had threatened to kill her.
Deputies arrested 32 year old Demetrius A. Fayne. He has been charged with first degree burglary, armed criminal action, resisting arrest and knowingly burning.
Officials say that during the arrest, Fayne received a cut on his head. He has been hospitalized, but remains in police custody.
SHOOTING AT CHARLESTON PARTY LEAVES TEEN DEAD
A weekend shooting at a party has left a Charleston teen dead and another person injured.
According to authorities, the incident happened Friday night at a home on South Locust Street in Charleston. Witnesses in the area said they heard numerous shots being fired at around 9:30 pm.
When officers arrived on the scene, they discovered 18 year old Jajhorien Caldwell with a gunshot wound. Caldwell later died at an area hospital.
According to the Charleston Department of Public Safety, a second gunshot victim, 24 year old Cornelius David, of Charleston, was treated at an area hospital and released.
No suspects have been arrested at this time.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call 573-683-3737.
CAPE MAN FACING MULTIPLE CHARGES AFTER ATTEMPTING TO FLEE
A Cape Girardeau man is facing multiple charges after fleeing a traffic stop early Saturday morning.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, troopers attempted to pull 44 year old Michael J. Bragg over for a routine traffic stop. They say Bragg fled the scene to a home in Cape Girardeau, where officers later took him into custody.
Bragg is facing charges of possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine; possession of a controlled substance, Hydrocodone and Oxycodone; resisting arrest by fleeing; possession of drug paraphernalia; and possession of less than 35 grams of marijuana.
POWERBALL TICKET SOLD IN MISSOURI WINS $96.5 MILLION
Missouri Lottery officials say one Powerball ticket sold in Missouri matched all six numbers to win the $96.5 million jackpot.
The lottery said Sunday in a release that another ticket also matched five white-ball numbers to win $1 million in the drawing Saturday. The winning numbers Saturday were: 13, 28, 31, 55, 58, and the Powerball number was 15.
The Lottery says the Missouri winners have 180 days to claim their prizes.
The $96.5 million jackpot winner can get the jackpot prize in 30 graduated annuity payments or in one lump-sum payment. The $1 million winner gets a one-time cash payment.
MISSOURI PREPARES FOR FERGUSON EXECUTION
Missouri continues to prepare for its third execution of the year.
Jeffrey Ferguson is scheduled to die at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday for the 1989 death of a 17-year-old St. Charles County girl. His attorneys have appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking a stay.
Missouri executed Herbert Smulls in January and Michael Taylor in February. The state has also set an April 23 execution date for William Rousan, convicted of killing an elderly St. Francois County couple in 1993.
MISSOURI SENTATORS DIVIDED ON TAX CUT PLAN
Republicans in charge of Missouri's Legislature remain committed to cutting income taxes this year. But at the midpoint of their session, senators are still divided about how to do that.
There is no consensus about how large of a tax cut to pursue, whose taxes to cut and whether a tax cut should be contingent on other factors.
Senators have debated several different approaches without taking a vote. Some Republicans want to compromise and pass a tax cut that Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon might sign into law. Others prefer to disregard the governor's objections and pass a tax cut that might require a veto override to enact.
The Republican-led House already has passed two tax cut plans that don't abide by Nixon's criteria.
Lawmakers return from spring break Monday.
MISSOURI HOUSE TO TAKE UP STATE OPERATION BUDGET
The Missouri House is preparing to consider a proposed state budget that partly ties education funding to the strength of the economy.
House Majority Leader John Diehl says debate will begin this week on the budget for the next fiscal year. The plan endorsed by the House Budget Committee would add $122 million to the state's $3 billion in basic school funding. But if state revenues meet more optimistic projections, then it would provide a $278 million increase for schools.
The House plan would also bar universities from offering resident tuition rates to students living in the U.S. illegally.
The Republican-led committee rejected Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon's proposal to expand Medicaid eligibility to more lower-income adults. But its plan would restore adult dental coverage that was previously cut from Medicaid.
