RIVER RADIO NEWS 071114
SNAKE BITE CLAIMS LIFE OF ST. CHARLES MAN
A St. Charles man who was bitten by a copperhead in Wayne County has died.
According to authorities, Tim Levins was bitten when he reportedly picked up the snake outside of a cabin Tuesday night. Levins had been walking with his 11 year old son at the time.
A short time later, Levins went into anaphylactic shock. He was later pronounced dead at an area hospital.
HOME INVASION REPORTED IN CAPE GIRARDEAU
Two people were allegedly robbed and assaulted during a home invasion last night.
According to authorities, two suspects are being sought in connection to the home invasion at a residence on Locust Street in Cape Girardeau.
Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to contact the Cape Girardeau Police Department at 573-335-6621.
WOMAN ARRESTED FOR ENDANGERING THE WELFARE OF HER CHILDREN
A Scott County woman is in custody for allegedly endangering the welfare of her children.
According to the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, 34 year old Michelle Corbin, of Sikeston, is facing a felony charge of first degree endangering the welfare of a child.
Sheriff Rick Walter says that on Wednesday a deputy was given a video that appeared to show Corbin instructing her small children to engage in activity that would create a substantial risk to their wellbeing. Corbin was then arrested.
TWO LILBOURN RESIDENTS ARRESTED IN NEW MADRID COUNTY ON METH CHARGE
Two Lilbourn residents are facing drug related charges following their arrest Thursday morning.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 33 year old Crystal D. Branam and 23 year old Charles A. Perkins were taken into custody shortly after 6 am Thursday in New Madrid County.
They are each facing felony charges of possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine; and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia.
NEW MADRID COUNTY JAIL TO BE SHUT DOWN
The New Madrid County Jail will be shut down.
According to KFVS, the New Madrid County commission recently met and voted to shut the jail down. A reason for the closure was not provided.
Inmates have already been moved to Scott County due to planned renovations.
CHILDREN’S THEATRE DRAMA CAMP TO BE HELD IN AUGUST
Poplar Bluff High School will be the location of the 22nd annual children's theatre drama camp coming up in August.
The camp for students entering grades 2 through 8 will be held from August 4th to August 8th.
Campers will participate in activities focusing on acting, improvisation, theatre games, creative dramatics, musical theatre and reader’s theatre. They will then show off what they have learned at a performance at on Friday, August 8th.
The camp costs $60, with the deadline to register being July 20th. Registration forms are available by visiting the Tinnin Center office. For more information, call 573-840-9648.
PAYDAY LOAN BILL VETOED BY GOVERNOR NIXON
Legislation re-writing Missouri's payday loan laws has been vetoed by Governor Jay Nixon because he says it falls short of "true reform."
Borrowers in Missouri currently can renew a payday loan up to six times and can face interest rates as high as 75 percent of the loan's original amount.
The bill vetoed Thursday would have ended loan renewals and capped fees and interest rates at 35 percent.
Supporters said the bill would provide greater protections to consumers.
But Nixon said it still would have allowed unreasonable interest rates and that people still could have been offered multiple loans by multiple lenders at the same time.
He said the bill "appears to be part of a coordinated effort by the payday loan industry to avoid more meaningful reform."
PRE SCHOOL STUDENTS COULD BE INCLUDED IN NEW SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA
Missouri's school funding formula could be expanded to include preschool students under legislation signed by Governor Jay Nixon.
The bill signed Wednesday would take effect gradually over the next several years.
Unaccredited school districts could start counting preschool students in their attendance figures used for calculating state funding beginning with the 2015-2016 school year.
Preschool funding would kick in the next year for provisionally accredited districts.
All other districts could start getting money for preschool students only after the state has fully funded the amount called for by a formula for elementary and secondary schools. The state currently is hundreds of millions of dollars short of full funding.
The preschool funding would be limited only to a certain portion of students eligible for free or discounted lunches in each district.
SHOW ME HEALTH BABIES PROGRAM SIGNED INTO LAW
Governor Jay Nixon has signed legislation expanding health coverage to unborn children and allowing some newly trained doctors to go to work more quickly.
Bills signed Thursday would create the "Show-Me Healthy Babies Program" to provide insurance for pregnant women who earn too much to qualify for traditional Medicaid but don't have affordable private-sector insurance.
The new program is projected to cover more than 1,800 unborn children at an annual cost of $14 million.
The bill also creates a classification of "assistant physicians" who have graduated from medical school and passed licensing exams but have not completed residency training. They would be allowed to start seeing patients in areas where there are doctor shortages.
The legislation also extends an existing senior prescription drug program to August 2017.
