RIVER RADIO NEWS 101614
WOMAN SENTENCED IN SHAKEN BABY CASE
A woman has been sentenced in connection to a shaken baby case.
According to Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russell Oliver, Megan Kirby was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years incarceration on a charge of abuse of a child.
A medical affidavit filed by a physician with the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, says the victim had injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome, including bleeding around the brain.
Kirby had entered an Alford Guilty Plea in May. Oliver says that there was no plea agreement in the case.
DEXTER MAN FACING INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE CHARGE
A Dexter man is facing multiple charges after his arrest Wednesday in Scott County.
According to the Highway Patrol, 41 year old Charlie W. Gee was taken into custody on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Gee is also facing a misdemeanor charge of unlawful use of drug paraphernalia.
AREA MAN ARRESTED ON DRUG AND ALCOHOL CHARGES
A Benton area man has been taken into custody for allegedly supplying alcohol and marijuana to juveniles.
According to Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter, 40 year old Kevin Ray McWhirter confessed to giving children, ages 16 and 15, marijuana, and allowing them to drink alcohol. Presumed marijuana was found during a search of his residence.
McWhirter has been charged with possession up to 35 Grams of marijuana, two counts of distributing a controlled substance to a minor, and two counts of the of supplying liquor to a minor.
FREDERICKTOWN MAN ARRESTED ON FELONY THEFT CHARGE
A Fredericktown man was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon on a felony theft charge.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 31 year old Eric E. Smith was arrested on a charge of felony theft of over $25,000.
Smith was arrested in Madison County shortly after 2:30 pm.
HOMELESS COUPLE WINS LAWSUIT AGAINST CITY OF MINER
A federal judge has awarded a homeless couple $5,000 after they were forced to leave the city of Miner under threat of arrest.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr. issued a consent judgment Tuesday against the city and an unidentified police officer. The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in December on behalf of Edward Gillespie and Brandalyn Orchard.
The ACLU says the couple was standing at a busy intersection in September 2013 holding a sign that read, "Traveling. Anything helps. God bless." A Miner police officer told them to leave, citing a city ordinance prohibiting vagrancy, begging and loitering.
The ordinance has since been revised.
MOBILE VET CENTER TO VISIT THREE SOUTHEAST MISSOURI CITIES
The Memphis Mobile Vet Center and the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center will be visiting three Southeast Missouri cities next week to provide services for veterans.
The centers will be in Charleston at the VFW Post 4294 on Monday, October 20th. The next day, the centers will move to the American Legion Post 680 in New Madrid. The third event will be held on October 23rd at the Caruthersville Walmart.
All three visits will be held from 10 am to 2 pm.
Mobile Vet Centers offer readjustment counseling services to Veterans and service members who have served in a warzone or area of hostility and their families.
Vet Centers also extend services to family members who have experienced an active duty death and Veterans of any era who have experienced any form of military sexual trauma or harassment.
The services are available at no charge and Veterans do not need to be enrolled with VA to use the Vet Centers.
HIGHWAY PATROL TO HOLD SAFETY OPERATION THIS MONTH IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
The Missouri State Highway Patrol will be conducting a Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Project sometime this month in Southeast Missouri.
During the operation, troopers and officers from the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division will be concentrating their efforts on locating commercial vehicles being operated in an unsafe manner, as well as drivers committing hazardous moving violations.
Authorities will be focusing their enforcement efforts on high crash corridors and high risk areas, including work zones and rural roads.
PAVEMENT REPAIRS SET FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK IN STODDARD COUNTY
Crews with the Missouri Department of Transportation will be in Stoddard County today and tomorrow for pavement repairs on Route M.
During the repairs, Route M will be reduced to one lane between Route 25 and Route PP.
Weather permitting, work is scheduled to take place from 7:30 am to 3 pm, today and tomorrow.
DUNKLIN COUNTY ROAD TO BE REDUCED FOR PAVEMENT REPAIRS
Route 25 in Dunklin County will be reduced to one lane so Missouri Department of Transportation crews can perform pavement repairs
The work zone is located between Route E and Route 153.
Weather permitting, work will take place today and tomorrow from 7 am to 3:30 pm daily.
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE STEADY IN MISSOURI
Missouri's unemployment rate held steady in September while the state gained about 8,100 jobs.
Figures released Wednesday by the state Department of Economic Development show the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.3 percent last month - the same rate as August and about the same rate as one year ago.
Missouri's seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment grew by 8,100 jobs during September.
The civilian labor force of more than 3 million people grew by over 15,000 during September. The labor force counts people with jobs and those who are on unemployment but looking for work.
WEIGHT LIMIT WAVED FOR FARMERS VEHICLES
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has announced that the Missouri Department of Transportation has agreed to allow heavier than normal truck loads of farm commodities on Missouri highways.
During the waiver period, participating motor carriers will be limited to a loaded, gross weight no greater than ten percent above the gross licensed weight of the commercial motor vehicle;
Carriers will also be limited to the transport of commodities from the farm to another facility, transportation between facilities and empty return trips on non-interstate highways within the State of Missouri.
And when crossing a bridge, the driver must restrict the vehicle speed to no more than thirty miles per hour and must center the truck between two lanes of the bridge. The truck driver must also yield to oncoming traffic.
The waiver will be in effect for 60 days.
ARKANSAS VOTER ID LAW FOUND UNCONSTITUTIONAL
In a unanimous ruling, the Arkansas Supreme Court found that the state's voter identification law is unconstitutional.
The high court said Wednesday that Arkansas' Constitution lists four requirements to vote: that a person be a citizen of the United States and Arkansas, be at least 18 years old and be lawfully registered. The ruling said anything beyond that is a new requirement to vote and therefore unconstitutional.
The ruling said the qualifications in the Arkansas Constitution "simply do not include any proof-of-identity requirement."
The opinion was written by associate justice Donald Corbin.
In a concurring opinion, associate justices Courtney Hudson Goodson, Josephine Hart and Karen Baker agreed the law should be struck down, but said so because the Legislature didn't approve it with a two-thirds majority.
