RIVER RADIO NEWS 042215
NORTHEAST ARKANSAS FIRE UNDER INVESTIGATION AFTER TWO BODIES FOUND
Two bodies were discovered Tuesday at a house fire in Northeast Arkansas.
The fire was located in Lawrence County on Highway 63. A cause for the fire is under investigation and the identities of the two bodies have not yet been released.
11 YEAR OLD GIRL HIT BY VEHICLE IN SCHOOL PARKING LOT
An 11 year old girl has serious injuries after being hit by a vehicle in Bollinger County.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the girl was struck by a vehicle in the Zalma High School Parking Lot. The vehicle was driven by a 17 year old female.
The 11 year old girl was taken by Air Evac to a Memphis hospital.
POPLAR BLUFF CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO LEASE SPACE FOR TEMPORARY POLICE DEPARTMENT HOME
The Poplar Bluff City Council has voted to lease a building to be used as a temporary home for the city Police Department.
According to the Daily American Republic, the council approved the lease of property on Poplar Street, which is the former home of All Star Music.
Rent for the building is $5,000 a month.
The city council also approved the purchase of over $90,000 of radio equipment.
POPLAR BLUFF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT TO PARTICIPATE IN STATE MATH COMPETITION
A Poplar Bluff Junior High School student will be competing this weekend in a state math competition.
Brett Keele qualified for the Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics state competition by placing 5th overall in the eighth grade category at the spring event on April 11th.
The state competition will take place Saturday, April 25th, at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.
SENATOR’S STAFF TO HOLD MOBILE OFFICE IN BLOOMFIELD
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt’s staff will be hosting a Mobile Office on Thursday in Bloomfield.
The event is scheduled for 1:30 to 2:30pm at the Stoddard County Courthouse.
Senator Blunt’s Columbia office also extends one-on-one service to all Missourians who have an issue with a federal agency or need additional assistance. To reach the Senator’s Office of Constituent Services, call (573) 442-815.
SOBRIETY CHECKPOINT SCHEDULED FOR SCOTT COUNTY
The Southeast Missouri DWI Taskforce will conduct a sobriety checkpoint soon in Southeast Missouri.
According to the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, the checkpoint will be held in Scott County before the end of April.
An exact date or time was not announced.
PAVEMENT REPAIRS TODAY ON ROUTE 60 IN STODDARD COUNTY
Westbound Route 60 in Stoddard County will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews seal the joints along the roadway.
Work is scheduled to be performed from 7 am to 3:30 pm today between Route AD and Route F.
STODDARD COUNTY ROAD TO BE CLOSED TODAY FOR CULVERT PIPE REPLACEMENT
Route CC in Stoddard County will be closed today as crews replace the culvert pipe under the roadway.
According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, the road will be closed from 8 am to 3 pm. The work zone will be located between County Road 714 and the Baker City Limits.
CROSSING REPAIRS SCHEDULED FOR TODAY IN PEMISCOT COUNTY
Route K in Pemiscot County will be reduced to one lane today so railroad crews can perform railroad crossing repairs.
This section of roadway is between County Road 261 and Route P.
Work will take place today from 8 am to 5 pm.
MISSOURI HOUSE SENDS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CAPS TO GOVERNOR
(AP) - A measure to reinstate limits on lawsuit awards for pain and suffering in medical malpractice cases is heading to Missouri Governor Jay Nixon's desk.
The Missouri House on Tuesday voted 125-27 to approve a measure that would reinstate limits on noneconomic damages in those cases three years after lower caps were struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court.
Supporters say the measure is needed to provide certainty and keep doctors in the state.
The measure, a compromise reached by Senate Democrats and Republicans, would cap most noneconomic awards - which do not include lost wages or medical costs - at $400,000. In catastrophic cases defined in the bill, the cap would be $700,000.
The bill also raises an existing $350,000 cap on noneconomic damages in wrongful death cases to $700,000.
MISSOURI HOUSE ENDORSES LEGALIZING GROWTH OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP
(AP) - Missouri would regulate and license the growing of industrial hemp as a raw material for manufacturing under a measure supporters say is an economic development measure.
The Missouri House gave initial approval Tuesday to a bill that would legalize the cultivation of hemp, which contains very low levels of the psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol in marijuana.
Republican Representative Paul Curtman, of Pacific, says many products are made with hemp that must be imported from foreign countries.
He says there's no danger that the measure would allow easier access to marijuana.
Businesses seeking to grow hemp would have to go through a licensing process and undergo a background check. The crop would be subject to inspection.
MISSOURI SENATE PANEL OKS PLAN TO SPEND $120 MILLION MORE THIS YEAR
(AP) - A panel of Missouri senators has given approval to spending an additional $120 million this fiscal year.
Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday voted 10-0 in favor of the plan. Democratic Governor Jay Nixon requested the extra money, which primarily is set to pay for rising drug costs under the Medicaid program.
It also includes additional money for foster care for children due to larger caseloads, and overtime for mental health department workers.
Part of the need for the additional spending is because the state had planned on $50 million from a tobacco settlement that has not yet come.
The measure now goes to the Senate for debate.
