PARSONS, Kan. – PETA wants to track down whoever brutally killed a Parsons police officer’s dog. The Parsons Police Department already has a reward out for information leading to the arrest of whoever killed the dog — “Ranger”. Now PETA is offering an *additional* five-thousand dollar reward. That brings the potential reward up to $8,000.
MAYFIELD, Ky. – Joplin’s Bacon-Me-Krazy food truck is making a big impact in Kentucky as it does its part for the victims of last week’s tornado. The food truck was met with long lines when it arrived in the damaged area. Donations to a go-fund me have allowed the owners to hand out cash and gift cards to folks impacted by that deadly tornado. The owners have pulled in more than $9,000 through that fundraiser. They’re providing updates on their Facebook page so you can follow along as they pay it forward.
OTTAWA COUNTY, Okla. – One of the area food pantries helped by the “Feed the Four States” campaign is the Salvation Army in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. The Salvation Army relies on volunteers and donations to provide food to area families in need and that need is even greater because of the pandemic. The location in Miami is using a drive-through system to hand-out food.
AFTON, Okla. – Disabled veterans often struggle to find work after leaving the military, but one area business is trying to change that. Gibson’s Farm Firewood and Forestry in Afton, Oklahoma is looking for extra workers to run logging equipment, farm equipment, and feeding animals among other services. So the owner is putting out a call for veterans to apply, and says he can modify equipment to meet disability needs.
SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT: A New Hampshire man credits his home security system set up through his smartphone to saving his family from a fire… This morning we are asking how you use technology… for communication and entertainment purposes, for home security, or maybe even as a way to track your finances? If you use tech for some or all of these things, join our KOAM Facebook discussion and cast your vote on our KOAM InstaPoll @ koamnewsnow.com/vote.
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NEOSHO, Mo. — Charges have been filed against a Neosho man accused of killing another resident.
Cameron Stotts
According to the probable cause statement, while at his home in Neosho on November 9th, 29 year-old Cameron Stotts is said to have shot Alexis Ekiam Guajardo Perez three times with a .45 pistol with a witness present. After killing Perez, Stotts moved the body to the basement of the house.
“Two to three” days after the shooting, the body was moved again this time with the help of the witness. This witness told authorities he was afraid for his life, fearing Stotts would also kill him if he did not assist in disposing of the body.
The two placed Perez’s body in the trunk of a car belonging to the witness. Stotts would drive this vehicle to an area in Ottawa County, Oklahoma where the body was laid next to the roadway and rolled down an embankment.
With the help of the witness, authorities were able to locate the body in Ottawa County still wrapped in black plastic and tape.
Stotts was brought into custody Monday and is now charged with First Degree Murder and Armed Criminal Action.
This case was investigated by members of the Neosho Police Department and the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, the case will be prosecuted by the Newton County Prosecutor’s Office.
JAY, Okla. – The burned body of a man found in the Lake Eucha area of Delaware County has been identified as 37-year-old Brett Scheele, said Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswomanBrookArbeitman on Tuesday.
Arbeitman said Scheele’s hometown is listed as Jay.
Scheele’s burned body was discovered Dec. 9 along south 609 Road, she said.
Scheele’s death is classified as a homicide investigation, but the state’s Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death, she said.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A majority of all recorded COVID-19 cases in Missouri are for people under 40 years of age.
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), the state has recorded 769,314 cumulative cases of SARS-CoV-2—an increase of 1,800 positive cases (PCR testing only)—and 12,797 total deaths as of Tuesday, Dec. 14, an increase of 71 over yesterday. That’s a case fatality rate of 1.66%.
It’s important to keep in mind that not all cases and deaths recorded occurred in the last 24 hours.
The state has administered 163,417 doses—including booster shots—of the vaccine in the last 7 days (this metric is subject to a delay, meaning the last three days are not factored in). The highest vaccination rates are among people over 65.
State health officials report 59.5% of the total population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. Approximately 70.6% of all adults 18 years of age and older have initiated the process.
Vaccination is the safest way to achieve herd immunity. Herd immunity for COVID-19 requires 80% to 90% of the population to have immunity, either by vaccination or recovery from the virus.
Just 2.15% of 3.23 million fully vaccinated Missourians have tested positive for COVID. And only 738 people (or 0.02%) of fully vaccinated people have died.
The first doses were administered in Missouri on Dec. 13, 2020.
Joplin, St. Louis City, and Kansas City, as well as St. Louis, St. Charles, Boone, Atchison, and Jackson counties are the only jurisdictions in the state with at least 50% of their population fully vaccinated. Thirty-eight other jurisdictions in the state are at least 40% fully vaccinated: Cole, Franklin, Greene, Cape Girardeau, Jefferson, Nodaway, Cass, Ste. Genevieve, Carroll, Andrew, Callaway, Gasconade, Christian, Benton, Adair, Clinton, Dade, Livingston, Ray, Lafayette, Montgomery, Shelby, Osage, Henry, Clay, Camden, Warren, Howard, Cooper, Phelps, Stone, St. Francois, Holt, Platte, Chariton, Pettis, and Sullivan counties, as well as the city of Independence.
Month
Cumulative case-fatality rate on thefinal day of the month
(Source: Missouri Dept. of Health and Senior Services)
The Bureau of Vital Records at DHSS performs a weekly linkage between deaths to the state and death certificates to improve quality and ensure all decedents that died of COVID-19 are reflected in the systems. As a result, the state’s death toll will see a sharp increase from time to time. Again, that does not mean a large number of deaths happened in one day; instead, it is a single-day reported increase.
At the state level, DHSS is not tracking probable or pending COVID deaths. Those numbers are not added to the state’s death count until confirmed in the disease surveillance system either by the county or through analysis of death certificates.
The 7-day rolling average for cases in Missouri sits at 2,088; yesterday, it was 2,053. Exactly one month ago, the state rolling average was 1,017.
The 10 days with the most reported cases occurred between Oct. 10, 2020, and Nov. 18, 2021.
Approximately 50.1% of all reported cases are for individuals 39 years of age and younger. The state has further broken down the age groups into smaller units. The 18 to 24 age group has 92,257 recorded cases, while 25 to 29-year-olds have 64,961 cases.
People 80 years of age and older account for approximately 41.6% of all recorded deaths in the state.
Month / Year
Missouri COVID cases* (reported that month)
March 2020
1,327
April 2020
6,235
May 2020
5,585
June 2020
8,404
July 2020
28,772
August 2020
34,374
September 2020
41,416
October 2020
57,073
November 2020
116,576
December 2020
92,808
January 2021
66,249
February 2021
19,405
March 2021
11,150
April 2021
12,165
May 2021
9,913
June 2021
12,680
July 2021
42,780
August 2021
60,275
September 2021
45,707
October 2021
33,855
November 2021
37,594
December 2021
29,750
(Source: Missouri Dept. of Health and Senior Services)
Missouri has administered 8,106,993 PCR tests for COVID-19 over the entirety of the pandemic and as of Dec. 13, 17.2% of those tests have come back positive. People who have received multiple PCR tests are not counted twice, according to the state health department.
According to the state health department’s COVID-19 Dashboard, “A PCR test looks for the viral RNA in the nose, throat, or other areas in the respiratory tract to determine if there is an active infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. A positive PCR test means that the person has an active COVID-19 infection.”
The Missouri COVID Dashboard no longer includes the deduplicated method of testing when compiling the 7-day moving average of positive tests. The state is now only using the non-deduplicated method, which is the CDC’s preferred method. That number is calculated using the number of tests taken over the period since many people take multiple tests. Under this way of tabulating things, Missouri has a 12.5% positivity rate as of Dec. 11. Health officials exclude the most recent three days to ensure data accuracy when calculating the moving average.
The 7-day positivity rate was 4.5% on June 1, 10.2% on July 1, and 15.0% on Aug. 1.
As of Dec. 11, Missouri is reporting 1,925 COVID hospitalizations and a rolling 7-day average of 1,814. The remaining inpatient hospital bed capacity sits at 17% statewide. The state’s public health care metrics lag behind by three days due to reporting delays, especially on weekends. Keep in mind that the state counts all beds available and not just beds that are staffed by medical personnel.
On July 6, the 7-day rolling average for hospitalizations eclipsed the 1,000-person milestone for the first time in four months, with 1,013 patients. The 7-day average for hospitalizations had previously been over 1,000 from Sept. 16, 2020, to March 5, 2021.
On Aug. 5, the average eclipsed 2,000 patients for the first time in more than seven months. It was previously over 2,000 from Nov. 9, 2020, to Jan. 27, 2021.
The 2021 low point on the hospitalization average in Missouri was 655 on May 29.
Across Missouri, 443 COVID patients are in ICU beds, leaving the state’s remaining intensive care capacity at 17%.
If you have additional questions about the coronavirus, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is available at 877-435-8411.
As of Dec. 13, the CDC identified 49,844,242 cases of COVID-19 and 794,558 deaths across all 50 states and 9 U.S.-affiliated districts, jurisdictions, and affiliated territories, for a national case-fatality rate of 1.60%.
How do COVID deaths compare to other illnesses, like the flu or even the H1N1 pandemics of 1918 and 2009? It’s a common question.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), preliminary data on the 2018-2019 influenza season in the United States shows an estimated 35,520,883 cases and 34,157 deaths; that would mean a case-fatality rate of 0.09 percent. Case-fatality rates on previous seasons are as follows: 0.136 percent (2017-2018), 0.131 percent (2016-2017), 0.096 percent (2015-2016), and 0.17 percent (2014-2015).
The 1918 H1N1 epidemic, commonly referred to as the “Spanish Flu,” is estimated to have infected 29.4 million Americans and claimed 675,000 lives as a result; a case-fatality rate of 2.3 percent. The Spanish Flu claimed greater numbers of young people than typically expected from other influenzas.
Beginning in January 2009, another H1N1 virus—known as the “swine flu”—spread around the globe and was first detected in the US in April of that year. The CDC identified an estimated 60.8 million cases and 12,469 deaths; a 0.021 percent case-fatality rate.
For more information and updates regarding COVID mandates, data, and the vaccine, click here.
JOPLIN, Mo. — Four local nonprofits are receiving more than $7,000 to feed the hungry.
Today was the check presentation for the “9th annual Empty Bowls” fundraiser at the Joplin Greenhouse & the Coffee Shop.
Back in November the event raised $28,000, which was split four ways to help Watered Gardens, Mission Joplin, We Care of the Four States, and Hope Kitchen.
The money raised will provide 14,000 meals to people throughout the four states.
“Watered Gardens applies these to our general fund, which takes care of the food portion of our ministry on all of our campuses. That’s the Outreach Center, the Washington Family Hope Center for moms and kids, the Forge program and the Mission Market, which is a chance for people to come into the community and shop for what they need,” said Travis Hurley, Director of Advancement for Watered Gardens Ministries.
Watered Gardens helps people out of poverty and serves up to 2,000 people a year.
JOPLIN, Mo. — A nonprofit that gives young homeless women a safe place to stay is unveiling its newest addition.
LovinGrace held a ribbon cutting and tour this afternoon for its second transitional home called Doris House.
It’s a maternity home that has accommodations for seven young expectant mothers and their babies.
The facility has been in the works for three years and helps women ages 17 to 24.
“We have chores here and so that really helps with life skills. and then having all these friends here. We become friends and we’re like a family. They’ve helped me get a job,” Brooklyn Hollis, Doris House Resident.
“We’re hoping that they have a home to go to a stable home. That they have healthy boundaries. And the sense of community and people that are out there to help them and the tools they need to succeed,” said Melissa Thomas, LovinGrace Executive Director.
LovinGrace also offers parenting classes and helps women get their GED.
JOPLIN, Mo. — The Joplin school district is saving hundreds of thousands of dollars for future projects.
Tuesday night the school board approved moving forward with refinancing a General Obligation School Bond that currently costs more than $20 million.
The bond was originally created in 2012 and cost $35 million.
It was used to rebuild several schools that were destroyed after the May 22, 2011 tornado.
The school district was planning on refinancing through the “Missouri Direct Deposit Program,” but will be going another direction.
“The Attorney General released a directive yesterday that said anything that was going to be a participate in the Missouri Direct Deposit Program. We had to sign something that said we would be in compliance with those directives. Since its a brand new compliance certificate our Bond Council was not comfortable having us sign that just yet,” said Shelly Toft, Joplin Public School Chief Financial Officer.
The district hopes to do the bidding by early next week and have the bond refinanced by the end of the year.
It’s projected to save the district anywhere from $2.6 million to $3.1 million.
MCDONALD COUNTY, Mo. — Some community members in and around McDonald County went back to high school today.
Not as students — they were helping students. They conducted mock interviews with the kids in the McDonald County High School JAG program.
“JAG” stands for Jobs for America’s Graduates.
The program — which started 3 years ago — is designed for students with barriers — with the goal of helping them find a job after they graduate, or continue their education.
“I mean, that’s one of the biggest components of this program is having community members into the classroom to present to us what your business is like, what kind of jobs you have available for these students. Many of these students are college bound, but not all of them, so we want to be able to make those connections and show that we have kids, right now, that are ready to work, but then they’re also ready to work right as they graduate,” said MCHS JAG Specialist Sara Reynolds.
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones signed a bill this week that eliminates penalties for possessing 35 grams or less of marijuana. The legislation prohibits police from enforcing state and federal laws related to the possession of small amounts of marijuana. The smell or presence of marijuana can no longer be the only probable cause for a search or arrest.
Supporters say marijuana laws have had a history of disproportionally harming poor communities and African Americans.
“This is about building public trust,” said St. Louis Alderman Brandon Bosley, one of the bill’s sponsors. “Enough of this war on individuals who don’t have the means to defend themselves from the federal government.”
During a bill signing ceremony Monday, Alderman Bret Narayan, sponsor of the bill said, “It will allow for our law enforcement officials to use their resources on the most pressing issues in our region. It will help with labor shortages in the city departments, and it will also help our injured first responders from falling into the pitfalls of opioid addiction.”
Earlier this year, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page signed bipartisan legislation reducing penalties for possessing 35 grams or less.
There are several statewide efforts underway to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. One of those is being led by State Rep. Shamed Dogan, R-Ballwin. He is also running for St. Louis County Executive.
“I think we need statewide legalization just so we have uniformity and so nobody across the state faces the possibility of a prison sentence for marijuana possession,” said Dogan.
One bill, titled “HJR 83,” would regulate and tax marijuana like alcohol. Dogan believes police have bigger priorities than enforcing marijuana possession laws.
“Every minute that they have to spend on paperwork for a marijuana possession case, that’s time away from more serious crimes,” said Dogan.
Forty days have passed since Justin King was shot and killed in his neighbor’s yard in Bourbon, Missouri. The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office said the shooter was acting in self-defense.
One neighbor, Catherine Bosek, said King was helping her find her lost dogs moments before gunshots rang out.
“Sure enough it was Justin,” Bosek said. “I didn’t want to think it was Justin because I was in denial, and I came out here and there he was just laying there on the ground.”
Bosek said she not only saw King before he was shot, but she also said she saw the shooter with him in her front yard.
“It was not self-defense,” she alleged. “They left together.”
FOX 2 is not naming the shooter because he has not been charged.
“By the time I got my dog they were over there at [the shooter’s] house just laughing, but I do remember [the shooter] wanted him to do something in his trailer,” said Bosek. “I don’t know what it was, but he wanted him to go into his trailer for something.”
A neighbor shot a cell phone video right after it happened near the shooter’s driveway. Bosek ran over.
“I said, ‘Justin, please just hang on. Just stay here,'” Bosek said. “And he was gone by then.”
More than a month after the shooting, we’ve heard no answers about the police and prosecutor investigation while the trailer park remains filled with signs that say, “Justice for Justin.” Residents have been wearing shirts that say the same thing.
Six days after the killing, someone appears to have taken their own action against the shooter. The man’s car burned the night of Nov. 9.
The Crawford County Prosecutor’s Office is reviewing the case. The car fire is also under investigation.
FOX 2’s Chris Hayes spoke with a family member of the shooter over the phone. The relative said they’ve been crying because a man lost his life, and they’re confident in the answers any investigation may bring.
