ST. LOUIS – A funeral home van stolen from a St. Louis-area convenience store has now been recovered, and so has the body of a deceased woman that was inside the van. St. Louis County police say two suspects were arrested about 10 a.m. Friday in Festus, Missouri, a day after the van was stolen in the Spanish Lake area of north St. Louis County, about 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) away. Police say the driver of the funeral home van left it running Thursday at a Quik Trip store in north St. Louis County, and went inside. The van was gone when he came back out.
Tag Archives: Regional News
Kansas Senate votes to expand private school tax credit
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas Senate has approved a bill to expand the state’s private school tax credit program to apply to all students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.
The Senate voted 23-14 on Thursday to expand program, which now applies only to students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches and who attend one of the state’s lowest performing public elementary schools.
Republicans say the new criteria would help more students and give parents more options, WIBW reported.
“By expanding this targeted tax-credit program to more low-and-middle income families, we are meeting our obligation to provide all of our kids in Kansas the best opportunity to learn and excel,” said Sen. Renee Erickson, a Wichita Republican.
Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes, who opposed the bill, said she was concerned that private schools face little accountability.
“Yet Senate Republican leadership is putting public dollars in the hands of private schools, which can discriminate freely and operate without accountability to Kansas taxpayers,” Sykes said. “While high-achieving students are hand-picked by private schools, struggling children are left behind with fewer resources and under-funded schools.”
The bill now goes to the Kansas House.
FBI arrest 2 Missourians for alleged role in Capitol riot
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The FBI has arrested two more Missourians in relation to the January riots at the U.S. Capitol. Springfield residents Michael Aaron Quick and Stephen Brian Quick turned themselves in to the FBI on Friday. They both are charged with committing unlawful activity on Capitol grounds and disorderly conduct, among other charges. Federal charging documents against them were not immediately available. The names of their attorneys also were not immediately listed in federal court documents online. FBI agents arrested a Blue Springs, Missouri man on Thursday for allegedly conspiring to impede certification of the Electoral College vote.
A funeral home van with a body inside was stolen in Missouri
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Police in St. Louis County, Missouri, are searching for a funeral home van that was stolen Thursday with the body of an adult female inside.
The white cargo van was stolen after the driver stopped at a convenience store shortly after 10 a.m., according to police. The van was left unattended and running.
Neither the van, belonging to the William C. Harris Funeral Home, nor the body have been recovered, police said.
Police are looking for a man and women seen in surveillance video inside the convenience store who they say might have additional information.
The funeral home told CNN it did not have a comment on the stolen van and body at this time.
Britt Reid is no longer employed by Kansas City Chiefs, according to reports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City Chiefs outside linebackers coach Britt Reid is no longer employed by the team, according to reports by ESPN and the NFL Network.
Reid, the son of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, was placed on administrative leave after being involved in a multi-vehicle crash last Thursday. The crash left a 5-year-old girl in critical condition with a brain injury.
League sources told ESPN and the NFL Network that the 35-year-old’s contract expired after the team’s loss in Super Bowl LV on Sunday.
The Kansas City Chiefs did not respond to a CNN request for comment.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Chiefs said they were in the process of gathering information on the incident and would “continue to assist local authorities as requested.”
“Our focus remains on (the girl) and her family. We have reached out to the family to offer our support and resources to them during this difficult time, and we will continue to pray for her recovery,” the Chiefs said.
The crash
The three-vehicle crash took place last Thursday night when Kansas City, Missouri, police said a Chevrolet Impala was disabled on the ramp of Interstate 435, and the driver called family members for assistance. When the family members arrived and parked their Chevrolet Traverse near the disabled car, a Dodge Ram truck — allegedly driven by Reid — struck both vehicles.
A 4-year-old and 5-year-old in the Traverse were transported to a local hospital with the 5-year-old sustaining life-threatening injuries, police said.
A GoFundMe was created by Tiffany Verhulst, the 5-year-old girl’s aunt, on behalf of her mother.
The drivers of the Impala and Traverse were not injured, police said.
The driver of the Dodge Ram — identified by police as Reid — is being investigated for impairment, according to the police incident report. Reid sustained injuries in the accident that required surgery, his father previously said.
Reid told a responding officer that he had consumed “two to three” drinks after the officer observed an odor of alcohol “emanating” from Reid as well as “bloodshot and red” eyes. Reid also told the police that he takes the prescription drug Adderall, according to a search warrant first obtained by CNN affiliate KSHB.
The officer conducted a field-sobriety test and observed signs of impairment, the warrant states. Reid was taken to a local hospital after complaining of stomach pain.
Reid has not been charged with any crime.
Missouri wildlife officials say someone shot bald eagle
POTOSI, Mo. (AP) — Missouri wildlife officials are seeking the public’s help in finding the person who shot and injured a bald eagle, which later had to be euthanized.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the protected raptor was reported injured Friday when the U.S. Forest Service called Conservation Agent Jaymes Hall about the bird having been spotted in southern Washington County.
Hall says he found the injured bird and managed with help from other law enforcement to capture it and take it to the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park. A veterinarian at the sanctuary who performed surgery on the eagle Saturday to try to save it found two gunshot wounds that were inoperable and had to euthanize the bird.
News to Know (2/10/21)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Opening arguments are slated to begin this afternoon in the second impeachment trial of former President Trump. On Tuesday, the Senate voted to continue with the proceeding after hearing arguments as to its constitutionality. All 50 Democrats said it was constitutional. They were joined by six Republicans.
NIXA, Mo. – The Nixa, Missouri school district fired an assistant principal who is facing child pornography charges. A court affidavit says 41-year old Colby Fronterhouse pretended to be a 14 year old girl sending sexually explicit messages to a 13 year old boy. Authorities say Fronterhouse got the boy’s cell phone number through school records. He had been placed on administrative leave but the school board yesterday voted to fire him.
JOPLIN, Mo. – The wintry weather has led to dangerous road conditions. Driving on snow however, is different than driving on ice. While both are slick and hazardous, officials say you can get a little more traction on snow than you can with ice. In either case the Joplin police department says you need to play it safe. For the latest road conditions your state, you can go to our website, koamnewsnow.com, and click on “Road Conditions” at the top of the page.
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Wichita teen dragged to death in carjacking, arrest made
WICHITA, Kan. – A Wichita, Kansas family is mourning the loss of their teen daughter after she was dragged to her death.
13-year-old Briana Ibarra was in a running car parked in front of a restaurant Saturday waiting for her family to get food. Police say Kevin Palmer jumped in and drove away with the young girl in the car. Ibarra tried to escape while the car was moving but got caught in the seatbelt. She died at the scene.
Palmer was arrested after trying to run. he is currently in jail facing six charges, including first-degree murder.
Police say the investigation is ongoing.
Nixa assistant principal facing child porn charges fired
NIXA, Mo. – An assistant principal at a southwest Missouri junior high school who is facing charges related to child pornography has been fired by the local school board.
The Springfield Leader-News reports that the Nixa school board voted Monday to fire 41-year-old Colby Fronterhouse. Fronterhouse was charged last month in federal court with sexual exploitation of a child for the purpose of producing child pornography. A court affidavit says Fronterhouse pretended to be a 14-year-old girl sending sexually explicit messages to a 13-year-old boy. Federal authorities said Fronterhouse gained access to the victim’s cell phone through school records.
He had been on administrative leave from the junior high until the board’s vote to fire him Monday.
Previous stories: koamnewsnow.com/nixa-school-district-releases-statement-on-arrest-of-assistant-principal/
News to Know (2/9/2021)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial gets underway in the Senate today. The first day of the proceedings will consist of a debate and vote as to whether the trial itself is constitutional. Former President Trump faces a single article of impeachment… it accuses him of inciting the January 6th attack on the U-S Capitol.
NEVADA, Mo. – Authorities in Nevada, Missouri arrested two suspects in an early Saturday morning raid looking for drugs at a Nevada motel. There they found evidence — about a quarter of a pound of meth, money, and a handgun — among other things. Authorities also arrested two people during the raid. Those suspects are 30 year old Emily Collar of Nevada and 35 year old Joshua Stoneking of Independence, Missouri. Both are charged with second degree trafficking drugs and delivery of a controlled substance. Stoneking is also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri tasked nine regional groups across the state with making sure black and latino communities had equitable access to covid-19 vaccines, but the effort is off to a slow start. Just 5% of doses in Missouri have gone to black residents even though black people make up about 11.5% of the state’s population. But regional officials say the effort is being hampered by a lack of state funding and confusion about what they see as vague state expectations.
JOPLIN, Mo. – Joplin city staff has come up with a master plan aimed at growing and improving the city’s many parks over the next decade. It’s called the “Joplin Parks and Recreation Road Map,” and it has five main goals – including educating the masses, cultivating health and wellness, improving connectivity, developing destinations, and prioritizing safety.
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