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Tag: Missouri

  • States Sue Google For Antitrust Violations

    States Sue Google For Antitrust Violations

    As predicted, a coalition of 10 states have sued Google for alleged monopolistic behavior in digital advertising.

    The DOJ filed a lawsuit against Google in October, accusing the company of abusing its monopoly in the search business. Shortly after, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton warned that state lawsuits would likely follow.

    The first of those lawsuits has now been filed, according to NPR, with 10 states accusing the search giant of similarly abusing its monopoly in online advertising. The states involved are Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Utah.

    “These actions harm every person in America,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a video announcing the lawsuit. “If the free market were a baseball game, Google positioned itself as the pitcher, the batter and the umpire.”

    Google has said the claims are “meritless” and vowed to vigorously defend itself in court.

  • Ferguson Cop Leaving Police Force

    After Furguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson, 28, shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9, during an altercation, protesters in that town began burning police cars, smashing and looting storefront windows and firing gunshots, shortly after the verdict was read that the officer would not be indicted.

    Now Wilson’s lawyer has said his client will be leaving the police force.

    Attorney Neil Bruntrager revealed that Wilson is presently in talks with the Ferguson Police Department regarding the terms of his departure. “There’s no way in the world he can go back to being a police officer. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when,” Bruntrager remarked.

    The situation in Ferguson quickly devolved into sheer pandemonium after the verdict was announced, and the police department has been under fire.

    Bruntrager noted that though Wilson maintains a clear conscience over the shooting, it would be impossible for him to return to any police force.

    “The first day he would be back on the street something terrible would happen to him or to someone that would be working with him,” Bruntrager remarked. “The last thing he wants is to put other police officers at risk,” the attorney added.

    After Wilson found out his home address had been leaked online, he literally left half of his lawn mowed, grabbed some bags, and went into hiding. He is said have been couch surfing, and spanning time in dark movie theaters to avoid being noticed.

    “Realistically, he [Wilson] can’t go back to being a police officer,” Bruntrager said. “He knows that. There’s no illusion about any of this. But it’s the way in which he leaves … that’s important to him on different levels.”

  • Michael Brown Verdict: Will The Outcome Lead To Violent Protests In Ferguson?

    It seems the state of Missouri is bracing for the possibility that a grand jury might acquit Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot 18-year-old Michael Brown. The governor of Missouri declared a state of emergency ahead of a grand jury’s decision on whether or not to prosecute Wilson. Days after the shooting, the suburb of Ferguson in Missouri caught the world’s attention because of violent clashes between police and protesters. According to Governor Jay Nixon, the National Guard will be deployed to assist police officers in case there’s unrest following the grand jury’s decision.

    It is still unclear when the grand jury will make their decision, but prosecutors expect the deliberations to be done before the end of November. The state of emergency will last for 30 days and will only be extended as soon as another order is filed. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay discussed the role that the National Guard will play during the state of emergency. According to Slay, the role of the National Guard will only be secondary to that of the local police force.

    An FBI bulletin issued last Friday warned nationwide law enforcement agencies that the upcoming grand jury on the Michael Brown case may lead to attacks by protesters. “The announcement of the grand jury’s decision will likely be exploited by some individuals to justify threats and attacks against law enforcement and critical infrastructure,” the FBI said in the bulletin. “This also poses a threat to those civilians engaged in lawful or otherwise constitutionally protected activities.”

    The controversy surrounding Brown’s death, as well as the violent protests that followed, prompted some organizations to move their conventions elsewhere. One such organization is the Church of God In Christ, who used to hold their annual convention in Missouri. The church’s bishop sent a letter to Nixon expressing concerns about the shooting, and that they’re considering relocating their conference somewhere else.

    The grand jury’s decision will ultimately seal Darren Wilson’s fate and the verdict will determine whether or not he will go to trial for shooting Michael Brown. According to Wilson, he shot Brown in self-defense after the teen supposedly attacked him. Witnesses have come forward saying otherwise, and that Wilson reportedly shot Brown while the African-American teen had his hands up. An autopsy conducted by Dr. Michael Baden at the request of Brown’s family, concluded that Brown was shot at least six times, with the final bullet striking Brown in the top of the head.

  • Piaget Crenshaw Releases Video Evidence in Michael Brown Case

    There is perhaps no bigger news story in the United States at the current moment than the case of Michael Brown – a Ferguson, Mo teen who was gunned-down by a police officer in broad daylight a little more than a week ago. The decision to fire upon Brown has been questioned by many witnesses, most of whom state that Brown was posing no threat to the officer and was actually running away when the officer opened fire and eventually killed the 18-year-old.

    Thus far, not much has been offered in terms of evidence besides many witness statements of what occurred that fateful day. A recently released autopsy report shows that Brown was shot anywhere from six to eight times, with the fatal wound coming from a shot which entered the top of the skull. Brown was shot once more in the face and four more times in his right arm.

    While the autopsy confirms witness reports that Brown was shot multiple times, it does nothing to clarify what actually occurred before the shots were fired. Unfortunately, video evidence released by witness Piaget Crenshaw does not shine any light on the confrontation, either:

    The video was taken with Crenshaw’s cell phone shortly after Brown was shot by Officer Darren Wilson. In the video, Crenshaw can be heard muttering, “God bless his soul. Police shot this boy outside my apartment.”

    In an exclusive interview with CNN, Crenshaw reports that she witnessed the entirety of the altercation despite the fact that her video starts after Brown was shot. When asked why she decided to film what had happened, Crenshaw responded:

    I knew this was not right, I knew police should not even have been chasing this young boy and firing at the same time. That fact that he got shot in the face, it was something that clicked in me, I thought, somebody else needs to see this. This isn’t right.

    According to Crenshaw, there was a struggle between Brown and Officer Wilson at the window of Wilson’s car in which it appeared as if Brown was trying to push away from the vehicle. Once free from Wilson, Brown ran away from the officer, at which point the officer began firing at Brown. Once Brown raised his hands and turned around to surrender, Officer Wilson allegedly continued to shoot, hitting Brown multiple times.

    The incident as reported by Crenshaw remains consistent with the reports from Tiffany Mitchell, Crenshaw’s coworker who also saw the incident, and Dorian Johnson, Brown’s friend who was with him during the altercation.

    Their descriptions of the events differ drastically from the events as recalled by a supposed friend of Officer Wilson, who called into radio station KFTK to provide the officer’s side of the story:

    He [Officer Wilson] pulled up ahead of them [Brown and Johnson]. And then he got a call-in that there was a strong-arm robbery. And, they gave a description…Tries to get out of his car. They slam his door shut violently. I think he said Michael did. And, then he opened the car again. He tried to get out. He stands up.

    And then Michael just bum-rushes him and shoves him back into his car. Punches him in the face and them Darren grabs for his gun. Michael grabbed for the gun. At one point he got the gun entirely turned against his hip. And he shoves it away. And the gun goes off.

    Well, then Michael takes off and gets to be about 35 feet away. And, Darren’s first protocol is to pursue. So, he stands up and yells, ”Freeze!” Michael and his friend turn around.

    And Michael taunts him… And then all the sudden he just started bum-rushing him. He just started coming at him full speed… So [Wilson] really thinks [Brown] was on something, because he just kept coming. It was unbelievable. And so he finally ended up, the final shot was in the forehead, and then he fell about two to three feet in front of the officer.

    Currently, a grand jury is awaiting to hear eye-witness testimony to decide whether or not to return an indictment on the case. Not only is a local investigation underway, but Attorney General Eric Holder has also announced that 40 FBI agents are currently conducting a civil rights investigation into the shooting.

  • Mike Brown: Unarmed African American Teen Killed By Missouri Police

    The death of an 18-year-old African-American teen who was shot by a police officer in St. Louis on Saturday is causing unrest in the Missouri city as citizens are calling for answers. Police are saying that teenager Mike Brown was shot after a struggle with the police officer for his gun, an assertion that many are calling into question, including the African-American community that gathered at the scene of the shooting in Ferguson, a St. Louis suburb, to light candles for Brown.

    Brown had reportedly been walking to his grandmother’s house when he and another man were approached by a police officer riding in a patrol car. When the officer was about the leave the car, he was pushed by one of the men back into it and assaulted, according to the account of the police department. They then struggled for the officer’s gun, with one shot being fired in the car, and when the two men tried to leave the scene, the officer shot Brown about 35 feet away from the vehicle. Witnesses say that Brown was unarmed and that he had his hands in the air when he was shot dead.

    Brown’s grandmother, Desiree Harris, said that she had been driving back home when she saw him a few blocks away from her house and running toward it. However, moments after she arrived home, a commotion outside led her to find her grandson’s dead body sprawled on the street. “He was running this way. When I got up there, my grandson was lying on the pavement. I asked the police what happened. They didn’t tell me nothing,” she said.

    After the shooting, angry residents of the suburb gathered at the scene to confront local authorities while they stood guard over Brown’s body and attempted to control the crowds. Meanwhile, protesters also stormed the Ferguson police headquarters to protest the shooting on Saturday and Sunday, chanting “No justice! No Peace!”

    Brown was a 2014 graduate of Normandy High School and planning to attend Vatterott College on August 11, Monday. The police have not revealed the name or rank of the officer involved in the shooting, except for revealing that he had been on the force for six years.

    “We plan to do everything within our power to ensure that the Ferguson Police Department as well as the St. Louis County Police Department releases all details pertinent to the shooting,” said Esther Haywood, president of the NAACP in St. Louis County.

    Image via YouTube

  • Missouri Executes Man for Murdering 3

    Missouri Executes Man for Murdering 3

    Former small time methamphetamine dealer John Middleton, 54, was executed by lethal injection Wednesday for killing three people in rural northern Missouri in 1995, due to fear his victims would report his drug activities to authorities.

    Middleton died after being injected with pentobarbital, marking the sixth execution in Missouri so far this year. The execution was initially scheduled for Wednesday at 12:01 a.m., but a federal judge granted a stay of execution late Tuesday, to allow time to assess if Middleton was mentally competent. The stay was overturned by a federal appeals court, and the U.S. Supreme Court and the Missouri Supreme Court wouldn’t halt the injection. Middleton’s claim that he is innocent and his request for clemency from Governor Jay Nixon were also denied.

    After several drug suspects were arrested on June 10, 1995 in rural northern Missouri, Middleton allegedly told a friend, “The snitches around here are going to start going down.” He was eventually convicted of killing Randy “Happy” Hamilton and Stacey Hodge, and then Alfred Pinegar several days later.

    Middleton and his girlfriend met Hamilton and Hodge on a gravel road, where Middleton shot and killed the two and placed their bodies in the trunk of Hamilton’s car. Fellow meth dealer Pinegar was shot in the face on June 23, 1995. Middleton left his body in a field near Bethany. Middleton then told acquaintances that he shot the three, and eyewitnesses saw him buying ammunition just hours before Pinegar’s death.

    Middleton was convicted of triple homicide in 1997, and his girlfriend and accomplice, Maggie Hodges, is serving life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in all three deaths.

    An anonymous criminal informant had said in February that Middleton accused him of being a snitch, and drove him out to see Pinegar’s corpse, and told him, “there’s already been three people killed. You want to be number four?” The witness signed an affidavit stating that he was then beaten unconscious with a baseball bat and his girlfriend was raped.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Kim Anderson Named Missouri Coach

    Kim Anderson Named Missouri Coach

    On Monday, Missouri announced that Kim Anderson would be their new head basketball coach.

    Anderson, who led Central Missouri to the Division II national championship, used to play for Missouri and was named the Big Eight player of the year in 1977. He also served as the assistant coach for the team for eleven years.

    This will make Anderson’s first Division 1 coaching job. He will be replacing Frank Haith, who took a coaching job in Tulsa.

    “I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to return to Mizzou and lead a program that our family is so vested in,” Anderson said in a statement. “When we took over in Warrensburg 12 years ago, we faced an uphill battle.”

    “We had support, we had a winning history and great campus leadership, but the program had lost its identity,” Anderson continued. “I see that same opportunity here at Missouri. We have great leadership with Dr. Loftin and Mike Alden, and I know we have a passionate fan base. We have a lot of work ahead of us and that work starts today, but as a Missourian I embrace this challenge and look forward to bringing championship basketball back to Norm Stewart Court and Mizzou Arena.”

    Although the announcement was made on Monday, Anderson will officially be introduced as head coach today.

    “We are pleased and excited to have Kim Anderson leading our program,” Mike Alden, the athletic director, said. “He’s a man of great character, integrity and respect. He has demonstrated the ability to mentor young men on and off the court, academically and socially.”

    “He’s a proven winner on all levels, and he’s built tremendous relationships around the country in the basketball community, which assists greatly with recruiting and other important aspects for a program,” Alden explained. “Lastly, the fact that he’s a Missouri Tiger at heart is important, he is committed to Mizzou and has a passion to build a program of which all Tiger fans will be proud.”

    Anderson has spent the last 12 seasons as the coach of Central Missouri, taking his team to seven Division II NCAA tournaments, and going 30-5 this season.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Tornadoes Reported in Mid and Southwestern States: 8

    It’s time for one of nature’s biggest blockbuster hits: Tornado Season. On Thursday, the bulk of the Midwestern and Southwestern states experienced high winds and giant balls of hail in one day, and eight tornadoes touched down in Texas, Missouri and Illinois within an three-hour period.

    According to NBC News, four tornadoes hit Texas on Thursday evening between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., Missouri began to experience their three touchdowns before the sun came up on Thursday morning while one tornado also hit the southern tip of Illinois that same day.

    Although this sounds horrendous, the damage could have been much worse. Four people were reported injured, while hundreds of buildings did sustain various degrees of damage. A Texas farmhouse was ripped off of its foundation Wizard of Oz-style and many cars felt their first taste of tree bark. The hail storm made of quarter-sized to baseball-sized balls of ice shattered windows in Kansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

    High winds are expected throughout Friday into Saturday, but the chance of more tornadoes forming this weekend are low. There has been heavy rainfall and storms before and during the tornadoes, and it is likely that many states will experience that over the weekend. Missouri has already experienced some flash flooding and washed out water mains and culverts as well as some forced home evacuations. Meteorologists suspect that there may have been more tornadoes than the eight reported. While the winds and hail were no doubt nerve-racking and are surely causing a hassle with the citizen’s insurance policies, we are all grateful that no casualties have been reported and the injuries have been kept to a minimum. This will hopefully be the bulk of tornado season damage this year.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Missouri Execution: Michael Taylor Is Dead

    Missouri Execution: Michael Taylor Is Dead

    Missouri inmate Michael Taylor, 47, was executed on Wednesday for the abduction, rape, and death of 15-year-old Ann Harrison in 1989.

    Harrison was in her own driveway carrying a purse, flute, and her school books when she was abducted by Taylor, and another man named Roderick Nunley. The two men forced Harrison into a car that they had stolen the night before and took her to their home, raped her, and then stabbed her to death. Both men were in their 20s when the crime happened.

    The two men dumped the stolen vehicle in a neighboring community with Harrison’s body inside the trunk. The vehicle was found the following day, but the crime remained unsolved for half a year. A $10,000 reward for any leads regarding the case led to a tip and the two men were eventually captured. Both Taylor and Nunley plead guilty to the crime.

    There were appeals from Taylor’s attorneys who stated that the drug to be used for execution might cause suffering and pain for Taylor. The drug was purchased from a different supplier after the Oklahoma-based pharmacy Apothecary Shoppe stated that they would not be providing pentobarbital for the execution.

    Missouri has been using the three-drug execution process for a long time, but switched to using pentobarbital last year. There have already been three executions using the said drug. According to state officials one of the inmates showed signs of distress when pentobarbital was administered.

    Appeals from Taylor’s attorneys were refused and the execution pushed through.

    According to reports, Taylor had written a letter to Harrison’s parents expressing his remorse and apologies for the crime he committed. He also said that he hopes they accept the letter.

    Taylor was pronounced dead at 12:10 a.m. He had no final statement. Members from both the Harrison and Taylor families were there to witness the execution.

    Taylor’s accomplice, Nunley, is also up for execution but a date has not yet been set.

    Image via Murderpedia.org

  • Missouri Execution of Child Killer Inhumane?

    Time ran out for Michael Taylor.

    The state of Missouri executed him a few hours ago. He was announced dead at 12:01 Wednesday morning.

    With Taylor entering his final hours of life, his defense attorney tried desperately to get a stay of execution on the grounds of “violations of equal protection and due process”. But federal courts and the governor would not hear his final appeal.

    The 47-year-old was sentenced to die in 1989 after being convicted for the abduction, rape, and murder of an adolescent girl.

    Roughly twenty-four years have passed since then.

    With no outlets willing to listen to Taylor’s appeal, there were no remaining obstacles to keep the state of Missouri from putting the inmate to death.

    A source of Taylor’s concerns, and to a great extent that of many onlookers, is that the chemicals used by death penalty states make the process of dying extremely painful. A painful death could therefore make the use of lethal injection inhumane.

    In fact, those arguing against these new execution chemicals fear that death row inmates are being used as virtual guinea pigs.

    States where the death penalty is an option are having a great deal of difficulty getting their hands on “old reliable” versions of injection fluids (sodium thiopental and potassium chloride) used to kill those on death row.

    An Oklahoma compounding pharmacy flat out refused to provide the state of Missouri with the mix of drugs needed to kill Taylor.

    Death penalty states turned to compounding pharmacies to mix the lethal injection chemicals after Hospira, a company solely responsible for making sodium thiopental, stopped producing it.

    Another blow came when companies in Europe, who manufacture chemicals needed for lethal injections, refused to export them. These anti-death penalty institutions balked at the idea of their products being used to end human life.

    Missouri insisted that even without drugs from those sources, the state would still find a way to put Taylor to death. It is not currently known which source came through for the state at the last minute as the state is refusing to name the provider of the lethal injection chemicals used to put Taylor to death.

    The Associated Press is reporting that Taylor showed no signs of distress during his execution.

    Image via YouTube

  • Hailey Owens’ Body Found, Suspect Was School Employee

    Hailey Owens, the 10-year old girl who went missing while walking near her home in Springfield, Missouri on Tuesday afternoon, was found lifeless in a vehicle belonging to a public school employee late Tuesday night.

    Craig Wood has been arrested and charged with first degree murder after police tracked his vehicle–a gold Ford Ranger, which was described by a witness–to his residence. Dozens of law enforcement officials had been searching for Owens, and an Amber Alert went out across several states after she was reported missing.

    Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Norm Ridder released a statement on Wednesday about the tragic news and about Wood, whose employment with the school district has been suspended pending an investigation.

    “The suspect in this case, Craig Michael Wood, was arrested by Springfield Police Department. Wood has been employed by SPS since Aug. 18, 1998. He works as a paraprofessional and athletic coach at Pleasant View K-8 School. His employment has been suspended until this matter is resolved,” reads the statement. “Hailey is a student at Westport Elementary School and last year she attended Bowerman Elementary School. I offer my support to Hailey’s family and to our SPS community. Students and staff at three of our schools are coping with this situation. To support these school communities directly impacted by this tragedy, I have assigned additional counseling staff and school police officers to be on hand until further notice. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement officials as their investigation continues. Because this is an ongoing investigation, I will not be making any further comments about the situation at this time.”

    Police say they believe the abduction was random.

    Image via Thinkstock

  • California Egg Law Disputed By MO Attorney General

    The California egg law set to go into effect in 2015 is being challenged by Missouri’s Attorney General, Chris Koster.

    A law passed in California in 2008 banned the sale of eggs from hens that have spent their entire lives in cages which do not meet certain standards involving quality of life.

    The 2010 regulations stipulate that hens’ eggs, beef, and pork all be prohibited from being sold in the state; the law was then furthered in 2010 when lawmakers approved of a new bill stating that, as well as the sale of eggs, the sales of beef and pork products would also be deemed illegal. A five-year time limit was placed on the law, giving the state’s animal producing associates time to organize their farms for compliance.

    On Tuesday, Koster filed a motion in a Fresno, California federal court to halt the law’s enactment, evidencing his claim of the negative ways in which the law would impact the economic system in Missouri because of the multitude of farmers relying on the production and sales of eggs for their living; the Midwestern state produces roughly 1.7 billion eggs per year, selling over 33% of those.

    The new law would require millions of dollars of farmers’ money to be spent on rebuilding cages which would allow for state-wide compliance with the limits, cited Koster.

    Many Missouri citizens agree with Koster’s decision to file a claim against California, if only for the fact that they, like the Attorney General, believe that by allowing California’s law to pass, we would be faced with a new national division, involving the tendency of larger states to overpower the smaller.

    However, this sentiment is disagreed upon by other residents of the state, some of whom say that this lawsuit will only end up costing their state more money in the long run – specifically, in the form of farmers’ tax dollars.

    Main image courtesy Lhademmor/U.S.D.A. via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Life Sentence For Pot: Jeff Mizanskey Seeks Support

    A Missouri newspaper tells us of a man named Jeff Mizanskey who was convicted of an intent to distribute about five pounds of marijuana charge in 1993.

    Today, Mizanskey seeks support to gain clemency from the resulting life sentence.

    Although this was his third marijuana offense, Riverfront Times tells us that Mizanskey has never been convicted of a violent crime. He says that he has been working a steady job in prison and being a model prisoner while violent offenders are being granted with parole chances not allowed to him.

    Mizanskey was caught in a deal arranged by police and civilian cooperatives. Police were targeting another dealer, who was arrested and given a 10-year sentence, and also picked up Mizanskey who merely handled a brick of marijuana briefly during the deal.

    That was 20 years ago; the now 60-year-old inmate knows that close to half of the United States allows the use of medical marijuana now, and how the overall climate of marijuana use is changing. This gives Mizanksey hope of clemency from the ancient Prior and Persistent Drug Offender statute found only in Missouri that allows a judge to order a ten-year to life sentence for anyone with any type of prior drug offenses.

    So, what do you think? Do you think that Mizanskey deserves to serve a life sentence for a marijuana offense? If you want to help Mizanskey, you can email the governor of Missouri to join the others who feel that Jeff Mizanskey should be set free.

    [image: vimeo]

  • BCS Standings: Top 3 Unchanged, SEC Continues To Dominate

    The BCS standings have been updated yet again, and without a change in the top 3 spots, Alabama and Florida State continue to show that they are the top two teams in the nation.

    However, Ohio State is making their case as well, and with big games coming up against Michigan and Michigan State, they have a chance at the championship game as well.

    The BCS standings have been changing a lot lately, and it was looking like Oregon or Baylor might even have a chance at the national championship with impressive wins in the next couple of weeks, but after they both lost on Saturday, it is not looking good for either of them.

    Alabama and Florida State have been dominating their opponents all year, and it seems to be set for them to play in the championship, but as the season comes to an end, it is hard to know what will happen.

    Auburn and Missouri are also in the top 5, as the SEC has continued to dominate once again this year. South Carolina and Texas A&M could easily shake things up as well during rivalry week, as they have big games against Clemson and Missouri, respectively.

    While Alabama and Florida State are still undefeated with 11-0 records, Ohio State is right up there with them, and will have an interesting meeting with Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship. If Michigan State wins, they will go to the Rose Bowl, something that has not happened for the Spartans in a long time, who is undefeated in the Big Ten this year.

    However, if Ohio State wins, and beats Michigan to close out the season next week, they will likely play for the National Championship. Jerry Palm, a BCS analyst said that if Alabama or Florida State are to slip up, then Ohio State would move up into the top spot, but speaking on the likelihood of Missouri or Auburn jumping into the equation, he said “The coaches in particular are not going to allow an undefeated to not play for the title. They understand how hard it is to finish unbeaten. It hasn’t happened yet in the BCS and there is no reason to think it would this year.

    Almost anything is likely to happen with the top 5 teams in the BCS standings as the season comes to a close, but the top 3 teams continue to give themselves more separation. Auburn and Missouri sit at #4 and #5, and a SEC championship win could potentially send either of them to the championship.

    The bowl projections are being set up with all sorts of scenarios already, and what happens in the SEC will likely be the deciding factor, since the SEC currently 3 teams in the top 5.

    Does anyone have any big predictions? What will happen once this wild season finally comes to a close? Discuss.

    As the top teams around the league head into rivalry week, anything is likely to happen with the BCS standings, and they all better play their best if they want to have a chance to play in the national championship.

    Image via Youtube

  • Elephant Kills Zookeeper In Missouri

    Elephant Kills Zookeeper In Missouri

    An elephant has reportedly showed its aggression and killed the zookeeper that was working with her, in a zoo in Missouri. Patience, an elephant that has a history of aggression toward handlers, attacked and crushed her keeper on Friday morning. The keeper was a veteran at the zoo, and died in an unavoidable incident, when Patience decided to charge at him and crushed him to death. The shocking event happened in a matter of seconds.

    John Phillip Bradford was the keeper working with the group of elephants at the time, and as the manager of the elephants at Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, Missouri, when Patience charged at him, for an unknown reason. Other zookeepers working with Bradford quickly worked to pull the elephant away from him, whose actions were consistent with zoo policies, stated Cora Scott, a spokeswoman for the city, which runs the zoo. Scott also reported that Patience had been showing actions that were “hesitant and submissive” since the death of the herd’s matriarch, who died on October 4th, after suffering from kidney disease.

    The zoo officials have said that the elephant will not be punished for the incident. Working with wild animals of any kind can always be aa challenge, and especially with a big animal like an elephent, the danger is always there. In fact, according to a report that Time Magazine put out in 2007, more than 500 people die from elephant attacks worldwide each year. This is not the only incident in elephant related aggression in zoos that has occurred recently, following an attack by a mother to her newborn baby at a zoo in China in September.

    Bradford was 62 years old, and attacked by an older elephant, 41 years of age. Patience is an Asian elephant who has been at the zoo since 1990. He had worked at the zoo for 30 years, and the news of his death came as a huge shock to all of his colleagues, after such a long career there. The Chicago Tribune mentions that since 1984, 13 people have been injured in incidents involving elephants at zoos and other facilities nationwide, 10 of them fatally. However, this is the first incident that has involved the Dickerson Park Zoo.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpY5sJh40RY

    Image via Youtube

  • State Trooper, Robber Injured in Bank Heist Shootout

    A man who robbed the First Bank at Dutzow Friday morning was shot, in an exchange of gunfire with a state trooper near New Melle, in St. Charles County, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol. The officer was also shot, but the round didn’t penetrate his bulletproof vest, according to Warren County Sheriff Kevin Harrison. Harrison adds that the trooper is “shaken up,” but not seriously injured. The condition of the suspect has yet to be released.

    Shortly after 9 yesterday morning, the 64-year-old suspect walked into the bank wearing a black mask, glasses and rubber gloves, flashed a handgun, and demanded cash. While threatening to kill the tellers, the suspect instructed them to hand over the top layer of bills from their drawers, along with the $50 and $100 bills from the vault, adding that no dye packs should be included. Roughly $40,000 was stolen. He took off down Highway 94 toward St. Charles County, in a white, 4-door sedan. The unidentified, 26-year-old state trooper got in pursuit, and stopped the suspect on Highway F near Highway D, where the gunfight ensued. Other officers arrived on the scene, and took the suspect into custody.

    Sgt. Al Nothum, a spokesman for the Missouri Highway Patrol said, “The male subject got out and began shooting at the trooper. The trooper, he was struck in the chest – The trooper returned fire striking the subject – Everybody is kind of breathing a sigh of relief, it comes down to the training. We have a great academy in Jeff City. You’re there for six months and do this over and over again. I’m sure that training kicked in after he did what he had to do.” The trooper will remain on administrative leave for a few days, which is a typical procedure.

    The CEO of First Bank made a statement commending the trooper for his bravery, valor and professionalism during the incident, and called it truly inspiring.

    Image courtesy of Twitter.

  • Angel Priest at Missouri Car Crash

    19-year-old, Katie Lentz, was pinned between the steering wheel and the seat after, 26-year-old Aaron Smith, crossed the center line and hit her car head on Sunday morning, causing a horrific scene.

    New London Fire Chief, Raymond Reed, said rescue crews had been struggling to get Lentz out of her car for nearly an hour when the mysterious priest arrived. “The fire chief, Raymond Reed, had stepped back and came up to me and said he was concerned because he was out of options. His tools weren’t working and by that time, it was almost an hour and said I don’t know how we’re going to get her out,” Ralls County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Adair told KHQA.

    “He came and he asked to anoint the girl in the car,” Adair said. “My first thought was that it would possibly send the wrong message to Katie that maybe we had called a priest and thought she wasn’t going to make it. So I went back and talked to the priest and told him we were worried she would think we’d given up hope. He said, ‘I just want to anoint her’ and so we just let him come up to the scene.”

    After the priest prayed with Lentz, Fire Chief Reed said, “A sense of calmness came over her, and it did us as well. I can’t be for certain how it was said, but myself and another firefighter, we very plainly heard that we should remain calm, that our tools would now work and that we would get her out of that vehicle.”

    Minutes later, the Hannibal Fire Department arrived with more equipment, and the rescuers were able to free Lentz from the car in time to get her onto an Air Evac helicopter and to a hospital. By that point, the priest had disappeared, and no one knew who he was or where to find him to thank him. The road was blocked for several miles on either side of the crash seen, and no one was allowed through the road blocks. How did the priest get to the scene? Of the 80 photos taken at the scene by the fire department, the priest appears in none.

    http://youtu.be/ZEGk7MnzHig

    “Where did this guy come from?” Lentz’s friend Travis Wiseman asked, according to KHQA. “We’re looking for the priest and so far, no one has seen him. Whether it was a priest as an angel or an actual angel, he was an angel to all those and to Katie.”

    “We would like to find this gentleman and be able to thank him,” Reed said. “As a first responder, you don’t know what you’re going to run into. We have a lot of tools, and we have intensive training. In this particular case, it is my feeling that it was nothing more than sheer faith and nothing short of a miracle.”

    Wanda Burr-White, a witness of the crash, says she remembers the priest very well. “He was dark complected,” she said. “He had an accent, but I’m not sure what nationality. He was probably 5 feet 6 inches maybe. He was not heavy set, but he probably weighed close to 200 pounds. He had dark hair.”

    Lentz has undergone surgeries to repair several broken bones, and she is scheduled for more surgeries in the weeks to come. “Both of her legs are very damaged,” Lentz’s friend Amanda Wiseman said. “Her wrist is broken, several broken ribs, so she’s had a lot of broken bones to deal with.” Her condition has been upgraded to serious, according to Lentz’s mother. “All along the way, her foremost request is for people to pray and to pray out loud,” she said. “We would like nothing more than to carry that message forward for her.”

    The other driver, Aaron Smith, has been charged with a DWI, second degree assault, and failure to drive on the right half of the roadway.

  • Woman Burns Dog Alive, Brags About It on Facebook

    [WARNING: Graphic images of animal abuse below]

    In what the St. Louis, Missouri Animal Cruelty Task Force is calling one of the most notorious animal cruelty cases in its history, a woman has been charged with felony animal abuse and “knowingly burning” after she allegedly chained a dog up, set it on fire, and bragged about it on Facebook.

    The incident occurred a couple of weeks ago when terrible human being Adrienne Martin tied her sister’s dog Brownie to a “short, heavy chain” and proceeded to light its face and body on fire. The Stray Rescue organization in St. Louis rescued to dog on July 10th, but the injuries were too severe and Brownie eventually succumbed to them.

    “This is one of the most disturbing abuse cases I have ever dealt with,” said Founder of Stray Rescue Randy Grim. “It has stricken our community to the core of our hearts, but I am inspired by how swiftly we have been able to respond to these awful cases. Brownie deserves justice.”

    Here are the Facebook posts that help lead police in Martin’s direction. They were posted publicly and are still visible today:

    (image)

    She later posted:

    MF’s is killing me about this stupid dog ….keep it real…you didn’t take care nor like or love the MF…on the TV str8 lies …?#?laughingeveryday?….stop bitch..

    After initially denying her involvement in the dog’s death, terrible human being Adrienne Martin eventually confessed, according to a probable cause statement just filed by the Circuit Attorney’s Office.

    “We see a ton of abuse cases, far too many, but the way in which Brownie suffered really struck a nerve with everyone,” said Grim. “Our community is sick and tired of these horrific crimes, and animal abusers everywhere need to know their crimes won’t be tolerated and you will be arrested.”

    (image)

    (image)

    Martin claimed that the dog had bit her son the day before, a bite that forced him to seek medical attention.

    A few days ago, terrible human being Adrienne Martin posted on Facebook that she was “feeling sensitive today” and had the “jailhouseblues.com.” I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who wouldn’t be too upset to see her rot in jail and gain a little more sensitivity. Or maybe a goddamned heart.

  • Child Molester Kills Himself in Court With Cyanide

    It was like a scene out of a spy thriller. Steve Parsons of Maryville, Missouri, was absolutely not going to jail.

    Parsons, age 48, had been accused of forcible sodomy of a 14-year-old girl. He was having his day in court and a verdict had been read. He was found guilty, not of forcible sodomy, but of statutory sodomy. The crime carried a sentence of up to 7 years in prison.

    What witnesses describe next, according to a local news station, is something they will likely not forget for the rest of their lives. Nodaway County Sheriff Darren White tells what happened in the courtroom as the jurors pronounced Parsons guilty.

    “As the judge was polling the jury, Mr. Parsons stood up, walked to where I was seated and looked at me and said, ‘I’m going to throw up.’ He picked up a drink, took a very small drink out of this cup, and then returned to his seat. Less than two minutes after that, Mr. Parsons arched his back and began to have a seizure.”

    White said that Parsons collapsed to the floor and began convulsing. He stopped breathing on the way to a nearby hospital, and later died.

    On Friday authorities searched Parsons car and found a piece of paper with a phone number on it. It turned out to be for a chemical company. Further investigation revealed that Parsons had bought 100 grams of cyanide from the company and apparently ingested it in the courtroom, killing himself in front of the judge, jurors, sheriff and onlookers, rather than go to jail. An autopsy report confirmed that his death was a result of cyanide poisoning.

    The prosecuting attorney who brought Parsons case to trial, Jerry Biggs, said, “I can’t speculate to what he was going through, but I’m firmly convinced that his death was not a result of a wrongful verdict by the jury. This was a girl who had been wronged and was determined and brave enough to make things right.”

  • Beef Recall: National Beef Could Contain E. Coli

    The National Beef Packing company this week recalled almost 23,000 pounds of ground beef over fears it could be contaminated with E. coli. The Missouri company issued the recall after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service tested a ground beef sample positive for the bacteria. As of Wednesday, there have been no reported illnesses related to the beef.

    The recall is regional, affecting 22,737 pounds of ground beef produced on May 25 2013. The products are all 10-pound packs of National Beef-branded beef and chuck. Packages of 80/20 Coarse Ground Chuck, 81/19 Coarse Ground Beef, 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck with sell by dates of June 14, 2013 are all included in the recall. The package codes for these products are 0481, 0421, and 0484. The products were shipped in 70-pound boxes to distributors and military commissaries in the Kansas City area.

    The products are no longer available to consumers, though there are still concerns that some packages could still be found in consumers’ freezers. National Beef has stated that it is cooperating with authorities to investigate the meat and is in the process of contacting customers who purchased it.

    E. coli can cause severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps, dehydration, and, in rare cases, death. The USDA recommends using a food thermometer to ensure that ground beef is cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • Yearbook Prank Could Result in Felony Charge

    Yearbook Prank Could Result in Felony Charge

    A yearbook prank by a Missouri girl could now bring federal charges.

    According to an Columbia Daily Tribune report, 17-year-old Kaitlyn Booth (pictured), a junior at Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri, could now be facing a felony charge after changing a classmate’s name in the school yearbook. The girl allegedly changed a classmate’s last name to “masturbate” instead of Mastain. According to the Daily Tribune story, Booth could be charged with first-degree property damage and harassment.

    The yearbooks had already been printed when the prank was discovered, and the school declined to reprint some 700 yearbooks at a cost of more than $41,000. Instead, stickers were printed with the student’s real name and placed into each yearbook.

    The girl whose name was changed, Raigan Mastain, told the newspaper that she wasn’t friends with the arrested girl and “hardly knew her at all,” though both worked on the yearbook. Mastain stated that the girl’s action was inappropriate and disappointing, but that she was “shocked” to learn that Booth had been arrested. Mastain also stuck up for Booth, saying that she doesn’t think the prank should affect Booth for the rest of her life.