COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - A Columbia lawyer says a local ordinance that treats marijuana possession as a municipal violation isn't being followed by Boone County sheriff's deputies patrolling within city limits.
The Columbia-based Missouri Civil Liberties Association says the sheriff and the county prosecutor are disregarding the intent of city voters who approved the change in 2004.
Columbia's ordinance treats possession of up to 35 grams of marijuana as a misdemeanor. Violators are usually released with a summons to appear in court rather than placed under arrest.
Columbia attorney Dan Viets says sheriff's officers are instead arresting pot users in the city under more stringent state laws, and Knight is not downgrading those cases to municipal status.
The sheriff and prosecutor did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
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A suspect is in custody after allegedly shooting into a South St. Louis home.
Police were on the scene when they saw the suspect fire several shots into a home near the intersection of Nebraska and Cherokee. Officers chased the man and caught him just a few blocks away.
No one was injured in the home and it is not known why he shot at the house.
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ST. LOUIS (AP) - Public records show a New Jersey man behind the wheel of a van that overturned on an Illinois freeway, killing five passengers, had his driving privileges suspended last year for administrative reasons.
Fayette County State's Attorney Joshua Morrison says 45-year-old Malcolm Purnell was ticketed after Monday's wreck on Interstate 70 east of St. Louis for improper lane usage and driving with a suspended license.
Illinois State Police have refused to publicly identify the driver, but The Associated Press obtained the citation against Purnell.
Motor vehicle records show Purnell lost his license after failing to resolve insurance issues. His license also was suspended briefly in 2002 after falling behind on child support. The records show no actual driving-related violations over the past decade.
Purnell hasn't replied to AP interview requests.
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TROY, Mo. (AP) - One carnival worker is badly injured and another in jail following an altercation in eastern Missouri.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 25-year-old Clint Carelse of South Africa allegedly got into a fight with the victim late Tuesday at the Troy Fairgrounds in Lincoln County. The 22-year-old victim, also from South Africa was stabbed in the abdomen. He is hospitalized in serious but stable condition.
The two men work for the Southeast Amusement Carnival Co. of Farmland, Ind. Police say they were in Missouri working at a fair in St. Charles County.
Carelse is charged with assault and armed criminal action and jailed on $75,000 cash-only bond.
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (AP) - A low-flying military jet from a western Missouri Air Force base clipped several power lines, but officials said no injuries were reported.
The Springfield News-Leader reports that the A-10 Thunderbolt military jet from Whiteman Air Force base hit several power lines crossing Stockton Lake on Wednesday afternoon. A-10 Thunderbolts are single-seat, twin-engine attack jets.
Danielle Johnston, spokeswoman for the Air Force Reserve's 442nd Fighter Wing at Whiteman, said the plane hit the power lines near the unincorporated town of Bona, which is about 30 miles northwest of Springfield. The jet clipped the lines where they cross the southeast arm of Stockton Lake.
Crews have been working to mark the area with buoys to keep boaters away from submerged power lines.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois legislation allowing public possession of concealed guns has passed the House Judiciary Committee. It was a compromise backed by Speaker Michael Madigan.
The measure was endorsed Thursday 13-3 and goes to the full House Friday. It comes two weeks before a June 9 deadline set by a federal appeals court for Illinois to abandon its prohibition on the public possession of weapons.
The legislation would require the Illinois State Police to issue concealed carry permits to qualified gun owners. It's patterned on a bill introduced by gun-rights advocate Rep. Brandon Phelps, a southern Illinois Democrat.
But Madigan's version significantly adds places that would be off limits to guns. Those include mass transit - a must for violence-weary Chicago Democrats.
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Legislation increasing the speed limit on interstate highways in Illinois to 70 mph is headed to Gov. Pat Quinn.
The House approved the bill 85-30 Wednesday. The current maximum speed limit is 65 mph.
Sponsoring Rep. Jerry Costello II says the bill is good for business. The Smithton Democrat says it will allow companies to move their wares more quickly.
Gov. Pat Quinn's Transportation Department opposes the increase. But spokeswoman Brooke Anderson says Quinn will review the bill.
House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie says studies show increased speeds result in more crashes and deaths.
But a Jacksonville Republican Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer says motorists heading south avoid Illinois, meaning fewer stops for fuel and food.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois lawmakers have overridden Gov. Pat Quinn's veto of legislation that addresses so-called Smart Grid technology.
The Illinois House voted Wednesday to again approve the legislation, a day after the Senate approved it for a second time. Quinn vetoed it May 6, saying the proposal weakened oversight and forced automatic rate hikes.
ComEd and Ameren pushed the bill to clarify legislation allowing the utilities to raise rates to fund the high-tech system. But the Illinois Commerce Commission and both utilities disagreed over implementation. ComEd filed an appeal over technical matters and faces a lawsuit over installation delays.
ComEd says with the new law the average residential customer will pay 40 cents more a month starting in 2014 and 80 cents more in 2017.
City leaders were together to announce the start of a drive to collect donations headed to Moore, Oklahoma.
The campaign started out on Twitter with the hashtag #STL4OKC. The project has an ambition goal of filling a semi-truck by Saturday morning.
Donations can be dropped off Thursday from 4 PM - 10:30 PM across the street from Gate One at Busch Stadium. On Friday and Saturday, there are two donation sites. One in the Loughborough Commons and the other in the Kirkwood Commons. Organizers are asking for new and prepacked supplies that range from baby wipes and sunscreen, to blankets and batteries.
Drop-off times and locations:
Thursday, May 23rd 4 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Broadway & Spruce across from Gate One at Busch Stadium (Tums Parking Lot)
Friday, May 24th 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Loughborough Commons
I-55 & Loughborough
Kirkwood Commons
I-44 & Lindbergh
Suggested donations:
·Baby Items – Diapers, wipes, formula, Pedialyte or equivalent
·Personal needs - lip balm, Insect repellant, bathroom tissue, feminine hygiene products, sunscreen, eye drops, first aid supplies, wet wipes, toiletries
·Cleaning supplies – bleach, disinfectant, paper towels
·Building and packing materials –small hand tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, nails, crow bars, saws, screws, work gloves, plywood, Duct tape, heavy duty garbage bags, storage containers, nylon rope, large plastic containers tarps
·Pet supplies – food, kitty litter, pet bowls
·Children shoes, socks, underwear, clothes, sports equipment (balls)
·Non-perishable food
·Blankets
·Bottled water
·Batteries (C and D sizes)
·Candles
Dozens of protesters demonstrated outside St. Louis city police headquarters Wednesday, determined to continue pressuring for an investigation into the shooting death of a St. Louis man.
The anguish of a grandmother as a family seeks answers regarding the shooting death of Carey Ball, Jr. killed last month by St. Louis city police during a traffic stop. Family and friends depict a young man who was getting his life on track, an honor student at Forest Park. Police say he pointed a weapon and they opened fire.
Ball's father says his son did have a gun, but had thrown it down and was surrendering to police when he was shot. Carey Ball, Sr. says they don't want a pity party, just a thorough investigation.
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