ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP and Post) — A former Missouri corrections officer will serve at least 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a minor.
35-year-old Roger Briggs of Polo pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree sodomy. He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 30 years.
As we previously reported, court documents accused Briggs of abusing a 7-year-old child over the span of five years.
He was working for the Missouri Department of Corrections before his arrest.
SWANSEA, Ill. (AP) — Officials at an Illinois middle school just east of St. Louis say the ground beneath parts of the school is moving.
KSDK-TV reports that inspectors with the Department of Natural Resources have asked Wolf Branch School to close off its gym and cafeteria after seeing cracks in the floor and tiles starting to buckle.
Inspectors believe the ground beneath the Swansea, Illinois, school is unsteady because of an abundance of shifting underground mines.
Superintendent Scott Harres says he’s unsure of the timeline or cost of such a fix. He says federal grant money may help with emergency costs, though the school district will probably have to pay if more money is needed later on.
Inspectors will be back at the school Tuesday to conduct more testing.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court is putting a public defender on probation after he admitted to neglecting indigent clients while he dealt with illness and a heavy caseload.
The state’s high court on Tuesday put Columbia-based public defender Karl Hinkebein on probation for a year. The court could suspend his license if he doesn’t follow his probation.
The case hit on larger concerns that have been raised by the head of the public defender system about underfunding and unmanageable caseloads.
Hinkebein in court documents admitted that he failed to properly represent and communicate with six clients between 2011 and 2014. A state attorney discipline agency recommended he be suspended for a year, but his attorney argued for a lighter punishment because he was sick and handling a large caseload.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The number of licensed abortion clinics in Missouri has grown from one to two and third clinic is expected to begin taking appointments soon.
Planned Parenthood Great Plains received a license to book appointments for nonsurgical abortions at its Kansas City clinic and consultations are expected to begin Sept. 18. The organization also is expected to receive a license for surgical and medication abortions at its Columbia clinic in the next few days.
Currently, only a Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Louis offers abortion services.
The state Department of Health and Senior Services issued the licenses after a judge halted a state law restricting the practice.
An agency spokeswoman says licenses for clinics in Springfield and Joplin are still going through the formal review process.
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Fake fingers are bringing some national attention to Johnson County Community College.
Health care students at the community college use plastic fingers that hold liquid to simulate drawing blood for glucose testing. The Kansas City Star reports it’s the first product conceived, funded, developed and marketed by the college.
In recent months, the University of North Carolina and Texas Tech University have ordered some of the fingers.
Dr. David Zamierowski, a medical adviser for the college’s Healthcare Simulation Center, says the college hopes to continue to develop and market such products, much like practices at larger research universities.
He teamed with nursing professor Kathy Carver to develop the fingers so nursing students can practice glucose testing, which is important for the growing number of diabetic patients.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest news surrounding observances marking the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks (all times ET):
3:15 p.m.
Some Americans are marking the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by volunteering on service projects.
In New York City, shifts of volunteers gathered at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum to put together meals to be distributed to people in need locally, as well as those affected by hurricanes in Texas and Florida.
The co-founder of 9/11 Day, which pushed for Sept. 11 to become recognized as a national day of service, said, “We simply wanted something good to come from this day.”
Among the volunteers was 16-year-old Hillary O’Neill of Norwalk, Connecticut, who was born the day of the attacks. She said volunteering was a way to bring something positive to the day.
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11:45 a.m.
A 10-year-old boy who helped pull an unconscious kayaker to safety has posthumously been given an award named for a flight attendant aboard a hijacked jetliner that was flown into the World Trade Center.
Jaydon Dancy was named recipient of the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery on Monday at a Massachusetts Statehouse ceremony marking the 16th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Jaydon’s mother, Michelle, accepted the award.
Jaydon was playing on the Salem waterfront in August 2016 when he saw the kayaker capsize. He and an older woman swam out to pull the unconscious man from of the water.
Jaydon was struck and killed by a train in June.
Sweeney quietly provided ground crews with critical information about the terrorists aboard American Airlines Flight 11.
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11:40 a.m.
A Fox News Channel host, in an interview with Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke (ZINK’-ee), appeared to equate a memorial to victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to the controversy over statues of Confederate soldiers.
Zinke was a guest on “Fox & Friends” Monday. He was talking about his appearance with Vice President Mike Pence at the memorial to passengers on hijacked United Flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 11, 2001.
Host Brian Kilmeade asked if Zinke worried that 100 years from now, “someone’s going to try and take that memorial down like they’re trying to remake our memorials today.”
It was an apparent reference to debates over the future of memorials to Confederate figures from the Civil War.
After a brief pause, Zinke replied: “I’m one that believes we should learn from history.”
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10:55 a.m.
Vice President Mike Pence is addressing the family and friends of the victims of United Flight 93 and the hundreds of citizens attending the somber service in Pennsylvania.
Pence tells the crowd he was in Washington as a member of Congress on 9/11. That’s where he learned a hijacked plane was heading to the U.S. Capitol and was only 12 minutes away. He says that was the longest 12 minutes of his life, but he soon learned the plane went down in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Thirty-three passengers and seven crew members were killed.
The ceremony started at 9:45 a.m., the time that federal investigators determined passengers decided to revolt against their four al-Qaeda hijackers, who ended up crashing the plane in a field 60 miles (96 kilometers) southeast of Pittsburgh.
Pence says those passengers might well have save his life.
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10:29 a.m.
A bell is tolling to mark the moment when the north tower of the World Trade Center collapsed on Sept. 11, 2001.
The U.S. on Monday is marking the 16th anniversary of the terrorist attack that killed nearly 3,000. Four hijacked planes hit the trade center towers and the Pentagon, and crashed in a Pennsylvania field. A moment of silence followed the bells.
The commemoration began with a moment of silence at tolling bells at 8:46 a.m., when the first terrorist-piloted plane slammed into the World Trade Center’s north tower.
Victims’ relatives are reading the names of those killed.
At a Pentagon ceremony, President Donald Trump said the nation grieves for the victims, and when America is united “no force on earth can break us apart.”
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10:10 a.m.
President Donald Trump says during a 9/11 ceremony at the Pentagon that the nation grieves for the people “who were murdered by terrorists” 16 years ago.
The president and first lady Melania Trump joined with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, members of his Cabinet and military personnel at the Pentagon to observe the anniversary of the attacks on the nation’s defense headquarters.
The president is issuing a warning to extremists, saying “America cannot be intimidated” and those who try will join the list of enemies “who dared to test our mettle.”
He says when America is united, “no force on earth can break us apart.”
The native New Yorker is observing the 9/11 anniversary for the first time as president. Nearly 3,000 people were killed when four hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and at a Pennsylvania field.
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10:04 a.m.
Moments of silence have been held to observe when the south World Trade Center tower collapsed on Sept. 11, 2001, and when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The fourth and fifth bells tolled to mark the moments: 9:59 a.m. for the tower and 10:03 a.m. for the United flight on the 16th anniversary of the terror attack.
Monday’s commemoration began with a moment of silence and tolling bells at 8:46 a.m. It’s the time when a terrorist-piloted plane slammed into the World Trade Center’s north tower. Other bells tolled when a second plane struck the south tower, and when a plane struck the Pentagon.
Then, victims’ relatives began reading the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed when four hijacked planes hit the trade center, the Pentagon and at the Pennsylvania field.
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9:50 a.m.
A somber ritual that includes the tolling of bells and a reading of the victims’ names is underway in Pennsylvania, honoring the 33 passengers and seven crew members killed in the terror attack on United Flight 93.
Vice President Mike Pence is at ceremony outside the park’s visitor center in Shanksville. It began at 9:45 a.m., the time that federal investigators determined passengers decided to revolt against their four al-Qaeda hijackers, who ended up crashing the plane in a field 60 miles (96 kilometers) southeast of Pittsburgh 16 years ago.
On Sunday, ground was broken at the national memorial on the last element of the park, a 93-foot (28-meter) Tower of Voices with 40 tubular wind chimes, one for each victim. It should be completed in time for the 17th anniversary of 9/11.
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9:38 a.m.
A third bell has tolled at 9:37 a.m. at ground zero to mark the moment a plane slammed into the Pentagon on 9/11.
Monday marked the 16th anniversary of the terror attacks.
Then victims’ relatives then resumed reading the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed when four hijacked planes hit the trade center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field on Sept. 11, 2001.
Republican President Donald Trump, a native New Yorker, observed a moment of silence at the White House. He will also be participating in the observance at the Pentagon. It’s his first time observing the anniversary as president.
There is also a ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
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9:03 a.m.
A second bell has tolled at 9:03 a.m. at ground zero to mark the moment a second terrorist-piloted plane slammed into the World Trade Center’s south tower.
Monday marked the 16th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Then victims’ relatives again began reading the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed when four hijacked planes hit the trade center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field on Sept. 11, 2001.
Republican President Donald Trump, a native New Yorker, observed a moment of silence at the White House and then participating in an observance at the Pentagon. It’s his first time observing the anniversary as president.
There is also a ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
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8:47 a.m.
President Donald Trump is leading a national moment of silence on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
The president and first lady Melania Trump joined with staffers on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday morning to mark the moment when the first plane struck the World Trade Center 16 years ago.
The president and first lady bowed their heads as bells tolled and then placed their hands over their hearts as taps played.
This is Trump’s first 9/11 commemoration ceremony as president.
Trump was in New York during the 2001 attacks. He has offered unverified accounts of friends he lost that day and reports of Muslims celebrating when the World Trade Center towers collapsed.
Trump will participate in a 9/11 observance at the Pentagon later Wednesday morning.
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8:47 a.m.
Victims’ relatives, survivors and rescuers are observing the 16th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks at ground zero.
Monday’s commemoration began with a moment of silence and tolling bells at 8:46 a.m. It’s the time when a terrorist-piloted plane slammed into the World Trade Center’s north tower.
Then victims’ relatives began reading the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed when four hijacked planes hit the trade center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field on Sept. 11, 2001.
Republican President Donald Trump, a native New Yorker, is observing a moment of silence at the White House and then participating in an observance at the Pentagon. It’s his first time observing the anniversary as president.
There is also a ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
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5:45 a.m.
Police officers are on hand after a threat referencing Sept. 11 was found written in a bathroom stall in a Pennsylvania school.
Officers are patrolling Central Bucks West High School in Doylestown as a precaution Monday.
It’s not clear what the threat said. But principal Timothy Donovan told parents the situation was promptly addressed to ensure the safety of students and teachers.
The school will excuse the absences of any students if parents decide to keep their children home.
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2 a.m.
A series of paintings, sculpture and illustrations depicting the New York City Police department’s actions during Sept. 11 is part of a new exhibit at John Jay College.
NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill says the works are from both the department’s headquarters and the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington. The New York Post reports the exhibit opened Friday and will run for four months.
O’Neill was present at the ribbon cutting and says the exhibit will uphold the legacies of those who died on 9/11.
The exhibit is titled “Bravery & Sacrifice” and is on display in John Jay’s Memorial Hall.
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12:15 a.m.
While the U.S. contends with the destruction caused by two ferocious hurricanes in three weeks, Americans also are marking the 16th anniversary of one of the nation’s most scarring days.
Thousands of 9/11 victims’ relatives, survivors, rescuers and others are expected to gather Monday at the World Trade Center to remember the deadliest terror attack on American soil.
Observances also are planned at the Pentagon and the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Nearly 3,000 people died when hijacked planes slammed into the trade center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville on Sept. 11, 2001.
Republican President Donald Trump, a native New Yorker, is observing the anniversary for the first time as the nation’s leader. The White House says he’ll observe a moment of silence and also participate in an observance at the Pentagon.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Federal authorities have indicted nine people in a drug trafficking operation in northeast Kansas
U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said in a statement Friday that a six-count indictment alleges the nine people obtained methamphetamine from California and distributed it to buyers in Marshall County.
The defendants face charges including conspiracy to distribute meth, possession with intent to distribute meth, conspiracy to launder money and money laundering.
Defendants live in Waterville, Marysville and Blue Rapids, Kansas, while one lives in Porterville, California.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say motorists in Jefferson City created a traffic hazard over the weekend when they began snatching up fake $100 bills that had been dumped onto a road.
Jefferson City police said in a news release that officers responded Sunday morning after the counterfeit money was discarded on a road. Police say the bills have identical serial numbers and pink Asian script on the front.
The release didn’t say what led up to the counterfeit money being dumped on the road. It’s not known how many of the bills were picked up. Businesses are urged to be cautious and not accept the fake money.
SIKESTON, Mo. (AP) — The infant mortality rate in the Bootheel region of Missouri is among the highest in the nation, prompting an education effort aimed at keeping babies safe.
The Sikeston Standard-Democrat reports that a child born in a six-county area of the southeast corner of Missouri is less likely to survive its first year than a child born in Romania, Tonga or Botswana.
The U.S. infant mortality rate is 5.9 deaths per 1,000. The Missouri rate is 6.5 deaths per 1,000. In some areas of the Bootheel, the mortality rate is as high as 11.7 deaths per 1,000. Over the past eight years, 135 babies have died in Dunklin, New Madrid, Mississippi, Pemiscot, Stoddard and Scott counties.
The organization Bootheel Babies & Families is promoting safe sleep education for parents and caregivers.
(AP) – An investigation by The Associated Press and USA TODAY Network reveals that the highest rates of teenage gun violence in the country are generally in smaller and mid-sized cities.
Wilmington, Delaware, with a population of just 72,000, has by far the highest rates of young people ages 12 to 17 injured or killed in shootings.
Of the top 10 cities with the highest rates, most were smaller cities with populations between 50,000 and 250,000. High on the list were Syracuse, New York, and Savannah, Georgia. Chicago was the lone large-population city ranking high.
Poverty and a sense of hopelessness is a common thread.
The news organizations analyzed 3½ years’ worth of data from the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that gathers information from media reports and police press releases. CLICK HERE to view the website for statistics.
