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St. Louis County police to carry heroin antidote Narcan

Narcan Nasal Spray.
Narcan Nasal Spray.

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — St. Louis County police officers will soon carry the heroin antidote Narcan.

Training for use of the antidote is scheduled to start Thursday, soon after a news conference detailing the plan. The department says all commissioned police personnel will be trained in use of the medication, and it will be available in every county patrol vehicle.

St. Louis County reported more than 90 heroin-related deaths last year. Police Chief Jon Belmar says the nasal spray Narcan gives police a chance to help save lives.

A state law passed in 2014 allows police departments to carry and use Narcan, but so far, few do. The medication can also serve as an antidote for overdoses caused by prescription opioid medications such as morphine, codeine and oxycodone.

Kansas City man ordered to forfeit $840K in drug proceeds

cash money giftKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 37-year-old Kansas City man has been ordered to forfeit more than $800,000 that authorities say he made selling large amounts of heroin and methamphetamine.

The Kansas City Star reports that Eric Harris pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, illegal possession of a firearm and money laundering Tuesday. Prosecutors say Harris conspired to distribute more than four pounds of heroin and 12 pounds of methamphetamine between February 2012 and September 2014.

Harris was arrested after fleeing from a police traffic stop. Prosecutors say drugs, $42,000 and seven firearms were found in his home during a search.

Harris must forfeit $840,000 in drug proceeds and his house. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

St. Joseph cop put on leave for role in racially charged video

(YouTube video uploaded Feb. 18 with edits.  Craft’s face is blurred.)

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — A white Missouri police officer has been placed on unpaid leave after he appeared in a racially charged music video wearing his uniform and carrying a sign reading “cop lives matter.”

St. Joseph patrolman Zackary Craft also is seen reaching for his gun in the video for “Before This Bomb Blows Up (Racism Goes Both Ways)” by Josh Smith, a white suburban Kansas City rapper who performs as J.Smitty.

Smith says he took down the video when Craft was suspended last week but reposted it Thursday with Craft’s face blurred.

Craft’s attorney, Morgan Roach, says Craft allowed himself to be filmed “without knowing the words, content, or context” and was “appalled” when he saw the video.

Police spokesman Capt. Jeff Wilson says the department “in no way condones the video.”

White House disputes Apple’s position on iPhone hack request

iphone-926235_1280WASHINGTON (AP) — Although the CEO of Apple says an order from a federal magistrate could threaten the security of millions of iPhones, the White House doesn’t see it that way.

The magistrate ordered Apple to help the FBI hack into an iPhone that had been used by one of the shooters who carried out the massacre in San Bernardino, California last year.

But Apple CEO Tim Cook says the company will resist. He says the administration is trying to get Apple to build a “backdoor” that would bypass digital locks protecting consumer information on iPhones. And he says the software would be “too dangerous to create.”

White House spokesman Josh Earnest disagrees. He says the court isn’t trying to get Apple to “redesign its product” or “create a new backdoor.” Instead, Earnest says, the order would “have an impact on this one device.”

At the center of the debate is the private information carried on nearly 900 million iPhones sold worldwide.

In Congress, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican Richard Burr, said, “Court orders are not optional and Apple should comply.” Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein (FYN’-styn) said she thought the government should be able to access the phone. On the campaign trail, Republican Donald Trump said he agreed “100 percent with the courts.”

Toyota recalls over 1.1M SUVs for possible seat belt failure

ToyotaDETROIT (AP) — Toyota is recalling more than 1.1 million small SUVs in the U.S. because the seat belts might fail in a crash.

The recall covers RAV4 SUVS from the 2006 through 2012 model years, as well as the RAV4 electric vehicle from 2012 through 2014.

Toyota says it’s possible that the belts in both second-row outside seats could come in contact with the metal seat cushion frame in a severe frontal crash. If that happens, the belts could become cut and would not restrain passengers.

The company says it will add plastic covers to the seat cushion frame at no cost to owners. It was unclear when the recall would begin.

Kansas House approves plan for balancing next state budget

Kansas StatehouseTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House has approved a plan for eliminating a projected deficit of nearly $200 million in the state’s next budget.

The vote Wednesday was 68-53 on a compromise bill drafted by negotiators for the House and Senate to reconcile differences between the two chambers.

The Senate could vote on the plan as early as Thursday, and its approval would send the measure to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.

The plan makes dozens of changes in the state’s $16.1 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. It contains most of Brownback’s proposals to help close the gap by juggling funds and capturing unanticipated savings.

The measure includes a House proposal for a 2.5 percent pay raise for uniformed corrections officers at state prisons.

St. Louis suburb weighs bow hunting to curb deer population

Two deerLADUE, Mo. (AP) — The St. Louis suburb of Ladue could soon become the latest town to allow hunting to curb a growing deer population.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Ladue City Council on Tuesday directed staff to develop recommendations on legislation that would allow bow hunting. The council also wants to hear a presentation on deer control measures next month from an urban wildlife biologist from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

The biologist, Erin Shank, has said in a previous presentation that archery hunting would be the most appropriate way to cull the deer herd in Ladue.

Mayor Nancy Spewak says action needs to be taken before deer herd gets out of control.

Teamster retirees fight pension cuts at Kansas City meeting

Money cashKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hundreds of retired Teamsters have turned out in Kansas City to air concerns about proposed pension cuts.

The Kansas City Star reports that the Central States Pension Fund’s proposed cuts were the focus of a town hall meeting Tuesday.

Well-known mediator Kenneth Feinberg is reviewing applications from pension plans under a law passed in 2014. The law would cut benefits as a last ditch means to stave off insolvency of troubled plans such as the huge Central State Fund. It covers 400,000 participants, 220,000 of them retired.

Two much smaller pensions also have sought similar relief under the law, and still more pensions are significantly underfunded.

Feinberg has held seven other public sessions, with Kansas City’s being the last.

Demolition of St. Louis dome among possible options

Edward Jones DomeST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Rams are gone, and the stadium where they played might soon be a thing of the past, too.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports one option being considered for renovation of the city’s convention center is tearing down the Edward Jones Dome, home to the Rams from 1995, their first year in St. Louis, through 2015.

In January, NFL owners agreed to allow Stan Kroenke to move the team to Los Angeles, leaving St. Louis without pro football.

The dome is part of the St. Louis convention center. Officials there have long cited a need to improve exhibit space, expand the center’s ball room and add loading docks and other support facilities. They say the dome as currently configured fails to provide high-quality, contiguous square footage.

Royals add netting to Kauffman Stadium to improve safety

Fans at Kauffman Stadium during opening day 2015. Photo by Nadia Thacker
Fans at Kauffman Stadium during opening day 2015. Photo by Nadia Thacker

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals are installing additional netting at Kauffman Stadium that extends toward the outfield end of each team’s dugout to improve the safety for fans sitting along the foul lines.

Several clubs have considered ways to protect fans from foul balls hit into those seats, and some have suggested that similar netting should be mandatory in major league ballparks.

Royals vice president Kevin Uhlich said Wednesday that the club considered several options before deciding on the new netting. The club hopes it strikes a balance between safety and allowing fans sitting in premium seats to have the same kind of ballpark experience as in years past.

The World Series champion Royals play their home opener against the New York Mets on April 4.

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