Edward Meerwald was bound over for trial today after his preliminary hearing in Newton County Circuit Court on two charges of involuntary manslaughter and a charge of resisting arrest.
According to news reports, Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Joe Curless testified that Meerwald said he had been drinking and appeared drunk shortly after the car he was driving ran off Highway 86 July 30 and struck James Dodson, 69, Neosho, and Dodson's granddaughter, Jessica Mann, 7, of Joplin, killing them.
Curless and Assistant Newton County Coroner Lee Ireland were the only witnesses who were called.
The next step in the case is an arraignment in trial court at which time a trial date will be sent. The case was returned to Newton County after a series of delays in Jasper County Circuit Court, where it had been sent on a change of venue.
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The Rubbermaid Three didn't even make it a year.
O'Sullivan Industries Executive Vice President-Operations Michael Orr announced his resignation effective March 4. Orr will be taking a position with "another company" according to information filed with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission.
Orr was one of two Newell Rubbermaid officials brought in by million-dollar CEO Bob Parker, himself a former Newell Rubbermaid official. The announcement of Orr's resignation was terse and was limited to one brief paragraph.
How this will affect the changes in management and direction that Parker has said have greatly improved the prospects of O'Sullivan was not mentioned in the CEO's proclamation from O'Sullivan's new corporate headquarters in an Atlanta, Ga., suburb.
During a January filing with the SEC, Parker said, "Organizational changes and a focused strategic plan are beginning to manifest themselves in the marketplace." Despite the manifestation, the company lost $12.1 million during the second quarter of the fiscal year.
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A Jerico Springs man was indicted by a federal grand jury on weapons charges today.
Jeremy Bass, 34, was indicted by the panel as he awaits trial in Barton County on a drug charge.
The indictment says that on Nov. 11 in Barton County, Bass, who was convicted on drug possession charges Feb. 7, 2001, in Barton County Circuit Court, possessed "firearms and ammunition, to wit: a Browning .30-06 caliber semi-automatic rifle, a Browning, .338 caliber bolt action rifle, Model A-Bolt, 61 rounds of FC .30-06 SPRG ammunition, 20 rounds of Winchester 30-06 SPRG ammunition, and 53 rounds of W-W Super .338 Win Mag ammunition," all in violation of federal code.
Barton County court records indicate Bass has 9 a.m. April 12 hearing in Barton County Circuit Court on a drug possession charge. He also received a suspended sentence on another drug charge in 1998, according to court files.
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A former McDonald County deputy and Seneca police officer will be given more time to file pretrial motions, according to an order filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
Randy Hance is awaiting an April 25 trial on federal weapons charges and is being held without bond in the Greene County Jail. The order says he will have until March 21 to file motions.
As noted earlier in The Turner Report, Hance was ordered held without bond after U. S. attorneys presented letters purportedly written by him that indicated he might be intending to murder his ex-wife, then commit suicide.
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After his company posted record fourth quarter and 2004 results, Saga Communications CEO Ed Christian told Radio and Television Business Report today that he was "sick of seeing articles bashing the broadcasting business as being in dire straits."
He noted that other broadcasters had also had record ratings. More information on Saga's fourth quarter report was featured in the Feb. 24 Turner Report.
Locally, Saga owns the KOAM and KFJX television stations.
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Check out the new redesigned Missouri Southern State University website homepage. The homepage, which premiered Feb. 4 is designed to support more browsers, including Navigator, Firefox and Internet Explorer, according to an article in this week's Chart, the campus newspaper.
"It's redesigned with more homepage links," Rod Surber, public information director, told reporter Kathleen Cunningham. "Students and visitors have a visibility-incorporated page, text-only page, and non-flash page. The accessibility is improved and can accommodate major browsers."
I'm not sure what all that means, but the site looks sharp. Check it out at www.mssu.edu
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