The charges against Toi Cannada have been dropped, but the investigation continues. KOAM reported moments ago.
Ms. Cannada's law enforcement career, which has been marred by charges of DWI, which occurred before she joined the Southwest City police force, as well as the latest charges, also include another court filing which had gone unnoticed until now.
An adult abuse/stalking complaint was made against Ms. Cannada on Jan. 13, according to court records. Tennie Jean Longdon asked for a protection order. The case was dismissed without prejudice the following day by Judge John LePage.
Ms. Longdon also asked for a protection order against Southwest City Mayor Al Dixon the same day, court records indicate. That was also dismissed the following day.
A month after the cases were dismissed, on Feb. 14, Ms. Longdon was charged with violating numerous city ordinances. Court records indicate the violations dated back to Jan. 2. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 28 in that case.
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The recent Florida controversy has brought to light a bill signed by President Bush when he was governor of Texas which gives spouses top priority in making decisions over ending medical treatment in situations such as the one involving Terri Schaivo.
Bush apparently has changed his mind in the six years that have passed since he signed that bill, judging by his rapid trip from Texas to Washington to make sure he was there to sign a bill to save Ms. Schaivo.
According to a Cox News Service article, the Texas law says that in cases where the patient has not made a clear decision on whether life-prolonging care should be given the spouse, unless there is a court-appointed guardian, makes the decision, followed by adult children, and parents.
''This is a complex case with serious issues,'' the president said, referring to the Schaivo situation, ''but in extraordinary circumstances like this, it is wise to always err on the side of life.''
That apparently was not the way he felt six years ago.
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The Missouri legislative victory for the big agricultural factory operations appears to be part of a concentrated effort by these companies to gain ground on the state level.
The March 18 Tulsa World features an article on the Oklahoma House's 57-42 approval of a bill that would reduce Attorney General Drew Edmondson's power to sue poultry companies for polluting waterways.
The condition of the state's water does not appear to have worked its way into the equation as far as some of the representatives are concerned. Rep. Fred Morgan, a proponent of the bill, said Edmondson and others had "overstepped their authority and gone after industries. We shouldn't give one person the power to destroy any industry through litigation. That is government lawsuit abuse."
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The Springfield media seems to be picking up on the connection between the current Terri Schiavo situation in Florida and the Nancy Cruzan case in southwest Missouri.
Sunday's Springfield News-Leader featured an op-ed piece by William Colby, the lawyer who represented Joe and Joyce Cruzan as they worked their way through the courts trying to receive permission to have the feeding tubes removed from their daughter, who was left in a persistent vegetative state following a 1982 automobile accident near Carthage.
Colby, who published a book on the Cruzan case and now works for the Center for Practical Bioethics based in Kansas City wrote about the wisdom of preparing a living will, a document which will ensure that doctors and family members follow your wishes if you are ever put in a situation similar to the one that faced Nancy Cruzan.
KYTV in Springfield followed up on the Colby column with a piece last night, according to the station's website.
The Cruzan case was the first so-called "right-to-die" case to go all the way to the U. S. Supreme Court. The court agreed that the right does exist, but the decision did not necessarily apply to Nancy's case unless there was clear evidence that having the feeding tubes removed would have been what she would have wanted.
Another hearing was held in Jasper County Circuit Court in Carthage in October 1990. After hearing a handful of witnesses, Judge Charles Teel ruled on Dec. 12, 1990, that the feeding tubes could be removed. Nancy Cruzan died two weeks later.
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Beverly Enterprises announced this morning that it will go through an auction process to sell the company.
According to a statement released on Business Wire, the Fort Smith, Ark. based company has directed its financial advisors, Lehman Brothers and J. P. Morgan to immediately begin contacting prospective bidders. Beverly at one time had nursing homes throughout southwest Missouri, including in Neosho. It still operates one in Anderson. The company operates 347 nursing homes.
The company has been the target of a takeover attempt by Formation Capital.
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The Wall Street Journal reports that the Ontario Securities Commission's investigation of the scandal involving Hollinger International, former owner of The Carthage Press and The Neosho Daily News, has revealed that former Hollinger CEO Conrad Black and his partner David Radler "diverted tens of millions of dollars" from the company and failed to properly disclose the payments. The amount given in the Journal article was $16.55 million.
The Press and the Daily News belonged to Hollinger's U. S. subsidiary, American Publishing, until most of the smaller American newspapers were sold as part of the formation of Liberty Group Publishing in 1998.
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The former chairman of the board of Bank of Minden in western Barton County died Friday at Mount Carmel Regional Medical Center in Pittsburg. Rudolph N. "Rudy" Simoncic was 90. Mr. Simoncic owned Bowlus School Supply & Sporting Goods for years. He was the grandfather of former Lamar R-1 teacher and coach, Rick Simoncic.