The leaders of tomorrow at Hollister Middle School finished a program on Friday that will help ensure they make better choices in the future. Hollister was able to hold its first Drug Abuse Resistance Program graduation Monday morning for its fifth- and sixth-grade classes. Traditionally, the program is only taught to fifth-grade students, but because Hollister's sixth-graders did not get to participate in the program last year they were invited to do so this year. "Last year, our fifth-graders got passed up," said Middle School Principal Mary Lou Combs. "So, when we set up for this year's fifth-graders, we set it up for the sixth-graders as well, so that no one would get passed up, because I believe this is one of the best drug prevention programs out there." [continues 433 words]
WASHINGTON - The executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is warning of a looming health crisis because of the glut of cheap, highly pure Afghan heroin coming onto the market. The U.N. official, Antonio Maria Costa, said the new supply of Afghan opium, from which heroin is derived, is outpacing demand by record levels. The result: widespread availability, lower prices and such high purity that the danger of overdoses is rising sharply. Costa has recently delivered warnings to national health ministers, mayors and drug therapy agencies in major heroin markets such as Europe, Russia, Iran and North America. He said many have indicated they're already seeing the impact. [continues 1179 words]
Economist Milton Friedman, who died recently at age 94, will be missed. He won't be forgotten. Friedman and British economist John Maynard Keynes were the twin pillars of 20th century economic thought. Keynes -- responding to the excesses stemming from the armistice ending World War I, and the subsequent devastation of the Great Depression -- argued that government had a key role to play in managing devastating swings in unruly economies. His viewpoint held sway for the next four decades. Friedman, beginning shortly after World War II and hitting a crescendo in the 1970s, countered that free markets served as the single most efficient way to allocate resources, effort and capital. Friedman argued that the smaller government was, the better, and that the Keynesian approach over time would inevitably lead to higher inflation and unemployment. [continues 455 words]
Residents of Centralia got a chance to address some of their concerns about their community on Wednesday night. A Town Hall meeting was held at Centralia High School to address the problems of drugs in the community, especially pertaining to kids according to the Mexico Ledger. Local experts spoke at the meeting and addressed questions from the community. Jill Angell, freshman health teacher, Tom Fair, the school resource officer, Pete Schmersal, the drug court coordinator, and Kevin McBee, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict attended to weigh in on the issues. [continues 565 words]
Citizens of Centralia got a chance to address some of their concerns about their community on Wednesday night. A Town Hall meeting was held at Centralia High School to address the problems of drugs in the community, especially pertaining to kids. Local experts spoke at the meeting and addressed questions from the community. Jill Angel, freshman health teacher, Tom Fair, the school resource officer, Pete Schmersal, the drug court coordinator, and Kevin McBee, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict attended to weigh in on the issues. [continues 565 words]
Rolla Public School District Students Got a Week-Long Lesson on How to Just Say "No" During Nationwide Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the United States and was started in 1988 by the National Family Partnership to teach children about the harms of alcohol, drug and tobacco use. Though it is traditionally recognized the week of Oct. 23 through 31, Rolla Junior High School took time last week to teach its students about the dangers of substance abuse with a variety of activities that included a student-organized assembly on Wednesday. [continues 848 words]
HIGH RIDGE -- Despite new laws limiting access to a key ingredient in methamphetamine, the drug remains a serious problem in Jefferson County, speakers at a forum on meth abuse said this week. A large part of the problem is that methamphetamine is so extremely addictive, they said. "I have never in my life met a social methamphetamine user -- never," said Mark Wiggins, manager of Comtrea's Athena Center, a residential treatment center at De Soto for drug and alcohol abusers. Instead, Wiggins said, meth is so powerful that users can become addicted from the first time they try it. Then nothing else matters to them but using meth again, he said. [continues 543 words]
Area Schools Participate in Red Ribbon Week The telltale ornaments for Red Ribbon Week were donated by the Southeast Missouri Community Treatment Center, something the agency has done since the inception of the program in 1988. Red Ribbon week commemorates the work of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent murdered in the line of duty. The week is devoted to encouraging young people to live a drug-free life. Linda Fitzgerald is a spokeswoman for the community treatment center. She believes that prevention is an important message to take to young students. "When you're in the business that we are, of seeing people struggling to overcome addictions .. If you can get them in the beginning and keep them from becoming addicted, that is so much better for them," she said. "We try to show the students the worst case scenario, what could happen to them, if they become addicted to drugs or alcohol." [continues 276 words]
Red Ribbon Week SIKESTON -- Students throughout the Sikeston R-6 school district are learning to say yes to a drug-free life this week during the celebration of Red Ribbon Week. "The purpose of Red Ribbon week is to bring awareness to students about saying no to drugs," said Heather Barnes, sixth grade communication arts teacher and Bulldog Volunteer Organization sponsor. Red Ribbon Week originated as a tribute to Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" S. Camarena of the Drug Enforcement Administration. In 1985, he was killed by drug traffickers in Guadalajara, Mexico. Kiki's death enraged many Americans in his hometown of Calexico, Calif., and they began to wear red ribbons to commemorate his sacrifice. The anti-drug message spread quickly, and in 1988, the National Family Partnership took the Red Ribbon Celebration nationwide. [continues 509 words]
A Statewide Survey Shows That Drug Use Often Begins Before High School In January, the Columbia School Board will hear from the district's Substance Abuse Task Force on how to better combat drug and alcohol use in public schools. Right now the task force is analyzing statistics on drug use and talking with students to determine what steps should be taken. On Thursday, Leslie Trogdon, director of school improvement for the Columbia Public School District, talked to the board about the 2006 Safe and Drug Free Survey. Conducted by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the survey looks at reported drug and alcohol use by ninth- through 12th-graders in public schools statewide. [continues 474 words]
Editor, the Tribune: I am confused by the controversy surrounding the smoking ban. Are the smokers actually saying that their right to be addicted to nicotine is more important than public health? Is it not bad enough that smokers subject their children to secondhand smoke? They want to infect the rest of us too? They say that smoking is their right, but I don't see anything in the Constitution protecting a person's right to inflict their addictions on others. I do, however, see where a person's life is protected by the Constitution. Smoking kills people. It is not a right. Stop crying, smokers - you need the breath. [end]
Kansas City -- A woman who was honored a decade ago for an essay about avoiding drugs and alcohol has been ordered to spend the next decade in federal prison for distributing meth. Susan M. Gardner, 24, of Independence, sold methamphetamine to undercover detectives four times and led police on a chase before she was arrested with another package of the drug stuffed in her pants. In imposing the sentence of 10 years and one month in prison Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Gary Fenner said Gardner had the capacity to live a productive life. But, he said, there was a price she had to pay. "You were significantly involved with the distribution of drugs in this community," Fenner said. [end]
One of the most extensive anti-drug campaigns in Missouri last year was in Phelps County. This year's effort, beginning Oct. 13, is another major endeavor by the Phelps County Anti-drug Committee to raise drug awareness dangers, especially among the county student population grades six through twelve. More than 4,858 T-shirts have been made available for students in those grades in Newburg, Rolla and St. James school districts for their first wear on Oct. 13. Over 500 anti-drug posters are being distributed in the school systems and a Web site, losesomething.com is up and running with information and resources to aid in the campaign. Newspaper, television, and radio releases are also a major part of this year's anti-drug work. [continues 491 words]
Susan M. Gardner's youthful optimism was no match for the insidious grip of methamphetamine. A decade after writing an award-winning essay about avoiding drugs and alcohol, the 24-year-old Independence woman was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years and one month in federal prison for distribution of the drug. Her attorney and the judge who sentenced her agreed that life for Gardner was "out of control" last fall when she sold methamphetamine to undercover detectives four times and led police on a chase before she was arrested with another package of the drug stuffed in her pants. [continues 206 words]
A woman who was honored a decade ago for an essay about avoiding drugs and alcohol has been ordered to spend the next decade in federal prison for distributing meth. Susan M. Gardner, 24, of Independence, sold methamphetamine to undercover detectives four times and led police on a chase before she was arrested with another package of the drug stuffed in her pants. In imposing the sentence of 10 years and one month in prison on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Gary Fenner said Gardner had the capacity to live a productive life. [continues 135 words]
Have you heard the news? There is now a low-cost drug proven to ease a cancer patient's suffering. Not only does this drug reduce the physical and psychological pain of cancer, but, more importantly, it restores a chemotherapy patient's appetite. The drug, of course, is marijuana. Unfortunately, in a 6-3 ruling last year, the U.S. Supreme Court turned thumbs down on the drug, overturning laws in 11 states which allowed doctors to prescribe the medication to their cancer patients. [continues 524 words]
When considering the issue of drug use in public schools, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. "What is the perception, and what is the reality?" said Lynn Barnett, assistant superintendent for student support services and head of the Columbia Public School District's substance abuse task force. To help answer that question, Barnett and Karla DeSpain, school board president, talked with students at Hickman High School on Wednesday morning. DeSpain contacted George Frissell, chairman of Hickman's language arts department, after reading an article in the Missourian about a debate his students had on drug testing in schools. The students had discussed the decision by the Francis Howell School District in suburban St. Louis to institute mandatory drug testing for students involved in athletics and extracurricular activities. [continues 283 words]
In a roomful of valuable books at the Rock Bridge Media Center, the information offered to parents about drug and alcohol abuse was still considered priceless. The school-sponsored forum "Be in the Know" educated parents about drug and alcohol use in high schools on Wednesday. Columbia police Officer Wendy Stokes informed parents that one of the more recent, unexpected things to watch for are prescription drugs. "Start watching your bottles," she said. "The big thing right now is Robitussin gel caps." [continues 227 words]
Jefferson County is part of the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program and that should come as bad news for makers of methamphetamine and dealers. The designation came Monday from John Walters, the director of National Drug Control Policy and President Bush's "drug czar." Franklin, Boone and Cole counties were also designated as part of the program. The HIDTA program will bring an additional $500,000 in federal funds to help coordinate federal, state and local law enforcement activities against drug trafficking throughout the Midwest HIDTA. Jefferson County will receive $125,000 of the $500,000. [continues 609 words]
Parents can now take the lead in drug detection without leaving the comfort of their homes or embarrassing their children. The Carthage R-9 School District has received about $5,000 in vouchers for drug-testing kits. Parents can request and pick up the free vouchers through Assistant Superintendent Mark Baker's office by e-mail, phone, letter or drop-by visit. Parents can then contact the TestMyTeen.com organization and request a free drug testing kit -- paying only the shipping and handling -- to be mailed to an address of the parents' choosing. [continues 188 words]
Because of the threat of methamphetamine and other drugs in Jefferson County, the federal government labeled the county part of the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area this week, and with that label comes small annual doses of federal support to fight drug trafficking. The county will receive $125,000 of the $500,000 divided among four Missouri counties that received the designation this week. Sgt. Gary Higginbotham, commander of the Jefferson County drug task force, said one improvement might be to hire an analyst to find links among traffickers who move drugs across the country and stop in Jefferson County. [continues 181 words]
An account called the "William Ferrell DARE and Crime Prevention Fund" was private money that he could use as he pleased, former Scott County Sheriff Bill Ferrell said Thursday. Responding to a state audit that questioned how $18,200 from the fund was used from Jan. 1, 2004, to Feb. 18, 2005, Ferrell said Scott County had no claim on the money. Auditors have called for further investigation into the use of the fund and other issues. Prosecuting Attorney Paul Boyd said Thursday that "the case is under investigation" and declined to answer further questions. Presiding Commissioner Martin Priggel said he and fellow commissioners have urged Boyd to make a thorough review of issues raised in the audit. [continues 820 words]
Regarding Amanda St. Amand's column "Drug court gives second chance to young addict" (Sept. 28): St. Clair County's drug court is a step in the right direction, but an arrest should not be a prerequisite for drug treatment. Would alcoholics seek help for their illness if doing so were tantamount to confessing to criminal activity? Likewise, would putting every incorrigible alcoholic behind bars and saddling them with criminal records prove cost-effective? The United States earned the distinction of having the highest incarceration rate in the world, with drug offenses accounting for the majority of federal incarcerations. This is big government at its worst. At an average cost of $26,134 per inmate annually, maintaining the world's largest prison system can hardly be considered fiscally conservative. [continues 68 words]
Middle school students in the Francis Howell School District could be tested for drugs by Nov. 1. The district, which began a mandatory drug testing program for most of its high school students in September, is starting a voluntary testing program for middle school students. District spokesman Jim Joyce said about 300 students' parents have signed them up for the program, and the district will send letters soon to parents. The letters will include sign-up forms. Joyce said district officials estimate 700 of the 4,125 middle school students will agree to testing. [continues 564 words]
This is an open letter to all people in the United States of America. I want to express how I feel about drug testing. Why is it that we drug test most all the working people and students in school activities, but not elected officials? These are the people we vote into office to make choices for and about us -- the working people. I believe testing should be mandatory for anyone running for public office, from president all the way down to our city-elected police and fire departments, and be made public record. [continues 52 words]
Given his choice between being sent to Iraq or being sent to the St. Clair County Jail, Tim would have picked Iraq. He didn't have a choice, though, and spent 17 days in July locked up for possession of cocaine. Not that cocaine was the drug of choice for Tim, who said he started smoking marijuana in junior high school and quickly expanded his drug menu. "Ecstasy, mushrooms and acid were the drugs I really liked," he said. He talked about his drug use Wednesday morning while waiting to make his weekly visit to drug court. He's one of four people who have qualified and agreed to participate in the program, which the county began in July. That means he pleaded guilty and agreed to make weekly visits to court. He's tested for drugs twice a week, and required to go to at least one Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meeting a week. Tim's been going to at least two or three instead. [continues 602 words]
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Ella Boone Conley has resigned a month after undercover detectives seized a large number of marijuana plants from a home she shared with her husband, Prosecutor Jack Banas said Wednesday. Banas said that before Conley's resignation Tuesday, she had been on administrative leave since Aug. 25, pending the results of the investigation. No one has been arrested, and no charges have been filed in the case, Banas said. He would not say whether Conley is a target of the probe. [continues 313 words]
Since Nancy Reagan preached "Just Say No" in the 1980s, the adage has served as the guiding principle for the nation's drug prevention efforts. But Mason Duchatschek of Washington, Mo., wants America to embrace a new anti-drug axiom. "I want, 'No thanks, my parents test me,' to replace, 'Just say no,'" Duchatschek, 38, said last week. "I want that to take place in bus stops and playgrounds and locker rooms, because when kids say, 'Just say no,' I'm convinced the pressure gets worse." [continues 1004 words]
One of St. Louis' largest Catholic boys schools is considering mandatory drug-testing for its teachers, board members and staff, a plan that could become the first in the area and one of just a few in the country. Leaders at Christian Brothers College high school in Town and Country emphasized that they have just begun discussing the idea. It follows closely a decision to begin drug testing students at the start of next school year. CBC's principal, Brother David Poos, said he has much to do before anything is decided, including getting formal input from his staff. But he said he had not heard resistance from teachers so far. [continues 743 words]
Are the good guys winning the war on meth? If you look at the number of meth labs seized from 1999 to 2003, it is apparent that law-enforcement authorities were cracking down hard on clandestine methamphetamine laboratories and, through tough state laws, driving some of the manufacturers to cover. And now federal authorities have gotten involved with similar laws designed to keep the basic ingredients of meth out of the hands of traffickers and to put those who make or sell the drug behind bars for longer periods. [continues 286 words]
In a letter to his ex-wife, Jason McCoy promised to spend more time with his sons once he got out of Boonville Correctional Center. McCoy won't keep that promise. On Aug. 13 - a day before that letter arrived at Rena McCoy's home and 21 days before his scheduled release - - McCoy, 31, was found dead inside a prison utility closet. Early reports indicate McCoy killed himself. Friends and family members don't buy it. Now, Rena McCoy and McCoy's cousin, Tammy Wright, are separately seeking attorneys to deem whether legal action against the Boonville center and Missouri's correctional system is warranted. [continues 692 words]
The Francis Howell School District will begin random drug testing this week for all students involved in sports and extracurricular activities. More than 4,000 students, or about two-thirds of the district, will be in the first mandatory testing pool. Those tapped will be checked through random urine testing for a variety of substances, including marijuana, cocaine and Ecstasy. Some will be tested for steroids. All students in extracurricular activities are required to be in the random testing pool, as are all students who have permits to park on campus. Parents also can place their children in the pool voluntarily. [continues 306 words]
Student groups were praised for helping pass pro-pot propositions. MU has earned yet another recognition, though this is one some students, parents and alumni might not brag about. The university has received high marks from a monthly "stoner-friendly guide." High Times magazine ranks MU third on the list of university campuses helping to soften the nation's pot laws. The magazine's October 2006 issue recognizes the efforts of two student organizations -- the MU chapters of Students for Sensible Drug Policies and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws -- that helped pass two city propositions. [continues 392 words]
Parents should consider talking to their children about drugs, alcohol and tobacco even before they start school, according to a Joplin health authority. "It is probably a good thing to talk to kids even in preschool, such as when a family is watching a TV program or movie together and happens to see someone smoking a cigarette or anything having to do with drugs or alcohol," said Roger Paige, clinic director of College Skyline Center, outpatient mental health center at 1230 N. Duquesne. [continues 475 words]
It's interesting to note that the only ones who purport coerced urine-testing of students to be "vital" are either government officials or salespeople for so called "drug-testing" companies. Professional urine inspector Bill Loomis tells critics of suspicion-less testing that it's all okey-dokey with "more students than not." As a parent of three recent high school graduates, I submit it's likely fewer complain because many teenagers feel helpless to speak out against such intrusive actions from school officials or their designated contractors. [continues 159 words]
WASHINGTON, Mo. - Franklin County officials are trying to track down the source of drugs linked to at least 15 overdoses, including one that was fatal. And they believe the painkiller fentanyl - or heroin laced with fentanyl - may be at the root of the problem. A 41-year-old Labadie man died May 31 from a drug overdose. He was a known heroin user, Frankling County detective Jason Grellner said. Other victims have experienced serious medical complications. Most of the overdoses have occurred in and around Washington, Villa Ridge, Labadie and Pacific, Grellner said. [continues 186 words]
The opinion by Bill Loomis, "Teens are OK with drug tests," is ... interesting. While it makes sense to encourage youths not to use drugs, where is the logic in seizing personal property of an American citizen without a signed warrant detailing what the searches will be seeking? What kind of civics lesson would that be for a student? The comparison between drug testing and speed limits is fallacious. There is no seizure employed in establishing limits for speed. There are proven safety values in applying legal vehicular speed limits. There is no proven success for drug testing. The onus is on Loomis to provide it. [continues 95 words]
Columnist Brian Lewis says local merchant Edgar Hagens sees "drugs" where others see "gangs." I agree, and that leads me to ask, "Why not then take drugs out of the equation?" After all, drug abuse is not a criminal problem. It's a medical problem. Individual people use drugs for individual reasons, but I doubt any user sets out to use drugs simply to break the law. I believe a person's abuse of drugs should be left to those best qualified to persuade the abuser that there is a better way. And those best qualified are not deputy sheriffs, police officers, jail guards or prison wardens. They are medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors. [continues 296 words]
Franklin County narcotics officers are working with federal agents in an attempt to track down the source of a powerful drug linked to at least 15 overdoses in Franklin County in the last few months. Six Overdose "We're experiencing a rash of possible heroin overdoses," Grellner said. However, in many of those cases, investigators suspect that the drug Fentanyl, synthetic morphine, is involved. It is said to be about 80 times more potent than morphine. A 41-year-old Labadie man who died May 31 is the only confirmed death linked to the recent overdose cases. He was a known heroin user, Grellner said. [continues 220 words]
Re: "School drug-testing is misguided," Aug. 1 Our View. I am associated with a high school that drug tests and we will be in our second year of random drug testing. The reason you drug test is to give a student a way to say no to peer pressure. Your example is a good one; however, many policies have stipulations in them that allow for a student to receive drug counseling and receive a lesser suspension from the activity. What about the example of the student at a party that was asked to do a drug and he says no because he may get tested and get suspended from the team? [continues 67 words]
Last week, Edgar "Rock" Hagens turned 49. On his birthday, he went to prison. It was a different kind of celebration from when Hagens was younger. That's what landed him in prison four times for drug-related crimes. Last week, he said, it felt good to go back and talk to the inmates. "I'm here trying to let you all know there is a better way of living, a better lifestyle," Hagens recalls telling the men behind bars. A couple of days after Hagens' trip to prison, Springfield law enforcement officials held a news conference in the alley behind his store, Rock's Hip Hop Dress Out Fashions. [continues 575 words]
Your opposition to random student drug testing (RSDT) seems based upon an unrealistic understanding of what the program is and how it works. Your scenario of the failed druggie football player is totally wrong. In typical RSDT schools, the positive test would only result in a confidential conference between the student, his parents and a school drug counselor for discussion of a plan to protect the student from the health hazards of intoxicating and additive substances. In many RSDT programs he would not even be suspended from the team on a first positive. In results reported from the thousands of schools throughout the U.S. using RSDT, they typically report finding less than 1 percent positives and few to no second positives. Because RSDT is essentially a school health screening for drugs to protect kids from going on to become one of the 3,000 people currently dying of overdose each month, I agree with you that it should apply to all kids, not just athletes and drivers. DeForest Rathbone Great Falls, Va. [end]
On a Monday morning in February, Joseph Butts was headed east on Interstate 44. He was driving a 2001 Chevrolet pickup with Arizona plates. He was stopped by a Missouri Highway Patrol officer in Franklin County. According to the police report, the officer stopped the truck because of erratic driving. Perhaps so. Then again, I-44 is known as a major thoroughfare for drug traffickers, and it's possible that a pickup with Arizona plates had caught the eye of a veteran cop. Or it could have been a combination of things. The report mentions that the pickup had begun to pass a tractor-trailer when the pickup suddenly decreased its speed and fell in behind the tractor-trailer. Was that erratic or just suspicious? Maybe the driver of the pickup had seen the patrol car. At any rate, the highway patrolman pulled over the pickup. [continues 540 words]
This has been a tough one to call, in some regards. The aunt, friend and scaredy-cat bones in me have been spatting with the freedom-loving ones. The argument started a few years ago when school systems around southwest Missouri began adopting random drug-testing policies for students, and it flared up again when the Branson district recently announced it was following suit. All kids in grades 7-12 who want to participate in some extracurricular activities, or park in the school lot, will be subject. [continues 521 words]
Sedalia students will not be drug tested. The Board of Education voted against drug testing students involved in extracurricular and co-curricular activities 4-2 Monday night. Board members Jim Waldo and Jeffrey Sharp voted for testing. "I think it's a valid concept that could be implemented and I think it would positively impact our students," Dr. Sharp said. "I think it would lead to a reduction of drug use in our student population." Mr. Waldo said the school district has programs to educate students about the perils of drug use but lacks a deterrent. He said drug testing could be that deterrent. [continues 137 words]
The News-Leader says that student drug testing is misguided and disturbing. So are the reasons it gave for opposing it. It cites the so-called failure of the DARE program as a reason not to test. That doesn't mean this also will fail. If that educational program failed, then why insist on more? Why not attempt to curb drug use in a different way? Why not try a way that puts students in a position where taking a drug test will affect their extracurricular activities? [continues 342 words]
Criminal justice students at ITT Technical Institute in Earth City are collecting donations to benefit the St. Charles Police Department's K-9 Division. Students have set a goal of $5,000, which would allow the Police Department to buy a new drug dog. Any member of the public or corporation wishing to donate may do so by making a check payable to the St. Charles Police Department and mailing it to ITT at 3640 Corporate Trail Drive, Earth City, Mo. 63045. Students plan to make a presentation to St. Charles Police Chief Tim Swope at the Earth City Community Festival on Friday. [end]
A group of future criminal justice professionals wants to do more than simply express its support for police officers. Criminal justice students at ITT Technical Institute in Earth City have organized Operation K-9. Their target objective is to raise $5,000, which would be donated to the St. Charles Police Department for the purchase of a drug dog. "It's an outstanding effort on their part to want to support the police department," said Capt. Gerry Pollard of the St. Charles Police Department. "We'll do everything in our power to put that donation toward their goal of trying to help our K-9 unit." [continues 393 words]
Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis, says he is confident that recently approved anti-methamphetamine legislation and measures still pending will help curb the use and production of the dangerous drug. Carnahan visited the Jefferson County sheriff's office in Hillsboro on Thursday to talk with members of the county's drug task force and elected officials and police officers. Carnahan discussed federal anti-meth legislation and praised authorities for their efforts to combat the spread of the illegal drug. Police in Jefferson County have led Missouri in recent years in the number of meth labs and related sites they have raided. [continues 276 words]
When parents in the Francis Howell School District check their mailboxes Monday, they should find an information packet detailing the district's new random drug testing program. The pocket folder will include fact sheets, a booklet and a sample parent consent form. It is part of the district's information campaign to prepare parents and students for the program that will begin when high school and middle school classes resume Aug. 15. The campaign includes three town hall meetings, including one at 7 p.m. Monday at Francis Howell High School and another at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Francis Howell Central High School. [continues 568 words]
Inside Missouri
