Raytown's numbers are low, but district officials intend to continue random checks. If the numbers are to be believed, illegal drug use may have stopped almost entirely among Raytown high school students. Results of three rounds of unannounced testing at Raytown and Raytown South high schools are in. A service conducted 150 tests, 75 at each school. At Raytown South, technicians collected a total of two positive, or what the district calls "non-negative," results indicating drug use. At Raytown, they collected none. [continues 822 words]
COLUMBIA - A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Monday filed against the city of Columbia and 12 police officers involved in a February 2010 SWAT raid in which two dogs were shot, one fatally. Jonathan Whitworth was arrested during the raid on the house he shared with his wife and child in the 1500 block of Kinloch Court in southwest Columbia and later pleaded guilty to unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. His child, who was 7 at the time, was present during the raid. MoreStory [continues 384 words]
Whitworths Are Exploring Appeal. A federal judge yesterday dismissed all 18 causes of action in a civil lawsuit filed against Columbia police officers involved in a February 2010 raid. The suit filed by Jonathan Whitworth, his wife, Brittany Whitworth, and her son was scheduled for a Jan. 23 trial in federal court in Jefferson City. U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughrey granted the defendants' request for a summary judgment, dismissing all counts alleged against the city of Columbia and the 12 police officers who were on the scene during the SWAT raid. [continues 449 words]
The Government Spends Roughly $14 Billion Per Year On Prohibition Legalizing the illegal substance marijuana has been a hot topic for the past decade. A synthetic weed, K2, drug cartels and an increase in potency have put pressure on the government to construct a plan for legalization. Conversely, negative health associations and some law enforcement groups have put pressure on the government to continue the criminalization. Today it is the top cash crop in the world, worth $35 billion, beating out such staples as wheat and corn combined, according to an article on abc.com. In 2007, 14.4 million Americans ages 12 and older used marijuana at least once in the month prior to being surveyed, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. [continues 795 words]
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Advocates can begin collecting signatures for two proposed Missouri ballot measures that would legalize marijuana. The secretary of state's office said Monday the initiative petitions have been approved for circulation to get them on the 2012 ballot. One proposal would amend the Missouri Constitution to legalize cannabis for people 21 and older, allow doctors to recommend use of medicinal marijuana and release prison inmates convicted of nonviolent offenses related to cannabis. It would also allow the Legislature to enact a marijuana tax of up to $100 per pound. The second proposal is similar but would enact a state law instead of amending the Missouri Constitution. [end]
Attorney Argues With New Policy. Students enrolling in medical programs at the University of Missouri this fall were required to take drug tests - a new mandate one local attorney says is unconstitutional. To make his point, attorney Dan Viets cites Linn State Technical College's attempt to screen its students this year. A U.S. district judge last week issued a preliminary injunction blocking those tests and warned the public college that she doesn't think the requirement passes constitutional muster. [continues 362 words]
Question: If total legalization of marijuana was a ballot issue in our state, how would you vote? You would be allowed to grow it, sell it, smoke it, chew it, drink it, eat it legally - no misdemeanor, no felony. Maybe marijuana would be kept under thumb as we do with age restrictions on tobacco and alcohol, but for those older than 18 or 21 - legal. Question: How much is marijuana worth if it has been legalized? Question: Is marijuana life-threatening? [continues 570 words]
Random drug testing is under debate at Maryville High School. The Maryville R-II Board of Education met Wednesday, Sept. 21 and discussed the need and effectiveness of random drug testing within the district. The topic of random drug testing within the Maryville school district has been stirring for nearly a year. The discussion started during the October 2010 Board of Education meeting. The topic was tabled until Larry Lithacum, Maryville R-II superintendent, took position in February 2011. The Board then voted to postpone a decision indefinitely. Lithacum re-presented it to the Board during last week's meeting. The Board will not vote on random drug testing in Maryville R-II Schools until Lithacum presents his recommendation. [continues 558 words]
When it was legal in both Missouri and Kansas, the herb-based product known as synthetic marijuana was sold openly in coffeehouses, convenience stores and gas stations across the area. But since legislators outlawed it last year, it appears to have moved out of the stores and into the streets, where police are finding it with regularity. Kansas City police reported that investigators recovered more than 12 pounds of synthetic marijuana during an early August violent-crime initiative. It was by far the largest amount of drugs seized in the three-day sweep -- more than the amounts of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine combined, according to the figures released by police. [continues 612 words]
A group calling itself Show-Me Cannabis is making the state's first overt move to legalize marijuana. If it succeeds, we will be on the way toward a more rational and crime-free society. The group last month presented petition proposals to the secretary of state for approval. Next would come signature solicitations and public votes. One of the initiatives would enact a statute and the other an amendment to the state constitution. The statutory route would be best. Details of the criminal code are best determined in statutes, not constitutions. [continues 298 words]
A New Attitude Dawns Most of us can remember well the days when "oelaw 'n' order" was the clarion call of society and government. Legislatures fell over themselves mandating harsher punishment for criminals, mainly longer jail sentences, giving judges less latitude for judging. Lock-'em-up types thought throwing away the key would dissuade criminal activity. Instead, jails got crowded, straining public budgets at all levels. In the past 40 years a few fledgling alternative sentencing programs have struggled to life, such as Reality House here in Columbia. More recently state government has become more serious, reducing sentences and creating alternative courts for dealing with drug and alcohol offenders with intent to help them recover and stay out of prison. [continues 388 words]
Chip Cooper remembers meeting Christy Welliver on the MKT Trail in 1999 and how they hatched an idea for Columbia to have an extensive network of trails. "She was really psyched about the whole notion," said Cooper, who co-founded the PedNet Coalition with Welliver a year later, serving as the group's first president with Welliver as vice president. Welliver, 59, died late yesterday at University Hospital, where she had been a patient since June 25. Welliver, who had multiple sclerosis and had used a wheelchair since 1985, was remembered today as an energetic advocate for people with disabilities. She had been in a coma and was surrounded by friends and supporters since entering the hospital. Cooper said he began gathering written tributes and memorials two weeks ago. "She was just a remarkable person in many ways," Cooper said. "Probably above and beyond everything else, it was just her commitment to community service, her commitment to friends and family, and her amazingly optimistic view of everything." [continues 326 words]
A petition filed with the Missouri secretary of state's office could be the first step toward the legalization of marijuana if it garners enough support. Show-Me Cannabis is an initiative organized by a group of Missourians and businesses that believe marijuana prohibition is a failed policy and seek to legalize all forms of marijuana in the state. Local law enforcement, however, sees loopholes that are not written into the petition in regard to enforcement and punishment for those breaking the suggested new laws. [continues 446 words]
State Is Looking At 2 Proposals Missouri voters could decide whether the state will be the first to legalize marijuana in all its forms if organizers of a petition drive can collect the necessary signatures over the next 10 months. A group calling itself Show-Me Cannabis, led in part by some of the principal proponents of Columbia's lenient city marijuana law, turned in two proposals Wednesday to Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's office. Her office will decide whether it is ready to circulate and, if so, write the summary that will appear on the ballot. [continues 404 words]
One catches my eye at least a couple of times a month. It will be a big car, moderately old, maybe an Oldsmobile or a Buick, riding low in the back under the weight of its big trunk. The lone driver runs at the speed limit or a little less, casting nervous glances at passing vehicles. If I'm wondering what weighs the car down, you can bet the cops are wondering, too. My daily commute takes me along Interstate 55-70 through Metro East, a major drug-smuggling corridor where patrols lurk and large-scale busts have been relatively regular. [continues 638 words]
Dear President Obama: Right after your election, somebody asked if I thought having a black president meant black people's concerns would now receive attention at the executive level. I told them I expected the opposite. There used to be a saying - only Nixon could go to China. Meaning, of course, that only he, as a staunch anti-communist, had the credibility to make overtures to that nation without accusations of being soft on communism. By the inverse of that political calculus, I never expected that you, as a black man, would do much to address black issues. [continues 482 words]
Futility Becomes More Apparent What do former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan; former Cabinet member George Shultz, who served under Presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon; former U.S. Federal Reserve Board chairman Paul Volcker; former presidents of Mexico, Brazil and Colombia; writers Carlo Fuentes and Mario Vargas Llosa; U.K. business titan Richard Branson; and the current prime minister of Greece all agree on? They say it's time to end the war on drugs. All are part of the 19-member Global Commission on Drug Policy, which calls on governments to end criminalization of controlled substances. [continues 277 words]
For the time being, Missourians can consider last November's defeat of Proposition 19, a California ballot initiative to legalize and regulate the personal use of marijuana, as none of their business. But as this debate spreads outward from California it will, sooner or later, reach Missouri. Having started the war on marijuana, the federal government is the enforcer of the status quo -- even as opinion polls show the public's desire for change. So, it is up to the states, one-by-one, to replace failed drug war policies with something that makes sense. To see how the future marijuana legalization debate might spread, let's consider the work of professor Everett M. Rogers. [continues 390 words]
Studies Questioning Anti-Drug Program's Effectiveness Played Role In Decision. The Rockwood School District is doing away with D.A.R.E. -- swayed in part by questions about the program's effectiveness -- drawing complaints from some parents and police. "The timing stinks," said Eureka Police Chief Michael Wiegand. "We've got a large problem with heroin in west St. Louis County." But D.A.R.E. -- Drug Abuse Resistance Education, the nation's best known anti-drug program -- has come under attack in recent years after several studies showed students in the program are no less likely to use drugs, cigarettes or alcohol. [continues 440 words]
About one in four public school districts across Missouri has adopted random student drug-testing policies. Many of those districts serve families living in rural areas. But the first such policy at an urban Kansas City area district could be on its way. Tonight, officials with the Raytown School District are sponsoring a forum for parents and students to discuss whether a random drug-testing policy should be approved for Raytown and Raytown South high schools. Superintendent Allan Markley believes having one at least deserves consideration, as it could give students a good excuse to resist peer pressure. [continues 1195 words]
Columbia police have not conducted a single dynamic entry using their SWAT team in 2011, and Chief Ken Burton attributes that to last year's changes in policy. The Special Weapons and Tactics team served 25 narcotic search warrants in 2010 and used SWAT for a dynamic entry -- an approach using high-risk police tactics -- on at least 10 occasions last year, police said. A Tribune public information request last year identified 10 dynamic entries by May 11. Burton told the Citizens Police Review Board during its monthly meeting last night that narcotic search warrants have been served in 2011, but none required a dynamic entry. Before a February 2010 SWAT raid on Kinloch Court that became the subject of wide public criticism, dynamic entries were used for all narcotic search warrants, former Deputy Chief Tom Dresner said. [continues 288 words]
COLUMBIA --An MU law professor challenged the war on drugs and current criminal codes during a speech Saturday at a conference advocating marijuana law reform. "We warehouse, we incarcerate, that's what we do," MU associate law professor S. David Mitchell said. "We don't treat." The National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws conference was held in MU's Arts and Sciences Building on Friday and Saturday. Mitchell is not involved with the organization, but Dan Viets, the coordinator of the organization's Missouri chapter, invited him to speak after seeing a comment he made on a newspaper story about Missouri Chief Justice William Ray Price Jr. [continues 317 words]
I got the impression from Spencer Pearson (NORML Panel Calls For Marijuana Legalization, March 4, 2011) that Missouri is attempting to legalize cannabis (marijuana) on the 2012 election ballot. The list of states trying to become the 1st to legalize cannabis is growing faster than the plant itself. May the best state win. Legalizing the relatively safe, extremely popular God-given plant cannabis is one of the most important issues of our time. By Stan White, stanwmtn@colorado.net [end]
George Ricketts' life crashed in April 1996, when 13 police officers and an FBI agent searched his house and seized money and cars, convinced he was a drug dealer. But even though an appeals court later threw out his conviction, he never was compensated for losing all that stuff, including cash and a certificate of deposit together worth $129,482, jewelry worth about $700, a laptop and a BMW. That may be about to change. Ricketts and possibly hundreds of others, many of them convicted drug felons, could find themselves with part of a multimillion-dollar settlement of a lawsuit alleging that Kansas City police mismanaged the forfeiture of their property during criminal investigations. [continues 668 words]
The Guest Speakers Promoted Activism in Addition to Legislation. Spencer Pearson puffed two blunts of Mexican schwag for the first time during his senior year of high school. Pearson, the MU National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws president, said it was then he realized he'd been fed lies about what marijuana is and what it does. With four boxes of Hotbox cookies and a few dozen attendees, NORML monitored a panel discussion Wednesday night. Pearson and four guest speakers strongly urged attendees to advocate legislation in favor of the legalization of marijuana. [continues 533 words]
Talk of serious budget cuts are continuing to make people nervous. Which makes sticking to our current drug policies totally insane. Our "War on Drugs" is one of the most expensive, least effective programs we have. It makes about as much sense as cutting funds to education, and programs that help the elderly and disabled to help pay for tax cuts for the rich. It is not drugs, but the "War on Drugs" that is the biggest threat to our American way of life. [continues 134 words]
JOPLIN, Mo. - Residents will get a chance at this week's City Council meeting to offer their opinions on a proposal by the Joplin police chief to require a prescription for the purchase of over-the-counter cold medicines like Sudafed and Claritin-D. A public hearing is scheduled during the council's meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The council normally meets on Mondays, but City Hall will be closed today in observance of Presidents Day. Chief Lane Roberts has asked the council to adopt an ordinance that would require prescriptions for medicines containing pseudoephedrine. The drug, used in about 15 medications that treat a stuffy nose, is also the key ingredient for making methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant. [continues 494 words]
Approximately One in 250 Missouri Residents Is Incarcerated. County Jail on Oct 22, 2009. Chief Justice Ray Price cited in his State of the Judiciary address that non-violent offenders are the main demographic for Missouri prisons' population problem. In his State of the Judiciary address, State Chief Justice Ray Price called for a reformation of the Missouri prison system, saying prisons are overpopulated with nonviolent offenders. "We continue to over-incarcerate nonviolent offenders, while we have failed to expand drug courts and other diversionary and re-entry programs to capacity," Price said in his address. "The result is a state that is not as safe as we want it to be and a waste of taxpayer dollars." [continues 478 words]
I am responding to Holly Baggett's letter ("Drug testing affront to poor families," Jan. 9) regarding the drug testing of families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program. Baggett seems to be offended that people receiving this taxpayer government-funded program would have to be drug tested to get these benefits. I find this ironic as the funding for this and other programs like it come from people's taxes paid out of their paycheck. I assure you that most of these people had to have a drug test before they could be considered for employment. She should also be made aware that almost all employers require drug testing pre-employment, random testing and mandatory testing if they are injured on the job. [continues 186 words]
Editor, the Tribune: As a retired police detective who worked in the trenches of the drug war for 18 years, I heartily agree with Hank Waters that we need to repeal this modern prohibition. Drug prohibition has increased crime, death, disease and quite probably drug use. I could not see one positive outcome from my position in the trenches. The slaughter of innocents at birthday parties in Mexico merits a shrug from us. We don't care enough to change policy. [continues 88 words]
Editor, the Tribune: I'm writing about a thoughtful column from Hank Waters, "Mexico and the drug war" on Jan. 22. Imagine if we could eliminate almost all of our nation's heroin dealers - Switzerland did. Imagine if we could reduce the number of heroin addicts by 82 percent - Switzerland did. Imagine if we could dramatically reduce our overall crime rate - Switzerland did. Imagine if we could eliminate virtually all deaths from heroin - Switzerland did. How did they do it? In 1994, Switzerland started an experimental program to sell heroin addicts the drug cheaply, even giving it to the addicts who couldn't afford it. In 2008, 68 percent of the Swiss voted to make the program permanent. Have Swiss heroin-addiction rates skyrocketed? No, they have dramatically fallen. So has Switzerland's overall crime rate. Will we adopt Switzerland's heroin policy? Probably not. Too many people, industries and institutions have a vested financial interest in maintaining the status quo. Kirk Muse [redacted] [end]
Editor, the Tribune: Many thanks to the Tribune for a much-needed editorial, "Mexico and the drug war," on Jan. 22. Many salient points were made and important questions raised, but the problem is those in charge don't and won't listen or even discuss the topic publicly. When first appointed as our nation's chief of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, former Seattle police Chief Gil Kerlikowske admitted the word "legalization" wasn't even in his vocabulary. In such a context, I doubt our drug czar will ever publicly debate the issue or ever hold an unscripted interview with journalists. [continues 125 words]
Despite Drop, Law Enforcement Officials See Little Decrease in Demand The Buchanan County Drug Strike Force unveiled 2010 statistics on methamphetamine lab busts, both locally and nationally, with the numbers providing proof of mixed results in America's ongoing "War on Drugs." In 2009, the Drug Strike Force identified and infiltrated 13 meth labs. The agency that is manned and supervised by the Buchanan County Sheriff's Department but also serves Clinton, Nodaway, Holt and Andrew counties cut that number down to eight in 2010 -- a drop of nearly 40 percent. But Lt. Steve Gumm said those numbers don't tell the whole story. [continues 376 words]
Incomprehensible Reactions Daily reports of drug war violence seem to slip past our consciousness. What are we thinking? Gang warfare wracks Mexico from border to border. Outlaws murder judges and police officers when they aren't busy killing each other. The crime is beyond control in Mexico. Drugs make too much money. In America it's the same, except it's compounded because we have a huge crime problem related to drug use as well as drug-trafficking. Even in a quiet town like Columbia, local drug war violence has made enough news to fill a book. Our police do as well as one can expect, but the drug trade simply is too lucrative to deny. The crime will continue, and we will keep paying billions to fight a losing war on drugs. [continues 422 words]
Councilmen taking issue to citizens after it doesn't make council priority list. After failing to gain traction with their fellows on City Council, two Springfield officials hope to strike up a conversation about medicinal marijuana with the public. Councilmen Doug Burlison and Dan Chiles have scheduled a public meeting tonight at the Library Center to talk about the topic, which they failed to have added to the city's list of 2011 legislative priorities. The 6:30 p.m. event is expected to run through about 9 p.m. and will feature an airing of the film, "What if Cannabis Cured Cancer?" [continues 444 words]
I have a confession to make. I hope it won't make you think ill of me. I have never smoked marijuana, not even a puff. Not ever. Not that I didn't have my chances. Back in 1970, I was covering the Wadena Rock Festival in Iowa (sort of Woodstock lite) when a young woman came up to me and said: "Want me to turn you on?" I'm pretty sure she was talking about pot. I respectfully declined. Yes, I know, it was weak of me. The best and the brightest of my generation were courageously yielding to temptation while I, coward that I was, retreated from it. [continues 483 words]
Could Other Music Festivals Face Trouble, Too? Is this SWAT team coming to a music festival near you? Carrie Goebel went to sleep this Halloween in her own version of paradise. She woke up to a nightmare. The 46-year-old artist from Warrenton, Missouri, spent the last weekend in October camping out at Camp Zoe's Spookstock music festival. "It was a good time, the weather was great, there were lots of good costumes," she recalls. "Little kids were trick-or-treating from campsite to campsite. It was a good time. It was a great weekend." [continues 873 words]
Regarding Bill McClellan's "It would be great if state went to pot" (Nov. 12): If Missouri is going to be the first state to offer tourists a joint it must get it in gear. California's Proposition 19 organizers already are planning another proposition for 2012. Colorado also is preparing initiatives for 2012 to legalize the relatively safe, God-given cannabis plant. Massachusetts, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and others may join it. Becoming the first state could appeal to America's competitive spirit and may help get cannabis legalized sooner. As a Colorado cannabis activist and citizen, I challenge Missouri, California and the rest of the states to a race to legalize cannabis. If I were a gamblin' man, I'd bet on Colorado by an hour. Stan White . Dillon, Colo. [end]
Grateful Dead music lovers will no longer be truckin' down to Shannon County for outdoor music festivals if three law enforcement agencies get their way in federal court. On Monday, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the Missouri Highway Patrol and the U.S. Attorney's Office filed a joint complaint in the Eastern District of Missouri asking to seize the 350-acre Zoe Farm, alleging rampant drug dealing and drug use at events. According to its website, the farm, called Camp Zoe, is located 150 miles southwest of St. Louis near Salem and hosts a popular Grateful Dead festival call Schwagstock every year, as well as biker and pagan rallies and individual concerts. Once a popular summer camp for kids, the property was purchased in 2004 by Jimmy Tebeau, a member of the Schwag, a Grateful Dead tribute band. He opened the grounds to recreational camping and float trips and began hosting the festivals soon after the purchase. [continues 296 words]
Would you like to see Missouri become a tourist destination? It's possible. The door is open. The zany voters of California -- once again, they elected Gov. Moonbeam -- voted not to legalize pot. What were they thinking? What were they smoking? Actually, that's it. They were smoking marijuana. You know who was against the proposition to legalize pot? The medical marijuana industry. And why not? At the moment, they have the market cornered. Approximately 250,000 people have prescriptions. Some suffer from anxiety or insomnia. If each shares his or her legal pot with just one friend, that's half a million pot smokers. [continues 710 words]
A sane argument to continue cannabis (marijuana) prohibition and extermination doesn't exist (NORML Conference Brings State and National Speakers to MU, Nov. 9, 2010). Another reason to legalize cannabis that doesn't get mentioned is because it is Biblically correct since God, The Ecologician, indicates He created all the seed bearing plants saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only Biblical restriction placed on cannabis is to accept it with thankfulness (1 Timothy 4:1-5). What kind of government cages responsible adults for using what God says is good? Stan White [end]
The Missouri chapter of The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) held its 2010 Fall State Conference on Saturday and Sunday on campus. The purpose of the conference was to give activists from around the state a chance to come together and learn from regional and national speakers about what's going on regarding the "war on marijuana," said Sean Randall, a law student at UM -- Kansas City and a member of the Missouri Affiliate of NORML. Randall said, in general, NORML works on three different issues of marijuana law reform: medical marijuana, responsible recreational use by adults and industrial hemp. [continues 399 words]
I am beginning to seriously question what sun my federal government is orbiting. The U.S. government can't control illegal immigration, yet is fighting Arizona's efforts to do so. Now Attorney General Eric Holder is warning the U.S. will "vigorously enforce" federal marijuana laws if California's Proposition 19 passes? Seriously, Mr. Holder. Get your priorities straight. What presents the greatest threat, wide open borders or reefers? Transfer some of your Drug Enforcement Agency agents to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and let California be California. Don Pickard Kansas City [end]
JOPLIN, Mo. -- For former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, educating the masses is a key component in changing marijuana laws. Johnson, who was in office from 1995 to 2002, spoke in Joplin over the weekend as part of the 2010 Cannabis Revival. He talked about why he believes marijuana prohibition is failing, what the war on drugs is costing -- both in dollars and in lives -- and what needs to be done about it. The event was held in Landreth Park. Kelly Maddy, director of the Joplin chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Legislation and organizer of the Cannabis Revival, said the weekend event was held as a way to encourage public involvement in marijuana law reform. [continues 343 words]
The decisions of the Citizens Police Review Board and Columbia's police chief concerning a February SWAT raid have been confirmed by City Manager Bill Watkins. The decisions of the Citizens Police Review Board and Columbia's police chief concerning a February SWAT raid have been confirmed by City Manager Bill Watkins. Watkins' letter is dated Friday and addressed to California marijuana activist Ed Rosenthal, who appealed the board's decision. The letter says that based upon his review of Rosenthal's complaint, a Columbia Police Department internal investigation, Chief Ken Burton's decision and the recommendations of the review board, Watkins supports Burton's decision in the matter. [continues 355 words]
Child, Wife Subjects Of Several Claims COLUMBIA -- A Columbia Police Department SWAT raid that happened in February has prompted a lawsuit against the city of Columbia by the family targeted in the raid. The lawsuit was filed before noon on Monday in the U.S. Western District Court by attorneys Milt Harper and Jeff Hilbrenner, who represent the family. Three plaintiffs, Jonathan Whitworth, Brittany Whitworth and Brittany Whitworth's 7-year-old son, all of whom were present at the house during the raid, have been listed. [continues 715 words]
Kansas City police officers went into a wooded area near Independence Avenue and the Paseo on Wednesday to talk to people at a homeless camp about thefts from a nearby construction site. But after wading into the woods, the officers found a different problem: a fully stocked methamphetamine lab in a tent not far from the homeless camp. Police recovered bottles, tubes, pills, chemicals and at least 90 grams of methamphetamine from the unoccupied tent, which was about 30 yards from the camp, said Sgt. Tim Witcig. [continues 150 words]
Two hundred years ago, Mexico's quest for independence from Spain was marked with a grisly spectacle. After death by firing squad, the head of rebellion leader Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla was hacked from his corpse and displayed for years on the corner of a public building. Spanish colonialists wanted to send a message to any Mexicans who had different ideas about who ought to rule their land. It didn't work. Ten years later, after much blood spilt, Mexico gained its independence from Spain. [continues 646 words]
Independence, MO - A recalculation of how much money Independence received from a Jackson County anti-drug sales tax to fund the D.A.R.E. program prompted the Independence Police Department to make changes in staffing the program. The police department each year gets money from COMBAT (countywide anti-drug sales tax) to fund D.A.R.E. or Drug Abuse Resistance Education. County officials and officials representing law enforcement jurisdictions met to discuss how COMBAT money would be used for D.A.R.E. The result was a reconfiguration on how the tax money was distributed. [continues 470 words]
Ron Allen probably thinks Alice Huffman has been smoking something. Huffman, president of the California Conference of the NAACP, recently declared support for an initiative that, if passed by voters in November, will decriminalize the use and possession of marijuana. Huffman sees it as a civil rights issue. In response, Bishop Allen, founder of a religious social activism group called the International Faith-Based Coalition, has come out swinging. "Why would the state NAACP advocate for blacks to stay high?" he demanded last week at a news conference in Sacramento. "It's going to cause crime to go up. There will be more drug babies." Allen wants Huffman to resign. [continues 537 words]
Inside Missouri
