Doniphan, Missouri - An Endangered Person Advisory has been issued by the Ripley County Sheriff's Department for a missing 19-year-old woman.
Deputies state that Topanga S. Thompson, 19, was last seen around 2 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 11 at Rural Route 2 Box 7641, County Road K-1 in Doniphan, Mo.
She is 5'4", 166 pounds with brown hair, blonde highlights and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a Carhartt jacket, black hooded sweatshirt and black sweatpants.
Deputies say Thompson reportedly suffers from depression and may be suicidal.
They say she left her home on foot and without personal belongings. They are unsure where she was going. They say she left after posting vague, concerning statements on her social media account.
Anyone who has seen Thompson, or has any information, is asked to call 911 or your local law enforcement agency. You may also call the Doniphan Police Department - Ripley County Sheriff's Department at 573-996-5555.
2015 ends with highest fatalities in five years -
63 percent of fatalities were unbuckled
As of Dec. 31, 853 lives were reported lost in 2015 Missouri traffic crashes. Sixty-three percent of the drivers and passengers killed were not wearing seat belts.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the leading causes of fatal crashes continue to be speeding, driver inattention and impaired driving. A couple of new trends have emerged for 2015 including increases in improper lane use and substance-impaired driving. Those crash trends are showing a 100 percent increase in expressway intersection fatalities and an 82 percent increase in overturning vehicle fatalities when compared to 2014.
"Fifty percent of those not belted were also ejected from the vehicle," said Colonel Bret Johnson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. "Seat belt use is the single most effective way to save lives and reduce injuries resulting from traffic crashes, so make sure everyone is properly restrained on every trip.
"Combined efforts in engineering, law enforcement, education, and emergency medical services aid in the reduction of roadway fatalities," says MoDOT Chief Engineer Ed Hassinger. "With lower gas prices in 2015, we are seeing an increase in the amount of overall travel on Missouri's roads. Drivers need to take a proactive role by wearing their seat belt and focusing on their driving,"
Bloomfield, Missouri - The Stoddard County Commission voted on Monday, January 4, 2016 to continue with Missouri Rural Services (MRS) for 2016. The insurance is provided through County Wide Insurance Agency and is for their property and liability insurance at a cost of $139,721.
County Wide Insurance had presented them with two bids back in November of 2015. The first provider was Trident Insurance with a cost of $133,827.90 and the second provider was Missouri Rural Services. Trident would have a higher deductible and there were some differences in the coverage.
Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis asked Carol Jarrell and Danny Talkington if they wanted to look further into the two policies or take action on the proposals. County Wide Insurance was the only company to provide a bid.
Talkington made the motion to accept the bid with Missouri Rural Services as it was better coverage. Carol Jarrell seconded. It passed with a 3-0 vote.
The next item on the agenda about a newspaper article on transportation from the St. Louis Post Dispatch. It was about a bill filed in the Missouri State Legislature that would increase the fuel tax in the state by 1.5 cents per gallon. The bill was filed by State Senator Rob Schaaf. It would also turn all state roads that are marked by letters over to the counties for maintenance. In Stoddard County that would be turning the maintenance of all lettered roads over to the townships.
Mathis said that more transportation funding is needed however a 1.5 cent increase in fuel tax would not be enough. An increase should be more in line with 5 cents per gallon to address all the needs of the roads and bridges in the state. He also went on to say that a fuel tax could be passed with a "sliding scale" so that it could be rolled back if fuel prices were to increase again.
"Legislation is spending a whole lot of time on right-to-work legislation to improve economic development, but that wouldn't help without adequate transportation funding," stated Mathis. "If they can't get their product from point A to point B, there will be no economic growth."
Mathis also stated that expecting townships to maintain "lettered" highways in the county was absolutely ridiculous. "I think we should send a letter to State Rep. Tila Hubrecht. and Senator Doug Libla asking them to oppose the bill by Schaaf."
"I am in agreement," Jarrell stated. "I think we also need to talk with Richardson as well." Jarrell then made a motion to send letters to all local legislators to oppose the bill by Schaaf. Seconded by Talkington. It passed by a 3-0 vote.
No other matters were brought forth during the meeting. The next scheduled meeting is Monday, January 11, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. in Bloomfield.
Photo credit to Dee Loflin, ShowMe Times Manager/Editor. Shown in the photo are County Commissioners Greg Mathis, Carol Jarrell, and Danny Talkington.
Missouri Department of Conservation and MoDOT invite schools to fight litter through "No MOre Trash!" contest. Win School Funds While Having Fun Trashing Trash!!
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Jefferson City, Missouri - The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) invite Missouri public, private, and home-school students in grades K-8 to help fight litter in the Show-Me State -- and to have creative and educational fun -- by participating in the 2016 "Yes You CAN Make Missouri Litter-Free" trash-can-decorating contest. The annual trash-can contest encourages school classes and groups to join in the fight against litter by decorating and displaying a large trash can with the "No MOre Trash!" logo and a litter-prevention message using a variety of creative media. The annual contest is sponsored by MDC and MoDOT as part of the state's "No MOre Trash!" (NMT) statewide litter campaign. This partnership between MDC and MoDOT, along with thousands of volunteers, is working to prevent and reduce litter in Missouri through education, prevention, and cleanup activities. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American generates about four pounds of trash each day. “Missouri’s six million residents produce nearly 26 million pounds of garbage in one day. That’s more than nine BILLION pounds of trash per year!” said MDC NMT Coordinator Joe Jerek. “Much of that trash shows up on our streets and roadsides, natural areas, and waterways. Litter harms our fish and water quality, plants, and hurts wildlife. Litter also hurts property values, landscape appearance, and our overall quality of life.” Jerek added that littering is illegal in Missouri and can result in a fine of up to $1,000 and one year in jail. "In addition to teaching kids about how litter hurts them, their communities, and their environment, the No MOre Trash! contest gives students an opportunity to help prevent littering by creating and providing trash cans with the No MOre Trash! message in their schools and communities," said MoDOT NMT Coordinator Stacy Armstrong. CONTEST DETAILS Schools may submit one entry in each competition category: K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. Entries are judged based on creativity, adherence to contest rules, and effective use of theme and logo. First-place winners from each competition category receive $200 awarded to the sponsoring schools. All first-place winners are then eligible for a grand prize of a trophy and $600 awarded to the sponsoring school. There is no entry fee for the contest. Participating school groups must submit a completed entry form online with up to three photos to nomoretrash.org by Friday, March 18. Contest rules, entry forms, logo, past contest entries and winners, and educational information can also be found at nomoretrash.org. 2015 WINNERS Southwest Livingston, Ross Elementary, and Schaible Homeschool were the winners of the 2015 trashcan-decorating contest. They were among 21 entries involving more than 240 students. Southwest Livingston County R1 School in Ludlow won the 6–8-Grade Category and the Grand Prize with their entry, "In Recycling We Trust." The 14 students created a trash can featuring Ernie the Eagle made with turkey feathers, paper mache, paint, and construction paper. Kindergarten and first grade Girl Scouts at Ross Elementary School in St. Louis won the K-2-Grade Category for their entry, "Girl Scouts Make the World a Better Place with No MOre Trash!" The 18 students converted an empty 50-gallon plastic drum. Two fourth and fifth graders at Schaible Homeschool in Union won the 3-5-Grade Category for their entry, "Littering Is For the Birds" featuring the Missouri State Bird the Eastern Bluebird. Photo and article submitted by the Missouri Department of Conservation, Joe Jerek, Statewide New Service Coordinator. |
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Southeast, Missouri - The Missouri Department of Transportation has closed routes in Southeast Missouri due to the recent flooding. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution and plan alternate routes. Routes that are closed include: Updated Sunday, January 3, 2016 Butler County
Cape Girardeau County
Carter County
Dunklin County
Iron County
Madison County
New Madrid County
Mississippi County
Ozark County
Pemiscot
Perry County
Reynolds County
Ripley County
Scott County
Ste. Genevieve County
Wayne County
For more information, please contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636) |
