Local briefs 4/18/06

Rape reported at Southeast campus

A woman was reportedly raped over the weekend in her Southeast Missouri State University dorm room. The student reported the rape to Southeast Department of Public Safety officials around 5:35 a.m. Saturday, according to university spokeswoman Ann Hayes. The alleged rape occurred late Friday or early Saturday in the woman's dorm room in one of the university's residence halls, Hayes said. She declined to provide the victim's age or in what specific residence hall the attack occurred. The victim knew the suspect, a man who was not a student at the university, Hayes said. When she reported the rape, the woman was taken to a local hospital. Aside from the rape, Hayes did not know if the woman was injured. On Monday, the Department of Public Safety forwarded the case to the prosecutor's office and were waiting to see whether charges would be sought, Hayes said.

FEMA expands federal disaster area

The federal disaster area in Southeast Missouri expanded to include six more counties effected by recent tornadoes. Victims in Andrew, Butler, Dunklin, Pettis, St. Francois and Stoddard counties now qualify for the Federal Emergency Management Agency Individual Assistant programs, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo. "It is clear that the victims of the tornado reside both inside and outside the original counties of the disaster declaration, Emerson said in the release. "Expanding the disaster area will open up federal programs to assist the recovery effort to everyone who needs help." Emerson was also urging FEMA to deploy an Emergency Support Function for Long Term Community Recovery in the Caruthersville, Mo., area, which was heavily damaged by an F3 tornado earlier this month.

-- From staff reports