Region briefs 06/05/03

Cape bridge down to one lane for part of today

Traffic on the Mississippi River bridge in Cape Girardeau will be reduced to one lane from 8:30 a.m. until noon today.

Crews from Jefferson City will be making bridge repairs, weather permitting. Drivers are urged to use caution while traveling through the work zone. For more information, call (888) 275-6636.

SEMO's Upward Bound program awarded funds

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded almost $1 million for Upward Bound programs at four of Missouri's universities. Southeast Missouri State University will receive $195,287. The rest is being divided among the University of Missouri Columbia, Truman State University and Saint Louis University.

The almost $1 million in federal funding is part of the department's Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, one of the DOE's Upward Bound programs. The goal of the McNair program is to help students from disadvantaged and often underrepresented groups attain doctorates.

Jury finds jailer guilty of urinating on inmates

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A former jailer was found guilty Wednesday of urinating off a jail roof onto four inmates who were playing basketball on a court below.

A Greene County jury found Justin Hastings, 23, guilty of four counts of misdemeanor assault. He faces a $300 fine and 15 days in jail on each count.

After a juror acknowledged reading newspaper articles about the trial this week, Greene County Circuit Court Judge Don Burrell said he would take the verdict under advisement before sentencing.

Inmates Zewayne Durley, Daren Rucker, Darryl Carter and Michael Wade said the urine fell on them as they played basketball on July 29, 2001.

Durley testified Tuesday the men were playing basketball when liquid they believed was rain started falling in the exercise area.

Being hot and sweaty, the men eagerly got under the liquid, Durley, 30, said. Until they smelled it.

The inmates, unable to leave the court, angrily banged on a window to get a guard's attention, saying someone on the roof was urinating on them, officials said.

KC mother says she left baby to earn money

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- An 18-year-old woman told police she left her 6-month-old daughter alone in a stroller in a vacant Kansas City lot so she could go work as a prostitute.

Court records said Summer D. Primeaux told police she left to "prostitute to earn money for the victim and crack cocaine for herself."

Primeaux was charged Tuesday in Jackson County Circuit Court with child abandonment and endangerment of a child.

The records said Primeaux left the baby alone Sunday. A man found the baby and approached members of a street ministry group that afternoon.

-- From staff, wire reports