Region briefs 11/11/05

Man charged with rape says he doesn't remember

A Benton, Mo., man was charged Thursday with statutory rape of a 12-year-old girl. David M. Bollinger, 18, is being held on a $25,000 bond. The incident reportedly occurred in a barn in Cape Girardeau. According to the police probable-cause statement, the victim told investigators that she and Bollinger had consensual sex once. During interviewing, Bollinger stated that he did not remember the incident due to being drunk but that it was possible to have happened, the statement said.

House bills include $39 million for Southeast Mo.

The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved two funding bills Wednesday that include more than $39 million for 15 programs and projects in Southeast Missouri. The bills -- ironed out in a joint House-Senate conference committee -- include federal money for drug task forces and various water projects. The largest single appropriation for area projects includes $22 million toward repairing the Clearwater Lake dam.

-- From staff reports