Region briefs 9/6/02

Dexter teen named duck-calling champion

DEXTER, Mo. -- Theron Woods of Dexter won the Missouri state title in duck-calling at the Grand Slam Waterfowl Wekend held Aug. 23-24 in Overland Park, Kan.

As a winner, Woods qualified to compete in the world championship duck-calling competition to be held Thanksgiving weekend in Stuttgart, Ark.

Woods said to an average person, all the calls sound the same, but there's a lot of variation.

Woods started calling three years ago as a way to continue year-round the excitement he finds in hunting. He admits he's out hunting at least 55 days of the 60-day season.

St. Francois County crash claims three lives

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Three people were killed early Wednesday evening in a collision on a rural road south of Farmington in St. Francois County.

The victims were Rhonda S. Hutson, 33, Mary M. Riddle, 44, and Carolyn O. Malady, 12, all of Farmington. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said a car driven by Hutson collided nearly head-on with another vehicle at the crest of a hill on Cartee Road, east of county Route AA. The accident happened at 6:25 p.m.

The patrol said the girl was seated in the driver's lap at the time of the crash. All three victims were pronounced dead at the scene by the county coroner.

The 16-year-old driver and one of two passengers in the other vehicle were seriously injured and flown to hospitals in St. Louis. The third passenger had moderate injuries, the patrol said.

Illinois officials report six new West Nile cases

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The Illinois Department of Public Health reported six newly confirmed cases of West Nile virus in the state Thursday, bringing the total to 217.

So far the state has confirmed nine deaths attributed to the mosquito-borne illness. The nonfatal cases announced Thursday were from Chicago and suburban Cook County.

Illinois apparently trails Louisiana for the most West Nile cases in the country, although not all states update their totals quickly. Louisiana has 222 cases of the virus, including nine deaths, state health officials said Thursday.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported it has confirmed 737 human cases and 35 deaths. Diagnosed cases have come from 28 states and the District of Columbia.

Illinois man sentenced to life for kidnapping

ST. LOUIS -- An Illinois man was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for kidnapping another man who was later found shot to death.

Piontek A. Young, 30, of Washington Park, Ill., was found guilty in June of federal kidnapping and firearms charges.

Young and an associate kidnapped Billy Joe Williams at gunpoint on April 12, 2000, and drove him to St. Louis, U.S. Attorney Ray Gruender said. A witness testified that Young and the other man were arguing with Williams over a stolen gun.

Williams was later found in an alley in north St. Louis, shot to death execution-style with his hands handcuffed behind his back.

Black River tuber struck by boat in Annapolis

ANNAPOLIS, Mo. -- The Missouri State Water Patrol is continuing to investigate a weekend boating accident on the upper Black River in Reynolds County.

According to Water Patrolman David Nelson, the accident happened at about 4 p.m. Saturday on Black River, about one-half mile below the Highway K bridge.

Mary Beard, 37, of Waterloo, Ill., was allegedly struck by the front of a 2003 Blazer utility boat operated by Aaron Santhuff, 37, of Lesterville, Mo., Nelson said.

Santhuff was "attempting to go through a shoal and struck" Beard, said Nelson.

Beard was complaining of head, neck, back and shoulder pain when authorities arrived, Nelson said.

Beard was flown to Mineral Area Regional Medical Center in Farmington, Mo., where she was evaluated and released, Nelson said.

-- From wire reports