Region/state digest 06/12/04

Jackson boy dies in Scott County accident

A 12-year-old Jackson boy died Friday in an all-terrain vehicle accident in Scott County. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Ethan Thomas Reid Schott was driving his 2003 Honda ATV on Route E around 11 a.m., when he attempted to jump over a curb, causing him to lose control of the ATV and strike a tree. He was transported to St. Francis Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 11:29 a.m.

Arts council holding garage sale today

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri is holding a garage sale at 10 a.m. today at the Plaza Galleria in Cape Girardeau. Proceeds from the garage sale will go toward arts council programs, said executive director Becky Fulgham. The council has lost 75 percent of its state funding in the last three years and is trying to raise funds with the fiscal year coming to a close June 30. Items available at the sale include Christmas decorations, a bedroom set, a desk, furniture, televisions, computers and clothing. "There will be artwork, of course," Fulgham said. "But not much. This is a normal garage sale."

Radio host Limbaugh announces divorce

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Conservative radio commentator and Cape Girardeau native Rush Limbaugh announced Friday that he and his wife, Marta, are divorcing. The Limbaughs "mutually decided to end their marriage of 10 years" and have "separated pending an amicable resolution," according to a statement released by Limbaugh's publicist. The couple shared a $24 million oceanfront mansion in nearby Palm Beach, from where Limbaugh often broadcast his daily three-hour show. Spokesman Tony Knight said the matter was personal and declined further comment. It was the third marriage for both Limbaugh, 53, and his 45-year-old wife, who were wed May 27, 1994, at the Virginia home of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Thomas officiated the ceremony.

Bollinger Co. man faces assault, rape charges

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- A rural Bollinger County man faces charges in connection with a sexual assault on a female relative. Jeremy J. L. Stallings, 24, was arrested Wednesday on the felony charges of first-degree elderly abuse, forcible rape and incest. He is in the Bollinger County Jail on a $150,000 cash-only bond and is scheduled to appear in Bollinger County Circuit Court on Wednesday. The alleged assault occurred Monday at a rural Bollinger County residence. According to a probable-cause affidavit from the Bollinger County Sheriff's Department, Stallings provided an account of the assault in a videotaped interview by sheriff's deputies and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. According to the affidavit, he said he struck the alleged victim several times, kicked her in the right shin, stomped both of her feet and her abdomen while wearing steel-toed boots and sexually assaulted her.

-- From staff, wire reports