Region/state digest 06/30/05

Cape fire station will hold open house today

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department will have an open house from 10 to 11 a.m. today at Fire Station No. 1, at 1 S. Sprigg St. The event will show off new equipment and protective gear worth $464,180. The equipment was purchased from money raised through a fire sales tax approved by voters last year.

Lawsuit seeks to stop state Medicaid cuts

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Medicaid recipients sued the state Wednesday, seeking to halt budget cuts that on Friday would begin eliminating health-care coverage for thousands of low-income parents. The federal lawsuit contends the Department of Social Services violated constitutional due process rights by not providing parents adequate notice of the cuts. During the fiscal year that starts Friday, more than 90,000 of Missouri's 1 million Medicaid recipients are projected to be dropped from the rolls.

Man accused of DWI, disrupting funeral

NEOSHO, Mo. -- An altercation developed after a car whose driver is accused of being intoxicated interrupted the procession for the funeral of a man killed last week -- in a traffic accident alleged to have involved a drunken driver. The incident happened Tuesday during the funeral of David L. Weems of Stella, Mo., who died June 23. Neosho police, who were escorting the funeral procession, allege that a car driven by David C. Casey, 22, of Bokchito, Okla., ran a stop sign. The car interrupted the procession before crashing into the corner of a pharmacy. As police were investigating, close to 30 members of the dead man's family started getting out of their vehicles to confront occupants of the car that crashed into the pharmacy. Casey was arrested on misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to stop at a stop sign, failure to have insurance and driving through a funeral procession.

Two from area injured in Warren Co. bus accident

WARREN COUNTY, Mo. -- Two area bus drivers were injured in a three-bus collision Wednesday evening on Interstate 70 in Warren County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Melinda Miller, 54, of McClure, Ill., and Nathaniel Choate, 58, of Cape Girardeau, both received minor injuries in the accident. The accident occurred when a bus driven by Tommy Kimbel, 59, of Jackson slowed down in a congested construction area and was rear-ended by Miller's bus. Choates' bus then struck Miller's in the rear.

Bollinger Co. gets leads on man missing since '93

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Bollinger County Sheriff Terry Wiseman said Wednesday his department is investigating new leads in a missing person case. The leads could be the next step in solving the case of Roger Miller, who disappeared from his home near Zalma on Oct. 26, 1993. Wiseman declined to comment on the nature of the leads.

-- From staff, wire reports