State digest 04/14/04

State tops $100 million mark in returned property

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Since starting the process in 1985, Missouri has returned $100 million in unclaimed property to its rightful owners, State Treasurer Nancy Farmer said Tuesday. The state Division of Unclaimed Property collects cash, stocks, bonds and the contents of safety deposit boxes in cases where there have been no transactions or contact with the owners for at least three years. Over the past three and a half years, the division has returned more than it did in its first 15 years, with no increase in staff, mostly because of technological advances, Farmer said. Residents cna find out whether the state is holding property for them by visiting www.showmemoney.com.

Farmers make progress planting spring crops

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Farmers have made progress planting and preparing the soil for spring crops, the Missouri Agriculture Statistics Service said. Farmers had worked most of the ground intended for spring crops at least once in the southeast district. Though farmers had made less progress elsewhere, their tillage efforts compared favorably with past years. Corn planting was 31 percent completed, two days ahead of last year and five days ahead of the five-year average. Farmers were waiting for warmer weather before planting cotton, sorghum or soybeans.

Report: St. Louis County lost billions in income

ST. LOUIS -- A report suggests that St. Louis County lost about $2.6 billion in household income from 1993 to 2002, complicating its financial picture as it faces the prospect of cutting jobs, closing parks and perhaps jettisoning other services. The report by David Laslo, a researcher at the University of Missouri-St. Louis' Public Policy Research Institute, said that about $938 million of the lost household income was from people relocating within the area, often to outlying counties and their newer, larger homes. The remaining $1.7 billion was from people leaving for other parts of the country. In 1993, the income of people leaving St. Louis County was only $1.8 million more than the people moving into the county. By 2002, the deficit had stretched to $156.1 million.

KC officer gets plea deal after DWI charge

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Kansas City police captain received seven days' probation from a Lee's Summit court after pleading guilty to a traffic violation arising from a drunken driving incident. After originally receiving a driving while intoxicated charge, Dave Bosworth pleaded guilty on March 18 to careless and imprudent driving. That same day, prosecutors also dismissed two traffic citations against Bosworth for failure to yield the right of way and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle wreck. Lee's Summit police spokesman Mike Childs and Lee's Summit prosecutor Rachel Brown said Bosworth received no special treatment.