The Missouri Highway Patrol is looking at possible fixes to prevent another deadly fire in Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars such as the one that killed Trooper Michael Newton in May. Newton’s Crown Vic burst into flames after another car rear-ended the patrol car as it was beside the road on Interstate 70 in West Central Missouri. Lieutenant Tim Hull says some of the fixes, such as a proposed fire suppression system, would be picked up by law enforcement agencies. Hull says the Patrol is already using different methods of packing the cars’ trunks to prevent items from puncturing the gas tank causing a fire. He says the patrol is waiting on a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the investigation of the Newton death. Officials give no timetable for when that investigation might be completed.
Whistleblower In Columbia VA Deaths Slams Lab That Ran Tests
The man who blew the whistle on a series of deaths at Columbia’s VA hospital says the lab that ran the tests on the victims is monumentally incompetent. Gordon Christensen says National Medical Services Laboratories made mistakes in the criminal case. And, he says the lab also made mistakes in a wrongful death civil lawsuit five years ago. Former hosptial nurse Richard Williams has been released from jail and all charges have been dropped. The prosecutor blames faulty test results for the action. Christensen says the entire case needs to be investigated, including the lab’s handling of the evidence. Christensen is a professor at the University of Missouri medical school.
Attorney General Warns Of Contests At State Fair
Anyone attending the State Fair in Sedalia will undoubtedly have the opportunity to enter a contest or two by filling out forms requiring all kinds of information including name, address, and telephone number. Scott Holste with the State Attorney General’s Office warns that while there’s nothing illegal about that, people who enter could be leaving themselves open to unwanted telemarketing calls in the future. Holste reminds Missourians that by taking part in one of these contests, a participant enters into a business relationship with the company involved, and – under the No Call law – that allows telemarketing phone calls to be made.
Conservation Department Begins Study Of Trees
The State Conservation Department has started a study that few people alive today will survive to see finished. The Department is learning how its forest management agencies affect the forests and the creatures that live in them. The study consists of a series of tests that will be spread through 100 to 150 years. It’s already 12 years old. By about 2150, test cuts will have been done on thousands of acres and scientists will have watched what happens as each of those areas was cut, regenerated, and regrew. Resources Science Supervisor Eric Kurziefski says some short-term lessons already have been learned. So far, it appears there’s no significant change in nesting success rates after an area is harvested. And, Kurziefski says they’re learning the same thing is true about small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. But he expects some of the results to change as more information is accumlated during and beyond our lifetimes.
