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Columbia-Hickman High School football coach arrested for DWI. Second time offense for Monroe who was stopped early Sunday morning

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Arnel Monroe

Arnel Monroe

Columbia Hickman High School football coach Arnel Monroe was arrested for driving while intoxicated, after being stopped by Columbia Police at a DWI checkpoint shortly after 4 a.m. on Sunday morning.  He was arrested and later released on $500 bail.  Monroe served two-years probation in 2006 after a previous arrest for DWI in Columbia.

Monroe has been on the Kewpies football staff since 2011.  According to KMIZ-TV, Monroe was suspended during the 2013 for undisclosed reasons and missed nearly two weeks.

Hickman went 3-6 last season.

 

Kansas City area highway shooting suspect identified, charged

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The Jackson County Prosecutor has announced 18 felony charges stemming from 9 shooting incidents on highways in the Kansas City area against 27-year-old Mohammed Pedro Whitaker of Grandview.

Mohammed Pedro Whitaker (photo courtesy, KSSZ in Columbia)

Mohammed Pedro Whitaker (photo courtesy, KSSZ in Columbia)

Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker has filed 9 counts of shooting into a vehicle and 9 counts of armed criminal action against Whitaker. Whitaker could face life in prison if convicted.

Peters Baker says more charges could be filed later.

Three people sustained non-life-threatening wounds in the shootings that began March 8. Authorities believe 12 shootings are related, mostly in Kansas City but other happened in Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs and Leawood.

Whitaker is a 2004 graduate of Moberly Senior High School and a former Columbia resident.

 

KWIX in Moberly and KSSZ in Columbia contributed to this report

See more: Law enforcement, elected officials & a former classmate react to arrest and charges of suspected KC-area highway shooter

 

Columbia senator on MU’s actions after ESPN report on rape allegation

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The state senator that represents Columbia thinks investigation of an alleged rape at the University of Missouri and reported on by ESPN needs to follow two paths.

ESPN on its “Outside the Lines” program reports the University did not investigate or report to law enforcement the allegation that a student athlete, swimmer Sasha Menu Courey, was raped by members of the football team in 2010. Menu Courey committed suicide in 2011.

Columbia Senator Kurt Schaefer calls the situation “very serious.” He was glad to see that the University has turned over information it learned from the ESPN report to Columbia Police, and that MU System President Timothy Wolfe is calling for an independent investigation of how the allegation was handled by the University.

In one of two statements released by the University of Missouri athletics department, it says it believes it did the right thing and was respecting the wishes of Menu Courey’s parents, who its says did not reply when it contacted them about the incident.

Schaefer tells Missourinet he knows the University is refuting points in ESPN’s story, but says, “What I would hope is the University would be focused on really looking back at what happened and making sure policies are sufficient to make sure that something like this doesn’t ever happen, and also that this particular instance is investigated from a criminal perspective to determine whether anyone needs to be prosecuted.”

Schaefer says he hopes that nearly four years later, some physical evidence remains that can help determine whether a crime was committed. 

He says he does not anticipate legislative action regarding the case until the investigations are completed and their findings are known.

See our earlier stories related to Sasha Menu Courey

Rock Bridge grad on Nebraska football team takes out frustrations inside a bathroom

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Chase Rome (NU Media Relations)

Chase Rome, a graduate of Columbia’s Rock Bridge high school is in some hot water following the Nebraska Cornhusker’s first Big Ten loss.

Rome, a redshirt freshman, was cited by Dane County deputies in Wisconsin for criminal damage to property. Rome allegedly ripped a paper towel dispenser from the wall of a bathroom at the Dane County Regional Airport as the team was getting ready to leave Madison late Saturday night following their miserable loss to the Badgers.

Rome was widely regarded as one of the top five prospects in Missouri. He only visited Nebraska, but he had offers from dozens of schools, including Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Florida.

Columbia moves to 2-0, Lindenwood 0-2 in NAIA volleyball

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Columbia (Mo.) claimed victory in Pool E Wednesday in the second day of pool play action at the NAIA Volleyball National Championship. Columbia took control of its match early against Rocky Mountain (Mont.) The Cougars limited the Battlin’ Bears to a .075 hitting percentage and just 22 kills for the match.  On Thursday, the 3:15 match pairs Pool E’s two unbeaten teams together, Columbia and Azusa Pacific.

[Read more…]

Missouri colleges report hike in enrollment numbers as school begins

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College enrollment is up throughout Missouri, with some institutions posting record numbers.

campus2.jpg The University of Missouri is showing a record enrollment this yearwith more than 5,500 freshmen … that’s up nearly 600 from twoyears ago.

Department of Higher Education Commissioner Robert Stein says that trend is being noted statewide.

Stein says the reason behind the college enrollment boost is theflat economy. He says people who have lost their jobs are returning tothe classroom to retrain get new skills, others are diversifying andgetting multiple skills to protect themselves and looking to additionalavenues to be productive to the future economy.

While most are reporting increases in enrollment this year, they’re also facing budget cuts over the past several years. Stein says it’s a nationwide problem. He says educational institutions have to find the balance betweenraising tuition rates to hold the line while not pricing students out.

Governor Nixon has asked the legislature to approve an $800 million bond for capital improvements at Missouri’s colleges anduniversities. Stein says capital needs on campuses and the state needsto find an ongoing and predictable source to fund them.

Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]

Families dealing with autism support Nixon’s plan for legislation

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As Governor Nixon pushes his agenda to get autism legislation passed during the upcoming session, families dealing with the disorder are speaking up.

Lora, Blake and Jackson Hinkel Myles Hinkel says he and his wife Lora have sat down many times to talk about whether to re-mortgage their home, move into an apartment or ask their parents for another five thousand dollars to continue treatment for their son, Blake.

Blake is six years old. Lora says he was diagnosed at 20 months. He’s been getting therapy at the Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Columbia, where Nixon outlined his plan for legislation that would mandate coverage for autism treatment and therapy.

Nixon wants a bill that would mandate insurance companies pay for applied behavioral analysis therapy, the treatment Blake’s parents say has made all the difference.

Blake didn’t speak for years, the Hinkels say, until he started getting that therapy.

It’s an out-of-pocket expense.

Nixon says autism is a major and growing condition in Missouri that affects more than 30,000 people in the state. He says everyone supports the measure … except insurance companies.


Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]

Treasurer calls for tougher standards for housing agency

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State Treasurer Clint Zweifel is proposing new standards of conduct for the Missouri Housing Development Commission in light of revelations that the FBI has been talking with the commission’s executive director.

Zweifel became chairman of the commission last month. He says his first order ofTreasurer Zweifel  business is to push to strengthen the ethics that commission members must follow. Zweifel says the steps will remove conflicts of interest and build trust in the agency.

Missouri Housing Development Commission Executive Director Pete Ramsel has disclosed that the FBI interviewed him a year ago about the operations of the commission. Ramsel has said he knows an investigation is going on, though he added that the FBI has asked that he keep the information about the investigation confidential. Ramsel said he went public only because Zweifel had gone public with the information.

The agency awards developers millions of dollars in tax credits each year to create housing for the poor and elderly.

The Columbia News Tribune reported two years ago that Columbia developer Jeff Smith bought a piece of property in Wentzville from commission member Bill Luetkenhaus for $1.7 million. Luetkenhaus had paid only $932,000 for the property two months earlier. Luetkenhaus, who has since resigned from the commission, defended the transaction, stating that it was more publicly transparent that those of other commission members.

Zweifel’s proposed changes would ban personal financial relationships between members of the commission or commission staff and those doing business with the commission. All business relationships would have to be disclosed to the commission by those applying for funds from the commission or applying to do work for it. Former commission members would be prohibited for a time after leaving the commission from working with those doing business with it. Those who violate the new rules could be banned from applying for housing assistance with the commission.

 

Download/listen Treasurer Zweifel statement on MHDC ethics proposal (7:30 MP3)

Education begins earlier and lasts longer

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Education no longer begins only when children enroll in Kindergarten, and it doesn’t always take the summer off anymore. Early childhood education has come a long way from the day care days, with more parents seeking pre-schools that don’t just baby-sit, but teach.

"Our Kindergarten teachers are quick to identify the children who’ve had quality early childhood education, because they do come to school more ready to learn," says Mary Humlicek, Title One Preschool Program Coordinator with the Columbia Public Schools .

Humlicek says early childhood education does make a difference, giving children a step up on their education, especially for poor children. Title One schools have a disproportionate number of poor children attending and receive special funding from the federal government.

Summer school also is growing in popularity. Nearly 1,000 First Graders are enrolled in summer school in Columbia and 700 who will be entering Kindergarten this fall.

"And that program, although it’s short, again teachers are very quick to notice which children have participated in that summer program when they enter school in the fall," according to Humlicek.

Humlicek acknowledges that many parents might be using the school system for cheap child care, but adds that the children benefit greatly from the experience of summer school.

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (:60 MP3)