No DUI in driveway; dead woman's purse stolen; deadly YouTube experiment
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Odd and interesting news from the Midwest.
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NEW ERA, Mich. (AP) — A set of triplet heifers is doing well after being delivered at a dairy farm in western Michigan.
Nick Mitteer, a herdsman at Country Dairy in New Era, tells The Muskegon Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1VjgIsI ) he was surprised Sunday when Kelsey, a 6-year-old cow, gave birth to the fraternal triplets. The newborns each weighed about 55 pounds.
Country Dairy says it's rare that triple heifers survive the birthing process. Mitteer says: "Just like humans, when you have extras, it's hard on them."
Mitteer says the mother also is doing well at the Oceana County farm. It was her fourth time giving birth.
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Information from: The Muskegon Chronicle, http://www.mlive.com/muskegon
- By BARBARA RODRIGUEZ Associated Press
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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State senators said Wednesday that they have heard complaints about Iowa's Medicaid program under private management and that state officials providing information on the new system should stop telling the public the transition has been smooth.
Members of the Senate Human Resources Committee said they have received emails and heard in person from Medicaid service providers and program recipients about problems, including questions over rejected claims and confusion about coverage. Members of the committee in the Democratic-majority Senate challenged a report at the start of the meeting from a state official that there are no systemic issues.
"You're not hearing what we're hearing," said Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo. "It's not all roses."
Lawmakers said the problems clearly conflict with reports from Republican Gov. Terry Branstad's office and others that there have been no serious problems since three insurance companies took over Medicaid on April 1.
"I would hope that we could just end the rosy press releases," Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City. "It's really insulting to people."
Ben Hammes, a Branstad spokesman, defended reports from the governor's office over the program.
"These stories are just a small sample of the positive interactions that some Medicaid patients are experiencing," Hammes said in an email.
State officials and representatives for the insurance companies countered some alleged issues, but they also said they'll investigate ongoing complaints. They also said they wanted to work with service providers over any billing issues.
"Our interest is to ensure that providers understand every detail and we will work with them, whether that is in person, whether it is via a webinar. Whatever meets their schedule to ensure that they understand how to interact with us," said Kim Foltz, a representative for UnitedHealthcare, one of the three insurance companies.
The legislative committee plans to meet over the next several months to continue investigating complaints.
The $4.2 billion Medicaid program provides health care to about 560,000 poor and disabled Iowa residents. The program switched to private management amid calls from Branstad to contain growing costs within the program, which is funded with state and federal dollars. Critics have challenged possible savings under the new system. Branstad says privatization of Medicaid will offer better care to patients.
Democrats were vocal for months about their criticism of the privatization plan and the ensuing transition. They argued the state wasn't ready and federal officials overseeing the switch delayed implementation by several months over readiness issues.
State officials with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, which used to run Medicaid, defend the new system. They've appeared alongside representatives for the insurance companies to answer questions from lawmakers.
The Iowa Legislature is in the midst of passing a budget bill that would include more state oversight of privatized Medicaid, but those details are still being sorted out.
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TEMPERANCE, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan teen who has made annual treks carrying his younger brother on his back to raise awareness about cerebral palsy on Wednesday started a 111-mile walk that's expected to be his last.
Hunter Gandee, 16, set out from Temperance in southeastern Michigan while carrying his 70-pound brother, 9-year-old Braden, who has cerebral palsy and can't walk without assistance. The brothers expect to reach the state Capitol in Lansing on Monday, stopping at schools along the way.
Hunter expects this will be his last such walk because he will be starting his senior year of high school in the fall and will be preparing for college.
"And Braden is getting bigger," Hunter added in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Braden plans to complete the final half-mile in Lansing using a walker.
"He's pretty excited right now," Hunter said. "We've had a great time, so far."
They call the walk the "Cerebral Palsy Swagger," and it challenges people worldwide to take steps toward inclusion.
"I'm extremely thankful for our support and that has inspired me to keep going," Hunter said.
Hunter was 14 in 2014 when he carried then-7-year-old Braden for 40 miles. Last year, they made a 57-mile journey.
Two years ago, Hunter held Braden in his arms on the mound at Comerica Park as Braden tossed the ceremonial first pitch in Detroit's Tigers game against the Colorado Rockies. He and others also raised money last year for an accessible playground at Braden's school.
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Online:
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers appear uninterested in Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback's proposal to reduce the business "border war" between the two states.
Brownback last week offered to lessen his state's efforts to lure jobs away from the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area if Missouri's lawmakers would in turn weaken a law they approved in 2014 addressing the issue.
Some Missouri lawmakers said Wednesday that Brownback's proposal doesn't go far enough to stop incentives for businesses to relocate from Missouri and Kansas, The Kansas City Star reported (http://bit.ly/1WFSKXT ).
Brownback directed his commerce secretary to reduce the use of a tax incentive program called Promoting Employment Across Kansas to encourage companies to move existing jobs from five border counties in Missouri to four Kansas counties. That would happen only if Missouri changes a 2014 law that offered a truce in the border fight if Kansas agrees to the law's terms by Aug. 28.
The Kansas governor also sought to have Missouri lawmakers curtail Missouri Works, the state's main business incentive program. It offers tax breaks to businesses that add a certain number of jobs while meeting minimum requirements for wage levels and health benefits. It also offers aid for employee job training.
Since 2009, 5,702 jobs have moved from Jackson County, Missouri, to Johnson or Wyandotte counties in Kansas using PEAK incentives, and 3,998 jobs have moved from Johnson or Wyandotte counties to Jackson County with Missouri Works incentives.
"Do I have any desire to amend the Missouri Works program?" said Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, a Joplin Republican. "No. I don't."
Missouri lawmakers noted Brownback's proposal did not reduce use of incentives if companies invest at least $10 million in a new building and didn't include any changes to the STAR bonds program, which allows municipalities to issue bonds to finance commercial, entertainment and tourism areas and then use sales tax revenue generated by those developments to pay off the bonds.
"They would still be offering state incentives to businesses to relocate from Missouri to Kansas," said Rep. T.J. Berry, a Republican from Clay County, one of the five Missouri border counties affected by the proposal. "A truce would mean making the Kansas City area a neutral zone where no state incentives are granted to companies hopping the border."
Berry also noted Kansas still has four months to accept Missouri's terms before the 2014 deal expires, and that the proposal less than a month before the Missouri Legislature's adjourns May 13.
"He's had two years, and then waits until just before we adjourn. We can't do anything now. It's not possible," Berry said.
Brownback's spokeswoman, Eileen Hawley, said in a statement Wednesday that he governor had "offered a workable plan to end the border war that would have benefited both states by leveling the economic development playing field in the Kansas City area. The governor will only support a plan that he feels is in the best interest of his constituents and he fully expects the elected officials in Missouri to do the same."
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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com
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NORTHVILLE, Mich. (AP) — Drunken driving is illegal. But maybe not in your driveway.
The Michigan appeals court says a judge was correct in dismissing a charge against a Northville man, who was arrested after backing his Cadillac out of the garage and then driving back into the garage. Police were responding to complaints about loud music.
In a 2-1 decision Wednesday, the appeals court pulled out a dictionary to explain its reasoning under Michigan law. The court says the man was not driving in an area that's "generally accessible" to other vehicles.
The court noted that the man was in his backyard, and his driveway wasn't open to other cars. In dissent, Judge Kathleen Jansen says she would have reinstated the charge.
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — About 26,000 Missouri residents have lost government food stamp benefits for failing to comply with work and job training responsibilities.
Requirements that took effect at the start of this year limited some adults to three months of benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, unless they spent 80 hours a month in work or job-skills programs.
The requirements apply to able-bodied adults ages 18 through 49 who don't have children or other dependents in their homes.
The Department of Social Services says about 26,000 people lost benefits April 1 for not meeting those requirements. More could lose benefits in the coming months.
The work rules are part of a 1996 federal welfare reform law. But they had been waived in most states following the recession until unemployment rates declined.
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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota's five-day wait for a marriage license, a law which dates back to the Great Depression, could soon be a thing of the past.
The state is only one of two that make couples wait so long between applying for a license and receiving one. The only way to avoid the wait in Minnesota is to get a judge to sign a waiver.
Hennepin County auditor and treasurer Mark Chapin said the law first appeared in Minnesota in 1931, the St. Paul Pioneer Press (http://bit.ly/1VEPpsN ) reported.
"During the Great Depression, there was a lot of concern about whether people could support each other and support their children," Chapin said. The wait may have given the engaged enough pause to confirm that support.
Supporters of the change contend the five-day wait is inconvenient for couples, counties and the judiciary. They point out that it doesn't take counties five days to prepare the license, and that the waiting period means couples either return to the licensing office five days later to pick up their marriage license or have it mailed to them, which requires extra staff time.
"We believe the waiting period is burdensome," Chapin told state senators in late March.
Most couples asking for a waiver in Hennepin County did not know about the wait or did not want to wait, Chapin said. The judges always sign off on the waiver.
"We could not find a case where the judge has said, 'This does not meet the standard that they need,' " said Rep. Dennis Smith, R-Maple Grove, the bill's House sponsor.
Even if Minnesota eliminates the waiting period, couples still would need two witnesses and a judge or a clergy member to actually get married.
House and Senate committees have approved eliminating the wait. It still needs final floor votes before going on to Gov. Mark Dayton.
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Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com
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DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — A man who says he went undetected in a crashed vehicle for hours after it was towed from a 2015 accident scene is suing employees at an Ohio sheriff's office and the towing company.
According to court records, Mark Gilliam is suing the Montgomery County sheriff, a deputy and Busy Bee Auto Parts & Towing in federal court in Dayton. The lawsuit charges gross negligence and recklessness among other counts.
The sheriff's office said Gilliam crashed his car in Harrison Township, near Dayton, at around 3 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2015. Authorities said utility lines were touching the car and the roadway, which slowed emergency crews from checking the car, The Dayton Daily News reported (http://bit.ly/1STLBNV ).
The lawsuit seeking more than $25,000 alleges that deputy Brian Crowe, a co-defendant, cleared the scene at around 4:30 a.m. The suit claims that a towing employee found Gilliam injured and screaming for help inside his car about six hours later. The lawsuit lists injuries including fractured ribs, a collapsed lung and broken wrist.
Crowe was cited after the crash last year for failing to do a proper inventory on the vehicle, according to the newspaper.
The company's attorney, Christopher Carrigg, said he hadn't had a chance to review the lawsuit and declined immediate comment. A message seeking comment was left at the Montgomery County prosecutor's office, which is representing the sheriff and deputy.
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LAPEER, Mich. (AP) — A former Michigan lawmaker who faces charges stemming from an extramarital affair with a fellow lawmaker and an alleged attempt to cover it up is running for a county prosecutor's post.
Todd Courser resigned from the Michigan House last year right before it voted to expel the other lawmaker, Rep. Cindy Gamrat. He said in a statement Tuesday that he decided to run for Lapeer County prosecutor "after much prayer and consideration."
The county clerk's office confirmed he submitted the paperwork to challenge incumbent Tim Turkelson in August's Republican primary.
Turkelson told the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News he was surprised by Courser's filing.
Courser and Gamrat both face misconduct in office charges. Courser also faces a perjury charge.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police are looking for a woman who they say stole a purse from another woman who had collapsed and died before entering a Wichita building.
According to authorities, a woman in her 50s was about to walk into the Inter-Faith Villa Courts building around 7:15 a.m. Saturday, when she died of natural causes. Police say that about 15 minutes later, a woman in her mid-20s walked around her body and stole her purse.
Wichita police Sgt. Nikki Woodrow said Tuesday that when first responders arrived at the scene, a person told authorities about the theft.
Woodrow says the deceased woman has been identified, but her name has not yet been released.
- By BRYNA GODAR Associated Press
- Updated
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Jimmy Anderson lost his parents, his brother and his ability to move from the chest down when a drunken driver hit their car in California in 2010.
His subsequent insurance battle and his work to help victims of drunken driving are now spurring the 29-year-old to run for Wisconsin Assembly, setting up a possible Democratic primary battle in the area southeast of Madison that includes Monona, Fitchburg and McFarland.
Rep. Robb Kahl holds the seat and told the Wisconsin State Journal he isn't certain yet if he will seek re-election. Kahl didn't return calls from The Associated Press.
Anderson attended law school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, completing his degree in 2012. His studies were interrupted in 2010 by the car crash, which left him paralyzed from the chest down, including his hands.
Anderson said he quickly approached the lifetime dollar limit on his insurance following the crash. That meant he and his wife, Ashley Anderson, faced the possibility of paying all his future medical bills — things such as $2,000-a-day inpatient rehab and a wheelchair approaching $50,000 — on their own.
"We didn't know what we were going to do," Anderson said.
But then the federal health overhaul kicked in, banning lifetime limits on insurance. Anderson said Republican Gov. Scott Walker's opposition to the overhaul prompted him to get more involved in the political process.
When Anderson found out his representative, Kahl, had voted for Walker in 2010, Anderson decided to run against him in the Democratic primary.
"It made me want to give the people a different choice, someone who truly believes in progressive values," Anderson said.
Kahl, the former mayor of Monona, has said he voted for Walker in 2010 due to his economic policies but disagrees with his actions since Walker took office. Kahl was first elected to the Assembly in 2012 and has served on committees on children and families, energy and utilities, insurance, state affairs and transportation.
Anderson has no political background, emphasizing a "citizen Legislature" component in his campaign. He works at a nonprofit he started called Drive Clear, which helps victims of drunken driving. Ashley Anderson is a veterinarian, and the couple has two dogs, three cats, two rabbits, a gecko and some fish.
Anderson said life is "no doubt" more difficult as a quadriplegic, but there are some upsides — people go out of their way to help him and are less likely to slam the door in his face while he's door-knocking.
"Being in this chair, I always get to see people's best sides," Anderson said.
If Kahl decides to run, he and Anderson will face off in the Aug. 9 primary.
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Follow Bryna Godar on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bgodar
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A jury has convicted a 21-year-old Indianapolis man of murder, felony murder and robbery in the slaying of a man who advertised the sale of a cellphone on Craigslist.
The Marion County Prosecutors Office says Bryant Dowdy was found guilty Wednesday of the December 2012 shooting death of Nishant Patel at an apartment complex on the city's east side.
Dowdy is due to be sentenced Thursday.
Dowdy already is serving a 75-year prison sentence after being convicted of the attempted murders of two cousins who were co-conspirators the day after Patel was slain. Patel's cellphone was found with one of the cousins.
Prosecutors say one of the cousins, Dominique Clanton, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit armed robbery resulting in death. He's due to be sentenced Friday.
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The story has been corrected to show the co-conspirators were cousins, not brothers.
NEW ERA, Mich. (AP) — A set of triplet heifers is doing well after being delivered at a dairy farm in western Michigan.
Nick Mitteer, a herdsman at Country Dairy in New Era, tells The Muskegon Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1VjgIsI ) he was surprised Sunday when Kelsey, a 6-year-old cow, gave birth to the fraternal triplets. The newborns each weighed about 55 pounds.
Country Dairy says it's rare that triple heifers survive the birthing process. Mitteer says: "Just like humans, when you have extras, it's hard on them."
Mitteer says the mother also is doing well at the Oceana County farm. It was her fourth time giving birth.
___
Information from: The Muskegon Chronicle, http://www.mlive.com/muskegon
- By BARBARA RODRIGUEZ Associated Press
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State senators said Wednesday that they have heard complaints about Iowa's Medicaid program under private management and that state officials providing information on the new system should stop telling the public the transition has been smooth.
Members of the Senate Human Resources Committee said they have received emails and heard in person from Medicaid service providers and program recipients about problems, including questions over rejected claims and confusion about coverage. Members of the committee in the Democratic-majority Senate challenged a report at the start of the meeting from a state official that there are no systemic issues.
"You're not hearing what we're hearing," said Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo. "It's not all roses."
Lawmakers said the problems clearly conflict with reports from Republican Gov. Terry Branstad's office and others that there have been no serious problems since three insurance companies took over Medicaid on April 1.
"I would hope that we could just end the rosy press releases," Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City. "It's really insulting to people."
Ben Hammes, a Branstad spokesman, defended reports from the governor's office over the program.
"These stories are just a small sample of the positive interactions that some Medicaid patients are experiencing," Hammes said in an email.
State officials and representatives for the insurance companies countered some alleged issues, but they also said they'll investigate ongoing complaints. They also said they wanted to work with service providers over any billing issues.
"Our interest is to ensure that providers understand every detail and we will work with them, whether that is in person, whether it is via a webinar. Whatever meets their schedule to ensure that they understand how to interact with us," said Kim Foltz, a representative for UnitedHealthcare, one of the three insurance companies.
The legislative committee plans to meet over the next several months to continue investigating complaints.
The $4.2 billion Medicaid program provides health care to about 560,000 poor and disabled Iowa residents. The program switched to private management amid calls from Branstad to contain growing costs within the program, which is funded with state and federal dollars. Critics have challenged possible savings under the new system. Branstad says privatization of Medicaid will offer better care to patients.
Democrats were vocal for months about their criticism of the privatization plan and the ensuing transition. They argued the state wasn't ready and federal officials overseeing the switch delayed implementation by several months over readiness issues.
State officials with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, which used to run Medicaid, defend the new system. They've appeared alongside representatives for the insurance companies to answer questions from lawmakers.
The Iowa Legislature is in the midst of passing a budget bill that would include more state oversight of privatized Medicaid, but those details are still being sorted out.
TEMPERANCE, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan teen who has made annual treks carrying his younger brother on his back to raise awareness about cerebral palsy on Wednesday started a 111-mile walk that's expected to be his last.
Hunter Gandee, 16, set out from Temperance in southeastern Michigan while carrying his 70-pound brother, 9-year-old Braden, who has cerebral palsy and can't walk without assistance. The brothers expect to reach the state Capitol in Lansing on Monday, stopping at schools along the way.
Hunter expects this will be his last such walk because he will be starting his senior year of high school in the fall and will be preparing for college.
"And Braden is getting bigger," Hunter added in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Braden plans to complete the final half-mile in Lansing using a walker.
"He's pretty excited right now," Hunter said. "We've had a great time, so far."
They call the walk the "Cerebral Palsy Swagger," and it challenges people worldwide to take steps toward inclusion.
"I'm extremely thankful for our support and that has inspired me to keep going," Hunter said.
Hunter was 14 in 2014 when he carried then-7-year-old Braden for 40 miles. Last year, they made a 57-mile journey.
Two years ago, Hunter held Braden in his arms on the mound at Comerica Park as Braden tossed the ceremonial first pitch in Detroit's Tigers game against the Colorado Rockies. He and others also raised money last year for an accessible playground at Braden's school.
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Online:
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers appear uninterested in Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback's proposal to reduce the business "border war" between the two states.
Brownback last week offered to lessen his state's efforts to lure jobs away from the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area if Missouri's lawmakers would in turn weaken a law they approved in 2014 addressing the issue.
Some Missouri lawmakers said Wednesday that Brownback's proposal doesn't go far enough to stop incentives for businesses to relocate from Missouri and Kansas, The Kansas City Star reported (http://bit.ly/1WFSKXT ).
Brownback directed his commerce secretary to reduce the use of a tax incentive program called Promoting Employment Across Kansas to encourage companies to move existing jobs from five border counties in Missouri to four Kansas counties. That would happen only if Missouri changes a 2014 law that offered a truce in the border fight if Kansas agrees to the law's terms by Aug. 28.
The Kansas governor also sought to have Missouri lawmakers curtail Missouri Works, the state's main business incentive program. It offers tax breaks to businesses that add a certain number of jobs while meeting minimum requirements for wage levels and health benefits. It also offers aid for employee job training.
Since 2009, 5,702 jobs have moved from Jackson County, Missouri, to Johnson or Wyandotte counties in Kansas using PEAK incentives, and 3,998 jobs have moved from Johnson or Wyandotte counties to Jackson County with Missouri Works incentives.
"Do I have any desire to amend the Missouri Works program?" said Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, a Joplin Republican. "No. I don't."
Missouri lawmakers noted Brownback's proposal did not reduce use of incentives if companies invest at least $10 million in a new building and didn't include any changes to the STAR bonds program, which allows municipalities to issue bonds to finance commercial, entertainment and tourism areas and then use sales tax revenue generated by those developments to pay off the bonds.
"They would still be offering state incentives to businesses to relocate from Missouri to Kansas," said Rep. T.J. Berry, a Republican from Clay County, one of the five Missouri border counties affected by the proposal. "A truce would mean making the Kansas City area a neutral zone where no state incentives are granted to companies hopping the border."
Berry also noted Kansas still has four months to accept Missouri's terms before the 2014 deal expires, and that the proposal less than a month before the Missouri Legislature's adjourns May 13.
"He's had two years, and then waits until just before we adjourn. We can't do anything now. It's not possible," Berry said.
Brownback's spokeswoman, Eileen Hawley, said in a statement Wednesday that he governor had "offered a workable plan to end the border war that would have benefited both states by leveling the economic development playing field in the Kansas City area. The governor will only support a plan that he feels is in the best interest of his constituents and he fully expects the elected officials in Missouri to do the same."
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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com
NORTHVILLE, Mich. (AP) — Drunken driving is illegal. But maybe not in your driveway.
The Michigan appeals court says a judge was correct in dismissing a charge against a Northville man, who was arrested after backing his Cadillac out of the garage and then driving back into the garage. Police were responding to complaints about loud music.
In a 2-1 decision Wednesday, the appeals court pulled out a dictionary to explain its reasoning under Michigan law. The court says the man was not driving in an area that's "generally accessible" to other vehicles.
The court noted that the man was in his backyard, and his driveway wasn't open to other cars. In dissent, Judge Kathleen Jansen says she would have reinstated the charge.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — About 26,000 Missouri residents have lost government food stamp benefits for failing to comply with work and job training responsibilities.
Requirements that took effect at the start of this year limited some adults to three months of benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, unless they spent 80 hours a month in work or job-skills programs.
The requirements apply to able-bodied adults ages 18 through 49 who don't have children or other dependents in their homes.
The Department of Social Services says about 26,000 people lost benefits April 1 for not meeting those requirements. More could lose benefits in the coming months.
The work rules are part of a 1996 federal welfare reform law. But they had been waived in most states following the recession until unemployment rates declined.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota's five-day wait for a marriage license, a law which dates back to the Great Depression, could soon be a thing of the past.
The state is only one of two that make couples wait so long between applying for a license and receiving one. The only way to avoid the wait in Minnesota is to get a judge to sign a waiver.
Hennepin County auditor and treasurer Mark Chapin said the law first appeared in Minnesota in 1931, the St. Paul Pioneer Press (http://bit.ly/1VEPpsN ) reported.
"During the Great Depression, there was a lot of concern about whether people could support each other and support their children," Chapin said. The wait may have given the engaged enough pause to confirm that support.
Supporters of the change contend the five-day wait is inconvenient for couples, counties and the judiciary. They point out that it doesn't take counties five days to prepare the license, and that the waiting period means couples either return to the licensing office five days later to pick up their marriage license or have it mailed to them, which requires extra staff time.
"We believe the waiting period is burdensome," Chapin told state senators in late March.
Most couples asking for a waiver in Hennepin County did not know about the wait or did not want to wait, Chapin said. The judges always sign off on the waiver.
"We could not find a case where the judge has said, 'This does not meet the standard that they need,' " said Rep. Dennis Smith, R-Maple Grove, the bill's House sponsor.
Even if Minnesota eliminates the waiting period, couples still would need two witnesses and a judge or a clergy member to actually get married.
House and Senate committees have approved eliminating the wait. It still needs final floor votes before going on to Gov. Mark Dayton.
___
Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — A man who says he went undetected in a crashed vehicle for hours after it was towed from a 2015 accident scene is suing employees at an Ohio sheriff's office and the towing company.
According to court records, Mark Gilliam is suing the Montgomery County sheriff, a deputy and Busy Bee Auto Parts & Towing in federal court in Dayton. The lawsuit charges gross negligence and recklessness among other counts.
The sheriff's office said Gilliam crashed his car in Harrison Township, near Dayton, at around 3 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2015. Authorities said utility lines were touching the car and the roadway, which slowed emergency crews from checking the car, The Dayton Daily News reported (http://bit.ly/1STLBNV ).
The lawsuit seeking more than $25,000 alleges that deputy Brian Crowe, a co-defendant, cleared the scene at around 4:30 a.m. The suit claims that a towing employee found Gilliam injured and screaming for help inside his car about six hours later. The lawsuit lists injuries including fractured ribs, a collapsed lung and broken wrist.
Crowe was cited after the crash last year for failing to do a proper inventory on the vehicle, according to the newspaper.
The company's attorney, Christopher Carrigg, said he hadn't had a chance to review the lawsuit and declined immediate comment. A message seeking comment was left at the Montgomery County prosecutor's office, which is representing the sheriff and deputy.
LAPEER, Mich. (AP) — A former Michigan lawmaker who faces charges stemming from an extramarital affair with a fellow lawmaker and an alleged attempt to cover it up is running for a county prosecutor's post.
Todd Courser resigned from the Michigan House last year right before it voted to expel the other lawmaker, Rep. Cindy Gamrat. He said in a statement Tuesday that he decided to run for Lapeer County prosecutor "after much prayer and consideration."
The county clerk's office confirmed he submitted the paperwork to challenge incumbent Tim Turkelson in August's Republican primary.
Turkelson told the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News he was surprised by Courser's filing.
Courser and Gamrat both face misconduct in office charges. Courser also faces a perjury charge.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police are looking for a woman who they say stole a purse from another woman who had collapsed and died before entering a Wichita building.
According to authorities, a woman in her 50s was about to walk into the Inter-Faith Villa Courts building around 7:15 a.m. Saturday, when she died of natural causes. Police say that about 15 minutes later, a woman in her mid-20s walked around her body and stole her purse.
Wichita police Sgt. Nikki Woodrow said Tuesday that when first responders arrived at the scene, a person told authorities about the theft.
Woodrow says the deceased woman has been identified, but her name has not yet been released.
- By BRYNA GODAR Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Jimmy Anderson lost his parents, his brother and his ability to move from the chest down when a drunken driver hit their car in California in 2010.
His subsequent insurance battle and his work to help victims of drunken driving are now spurring the 29-year-old to run for Wisconsin Assembly, setting up a possible Democratic primary battle in the area southeast of Madison that includes Monona, Fitchburg and McFarland.
Rep. Robb Kahl holds the seat and told the Wisconsin State Journal he isn't certain yet if he will seek re-election. Kahl didn't return calls from The Associated Press.
Anderson attended law school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, completing his degree in 2012. His studies were interrupted in 2010 by the car crash, which left him paralyzed from the chest down, including his hands.
Anderson said he quickly approached the lifetime dollar limit on his insurance following the crash. That meant he and his wife, Ashley Anderson, faced the possibility of paying all his future medical bills — things such as $2,000-a-day inpatient rehab and a wheelchair approaching $50,000 — on their own.
"We didn't know what we were going to do," Anderson said.
But then the federal health overhaul kicked in, banning lifetime limits on insurance. Anderson said Republican Gov. Scott Walker's opposition to the overhaul prompted him to get more involved in the political process.
When Anderson found out his representative, Kahl, had voted for Walker in 2010, Anderson decided to run against him in the Democratic primary.
"It made me want to give the people a different choice, someone who truly believes in progressive values," Anderson said.
Kahl, the former mayor of Monona, has said he voted for Walker in 2010 due to his economic policies but disagrees with his actions since Walker took office. Kahl was first elected to the Assembly in 2012 and has served on committees on children and families, energy and utilities, insurance, state affairs and transportation.
Anderson has no political background, emphasizing a "citizen Legislature" component in his campaign. He works at a nonprofit he started called Drive Clear, which helps victims of drunken driving. Ashley Anderson is a veterinarian, and the couple has two dogs, three cats, two rabbits, a gecko and some fish.
Anderson said life is "no doubt" more difficult as a quadriplegic, but there are some upsides — people go out of their way to help him and are less likely to slam the door in his face while he's door-knocking.
"Being in this chair, I always get to see people's best sides," Anderson said.
If Kahl decides to run, he and Anderson will face off in the Aug. 9 primary.
___
Follow Bryna Godar on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bgodar
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A jury has convicted a 21-year-old Indianapolis man of murder, felony murder and robbery in the slaying of a man who advertised the sale of a cellphone on Craigslist.
The Marion County Prosecutors Office says Bryant Dowdy was found guilty Wednesday of the December 2012 shooting death of Nishant Patel at an apartment complex on the city's east side.
Dowdy is due to be sentenced Thursday.
Dowdy already is serving a 75-year prison sentence after being convicted of the attempted murders of two cousins who were co-conspirators the day after Patel was slain. Patel's cellphone was found with one of the cousins.
Prosecutors say one of the cousins, Dominique Clanton, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit armed robbery resulting in death. He's due to be sentenced Friday.
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The story has been corrected to show the co-conspirators were cousins, not brothers.
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