Posted at 04:06 PM in Crime/Public Safety, Family Issues | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
March 19, 2012
A MOTHER AND 3 DAUGHTERS -- AGES 8 YEARS OLD, 6 YEARS OLD AND 3 YEARS OLD WERE FOUND SHOT TO DEATH OVER THE WEEKEND.
POLICE IN BOURBON, MISSOURI SAY THEY SUSPECT THIS WAS A MURDER-SUICIDE.
I WAS HORRIFIED WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THE DEATHS AND EVEN MORE SHOCKED WHEN I LEARNED THESE CHILDREN MAY HAVE DIED AT THE HANDS OF THEIR OWN MOTHER.
WE HEAR ABOUT THESE TRAGEDIES AND IT'S SO HARD FOR US TO IMAGINE HOW MUCH PAIN A PERSON COULD BE IN TO KILL HER OWN DAUGHTERS.
BUT THEN I REALIZE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN PAIN OUT THERE AND THEY NEED HELP.
WE ARE BLESSED TO HAVE SEVERAL COUNSELING SERVICES IN REGION 8 - PLACES PEOPLE CAN TURN TO WHEN THEY FIND THEMSELVES IN UNBEARABLE PAIN.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO END LIKE THIS.
YOU CAN FIND A LIST OF COUNSELING SERVICES AND PHONE NUMBERS BY LOGGING ON TO KAIT8.COM AND CLICKING ON THE COMMUNITY TAB AT THE TOP OF OUR HOME PAGE. YOU WILL FIND A LINK TO MY EDITORIALS THERE AND CONTACT NUMBERS.
THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HELP MAKE THIS A BETTER REGION 8.
Posted at 05:10 PM in Crime/Public Safety, Education, Family Issues | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
March 12, 2012
WHEN I THINK OF DRUNK DRIVING, I TYPICALLY THINK OF HOLIDAYS LIKE NEW YEAR'S EVE.
BUT ONE OF THE MOST CELEBRATED HOLIDAYS OF THE YEAR IS COMING UP THIS WEEKEND.
ST. PATRICK'S DAY IS THIS SATURDAY, MARCH 17TH.
SO IT'S A GOOD TIME TO REMIND YOU OF THE DANGERS OF DRINKING AND DRIVING.
IF YOU LOG ON TO THE MOTHER'S AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING WEBSITE, YOU WILL FIND A SOBERING STATISTIC IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HOME PAGE -- ONE IN THREE OF US WILL BE IMPACTED BY DRUNK DRIVING.
IF YOU PLAN TO DRINK THIS WEEKEND, DO SO RESPONSIBLY.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SOMEONE TO DRIVE YOU HOME.
YOU CAN ALSO HELP BY LEARNING HOW TO SPOT A DRUNK DRIVER.
A FEW OF THE THINGS TO LOOK FOR ARE SPEEDING UP AND SLOWING DOWN, TAILGATING, WEAVING, STOPPING FOR NO REASON, SLOW RESPONSE TO TRAFFIC SIGNALS AND TURNING ABRUPTLY OR ILLEGALLY. EXPERTS TELL US DON'T TRY TO INTERFERE WITH A DRUNK DRIVER -- CALL POLICE.
BOTTOM LINE - IF YOU DRINK, STAY OFF THE ROADS.
AND IF THAT'S NOT DETTERENT ENOUGH -- POLICE OFFICERS AND SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES WILL BE OUT IN FULL FORCE THIS WEEKEND.
SAVE YOURSELF A LOT OF TROUBLE AND HEARTACHE AND MAKE THIS A BETTER REGION 8.
Posted at 05:06 PM in Crime/Public Safety, Education, Family Issues, Food and Drink, Highways | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 30, 2012
Friday was a sad day for Region 8 when we lost 13-month-old Blake Pierce in a house fire in Trumann. Blake and his twin brother Drake Pierce, his 3 year old brother Robert and their baby sitter were in the home when the fire started. When the fire broke out, neighbors rushed to the house, broke out the back window with a baseball bat and found the boys unconscious in a bedroom. One of those neighbors, Robert Beard, performed CPR on one of the children. He told Region 8 News he just wished he could have helped all 3 boys, but he knew if he didn't stay with the one boy -- he wouldn't make it either. First I want to ask that you keep the Pierce family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. And I want to commend Robert Beard and the other neighbors who came running when these precious children were in danger. Beard put his personal safety aside and was determined to help these boys. If faced with a dangerous situation, would you do the same? I am thankful for Robert Beard and the other neighbors who came to help. It's folks like these that make this a Better Region 8.
Posted at 04:26 PM in Crime/Public Safety, Family Issues | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 9th, 2012
I was angry when I heard about the Region 8 woman charged with filing a false police report.
According to Craighead County Sheriff Jack McCann, Lindsay Sullivan claimed a police impersonator pulled her over on Craighead County Road 506, not far from Highway 18.
This is just a mile from where Amanda Tusing was killed a decade ago. Tusing’s case is cold with no leads.
When McCann got word about this incident, he was hopeful this might just be the break he’s been looking for.
According to McCann, Sullivan’s story started to fall apart and he says she admitted to making a false report.
The story not only alarmed McCann and his officers, but many people across Region 8.
I could sense the pain in Sheriff McCann’s voice as he talked about getting his hopes up that this might be related to Amanda Tusing and it just wasted the whole day and put them back at ground zero.
Why would someone do this? No one knows for sure, but this is not the kind of incident we need as we work hard to make this a Better Region 8.
Posted at 04:04 PM in Crime/Public Safety | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
It was with great sadness I read on kait8.com about another Region 8 teenager losing his life in an accidental shooting.
Investigators said 16-year-old Zane Riddiough of Independence County was with a group of friends and he was handling a gun when the gun went off, hit him and he died.
Just a few weeks earlier, we reported another shooting death of a teenager named Dillon McKinnis Brown. Dillon was just 14-years-old. Investigators said Dillon was accidentally shot and killed after a duck hunt.
These two incidents alone are enough for those of us who are parents of teenagers or friends of teenagers to at least talk to the young people we know about the dangers of handling guns.
Please don’t misunderstand me – I support our right to bear arms and am not against the responsible use of firearms especially in self defense and for hunting. But as the mother of a 20-year-old son – I know teenagers and young adults often feel they are invincible.
Please do what you can to talk with your teen, your young adult and their friends about the dangers of guns.
Maybe, just maybe, you can help save a precious life and in turn make this a Better Region 8
Posted at 03:12 PM in Crime/Public Safety, Family Issues | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Labor Day Holiday Weekend is sneaking up fast. Another thing that will be sneaking up on you in Region 8...Sobriety Checkpoints. Now some may rail against this arguing that it is inconvenient or an unneccesary violation of your rights. There are lots of folks who buy into that argument. But let me tell you this.
If stopping someone at a checkpoint for five minutes saves lives...I'll take the inconvenience every time. Here are some pointers if you plan on celebrating this weekend. First, designate a sober driver and give them the keys
If you don't have a driver, call someone to pick you up. Use those cell phones to report drunken drivers. And if you know someone who has been drinking too much and plans to drive, take their keys and help get them home.
Finally, if you are sober and are stopped at a checkpoint, thank the officers for their effort. They are working hard out there to make this a safer and a Better Region 8.
A BETTER REGION 8: SOBRIETY CHECKPOINTS
Posted at 12:22 PM in Crime/Public Safety, Highways | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
With the start of school upon us we can all expect morning and afternoon traffic to once again be a source of stress. It might be a good time to reflect on the "Golden Rule" and actually respecting others. Not to mention the often forgotten tenant of forgiving others. And then there's the common sense, practical applications of road sanity for all… especially those who seem to be attracted to my route. Like thou shall not signal left, and then veer into the right lane before turning . . . thou shall actually use one's blinker before turning . . thou shall not drive 15 mph under the speed limit on major highways . . . thou shall not merge and then check for cars already in that lane . . . thou shall not apply make up with one hand and overuse the omni-present cell phone with the other hand . . . thou shall really stop at those big red stop signs . . . Finally, and most importantly if you are blessed to have children that you're transporting to and from school remember to take advantage of that very special time you have alone with them in the car. Exercising some simple etiquette on our roadways will keep us all safe and will lead to a better Region 8.
Posted at 02:57 PM in Crime/Public Safety, Family Issues | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Recent Comments