Auburn 2013 SEC Championship front pages

Auburn

SEC Championship
Front Pages
D E C E M B E R 8 , 2 0 1 3

Wade ON Birmingham
wadeonbirmingham.com

GAMECOCKS TOP
McNEESE STATE FOR
1ST TIME, ADVANCE
FOR MORE, SEE SPORTS, 1C

NO. 2 OHIO STATE
SUFFERS FIRST LOSS

FLORIDA STATE
ROUTS DUKE

A home-owned newspaper

Sunday, December 8, 2013

$1.50

STATE
OF CARE

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP 2013 | AUBURN 59, MISSOURI 42

FREE MASON

Conservative Kentucky
accepts the new health
care law, makes it work

Auburn RB runs wild to lead Tigers to SEC crown

BY TIM LOCKETTE
tlockette@annistonstar.com

T

So far, Obamacare has worked
out pretty well for the people
who’ve met Cara Stewart.
A lawyer for a Kentucky nonprofit group, Stewart has spent
the last two months holding workshops in bars, churches and libraries, explaining the state’s health
exchange and even helping people
sign up. Some of them cried when
they qualified for insurance. Most
were skeptical that it would really
work out. But no one left without
some way to get covered.
“In Kentucky, everybody has an
option,” said Stewart, a fellow at
the Kentucky Equal Justice Center.
“Unless you’re undocumented or
in jail, there’s something for you.”
For Jeff Nelson, things haven’t
run so smoothly. Nelson is a social
worker for The Right Place in
Anniston, which has a contract to
help people sign up on the federal
health care website. Nelson had to
put meetings with clients on hold
last week to make sure the site was
truly fixed. And some people find
they’re too poor for federal subsidies, but still not eligible for Medicaid.
“They go away with nothing,”
he said.
To health policy experts, Alabama and Kentucky look like near
twins — Southern states with
some of the highest rates of poverty, and some of the worst health
outcomes, in the nation. But their
approaches to the Affordable Care
Act, also known as Obamacare,

Trent Penny/The Anniston Star

re Mason rushed for 304 yards and four touchdowns to pace an Auburn team that piled up an SEC
Championship-record 677 yards as the Tigers outlasted Missouri. Mason’s scoring runs covered
7, 3, 1 and 13 yards on a staggering 46 carries to earn MVP honors. Auburn’s victory, coupled with
Saturday’s loss by previously unbeaten Ohio State, greatly increases the 12-1 Tigers’ shot at playing for the national championship. FOR MORE, SEE SPORTS, PAGE 1C

Please see HEALTH | Page 5A

State employees could see repeat on raises
BY PHILLIP RAWLS
Associated Press

MONTGOMERY — Alabama teachers could be in line
for another pay raise when the
state legislature meets next
year, but non-education state
employees should not get their
hopes up.
Gov. Robert Bentley said
Wednesday he wants a cost-ofliving raise for public education employees. The governor

INDEX

Cost-of-living raises might be in store for
teachers, but not other state workers
hasn’t yet said how much of
a raise. Bentley said he wants
to restore pay cuts that educators took at the start of his
administration when they were
required to boost contributions
to their own pensions.
“It helped me turn the state
situation around, and I appreciate that. And now that things

WEATHER, 4F

Classifieds . . . . . . . 1F
Editorial . . . . . . . . . 2D
Lottery . . . . . . . . . . 2B

Vol. 133, No. 342
(USPS 026-440)

6

66000 22222

6

Elijah Cantrell,
Pleasant Grove Elem.

RAIN
HIGH: 55 LOW: 52

are better, I think we can help
them,” Bentley said.
However, he said the state
can’t afford a cost-of-living raise
for non-education employees.
“Unfortunately, our General
Fund is still very anemic,” he
said.
Legislative leaders say a
cost-of-living raise will be

hard to achieve for education
employees and virtually impossible for state employees who
don’t work in education.
“Right now, my crystal ball
says unless some manna drops
from the sky, it will be very difficult to do give state employees
a pay raise,” said Republican
Rep. Steve Clouse of Ozark,
chairman of the House Ways
and Means-General Fund

A holiday keepsake section
from Northeast Alabama Living

Please see RAISES | Page 5A
Church ch
set the moo oirs
holiday wo d for
rship

OBITUARIES, 3B
Willie R. Bailey,
Anniston
Hazel Lucille Blanton,
Heflin
Emma John Bagley
Buchanan, Anniston
Eduardo V. Butler,
Anniston
Harvey E. Dickerson
Sr., Ohatchee
Gussie R. Finley,
Talladega

INSIDE TODAY’S STAR

James Harper,
Alexandria
S. D. Heard, Oxford
Noah Walter “Chuck”
Lanier, Anniston
Randell Lamar Ogle,
Lincoln
Charles Nathaniel
Stonecipher, Parker,
Colo.
Lillian Martin
Williams, Piedmont

Where to go
for the area’s
best, brightest
Christmas light
displays this
season

LIFE &

Looking fo
r the

Anniston’s
First United
Methodist,
a camerata

SEE PAGES 4E, 5E

Follow th
best and bre colored lights on a
tour
ightest loca
l Christmas of the
displays

SAKS/WEA
VER

OLD GADSDE

N HIGHWAY
Jerry and
been attra Debbie Goble’s mass
cting
ive winter
wonderlan
slowly down sightseers for 12
d in Saks has
years
route wort Old Gadsden Highway . After turning off
ha
U.S. 431, drive
But there’s look — one you migh as there are several
homes on
no
your
lights, inclu mistaking the Goble’st actually take for the
ding a mass
main
handcrafted
ive twinkling annual display of more event.
canopy over
than 30,00
North Pole wooden recreations
of Santa and the driveway, and 0
Village, the
during his
wonderlan Nativity and more. Due his reindeer, intricate
d’s erection,
this year, but
Jerry won’ to an injury sustained
t be donning
a closer look. the grounds are open
the Santa suit
to visitors
wanting a
photo op or
just

F
holid
houn
431, y
Christ
about
bigger
Tak
for a qu

CIRCL

quiet str
enough
everyone

D
INDIAN OAK

S
Back on U.S.
431, head north
If you’ve got
toward
the
Just past Cher kids, take a quick Indian Oaks Country
Club.
detour down
inflatable char okee Trail you’ll find
LENLOC
a
Cherokee Trail acters and flashing cheerful spectacle K LANE.
of the
rainbow
will lead you
find two stree
into the India lights that kids go
nuts for.
n Oaks distri
of white lightsts of stately brick home
ct where you’l
s elegantly
and classic
l
lights runn
ing down eithe holly and ivy trimm decked in thousands
ings. Follow
and watch
for the twink r side of Pawnee Drive
the trail of
ling reflection
and
s as you roun Pueblo Pass,
d Doss Lake
.

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SEC
DOWN,
BCS
BOUND

SUNDAY

DECEMBER,8
2013

COVERAGE IN SPORTS, 1B

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AL.COM EXCLUSIVE

After her husband’s death, a Leeds woman displays
their extensive St. Nick collection one last time

Bessemer jail
to reopen with
the transfer of
200 inmates
Barnett Wright
bwright@al.com

The Bessemer jail, closed
since 2009 because of budget cuts, will reopen Dec.
16 with nearly 200 inmates
who will be moved from the
overcrowded Birmingham
jail, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
“The tax payers in the Bessemer Cut Off area deserve
and expect a full-service sheriff’s office and justice system,”
said Deputy Chief Randy
Christian. “This should
restore that.”
The 1,040-bed county jail
in Birmingham has been
overcrowded, and past efforts
to reopen the 414-bed Bes-

semer facility were unsuccessful.
Christian said work began
Oct. 1 to upgrade the Bessemer jail.
“Some repairs had to be
made, food and medical provisions put in place, equipment ordered and personnel
hired,” Christian said.
The Jefferson County
Commission set aside $2.4
million in the fiscal 2014
budget to pay for 43 personnel positions at the facility. That does not include
another $276,000 the commission approved last month
to upgrade the jail’s security
system.

See JAIL, Page 11A

INSIDE

Mrs. Claus has a place in Kathye Drake’s huge collection of Santas. (Tamika Moore/tmoore@al.com)

The

SANTA CLAUS
LADY
Jeremy Gray z jgray@al.com

Not just any Santa Claus could join Kathye Drake’s collection. ◗ At flea
markets and thrift stores, she would examine rows and rows of the jolly old
man, her eyes finally meeting the motionless eyes of one special figure. ◗ “I
have to look at their faces,” she said during a tour of her home in Leeds. “I
look into their eyes, and they speak to me. If I pick him up and kiss him, he’s

LIVING
THE BIRMINGHAM AREA
WILL PLAY HOST TO A
VARIETY OF ‘NUTCRACKER’
PRODUCTIONS 1E
IN DEPTH
NELSON MANDELA
WAS A MAGNETIC
LEADER WHO
FOSTERED PEACE
AND EQUALITY IN
SOUTH AFRICA 17A

SPORTS
GUS MALZAHN
SIGNS 6-YEAR
EXTENSION; WILL
MAKE $3.85
MILLION IN THE
FIRST YEAR 2B

SUNDAY

$2 at newsstand

Volume 126
Number 117
© 2013 Alabama Media Group

INDEX

Books
Business
Classified
Comics

4E
1C
1I
1Z

coming with me.” ◗ Through countless repetitions of that ritual, and many

SUNDAY
Periods of rain
High 55, low 51.

17A
1E
3A
13A

Opinion
Sports
State
Travel

1F
1B
12A
8E

WEATHER

Santa gifts, the St. Nicks have come to fill almost every room of her house.

In Depth
Living
Local
Obituaries

See SANTA, Page 5A

MONDAY
Periods of rain
High 56, low 34.

TUESDAY
Clearing, colder.
High 45, low 27.

SATURDAY’S SCORES
Auburn
Missouri

59
42

Florida St.
Duke

45
7

MORE IN SPORTS, C1, AND AT DECATURDAILY.COM

Jacksonville St.
McNeese St.

31
10

Lenoir-Rhyne
North Alabama

42
39

South Alabama
30
Louisiana-Lafayette 8

Southern U.
34
Jackson St. 27, 2OT

Michigan St.
Ohio St.

34
24

RIVERFRONT: Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge celebrates 75 Years, B1

The Decatur Daily
THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY

WORST TO FIRST

RACK — $1
HOME
DELIVERY
— 51 CENTS

SUNDAY

DECEMBER 8, 2013

DECATURDAILY.COM

LawCo sends
Galbreath, 2
others to 9
conferences
By Meredith Qualls
Staff Writer

Gary Cosby Jr./Decatur Daily

Auburn defensive back Brandon King celebrates Auburn’s 59-42 victory over Missouri. More photos, decaturdaily.com.

Auburn likely on to BCS title game after Ohio State’s loss
By Cliff Kirkpatrick

More inside

Sports Writer

ATLANTA — Auburn’s magical football season continued with
an SEC Championship, and now
it’s on to a national title game.
The Tigers completed a dramatic turnaround of going winless in conference play last year to
claiming an SEC title Saturday
night in the Georgia Dome.
Auburn defeated Missouri
59-42 to win the SEC’s automatic
berth to a Bowl Championship
Series game. The third-ranked
were Tigers expected to go to the
Sugar Bowl, but were bumped
into the national title game later
in the night.

The biggest cat: Auburn, C1
Missouri’s side of the
ball, C7
Auburn notebook, C8
Auburn report card, C8

No. 2 Ohio State lost its Big
Ten Conference title game to
Michigan State, 34-24,dropping
the Buckeyes out of the championship picture.
Auburn moves up and will face
No. 1 Florida State for the national
title on Jan. 6 in Pasadena, Calif.
The Seminoles defeated Duke the
Atlantic Coast Conference title
game.
“It’s been one of the more unique
experiences I’ve ever been a part

of,” Auburn coach Guz Malzahn
said of the team’s season.
Auburn needed two last-minute comebacks to defeat Georgia
and Alabama to claim the SEC
West Division and reach the conference title game.
“Our staff deserves a lot of credit,” Malzahn said. “They came in,
they developed relationships with
our players. We developed trust
with each other. We had some
growing pains, had some tough
times. They found a way to improve
each practice and each game.”
There was question whether a
one-loss SEC team should jump
an undefeated Ohio State for the
national title because of strength
of schedule. The SEC has won

seven straight national titles.
The streak was in jeopardy if
Auburn didn’t get help. But
Malzahn said his team was
national championship worthy
anyway. The Tigers played 10
bowl eligible teams this season.
“ We’re the SEC cha mp,”
Malzahn said. “I believe we (the
SEC) won (the national title) the
last seven years. We play the
toughest schedule of any of the
teams there, and we’re playing
our best football. A lot of teams
aren’t getting better each week.
This team is.”
Contact Cliff Kirkpatrick at cliff.
kirkpatrick@decaturdaily.com
and follow him at Twitter.com/
cokirkpatrick.

MOULTON — Lawrence County, while over
budget and strapped for cash, spent $9,300 for
a contract worker and two county employees to
attend nine conferences during a span of seven
months this year.
Interim administrator Tricia
Galbreath, who has been on
contract with the county since
January, attended conferences
during a time when the county
was struggling to meet payroll
and considering employee
Galbreath
cuts.
Commissioners said the
conference training expenses Inside
Lawwere approved by the commisrence
sion but did not provide specifications about who could County
attend. Commission Chairman revises
Prentis Davis said he under- adminisstood the approval was meant trator job
to include Galbreath, a retired descripcounty administrator who tion, A3
Lawworks for the county through
rence
her company, Galbreath &
wet/dry
Associates.
“It’s not training necessarily, issue goes
but keeping up with the pace of grassroots,
things,” Davis said of the con- B1
ferences.
Galbreath said that to maintain her county
administrator certification, she is required to
obtain 12 credit hours — which can be obtained
through conferences — within a two-year period.
But Galbreath isn’t the full-time county
administrator. The contract between the county and Galbreath’s company specifies Galbreath as a contractor who “shall not be deemed
an employee or agent of the commission.”
Lawrence County pays Galbreath & Associates $7,500 per month to perform administrative and accounting services. The contract
includes pay for Galbreath and
Please see Lawrence, A3

C&L grows while IP shrinks Bentley says $1B
a year saved; no
records available

By Eric Fleischauer
Staff Writer

The day International Paper
in Courtland
announced it
would close,
Hen r y B ow man, the
owner of C&L
Wo o d P ro d ucts near Hartselle, groaned. Bowman
T he pallet
manufacturer had just lost its
largest customer.
The day after the announcement, Bowman began planning an expansion.
“We’re trying to turn a sour
event into something good for
us,” Bowman said.
It ’s h a r d t o ove r s t a t e
Please see C&L, A7

Jeronimo Nisa/Decatur Daily

Edward Tucker works in the saw mill Thursday at C&L Wood Products, near Hartselle.

BUSINESS

Norman Gearhart, Trinity
Gary Givens, Moulton
Milton Kirby, Danville
Helen Owens, Decatur

Rain, with south-southwest
winds 3-6 mph.

attle
/45

Montgomery Bureau

AREA DEATHS

TODAY’S WEATHER, A2
High: 48 Low: 43

Mary Petrossian, Decatur
Mildred Russell, Decatur
Gilbert Watts, Trinity
Death notices, obits, A6.

INSIDE
Abby ..................E5
Book ..................E7
Business........... D1
Classified ........... F1
Crossword ..........E6

Editorials.........A4-5
Horoscope .........E2
Living .................E1
Lotteries ........... C2
Obituaries ..........A6

Riverfront ...........B1
Sports ...............C1
Weather .............A2

Decatur, Alabama 102nd year, No. 286, 40 pages

Seattle
64/45

and we will
get the supporting documentation
to you when
it is ready for
release,”
Jennifer
Ardis said in

By Mary Sell

Seattle
50/43

LEAVING WORK
AT WORK

Some
employers step
in to prevent
employee
burnout.
D1

Seattle
49/35

Billings
Billings
58/37
58/37
Billings
Minneapolis
Minneapolis
nneapolis Minneapolis
32/18
Billings
Minneapolis
47/29
64/47
64/47
/47
38/28
Detroit
14/8 Detroit
Detroit
Detroit
Detroit
Detroit
New York
Minneapolis
Detroit
41/26
58/41
58/41
18/10
58/41
58/41
55/39
New York
Chicago
2/-8
32/12
New York
New York
New York
New York
46/23
45/25
San
60/46 Chicago
Francisco
Chicago
60/46
60/46
San Francisco Chicago
Chicago 60/46 Francisco
Chicago
71/50
0 61/38
61/38
12/4
60/51Denver
61/38
Denver
32/20
San Francisco
Washington
Denver
Denver Washington
Washington
Washington Washington 64/33
64/33
Washington Kansas City
60/49 66/32
36/20
62/35
64/41
Kansas City
60/45
60/45
60/45
60/45
20/11
42/32
Kansas City
Kansas City
Kansas City
s City
56/30
70/50
70/50

Seattle
50/40

New York
52/22
San Francisco
61/47
Washington
59/30

MONTGOMERY — Gov.
Robert Bentley has been
saying publicly that the
state has saved about $1 billion a year since he and
other Republicans took
office three years ago.
It’s a statement the governor, who is seeking re-election next year, is likely to
repeat as the 2014 legislat ive approaches nex t
month.
But his of f ice hasn’t
turned over documents
detailing all the savings, per
a public records request
from The Decatur Daily.
Last month, when speaking at an attorneys’ conference, Bentley said Republicans had “saved over a billion dollars annually since
we came into office.”
The newspaper asked for
a list of the savings and a
week later filed a public
records request for them.
Late last week, Bentley’s
spokeswoman said the documents weren’t ready.
“ We a re work i n g t o
update the numbers on the
‘Road to a Billion’ campaign,

Bentley

an email.
On Friday, Bentley again
mentioned the $1 billion
while speaking at an Alabama Farmers Federation
meeting in Montgomery.
“I was given a list yesterday of what we have truly
s aved ,” he s a id . “ It is
approaching nearly $1 billion.”
Ardis said the list the governor was referring to was a
result of the newspaper’s
records request, but it was a
draft document that couldn’t
be released.
“We are comfortable with
what he is saying, but we are
double-checking the numbers,” Ardis said Friday.
“We want to get it down to
the cent as much as we
can.”
Last year, Bentley and
o t h e r s r ol l e d o u t t h e
Please see Records, A3

Seattle
42/34
Billings
36/22

Denver
40/26
San Francisco
58/43
Los Angeles

Minneapolis
Billings
36/2624/9
Chicago
49/36
Denver
Kansas City
40/10
46/32

Minneapolis
Detroit
8/-6
42/32

New York Detroi
46/34
21/10

Chicago
21/13
Washington
Kansas City
54/36
23/9

Wash
48/27

“For I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” — Genesis 37:17
High 75°
Low 63°
Partly sunny, chance of
rain mainly before noon,
Weather 2A

SUNDAY

DECEMBER 8,
2013

DOTHAN EAGLE Real people. Real news.

AUBURN

$1.50

1C

WINS

COMING

HOME

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP

U.S. veteran returns
from North Korea
after being detained

Ohio State falls to Michigan State; Auburn likely
to play Florida State for national championship

1B

HOLIDAY

TRADITION
Over-the-top decorations
a staple for some families

Providing
the right
footing

1E

WORST TO FIRST

Parents aim to keep
their kids outside and
physically healthy
BY JIMMY SAILORS

jsailors@dothaneagle.com

Missy and Marvin Sexton recognized the signs.
Their sons Walker, 12, and Greg,
9, were spending more time with
computers and electronics, and
less time playing outside.
The parents took action in January, setting up a system where the
boys had to earn their electronics
privileges through exercise.
“We decided it was getting too
much,” Marvin said. “To stay
physically healthy, I think you
have to set a foundation for the
kids going forward, to teach them
that exercise is important and to
stress it, to get them outside doing
things.”
If the boys don’t earn the required exercise points, they don’t
get to play on their computers.
“And they’ve never failed, every
single month,” Missy said.
The system isn’t complicated. At
the end of each day, Missy figures
out what the kids have done and
totals up the points. She also
monitors the amount and kinds of
food they consume.
The fitness and diet regimen

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Auburn running back Tre Mason celebrates his touchdown against Missouri during the second half of the NCAA’s Southeastern Conference
Championship Game on Saturday in Atlanta.

No. 3 Auburn turns around and defeats No. 5 Missouri for SEC Championship Game win
less in the Southeastern Conference a
year ago to winning the SEC Championship Game on Saturday in the Georgia
Dome, outracing No. 5-ranked Missouri,
ATLANTA — Boom!
59-42.
From worst to first.
“This is a team of destiny,” Auburn
No. 3-ranked Auburn completed its
remarkable turnaround from going win- athletics director Jay Jacobs said amid
BY JON JOHNSON

jjohnson@dothaneagle.com

the celebration on the field. “It was a
track meet out here today, but we did
what we needed to do to get it done. I
couldn’t be more proud of these seniors
for Auburn.”

See AUBURN, Page 7A

See FOOTING, Page 2A

INSIDE

Lottery Numbers
Weather
Opinion
Letters
Obituaries

2A
2A
4A
4A
6A

State
Services
Around the Wiregrass
People
Today in History
National Briefs

12A
15A
15A
2B
2B
2B

World Briefs
Sports
Scores
Movie Listings
Coffee Break
Jim Cook

4B
1C
2C
5C
13C
1E

Births
Sharon Randall
Engagements
Accent Briefs
Comics
tvchannels

2E
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Sunday, December 8, 2013

Painful loss

PREP HOOPS

Coverage from the
TimesDaily Classic
tournament.
Sports C3
Florence

LOVELY BRANCHES
Museum exhibit
celebrates beauty
of Christmas tree.
Life F1
RUNAWAY RUDOLPH

Reindeer escapes
from Santa at mall
DILLON, Colo. — A runaway reindeer broke free from Santa Claus
at a Colorado mall Thursday while
the Big Man was inside visiting with
children.
According to reports, the reindeer
escape happened outside the La
Riva Mall in Dillon.
While Santa was inside listening to children’s Christmas wish
lists, the reindeer jumped over its
enclosure, leading police officers
on a healthy jog through town.
The reindeer was located on the
other side of a nearby reservoir.
The Summit County sheriff’s office
brought in another reindeer to lure
the runaway and get it back into
a trailer.

Muscle Shoals

Sheffield

North Alabama’s dream of
playing for a Division II football
championship ended Saturday as
Lenior-Rhyne held on for a 42-39
victory over the Lions.
UNA put itself in a bind early
with three turnovers in the first
half, including an interception

Tuscumbia

Northwest Alabama

return for a touchdown on the
second play from scrimmage. The
Lions trailed 28-14 at halftime.
Lenoir-Rhyne led 35-14 in the
third quarter, then UNA began its
comeback. Jacob Tucker and Luke
Wingo each threw a long touchdown pass to Jason Smith to

spark the comeback. Smith’s second touchdown pulled the Lions
within three points at 35-32.
UNA had a chance to take the
lead late before a sack forced
a punt. The Lions had one final
chance with an onside kick after
scoring to trim Lenoir-Rhyne’s

lead to 42-39. But the Bears
recovered the kick and ran out
the clock to advance to the semifinals.
With the loss, UNA ends its
season with a 10-3 record.
For more coverage, see C6,
C10 and TimesDaily.com.

Commitment in question
After 5 coal-fired units shuttered, officials worry TVA’s not here to stay
By Robert Palmer
Staff Writer

W hen the Tennessee Valley
Authority phases out the five coalburning units at Colbert Fossil Plant
in the coming year, Shoals area lead-

ers wonder whether the federal utility will replace the generating capacity — and jobs — with something
new.
They also wonder why TVA isn’t
investing in clean-coal technology.
The TVA board of directors voted

AUBURN TIGERS

in November to shutter the five Colbert units as part of an agreement
with the Environmental Protection
Agency to make significant improvements in air quality. Installing scrubbers at the 50-plus year old plant
would cost an estimated $1 billion,

which is an investment TVA is not
willing to make at the aging facility.
Colbert Count y Commission
Chairman Roger Creekmore said an
opportunity is being missed.
Please see TVA, A5

2013 SEC CHAMPIONS

Pasadena bound

MANUAL MANDATORY

Man finds tank
not an easy drive
GOLD BEACH, Ore. — Sometimes
an owner’s manual is not enough.
Oregon State Police said that’s
what a 58-year-old man learned
when he tried to drive a 50-ton
battle tank up a steep grade near
the coastal town of Gold Beach.
According to reports, the 1969
Chieftain had been purchased
by a local resident, but a truck
driver transporting the tank was
unable to climb the grade. So he
unloaded it at a turnout along U.S.
Highway 101.
The owner’s caretaker, Jeffrey
Glossop, of Pistol River, decided
he could get the tank up the hill.
State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings
said Glossop had the operator’s
manual. But Hastings said the tank
slipped out of gear and rolled back
down across the busy highway,
crashing through a guardrail.

Gary Cosby Jr./For the TimesDaily

On the Net
Photo galleries at TimesDaily.com.

Wide receiver Sammie Coates, above, celebrates Auburn’s 59-42 SEC Championship victory over
Missouri on Saturday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Below: Head coach Gus Malzahn laughs
with game MVP Tre Mason, who rushed for 304 yards. For more on the game, see C1, C8 and C9.

Auburn likely on to
BCS title game after
No. 2 Ohio St.’s loss
By Cliff Kirkpatrick
Sports Writer

ATLANTA — Auburn’s magical football season continued with an SEC Championship, and
now it’s likely on to a national title game.
The Tigers completed a dramatic turnaround
of going winless in conference play last year to an
SEC title Saturday night in the Georgia Dome.
Auburn defeated Missouri, 59-42, to win the
SEC’s automatic berth into a Bowl Championship
Series game. The third-ranked Tigers were expected to go to the Sugar Bowl, but were bumped into
the national title game later in the night.
No. 2 Ohio State lost its Big Ten Conference
title game to Michigan State, 34-24, and that

ONLINE TODAY
Photo gallery and
video from UNA’s
game against
Lenior-Rhyne.

TimesDaily.com

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Inside:
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Day Planner
Forum
Obituaries

E1
F3
F2
D1
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Opinion
Police
Stocks
Television
Weather

Vol. 124 No. 342
Copyright 2013
Tennessee Valley
TimesDailyCo., Inc.
Sunday
Printing
Home delivery:
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B4
D4
F6
A2

Bar

Please see Auburn, A6

State teachers
could see new
round of raises
By Phillip Rawls
Associated Press

MONTGOMERY — A labama
teachers could be in line for another
pay raise when the state Legislature
meets next year, but non-education
state employees should not get their
hopes up.
Code
Gov. Robert Bentley said Wednesday he wants a cost-of-living raise for
public education employees. Bentley
hasn’t yet said how much of a raise,
but said he wants to restore pay cuts
that educators took at the start of his
administration when they were
Please see Raises, A5

Office lacks records on $1B claim
By Mary Sell
Montgomery Bureau

MONTGOMERY — Gov. Robert
Bentley has recently said publicly
the state has saved about $1 billion
a year since he and other Republicans took office three years ago.
It’s a statement the governor, who
is seeking for re-election next year,
is likely to repeat as the 2014 legislative approaches next month.
But his office hasn’t turned over
documents detailing all the savings
as requested by the TimesDaily.
In November, when speaking at
an attorneys’ conference, Bentley
said Republicans had “saved over a
billion dollars annually since we
came into office.”
The newspaper asked for a list of
those savings and a week later filed
an open records request for them.

‘We are comfortable
with what (the
governor) is saying, but
we are double-checking
the numbers. We want to
get it down to the cent as
much as we can.’
JENNIFER ARDIS
GOV. BENTLEY’S SPOKESWOMAN

On Thursday, Bentley’s spokeswoman said the documents weren’t
ready.
“We are working to update the
numbers on the Road to a Billion
campaign, and we will get the supporting documentation to you when
it is ready for release,” Jennifer
Ardis said in an email.

On Friday, Bentley again mentioned
the $1 billion while
speaking at an Alabama Farmers Federation meeting in
Montgomery. “I was
given a list yesterday
Bentley
of what we have truly
saved,” he said. “It is
approaching nearly $1 billion.”
Ardis said the list Bentley was
referring to was a result of the
paper’s records request, but it was
a draft document that couldn’t be
released yet.
“We are comfortable with what
(the governor) is saying, but we are
double-checking the numbers,” Ardis
said Friday. “We want to get it down
to the cent as much as we can.”
Please see Savings, A5

A1LOCAL

SPORTS

BANK ROBBERY

MAN FLEES
WITH CASH
IN STEELE, A4

JACKSONVILLE STATE UPSETS
MCNEESE STATE, 31-10, B3

COUPONS

$167.65

In most areas

147 YEARS OF SERVING THE GREATER GADSDEN AREA

GADSDENTIMES.COM | SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2013 | $1.50

AUBURN 59, MISSOURI 42

Tougher Tiger
Above and right: The No. 3
Auburn Tigers celebrate winning
the SEC championship game 59-42
over No. 5 Missouri on Saturday
at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
The Tigers set an SEC championship
record with 677 yards, including
545 on the ground. Auburn
is expected to play Florida State
for the BCS National Championship.
Left: Auburn’s Tre Mason and
Ryan White hoist team trophies
as confetti falls from above
at the Georgia Dome. Mason had
304 yards and four touchdowns
on 46 carries and was named MVP.

View a full gallery
of photos at www.
gadsdentimes.com.
For complete game coverage,
see B1, B2.

Times photos
by Dave Hyatt
STATE LEGISLATURE

INVESTIGATION

2014 could be repeat of 2013 for raises Gunshots fired,
MONTGOMERY — Alabama teachers could be in line
for another pay raise when the
state legislature meets next
year, but non-education state
employees should not get
their hopes up.
Gov. Robert Bentley said
Wednesday he wants a costof-living raise for public education employees. The governor
hasn’t yet said how much of a
raise.
Bentley said he wants to

Legislative leaders say a cost-of-living raise
will be hard to achieve for education employees
and virtually impossible for state employees
who don’t work in education.
restore pay cuts that educators took at the start of his administration when they were
required to boost contributions to their own pensions.
“It helped me turn the state
situation around, and I appreciate that. And now that things
are better, I think we can help
them,” Bentley said.

INSIDE TODAY
Around Here ...... A2
Ask Amy ............. C7
Calendar ............ C2
Classifieds .......... D1
Crossword.......... C3
Features..............C1
Forum ................ C8

Horoscopes........ C7
Lotteries ............ A2
Mr. Know-It-All .. A2
Obituaries ..........A9
Opinion ..............C9
Sports................. B1
TV Listings ......... C7

However, he said the state
can’t afford a cost-of-living
raise for non-education employees.
“Unfortunately, our General
Fund is still very anemic,” he
said.
Legislative leaders say a
cost-of-living raise will be hard
to achieve for education em-

ployees and virtually impossible for state employees who
don’t work in education.
“Right now, my crystal
ball says unless some manna
drops from the sky, it will
be very difficult to give state
employees a pay raise,” said
Republican Rep. Steve Clouse
of Ozark, chairman of the
House Ways and MeansGeneral Fund Committee.
His committee helps write the
General Fund budget for noneducation agencies.
PLEASE SEE RAISES | A4

FIGHT CRIME
Police, Sheriff’s Office
lend tips to help
keep public safe
during holidays.
A3

2 dead at hotel
BY JOHN DAVIDSON
Times Staff Writer

Two people are dead after
Etowah County Sheriff’s deputies heard gunshots while serving felony warrants at an East
Gadsden hotel on Saturday afternoon, according to the office
of Coroner Michael Gladden.
Deputy Coroner Michael
Head said deputies were called

out at 12:07 p.m. to serve warrants on a 36-year-old man and
a 26-year-old woman at the
Holiday Host in the 2400 block
of East Meighan Boulevard.
Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Natalie Barton said
deputies were there to serve
three felony drug warrants on
the woman.
PLEASE SEE GUNSHOTS | A4

TODAY’S WEATHER
Expect today to be
not quite as cold
with periods of rain.
High 53 Low 49
For details, see A12

147th year No. 159 | Copyright, 2013

BY PHILLIP RAWLS
Associated Press

SEC
DOWN,
BCS
BOUND

SUNDAY

DECEMBER 8,
2013

COVERAGE IN SPORTS, 1B

AS MUCH AS

$212
IN COUPON
SAVINGS

NEEDIEST

LIVING

FAMILIES

The Mobile
Ballet will
bring some
exciting new
flavor to its
production
of ‘The
Nutcracker.’
1C

(AP)

AIRBUS SUPPLIERS

Mayor
preaching
patience
John Sharp
jsharp@al.com

Mayor Sandy Stimpson is
calling for patience when it

Help us find

comes to Mobile landing sup-

the best holiday

pliers for the $600 million Air-

displays in

bus assembly plant. But he’s

Alabama. 1C

(Sharon Steinmann/ssteinmann@al.com)

Staying strong for her family
“I know everything’s going to be OK—eventually. I trust in God.”
Katie Herrera Emer
Salvation Army Coastal Alabama

“Mommy, when is the tooth
fairy going to come?” asked
7-year-old Germanie. Her bottom tooth had been wishfully waiting under her Minnie
Mouse pillow.
The only answer her mother,
Akilah Morrissette, could give
her was, “She’ll get here eventually.” She said, “There are a lot of
kids who lose teeth every day.

She’s just busy, but she’ll come.”
Truthfully, Morrissette
doesn’t know when she’ll be
able to provide extra treats for
her children, like a visit from the
tooth fairy.
She lost her job a year ago
and hasn’t been able to find
work since.
Morrissette spent eight years
as a certified nursing assistant, the last four as a home
care provider for a patient she
fondly refers to as “Ms. Sue.”

But when Sue passed away, so
did Morrissette’s income.
“It was really sad. I lost my
job, and I lost a friend. It broke
me down,” Morrissette said.
After months of interviews
and job searching, Morrissette enrolled at Virginia College. She’s proud to say she
is on the president’s list and
should graduate with a nursing degree in June.
See FAMILIES, Page 10A

INDEX
Business .......................... 1E
Classified .........................1F
Comics .............................1Z
In Depth.......................... 17A
Living................................1C
Local................................4A
Opinion .............................1D
Sports ..............................1B
State ..............................12A
Television ....................... 11C
SUNDAY
Spotty showers
High 66, low 62
Volume 200, Number 93
© 2013 Alabama Media Group

$2 at newsstand

also pushing for the city to dedicate more resources to improving roads and infrastructure at
Mobile’s Brookley Aeroplex.
Stimpson returned Thursday from Hamburg, Germany,
where he attended the Aviation
Forum 2013.
The state and local governments have invested millions
of dollars into infrastructure
near the Airbus plant, such as a
$2.5 million upgrade to Broad
Street and another $1.8 million
in upgrades to other streets. The
plant is set to open in 2015.

See MAYOR, Page 10A

Informing more than 42,000 readers daily in print and online

AU VICTORY
See complete coverage.

SPORTS, PAGE 1B

CHEERS OF CHAMPIONS
Tiger fans flock to Toomer’s Corner

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2013
VOL. 108 NO. 342

PAGE 5A

$1.50

RUN TO GLORY

www.oanow.com

Auburn rushes past Missouri, 59-42, in SEC Championship win

BY ALEX BYINGTON

abyington@oanow.com

ATLANTA — Tre Mason
told his teammates before
they ever stepped into
the Georgia Dome turf he
wasn’t going home without
some fancy new hardware.
After rushing for a career-high 304 yards — just
3 yards shy of the school
record — and four touchdowns on a school-record
46 carries Saturday night,
the Auburn junior tailback
wouldn’t be the only one.
Powered by its unstoppable run game, which
racked up a season-high
545 rushing yards, No. 3
Auburn capped the greatest turnaround in Southeastern Conference history
by locking up the 2013 SEC
championship with a 59-42
victory over No. 5 Missouri
in the highest scoring SEC
championship game ever.
“I told guys, ‘I’m not leaving Atlanta without a ring,’”
Mason said. “I told them,
‘I’m not leaving without
being a champion.’ That
sunk into those guys. They
took it to heart and performed well tonight.”
“Well” is an understatement.
Auburn junior quarterback Nick Marshall added
233 yards of total offense,
including 132 passing
and 101 rushing, and two
touchdowns as he and Mason helped the Tigers (121) outscore Missouri 28-8
over the final 18 1/2 minutes after a back-and-forth
game that saw seven lead
changes.
A year after the program
went winless in SEC play,
which ultimately led to the
firing of former coach Gene
Chizik and the hiring of Gus

See GLORY, Page 6A

ALBERT CESARE/ACESARE@OANOW.COM
Scan this QR code to watch
online video of the celebration Auburn Tigers running back Tre Mason (21) and Auburn Tigers defensive back Ryan White (19) celebrate with the SEC trophy after Auburn defeated Missouri
and the trophy presentations. 59-42 in the SEC Championship game Saturday in Atlanta.

Index

99

ARTS....................................... 1C
BUSINESS ..............................9A

$

CLASSIFIEDS ......................... 1E
CROSSWORD .........................C9
LOCAL ....................................3A
LOTTERIES .............................3B

Christmas

Special

NATION/WORLD.................... 1D
OPINION.................................4A
SCOREBOARD .......................3B
SPORTS.................................. 1B

Weather
High: 65
Low: 56
Page 2A

Mostly cloudy and
milder, scattered
showers

14 Karat Yellow, White or Rose Gold
With a Brilliant 6 Point Diamond 18 inches

AUBURN SOARS

THE MOM STOP | 1E

Remember tips
to get through
hurtful holidays

For coverage of the SEC
and other championship
games, see pages 1C, 7C

IN TODAY’S PAPER

COUPONS
WORTH
$

302

In most areas

$1.
S U N DA Y , D E C E M B E R 8 , 2013 $1 50

T U S C A L O O S A , N O R T H P O R T, W E S T A L A B A M A

WWW.TUSCALOOSANEWS.COM

Crimson Tide likely headed to the Sugar Bowl
Auburn could play in national title game
By Tommy Deas

Executive Sports Editor

The University of Alabama
football team seems to be a
lock to land in New Orleans
for the Sugar Bowl.
Two -time defending national champion Alabama will
learn its bowl destination —
and opponent — when BCS

pairings are revealed tonight,
but the announcement of a
Jan. 2 date in the Sugar Bowl
for the Crimson Tide appears
to be a certainty.
Oklahoma or Oregon is Alabama’s most likely opponent.
The Sugar Bowl has a contract to take the Southeastern
Conference champion, unless
the SEC Championship Game

winner is playing in the Bowl
Championship Series national
title game. Auburn is expected
to move into the national
championship contest by virtue of Saturday’s victory over
Missouri in the SEC title
game in Atlanta’s Georgia
Dome, coupled with Ohio
State’s upset loss to Michigan
State on Saturday in the Big

Ten championship game.
A labama came into the
weekend at No. 4 in the official
BCS ratings, and the top four
teams in the final rankings
that will be released tonight
are guaranteed berths in one
of the five BCS games: the
BCS national title game, Sugar
Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose
Bowl and Fiesta Bowl.
Under BCS selection rules,
bowls that lose the champion
of a conference to which they
are contractually tied to the

BCS SELECTION
SHOW
■ What: Bowl Championship
Series matchups announced
■ When: 7:30 p.m.
■ TV: ESPN

national championship game
— such as the Sugar Bowl
with the SEC — get to choose
teams to replace those conference champions before atlarge selections take place.
The Sugar Bowl needs a re-

Lighting up holiday cheer
Demopolis hosts its 42nd Annual Christmas on the River parade

placement for Auburn, so there
is little doubt that the Crimson
Tide will fill that slot.
The Orange Bowl, which
has to replace ACC champion
Florida State, gets the fi rst replacement pick if F SU is
ranked No. 1 in tonight’s rankings. Clemson is expected to
be the Orange Bowl’s replacement selection for FSU.
By BCS protocol, the Orange Bowl would not take Alabama because the Sugar Bowl
SEE BOWLS | 11A

Red-light
camera
fines are
rolling in
Almost $33,000
collected since Sept.
By Jason Morton
Staff Writer

STAFF PHOTOS | DUSTY COMPTON

ABOVE: Eight-year-old Blayton Taylor’s

breath can be seen in the brisk air as
he plays in a tree at the 42nd Annual
Christmas on the River Nautical Parade
along the Tombigbee River in Demopolis
on Saturday.
LEFT: Lighted floats move along
the Tombigbee at the 42nd Annual
Christmas on the River Nautical Parade.

To see more photos of Demopolis’
Christmas on the River, visit
www.tuscaloosanews.com.

LEFT: People

watch
lighted
floats parade along
the river in
Demopolis.
RIGHT: Tori
Covington,
9, left, and
Elizabeth
Melton, 9,
play with
light sabres
at Christmas
on the River.

Government seeks to improve safety for older drivers
By Lars Thorvaldsen

McClatchy Washington Bureau

WA SHING T ON | Concerned
about an oncoming wave of fragile
older drivers, the federal government is working to beef up its
safety programs aimed at seniors
behind the wheel.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administra-

tion, drivers 65 and older are more
likely to die or suffer serious injuries, even in low-severity crashes,
than younger drivers.
It prompted the agency, which
is part of the Department of Transportation, to announce a new, fiveyear comprehensive safety plan
this week. The plan seeks to improve the data it collects on
crashes and injuries sustained in

them, explore new research on
technology that could help drivers
avoid collisions, and improve the
system for identifying dangerous
drivers.
The agency’s administrator, David Strickland, emphasized that
the plan was not about labeling an
age group of drivers. Older drivers are “some of the safest on our
roads,” he said.

INSIDE: VOL. 195 | NO. 342 | 8 Sections

0

90994 32007

9

Bridge 7F
Business 1D
Classifieds 1F
Crossword 3E

Dear Abby 2E
Horoscope 2E
Ideas & Issues 4D
Lend A Hand 15B

Sports 1C
Television 1H
Today 1E
Weather 16B

At the same time, existing data
show that an 85-year-old driver is
1.77 times more likely to get a
moderate or more-severe injury in
a crash, when compared with drivers between 35 and 54. If the
85-year-old was a front-seat passenger, the older person is fi ve
times more likely to get injured.
“Although older people of today
SEE DRIVERS | 11A

WINTER WEATHER
Much of the country has been hit
by a frigid storm that has caused
power outages, treacherous
roads and some deaths | 3A

High 51
Low 48

Tuscaloosa City Hall has collected almost
$32,805 in fi nes from motorists ticketed in
the past three months for running a red light
on 15th Street.
The revenue was generated from 784 citations issued for red-light violations from
Sept. 1 to Nov. 30.
The offenders were captured on the city’s
only operable traffi c-light camera on the
eastbound lanes of 15th Street at its intersection with Sixth Avenue/Dr. Edward Hillard Drive.
Based on the $110 fi ne for each violation
— of which City Hall keeps $70 — the one
camera has led to $86,240 in potential fi nes.
Of the fi ne, $10 is required by state law for RED-LIGHT
record-keeping re quirements of the Ala- CAMERAS
bama Criminal Jus- Installation is ont i c e I n f o r m a t i o n going or planned
Center.
at:
T h e r e m a i n i n g ■ 15th Street and
$100 is the maximum Sixth Avenue/Dr.
fine allowed by the Edward Hillard
Alabama legislative Drive.
act that allows Tusca- ■ Interstate 359
loosa to use the auto- and Skyland Boumated system. Gatso levard.
USA Inc., the com- ■ McFarland Boupany hired by City levard and SkyHall to install, main- land Boulevard.
tain and monitor the ■ McFarland Boutraffic cameras, gets levard and James
$30 for each paid I. Harrison Jr. Parkfi ne.
way.
City Engineer Da- ■ University Bouvid Griffi n said in Oc- levard and
tober that the money Lurleen Wallace
from each paid ticket Boulevard North.
is being held in es- ■ University Boucrow in anticipation of levard and
a lawsuit challenging Lurleen Wallace
the system.
Boulevard South.
He d id not say
whether a legal challenge to the red-light system was imminent,
only that it was a possibility.
Any violations caught on camera are reviewed by Tuscaloosa police officers before
a citation is issued.
Accused violators are notified by mail and
directed to a website where they can view
photos, video and other details of the redlight violation.
Those receiving citations can challenge
the civil violation in municipal court and, if
desired, Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court,
which will hear appeals of the lower court’s
rulings. According to state and city law, City
Hall will have the burden of proof in each
circumstance.
SEE T RAFFIC | 11A

Decade after his slaying, family and friends recall what made Kent Heitholt special.
OVATION, 1E

PERSPECTIVES, 1C

CULTURE SHOCK

120

$

PLAY BRINGS LACK OF UNDERSTANDING, CONNECTION INTO FOCUS

COLUMBIA DAILY LIFE GOES ON
A former MU professor
with a terminal cancer
seeks to make dying
less scary. PULSE, 1D

SUNDAY, December 8, 2013

50 pages — $1.50 ■ Columbia, Missouri ■ www.columbiatribune.com

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

COMPLETE COVERAGE IN SPORTS

AUBURN 59 - MISSOURI 42

Official
files death
lawsuit
Documents allege
negligence in care.
BY ANDREW DENNEY

Ryan Henriksen/Tribune

Missouri’s Levi Copelin sits on the bench after the Tigers’ loss yesterday to Auburn in the SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.

A

dream season in which the Missouri
Tigers were picked to finish next-tolast in their division but instead took
the SEC East crown came to a disappointing
conclusion last night in Atlanta. Mizzou’s

defense was outmatched by the fast-paced
Auburn offense and gave up 545 yards on
the ground. Now the team waits to hear who
its next opponent will be, and which bowl
will extend the Tigers an invitation.

ONLINE:

See a photo gallery
from yesterday’s
game at www.
columbiatribune.
com.

INSIDE:

Fans who couldn’t make
it to the game in person
instead kept downtown
Columbia hopping.
PAGE 14A

Nixon working with lawmakers

Governor was key
in Boeing deal.

777X jetliner. Working against a Tuesday
deadline to submit the state’s bid, Nixon
first met with leaders from both chambers
then called lawmakers together and gave
BY RUDI KELLER
them a bill ready to debate.
rkeller@columbiatribune.com | 815-1709
Heavy majorities in both chambers
JEFFERSON CITY — A new word approved the bill, but not before a group
emerged last week to describe Gov. Jay of five reluctant Republicans met with
Nixon and his relationship with lawmak- Nixon to discuss their willingness to block
ers — engaged.
the bill over the massive annual
When the five-day special sescost of tax credits. The first clear
sion ended Friday, Nixon, a Demresult of that meeting emerged
ocrat, received high marks from
Friday, when the Missouri HousRepublican House Speaker Tim
ing Development Commission,
Jones, one of his harshest critics.
dominated by Nixon’s appoinAnd the key moment, Jones said,
tees, put off consideration of $137
was when Nixon brokered a deal
million in low-income housing
with tax credit opponents to take
tax credits while Boeing mulls its
a personal role on legislation to
choice.
Nixon
limit major programs.
Jeffrey Bay, chairman of the
“The fact that the governor finally sat commission, said he doesn’t see the
down with the Senate was what moved potential for bringing jobs to the state as
the bill forward in a positive fashion,” outside of the commission’s purview.
Jones said at a post-session news confer“It’s a good benefit,” Bay said. “It’s lots
ence.
of jobs, lots of economic benefit.”
Lawmakers approved a bill allowing as
Nixon met with Sens. John Lamping of
much as $150 million in annual tax breaks Ladue, Brad Lager of Savannah, Ed Emery
if Boeing chooses Missouri to build the of Lamar, Rob Schaaf of St. Joseph and Ed

Brown of Rolla.
“We were trying to find places where
we agreed,” Lamping said Friday. “There
were more than enough of us to kill the
Boeing bill but we were trying to see what
would allow that bill to come to pass.”
Tax credits have been a frustrating subject for much of Nixon’s time in office. Tax
credit redemptions peaked in fiscal year
2012 at $629 million and totaled $512 million in fiscal year2013, representing a
diversion of almost 8 percent of general
revenue over two years.
A review commission named by Nixon
has twice recommended lower caps on
major programs and short renewal periods to force regular reviews of each program. In his annual State of the State
speeches, Nixon has asked for those recommendations to be enacted. A special
session, called in 2011 to enact limits and
new credits for air freight haulers in St.
Louis, ended in failure.
“That is enough for public consumption,” Lamping said. “Anyone who has
studied any successful executive branch,
at the state or federal level, knows that
success comes when the executive branch

Tampering charges ﬁled in murder investigation
A Columbia man was arrested
Thursday on suspicion of tampering
with evidence in connection with the
death of Satina Beckner, 32, whose
body was found Oct. 9 along the side of
Crab Orchard Road in rural Cooper
County.
Parish Walker, 30, was still being
held in Boone County Jail last night.
Columbia police allege Walker deleted
his contact information from Beckner’s
phone after he learned from another
man who had possession of Beckner’s
phone that Beckner was dead.
An autopsy from the Boone County

Medical Examiner’s Office found that
Beckner had died from blunt force
trauma.
Bryant L. Holmes, 23, of Columbia,
was charged on Oct. 11 in Cooper
County Circuit Court with first-degree
murder and armed criminal action in
Beckner’s death. According to online
records, no trial date has been set. A
preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 17.
Holmes has previous convictions for
second-degree burglary, third-degree
domestic assault and second-degree
property damage.
Columbia Police Officer Latisha

Stroer said in an
email that on Oct.
10, police brought
Walker in for questioning, and that
Walker told police
that he deleted his
Beckner
information from
Beckner’s phone so that he could not
be linked to her death and to conceal
evidence that he had sold a controlled
substance to Beckner.
A warrant was later issued for Walker’s arrest.
— By the Tribune’s staff

recognizes the difference between proclamation and speechmaking and the legislative process.”
Nixon met with the majority Republican caucuses before the start of the special session, as he did last year to discuss
his proposal for Medicaid expansion. The
personal engagement didn’t work as well
then, Jones said.
“Last session the governor was largely
fixated on one particular legislative item
that a strong majority of this General
Assembly was not interested in and that is
about all he worked on,” Jones said.
The difference between the House and
Senate over tax credits has been a disagreement of what to do with money
saved from new limits, Lamping said. The
Senate wanted savings to go to the treasury and the House wanted new programs. The Boeing bill represents new
programs without savings and the five
lawmakers wanted assurance Nixon
would work as hard for savings when they
return Jan. 8 for their regular session.
“The only difference now is that the
executive branch is far more engaged,” he
said.

WEATHER
Today

HIGH

28

LOW

17

Tomorrow

24

11

HIGH
LOW
More weather on Page 13A

adenney@columbiatribune.com | 815-1719
Boone County Public Administrator
Cathy Richards has filed a wrongful death
lawsuit against Burrell Behavioral Health
in her capacity as conservator for the
mother of a 13-year-old boy whose death
Richards alleges was linked to his use of
an anticonvulsant drug prescribed to him
by a Burrell physician.
Richards’ petition, filed last month in
Boone County Circuit Court, says Joseph
Trumbo, 13, died on March 21 after his
skin became badly infected after he had
an allergic reaction to his medication. The
infection spread throughout his body,
causing multiple-organ failure. His skin
had become infected months after he was
prescribed anticonvulsant drugs that can
potentially cause deadly skin conditions
in rare cases.
Burrell is based in Springfield, and the
court petition also names Lisa Baeza, a
psychiatrist working with the mentalhealth provider, as a defendant. An attorney representing the mental health provider and Burrell administrators did not
return messages seeking comment.
Richards — an elected Boone County
official tasked with serving as a guardian
or conservator for mentally disabled persons — declined to comment. She is
named as the conservator for the estate of
Maria Trumbo, Joseph Trumbo’s mother,
in the case. According to the petition,
Maria Trumbo is disabled because of a
traumatic brain injury.
Court documents say Joseph Trumbo
was prescribed Lamictol, approved for
the treatment of epilepsy, in October 2012
after his mother reported that Joseph was
defiant and prone to outbursts. Baeza
prescribed the medication off-label, the
petition says, to help with a condition
called operational defiant disorder.
After using the medication for about
two months, a primary care physician
observed that Joseph had developed
rashes, and concluded they were likely
caused by the use of Lamictol. A dermatologist who later observed Joseph said
the lesions and blotches developing on
his skin were consistent with a potentially
lethal condition called Stevens-Johnson
syndrome, and the dermatologist discontinued Joseph’s use of the drug.
Lamictol’s manufacturer warns physicians that SJS occurs in about 8 of 1,000
pediatric patients taking the drug. In January, Baeza prescribed Tegretol after she
noted that Joseph continued to have
behavioral problems. Tegretol also is
approved for the treatment of epilepsy,
and the drug’s manufacturer also warns
that its drug might cause SJS.
According to court documents, a physician noted on Feb. 14 that Joseph had
again developed rashes and was having a
similar reaction to Tegretol as he had with
Lamictol. His condition then evolved
from SJS to toxic epidermal necrolysis, a
condition in which more than 30 percent
of the body is covered in rashes or blisters.
The infection spread, causing his death.
“I think you can put on a board 1,000
ways to die, and I think this would be one
of the leading ways you wouldn’t want to
die,” said Steve Garner, a Springfield
attorney representing Richards in her role
as conservator for Maria Trumbo.
The lawsuit alleges that Burrell and its
employee were negligent in Joseph’s death
because he had been prescribed Tegretol
after having an allergic reaction to Lamictol and for failing to warn his mother
about the potential for Joseph to have an
allergic reaction to Tegretol.

INDEX
Announcements
Comics
Crossword
Diversions
Editorial
Lottery numbers
Opinion
Scoreboard
Travel
Trib Talk
Warren Dalton
VOL. CXIII, NO. 77

DEATHS
4D
5D
4E
11A
2C
13A
3C
2B
10D
2C
2A

Francis ‘Fritz’ M. Daugherty
Brenda Mahoney
Rebecca Martin
Tanner McDannold
Malcolm S. Odor

SUNDAY

6

31045 24007

8

KANSAS CITY EDITION

WWW.KANSASCITY.COM

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2013

AUBURN RUNS
OVER MIZZOU

Sporting
KC wins
title with
late kick

MU GIVES UP 545 YARDS
ON THE GROUND IN 59-42
SEC TITLE GAME LOSS | B1

Children’s
Division
falls short

The Kansas City Star

For the first time since
2000, Kansas City is home to
a professional sports title.
Braving single-digit wind
chill and a relentless opponent in Real Salt Lake, Sporting Kansas City earned its
second Major League Soccer championship Saturday
night with a 7-6 edge in penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie that
stood through more than 120
minutes: two halves of regulation play and two
15-minute overtime periods.
Defender Aurelien Collin,
a French national and one of
Sporting KC’s leaders, made
the final penalty kick.
When Real Salt Lake’s Lovel Palmer failed to follow
suit on the icy turf, pandemonium erupted at sold-out
Sporting Park, the state-ofthe-art stadium that opened
in 2011 in Kansas City, Kan.
“Nobody wants to see a
game like that decided on
penalty kicks,” said Collin,
who was named most valuable player of the match after
also scoring Sporting KC’s
only goal during regulation.
“Except tonight.”
It was the first time that
Collin had ever attempted a
penalty kick in a professional soccer game.
Sporting KC, which won
the MLS Cup 13 years ago as
the Wizards, is the first Kansas City team to win a championship at home since the
Royals clinched the 1985
World Series with a victory
over the St. Louis Cardinals
at Kauffman Stadium. The
Chiefs won the Super Bowl
in 1970 but haven’t been
back since.
The 10 rounds of penalty
kicks required to determine
this year’s MLS champion
were a league record.
The celebration of Sporting KC’s league title will
continue on Monday with a
free event planned for
players and fans from 6:30 to
8:30 p.m. at the Sprint Festival Plaza at Union Station.
“For those fans to sit out
there in those conditions
was incredible,” said coach
and manager Peter Vermes.
“This city and those fans deserved this championship.”

$2.00

TODAY’S WEATHER: LOW 16, HIGH 27. LIGHT SNOW LIKELY. | B16

KC SCHOOLS | State official eager to start over

EMAILS DETAIL
A HIDDEN PLAN

It won’t be granted reaccreditation
until the Jackson County office
fixes inadequacies listed in report.
By LAURA BAUER
and JUDY L. THOMAS

The Jackson County Children’s Division
has fallen below national accreditation standards and must correct inadequacies, including high caseloads, poor documentation
and worker inexperience, according to a
preliminary report obtained by The Star.
Until the Jackson County office clears
those hurdles, neither it nor the state Children’s Division can be reaccredited.
In the extensive and sometimes critical report, the national Council on Accreditation
listed more than two dozen problems —
many of which The Star detailed in recent
stories — that need corrective action.
The Children’s Division has until the end
of January to respond to accreditation officials, according to a memo dated Dec. 2. The
office will have to provide specific evidence
to show that the problems have been fixed
or are being addressed.
Falling short of the accreditation standards “is a horrible backslide,” said Lori
Burns-Bucklew, a lawyer who represented
Jackson County children in a lawsuit years
ago to improve foster care and child welfare.
Officials with the Missouri Department of
Social Services, the agency that includes the
SEE DIVISION | A18

More anger,
frustration in
Maryville case
Teenager who admitted having
nonconsensual sex with girl, 13,
returned home for treatment after
spending two weeks in custody.

More in Sports Daily | B3

KEITH MYERS | THE KANSAS CITY STAR

By DUGAN ARNETT
and MARK MORRIS

A rushed bidding process ultimately landed CEE-Trust a $385,000 contract to
develop a long-range overhaul for the Kansas City school district.

SUNDAY
SAVE UP TO $219.84
IN COUPONS IN
TODAY’S STAR

As district was making its case for
a reprieve from state intervention,
Chris Nicastro had other ideas.
By JOE ROBERTSON

B

STAR MAGAZINE

OTTAWA
THEATER’S
PAST MAY
SAFEGUARD
ITS FUTURE

A+E D1

CAREER BUILDER F1

acked by two of the most influential
foundations in Kansas City, Missouri Education Commissioner Chris
Nicastro and a state-hired consultant are
planning the future of Kansas City Public
Schools as a slate wiped clean.
Revelations in emails obtained by The
Star and dating to April show a state education department eager to create a new
school system, even as the long-beleaguered but stabilized district was preparing
to celebrate its best academic improvement
in years.
The electronic trail exposes a rushed bidding process, now criticized, that ultimately
landed Indianapolis-based CEE-Trust a
$385,000 contract to develop a long-range
overhaul for the district’s failing schools.
Summer discussions in emails reveal Nicastro’s wish for a statewide district to gather poor-performing schools under new lea-

CLASSIFIED F3

DEATHS A30-33

H+H C1 LOCAL A5

dership, with an office for innovation and
charter school expansion.
In mid-August, days before the state’s district report cards were to be released to the
public showing a surprisingly high score for
Kansas City, a CEE-Trust partner shared his
talking points with Nicastro and staff debunking the performance of a district
where 70 percent of the students still perform below proficiency.
“It suggests a conspiracy against our success,” said Kansas City Superintendent
Steve Green.
Even as Green and his cabinet gathered in
Jefferson City on Sept. 4 with Nicastro and
staff to plead Kansas City’s case for provisional accreditation and a reprieve from
state intervention, emails show Nicastro
had other plans.
Three weeks earlier at the Kauffman
Foundation, unknown to Green, Nicastro
had introduced her planning team to the
person she selected to lead a potential
statewide district — Norman Ridder, who
is retiring as superintendent of Spring-

Amid the uproar over the dropping of felony charges in a Maryville, Mo., sexual assault case involving then-14-year-old Daisy
Coleman, a similar incident that night —
against an even younger girl — has gone
largely unremarked.
In that case, the teen who admitted having
nonconsensual sex with Coleman’s
13-year-old friend from Albany, Mo., one
January night last year was taken into the
state juvenile justice system, which cloaks
its wards in anonymity.
Now, nearly two years later, the Albany
victim’s mother has learned that her daughter’s assailant, then 15, returned home for
treatment after spending two weeks in the
custody of Missouri’s Division of Youth Services.
The mother, who became aware of the details of the youth’s disposition after filing a
written request with the DYS last month,
said she was frustrated by the news.
“I was shocked, angry, frustrated,” she told
The Star. “… My daughter’s going to be living with this for the rest of her life, and I
think he got off very easy for what he did.”

SEE EMAILS | A22

SEE JUVENILE | A6

LOTTERIES A7

MOVIES D7

OPINION A34-35

SPORTS DAILY B1

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134TH YEAR | NO. 82 | 9 SECTIONS

STREAK ENDS: Missouri volleyball’s first loss means end of the season. PAGE 1B

Sunday & Monday, December 8-9, 2013

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SEC CHAMPIONSHIP

OVERWHELMED

42

59

Auburn rushed for 545 yards, likely shoving Missouri out of a BCS bowl. PAGE 1B

KEVIN COOK/Missourian

Missouri players Justin Britt, from left, Russell Hansbrough, and Evan Boehm walk off the field after the team’s 59-42 loss to Auburn in the 2013 SEC Championship game on Saturday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The team
finished with a record of 11-2 and went 7-1 in its second season in the Southeastern Conference.

Students say high school work
more indicative than ACT score
At MU, ‘the higher the ACT score,
the lower the class rank needs to be’
By TESS CATLETT

news@ColumbiaMissourian.com

When Ashley Bland was in high school, her parents
often told her to work hard so she would be able to get into
a range of colleges and and receive the most financial aid
possible.
To reach her fullest potential, Bland reached out to her
support system — her guidance counselor, her Advanced
Placement English teacher and an older cousin who was
in college — to figure out which study strategies were
best for her.
“I’ve never been a straight-A or B student,” Bland said.
“I had to find out which resources worked best for the
type of student I am.”
For Bland, taking challenging courses and maintaining
a high GPA was her ticket to getting into a good school
out of state and earning enough financial aid to afford it.
“I knew that if my grades weren’t up to par, I wouldn’t
get in anywhere,” Bland said.
She said she wasn’t as concerned with getting a high
ACT or SAT score.
“It’s just a way to make kids compete for the numbers,”
Bland said. “AP and honors classes are what prepared me
for college. They gave glimpses into harder coursework.”
Now an MU senior studying hospitality management,
Bland said prioritizing her GPA paid off. She credits her
competitive high school academic record with the scholarship awards she received.

Please see SCORES, page 6A

HOW ACT SCORES DETERMINE
MU ADMISSION
To be considered for admission to MU, applicants submit their ACT
score, class rank and GPA in required core curriculum classes. If an
applicant’s ACT score is a 24 or above and they have completed the
required core classes, they are automatically admitted to MU.
Applicants with ACT scores of 23 or below can still be accepted if
they meet or exceed the class rank required by MU’s sliding scale.
For high schools that rank students:
If an applicant’s
ACT score is...

High school class
percentage rank

23

AND they’re in the top 52 percent

22


21


20


19


18


17

Admission
status


Accepted

Source: MU OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS

DEALING WITH DEATH

PEARL HARBOR

A team established in 2009 at University Hospital helps staff cope with patient death. The
program has expanded rapidly and is now being
piloted at other hospitals in the country. Page 4A

About 50 survivors of the Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor paused Saturday at the site to
honor those killed and remember the moment
that plunged the U.S. into World War II. Page 5A

GENE THERAPY

MISSOURI BASKETBALL

Many leukemia patients involved in an experimental gene therapy treatment study several
years ago remain cancer-free today. Page 6A

Earnest Ross’ versatile play pushes Missouri
past No. 17 UCLA 80-71. The Tigers remain
undefeated. Page 1B

TODAY’S
WEATHER
Today: Occasional snow
and freezing drizzle before
1 p.m. then a chance of
freezing drizzle.
Temp: 28°
Tonight: Areas of freezing drizzle
before midnight. Temp: 17°
Page 2A

State works to dig
out from snowstorm
By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH
The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY — A large swath of southern Missouri was
working Saturday in bitter cold to dig out from a storm that
coated the region with a mixture of snow, ice and sleet.
Missouri is among many states dealing with the aftermath
of a late-fall cold snap. From Thursday to Friday, 6 to 12
inches of snow fell in areas of the state south of Interstate 44,
with some of the heaviest accumulations recorded near the
Missouri-Arkansas border, said Mike Griffin, a meteorologist
for the National Weather Service in Springfield.
Another storm system was expected to hit the state early
Sunday, dumping 1 to 3 inches in north and west-central
Missouri, with the heaviest accumulations near the IowaMissouri border. Only a dusting of snow was expected
farther south.
“The worst is over,” Griffin said. “Now we just need to thaw
out and melt all the snow down here.”
Although a wind-chill advisory covering much of the
southern half of the state was allowed to expire mid-morning Saturday, temperatures remained well below average
across much of region. At Kansas City International Airport, the thermometer dipped to 1 degree Saturday morning, tying a record low, said Mike July, a meteorologist for
the National Weather Service’s office in the Kansas City
suburb of Pleasant Hill.
The cold, however, didn’t stop a group of runners from
competing Saturday in a southeast Missouri race that was
hastily organized after the St. Jude Memphis Marathon
was canceled because of the weather.
The free Cape Girardeau event, dubbed the St. Jude’s
Frostbite Half/Full Marathon, attracted 26 heavily bundled
participants, with 22 finishing the half-marathon. Only one
racer finished the whole 26.2 mile course with a time of 5
hours and 40 minutes, said Kim Kelpe, co-owner of Missouri Running Co.

INDEX
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Calendar
Classifieds
Lottery
Opinion
Sports
Sudoku
TV schedule

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UNSTOPPABLE

Auburn runs wild, ending Mizzou’s
SEC title hopes SPORTS, 1D

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DECEMBER 8, 2013 § SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI § NEWS-LEADER.COM § A GANNETT COMPANY

How much does Springfield spend on students who need extra help?

1 OF EVERY 6

$

$

Jim Dobbs, left, helps pull a
tractor-trailer out of a ditch on
Friday afternoon in Henderson,
Ark. KEVIN PIEPER/AP

Ice storm
snarls
deliveries
across US
By Kristi Eaton
Associated Press

Megan Cornman tutors third-grader Samyia Malone, left, and second-grader Remi Smith at Study Alternative Center. The Springfield
district spends about 18 percent of its operating budget per year to give struggling students a boost. VALERIE MOSLEY/NEWS-LEADER

Experts say more
early education could
eventually save money
By Claudette Riley
CRILEY@NEWS-LEADER.COM

At least $1 out of every $6 in this year’s
Springfield Public Schools operating budget
goes to intervene with students who are behind — or need extra support to succeed.
District officials say at least $11.5 million
— 5 percent of its $224 million budget — is
spent annually on remediation. It pays for efforts such as alternative programs, reading
and math specialists and credit
recovery programs.
The district spends an additional $30 million — 13 percent
of its budget — on special education and early childhood special
education to level the playing
field for students with special
needs.
Beyond all that, millions of
Norm
additional dollars are spent to
Ridder
provide a wide range of interventions, everything from small class sizes to
social workers, aimed at removing obstacles
or stabilizing students most at risk of stumbling or disengaging from school.
All that adds up more than $41 million, or
more than 18 percent of the operating budget.
As Springfield’s poverty rate grows, district officials believe the demand for remediation and intervention will only increase.
Superintendent Norm Ridder said the district invests “quite a bit” to help struggling
students, many of whom didn’t get the right
start or lost their academic footing in the critical early years.
“It’s a major investment in education,” he
said. “We would spend less money if we could
target students at an earlier age. The earlier
we could intervene the better.”
Ridder believes correcting the problem is
dramatically more expensive than preventSee HELP, Page 8A

Index
VOL. 123, NO. 342
©2013, NEWS-LEADER

Weather

Gaston Wilcox, left, and Chase Miller do schoolwork in a credit
recovery class, which is offered to help students who have fallen
behind, at Kickapoo High School. VALERIE MOSLEYNEWS-LEADER

Falling behind
not hard to do
ABOUT THIS
SERIES

By Claudette Riley

Springfield Public
Schools spends at
least $1 of every $6
in its budget to
level the playing
field or provide
extra help for
students who
struggle.
Today: The investment in intervention
Monday: Preparing for success in
high school and
college
Tuesday: Early
childhood education paying off

There are countless reasons why
Springfield students fall behind academically and need help to catch up.
As director of alternative education,
Justin Dickenson said many students have
low or missing skills in reading and math.
Some develop behavior problems or a bad
attitude.
“They are what I would call a reluctant
learner,” he said. “They’re behind so they
shut down. They’re not motivated.”
Academic cracks are often the most visible and alarming the closer a student gets
to their expected graduation date. But they
often start much earlier, especially if a
child fails to enter kindergarten ready to
learn.

Auctions
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Carolyn Hax
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Real Estate
For Sale
Rentals
Sports
Weather

§ TODAY 290 FREEZING DRIZZLE POSSIBLE § TONIGHT 170 CLOUDY § TOMORROW 260 CLOUDY

OKLAHOMA CITY — Whether
you’re ready to ship that holiday
package across the country or
waiting for your next shipment
of cooking grease, now’s not the
best time to be in a hurry.
Businesses small and large
are waiting for pickups and consumers across the land are receiving notices that their packages will be delayed because of a
massive, icy blast that will eventually hit from coast-to-coast.
For people who rely on the
shipping industry, the storm
comes at the worst time: the
height of the holiday mailing
season.
“Really with this event, we
are looking at it almost like we
would a hurricane,” said Lucas
McDonald, a senior emergency
manager for Wal-Mart Stores
Inc. Knowing hazardous conditions were coming, the company
shipped extra merchandise to
stores ahead of the storm.
“As we get to this point, in
some cases we have had to take
our drivers off the road, and so
that’s OK because we’ve already
got the merchandise there,” said
McDonald, a former TV meteorologist.
FedEx, too, notified customers of delays, taking cues from a
team of 15 meteorologists to
highlight on its website the winter storm that started along the
west coast and reached Ohio and
western Pennsylvania on Friday.
At UPS’ Global Operations
Centers in Louisville, Ky., five
meteorologists monitor global
weather around the clock.
At the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla., Kevin
Kloesel, the associate dean for
public service and outreach,
said many companies hire their
own weathermen to help ensure
goods aren’t stopped halfway to
their destination.
“Over the last decade, we’ve
seen an explosion of private
weather companies that can satisfy the niche that is required by
the retailer, which is a point forecast for either a store or a detailed forecast for a route,” he
said.
But one doesn’t have to run a
major corporation to be troubled
by this kind of weather.
In Oklahoma City, Array of
Flowers owner Nita Dillard usually relies on a local co-op to
brighten up days in gloomy
weather, but workers Friday had
to brave icy and snow-packed
city streets to make deliveries
themselves.
“The biggest problem ... is
that it’s going to take us a whole
lot longer,” Dillard said.

2H
2H
1D
3A

$3 SUNDAY

Big win
for the
Bearcats
Details in SPORTS

Northwest Missouri State running back Billy Creason celebrates his first
touchdown Saturday at Bearcat Stadium with his teammates, from left to
right, Joel Gantz, Bryce Johnston, Marcus Wright and Cole Chevalier. Creason
scored three touchdowns in the Bearcats’ 59-21 win over St. Cloud State.
Jessica Stewar t | St. Joseph News- Press

ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI

169TH YEAR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2013

NO. 228

Sporting KC wins title

$1.50

Making ends meet

Ratepayers
struggle
amid string
of utility cases

Teams duel in longest penalty-kick shootout
in championship history before Kansas City
takes cup.

Missouri loses SEC
championship game

TAKING TO THE SKIES

Details in SPORTS

Clock ticks
on Congress

By RAY SCHERER
St. Joseph News-Press

An Amazonia, Mo.,
couple sat patiently in
an agency waiting room
Wednesday
afternoon,
waiting to learn if their
application for energy assistance was approved.
The man and wife submitted paperwork before
Nov. 1. Despite winter’s approach, they count themselves as blessed with their
utilities still intact. There
is a defi nite worry that the
cold months ahead could
steamroll their personal
economy, along with the
comfort and ease of their
household. Yet they remain positive and reflective on their plight.
“I guess things are kind
of rough everywhere,” the
man said. “There are people in worse shape than
us.”
His wife said they were
simply “trying to stay
warm.” A propane tank
on the property had measured down to about 12
percent of capacity as of
the last reading. Levels beneath 10 percent become a
critical concern.
“If your pipes burst,
you’re going to be in trouble,” she said.
It’s just one vignette
among the familiar stories staff at the Community Action Partnership
of Greater St. Joseph hear
from clients these days, as

Critical measures await
House, Senate approval
Sait Serkan Gurbuz | St. Joseph News- Press

A juvenile bald eagle flies over Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge in Mound City, Mo., on
Saturday.


Eagle Days warms
visitors in frigid weather

Twenty-three days might remain on the 2013
calendar, but Congress has just five days — the
next five — in which both the House and Senate
will be in session together before the year’s end.
It remains unclear whether the two discordant chambers can fi nd the common ground
needed to pass a number of issues critical to
American agriculture, national defense and the
economy generally.
Not that senators and representatives, even
when in Washington at the same time, have distinguished themselves for teamwork in the face
of pressing matters. The label of do-nothingness
already has been attached to the fi rst session of
the 113th Congress, with leaders of the Republican-led House and Democratic-led Senate blaming one another for the lack of productivity.
“When you look at the number of bills passed
by the House and the paltry number of bills
passed by the Senate, you can see where the
problem is,” House Speaker John Boehner, an
Ohio Republican, said last week.
But Democrats in both chambers say that the
150 bills passed by the House in 2013 amount to

By KATELYN CANON

path, so with the ducks and geese
coming in, the eagles have followed
and they are preying on the geese
MOUND CITY, Mo. — The 35th and the ducks.
annual Eagle Days, being held this
“It’s exciting viewing out here.
weekend at Squaw Creek National We’ve got a lot of predation going on.
Wildlife Refuge, featured activities It’s a wonderful day.”
that kept crowds warm Saturday and
He added that most of the tour
allowed them to see the birds.
could be enjoyed from a car with a
Corey Kudrna, a wildlife specialist good set of binoculars.
at Squaw Creek, explained that while
“It’s a little chilly, but because
the cold weather might deter some of our tour route, you can actually
from coming — temperatures were view eagles from your car. Just
in the single digits in the morning — because it is cold or windy doesn’t
people should still attend because the mean your viewing goes away. You
event is a “special time” for Squaw just spend a few less minutes outCreek.
side,” Mr. Kudrna said.
“It’s a really neat place,” said Mr.
Kudrna. “We are on the migration
Please see EAGLE/Page A7

Please see RATEPAYERS/Page A6

inside to
day

By KEN NEWTON

Please see CLOCK/Page A7

FREE

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Merrill Newman arrived at the
SAN FRANCISCO — A tired but smil- San Francisco airport after turning
ing 85-year-old U.S. veteran detained down a ride aboard Vice President Joe
in North Korea for several weeks re- Biden’s Air Force Two in favor of a diturned home Saturday to applause rect f light from Beijing. He emerged
from supporters, yellow ribbons tied to
Please see U.S./Page A6
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NO. 3 AUBURN 59, NO. 5 MISSOURI 42

More parents rebuff
vitamin K shot at birth

ST. LOUIS’ BOEING
COURTSHIP

WHAT’S
NEXT?
Push to land 777X plant
came together quickly,
but questions linger
about Missouri’s chances.
BY TIM LOGAN
tlogan@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8291

scordle@post-dispatch.com

Dose has been
recommended since
1961 for all babies to
prevent life-threatening
bleeding — a problem
that’s now on the rise.

BY MICHELE MUNZ
mmunz@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8263

Maternity care providers here and nationwide are on high alert for life-threatening vitamin K deﬁciencies in newborns,
at the same time they are seeing more
parents refusing a routine preventive injection.
The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention released a report last month
about four babies in Nashville, Tenn.,
who hemorrhaged after their parents refused vitamin K injections at birth. The
babies were diagnosed with life-threatening vitamin K deﬁciency bleeding between February and September. Three
had bleeding in the brain, and one had

After a big week passing big tax breaks
to lure a big airplane plant to St. Louis,
a big question remains for the region’s
push to build Boeing Co.s new 777X:
’
Now what?
Gov. Jay Nixon, state lawmakers and
a sizable chunk of the region’s business
and labor community just crafted and
passed up to $1.7 billion in tax credits at
lightning speed, racing to meet a Tuesday deadline for proposals to land a factory that might mean 8,500 good jobs
in north St. Louis County. Agree with it
or not, the effort was a nearly unprecedented show of civic force for one of the
biggest economic development prospects St. Louis has seen in a long time.
“Missouri has once again demonstrated to the world that when it comes
to good jobs for Missouri families, we
compete and we compete to win, Nixon
”
said in a statement Friday.
But once the clock strikes 7 on Tuesday night, the competition for this
much-sought-after plant is largely out
of local hands. And, to most, St. Louis
remains a long shot.
See BOEING

How three days in November changed
Gov. Nixon’s tune on tax incentives.

See VITAMIN K

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FOX THEATRE • DECEMBER 17-29
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TM & © New Line Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. Illustration by Hugh Syme. Photo by Amy Boyle.

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