Missouri teenager begs court to let her watch father's execution

Luke Gentile

November 22, 07:09 PM November 22, 07:13 PM

A Missouri teenager is petitioning a federal court to let her watch her father be executed via lethal injection.

State law in Missouri bars anyone below the age of 21 from watching an execution be carried out, but 19-year-old Khorry Ramey wants to see her father, Kevin Johnson, executed on Nov. 29, according to a report.

Johnson was sentenced to death for the 2005 killing of Kirkwood police officer William McEntee, and his attorneys have filed multiple appeals to spare his life.

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These include a claim that racism was a motive behind Johnson's death sentence and a history of mental illness.

However, the execution is expected to be carried out, according to a court filing from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, which argued there were zero grounds for intervention.

"The surviving victims of Johnson’s crimes have waited long enough for justice, and every day longer that they must wait is a day they are denied the chance to finally make peace with their loss," the petition stated.

Ramey says if she is barred from witnessing her father's death, it will violate her constitutional rights.

Johnson is "the most important person in my life," she said. "If my father were dying in the hospital, I would sit by his bed holding his hand and praying for him until his death, both as a source of support for him, and as a support for me as a necessary part of my grieving process and for my peace of mind."

There is no intrinsic safety reason for barring her, an emergency motion filed by the American Civil Liberties Union read.

Johnson, 37, was sent to prison when Ramey was 2, but the two have bonded through calls, emails, letters, and visits, according to the ACLU.

Last month, Ramey introduced her newborn to the child's grandfather, the report noted.

Ramey will be caused "irreparable harm" if she is unable to attend her father's death, ACLU attorney Anthony Rothert said.

Authorities probe Missouri hospital for denial of abortion in test of Biden policy

Abigail Adcox

November 02, 03:22 PM November 02, 03:25 PM

The federal government has initiated an investigation into whether a Missouri hospital violated federal rules when denying a woman having a medical crisis an abortion.

The Missouri investigation is the first confirmed investigation over a denied abortion under new guidance from the Biden administration that such procedures must be provided in emergencies under federal law. It is likely to serve as the Biden administration's test case for how the policy can be used to go after hospitals and providers that deny individuals emergency abortions regardless of state abortion bans, as it could run into a legal challenge from the Republican-led state.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service authorized the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to launch an investigation into Freeman Hospital in Joplin in late October under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, department spokeswoman Lisa Cox confirmed to the Washington Examiner. The 1986 law requires hospitals and physicians to provide medical screening or stabilizing treatment for an emergency medical condition, regardless of the patient's ability to pay, including providing abortion care, per the new guidance from the Biden administration.

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The hospital is being investigated for its treatment of Mylissa Farmer, a woman who went into the emergency room when her water broke months early in her pregnancy. Doctors told Farmer that the fetus would not survive due to the complication but refused to terminate the pregnancy, citing Missouri law, despite saying that "awaiting a medical emergency may put her at further risk for maternal mortality," according to medical records obtained by the . Farmer ultimately traveled to nearby Illinois to receive an abortion.

Abortions are prohibited in Missouri, except in cases of life endangerment or when the patient's health is severely compromised, under a state law that went into effect in June. The law leaves the burden on providers to prove that any abortions conducted qualify for the exceptions.

The administration has used EMTALA as an avenue to protect access to abortions nationwide in emergency situations. Earlier this year, the Biden administration issued guidance asserting that EMTALA ensures that hospitals in the federally funded Medicare program are required to provide abortion care when a woman's life or health is at stake, superseding state bans on the procedure. Those that don't comply could face monetary fines or termination from the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

"Where a state purports to prohibit providers from offering the emergency care that EMTALA requires, HHS will not hesitate to refer the matter to the Department of Justice to take appropriate legal action," Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure wrote in a letter to state governors.

As part of the Missouri investigation, state health investigators will collect medical records, patient logs, and hospital documents from the hospital and conduct interviews with staff members, though any findings will be evaluated by a federal employee with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service.

The investigation could provoke a legal challenge from the Republican-led state. If so, it would add to the number of legal challenges against the guidance. In August, a federal judge in Texas blocked the Biden administration from enforcing the guidance in the state, arguing it goes "well beyond EMTALA's text," but declined to rule on its legality nationwide.

Farmer's story has already been publicized in political ads by Democratic Senate candidate Trudy Busch Valentine, who has campaigned on defending access to abortion.

Boy Scout troops support save travellers following teach derails in Missouri

Heather Hamilton

June 28, 10:49 AM June 28, 10:49 AM

Two Boy Scouts of America troops are becoming credited with assisting passengers just after an Amtrak educate derailed and hit a dump truck in Missouri.

The troops, who ended up aboard the Chicago-sure coach Monday, smashed windows to aid pull folks out of the coach autos and set their first-help schooling to use when they waited for initially responders to arrive, according to a report.

A single scout, a 15-12 months-aged boy, reportedly situated the driver of the dump truck, who experienced been ejected into a close by ditch through the crash, and applied first aid, attempting to stabilize the driver just before he died from his injuries.

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The two Boy Scout troops, Troop 73 and Troop 12, bundled 16 boys and 8 leaders. They have been on their way dwelling to Wisconsin, adhering to a backpacking trip in New Mexico.

Two leaders suffered injuries, which include damaged bones, broken ribs, and a punctured lung, and were being taken to a clinic for procedure. A single of the boys was also injured, but the extent of his injuries and latest problem are unknown.

At least three persons, which includes the dump truck driver, died in the crash, and 50 other individuals ended up reported to have been wounded.

The Southwest Main Amtrak prepare was carrying 243 passengers and 12 crew members at the time of the wreck, Amtrak officials explained.

In September, an Amtrak teach derailed in Montana, killing a few folks.