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HANNIBAL, Mo. (AP) — Officials in Hannibal now say foul play is not suspected in the death of a man found at a hotel.

The body of 63-year-old Howard Miller was discovered Wednesday morning at the Best Way Inn, just a few blocks from the Mark Twain historic sites in the northeast Missouri town.

The Hannibal Courier-Post reports that the cause of death remains a mystery after a preliminary autopsy. Marion County Coroner Darrell McCoy says it may be several weeks before the cause is known.

Clayton, MO - AP - A St. Louis County woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for a drunk-driving accident that killed a bicyclist.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 31-year-old Emily Hagan of Kirkwood will be eligible for parole after serving about one year in prison.

Authorities say Hagan's blood-alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit when she rear-ended and killed Samuel Scott last year in University City. The 19-year-old was riding his bike home from the pizza shop where he worked as a cook.

Hagan was charged with first-degree manslaughter. In a plea deal reached Friday, a judge reduced the manslaughter charge from a Class B to a Class C felony.

Investigators say someone else is responsible for the death of Blackburn College student who overdosed on opium in January.

Police in Carlinville say that Joshua Ramza died of opium intoxication, but the person who supplied him the drug is liable for his death.

Police say the case is now a homicide and they ask anyone with information to contact them at carlinvillepolice.com.

PHILADELPHIA - AP - Family members say retired boxer Tony Martin was fatally shot in an altercation with a visitor at one of his rental properties in Philadelphia.

Police say the 52-year-old Martin, a former welterweight, was shot during an argument at the home in the city’s Hunting Park section on Friday. Martin’s niece, Robyn Peete, says that her uncle was a good landlord and longtime postal worker and that the altercation apparently involved a person visiting his tenant.

Martin’s family is pleading for the gunman to come forward.

Martin was 34-6-1 in his boxing career, with 12 knockouts. He is a native of St. Louis who moved to Philadelphia to train in 1985. He lost his last fight, a decision to Julio Cesar Chavez in Las Vegas, in 1997.

A head-on collision in Godfrey, Illinois Friday, left two people dead. The accident happened just before 2PM.

The Madison County Sheriff's Office say two vehicles collided in the southbound lane of Martin Luther King Boulevard. Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene.

JACKSON, Mo.—AP—A 73-year-old jail inmate is dead after collapsing in a southeast Missouri courtroom.

The Southeast Missourian reports that Daniel Stroder of Wappapello, Mo., died Monday. He was in court in Jackson, Mo., for arraignment on felony charges that he violated probation by writing a bad check.

Coroner John Clifton says an autopsy is planned.

Sheriff John Jordan says Stroder was in court in front of a judge when he began to feel ill. The judge was preparing to furlough Stroder when he collapsed. Bailiffs offered aid until medical personnel arrived and took Stroder to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

CHICAGO (AP) - The nephew of pioneering Illinois politician Dawn Clark Netsch says she remained an active behind-the-scenes political player right up until her death.

The former Illinois comptroller and the first woman to get the Democratic nomination for Illinois governor died early Tuesday at her Chicago home.

Nephew Andy Kerr says the evening before Netsch was at home watching the TV news and surrounded by newspapers.

Kerr says his aunt was always trying to stay up to date and even in her last months was advising political candidates.

Netsch graduated first in her class from Northwestern Law in 1952, yet Kerr says she could not get a job because she was a woman.

He says that experience drove her to fight all types of discrimination, which became a hallmark of her career.

Here is reaction from across the state:

"The Illinois political scene will not be the same without that pool-shooting Sox Fan with a cigarette holder, but generations of Illinois women can thank the indomitable force of Dawn Clark Netsch for blazing their path." - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.

"Most importantly, Dawn was a straight shooter, and not just at playing pool. She always told the people of Illinois what they needed to know." - Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn.

"Dawn leaves behind a long path paved with the shattered glass from the ceilings she broke for women in leadership." - U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley.

"Dawn always remembered that government exists to serve taxpayers, not the other way around. She was a leader who was ahead of her time and our state is better for her service." - Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka.

"She was straight forward, a straight shooter and great at explaining state issues. She was not just a public servant, but a teacher. She will be missed." - Illinois Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon.

"She blazed a trail for women and worked hard to make sure so many of us could follow her." - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.

"Her legacy will live on through her incomparable career of helping others." - Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A man is in custody in St. Louis, accused of beating his girlfriend to death with a baseball bat.

Police say the crime happened Thursday evening. The 71-year-old suspect's name has not been released.

Police say the man was arguing with his girlfriend, 54-year-old Carolyn Richardson, then struck her in the head several times with the bat. Richardson was pronounced dead at a hospital.

SIKESTON, Mo. (AP) - A 97-year-old southeast Missouri resident has died after catching himself on fire while smoking a cigar.

KFVS-TV reports that John Yount of Sikeston died Tuesday. A relative told police that Yount had frequently fallen asleep while smoking and apparently caught himself on fire while smoking a cigar.

Sikeston police arrived at Yount's home to find him with severe burns. He was taken to a hospital in Cape Girardeau, then transferred to St. Louis, where he died later Tuesday

UPDATE:
Fire investigators say that a High Ridge home that caught fire this morning, was under foreclosure. More than 30 firefighters responded to the scene and found the body of 24-year-old Charles Odell in the burned out home. KMOV reports that kerosene heaters were found in the house and the home's gas supply had previously been shut off. Odell was alone in the house at the time of the fire. EARLIER:
Jefferson County fire investigators are trying to find out how a High Ridge home caught fire this morning--killing a man in his mid 20's.

The two-alarm blaze was reported at about 4 a.m.near the end of Ridge Road, off of New Sugar Creek Road north of Highway 30.

Tom Lakin, deputy chief of the High Ridge Fire Protection District, said a neighbor reported hearing what sounded like an explosion. When firefighters arrived, they saw the single-family home engulfed in flames, with fire coming through the roof. The man's body was found under debris after the roof collapsed.

More than 30 firefighters from five departments were on the scene. No firefighters were injured.