Missouri bill would allow outdoor cremations for public

DONNA: THANK YOU. KANSAS CITY HAS LANDED TWO NEW FEDERAL HEADQUARTERS. THE USDA’S ECONOMIC RESEARCH SERVICE AND THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ARE BEING RELOCATED. ALONG WITH THOSE RELOCATIONS COMES 500 JOBS TO THE METRO. CITY LEADERS SAYS THIS PUTS THE USDA MUCH CLOSER TO THE PEOPLE IT WORKS WITH, THE FARMERS. THE SALE WAS NOT POPULAR WITH EVERYONE AND THEY’RE HOPING THE NEW EMPLOYEES WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY WHAT OUR METRO HAS TO OFFER. >> YOU CAN ACCESS THE ARTS AND THE CULTURE AND SPORTS. >> HAVING GREAT QUALITY OF LIFE AND ALL THE AMENITIES THE CITY OF OUR SIZE OFFERS, BUT IT IS SO LIVABLE. IT IS AFFORDABLE AND EASY TO GET AROUND. DONNA: RIGHT NOW, CITY LEADERS ARE STILL DECIDING EXACTLY WHERE IN THE METRO THEY WILL BUILD. CODY: IT WAS THE CHASE THAT BROUGHT THE NATION TO A STANDSTILL 25 YEARS TODAY. 95 MILLION PEOPLE WATCHED LIVE AS A CONVOY OF POLICE CARS FOLLOWED O.J. SIMPSON IN HIS FORD BRONCO. SIMPSON WOULD LATER BE CHARGED AND ACQUITTED FOR THE MURDERS OF HIS EX-WIFE, NICOLE BROWN SIMPSON AND HER BOYFRIEND RON GOLDMAN. AND NOW, O.J. IS TURNING TO SOCIAL MEDIA TO, QUOTE, SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. HERE IS ABC’S KENNETH MOTON. KENNETH: O.J. SIMPSON MAKING HIS DIGITAL DEBUT. >> HEY TWITTER WORLD, THIS IS YOURS TRULY. KENNETH: THE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMER IS NOW ON TWITTER, GIVING FOLLOWERS A HINT OF WHAT THEY CAN EXPECT. >> YOU KNOW, FOR YEARS, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SAY WHATEVER THEY WANTED TO SAY ABOUT ME. WITH NO ACCOUNTAILITY, BUT NOW I GET TO CHALLENGE A LOT OF THAT , VS AND SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT _- B.S. AND SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. KENNETH AND THEN THIS CRYPTIC : MESSAGE. >> THIS SHOULD BE A LOT OF FUN, I GOT A LITTLE GETTIN’ EVEN TO >> HE MAY BE DRIVING ENDLESSLY. KENNETH: TODAY MARKS 25 YEARS SINCE THE INFAMOUS WHITE BRONCO CHASE, BEFORE SIMPSON WAS CHARGED IN THE MURDERS OF EX-WIFE NICOLE BROWN SIMPSON AND HER FRIEND RON GOLDMAN. HE WAS TRIED IN WHAT BECAME KNOWN AS THE TRIAL OF THE CENTURY AND FOUND NOT GUILTY. >> IF IT DOESN’T FIT YOU MUST ACQUIT. KENNETH: SIMPSON WAS CONVICTED ON UNRELATED ROBBERY AND KIDNAPPING CHARGES IN LAS VEGAS AND SPENT NINE YEARS BEHIND BARS. NOW A FREE MAN, HE SAYS HE WILL BE TWEETING ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM SPORTS TO POLITICS. HIS LAWYER, TELLS ABC NEWS MR. SIMPSON IS THE MOST POSITIVE PERSON I HAVE EVER MET. HE IS ALSO VERY WELL INFORMED ON CURRENT EVENTS. HE WILL NOT BE NEGATIVE. NOR WILL HE COMMENT ON THE LA -- ON THE L.A. THING. AS FOR WHO HE’S FOLLOWING ONLINE, SO FAR, ONLY EIGHT ACCOUNTS, MOST OF THEM SPORTS-RELATED. KENNETH MOTON, ABC NEWS, NEW YORK. CODY AT LAST CHECK, THE TWITTER : ACCOUNT HAS OVER 600,000 FOLLOWERS. BY THE WAY, HE HAS ONLY TWEETED THREE TIMES. DONNA: IT IS 6:47, AND AN 11-YEAR-OLD BOY IN CAROLINA IS BEING CALLED A HERO AFTER HE FOUGHT OFF AN INTRUDER WITH A MACHETE. BRAYDON SMITH WAS HOME ALONE WHEN A YOUNG MAN BROKE INTO HIS HOUSE. THE INTRUDER TOLD HIM TO GET IN THE CLOSET, WHICH HE DID. BUT WHEN THE MAN TURNED HIS BACK BRAYDON JUMPED OUT AND GRABBED , HIS MACHETE AND HIT THE MAN IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD. HERE IS WHAT HE SAID. >> IT WENT BY REALLY FAST, AND I KNEW I DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO. DONNA: BRAYDON SAID HE GOT THE MACHETE AS A GIFT. AND NORMALLY HE USES IT TO CHOP WOOD. THAT INTRUDER WAS CAUGHT AND ARRESTED. CODY: POLICE IN DES MOINES, IOWA IS DEALING WITH THE DEADLY WEEKEND. THEY ARE WORKING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT KILLED A FAMILY OF FOUR INSIDE THEIR HOME ON SATURDAY. ALL PEOPLE IN THE FAMILY WERE SHOT, INCLUDING THE SONS WHO WERE JUST 15 AND 10 YEARS OLD. A FAMILY FRIEND IS STILL PROCESSING WHAT HAPPENED. >> THE COMMUNITY IS KIND OF SHOCKED BECAUSE IT IS VERY RARE. IT IS UNUSUAL. CODY: EVEN THOUGH THE FAMILY WAS FOUND SH

A bill dubbed the "Jedi Disposal Act" could soon make Missouri the first state to allow outdoor cremations.The bill would allow licensed funeral directors to organize outdoor cremations at licensed crematoriums or private sites that have permits, The Kansas City Star reported . The bill got its name from the "Star Wars" movie franchise, in which two Jedi Knights are cremated in public ceremonies.The bill passed with nearly unanimous consent in this year's legislative session and is awaiting Gov. Mike Parson's decision on whether to sign it.Sen. Jason Holsman, a Kansas City Democrat, said he proposed the measure in part because outdoor cremations have been performed "since the dawn of man.""This is the way that our ancestors took care of their remains," Holsman said Thursday. "The Native Americans did it in trees. The Vikings did it in boats. Outdoor cremation has been around many cultures forever."The only place in the country where public outdoor cremations are legal is the small Colorado town of Crestone, about 160 miles (260 kilometers) southwest of Denver. The Crestone End of Life Project (CEOLP), a not-for-profit organization, receives state permits to organize ceremonies for people who live or own land in surrounding Saguache County.CEOLP said it has organized about 65 outdoor cremations during the last 12 years. Some ceremonies attract as many as 300 people in a town with a population of only 143, said Stephanie Gaines, founding director of CEOLP."It's part of the fabric of our community," Gaines said. "The cremation is the frosting on the cake. For us, it's about community support in a transitional time from end of life, terminal end of life, through supporting the family and the individual after death."Holsman, 43, said his interest in the subject began in part because of his northern Germanic and Viking ancestry. He said he would prefer to be cremated in the open air, "just like the Native Americans."Funeral directors initially resisted the proposal out of fear people would host impromptu bonfires of deceased loved ones in their backyards, said Don Otto, executive director of the Missouri Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association. They dropped their opposition when health and safety requirements were added to the bill.Otto said he expects the state board to enact more detailed rules for how licenses will be granted.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) —

A bill dubbed the "Jedi Disposal Act" could soon make Missouri the first state to allow outdoor cremations.

The bill would allow licensed funeral directors to organize outdoor cremations at licensed crematoriums or private sites that have permits, The Kansas City Star reported . The bill got its name from the "Star Wars" movie franchise, in which two Jedi Knights are cremated in public ceremonies.

The bill passed with nearly unanimous consent in this year's legislative session and is awaiting Gov. Mike Parson's decision on whether to sign it.

Sen. Jason Holsman, a Kansas City Democrat, said he proposed the measure in part because outdoor cremations have been performed "since the dawn of man."

"This is the way that our ancestors took care of their remains," Holsman said Thursday. "The Native Americans did it in trees. The Vikings did it in boats. Outdoor cremation has been around many cultures forever."

The only place in the country where public outdoor cremations are legal is the small Colorado town of Crestone, about 160 miles (260 kilometers) southwest of Denver. The Crestone End of Life Project (CEOLP), a not-for-profit organization, receives state permits to organize ceremonies for people who live or own land in surrounding Saguache County.

CEOLP said it has organized about 65 outdoor cremations during the last 12 years. Some ceremonies attract as many as 300 people in a town with a population of only 143, said Stephanie Gaines, founding director of CEOLP.

"It's part of the fabric of our community," Gaines said. "The cremation is the frosting on the cake. For us, it's about community support in a transitional time from end of life, terminal end of life, through supporting the family and the individual after death."

Holsman, 43, said his interest in the subject began in part because of his northern Germanic and Viking ancestry. He said he would prefer to be cremated in the open air, "just like the Native Americans."

Funeral directors initially resisted the proposal out of fear people would host impromptu bonfires of deceased loved ones in their backyards, said Don Otto, executive director of the Missouri Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association. They dropped their opposition when health and safety requirements were added to the bill.

Otto said he expects the state board to enact more detailed rules for how licenses will be granted.

Missouri bill would allow outdoor cremations for public

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