(AP) — Amnesty boxes are going up at the Colorado Springs airport for those who didn’t realize that it’s illegal to carry pot on a plane.
Under the Colorado law legalizing recreational marijuana, it is legal to leave the drug in a parked car at the airport. Bringing marijuana inside is, however, prohibited. Officials are encouraging people to leave their marijuana behind, but they also want to help people who broke the law and don’t want to miss their flights. Installation of the boxes begins on Wednesday.
The ban on pot at the airport applies to both recreational and medical marijuana. If passengers are caught trying to bring pot onto a plane, they could face up to $2,500 in fines and possible jail time.
If you’ve been scammed by weight-loss schemes, Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri wants to hear from you.
McCaskill is chair of the Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee. She plans to hold hearings in a few weeks into scams that she says are costing Americans billions of dollars. She points to Sensa, a powder that is supposed to make you lose weight if you sprinkle it on your food, and Oxi-tain, a topical cream that supposedly leads to weight loss.
If you have a weight-loss scam to report, go here and click on Scam Tell Claire.
OSKALOOSA, Kan. (AP) — A fire in the northeast Kansas town of Oskaloosa damaged three businesses and a Masonic Lodge but no injuries were reported.
The fire Monday night extensively damaged a cafe and realty office and did minor smoke damage to a bank branch. Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Herrig says the Masonic Lodge about the cafe also was damaged.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation but Herrig said it apparently started in the basement of the cafe.
In light of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) reported plans to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on an advertising campaign to sell ObamaCare, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) introduced the “Taxpayer Transparency Act” today – legislation requiring federal agencies to transparently disclose when taxpayer dollars are used to pay for government advertising. Click here to read the bill.
The bill, which is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Tom Coburn (Okla.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.), would require federal agencies to include a disclaimer stating that government ads are “paid for by taxpayers” on printed advertising materials, including newspapers, billboards, flyers, radio, television, and internet communications.
“Americans have a right to know how the federal government is spending their hard-earned taxpayer dollars – especially when that money is being wasted on ObamaCare propaganda,” said Blunt. “This common-sense bill promotes government transparency and accountability by requiring all federal agencies to include disclaimers when advertising materials are paid for on the taxpayers’ dime.”
In FY2013 alone, federal agencies reportedly spent more than $730,000,000 on contracts for “advertising services.” HHS reportedly planned to spend up to $12 million of taxpayer money for ads to promote the disastrous roll-out of ObamaCare – a law that the majority of Americans soundly reject.
(AP) – A Michigan automobile parts company plans to build a new manufacturing facility in west-central Missouri.
Janesville Acoustics plans to build a $13.4 million, 155,000-square-foot facility in Warrensburg to supply parts to a General Motors assembly plant in the Kansas City area.
Gov. Jay Nixon says the project could create 164 fulltime jobs in Missouri.
The company could receive up to $1.3 million of tax incentives from the Department of Economic Development if it meets the job and investment targets.
The facility initially will produce trunk and dash liners, specialized carpets and acoustical insulation for the Chevrolet Malibu.
Janesville Acoustics is headquartered in Southfield, Mich.
(AP) – A Missouri state senator is proposing to let voters cast absentee ballots if they’re responding to a disaster on an election day.
Democrat Scott Sifton, of St. Louis, introduced his measure Tuesday. He says it responds to the proximity of Hurricane Sandy to the 2012 elections.
The bill would let Missouri voters responding to a disaster anywhere in the U.S. request an absentee ballot until 5 p.m. the Monday before an election. Those workers would be able to request a ballot even if the traditional absentee deadline has passed.
Those ballots could then be submitted electronically until when polls close on Election Day.
Early voting in many states was cancelled or delayed when Sandy hit the East Coast shortly before the 2012 elections.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two Kansas elementary school teachers are national finalists for a math and science award.
The Kansas State Department of Education says the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is given annually to outstanding teachers from across the country.
The Kansas finalists are Shawnee Mission school district science teacher Lindsay Constance and Wamego school district math teacher Cathy Wilbur.
They’ll get an invitation to Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony and visit with members of Congress and President Barack Obama’s administration.
A panel of scientists, mathematicians and educators pick the winners following an initial selection process done at the state level. Each year the award alternates between educators teaching kindergarten through sixth grade and those teaching seventh through 12th grades.
(AP) – Missouri House Democrats have shuffled several of their leadership positions.
Chris Kelly, of Columbia, was elected Tuesday as caucus chairman to replace Steve Webb, of Florissant. Webb resigned his House seat last month while facing criminal charges. Kelly had been the caucus vice chairman and served 12 years in the House during the 1980s and 1990s. He also has served in the House since 2009.
Democrats’ new caucus vice chairwoman will be Gina Mitten, of St. Louis. She was elected to the state House in 2012.
The minority party also chose Rory Ellinger, of University City, as the caucus policy chairman. He replaces Judy Morgan, of Kansas City, who stepped down from leadership but continues to serve in the House.
(AP) A Missouri state senator is formally calling on the state education commissioner to resign.
Democratic Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal of University City filed a formal resolution today asking Chris Nicastro to immediately leave office.
Chappelle-Nadal says Nicastro has been “less than truthful” in dealing with the legislature. She also criticized the commissioner for entering into a contract with a consulting firm to improve the failing Kansas City schools, even though the firm’s bid was higher than other submissions.
The resolution also cites Nicastro’s assistance with an initiative petition seeking to change the state’s teacher tenure laws as a reason that she should leave office.
The resolution has not been referred to a Senate committee. Nicastro’s job status can be affected only by the State Board of Education.
In December, emails released by Nicastro showed she was working behind the scenes to create a statewide district to run some of the state’s lowest performing districts.
It also showed that Springfield Superintendent Norm Ridder, who is retiring in June, was her pick to lead the district. Ridder has confirmed that he and Nicastro discussed the job possibility but that no decisions had been made.
He also previously stated that no action on that option was expected until after The Cities for Education Entrepreneurship Trust, or CEE-Trust, had made a recommendation to turn around the struggling Kansas City schools. The state board received that report this week.
On Monday, Ridder said he has not been part of the conversation in recent weeks.
“I’ve been stepping back and I haven’t been involved,” he said.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas Medical Center has received $10 million in federal research grants.
Medical center officials announced Tuesday the grants will be used to research smoking cessation and chronic pain treatment, as well as funding a network to share patient data among research centers.
The projects are funded through the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. That’s an independent nonprofit organization authorized by the Affordable Care Act that receives federal funding.
(AP) — Amnesty boxes are going up at the Colorado Springs airport for those who didn’t realize that it’s illegal to carry pot on a plane.
