(AP) — A fast-moving southeast Kansas grass fire apparently caused by a downed power line burned hundreds of acres and damaged at least two structures but caused no serious injuries.
Galena fire Chief Bill Hall says about 600 acres were damaged by Sunday’s fire, which was fueled by high winds. Firefighters from seven area towns responded to help Galena fight the blaze.
Two garages used for storage were damaged but the fire didn’t hit any homes.
Julie Maus, spokeswoman for Empire District Electric Co., says high winds took down a transmission line north of Galena, causing a brief power outage for about 900 customers. Other utility poles were damaged.
The National Weather Service says fire danger in the region would remain above normal for most of the week.
(AP) — Missouri farmers appear to have grown more corn and soybeans last year than in 2012.
Figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show Missouri farmers produced an estimated 435 million bushels of corn last year, up 76 percent from 2012. Soybean production rose 25 percent to an estimated 197 million bushels.
The amount of Missouri farmland devoted to corn was down in 2013, but the estimated average yield was 136 bushels per acre — more than twice the 61 bushels in 2012. Land devoted to soybeans increased by 4 percent and yields were 35.5 bushels per acre, up 5.5 bushels from the previous year.
A livestock truck hauling pigs rolled onto its side Monday morning in Dekalb County. The 6:15 am wreck blocked traffic in the westbound driving lane of US-36 about a mile east of the Clarksdale Junction.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol says an ambulance was sent to the crash scene as a precaution, but there was no immediate word on injuries.
A dispatcher said a wrecker was dispatched from Cameron, and Triumph Foods was sending a vehicle to pick up the livestock.
It was not clear how long traffic would be affected. The dispatcher says one lane of traffic is getting through.
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Board of Education Executive Session
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Board of Education Meeting, 925 Felix Street
1.0 Executive Session
1.1 Pursuant to 610.021 – A vote will be taken to close the meeting pursuant to Section 610.021 (3) Hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting an employee of a public governmental body. -(1) Legal actions, causes of action or litigation involving a public governmental body and any confidential privileged communications between a public governmental bodies or its representatives and its attorneys, and (14) Records that are protected from disclosure by law. Action
2.0 Call to Order
2.1 Call to Order Info
2.2 Pledge of Allegiance led by Middle School Students Info
2.3 Roll Call Info
3.0 Recognitions
3.1 Middle School Food Drive for Second Harvest Info
3.2 Recognition of Coleman Elementary School Volunteers Info
3.3 Recognition of Altec, Skaith Business Partner, and Volunteers Info
3.4 Recognition of Fredrick Boulevard Baptist Church, Skaith Business Partner, and Volunteers Info
3.5 Recognition of Heartland Health, Hillyard Technical Center Business Partner Info
4.0 Presentations
4.1 Board Appreciation Presentation Info
5.0 Agenda Approval
5.1 Approval of Agenda Action
6.0 Consent Agenda Action
6.1 Approval of Consent Agenda Items Action
6.2 November 2013 Financial Statements Action
6.3 December 2013 Financial Statements Action
6.4 Gifts Action
6.5 Approval of December 2, 2013 Board of Education Meeting Minutes Action
6.6 Personnel Report Action
7.0 Items for Consideration
7.1 Cook Road Street Improvements Action
7.2 Disposal of Surplus Supplies Action
8.0 Board Policy Discussion and Action
A) First Reading
8.1 Board Policy Revisions – IC – Academic Calendar
Action
9.0 Items of Information
9.1 Construction Update Info
10.0 Audience Participation
10.1 Public Comment Info
11.0 Superintendent’s Report
11.1 Dr. Czerwonka’s Report Info
12.0 Future Meetings and Events
12.1 Future Meetings and Events Info
13.0 Adjournment
13.1 Motion to Adjourn Action
13.2 this session is reserved to complete any unfinished business from the closed (executive) session from the beginning of the meeting. Action
(AP) — A report says Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital failed to provide a safe environment for a 78-year-old man beaten to death last year at the Columbia facility.
The report for the Veterans Affairs Heartland Network was included in materials released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Columbia Daily Tribune.
The report detailed what happened at the hospital when Rudy Perez Jr. killed Robert Hill on Feb. 1. Hill was a patient and Perez was there on a 96-hour involuntary commitment after an alleged assault on his father. Perez pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and is at Fulton State Hospital.
Hospital spokesman Stephen Gaither says Truman has taken several steps to improve communication and created new policies to deal with disruptive behavior.
(AP) — Tyson Foods is recalling nearly 34,000 pounds of mechanically separated chicken products that may be contaminated with a strain of salmonella.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday in a news release the product was not sold in retail stores. It was produced on Oct. 11 and shipped nationwide for institutional use.
The chicken has been linked to illnesses in a Tennessee correctional facility, where seven people got sick and two were hospitalized.
Food containing Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. The most common symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product.
The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Most people recover without treatment.
(AP) — Missouri House Democrats are preparing to outline a tax cut proposal, despite their fierce opposition to a Republican tax plan last year.
Rep. Jon Carpenter, a Democrat from Kansas City, was expected to file legislation and release his plan to reduce state taxes on Monday. Another Kansas City Democrat, Sen. Jolie Justus, has signaled that her party would be open to tax cuts under certain circumstance. She says it is a matter of who benefits from the cuts.
House Democrats voted last year against a Republican proposal to reduce individual and corporate income tax rates over 10 years. The GOP plan failed when the Legislature could not secure enough votes to override Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto.
BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — Federal officials are investigating why a Southwest Airlines flight that was supposed to land at Branson Airport in southwest Missouri, instead landed at another airport about 7 miles away that only had about half as much runway.
In a statement, airline spokesman Brad Hawkins says Southwest Airlines Flight 4013 — carrying 124 passengers and five crew members — was scheduled to go from Chicago’s Midway International Airport to Branson Airport. But the Boeing 737-700 landed at Taney County Airport, which is also known as M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport.
Hawkins says the landing was uneventful and everyone onboard was safe.
Hawkins didn’t have information on why the plane went to the wrong airport. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro says the agency is investigating the incident.
(AP) – Authorities in southwest Missouri say a 6-month-old baby missing since Jan. 2 has been found in Florida.
The Anderson Police Department said in a statement Sunday night that 6-month-old Mitchell Farris is healthy and safe. The department had issued an Amber Alert for the boy on Friday.
Police said the baby had been missing since Jan. 2 when the father, 34-year-old Preston Farris, took the child from the great-grandfather, who has legal custody. Farris was traveling with the child’s mother, 30-year-old Anastasia McDaniel.
The statement from Anderson police said both Preston Farris and McDaniel were taken into custody Sunday in the Miami area. It did not say if the two face charges.
Northwest Missouri State University students and employees have an opportunity to become gently fit, more flexible and better manage stress throughout the trimester by participating in Hatha yoga classes at the University.
The Hatha Yoga Basics sessions meet from 2 to 2:50 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday in the Martindale Hall dance studio, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 14. Rhonda Lesley, a registered yoga teacher and director of personal development and counseling at Northwest, leads the sessions, guiding participants in Hatha yoga sequences and mind-body awareness.
The classes are provided by Northwest Wellness Services and Personal Development and Counseling. All Northwest students and employees are welcome to attend at no charge.
Additionally, students may register for Hatha yoga as an activity class and receive academic credit. Interested students should register for 22-113-08, Individual Fitness Program: Hatha Yoga Class.
No prior yoga experience is required to participate. Participants should dress comfortably in exercise clothing. Yoga mats are provided, but participants are welcome to bring their own mat.
Hatha yoga is a gentle, easily mastered practice for relaxation, balance, strength and flexibility. New studies suggest yoga provides great benefits for the immune system, emotional stability, stress management and physical symptoms, such as high blood pressure, muscle and joint stiffness, insomnia, low back pain and more. Participants report a sense of heightened mental and physical wellness and relaxation after experiencing just one session of Hatha yoga.
(AP) — A fast-moving southeast Kansas grass fire apparently caused by a downed power line burned hundreds of acres and damaged at least two structures but caused no serious injuries.
