SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A suspect in the deaths of a Springfield couple will undergo a mental examination but will stay in the Greene County jail with no bond.

Mark Porter, of Ozark, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the May deaths of Jan and Gary Tyrrell in their home.

KYTV reports a preliminary hearing was scheduled for Oct. 22.

Prosecutors say Porter and the couple were longtime friends but Gary Tyrrell had refused to loan Porter $250,000 shortly before he was killed.

United States Attorney’s Office

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in leading a conspiracy to distribute PCP.

Today’s sentence is a result of Operation Dirty Glass, a multi-agency investigation into large-scale PCP-trafficking in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Operation Dirty Glass resulted in a series of indictments that charged a total of 22 defendants.

Gerald W. Jones, 42, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 20 years in federal prison without parole.

On May 12, 2014, Jones pleaded guilty to his role in leading a conspiracy to distribute at least one kilogram of PCP. Jones is among 11 defendants who have pleaded guilty to the charges contained in a Nov. 9, 2012, federal indictment.

Undercover detectives and informants purchased PCP and crack cocaine from Jones on more than 20 separate occasions during the course of the investigation. A wiretap was authorized to assist investigators to identify Jones’ suppliers, associates, customers, and locations used in his drug trafficking operation. Investigators intercepted hundreds of drug-related telephone calls between Jones and his associates between Aug. 28 and Nov. 9, 2012. Investigators learned from the wiretap that Jones was primarily a PCP dealer who also sold crack cocaine.

Jones used various sources of supply for his drug trafficking business and would regularly sell bottles, dealer quantities, of PCP to his customers. Investigators learned that PCP dealers would commonly dip More brand cigarettes into the bottles containing liquid PCP and then distribute the PCP-dipped cigarettes, commonly called “sticks”, to PCP users.

On Nov. 14, 2012, investigators served a search warrant at Jones’ residence. During the search of Jones’ kitchen, investigators located numerous bottles that had been used to store PCP and several full bottles containing approximately 75 grams of PCP.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Venneman. It was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts’ re-election campaign in Kansas is being overhauled as his race becomes an unexpected battleground in the fight for control of the Senate.

A person familiar with the Roberts campaign said Friday that longtime aide Leroy Towns stepped down Thursday as Roberts’ executive campaign manager. The source said the campaign is expanding and has hired a member of Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo’s campaign staff to run grassroots operations.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the source was not authorized to discuss the changes publicly.

Also, the National Republican Senatorial Committee moved to help Roberts, sending in a seasoned consultant, Chris LaCivita.

Kansas was seen as a safe GOP state, but the three-term incumbent looked vulnerable after a tough primary fight.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The amount of water released into the Missouri River is increasing after August runoff was the third highest in more than a century.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says boosting releases from four lower dams will prepare the reservoir system for next year’s anticipated runoff and reduce flood risks.

Water management chief Jody Farhat says that while the releases are higher than normal for this time of year, the water is expected to remain in the channel unless there is significant additional rain.

The corps says the excess water will allow the corps to extend the navigation season by 10 days, ending Dec. 10. The higher releases also will benefit winter hydropower generation and reduce the risks to water intakes when ice forms.

RUSS BYNUM, Associated Press
DAN SEWELL, Associated Press

CINCINNATI (AP) — Training drills for tens of thousands of Army National Guard members from New Hampshire to Hawaii have been called off this weekend because of a federal budget shortfall.

A National Guard spokesman says a $101 million gap in funding for training is being addressed by postponing drills, suspending travel and other steps. Meanwhile, there are efforts underway to get funding reallocated so the drills can be held later this month.

Among other states that have put off National Guard training exercises are Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio and New York. Some, including Alaska, Oregon and Vermont, plan to go ahead as scheduled.

Among reasons for the shortfall are fewer citizen-soldier deployments overseas that are funded separately and higher-than-expected attendance for training paid by the Guard.

CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Third-party candidates rarely win Senate races, but they could play significant roles in several key races this year.

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple is planning to add more security measures to help protect its users following a celebrity photo hacking incident.

CEO Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal that Apple Inc. will use email and push notifications to let users know when someone tries to restore iCloud data on a new device, change an account password or attempts an initial log on to an account with a new device. Previously there were no notifications for restoring iCloud data.

Apple expects to start sending notifications in two weeks.

An Apple spokesman confirmed the report Friday but declined to comment further than what was said in the interview.

On Tuesday Apple acknowledged computer hackers broke into the accounts of several celebrities. The company said it found no evidence of a widespread problem in iCloud or its Find my iPhone service.

The Platte County Sheriff’s Office reports an increase in reports of theft from vehicles in the Northland. This has been a problem in St Joseph as well. It should be noted that most of the vehicles were left unlocked, including those parked at local businesses, stores, and homes.

Platte County Sheriff Mark Owen stated, “We want to remind residents to secure your vehicles, even when you step into a store for a brief moment.

“All it takes is a few seconds for someone to steal your personal items from your vehicle. We encourage people to keep their vehicles secured even when it is parked in the driveway of their residence.

Many thieves look for an easy opportunity to steal.”

In addition, Sheriff Owen stated it is a good idea to record serial numbers of your personal electronic devices in case those items are stolen, or go missing. The theft of items such as; GPS devices, cell phones, tablets, etc. are an easy target for criminals to steal and sell to friends or businesses to make some quick money.

The sheriff says you should keep a list of serial numbers, make, and model numbers at home for an easy reference when you need to make a police report or when you speak with your insurance company. Law enforcement officials can enter serial numbers into the computer system, which will assist in tracking down devices if they are sold at stores. In the case of residential burglaries, it is also a good practice to record serial numbers for larger items such as; televisions, firearms, computers and the like.

Another helpful idea to consider in the event a person has their wallet or purse stolen/lost is to know exactly what personal information you have that has gone missing. You can start with making a list of the credit/debit cards in your wallet or purse. Record your bank information, credit/debit card numbers and contact numbers for your bank or credit card company in order to quickly cancel those cards and report suspicious activity.

You should keep this sensitive information in a secured area that only you can access.

CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added just 142,000 jobs in August, snapping a six-month streak of hiring above 200,000 and posting the smallest gain in eight months.

The Labor Department says the unemployment rate fell to 6.1 percent from 6.2 percent. But the rate dropped because fewer people were working or seeking jobs.

Employers also added 28,000 fewer jobs in June and July than the government had previously estimated.

August’s job gains were far below the average monthly increase of 212,000 in the past 12 months. The slowdown was unexpected after most recent economic data suggested that the economy is growing at a healthy pace.

Still, wage gains have been sluggish since the Great Recession ended in 2009, and consumers remain cautious. Consumer spending dipped in July, the first decline since January.