JONATHAN LEMIRE, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are highlighting an effort to gather data to help women and girls around the world.

SCOTT CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man is facing charges for allegedly trying to scam elderly homeowners, and bank workers are credited with actions that led to his arrest.

The Southeast Missourian reports that 50-year-old William E. Riley of Hannibal is charged with attempted financial exploitation of the elderly and resisting arrest.

Authorities say Riley went to the home of an 88-year-old Scott City woman on Dec. 1, inspected her lightning rods, and told her she owed $4,500 for repairs.

Police say Riley tried to cash the woman’s check at a Regions Bank in Scott City, but suspicious bank workers called the victim, who told them she was intimidated into writing the check.
Riley was arrested days later. He is jailed on $2,500 bond and does not have a listed attorney.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says police are justified in making a traffic stop even if it turns out the officers are mistaken in thinking the driver broke the law.

The justices said Monday that such a stop does not violate the Constitution’s protection against unreasonable searches.

The ruling came in a North Carolina case in which a police officer pulled over Nicholas Heien’s car because the right brake light was out, although the left one still worked. A search led to the discovery of cocaine in the trunk.

A state appeals court said the stop was impermissible because state law only requires a car to have one functioning brake light. But the state’s highest court reversed, finding that the officer’s misunderstanding of law was reasonable. The Supreme Court agreed.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress has approved legislation  introduced by U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) to help boost jobs by supporting international tourism to the United States. The “Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act” was included in the bipartisan omnibus agreement, which was approved by the U.S. Senate yesterday and is heading to President Barack Obama’s desk. Blunt previously introduced the legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill reauthorizes Brand USA, a public-private partnership that enhances tourism in Missouri and nationwide. In 2013, Brand USA generated 1.1 million additional international visitors who spent an estimated $3.4 billion, strengthening local businesses and stimulating economic growth.

“Travel and tourism are important to jobs in Missouri and nationwide, and Brand USA has produced great results attracting more visitors to the United States,” Blunt said. “I introduced this bill several times in the House, and I’m pleased that Senator Klobuchar and I were able to get a five-year extension included in the omnibus so we can continue to promote increased international travel to the U.S. and bring revenue and jobs to communities across the nation.”

Additional Background Information:

In April 2014, Klobuchar and Blunt introduced the bipartisan “Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act” to reauthorize Brand USA through 2020. The House companion bill was introduced by U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis (Fla.) and Peter Welch (Vt.).

Brand USA is funded by international visitors and private contributions – not U.S. taxpayers. Half of its budget comes from the private sector through cash and in-kind contributions. The rest of the budget – up to a maximum of $100 million – is funded by a nominal fee assessed on visa-free international visitors screened by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).

Brand USA can only collect up to $100 million from ESTA fees paid by foreign travelers visiting the U.S., and amounts collected in excess of the cap are returned to the U.S. Treasury to help reduce t

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch privacy watchdog is ordering Google to make changes to the way it handles users’ personal data or face fines of up to 15 million euros ($18.7 million).

The College for the Protection of Personal Data announced Monday it is giving the Internet giant until the end of February to comply with measures aimed at giving consumers more clarity about how their personal information is used across the suite of Google services.

Privacy watchdogs in six European countries, including the Netherlands, opened investigations into Google after it amended its privacy policy early in 2012.

Al Verney, a spokesman from Google, says the company is disappointed with the order, “especially as we have already made a number of changes to our privacy policy in response to their concerns.”

MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a political victory for the popular potato.

For the first time, low-income women would be able to pay for potatoes with government-subsidized vouchers issued by the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program.

The potato provision is part of a massive spending bill expected to be signed by the President.

White potatoes have been excluded from WIC since fruits and vegetables were first allowed under the program in 2009. The Institute of Medicine had recommended they be left off of WIC vouchers, saying recipients of the aid already eat enough white potatoes.

The potato industry has aggressively lobbied for inclusion in the WIC program, saying it’s not as much about sales as the perception that potatoes aren’t as nutritious as other vegetables.

WICHITA – Kansas Livestock Association members have elected Emporia rancher Jaret Moyer as president for the coming year. Matt Perrier, a seedstock cattle producer from Eureka, was chosen as the new president elect of the 5,000-member organization. Both were elected by members during the annual business meeting December 5 at the KLA Convention in Wichita.

Moyer’s ranch is focused on growing light cattle using a combination of Flint Hills pastures and a backgrounding facility. He also is president of Citizens State Bank and Trust Company, with locations in Woodbine, Bremen, Gypsum and Reading.

Moyer serves on both the KLA Executive Committee and KLA Board of Directors. He is a member of the KLA Stockgrowers Council and previously served as the KLA director for Lyon County. Before moving to the Emporia area in 2003, he was involved in the Phillips County KLA Committee. Moyer is a past chairman of the Kansas Beef Council. He is on the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Board of Directors.

Moyer serves on the Federation of State Beef Councils Domestic Consumer Preference Committee and Value Subcommittee. He is a past member of the NCBA Retail Committee. Moyer is the current president of Flint Hills Beef Fest, which is the annual celebration of the state’s grass cattle industry.
Moyer has been actively involved in leadership development programs. He is a past participant in the NCBA Young Cattlemen’s Conference. Moyer has attended the KLA Leadership Conference. He also graduated from the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership program.

He graduated from Kansas State University in 1992 with a degree in animal science. Moyer later completed course work at the graduate school of banking in Madison, WI.

Moyer and his wife, Shawna, have two daughters. Arissa is a junior at K-State studying ag economics. Sarah is a senior at Northern Heights High School in Allen.

Perrier represents the fifth generation of his family’s registered Angus and ranching operation in Greenwood County. Dalebanks Angus started as a sheep farm in 1867. It has maintained a registered Angus herd continuously since 1904. Today, the seedstock cattle operation produces genetics for the commercial cow-calf producer.

The list of industry leadership positions he has held is lengthy. Perrier is a past chairman of the KLA Stockgrowers Council. He currently serves on the KLA Board of Directors and the NCBA Board of Directors. Perrier is a member of the NCBA Ag and Food Policy Committee.

He attended the NCBA Young Cattlemen’s Conference and served as chairman of the group in 2007. Perrier also has attended the KLA Leadership Conference.

Perrier is a member of the Kansas Animal Health Board and Greenwood County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, of which he is a past president. He is a past member of the U.S. Premium Beef Nominating Committee and Kansas Angus Association Board of Directors. Perrier is a past president of the Greenwood County Cattlemen’s Association and previously served as vice president of the Greenwood Preservation Society, which helped restore the Greenwood Hotel.

He graduated from K-State in 1996 with a degree in animal science. Prior to coming back to the family business, he was director of retail and foodservice programs for the Pennsylvania Beef Council and served in several staff capacities, including as a regional manager, for the American Angus Association.

Perrier and his wife, Amy, have four children: Ava, Lyle, Hannah and Henry. They are expecting a fifth child in mid-March.

KLA is a trade organization representing the state’s livestock business on legislative, regulatory and industry issues at both the state and federal levels. The association’s work is funded through voluntary dues dollars paid by its members.