WASHINGTON (AP) — Three high-ranking House Democrats are pressing for hearings on police tactics and race in the wake of the deaths of two unarmed black men at the hands of police in Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island, N.Y.
Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, John Conyers of Michigan and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, all members of the Congressional Black Caucus, made the request in a letter Tuesday to the incoming GOP chairmen of the House committees with oversight over the judiciary and homeland security.
They write that the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner raise “multiple, complex issues” and that Congress should look at matters ranging from the grand jury process to policies for use of force. Speaker John Boehner has indicated he’s open to hearings on the issue.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hallmark Cards Inc. has removed blue and silver gift wrap from circulation after a customer complained that she saw a swastika embedded in the design.
The Kansas City, Missouri-based company alerted retailers to the problem Monday after receiving a complaint Sunday night from a Walgreen’s customer in Northridge, California. The disputed wrap was featured in a Hanukkah display but Hallmark spokeswoman Julie Elliott says the gift wrap wasn’t intended for the Jewish holiday.
The Kansas City Star reports the gift wrap was distributed by Walgreen’s, which is no longer selling it.
Elliott said in a news release that Hallmark didn’t intend to offend anyone.
She said it was an oversight that no one at Hallmark noticed that intersecting lines in the paper could be seen as a swastika pattern.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Five finalists are vying to be chosen as the next Missouri commissioner of education.
The State Board of Education this week announced the list of candidates to replace Commissioner Chris Nicastro.
Former Rockwood and Wentzville Superintendent Terry Adams of Lake St. Louis; Branson Superintendent Douglas Hayter of Walnut Shade; Joplin Superintendent Charles Huff of Joplin and interim Mehlville School District Superintendent Norman Ridder of Imperial are among the finalists.
Deputy Commissioner of Education Margaret Vandeven also is a candidate.
Nicastro will resign at the end of the year, ending a five-year tenure marked by criticism as the state adopted new school accreditation standards and dealt with struggling districts.
Board members will interview the finalists next week in Jefferson City.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Judges on the Missouri Supreme Court are questioning assertions that a new state constitutional amendment means a felon can now carry guns.
The judges heard arguments Tuesday about how to interpret an amendment approved by voters in August with over 60 percent support. The measure subjects gun-control laws to strict legal scrutiny.
An attorney for a man convicted of dealing drugs in the 1980s is citing the amendment while seeking to invalidate a state law barring all felons from possessing firearms. A lower court had thrown out three felon-firearms charges against his client.
But several Supreme Court judges noted that the 2nd Amendment to the U.S Constitution and similar provisions in other states have long been interpreted to allow restrictions on felons possessing firearms.
WASHINGTON – This year’s annual defense bill will include a provision by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill to require TRICARE—health insurance provided to members of the military and their families—to cover breastfeeding equipment, such as breast pumps, along with support and counseling, as required by most private health plans under the Affordable Care Act.
“As someone who was a single, working mother, I know firsthand the importance of comprehensive, affordable healthcare for new moms,” said McCaskill, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee. “I’m proud we’ll be able to get this commonsense legislation one step closer to the finish line, so that new mothers in the military and military spouses can have access to the same high standard of services we’ve achieved in the civilian sector under the health care law.”
More than 50 medical, family, and healthcare groups, including the National Women’s Law Center, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Nursing endorsed McCaskill’s legislation. Full text of their letter can be found HERE. The National Military Family Association has also endorsed the bill.
Currently, as part of breastfeeding support, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires insurance plans to cover breast pump rental or provide breast pumps for new moms, as well as lactation counseling and support.
With TRICARE, members of the military and military spouses have been left to pay the full costs out of pocket for these services. TRICARE benefits are not subject to the mandates of the ACA that affect private health insurance plans. As such, when the Health Resources and Services Administration determined that breastfeeding equipment and support should be covered by health insurance companies under the provisions of the ACA, this requirement did not extend to TRICARE.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – TCU’s Gary Patterson is The Associated Press coach of the year in the Big 12 Conference.
The Horned Frogs (11-1) claimed a share of the Big 12 title in only their third season in the league. TCU and Baylor were co-champs.
Patterson got 17 of 20 votes in the balloting by media members who cover the Big 12 on a regular basis. The award was revealed Tuesday.
The other three votes went to Baylor’s Art Briles, who last season was the unanimous pick by AP voters as the league’s top coach.
Patterson ( a Kansas State University graduate ) is TCU’s winningest coach, with a 131-45 record in 14 seasons. The coach of the year honor comes a year after the defensive-minded Patterson hired co-offensive coordinators to install a more up-tempo, higher-scoring scheme.
The St. Joseph Police Department has found 10-year-old Elena Hernandez who was reported missing at 10:24 a.m. Tuesday
The Department said she went missing from the area of Mark Twain Elementary School.
According to Capt. Jeff Wilson Hernandez’s coat and bag were located in the school cafeteria. School officials notified authorities that the girl was missing when her items were located but she was not there.
Police located Hernandez and found her safe around 11:30 a.m. after they were able to make contact with the girl’s mother. No further information is available at this time.
City Council member Kent L. “Spanky” O’Dell will serve one year of probation and 25 hours of community service for his guilty plea to misdemeanor charges of Driving a Motor Vehicle with Excessive Blood Alcohol Content.
O’Dell’s lawyer, Jim Nadolski, says they could have fought the charge in court. After a fairly lengthy booking procedure, O’Dell was tested for blood alcohol and the result was .067%, which is below the legal limit of .08%. Nadolski says they might very well have prevailed in a lengthy court fight over the arrest. But Mr O’Dell decided against that.
“He decided that for his sake, for the city’s sake, and most importantly for his family’s sake, that the better part of valor would be to put this behind him,” Nadolski said.
“I don’t believe the police were targeting my client. There was a large crowd of people gathered nearby for a rock concert, so it’s possible police were keeping an eye on the crowd, but I don’t believe they were targeting Mr Odell.”
Mr Nadolski says his client is 58 years old, has never been in trouble with the law, and has a spotless driving record. With that in mind, Associate Circuit Judge Ronald Taylor said he would treat O’Dell the same as he treats anyone else.
Judge Taylor ordered a suspended imposition of sentence, and placed O’Dell on one year probation. He ordered O’Dell not to drink any alcohol during that period, and to complete 25 hours of community service. If O’Dell successfully completes the probation requirements, the arrest will be expunged from his record.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — “I can’t breathe!” — the exclamation made by a black man, Eric Garner, while being placed in a police chokehold — has been chosen as the most notable quote of the year in an annual list released by a Yale University librarian.
It was one of several quotes chosen for the list that reflect tumult over race in America in 2014, particularly in the criminal justice system.
Also making the list Tuesday was “Hands up! Don’t shoot!” — a chant of demonstrators protesting the shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old killed during a confrontation with a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.
Senator Pat Roberts’ quote tied for tenth on this year’s list.
“Every time I get an opponent – I mean, every time I get a chance – I’m home.” – Kansas Senator Pat Roberts responding to questioning about whether he actually resides in Kansas, from a KCMO radio interview, July 3.
The original “Yale Book of Quotations” was published in 2006, and librarian Fred Shapiro has updated it with an annual list of the top 10 quotes.
An upgrade the Northwest Missouri State University’s Internet bandwidth was approved by the University’s Board of Regents Monday.
The Board gave the approval for the school to increase its Internet bandwidth as well as a series of curriculum proposals.
MOREnet, the school’s Internet provider will increase the service to 750 megabytes under a five-year agreement at an additional cost of $10,000 per year.
Dr. Roger Von Holzen, Vice President for Information Technology presented the proposal for the increase and said the number of Internet-connected devices on the Northwest campus continues to increase and current bandwidth usage consistently nears the University’s maximum allocation of 500 megabytes daily during key hours.
Among the curriculum proposals approved by the Board, as presented by Northwest Provost Dr. Tim Mottet, Northwest will begin offering a master’s program in sport and exercise psychology to align with current occupational trends. Mottet said that Northwest has about 20 students enrolled in related minors and five health and human services majors with a high interest in a sport and exercise psychology graduate program. He said no peer institutions offer similar programs and, according to the Association of Sport Psychology, the field is expected to grow rapidly, especially for applicants with appropriate graduate-level training. Completion of the Northwest program will allow students to apply for Sport Psychology Consultant Certification through the Association for Advanced Sport Psychology.
Northwest will also pilot a course, titled Academic Success Seminar, in the spring as a component of the University’s new Academic Success Coaching program. The course will be geared toward freshmen placed on academic probation, and students will utilize various strategies and skills learned in the course to foster success in their other coursework.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Three high-ranking House Democrats are pressing for hearings on police tactics and race in the wake of the deaths of two unarmed black men at the hands of police in Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island, N.Y.
