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Month: March 2019

NBB Urges Lawmakers to Quickly Extend the Biodiesel Tax Incentive

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The National Biodiesel Board Tuesday urged the House Ways and Means Committee to quickly extend the biodiesel tax incentive. Kurt Kovarik, Vice President of Federal Affairs for the National Biodiesel Board, submitted testimony to the Temporary Policy in the Internal Revenue Code hearing.

The NBB official told lawmakers the biodiesel industry urgently needs an immediate extension of the biodiesel and renewable diesel tax incentive to end the current climate of policy uncertainty. In the testimony, Kovarik writes, “The biodiesel and renewable diesel industry cannot reach its full potential with on-again, off-again tax policy.”

Specifically, the Biodiesel Board is asking lawmakers to immediately extend the biodiesel tax incentive for 2018 and 2019, at least, “to end the current climate of uncertainty surrounding the industry.”

NASDA Disappointed with Trump Budget Proposal

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The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture expressed disappointment this week in the content of President Trump’s budget proposal. NASDA CEO Barbara Glenn says the budget request would “negatively impact agriculture, particularly at a time when many in agriculture are facing a serious economic downturn.”

NASDA expects Congress to ensure the programs agriculture needs, including those within the Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency are adequately funded. The budget includes cuts to crop insurance and other programs. However, one positive thread throughout the budget, according to NASDA, was the theme of cooperative federalism, particularly in the realm of food safety.

The proposal called for a $16 million increase in funding to advance implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act with a specific focus on cooperative agreements. NASDA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association which represents the elected and appointed commissioners, secretaries, and directors of the departments of agriculture in all fifty states and four U.S. territories.

Parade and Irish History Trolley Tours planned for Saturday in Atchison

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St. Patrick’s Day weekend parade in Atchison, Kansas. File photo courtesy Atchison Chamber of Commerce.

Atchison, Kansas, will host several St. Patrick’s Day weekend activities on Saturday.

The day will include a Shamrock Hunt on Commercial Street for kids from noon until 2 p.m. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade begins at 2 p.m. at 4th and Commercial. It travels to Kansas Avenue to 7th Street and will end at 7th and Commercial.

According to Atchison Chamber of Commerce President Jacque Pregont, that day, there will also be an opportunity to take a ride on the Irish History Trolley Tours.

“We hadn’t done it for several years, and we resurrected our Irish Trolley Tours, kind of a take-off on our regular historic tours that we do,” Pregont said. “Something different, talk about our Irish heritage that we have in this part of the country and it was so well received, people seemed to be really excited about it, so we’re happy to do that again this year.”

The tour includes historic homes and businesses built by the Irish and a tour of St. Patrick’s Church – the state’s oldest Catholic Church in continuous use.

For more information, or to reserve a spot on the Irish History Trolley tour, you can call 800-234-1854 or go to visitatchison.com.

EPA Releases Year-round E15 Rule

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The Trump Administration on Tuesday released its proposal to allow for year-round E15 sales. The proposal would remove a barrier that limited the year-round sales, while also making changes to credits refiners use to prove they are using biofuel.

In a news release, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler stated, “EPA is working to propose and finalize these changes by the summer driving season,” which starts June first and is also the date when E15 sales are restricted. The proposal would provide a Reid Vapor Pressure waiver for the summer months that has historically been applied only to E10.

Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor called the rule a “critical milestone.” However, proposed changes to the RIN market are questioned by the industry. While many are still reviewing the proposal, Skor says Growth Energy wants to make sure that changes “do not upend the marketplace, and continue to encourage investment in E15 and other higher ethanol blends.” Before finalizing the rule, EPA will now accept comments from biofuel producers, farmers, and other stakeholders.

Former Lee’s Summit Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Armed Bank Robbery

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former Lee’s Summit, Mo., police officer who led officers on a 100-miles-per-hour vehicle pursuit pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to armed bank robbery, according to the United State’s Attorney’s office.

Richard Hagerty -photo Lee’s Summit PD

Richard W. Hagerty, 35, of Independence, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to one count of armed bank robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Hagerty was a police officer with the Lee’s Summit Police Department from 2007 to 2016.

Hagerty entered Central Bank of the Midwest, located at 1305 N.W. Arborwalk Blvd. in Lee’s Summit, on Aug. 28, 2018. Hagerty, wearing a camouflage balaclava-style mask that covered part of his face and black gloves, pointed a Glock .40-caliber pistol at a customer and yelled, “Everybody get down on the floor, this is a robbery.” He demanded cash from two tellers, pointing the handgun at them while he was demanding money. Hagerty stole about $7,000 then fled from the bank on foot.

A Lee’s Summit police officer located Hagerty driving a dark gray Mazda on Hook Road and 139th Street shortly after the robbery. When the officer activated his emergency equipment, Hagerty accelerated and a vehicle pursuit ensued. The pursuit stretched from Lee’s Summit to Grandview, Mo., in the middle of the day, on busy thoroughfares. Hagerty drove erratically during the pursuit, according to court documents, by reaching speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour on those busy roads, passing through school zones, and crossing into oncoming traffic.

After the vehicle was finally stopped, the officer gave verbal instructions for the occupant of the Mazda to exit the vehicle. After a short delay, Hagerty exited through the driver’s side door of the vehicle with his hands raised above his head. The officer immediately recognized Hagerty, who was arrested.

Inside the vehicle, officers saw a large amount of cash on the driver’s seat and the front driver’s and passenger’s floorboard. They also recovered the Glock handgun from the vehicle.

Under federal statutes, Hagerty is subject to a sentence of up to 25 years in federal prison without parole for armed bank robbery, plus a consecutive mandatory minimum sentence of seven years, up to life in federal prison, for brandishing the firearm. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

Business licenses now required for all St. Joseph landlords

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All St. Joseph landlords will be required to pay a $1.50 business license fee for each rental unit they own under a change approved by the St. Joseph City Council.

Previously, landlords only had to obtain business licenses for buildings with three or more units.

The council has chosen to delay a decision on whether to require inspections of each rental unit when a new tenant moves in. A work session is planned to discuss the proposed change. The council could take up the proposal during its meeting March 25th.

The city council has approved a requirement that all residential units with fuel-fired appliances or attached garages have carbon monoxide detectors installed.

 

Nobel Prize award donated to University of Missouri

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The man who won the University of Missouri’s first Nobel Prize is donating the prize money to the university.

George Smith won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry photo courtesy Univ. of Missouri

George Smith announced Tuesday he will donate the $243,000 prize to support needs-based scholarships for future College of Arts and Science students.

The 78-year-old Smith shared the 2018 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with two other scientists for using a version of evolution to create new proteins that led to a best-selling drug and other products.

The Columbia Missourian reports the University of Missouri System and Missouri campus will also contribute $200,000 to scholarships. Missouri Chancellor Alexander Cartwright set aside an additional $100,000 for scholarships.

Missouri will also match donations made to the Nobel Scholarship during Mizzou Giving Day on Wednesday and Thursday.

Rain and storms likely with temps near 60

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Gusty winds up to 45 to 50 mph are possible today and Thursday, which may lead to tree and/or structural damage. Additional rainfall amounts of half an inch to three quarters of an inch are expected before rain comes to and end Thursday afternoon. Ongoing river flooding will persist into the weekend time frame. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 3 p.m. High near 61. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 18 to 23 mph increasing to 24 to 29 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 48 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Tonight: A slight chance of showers after 4 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 22 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday: A chance of showers, mainly after 7 a.m. Cloudy, with a temperature falling to around 39 by 3 p.m. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 21 to 28 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 39 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: A slight chance of rain showers, mixing with snow after 11 p.m., then gradually ending. Cloudy, with a low around 29. Blustery, with a northwest wind 17 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 43. Northwest wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 25.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 48.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 50.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 28.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 50.

Monday Night: A chance of rain and snow showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 51.

Motorists warned not to cross flood-covered roads as Missouri River reaches flood stage

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By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas residents are being urged to take seriously flood warnings issued by the National Weather Service.

Buchanan County Emergency Management Director Bill Brinton worries about how well the federal and farm levee system will hold.

“The problem around this area has always been the farm levee the past few years,” according to Brinton. “And so, we just have to monitor and make sure because this is going to be a pretty major flood stage down near Atchison. So, we just have to keep an eye on it.”

Area motorists are being warned to not cross floodwaters.

The National Weather Service forecasts the Missouri River to reach its official flood stage of 17 feet this morning, rising to nearly 30 feet by early next week. The Platte River is already out of its banks.

Brinton says too many motorists ignore the barricades erected in front of flooded roads. He says it doesn’t take much floodwater to take over control of a vehicle.

“Don’t drive around our barricades and if you see any standing water, please don’t drive off into it, because it is very dangerous and it is pretty simple, especially this time of year when it is so cold and there is ice on the Missouri River, still ice on the Platte River, your survival time is really cut to a minimum,” Brinton says.

Brinton wants motorists to respect floodwaters and not cross them. Brinton says some motorists have ignored barricades erected after flooding along the Platte River covered roadways.

“It happens all the time in the county,” Brinton says. “Where we have our county barricades on the Platte River, on the different roads that are closed, people drive around them all the time.”

 

 

Kan. man hospitalized in St. Jo after wrong-way crash with semi

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NODAWAY COUNTY — Two people were injured in an accident just before 9p.m. Tuesday in Nodaway County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Plymouth Voyager driven by Atanasio J. Harris-Ham, 22, Olathe, was southbound in the northbound lane of U.S. 71 and struck a northbound semi driven by Kevin A. Grant, 26, Raytown.

Nodaway County EMS transported Harris-Ham to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of serious injuries. Grant was transported to St. Francis Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

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