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Kansas fiscal year ends with $1 billion more than last year

TOPEKA—Fiscal year-end tax receipts came in $1.21 billion above last year, and $317.81 million over fiscal year predictions, according to the latest revenue report released Monday and reported from the Kansas Department of Revenue.

Year-end tax receipts were bolstered by a more than 20 percent increase in June collections, with $133.02 million over last year, which was $143.79 million more than expected for the month.

“With tax receipts coming in above expectations every month during the last year, there’s optimism that this trend will continue,” Secretary Sam Williams said.
“The increase in sales tax collections indicate more retail spending precipitated by wage gains from the federal tax cuts passed in to law six months ago.”

Fiscal year retail sales tax collections took in $55.82 million more than last year. For the month, sales tax collections came in $6.98 million more than last June, which was $10.76 million more than expectations for the month.

Individual income tax continues to demonstrate strong performance above expectations, with fiscal year collections at $229.42 million more than predicted for the year, and $1.07 billion above last year. Individual income tax collections for the month came in $114.03 million more than last June’s receipts.

Four new Troopers assigned to Troop H

Captain James E. McDonald, commanding officer Troop H, announced the assignment of four new troopers to Northwest Missouri.

According to a news release, the new troopers were members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s 105th Recruit Class that graduated from the Patrol Academy on June 29, 2018. The new troopers will report for duty on July 16, 2018.

Trooper Caleb J. Blue, of Monett, Missouri, has been assigned to Zone 1, which serves the citizens of Atchison and Holt counties. Trooper Blue is a graduate from Monett High School, and attended Missouri Southern State University majoring in criminal justice. Trooper Blue’s training officer will be Trooper Keaton Ebersold.

Trooper Vince P. Wiley, of Cameron, Missouri, has been assigned to Zone 1, which serves the citizens of Atchison and Holt counties. Trooper Wiley is a graduate from Gallatin High School, and attended Missouri Western State University. Trooper Wiley is married to Rebecca (Mott) Wiley. Trooper Wiley’s training officer will be Trooper Tyler Shupe.

Trooper Cedric D. O’Hara, of Pierce City, Missouri, has been assigned to Zones 4 and 9, which serves the citizens of Grundy, Mercer, and Livingston counties. Trooper O’Hara is a graduate from Pierce City High School, and attended Missouri Valley College majoring in criminal justice. Trooper O’Hara’s training officer will be Corporal Matt Wright.

Trooper Christopher S. Riley, of Warsaw, Missouri, has been assigned to Zones 4 and 9, which serves the citizens of Grundy, Mercer, and Livingston counties. Trooper Riley is a graduate from Warsaw High School and attended State Fair Community College majoring in criminal justice. Trooper Riley’s training officer will be Corporal John Gilliland.

Mo. woman charged in DUI crash that killed 5-year-old daughter

SMITHVILLE, Mo. (AP) – Authorities say a Missouri woman is charged with driving drunk in a crash that killed her 5-year-old daughter.

Jones -photo Platte Co.

The Kansas City Star reports that court records say 31-year-old Samantha Jones’ blood-alcohol content measured more than double the legal limit after the June 24 crash. Her daughter, Macklyn Lucas, died three days later.

Macklyn’s father, Beau Lucas, described the girl in a message to The Star as “caring, compassionate, funny and so wise beyond her years.”

Jones has been released on bond on a charge of driving while intoxicated. The charge carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. Her attorney didn’t immediately return a phone message.

Sunny with temps in the low 90s through Independence Day

The hot and humid weather returns this week with heat indices exceeding 100 degrees for a few days around the area. We will also be dry for the first half of the week, but storm chances return at the end of the week, as well as slightly cooler temperatures. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight: Increasing clouds, with a low around 69. East southeast wind 6 to 10 mph.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Heat index values as high as 101. South southeast wind 6 to 10 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. Southeast wind 6 to 9 mph.

Independence Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. South wind 6 to 9 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.

Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 89.

Man shot after charging Missouri police with 2 swords

GRANDVIEW, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a suburban Kansas City police officer fatally shot a man who charged at officers brandishing two large swords.

Police on the scene of Sunday’s incident –image courtesy KCTV

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says on Twitter that the shooting happened Sunday afternoon after police in Grandview received a 911 call about a despondent and violent man.

The patrol says 60-year-old Larry Sannicolas exited a home with two large swords and charged toward the officers, who had just arrived at the scene. Sannicolas ignored the officers’ commands to stay back and kept charging even after one officer shot two bean-bags rounds at him. The patrol says officers were in fear for their lives when Sannicolas was fatally shot.

Police referred all questions to the patrol, which is handling the investigation.

Colyer, Kobach respond to early poll in race for Kan. governor

JOHNSON COUNTY — There is a crowded field running for Kansas governor and the top two republican candidates are using social media to celebrate or dispute the result of an early straw poll.

Governor Jeff Colyer edged rival Secretary of State Kris Kobach in the weekend straw poll of the Olathe GOP.

The poll was taken after the two candidates in the race for the republic nomination for governor spoke at the annual Olathe faith and freedom picnic at Cedar Lake Park.

It shows Colyer with a comfortable lead. Kobach, the champion of strict voter ID laws claimed there was voter fraud.

The primary election in Kansas is Tuesday August 7.

Kansas residents still concerned over poultry plant issue

TONGANOXIE, Kan. (AP) — A city in eastern Kansas is still seeing political changes after plans for a massive chicken processing plant caused uproar last year.

Photo Amy Hughes Overmiller

The $300 million Tyson project planned for the outskirts of Tonganoxie was canceled after residents of the town protested the pollution and the strains on local infrastructure they expected the facility would bring.

Republican Rep. Jim Karleskint of Tonganoxie, who drafted a bill that would have given locals more say about proposed poultry operations, said residents are still anxious about the issue.

“A lot of people are talking about it. It’s an anxious issue that people don’t want Tyson in the area,” Karleskint said. “I think there’s a fear that they may attempt to come back. I personally don’t think it’s an issue any longer.”

Karleskint is running for re-election in the 42nd District and said he isn’t expecting the plant to be an issue for him since he opposed it.

Democrat Stuart Sweeney said the plant is one of the reasons he decide to challenge Republican Rep. Willie Dove for his 38th District seat.

Dove, who’s also facing a primary challenge from Noel Hull, says he didn’t initially take a stance on the project because he wanted more information. He says some people interpreted that as support, even though he ultimately opposed it.

“I had people throwing things in my yard because they thought I was for it,” Dove said. “Telephone calls and my wife said ‘no, he’s not for it. He never said he was for it.’ But yet, some people say ‘yes you were.'”

Sweeney believes Dove only opposed the plant when it became a political liability.

“Our homes and our families and our communities are not politics. This is where we live, this is what concerns the people of the 38th District,” Sweeney said.

Planned road work for northwest Missouri, July 2-8

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The following is a listing of general highway maintenance and construction work in the Northwest Missouri region planned for the week of July 2 – 8 from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Most routine work zones will stop at noon Tuesday, July 3 and resume at 7 a.m. Thursday, July 5 for the Independence Day holiday, but some closures may remain in place.

In addition to the work listed below, there may be pothole patching, mowing, shoulder work, bridge maintenance, striping, brush cutting, guardrail repairs, litter pick up and other road work conducted throughout the region. Many of these will be moving operations and could include lane closures with delays. All scheduled maintenance and construction projects are subject to change.

MoDOT reminds the public to stay alert, watch for road work, buckle up, slow down, and drive with extreme caution through work zones and in changing weather conditions.

For more information about a project, please contact MoDOT at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (888-275-6636) or visit modot.org/northwest. You can also follow MoDOT’s Northwest Missouri District on Twitter @ModotNorthwest and on Facebook.

Andrew County

Interstate 29 – Bridge deck replacement project at the Nodaway River Bridge. Traffic is head-to-head in the northbound lanes. This traffic pattern will be in place through August and includes a 13-foot width restriction.

U.S. Route 71 – Guardrail, rumble strips and striping from Route 48 to Route A (Nodaway County), July 2, 3, 5, 6

Atchison County

I-29 – Pavement repair from mile marker 124 near the Iowa state line to mile marker 111 near Route 111, July 2,3,5,6

U.S. Route 275 – Resurfacing project from the Iowa state line to U.S. Route 136, July 2,3,5,6

Buchanan County

U.S. Route 169 – Pedestrian Crossing improvement projects at Route AC and Pickett Road intersection and Commons Road (South Belt Wal-Mart), July 2,3,5,6

Caldwell County

U.S. Route 36 – Resurfacing project and turn lane construction at Bob Griffin Road, July 2,3,5,6

Carroll County

U.S. Route 65 – Sealing and resurfacing project from the Missouri River to the city limits of Chillicothe, July 2,3,5,6. This project includes a 12-foot width restriction.

Clinton County

Route 116 – CLOSED for a bridge replacement project at the McGuire Creek Bridge. The road will be closed through July. A signed detour is in place.

Route O – Pavement repair from 225th Street south to the end of the route, July 2 – 3

Route C – Resurfacing and shoulder project from Route 116 to Route CC, July 2,3,5,6. A pilot car and a flagger will direct traffic through the work zone.

Daviess County

Route 13 – CLOSED for a bridge replacement project at the Honey Creek Bridge. The road will be closed through September. A signed detour is in place.

Route P – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from Route K to Route YY, July 2, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Grundy County

U.S. Route 65 – Sealing project from the north city limits of Chillicothe to the Iowa state line, July 2,3,5,6. This includes a 12-foot width restriction.

Route 6 – Resurfacing project from Iowa Boulevard to No Creek, July 2 – 3. Flaggers and a Pilot Car will direct motorists through the work zone.

Harrison County

Route AA/H – CLOSED for a bridge deck replacement at the I-35 overpass. The bridge will be closed through July. One lane of I-35 may be closed in each direction during the project.

I-35 – Resurfacing project from the Iowa state line to Route N at Eagleville, July 2,3,5,6. This includes a 16-foot width restriction and will include overnight lane closures.

Route OO – CLOSED for a sealing project, July 2, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Route Z – CLOSED for a sealing project, July 2, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and July 3, 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Route D – Drainage work from Route 136 to Route F, July 2, 3, 5

Route KK – CLOSED for a sealing project, July 3, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Holt County

I-29 – Bridge deck replacement at the Nodaway River Bridge. Traffic is head-to-head in the northbound lanes. This traffic pattern will be in place through August and includes a 13-foot width restriction.

Linn County

U.S. Route 36 – Pavement repair project westbound from Route 11 to Route FF, July 2

U.S. Route 36 – Shoulder improvements and guardrail work from just east of Route 11 to Route 5, July 2,3,5,6. This project includes a 16-foot width restriction.

Route V – CLOSED for a culvert replacement project from Route C to Inca Road, July 3, 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Mercer County

U.S. Route 65 – Sealing project from the north city limits of Chillicothe to the Iowa state line, July 2 – 3. This includes a 12-foot width restriction.

Nodaway County

U.S. Route 71 – Guardrail, rumble strips and striping from Route A to just north of Route 48 (Andrew County), July 2, 3, 5, 6

U.S. Route 136 – Shoulder improvements from the east of the city limits of Maryville to Route 46 in Ravenwood, July 2 – 3

Route A – Pothole patching, July 5 – 6

Putnam County

U.S. Route 136 – CLOSED for a bridge replacement project at the West Locust Creek Bridge. The road will be closed through September. A signed detour is in place.

U.S. Route 136 – CLOSED for a bridge replacement project at the Elm Branch Bridge. The road will be closed through September. A signed detour is in place.

Route N – Pothole Patching, July 2, 3, 5

Report: Opioid deaths increasing slowly in Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – A new report says that while opioid related deaths continue to increase in Missouri, the growth rate is slowing down.

The Columbia Missourian reports that the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services found that there was a 4.7 percent increase in opioid deaths from 2016 to 2017. That rate is much lower than the 35 percent spike seen from 2015 to 2016.

The department’s release says about 950 people died from opioid use last year.

State officials are focusing on preventative care and legislative action. Columbia started a prescription drug monitoring program last year in response to the opioid crisis and public concern. Pharmacists track information about the drugs they prescribe to patients, which allows doctors to keep track of a patient’s prescription history.

Trump delaying NAFTA deal until after midterm elections

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s delaying signing a revised version of the North American Free Trade Agreement until after the midterms in hopes of reaching a better deal.

Trump says in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday that he could quickly sign an agreement with Mexico and Canada, “but I’m not happy with it. I want to make it more fair.”

He added that he would wait until after the fall elections.

The president’s decision comes as the U.S. and Canada have been engaged in a tit-for-tat trade dispute over Trump’s tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.

Canada announced billions of dollars in retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. on Friday.

In the interview, Trump again threatened to impose tariffs on imported vehicles, saying, “The cars are the big ones.”

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