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Missouri State bans Phi Delta Theta fraternity

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Members of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity at Missouri State University are looking for new homes after the fraternity was banned from campus until 2021.

Missouri State Dean of Students Thomas Lane said the fraternity’s national headquarters notified the members Sunday that it was closing the Springfield chapter over violations of its policies.

The Springfield News-Leader reports the policies prohibit such things as hazing, abusive behavior, drugs and alcohol and high-risk events.

The 52 active members have until the middle of next week to leave the house.

Lane said the suspension means the university won’t investigate or seek sanctions against the entire fraternity. But he says individual fraternity members are being investigated by the school’s office of student conduct although he would not specify the possible violations.

USDA, FDA Announce Formal Agreement at White House

WASHINGTON —U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. announced at the White House today a formal agreement aimed at making the oversight of food more efficient and effective by bolstering coordination between the two agencies. The formal agreement outlines efforts to increase interagency collaboration, efficiency and effectiveness on produce safety and biotechnology activities, while providing clarity to manufacturers, according to a media release.

“Today, Commissioner Gottlieb and I signed a formal agreement to promote coordination and the streamlining of capacities and obligations on shared concerns and jurisdiction,” said Secretary Perdue. “Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act and assigned responsibilities to the USDA and the FDA. The USDA has the knowledge and expertise to support the FDA’s work related to farming. We at the USDA have a motto: Do Right, and Feed Everyone. We believe this joint effort will help us move one step closer to that goal.”

The FDA and the USDA have worked closely over the years to oversee the nation’s food supply. The USDA oversees the safety of most meat, poultry, catfish and certain egg products while the FDA has authority over all other foods such as dairy, seafood, produce and packaged foods. The USDA and the FDA are partnering in many key areas, including the implementation of produce safety measures and biotechnology efforts.

“Secretary Perdue and I share a deep commitment to further strengthening our nation’s food safety system in the most effective and transparent way,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. “Over the last several months, the Secretary and I have worked closely and identified several areas where we can strengthen our collaboration to make our processes more efficient, predictable, and potentially lower cost to industry; while also strengthening our efforts to ensure food safety. This agreement not only formalizes this ongoing coordination, but presents a great opportunity to expand those efforts through better integration and increased clarity to the agriculture and food processing sectors. Our coordination with these sectors plays an integral role in helping to keep our nation’s food supply safe and secure.”

This agreement is the agencies’ newest initiative to expand those efforts and take new steps to streamline regulatory responsibilities and use government resources more efficiently to protect public health. It aims to increase clarity, efficiency and potentially reduce the number of establishments subject to the dual regulatory requirements of the USDA and the FDA. For example, when a facility, such as a canned soup facility, produces both chicken noodle soup and tomato soup, it is currently subject to regulation by both agencies. The agreement tasks both government organizations with identifying ways to streamline regulation and reduce inspection inefficiencies, while steadfastly upholding safety standards for dual-jurisdiction facilities. This can reduce costs on industry and free government resources to better target efforts to areas of risk.

The agreement also commits the USDA and the FDA to identify ways the agencies can better align and enhance their efforts to develop regulatory approaches to biotechnology, as each agency works to fulfill commitments outlined in the September 2016 National Strategy for Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products and the more recent Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity Report. These initiatives established a vision for increasing transparency, predictability and efficiency of the regulatory processes for biotechnology products.

The agreement also calls for the FDA and the USDA to enhance their collaboration and cooperation on produce safety activities. The FDA is implementing the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which shifts the food safety paradigm from one of reaction to prevention of foodborne illness. Under FSMA, the FDA coordinates with state and/or territorial government agencies, which will conduct most farm inspections under FSMA’s Produce Safety rule.

St. Joseph woman sentenced for $1.5 million tax fraud scheme

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Joseph woman was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for her role in a $1.5 million tax fraud scheme as well as for individual tax fraud.

Timothy A. Garrison, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that Dawn Langlais (formerly Ankrom-Brown), 60, of St. Joseph, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to 18 months in federal prison without parole.

On July 7, 2017, Langlais pleaded guilty to failing to pay over employee payroll taxes to the IRS. Her daughter, her sister, and her sister’s husband have also pleaded guilty.

Langlais helped her sister and co-defendant Dinorah Lynn Stoll-Weaver, 50, of St. Joseph, operate Homeward Bound Health Services, Inc., a home health provider located in St. Joseph, from 2001 through early 2010. Stoll-Weaver was the owner of Homeward Bound. In 2010, Homeward Bound’s name was changed to Silver Linings, Inc., and nominee owners were put in place who signed the checks but made no business decisions. Stoll-Weaver and Langlais continued to operate Silver Linings until it closed in 2013.

Homeward Bound and Silver Linings withheld and collected federal income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes from employees and then kept those withheld taxes instead of paying them over to the IRS. The total criminal tax loss attributed to Homeward Bound and Silver Linings for failure to pay employment taxes due and owing from 2001 to 2012 is $1,459,727.

Homeward Bound and Silver Linings also withheld from employee paychecks and kept child support payments, employee IRA contributions, and medical and dental insurance payments. The theft of these payments had negative collateral consequences for their employees.

Langlais and Stoll-Weaver admitted they received income from Homeward Bound and Silver Linings, which they failed to report on their individual federal income tax forms, and as a result, underpaid their federal income taxes. Langlais willfully failed to make an income tax return or pay personal income taxes from 2010 to 2012, for a total personal tax loss of $56,860.

Stoll-Weaver employed her husband, co-defendant Thad Weaver, 46, of St. Joseph, and Langlais employed her daughter, co-defendant Jennifer Sturgis, 39, of St. Joseph, at Homeward Bound and Silver Linings. They also employed other relatives at the business.

Stoll-Weaver also pleaded guilty to failing to pay over employee payroll taxes to the IRS. Weaver and Sturgis each pleaded guilty to making false statements on a tax return. Weaver and Sturgis admitted they received income from Homeward Bound and Silver Linings, which they failed to report on their individual federal income tax forms, and as a result, underpaid their federal income taxes.

Weaver and Stoll-Weaver were married and filed individual income tax returns for 2010 through 2012; Stoll-Weaver filed a separate return in 2009. Their combined unreported income was at least $257,827. Weaver’s total personal tax loss was at least $27,488. Stoll-Weaver’s personal tax loss was $34,264.

Sturgis willfully failed to make an income tax return or pay personal income taxes from 2007 to 2012, for a total personal tax loss of $148,347, including relevant conduct.

Additionally, from 2009 to 2012, Stoll-Weaver, Weaver and Sturgis each claimed personal federal income tax refunds, knowing that Homeward Bound and Silver Linings had not paid any income taxes to the IRS.

Weaver and Sturgis were each sentenced to five years of probation; Stoll-Weaver awaits sentencing.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen D. Mahoney. It was investigated by IRS – Criminal Investigation.

Tougher penalties for hoax emergency calls under new Kan. bill

Police body camera images of the December 28, fatal incident that started with a hoax 911 call-photo courtesy Wichita Police

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Stiffer penalties would be possible for calling in hoax emergency calls under a bill introduced in the Kansas House in response to a deadly police shooting in Wichita.

The bill introduced Tuesday would allow for a murder prosecution if someone dies during a future “swatting” prank. Twenty-eight-year-old Andrew Finch was unarmed when he was killed last month as officers responded to a fake story about a shooting and kidnapping at his home.

Twenty-five-year-old Tyler Barriss, of Los Angeles, is accused of making the false call. Court documents say it stemmed from a small wager in a “Call of Duty” online video game tournament.

Barriss has been criminally charged with involuntary manslaughter, giving false alarm and interference with a law enforcement officer.

Crews rescue child from car submerged in Kansas City creek

photo courtesy Fox4Kansas City

KANSAS CITY (AP) – Fire crews have rescued a 4-year-old boy after he was left in a running car that rolled into a Kansas City creek in near freezing temperatures.

Kansas City Fire Department Deputy Chief James Garrett says the child was “very lucky” crews were nearby Monday afternoon when the car was knocked into gear. The Kansas City Star reports that the car then rolled into Brush Creek while his mother was in a business. A person then flagged down a fire department rescue unit, and firefighters were able to knock out a window to pull the child from the submerged vehicle as temperatures dropped into the lower 30s.

Garrett says the child was taken to a hospital with his mother to be examined.

Kan. House OKs expanded liquor hours, tougher DUI penalties

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House approved a bill that would toughen penalties in some drunken driving cases on the same day it approved allowing restaurants to serve alcohol earlier in the morning.

One bill would allow restaurants to begin serving alcohol at 6 a.m., rather than 9 a.m. Restaurants and bars would still stop serving at 2 a.m.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports supporters said the bill would bring the state in line with surrounding states, which attract breakfast and brunch business away from Kansas. The bill faced little opposition.

The other bill would toughen penalties in some fatal drunken driving cases, with the minimum for aggravated battery increasing from 38 months to 47 months and the minimum for involuntary manslaughter rising from 62 to 89 months.

Both bills still require Senate approval.

University of Missouri accused of using flawed data for program cuts

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – A faculty group says the task force that recommended closing nearly 30 graduate programs and consolidating others at the University of Missouri’s flagship campus used information from a flawed source criticized as unreliable and inadequate.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that members of the university’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors released their statement Sunday. The statement focuses on the data from Academic Analytics, a North Carolina-based company that compiles data on faculty productivity.

The Task Force on Academic Program Analysis, Enhancement, and Opportunities cites low enrollment and low research output as reasons for some of the recommended program cuts.

The faculty statement says the task force’s report missed differences between academic disciplines while pursuing a “one size fits all measurement” to determine the future of some programs

Mosaic announces Julie Gaddie as Heartland Foundation president

Julie Gaddie, Ph.D., has been named president of the Heartland Foundation. Photo courtesy Mosaic Life Care.

Julie Gaddie, Ph.D., has been named president of the Heartland Foundation.

Dr. Gaddie replaces Judith Sabbert, who is set to retire January 31, 2018.

“This is an exciting time for the Heartland Foundation and we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Gaddie as its new leader,” said Mark Laney, MD, CEO of Mosaic Life Care. “With her deep roots in education, her knowledge on how to engage people from all walks of life and her civic leadership, she was by far the best choice as we enter this new era for the Heartland Foundation.”

Dr. Gaddie has served as principal at Lindbergh Elementary School in St. Joseph for the past thirteen years. She was also an administrator at Pickett Elementary in the St. Joseph School District. She has worked as a contracted instructor for Creighton University Interdisciplinary Doctoral Leadership Program for the past three years. Dr. Gaddie earned her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in December 2010.

“Together we can build on Heartland Foundation’s commitment to work with schools, community leaders, and health care professionals to think ahead and design the communities where we want to live,” said Dr. Gaddie. “Lasting change across Northwest Missouri requires us to ask – what can Heartland Foundation and Mosaic Life Care do together to create an educated and vibrant community? This is a challenge I couldn’t pass up and I can’t wait to work with the staff to build on the foundation already created.”

During her tenure with the St. Joseph School District, Gaddie was recognized as the St. Joseph Missouri Association of Elementary School Principal of the Year in 2006. In 2007, she traveled to the United Kingdom with Heartland Health to discuss school and community relationships as a part of the Asset Based Community Development International Partnership.

 

Gaddie starts in her new position March 1.

Police investigating after shots fired during domestic assault incident

St. Joseph Police are investigating after a vehicle was shot at during a domestic assault incident.

According to Sgt. Steve McClintick with the police department, several shots fired calls came in shortly after 11 p.m. Monday from the 26-2400 block of Patee St.

McClintick said a man reportedly shot at a vehicle that was occupied by a woman. She left in the vehicle and the man reportedly ran off on foot. According to McClintick, the incident stemmed from a domestic disturbance between the couple.

Officers later located the woman and the vehicle. The man involved in the incident has not yet been located.

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