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Missouri attorney general demands opioid distributor records

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley is demanding documents from three major opioid distributors that he says didn’t report suspiciously large shipments of prescription drugs.

Hawley told reporters Tuesday that his office is reviewing AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson as part of efforts to investigative the opioid crisis.

Hawley says companies are required by law to report suspicious opioid shipments. He says there’s evidence to suggest the distributors he’s investigating looked the other way instead of reporting large shipments. He’s trying to get more information through the document request.

An AmerisourceBergen spokesman says the company has reported and halted potentially suspicious orders, and a McKesson spokeswoman said that company is reviewing Hawley’s request.

Cardinal Health didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Child porn investigation started in Germany, led to Kansas arrest

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to federal prison Tuesday as a result of a child pornography investigation that began in Germany, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.

Noah T. Martin, 31, Lawrence, Kan., was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison. He pleaded guilty to two counts of possession and distribution of child pornography.

The investigation began when Baden-Wurttemberg Police compiled a list that included 155 users in the United States who used a peer-to-peer network to download a video of a 5- to 7-year-old girl being sexually abused. Homeland Security Investigations used the information to track follow a trail to Martin’s residence in Lawrence. Investigators found 1,560 images and 202 videos containing child pornography on Martin’s computer.

Kansas native chosen to lead Iowa State University

photo courtesy Iowa State University

AMES, Iowa — The Board of Regents at Iowa State University named Wendy Wintersteen the 16th president of Iowa State University. Wintersteen, a graduate of Hutchinson High School in 1974, was hired after a nearly six-month national search, according to a news release from the ISU. She’ll take office on Nov. 20.

Wintersteen, endowed dean of Iowa State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, will succeed Benjamin Allen, who has served as interim president since May 8. Steven Leath, Iowa State’s 15th president, assumed the presidency at Auburn University last spring.

The 61-year-old Wintersteen earned a bachelor of science in crop protection in 1978 from Kansas State University and her doctorate in entomology in 1988 from Iowa State.

Wintersteen-photo courtesy ISU

Her annual salary at Iowa State has been set at $525,000 in year one, $550,000 in year two, and $590,000 in year three. She also will receive a three-year deferred compensation plan with an annual contribution of $125,000 in year one, $150,000 in year two, and $200,000 in year three. Wintersteen’s contract is for five years.

After Allegations, Kan. Legislative Leaders Call For Update Of Sexual Harassment Policy

By JIM MCLEAN

Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle and other legislative leaders on Monday recommended the Legislature work with the Kansas City-based Women’s Foundation to update the Legislature’s sexual harassment policy.
FILE PHOTO /KPR

Kansas legislative leaders have directed their staff to work with the Kansas City-based Women’s Foundation to update the Legislature’s sexual harassment policy.

The move comes amid recent allegations by several former legislative staffers, lobbyists and campaign workers about the prevalence of harassment at the Statehouse.

Abbie Hodgson, a former staffer in the House Democratic leader’s office, said she was particularly troubled by the “common” practice of male lawmakers requiring female interns to chauffer them to after-hours events.

RELATED: Sexual harassment ‘rampant’ at Kansas Statehouse, according to former staffer

The Legislative Coordinating Council, a bipartisan committee that includes House and Senate leaders, authorized a review of the Legislature’s 23-year-old harassment policy so that it can act on recommendations for updating it at its meeting in December.

“Not only do we want to look at our policy, we want to work with the regents on policies for interns,” said Senate President Susan Wagle, the Wichita Republican who chairs the LCC, referring to the Kansas Board of Regents, the agency that oversees the state university system.

“I think that having the assistance of the Women’s Foundation will be very helpful,” she said.

Wendy Doyle, president and CEO of the foundation, which helped Missouri lawmakers address harassment issues in 2015, said it is likely that the review process will result in recommendations for changes.

“Kansas policymakers must take further steps to confront, educate and correct the work culture to ensure all interns and employees can thrive,” Doyle said in a statement distributed to LCC members.

Doyle said policymakers must confront harassment rather than accepting it as “part of our political culture.”

“Sexual harassment remains a widespread and urgent epidemic and we need to get serious about solving it,” she said.

Current House Minority Leader Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat, has said all members of his caucus will receive sexual harassment training.

Also, Burdett Loomis, an emeritus professor of political science who leads the University of Kansas intern program at the Statehouse, has said the issue will addressed with students selected for the 2018 session.

Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks

UPDATE: McCaskill tweet indicates her husband is improving

ST. LOUIS (AP) – The husband of Sen. Claire McCaskill remains hospitalized in St. Louis, but the Democratic senator says on Twitter that he is showing signs of improvement.

Developer Joseph Shepard is hospitalized in an intensive care unit. McCaskill on Monday posted that he has “a very big heart but right now not working very well.”

 

 

 

In a Twitter posting Tuesday, McCaskill wrote that Shepard was still “in ICU but better.” Another tweet showed a brief video of his heart monitor and read, “Watching my husband’s heart in his room in ICU. Working better today.”

A spokeswoman for McCaskill says she has no additional information about Shepard’s condition beyond what the senator posted.

McCaskill and Shepard have been married since 2002. They have a home in suburban St. Louis.

—————

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The husband of Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri is in a hospital intensive care unit.

McCaskill said Monday on Twitter that Joseph Shepard “has a very big heart but right now not working very well. Currently in ICU. Thanks for your prayers in advance.”

She did not offer any additional information, including where he is hospitalized, and a message seeking comment from McCaskill’s office was not immediately returned.

McCaskill and Shepard, a millionaire developer, have been married since 2002. The couple has a home in suburban St. Louis and a condominium in Washington.

Two in custody after separate domestic disturbance incidents

Two people were taken into custody in two separate domestic disturbance incidents overnight.

According to Sgt. Steve McClintick with the St. Joseph Police Department, the first call came in at 11:43 Monday night from the 800 block of East Hyde Park. While officers were in route, the caller reported several people were involved and as everyone was starting to leave, someone fired shots. When officers arrived, a 19-year-old was taken into custody for investigative charges related to the domestic disturbance call. Police confirmed shots were fired during the incident, but no one was injured.

A second domestic disturbance call came in at 4:34 a.m. Tuesday from the 1000 block of Faraon Street. The caller on scene reported a man had used a pole or stick to hit another man in the head and face. The man, who is in his 50s, was taken into custody for investigative charges. The victim, who is in his 30s, was transported to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

NE Kansas man held on $300K Bond for alleged attempted-murder

Hartman-photo Jackson Co.

JACKSON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon for alleged 2nd-degree murder.

Just after 9:30p.m. Sunday, deputies responded to a residence in the 500 block of Ohio Street in Holton after report of an aggravated domestic battery.

Deputies from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Officers from the Holton Police Department, Troopers from the Kansas Highway Patrol and a deputy from the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office searched for the alleged suspect, Randall Eugene Hartman Jr., 30, Topeka.

The search consisted of the entire City of Holton and the immediate surrounding areas. The initial report indicated Hartman was allegedly carrying a rifle and had made threatening statements towards the victim. Hartman was taken into custody by the Holton Police Department and other agencies at approximately 2 a.m. Monday near the old Central School in the 400 block of New Jersey Street in Holton.

Hartman was booked into the Jackson County Jail on the following charges: Attempted murder in the 2nd degree, aggravated domestic battery, domestic battery, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct. Bond was set on Hartman at $75,000.00.

Aggravated domestic battery is (1) Knowingly impeding the normal breathing or circulation of the blood by applying pressure on the throat, neck or chest of a person with whom the offender is involved or has been involved in a dating relationship or a family or household member, when done in a rude, insulting or angry manner; or (2) knowingly impeding the normal breathing or circulation of the blood by blocking the nose or mouth of a person with whom the offender is involved or has been involved in a dating relationship or a family or household member, when done in a rude, insulting or angry manner.

Hartman has 7 previous convictions for theft and burglary, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Woman seriously injured after falling asleep at the wheel

A 23-year-old woman was seriously injured in a crash Monday morning after falling asleep at the wheel.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, at 9:15 a.m., Kathleen A. Porter of Overland Park, Kansas, was driving a Chevrolet Aveo south on I-29 near mile marker 47. Porter fell asleep and her vehicle went off the road, hit a guardrail, overturned, hit a sign and came to rest on its wheels.

Porter was taken to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of serious injuries. According to the crash report, she was wearing a seat belt.

Sen. Roberts Set the Record Straight: NAFTA Benefits Agriculture

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today issued a call to action to members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to join him in setting the record straight about the benefits the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) provides to American agriculture and rural jobs.

Click here to watch Roberts’ remarks at a Chamber discussion in Washington titled: The Future of NAFTA: The Stakes for American Agriculture and Business.

“We are fighting a pervasive view that our economy has not benefited from NAFTA,” said Chairman Roberts. “We are coming to a crossroads, and the decisions made on international trade will determine the future economic success of our country.”

 

“We must educate. Our message must be clear and consistent in every way. We must commit to challenge this view, set the record straight, and explain what is at stake. These issues affect real jobs and real lives.”

From his post as both Chairman of Agriculture and as a senior member of the Senate Committee on Finance which has jurisdiction on trade, Roberts has long been outspoken on the benefits of increased access to foreign markets for American farmers and ranchers.

At every opportunity, Roberts has brought his concerns to President Trump and others about the need to export not just things made in America, but also what is grown in America.

Roberts has challenged members of the Chamber to again mobilize the grassroots to challenge opponents of NAFTA with the facts about its significant benefit to agriculture and business.

“I promise I will continue to be your champion,” Roberts said. “Where ag and trade meet, we get results. So, saddle up and ride with me.”

Canada and Mexico have continuously been ranked in the top five destinations for U.S. agricultural exports since NAFTA was signed into law in 1993. Over the course of NAFTA, U.S. agricultural exports have increased to Canada by 265 percent, and to Mexico by 289 percent.

Chairman Roberts’ remarks as prepared for delivery are below:

It is always great to speak with business and industry leaders who know first-hand how the policies shaped in Washington impact grassroots businesses across the country and around the globe.

As the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, my primary task is to work on behalf of farmers, ranchers, growers, and other rural stakeholders in Kansas and across the rest of our country.

I’ve heard from a broad range of folks, and one thing is clear – times are challenging right now in farm country. We are in a rough patch!

Low commodity prices are weighing on farm sector profits for both row-crop and livestock producers.

Like you, farmers and ranchers need whatever certainty we can provide.

I have heard time and again that farmers and ranchers need a reliable market, both domestically and abroad to sell not just the things that we make, but, also, the commodities that we grow.

Fact: Canada and Mexico have ranked in the top three destinations for U.S. agricultural exports since 2001, and have continuously been ranked in the top five destinations for U.S. agricultural exports since NAFTA was signed into law in 1993.

And, this is why the ongoing negotiation to modernize and strengthen NAFTA puts us at such a critical juncture in U.S. trade policy.

Fact: over the course of the NAFTA agreement, U.S. agricultural exports have increased to Canada by 265 percent, and to Mexico by 289 percent.

Mexico barely registered as a market prior to NAFTA, but it is now the top destination for Kansas wheat.

In building stronger agricultural trading relationships with Canada and Mexico, our countries have also integrated markets through value-added products – everything from tractors and manufacturing components to a variety of energy resources.

In this regard, I look forward to working with the administration to grow new markets around the world, and I welcome the administration’s continued focus on eliminating long-standing trade barriers that American producers and exporters face around the globe.

I want to thank all of you for your continued partnership with the agricultural sector towards increasing exports around the globe.

I look forward to working together to maintain the position of the United States as a reliable supplier with our neighbors in North America and elsewhere around the world.

So the question is, how best do we accomplish our goal? Not by simply giving speeches and repeating the obvious benefits of free trade. We must make sure what we are saying and doing makes a real difference.

So many times, people just like you, partners in government, come to our nation’s capital, express their concerns, and then go home.

And that is ok, but in this particular case, we must do more.

I can tell you what you want to hear, but that is not enough. I need your help—you cannot merely echo what you hear today. We must work together to ensure our voices are heard and they result in positive action.

We are fighting a pervasive view that our economy has not benefited from NAFTA.

We are coming to a crossroads, and the decisions made on international trade will determine the future economic success of our country.

We must educate. Our message must be clear and consistent in every way.

We must commit to challenge this view, set the record straight, and explain what is at stake. These issues affect real jobs and real lives.

I have taken my concerns to the top. Since day one of this administration, I have personally told the president how important free trade is to agriculture…not once, not twice, but on three occasions.

And, let me point out that in the 2014 Farm Bill, the Agriculture Committee established a new Trade Under Secretary within the Department of Agriculture to focus on opening markets for U.S. agriculture. We successfully confirmed Under Secretary McKinney, and he’s already leading a delegation to India to expand U.S. ag exports.

And, don’t forget that many of you joined the effort to resolve the threat of retaliation created by Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL. Your work to mobilize the grassroots efforts and to educate opponents was key to our success.

I promise I will continue to be your champion.

Where ag and trade meet, we get results. So, saddle up and ride with me.

————-

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today will speak to the U.S Chamber of Commerce on the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the stakes for American agriculture and business. The event will also include remarks from U.S. Chamber President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

The event is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. EDT

The event will be livestreamed. Click here to watch. 

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