By LINDSEY ELLIOTT
K-State Editorial Services

MANHATTAN — A Kansas State University senior agricultural economist says there’s a 70 percent chance an El Niño will arrive this fall — and that’s good news for the United States.

Jay O’Neil, an instructor and specialist at the university’s International Grains Program, says what happens with El Niño will affect worldwide crop production. El Niño, which is the warming of the sea temperatures off the coast of Peru, is expected to affect crops during September, October and November.

“El Niño is generally favorable to crop production in the United States because it brings extra rain and moisture into the core crop-growing areas,” O’Neil said. “We’re just coming out of a four-year drought cycle in the United States, and we’d like to get back to what we call trend-line yields and big crop production so there’s plenty for everybody.”

Better crop production in the U.S. would also mean lower food prices. However, other countries would experience harsher growing conditions because of El Niño. O’Neil says South America is expected to be dryer than usual, which would have an impact on the global food market.

“If South America goes dry, that would affect next year’s production worldwide,” O’Neil said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today 5 – 4 that it is a federal crime to buy a gun on behalf of someone else in a “straw purchase.” The Court ruled in Abramski v. U.S. that purchasing a gun with the intent to sell it to someone else is an illegal attempt to evade the Brady law, which requires that the actual buyer of a gun undergo a background check.

“This is a very big and very positive decision that will save lives by keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people. Once again the Supreme Court rejected efforts by the corporate gun lobby to undermine federal gun laws, reaffirming that sensible laws can have a big impact while being consistent with the Second Amendment,” said Dan Gross, president of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Today’s decision reinforces the intent of the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Brady Law, which requires firearm buyers to undergo background checks in order to prevent convicted felons, fugitives and other dangerous people from buying guns. The Court ruled that buying a gun on behalf of someone else is illegal, even if that person is not prohibited from owning firearms. In Abramski, a Virginia man was charged with “straw purchasing” after he bought a gun for his uncle, a Pennsylvania resident who was not prohibited from owning guns.

JC Post

JUNCTION CITY — Junction City police arrested a 27-year-old Fort Riley soldier following a standoff Saturday night.

Police said just after 6 p.m. Saturday they were dispatched to 2614 Deerfield Blvd. to a report of a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival, police reported Kevin S. Guiler was inside the residence threatening to harm himself with a firearm.

After a five-and-a-half hour standoff, Guiler left the residence and was taken into custody by law enforcement after a brief struggle. There were no injuries. Guiler was transported to the Geary County jail where he was held with no bond on multiple counts. He was arrested on suspicion of criminal threat, aggravated assault, interference with law enforcement, and three counts of misdemeanor battery.

The Junction City Police Department was assisted during the standoff by the Geary County Sheriff’s Department, Grandview Plaza Police Department, Kansas Highway Patrol and the Junction City Fire Department.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, a member of the Senate Committee on Finance which is currently investigating the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) targeting of conservative groups, released the following statement today:

“The deceit from the Obama Administration continues,” Roberts said. “Late Friday, in a typical effort to hide bad news, the Obama Administration claimed that it could not locate two years of IRS emails belonging to Lois Lerner.

“Lerner is the former IRS official who is under Contempt of Congress. She is refusing to testify about what she knows of the IRS’ efforts to target conservative groups.

“This attempt to hide Lerner’s actions is beyond outrageous.

“By law, the IRS is required to archive these emails. Their claim they cannot find them is a clear attempt to shield the White House from accountability and to shut down the free speech of conservative voices.

“The time for hearings and investigations is over – people need to be arrested and prosecuted – starting with Ms. Lerner.”

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Two makers say sales have been rebounding for a ground beef product that critics have dubbed “pink slime.”

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that spokesmen for Cargill and Beef Products Inc. say sales have risen, but Cargill says they fall short of the volume before the controversy erupted in 2012.

BPI has sued ABC, saying the network’s March 2012 coverage damaged BPI by misleading consumers into believing the lean finely textured beef product is unhealthy and unsafe. BPI says the sales drop forced it to close plants in Iowa, Kansas and Texas, leaving open only a Nebraska plant.

Cargill spokesman Mike Martin says his company sells the product to about 400 customers, which is more than before March 2012, but the sales volume remains down about 40 percent.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County authorities say a man who hadn’t been seen since Friday has been found safe.

The sheriff says in a news release that 30-year-old Adam C. Fahrenbruch was found Monday morning in Wichita. He was reported missing Sunday after he had not contacted family since leaving his job in Lawrence Friday afternoon.

The sheriff says Fahrenbruch was driving his vehicle when he was spotted and his disappearance was a case of miscommunication.

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County authorities are searching for a man who hasn’t been seen since Friday.

The sheriff says in a news release that 30-year-old Adam C. Fahrenbruch hasn’t been seen since he left his job site in Lawrence Friday afternoon, apparently to travel to the Colwich area.

Fahrenbruch may have been seen in the Kechi area early Saturday. He is white, 5-feet-8-inches tall and 190 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

He is driving a 2004 white F-150 regular cab pickup with Kansas tag 169-FVT. The truck has a black tonneau cover, a black front bumper and black rims.