(AP) – The husband of a Missouri woman killed in a medical helicopter crash says in a lawsuit that the helicopter’s operator took unnecessary risks by flying with low fuel.
Victor Tacoronte filed a lawsuit Thursday in Clay County Circuit Court. His wife, Terry Tacoronte, died last week when the helicopter crashed while she was being flown Bethany to a hospital in Liberty.
The helicopter pilot and two medical personnel also died in the crash.
The lawsuit names Air Methods Corp. of Englewood, Colo., LifeNet Air Medical Services and Heartland Regional Medical Center.
Federal aviation officials say shortly before the crash the pilot indicated he wanted to stop for fuel at an airport near Excelsior Springs.
Charges were filed Wednesday morning in last week’s murder of a St Joseph man.
A 16 year old male was charged in juvenile court with class A second degree felony murder.
Because the man charged is a minor, the name has not been released. The 16 year old is charged in the shooting death of Brian Ullmer on North 16th Street in St Joseph last week.
Captain Kevin Castle of St Joseph’s Police department says the adult also taken into custody yesterday was not charged and was released pending the investigation.
A tip lead police to the arrest in St Joseph Tuesday
(Sedalia, Mo.) — After an extensive and thoughtful search, the Missouri State Fair Foundation (MSFF) has selected Wendy Faulconer as it’s new executive director.
“Wendy Faulconer is the ideal person to lead the Foundation into the future,” said Marion Lucas, Foundation Chairman. “Faulconer’s leadership, expertise, and passion for the Missouri State Fair will enable the Foundation to succeed in it’s mission of preserving, improving and perpetuating the rich heritage of the Missouri State Fair.”
Faulconer has more than 15 years experience working with non-profit organizations and public agencies. She has administered and written grants for the Missouri Department of Education, Missouri Department of Transportation, private foundations, and public schools.
Faulconer has worked closely with the Resource Development staff at Children’s Mercy Hospital to raise thousands of dollars. She is currently Chair of the Children’s Mercy Regional Council, and a member of the Benton County 4-H Fair Board, Daughters of the American Revolution and the Benton County Historical Society. Faulconer is a long time resident of the area and resides in Warsaw with her family. The Fair has been a family tradition for four generations.
“I am honored to have been chosen as the new director of the Foundation, which has made so many important contributions to the Missouri State Fair; and to have the opportunity to take the Foundation to new levels that will have an even greater impact on those who participate in the Fair.”
DES MONIES, Iowa (AP) – The soybean industry is seeking government approval of a genetically modified soybean that it says will produce oil lower in saturated fat, offering consumers a healthier alternative and increasing demand for growers’ crops.
Demand for soybean oil has dropped sharply since 2005, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began requiring labels to list levels of trans fats.
Monsanto Co. says its new soybean, called Vistive Gold, eliminates trans fats, which have been linked to coronary disease and reduces saturated fat.
Iowa soybean farmer Jim Andrew says he hopes the new soybean will ease fears about biotech crops by providing a direct health benefit.
But the Center for Food Safety says the new soybean didn’t undergo rigorous enough testing, a claim Monsanto rejects.
MINNETONKA, MINN. — August 30, 2011 — Syngenta in North America has released 19 new NK brand soybean products for the 2012 growing season. The new varieties provide growers with increased options to maximize yield under a variety of growing conditions and soil types.
“Syngenta is excited to expand our portfolio of NK brand soybeans with proven genetics that consistently deliver excellent yield,” said Tracy Mader, head of soybeans at Syngenta. “For three years running, NK brand soybeans have delivered up to a 6 bu/A advantage twice as often as competitor products1 – that’s the NK Advantage at work.”
Developed from the largest and most advanced germplasm pool in the soybean industry, the new products provide superior, bred-in insect and disease protection against pests such as Soybean Cyst Nematode and Root Knot Nematode and diseases ranging from Phytophthora Root Rot, Sudden Death Syndrome and Iron Deficiency Chlorosis to Frogeye Leaf Spot, Brown Stem Rot and Southern Stem Canker. The new varieties include selections for relative maturities ranging from very early 0.09 to very late 7.4
Syngenta’s AMSTM (Aphid Management SystemTM) technology is in two of the new products. AMS technology combines elite NK brand soybean genetics with resistance to soybean aphids, supported by CruiserMaxx® Beans insecticide/fungicide seed treatment to protect against aphids. Research trials show that AMS technology has been proven to increase yields by up to 5.4 bu/Ain sites with severe aphid infestation and reduce aphid populations by 86 percent.2 These new AMS products have relative maturities of 1.2 and 1.7 and will expand the AMS offerings to the northern reaches of the aphid infestation area.
Lisa Ainsworth (back) and graduate student Kelly Gillespie use a liquid-handling robot to perform a high-throughput assay. Photo by Peggy Greb.
Satellite views of the Midwestern United States show that ozone levels above 50 parts per billion (ppb) along the ground could reduce soybean yields by at least 10 percent, costing more than $1 billion in lost crop production, according to USDA scientists.
Satellite information is useful for investigating ozone impacts on crop yields because satellite information is available for rural regions, where ground monitoring networks do not exist. Satellite observations, which are also available for farmland in countries without ground networks, could provide important insight into the global extent of ozone reduction of crop yields.
Ozone levels in most urban areas of the United States have declined with improvements in emission controls, but they are still high enough to damage soybean, peanut, cotton, rice, tomato and other crops. Ozone levels are expected to rise in countries like India and China as growing populations are able to afford more cars and build more power plants. Another concern is that ozone levels will rise in developing countries, whose people can least withstand losses of staples such as rice and wheat.
Ainsworth’s and Booker’s findings are consistent with those from their SoyFACE (Soybean Free Air Concentration Enrichment) experiments and studies in outdoor open-top chambers. SoyFACE involves testing plants in open-air field conditions under atmospheric conditions predicted for the year 2050. The consistency of the satellite data with SoyFACE findings and the agreement with data from ozone surface monitors suggests that satellites provide an effective way to monitor crop damage from ozone.
Research is underway in Western North Dakota to produce a sugarbeet fit for processing into an alternative fuel. Farmer Steve Knorr says the search is on for high value crops.
The groups working together on the sugarbeet research includes North Dakota State University. The groups hope to create an advanced biofuel using locally grown energy beets, which are sugar-type beets not produced for food.
Currently seven test plots are being utilized in the research.
Farmer Steve Knorr says the cost of producing sugarbeets is similar to corn.
And what about equipment costs? Ron Holth of the Green Vision Group says you can estimate spending about 1-thousand dollars per acre in capital costs but your revenue per acre could be higher.
(AP)The number of farmers with Internet access has dramatically increased, changing the way farms do business.
A new report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that within the past decade, the number of farms with an Internet connection increased by nearly 20 percentage points.
More than half of America’s farms now have access to the Internet, with farmers in the West and big farms with the highest access.
Farmers say the Internet has become an integral part of doing business. It’s used to improve farming techniques, speed up the work flow, market crops, connect with customers and retailers, and fulfill a variety of regulatory requirements.
Some farmers still face barriers to using the new technology, including age, cost, the speed of the Internet connection and lack of time.
An accident involving a St Joseph Police car briefly closed U.S. 36 westbound Wednesday afternoon.
Police say it happened when two units were assisting a stranded motorist on U.S. 36 Highway near 28th Street.
Captain Kevin Castle says an unlicensed driver crashed into the back of one of the patrol cars. The officer was taken to Heartland to be checked out after non life threatening injuries.
