(Missourinet) – A nationwide FBI sex trafficking sting last week included the recovery of two Missouri juveniles in the Kansas City area. Kansas City area FBI Spokesperson Bridget Patton said eight pimps were also arrested in the Kansas City and Wichita area.

Patton said sex trafficking happens everywhere.

“Sex trafficking of juveniles is not something that just takes place in large cities. This is a heinous crime that takes place across the entire nation, from Puerto Rico to Maine. It does not necessarily just have to be at large sporting events or in large cities. It can be in rural areas. It can be in the heart of America,” said Patton.

Patton said the victims are receiving care.

“Federal, state and local law enforcement also work with service providers to assist these children who have been victimized,” said Patton.
Nationwide, 150 pimps and other suspects were arrested and 149 sexually exploited children were recovered during “Operation Cross Country 9.” More than 500 law enforcement officers participated in stings at hotels, casinos, truck stops and other locations known to be frequented by pimps and prostitutes.

The sting, which is in its ninth year, was spearheaded by the FBI, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and state and local law enforcement partners nationwide. “Operation Cross Country” is part of the Innocence Lost program. More than 2,000 pimps and other suspects convicted and 4,800 sexually-exploited children recovered since the program’s existence.

(Missourinet) – The Missouri Supreme Court has established a Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness. The panel will focus its study on six areas – the judicial system generally; the civil justice system; the criminal justice system; the juvenile justice system; the municipal justice system; and the practice of law – to identify solutions and make recommendations for improvement.

Court Spokesperson Beth Riggert said the panel has been in development for a while.

“There’s a number of other states that are focusing on various aspects of trying to ensure racial and ethnic fairness in the legal system. The court believed that this was a good time to really bring a large, diverse group of people together,” said Riggert. “I think the court hopes that the unique background that each of them brings will really help add to the wealth of the work of the Commission.”

In a press release from the Missouri Supreme Court, Chief Justice Patricia Breckenridge said “We all need to do everything we can to ensure that every individual in every case in our system of justice is treated with respect and has his or her case adjudicated fairly and impartially according to the law. Until that is true in 100% of our courts, we cannot rest. Even a perception of justice denied anywhere should concern us all, no matter who or where we are.”

The panel includes more than 50 Missouri attorneys and judges.

(Missourinet) – Federal regulators propose a Missouri drilling contractor pay nearly $15,000 in fines for safety violations which led to the death of a construction worker in Lincoln.

OSHA logo 142-year-old Michael Snider of Sedalia, Missouri was killed when struck on the head by an 80-foot piece of rebar that fell 130 feet from a crane.

Snider was working for CBS Piling Solutions of Riverside, Missouri, drilling foundation holes for a student housing project under construction near the University of Nebraska-Lincoln downtown campus when the accident occurred on June 24th.

OSHA cited CBS for three serious safety violations in the incident: the improper rigging of the load, failing to adequately train workers, and failing to remove non-essential employees from an area using cranes.

“Deaths like this, which are entirely preventable, happen all too often in the construction industry – and they have tragic consequences not just for the workers but for their families and communities,” Jeff Funke, OSHA’s area director in Omaha, said in a written statement released by OSHA. “Employers must train workers about these hazards and ensure only qualified riggers are attaching crane loads for over-head operations.”

Co-workers came to Snider’s aid, attempting CPR to revive him. Snider died before paramedics could arrive.

(Missourinet) – The final version of Missouri Juvenile Standards were presented Tuesday by members of the Juvenile Officer’s Association. Among the recommendations were implementing a code of ethics for juvenile officers, audits of officers, and general practice standards.

Backers hope new standards would avoid a federal challenge of how Missouri handles juvenile cases, which is not the same in all counties. The Department of Justice could also challenge the authority of Missouri circuit court judges to hire, fire and oversee chief juvenile officers in their circuits.

Chief Juvenile Officer Beverly Newman helped draft the recommendations and thinks all necessary standards were addressed.

“This was really our opportunity to take a critical look at what we are doing across the system. We have had conversations with stakeholders and critics to make sure we missed nothing,” said Newman.

Newman believes officers should be audited.

“We should be held accountable for carrying out, not only the code of ethics but the standards to which we are recommending,” said Newman.
The recommendations were shared Tuesday with the Legislature’s Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect.

Senator Rob Schaaf (R-St. Joseph) asked how the recommendations would be enforced.

“If you are going to create a code of conduct or a code of ethics and standards, it doesn’t do a bit of good unless there’s an entity that oversees that and makes sure that it’s enforced,” said Schaaf. “So, I’m just saying if you don’t have that in place it’s like a total waste of effort.”

Newman said the audits, found in the final proposal, offer enforcement.

A court-appointed committee and the Missouri Supreme Court will decide whether the recommendations will be adopted.

(Missourinet) – The ACLU has filed lawsuits for three college students who say they were charged nonresident tuition rates because of their immigration status.

The lawsuits, filed in Boone, St. Louis, and Jackson counties say St. Louis Community college, Metro Community College of Kansas City, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City charged higher tuition rates to three students who live in the U.S. under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. That lets people who entered the U.S. illegally as children stay in the country if they meet certain requirements, but DACA does not give them lawful immigration status.

The legislature added language to the preamble of the higher education budget bill saying schools who accept state money must charge students with, “unlawful immigration status,” the rate paid by international students.

ACLU Missouri legal director Tony Rothert says that language is unenforceable because it is in the preamble of the bill.

“However most colleges and universities in the state are treating that preamble language as if it is the law, and have hiked up tuition rates for these students,” said Rothert. “The law, as enacted, is that students who have DACA status are to be considered residents when it comes to determining whether or not they pay in-state tuition.”

The author of that language, representative Scott Fitzpatrick, says it doesn’t stop colleges from offering those students lower tuition.

“It just states specifically for the purpose of the funds that are included in House Bill 3 that they don’t have access to those funds,” said Fitzpatrick of colleges that do charge students with, “unlawful immigration status,” less than international student tuition. “If a higher education institution choses to forgo [state] funds there’s no statute affirmatively or against them being able to offer any other tuition rate they want.”

The lawsuits say the students met all requirements for in-district or in-state tuition but were charged nonresident rates generally twice as great, or more. The suits ask the courts to order the colleges to charge those students resident tuition rates.

(Missourinet) – General Electric has entered into a preliminary agreement to sell $30 billion in commercial lending and leasing businesses to Wells Fargo. The announcement comes some 6 months after the announcement was made by GE that it would sell-off that section of company, as it shifts it’s corporate focus back to manufacturing. The tentative sale agreement involves an estimated $200 billion in assets from the company’s GE Capital financing division.

It is expected that Wells Fargo will retain all leadership, employees and locations of GE Capital, including the approximately 100 workers at the Moberly, Missouri location.

The division serves customers in 60 countries by providing financing to fund flow of durable goods from manufacturers to dealers in the marine, recreational vehicle, motor sports and other industries.

The transaction also includes GE Capital Vendor Finance, a provider of private label and co-branded programs for U.S. and Canadian original equipment manufacturers, dealers and end users in office imaging, construction, material handling and technology.

(Missourinet) – Kansas City emergency responders and elected officials are remembering as heroes two firefighters who died last night after saving two people from a burning apartment complex.

Kansas City Fire Chief Paul Berardi said firefighters Larry Leggio and John Mesh died after the building collapsed.

“Both firefighters were pronounced dead at the hospital after paramedics, nurses and doctors tried to revive them,” said Berardi.

Two other firefighters were also caught in the collapse and taken to area hospitals.

Leggio and Mesh had helped rescue two residents from the complex minutes before the collapse.

The fire was in a complex at Independence Avenue and Prospect Avenue. The building was already heavily damaged when firefighters arrived. Firefighters were ordered to evacuate the structure at 7:52 p.m. Fifteen minutes later a collapse trapped four firefighters on the east side of the building.

Leggio was a 17-year veteran firefighter and Mesh was a 13-year-veteran.

“Firefighter Leggio leaves a wife, a mother, and many immediate family members. Firefighter Mesh leaves a wife, four young daughters, as well as many family members,” said Berardi.

“We wish to recognize those who have extended their condolences. The outpouring of condolences has been amazing. The compassion of the community has been amazing,” said Berardi.

(Missourinet) – Democratic candidates for president square off tonight in their first debate. A University of Missouri professor says if Hillary Clinton wants to remain the frontrunner, she has some work to do.

Bernie Sanders has a great deal of support and many are watching whether Joe Biden will enter the race. University of Missouri communications professor Mitchell McKinney says Clinton cannot shrug off attacks by other candidates, as he says she did in debates in past campaign cycles.

“She often would take what I called a sort of, ‘above the fray,’ stance. When she was attacked she would try to brush it off with laughter frequently. I don’t think she can take that same approach and stance now. She’s got to secure the nomination if it’s going to be hers,” said McKinney.

McKinney says in recent days Clinton has been setting up possible debate topics, such as a focus on gun control, “as a way, I think, to smartly contrast her positions in that area as opposed to Bernie Sanders, whose previous votes and his approach to that issue may not be so appealing to some Democrats.”

Other issues McKinney says Clinton is trying to draw attention to is education reform and funding, and a contrast to Sanders’ proposal of a free college education for all.

He says if Clinton doesn’t turn in strong debate performances, “I think it would only fuel the fire of, ‘We need to recruit Joe Biden to the race.’”

Besides Clinton and Sanders, tonight’s debate features candidates Martin O’Malley, Jim Webb, and Lincoln Chafee. Biden could still join them.

The CNN debate is at 7:30 cst.

(Missourinet) – Missouri will join more than 20 other states in suing the Environmental Protection Agency over its new carbon emission regulations, as soon as those regulations are out.

Attorney General Chris Koster says he will join other state attorneys general in challenging what EPA calls its “Clean Power Plan.” Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives Vice President David Klindt says the final version of that rule would require Missouri to decrease emissions by 37-percent from 2012 levels; a 16-percent greater reduction than the proposed rule.

“That is the final rule and they are going to actually publish that, and whenever they do publish it, within a few days that’s when the lawsuits will be filed,” said Klindt.

In the meantime, Ryan Johnson with the conservative group Alliance for Freedom hopes the state legislature will not fund compliance with the power plan until court challenges have played out.

“Until it’s completely adjudicated and we have a decision we don’t think that the State of Missouri should have to comply, because there are real costs incurred, a real change in the infrastructure, in terms of compliance, said Johnson.

The plan allows each state to develop a compliance plan to meet its target.

Some conservatives are questioning whether Koster, a Democrat running for governor, has politics in mind in joining the suit. Johnson says he’s giving Koster the benefit of the doubt.

“We hope that Attorney General Koster pursues this vigorously and we hope that he’s motivated by serving the people of Missouri and not politics,” said Johnson. “Having said that, though, as a conservative, there is some skepticism on our part.”

Supporters of the plan say it would cut pollution and could be used to create jobs supporting the change to new energy sources.

(Missourinet) – Two Missouri House committees hope to on Wednesday talk to Planned Parenthood and the pathologist that handles fetal remains after abortions.

The House committees on Children and Families, and Ways and Means, have been holding joint hearings about allegations that Planned Parenthood was illegally profiting from the sale of fetal tissue.

Children and Families committee chairwoman Diane Franklin (R-Camdenton) said those committees want to know whether the pathologist is accounting for all remains from an abortion, to make sure there is no chance any are being sold.

“‘What is that process to where it finally ends up being incinerated?’” Franklin said is the question.

The committee is continuing its work despite a report by Attorney General Chris Koster that Planned Parenthood is doing nothing illegal in Missouri. Planned Parenthood and its supporters say that report’s findings mean the hearings by the House committees and their Senate counterpart should cease.

Franklin says that report doesn’t confirm that all fetal remains are incinerated.

“If the question is, ‘Is anything diverted,’ it doesn’t answer that question at all,” said Franklin.

She said of the allegations that Planned Parenthood has sold fetal tissue, “We’re really trying to find whether that can happen in Missouri, whether it has happened in Missouri, and looking forward how would we prevent that from happening in Missouri.”
Planned Parenthood and its supporters call the hearings “grandstanding” and a “witch hunt.”

Franklin said the committee is still trying to confirm that the pathologist and representatives of Planned Parenthood will speak to the committees.

“I feel like we’ll have some representation there. How much information we’ll get from that representation, I’m just not sure,” said Franklin.