(Missourinet) – Three Democratic candidates for president addressed in Kansas City the conference of the largest Hispanic civil rights organization in the country.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, and former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley each spoke about immigration reform, economic equality, and took stabs at Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans for Trumps recent remarks about immigrants.

Speaking about Trump, Clinton told about 2,000 people in the Grand Ballroom of Bartle Hall that it was “appalling to hear Donald Trump describe immigrants as drug dealers, rapists, and criminals. He’s talking about people you and I know, isn’t he?”

She and O’Malley sought to link Trump’s remarks to other Republicans.

“The real problem isn’t that the Republicans have such a hate-spewing character running for president,” said O’Malley. “The problem is that it’s so hard to tell him apart from the other candidates they have in their field.”

Sanders said Trump would not succeed in dividing people by country of origin, and in comments after his speech called Trump’s remarks an “outrage.”

Speaking about economic equality, Clinton went after Republican Jeb Bush for saying Americans need to work more hours.

“He should tell that to the farm workers breaking their backs picking fruit in southern California, or he should tell that to the dish washers working their hands raw in the kitchens in Las Vegas, or he should tell that to the nurse who stands on her feet all day, or the trucker who drives all night, or the fast food workers marching in the streets for better pay,” said Clinton. “They don’t need a lecture. They need a raise.”

Sanders said he wants to see a $15-an hour minimum wage as well as affordable education.

“I have introduced legislation which would make public colleges and public universities tuition free,” said Sanders.
All three spoke about immigration reform.

O’Malley told the crowd, “It is in the best interest of every citizen in the United States for us to reform an immigration system that is callous, irrational, inhuman, unjust, and sells our nation short.”

Clinton also fired a volley at Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R), who at the same time the conference was going on was announcing the launch of his campaign for governor. She contrasted himself from him and other Republicans who have backed things like right-to-work.

“Republican governors like Scott Walker have made their names stomping on workers’ rights and practically all the Republican candidates hope to do the same, as president,” said Clinton. “I will stand up to these attacks. If we want to get serious about raising incomes, we have to get serious about supporting union members.”

The Republican National Committee’s Director for Hispanic Media, Ruth Guerra, responded to Clinton’s speech, saying she, “is ignoring the fact that a Democrat has occupied the White House for the past six and a half years – a period that has seen the weakest economic recovery in modern history, particularly for millions of Hispanics across the country.”

“Latinos have heard the same story from Democrats for far too long,” Guerra continued. “Whether it’s the economy, education or immigration, Democrats’ playbook is full of empty rhetoric and broken promises.”

(Missourinet) – The National Weather Service has confirmed an EF-1 tornado did touch down in southeast Missouri during storms Wednesday night.

The twister touched down about 1.5 miles east-southeast of Kelso at 8:35 and traveled 6.5 miles across the Mississippi River before lifting up east-northeast of Thebes, Illinois. Its winds reached an estimated 95 miles per hour.

The storm uprooted or snapped off trees and destroyed outbuildings including a large farm shed. It also rolled three camper trailers and blew shingles and siding off some homes.

A tornado was also confirmed to have touched down Wednesday near Caledonia, in eastern Missouri. The Weather Service received no reports of damage beyond that to some trees.

Federal prosecutors have wrapped up the prosecution of a former Lenexa, Kan., doctor accused of diverting prescription painkillers to a network of users and distributors on the streets of the Kansas City metro area, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said. On July 7, the last defendant in the case was sentenced to federal prison.

Dr. James R. Webb, 56, now living in Parkville, Mo., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and hydrocodone. In September, he was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. The judge entered an order of forfeiture for $7.5 million, representing the proceeds of the crime.

On Tuesday, co-defendant Michael Zona, 39, Shawnee, Kan., was sentenced to 19 months in federal prison.

In Webb’s plea, he admitted that the Drug Enforcement Administration began receiving reports in 2010 that he was selling oxycodone and hydrocodone prescriptions for cash. Webb’s so-called patients reported paying cash for their prescriptions based on the number of pills they could receive. Many of the patients were referred to Perry Drug in Overland Park, Kan.

Investigators used informants and undercover agents to make purchases from Webb. They paid Webb a fee of $870 for an office visit for a prescription for 220 oxycodone tablets, and $1,400 for a prescription for 350 tablets. Webb required they pay him in cash.

In 2011, the DEA obtained records from the Kansas Board of Pharmacy’s prescription monitoring program that identified all prescriptions Webb had issued. They used the records to identify so-called patients who frequently visited the doctor and obtained prescriptions from him for oxycodone and hydrocodone.

Defendants who have been sentenced in the case include:

James R. Webb, Jr., physician, 144 months.

Matthew R. Perry, 45, Overland Park, pharmacist, 72 months.

Gerry Divelbiss, 38, Kansas City, Kan., 72 months.

Ricky Bridges, 39, Kansas City, Kan., 78 months.

Jenna Utterback, 30, Kansas City, Mo., 16 months.

Eric Halbin, 37, Overland Park, Kan., 42 months.

Lacy Mae Morrison, 31, Gardner, Kan., 12 months and a day.

Phil Scimeca, 51, Liberty, Mo. 72 months.

Jamie Eberra, 29, Kansas City, Mo., two years probation.

Regina Ann Miranda, 45, Kansas City, Mo., 12 months and a day.

Larry Lee Ray, 35, Kansas City, Mo., 72 months.

Nick Johnson, 34, Lees Summit, Mo., 34 months.

Joshua Brown, 27, Liberty, Mo., 72 months.

Juan Gutierrez, 39, Kansas City, Mo., 47 months.

Wade Becker, 28, Kansas City, Mo., two years probation.

Beau Berry, 31, Grain Valley, Mo., 42 months.

Luke Dearinger, 35, Gladstone, Mo., 52 months.

Michael Zona, 39, Shawnee, Kan., 19 months.

Jessica Rankin, 40, Shawnee, Kan., 10 months.

Thomas O’Toole, 25, Blue Springs, Mo., 24 months.

Scott Moore, 31, 38 months.

Erica Wikel, 29, 12 months and a day.

Louis Scimeca, 44, 47 months.

Martin Leahy, 53, 42 months.

Tish Waller, 33, 42 months.

(Missourinet) – The Governor signed into law Thursday a bill that will lower the cap on how much revenue cities in Missouri can make from traffic tickets and fines. The measure lowers that limit from 30-percent statewide to 20-percent for most of the state, but to 12.5-percent in St. Louis County. The bill also puts a cap on fines combined with court costs for minor traffic offenses at $300, and bars cities from leveling additional charges on someone for missing a court date.

Bill sponsor Eric Schmitt says municipalities have been too focused on generating revenue to cover city budgets.

“What’s happened is a lot of municipalities and city managers have viewed the citizenry as nothing more than ATMs for bloated government,” said Schmitt. “Municipalities have had this mechanism of taxation by citation, they’ve been able to avoid the tough decisions that at state government we’ve had to deal with when we balance our budget, or people around their kitchen table.”

St. Louis County Representative Clem Smith doesn’t like that his county has one cap while the rest of the state has another. He says some cities won’t be able to survive.

“This bill is kind of putting the hands around their neck and choking them a little bit. They can breathe a little bit, but there’s still a firm grip around their neck and it’s not right because it’s only being applied to St. Louis County.”

Smith says the issue could end up in court.

“I think the unfair treatment of St. Louis County municipalities is probably grounds for some sort of lawsuit to be brought up.”

The bill takes effect August 28th.

(Missourinet) – The Army has announced 774 uniformed personnel will be cut from Fort Leonard Wood by 2017, but Missouri elected officials are saying the cuts could have been worse.

The cut is part of an announced reduction in active duty strength from 490,000 to 450,000. The impact on the Fort and other installations isn’t expected to be known until September.

Governor Jay Nixon (D) said the planned reduction confirms the importance of Fort Leonard Wood, with some other facilities targeted for deeper cuts.

“While I oppose any cuts to Fort Leonard Wood personnel, the limited and proportional reduction announced today reaffirms this fort’s core training mission and is a testament to the ongoing efforts by state, local, and federal leaders to protect this vital military asset and the thousands of dedicated men and women who serve there,” said Nixon in a statement.

In a joint statement, Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt and Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler echoed Nixon’s perception of the announcement.

“While budgetary constraints have forced the Army to make difficult decisions, today’s announcement confirms what Missourians already know: Fort Leonard Wood will continue to play a critical role in the training and development of our troops. Key criteria, including an abundance of maneuver and training areas, the absence of encroachment concerns, optimal geographic location, and plenty of community support give Fort Leonard Wood a significant leg up over other installations for future Army missions,” their statement said.

McCaskill, in her own statement, warns more cuts could be coming, and she blames Republicans budget caps that she says will cause a further reduction to 420,000 soldiers. She and Democrats accuse Republicans of budget “gimmicks” by putting money for foreign wars in another account that won’t allow the branches to maintain the size of their forces.

(Missourinet) -The House on Wednesday voted to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind law. The bill narrowly passed 218-213 and Missouri’s congressional delegation voted along party lines, with Republicans voting in support of the proposal and Democrats voting against it.

The U.S. Senate is expected to debate the issue this week. Senator McCaskill says the 2002 law needs major changes.

“We are making major changes to that legislation because we’ve learned that No Child Left Behind doesn’t work as it was intended to work.”

Reading and math tests would continue to be a part of the law, but would allow states, instead of the federal government, to decide how to use assessments to measure performance. The proposal would also prohibit federal requirements on a specific set of academic standards.

Senator McCaskill says she supports the concept that the bill represents.

“We’ve got to get away from the underperforming schools being starved and this notion that one size fits all in terms of testing.”

If Congress finds a compromise, it’s unknown if the President will sign the legislation. Obama has expressed opposition to both the House and Senate bills.

(Missourinet) – One of the young Phelps County boys reported missing has been found alive, and authorities are still looking for the other.
11-year-old Xavier Baylor has been found alive and is talking to detectives. Still missing is 13-year-old Johnathan L. Shay, who is autistic. He is described as a white male, five feet and two inches tall, weighing about 100 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt, dark blue shorts, and black tennis shoes.
Anyone with information on them is asked to call the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department at (573) 308-1213.
Original story:
Authorities in central Missouri’s Phelps County are looking for two missing boys who are believed to have walked away from their home in the county.
13-year-old Johnathan L. Shay is described an autistic white male, five feet and two inches tall, weighing about 100 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt, dark blue shorts, and black tennis shoes.
11-year-old Xavier Baylor is a white male, four feet and seven inches tall, weighing about 90 pounds, with light brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a red shirt, gray shorts, and red shoes.
Anyone with information on them is asked to call the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department at (573) 308-1213.

A former correctional officer at the Jackson County Detention Center has been indicted by a federal grand jury for violating an inmate’s civil rights by using unreasonable force.

Young Isinwa, 45, of Kansas City, Mo., was charged in an indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, July 8, 2015. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon Isinwa’s arrest and initial court appearance.

The federal indictment alleges that Isinwa deprived an inmate at the Jackson County Detention Center, who is identified in the indictment as “M.F.,” of his Constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by one acting under color of law.

Isinwa, while on duty working as a correctional officer on Oct. 16, 2011, allegedly kicked M.F. in the head while the inmate was restrained and not posing a threat to Isinwa or others. The inmate suffered bodily injury as a result.

Dickinson cautioned that the charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

Jefferson City, Mo. – Attorney General Chris Koster announced Thursday that he has sued John and Deborah Rocha, the operators of a Kansas City automobile-repair business, Mobile Auto Repair.

The lawsuit, filed in Clay County Circuit Court, alleges that John and Deborah Rocha have advertised auto repair services to Missouri consumers since December 2010 in exchange for up-front payments. The suit alleges the defendants failed to provide auto-repair services as promised and misrepresented auto-repair services had been provided when they had not. At least 14 consumers did not receive the repairs they paid for, resulting in a loss of more than $9,000.

“Unfortunately, my office sees all too often instances where individuals or businesses demand up-front payments, and then fail to do the job or leave shoddy work behind,” Koster said. “Consumers deserve to receive the work they pay for.”

Koster is seeking an order to stop the defendants from engaging in the auto-repair business in the state of Missouri, as well as restitution for consumers and civil penalties.

Any consumers who have done business with Mobile Auto Repair or John or Deborah Rocha and wish to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s office should contact the Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-392-8222 or file a complaint online by clicking here.