NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook users in the U.S. will soon receive Amber Alerts to help find missing children who may be located near them.

Facebook Inc. is working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to send the alerts to users’ mobile phones if they are in a search area where a child has been abducted. Facebook says people are already using its site to encourage their friends and family to help find missing children, and that several children have been reunited with their families as a result of information shared on the site.

Last March, a missing 11-year-old girl was found in a South Carolina motel room when a motel clerk called police after seeing an Amber Alert on Facebook, according to the company and reports at the time.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) announced Monday that he will serve as Chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee for Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security for 114th Congress.

“The rapid growth of e-commerce, electronic data storage, and international trade has increased the need for Congressional oversight of agencies responsible for safeguarding consumers from harm and deceptive practices,” Sen. Moran said. “I look forward to taking on the subcommittee’s expanded jurisdiction related to Data Security. As more sensitive consumer and proprietary data are stored electronically, the risk and costs of insecure data also increase. Congress and American businesses need to be vigilant about this real threat, so the tools that make life more convenient and efficient do not put consumers at undue risk. As Chairman, I plan to put the subcommittee to work quickly.”

Sen. Moran joined the Senate Commerce Committee in 2015. The Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security oversees the consumer protection efforts of the following federal agencies: the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the National Highway Traffic Safety, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Subcommittee also has jurisdiction over property and casualty insurance and sports.

INDEPENDENCE (AP) – Independence police say a shooting on an interstate that injured a 7-year-old girl was not a random act.

The girl remains hospitalized in stable condition after being shot Sunday night as she and her father drove on Interstate 70. The father was treated and released from a hospital.

Police say the shooting followed a dispute with someone in another vehicle. The father was able to pull off the interstate to get help.

Investigators are looking for either a gold 1990s Mercury Mystique or Ford Contour in connection with the shooting.

PLEASANTON, Kan. (AP) — A Minnesota-based company that makes precast concrete wall panels for buildings plans to begin operations in eastern Kansas.

FABCON Precast officials announced Monday that it would open its fourth plant in the country in Pleasanton, Kansas, by July. It expects to hire 35 to 40 people, including engineers, drafters, plant managers and skilled manufacturing laborers.

The Kansas City Star reports  the company will take over a plant previously occupied by IPC Inc., a subsidiary of Cretex Companies Inc.

FABCON said the expansion will be its first in 14 years.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police say one man has been killed and another was injured in a drive-by shooting in Kansas City.
The death on Monday night marks the city’s third homicide of the year.
Authorities say the shooting occurred in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Police say witnesses told them that the victims and at least one other person were shooting at each other.
Both victims were taken to hospitals, where one died. Officials say the second victim is in serious but stable condition.
No further information was released by police.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – A memorial at the Missouri Capitol may be expanded to honor veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Tentative plans for a privately funded update of the Veterans Memorial were informally endorsed by the Missouri State Capitol Commission at a meeting Monday.

The memorial, dedicated in 1991, honors every war the United States has been in since Missouri became a state. The most recent commemoration is for the first Gulf War.

Jefferson City resident J.C. Standlee said he’s been doing research into how the memorial could be updated. He wanted approval from the commission to move forward in talks with veterans groups and businesses interested in working on the memorial.

Sen. Mike Kehoe, of Jefferson City, said he’s spoken with several veterans groups that are interested in providing funding.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new report shows U.S. farmers bought more tractors and fewer combines in 2014.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers reported Monday that retail sales of farm tractors across the nation was up 3 percent with 207,833 of them sold.

But the industry group also noted a nearly 26 percent drop in combine sales with 7,993 machines sold last year.

Sales of both combines and tractors were also down for the month of December compared to the same month a year ago. Combine sales were down slightly over 40 percent and tractor sales dipped about 2 percent for the month.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri House and Senate leaders announced Monday which lawmakers would chair committees for the 2015 session.
In the House, the regular standing committees will be overseen by select standing committees, providing two layers of oversight in the bill drafting process, House Speaker John Diehl said in a statement. There are 55 committees in the House.
Changes to Senate committees this year include adding public safety issues to topics addressed by a committee that previously only dealt with transportation and infrastructure, which Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey said will mean members now can tackle bills addressing concerns raised after a white Ferguson police officer fatally shot a black 18-year-old.
Dempsey said the committee will hear bills to require that police wear body cameras and legislation to curb when police can use deadly force, among others.
The Senate committees and chairs are:
Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources, Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown
Appropriations, Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia
Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment, Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City
Education, Sen. David Pearce, R-Warrensburg
Financial and Government Organizations and Elections, Sen. Jay Wasson, R-Nixa
General Laws and Pensions, Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph
Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight, Sen. Mike Cunningham, R-Rogersville
Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale
Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence, Sen. Bob Dixon, R-Springfield
Progress and Development, Sen. Joe Keaveny, D-St. Louis
Seniors, Families and Children, Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville
Small Business, Insurance and Industry, Sen. Mike Parson, R-Bolivar
Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety, Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff
Veterans’ Affairs and Health, Sen. Dan Brown, R-Rolla
Ways and Means, Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee’s Summit
The House regular standing committees and the chairs are:
Administration and Accounts, Rep. Mike Leara, R-St. Louis
Agriculture Policy, Rep. Jay Houghton, R-Martinsburg
Appropriations- Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources, Rep. Craig Redmon, R-Canton
Appropriations- Elementary and Secondary Education, Rep. Kurt Bahr, R-St. Charles
Appropriations- Health, Mental Health and Social Services, Rep. Marsha Haefner, R-St. Louis
Appropriations- Higher Education- Rep. Donna Lichtenegger, R-Jackson
Appropriations- General Administration, Rep. Robert Ross, R-Yukon
Appropriations- Public Safety and Corrections, Rep. Kathie Conway, R-St. Charles
Appropriations- Revenue, Transportation, and Economic Development, Rep. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield
Banking, Rep. Sandy Crawford, R-Buffalo
Children and Families, Rep. Diane Franklin, R-Camdenton
Civil and Criminal Proceedings, Rep. Robert Cornejo, R-St. Peters
Conservation and Natural Resources, Rep. Sonya Murray-Anderson, R-Springfield
Consumer Affairs, Rep. Mark Parkinson, R-St. Charles
Corrections, Rep. Paul Fitzwater, R-Potosi
Economic Development and Business Attraction and Retention, Rep. Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia
Elections, Rep. Sue Entlicher, R-Bolivar
Elementary and Secondary Education, Rep. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau
Emerging Issues, Rep. Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield
Emerging Issues in Education, Rep. Lyle Rowland, R-Cedarcreek
Employment Security, Rep. Wanda Brown, R-Cole Camp
Energy and the Environment, Rep. Rocky Miller, R-Lake Ozark
Ethics, Rep. Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff
Fiscal Review- Rep. Sue Allen, R-Town and Country
Government Efficiency, Rep. Paul Curtman, R-Union
Government Oversight and Accountability, Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City
Health and Mental Health Policy, Rep. Keith Frederick, R-Rolla
Health Insurance, Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Frankford
Higher Education, Rep. Steve Cookson, R-Poplar Bluff
Local Government, Rep. Dave Hinson, R-St. Clair
Pensions, Rep. Nate Walker, R-Kirksville
Professional Registration, Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield
Property, Casualty Insurance, and Life Insurance, Rep. Noel Shull, R-Kansas City
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Rep. Shawn Rhoads, R-West Plains
Small Business, Rep. John McCaherty, R-High Ridge
Telecommunications, Rep. Bart Korman, R-High Hill
Trade and Tourism, Rep. Don Phillips, R-Kimberling City
Transportation, Rep. Glen Kolkmeyer, R-Odessa
Utility Infrastructure, Rep. Lyndall Fraker, R-Marshfield
Veterans, Rep. Charlie Davis, R-Webb City
Ways and Means, Rep. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester
Workforce Standards and Development, Rep. Bill Lant, R-Pineville
The House select committees and chairs for the House are:
Agriculture, Rep. Bill Reiboldt, R-Neosho
Budget, Rep. Tom Flanigan, R-Carthage
Commerce, Rep. Anne Zerr, R-St. Charles
Education, Rep. Mike Lair, R-Chillicothe
Financial Institutions and Taxation, Rep. Tony Dugger, R-Hartville
General Laws, Rep. Caleb Jones, R-Columbia
Insurance, Rep. Don Gosen, R-Ballwin
Judiciary, Rep. Kevin Austin, R-Springfield
Labor and Industrial Relations, Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston
Rules, Rep. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington
Social Services, Rep. Sue Allen, R-Town and Country
State and Local Governments, Rep. Sheila Solon, R-Blue Springs
Utilities, Rep. T.J. Berry, R-Kearney

INDEPENDENCE (AP) – Authorities are investigating after a body was found in a burning home in the Kansas City suburb of Independence.

The Kansas City Star reports that firefighters responded Monday afternoon after a passer-by reported smoking coming from the home. Battalion Chief Mike Ditamore said “moderate to heavy” smoke was coming from the roof when crews arrived.

Assistant Fire Chief Mark Carrick said firefighters found a woman inside the kitchen. She died at the scene. No other information was immediately released, including the name or age of the victim.