DONNA CASSATA, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The new Congress convenes Tuesday with Republicans in control of the House and the Senate. They’ll serve as a formidable counterpoint to President Barack Obama in his final two years in office.

The GOP is intent on undoing the president’s policies, particularly his health care law and recent immigration actions as well as his environment and business regulations.

Several Republicans — with some Democratic help — want to impose tough new penalties on Iran. The lawmakers are unnerved by the prospect of a negotiated deal with Iran over its nuclear program.

Obama has the power to veto legislation, but that’s a step he’s only taken twice in six years. Expect plenty more in the next 24 months in showdowns between the Democratic president and the GOP-led Congress.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced in a media release today that a Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for the armed robbery of a Kansas City-North jewelry store and for illegally possessing firearms.

Rowdy M. Offield, also known as Cody Longstreet or Randle Offenstein, 44, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple to 30 years in federal prison without parole.

Offield pleaded guilty on April 24, 2014, to the armed robbery of Crown Fine Jewelry, Inc., 303C N.E. Englewood Rd., Kansas City, Mo. Offield admitted that he entered the store on June 22, 2011, armed with a Sig-Sauer .22-caliber pistol, which he pointed at the owner. Offield demanded the owner take him back to the store’s safe, where he handed him two bags and demanded he fill them with the safe’s contents. The owner filled up the two bags with jewelry and coins from the safe. A store employee was heard knocking on the store’s back door, which caused Offield to flee from the store with the two bags filled with stolen jewelry and coins.

Offield also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms. According to court documents, Offield has sustained 12 felony convictions since 1993, almost all of which were for violent felonies. These include convictions for aggravated robbery, armed robbery, kidnapping, and escape.

Offield was arrested in a Kansas City, Mo., hotel room by police officers who found him hiding underneath the bed. Police officers also found a Sig-Sauer .22-caliber pistol and a Hi-Point 9mm rifle underneath the bed.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Departme

MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials say the flu is rampant in most of the country and could peak soon.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday reported flu was widespread in 43 states and flu activity was intense in most of them. A CDC expert said those trends are expected to continue.

Flu season started early this winter, as it has the last two years. This season seems similar to two years ago, when the flu peaked by early January.

But the flu is hard to predict, and it has yet to rev up in heavily populated states like New York and California.

The CDC report issued Monday covers the week of Christmas.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Three universities in eastern Kansas are using new ways to improve retention and graduation rates.

The University of Kansas, Ottawa University and Haskell Indian Nations University are using student data to identify at-risk students and intervene early in their college careers. The students are offered special tutoring, academic advising and mentorship. Those programs are not new but the universities are using online administrative systems to easier identify the students.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports the effort is part a national push to improve retention and graduation rates, particularly for first-generation, low-income or minority students.

Teresa Kelley, director of the Adawe LifePlan Center at Ottawa University, says it’s important to reach struggling students before they are overwhelmed and quit college.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s revenues are up more than 5 percent this fiscal year and the state’s budget chief says that means the governor will likely not need to further freeze spending.

Revenue figures released Monday show net general revenues for December are up 10.7 percent compared to last year.

State budget director Linda Luebbering says the bump in December is a sign that people are feeling better about the economy.

Luebbering says the 5.1 percent growth is just shy of the estimated 5.2 percent Gov. Jay Nixon’s been using to guide spending restrictions. She says more restrictions likely are unnecessary.

More than $700 million in funds still are frozen.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Corrections acknowledges that its inspectors consistently found dirty kitchens and other food safety violations at several state prisons.

The department does its own inspections, although it follows Kansas Department of Agriculture food safety guidelines.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the inspections were conducted between January 2013 and July 2014 at seven of the state’s 10 prisons and a total 19 facilities, such as satellite units.

Inspections weren’t provided for the Topeka, Lansing and Larned juvenile correctional facilities.

Corrections spokesman Jeremy Barclay says the department can take administrative action if a food service provider isn’t meeting the terms of the contract. But he said Aramark, which provides food services at most prisons, has shown it will take whatever steps are needed to fix the problems.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A member of the grand jury that declined to indict the Ferguson police officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown is asking a federal court to remove a lifetime order that prevents jurors from discussing the case.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit Monday on behalf of an unnamed juror in Missouri. The grand jury heard from about 60 witnesses over three months before deciding not to indict officer Darren Wilson.

The lawsuit also questions St. Louis County District Attorney Bob McCulloch’s characterization “that all grand jurors believed that there was no support for any charges.”

McCulloch oversaw the investigation. His spokesman declined comment.

Brown, who was black, was unarmed when Wilson, who is white, shot him in August. That sparked widespread protests, including some that turned violent.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — An 8-month-old boy who was injured in a drive-by shooting in Kansas City, Kansas, has died.

Police spokesman Sgt. Emmett Lockridge said Jaquail Mansaw died early Monday of injuries he suffered in the shooting late Sunday at a home just south of Kansas 5.

He says the baby’s mother did not suffer any serious medical injuries. Her name is not being released.

The shooter allegedly drove by the home and fired several shots into the home.

Police have not released any information on a possible suspect or a motive for the shooting.

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — An 8-month-old boy is in critical condition after a drive-by shooting in Kansas City, Kansas.

Police say in a news release that the shooting occurred late Sunday at a home just south of Kansas 5. The baby’s mother was also shot but her injuries were not serious.

The shooter allegedly drove by the home and fired several shots into the home.

Police have not released any information on a possible suspect.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Four temporary seismic monitoring stations have been installed in south-central Kansas and three more will be ready by the end of the month.

Kansas Geological Survey officials say the stations are designed to monitor increased earthquake activity in Harper, Sumner and Barber counties.

They are part of a temporary monitoring network funded by the state in mid-November. The funding came after Gov. Sam Brownback appointed a task force to study the earthquake activity.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports  the U.S. Geological Survey documented 124 earthquakes in Kansas from Jan. 1 to Dec. 24, 2014. That was an increase from 32 earthquakes in 2013 and none in 2012.