KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Salvation Army spokesman says someone has dropped a gold tooth into a holiday collection kettle.

Spokesman Rick Carroll said Thursday that he’s found diamond rings, silver bars and four-leaf clovers but has never heard of a tooth donation. He says the item could be worth $100 depending on the amount of gold it contains.

Kansas City’s Red Kettle Campaign began Nov. 7 and is currently running about $50,000 behind where it was a year ago.

Carroll says he at first considered the donation to be gross, but now thinks it’s a nice gesture. He worries that the donation might have been unintentional and he is temporarily hanging onto the tooth in case someone claims it.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Zoo is celebrating the birth of two baby penguins.

The zoo says the Gentoo chicks hatched earlier in the week and are being nourished on regurgitated herring and trout at the Helzberg Penguin Plaza. They say one of the siblings is being cared for by its biological parents and the other is in the care of foster parents.

Spokeswoman Julie Neemeyer tells the Kansas City Star it’s common for only one chick to survive in the wild, which is why one of the babies was entrusted to another pair of penguins.

Zoo officials say the chicks are dependent on their parents for up to three months. They say a third penguin egg is expected to hatch by the end of the year.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A homeless 14-year-old whose story was featured on NBC’s “Today” show will receive a full scholarship from a central Missouri women’s college.

Stephens College in Columbia says it will award Dominique Victor of New York City a four-year scholarship that includes tuition, room and board and travel costs home for semester breaks provided she satisfies the school’s admission standards as a high school senior. The gift has a value of more than $175,000.

A 2014 Stephens graduate who works in marketing in New York helped connect the young woman to the Missouri college.
Dominique lives in a homeless shelter with her mother. The scholarship award was announced on Thursday’s “Today” show and includes annual participation over the next several years in Stephens’ summer enrichment programs.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander says he is reducing the amount of state tax revenue needed for his office.

Kander said his general revenue request for the 2016 operating budget, which begins next July, will be the smallest for the secretary of state’s office since 1999.

The Democratic secretary of state says he is shifting some office costs off of Missouri tax dollars to previously existing special funds. Kander says he also has eliminated some positions and spending. He says he saved $20,000 by reducing the size of a business registration reminder that is mailed out.

JULIE PACE, AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will end his year in Washington with a news conference at which he’ll face questions on Cuba, the Sony hacking and how he will work with the Republican Congress.

 

Obama’s dismal year is ending on an upbeat note. He’s unveiled a flurry of executive actions on immigration, climate change and the U.S. policy toward Cuba. That’s after his party’s sweeping losses in the midterm elections.

Still, the president faces big obstacles on Capitol Hill, where Republicans will take over next month. Foreign policy problems also persist in the Middle East and between Russia and Ukraine.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has introduced legislation (S.3006) directing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to utilize its authority to offer community care to veterans who currently are unable to receive the healthcare services they need from a VA medical facility within 40 miles of where they live.

“The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 was passed with the intention of providing veterans with the choice to access health care outside the VA when timeliness and distance put their well-being at risk,” Sen. Moran said. “Unfortunately, many rural Kansas veterans are still unable to access the care they need because common sense is not prevailing. It has become clear that the VA is implementing the Choice Act in a way that only takes into account distance to a VA medical facility, and not whether that facility can provide the medical services a veteran requires.”

“For example, while the services offered at Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) are invaluable, they cannot meet the health care needs of all veterans. Living near a CBOC should not prevent a veteran from accessing care which the CBOC cannot provide. The VA has the authority to fix this problem and have been calling on the VA Secretary to take action for several months,” Sen. Moran continued. “Enough is enough. In the absence of VA action, I have introduced legislation that would make certain rural veterans are not forgotten just because of where they live.”

In July, the House and Senate came together to pass the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (VACAA), comprehensive legislation to respond to VA wait-time manipulation and failure to provide timely, quality health care to veterans. This legislation permitted veterans across the country to access non-VA community care if they live more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility, including Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), or their wait time for an appointment is more than 30 days. Even with this new law, many rural Kansas veterans are still unable to access the care they require because their nearest VA facility does not offer the medical services they need.

The introduction of S. 3006 comes on the heels of several months of efforts by Sen. Moran to work with the VA on this issue. On September 9, 2014, Sen. Moran questioned VA Secretary Bob McDonald during a Senate Veterans Affairs’ Committee hearing on the VA’s interpretation of the 40 mile eligibility criteria of the Choice Act.

On November 14, 2014, Sen. Moran called on Sec. McDonald to meet in-person to discuss the VACAA and make certain the legislation is implemented and upheld the way it was intended and in the best interest of veterans. This includes offering non-VA care to veterans who are unable to receive the healthcare services they requite from a VA medical facility within 40 miles of where they live.

On December 11, 2014, Sen. Moran met with Deputy Secretary of the VA, Sloan Gibson, who reiterated the limitations of the Choice Act language and indicated the VA could not use its authorities under Title 38 to provide this access to non-VA care.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Authorities say a sex offender has been arrested after performing as Santa Claus for Kansas City area children.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s said in a news release Thursday that the 50-year-old man faces a charge of failing to register as a sex offender for not reporting his employment. The man was booked into jail Wednesday and bond was set at $20,000.

The release said the man was arrested after authorities received a confidential tip.

The sheriff’s office told KCTV that the man worked in customer service at a home decor store and would at times interact with customers while dressed up as Santa. The name of the business wasn’t released.

The man was convicted in 1992 and 1998 in California on sex-related charges including child molestation and indecent exposure.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon intends to issue an administrative rule to ensure home care workers get a hike in pay.

The Office of Administration on Thursday confirmed the governor’s plans after home care workers earlier that day caroled outside his mansion to request his help.

The workers bathe, feed and tend to elderly Missourians or others who can’t care for themselves.

They’re currently paid a minimum of $7.50 an hour, but an agreement ratified by the state Quality Home Care Council ensures them between $8.50 and $10.15 an hour.

Home workers who sang “We’re dreaming of our first contract” to the tune of “White Christmas” say they feared vendors wouldn’t pay them the promised wages without pressure from Nixon.

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator Pat Roberts today released the names of the young Kansans who will receive his nomination for appointments to U.S. Service Academies.

“I am very pleased to announce this year’s nominees,” Senator Roberts said. “These men and women are outstanding representatives of Kansas in every way, and I wish them all the best as they pursue their education and service to our nation.”

In making the nominations, Senator Roberts followed the recommendations of his Academy Screening Board. The nonpartisan board is comprised of seven volunteers from across Kansas and is overseen by Gilda Lintz, Senator Roberts’ District Director and Military Academy Coordinator in Topeka. As part of the decision-making process, board members conduct personal interviews with the applicants, as well as review their written applications, G.P.A. and standardized test scores.

Once nominated by Senator Roberts, the applicants then must meet the individual admission requirements of each academy. The academies will make the final decision on who will receive an appointment of admission. Due to the limited number of openings at each academy, not every nominee will receive an appointment. The academies this spring will announce appointments for the class entering in July 2015. Senator Roberts’ nominees are as follows:

United States Military Academy at West Point Nominees

Ryan Brunner, Topeka

John Flott, Topeka

Anna Frick, Ft Riley

Derek Martin, Conway Springs

Anthony Nilles, Halstead

Joshua Winton, Leavenworth

 

United States Air Force Academy Nominees

Nicholas Clark, Manhattan

Kaitlyn Emerson, Topeka

Stephanie Farney, McPherson

Mattie Germann, Leawood

Sofia Gilkeson, Wichita

Abbie Lavin, Lenexa

Zach Marcolesco, Andale

Caleb Mathes, Bartlett

Kelly Nguyen, Wichita

Matthew Scherer, Wamego

 

United States Naval Academy Nominees

Kynedi Allison, Delphos

Charles Beck, Wichita

Eli Cosner, Overland Park

Frank Dwornicki, Wichita

Kenneth Englert, Shawnee

Kyle Garton, Overland Park

Grace Gomez, Topeka

Chenxi He, Olathe

Michael Healy, Leawood

Elizabeth Jarvis, Wichita

John Kelly, Minneapolis

Austin Koch, Topeka

Elyjah Lyons, Parsons

Michael Marsh, Topeka

Madeleine Pershall, Topeka

Frederick Porter, Neodesha

Chelsey Ratzlaff, Wichita

Charles Schillings, Wichita

Gwyneth Schuler, Wichita

Thomas Williams, Overland Park

 

United States Merchant Marine Academy Nominee

Cameron Hamm, Overland Park

Senator Roberts will begin accepting applications in March for nominations to academy classes entering in July 2016. Applicants wishing to find out more information on the process for nominations should visit Senator Roberts’ website at: roberts.senate.gov