INDEPENDENCE (AP) – Independence police say a robber has died and a homeowner has been wounded after interrupting a burglary.

The Kansas City Star reports that the two men were rushed to hospitals late Friday and that the intruder died about an hour later. Police spokesman Tom Gentry says the homeowner was listed in serious condition Saturday night.

Police said two gunshots were fired when the homeowner arrived home and found the burglar inside. Police have not released either man’s name.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City woman has been charged with drugging her baby with methadone, a painkiller known mainly for treating heroin addiction.

The Jackson County prosecutor’s office announced Saturday that the 30-year-old woman is charged with child endangerment. The prosecutor’s office spokesman said he didn’t know whether she had an attorney.

The probable cause statement says a foster parent went to a pediatrician last summer after beginning to care for the child because he was screaming and couldn’t sleep more than 15 minutes. The child was hospitalized for six days to treat withdrawal symptoms.

A witness told police the mother had drugged the baby when he cried or before bed. Court records say she obtained the drug from a methadone clinic and that it made the baby calm down or sleep.

BY JEREMIE NOTHDURFT

In January, my wife Laura and I extended our trip to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) annual conference in San Diego to see more of California. Neither of us had been there before. It was quite an experience for a farm boy from southeast Missouri; never in my life have I ever seen so many nuts — groves of macadamia, almond, pistachio and walnut trees.

Acre after acre of vegetable crops, vineyards, row crops, citrus orchards, dairy farms and beef cattle were scattered on the mountain sides. It seemed every inch of land that wasn’t a city or national park was in agriculture production. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, their farmers received $44.7 billion for their outputs in 2012. To put it in perspective, Missouri received $10.2 billion the same year.

I wonder how activists and people who aren’t involved in agriculture get such a strong hold in a state that is number one in cash farm receipts? When, how and, more importantly, who is going to stop activist groups that push agendas that hurt agriculture and ultimately consumers? The largest agriculture producing state has not been able to stop them and as a result, farmers are losing more control.

The Humane Society of the U.S. and other groups have Missouri on their radar. With the passage of Amendment 1, we slowed them down, but only for a while. We still have to take a stand and speak out for our industry.

Acting now and staying active is critical. All farmers and ranchers need to speak out and educate people about what we do and who we are. We look out for their safety and our own. We strive to be the best stewards of the land when we produce food and fiber to feed the world. We are paving the way for future generations of farmers.

Like many young farmers, I work two jobs, one off the farm and one on the farm. I work to raise a family. Who has time to do anything else? We think when it gets really bad someone will step in to speak up for us. Who? Only 2 percent of the population is involved with farming. Fellow Missourian Don Borgman, who won the AFBF Distinguished Service Award in San Diego, said, “Farmers have to be focused on our customers, and our customers are everyone who doesn’t farm.” We agriculturists are outnumbered. We have a lot of mouths to feed.

Back when the telephone was being spread across the countryside, most rural areas got phone service by working together, cutting poles and stringing the wire themselves. What about barn raisings? All of the old barns on our farm were built with the help our neighbors. These are difficult tasks that take time, but the more people working, the lighter the workload. Speaking up for our profession is no different.

What happens now paves the way of the future. Let’s stay ahead; let’s stay involved and share our story with others. Don’t miss an opportunity, whether it’s in person or online. Better yet, create opportunities to tell others about agriculture and what you do. You can put a face to farming. When you do, people will think harder about what they support and vote on when it comes to your livelihood.

Jeremie Nothdurft, of Cape Girardeau, is Chairman of the State Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee and State Board Advisory Member for the Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.

ROLLA (AP) – Rolla police say a 10-month-old baby has been rescued from a burning vehicle.

KOLR-TV reports that fire started Thursday when the baby was left unattended while his mother went inside a business. Rolla Lt. Jason Smith says the mother discovered the vehicle was on fire when she returned.

Emergency crews started CPR on the baby, who was not breathing, then rushed him to a hospital in Rolla. He was later airlifted to a hospital in St. Louis.

Police Lt. Rick Williams says authorities are looking into the cause of the fire as well as possibility of child neglect or endangerment charges.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City man has been acquitted of fatally shooting a couple as their young children sat in a nearby vehicle.

The Kansas City Star reports that jurors found 44-year-old Howard Ray Stephenson, of Blue Springs, not guilty Friday of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action. The charges stemmed from the 2013 killings of Jaron Syrus and Qwentelia Vanzant, both 25.

Court records said Syrus told police before he died that Stephenson was the shooter. But the defense said that during the deadly confrontation at a convenience store, Syrus was armed and angry because he and Vanzant thought one of Stephenson’s sons had stolen from them.

The Blue Springs couple had their 3-year-old son and Vanzant’s 7-year-old daughter in their car.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say one man has drowned in a Kansas City creek and another has been rescued.

A Kansas City Fire Department spokesman said it appeared the men got into trouble Friday night while fishing in Indian Creek. The Kansas City Star  reports that it wasn’t immediately clear what happened. Police are investigating.

 

CARTHAGE, Mo. (AP) — A Civil War veteran whose cremated remains went unclaimed for more than a century will be buried next month with his family in southwest Missouri.

The Carthage Press reports that a burial service for Major Raphael Guido Rombauer is planned for April 11 at the Park Cemetery in Carthage. Volunteers in period Civil War uniforms will participate.

For more than a century after the former Union soldier’s 1912 death in Kirksville, his cremains were on the shelf at a funeral chapel. A group that arranges proper burials for veterans came across them and was planning to bury them at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

But a relative of Rombauer claimed the remains. Park Cemetery manager Frank Stine says Rombauer will be buried next to his first wife.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Missouri lawmakers are pushing for music therapists to obtain state certification and access to funding through a program for infants born with developmental delays.

Music therapy uses music to help individuals reach therapeutic goals in the physical, cognitive and social-emotional areas.

Cape Girardeau Republican Rep. Kathy Swan says she wants to find a way to help young children get access to a service that’s shown clinical results. She and a state senator are sponsoring bills, but neither have received a hearing yet.

Johnna Carrender is the caretaker and step-grandmother of a 7-year old with shaken baby syndrome. She pays out-of-pocket for music therapy because she says it’s a way to help him tap into his abilities and bring joy to his life.