KANSAS CITY (AP) – The Missouri Legislative Black Caucus has picked its next leader.
The Kansas City Star reports that State Rep. Brandon Ellington will serve as caucus chairman for the 2015 legislative session. The Kansas City Democrat was first elected to the House in 2011 and had served as caucus vice-chair.
Ellington said the situation in Ferguson has “helped people of all races and political philosophies to understand the urgent need for social justice-minded reform in Missouri.” He said the Missouri Black Legislative Caucus will take a leading role in the General Assembly’s efforts to “reshape various aspects of state law to reflect the lessons learned in recent months.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says he intends to issue an order easing the threat against deportation for immigrants in the country illegally.

He’d act despite warnings from Republican leaders that he would be poisoning the well with a newly elected GOP-controlled Congress.

Obama tells CBS’ “Face the Nation” that even if he goes ahead, there still would be room for Congress to pass immigration legislation.

He says if Congress does act, it would take the place of whatever he puts into place by his own authority.

Obama is expected to issue an order before the end of the year.

It’s a step that incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner both warned against in postelection news conferences.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Missouri voters have handed Republican state lawmakers an immense amount of power.

Republicans will have some of their largest-ever majorities when the House and Senate convene next year. They also will carry new authority to override the budget decisions of Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, thanks to voter approval of a constitutional amendment.

House Speaker-nominee John Diehl says the recent election could be viewed as “a repudiation” of how Nixon has governed the past couple of years.

Nixon has blocked more than $2 billion of spending since he took office in 2009, including some spending restrictions that were used as leverage to try to persuade lawmakers not to enact tax breaks.

Republican lawmakers will consider in January whether to use their new constitutional powers to reverse some of those spending restrictions.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas City, Kansas, police say a sword-wielding man was shot and killed after he charged an officer.

Police said in a news release that the shooting happened Saturday night while officers were responding to a disturbance. An officer encountered the man armed with a sword and ordered him to drop the weapon. The release said that when the man refused and charged, the officer opened fire.

The suspect died at the scene, but no officers were injured. Police said an investigation is ongoing and didn’t immediately release any other details, including the name of the suspect.

RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than possible computer woes lurk as HealthCare.gov’s second open enrollment season begins this coming Saturday.

There’s a bright look to the rebuilt website, so version 2.0 of President Barack Obama’s health insurance overhaul represents another chance to win over a skeptical public.

But the risks include an unproven system for those renewing coverage and a tax hit that could sting millions of people.

Those tax issues are the result of complications between the health care law and income taxes, and they will emerge during next year’s filing season.

The Obama administration cannot afford a repeat of last year’s online meltdown. Congress will be entirely in Republican hands, and GOP lawmakers will be itching to build the case for repeal.

BY DENNY BANISTER

We are playing taps far too frequently these days for our comrades from World War II, and Korean War vets are also decreasing in numbers. We Vietnam-era vets know we’re next.

Like many veterans, I belong to the American Legion in my hometown. Most American legion posts are similar, with fish fries on Friday nights, Bingo on Wednesdays, barbecues in the summer, country music on the jukebox and a faint odor of stale beer, cigarettes and popcorn in the hospitality room.

Give most vets half-a-chance and they will share their military experiences with other vets, but there are a few vets who don’t share their military experiences with anyone. Some sit quietly at the end of the bar, not really talking to anyone, while others might socialize until the subject turns to war memories; then they quietly withdraw.

One of my dearest friends served in Vietnam. I served during the war, but he served in the war – there is a big difference. I have many good memories of my military experience I like to remember, but he has a lot of memories of his military experience he would give anything to forget. As close as we are, he has never shared them with me.

Everyone who fought for their country in every war was wounded in some way or another – physically, spiritually or emotionally. Some wounds are much more serious than others, and they don’t always come from bullets.

I have seen the scars from the entry wounds on my friend’s abdomen and the scars from the exit wounds on his back. As painful as these wounds were, the most painful wounds he suffered left scars on his soul. Try as he might, he cannot drink them away.

Legion and VFW posts are not elegant country clubs where prospects need pull, position or power to become members, and wealth is not an eligibility requirement. Still for many of our veterans, the price for membership was terribly high.

Regardless of which era they come from, which war they served during or in, or which uniform they wore – our veterans deserve our heartfelt thanks.

Denny Banister, of Jefferson City, Mo., is a retired broadcaster from Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.
–

NEW YORK (AP) — Nissan is recalling more than 52,000 vehicles for passenger air bags that can explode with too much force and send shards of metal into the passenger compartment.

The vehicles have air bag systems made by troubled Japanese supplier Takata Corp. Nissan recalls are among nearly 8 million from 10 automakers over the Takata air bags.

The recall announced Saturday affects the Infiniti FX35 and FX45 from 2003 to 2005, Infiniti I35 from 2003 and 2004 and Infiniti M35 and M45 from 2006. Also affected are Nissan Pathfinders from 2003 and 2004 and Nissan Sentras from 2004 to 2006.

The vehicles were sold or registered in 12 high-humidity state and territories.

Tokyo-based Nissan says it will notify owners and replace the air bag inflator for free.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An upscale Kansas City restaurant leveled by a gas explosion that killed one worker and injured several others will reopen next week less than a block from its original location.

Brothers Jimmy and David Frantze, owners of JJ’s restaurant, have spent nearly a year recreating the original restaurant in a 5,000-square-foot lobby space of a new 10-story building. The Kansas City Star reports that JJ’s also will have a 1,600-square-foot patio.

A natural gas leak caused the February 2013 explosion that killed server Megan Cramer, destroyed the restaurant and damaged two neighboring buildings.
The new space will open at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Although the blast happened 20 months ago, more than 90 percent of JJ’s 35 former employees are returning.