ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says it plans to hire 60,000 temporary holiday workers for the crucial holiday season, an increase of 10 percent from last year.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The new president of Haskell Indians Nations University says she’s focusing on the future.

Venida Chenault was inaugurated Wednesday as the seventh president of the university in Lawrence. She is the first former Haskell student to become president of the school for American Indians.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports the inauguration was the beginning of the school’s celebration of its 130th anniversary.

Chenault, a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi and Kickapoo tribes, has held various faculty and administrative positions at Haskell since 1991, most recently as vice president of academic affairs. She was named president in January.

In her speech, Chenault said she was a single mother on government assistance while she earned college degrees. She says she is an example of how higher education can help American Indians.

 

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Air Force officials say they’re changing their policy on enlistment oaths and will allow airmen to omit the words “so help me God” if they choose.

The decision comes after an airman at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada struck out the words on his Department of Defense reenlistment paperwork and ran up against a policy that prohibits omissions.

The case went up to the Department of Defense General Counsel, which issued an opinion Wednesday saying the language could be left out if the airman preferred.

Attorney Monica Miller of the American Humanist Association is representing the airman, who she says has requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Miller says the airman was told by his commanders Aug. 25 that he must swear to God or leave the Air Force.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) has selected Jason and Carri Kern of Wentzville, Mo. as 2014 “Angels in Adoption” awardees for their outstanding advocacy of adoption and foster care issues. This week, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s (CCAI) Angels in Adoption program honored the Kerns and other families in Washington, D.C. Blunt met with the Kern family today in his Washington, D.C. office.

“Jason and Carri Kern have dedicated their lives to caring for and providing a loving home for children in need – overcoming unfathomable setbacks in their seven-year quest to bring their son, Hudson, home from Guatemala,” said Blunt. “Hudson has an incredible story and I’m glad to recognize Jason and Carri Kern as Angels in Adoption for their efforts to raise awareness about the challenges facing the adoption and foster care systems.”

Jason and Carri Kern first began their adoption journey in 2006 when they became licensed foster parents in the state of Missouri. In 2007, they began to pursue an international adoption in Guatemala and were matched with Hudson in the fall of that year. In 2008, Guatemala halted adoptions as the country began trying to reform their system. As a result, a large number of cases were caught in the pipeline.

In 2010, as they waited for Hudson’s case to process, they agreed to foster a pair of siblings. The Kerns quickly fell in love and decided to pursue adopting the siblings and their other sister. In February 2013, Jason and Carri officially adopted Trenton, Tatum and Tia. 

Meanwhile, Hudson’s case continued to drag on with countless court hearings. During this process, the Kerns traveled to Guatemala 27 times to make sure Hudson knew he had a loving family fighting to bring him to the United States. Blunt sent a number of letters and attended meetings with Guatemalan officials urging movement of Hudson’s case. 

On July 25, 2014, Hudson was able to join his forever home after seven years of waiting. Hudson is home because of his parents’ unshakeable faith and unbelievable determination. The family now has four adopted children: Hudson (age 7), Trenton (age 7), Tatum (age 6) and Tia (age 4). For more information on the their story, please click here. 

PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) — A commission created by the Colorado Legislature has begun looking into funding to upgrade the route of Amtrak’s Southwest Chief and keep the passenger train running through the southeast corner of the state.

The Pueblo Chieftain reports

the commission met Wednesday to gather information for a funding request to lawmakers.

The commission is also examining what it would take to alter the train’s route and add a stop in Pueblo. The train currently stops in Lamar, La Junta and Trinidad, Colorado.

Last week, federal officials announced a $12.5 million grant for the most urgently needed repairs on the route, in western Kansas and eastern Colorado. Upgrades are also needed elsewhere in Colorado and in New Mexico.

Amtrak says repairs are needed so trains can maintain 60- to 70-mph speeds.

Reason Foundation

LOS ANGELES — Kansas ranks fifth in the nation in overall highway performance and cost-effectiveness in the latest Annual Highway Report by Reason Foundation. This is a slight decline from 2011 when Kansas ranked third and from 2009 when the state ranked second.

Missouri’s highways rank 27th in fatality rate Kansas 33rd.

Kansas was 15th in the percentage of deficient bridges and Missouri was 34th.

Kansas was first in rural interstate pavement condition and Missouri was 23rd.

Kansas was 11th in urban interstate pavement condition and third in urban Interstate congestion. Missouri was 24th in urban interstate pavement condition and 4th in urban interstate congestion.

On spending, Missouri ranked 6th in total disbursements per mile and 4th in administrative disbursements per mile.

Kansas ranks 27th in total disbursements per mile and 17th in administrative disbursements per mile.

Missouri’s state-controlled highway mileage makes it the 7th largest system and Kansas is the 27th largest system.

 

SPRINGFIELD (AP) – A lieutenant at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield is facing up to three years in prison after admitting that he persuaded an inmate not to report being assaulted by a prison guard.

Federal prosecutors say 42-year-old James Myrick, of Nixa, pleaded guilty Wednesday. He admitted that he was present when a guard hit inmate Shawn Springer, who had been in a dispute with the guard’s wife.

Myrick said he offered Springer a better cell if he didn’t tell anyone about the assault. Springer then told a nurse he hit his head while cleaning his bunk.

After Springer discussed the injury with a psychologist, Myrick wrote a memo that claimed Springer’s head injury was pre-existing, which was later contradicted by staff members.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Staff at five of six Kansas universities who voted to leave the civil service have received their first raises in several years.

The classified staff chose to leave the civil service last year because of frustration with stagnant pay. The vote removed the staff from control of the Legislature and allows the universities to determine their pay.

The workers include custodial and maintenance workers and some administrative and supervisory jobs that receive hourly wages.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports  staff at the University of Kansas left civil service years ago.

Ali Levine, chairwoman of the University Support Staff Council, told the Board of Regents Wednesday that most staff saw pay raises on July 1. Levine, who works at Wichita State, says staff there received a 3 percent raise.

 

United States Attorney’s Office

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Texas woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to defrauding four families that wanted to adopt children, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom

Chrystal Marie Rippey, 34, Marshall, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. In her plea, she admitted she devised a scheme in which she pretended to be pregnant. She contacted adoption agencies and individuals who wanted to adopt and said she was willing to give up her unborn children for adoption. She asked adoption agencies and individuals for money for rent, utilities, food and living expenses.

Couple No. 1: A Delaware couple moved Rippey into their home for a month. They took her on a two-week vacation on the beach and paid for her living expenses, new clothes, cell phone and food. She gave them a sonogram that she claimed showed her pregnancy with twins. In fact, she got the image from the Internet. Then she broke off contact with them.

Couple No. 2: A couple from Shawnee, Kan., put more than $22,000 in an escrow account to pay for Rippey’s living expenses. She told them false stories about her troubles with Child Protective Services and a fire that burned down the home of the birth father in order to get the couple to give her more money. Then she broke off contact with them.

Couple 3: Working with an adoption agency in Overland Park, Kan., Rippey contacted another couple that began providing support for her. They were shocked when they went to California to meet her and saw that she didn’t look pregnant.

Couple 4: Another couple ran up expenses for fees to an adoption agency in Texas as well as travel expenses in hopes of adopting twins from Rippey. Rippey claimed she had a son in the hospital and that she had not eaten in days in order to get money from the couple. But the couple refused her request because the adoption agency told them not to give her any money until she completed adoption paperwork.

Sentencing will be set for a later date. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 33 months followed by three years supervised release.

Grissom commended the Overland Park Police Department, the U.S. Secret Service and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley for their work on the case.

WASHINGTON –After soliciting personal stories and tips from Missouri consumers, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, who leads the Senate panel on Consumer Protection, today introduced an amendment aimed at bringing transparency and fairness to cable, satellite, and other pay-TV billing practices.

Earlier this year, McCaskill asked any consumer who believes they have experienced deceptive or confusing billing practices by a cable, satellite, or other pay-TV company to visit her website, www.McCaskill.senate.gov and use the “Submit Your Scam” web tool to tell their story. Over the approximately 10-day period following the call for pay-TV stories, McCaskill’s office received 428 responses.

“Consumers in every corner of the country share common experiences about fending for themselves against confusing, deceptive billing practices by cable, satellite and other pay-TV companies—and it’s time these millions of customers had a measure of protection,” said McCaskill, a former Missouri prosecutor. “This legislation is a first step in holding these companies accountable by requiring better notification of price changes, better guidelines for bundled services, and a uniform standard of transparency in billing.”

Click HERE for a one-pager on McCaskill’s amendment
Click HERE for an analysis of consumer feedback collected by McCaskill
McCaskill’s amendment to the Satellite Television Access and Viewer Rights Act, would provide basic consumer protections for pay-TV customers by:

1. Directing the FCC to update its customer service guidelines for cable operators.

The guidelines must address:

communications between the cable operator and the subscriber
notifications to subscribers of prices and rate changes; and
customer service availability and accessibility
In establishing the guidelines, the FCC is also instructed to:

take into consideration the differences in capabilities and resources of cable operators based on their size; and
provide the maximum flexibility possible for cable operators to comply with the guidelines in a manner that accommodates differences in technologies, geographical footprint, and financial resources among cable operators.
2. Clarifying the FCC’s authority to enforce customer service guidelines.

The amendment allows the FCC to enforce the guidelines against a cable operator when:

the Local Franchise Authority (LFA) does not enforce the federal customer service guidelines established by the FCC
the cable operator is not subject to comparable customer service guidelines established by the LFA.
3. Directing the FCC to establish customer service guidelines for satellite operators, who are not subject to LFA or comparable state or local jurisdiction.

The guidelines must address:

communications between the satellite operator and the subscriber (including standards governing bills and refunds);
notifications to subscribers of prices and rate changes; and
customer service availability and accessibility
4. Grants the FCC general authority to prohibit unfair or deceptive acts or practices by cable and satellite operators.

In Missouri, which has operated under a statewide video franchise law since 2007, state law expressly prohibits the Missouri Public Service Commission from enforcing virtually any consumer protections or creating its own protections.

McCaskill also used a Senate hearing earlier this year to challenge representatives of the cable and satellite industry on their billing practices.

Leading the Senate’s panel on Consumer Protection, McCaskill has previously highlighted the voices and stories of her Missouri constituents to force predatory companies and scam artists to answer for their fraudulent practices, and to enact policies to better protect families and consumers across the country. McCaskill has drawn upon tips and firsthand stories to launch Senate investigations aimed at schemes involving reverse mortgages, credit card companies, inaccuracies on credit reports, fraudulent robocalls, and scam artists known as “patent trolls” that threaten Missouri job and business opportunities.