ATCHISON– A three car crash Friday evening sent six people to the hospital
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Buick LeSabre driven by Paul B. Snider, 27; Hiawatha was traveling southeast on U73 and rear-ended a 2009 Ford Focus driven by Sharon L. Hurst, 50, Effingham. The Ford had stopped to make a left turn. The impact pushed the Ford over the centerline and it collided with a 2006 Cadillac SRX driven by Debra E. Pennell-Duncan, 59, Hiawatha
Snider, two children in the LeSabre and a passengers in the Ford Mary M. Earl, 20; Mark Hurst, 51 of Effingham were transported to the hospital in Atchison. Another passenger in the Ford John Earl 17, Effingham was transported to Heartland Regional Medical Center.
The KHP reported that all were properly restrained
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Sam Graves (MO-06), House Small Business Committee Chairman, released the following statement on the April jobs report:
“While April’s numbers are encouraging, I remain concerned about people who have completely given up on looking for jobs and those who have left the workforce altogether. Whether it’s playing politics with the Keystone pipeline, slashing workweeks and take home pay under ObamaCare, or the EPA assaulting farmers and livestock producers, the President’s economic record only makes things worse for middle class Missourians.”
Once again, farmers and ranchers are scratching their heads about how the new CDL (commercial driver’s license) regulations will impact them when they transport livestock and crops to market.
John Schlageck writes for the Kansas Farm Bureau.
Kansas transportation regulations already impose an extensive array of documentation, testing, certification, inspection and record keeping on the trucking industry. These regulations are further complicated when farmers and stockmen operate their vehicles across state lines where other states may have different rules than Kansas.
Agricultural producers received help in July 2012 with the announcement of expanded exemptions from federal and state rules, says Mike Irvin, legislative counsel for Kansas Farm Bureau.
“Farmers and ranchers may be exempt from the requirements of commercial driver’s license drug testing, physical examination or hours of service regulations if their farm vehicles meet certain criteria,” Irvin says.
First, the vehicles must be operated by a farm or ranch owner, an employee or family member of the farmer.
Secondly, the vehicles must be used to transport agricultural products, machinery or supplies from a farm.
Third, farm or ranch vehicles cannot be operated for hire (hauling for others for compensation0.
Fourth, vehicles of 26,000 pounds or less can be operated anywhere in the United States.
Finally, farm or ranch vehicles, between 26,000-80,000 pounds can operate in Kansas and may also operate across state lines within 150 air miles of the farm or ranch.
All CDL holders must apply for medical self-certification with the Department of Revenues Driver’s License Agency when they receive, renew, upgrade or transfer their CDL no later than January 30 of each year, Irvin says.
Unfortunately, the manner, time, implications, and consequences of these proposals have made it difficult for farmers and ranchers to fully understand and participate.
“We believe extension of the certification process will help alleviate some of the fears farmers and ranchers are having over these requirements,” Irvin says.
John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas. He writes for the Kansas Farm Bureau.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A new report shows Missouri revenues are lagging behind growth projections as the state enters the final two months of its budget year.
State figures released Friday show revenues grew by 0.5 percent through April compared to the same point last year. Those numbers fall short of the 2.8 percent growth projected by Gov. Jay Nixon’s administration.
State Budget Director Linda Luebbering says collections are still on pace to meet initial targets set by the administration when crafting the operating budget last year. She added that spending restrictions on state agencies and programs are not planned at this time.
Missouri also repaid $350 million it had borrowed during the fiscal year, which began last July and ends on June 30.
NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials say a deadly virus from the Middle East has turned up for the first time in the U.S.
No details about the case have been released. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention planned a Friday afternoon briefing about the case.
The CDC says it is investigating along with health officials in Indiana.
Middle East respiratory syndrome — or MERS — first surfaced two years ago. Since then, at least 400 cases of the respiratory illness have been reported, and more than 100 people have died.
Saudi Arabia was been the center of the outbreak. All the victims have had ties to the Middle East or to someone who traveled there.
The virus has been found in camels, but officials don’t know how it is spreading to humans.
CARTHAGE, Mo. (AP) — A former southwest Missouri teacher’s aide pleaded not guilty to sex crimes involving a male student.
Forty-two-year-old Janice Lorene Rusk, of rural Carthage, entered the plea Wednesday to second-degree statutory rape and second-degree statutory sodomy. She remains free on $5,000 bond.
The Carthage Press reports that Rusk formerly was a teacher’s aide for special education students at Jasper High School.
Court records quote a Jasper County detective writing that he was called by state social services in March about incidents of sexual contact between Rusk and “several juvenile males.” The investigator said a male student told investigators he had sexual intercourse with her in December 2013.
SPRINGFIELD (AP) – Springfield police say they are investigating the deaths of man and woman in south Springfield as a double homicide.
Police were sent to check on 60-year-old Gary Tyrell and 61-year-old Jan Tyrell Thursday evening after relatives reported they had not been able to contact the couple. Officers found the victims dead inside their home.
Police say in a news release autopsies will be performed to determine how they died.
WASHINGTON – The Pentagon today released new figures that show increasing confidence in the military justice system from victims of sexual assault, as more survivors come forward to report such crimes, while a host of historic reforms continues to be implemented across the military. Former sex crimes prosecutor and U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill released the following response:
“These numbers show concrete progress as our recent sweeping reforms continue to take root and more victims have the confidence in the system to come out of the shadows and report these crimes. We know that the majority of survivors, both military and civilian, choose not to report their assaults-but this data suggests that the number of brave men and women in uniform choosing to pursue justice is increasing. Ultimately, one sexual assault is still one too many, so while these numbers represent progress, our fight is far from over.”
The FY13 SAPRO Annual Report shows a 50 percent increase in reports received from the previous year-this after reporting increased by less than 6 percent from FY11-FY12. Numbers have not yet been updated on rates of unwanted sexual contact in the military. A survey is being fielded in 2014 to update past-year prevalence rates of unwanted sexual contact and sexual harassment among troops.
McCaskill helped shape and pass historic legislation to curb sexual assault in the military as part of last year’s annual defense bill. McCaskill has proposed additional legislation that would continue to build on these historic reforms-cosponsored by Senators Kelly Ayotte and Deb Fischer-adding more provisions to protect and empower victims and increase reporting and prosecutions.
McCaskill recently heard directly from top Army officials about early successes of one newly-enacted reform in the military-the appointment of a Special Victims Counsel for victims who report an assault, to protect their rights and fight for their interests through the court-martial process. Of the major, historic reforms enacted last year to combat sexual assaults in the military, McCaskill has said that the Special Victims Counsel has made the military justice system one of “the most victim-friendly in the world.” Among those reforms:
Commanders have been stripped of the ability to overturn convictions, and will be held accountable under rigorous new standards.
Every victim who reports a sexual assault will get their own independent lawyer to protect their rights and fight for their interests – a reform that has no parallel in the civilian justice system.
Civilian review is now required if a commander decides against a prosecution in a sexual assault case when a prosecutor wants to go to trial.
Dishonorable discharge is now a required minimum sentence for anyone convicted of a sexual assault.
It is now a crime for any servicemember to retaliate against a victim who reports a sexual assault.
The pre-trial “Article 32” process, which came under scrutiny following a recent case at the Naval Academy, has been reformed to better protect victims.
And the statute of limitations in these cases has now been eliminated, a particularly important development in a sustained battle against sexual assaults
KANSAS CITY (AP) – Two teenagers are charged in what authorities say was an accidental shooting death of a Kansas City woman.
Jackson County authorities say 40-year-old Tina Castro died Tuesday after she was shot while sitting in a friend’s car.
The two suspects, both 16, were playing with guns in the back seat of the car. Investigators say one of the teenagers, a relative of Castro’s, touched a trigger of a gun and fired a single shot into her back. She died at the scene.
The Kansas City Star reports the teenagers have been charged as juveniles with involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Springfield will pay $225,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by advocates who wanted to reduce penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana.
The Springfield News-Leader reports the settlement is not final. It would release both parties from admitting fault in a controversy that began in 2012.
The advocates gathered enough signatures in 2012 to require a public vote to prohibit jail time for first- or second-time offenders caught with up to 35 grams of marijuana. Offenders would instead be subjected to fines, community service and/or drug education programs.
The city council approved the proposed changes during one meeting, then rescinded the action a few weeks later. That avoided a requirement to call for the public vote.
The city said Thursday it settled to end a costly lawsuit.
ATCHISON– A three car crash Friday evening sent six people to the hospital
