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Mo. Democrat reconsidering support for GOP tax cut

Roorda
Roorda

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The lone Democrat to vote for a Missouri income tax cut says he is reconsidering his support because of concerns raised by Gov. Jay Nixon.

House member Jeff Roorda, of Barnhart, joined Republicans last week in voting to pass legislation that would gradually cut income taxes for individuals and many business owners.

 Nixon raised concerns Tuesday that the bill could eliminate taxes on all income over $9,000 and create a hole in the state budget.

Republican legislative leaders say that’s absurd. They’re vowing to try to override Nixon’s likely veto.

An override requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers. That means Republicans would have to vote as a block and get the support of at least one House Democrat.

Roorda says he wants more information before voting on the override.

Teen in Tuesday rollover crash

Missouri Highway Patrol  MHPA teenage driver was involved in a Tuesday  morning rollover crash in Andrew County

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1995 Chevy Monte Carlo driven by Kalyn E. Smith, 16, Bolckow was southbound on County Road 125 just south of Mo. 48.

The driver lost control causing the vehicle to skid and overturn in the roadway.

The MSHP reported Smith was properly restrained. She was evaluated by EMS on the scene and refused transport to the hospital.

Rape charges added in Missouri girl’s death

Craig Michael Woods
Craig Michael Woods

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A southwest Missouri youth football coach accused of kidnapping and killing a 10-year-old girl is now facing rape and sodomy charges.

Greene County prosecutors added the new charges against 46-year-old Craig Michael Wood of Springfield on Monday. Court documents indicate the additional charges in the February death of Hailey Owens stem from newly available autopsy results.

Hailey was abducted while walking home from her best friend’s house, just two blocks from her own home. Neighbors reported watching in horror and unsuccessfully giving chase as Hailey was pulled into a pickup truck that sped away.

She was found dead hours later in the basement of Wood’s home.

Wood is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday. His public defender says he plans to ask for a delay because of the new charges.

Streaming TV case before the Supreme Court

Screen Shot 2014-04-22 at 10.31.48 AM

MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up a dispute between broadcasters and an Internet startup company that has the potential to bring big changes to the television industry.

The company is Aereo Inc. and the justices are hearing arguments Tuesday over its service that gives subscribers in 11 U.S. cities access to television programs on their laptop computers, smartphones and other portable devices.

The broadcasters say Aero is essentially stealing their programming by taking free television signals from the airwaves and sending them over the Internet without paying redistribution fees. Those fees are increasingly important to the broadcasters and were estimated at $3.3 billion last year.

The case involving Internet innovation is the latest for justices who sometimes seem to struggle to stay abreast of technological change.

Kanas man dies in Tuesday morning rollover crash

fatal crashKANSAS CITY—A Kansas man died in a Tuesday morning crash in Wyandotte County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported Kevin M. Fisk, 60, Kansas City was driving a Mitsubishi Diamante southbound on I-635 at a high rate of speed at 2:35 a.m. The vehicle left the road as he was negotiating a right hand curve.

Fisk overcorrected and the vehicle went off right side of road and overturned numerous times.

Fisk was pronounced dead at the scene.

A passenger in the vehicle Robert Marquez, 35, Olathe was transported to KU Medical Center.

The KHP reported Fisk was not wearing seat belt.

KC police say body found in pickup

Police Body found MurderKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police are investigating after a body was found in a pickup truck that was submerged at an apartment complex.

The department’s underwater rescue team found the body in the truck Monday evening at the Willow Lake complex in northern Kansas City.

 Police did not release details on the gender or age of the body, or if foul play is suspected.

Mo. woman injured in 5-vehicle I-70 crash

westbound traffic on I-70 backed up about a mile Monday afternoon.
westbound traffic on I-70 backed up about a mile Monday afternoon.

SALINA–Two people were injured in Monday afternoon’s 5 vehicle I-70 crash 15 miles west of Salina.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a large grass fire was burning north of the Interstate causing smoke to blow across the highway and there was zero visibility.  The smoke caused traffic to slow and the chain reaction 5-vehicle accident.

Brooke Elizabeth Prine, 29 Derby and Janet Leigh Gibbs, 54, Independence, Mo., were transported to Salina Regional Medical Center for treatment.

The KHP reported all were wearing seat belts.

 

Kelley Commons Dedication Thursday at MWSU

Screen Shot 2014-04-22 at 7.18.01 AMStudents at Missouri Western State University have a new place to gather on campus, thanks to the generosity of a local family. Kelley Commons, a beautiful outdoor patio just outside the Blum Student Union, will be dedicated at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24.

Kelley Commons features a large patio area with tables and chairs, a stage, a grassy area and large black and gold sails to provide shade. Inside the Blum Union, adjacent to the patio, is a new Java City, which was provided by Aramark Campus Dining. Java City will be giving out free samples before the dedication ceremony, from 3 to 3:30 p.m.

“The union is often seen as the living room on a campus, and we want Kelley Commons to be a welcoming space,” said Shana Meyer, vice president for student affairs. “We want it to be a place for students to congregate and visit with friends or work on class projects together. These spaces help build community, and that’s a lot of what Missouri Western is about.”

Kelley Commons is named for the Kelley family: parents Jean Kelley and the late James Kelley; children Jeanie Grahl ’72, Molly Pierce ’77 and Chris Kelley ’86 and his wife, Kelly. In 2007 the family donated the funds to create University Plaza, which includes the 10’ bronze Griffon statue and fountain near Kelley Commons.

“It was a natural extension of the plaza, and we are very happy with the results,” Pierce said.

“This is something my mother loves,” Grahl added. “And my father would have loved sitting on the patio watching students.”

The Kelley family donated most of the money for the project. The Student Government Association contributed furniture for the Kelley Commons and the Blum Union lobby, Aramark built the new coffee bar, and Zack Workman ’74, owner of Lawns Unlimited Inc., donated landscaping and dirt work for the new space.

 

Nixon to discuss Mo. tax cut measure today

NixonJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is ready to follow through on his criticism of a tax-cut plan passed by the Legislature.

Nixon has scheduled news conferences Tuesday in Kansas City, Springfield and Jefferson City to announce his action on the legislation that could eventually cut state income taxes by an estimated $620 million annually.

 Shortly after lawmakers passed the bill last week, the Democratic governor indicated that he likely would veto the legislation.

Republican legislative leaders already are gearing up to try to override Nixon’s veto before their annual session ends May 16.

A veto override requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers

Former bank worker admits embezzlement

embezzlementWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A southeast Kansas woman will be sentenced in July for stealing more than $180,000 from a bank where she worked.

The U.S. Attorney’s office says 42-year-old Erie resident Sherrie Landell pleaded guilty Monday to one count of embezzlement by a bank employee.

Landell worked at a branch of Exchange State Bank in the Neosho County town of St. Paul. She maintained the bank’s general ledger account and an account designated for accounts receivable on certificates of deposit.

She admitted stealing interest due on the certificates of deposit and other funds, then altering the bank’s records to hide her crime.

Landell began the embezzlement in 2007. The scheme was uncovered by a regulatory exam and independent audit in 2013.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 14 in federal court in Wichita.

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