(AP) — A 41-year-old Independence man has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of his 35-year-old girlfriend.

Russell McQueen Arndt was arrested early Monday in the death of Rebecca Ann Whittley.

Montgomery County prosecutor Larry Markle says the stabbing death occurred sometime over the weekend, but Whittley’s body wasn’t found until 2:30 a.m. Monday when officers went to the couple’s home to check on her.

Earlier that night Arndt was picked up in the northern part of the county and told deputies his girlfriend may have been injured at their residence.

Arndt was being held on $1 million bond. The Southeast Kansas Public Defender’s office has been appointed to represent him, but nobody was available Tuesday to discuss his case.

 

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement today regarding his opposition to the confirmation of Janet Yellen as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve:

“As a member of the Senate Banking Committee, I had the opportunity to ask Dr. Yellen direct questions about her views of our monetary policy. Her answers did nothing to alleviate my concerns about current Federal Reserve policies, including quantitative easing. For five years, the Fed’s asset-purchasing program has masked the true size of our deficit and made it easier for Washington to spend money it does not have. While it has been good for Wall Street, Main Street has been left with limited credit, a higher cost of living, and a lack of job opportunities. We cannot continue on this path without regard to the consequences; massive inflation is around the corner.

“I also remain unconvinced that Dr. Yellen will provide the leadership needed to relieve the regulatory burden on community banks, which play an important role in our financial system. Federal regulators continually fail to take into account the unique characteristics of community banks when rulemaking.

“A new direction is necessary. Unfortunately, Dr. Yellen’s nomination demonstrated a commitment to the status quo. With that in mind, I voted against advancing the nomination out of the Senate Banking Committee and was opposed to the final confirmation.”

Two people were injured in a Tuesday morning accident in Wyandotte County.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol thirty-year old Cherie L. Williams of Kansas City was driving a 2007 Buick Eastbound on I-70 just west of the Mo. State line in the #4 lane.

Williams stopped the vehicle and it was rear ended by a 1993 Honda driven by eighteen-year-old Jesus Malso Flores-Acevedo Jesus of Kansas City. Williams was transported to Shawnee Mission Medical Center.  Flores-Acevedo was transported to Truman Medical Center. Both were wearing seat belts.

(AP) — A Kansas City woman has pleaded guilty to abusing her 10-year-old daughter who was found in a locked closet in 2012.

The woman entered the plea Tuesday to felony child abuse, child endangerment and assault charges. The Associated Press is not naming her to protect the child’s identity. The woman will be sentenced April 25 and prosecutors have agreed to seek a prison sentence of no more than 20 years.

The girl weighed just 32 pounds when she was found in a urine-soaked closet. She told authorities that she hadn’t been allowed to eat for days and hadn’t attended school since kindergarten.

The  woman told a judge Monday she was pleading guilty because she believes the state’s case is strong enough to convict her.

By John Schlageck, Kansas Farm Bureau

With the advent of the New Year, Kansas farmers and ranchers must once again look to the future with an open mind and the flexibility to develop new ways of marketing their products.

Customers and consumers are driven by changes in personal preferences and increased income levels. “Give consumers what they want” will never ring truer than it will in 2014.

Today’s consumers have money and they want to spend it on what they want. Convenience also is very important, and while price is less important, it will still be a major piece of the buying equation.

Our future agricultural economy will continue to be driven by consumer demand. Consumers become wiser, and savvier every day. Tomorrow’s well-informed shopper will want, and demand, more information about how and where their food is produced. It will be up to the producer to help provide such information.

Consumers must never be viewed as adversaries. They are the folks who buy agricultural products and keep farmers in the business of producing food, fiber and fuel.

We can never discount consumers’ intelligence. Rather, we must seek input from them, and, once we understand what their needs are, provide for them.

Along with giving customers what they want, agricultural producers will be once again be called upon to become better risk managers, especially as they continue moving into a market-oriented world arena.

The successful farmer in 2014 and beyond will be the one who manages yield and price risks by knowing exactly what break-even costs of each crop will be. They will incorporate specific goals that ensure profits and include prudent risk-management strategies.

Flexibility will also key future success on the farm and in the market place. One day soon farmers will no longer be able to rely on government disaster relief. Farmers must examine sound, new marketing techniques and the latest crop insurance options coming down the pike.

One attribute many farmers share is common sense. Don’t forget to use this vital tool during the upcoming year.

Remember, that past performance never guarantees future success. Avoid greed when marketing. Never wait to sell at the top of the market because you rarely will.

If something sounds too good to be true – it generally is. Always, and this means all the time, explain risk strategies you are considering to your spouse or partner. If they cannot reiterate what you have said and have it make sense, then you may want to reconsider.

While relying on common sense is helpful, it will not always make you a successful farmer. Being thought of as a good farmer will not always ensure profitability either. But, becoming a keener business specialist is a prerequisite to continuing in the profession of farming in the New Year while providing customers what they want.

John Schlageck is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas. Born and raised on a diversified farm in northwestern Kansas, his writing reflects a lifetime of experience, knowledge and passion.

(AP) — Legislation to renew jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed has cleared an initial Senate hurdle, but the bill’s fate remains in doubt.

The vote Tuesday was 60-37 to limit debate on the legislation, with a half-dozen Republicans siding with the Democrats.

At the same time, Senate Republicans served notice they would attempt to change the measure so the $6.4 billion cost would not add to deficits — a step that Democrats have so far rejected.

As drafted, the bill would restore between 14 weeks and 47 weeks of benefits averaging $256 weekly to an estimated 1.3 million long-term jobless who were affected when the program expired Dec. 28. Without action by Congress, thousands more each week would feel the impact as their state-funded benefits expire, generally after 26 weeks.

 

(AP) — An alert newspaper delivery driver is credited with saving a former suburban Kansas City mayor after hearing the man’s cries for help in the pre-dawn darkness of one of the coldest mornings in decades.

Jeff Stockwell was delivering in Shawnee, Kan., at 3:30 a.m. Monday when he heard what sounded like the wail of a cat trying to get indoors. He says the sound registered as strange the next time he heard it, so he got out of his vehicle and found 77-year-old former Shawnee Mayor Tony Soetaert leaning against a vehicle in his open garage.

Stockwell says Soetaert thought he had been there about an hour. He was taken to a hospital in stable condition and kept overnight Monday as a precaution.

 

Gov. Jay Nixon has appointed Dr. John A. Martin, of Kansas City, to the State Board of Education. Dr. Martin served for 16 years as superintendent of the Grandview Schools from 1990 to 2006. He then was deputy superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools from 2006 to 2007 and most recently served as the interim superintendent of the Kansas City, Missouri Public Schools in 2008.

Nixon also appointed Joe Driskill to a term expiring in July 2021. Driskill, a Democrat, led the Department of Economic Development from 1993 to 2003. He’s also a former Missouri House member.

Prior to the Grandview position, Dr. Martin was an administrator in the Montgomery County (Va.) Schools, and a teacher and administrator in the School District of University City. Dr. Martin, a Democrat, obtained his bachelor’s degree in education from Harris Teachers’ College (now Harris-Stowe State University) and his master’s degree in education from Washington University, and his doctorate in education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The Governor has appointed him for a term ending July 1, 2014.

The State Board of Education sets accreditation standards for local school districts, including minimum high school graduation standards and basic requirements for curriculum, staffing and student testing; establishes academic performance standards for public schools; sets education and certification requirements for all professional personnel in public schools (teachers, administrators, librarians, counselors); approves professional education programs in the state’s community colleges and four-year colleges and universities, both public and private; and establishes regulations and administrative requirements for the distribution of state and federal funds to school districts.

 

(AP) — Nebraska education officials intend to devise a new way to score public schools so they can get the help they need to improve.

The Education Department will be holding schools accountable for student achievement by combining what are now numerous rankings into just a few classifications.

On Monday the officials told Nebraska State Board of Education members that the new system will assign points to numerous measures, including graduation rate, test scores and improvement. Those points will be added together to come up with one score for each school. The score would be used to place each school and district in one of several classifications, from highest-performing to lowest-performing schools.

 

The Joovy Zoom car seat adaptor is being recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The adaptor was sold between May 2012 and August 2013 for about $25. The clips on the stroller frame can come loose, making them unsafe and children might fall.

No one has been injured by this, but nine incidents of trouble have been reported to the CPSC. A repair kit is available from Joovy.