Stan Unruh – Page 805 – St. Joseph Post Archive

CDC: More States Reporting Widespread Flu

Posted on January 4, 2014January 4, 2014

Latest CDC Flu report -click for a closer look

The number of states reporting widespread seasonal flu activity jumped from 10 to 25 last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

Widespread activity was reported in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington state and Wyoming, according to the CDC’s weekly flu advisory report, covering the week ending December 28.

“Widespread” means that more than 50% of geographic regions in a state — counties, for example — are reporting flu activity. It addresses the spread of the flu, not its severity.

Two new pediatric flu deaths were reported to the CDC last week, according to the report. One was associated with the H1N1 virus; another was associated with an influenza A strain. Six pediatric flu deaths have been reported since September 29, according to the CDC.

Obama calls for restoring unemployment benefits

Posted on January 4, 2014

(AP) — President Barack Obama is urging Congress to reinstate jobless benefits for more than a million Americans.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama says the unemployment insurance is a “vital economic lifeline” for many people. And he says failure to reinstate the benefits will cause the economy to slow for all Americans.

A bipartisan proposal in the Senate would restore the benefits for three months. Obama says if lawmakers pass the measure, he will sign it.

Obama is due to return from vacation in Hawaii on Sunday.

Mississippi Congressman Gregg Harper delivered the Republican weekly address. He calls on the Senate to pass the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act. It seeks to boost funding for pediatric research at the National Institutes of Health.

The measure passed the House in December.

Snow in the forecast

Posted on January 4, 2014January 4, 2014

Light snow will spreads southeast this evening through early Sunday. Anticipated snow totals range from less than an inch in far NW MO to greater than 4 inches in central MO, with higher amounts possible to our south and east. Behind this system, very cold temperatures will begin spreading into the area, allowing wind chills to drop as low as -25 to -35 degrees F. Dangerously cold wind chills are expected from Sunday evening through early Tuesday morning.

Saturday night A chance of snow, mainly before 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 7. Wind chill values between -7 and 3. North wind 15 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Sunday Partly sunny and cold, with a high near 8. Wind chill values between -9 and -14. North northwest wind 16 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
Sunday Night Scattered flurries. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -10. Wind chill values between -21 and -31. Northwest wind 15 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Monday Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 1. West northwest wind 13 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around -7.

USDA: Changes coming to school lunches

Posted on January 4, 2014January 4, 2014

(AP) — The Agriculture Department says it’s making permanent rules that allow schools to serve larger portions of lean meat and whole grains in school lunches and other meals.

Guidelines restricting portion size were originally intended to combat childhood obesity, but many parents complained their kids weren’t getting enough to eat. School administrators say that rules establishing maximums on grains and meats are too limiting and make it difficult to plan daily meals.

The department eliminated limits and on meats and grains on a temporary basis more than a year ago. On Thursday officials made the rule change permanent.

The change was announced by Kevin Concannon, an undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services.

He says the department has delivered on its promise to give school nutritionists more flexibility in meal planning.

Komen sees big drop in contributions after dispute

Posted on January 4, 2014January 3, 2014

(AP) — Susan G. Komen for the Cure saw a drop of 22 percent in contributions in the year following the controversy over its decision, quickly reversed, to stop giving grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings.

Citing audited financial statements posted on its website this week, a spokeswoman for the Dallas-based breast cancer charity said contributions — including donations and corporate sponsorships — dropped from about $164 million from the fiscal year ending in March 2012 to $128 million in the year ending March 2013.

After news of the Planned Parenthood controversy broke in January 2012, several executives left and numbers fell at its fundraising Races for the Cure across the country.

Blast frigid air coming this way

Posted on January 4, 2014January 3, 2014

(AP) Winter is normally cold, but tundra-like temperatures are soon poised to deliver a rare and potentially dangerous sledgehammer blow to much of the Midwest, driving temperatures so far below zero that records will shatter.

One reason, according to one meteorologist, is a “polar vortex” that will send cold air piled up at the North Pole down to the U.S., funneling it as far south as the Gulf Coast.

Temperature records will likely be broken during the short, yet forceful deep freeze that will begin in many places on Sunday and extend into early next week.

Cities and states are taking precautions. Minnesota called off school for Monday, the first such closing in 17 years, because of projected highs in the minus teens and lows as cold as 30 below.

NWS: Winter Weather ADVISORY

Posted on January 4, 2014January 4, 2014

URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
1114 AM CST SAT JAN 4 2014

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW IN EFFECT FOR THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH SUNDAY…

LIGHT SNOW WILL GRADUALLY DEVELOP BEHIND A SOUTHEASTWARD MOVING
COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON…AND WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY AS IT
SPREADS SOUTHEAST THIS EVENING THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY. THE GREATEST
SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR BETWEEN 6 PM THIS
EVENING AND 3 AM SUNDAY MORNING. ANTICIPATED SNOW TOTALS RANGE
FROM AROUND 2 INCHES ACROSS THE KANSAS CITY METRO AREA… TO
AROUND 4 INCHES IN CENTRAL MISSOURI. A FEW ISOLATED LOCATIONS IN
CENTRAL MISSOURI MAY RECEIVE UP TO 5 INCHES OF TOTAL SNOW. IN
ADDITION…VERY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL SPREAD INTO THE AREA ON
SUNDAY…ALLOWING WIND CHILLS TO DROP INTO THE -10 TO -20 DEGREE
RANGE BY SUNDAY MORNING. MUCH COLDER WIND CHILLS IN THE -20 TO –
30 DEGREE RANGE ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY
BEHIND THIS SYSTEM.

ATCHISON KS-DE KALB-DAVIESS-GRUNDY-SULLIVAN-BUCHANAN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…ATCHISON…CAMERON…GALLATIN…
JAMESPORT…TRENTON…MILAN…GREEN CITY…ST. JOSEPH
1114 AM CST SAT JAN 4 2014

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
9 AM CST SUNDAY…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL HAS
ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM
3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 AM CST SUNDAY.

* TIMING…SNOW WILL DEVELOP BY MID AFTERNOON…AND SHOULD BEGIN TO
TAPER OFF BEFORE SUNRISE SUNDAY. THE HIGHEST SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS
ARE EXPECTED BETWEEN 6 PM THIS EVENING AND MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…1 TO 3 INCHES IS EXPECTED FROM ST. JOSEPH TO
MILAN.

* IMPACTS…SNOW WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES AND WILL CAUSE ROADS
AND OTHER EXPOSED SURFACES TO BECOME SNOWPACKED. BREEZY
NORTHERLY WINDS WILL ALSO RESULT IN MINOR BLOWING AND DRIFTING
OF SNOW.

* TEMPERATURES…FRIGID TEMPERATURES WILL SPREAD INTO THE AREA
LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY…AND WILL COMBINE WITH THE
NORTHERLY WINDS TO CREATE WIND CHILLS AS LOW AS 10 -TO -20
DEGREES BY SUNDAY MORNING. MUCH COLDER WIND CHILLS IN THE -20
TO 30 -DEGREE RANGE ARE EXPECTED BEHIND THIS SYSTEM FOR SUNDAY
NIGHT THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW…SLEET…OR
FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR
SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES…AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.

KC’s first 2014 homicide victim identified

Posted on January 3, 2014

(AP) A 40-year-old man has been identified as Kansas City’s first homicide victim of 2014.

Police issued a brief statement Friday naming Jose Medellin as the person found shot to death at an apartment building around 8 p.m. Wednesday. It’s not known if Medellin was a Kansas City resident.

Witnesses at the scene of the New Year’s night killing reported seeing two people running from the building.

Kansas City recorded 106 homicides in 2013.

Government moves to appeal surveillance ruling

Posted on January 3, 2014January 3, 2014

(AP) — Government lawyers are asking the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington to overturn a federal judge’s ruling that threatens the National Security Agency’s practice of collecting every Americans’ telephone records every day.

The Justice Department filed its notice of appeal Friday. Meanwhile, Larry Klayman, the opposing lawyer who spearheaded the case against the NSA said he will ask the appeals court to refer the case directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled last month that the NSA phone records program was likely unconstitutional, so the government’s appeal was expected. In a separate case, a district judge in New York last month upheld the NSA program as lawful. The ACLU, which lost that case, said this week it will appeal that case.

Police department loses dog to illness

Posted on January 3, 2014

(AP) Members of a northeast Kansas police department are mourning the loss of a four-legged colleague known for helping crack big cases and letting children pat his tummy.

The Atchison Police Department’s tracking and narcotics detection dog Bear died Wednesday of a terminal medical condition. The department says Bear died surrounded by fellow officers, and a private memorial service is planned next week.

Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson said Bear came to the department in January 2008 and worked with Cpl. John Ross.

The dog assisted the biggest methamphetamine and high grade marijuana seizure in department history. He also helped track down and apprehend a dangerous felon.

But Bear was also known for being gentle with schoolchildren, sitting patiently while they patted his belly.