(AP) – Prominent Republicans from Missouri and Kansas are working to promote Kansas City’s effort to host the 2016 Republican National Convention.

A committee overseeing the project announced Monday that former Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, former Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri and Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri have signed on to support the project.

The Kansas City Star reports more prominent names are likely to be added to the group in the future.

Bond noted in a statement that Kansas City hosted the 1975 GOP convention. He says it would be great for the city to have the opportunity again.

(AP) – A former southwest Missouri school board member has withdrawn a guilty plea to a charge of possessing child pornography.

Former Sarcoxie School Board member John Lewis withdrew the plea after hiring new attorneys. The 67-year-old Lewis pleaded guilty in October in federal court and faced up to 10 years in prison. A federal judge allowed Lewis to withdraw the plea last week.

The Joplin Globe reports the end of the plea deal means Lewis will face a second count of receiving child pornography over the Internet. .

Investigators say they seized three computers and some electronic storage devices from Lewis’ home. They allegedly contained 19 multimedia files and 113 images of suspected child pornography.

AP) – It’s the end of the road for the Mother Road Marathon.

Citing increased costs and declining participation, the Joplin City Council on Monday night voted to end the marathon, which was tied to historic Route 66.

Only 572 people participated in the event this October, with most running the half-marathon and 5K run. The Joplin Globe reports the number of participants was 200 fewer than last year and 69 fewer than in 2011. The event debuted in 2010 with 1,657 runners.

Councilman Mike Woolston said the event cost more than $70,000 this year and generated only $35,582 from entry fees.

 The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) for food shows food-price inflation has slowed during 2013, including prices for meat and poultry. The CPI for all food increased by 1.3 percent from October 2012 to October 2013, and USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) projects an annual increase of 1.5 to 2.5 percent for all food prices and 1 to 2 percent for food-at-home prices. That would indicate a slightly smaller increase than we saw in 2012, and 2013 food-price inflation would drop below the 20-year historical average of 2.8 percent.

ERS notes that food prices during 2012 remained relatively flat in spite of severe drought over much of the country. Factors such as decreased exports of many U.S. agricultural products, a stronger U.S. dollar, low energy price inflation and decreased prices for commodities unaffected by the drought helped keep overall food-price inflation lower than expected.
Price inflation for meat, and specifically for beef and veal, also has moderated this year. The 12-month increase for beef and veal prices through October was 1.4 percent. ERS projects an annual increase of 2 to 3 percent for 2013, compared with 6.4 percent last year and 10.2 percent during 2011.

Pork prices increased 3.7 percent from October 2012 to October 2013, and ERS projects an annual increase of 0.5 to 1.5 percent for 2013, after increases of 0.3 percent in 2012 and 8.5 percent in 2011.
Poultry prices increased 5.1 percent over the past 12 months, and ERS projects an annual increase of 4 to 5 percent this year.

Dairy prices fell by 0.2 percent over the same 12-month period, and ERS projects an annual increase of 0 to 1 percent for 2013.
For 2014, ERS projects the indices for all food prices, food at home, food away from home and meat prices to increase by 2.5 to 3.5 percent. Of all the food categories listed, ERS projects the biggest 2014 increase in poultry prices, at 3 to 4 percent.–John Maday, Managing Editor, Drovers CattleNetwork

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announces that Little Willy’s has Recalled Hooded Sweatshirts Due to a Strangulation Hazard
The hoodies have drawstrings through the hood or neck which pose a strangulation hazard to young children. In February 1996, CPSC issued guidelines about drawstrings in children’s upper outerwear. In 1997, those guidelines were incorporated into a voluntary standard. Then, in July 2011, based on the guidelines and voluntary standard, CPSC issued a federal regulation.

This recall involves Little Willy’s brand children’s hooded sweatshirts sold in sizes XS (2 years), S (3 years), M (4-5 years), L (6-7 years), XL (8-9 years) and XXL (10 years). The cotton fleece sweatshirts were sold in two color patterns: dark grey with light grey stripes and a red hood, and purple with navy blue stripes and a green hood. The sweatshirt has an elbow patch on the right arm and the Little Willy logo on the front.

For more information call Little Willy’s collect at (212) 680-0107 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET Tuesday through Saturday, or online at www.littlewillys.com. In addition, consumers can email mr.wilcox@lordwillys.com

Consumers should stop using this product unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

(AP) — Texas Gov. Rick Perry and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott are among the scheduled speakers for the Kansas Republican Party’s annual convention in January.

The two-day event will be Jan. 24-25 in Wichita. Hundreds of GOP elected officials and party activists are expected to attend.

The Kansas GOP says Perry is scheduled to speak at a dinner Jan. 24. He has been governor of Texas since 2000 and ran unsuccessfully for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

Scott is the speaker for a Jan. 25 party gala. He has served in the U.S. Senate since late 2012 and is considered among its most conservative members.

Kansas Republicans schedule their annual convention each year on the Friday and Saturday nearest the Jan. 29 anniversary of the state’s 1861 admission to the union.

 

Cloud’s Meats, Inc. is voluntarily recalling beef and pork products possibly contaminated with E. coli. following positive test results for non-0157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STECs) in samples of items produced mid-November. The samples were taken during routine testing conducted by the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Inspection Program November 14 and analyzed by the Department’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Springfield.

The Jasper County meat processor is voluntarily recalling approximately 1450 pounds of meat, including ground beef and pork, sausage and steaks.

The recalled products are marked with the code “318” and labeled with Clouds Meats Inc. or Cloud’s Smoked Meats. Recalled items include 1052 pounds of ground beef, 158 pounds of pork sausage, 152 pounds of ground pork, and 96 pounds of Tenderized Minute Steak and Tenderized Round Steak.

Records indicate that the products above were not distributed for retail sale. However, anyone who may have the products listed above should return any unused portion to the business at 2013 S. Paradise Lane in Carthage.

Anyone concerned about an illness should contact their health care provider.

(AP) – A three-term state lawmaker has resigned from the Missouri House amid charges of stealing and campaign finance violations.

St. Louis County Democrat Steve Webb announced the resignation in a statement Monday as lawmakers opened a special session. Webb said he believes the criminal charges “will work themselves out,” but that he didn’t want his colleagues and constituents to be harmed by the distraction of his legal challenges.

Webb was charged in state court last month with one felony count of stealing by deceit. The charge alleges he solicited money on behalf of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus but transferred the money to himself.

He also faces seven misdemeanor charges of campaign finance violations, including mixing campaign contributions with personal funds.

(AP) – Some health care advocates are suing the state of Missouri over legal limits on the counselors enlisted to help consumers navigate the new online health insurance marketplace.

A new Missouri law requires insurance counselors to get state licenses to help online shoppers negotiate the federal insurance exchange. Missouri’s Republican-led Legislature opted against setting up a state-run exchange.

A lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Jefferson City says the state requirements “directly conflict” with the federal Affordable Care Act and place groups like the nonprofit St. Louis Effort for AIDs in an “untenable position.”

The plaintiffs include Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri; Missouri Jobs for Justice; former Democratic state lawmaker Jeanette Mott Oxford; and a Kansas City community organizer.