During a hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation this past week, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) questioned Eric Spiegel of Seimens Corporation and Dr. Terry Brewer of Rolla, Missouri-based Brewer Science regarding the role of manufacturing hubs in the 21st century.

Blunt also discussed the bill he introduced with U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (Ohio), S. 1468, the “Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act,” which would establish a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation Centers to position the United States as the global leader in advanced manufacturing.

(AP)  Missouri Southern State University is moving ahead with plans to build a $2 million storm shelter and a new residence hall on its campus in Joplin.

The MSSU governing board on Friday advanced plans for the storm shelter and the new dorm.

Funding for the shelter will come from a grant of approximately $1.26 million from FEMA, Yust said. The board on Friday authorized an additional $800,000 from its cash reserves for costs not covered by the grant.

An EF-5 tornado hit Joplin on May 22, 2011, demolishing a broad swath of the city and killing 161 people.

The 74,000-square-foot, three-story residence hall will be built near the existing residence halls and will add about 200 beds that will be arranged in four-person suites. Each suite will share a kitchen, living quarters, bathroom and showers, and a balcony.

Funding for the residence hall will come from bonds issued by Missouri Southern in the amount of $14 million, excluding issuance costs.

(AP) Two Kansas City duplexes have been demolished after the steep slope on which they were built began to give way.
The  demolition work began Friday. City spokesman Chris Hernandez says all required inspections and professional engineering students were completed before they were built in 2011.

Although the area was determined to be a safe place to build, the development’s owner, Falcon Falls LLC, noticed the ground moving this week and requested a demolition permit.
Hernandez says city officials investigated Tuesday and agreed the buildings needed to come down.
The duplexes were vacant when the problem was discovered, but a family living in an adjacent duplex moved as a precaution.

 (AP) — A Saline County judge has suspended a prison sentence for a 32-year-old Kansas City rap artist convicted of shooting a man in Salina.

Judge Patrick Thompson on Friday suspended Reginald “Dalima” Easterwood’s 13-month prison sentence for one felony count of aggravated battery in the June shooting.

The judge imposed 60 days in jail as part of Easterwood’s two years of Community Corrections-supervised probation. Easterwood had no prior felonies.

Thompson also ordered Easterwood to register as a violent offender for 15 years, undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation, and pay about $20,000 in restitution for medical bills for the victim.

Thompson said it was more important to allow Easterwood to continue working to pay off the restitution and support his family than send him to prison.

Kansas City police have been issuing considerably fewer citations since the department swapped paper ticket books for electronic devices.

Citations have been down more than 30 percent since the department starting using an e-ticketing system in August 2011. Citations now total about 175,000 tickets per year, compared with more than 260,000 tickets issued in 2010.

Other changes have also contributed the drop, including staff reductions and the police department’s philosophy of issuing warnings, rather than zero-tolerance enforcement, Pruetting and others said.

But the technology upgrade is a major factor. The department has been struggling since August 2011 to work out the technological bugs in the $6 million conversion.

For officers, trying to issue a speeding or careless driving ticket can be difficult because they relay data using a hand-held device or mobile car device, and connectivity remains a constant challenge. Officers frequently start writing a ticket but find they can’t get a cell connection, said Maj. Greg Volker, the information systems commander.

The department has been working with Sprint, and connectivity has gotten better over time, but it isn’t solved.

Sprint spokeswoman Melinda Tiemeyer told the newspaper that the company is making a lot of progress with its 3G network and with its 4G, or fourth-generation, technology build out in Kansas City and will continue to work on upgrades.

“We expect Kansas City to be largely completed by the end of the year,” she said. “Customers will continue to see improvement in coverage over time as we continue to roll out.”

This week,  Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) and Ranking Member Nick J. Rahall, II (D-WV) issued the following statements after House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) named the members selected to serve on the House-Senate conference committee tasked with resolving the differences between the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (H.R. 3080) and the Senate’s version of the water resources legislation.
“This is an excellent team of knowledgeable, thoughtful, and hard-working Members of Congress,” Shuster said. “I look forward to their valuable input as we work towards a fiscally responsible final measure that improves our economic competitiveness and helps promote job growth through strengthening our water resources infrastructure.”
“One of the key concerns I heard at the August field hearing was with the way the Corps currently acquires land,” Rep. Graves noted, citing House Small Business Committee hearing in St. Joseph in August seeking input from stakeholders regarding the management of the Missouri River.  “The Corps should not needlessly buy up land without having an express purpose for doing so.  This is a longstanding problem that Congressman Luetkemeyer and I have worked together to solve for several years, and which is addressed in this bill.”

On October 23rd, the House overwhelmingly (417 to 3) approved the bipartisan H.R. 3080 that cuts federal red tape and bureaucracy, streamlines the infrastructure project delivery process, fosters fiscal responsibility, and strengthens our water transportation networks to promote America’s competitiveness, prosperity, and economic growth.

Once the conference committee agrees to a final measure, the House and Senate must approve the conference report before it can be sent to the President for his signature.

The following Members were named to the conference committee:

Republicans:

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee:

Bill Shuster (PA)
John J. Duncan, Jr. (TN)
Frank LoBiondo (NJ)
Sam Graves (MO)
Shelley Moore Capito (WV)
Candice Miller (MI)
Duncan Hunter (CA)
Larry Bucshon (IN)
Bob Gibbs (OH)
Richard Hanna (NY)
Daniel Webster (FL)
Tom Rice (SC)
Markwayne Mullin (OK)
Rodney Davis (IL)

House Natural Resources Committee:

Doc Hastings (WA)
Rob Bishop (UT)

Democrats:

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee:

Nick J. Rahall, II (WV)
Peter DeFazio (OR)
Corrine Brown (FL)
Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX)
Tim Bishop (NY)
Donna Edwards (MD)
John Garamendi (CA)
Janice Hahn (CA)
Rick Nolan (MN)
Lois Frankel (FL)
Cheri Bustos (IL)

House Natural Resources Committee:

Grace Napolitano (CA)

The average cost to feed an extended family of 10 is 44 cents lower than a year earlier and remains less than $5 per serving with plenty of leftovers.
The 2013 Thanksgiving dinner cost according to the American Farm Bureau Federation is $49.04, lower than 2012 and 2011, but $5.57 higher than the 2010 average cost.

The average was calculated by the Farm Bureau for the 28th consecutive year. This year’s survey of 167 Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers across 34 states doesn’t account for coupons, sales or other purchase deals which could make the meal even more affordable.
The entire shopping list includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and beverages of coffee and milk. The most expensive grocery item is the 16-pound turkey, all of the remaining items were less than $4 each.
The price of the turkey showed the largest change, falling 47 cents compared to 2012. The price of sweet potatoes increased by the largest amount, up 21 cents compared to the previous year. Whole milk was also more expensive this year as the average price for a gallon increased 7 cents to $3.66.
“This year we can be thankful that Thanksgiving Dinner, a special meal many of us look forward to all year, will not take a bigger bite out of our wallets,” said John Anderson, AFBF’s deputy chief economist. “Most Americans will pay about the same as last year at the grocery store for a turkey and all the trimmings. Slightly higher turkey production for much of the year coupled with an increase in birds in cold storage may be responsible for the moderate price decrease our shoppers reported,” he said.
Anderson added food prices have remained relatively stable over the past few years, especially when inflation is considered.
Ordering a ready-to-eat meal for the big holiday moves the total cost higher. The Farm Bureau estimates the same meal prepared by a supermarket or take-out restaurant will cost between $50 and $75. According to the National Restaurant Association there will be roughly 16 million people picking up some take-out items for the holiday meal.
Don’t feel like hosting Thanksgiving dinner? The National Restaurant Association reports more 14 million Americans will eat their Thanksgiving meal at a restaurant. The NRA listed more time with family and avoiding stress as reasons for the take-out and restaurant options.
Using organic ingredients is likely to cost you considerably more. A 2011 report comparing a non-organic Thanksgiving dinner with an organic version for eight people found the organic option was $126.35 more expensive.–Brett Wessler, Staff Writer, Drover’s Cattle Network

(AP) — The Obama administration wants to reduce the amount of ethanol in the nation’s fuel supply, acknowledging the biofuel law championed by both parties in 2007 is not working as well as expected.

The new proposal announced Friday is unlikely to mean much for consumers at the pump. It could, however, cut into farmers’ profits for corn, the primary ethanol source.

The change would require almost 3 billion fewer gallons of biofuel to be blended into gasoline in 2014 than the law mandates.

Since 2007, people are driving less and fuel economy has improved. Meanwhile, next-generation biofuels have not taken off as expected.

Under current plans, the amount of biofuel required would generate more ethanol than many engines can safely handle.

The oil industry lobbied hard for the reduction.