(AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts may be getting a primary challenge in his bid for re-election.

Milton Wolf is inviting supporters on his website to a “major announcement” Tuesday evening regarding the 2014 GOP Kansas Senate campaign.

The 42-year-old Johnson County doctor is expected to say he’s moving ahead with a GOP primary challenge to Roberts, who’s seeking a fourth six-year term in the U.S. Senate. No Democrat has announced plans to run.

Wolf is a political novice who says on his website that “career politicians” have failed. He could highlight the division playing out nationally among tea party conservatives and others in the Republican Party.

Roberts’ executive campaign manager Leroy Towns says Wolf has shown little willingness to talk about real issues.

 

Gov. Jay Nixon on Monday visited Fair Grove High School to recognize the school district and its students for their continued academic achievement and to discuss

his efforts to ensure every student in Missouri has access to a quality education.

“Investing in education is an investment in our economy, and it takes a committed community of educators, parents and local leaders to make sure our schools and students succeed,” Gov. Nixon said. “Here in Fair Grove, and throughout Greene County, quality public schools are preparing Missouri’s students to compete and win in the global economy.”

Recently, the Fair Grove R-10 School District scored a 93.9 percent on the 2013 Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) 2013 Annual Performance Report (APR). Additionally, the district’s attendance rate, graduation rate, and percentage of graduates going onto higher education are above the statewide average.

“We are very proud of the students, parents, teachers and staff of Fair Grove Schools for their commitment to learning and achievement,” said John Link, Superintendent. “This is a community that values and supports our public schools, and that support has played an important role in our students’ continued success. We want our graduates to be life-long learners, and we work to build that foundation of character every day here in our classrooms.”

The Governor also applauded Fair Grove High School for being a Missouri A+ designated school, which allows qualified students to apply for scholarships for two years of tuition and fees at any of Missouri’s community colleges. In January, Gov. Nixon set a goal of giving every student in the state the opportunity to earn an A+ Scholarship. Today, 99 percent of Missouri’s public high school students are eligible to earn A+ Scholarships.

“Education is simply the best economic development tool there is,” Gov. Nixon said. “That’s why we are continuing our commitment to holding down the costs of college tuition and investing in successful efforts like the A+ initiative, which makes it possible for more Missouri graduates to continue their learning and training beyond high school.”

Under the A+ program, Missouri students can earn a scholarship to cover the cost of tuition and academic fees for two years at any public two-year community college or technical school in the state. To be eligible for the program, students must meet academic achievement standards, conduct and attendance requirements, and perform 50 hours of tutoring or mentoring service.

Gov. Nixon has made public education in Missouri a top priority of his administration. Even during the height of the recession, Gov. Nixon worked across the aisle to balance the budget every year without raising taxes or making deep cuts to K-12 classrooms. Math and reading scores have increased on his watch and Missouri’s high school graduation rate is now the eighth highest in the nation. Over the past four years, Missouri has also led the nation in holding down tuition increases at its public colleges and universities.

According to the state party web site

Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Roy Temple: “If our Republican House members feel so strongly that this is some kind of special treatment, then they should voluntarily forfeit it today.”

On the seventh day of a Republican government shutdown, due to the US House majority demanding a dismantling of the Affordable Care Act before they fund basic services, Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Roy Temple issued a challenge to Representatives Ann Wagner, Blaine Luetkemeyer, Vicky Hartzler, Sam Graves, Billy Long, and Jason Smith: that they voluntarily forfeit their employer contributions to their health care plans – contributions they have lately labeled “special treatment.”

Under the Affordable Care Act, members of Congress and their staffs are the only people in the country required to leave their employer health care plans, and shop on the new health care exchanges set up by the law. In recent days, Republicans in the US House have justified their shutdown of the federal government by claiming that members of Congress and staff are getting “special treatment,” because they will continue to receive an employer contribution when they shop on the exchanges.
Most big employers across the country, both private and public, offer a contribution to help pay for the cost of insuring their employees. And staff for the Republican Senator who authored the Affordable Care Act amendment requiring Congress to give up their employer plans have confirmed that their intent was never to eliminate the employer contribution.

On Monday, Temple told Republicans to “put their money where their mouths are.”

“If these Republicans who have shut down essential services across Missouri really think it’s so immoral for someone to take an employer contribution for their health care, then they should never have accepted it to begin with – and they should decline their employer health coverage or return the value of their employer contribution to the U.S. Treasury today. It’s the height of hypocrisy to claim you’ve shut down the government because you want to get rid of ‘special treatment,’ and still accept that contribution all the same. So it’s time for them to put up, or shut up.”

Members of Congress can forfeit their employer contribution to their health care plans at any time.

While Republican House members have claimed repeatedly that Congress and staff are “exempt” from, or get “special treatment” under the Affordable Care Act, multiple news outlets have debunked those rumors as false:

 

The Kansas Department for Children and Families has decided to drop its participation in a federal grant program designed to help poor people apply for food-stamp benefits.

“We simply do not believe taxpayer dollars should be used to recruit people to be on welfare,” Theresa Freed, a spokesperson for DCF, wrote in an email to KHI News Service.

The decision, she said, was unrelated to the federal government shutdown.

The programs includes the Harvesters of Kansas City in the amount of $14,314.50 and 4 other programs in Kansas.

DCF has informed the programs of its decision.

Nationally, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) outreach grants are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by state welfare departments.

In Kansas, the grants have been administered by DCF and its predecessor, the former Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.

Today, nearly 320,000 Kansans — almost half of whom are children — receive SNAP benefits. The average per-person benefit is $122 per month.

Freed said South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming also have chosen not to participate in the program.

DCF’s decision, Freed said, was not meant to stop local charities from helping the poor to apply for SNAP benefits. Instead, she said, it only means their efforts will not be funded with state or federal dollars.

“DCF believes that encouraging people to sign up for welfare benefits is not consistent with our position that welfare should be used temporarily and serve as a bridge to employment and self-sufficiency,” Freed said.

DCF workers, she said, will be “happy” to help people who contact one of the agency’s service centers looking for help.

Snapp said Catholic Social Service will look for alternate sources of funding.

“Our plan is not to do anything different from what we’re doing now because we think what we’re doing is the morally right thing to do — and that’s helping people who are really struggling,” she said. “I understand that there are people out there who think these are people who choose not to work because they can get food stamps. But I have to say that’s not been our experience at all.”

Debi Kreutzman, director of community relations at the Kansas Food Bank, said the program also is looking for alternate funding.

“Charities can only do so much,” she said. “If we’re truly going to address food insecurity, SNAP outreach has to be part of the picture. Food pantries, commodity programs, soup kitchens…they’re just not enough.”

Marian Poe, director at the Rice County Communities that Serve, said she doubted the program would be able to offset to loss of the grant funding.

Poe said she laid herself off last week.

“As of right now, we have no paid employees. We’re all volunteers,” she said. “We’re having an emergency board meeting tonight to talk about this.”

Shannon Cotsoradis, executive director with the advocacy group Kansas Action for Children, blasted DCF’s action.

“I am deeply troubled by this decision,” she said. “Families with children that unexpectedly find themselves in difficult circumstances may not be aware that they are eligible for food assistance without outreach. This (decision) means more Kansas children will go hungry. Hungry kids not only suffer health-related consequences, but they are also less able to concentrate and learn in school. This policy decision will increase the likelihood that children living in poverty today will become tomorrow’s poor adults.” – KHI News

Congressman Sam Graves today reminded subscribers to his Twitter feed and followers of his on facebook  page, “While we work toward a solution to the shutdown, the House continues to pass a series of bipartisan bills to keep the government running and fund critical services, from veterans benefits to cancer research. I hope the Senate will join us in this effort.You can keep track of these bills here:

http://www.speaker.gov/senatemustact

(AP) — National Head Start Association officials say a donation of up to $10 million from two philanthropists will help keep Head Start programs running during the federal government shutdown.

NHSA officials said in a release Monday that Laura and John Arnold’s donation will help serve more than 7,000 at-risk children while the government shutdown continues.

Programs in Georgia, Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, South Carolina and Missouri were closed at the end of the first week of the shutdown. NHSA officials say the programs have been allocated federal funding, but administrators are blocked from accessing the money because of the stalemate in Washington.

National Head Start Association Executive Director Yasmina Vinci called the Arnolds’ donation selfless and says the program helps more than 27 million of America’s poorest children prepare for kindergarten.

4:55 p.m. (AP) — A Kansas City businessman who pleaded guilty more than three years ago to providing financial support to al-Qaida has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Khalid Ouazzani was sentenced in a Kansas City federal court Monday.

The 35-year-old had faced up to 65 years in prison for bank fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to support a terrorist group.

In his plea bargain, Ouazzani admitted making false claims to borrow money for a used auto parts business and wiring the proceeds to a bank in Dubai. That money was used to purchase an apartment that later sold for a $17,000 profit, which was given to al-Qaida. Ouazzani also admitted sending the terror group $6,500 from the sale of his business.

Prosecutors say Ouazzani swore an oath of allegiance to al-Qaida.

(AP) – A Kansas City man who pleaded guilty more than three years ago to providing financial support to al-Qaida is finally being sentenced in federal court.

Khalid Ouazzani could face up to 65 years in prison for bank fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to support a terrorist group. In his plea bargain, Ouazzani admitted making false claims to borrow money for a used auto parts business and wiring the proceeds to a bank in Dubai.

That money was used to purchase an apartment that later sold for a $17,000 profit, which was given to al-Qaida. Ouazzani also admitted sending $6,500 from the sale of his business to the terror group.

Prosecutors say Ouazzani also swore an oath of allegiance to al-Qaida. He is to be sentenced Monday afternoon in Kansas City.

(AP) — A Springfield woman whose doctors blame her infertility on her weight is appearing on the weight-loss reality show “The Biggest Loser.”

Marie Pearl has been married for six years and tried unsuccessfully to conceive for the past four years.

The senior staff accountant at Ozarks Technical Community College Pearl started out at 249 pounds. She can’t reveal how much weight she’s lost or how she fared on the NBC show. She says she’s struggled with her weight her entire life and said appearing on the show has been “life changing.”

The show’s latest season premieres Oct. 15 and finishes taping this month. The live finale is Feb. 4.