The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Missouri soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Spc. Sterling W. Wyatt, 21, of Columbia, Mo., died July 11, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. The Pentagon says his vehicle was attacked with an enemy improvised explosive device.

Wyatt was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Next of kin have been notified.  There have been no announcements regarding funeral services.

Wyatt joined the Army in November 2010 and arrived at the Washington state base south of Seattle in March 2011.  Wyatt deployed to Afghanistan last December. This was his first deployment.

 

Governor Jay Nixon on Thursday signed 12 bills into law and vetoed ten bills.

Nixon signed House Bill 1563, which expands the number of trained professionals providing autism therapy in Missouri.

House Bill 1563 establishes a procedure for provisional licensure of professionals.

The governor vetoed a measure that would allow insurance companies the right to deny coverage for contraception, which Nixon said would take that authority away from women, families and employers.

The Republican-controlled General Assembly passed the bill that would have banned mandatory insurance coverage of birth control, contraception, abortion and sterilization for anyone with religious or moral objections.

Nixon, a Democrat, said the bill could have also allowed insurers to deny contraception to women who want it. He said that it was a step backward for Missouri, and said it would set a dangerous precedent for the future and other types of health care services.

Nixon says he prefers letting families make those decisions, and says insurance companies should not have the power to overrule that right.

Nixon also vetoed HB 1329, which Nixon says would have imposed a new car tax on Missourians, without a vote of the people.  The Missouri Supreme Court earlier this year ruled that voters have the right to decide whether local jurisdictions impose a use tax on vehicles purchased out-of-state. More than 90 cities – and 40 counties – in Missouri have voted to enact such a tax. He says HB 1329 directly conflicts with that ruling, He says in jurisdictions that have voted against such a tax, this bill would impose a new tax in direct conflict with the will of the voters.

Here’s a list of the bills signed into law Thursday:
SB 470, concerning transportation;
SB 568, concerning transportation;
SB 636, concerning the judiciary;
SB 719, concerning public safety;
HB 1036, concerning ballot emblems;
HB 1103, concerning real estate;
HB 1105, concerning the state militia;
HB 1308, concerning pledged securities;
HB 1460, concerning the Court Automation Fund;
HB 1495, concerning the reporting of insurance fraud; and
HB 1909, concerning aviation

Here’s the list of bills the governor vetoed:
SB 566, concerning vaccination of pets;
SB 569, concerning elections;
SB 607, concerning outdoor advertising;
SB 635, concerning banking;
SB 715, concerning the state militia;
SB 749, concerning health care;
SB 837, concerning franchise alcohol suppliers;
HB 1250, concerning elections;
HB 1329, concerning motor vehicles; and
HB 1758, concerning parental relationships

You can find out more about each bill here.

 

Drought is now severe in half of Northwest Missouri according to the lastest US Drought Monitor. The new map shows the rest of northwest Missouri has moderate drought, except for a narrow strip along the Iowa state line that is just abnormally dry.

For the first time this year the map shows that all of Missouri is at least abnormally dry. More than 70 of the state has severe drought, and almost 10 percent — in the bootheel — has extreme drought. Register any disagreements with the Drought Impact Reporter here.

A St.Joseph man has been arrested and charged after allegedly forcing another man at gunpoint to give him a ride.

Commander Jim Connors of the St Joseph Police Department says Vincent Green, 29, is charged with robbery in the first degree.

Connors say the victim, a 37-year-old St Joe man, reported walking to his vehicle on St Joseph Avenue on Tuesday July 7.

The victim says he was approached by a man who produced a handgun and said the victim was “about to have a bad day.”

The assailant told the victim he wanted a ride to see his son at 22nd and Jules. The victim says he complied.

Detective Paul Gatewood headed the investigation and was able to get the subject identified. He was arrested Wednesday and is now being held in lieu of $25 thousand bond.

Arraignment is scheduled Tuesday, July 17.

After nearly five years, Maryville officials have hired an assistant city manager.

Ryan Heiland of Iowa was announced this week as the new assistant city manager, a position that’s been vacant since 2007.

When City Manager Greg McDanel took over, he announced the city would hire a new assistant city manager this year.

Heiland was one of more than 70 applicants for the position. Heiland is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State and currently serves as a project manager for an Iowa construction company.

He’s worked for city governments in Iowa and in Arizona as well. He starts August 6^th.

 

 

 

 
USDA Announces Streamlined Disaster Designation Process with Lower Emergency Loan Rates and Greater CRP Flexibility in Disaster Areas

 
Mix of Discretionary Tools and Process Improvements Will Help Producers Suffering Effects of Extreme Weather

 
WASHINGTON, July 11, 2012—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a package of program improvements that will deliver faster and more flexible assistance to farmers and ranchers devastated by natural disasters. Vilsack announced three significant improvements to decades-old USDA programs and processes related to Secretarial disaster designations: a final rule that simplifies the process for Secretarial disaster designations and will result in a 40 percent reduction in processing time for most counties affected by disasters; a reduced interest rate for emergency loans that effectively lowers the current rate from 3.75 percent to 2.25 percent; and a payment reduction on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands qualified for emergency haying and grazing in 2012, from 25 to 10 percent.
“Agriculture remains a bright spot in our nation’s economy and it is increasingly important that USDA has the tools to act quickly and deliver assistance to farmers and ranchers when they need it most,” said Vilsack. “By amending the Secretarial disaster designation, we’re creating a more efficient and effective process. And by delivering lower interest rates on emergency loans and providing greater flexibility for haying and grazing on CRP lands, we’re keeping more farmers in business and supporting our rural American communities through difficult times. With these improvements, we’re also telling American producers that USDA stands with you and your communities when severe weather and natural disasters threaten to disrupt your livelihood.”
A natural disaster designation makes all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency loans. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to designate disaster counties to make disaster assistance programs available to farmers and ranchers. Previous to these changes, the process had been in place for more than two decades and regulations had not been substantively revised since 1988.
The final rule for Secretarial disaster designations is amended as follows:
Nearly automatically qualifies a disaster county once it is categorized by the U.S. Drought Monitor as a severe drought for eight consecutive weeks during the growing season. Effective July 12, 1,016 primary counties in 26 states will be designated as natural disaster areas, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met.
Streamlines the USDA Secretarial designation process, which is expected to provide better service to farmers and ranchers by reducing by approximately 40 percent the amount of time required for designating a disaster area.
Removes the requirement that a request for a disaster designation be initiated by a state governor or Indian tribal council, increasing the likelihood that counties will be covered. Indian tribal councils and governors may still submit a request for a designation, but it will not be required in order to initiate a disaster declaration.
The same criteria currently being used for triggering a disaster designation will apply: a county must either show a 30 percent production loss of at least one crop countywide, or a decision must be made by surveying producers to determine that other lending institutions are not able to provide emergency financing.
During times of need, USDA has historically responded to disasters across the country by providing direct support, disaster assistance, technical assistance, and access to credit. USDA’s low-interest emergency loans have helped producers recover from losses due to drought, flooding and other natural disasters for decades. While the current emergency loan interest rate was set in 1993 at 3.75 percent, commercial farm loan and other FSA farm loan interest rates have since been reduced without a corresponding reduction in the emergency loan rate. By reducing the interest rates to 2.25 percent, emergency loans immediately come into line with other rates in the marketplace and provide a much-needed resource for producers hoping to recover from production and physical losses associated with natural disasters.
As part of ongoing efforts to provide greater flexibility in service to American agriculture, USDA also announced that the annual rental payment by producers on CRP acres used for emergency haying or grazing will be reduced to 10 percent in 2012, instead of 25 percent, in response to the seriousness of the drought gripping large portions of the United States.
USDA encourages all farmers and ranchers to contact their crop insurance companies and local USDA Farm Service Agency Service Centers, as applicable, to report damages to crops or livestock loss. In addition, USDA reminds livestock producers to keep thorough records of losses, including additional expenses for such things as food purchased due to lost supplies. More information about federal crop insurance may be found at www.rma.usda.gov. Additional resources to help farmers and ranchers deal with flooding may be found at http://www.usda.gov/disaster.
The Obama Administration, with Agriculture Secretary Vilsack’s leadership, has worked tirelessly to strengthen rural America, maintain a strong farm safety net, and create opportunities for America’s farmers and ranchers. U.S. agriculture is currently experiencing one of its most productive periods in American history thanks to the productivity, resiliency, and resourcefulness of our producers. A strong farm safety net is important to sustain the success of American agriculture. USDA’s crop insurance program currently insures 264 million acres, 1.14 million policies, and $110 billion worth of liability on about 500,000 farms. In response to tighter financial markets, USDA has expanded the availability of farm credit, helping struggling farmers refinance loans. In the past 3 years, USDA provided 103,000 loans to family farmers totaling $14.6 billion. Over 50 percent of the loans went to beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

 

Police are investigating after multiple gunshots were fired in midtown Saint Joseph early this morning, damaging one vehicle. Officers responded just after midnight when shots were reported in the 600 or 700 block of South 21st Street. Investigators found evidence that shots had been fired, and officers found bullet damage to a parked car in the 600 block of South 22nd Street. No injuries were reported and no arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to call police or the TIPS Hotline at 238.TIPS.

 

Police are investigating after multiple gunshots were fired in midtown Saint Joseph early this morning, damaging one vehicle. Officers responded just after midnight when shots were reported in the 600 or 700 block of South 21st Street. Investigators found evidence that shots had been fired, and officers found bullet damage to a parked car in the 600 block of South 22nd Street. No injuries were reported and no arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to call police or the TIPS Hotline at 238.TIPS.