A student from the Lathrop school district has won the Northwest Regional Title in the Poetry Out Loud competition.

Nick Eldredge goes on to the state competition March 21 in Jefferson City, and hopefully to the National Finals in Washington, DC.

Four students from Northwest Missouri including Eldredge, Kristin Hall (home school), Megan Render (Lafayette High School), and Suncirae Merritt from North Daviess R-III competed in the regional finals hosted by the Allied Arts Council on February 28.

The first runner-up was Megan Render from Lafayette.

Judges Simon Barbosa, Cathy Ketter, Ann Weston and Cheryl Wood presided over the competition and evaluated student performance on criteria including physical presence, evidence of understanding, level of difficulty, and accuracy.

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure. Beginning at the school level, winners advance to a regional competition, then to a state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals in Washington, DC.

The competition was presented by the Allied Arts Council in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, the Missouri Arts Council and Missouri Association of Community Arts Agencies.

The U. S. Senate on Thursday defeated an amendmentby Senator Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) that would have granted an exemption to care providers and insurers unwilling to provide contraception coverage because of moral or religious objections. Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio co-sponsored the measure.

Supporters claim the requirements, contained in the Affordable Care Act health care reform law, violate the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Opponents called it an attack on women’s rights, and a means to force a company’s moral or religious views on employees who may not agree.

The web site Politico called the 51-48 vote a “high-profile setback in the fight over the Obama administration’s contraception coverage mandate.

A headline in the Christian Science Monitor said the amendment was “bringing the culture wars to Congress.”

Sen. Olympia Snowe joined nearly all Democrats to defeat the measure. The Maine Republican said this week she would not run for reelection.

Democratic Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania joined Republicans in support of the amendment.

Missouri Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill voted to table the amendment. McCaskill points out the state of Missouri has required this coverage for more than a decade while respecting the First Amendment. Her office offered this statement:

“If you believe in preventing abortions, like I do, then it only makes sense to ensure women have equal and universal access to birth control in a way that respects religious freedoms.”

“This amendment is too broad and seeks to address a problem that’s already been resolved. I’m encouraged that we can continue to move forward with a compromise that safeguards one of our nation’s most important founding principles of protecting religious liberty, while preserving women’s access to birth control and cancer screenings.”

Republican Congressman Todd Akin of Missouri is running for McCaskill’s Senate seat, and is a co-sponsor of a similar measure introduced in the House. Akin and his campaign blasted McCaskill for his support to table the Blunt amendment.

In a news release, Congressman Akin stated, “Senator McCaskill’s continued support for Obamacare and her willingness to be an accomplice in this outrageous bureaucratic mandate betrays the public trust.”

“This is finally a display of the audacity federal bureaucracies will impose on us under the train-wreck of Obamacare,” Akin said.

Speaking on his weekly conference call with Missouri reporters, Blunt said he will continue to support the legislation — voted down in the Senate in a 51-49 vote — but not based on politics.

“This is such a fundamental issue,” Blunt said. “It’s a long time before I run for office again, and I didn’t pursue this based on the politics.”

In remarks on the Senate floor ahead of Thursday’s vote, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) blasted the White House’s contraception rule as violating First Amendment rights.

“Look: this is precisely the kind of thing the founders feared,” McConnell said. “It was precisely because of the danger of a government intrusion into religion like this one that they left us the First Amendment in the first place, so that we could always point to it and say, ‘No government, no president has that right. Religious institutions are free to decide what they believe. And the government must respect their right to do so.'”

Blunt says the vote won’t be the end of the debate over the contraception coverage rule — and predicted that the Supreme Court might have the final say by striking it down.

The governors in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois have declared states of emergency in the wake of a killer storm system that claimed the lives of twelve people across the country. Three people in Missouri were killed, and six died in Harrisburg, Illinois. Authorities in Harveyville, Kansas have not yet confirmed reports that one of the people injured there has passed away.

Governor Jay Nixon has activated the National Guard to assist with coordination and recovery in storm-damaged southern Missouri.

National Guard officials said Wednesday about 50 members will also help provide additional security in the Branson area, where high winds damaged numerous buildings.

Nixon issued a disaster declaration Wednesday and says state agencies are working with local officials to coordinate recovery operations and meet the needs of residents affected by the storms.

Nixon toured some storm-damaged areas Wednesday and planned visits Thursday to Buffalo in the southwest and Puxico and Oak Ridge in the southeast.

If anyone knows what storm victims are going through, it’s the residents, and the police in Joplin. Their city was devastated by a deadly tornado last May. Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr says he’s contacted officials in Branson, offering any assistance he can give. So far, ten Joplin police officers have been sent to help keep order in Branson.

The National Weather Service has confirmed that the heavy damage in Branson was caused by an EF-2 tornado that was on the ground for 22 miles.

The agency’s office in Springfield says an EF2 tornado with maximum speeds of 120 to 130 miles per hour began at 1:13 a.m. Wednesday near the Stone County town of Kimberling City, then sped east-northeast.

Weather Service Meteorologist Ryan Kardell says the twister skipped along the edge of Table Rock Lake, then went “right down the commercial district” of Branson. The tornado ended about 22 miles from where it began, just east of Kissee Mills Mills in Taney County. The tornado’s path had a maximum width of 400 yards. Besides the destruction in Branson, it also damaged or destroyed about 60 homes in the Kimberling City area.

The Red Cross has opened shelters in four towns in Missouri: in Branson, Buffalo, Lebanon and Kimberling City.

A shelter set up Wednesday in Harveyville, Kansas will likely be shut down after no one took advantage of it. Harveyville, southwest of Topeka, has a population of about 280 people. About half of the town sustained major damage.

Disaster volunteers in St Joseph are on stand-by status as the Red Cross assesses needs in dozens of disaster zones.

Volunteers will be able to begin helping Harveyville recover from a destructive tornado.

Emergency officials say anyone wanting to work in the town can check in at the Mission Valley School in Eskridge beginning Thursday.

Only residents were allowed into the town Wednesday after a tornado severely damaged the small Wabaunseee County town Tuesday night.

The United Way says volunteers will need to sign liability release forms. They will receive wrist bands and hear a safety briefing before being taken to Harveyville.

The United Ways also says no clothing donations are needed at this time.

The Kansas Department of Revenue is taking steps to help residents of tornado-stricken Wabaunsee County replace tax documents and state-issued licenses or identification.

Governor Sam Brownback has declared a state of emergency for the county, where Tuesday night’s tornado destroyed about half the buildings in the small town of Harveyville. Those needing free replacement copies of their tax returns can call the Revenue Department 785-368-8222.

 

 

St. Joseph, MO – A survey released today by Clean Air St. Joe showed a majority of St. Joseph residents want to be smoke-free in public places and workplaces and they know the dangers secondhand smoke poses to health.

The survey of about 600 randomly selected households revealed a majority of St. Joseph residents also say they would patronize businesses more often if they were smoke-free.

“This survey shows that going smoke-free is not only good for people, but it’s also good for business,” said Mary Attebury, Clean Air St. Joe Co-Chair.

Some numbers from the survey:
69% of respondents said there should not be smoking where people worked.
70% of respondents said smoking should not be allowed in indoor dining areas of restaurants.
82.6% agreed that breathing someone else’s cigarette smoke is harmful to your health.
Over half of those surveyed 56.4% would eat at restaurants in St. Joseph more often if they were smoke-free.
23% would visit bars more often if they were smoke-free and 62.4% said they would continue to go to bars and taverns if they went smoke-free. 14.6% said they would visit less often. The result is an overall 8% increase in people who would visit bars and taverns.
The most important factor when selecting a restaurant was “whether those in their party are able to dine in a smoke-free environment.”
82% of respondents sit in non-smoking areas when visiting full service restaurants.

To see the report go to www.cleanairstjoe.com

The survey was conducted by LAN Resources of St. Joseph in September of 2011. The results were released at a community luncheon hosted by Clean Air St. Joe at the Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art on Wednesday, February 29th, 2012.

St. Joseph surgeon and Clean Air St Joe co-chair, Jane Schwabe, MD also presented at the sold-out event on the latest research pertaining to secondhand smoke and its impact on heart health.

“Second hand smoke is no longer just a nuisance; an annoyance to those who choose not to smoke. It is recognized by the CDC as a Class A carcinogen,” said Dr. Schwabe.

“There are NO safe levels of second hand smoke. People exposed to second hand smoke at home or work are at a 25-30% increased risk of heart disease and a 20-25% increased risk for lung cancer. In communities with strongly worded restrictions on smoking in the work place, we’ve seen a significant drop in heart attack rates. This is a public health issue and needs to be addressed as such.”

Aerial videography shows widespread damage from Tuesday’s storm in Branson, Missouri. Suspected tornadoes raged across the region Tuesday night, killing at least two people and injuring dozens more.

Kevin Kirby of the Midland Empire Chapter of the American Red Cross tells us disaster volunteers here are on standby in the event that more help is needed.

Kirby says the Springfield, Missouri Red Cross chapter has already opened four shelters in Missouri, in Branson, Buffalo, Lebanon and Kimberling City.

Volunteers from Topeka have set up shelters in Harveyville, Kansas, in Wabaunsee County, where numerous injuries and widespread damage were reported.

Senator Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) offered this statement on his web site:

“My thoughts and prayers go out to the families who have been impacted by this recent storm. We are monitoring this situation very closely, and I urge anyone who needs assistance to contact my office and to heed all safety precautions issued by local officials. As Missourians have always demonstrated in the face of adversity, I have no doubt that our communities will rally together to rebuild and our neighbors will serve as the first and last responders during this time of need.” – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.)

Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) also offered a response:
“My thoughts and prayers are with the folks in southern Missouri, and across the Midwest, who’ve been touched by this tragedy. We’re learning more about these storms by the minute—and Americans tuning in are seeing the fast work of emergency responders, quick decisions by community leaders, and the resilience of Missouri’s families and businesses. My staff and I are standing by to provide support to these communities and I plan to work with the rest of our delegation to make sure Missourians have the resources necessary to rebuild.”