The official Web site of the State of Missouri, Mo-dot-gov, got hacked Thursday.
Wanda Seeney, the public information officer for the Office of Administration, says no state data were accessed, and the network remained secure.
Seeney says someone inserted images of graphic war scenes onto the site.
The Web site was taken offline at 10 a.m. and brought back online at 10:37 a.m. The images have been removed.
Missouri native Sara Evans, the Academy of Country Music’s Top Female Vocalist of 2006, is the guest artist for the annual Spring Concert sponsored by Missouri Western State University’s Western Activities Council.
The concert is Thursday, April 12 in the St. Joseph Civic Arena. Doors will open at 7 p.m.
Kansas City band Shootin’ Blanks will open the show at 8 p.m.
All Western students can receive one free ticket with their student ID in the Center for Student Engagement, Blum 207, starting Feb. 14. Students will also have to show their IDs at the door the night of the concert. All other tickets are $27 and will be available through Ticketmaster, starting on Feb. 21.
Sara Evans started out singing in her family’s band as a child in New Franklin, Mo. Several of her singles have hit No. 1 on the country charts, including “Born to Fly,” “No Place That Far,” “Suds in the Bucket” and “A Real Fine Place to Start.” She was recently nominated for the 2012 Academy of Country Music Awards Top Female Vocalist. She was previously nominated for that award three times, winning in 2006.
A Northwest Missouri business leader testified to Congress this week about the issue’s facing his industry.
NorthwestCell General manager Roger Bundridge testified Wednesday in Washington as part of the Rural Cellular Association.
Bundridge discussed the need for support to upgrade and manage small cellular networks in rural areas. Bungdridge says congress must support rural cellular networks to provide service to otherwise underserved locations.
NorthwestCell is based in Maryville and has served Northwest Missouri for more than 20 years. The company recently started planning a 4G-LTE network upgrade.
The Department of Agriculture has released 27 grants to local organizations to build community food systems and fight hunger and food insecurity. The new projects, totaling 4.8-million dollars in funding, include a teen-run community kitchen incubator, faith-based community food assessments, a program to help indigenous people return to healthful eating, and a youth-led food security movement. The awards were made by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture through its Community Food Projects program.
The primary goals of the Community Food Projects program are to (1) meet the food needs of low-income individuals; (2) increase the food self-reliance of low-income communities; (3) promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm and nutrition issues; and (4) meet specific state, local or neighborhood food and agricultural needs.
Last year, 17.2-million households faced food insecurity—meaning they lacked consistent access to adequate food. According to USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon, – the grants supported by the Community Food Projects empower local organizations to respond to food and nutrition needs in their own communities.
Courtesy: NAFB News
The Federal Communications Commission says it will block the planned development of a nationwide wireless network by communications company LightSquared over concerns it cannot be fixed to coexist with global positioning systems. Steve Wellman, President of the American Soybean Association and a Syracuse, Nebraska, soybean farmer, says the FCC’s decision – is certainly a great relief for more than 600-thousand soybean farmers across the country who use GPS technology.
Wellman pointed out that – farmers invest thousands of dollars in high-precision GPS equipment and applications to run more efficient, sustainable, cost-effective and productive farms. The LightSquared network would have rendered that investment all but useless. But, Wellman did note – LightSquared’s efforts do underscore the pressing need for better broadband service, especially in rural America.
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says – now that the interference issue is settled, we need to find out more than ever why the FCC did what it did. The agency put this project on a fast track for approval with what appears to have been completely inadequate technical research. Mr. Grassley says – that’s not the way the people’s government should work.
Courtesy: NAFB News
The European Union and the United States have signed an agreement that will establish a strong foundation from which to promote organic agriculture, benefiting the growing organic industry and supporting jobs and businesses on a global scale. In what is being called a “historic signing”, the two largest organic-producers in the world, have agreed that on and after June 1, 2012, organic products certified in Europe or in the United States may be sold as organic in either region.
The organic produce must meet the terms of the new arrangement. Under the agreement, the EU will recognize the USDA National Organic Program as equivalent to the EU Organic Program and allow products produced and certified as meeting USDA standards to be marketed as organic in the EU. Likewise, the United States will allow European products produced and certified under the EU Organic Program to be marketed as organic in the United States.
Formal letters creating the partnership were signed Wednesday in Nuremberg, Germany, by Dacian Ciolos, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development; USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, and U.S. Trade Representative Chief Agricultural Negotiator Ambassador Isi Siddiqui,. Merrigan said – this partnership connects organic farmers and companies on both sides of the Atlantic with a wide range of new market opportunities.
Courtesy: NAFB News
One man is in custody and will likely face charges after his actions led the lock down of Cameron’s schools Wednesday morning.
Cameron’s schools were locked down just before 9:00 Wednesday morning when the Cameron Police department received word of a man intending to harm his own children who were attending a Cameron school, Sergeant Marty Gray said
“We received a call in our dispatch from an upset and concerned mother that the father of her children was en-route from the Kansas City area to one of our schools with a gun to kidnap the children they had in common and then do harm to them and her,” Gray said.
State Troopers arrested the man seven miles south of Cameron on US 69 Highway just before 10:00 Wednesday morning. The suspect is described as a 30 year old black male whose name has not been released and charges are pending.
While some parents were upset they could not pick-up their children from the schools, Cameron Police and State Troopers were at the schools to secure and protect the children, Gray said.
The investigation continues into the Wednesday bomb threat to a Northeastern Kansas School.
Students were evacuated from the Riverside West campus in Wathena around noon Wednesday for a bomb threat to the school.
Officials have not released many details into the threat, however the all-clear was giving around 3:30 in the afternoon and students staff were allowed to return.
Parents reported received phone alerts from the district around noon that students were evacuating.
A Labrador Retriever from Leawood is receiving a unique arthritis treatment. Dr. Les Pelfrey of the Stanley Veterinary Clinic says 11-year-old Jake will help heal with stem cells drawn from his own fat.
Pelfrey says results can be amazing. He says dogs that can barely walk can run around like pups after a treatment. The clinic is the first in the Kansas City area to offer the treatment. It’s not cheap. Pelfrey says one treatment can cost $1800. Jake’s owners say that’s small price to pay to make their “first child” well again.
The Saint Joseph School Board hopes a local bidding preference approved this week will help jumpstart the city’s economy. Assistant to the superintendent Steve Huff says the one percent preference may let a local company build the new elementary school in the April bond issue.
The $42-million issue on the April 3rd ballot would pay for a new elementary school in Carden Park, air conditioning in several schools, and other improvements…all without raising the tax rate. Passage would require approval by four-sevenths of the voters, or just over 57 percent.
