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Category: Local News

NW Mo. Representative Wants More Missourians With College Education

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A Northwest Missouri state legislator wants more Missourians to get higher education Degrees and has filed legislation to make getting a degree easier.

Representative Mike Thompson of Maryville has teamed with Senator David Pearce so more Missourians can get a degree.

Thompson says one of the changes includes making transferring college credit between schools easier.

Thompson says the legislation would also streamline remediation courses, which are for students who do not have well enough marks from high school in math or english, among other subjects.

Pearce says legislation would make it a priority to keep students within the college systems.

 

Corps To Leave Nearly 60 Levees Unrepaired

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Holt County Flooding, Photo Opportunity Courtesy of Barnes Realty

The Corps of Engineers has only enough money to fix 11 of 68 Missouri River levees. Corps officials say they are draining extra water from upstream reservoirs to nurse the flood-battered system through 2012.

The announcement came yesterday during a meeting in Overland Park of the Missouri River Flood Task Force. The damaged levees are located in Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas.

The corps says the $68 million available is enough to pay for only the most crucial projects. Their goal is to fix those levees at least enough to protect against a 25-year flood, although many previously provided 100-year flood protection. John Leighow of the corps says it would cost $253 million to make all the repairs needed in the Missouri River Basin.

Corps Of Engineers And FEMA Release List Of Levee Repair Projects

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA have released the current list of intermediate and long-term levee repair projects for the Missouri River Basin.


Speaking to members of the Missouri River Flood Task Force in Overland Park, senior Corps officials said they will give the highest priority to repairs that offer the the best reduction of critical infrastructure risks, and the optimum life and public safety.

The Corps acknowledged that not all damages will be repaired this year.

FEMA recently received its appropriations and the list reflects those repairs that have received all, or a portion of, needed funding and are underway ($68,270,000); those approved for repair, but awaiting funding ($133,295,000); and those that pose a lower risk to life safety and not scheduled to be repaired at this time ($121,314,000).

You can download the list (requires PDF Reader), or visit the task force Website (Select Levee Repair)

Kansas City Chiefs Fire Coach Todd Haley

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The Kansas City Chiefs announced Monday that Todd Haley has been “relieved of his duties” as head coach effective immediately. Officials announced that Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel will coach the final three games of the season.

Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt called it a difficult decision, but he says it’s best for the future of the Chiefs.


“Although there have been bright spots at different points this season, we have not made meaningful progress and we felt that it was necessary to make a change,” Haley said in a news release posted on the Chiefs’ web site.

“We appreciate Todd’s contributions during his time with the club, and we wish him well in the future.”

The Chiefs were 19-27 during Haley’s tenure with the club and claimed the AFC West Division Championship in 2010.

“Todd helped this team in many valuable ways over the past three seasons, and I am thankful for his contributions,” Chiefs General Manager Scott Pioli said. “Unfortunately, we have not been able to establish the kind of consistency we need to continue to build a strong foundation for the future and we believe a change is important at this time.”

Senate Gets Turn with MF Global Situation

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Last week, the House Ag Committee held a hearing, looking at the bankruptcy of MF Global. Tomorrow, the Senate Ag Committee takes its turn to learn first-hand about the bankruptcy and how it affected, and continues to affect MF Global’s customer base. The 1.2-trillion dollars in missing customer funds has left many farmers, ranchers and businesses across America in a cash bind because they depended on MF Global to handle their futures trading business.

Farmers and ranchers rely on futures markets to smooth price volatility and manage the risks that are inherent to production agriculture.  Businesses have confidence in futures investments because of a protection that ensures that customer funds used to guarantee trades must be segregated from the broker’s funds.  This separation of funds protects customers’ margin in the event that their trader defaults or files for bankruptcy.

Even after the House Ag Committee hearing last week, committee chairman Frank Lucas admitted, – there are still more questions than answers about the missing customer funds and there is a great deal more to learn if we are to restore confidence in the futures markets. How much new information will be revealed during tomorrow’s (Tuesday’s) hearing remains to be seen.


Insurance Option Raises Crop Yields

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Beginning with the 2012 crop year, farmers purchasing crop insurance for corn and soybeans in 14 Midwestern states will have the option to use the Trend-Adjusted Actual Production History Yield Endorsement. This endorsement will allow farmers to increase the yields used in calculating crop insurance guarantees. According to University of Illinois Extension farm management specialist Gary Schnitkey, electing to take this endorsement will give farmers more coverage for the same cost. A decision to elect the endorsement must be made by March 15, 2012.

Yields have been increasing over time and as Schnitkey explains – this trend adjustment takes that increase into consideration and adds to the APH yield, which is usually used to calculate guarantees. The new number will more accurately reflect the actual yields that we’re likely to experience in the coming year. Schnitkey says for most Illinois farmers the proposal adds about two bushels of corn to a farmer’s yield per year.

This program is an endorsement. It’s a pilot project available for corn and soybeans farmers in 14 states, roughly from Ohio to Colorado and North Dakota down to Kansas. Schnitkey predicts that – if the actuarial performance of this product works out, it will be expanded to other crops

Funding Keeps GIPSA Final Rule in Check

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The Ag spending bill does not provide funding for implementation of the proposed GIPSA Final Rule announced last week by USDA. A separate funding bill may cover the cost but the issue had not been addressed as of late Friday. Going past funding, several key area of concern did not find their way into the GIPSA proposal. One such concern is clarification of the definition of “competitive injury” and “likelihood of competitive injury”.

Currently, in order to make his case, a producer must prove that a packer’s anti-competitive practices damaged the entire marketplace. Much of the industry thinks a clarification should make it possible for a producer to only have to prove that his or her operation was hurt by such actions. USDA did not address this issue in the proposal Final rule.

If funded, and once the rule goes into effect, and as more of these issues come to light, more debate can be expected and more efforts made to address these issues in future rules.

AFBF Supports Dust Bill

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The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging congressional members to “bite the dust” and pass H.R. 1633, the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act. The bill faces a House vote this week. In a letter to House members, AFBF said the legislation would limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate naturally occurring dust, or “nuisance dust.” Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman says – naturally occurring dust is a fact of life in rural areas. The amount of dust in the air depends on wind and rainfall, two conditions that EPA cannot regulate. 

AFBF went further to say that EPA has admitted that it cannot conclusively establish a link between “nuisance dust” and adverse human health effects. Stallman says – EPA admits there are limitations to the studies it cites, which casts doubt on its validity to support additional regulation. However, should such a link be established, the bill would allow EPA to regulate.

EPA has said it does not intend to propose stricter regulations on dust. However, AFBF says that still does not provide much needed assurance for farmers and ranchers, especially when final rules often differ from proposed rules and lawsuits are a dime a dozen. According to Stallman, – legislation is the best way to provide certainty to farmers, ranchers and rural America that their activities will not be unduly regulated by conditions beyond their control.

Grandfather Describes Cop-Killer’s Motive

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ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) – A grandfather of a northeast Kansas man who killed an Atchison police officer says the shooter was angry at police and the criminal justice system.

Twenty-five-year-old Skyler Barbee shot and killed Sgt. David Enzbrenner on Friday.

Police say he then turned his weapon on himself.

The officer was working on a codes enforcement call across the street from one of Barbee’s relatives.

The Rev. Leo Barbee Jr., of Lawrence, told The Kansas City Star that Skyler Barbee was angry because his father is serving life without parole at a Louisiana prison for armed robbery after prior convictions. The grandfather says that Skyler Barbee believed the life sentence was more appropriate for rape or murder.

Skyler Barbee had been sentenced earlier to 45 days in jail for battering a law enforcement officer in August.

Services Scheduled For Slain Atchison Police Officer

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Funeral services and visitation are planned this week in memory of Atchison, Kansas police Sgt. David Enzbrenner who was fatally shot Friday by a gunman who subsequently took his own life.


Visitation is planned Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the United Methodist Church at 501 Kansas Avenue in Atchison. The funeral will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium on campus at Benedictine College at 1020 North 2nd. A graveside service will follow at the Sunset memory Gardens in Atchison County.

Enzbrenner,46, was a married father of three who has been with the Atchison Police Department for 24 years. He was shot at about 4 p.m. Friday by a man who then took his own life.

Officials say the suspect surprised the officer as he served a nuisance order on a home at 12th and Division in Atchison.

The shooter was identified as Skyler Barbee, 25, of Atchison, who authorities say had many prior brushes with the law.

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