Monday is the deadline for victims of this summer’s Missouri River flooding to apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Some folks in the area complain the assistance is coming slowly, even though five Northwest Missouri counties have already been granted nine million dollars in FEMA funding, including five million in SBA loans and three million dollars in individual grants.
Holt County was particularly hard hit. In Big Lake Village, damage is widespread, with many structures bearing silent witness to the destructive power of the floodwaters. Buildings were damaged, destroyed, or washed away; center-pivot irrigation devices were rolled and bent and snapped, and some barely-recognizable pieces of buildings were moved hundreds of yards.
We took these photographs in and around Big Lake Village on December 9. Click each individual images for a larger version of the photographs.
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office and Chillicothe Police have continued with the extensive meth lab investigations which recently resulted in multiple search warrants being executed last week.
The joint meth lab investigation has grown into a substantial number of additional investigations for the LCSO and CPD. Sheriff Steve Cox says they have seized additional used meth labs allegedly associated with one or more of the suspects from at least two locations in Chillicothe.
Cox says they obtained an additional search warrant for a location on Livingston County Road 426 Thursday evening which resulted in the arrest of three suspects.
By Friday they executed a Court order and seized about 13 dogs from that location and have turned them over to the Humane Society for alleged animal abuse/neglect. Officials called it an unlicensed puppy mill where several of the animals were not being fed or watered properly and were without adequate shelter for the cold weather.
Both the LCSO and CPD have since expanded this investigation to far more then drug manufacturing, now clearing multiple burglaries from Chillicothe and rural Livingston County. The Carroll County Sheriff has joined the investigation and has cleared at least one burglary in that county. They continue attempts to recover stolen property and clear as many of these past crimes as possible.
The Division of Family Services is investigating possible child endangerment charges after several small children were allegedly in the location of methamphetamine being manufactured at more then one address. These children have since been placed or removed to a safe environment and being properly cared for.
Cox says they anticipate additional charges. “We have many more leads to follow and piles of paper work to complete,” he said in a news release.
At the time of this writing they have arrested the following people (see booking photographs below).
December 08, 2011:
a. Steven Mack Powers, 53, Avalon, for alleged Manufacturing Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine, Child Endangerment 1st degree, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Mr. Powers has since been charged in Livingston County Associate Court with the alleged manufacturing methamphetamine and currently has a $50,000 cash only bond.
b. David Charles Newsome, 44, Chillicothe, for alleged Manufacturing Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine, Child Endangerment 1st degree, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Mr. Newsome has since been charged in Livingston County Associate Court for alleged Manufacturing Methamphetamine with a cash only bond of $50,000.
c. An additional adult was arrested that evening for alleged possession of controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. The formal charges on that person have since been dismissed. Therefore no name is being released.
d. Jeneva Carol Burton, 30, Chillicothe, and has since been charged in Livingston County Associate Court with alleged Manufacturing Methamphetamine, bond is currently $50,000.
December 08, 2011:
a. Charles David Parker, 41, Dawn, for alleged Manufacturing Methamphetamine, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Child Endangerment in 1st degree, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Animal Abuse, and on a Livingston County misdemeanor arrest warrant for failure to appear on a traffic violation. Mr. Parker has since been charged in Livingston County Associate Court for alleged Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, bond $25,000 cash only.
December 09, 2011:
a. Jessie James Allen, 26, Joplin, for alleged Manufacturing Methamphetamine, Child Endangerment in 1st degree, Tampering with Physical Evidence, and Animal Abuse. Mr. Allen has since been charged in Livingston County Associate Court with alleged Manufacturing Methamphetamine and has a cash only bond of $50,000.
b. Amanda L. Parks, 21, Carl Junction, MO. For alleged Manufacturing Methamphetamine and Child Endangerment in 1st Degree. Ms. Parks has since been charged in Livingston County Associate Court for alleged Manufacturing Methamphetamine and has a cash only bond of $50,000.
c. Gay N. Owens, 54, Chillicothe, is currently in custody of the Jackson County Sheriff on a Livingston County arrest warrant for alleged distribution/delivery of a controlled substance on December 06, 2011. Bond is currently placed at $50,000 cash and we intend on extraditing Ms. Owens the first part of this week.
Even though the trafficking rate for USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has been driven down significantly over the last two decades, USDA in announcing a new range of aggressive tactics to further improve program integrity. The tactics address the issue of using SNAP benefits for anything other than the purchase of food from authorized retailers, including the sale or exchange of benefits in SNAP.
USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon says SNAP has never been more important as hardworking families turn to the program for assistance while they get back on their feet. From 1993 to the 2006-08 period, the trafficking rate has gone down from 4 cents to about 1 cent on the dollar. Thru this renewed effort, USDA will work with state agencies and state-of-the-art technologies, including the development of the next generation of its fraud detection system.
Through this effort, USDA will clarify that the “intent to sell” SNAP benefits is a program violation and expand and clarify the definition of trafficking. Also, new guidance to States will underscore their responsibility to use the results of FNS retailer actions to investigate and penalize recipients that may have been involved in trafficking with that retailer. USDA will also enhance its retailer surveillance system.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says USDA is investing more than 8.5-million dollars to help six organizations develop improved food aid products under the Micronutrient-Fortified Food Aid Products Pilot Program. This program is funded by the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, and recipients will focus their efforts over the next three years in Cambodia, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Mozambique and Tanzania.
Under this pilot program, participants develop and field test food aid products for children, women and infants. The products are nutritionally enhanced with vitamins or minerals to address the micronutrient deficiencies of a specific population or group. The products are developed in the United States using domestically grown commodities. Secretary Vilsack says – our efforts to support global food security are important to the many people around the world who do not have access to nutritious and safe food.
The McGovern-Dole Program is named in honor of Ambassador and former Senator George McGovern and former Senator Robert Dole for their tireless efforts to encourage a global commitment to school feeding and child nutrition. In October 2009, both men were recognized by the World Food Prize for their leadership in forging the link between the productivity of American farmers and the needs of hungry children around the world.
State Senator Jason Crowell wants to expand Missouri’s popular No Call List to include cell phones. The Cape Girardeau Republican says telemarketing calls to mobile phones are just as annoying as calls to landlines, and more expensive. Crowell has introduced a bill for the next legislative session to put cell numbers under No Call protection.
Missouri’s No Call program currently covers 2.7-million landline numbers. There is a federal No Call list, and it does include cell numbers. To register online at Missouri No Call, click here. To register for the federal No Call list, click here.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, Celeres reports that the area sown with transgenic varieties in the 2011/12 harvest will be 20.9 percent greater than in the last harvest. According to the forecast in the specialized consultation on agricultural economics, crops with transgenic soybeans, corn and cotton should add up to 31.8-million hectares during this cycle – a new record for the adoption of biotechnology in Brazilian agriculture. Earlier Celeres forecast that only 30.5-million hectares of transgenic varieties would be grown. The survey credits the increase to the recent favorable outlook during the period between deciding what to plant and the start of planting. Anderson Galvao, managing partner of Celeres and coordinator of the study, says – soybeans account for the greater portion of this area with 21.4-million hectares cultivated, an increase of 16.7 percent over the previous harvest.
Presently, 67.3 percent of the total area planted with corn in Brazil is occupied by GM hybrids. That would be a total of 9.9-million hectares – an increase of 32 percent over the 2010/11 period. The area with GM cotton will also be greater, and should come to 469-thousand hectares, an increase of 32.2 percent over the previous harvest.
Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow says Congress must complete a Farm Bill next year before the current Farm Bill expires in order to provide certainty for farmers and small businesses. The ag Committee Chair promised – we will resume holding hearings when Congress returns in January. The goal is to complete an initial product in the spring to provide plenty of time for Congress to complete its work. She believes 12 public meetings and the bipartisan framework developed by the House and Senate Agriculture Committees this year will serve as a strong foundation moving forward.
Stabenow said she will continue focusing on principles, not programs, as the Committee continues its work with Members on both sides of the aisle to develop a sound Farm Bill proposal. She said her focus is continuing to meet and discuss with farmers and other agriculture stakeholders what’s working and what isn’t to develop policies that strengthens American agriculture and ensures an abundant and safe food supply while continuing to offer proposals to increase accountability and reduce the deficit.
Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow says Congress must complete a Farm Bill next year before the current Farm Bill expires in order to provide certainty for farmers and small businesses. The ag Committee Chair promised – we will resume holding hearings when Congress returns in January. The goal is to complete an initial product in the spring to provide plenty of time for Congress to complete its work. She believes 12 public meetings and the bipartisan framework developed by the House and Senate Agriculture Committees this year will serve as a strong foundation moving forward.
Stabenow said she will continue focusing on principles, not programs, as the Committee continues its work with Members on both sides of the aisle to develop a sound Farm Bill proposal. She said her focus is continuing to meet and discuss with farmers and other agriculture stakeholders what’s working and what isn’t to develop policies that strengthens American agriculture and ensures an abundant and safe food supply while continuing to offer proposals to increase accountability and reduce the deficit.
Republican Senators are questioning a top regulator’s decision to recuse himself from an investigation into the collapse of MF Global Holdings Ltd. Commodity Futures Trading commission Chairman Gary Gensler argues that by recusing himself, he is keeping his ties to former MF Global Chairman Jon Corzine from becoming a distraction from the agency’s investigation. But Republican Senators believe the decision appears to reflect an attempt to avoid congressional accountability for his agency having missed apparent rule violations at the company.
Senator Mike Johanns says he didn’t believe Gensler’s argument. Gensler worked at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. while Mr. Corzine was running the investment bank in the 1990s. Johanns said – to me, it looks like you’re ducking the responsibilities of your job. When this got uncomfortable, because money isn’t there that should be there, and for whatever reason you folks didn’t discover that until it looks like it’s too late, you don’t want to come up here and answer questions.
Mr. Corzine, a former U.S. Senator and Governor of New Jersey, is expected to testify before the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday. The CFTC is leading the regulatory probe into the missing money. Senator Charles Grassley urged the CFTC head to recuse himself from the agency’s investigation last month, saying it was difficult to believe he could be – completely objective. But Senator Bob Corker charges that his recusal – was more about a career-enhancing situation to avoid accountability.
After a lengthy investigation, three men have been arrested in Livingston County on drug and paraphernalia charges.
Sheriff Steve Steve Cox identifies the suspects as David Charles Newsome, 44, of Chillicothe; Steven Mack Powers (aka: Weaver), 53, of Avalon; and Jason Eric Almond, 37, of Chillicothe.
Cox says deputies seized methamphetamine, chemicals and items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine some of which was still in the stage of chemical activity, drug paraphernalia, other drug related items, and Xanax.
Newsome is charged with the manufacture of methamphetamine, possession of metha, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Powers is charged with the manufacture of methamphetamine, possession of meth, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Almond is charged with possession of Alprazolam (Xanax), unlawful distribution of drug paraphernalia, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Former Worth County Sheriff Neal Wayne Groom has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for violating the civil rights of women by coercing them into exposing their body parts. The sentence Tuesday was for misdemeanor counts of violating the civil rights of eight women in 2006 and 2007.
Groom was sheriff for eight years before losing a re-election bid in 2008. Groom’s plea agreement says he told women who were the victims of domestic violence or vehicular accidents that they had to expose parts of their bodies to document injuries, even if they weren’t injured. Other women were told Groom had to check for signs of drug use.
