VICHY, Mo. (AP) — A 13-year-old girl is dead after fire broke out at a home in south-central Missouri.
The fire broke out Sunday at a home in Maries County, near the small town of Vichy.
Sheriff Chris Heitman says a 16-year-old boy called for help and said his 13-year-old sister, who had a disability that left her unable to walk or talk, was trapped inside.
Firefighters were unable to save the girl. Her name has not been released.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
An intense winter storm known in weather-forecasting lingo as a “bomb cyclone” of snow and wind has stranded a large number of drivers and shut down roads across the Rockies and Plains States. MPR News Dot Org says blizzard conditions were expected to continue in multiple states through the end of last week, including Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, as well as parts of Minnesota.
The storm even reached as far south as Texas. There was widespread flooding, power outages, as well as numerous canceled flights. The Nebraska Lincoln Journal Star reports that very heavy rains have trapped cattle in fields, forcing ranchers on dangerous rescue missions in 40-mile-per-hour winds. Faulkton, South Dakota beef producer Troy Hadrick posted a video on Twitter this week saying they had to turn around twice because of heavy snow and wind when trying to get to their barns to feed cows.
Visibility was so low that they couldn’t see where they were going. Colorado Public Radio says the National Guard was called out to help stranded drivers on highways. Photos of flooding in states like Nebraska are popping up all throughout various social media platforms.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal appeals court is refusing to toss out a lawsuit filed by two female students alleging Kansas State University refused to investigate their rapes and other sex assaults at off-campus fraternity houses.
The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the women had sufficiently alleged that Kansas State’s deliberate indifference made them vulnerable to sexual harassment by allowing the students who they say attacked them to continue attending the university. The university purportedly did not investigate the rape allegations.
The two women contend in their civil rights lawsuit that this caused them to withdraw from participating in educational opportunities at the university.
While the appellate panel affirmed a lower court’s refusal to dismiss the students’ claims, its narrow ruling does not address the merits of the case.
The European Union currently has a quota in place that allows up to 45,000 tons of hormone-free beef imports. Thanks to a new agreement between Washington and Brussels, 35,000 of those tons will come from U.S. beef producers. Politico says it’s important to remember the deal still needs approval from EU nations and the United States.
As part of the new agreement, Brussels wants Washington to declare a final settlement in the original 2009 World Trade Organization dispute over the EU’s hormone-treated beef ban. The guaranteed share of the quota for American producers would be phased in over a five-year period. Australia, Uruguay, and other major U.S. competitors could still file a WTO lawsuit against the European Union, claiming they’re being discriminated against in favor of U.S. exports.
While the EU is still against including agriculture in a potential deal with the U.S., Politico says the EU is trying to ease tensions with President Donald Trump through “one-off” moves like the beef deal, buying more soybeans, and approving oilseeds for use in European biofuel production.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Federal authorities say 1 million pounds of pork products allegedly smuggled from China have been seized at a New Jersey port.
Troy Miller, field operations director for the Customs and Border Protection in New York and New Jersey, says it’s the largest agricultural seizure ever made in the United States.
.@CBP NYFO Director Troy Miller, Acting Port Director Port of New York/Newark Stephen Maloney and Chief CBP Agriculture Specialist Basil Liakakos host media event discussing recent seized shipments of food products from China that may be contaminated with African Swine Fever pic.twitter.com/aZdEBoxtbf
— CBP New York City (@CBPNewYorkCity) March 15, 2019
Officials feared the meat could be contaminated with African swine fever virus, which has killed more than a million pigs in China. It’s not dangerous to humans, but officials say an outbreak in America could cause $10 billion in damage to the pork industry in just one year.
Officials say the pork was smuggled over several weeks in containers where it was hidden by packages of noodles and laundry detergent. They say the meat was “primarily cured,” and the cargo containers were not refrigerated.
JOHNSON COUNTY — One person died in an accident just after 3:30p.m. Sunday in Johnson County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Dodge 3500 driven by Nicholas D. Failer, 35, Windsor, was eastbound in the 900 Block of SE 900 Road. As the vehicle was pulling forward, 3-year-old passenger Isabelle J. Failer, fell from the pickup.
The pickup’s trailer ran over the child.
She was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Sweeney, Phillips and Holdren Funeral Home. Authorities released no additional details late Sunday.
TOPEKA — An employee with the Kansas Department of Transportation is no longer employed with the agency after using KDOT’s twitter account to respond to a tweet from President Trump critical of two Fox News television anchors.
Were @FoxNews weekend anchors, @ArthelNeville and @LelandVittert, trained by CNN prior to their ratings collapse? In any event, that’s where they should be working, along with their lowest rated anchor, Shepard Smith!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2019
The KDOT Twitter account called the president a president a “delusional communist” and added “You know it’s communist countries that try to control media, right?”
Julie Lorenz, acting KDOT Secretary, also used twitter to confirm the employee was no longer working for KDOT.
Today an employee sent a tweet from @SCKansasKDOT. The tweet has been deleted as it does not reflect the views of KDOT or the Administration and was an unacceptable use of state communication tools. The person who sent the tweet is no longer an employee of KDOT.
— KDOT (@KDOTHQ) March 18, 2019
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police in Kansas City, Missouri, are investigating a stabbing death at a hotel.
The Kansas City Star reports that police were called to a Days Inn on East Linwood Boulevard around 4 a.m. Sunday. A man in his mid-40s had been stabbed.
The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His name has not been released.
Police have not released any information about a suspect. It wasn’t immediately clear what led to the stabbing. Yellow crime scene tape blocked off a room on the hotel’s second floor.
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have released details on a suspect vehicle.
Just before 9p.m. Saturday, police responded to the report of a shooting in the 1100 block of SW Hillsdale Street in Topeka, according to Lt. John Trimble.
Officers found a victim identified as 25-year-old Robert McKinsey James, unresponsive in the yard suffering what appeared to be several gunshot wounds.
Officers were able to secure the scene and first responders performed first aid on McKinsey. He was transported to an area hospital where he died, according to Trimble.
The suspect vehicle is described as an older, boxy, dark colored SUV that was seen fleeing from the area shortly after the shooting. The SUV had several occupants, according to Trimble.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is encouraged to contact the Topeka Police.
A view of the Amelia Earhart bridge in Atchison and the rising waters in the area. @AtchisonCoEM @NWSKansasCity #kswx pic.twitter.com/PpLDGV5TbL
— KHP Air Support Unit (@KHPAircraft) March 17, 2019
Heavy rainfall and snowmelt forced river levels across several Midwestern states to dangerous levels. At least two deaths were blamed on flooding, and two other men have been missing for days. While river levels on Sunday were starting to level off in Nebraska, other residents in Iowa, Kansas and Missouri were bracing for worse flooding to come.
The Missouri River reached 30.2 feet (9.2 meters) Sunday in Fremont County, Iowa, in the state’s far southwestern corner, 2 feet (0.6 meter) above the record set in 2011. People in the towns of Bartlett and Thurman were being evacuated as levees were breached and overtopped.
County Emergency Management Director Mike Crecelius said it wasn’t just the amount of the water, it was the swiftness of the current that created a danger.
“This wasn’t a gradual rise,” Crecelius said. “It’s flowing fast and it’s open country — there’s nothing there to slow it down.”
Thurman has about 200 residents. About 50 people live in Bartlett.
Lucinda Parker of Iowa Homeland Security & Emergency Management said nearly 2,000 people have been evacuated at eight Iowa locations since flooding began late last week. Most were staying with friends or family. Seven shelters set up for flood victims held just a couple dozen people Saturday night.
Hundreds of people remained out of their homes in Nebraska, but rivers there were starting to recede. The National Weather Service said the Elkhorn River remained at major flood stage but was dropping. It was expected to dip back below flood stage by Tuesday. U.S. 30 reopened near Arlington on Saturday.
The flooding is blamed on at least two deaths. Aleido Rojas Galan, 52, of Norfolk, Nebraska, was swept away in floodwaters Friday night in southwestern Iowa, when the vehicle he was in went around a barricade. Two others in the vehicle survived — one by clining to a tree. On Thursday, James Wilke, 50, of Columbus, Nebraska, died when a bridge collapsed as he used a tractor to try and reach stranded motorists.
Two men remain missing. A Norfolk man was seen on top of his flooded car late Thursday before being swept away. Water also swept away a man after a dam collapse.
In St. Joseph, Missouri, home to 76,000 people, volunteers were helping to fill sandbags to help secure a levee protecting an industrial area. Calls were out for even more volunteers in hopes of filling 150,000 sandbags by Tuesday, when the Missouri River is expected to climb to 27 feet — 10 feet above technical flood stage.
The rising Mississippi River also was creating concern. The Mississippi was already at major flood level along the Iowa-Illinois border, closing roads and highways and swamping thousands of acres of farmland. Moderate Mississippi River flooding was expected at several Missouri cities, including St. Louis.
Flooding has also been reported in Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities were using boats and large vehicles on Saturday to rescue and evacuate residents in parts of the Midwest where a recent deluge of rainwater and snowmelt was sent pouring over frozen ground, overwhelming creeks and rivers, and killing at least one person.
The scramble to move people out of harm’s way was expected to subside going into the new week, as rivers and creeks in flooded eastern Nebraska and western Iowa were expected to crest Saturday and Sunday. That left officials downstream looking to prepare for likely flooding.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson had already met with emergency management team members Friday to review and update flood-response plans, and the Missouri Highway Patrol was preparing additional equipment and putting swift water rescue personnel on standby. The Missouri National Guard also temporarily relocated the 139th Airlift Wing’s C-130s from Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in St. Joseph as a precaution.
The National Weather Service said the Missouri River at St. Joseph reached nearly 26 feet on Saturday, about a foot below what’s considered major flooding at the northwest Missouri city. But it’s expected to crest Wednesday or Thursday at 29.3 feet — more than two feet above major flooding level.
Evacuation efforts in eastern Nebraska and some spots in western Iowa on Saturday were hampered by reports of levee breaches and washouts of bridges and roads, including part of Nebraska Highway 92, leading in and out of southwest Omaha. Authorities confirmed that a bridge on that highway that crosses the Elkhorn River had been washed out Saturday. In Fremont, west of Omaha, the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office issued a mandatory evacuation for some residents after floodwaters broke through a levee along the Platte River. And in Mills County, Iowa, authorities ordered people in some rural areas to evacuate after the Missouri River overtopped levees.
The flooding followed days of snow and rain — record-setting, in some places — that swept through the West and Midwest. The deluge pushed some waterways, including the Missouri River, to record levels in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota. The flooding was the worst in nearly a decade in places.
The family of farmer James Wilke, 50, of Columbus, Nebraska, said he was killed Thursday when a bridge collapsed as he was using his tractor to try to reach stranded motorists on Thursday. His body was found downstream, his cousin Paul Wilke told the Columbus Telegram. Gass Haney Funeral Home confirmed James Wilke’s death.
At least two other people were missing in floodwaters in Nebraska. Officials said a Norfolk man was seen on top of his flooded car late Thursday before being swept away in the water and another man was swept away by waters when a dam collapsed on the Niobrara River.
Officials in Sarpy County, south of Omaha, said Saturday that power may be shut off to communities along the Missouri, Platte and Elkhorn rivers for safety reasons. They warned those who choose to ignore calls to evacuate that rescues would be attempted only during daylight hours. Some cities and towns, such as North Bend on the banks of the Platte River, were submerged. Others, such as Waterloo and Fremont, were surrounded by floodwaters, stranding residents in virtual islands with no access in or out.
“There is no way out of here unless you’ve got a helicopter — or a boat,” the Rev. Mike Bitter, pastor of Christian Church of Waterloo, told the Omaha World-Herald.
Officials in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska were urging people not to drive unless necessary. In Iowa, a section of northbound Interstate 29 that runs parallel to the Missouri River was closed due to flooding. Authorities were rerouting motorists at Kansas City, Missouri, using a detour that took people almost 140 miles (225 kilometers) out of the way.
Farther east, the Mississippi River saw moderate flooding in Illinois from Rock Island south to Gladstone. Meteorologist Brian Pierce with the National Weather Service’s Quad Cities office in Davenport, Iowa, said flooding on the Mississippi could get worse a few weeks as more snow melts in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
“What we’re having now is the dress rehearsal for the main event that’s going to happen in early April,” he said of the flooding on the Mississippi.
Rising waters along the Pecatonica and Rock rivers flooded some homes in the northern Illinois cities of Freeport, Rockford and Machesney Park. The National Weather Service said record crests were possible along the rivers, with water levels forecast to continue to rise over the next several days and remain above flood stage through most of the weekend.
Freeport resident Mary Martin told the (Freeport) Journal-Standard that she went to the store to get milk and bread when she saw floodwaters were rising Friday.
“Within an hour of going to the store, I could not get back in. That’s how fast the water was coming up,” Martin said.
___
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities were using boats and large vehicles on Saturday to rescue and evacuate residents in parts of the Midwest where a recent deluge of rainwater and snowmelt was sent pouring over frozen ground, overwhelming creeks and rivers, and killing at least one person.
Another video near Corning where floodwaters are overflowing the levee. pic.twitter.com/SqBTv3x7cj
— KHP Air Support Unit (@KHPAircraft) March 16, 2019
Authorities reported a levee break near Corning, Missori, just north of Kansas state line.
In addition, rescue efforts in eastern Nebraska were hampered by reports of levee breaches and washouts of bridges and roads, including part of Nebraska Highway 92, leading in and out of southwest Omaha. Authorities confirmed that a bridge on that highway that crosses the Elkhorn River had been washed out Saturday. And in Freemont, west of Omaha, the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office issued a mandatory evacuation for some residents after floodwaters broke through a levee along the Platte River.
The flooding followed days of snow and rain — record-setting, in some places — that swept through the West and Midwest. The deluge pushed some waterways to record levels in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota. The flooding was the worst in nearly a decade in places.
The family of farmer James Wilke, 50, of Columbus, Nebraska, said he was killed Thursday when a bridge collapsed as he was using his tractor to try to reach stranded motorists on Thursday. His body was found downstream, his cousin Paul Wilke told the Columbus Telegram. Gass Haney Funeral Home confirmed James Wilke’s death.
At least two other people were missing in floodwaters in Nebraska. Officials said a Norfolk man was seen on top of his flooded car late Thursday before being swept away in the water and another man was swept away by waters when a dam collapsed on the Niobrara River.
Officials in Sarpy County, south of Omaha, said Saturday that power may be shut off to communities along the Missouri, Platte and Elkhorn rivers for safety reasons. They warned those who choose to ignore calls to evacuate that rescues would be attempted only during daylight hours. Some cities and towns, such as North Bend on the banks of the Platte River, were submerged. Others, such as Waterloo and Freemont, were surrounded by floodwaters, stranding residents in virtual islands with no access in or out.
Farther east, the Mississippi River saw moderate flooding in Illinois from Rock Island south to Gladstone. Meteorologist Brian Pierce with the National Weather Service’s Quad Cities office in Davenport, Iowa, said flooding on the Mississippi could get worse a few weeks as more snow melts in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
“What we’re having now is the dress rehearsal for the main event that’s going to happen in early April,” he said of the flooding on the Mississippi.
Rising waters along the Pecatonica and Rock rivers flooded some homes in the northern Illinois cities of Freeport, Rockford and Machesney Park. The National Weather Service said record crests were possible along the rivers, with water levels forecast to continue to rise over the next several days and remain above flood stage through most of the weekend.
