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Professor from Ohio enters plea in Kansas City teen sex case

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KANSAS CITY (AP) — A former professor at Miami University in Ohio has admitted to traveling to Missouri to have sex with a teen girl who was actually an undercover agent.

Kevin Connor Armitage-photo Caldwell Co.

53-year-old Kevin Connor Armitage entered a guilty plea Wednesday to a federal charge.

Court records say he posted details online of past sexual experiences. He also said he would be visiting the Kansas City area and asked for a recommendation. An FBI agent who was monitoring the site replied to the post and provided a phone number that Armitage believed would connect him with a 14-year-old girl.

Armitage was arrested when he went to a restaurant where he had arranged to meet the person whom he believed was the teen’s cousin. Sentencing is set for Aug. 15.

Kansas K-9 helps deputy make $9M fentanyl bust

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WABAUNSEE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug distribution charges after an arrest in northeast Kansas.

Photo courtesy Wabaunsee Co. Sheriff

On Wednesday, a Wabaunsee County deputy and his K-9 Partner Karma came across a vehicle in which the driver had a suspended driver’s license. Karma alerted to the odor and presence of narcotics, according to a social media report.

The deputy arrested the driver, the vehicle was impounded and a search warrant was obtained for the vehicle.

Investigators located two bags containing several hundred pills and 10 wrapped bundles. The pills are suspected to be fentanyl and the bundles were also suspected to be heroin or methamphetamine mixed with fentanyl. The estimated street value of these drugs were over 9 million dollars.

The sheriff will release the suspect’s name after charges are filed.

The sheriff did remind that Fentanyl is a very dangerous substance and has been the cause of many deaths by overdose.
Over 100 deaths occurred in Kansas last year and recently there were 2 deaths in Riley County from fentanyl.

Life sentence for Missouri man who killed 4 elderly people

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing four elderly people nearly a decade ago.

Keith Boyles -photo Doniphan Missouri PD

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced the sentence Thursday for Keith Boyles, convicted of four first-degree murder counts in February.

Authorities say the 2010 killings in rural southeast Missouri were a “test” to determine if Boyles and accomplices were capable of violence ahead of a bank robbery plot. The robbery never occurred.

The victims were 80-year-old Gladys Piatt and her 77-year-old husband, Loyd; 81-year-old Edgar Atkinson and 69-year-old Bonnie Chase.

Boyles is Chantale Youngblood’s former boyfriend.

Missouri Senate passes bill on industrial farms

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Senate has passed a bill to block local officials from regulating industrial farms more strictly than the state does.

Senators voted 23-11 Thursday to send the bill to the House.

The measure sparked an overnight debate earlier this week over the environmental impact of large farms, local control and actions by some county officials that critics say threaten to regulate industrial farms out of existence.

Supporters of the bill say it will help ensure farmers can make a living in rural Missouri.

Industrial farms known as concentrated animal feeding operations allow for more efficient production of beef, pork, poultry, dairy and eggs. They’ve also stoked concerns about air and water pollution.

Lawmakers face a May 17 deadline to pass legislation.

Brazilian firm sues MU over online program

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Brazilian education firm is suing the University of Missouri over their partnership to prepare students for college in the United States through an online curriculum.

High School Servicos Educacionais alleges in the lawsuit filed last month that the university breached their agreement by trying to directly enroll Brazilian students into its own pre-college program, Mizzou K-12 Online.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that the agreement states the university will enroll Brazilian students in the program through the firm, which paid the school nearly $4.9 million from 2015 through 2018.

Brazilians make up more than 4,000 of the 21,000 students enrolled in the program worldwide.

The firm alleges the university also sent “surprise invoices” totaling millions of dollars.

University spokesman Christian Basi says the school disagrees with the lawsuit’s claims.

Peterson: South America seeks improved infrastructure to become stronger

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Following a trip to South America, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson said he believes South America as a competitor to the U.S. will “only become stronger with time.” Peterson led a delegation to South America to see firsthand its impact and potential in global agricultural trade.

The delegation saw the commitment South America has to improve its infrastructure, a key issue holding back the region when it comes to exports. During meetings, the delegation learned that the country is looking to attract billions in private investment to improve the country’s infrastructure, and in particular the capacity of its agricultural supply chain.

Peterson says “it’s only a matter of time” before infrastructure investments improve the export of agricultural products, and “cut into” the competitive advantage the U.S. enjoys over South America. Further, Peterson says the Chinese are “happy to buy everything the South Americans can grow” right now, while the U.S. is embattled in trade negotiations and facing retaliatory tariffs.

Deputies, KHP seize 87 pounds of pot during I-70 traffic stop

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SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug charges after a Wednesday traffic stop.

Sayger photo Shawnee Co.
Payne-photo Shawnee Co.

Just after 10a.m., Shawnee County Sheriff deputies seized approximately 87 pounds of Marijuana worth an estimated  $175,000 from a traffic stop on eastbound I-70 near MacVicar Avenue, according to Sgt. Todd Stallbaumer.

A 2019 Dodge Caravan and a 2019 Nissan Armada, were involved in the traffic stop.

Deputies booked Preston G. Payne, 33, of Rossville, GA, and Ruth A. Sayger, 30, of Chattanooga, TN, were into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges that include Distribution of Hallucinogens, Use/Possession w/Intent to Use Drug Paraphernalia.

The Kansas Highway Patrol assisted with the arrest.

New national poll shows impacts of rural economy on farmer mental health

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A majority of farmers and farmworkers say financial issues, farm or business problems and fear of losing the farm impact farmers’ mental health. Other factors included stress, weather, the economy, isolation and social stigma, according to a new national poll by Morning Consult commissioned by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Polling found that many rural adults have either personally sought care or have a family member who has sought care for a mental health condition. Three in four rural adults, 75 percent said it’s important to reduce the stigma about mental health in the agriculture community, while two in three farmers and farmworkers, 66 percent, said the same.

Large majorities of rural Americans polled agreed that cost, social stigma and embarrassment would make it harder for them to seek help or treatment for mental health conditions. In response to the results, AFBF President Zippy Duvall said, “we can and must do more to address farmer stress and mental health issues in rural America.”

Kan. bill saying child not ‘aggressor’ in abuse cases headed to governor

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has approved a bill that would prevent judges from lowering sentences for child sex offenders if they think the victims were willing participants in the crime.

Soden -photo Leavenworth Co.

The bill approved Wednesday comes after a Leavenworth County judge in February reduced the sentence for 67-year-old Raymond Soden because he thought the 13- and 14-year-old girls involved in the case were “aggressors.”

Current state law allows judges discretion in sentencing for “substantial or compelling” reasons.

The new bill prohibits judges from reducing sentences if a victim is a participant or aggressor in a sexually violent crime or electronic solicitation when the victim is under 14 and the offender is 18 or older.

The House approved the bill earlier and it now goes to Gov. Laura Kelly.

Outlook for May China agreement positive

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Optimism is growing that the U.S. and China could wrap up a trade agreement this month. Trade officials from the U.S. and China concluded talks in Beijing Wednesday with another critical round scheduled for next week in the United States. But the Trump administration has appeared to be ready to walk away if an agreement isn’t reached soon.

However, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Twitter that he and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer have concluded “productive meetings” this week. The South China Morning Post reports that the U.S. has dropped the demand that China halts alleged instances of commercial cyber theft, to bring an end to the long-running tariff dispute.

A deal at this point between the U.S. and China is expected in Mid-May, with a possible signing of the agreement planned for June. However, an agreement doesn’t mean an end to tariffs. The U.S. is planning on keeping some tariffs on China, and China will likely keep retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural products, according to a Chinese trade expert.

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