| Man Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Threat in Sedalia |
| SEDALIA (AP) - A Kansas City man who told several people at a
Sedalia high school that escaped convicts were planning to kidnap
students has pleaded guilty to making a terrorist threat. Prosecutors say 19-year-old Michael Frederick, who had been reported missing from Fort Leonard Wood, made the threats in November during a senior fundraiser at Smith-Cotton High School. The Sedalia Democrat reports that Frederick told several students and a school administrator that the Army sent him to advise area schools about the kidnapping plot. The Pettis County Sheriff's Office found that there was no such threat. Frederick was sentenced last week to serve 180 days in jail. After he completes his sentence, he faces military discipline for being absent without leave. |
| (Copyright 2010 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Kirkwood Residents to Meet Again on Race Issue |
| KIRKWOOD (AP) - Residents of the St. Louis County town of
Kirkwood plan to meet Wednesday to try to ease racial tensions
lingering from the 2008 City Hall shooting rampage. In January, city officials and some residents signed an agreement mediated by the U.S. Justice Department aimed at improving race relations. But many in the town's black community felt the agreement fell short. Radio station KWMU reports that the mediation team will present its findings at the meeting at City Hall. The Justice Department began the effort after a black resident, Charles "Cookie" Thornton, killed two police officers and four city officials before he was gunned down by police in February 2008. |
| (Copyright 2010 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Man Charged with Neglect of Horses |
| WASHINGTON (AP) - A Gasconade County man faces 14 animal abuse
charges after horses were found dead at a property near Rosebud in
eastern Missouri. The Washington Missourian reports that 48-year-old Dennis Hiatt has been charged in Gasconade County with 14 misdemeanor counts of animal abuse. Hiatt's attorney, Frederick Schwetye, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Monday. The Humane Society of Missouri rescued 14 horses and recovered the bodies of 12 dead horses late last month from the Rosebud property. The live horses were taken to the group's Longview Rescue Ranch in Union pending disposition at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday. If the Humane Society gets custody, officials say as many of the horses as possible will be put up for adoption. |
| (Copyright 2010 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Housing Chief Plans to Work for Not-For-Profit |
| JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - The outgoing executive director of
the Missouri Housing Development Commission says he's hoping to work
for a not-for-profit group. Pete Ramsel announced his resignation last week without explanation. He now says he's retiring and would ultimately like to work for a charity that focuses on housing issues. Ramsel is leaving the Missouri Housing Development Commission on March 1 after working there for 15 years. The Kansas City-based agency uses tax credits and tax-free bonds to finance affordable houses and apartments. Ramsel was asked about his future plans during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on state tax breaks controlled by the agency. Last year, Ramsel confirmed he was interviewed by the FBI during an investigation related to low-income housing projects. |
| (Copyright 2010 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Mo. Commits Transportation Stimulus Funds |
| JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - The Missouri Department of
Transportation has designated all of its federal stimulus funds a month
before the deadline. State transportation departments are required to commit funds to specific projects by March 2 or risk losing the money. Spokeswoman Sally Oxenhandler said Monday that Missouri could potentially get more money if other states miss the deadline. The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has awarded 187 stimulus projects totaling almost $470 million. The projects range from repaving roads to replacing the Osage River Bridge near Tuscumbia in mid-Missouri. |
| (Copyright 2010 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Mo. Woman Pleads Guilty in Supplements Fraud |
| SPRINGFIELD (AP) - A southwest Missouri woman has admitted
taking part in a scheme to fraudulently market dietary supplements over
the Internet. The U.S. Attorney's office says 25-year-old Mai Lor of Springfield faces up to five years in prison plus a fine of up to $250,000. Prosecutors announced Monday that Lor pleaded guilty last week to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Lor was part-owner of a company that bought and sold dietary supplements. Prosecutors say the supplements were fraudulently advertised as preventing, treating or curing such diseases as heartburn and high cholesterol. The government says nearly $12 million worth of the supplements were sold. Under the plea deal, Lor agreed to forfeit any property bought with proceeds from the scheme, including several properties in Springfield, Rogersville and Pleasant Hope. |
| (Copyright 2010 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Mo. Senate Criticizes Federal Gov Operations |
| JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - The Missouri Senate has adopted two resolutions critical of federal government operations. Both measures prompted debate Monday on the role of the federal government. One resolution calls on the federal government to approve only a balanced budget The other asks Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster to investigate a special deal that helped secure a favorable vote from Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska on a health care bill. The deal would have spared Nebraska from paying any cost of a proposed expansion of Medicaid. Nelson has since asked that the special provision be stripped from the health care bill. Attorneys general in several states had objected to the Nebraska exemption. |
| (Copyright 2010 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| 4 People Killed in St. Joseph Duplex Fire |
| ST. JOSEPH (AP) - The bodies of two infants have been
recovered from the scene of a duplex fire that also killed two other
people in northwest Missouri. St. Joseph Fire Department inspector Rob Blizzard says the babies' bodies were found around 1 p.m. Monday on the bottom floor of the duplex. He says they were believed to have fallen from the second floor of the residence when it collapsed. Firefighters were called just after 3 a.m. Monday. They found the bodies of a woman believed to be a grandmother and a 14-year-old girl upstairs. Two people believed to be the parents of the children were able to escape. St. Joseph police Sgt. Gary Murphy says the fire is being treated as a crime scene because there were multiple victims. |
| (Copyright 2010 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| McCaskill: Mo. Politicians Posturing on Stimulus |
| WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill says she's fed up
with Missouri politicians who are criticizing the federal government
for big spending yet are using federal stimulus money to balance the
state budget. McCaskill didn't call anyone out by name Monday. But the Democratic senator generically targeted Republicans who control the Missouri House and Senate. Missouri's 2010 budget is using federal stimulus money for education and health care. The 2011 budget proposed by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon would rely on $1.2 billion of stimulus money but would not finance the full amount due to public schools. Republican Senate leaders have committed to fully funding the school formula. McCaskill says they could not even come close to doing so were it not for federal money. |
| (Copyright 2010 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Governor Names Highway Patrol Superintendent |
| JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - Gov. Jay Nixon has named a successor to
outgoing Missouri State Highway Patrol superintendent Col. James
Keathley. The appointment of Maj. Ronald Replogle was announced Monday. If confirmed by the state Senate, he would take over when Keathley retires at the end of this month. Replogle is a 26-year veteran of the Highway Patrol. He has led several departments, including the Criminal Investigation Bureau. The Highway Patrol superintendent is chosen from among the uniformed members of the agency. |
| (Copyright 2010 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| Truman State Provost Named President |
| KIRKSVILLE (AP) - Truman State University provost Troy Paino is the school's new president. The selection, announced Monday, makes official a decision put in place two months ago when Paino was designated the finalist. He will start his new job May 10. Darrell Krueger has served as interim president since Barbara Dixon resigned last year. Paino is provost and vice president of academic affairs at Truman. He was among 66 people who applied. He was previously dean of the college of liberal arts at Winona State University in Minnesota. |
| (Copyright 2010 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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| 4 Being Sentenced for Fake Federal Diplomat Scheme |
| KANSAS CITY (AP) - Four men with connections to the so-called"sovereign citizens movement" were being sentenced Monday for buyingand selling fraudulent credentials. Three of the men were convicted in August in federal court and the fourth pleaded guilty to the conspiracy, which operated from July 2006 until October 2007. Customers were charged $450 to $2,000 for laminated cards identifying them as ambassadors. The cards contained the seal of the Department of State and words "Diplomatic Identification." Buyers were told the IDs would grant them sovereign status and spare them from paying taxes. Card holders also were told they could no longer be stopped or arrested by law enforcement. One of the men was arrested after presenting one of the fake ID cards to a Kansas City, Mo., police officer during a September 2007 traffic stop. |
| (Copyright 2010 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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