The state has initiated a program designed to save it money on the nine million dollars in office supplies it buys each year. Office of Administration Commissioner Jackie White says the program is expected to save about 30 percent on that bill by letting a single contract to make a big buy from a large supplier Rangel/Office Depot. All state agencies can use the contract by ordering direct from the supplier. White says even government agencies outside of the scope of the state’s control can participate. The only ones left on the outside are the smaller vendors who used to sell to the state. White hopes there will be business for them in the future, but right now, she feels she has to try to save every dime possible.
Report Finds Missouri Has One Of Nation’s Fastest-Growing Food Stamp Programs
November 13, 2004 By
Missouri has one of the fastest-growing food stamp programs in the nation. A report from a national group that studies hunger issues says the number of people who’ve gone onto the program in Missouri in the last five years is up by 77 percent. The Food Research and Action Center says that’s the sixth-largest percentage increase in the country. The State Director of Family Support, Denise Cross, says part of the growth is tied to a changing jobs picture in Missouri. Part of it also is linked to more aggressive efforts by her divison to make sure that those who are eligible can get help. She says 737,000 Missourians – men, women, and children – are in the program.
K.C. Man Files Suit Against Bounty Hunters Over Mistaken Identity
November 13, 2004 By
A Kansas City man has filed a lawsuit against a group of bounty hunters, a bonding company, and its agents after he was mistaken for another man in July and was taken to Springfield. Richard Allen Sexton, a designer at Hallmark Cards, was mistaken for a St. Louis County parole violator named Richard Alan Sexton. This isn’t the first time the Hallmark employee has been mistaken for the other Richard Sexton. He found out about the other guy two years ago when a collection company started hounding him. But what happened in July was the final straw for the Hallmark Sexton. He pointed out that his Social Security number was different from that of the wanted man. One of the bounty hunters informed him documents can be forged. In Springfield, the bounty hunters realized they had the wrong guy and returned Sexton to Kansas City.
Former K.C. Priest Faces More Allegations Of Sexual Abuse
November 13, 2004 By
More lawsuits have been filed in Jackson County Circuit Court against a former Kansas City priest accused of sexual abuse. Four more men allege former priest Thomas Reardon sexually abused them when they were boys. Reardon, who left the priesthood in 1989, is also facing legal action from a group of men filing lawsuits since January. Reardon has denied previous allegations of abuse. The suits name the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and two members of the Church hierarchy as co-defendants, alleging the Diocese could have acted to prevent abuse years ago and failed to do so.
More Flu Vaccine Headed To Missouri
November 13, 2004 By
More flu vaccine is on the way to Missouri. State Health Department officials say they expect to receive an additional 157,000 doses of vaccine in the next three months. They’ll come from the remaining 11-Million doses that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sending to state and local health departments throughout the country. America’s flu vaccine supply was reduced last month when vaccine that had been expected from a company in England was found to be contaminated. Despite the additional vaccine, there will still not be enough for everyone, and the CDC is still recommending that only those at high risk get the flu shots. They include people over the age of 64, young children, the chronically ill, and certain health care workers.
