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Missouri farmer testifies in Washington, D.C. about impact of trade war

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A Missouri farmer and American Soybean Association board member has told a U.S. House subcommittee he and other farmers are hurting because of the ongoing trade war with China. Ronnie Russell says as late as April, farmers were hopeful an end to the trade war was at hand.

Ronnie Russell testifying before U.S. House subcommittee

“However, the recent increase in tariffs and the potential for future escalation is unacceptable,” he says.
Russell told lawmakers finances are suffering and the stress of living for months with the consequences of tariffs is mounting.

“Soybean growers need China’s tariffs removed now,” he says.

Russell said on behalf of himself and the ASA, Congress should do everything it can to ratify the U.S. trade agreement with Mexico and Canada.

Russell, who farms in western Missouri’s Ray County, testified before the U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, International Development, and Monetary Policy.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Two Missouri universities hacked

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Students and employees at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin began receiving letters this week about a data breach and the offer of two years of complimentary credit monitoring. Missourinet affiliate KZRG in Joplin reported first that the university had undergone a major cyberattack on January 8.

Missouri Southern State University in Joplin

Two other universities experienced similar attacks, according to the online publication “BleepingComputer.” Those schools were Graceland College which has campuses in western Missouri’s Independence and Lamoni, Iowa and Oregon State University in Salem, Ore.

Missouri Southern State University leaders say they responded quickly and engaged a leading forensic investigation firm to help stop the attack. The company also provided subsequent investigation services. The university notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crime Task Force ant the Missouri Attorney General’s Office about the incident.

“The University worked diligently to notify all impacted individuals once the results of its investigation had been communicated to law enforcement,” says
Al Stadler, Chief Information Officer and Security officer at Missouri Southern.

He says the information obtained about each victim potentially included name, Social Security number and date of birth. Stadler said bank account numbers were not included in the information.

Missouri Southern has about 6,000 students and hundreds of employees. The cybercriminals might have targeted not only campus employees but many Missouri Southern students and, possibly, retirees who have retained their Missouri Southern e-mail addresses.

Stadler says no criminal activity has been reported. He say he knows of no arrests or indictments that have been made at this time.

By Steve Smith of Missourinet affiliate KZRG in Joplin

Columbia woman crowned Miss Missouri

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A new Miss Missouri has been crowned. During Saturday night’s ceremony at the Missouri Military Academy in Mexico, Simone Esters of Columbia won the title.

Miss Missouri Simone Esters

Her talent was baton twirling and her platform works to boost the quality and quantity of youth mentors.

This was her second year competing in the pageant. Esters, 20, has been awarded a $14,000 scholarship to continue her journalism education at the University of Missouri.

She moves on to the Miss America pageant at a future date.

Twenty-seven candidates competed in the 50th annual competition.

Story courtesy of Missourinet affiliate KXEO in Mexico

Gov. Parson on first trade mission to Europe

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Governor Parson is on a European trip to promote more international trade and investment in Missouri industries. The governor will make several stops along the way, visiting Germany, Switzerland, then to France.

He will attend a memorial ceremony at the World War II D-Day invasion site in Normandy, where he and Missouri First Lady Teresa Parson will visit the Normandy American Cemetery and honor Missouri’s fallen through a flag exchange and wreath-placing ceremony with Superintendent Scott Desjardins.

While in France, Parson will meet with the Canadian and U.S. Ambassadors to France, key executives of the U.S. and Canadian Industry Associations, fellow U.S. Governors, and other national and military officials.

Parson then attends to Le Bourget air show, the world’s largest, to meet with officials from Boeing and other aerospace companies.

Details about the second half of the trip will be released next week. The trip is funded by Missouri’s Hawthorn foundation, an economic development non-profit.

 

 

 

Closure extended of Missouri River barge, boat traffic

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The U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers have closed the Missouri River to all boat and barge traffic indefinitely from St. Louis to north of Sioux City, Iowa.

Closure extended of Missouri River barge, boat traffic

Officials say vessel traffic may damage levees, or cause river water to flow over the top of levees. Drifting objects in the high water are also a hazard to boats.

The closure is expected to last for weeks. A higher volume of water is being released in the river from the Gavin’s Point Dam in South Dakota through at least the end of June.

Earlier this week, flooding problems led the U.S. Coast Guard to close barge and boat traffic from St. Louis to Kansas City.

(Reporting by Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City)

Blunt: Mexican tariffs would not help trade deal with Mexico and Canada

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U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, says it’s hard to imagine President Trump’s plan to put tariffs on Mexican imports will help advance the U.S. trade agreement with Mexico and Canada (USMCA).

President Donald Trump

“That the same day you lay the USMCA legislative piece down that you announce this tariff on Mexico. But, let’s hope that it works out quickly here,” says Blunt.

There are reports that Republicans have told the White House they plan to push back strongly on Mexican tariffs. Blunt defended Senate Republicans reaction to tariffs from “day one.”

“It’s so universal it doesn’t get much coverage but I don’t think there’s much new here in Republicans in the Senate concerned about tariffs and how you’re negotiating trade policy.”

The Republican says the government of Mexico can be more helpful and says the Guatemalan government has stepped up in the last 10 days.

“And signed some agreements with us about the southern border in Guatemala. We’d like to see the Mexicans more helpful there,” he says.

Blunt says the Guatemalan border is a fraction of the length of the U.S./Mexico border so it’s key to solving the immigration influx.

He also wants Congress to pass emergency funding to care for the average of 362 unaccompanied children coming from the southern border each day.

Blunt made his comments at the weekly Republican leadership press conference in D.C. Tuesday.

By Julie Harker of Brownfield Ag News

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Charges filed in high-profile 1993 abduction and murder of Missouri girl

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(This story is written by Missourinet St. Louis contributor Jill Enders)

ST. CHARLES, Mo.- A nearly 26-year-old murder of a girl from eastern Missouri’s St. Ann has finally been solved.

St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar (left) speaks to reporters on June 5, 2019. St. Ann Police Chief Aaron Jimenez, St. Charles County Police Chief David Todd and Major Case Squad Commander Dan DeCarli are behind him (Jill Enders photo)

St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar called a press conference this afternoon, where he announced that 61-year-old Earl Webster Cox has been charged for the kidnapping and killing of nine-year-old Angie Housman.

Cox is charged in St. Charles County with first degree murder, kidnapping and sodomy. Online court records indicate his bond has been set at $500,000 cash-only.

Lohmar tells reporters that DNA recently discovered on pieces of Angie’s underwear led investigators to Cox, who’s currently a patient in a federal medical facility in North Carolina.

“Cox was initially identified through CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) and his DNA was then collected with his consent and it was retested. Cox was the major contributor of DNA at the location tested,” Lohmar explained.

Cox, who grew up in the St. Louis area, has prior convictions for child sex abuse and for running an international child pornography ring.

Lohmar also says more arrests could be made and says that Ron Bone, Angie Housman’s stepfather, can’t be eliminated as a person of interest.

The details of the murder are gruesome. Missourinet reported during the 25th anniversary of the murder in November that an autopsy determined Angie Housman had been raped and died of exposure. She had only been dead a few hours when she was discovered, meaning she was kept alive during the nine days she was missing.

Housman was reportedly tortured and starved, before being tied to a tree and left for dead. Lohmar isn’t committing to whether or not he’ll seek the death penalty.

“There’s a lot of factors that go into making a decision like that, to ask a jury to seek the death penalty,” says Lohmar. “It’s way too early for us to make that determination. The death penalty is reserved for the worst of the worst. This one seems to resemble something along those lines. We’ll just leave it at that.”

More than 100 people attended a December candlelight vigil in St. Ann, to remember Housman. The December vigil was organized by Angie’s Angels, a group of mothers who are dedicated to solving Housman’s murder.

Trisha Trout of Angie’s Angels spoke to Missourinet at that vigil, and had a warning to whomever is responsible for Angie’s murder.

“Do not think you have gotten away with anything, because you have not. We will find you and we will bring you to justice,” Trout told reporter Jill Enders that evening.

Former St. Ann Police Chief Bob Schrader, who was chief in 1993, told Enders at the December vigil he was hopeful this case would be solved.

“Maybe the DNA that’s been sent off to the company, that’s probably one of the leading companies on extracting DNA in the United States, maybe we can finally put closure to this,” Schrader said that evening. “I’ve been retired for five-and-a-half years, and I can tell you, I want this case cleared before I die.”

There’s no word on when Cox will appear in St. Charles County Circuit Court for his initial arraignment.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Bootheel town of Kennett losing third major employer in two years

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Southeast Missouri’s Kennett has lost its third major employer in three years. Missourinet affiliate KBOA in Kennett reports industrial hose manufacturer Parker Hannifin is closing by the end of September – putting 90 full-time workers out of jobs.

Last year, the town of roughly 10,000 lost Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center and 300 jobs. In 2017, semitrailer maker Manac Trailers also closed its doors.

Mayor Chancellor Wayne says there is nothing he could do to change the company’s mind.

“I sat down with them and they discussed their reasons for closing, which was just basically pure business,” Wayne told KBOA Radio.

Economic Development Director Jim Grebing says they have had discussions to see about keeping the closure from happening.

“For now, we’ve had ongoing discussions with the Department of Economic Development and workforce partners around trying to see how to move forward from here,” Grebing said.

Radio station KBOA reports workers were offered severance packages, while others will relocate to other Parker-Hannifin facilities.

The company released this statement to Missourinet this afternoon:

The Hose Products Division of Parker Hannifin announced a plan to close a manufacturing facility located at 1200 Ely St, Kennett, MO 63857. The Kennett manufacturing operations will be transferred to other existing locations in the United States by the end of September 2019, affecting 92 full time employees. The Kennett facility manufactures yarn reinforced rubber hose and will continue its manufacturing and assembly operation until all product lines are operational in their new locations.

This was not an easy decision to make given the impact it has on our team members. This was the only viable option as the demand for the products manufactured at the Kennett facility can no longer support the operating costs.

We are grateful for our team members hard work and dedication and the consolidation in no way reflects their performance. We are committed to easing the transition for all affected team members and we will be offering employment opportunities across Parker, as well as separation packages that include severance pay and outplacement support.

Throughout this transitional period, the Parker Hose Products Division is committed and focused on doing our jobs safely and effectively, while maintaining the high standards for quality and service that our customers expect from us.  

KBOA Radio in Kennett contributed to this report.

Gov. Parson to Hannibal officials: we’re doing everything we can with the situation we’re in (Video-WGEM)

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Gov. Parson, Mayor and County EMD John Hark, State Rep. Louis Riggs

Gov. Parson met with local leaders in Hannibal as he toured efforts to stave off Mississippi River flooding. Mayor John Hark said the city is in good shape “thanks to city employees and citizens” who have been sandbagging during all daylight hours.

The governor also recognized the Department of Corrections inmates who have been helping across the state.

“Those men and women have been out there helping every day just like everyone else; they’ve out their backs into it,” Parson said.  “Sometimes take just a second to appreciate people like that that are out there working.”

“Unfortunately, the rain’s not going to let up,” Parson said.

Missourinet’s TV and radio partner in Quincy, WGEM, covered the press conference Monday.

Read their story- watch presser here