Gary Munyon Charged Under New Synthetic Cannabinoid Law

Gary Munyon was charged in Worth County Associate Circuit Court with Possession of a Synthetic Cannabinoid. Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Robert Dudick signed a probable cause statement alleging that on March 25th, 2012 on Route YY west of 169 near Grant City, Dudick stopped Munyon for a lane violation. During what Dudick said was a consent search, he found Mr. Marley incense, cigarette papers, a container of Fusion incense, and two containers of Quick Fix Plus. There are many products that are marketed as incense but which produce highs similar to marijuana and which are labeled as not for human consumption. Quick Fix Plus is a synthetic urine that is designed to defeat drug tests.

The probable cause statement by Dudick states that the incense in question was sent to the Highway Patrol crime lab and that it tested positive for controlled substances. The statement said that the defendant admitted that he smoked it to get high, but that he did not think it was illegal to have incense.

In 2011, the Missouri Legislature passed and Governor Jay Nixon signed a law making the sale, distribution, or possession of synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cocaine illegal. This law also includes K2, certain bath salts, and other substances. Opponents, especially in the Ozarks, said that the new law amounted to an infringement on peoples' rights, saying that it was no more harmful than beer. Others, however, describe violent and abusive behavior and hallucinations that have lasting effects for days. Greene County, MO had people treated at emergency rooms after K2 was smoked. Supporters argue that passage of the law was necessary because it rose to the level of a public health issue.

This year, in 2012, President Obama signed a bill banning synthetic marijuana and other synthetic drugs at the federal level. It costs around $20 per gram and people spend as much as $100-$200 per week on these products.

But the battle on these substances has just begun. There is no specific list of brands available which constitute K2 in Missouri and there is therefore much confusion over what is legal and illegal. And vendors, especially in the south part of the state, are already turning to K2 alternatives which they say are legal. And a basic question for lawmakers is, how far can the government reasonably expect to go? People can get high sniffing common substances such as glue, paint, lighter fluid, fingernail polish, permanent markets, Whiteout, and deodorants. Yet no reasonable person is arguing that we should ban the sale or possession of such substances.

Heaton Faces Unlawful Use of Weapon Charge

Lisa Heaton was charged in Worth County Associate Circuit Court with Unlawful Use of a Weapon. Information filed by Prosecuting Attorney David Baird alleges that Heaton knowingly possessed a firearm while intoxicated. An affidavit from the Worth County Sheriff's Department alleges that on June 9th, 2012, Deputy Sheriff Tom Trullinger made contact with the defendant who was intoxicated and who was in possession of a .22. In 2009, the section in question, Section 571.030.1(5), was unsuccessfully challenged in court on constitutional grounds. The Missouri Supreme Court upheld it as Constitutional. The Missouri law has an explicit exception for self-defense.

Two Face Bad Check Charges

Two people face bad check charges in Worth County Associate Circuit Court. Calvin Adams of Allendale was charged with passing a bad check of $73.99 to Hy-Vee of Grant City on August 29th knowing it would not be paid. Meckessa Rice of Albany was charged with passing a bad check to Country Corners in the amount of $73.67 on May 19th, 2012. The check was returned stamped "Account Closed." A person commits the crime of passing a bad check when the person issues a check knowing it will not be paid or makes, issues, or passes a check knowing there are insufficient funds in or on deposit with that account or that there is no such account and fails to pay the check after receiving notice in writing that it has not been paid because of insufficient funds or credit. Passing bad checks is a Class A misdemeanor unless the face amount is $500 or more or the issuer had no account with the financial institution in which case it is a Class C Felony.

Cut to the Chase -- Bacon is Big

Bacon is Big

By Stewart Truelsen

Bacon is undoubtedly America’s best-loved and most maligned meat product. It has been the subject of studies trying to link consumption of large amounts of processed meat with some cancers, and nutrition consultants often discourage clients from eating bacon because of its fat content.

Yet, bacon hasn’t lost any of its sizzle. The American Meat Institute reports that bacon has an almost cult-like following with dozens of Facebook fan pages and blogs with tens of thousands of readers.

For some reason, bacon just can’t seem to stay out of the news. As the nation’s severe drought wore on this summer, consumers became worried about higher food prices and shortages. What food product did they fear losing the most? Why it was bacon, of course.

The bacon scare began in the British press and made headlines everywhere despite the lack of any real basis in fact. The Huffington Post Blog called it “aporkalypse,” the beginning of the end for bacon lovers. But, analysis by American Farm Bureau Federation economists showed pork supplies will decrease slightly going into 2013 and the idea of widespread bacon shortages was really overblown.

Refrigerated bacon is a $2 billion industry, one in which sales actually rose during the nation’s severe economic downturn a few years back. In stores and on the Internet shoppers can buy flavored bacons and hand-crafted bacons made by artisans using old fashioned curing methods and hand labor. This premium bacon is two or three times the cost of regular bacon, which is usually inexpensive.

Bacon also is the star of one of the most popular recipes on the internet – the Bacon Explosion, a barbecue dish the size of a football. A Bacon Explosion consists of bacon wrapped around a filling of spiced sausage and crumpled bacon. It is then smoked or baked.

The Bacon Explosion notwithstanding, bacon can be part of a diet to lose weight. The Atkins Diet is based on the premise that a person can lose weight by eating meat and eliminating carbs. Now there is also the Paleo Diet, which mimics what cavemen would have eaten during the Paleolithic Age before the dawn of agriculture. Bacon and other meats are in, but grains are out with this diet.

The idea behind the Paleo Diet is that we are genetically programmed to be healthier if we eat what our distant ancestors ate. Whether hunter-gatherers actually ate bacon is arguable. However, wild boars are indigenous to Europe, so a successful hunter with a sharp stone, fire and salt could have cured meat.

Pigs were domesticated at least 7,000 years ago. The Chinese get credit for being the first to salt pork bellies around 1500 BC. The English gave it the name bacon in the seventeenth century.

Today, there are low-sodium, lean and turkey varieties of bacon available. If you love bacon there is no reason you can’t find some that is suitable for your health, nutrition and enjoyment.

(Stewart Truelsen is a regular contributor to the Focus on Agriculture series and is the author of a book marking the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 90th anniversary, Forward Farm Bureau.)

Eight Tigers Named to All 275 Teams in Football

275 All-Conference Football Teams (2012)

First Team All-Conference

OFFENSE

Quarterback                            Nick Patterson*                       Jr. / Nodaway-Holt

Running Back                          Nate Luke                                Jr. / Stanberry

Running Back                          Dallas Greenland                    Sr. / Worth County

End/WR                                   Derek Lemon                          Sr. / Nodaway-Holt

End/WR                                   Eric Duncan                             Jr. / Rock Port

End/WR                                   Aaron Patton                           Sr. / Worth County

Offensive Line                         Dylan Kinsella                         Sr. / Worth County

Offensive Line                         Clay Oswald                            Sr. / Rock Port

Center                                     Corey Comer                           Sr. / Stanberry

All-Purpose Back                     Luke Sanders                           Jr. / Mound City

DEFENSE

Defensive Line                                    Nathan Hayes                          So. / Mound City

Defensive Line                                    Dylan Kinsella                         Sr. / Worth County

Defensive End                         Lane Craven                            Jr. / Worth County

Defensive End                         Eric Duncan                             Jr. / Rock Port

Defensive End                         Dakota Wooten                       Jr. / Tarkio

DL/LB                                      Wyatt Rush                              Jr. / Worth County

Linebacker                              Mitchell Minter                      Sr. / Rock Port

Linebacker                              Nate Luke                                Jr. / Stanberry

Defensive Back                       Aaron Patton                           Sr. / Worth County

Defensive Back                       Dayne Messer                         Jr. / Mound City

Defensive Back                       Hayden Marrs                         So. / Mound City

Defensive Back                       Austin Kerr                              Jr. / Rock Port

Defensive Back                       Nic Shanks                               So. / Stanberry

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker                                      Shelby McMillen                     Fr. / Stanberry

Punter                                     Trent Coleman                        Sr. / North Nodaway  

Returner                                  Eric Duncan                             Jr. / Rock Port

*Denotes Unanimous All-Conference Selection

275 All-Conference Football Teams (2012)

Second Team All-Conference

OFFENSE

Quarterback                            Bryce Ross                               Sr. / Worth County

Running Back                          Thomas Shifflett                      Jr. / Mound City

Running Back                          Jayden McMahon                   Jr. / Rock Port

End/WR                                   Jeremiah Bragg                      Sr. / South Holt

Offensive Line                         Kevin Stoll                               Sr. / Worth County

Offensive Line                         Dakota Wooten                       Jr. / Tarkio

Center                                     Keaton Shaw                           Sr. / Tarkio

Center                                     Payton Lingerfelt                    So. / Rock Port

All-Purpose Back                     Wade Saxton                           So. / Nodaway-Holt

DEFENSE

Defensive Line                                    Clay Oswald                            Sr. / Rock Port

Defensive Line                                    Jesse Oldham                          Sr. / Stanberry

Defensive End                         Mason Rosier                          So. / Stanberry

DL/LB                                      Chandler Farmer                    Jr. / Rock Port

Linebacker                              Dallas Greenland                    Sr. / Worth County

Linebacker                              Trevor Johnson                        Sr. / Stanberry

SPECIAL TEAMS

Punter                                     Logan Kephart                         Jr. / Craig-Fairfax

Health care law delivers higher payments to primary care physicians

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the final rule implementing the part of the health care law that delivers higher payments to primary care physicians serving Medicaid beneficiaries.  The new rule raises rates to ensure doctors are paid the same for treating Medicare and Medicaid patients and does not raise costs for states.
“The health care law will help physicians serve millions of Americans across the country,” Secretary Sebelius said.  “By improving payments for primary care services, we are helping Medicaid patients get the care they need to stay healthy and treat small health problems before they become big ones.”
The final rule implements the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that Medicaid pay physicians practicing in family medicine, general internal medicine, pediatric medicine, and related subspecialists at Medicare levels in Calendar Years 2013 and 2014.
This payment increase goes into effect in January of 2013.
In addition to payment improvements, the health care law includes numerous initiatives designed to bolster primary care and strengthen the primary care workforce, including an expansion of medical residency positions for primary care physicians, new investments in physician assistant and nurse practitioner training, and an unprecedented expansion of the National Health Service Corps, which provides scholarships and loan repayments to primary care providers who practice in underserved areas.

For more information about today’s final rule visit:http://www.cms.gov/apps/media/fact_sheets.asp
To view a copy of today’s final rule visit: www.ofr.gov/inspection.aspx

Opinion -- Civil Discourse and The Clash of Ideas

 by Lee Hamilton

The election of 2012 has called attention to how difficult it is for Americans to talk reasonably with one another about public policy challenges. Our civic dialogue — how we sort through issues and reason with one another — is too often lamentable.

 

We live in a politically divided country. Congress, which ought to serve as the forum where politicians of diverse views find common ground, is instead riven by ideological disagreements. There’s no real discourse, just the two parties hammering at each other in a mean-spirited, strident tone. Small wonder the public holds Congress in such low esteem.

 

It seems impossible to change, but it’s not. Ordinary citizens—you and I—have it in our power to put our political dialogue back on track.

 

The first step is to understand that in a politically and socially diverse country, with two houses of Congress and a president required to pass legislation, compromise isn’t a luxury. It is almost always a necessity. Too few politicians seem to grasp this.

 

So if we want things to improve, if we don’t like intense partisanship and political game-playing, then we must choose officials with an instinct for collaboration. And we, as their constituents, have to give them room to craft legislation with broad appeal.

 

The budget, taxes, entitlements, education, immigration — on all these issues there is room for each side to accommodate the other. But to make progress on these matters, it will take political leadership of the highest order: leaders who are fair, open-minded, and committed above all else to bringing people together through discussion, debate and compromise.

 

Let me be clear: We should expect disagreement in our politics. Vigorous debate has been a constant in American history, and let’s hope it always will be. Controversy and argument are natural parts of a working democracy. Our Founders understood this, as a way for multiple views to be aired and possible solutions weighed. Competition for power lies at the heart of our system, and an intense struggle for votes that is marked by the clash of ideas should be encouraged, not feared.

 

But healthy debate requires other ingredients, too: Respect for one’s adversary. Tolerance of different beliefs and perspectives. Graciousness. A fundamental respect for facts. The humility to recognize that we might be wrong and the integrity to admit it.

 

When the next political attack ad appears on your television screen, keep these virtues in mind. Because if we don’t like the tone of our politics, you and I are the only ones who can change it. We must make it clear to office-seekers and to our political friends that we do not like inflammatory name-calling or constant attacks on an opponent’s motivation. Let it be known we are tired of excessive partisanship — that we want a genuine dialogue that searches for common ground and solutions.

 

Knowing how to disagree without obstructing progress should be a bedrock skill for officeholders. They must know how to state their case cogently, in a manner that is substantive and factual, and does not attack the motivation or patriotism of those with whom they disagree. The more this kind of behavior becomes the norm, the better our political system will work and the stronger our nation will be. Because the reverse is true, too: a politics that consists of debasing, demeaning, or attempting to silence the people with whom we disagree is a warning sign of an ailing democracy.

 

Plenty of powerful groups and interests in this country try to manipulate public opinion. But special interests don’t have the final say on who gets elected. You, the average citizen, have the one thing every candidate values most highly: a vote.

 

Use it, and use it wisely. Help America turn away from a coarse, surly politics that dwells on differences and places party loyalty ahead of national progress. Choose leaders of a civil temperament who listen attentively to a wide range of views, who see value in bridging the partisan divide, and who will pragmatically address our nation’s challenges.

 

Lee Hamilton is Director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.