Labette County earns share of SEK title with win over Independence

ALTAMONT, Kan. – (WATCH) Labette County tops Independence 42-22 Friday night.

With the win and Fort Scott’s loss to Parsons, the Grizzlies earn a share of the SEK league championship – sharing the title with Fort Scott.

It’s Labette County’s 5th straight SEK league title and 22nd in program history.

Saturday Blog: Starting to warm up and a look at our next storm system. -Doug

Well we made it through another week with ice and snow but we are heading into the weekend and the weather is looking much better over the next week.  Actually, the weather is pretty calm for the next week or so.  We are in a bit of a lull in the Heady Pattern but it will really pick up here in about a week.

Another cold start on Saturday with temps into the mid teens.  But the afternoon won’t be to bad.  We will have a lot of clouds as a weak system passes by just to the south.  I think any rain or sleet will stay in north central AR.

We will add about 10 degrees by Sunday.  Sunday looks nice as we will push 50.

Most of the week looks great.  Most days we will be well into the 60s to pushing 70 degrees.  It is going to feel amazing after a somewhat rough February that we have had.  But again, don’t forget that severe weather season is about to kick off next month.  It could be a little bit of a rough ride over the next 3 and a half months.  We look pretty good until next Saturday.  We will have a stronger system that will roll in giving us some showers and thunderstorms.

There is a decent shot these could be strong to severe.  I will keep you updated.  Long range forecast is below.

-Doug

Next weekend:  Showers and thunderstorms on Saturday, some strong to severe.  A little cooler by drying out on Sunday.

March 6th-12th:  Another wave rolls in on Monday and Tuesday with showers and a few thunderstorms.  Turning cooler behind this system that could give us a little snow around Tuesday or Wednesday.  Staying cool with rain or snow chances back in by the weekend.

March 13th-19th:  A cool start but most of the week will be mild.  Thunderstorms chances increasing by the weekend.

March 20th-26th:  A cool start with rain or snow chances on Sunday.  Warming up by the middle of the week with slight chances for thunderstorms mid week.  Cooling back down toward the weekend.

When is The People's Convoy expected to visit Vinita?

VINITA, Okla. — A U.S. trucker group traveling around the country is making a stop in a local town to protest COVID mandates.

The “People’s Convoy” is expected to hit the Vinita area on Sunday around 4 PM, said Craig County Sheriff Heath Winfrey on Friday.

The “People’s Convoy” left Adelanto Stadium, California on Wednesday, with stops in Arizona and New Mexico before hitting Texas and Oklahoma this weekend. The 11-day route travels through nine states before hitting Washington, D.C. on March 5.

The U.S. convoy is the counterpart to Canada’s “Freedom Convoy.” The peaceful protests are to bring attention to the COVID vaccine mandates and restrictions.

Winfrey said early projection is putting around 1,500 semi-truckers in Vinita.

“We plan to start parking trucks at the Big Cabin truck stop,” Winfrey said.

Truckers will stay overnight in Vinita and depart Monday morning traveling Interstate 44 through Joplin, Springfield, Rolla and into Sullivan, Mo.

The grassroots effort has raised over $855,000,  according to the group’s website.

Posts on the group’s social media sites show people waving American flags standing on overpasses and children “arm pumping” prompting truckers to hit their horns.

The town of Tucumcari, New Mexico asked the convoy to take a break and park in town on Friday.

One social media post said the convoy was in excess of eight miles long.

The convoy is made up of “truckers, moms, students, nurses, doctors, investors, county workers, teachers, cowboys, loggers, engineers, sanitation workers, professors, cashiers, flight attendants, pilots, sales reps, physical therapists,” according to the group’s website.

The group released its mission statement which said in part, “Americans love our freedoms and love the Constitution of The United States of America. This convoy aims to bring back our freedoms, our civil liberties, and bring an end to all unconstitutional mandates.”

The statement continues, “This is about our rights, as well as the freedom of future generations. It’s not about political parties, but more so about a government that has forgotten its place and has no regard for our founding fathers’ instructions, the Constitution.”

More information on the convoy’s cause can be found on their website.

Kansas to get $190 mill in opioid settlement with distributors to combat addiction

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNW) – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced Friday that the nation’s top pharmaceutical distributors reached a $26 billion opioid settlement to help fund the nation to treat and prevent opioid addiction.

Under a state law enacted last year, the money received from this settlement will be used to address substance abuse and help ensure addiction services are provided through the state.

The agreement has been formed with Cardinal Health, Inc., McKesson Corporation, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson after a three-year effort to resolve over 4,000 claims against the companies. It is the second-largest multistate settlement agreement in U.S. history after the Tobacco Master Settlement in 1998.

Kansas has qualified to recieve the maximum amount of payments under the agreement, $190 million, after receiving 100% sign-on from the Kansas political subdivisions. The first distribution of the settlement is expected later in spring and will continue for as many as 17 years.

“We have worked tirelessly to hold these companies accountable for the addiction and human suffering caused by years of their illegal business and marketing practices,” Schmidt said. “The court-ordered changes to their business practices will save countless lives going forward, and the money they must pay for the harm their past actions have caused will be dedicated to preventing and addressing drug addiction throughout Kansas. The settlements we announce today are proof that in the long run, justice is a greater force than greed.”

The conditions of the agreement with the pharmaceutical distributors include:

  • Establishing an independent clearinghouse for tracking where drugs are going and how often.
  • Maintaining a data-driven system to detect suspicious opioid orders from customer pharmacies.
  • Terminating customer pharmacies’ abilities to receive shipments, and report those companies to state regulators, when they show certain signs of drug diversion.
  • Prohibiting sales staff from influencing decisions related to identifying suspicious opioid orders.
  • Requiring senior corporate officials to engage in regular oversight of anti-diversion efforts.

Johnson & Johnson will be required to:

  • Stop selling opioids.
  • Not fund or provide grants to third parties for promoting opioids.
  • Not lobby on activities related to opioids.
  • Share clinical trial data under the Yale University Open Data Access Project.

State agencies, local governments and nonprofits may apply for funding through the grant review board, which is currently being formed.

“I am grateful for the cooperation and collaboration with city and county leaders in our state as we worked together to reach this settlement and maximize the benefit to the citizens we all serve,” Schmidt said. “This is a historic opportunity to address substance abuse and addiction in our state, and it is vital we continue working together to put these funds to best use.”

Principle agreements were also reached to resolve the state’s claims against Purdue Pharma and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals plc, but they have filed for bankruptcy. As a result, negotiations are continuing through bankruptcy court proceedings.

Kansas is also in ongoing investigations and negotiations with other companies believed to have played a role in illegally fueling opioid addiction.

Additional information about the opioid settlements is available here.

Donating to Ukraine scam warning

KSNF — If you’re looking to help the people of Ukraine, experts say be careful of any donations you make.

If that donation is financial, the Better Business Bureau has some tips on how to ensure your money doesn’t end up in the hands of scammers instead of the people that really need it.

They say to be wary of any claim that 100% of the donation will go to victims. They say all charities have some amount of administrative costs.

Be cautious when giving online to unfamiliar charities, even if that claim links to a relief organization. Find out if the charity actually has a presence in the region they claim to be helping. And be cautious about crowdfunding because some websites do very little to check out the individuals seeking funds after a disaster.

You can always check with the Better Business Bureau to get a review of actual charities and nonprofits.

To do that, we’ve provided a link here.

Homeless artist using talents to bring awareness to issues in the area

JOPLIN, Mo. — An area man is using his talent — and personal experience — to raise awareness of a social problem throughout the Four States.

And he’s inspiring others at the same time.

Some of the latest paintings done by Artist Jared Cox depict life on the streets of Joplin. If it seems to have a realistic quality to it, there’s a reason for that.

For a few months that’s where he lived. While he eventually got off the street, he saw a homeless person in the snow recently and he couldn’t help but to pick up a brush and start painting.

“And it just touched me one day out of the blue I sort of realized having been through that myself that I should use my gift to bring some sort of attention to the problem of homelessness and mental health that goes hand in hand actually,” said Cox.

He started painting in high school and didn’t put down the brush for the next thirty years until all of the sudden.

“I quit for ten years or so, gave up painting to the point that I sort of forgot that that was a core part of my being.”

But he experienced a spiritual rebirth, as well as a professional one.

His life started to turn around with the help of Watered Gardens Ministry’s “Forge Program” for men. And found a place to live at one of God’s Resort’s homes, which he’ll be in until he’s ready to get his own place.

He’s found a full time job and a cause, to encourage others to support ministries that help people when they need it.

“I’m not ashamed of having been through a difficult time. We all have different trials and you know, I feel like letting something that’s in your past be taboo might cause you to miss an opportunity to help someone along the way or at least in my case, makes others pay a little more attention,” said Cox.

If you’d like to see some of his work, it’s on display at Beaten Path Coffee Company and Art Gallery.

Economic Security offers financial help during cold hard times

JOPLIN, Mo. — A local organization is offering some financial help to help people keep the heat on during our colder days.

Some area residents might have a heating unit that isn’t working properly, and they can’t afford to get it fixed.

Economic Security might be able to help with that expense. Although the organization can’t pay for the cost of installing a brand new system, there are some funds available to help residents get their heating system fixed.

“They could have up to $2000 to use on that heating system, so that could be a wood stove, a propane heater, it could be electric or natural gas, any device that is their primary heating unit for their home,” said Debbie Markman, Economic Security of Southwest Area.

Markman says the income guidelines to qualify for repair assistance have been increased, so even if you haven’t qualified before, you might qualify for it now.

Simply reach out to Economic Security to start the process.

WIC allows return and exchange of recalled baby formula

CRAWFORD COUNTY, Kans. — There’s help for parents in the WIC Program when it comes to last week’s nationwide baby formula recall.

The FDA and Abbott Nutrition announced the recall due to the potential presence of bacteria and salmonella in powdered formulas like Similac, Alimentum, and Elecare. WIC clients can take return those products, opened or unopened, to where they were purchased.

“The concern is often WIC participants cannot take formula back to the store for exchange because it has to go through the WIC process, but with the recall it is a different situation. They are able to take it back to the vendors, and the vendors were contacted and were informed they could replace it with a cash voucher, store credit, or another formula that was similar,” said Alicia Shoemaker, Crawford County WIC Coordinator.

WIC clients can also exchange recalled products for a ready-to-feed formula. They simply need to contact their local WIC agency.

There are also a number of approved substitues.

For more information you can follow this link here.

Ottawa County man pleads guilty to assault/victim paraplegic

TULSA, Okla. – An Ottawa County man on trial for slamming a classmate headfirst onto the ground rendering him a paraplegic plead guilty Friday just as closing arguments were about to begin in his federal trial.

Jace Christian Williams, 23, of Miami entered the guilty plea to assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country.

The 2017 assault stems from Williams’ anger at the victim because he interfered and ruined Williams’ chances of having a sexual encounter with two women, said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson in a prepared statement.

Williams jumped the victim in a surprise attack leaving him with a C6-7 fracture and paralyzed.

“Jace Williams’ anger and ego led to an assault that paralyzed his victim,” Johnson said.

His conduct was intentional, violent, and criminal, he said.

Multiple witnesses saw Williams suddenly approach the victim from behind and before the victim could turn around, Williams wrapped his arms around the victim’s body, lifted him backward and slammed him head-first onto the ground. Williams proceeded to punch the victim in the back repeatedly then spat on him.

Another witness testified Williams ripped off his own shirt and bragged that what he had done to the victim was “fun” and that he wanted to do it again.

The victim and defendant knew one another and attended the Afton technical school. In the days leading up to the crime, Williams told one student that he was going to make sure the victim could not “use his arms or legs for five months.”