Billy Long: I will work with my colleagues to end unnecessary, illegal robocalls

(From Seventh District Congressman Billy Long)

“Or to be placed on our ‘Do Not Call List,’ press two.” If I’ve heard that message on my voicemail once, I’ve heard it a hundred times. Nothing preceding, nothing following, just those 12 words.

What the scam is or what their angle is, I don’t know and I don’t care. 

All I know is that I’ve never pressed the number two. And since I’m on every “Do Not Call” list known to man, I’m as frustrated as my constituents that we are still getting a multitude of these unsolicited robocalls. 

We in Congress have heard from our fed-up constituents to take action, and now, thankfully, we have.

Illegal robocalls are getting worse and worse over the years. In 2018 alone, there were more than 47 billion unwanted robocalls in the U.S. 

To put that number in perspective, that’s more than 150 calls for every adult. These unwanted robocalls made up 29 percent of phone calls in 2018. That percentage is expected to reach 45 percent in 2019, meaning nearly half the calls in the U.S. will be illegal robocalls.

I am on the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology and we have made stopping illegal robocalls one of our top priorities. 

One of our bills, the Stop Bad Robocalls Act, was passed just this week by the full House of Representatives by an overwhelming majority. This bipartisan bill increases resources for consumers to combat this growing problem and requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to implement additional protections.

Specifically, this bill would require all phone carriers to implement technology that would authenticate incoming robocalls. 

In addition to this, phone carriers would be required to provide call blocking services for illegal robocall while still protecting legitimate calls. The Stop Bad Robocalling Act would also require the FCC to implement additional protections and extend the statute of limitations from one year to four years. Finally, this bill would give the federal government authority to issue more aggressive penalties up to $10,000 per violation.

On top of these efforts, action has also been taken at the local and state level with the help of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In late June, the FTC launched a new initiative called “Operation Call it Quits.” This initiative brings together officials and agencies at all levels to fight this problem by educating consumers with new information and bringing cases against companies responsible for illegal robocalls. So far this year, the FTC has brought more than 100 cases against nearly 500 companies and nearly 400 individuals, and that’s including numbers from Operation Call it Quits.

As the problem of illegal robocalls continues to grow, I will work with my colleagues to take action. It’s time to end these unnecessary and illegal robocalls.

Oklahoma sex offender pleads guilty to raping 13-year-old in Carthage motel

An Oklahoma sex offender pleaded guilty to felony statutory rape during a plea hearing Thursday in Jasper County Circuit Court.

Judge Gayle Crane sentenced Alvin Eugene Brown, 36, Big Cabin, Oklahoma, to 17 1/2 year in prison.

As part of a plea agreement with the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's office, a second statutory rape charge against Brown was dropped and he waived his right to have a pre-sentence investigation.

Brown's trial had been scheduled to begin Monday.

The guilty plea was the second this week in the case

On Monday, Brown's accomplice, Amber Ramirez, 37, Sarcoxie, who brought the 13-year-old victim to Brown,  who is her boyfriend, had sex with Brown twice in front of the child, smoked meth with Brown and handed the sex offender a condom before one of the rapes, pleaded guilty to felony endangering the welfare of a child.








As part of a plea bargain agreement with the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's office, a statutory rape charge against Ramirez was dismissed.

Brown was convicted in 2010 in Oklahoma of lewd or indecent acts with a child.

In her plea hearing, Ramirez acknowledged she was aware Brown was a sex offender when she took the 13-year-old and three other underage girls who had been at a birthday party to Oklahoma to pick up Brown and bring him back to Missouri.

The rapes of the 13-year-old took place the following day, March 2, in a room at the Budget Inn in Carthage.

Brown had sexual intercourse with the girl and forced her to perform a sexual act on him, according to the probable cause statement.

Ramirez' sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. September 16.

Sarcoxie woman did meth, handed a sex offender a condom, watched him rape 13-year-old - and she got a plea bargain

Troy Onstott makes a new friend at Children's Mercy Hospital

Troy Onstott made a new friend Wednesday at Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, where he is recovering from an ATV accident.

In her latest Facebook post from Wednesday night, Troy's mother Jill tells the story and offers a glimpse at what lies ahead for Troy, her and her husband T. J. and the other members of the Onstott family for the next several weeks.

This picture is a little ironic. 

After our chocolate lab, Jax past away last year (RIP sweet boy), we didn’t think we could own another choc lab because it just wouldn’t compare to our Jax. 

Troy always said he wanted a Golden Retriever, even thinking Santa would bring him one. Well Santa brought us Marley instead, another choc lab who we adore so much. He brought her to us before Jax passed in hopes that it wouldn’t feel like we were trying to replace him, instead Jax had time to show her the ropes before he passed. It was perfect. 

But poor Troy never got his golden retriever...until now. Meet Bode, a volunteer here at CM. Troy’s pet for the next month or so. Two handsome boys right there!


Thank you ALL for your prayers. After meeting with our rehab team today, we concluded that our goals line up with theirs for where we hope to be in Troy’s recovery by the end of August, at which it won’t end there of course. We will then transfer to an out-patient therapy center (location undecided at this time).

My brain is mush and eyes are so tired after doing some much needed research this evening but first I wanted to let you know that Troy did great today. He is eating soft foods now and loving that. (well he didn’t like the chicken pot pie so much tonight but we will have to play around with new foods until we get it all worked out). He is engaging more with his friends and visitors, which is the most exciting part.

God- you are AMAZING! You continue to fill our days with miracles, and Troy’s will to get better and stronger every day is contagious. Thank you for using our sweet boy to teach us (his parents) to surrender everything to you. We trust in you to open the right doors and lead us down YOUR path of healing, transforming Troy into the boy YOU intended him to be. I already look at him and see fire in his eyes Lord, it’s pretty darn magical. I pray that he continues to get better every single day as he has showed us this far.
We love you Lord,
AMEN.

Watch live- Lamar Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on proposal to put medical marijuana in vacant grocery store building

Graves: No collusion- now let's stop those socialists

(From Sixth District Congressman Sam Graves)

Since the day President Trump took office, America has been making a comeback.

President Trump’s agenda to lower taxes and cut unnecessary regulations has put American workers and American businesses first, and we’re reaping the rewards of these pro-growth policies. Our economy is booming. Job growth is on the rise and unemployment is at its lowest point in nearly half a century. Small business optimism and consumer confidence are soaring. President Trump promised to make America great again, and he’s doing just that. I’ve been proud to help him along the way.

Despite this great American comeback, some radicals in Washington are still chomping at the bit to impeach our President. Just last week, a third attempt was made to impeach President Trump. It failed—again. I was proud to stand alongside every Republican and independent member of Congress in opposing impeachment—along with 137 Democrats.








On top of that, today the House brought in former Special Counsel Robert Mueller to tell us what we already knew. Mueller, along with some 19 lawyers and 40 FBI agents, spent 22 months and $25 million digging for evidence. They issued 2,800 subpoenas and conducted 500 witness interviews, and what did they find?

Zero, zilch, nada, nothing, NO COLLUSION.

It’s not about that though. Those gunning for impeachment are the same folks who want to enact so-called “Medicare for All,” the “Green New Deal,” and other disastrous legislation that would destroy Medicare, start a total socialist takeover of our economy, and open our borders to illegal immigrants. This is about turning back the clock on all the economic progress we’ve made over the last few years. This is about pushing forward a radical agenda that will set America back years, if not decades.

Instead of continuing these theatrics and wasting more time, the House needs to get back to doing the peoples’ work. There are plenty of real problems we should be working on fixing—like making sure folks have the help they need to recover from the Flood of 2019, securing our border, and fixing our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.

It is my hope that after today, the House can finally get back to doing the work of the American people.

Hartzler supports bipartisan Stop Robocalls Act

(From Fourth District Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler)

Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-04) today supported H.R. 3375, the Stop Bad Robocalls Act, which further protects Americans from illegal robocalls that often promote fraud and jeopardize personal privacy. This bipartisan legislation passed the House 429-3 and will be sent to the Senate for further consideration.

“Illegal robocalls are insidious in nature and prey on seniors and other groups with dishonest and fraudulent claims,” said Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler.

“They violate our privacy and are an unsolicited burden to many of my constituents. This legislation helps rein these calls in,” added Hartzler, who noted that there have been 29.3 billion illegal robocalls in 2019 alone and a 64% increase since 2016.

Specifically, the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act will support new technology to ensure the authentication of calls and the blocking of illegal calls without an extra line-item charge to consumers. It also implements new procedures for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to rapidly fine first-time offenders and catch illegal callers. The FCC will also be able to implement new consumer protections and report to Congress on the status of illegal robocalls. Finally, the act will give protection to the healthcare system, which is undermined by malicious calls to providers, hospitals and patients.

“The inconvenience and burden of illegal robocalls is something that everyone can empathize with,” said Hartzler. “It is time to protect citizens from these attacks and bolster our capability to block illegal robocalls,” added Hartzler.

Ten-year-old Troy Onstott works hard as recovery continues

Ten-year-old Troy Onstott, son of T. J. and Jill Onstott, Lamar, continues to work hard to begin doing some of the things most of us take granted.

His story as he continues to recover from an ATV accident three weeks ago continues to be told by his mother in her latest Facebook post.

Day 21:

Moving that right arm is TOUGH people, his body language screams frustration. But I’m sharing this with you all now because I’m looking forward to when I can show you the next video of him knocking down those cones all on his own. 

Right arm movement: to be continued....

Playing a little football with his dad. He’s still got that tuck down









God- there’s nothing this boy can’t do, his healing is in your hands. And I know in your time all will work itself out. 

Jesus you stand next to him in this fire and he will rise up from this. I pray for this little fighter of ours, that he will learn to give all the Glory to you Lord. I can’t wait to hear this boy speak, and tell us all about how you came down and whispered “everything will be alright, just hold tight.” 

Thank you for filling my heart with excitement each night yearning for tomorrow’s promises. You are something else God, what a ride. 

Please Lord, guide us through our care meeting tomorrow. You know what we need, please give us the courage to stand up for our little man and the knowledge to make it happen. 

AMEN

Watch Robert Mueller's testimony live

Joplin R-8 Board approves combined Columbia/West Central elementary school, Kelsey Norman addition

The Joplin R-8 Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday night to combine Columbia and West Central elementary schools and build an addition to Kelsey Norman.

The vote approved the recommendation of the district's Long Range Facilities Committee, which consists of administrators, teachers, students and community members.

Board members expressed some sadness and conflicted thoughts about the elimination of the smaller neighborhood schools, but indicated the final decision came down to safety and the current facilities not being equipped to handle 21st Century education.







"I will be voting with a heavy heart, but a clear mind," Board President Sharrock Dermott said.

Board member Lori Musser expressed similar concerns.

"I want people to know this is not an easy decision. We've spent the last few years trying to remedy the problem. We need to do what is best, not just for our kids at Columbia and West Central, but for the district.

 The plan calls for a no-tax bond issue of $22 to $25 million.

The estimated cost of the project is $19.6 million for the combined Columbia/West Central and $2.875 million for the Kelsey Nornam addition, which will enable the district to remove modular classrooms that are being used.

Paul Richardson: Oh, the woe of the summertime mow

(Paul Richardson's column, The Horse I Rode In On, is published weekly in the Neosho Daily News and Seneca News-Dispatch and on the Turner Report.)

Why do we mow? We don’t know! Yet it grows and so we mow. As we go, we grow a flow. Mow it tight and we will have to sow. Mow it right and it will grow. With the dog in tow, we mow, mow, mow!

Almost every kid in the Midwest receives mowing as the first assigned task. Growing up in Newtonia, we had a fairly large lawn. Owning a riding lawn mower was not in the stars in the beginning, so the task of mowing occupied a full day. At least for me as a kid it did.

As an adult I might have been faster, but my motivation as a kid was really high. The sooner I got done, well, the sooner I was done. However, for the most part I believed that I was being worked like a rented mule!

I actually like to mow. I got over the childhood aversion to, well in general, work. However, I don’t do much mowing anymore. Due to my grass allergies, the good wife decided years ago that the option of me mowing and then her enduring a night of me wheezing was less attractive than her just doing the task. 

On occasion I am able to convince her that if my air intake is properly filtered then I should be allowed to mow. When she permits me to embark under these conditions, then my breathing is closely monitored for the next 48 hours. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. When we have a failure it normally results in me be banned from mowing for a considerably long time.

One of the problems with my exclusion from the mowing task is that her mowing methods and patterns don’t necessarily coincide with what I would like. Being my dear mother’s son, I like the mow lines to be laid out in a particular direction and continuous in that direction as long as permitted. I like the grass discharge to be well dispersed and even. 

If the windrow is heavy due to excessive growth as experienced this year, I like to mow back over the windrow and either continue moving it to an area where it can be disposed of or dispersed evenly. In short, I like for the lawn to look like the Parade Deck at the Great Lakes Navy Installation. When our son Nick graduated from basic training at Great Lakes, I was impressed with the grounds. Of course, the Navy had a few hundred rented mules to work with!

The good wife is getting better about using the side opposite the discharge to mow closer to objects such as trees, in order to maximize the area covered by the riding mower. She prefers to trim with a push mower, so the weed eating is maintained by the grandson or myself. In fact, that is what I was doing early this morning while the temperature was at it’s coolest. I can sit inside and write when it is hot outside. One shouldn’t weed eat during the heat. (How did you like that? Kind of reminds you of the first paragraph, right?)

The good wife has also gradually reduced the total surface area being mowed. We can do that as we live out in the county. If you aren’t mowing it, it moves from the status as lawn to a status of pasture. 

However, years ago when I performed all of the mowing, I was questioned many times as to why I used a lawn tractor to mow the pasture. Those questioning my methods just couldn’t make the transition from pasture to lawn. The other direction works, but for some reason this was not a two-way street for them. Anything fenced or outside of a specific radius of the home is automatically determined to be pasture by some folks.

Leisure parks don’t exist in the county. That is, specifically outside of any corporate limits of a town or village. Sure, we have George Washington Carver National Park and some areas designated as State Parks but those are the only exceptions. Any place else that is “park like” is simply well-groomed pasture.

Due to the lawn versus pasture conundrum it is entirely possible that we may not need to mow at all. If the good wife and I were to come to that conclusion, our grandson would make some very derogatory remarks and attempt to re-designate us to an alternative social class. 

This already occurred once when we were slow about cleaning up the debris that the dog left strewn across the yard. We had just grown weary of trying to constantly pick up behind that pup. So, we will continue to mow. The grass will obviously continue to grow throughout the summer this year as this rain seems determined to continue. It would be so easy to just go native and make the case for every square foot to be pasture