The supervisor is Margaret Stafford, followed at 1 p.m. by Dana Fields. They can be reached in the Kansas City bureau at 800-852-4844 or 816-421-4844. AP stories, along with photos that accompany them, can be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. Reruns are available from the Service Desk (800-838-4616).
Please send stories of interest to other AP members by e-mail at [email protected].
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FLEEING FAILING SCHOOLS
JEFFERSON CITY — Parents wanting to transfer their children out of failing school districts should act by Aug. 1, and if demand is higher than available classroom seats, their children may have to wait on a lottery draw before they can attend a new school, according to state recommendations released Wednesday. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education issued a nine-point guide on how to handle student transfers from unaccredited districts. That comes a week after a state Supreme Court decision upholding a 1993 law that requires unaccredited school districts to pay for students to transfer to nearby schools. By David A. Lieb.
KANSAS-SURVIVAL CAVES
ATCHISON, Kan. — After most of the world’s population is wiped off the map by a wayward meteorite or hail of nuclear missiles, the survival of the human race might just depend on a few thousand people huddled in recreational vehicles deep in the bowels of an eastern Kansas mine. That’s the vision of a California man who is creating what he calls the world’s largest private underground survivor shelter, using a complex of limestone caves dug more than 100 years ago beneath gently rolling hills overlooking the Missouri River. But before it comes time to ride out Armageddon or a deadly global pandemic, though, Robert Vicino, who has purchased a large portion of the former U.S. Army storage facility in Kansas, says the Vivos Survival Shelter and Resort will be a fun place for members to take vacations and learn assorted survival skills to prepare them for whatever world-changing catastrophe awaits. By Bill Draper.
MISSOURI-PRESIDENT’S HOUSE
COLUMBIA — The University of Missouri is about to hang a vacancy sign on its hilltop presidential home, Providence Point. University system President Tim Wolfe said he plans to move out of the official residence overlooking Hinkson Creek and buy a private home. Since his December 2011 hiring, Wolfe’s wife and two children have spent most of their time in Massachusetts where the twins attend high school. His family has made weekend and summer visits to Columbia.
AP Photo MOCOD501.
TEXAS BUS CRASH-INDICTMENT
DALLAS — The owner of a Houston bus company has been indicted on federal charges stemming from the 2008 Texas crash that killed 17 people on their way to a religious conclave in Missouri, authorities announced Wednesday. Angel de la Torre of Houston and an associate are charged with making false statements on federal forms and other offenses stemming from the crash in Sherman, 60 miles north of Dallas. The indictment was returned on May 30, authorities said in a news release, and de la Torre and his associate were taken into custody when the indictment was unsealed. By Danny Robbins.
MILITARY POND-DEATHS
NORFOLK, Va. — The Navy identified the two sailors on Wednesday who could face formal criminal charges in the drowning deaths of two divers — one of them from Missouri — at Aberdeen Proving Ground near Baltimore. Senior Chief Petty Officer James Burger and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mark Smith were named during an Article 32 investigation hearing at Naval Station Norfolk. An Article 32 hearing is the military equivalent to a preliminary hearing or grand jury investigation. The commanding officer of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command will ultimately decide how the case proceeds. By Brock Vergakis.
VATTEROTT COLLEGE-LAWSUIT
KANSAS CITY — A Missouri woman who sued Vatterott College over its enrollment practices has won a $13 million judgment against the college. Jennifer Kerr, 42, of Belton, said the enrollment procedures caused her to spend thousands of dollars and extra time earning a certificate that proved to be useless in the job market.
WORLD FOOD PRIZE
DES MOINES, Iowa — The World Food Prize Foundation on Wednesday took the bold step of awarding this year’s prize to three pioneers of plant biotechnology, including one from Monsanto, whose work brought the world genetically modified crops. The private nonprofit foundation, which is in part funded by biotechnology companies, refused to shy away from the controversy surrounding genetically modified crops that organic food advocates say are harmful to people and the environment. By David Pitt.
AP Photo CER101.
NORTH TEXAS-PROSTITUTION
PLANO, Texas — A man is accused of operating nearly a dozen brothels that masqueraded as massage parlors in three North Texas counties as part of a multistate prostitution ring generating more than $1 million since 2010. A federal indictment alleges that the ring also used apartments and homes rented in Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. The brothel locations, some promising an “Asian Fantasy,” were advertised online and in a newspaper.
ALSO:
— INDEPENDENCE-STOLEN STATUE — Police in Independence have arrested two people in connection with last weekend’s theft of a 6-foot bronze statue from outside the National Frontier Trails Museum.
— EXPRESS SCRIPTS-EXPANSION — Pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts is planning a $50 million expansion of its corporate headquarters in the St. Louis area.
— UNIVERSITY-COMPUTER HACKING — A former student at the University of Central Missouri will spend three years in federal prison for taking part in a conspiracy to hack into the school’s computer network.
— GRANT-ST LOUIS — A St. Louis organization is getting a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to provide job training for inmates.
— KANSAS CITY-PLAZA FIRE — The Missouri Public Service Commission says it needs more time before it issues a final report on a fatal explosion at a Kansas City restaurant.
— POLICE MERGER — St. Louis and St. Louis County police are merging their bomb and arson units.
— KIRKWOOD SHOOTING — Two men are now in custody in the shooting death of a recent high school graduate in the St. Louis County town of Kirkwood.
— INERGY-UNIT DISTRIBUTION — Inergy LP, which sells propane and operates a natural gas storage business, said Wednesday that it completed its distribution to its unit holders of the about 56.4 million common units that it previously held in Inergy Midstream LP.
SPORTS:
— BBA–ROYALS-INDIANS. Wednesday night’s game at Cleveland. By Sports Writer Tom Withers. With hometown lead on losing team.
— BBN–CUBS-CARDINALS. Wednesday night’s game at St. Louis. With hometown lead on losing team.
The AP-Kansas City
