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St. James High School Band Was Headed To Six Flags

FOX 4 News

10:08 PM CDT, July 27, 2010

KANSAS CITY, MO - Police officers never know what their days are going to be like. Many times, they save lives, and sometimes in the most extraordinary ways.

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KANSAS CITY BUSINESS JOURNAL - BY Suzanna Stagemeyer STAFF WRITER

The vast majority -- 84 percent -- of U.S. exports are produced in the nation's metropolitan areas, places on which the United States needs to focus if it hopes to boost exports, a new Brookings Institution study says.

The biggest 100 metro areas provide more than 64 percent of U.S. exports, including 75 percent of service exports. Among those areas, Kansas City ranks 33rd, producing $8.4 billion in exports, with the largest export industry being transportation equipment.

The Washington-based nonprofit's study, "Export Nation: How U.S. Metros Lead National Export Growth and Boost Competitiveness ," looked at 2008 export levels. Because metro areas include high concentrations of human and physical capital, they are "points of leverage for scaling up trade with the wider world," Brookings said.

Kansas City's advantage is that it has a diversified industrial makeup, with unique export opportunities for each industry, said Chris Gutierrez, president of Kansas City SmartPort, a nonprofit that promotes the region as a freight and logistics hub.

The places to which those products are exported also vary, he said, adding that the export diversity helps Kansas City's economy remain fairly steady when certain industries or areas drop off.

Kansas City ranked just behind Columbus, Ohio, which had the same primary export industry but produced $8.72 billion in exports.

The New York City area was first, with $85.16 billion in exports, followed by the Los Angeles and Chicago areas. The 10 largest metro areas produced about 43 percent of exports from the top 100 metro areas.

The billions of dollars in U.S. exports translate into 11.8 million U.S. jobs (8.3 percent), with 7.7 million of them in the 100 biggest metro areas.

And jobs in export-intensive industries pay 1 percent to 2 percent more for every $1 billion in exports of a metro-area industry -- even for workers without high school diplomas.

Wichita was among four metro areas that doubled the real value of their exports between 2003 and 2008, the report found. Wichita's growth was driven by aviation, an industry that has been hard-hit by the recession.

As the economies of Brazil, India and China expand, metro areas that produce U.S. exports to those countries will be well-positioned to take advantage of that growth, the report said. Exports to those countries doubled between 2003 and 2008, and those countries are expected to account for a fifth of the global gross domestic product this year, Brookings said. The largest U.S. trading partners are Canada and Mexico.

Brazil, India and China have unique needs, some of which it would be good for Kansas City to target, Gutierrez said.

Meagan Kelleher, FOX 4 Web Producer

11:17 AM CDT, July 23, 2010

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Johnson County attorney Scott P. Logan is facing charges after prosecutors said Logan used a web cam to send images of himself masturbating in an office to an investigator posing as a 14-year-old girl.

Prosecutors said an investigator's affidavit alleges that the incident happened in May 2010, and the images show Logan, 45, in an office with office furniture, framed diplomas and certificates on the wall behind him. Prosecutors said Logan, of Kansas City, Mo., continued to send the undercover officer images of adult and child pornography and tried to engage in sexual conversations from June 1, 2010 to July 22, 2010.

Foulston Siefkin LLP in Overland Park confirmed that Logan was an attorney at that law firm and said that the FBI contacted them and they cooperated fully with the investigation.

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KC undocumented students risk deportation after action on Capitol Hill to urge passage of the DREAM Act

Washington D.C.- Tuesday, July 20, three undocumented Kansas City residents were arrested and now risk deportation for participating in a sit-in to urge congressional leadership to pass the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act as a stand-alone bill--a narrowly tailored, bipartisan bill which would grant immigrant youth a path to citizenship.

Myrna Orozco, Diana Martinez, and Ricardo Quinones, Kansas City residents and members of the KS/MO DREAM Alliance, are three of over 20 immigrant youth from all over the country participating in the action today at the Hart and Russell Senate buildings.

Orozco, 20, a Rockhurst University student pursuing a double major in political science and non-profit leadership studies states, "We can't stand by any longer as republicans and democrats play political hot potato and the blame game with our lives. We need the DREAM Act to pass now."

After two months of coast-to-coast actions, including dozens of sit-ins, civil disobedience actions, and protracted hunger strikes by both undocumented youth and community members from across the nation, they have decided to bring the cause of their lives to Washington D.C.

Quinones, 20, a Johnson County Community College graduate, and University of Kansas student studying psychology states, "I am tired of being told I don't belong here. This is my home. This is my country. I believe passing the DREAM Act will show that our society doesn't believe in criminalizing children for the decisions of their parents."

According to recent surveys by First Focus, 70% of the American public supports the DREAM Act. Inaction to pass the bill, despite wide support, has led these students to target the following elected officials: Senator Menendez, Senator Reid, Senator Feinstein, Senator McCain, and Senator Schumer.

Authorities: Suspicious Package Was Briefcase