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(Springfield, MO) -- Some Ozarks school buses are getting some green upgrades.

The EPA, Blue Skyways Collaborative and the Ozarks Clean Air Alliance are contributing nearly $140,000 to retrofit dozens of buses.

75 Springfield public schools buses and more than a dozen Logan-Rogersville buses will be decked out with equipment that will reduce pollution.

That, the groups say, will also reduce the amount of diesel exhaust coming in contact with kids.

To get the grant money, however, the schools do have to live up to their end of the bargain.  They've agreed to develop programs that will prevent unnecessary idling.

(Columbia)  --  A potentially fatal disease is being reported among horses in the St. Louis area. The University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine reports that a dozen horses have been treated for Potomac Fever, which is uncommon in the midwest.

   Symptoms of this bacterial infection include in fever, colic, diarrhea, toxemia, laminitis and pregnant mare miscarriages.

   Potomac Fever is found in snails, swallows, bats, and flies.

   Experts believe the wet summer and flooding is responsible for the horses becoming infected.

(Hamburg, AR)  

   Stevi Lauren Perry, 18,  from Hamburg, Arkansas, was crowned Miss Teen USA 2008 on Saturday during ceremonies at an island resort in the Bahamas.

   Perry will receive a two-year scholarship to the New York Film Academy and other prizes.

   Contestants were judged in the categories of swimsuit, evening gown, and interview.

A hot air balloon explosion claims the life of a Wright County man.

The Highway Patrol says it happened around 8:30 Sunday morning near Mountain Grove. That's where four men were taking turns riding in a hot air balloon that was tied to a pick-up truck.

When Bill Blair, 49, went up, a propane tank on board started leaking, causing an explosion and fire. Blair reportedly jumped from about 75 feet up and died.

Another man, Elmer Lane, 35, tried to pull Blair from the burning wreckage and was injured by another exploding tank.

Lane is recovering at a Springfield hospital.

The Highway Patrol says the group was not experienced in this kind of flight. The agency has notified the FAA.

Witnesses call Blair a good friend and a hard worker who ran a construction company. Sunday's crash has people in the hot air balloon business talking. We spoke with Shane Robinson, the owner of Balloon Sport USA.

Robinson's company was not affiliated with today's accident, but after twenty years experience in the sky, he says he knows about the safety needed to pilot a balloon.

Robinson tells us balloon accidents are actually very rare when compared to the number of flights each year.

The industry is regulated by the FAA. Anyone who flies a hot air balloon must have training and a license from that agency.

 

For those of you who still shop at a Krogers store in MO.

 

(Indianapolis, IN) -- Kroger stores in Indiana, Missouri and Illinois are asking customers to check for ground beef they may have recently purchased with "sell by" dates of August 1 through August 16.

This ground beef is part of a recall announced by Nebraska Beef. Customers should return the ground beef to stores for a full refund or a replacement.
    
The recall involves 153 stores Kroger operates in Indiana, Illinois and Missouri under the banner names Kroger, Scott's, Owen's, Hilander and Pay Less. Stores involved have placed signs with specific information in their meat departments to notify customers.
    
Consumers are reminded that proper handling, storage and cooking of ground beef offer the best protection against food-borne illness. According to the USDA, when ground beef is thoroughly cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees, any harmful bacteria are destroyed and the ground beef is safe to consume.

Whoo-hoo. According to The Washington Times.

American Airlines announced Thursday that it will eliminate fees for a third piece of checked luggage for active military personnel on their way to the war in Iraq or anywhere the U.S.

American and other airlines already had waived fees for first and second pieces of checked luggage for military members. Veterans for Foreign Wars, one of the country's largest veterans groups, has asked the aviation industry to eliminate all baggage fees for military personnel heading to Iraq.

"We always understood that soldiers traveling on duty were reimbursed by the military for the fees on required excess baggage," said Tom Del Valle, senior vice president of American Airlines airport services.

"However, after recently hearing of the burden the military reimbursement process put on soldiers traveling to war zones, the choice for us to forgo payment for a third checked bag from the Department of Defense was clear," Mr. Del Valle said.

The Washington Times reported on Tuesday that American was charging troops for extra baggage and recently had charged two soldiers from Texas $100 and $300 for their extra duffel bags.

American said it gives the military a break on the cost for excess luggage and that the soldiers who incur the fees are reimbursed.

"Because the soldiers don't pay a dime, our waiver of the fees amounts to a discount to the military, not a discount to soldiers," American spokesman Tim Wagner told The Times on Monday. "Soldiers should not have to pay a penny of it."

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) spokesman Joseph Davis said service members destined for Iraq should not have to spend the money out of pocket and should not have to worry about filing expense forms in a war zone.

"That's a lot to ask when the service member has much more important things on their minds, such as staying alive and keeping those around them alive," he said Monday.

ANAHEIM, California  -- Cinderella, Snow White, Tinkerbell and other fictional fixtures of modern-day childhood were handcuffed, frisked and loaded into police vans Thursday at the culmination of a labor protest that brought a touch of reality to the Happiest Place on Earth.

"Tinkerbell" and other Disney characters were handcuffed Thursday in a protest outside the gates of Disneyland.

The arrest of the 32 protesters, many of whom wore costumes representing famous Disney characters, came at the end of an hour-long march to Disneyland's gates from one of three Disney-owned hotels at the center of a labor dispute.

Those who were arrested sat in a circle on a busy intersection outside the park holding hands until they were placed in plastic handcuffs and led to two police vans while hundreds of hotel workers cheered and chanted.

The protesters were arrested on a misdemeanor count of failure to obey a police officer and two traffic infractions, said Sgt. Rick Martinez of the Anaheim police. They were cited and released, Sgt. Chris Schneider said.

Bewildered tourists in Disney T-shirts and caps, some pushing strollers, filed past the commotion and gawked at the costumed picketers getting hauled away. The protest shut down a major thoroughfare outside Disneyland and California Adventure for nearly an hour.

"It's changing my opinion of Disneyland," said tourist Amanda Kosato, who was visiting from north of Melbourne, Australia. "Taking away entitlements stinks."

The dispute involves about 2,300 maids, bell hops, cooks and dishwashers at three Disney-owned hotels: the Paradise Pier, the Grand Californian and the Disneyland Hotel.

The workers' contract expired in February and their union says Disney's latest proposal makes health care unaffordable for hundreds of employees and creates an unfair two-tier wage system. The union also says Disney wants to create a new category of part-time employees who would receive greatly reduced benefits.

"The other hotels around the area all have health care that is provided by the boss and have been able to get wage increases," said Ada Briceno, president of Unite Here Local 681, which represents the workers.

"At the other hotels in the same classification, for the same work, the workers get paid $2 to $3 an hour more."

Disney spokeswoman Lisa Haines said Disney and the union are in negotiations and nothing has been finalized. She said workers have protested 14 times but sat down to negotiate only 11 times in the past six months.

"Clearly we're disappointed that Unite Here Local 681 has spent more time protesting," she said. "Publicity stunts are not productive and are extremely disruptive to the resort district."

Before the arrests, the picketers marched and chanted outside Paradise Pier, holding signs that read, "Disney is unfaithful," and "Mickey, shame on you." They were joined by community activists and religious leaders from local churches.

Luz Vasquez, who works in the bakery at Disneyland Hotel, said she can't afford to lose many of her benefits. She said it's already hard to care for her three grandchildren and aging mother while earning $14.32 an hour.

"Disneyland is being unfair with us because we're fighting for our health care and they're trying to take it away," said Vasquez, 45. "They're trying to cut our hours and take away our seniority."

Co-worker Diane Dominguez, 50, said she was worried about losing health care because of the heavy labor involved in lifting mattresses, moving furniture and making dozens of beds a day. She also said rising prices and the cost of gas were eating into her salary of $11.11 an hour.

"The most important is health care. We need that and they want to take it away," she said.

At the heart of the issue is a free health care plan that has been provided to Disney hotel workers through a trust fund that Disney and other unionized hotels in the area pay into.

Briceno said that in exchange for the free medical plan, union members agreed in previous contracts to a lower wage for hotel workers in the first three years of their employment.

But Disney now wants to eliminate the free health plan for new hires and wants to create a new class of workers who put in less than 30 hours a week, said Briceno. Those part-time workers would receive no sick or vacation pay and not be given holidays, she said.

The company also wants to increase the number of hours full-time employees must work before qualifying for the health plan, she said.

"At the end of the day what it means is that workers are going to be priced out of health care," she said.

Haines said the majority of other employees at Disneyland pay for a share of their health plan, even though the resort shoulders about 75 percent of the overall cost. She said it's important to negotiate a contract that's fair to those other unions, too.

"We do remain hopeful that we can reach an agreement that's both fair and equitable, providing that union leadership is reasonable and realistic in its approach," Haines said.

A policeman and a former corrections officer say that on Friday they will unveil evidence of what they claim is their biggest find ever: the body of Bigfoot.

The thawed body of a creature reputed to be Bigfoot reportedly weighs more than 500 pounds.

Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, a pair of Bigfoot-hunting hobbyists from north Georgia, say they found the creature's body in a wooded area and spotted several similar creatures that were still alive.

The carcass of the furry half-man, half-ape is 7 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs more than 500 pounds, they say. However, the two are not disclosing the exact location of their discovery to protect the remaining creatures.

Tom Nelson, chairman of the biology department at North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega, said he's "pretty skeptical" the world will feast its eyes on a new species Friday.

"That would certainly rock mammalogy," joked Nelson, who specializes in the study of mammals. "I see a research grant in my future."

Whitton and Dyer plan to unveil what they say is DNA and photo evidence of the discovery in Palo Alto, California, in conjunction with a group called Searching for Bigfoot Inc.

A photograph on that group's Web site shows what appears to be the body of a large, hairy creature with an ape-like face, stuffed into a large freezer.

According to a written release, the two announced the discovery on an Internet radio show, "Squatch Detective," several weeks ago.

"The only person we would allow to come down and verify the body was 'the Real Bigfoot Hunter,' Tom Biscardi," Dyer said, referring to Searching for Bigfoot's CEO, who has been looking for the elusive, legendary creature in the United States and Canada since 1971.

Whitton is a Georgia police officer who is on administrative leave after being shot in the wrist during a pursuit. Dyer is a former prison guard.

DNA tests on the body have begun, said the statement, and "extensive scientific studies" will be done on the body by scientists, including a molecular biologist, an anthropologist and a paleontologist.

Nelson, the university professor, acknowledged that new species of animals have been discovered in recent decades and that, in science, "we always acknowledge the possibility of something new."

But he said that even in north Georgia, home to the Blue Ridge Mountains and the foot of the Appalachian Trail, it stretches the imagination to think a family of 7-foot-tall creatures could have eluded hunters, hikers and creeping development until now.

"To the average person, these places just seem like extreme wilderness where you'll find lions and tigers and bears," he said. "The reality is that you're never more than a mile from a road."

The group says the animal is male, has reddish hair and "blackish-gray" eyes and human-like feet, hands and teeth.

(St. Louis, MO) --Chrysler workers from the St. Louis-area are headed to Detroit to protest production cuts.

Dozens of workers from Chrysler's north and south St. Louis metro plants boarded buses Wednesday.

    They're headed to Chrysler's headquarters, where UAW workers from across the country are expected to rally against layoffs and production cuts.
  
    "It's getting to where we have to fight. We don't throw I the towel,  we fight till the end to try to save our jobs," said Chrysler worker John Peters as he boarded the bus.  "That's all we want to do!  We make a good product here. We are proud of what we do here."

    Earlier this year, the company announced plans to cut shifts and layoff employees in an effort stay profitable.

This is ridiculous! This really upsets me!!

Some airlines are charging U.S. soldiers extra baggage fees to take their military kits with them as they set off for war.

Some U.S. airlines give military personnel a break on baggage fees, but others levy surcharges.

Military personnel carry large, heavy kit bags containing boots, clothing and gear. In the past few months, airlines have instituted fees for all travelers ranging from $15 for one bag to $250 for a third bag.

"What we want to do is nip this in the bud by exempting the military personnel who are traveling under orders from having to pay a fee on their third bag," said Veterans of Foreign Wars spokesman Joe Davis.

The VFW sent a letter to the Air Transport Association of America, the aviation industry's umbrella group, asking that U.S. troops be exempt from any extra baggage fees.

"If you have a family at home and you stand at that airline counter and you have three bags in your hand, and they say you can't get on board unless you pay $100 up front right now, what are you going to do?" Davis said.

American Airlines, and others reached by CNN, say troops are allowed heavier and bigger bags and can check two for free, unlike commercial travelers.

Troops are allowed 190 pounds each free of charge, American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said, adding: "If they pay, they get reimbursed, so at the end, they don't pay a dime."

That's not a good answer, the VFW's Davis said.

"These young troops are going to war," he said. "There's a lot more on their mind than to have to worry or try to remember to get a hundred dollars reimbursed to them when they get into a war zone."

The military usually issues vouchers authorizing extra baggage before a flight, but troops must pay up front if they don't have one.

And though reimbursement is likely, pending approval, as with any business expense, it is not guaranteed.

The Air Transport Association says it supports the troops, but baggage policies are "made independently by the individual airlines."

The association says it has no plans to ask for an across-the-board waiver for U.S. service members.

(Jefferson City)  --  A South Carolina-based tax resolution firm is facing a lawsuit in Missouri.

   Attorney General Jay Nixon is suing JK Harris for allegedly not providing the services it promised to taxpayers seeking to settle IRS debts.

   The lawsuit claims that the company charged customers as much as 45-hundred dollars and then didn't follow its own process, lost customers' paperwork and left customers in worse financial shape than when they started.

(Pleasant Hope, MO) -- Animal rescue crews, deputies and veterinarians are in Pleasant Hope today, carrying out a large-scale animal rescue.  More than 300 animals of all types are being removed from an 80-acre property.

The Missouri Humane Society says it is the largest animal rescue in the agency's history.
Rescuers describe the conditions as "filthy" and "deplorable."


At last count, authorities found more than 70 dogs, 51 rabbits, 40 exotic birds, more than 35 cats, 25 ducks, 25 chickens, 25 hamsters, 10 goats, 10 mice, 7 pigeons, 6 donkeys, 5 horses, 5 peafowl, 1 pig and an unknown number of koi fish and goldfish.

Rickey says after several meetings with the owners with no results, removing these animals was a last resort.

"The conditions continue to get worse, but we have animals that are dying and animals are dead on this property and we can't just leave them here.  So they didn't follow the recommendations, so we have to take them."

The Humane Society says as the animals are removed, they will each be tagged, numbered and photographed before being brought to a loading site on the property.

The horses and other farm animals will go to the Longmeadow Rescue Ranch in Union, Missouri.  Most of the other animals will be taken to the Humane Society headquarters in St. Louis. And a fish hatchery is helping take care of the fish.

Presidential candidates continue to notch up their efforts to gain voters in southwest Missouri.

In what it recognizes as a longtime Republican stronghold, Senator Barack Obama's campaign is starting a grassroots campaign effort among Ozarks war veterans.  Those service men and women say they fought for their country - now they'll fight for its next leader.

A roundtable discussion is an effort to ramp up Obama support. Service men and women are sharing memories of their mission abroad and vision for this country.

"This is the most important election I've voted in because it's going to save our country," says Jack Hembree, a veteran for Obama.

Just days after John McCain told Disabled American Veterans the Walter Reed scandal was a disgrace unworthy of this nation, local veterans are calling the candidate out.
Walter Reed."

Those gearing up for a grassroots effort argue health care and VA services are primary issues needing attention from presidential candidates.

 "Medical care is important, not just for veterans, but everyone in this country," says Hembree.

When it comes to reaching civilians, the campaign recognizes the weight these war veterans carry.

"It's about talking to everyone because of the credibility people give to veterans on national security issues," says Phil Carter, Obama's National Vets Director.

While this group says it respects the service of its opponent, it worries John McCain's military upbringing might be detrimental to the needs of the entire nation.

"He lived in that cocoon and doesn't know the problem civilians or even enlisted men and women in the service face," says veteran Ed Janosick.

John McCain supporters say their candidate has always put his country first--whether as a candidate or citizen.  They add McCain doesn't need to make campaign stops overseas to boost foreign policy credentials and already has the experience and judgment needed to be Commander in Chief.

(Clinton, AR)  Pilgrim's Pride Corporation today announced plans to idle a chicken processing plant in Clinton, Ark., and a further-processing facility in Bossier City, La.

     Both moves, which are expected to be completed within 60 days, are part of the company's ongoing effort to operate more efficiently and return to profitability amid high feed costs and an oversupply of chicken on the market.

     The idling of the two plants will eliminate a total of approximately 600 positions.

     The company attributed today's announcement to the continued imbalance in supply and demand in the U.S. chicken industry, which has led to market prices for breast meat that are unusually weak for the peak summer grilling season.

     Pilgrim's Pride Corporation is the largest chicken company in the United States and Puerto Rico and the second-largest in Mexico. Pilgrim's Pride employs approximately 53,500 people and operates 36 chicken processing plants and 12 prepared-foods facilities.