By Steve Bell
Kansas City, MO – U-M System President Elson Floyd would like a fixed tuition rate for next year's incoming freshmen. Floyd will seek public input on a plan to allow a freshman a guaranteed per-credit fee for four to five years. Some student groups worry that subsequent freshmen would have to bear an unfair increase if state funding decreases.
A Kansas appeals court ruled that probation was not appropriate for two men convicted of the statutory rape of a teenager. A lower court had bypassed sentencing guidelines because the girl was drunk and only a few years younger than the men.
Jan Helder, whose federal conviction of using the internet to entice a child was thrown out by judge Dean Whipple now faces charges in state court. Whipple ruled that the federal law did not apply because Helder enticed a Platte County detective operating a sting, not an actual minor. Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd says the loophole does not apply to Missouri law.
Missouri Social Services will wait till next week to see if they need to take anymore action to correct a wrong number printed on over 300,000 Medicaid forms. A Montana woman, Sharon Rivera, has been getting hundreds of calls asking her about the state's impending benefit cuts. Brian Kinkade of Social Services says the department wants to avoid reprinting the forms which would cost about $80,000 and would take several weeks. Rivera says the calls have tapered off a little since the story made the news.