Officials ID body found in Lake Perry

Oskaloosa — A body recovered Sunday by divers at Lake Perry was that of a Holton woman, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

She was Melissa Kennedy, 34. Sheriff’s officers were still investigating how she drowned and autopsy results were pending. No other details have been released.

Divers from the sheriff’s office searched the Slough Creek area at the lake after receiving a call about a possible drowning. The body was recovered shortly before 8 p.m Sunday.

Kansas City, Kan.

ConAgra plant to reopen after fatal shootings of 6

Four days after a ConAgra Foods Inc. employee killed five co-workers and then himself during a 10-minute shooting spree, the meatpacking plant in Kansas City, Kan., will reopen this morning.

A recorded message at the plant’s main telephone number says first shift employees should report to work at 7 a.m. and that their shift will begin with an employees’ meeting. The second shift is to report at 1 p.m., and will start with a similar meeting.

“We want to meet with employees for short memorial services and to address any concerns they have about returning to work,” ConAgra spokeswoman Julie DeYoung said Monday.

Elijah Brown, 21, of Kansas City, Kan., shot and killed one man near the men’s locker room at the plant Friday afternoon, then killed four others in the plant’s break room before turning the gun on himself. Two other employees were wounded.

DeYoung said about 400 people work at the plant, and about 160 were there Friday when the shooting took place.

Kansas University

KU researchers secure part of $1.6 million grant

Two Kansas University researchers are among a team that has secured a $1.6 million grant to study how nutrients interact with disease.

The team includes Val Smith, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at KU, and his wife, Marilyn Smith, an associate professor of microbiology, molecular genetics and immunology at the Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan. It also includes four researchers from Arizona State University.

The goal of the National Science Foundation grant is to discover how an understanding of nutrition can complement current medical procedures for dealing with various pathogens.

Peace Corps plans informational meeting

Sherri Milsap, who joined the Peace Corps while in her 50s, will speak about her experiences at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Lawrence Senior Center, 745 Vt.

Milsap will be joined by Betty Baron, a coordinator for the Peace Corps, who will present general information about the program and show a 15-minute video “Life is Calling: How Far Will You Go?” The event is free and open to the public.

Peace Corps volunteers spend two years sharing their skills in a developing country. They receive stipends for travel, living and housing, as well as health care and paid vacation.

For more information, call Baron at 864-7678, or visit the Web site, www.peacecorps.gov.