September is National Preparedness Month.  

And during the month, officials with the Greater Kansas City and northwest Missouri American Red Cross are urging residents to protect their loved ones by getting your household ready.  

Executive Director JoAnn Woody says it’s important for people to be prepared for all kinds of emergencies, because there are so many that could happen in everyday life. 

"So it’s important for us to be ready for some of those very different things, whether it’s a medical emergency, whether It’s a child who falls down and cuts themselves while they’re outside playing, whether it’s making sure that you have emergency supplies, there’s just a whole list of things that people can do,” Woody tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  “And so, this is our month that we really want to get folks to pay attention to how they can be prepared.” 

Woody encourages everyone to develop a plan for any sort of emergency, and to be sure everyone in your family knows what that plan is in case something happens.  

Woody says the number one thing right now people should get prepared for as we move into fall and winter is the danger of home fires.  

"This is a time of year, while it’s really warm right now, we’re not looking too far down the road to having that nice crisp fall weather when folks are trying their fireplaces, turning on their furnaces for the first time,” Woody explains.  “And so, we want to make sure that people are being very attentive and very deliberate in checking out their fireplaces to make sure they're in good capable working order and that they’re safe, and to have their furnaces and all their heating appliances checked to make sure they’re functioning well.” 

Woody says now is a good time, when it's not cold and snowy, to also go over that plan for if a home fire were to happen and know your evacuation route.  

Woody says to make sure you know the different plans, be it for a fire or a tornado, and then be sure to go over that plan with your entire family 

"I know I made the mistake one time I had great plans, and I had it all figured out, I kind of forgot to tell my husband, and so at one point we were talking to a group and my husband was in the audience and someone looked down and said I don’t think you’re part of the plan,” Woody says.  “So, I realized I had not done my job by telling him the plan, so now we actually have a regular time, once or twice a year, we’ll go through our plan and make sure nothing has changed.” 

Woody says you should also make sure to gather critical supplies like water and shelf-stable food, as well as medical supplies in case of any emergency. 

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.

American Red Cross wants you prepared for any type of emergency

Andrew County
leaders and residents gather Thursday for the third annual Economic Outlook
Luncheon.

Wakefield Hare
with the Andrew County Foundation says the luncheon provides an opportunity for
members of a diverse county to come together to move it forward.

“We are in this
together by our jurisdiction and we really want to be aware of the unique
challenges of someone living in Country Club Village versus someone living near
Fillmore or Cosby or Bolckow or Rea; in all these places that make up this
community,” Hare tells KFEQmmunity.

The Andrew County
Foundation hosts the 2025 Economic Outlook Luncheon which is being held at the
Clasbey Community Center in Savannah. It begins at 11:30 Thursday morning and
wraps up a one that afternoon.

Hare says the
luncheon this year focuses on education with Savannah Superintendent, Brian
Hansen, North Andrew Superintendent, Jake Barker, and Avenue City
Superintendent, Becky Grimes, scheduled as featured speakers. Hare says they
will address the question of educational opportunity.

“And we definitely
want to hear from those three who’ve thought more about it than most in our
community and then also understand the resource challenges of doing that
effectively, efficiently, sustainably while also giving kids in the middle of
America every opportunity that they need to compete with someone who has an
education (from) any other part of the world,” Hare says.

Hare says Andrew
County is diverse, but it has a synergy he hopes comes across during the
luncheon. 

“But the primary
goal is you see and you look around you and like, hey, I’m not the only one
kind of worried or thinking about these future issues or challenges or
opportunities we may not take. Other people are thinking about it,” Hare says. “And
we don’t have to live in our little islands and pockets. We get together, we
have some social coherence, and we understand we really are on the same team.
And when we do that you kind of get that inspirational movie feel of we can
tackle anything, because we’re together.”

The luncheon
focused on law enforcement last year.

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

Andrew County to assess economic outlook at luncheon

KFEQ Morning Sports

KFEQ Morning News

BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

A Democratic legislator from Springfield faces a Missouri House ethics investigation because of an obscene text message sent to a Republican colleague during debate over the new congressional district map.

State Rep. Jeremy Dean of Springfield sent the text message on Sept. 4 to Republican state Rep. Cecelie Williams of Dittmer. Dean and other Democrats were engaged in a sit-in on the House floor and Williams was serving on the House Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee as it debated a bill altering the majority requirement for constitutional amendments proposed by initiative.

The message included a description of an oral sex act with the president and questioned how Republicans could talk while engaged in it.

House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Democrat from Kansas City, said she removed&nbsp; Dean from his committee assignments after learning about the text.&nbsp;

“What Jeremy sent was wrong,” Aune said.

The text also inspired an ethics complaint against Dean. The House Ethics Committee, which conducts all its business confidentially until it has finished an investigation, met Sept. 10 to begin inquiries into two complaints.

Dean and Williams are freshman lawmakers, both winning their first terms in November.

Williams confirmed she received the obscene message but declined an interview, citing the ethics committee’s confidentiality rules.

“It was unwanted and unappreciated,” Williams said of the text. “I feel that the message has absolutely no place in the Missouri legislature or any other workplace at all. And so that’s really all that I can say.”

Dean declined a request for an interview.&nbsp;In a text, he also cited confidentiality of ethics investigations and said he is worried about his personal safety.

“Because of ongoing safety concerns stemming from death threats directed at me, I cannot provide a detailed comment on the allegations,” Dean said. “It is disheartening that some of my colleagues across the aisle have chosen to disregard these laws, though unfortunately, it aligns with their recent pattern of behavior.”&nbsp;

The text message to Williams became public when a screenshot of it was shared on social media by former Republican state Rep. Adam Schwadron. The post inspired outrage and vitriol towards Dean.

“Typical behavior from a degenerate homo,” Aaron Dorr, a longtime gun-rights activist and lobbyist for the Missouri Firearms Coalition, wrote on social media in response to the screenshot. “America needs to make sodomy and trans behavior sinful and disgusting again.”&nbsp;

Dean has apologized to Williams, Aune said.

“I am disappointed that this text was even sent and take it very seriously,” Aune said. “I would argue it was probably not even the worst thing sent between members that day.”

If Republicans try to make an example of Dean, Aune said, members of her caucus will respond.

“One of the things I shared with the speaker was that if this rises to the level of a big deal,” Aune said, “then I’ve got news for him and his caucus, because my caucus has receipts, too.”

Mo. House Democrat faces ethics inquiry, loses committee seats over obscene text

BROWN COUNTY —The search for a wanted suspect is over in northeast Kansas.

Just after 10:30a.m. Sunday, deputies aprehanded 39-year-old Josh Heideman of Corning at the Brown County State fishing lake, according to Sheriff John Merchant.

A deputy had received a tip that Heideman was staying at the lake in a tent.&nbsp; A coordinated effort with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks officers and Sheriff's deputies resulted in an arrest without incident at the campsite.

Heideman is being held on requested chargesof Interference of Law enforcement officer and a parole violation stemming from an incident on September 1.&nbsp;&nbsp;

BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a series of criminal activity in Brown and Jackson County are asking the public for help in locating 38-year-old&nbsp; Joshua Heideman of Centralia, according to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant.

Heideman is&nbsp; &nbsp;Heideman is described as a 38-year-old&nbsp; white male,&nbsp; 6-foot tall and he weighs approximately 230 pounds.&nbsp;

Wanted suspect was hiding in a tent at NE Kansas lake

The City of Saint Joseph announced closures this week, from the 1500 to 1700 block of Frederick Avenue, as part of ongoing water utility work.&nbsp; The work zone, which has already been restricted to narrow lanes, will be fully closed from 7 a.m. Wednesday to 5 p.m. Friday.

The north sidewalk will also be closed during this time.

Detours will be marked during the closure, and more closures are expected in the area for next week.

Frederick Avenue to close Wednesday-Friday for utility work

Buchanan County will close the courthouse
in downtown St. Joseph at one o’clock this Friday and keep it closed until
Tuesday, the 23rd.

The county is installing a natural gas
generator as a power backup.

Western District Commissioner, Ron Hook,
says the county has never had a backup, which he says is more important than
ever with the county reliance on electronic communication and data.

“Any kind of shutdown at all would be
kind of a drastic happening, I guess, at the courthouse,” Hooks says, “because
servers and things like that just don’t fair well when power shuts off all of a
sudden.”

The courthouse will close after the lunch
hour Friday and stayed closed on Monday while the new backup generator is
tested. The contractor, Lee Grover Construction of St. Joseph, expects to have
the generator installed by this weekend. The county decided to close the
courthouse Monday in case additional work is needed. Regular business at the
courthouse will resume on Tuesday, the 23rd.

Hook says the courthouse has never had a
power backup.

“So, we’ve invested and saved up and we’re
purchasing a $500,000, total job, generator that’s going to service the whole
courthouse,” Hook says. “It’s being installed. It’s been just about a 10-month,
12-month operation, because we had some fiber lines that needed to be moved and
it delayed our process.”

Again, the Buchanan County Courthouse in
downtown St. Joseph will close at one o’clock this Friday afternoon as an
emergency generator is installed. The courthouse will remain closed Monday. It
will reopen for regular business Tuesday morning.

No jail visitation is being allowed this
weekend or on Monday due to the courthouse shutdown.

Buchanan County Courthouse to be closed Friday afternoon, Monday

As the season shifts from summer to fall, the focus at the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce begins to shift as well.   

President and CEO Natalie Hawn says as the chamber moves into fall, the focus moves from fun summertime activities around the city into workforce development.  

Hawn says that focus brings several events, the first coming up one week from today with a community job fair being held 

"We do that purposefully in the fall right after school kind of starts because we want to pick up maybe those folks who have graduated either college or high school in the spring and maybe had a summer part time job and maybe are looking for more of a career,” Hawn says on the KFEQmunnity show.  “So, we always do a fall career fair which is always well attended.” 

The career fair will be held at the Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center on September 23rd from 3 to 6pm. 

Hawn says the Chamber offers several workforce opportunities throughout the fall, some focusing on students, such as hosting one of the largest Manufacturing Day events.  

Hawn says after going into some of the manufacturing businesses with groups last year, it’s exciting to see students learning about the opportunities in manufacturing 

"It was fun seeing their eyes kind of light up as they learned more about opportunity,” Hawn explains.  “Because I think as students you learn about jobs you are familiar with, like nursing, or doctors, or lawyers, or teachers because maybe those are maybe something you experience or see on TV, but you rarely learn about manufacturing, and really the technology that’s behind manufacturing.” 

Manufacturing Day will be held on Thursday October 2nd.  The day is designed to recognize the importance of manufacturing.   

Additionally for students, Hawn says later in October, the annual My Success event will offer students from around the area the chance to learn about career opportunities as well.  

Hawn says My Success invites seniors from around the area not just St. Joseph, to explore the careers available to them 

"It’s designed to be interactive, but it’s also educational, so that the students know no matter what their path is they have an opportunity for employment here in St. Joseph,” Hawn says. 

My Success will be held October 14th and 15th at the Civic Arena. The event brings in around 2 thousand students from around the area each year.

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

As fall approaches, St. Joseph Chamber focuses on workforce growth

December corn closed down 2 3/4 cents per bushel at $4.26 3/4 and March corn was down 2 1/2 cents at $4.44 1/2. November soybeans closed down 6 cents at $10.43 3/4 and January soybeans were down 6 1/4 cents at $10.63 0/1. December KC wheat closed down 7 1/4 cents at $5.16 1/4, December Chicago wheat was down 5 3/4 cents at $5.28 1/4 and December Minneapolis wheat was down 2 1/2 cents at $5.74.

December corn slipped lower Wednesday after running into some strong selling above. Pressure came from the advancing harvest in some areas while heavy rain fell in parts of the Plains and western Midwest. Bean oil futures fell hard after the EPA put out a vague proposal to reallocate SREs late Tuesday and the uncertainty sent bean oil reeling. Soybeans were pressured by oil as well and wheat and corn fell to sizable losses on Wednesday. Wheat markets fell in unison Wednesday, pressured by heavy rain in the Plains and slowing demand. Pressure also came from the fact that Stats Canada raised wheat production by 700,000 metric tons (mt) to 36.6 mmt. That compares to USDA's 36-mmt estimate.

With no substantial support arising from anywhere, it comes as no surprise that the live cattle contracts were again trading lower -- but upon seeing the spot December contract growing closer and closer to the market's 40-day moving average, anxiousness has again become the underlying tone of the live cattle complex. The spot December contract is jumping a mere $0.20 above the market's 40-day moving average, which will be the threshold to watch and monitor through the balance of the week. Still no developments have surfaced in this week's fed cash cattle market, but asking prices are now noted at $242 in the South and remain unestablished in the North.

The feeder cattle complex also took the day hard as most of its contracts were trading $4.00 to $5.00 lower into Wednesday's closing bell. Although prices in the countryside remain at a historical high, we are seeing the typical pullback in prices in the countryside as more unweaned and unvaccinated calves are trading.

Without enough support developing in the market's fundamentals, the lean hog contracts were left with no other option but to trade slightly lower. Midday pork cutout values were up slightly, mainly because of the $1.88 gain in the loin and the $1.69 gain in the rib.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/09/17151902/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Commodity markets daily recap

Reports show that the U.S. beef cow inventory has reached its lowest point since 1962, marking what appears to be the bottom of the current cattle cycle. Tight supply is driving the strong pricing environment beef producers are enjoying today. “For cow-calf producers right now, things are as good as they’ve probably ever been,” says Troy Rowan, University of Tennessee assistant ag professor. 

Agreeing with Rowan, South Dakota cattleman Ken Odde adds that while profits are currently strong, inflation quickly erodes some of the economic gains. “The beef industry is not currently in herd expansion mode, with producers hesitant to retain heifers due to high costs and economic uncertainties,” says Dave Weaber, Terrain senior animal protein analyst. While the USDA reports showed the smallest U.S. herd in history and continuing tightening numbers on feed, analysts predict producers have not yet experienced the highest cattle prices.

Are we seeing signs of cattle herd rebuilding?

The Trump administration is evaluating whether to grant aid to American farmers this fall, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Monday. “We are working with our colleagues in Congress and closely monitoring markets daily to evaluate the amount of additional assistance that might be needed this fall,” Rollins said at a meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture in Rogers, Arkansas. 

Senate Chair John Boozman said that he “is engaging with his colleagues and the administration about the dire circumstances in rural America and the need to provide farmers resources to continue farming.” Boozman announced earlier this month that “everything is on the table” regarding assistance to farmers. Rollins’s comments come as Chinese buyers have yet to purchase soybeans from U.S. farmers, despite increased production yields relative to last year. China is utilizing soybeans as a bargaining chip in its ongoing trade negotiations with the Trump administration. 

Trump administration considering economic aid for farmers

December corn closed up 6 1/4 cents per bushel at $4.29 1/2 and March Corn closed up 6 cents per bushel at $4.47 and November soybeans closed up 7 cents at $10.49 3/4 and January soybeans were up 7 1/2 cents at $10.69 1/4. December KC wheat closed up 9 1/2 cents at $5.23 1/2, December Chicago wheat was up 9 cents at $5.34 and MIAX December Minneapolis wheat was up 0.03 cents at $5.7450.

Grain and soy markets rose in unison Tuesday with wheat leading the way on demand. Several Southeast Asia importers are said to have opted for mostly U.S. wheat in their tenders. After a record August crush and the lowest bean oil stocks in 8 months, the soy complex rose. Corn finished strong despite the advancing harvest, which is likely to lead to storage challenges.

It's been a mostly lower-waning morning for the livestock complex as most of the contracts are trading lower into midday Tuesday. More than anything, traders simply don't seem confident enough to push the contracts higher in any of the three livestock markets, and there's currently not enough fundamental support to help them do so.

It's been a lower-trending day thus far for the live cattle complex as the market continues to struggle to find what direction is best for the near term. It's been a back-and-forth, whiplash kind of trade for the live cattle complex since Friday when the contracts broke sharply lower, but then on Monday, traders aggressively pushed the contracts higher, and now the contracts are somewhere in between the two mindsets. The market seems to be at odds with itself as traders know that the long-term fundamentals of the market are strong, but at the same time, it's fully expected that boxed beef prices will continue to wane in the upcoming weeks and that fed cash cattle prices could trade lower as well until holiday demand sees retailers more aggressive again.

The lean hog complex is trading mixed into Tuesday's noon hour as the market simply doesn't seem to possess enough support right now to push beyond its current resistance levels.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2024/12/31203009/30001.mp3">Click HERE for Audio</a>

As soybean farmers harvest their crop after a difficult growing season, they are facing a farm economy that resembles “death by a thousand cuts,” Tennessee Soybean Promotion Council Executive Director Stefan Maupin said. "Persistent inflation since the pandemic has made it more expensive for farmers to produce crops, and weather extremes over the last year mean they will see a significant loss in yield," he said. 

On top of that, bushels will soon hit a market where prices are low and the largest soybean export partner, China, is entirely absent amid trade negotiations with the Trump administration. “We’re in a significant and desperate situation where … none of the crops that farmers grow right now return a profit,” Maupin said. “They don’t even break even.” Another year in the red will be tough to survive for farmers still struggling to recover from last year’s losses, he added.

Soybean Farmers Face ‘Desperate Situation’ Amid Inflation, Weather Extremes, and Tariffs

Teamsters at the University of Minnesota are ending a strike that put the Farm Aid concert festival in jeopardy. Teamsters Local 320 announced that a tentative deal was reached after the university made a new settlement proposal. Details on the proposal are unclear. During the strike Farm Aid organizers had said their artists, production team, and partners wouldn't cross the picket line, saying in a statement the farm and labor movements are inseparable, and that the university must return to the bargaining table. 

The annual festival honors the resilience of American farmers and the organization's history of standing with farmers, workers, and communities to build a more sustainable and just food system. The event was founded by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp and is scheduled for September 20th at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Farm Aid Update

The U.S. beef cow inventory has reached its lowest point since 1962, reports Drover, marking what appears to be the bottom of the current cattle cycle. Tight supply is driving the strong pricing environment beef producers are enjoying today. “For cow-calf producers right now, things are as good as they’ve probably ever been,” says Troy Rowan, University of Tennessee assistant professor. 

Agreeing with Rowan, South Dakota cattleman Ken Odde adds that while profits are currently strong, inflation quickly erodes economic gains. “The beef industry is not currently in herd expansion mode, with producers hesitant to retain heifers due to high costs and economic uncertainties,” says Dave Weaber, Terrain senior animal protein analyst. While the USDA reports showed the smallest U.S. herd in history and continuing tightening numbers on feed, analysts predict producers have not experienced the highest cattle prices, yet.

Are We Seeing Signs of Cattle Herd Rebuilding?

December corn closed down 6 3/4 cents and March corn was down 6 1/4 cents. November soybeans closed down 3 1/2 cents and January soybeans were down 3 1/2 cents. December KC wheat closed down 3/4 cents, December Chicago wheat was up 1 1/2 cents, December Minneapolis wheat was down 0 cents.

U.S. crop prices fell to begin the new week, led by corn which was met with fresh selling following an impressive double-digit surge Friday, which put December futures at a two and a half month high. Soybean and wheat futures were lower as well but in much quieter fashion as traders look past Friday's WASDE report and ahead to U.S. harvest reports which will begin to flow in over the next several weeks. Outside markets for Monday were mostly a positive influence on agricultural markets with a softer U.S. dollar, and firmer energy markets. Monday news was headlined by reports that the U.S. and China had reached a tentative agreement over the weekend regarding TikTok, with President Trump announcing he and President Xi of China are planning to speak on Friday, which the soybean market in particular will surely be watching closely.

It was a breath of fresh air to see the live cattle complex trade higher Monday, as last Friday the market closed just slightly below the 40-day moving average in the spot October contract, which caused some anguish heading into the weekend. Whenever the market closes below a major threshold like that, there's a strong chance traders could deem that a technical reason as to why the contracts should continue to trade lower. But, thankfully, that hasn't been the case as the live cattle contracts are traded mostly $4.00 higher into Monday's closing bell. New showlists appear to be mixed, higher in Kansas, but lower in Texas and Nebraska/Colorado. Last week Northern dressed cattle traded at mostly $375 to $378, which is $5.00 to $8.00 lower than the previous week's weighted average, and Southern live cattle traded at mostly $238 to $240, which is $2.00 to $4.00 lower than the previous week's weighted average.

The feeder cattle complex also rallied aggressively through Monday's session as the contracts saw an overabundance of support from traders. The uptick in the board could help feeder cattle prices in the countryside too, even though the fall run is fully underway.

The lean hog complex seems to be appraising the marketplace early this week to see if there's going to be enough support to allow the contracts to trade higher. Pork cutout values are up slightly, but given their mixed nature last week, it will be important that traders see stable support this week.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/09/15142000/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Fertilizer prices aren’t at historic highs, but relative to last year’s prices and the current prices for crop commodities, they are elevated. According to data from USDA and analysis by University of Illinois Farmdoc, fertilizer prices in are 6% to 20% higher than early fall 2024. High yields lead to high nutrient removal rates, but next year, nutrient replacement and feeding a new crop will come at a higher cost. 

Pro Farmer reports the price trends weigh heavier on farmers who are starting next year’s crop with what could be a lower nutrient baseline. Karl Wyant, Nutrien’s director of agronomy says, “We have two realities here. We have the reality of economics, and we have the reality that crops have a core need for nutrients.” Wyant says therein lies the balance for farmers — keep soils productive while considering the cost to do so. His best advice — root your decision in data.

Fertilizer decisions for 2026 crop will be a balancing act

Net farm income in the United States is projected to reach $177 billion in 2025, a sharp increase from $128 billion in 2024. This is according to the latest update of the annual U.S. farm income and consumer food price report by the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

Record cattle prices and large one-time government payments have boosted 2025 income but declines in crop prices and projected reductions in future government support raise concerns about the outlook for 2026. The report incorporates data available in August, including the USDA crop production estimates and economic forecasts from S&amp;P Global. It also accounts for modifications in key farm programs and tax credits related to biofuel production that were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law in July.

Mizzou economists: 2025 farm income boosted by high cattle prices and one-time payments

Kansas City Chief All-Pro Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is celebrating a milestone birthday.&nbsp; On social media, the Chiefs sent a special message from his friends and family.

🎥 See who honored Patrick Mahomes on a milestone birthday

&nbsp;The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point Wednesday.

🎥 Federal Reserve finally announces good news on interest rates

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jonahfoster/">Jonah Foster</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/xanderlundblad/">Xander Lundblad</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/sethschwartzberg/">Seth Schwartzberg</a>-

MEXICO, Mo. — It’s been more than three years since the closure of Audrain Community Hospital, ending more than a century of continuous local care in the mid-Missouri community.

Once a cornerstone of rural health care in the region and the first community cancer center in the state, the hospital shuttered in March 2022 after a series of management failures under Noble Health and its successor, Platinum Health. For the thousands who relied on it, the closure didn’t just change where they went for care, it changed the very rhythm of their lives.

This same story has played out in rural counties throughout Missouri and the Midwest. Twenty-one hospitals have closed in Missouri in the past 10 years, many in rural areas. Residents now must drive long distances for care, or make the decision that it’s just not worth traveling — until the pain is too great or the symptoms too strong to ignore.

No one knows that better than Joseph Corrado.

Corrado spent more than 40 years operating at Audrain. Now, he spends his time on the road, driving to Columbia three days a week and to Jefferson City another two. His 2016 Cadillac Escalade, once a means of local commuting, has traveled more than 6,000 miles this year alone.

“Well, I mean, as a surgeon, it’s very, very difficult to not have a hospital,” Corrado said. “I can’t, you know, do your operation in the garage.”

Corrado used to roll out of bed and get to the operating room in three minutes, often beating the ambulance there.

Before the closure, patients could see him in his Mexico office on Monday, and be on an operating table by Tuesday. Today, everything is more complicated and farther away.

But what was lost wasn’t just convenience, it was trust, built across generations. Corrado said most of his patients didn’t want to go elsewhere for care. They preferred seeing someone they knew, someone local.

After more than four decades in Mexico, he had developed a bond not just with individuals, but with entire families, treating grandparents, parents and their children. His medical charts, he noted, are “42 years thick.”

That kind of relationship made health care personal, Corrado said. “I can’t go to Walmart without my patients coming up to me in aisle five and telling me, ‘Oh doctor, look at my incision.’”

‘A five-minute appointment takes half a day’

Rural areas of the state have higher poverty rates and older demographics, and about one in four rural Missourians rely on Medicaid. With fewer patients using private insurance, it has become harder for rural hospitals to offset losses.

The unemployment rate has also grown in many rural areas with hospital closures, as these towns lose a major contributor to the local economy.

For Elizabeth Berry, 72, and Randy Dickson, 63, not having a hospital means more than not having a place to get the care they need. There is another layer of difficulty when it comes to actually getting to the closest hospital, which, for most in the Mexico area, is about 40 miles away in Columbia.

“You pretty much know, if you have an emergency, you are in serious trouble,” Dickson said. “It’s a bad situation. And when you do get down there, it’s so crowded that you can’t get in. You have people who are being treated in the waiting area.”

These struggles impact everyone in the area and the impact is greatest on people who are older, can’t drive or have health issues and are on their own.

“The only way I can get there is in an ambulance, and I can’t afford it,” Dickson said. “So if I have an emergency, I just have to hope I don’t die before I get there.”

Berry’s husband died after years of battling kidney failure and heart issues. She is still struggling to pay off the debt that came with his medical bills, which were exacerbated by the lack of local care.

“He had to be airlifted a number of times or had to take an ambulance because of his issues, and I am still dealing with the bills that are coming in for transportation,” Berry said.

Patients sometimes live with injuries and illnesses for long stretches of time before seeking medical attention. Due to the high cost of emergency medical transportation, some people, when injured, wait to heal instead of immediately seeing a doctor.

This has created a layer of caution for a lot of people in Mexico, knowing “they are only going to a hospital if it is ‘life or death,’ ” Dickson said, adding “if we had an emergency room with some good doctors, that would be so much better.”

Angela and Steve Teeter travel weekly to Cape Girardeau for Steve to receive radiation and chemotherapy. He was diagnosed in early January with Stage 3B lung cancer, the disease having spread to his lymph nodes. On May 13, a spot was found on his brain, indicating the cancer had spread and leading to a Stage 4 diagnosis. The Teeters will need to drive an additional 3½ hours to St. Louis so he can receive radiation treatment.

Angela walked through what a typical appointment looks like for Steve.

“He’s doing chemo now, and he goes weekly for the treatments every Friday, and they’re usually anywhere from, I would say, on a short day, probably five hours, and then on a long day, probably like seven hours,” Angela said.

“Once we go in, we do a blood draw, then we wait, and then we see the doctor, and then we wait, and then we start the infusion. In a month and a half, we will (go) back and forth about 30 times. It’s three hours there and back. So, you know, a five-minute appointment takes half a day.”

With no nearby hospital, his initial diagnosis was delayed. “There was a lot of sickness going around, you know, flu and stuff like that. And so he went to the doctor, and they gave him antibiotics and a steroid, and then it kept on,” she said.

“He kept coughing. And so he went back to the doctor a month or so later, and they did the same thing,” she said. But the coughing persisted, and she eventually brought him to urgent care to get an X-ray.

“And then they found the tumor,” she said, “and sent him to the emergency room.”

By the completion of Steve’s weekly chemotherapy in June, the Teeters will have traveled an estimated distance of 13,400 miles.

In Audrain County, the hospital’s decline began quietly in early 2020, after Noble Health acquired it. Under their tenure, and later that of Platinum Health, chaos seeped into every corner of the operation. Vendors weren’t paid. Employee health insurance was dropped, without notice. Scores of lawsuits mounted.

“I’ll never forget the day they put the padlocks on the doors and said we’re closed,” Corrado, the surgeon, said. “What do you mean we’re closed?”

Now, emergency care in Mexico often starts with a race against time. Patients are stabilized by the local ambulance district and rushed to the nearest available emergency room, typically in Columbia. There they may face hourslong wait times.

A potential path forward has emerged. In October 2024, Mexico city officials signed a letter of intent with Boone Health, entering exclusive talks to bring a critical access hospital back to town. The proposed three-year plan outlines a Medicare-certified facility with emergency services and outpatient care. But for now, it’s just that — a plan.

Meanwhile, health care advocates warn that the impact of a rural hospital closure goes far beyond emergency care. Heidi Lucas, executive director of the Missouri Rural Health Association, said the collapse of one service affects the entire system.

“In rural health, really in health care altogether, it’s very much a continuum of care,” Lucas said. “If you’re not addressing one section of it, it affects other portions. And you kind of have to look at all of them to move the needle in health care access.”

Lucas and others point to the fragile financial state of rural hospitals. COVID-era relief funds gave many a temporary cushion, but that money has long since dried up. One rural CEO told her he was “making about $0.36 for every dollar I spend.”

Community Health Specialist Jennifer Eldridge of the University of Missouri extension program said the grant programs that once propped up rural health initiatives are vanishing too.

“I’m sad about their future,” she said. “They do depend on a lot of the grants … that I’m guessing may not exist anymore.”

Eldridge recently attended a public health conference where some scheduled presenters never arrived. “They’d already lost their jobs,” she said.

For farming communities especially, preventive care is becoming harder and harder to access.

“You don’t really get a day off unless it rains,” Eldridge said. “And it’s hard to predict rain a month out.”

Some residents, she added, simply don’t want to go. “I’ve been sitting with my extension council and they’ve told me they know people who would rather stay on their farm and die than drive to the city for health care.”

For Corrado, the distance is not just a commute, it’s a constant reminder of what his town lost.

“We had an excellent medical center,” he said. “We got all kinds of accolades and recognition and that’s all gone.”

As the community waits to see if Boone Health’s proposal will materialize, Corrado keeps driving. The miles pile up. The surgeries continue. And the absence of a hospital in Mexico remains a wound that hasn’t healed.

This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/health/and-that-s-all-gone-rural-health-centers-close-end-continuous-local-care/article_fc8a2280-a56b-4c42-bb71-f58518252ef0.html#tncms-source=topstory" target="_blank">Columbia Missourian</a>. It can be republished in print or online.&nbsp;

‘And that’s all gone’: Rural health centers in Missouri close, end continuous local care

“What began as a homework helper gradually turned itself into a confidant and then a suicide coach,” said Matthew Raine, whose 16-year-old son Adam died in April.

“Within a few months, ChatGPT became Adam’s closest companion,” the father told senators. “Always available. Always validating and insisting that it knew Adam better than anyone else, including his own brother.”

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.

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ANDERSON COUNTY —One person was critically injured in a grain cart incident on Tuesday in Anderson County.

 At approximately 11:35 a.m. Tuesday the Anderson County Communications Center received a call reporting a subject trapped in a grain cart in rural Anderson County, west of Garnett, according to the. Sheriff's office.

Deputies, EMS, and Garnett Rescue were dispatched at 11:37 a.m. Based on initial reports, Anderson County EMS requested an air ambulance be placed on standby. By 11:44 a.m., the Anderson County Sheriff, Undersheriff, a Sheriff’s Sergeant, and the County Fire Coordinator were on scene. At 11:45 a.m., Sheriff’s Office personnel entered the grain cart, recognized the patient was experiencing a life-threatening emergency, and immediately applied a tourniquet to control severe bleeding.

At 11:48 a.m., the Anderson County EMS Director and an Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance arrived. A minute later, Garnett Rescue personnel arrived with a rescue truck. Together, law enforcement, EMS, and fire/rescue developed and executed a plan to safely extricate the patient.

By 11:56 a.m., the patient was freed from the grain cart and transported to the Anderson County Hospital helipad via ALS ambulance, receiving advanced care en route. The ambulance arrived at the helipad at 12:09 p.m., where the flight crew transferred the patient to a medical helicopter, which arrived within five minutes.

By 1:01 p.m., the patient was receiving definitive care at a Level 1 Trauma Center in the Kansas City metro—just 1 hour and 26 minutes after the initial 911 call.

“This incident highlights the importance of rapid and accurate information flow,” said Chelsey D’Albini, Anderson County Communications Center Director. “Our dispatchers coordinated multiple agencies, requested the air ambulance, and ensured resources were mobilized quickly. That early coordination was a critical link in the chain of survival.”

Sheriff Wes McClain praised the collaboration: “This was true teamwork. From deputies jumping in to provide immediate aid, to EMS and rescue personnel coordinating the extrication and transport, everyone had one mission—save a life. Today’s response proves the strength of our emergency system in Anderson County.”

Anderson County EMS Director Troy Armstrong commended the quick action of law enforcement and the seamless teamwork: “The Sheriff’s Office deputies made a lifesaving decision by applying a tourniquet in those first critical minutes. That intervention, combined with rapid extrication by rescue and advanced care by EMS, ensured this patient had the best possible chance of survival. I couldn’t be prouder of the collaboration that occurred today.”

• Trauma is the leading cause of death for Americans under age 45.

• Patients injured in rural areas are 50% more likely to die from their injuries than those in urban areas, largely due to time and distance to advanced care.

• The quick recognition, response, and activation of a regional trauma system can mean the difference between life and death.

Today’s outcome underscores the value of training, interagency cooperation, and a pre-identified trauma system in Anderson County.

One airlifted to hospital after Kansas grain cart emergency

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MORGAN COUNTY —Two people died in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Tuesday in Morgan County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Mercedes S-Class driven by an 18-year-old Sedalia man was eastbound on U.S. 50 near Old U.S. 50.

The car rear-ended a 2007 Chevy Cobalt driven by a 48-year-old Cole Camp woman. The impact pushed the Chevy into the westbound lane where it struck a 2012 Mazda 3 driven by a 38-year-old Russellville man head-on.

The Russellville man was pronounced dead at the scene. MU Air transported the driver of the Chevy and a 45-year-old male passenger in the Chevy to University Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

The driver of the Mazda and the occupants of the Chevy were not wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

2 Missouri men dead after 3-vehicle head-on crash

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —On Sunday, Muang Kyi was reported missing after being dropped off by a family member to go fishing near the Kaw River, according to a statement from Kansas City, Kansas. police.

 When the family returned, Mr. Kyi was no longer at the location other than his personal items. A multi-agency search effort was launched, including the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department Canine Search and Rescue, Overland Park Dive Team, and aerial support via police drones.  

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