St. Joseph Police Chief Paul Luster is
pleased new Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has focused on public safety to begin his
tenure.

Kehoe, a Republican, signed six executive
orders on his first day in office, all dealing with public safety.

Luster says the action shouldn’t come as
a surprise.

“For anybody that followed the campaign
that Gov. Kehoe had or followed the election, I think he said pretty much since
day one that he was going to take steps to support law enforcement and to fight
crime in Missouri,” Kehoe says. “If I heard it right, I think he did that within
about an hour of taking office.”

Kehoe signed six executive orders after
taking the oath of office as Missouri’s 58th governor.

The first executive order establishes “Operation
Relentless Pursuit,” a regional anti-crime effort that emphasizes intelligence-led
policing to chase down dangerous fugitives.

Luster says he is pleased the executive
order hinges on the use of intelligence-led policing.

“We do that a lot here in St. Joe,”
Luster says. “We look at who our problem people are, where our problem areas are, and that’s where we direct resources to. And that way we’re not just randomly
out there hoping to get lucky, catching somebody doing a crime. That happens
sometimes, but we can be a lot more efficient with our resources. He kind of just
put that into a statewide, cross-jurisdictional, collaborative effort.”

A second executive order creates the Blue
Shield Program to recognize local governments for their dedication “to
effective law enforcement and community safety.”

Another executive order targets immigration enforcement, a key priority of the Trump administration in
Washington. It allows state and local law enforcement to work with the U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enforce immigration law.

“So, I think he wants to make sure that the
training’s available and that people know the resources; not trying to put that
in local government’s hands. There’s a federal agency that deals with that. We’re
not just trying to shift that to the local level,” according to Luster. “But to know that
if there (are) criminal offenders out there that we want them brought to
justice regardless of immigration status.”

A companion executive order directs the
Missouri Department of Public Safety and the Missouri State Highway Patrol to
collect the immigration status of those within the statewide uniform crime data
reporting system.

A working group will examine the state
parole system under another executive order. An executive order issued by Kehoe modifies
the Missouri State Highway Patrol salary schedule to allow troopers to reach
the top salary tier in 12 years rather than 15.

You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

St. Joseph Chief Luster happy with Gov. Kehoe emphasis on pubic safety

Trump administration has announced additional nominees for key positions within the United States Department of Agriculture. The selected individuals bring a wealth of experience and leadership in agriculture, business, and government. Richard Fordyce has been nominated as the USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. Fordyce previously served as the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency during Trump’s first term. And is the former Missouri State Director of Agriculture. Fordyce and his wife run a farm in North Missouri that produces soybeans, corn, and cattle.

Other nominees include: Luke Lindberg for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, Dudley Hoskins for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, and Michael Boren nominated for Natural Resources and Environment. All nominees will work alongside Secretary of Agriculture nominee Brooke Rollins, whose Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for next Thursday. These appointments aim to strengthen the USDA’s ability to support farmers, ranchers, and agricultural industries across the country.

Missouri native tabbed by Trump administration for USDA role

Farm Action reacted to the Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit against John Deere over the right to repair. The Commission alleges John Deere is illegally driving up costs by forcing farmers to repair their equipment at authorized dealers. Farm Action’s Chief Strategy Officer Joe Maxwell says they applaud the FTC for taking this bold action to bring justice to farmers who have been stripped of the right to repair their own equipment. “That robs them of time and money as a result,” Maxwell says. “By withholding software information to diagnose and repair equipment, manufacturers are forcing farmers to often face long wait times and sometimes drive hundreds of miles to find an authorized dealer.”

FTC right to repair lawsuit against Deere & Co.

In 2023, roughly 86 percent of all farms were small family farms. A USDA report says these farms have a gross cash income below $350,000 and operate on 41 percent of all U.S. agricultural land. The family farms produced 17 percent of the total value of U.S. agricultural production. Large-scale family farms, those with gross cash income above $1 million, represented four percent of farms and accounted for 31 percent of agricultural land and 48 percent of the total value of agricultural production in 2023. 

Mid-sized family farms, with income between $350,000 and $999,999, represented six percent of farms and accounted for 18 percent of agricultural land and 18 percent of the total value in agricultural production. In total, family farms accounted for about 96 percent of total farms, 90 percent of agricultural land, and 83 percent of the total production value in 2023. The remaining four percent are corporate owned, non-family farms.

U.S. agriculture dominated by family farms

The latest report on foreign ownership of U.S. agriculture land shows that nearly 46 million acres of U.S. farmland were held by foreign investors in 2023. That represents 3.6 percent of total privately-held agricultural land. This marks a 1.58-million-acre, or nearly 4 percent increase from 2022 and a 12 percent rise since the American Farm Bureau’s last analysis in 2021. 

Foreign ownership of U.S. agriculture land increases

Researchers have been updating the map of known soybean cyst nematode distribution regularly since 2000, and with each update, the threat spreads. The latest update, spearheaded by Greg Tylka, a nematologist from Iowa State University, reveals 31 counties in ten states reporting SCN for the first time between 2020 and 2023. In Canada, ten rural municipalities in Quebec and three counties across Manitoba and Ontario reported SCN for the first time during that three-year span. 

SCN continuing spread renews focus on threat

According to new data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, sales of agricultural tractors and combines fell in the United States during the month of December when compared to a year ago. U.S. sales of agricultural tractors fell more than 11 percent, while combine sales fell by 26 percent year over year. AEM Senior Vice President, Curt Blades says, “December’s sales of ag tractors and combines follow patterns we saw throughout 2024, which reflects softness in the market,” and  “While the year has been marked by high interest rates and uncertainty throughout the overall ag economy, AEM is looking forward to the potential in 2025 and will continue to advocate for policies focused on positively impacting the industry.” 

Canada’s sales of ag tractors dropped just over 3 percent, while combines fell by more than 37 percent in December when compared to the previous year. The biggest December drop was in 100-plus horsepower tractors, down 27 percent from 2023.

2024 tractor and combine sales close year in a slump

The government released short-term guidance on accessing clean fuel tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act. However, the announcement fell short of finalizing the program’s details. Reports say biofuel groups were hoping for more clarity on the tax credits for fuels that help combat climate change. The groups are hopeful that more complete guidance will provide a pathway for corn-based ethanol to expand its market as a sustainable aviation fuel feedstock. 

Treasury department releases partial 45Z guidance

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/camikoons/">CAMI KOONS</a>&nbsp;-

The U.S. Department of Agriculture finalized a third regulatory reform under the Packers and Stockyards Act, with the latest regulation giving greater stability and fairness to chicken farmers working for major meat companies, according to an announcement Tuesday.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a press conference Monday the regulation came from “the ground up” and reflects changes that poultry farmers across the country have said they needed.

“This rule basically addresses many of the concerns that we’ve heard from rank and file producers who just simply want a fair shake,” Vilsack said. “They don’t want the field necessarily tilted in their direction, they just don’t want to have to work uphill.”

The regulation limits some of the variability within the poultry tournament system, a system where growers are ranked against one another to determine pay. The new rule stops companies from deducting from a grower’s baseline pay because of their placement in the tournament system.

The rule sets that no more than 25% of a grower’s total compensation can be based on the tournament system and requires greater stability, and information, on the inputs producers receive.

The rule, according to Vilsack, will also provide producers with “key information” on the nature and extent of capital investments that a company would require a contract grower to make in order to extend a contract.

“This is a strong rule and a good rule, and it’s a rule that bubbled up from the ground up, not the top down, and I think those kinds of rules, ultimately, are successful and the ones that are preserved,” Vilsack said.

USDA has made two other rules to strengthen fairness and transparency under of the Packers and Stockyards Act during the Biden administration, including another poultry-oriented rule&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2023/11/08/usda-announces-progress-further-competition-agriculture-level-playing-field-farmers" target="_blank">finalized in 2023</a>&nbsp;that mandated large processing companies give “critical information” to their poultry growers related to earnings, flock placement and protocol for sickness or natural disaster.

The other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2024/03/05/usda-announces-next-major-step-promoting-competition-agriculture-and-advancing-economic-opportunity#:~:text=The%20final%20rule%20Inclusive%20Competition,retaliation%20and%20deception%20in%20contracting." target="_blank">rule prohibited discrimination and banned companies from retaliating</a>&nbsp;against farmers who communicate with government agencies or join grower associations.

Vilsack said USDA has also strengthened partnerships with state attorneys general and the U.S. Department of Justice to better enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act.

“We try to be responsive to the field, to the ordinary folks out there working hard every day, trying to make a living and trying to take care of their family, trying to make sure their their operation remains profitable in a tough time, and that they’re in a position to be able to turn it on to the next generation in better shape than they found it,” Vilsack said, reflecting on the work of USDA during the Biden administration.

USDA additionally announced Tuesday the withdrawal of a fourth rule, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/06/28/2024-14042/fair-and-competitive-livestock-and-poultry-markets" target="_blank">Fair and Competitive Livestock and Poultry Markets</a>, which it had proposed in June 2024 and would have defined general practices that were either unfair or in violation of the Packers and Stockyards Act.

Vilsack said the department chose to withdraw the rule, rather than leave it to be finalized by the incoming administration, because it was a very complex rule that could have been “fundamentally” changed by a couple of tweaks.

“If there is an intent to do that,” Vilsack said, “then it seems like it ought to start from the beginning of the process, not at the end of the process.”

This story was originally published by the&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/briefs/usda-finalizes-packers-and-stockyards-reform-to-help-chicken-farmers/" target="_blank">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, a States Newsroom affiliate.&nbsp;

USDA finalizes packers and stockyards reform to help chicken farmers

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency is reminding producers, including dairy producers impacted by H5N1, that the deadline to apply for assistance through the ELAP Program is January 30. 

The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program funds are for losses due to specific adverse conditions that occurred in 2024. 

“The ELAP program provides an important financial safety net, helping our producers rebound from weather and disease impacts that are out of their control and not part of their operation’s ordinary risk profile,” says Zach Ducheneaux, FSA administrator. “These events threaten producers’ economic viability, so it’s important that USDA provide support.”

 ELAP provides relief to eligible producers to assist with losses that aren’t covered by other FSA disaster programs. Producers wanting to apply for ELAP assistance for calendar year 2024 should contact the FSA at their nearest USDA Service Center by January 30. 

To find a Service Center, visit farmers.gov.

Disaster assistance application deadline approaching

The USDA will begin rebuilding its bird flu vaccine stockpile to make it match the current strain of the virus running through commercial flocks and wild birds. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the outbreak started in 2022 and has killed over 130 million birds, affecting commercial, backyard, and wild birds in all 50 states.

 In a press release, USDA says the U.S. had built poultry vaccine stocks after the last major outbreak in 2014-2015. Bird flu is also affecting U.S. dairy cattle herds and infected almost 70 people. Most of the exposed humans are farm workers who’ve been directly exposed to sick cattle or poultry. 

Egg and turkey farm groups have been calling for a vaccine, citing the severe economic toll it has taken on farmers after wiping out their flocks. In December, USDA reported infected dairy herds in California and Texas.

U.S. to rebuild bird flu vaccine stockpile

ATCHISON COUNTY —Authorities are investigating the cause of a train derailment in Atchison.

Just after 6:30p.m.  on Monday police officers were on the scene of a derailment that involved empty coal rail cars in Atchison. The derailment extended between 4th Street and 5th Street in the rail yards, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

According to Union Pacific, approximately seven Union Pacific rail cars and one locomotive derailed. The train crew was taken to local emergency services for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

The 4th Street railroad crossing will remain closed for an extended period of time. There were no injuries, no fire, no hazards, and no damage other than to the rail cars.

Cause of train derailment in Atchison under investigation

Bitter cold temperatures have forced the cancelation of classes for both the St. Joseph School District and the Savannah R3 School District.

All public elementary, middle, and high schools in the St. Joseph School District have been canceled for Tuesday. Keatley's Adult Education classes and the Early Learning Centers have been canceled as well.

Some after-school activities might be held. The St. Joseph School District advises to contact the activity sponsor or coach to find out if the event is being held.

This will be an Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI) day. All students will have remote learning. Expectations for AMI days have been communicated to students by their schools. 

District employees should refer to the district’s inclement weather policy, Scenario A, regarding their work schedule.&nbsp;

Savannah school officials state that due to the extreme temperatures and wind chills expected Tuesday morning, all Savannah R3 Schools will be utilizing an AMI (Distance Learning) Day.

 All Savannah preschool and elementary students should finish snow day packet #1. Savannah middle and high school students should access their assignments via Canvas.

The National Weather Service has issued a Cold Weather Advisory for the Midland Empire from six o'clock Monday evening until noon on Tuesday. NWS reports very cold wind chills could dip to -25. Such extreme cold can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes, according to NWS.

The forecast for this evening calls for clear skies with a low of -11. North, northwest winds of 5 to 13 with guests as high as 18 are expected this evening.

It will be sunny on Tuesday with a high of only 17. NWS expects wind chills of between -10 to -20 tomorrow.

This cold snap is expected to end Wednesday when the forecast calls for a slight chance of snow with a high of 35.

St. Joseph, Savannah schools canceled Tuesday due to bitter cold

Click <a href="https://www.680kfeq.com/closing/#!/">HERE</a> for today's cancelations.

Winter weather closings for Tuesday

Northern Missouri
Congressman Sam Graves returns as chair of the House Transportation Committee
in the new Congress.

Graves had to get
a waiver from the Republican Caucus to continue as chair, because he has served
the number of terms allowed by Caucus rule. Graves says the committee has much
to do over the next two years, looking at what Graves calls “real”
infrastructure.

“That is laying
asphalt, pouring concrete, building bridges,” Graves tells KFEQ/St. Joseph
Post. “We’re not going to be looking at green spaces and things like art for
Amtrak stations and bike paths. We’re going to be building real infrastructure
and that’s roads and bridges.”

Graves served for
four years as the ranking member of the committee, the longest serving member
from the minority party, until being appointed chairman two years ago. House Republican
Caucus rules limit committee members to six years in leadership, which includes
years as ranking member. The Caucus granted Graves’ request for a waiver of the
rule so he could continue as chair.

“Very proud of
that,” Graves says. “Very proud of the fact that they have enough confidence in
me to give me another term as chairman and I’m looking forward to getting the
work done; getting organized and getting our work done.”

That work includes
a new highway bill, Coast Guard reauthorization, a pipeline safety bill, and a
water resources bill.

Graves says there
is a hefty agenda awaiting the committee.

“And there always
is,” Graves says. “We are an authorizing committee, which means we have to
reauthorize all of these programs within the silo of dollars that comes from
the user fees from these various modes of transportation. I like to tell folks that
we’re a work committee. We’re not a show committee. We have a lot of work to
get done and a lot of authorizations. And we did that in the last Congress
under my chairmanship and we’re going to do it this Congress as well.”

The new Congress
has been sworn in, ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump.

Graves gets waiver, will serve as Transportation Committee chair, again

Since Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback for the Chiefs, Kansas City has made a habit of winning in the AFC Divisional game.&nbsp; On Saturday, the Chiefs advanced to their seventh straight AFC Championship game beating the Houston Texans 23-14 at Arrowhead Stadium.&nbsp;

In seven years as a starter, Mahomes has never gone to less than the AFC Championship game.&nbsp; Six of those seven were also hosted in the comforts of Arrowhead Stadium, the lone exception being last season when Kansas City won their second straight Super Bowl.&nbsp;

After three weeks of rest, things started out slow for the Chiefs offense. Their first drive started with a bang, a 63 yard kickoff return from Nikko Remigio, but went three and out, a total of negative one yard, ending with a 32 yard field goal by Harrison Butker.&nbsp;

Houston answered on the next drive with a field goal of their own, 30 yards by Ka'imi Fairbairn, but Kansas City took the lead back after a nine play drive, benefitting from a controversial roughing the passer call on the Texan's Will Anderson, before stalling in the redzone and again sending Butker out to nail a 36 yard field kick.&nbsp;

Both teams were forced to punt on their next drives before the Texans attempted to tie the game, but Fairbairn's kick sailed wide right, giving Kansas City the opportunity to extend their lead late in the second quarter, getting a one yard rushing touchdown from Kareem Hunt.

Houston closed out the scoring in the first half with another field goal, 48 yards by Fairbairn, bringing the game to within one touchdown at the halftime break, with Kansas City leading 13-6.&nbsp;

The Texans won the toss to open the game, and deferred to the second half, opening the half with a long drive that consumed most of the third quarter, going 15 plays and 82 yards, scoring a touchdown on an 11 yard run by Joe Mixon.&nbsp; The game looked like it would end up tied, but Fairbairn's kicking woes continued, missing the game tying extra point and leaving the Chiefs up by one.&nbsp;

Kansas City answered with a long drive of their own, taking over with 4:36 remaining in the third quarter, and finally ended up scoring early in the fourth on a play that involved that patented Mahomes magic.&nbsp; Feeling pressured, Mahomes begin to scramble up the middle, before Houston's Mario Edwards broke off his block, turning around to grab Mahomes by the ankles and start to drag him down.&nbsp;&nbsp;

But as he fell to the ground, in an almost Superman like pose, Mahomes launched the ball towards the endzone and straight into the hands of his top target on the day, tight end Travis Kelce, for an 11 yard touchdown, extending the Chiefs lead following the Butker extra point to eight.&nbsp;

Going for it all, Houston turned the ball over on downs on their next drive.&nbsp; After back to back punts, the Chiefs got another field goal by Butker, this time from 27 yards away.&nbsp; Houston looked to answer with a field goal of their own on the next drive, but for the second time this season, Leo Chenal came up with a big block to keep the Texans from scoring.&nbsp;

The final points of the game came in a bit of an unconventional way.&nbsp; Following the blocked field goal, Kansas City went three and out on kneel downs from Mahomes, sending Matt Araiza out to punt.&nbsp; The punt never happened though as Araiza took the snap and ran backwards into the endzone, rushing around and killing clock until going out of bounds for a safety.&nbsp;

With the game settled, in something that many people have not seen before, following the kickoff Texans quarterback CJ Stroud came out to kneel out the final seven seconds of the game, to send the Chiefs to the AFC Championship game.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Mahomes, who threw for 177 yards and a score, improved 16-3 in the postseason, tying Joe Montana for the second-most wins by a starting QB in NFL history behind Tom Brady. That includes his peerless 7-0 mark in divisional playoff games.&nbsp; Also in the game, head coach Andy Reid became the fourth coach in NFL history to reach 300 career postseason wins.&nbsp;

Hunt led the rushers with eight carries for 44 yards and his touchdown, Isiah Pacheco added five runs for 18 yards.&nbsp; Kelce caught seven catches for 117 yards and a score, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the most postseason 100+ yard outings.&nbsp; The Chiefs defense also impressed along with the blocked field goal recording eight sacks, three by defensive end George Karlaftis.

The Chiefs are the fourth team in NFL history to follow back-to-back Lombardi Trophies by advancing to the conference title game, and the three previous lost. They will try to change that at Arrowhead Stadium next weekend against the Bills or Ravens, who play on Sunday in Buffalo for a shot at dethroning the defending champs.

The AFC Championship matchup against either the Bills or Ravens will kickoff at 5:30pm at Arrowhead Stadium.&nbsp; Pregame will be at 4pm on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM) and Q Country 92.7.

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

Chiefs advance to 7th straight AFC Championship game with win over Texans

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rebecca-rivas/">REBECCA RIVAS</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

State regulators believe many designated contacts have kept the actual eligible applicants in the dark about business and license dealings

Missouri cannabis consultant&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/07/26/missouri-cannabis-leader-accused-of-using-predatory-contracts-to-win-social-equity-licenses/">John Payne</a>&nbsp;appeared on 329 social-equity license applications last year as the designated contact — the person who handles all communications with state regulators.

Amanda Kilroe, an attorney with the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/26/applicants-recruited-on-craigslist-competed-for-missouri-social-equity-cannabis-licenses/">Michigan-based group CannaZoned</a>, was listed on another 94.&nbsp;

Arizona-based cannabis investor&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/23/alleged-predatory-contracts-continue-to-surface-in-missouri-social-equity-marijuana-program/">Michael Halow</a>&nbsp;is associated with at least a dozen designated contacts that were listed on about 600 applications last year.

The designated-contact role was envisioned as a way to ensure clear communication between the state and licensees.

Instead, state regulators believe many designated contacts have kept the actual eligible applicants in the dark about business and license dealings. Applicants get locked into agreements that limit their voting power and profits in the business, calling into question who actually stands to reap the rewards of the booming industry.&nbsp;

The Division of Cannabis Regulation labeled these arrangements “predatory” and set out to root them out of the program. Among its main weapons is a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/12/23/missouri-cannabis-regulators-announce-new-rules-to-target-predatory-contracts/">set of proposed new rules</a>&nbsp;around who can be listed as a designated contact.&nbsp;

“These revisions are intended to ensure microbusiness licenses are issued to eligible individuals… and to address the trend of predatory arrangements in microbusiness licensing,” the division said in a press release announcing the proposed changes. “Specifically, these draft rule revisions should mitigate the ongoing efforts of ineligible entities to acquire licenses by taking advantage of eligible individuals.”

According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/safety/cannabis/pdf/ceo-activity-report122324.pdf" target="_blank">state’s annual report&nbsp;</a>on the microbusiness program released last month, 68 designated contacts appeared on multiple applications, making up 74% of the 2,083 applications received in April.

Applicants must provide a designated contact, and currently it’s not required to be an individual in the ownership structure. It could be an attorney, consultant or any other “responsible” person.

Among the new proposed cannabis rules include a requirement that the designated contact for a microbusiness applicant be an eligible individual contributing to the majority ownership of the microbusiness license.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Additionally, any entity who was the designated contact for a license that was previously revoked for failure to comply with the ownership and operation requirements will no longer be allowed to be involved in any capacity in a future microbusiness application.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Payne did not respond to The Independent’s request for comment.

Jeffrey Yatooma, president of CannaZonedMLS, said the proposed changes reflect a&nbsp;“fundamental misunderstanding”&nbsp;of the support that some social-equity applicants need.

“The assertion that these partnerships are somehow ‘predatory’ mischaracterizes the reality of the situation,”&nbsp;Yatooma said in an email to The Independent last week.

Halow said that he provides assistance to applicants who need it most because he has the resources, knowledge and expertise to do so.

“These are often people without generational wealth or experience as an entrepreneur,” he said, in an email to The Independent last week. “They open businesses in neighborhoods in need of jobs and economic opportunity. They have the drive. We have the resources to provide a path to prosperity. These aren’t the acts of a predator.”

When Destiny Brown won a microbusiness license in 2023, she initially didn’t have any contact at all with Missouri’s cannabis regulators.&nbsp;

Phoenix-based cannabis consultant Maxime Kot did — a woman Brown says she never met nor spoke with.&nbsp;

That’s what Brown told cannabis regulators in a March interview, right before they revoked her license.

Brown learned about Missouri’s microbusiness program from a website organized by Halow, where she stated she’d like to run a dispensary to help veterans like herself.&nbsp;

She told regulators that Halow’s brother responded by calling and requesting documents, including her driver’s license and veterans disability paperwork. He asked her to sign several agreements that she thought were outlining how the business would be run and that she would be paid $200,000 to do it.&nbsp;

She didn’t realize that the documents would give away ownership of the company to Halow after the license was issued.

She also didn’t know about Ever Eco LLC, which is the business the microbusiness application was filed under.

According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25169292-ever-eco-dhss-response-may" target="_blank">state’s response&nbsp;</a>to Brown’s appeal in April of the license revocation, Ever Eco is an Arizona limited liability company formed on July 23, 2023. At the time of filing, Halow was listed as the sole member and manager of Ever Eco.&nbsp;

A month later, and after the application was submitted, Ever Eco’s articles of organization were amended to remove Halow as the sole owner and operator, replacing him with Brown.

Kot&nbsp;was listed as the designated contact for the license,&nbsp;as she was for&nbsp;more than 400 other microbusiness applications that year and that are associated with Halow.

Five licenses were awarded last year, and each was eventually revoked.&nbsp;

According to documents filed in these license appeal cases, the state found the purported owners — who met the program’s eligibility requirements — “had limited to no knowledge or understanding of details within the agreements or operations of the license.”

“While owning and operating a license may include contracting for management services or consulting services, the lack of knowledge, control, agency, or decision-making demonstrated by the individual used to meet eligibility does not meet even the most liberal understanding of owning and operating a business,” according to the state’s responses in the five licenses’ appeals.&nbsp;&nbsp;

These revoked licenses — Potluck THC, Joke Smoke SE LLC, Herbal Home LLC, High Aroma LLC and Cannarooted LLC — are making their way through the Administrative Hearing Commission’s appeal process. A hearing is expected later this year.&nbsp;

Ever Eco’s appeal was dismissed in October because Brown wasn’t able to obtain a Missouri attorney to represent her.&nbsp;

The state is scheduled to question representatives from the five licenses connected to Halow under oath on Feb. 7 regarding&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25480534-joke-smoke-deposition-topics/" target="_blank">nearly 20 topics</a>&nbsp;of the business arrangements and ownership structure.

New rules target middlemen in Missouri cannabis industry to prevent ‘predatory’ practices

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY —A school bus driver and students avoided injury after an accident that occurred just after 7a.m. Friday in Leavenworth County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Freightliner school bus for the USD 453 Leavenworth School District and driven by 80-year-old William Bay of Leavenworth was southbound on 20th Street and turning westbound onto Choctaw Street.

The bus rear-ended a legally parked Leavenworth Police Department 2023 Dodge Charger conducting a traffic stop. Bay and the twenty students on board the bus were not injured.&nbsp; The KHP released no additional details.&nbsp; 

Kan. school bus rear-ended police vehicle on traffic stop

January is Human Trafficking Awareness month. 

Law enforcement has worked to combat the nationwide problem of human trafficking.  And while it's a problem nationwide, being a transportation hub there are a large number of cases in Missouri. 

St. Joseph Police Chief Paul Luster says we have not been immune to the problem, and the training to combat it for officers is critical

"What to look for, what laws apply when you do run across it, what resources are available for victims, and so the more information, the more training you can get the officers and even the community of what to look for is a really good thing to combat this issue," Luster tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. 

Luster says many times these investigations will lead to things that happened online, so things quickly become a computer forensic type of investigation

"Where you're trying to get data extracted from a cell phone or computer, and so you can see just from me saying that how that could really start to tax a local agency," Luster explains.  "We're lucky here in St. Joseph we have an Electronic Crimes Unit, we have a cell phone examiner and a computer examiner, but there's a lot of smaller agencies in Missouri that don't have that."

Luster says training officers, as well as the community, on what to look for is also key in helping combat human trafficking

Some of the warning signs of potential trafficking situation include signs of physical abuse, branding tattoos, wearing clothing inappropriate for the weather or location, not being in possession of their money or identification, body language indicating discomfort, lack of eye contact with anyone except their trafficker, or not being allowed to speak for themself.

Luster says while there are resources to help law enforcement agencies combat human trafficking, it can also become a very complex investigation.

"It can get very large, it can start crossing jurisdictional boundaries, city limits, county lines, state lines, even sometimes outside of the country, so you can see how if we opened an investigation in St. Joseph and we started getting something that big, that could really tax our resources," Luster says.

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, there were 249 human trafficking cases identified in Missouri in 2023, involving 356 victims.

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

Law enforcment continues work to combat human trafficking

Missouri Chamber
of Commerce officials say Missouri must become more competitive to expand its
manufacturing industry.

Chair of the state
chamber, Stet Schanze, president of Gray Manufacturing in St. Joseph, says while manufacturing
makes up 30% of the local workforce, it is only 10% of the state workforce. 

“In my mind, it is
absolutely the cornerstone of a healthy economy is the manufacturing that you
have in the city, the region, or the state that you’re talking about,” Schanze
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “And as a state, we’ve just got to do better.”

The Missouri
Chamber Foundation says research by Economic Leadership LLC ranks Missouri 28th
in overall manufacturing competitiveness. The neighboring states of Nebraska,
Kentucky, and Tennessee rank in the top 15. Kansas ranks close to Missouri.

Schanze says the
COVID-19 pandemic exposed a flaw in the strategy of United States manufacturers.
Many had their supply chains disrupted, because they had moved them overseas.
Schanze says Gray Manufacturing kept its suppliers close and took market share,
because production in St. Joseph could continue.

Schanze says a
changing geo-political climate should encourage the country to consider ways to
bolster the manufacturing sector.

“We’re basically
in a hot economic war with China right now,” according to Schanze. “I think it
makes a lot of sense to get supply chains back. So, thus, we’re going through
this time, and I think it’s a good time to bring manufacturing back to the United
States, and in that environment, I think Missouri has to make itself more
competitive.”

First, the state
needs to expand the workforce, in particular skilled workers, such as welders,
so in demand by manufacturers. Incentives and technical assistance need to be
provided to increase capital investment. The state, according to the Chamber, should
invest in the infrastructure needed by modern factories, such as transportation,
energy, and broadband. Other recommendations made by the Chamber include
supporting the recruitment of new manufacturers and expansion of existing
operations, increasing exports, strengthening the state legal climate, and
address public safety.

Schanze says the
state needs to consider its current ranking unacceptable.

“I just think the
state’s got to do a much better job,” Schanze says. “We shouldn’t be happy with
28th. That’s not even in the top 50% there and particularly with the
threat of those close by states that are always nipping at us and in many cases
right now ranking higher than us. We’ve just got to improve there.”

Manufacturing
contributes $50 billion a year to the Missouri gross domestic product,
employing 287,000 workers.

Missouri Chamber says state must improve its manufacturing competitiveness

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/suzanneking/">SUZANNE KING</a>&nbsp;

If your mail-order prescription landed in a pile of snow on your doorstep last week, you may want to proceed with caution.

Pharmacists warn that extreme temperatures — cold or hot — can change the chemical makeup of medicine, often making it less effective. But medicine coming through the mail in overheated UPS trucks or ending up in frozen mailboxes has little in the way of temperature control — and not much regulatory oversight.

A revised prescription delivery rule in Missouri, which took effect Dec. 30, aims to address that.

The new&nbsp;<a href="https://pr.mo.gov/boards/pharmacy/20131224.pdf" target="_blank">Missouri Board of Pharmacy rule</a>&nbsp;gives pharmacies licensed in the state a list of requirements to follow when mailing prescriptions to patients, a practice that became more common during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2024, just over 4% of the country’s prescriptions were delivered by mail, according to the health care research company IQVIA. The number has declined from around 5% at the height of the pandemic.

But factors like more independent drug stores and chain pharmacies&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2024/09/23/communities-lose-health-care-with-pharmacies-closing-in-kansas-and-missouri/" target="_blank">closing&nbsp;</a>and online giant Amazon&nbsp;<a href="https://drugstorenews.com/amazon-pharmacy-bringing-same-day-medication-delivery-20-more-cities" target="_blank">moving</a>&nbsp;deeper into the business could drive growth in mailed prescriptions.

Missouri’s rule change is a major expansion of state regulations related to pharmacy delivery. For starters, the old rule didn’t mention mail — only delivery.

Under the new rule, pharmacies must attempt to contact the patient before shipping medication. The package they send also has to include information about how to contact state regulators, how to detect if medicine has been compromised in transit and what to do if it has.

In addition, Missouri’s new rule states that pharmacies must have “policies and procedures” for mailing medicine, including using “proper packaging containers and materials to maintain physical integrity and stability of package contents.”

Kansas does not have regulations specifically related to mailed prescriptions.

Kimberly Grinston, executive director of the Missouri Board of Pharmacy, said the change is a response to public feedback and part of the board’s routine review of rules.

“The rule overall adds new requirements and new safeguards for pharmacies that are mailing medications,” she said.

‘Anybody’s best guess’ if medicine is safe

But critics said it doesn’t go far enough to protect medications from extreme transit temperatures.

“These policies and procedures should already be in place,” said Loretta Boesing, a Missouri mom who founded&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uniteforsafemedications.org/" target="_blank">Unite for Safe Medications</a>&nbsp;after her son nearly rejected a transplanted liver when his mail-order medication arrived damaged from extreme heat.

“The problem is it’s not being demanded of them,” she said. “I guarantee you there are still patients here in Missouri, where we’re having temperatures below freezing, (whose) medications are still going to be shipped mostly in bags.”

Boesing said regulators should require pharmacies to be sure medications stay within safe temperature ranges by doing things like shipping them with temperature sensors that could indicate if a delivery has endured extreme temperatures.

“Right now, it’s anybody’s best guess if their medications are safe,” she said.

Lori Croy, a spokesperson for the Missouri Board of Pharmacy, said in an email that the board has not made a decision about temperature sensors. Their use, she said, is being considered by United States Pharmacopeia (USP), the national organization that establishes standards for drug handling, and “the board will continue to monitor circumstances and USP recommendations/guidance to protect Missouri patients.”

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates many aspects of medications, states deal with pharmacies. The “last mile” when a medication is shipped by mail or commercial carrier directly to a consumer has had little oversight.

Regulations generally lay out temperatures required for storing drugs, but not necessarily for shipping them.

Medications that must be refrigerated have the same temperature requirements during shipping. But drugs that can be stored at room temperature have no stipulations about shipping temperatures, said Paul Abato, a pharmaceutical expert witness.

That means a prescription that should be stored at room temperature could be exposed to temperatures well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit going through the mail on summer days in Missouri.

“All bets are off when drugs that are meant to be stored at room temperature get shipped,” Abato said.

Experts agree that heat or cold can compromise the efficacy of medication.

“If you have a drug that’s exposed to temperature extremes whether hot or cold, there’s a chance the drug could not be as potent,” said Kendall Guthrie, a professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy. “That could mean the drug may not be as effective.”

Patients can’t always tell that a medicine has been affected just by looking at it. They might think they’re taking the dose their doctor prescribed, but actually extreme temperature exposure has made the pill they got in the mail much less powerful, Guthrie said.

Boesing, who lives in Park Hills in the eastern part of the state, had a sense that her son’s medication was too warm when it arrived in the mail a few years ago. He needs it every 12 hours to prevent his body from rejecting a donated liver.

After she gave her now 14-year-old the medicine, it didn’t take long for his body to begin rejecting the liver. Luckily, the worst didn’t happen and her son is fine, but Boesing believes the close call wouldn’t have happened at all if her son’s medication had been protected from the heat. Or if her family’s insurance hadn’t forced her to get the drug by mail in the first place.

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