After a short hiatus, the Dance Arts Center is again bringing the holiday spirit to downtown St. Joseph with two performances of The Nutcracker.  

Director Marla Heeler says her company first performed the iconic Christmas ballet two years ago at the Missouri Theatre 

"Prior to that there hadn't been a Nutcracker here in St. Joe for a lot of years other than outside groups coming in, outside professional groups coming in and using students," Heeler tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr.  "So, we bit the bullet and decided we would take it on, and it was received so well, it was just better than we could have even hoped." 

Heeler says they opted for an every-other year approach with the Nutcracker and put on a performance of Alice in Wonderland last year.  

Heeler says doing the show every other year gives people something different to see each show, but it also helps her dancers grow in their roles 

"So that the roles they have this year, in two years they will be in quite a different place," Heeler explains.  "So, it gives them the chance to grow and get some of those roles that they watched when they were younger and work and attain those, so it kind of has a twofold benefit in doing the every other year." 

Heeler says though there have been some people telling her they should perform the show every year as a sort of holiday tradition.  

The performance at the Missouri Theatre will take place tomorrow with shows at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets can be purchased by clicking <a href="https://jomotickets.com/event/the-nutcracker-2024">HERE</a>.

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

Dance Arts Center brings The Nutcracker to the Missouri Theatre

The Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposed rule to revoke tolerances for chlorpyrifos, which establishes the amount of a pesticide that’s allowed on food. This rule revokes all tolerances for chlorpyrifos (klor·peeruh·faas), except for those tolerances associated with the 11 food and feed crops that would remain registered. EPA says it’s taking this action in response to a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. 

“EPA continues to prioritize the health of children,” says Michal Freedhoff of the EPA. “This proposed rule is a critical step forward as we work to reduce chlorpyrifos in or on food and to better protect people, including infants and children, from exposure to chemicals that are harmful to human health.” Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate insecticide that was used in a large variety of ways in agriculture, including soybeans, fruit and nut trees, vegetables, and other row crops, as well as many non-food uses.

EPA Rule Would Revoke Most Uses of Insecticide

The Food and Drug Administration and the USDA announced a joint request for information about food date labeling, which includes the use of terms like “Sell By,” “Use By,” and “Best By.” The information request asks for data on industry practices and preferences for date labeling, research results on consumer perceptions of date labeling and any impact date labeling may have on food waste and grocery costs. 

“Confusion over a multitude of different date labeling terms on food products accounts for about 20 percent of food waste in the home,” says FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones. “We look forward to gathering information to determine how date labeling can make it easier for consumers to know whether a food is still good to eat and avoid food waste.” Both agencies currently recommend that food industry members voluntarily apply the “Best if Used By” quality-based food date label.

USDA, FDA Looking at Clarification of Food Labeling

A Texas federal court halted the implementation of the Corporate Transparency Act’s beneficial ownership reporting requirements that included America’s farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses. The court held the CTA as likely unconstitutional, so it issued a preliminary injunction barring the government from enforcing the Act and its reporting requirements against anyone. 

Texas court strikes down CTA/BOI

A company letter released this week by the state of Minnesota says Cargill will permanently terminate almost 500 employees in the state, which is home to the company’s corporate headquarters. The terminations will begin on February 5. Cargill recently announced it would cut approximately five percent of its overall staff after revenue took a hit in its most recent fiscal year thanks to a big slump in crop prices. 

Tyson, Cargill announce layoffs

Net farm income, a broad measure of profits, is forecast at $149.7 billion in calendar year 2024, down by $6 billion, or 4.1 percent, relative to 2023. Inflation-adjusted farm income is forecast to drop by $9.5 billion, or 6.3 percent. Despite the predicted decline, net farm income in 2024 would be 16 percent above the 20-year average of $121.4 billion. Cash receipts from the sale of agricultural commodities are forecast to decrease by $4 billion (0.8 percent) from 2023 to $516.9 billion in 2024. 

Farm sector profits forecast to fall in 2024

Farmer sentiment jumped again in November as the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose 30 points to 145. That’s the highest level of farmer optimism since May 2021. The Future Expectations index saw the largest jump, rising 37 points to 116, while the Current Conditions Index increased 18 points to 113. The November sentiment boost reflects growing optimism about a more favorable regulatory and tax environment for agriculture following the November election. 

Farmer sentiment highest since 2021

Lower returns to rented land and higher interest rates began signaling the potential for falling farmland prices back in 2023. Reports show those signals are continuing, with the current fundamentals suggesting land value reductions of approximately three percent in 2025. A three percent drop would be in line with observed adjustments since the 1980s as well as expectations from professional farm managers who were surveyed this year. 

Economists forecast drop in land prices

The American Consumers Institute is the latest organization to voice strong support for the bipartisan AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. Nate Scherer, policy analyst for the group, says AM radio is vital for ensuring public safety and maintaining access to vital information for millions of Americans. More than 80 million Americans rely on AM radio each month for programming that includes weather updates, traffic reports, sports, and emergency alerts.

Consumer Institute advocates for AM radio

The US agricultural trade deficit is forecasted to grow significantly, with the USDA projecting a record $45.5 billion gap for fiscal year 2025. This updated outlook surpasses the previous estimate of $42.5 billion from August 2024. Agricultural exports, expected to reach $170 billion, remain 13% below their 2022 peak, impacted by declining global prices. Imports, on the other hand, are forecasted to hit $215.5 billion, driven by rising demand for tropical fruits and sugar.

Record farm trade gap for 2025 looms 

Deere &amp; Co. finished the year stronger than expected after aggressively cutting production and seeing solid demand for new tractors and precision agriculture technology. The Moline, Illinois-based tractor giant reported a net profit of $1.3 billion in the fourth quarter compared to $2.4 billion last year as farmers grappled with high interest rates and low commodity prices. Sales and revenue totaled $11.1 billion, down 28% from a year ago. Despite economic challenges, Deere Chairman and CEO John May said in an earnings call that company performance was better than expected, which led to strong reinvestment across the enterprise. 

New products push Deere to strong Q4 earnings

WORTH COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 2p.m. Friday in Worth County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Ford F250 driven by a 52-year-old man from Southlake Texas was westbound on Route AA just west of Umber Road three miles southeast of Allendale.

The vehicle experienced an unknown mechanical malfunction and began to swerve. The pickup traveled off the north side of the road, struck an embankment rolled, struck a large stump, rolled down a hill and came to rest in a pond.

EMS transported to the driver to Mosaic in Albany. The MSHP did not have seat belt usage details.

Driver injured after pickup rolls down a hill into a pond

Shop St. Joseph is in full swing as Chamber of
Commerce officials remind area consumers to shop local.

Chamber President Natalie Hawn says a program
that began modestly has seen great growth over the years.

“We started that program about 20 years ago
really to kind of keep people mindful of shopping in St. Joseph versus Kansas
City or Omaha,” Hawn tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “Now, it’s
really changed where it’s to remind people to not do all their purchases
online.”

Twenty years ago, when Shop St. Joseph started, stores
distributed 40,000 tickets.

Last year, St. Joseph businesses distributed 2.3 million.

“So, the program has grown significantly both in
merchants and in the number of tickets that are given out,” Hawn says.

Hawn says while bigger cities might have been the
alure for St. Joseph area residents a few years ago, that has changed. Online
now is the competitor.

“I know it’s so convenient to purchase online,
but you’re not helping those local merchants who are really bringing that
unique gift experience to our community which makes it great for tourism, which
makes it great for amenities here in St. Joseph,” according to Hawn. “So, make
sure that you’re supporting local. I know you can’t always purchase everything
local, but we would love you to get creative and think about ways to purchase
local.”

Hawn points out small businesses had to survive
COVID and cope with inflation, counting on December sales to boost the bottom
line. Hawn says consumers went out of their way to support local businesses
during COVID, but have pulled back a bit this year.

“With inflation and not knowing what the
economy’s going to do and not knowing what the elections were going to do, we
think people have just been more conservative with their spending,” Hawn says. “But
they need to remember that those local businesses need you to survive. So, I
think that’s probably a part of it. I think people were more mindful during
COVID to support local. Four or five years later, they’re kind of forgetting to
do that.”

Shop St. Joseph ends on Monday, December 16th.
The drawing for the winning ticket will take place on Wednesday, the 18th.

The Grand Prize is $10,000. There is always a
$2,500 small business bonus prize.

Click <a href="https://saintjoseph.com/shop-st-joseph-kicks-off-your-chance-to-win-big/">HERE</a> for more on Shop St. Joseph.

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

Shop St. Joseph now aims at a new competitor for consumer dollars

Water flowing into the Missouri River from Gavins Point Dam
has been reduced to its winter level.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports it has lowered
releases to 12,000 cubic feet per second. The Corps began reducing water
flowing into the Missouri from Gavins Point on November 23rd. The
navigation flow support season ended December 1st at St. Louis.

“Releases from Gavins Point Dam are being reduced to the
12,000 cubic feet per second winter release rate by mid-December,” John Remus,
Chief of the Missouri River Water Management Division, said in a written statement
released by the Corps. “We will closely monitor river conditions, and releases
will be adjusted to the extent practical to lessen the impacts of river ice
formation on stages in the lower river.” 

The Corps had been releasing 32,000 cfs prior to the
reductions beginning at the end of November.

Flows from Gavins Point Dam into the Missouri River reduced for winter

A Leavenworth man who conducted an armed robbery incident in Winthrop late last night has been located and taken into custody.

Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett reports that his office received a call of an armed robbery at a gas station in Winthrop around 8:30 last night.  45 year old Ryan Beaudoin entered and held the cashier at gunpoint demanding money. 

Beaudoin was taken into custody this morning at his home in Leavenworth. The Atchison and Leavenworth police departments assited in the investigation.

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

Leavenworth man taken into custody for armed robbery incident in Winthrop

A GoFundMe account has been established to offset the funeral
expenses for a St. Joseph man hit and killed by a car in the early morning
hours of last Sunday.

GoFundMe reports Jason Goldesberry died in a hit-and-run
Sunday morning, December 1st.

The St. Joseph Police Department reported earlier that a
pedestrian was killed when a vehicle left the roadway, struck the pedestrian,
then crashed into the porch of a house between Madison and Green Streets around
four o’clock that morning.

“Jason's life was taken in a hit-and-run early morning on
December 1st. Jason leaves behind his fiancé, three children including his new
baby girl, and two bonus children. Jason's family desperately needs your help
donating to funeral expenses so that he receives proper services,” the
fundraiser reads.

You can find the GoFundMe here: <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jasons-family-after-tragedy">https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jasons-family-after-tragedy</a>

GoFundMe reports that if anyone is interested in getting in
touch with the GoFundMe organizer or need additional details, the
"Contact" button on the GoFundMe will send a direct email to the
email address on file with GoFundMe. 

GoFundMe account established for pedestrian struck and killed by car

Missouri Governor Mike Parson has appointed Tim Tadlock of
Gallatin to the State Rehabilitation Council.

Tadlock is an insurance agent for State Farm and has served as
president of the Gallatin Rotary Club. He holds marketing and business degrees
from Northwest Missouri State University.

Gov. Parson appoints Gallatin man to State Rehabilitation Council

DAVIESS COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 3p.m. Thursday in Daviess County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Ford Fiesta driven by a 24-year-old Hannibal, Missouri, woman was southbound on Interstate 35. An unknown vehicle traveled into the passing lane and caused the Ford to travel into the median, cross the northbound lanes, strike a ditch and overturn.

Daviess County EMS transported the driver to Liberty Hospital. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

Mo. woman hospitalized after rollover accident

A former Kansas City Chief who now helps people and
organizations with leadership training and performance says it all began when
concussions forced him to retire.

Jon McGraw played professionally for 10 years before a series
of concussions motivated him to retire and, then, to consider brain health and
how the brain works.

“And so I’m thankful in a lot of ways for that, because I’ve learned
a ton and have been able to do a lot of things to help heal my brain,” McGraw
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post in an interview after he spoke to the 2024 St.
Joseph Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Breakfast. “It’s a big concern for a lot
of my former teammates and a lot of current players right now. It’s an evolving
process of learning what’s really going on with the brain and what happens when
concussions happen.”

McGraw co-founded Vision Pursue which advises corporate teams
and sports franchises. McGraw drew a large crowd to the breakfast held at the
Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center.

McGraw was drafted by the New York Jets after playing for legendary
coach Bill Snyder at Kansas State. He was traded to the Detroit Lions, but
signed with Kansas City where he ended his career.

McGraw says much of what his company teaches is counter
intuitive, often having to spend quite a bit of time teaching employees how to
unlearn conventional wisdom, such as that stress is bad.

“Short term, you’re in a stressful situation, you’re getting
ready to go up and speak in front of a bunch of people on stage. You should
feel sweaty palms and your heart beating. That’s all really, really good stuff.
Or you think of an athlete getting ready to perform. That kind of stress is
really, really good,” according to McGraw. “A lot of what we’ve been taught in
our culture is that it is not, right? You want to be confident and calm and that’s
just not the way the brain-body system works.”

McGraw says stress is the way your brain and body prepares you
to perform.

Stress is ever present in a career, McGraw says, and needs to
become a motivator not a deterrence to performance. A key according to McGraw
is to find joy in the process, not just to seek it in the end result.

“But learning how to spread that out over the entire process;
in performance psychology it’s often referred to as process orientation where
most of your attention is going to the process itself, the daily task of what
it takes to get where you want to go,” McGraw says. “Now, you still enjoy the
realization of that final goal when you get there, but it’s more about the
journey than the destination, right? We’ve all heard that before, but it takes
a little bit training in our culture, because our culture has made the destination
primary.”

Former KC Chief tells St. Joseph Chamber that stress is good

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office argued that regulations like informed consent laws should remain because for most women, abortion is ‘against their moral beliefs’

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

Missouri’s trigger law banning nearly all abortions remains in place. But at 12:01 a.m. Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/05/missouri-voters-overturn-states-near-total-abortion-ban/">Amendment 3&nbsp;</a>will go into effect.&nbsp;

The constitutional amendment, which received 51.6% of the nearly 3 million votes cast, prohibits the legislature from regulating abortion prior to the point of fetal viability — generally seen as the point at which a fetus can likely survive outside the womb without extraordinary measures.

Planned Parenthood officials said they have providers and staff prepared to start seeing patients for walk-in medication abortion appointments at three clinics — in Kansas City, St. Louis and Columbia —&nbsp;beginning Friday, followed later by scheduled surgical abortions.&nbsp;

But whether that happens depends on the outcome of a lawsuit that had its first hearing before a Jackson County judge Wednesday morning.&nbsp;

“What we don’t have are the abilities to overcome state restrictions and hurdles that were intended to deny care,” Emily Wales, President and CEO with Planned Parenthood Great Plains, said Wednesday evening.

Less than 24 hours after voters narrowly approved Amendment 3, the ACLU of Missouri, Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers filed a lawsuit seeking to take down decades worth of overlapping restrictions and bans on abortion on the books in Missouri.&nbsp;

There was no disagreement between Planned Parenthood and the Missouri Attorney General’s office that Amendment 3 makes unconstitutional the trigger law that went into effect in June 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion.&nbsp;

The disagreement instead revolves around more than a dozen “targeted regulation of abortion providers” laws, also known as TRAP laws, that previously made abortions all but inaccessible in Missouri prior to the total ban taking effect.

Planned Parenthood is asking a Jackson County judge to grant a preliminary injunction which would immediately declare the current ban and the TRAP laws&nbsp;unconstitutional.&nbsp;

“Every single day that Missourians cannot access their constitutional rights, they’re being denied critical care,” Wales said.

Solicitor General Josh Divine, who argued Wednesday’s hearing on behalf of the state,&nbsp; characterized the lawsuit as “unusually aggressive,” saying it would be more appropriate for the plaintiffs to challenge each TRAP law individually rather than all together “on a very short fuse.”&nbsp;

He added that preliminary injunctions should only be granted in “drastic, extraordinary circumstances.” The lawsuit at hand, he contended, does not apply because Missourians are still able to access abortion in Illinois to the east and Kansas to the west.

“Nobody’s actually going to be materially affected by what this court does,” Divine added.

A decade ago, more than 5,000 abortions were performed in Missouri, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.&nbsp;

By 2020, two years before the abortion ban went into effect, that number dropped to 167 as a result of the TRAP laws.&nbsp;

Sam Lee, a longtime Missouri anti-abortion activist and lobbyist, said he’s been pleased by the attorney general’s defense of Missouri’s anti-abortion laws.

If the TRAP laws remain in effect, as Lee is hoping, “it may severely affect Planned Parenthood’s ability to do abortions, because they weren’t doing abortions when those laws were in effect some years ago.”

Judge Jerri Zhang, who is overseeing the case, did not immediately rule on the injunction when the hearing concluded late Wednesday evening.&nbsp;

She did, however, deny the state’s request to remove Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker as a defendant and move the case to Cole County. Earlier this year, a Cole County judge&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/20/missouri-supreme-court-opinions-amendment-3-abortion/">struck Amendment 3 from the ballot,</a>&nbsp;a decision that was quickly overridden by the Missouri Court of Appeals.

The attorney general’s office said they plan to appeal Zhang’s decisions, arguing that Peters Baker does not appropriately represent all statewide prosecutors because of her previous statements in support of abortion rights.

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office also posed a court challenge to the Planned Parenthood suit.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Petition.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3370878" target="_blank">This latest lawsuit,</a>&nbsp;filed last week in Cole County, questions Planned Parenthood Great Plains’ ability to sue the state, claiming a 2010 settlement agreement prevents them from doing so.&nbsp;

For decades, Missouri legislators have passed laws restricting abortion access and regulating the procedure.&nbsp;

“The voters have now changed all of that,” Eleanor Spottswood, an attorney with Planned Parenthood, argued before the court Wednesday.

Amendment 3 states, in part, that “the right to reproductive freedom shall not be denied, interfered with, delayed, or otherwise restricted unless the government demonstrates that such action is justifiable by a compelling governmental interest achieved by the least restrictive means.”&nbsp;

The litigation challenges numerous current laws, including a mandatory 72-hour waiting period between an initial appointment and the abortion procedure; requirements that abortion clinics must have admitting privileges at a hospital roughly 15 minutes away; and a requirement that the same physician who initially saw the patient also perform the abortion.&nbsp;

The lawsuit is also challenging the current law criminalizing physicians who perform abortions.

Spottswood argued that a failure to immediately strike down the TRAP laws would cause “irreparable harm” to Missourians because “patients and providers have to do twice the work to access abortion.”

Meanwhile, the attorney general’s office argued that striking down such laws would cause more harm.&nbsp;

Divine on multiple occasions cited an<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2023/020687Orig1s025Lbl.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;FDA label for mifepristone</a>, one of two medications used to induce a medication abortion, that shows that according to two U.S. studies of about 1,00 women, up to 5% of women who took mifepristone ended up in the emergency room. It did not specify if the emergency room visits were necessary.&nbsp;

The same FDA label says that across three studies of more than 14,000 women who took mifepristone, fewer than 0.6% were admitted to the hospital as a result of the medication.

Divine also noted that no individual women seeking abortions were named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, arguing that’s because women don’t actually want abortions once given more information. He said this is why the state’s requirements that those seeking abortions first be given the state’s&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/womenshealth/pregnancyassistance/pdf/Mo.InformedConsentBooklet-Revisedpgs.12-15August2019jkOGCReviewed.pdf" target="_blank">informed consent booklet&nbsp;</a>should remain.&nbsp;

“It’s against their moral beliefs,” Divine said. “But they’re being pressured, often by an abusive partner, by parents, things of that nature, so what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to create a situation where those women can in fact make the choice that they want to do, and we know most of the time that’s childbirth.”&nbsp;

About&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states#:~:text=Approximately%20one%20in%20four%20women,45%2C%20given%202020%20abortion%20rates.&amp;text=According%20to%20data%20from%20the,14%20weeks'%20gestation%20or%20later." target="_blank">one in four women in the United States have an abortion</a>&nbsp;before the age of 45, according to 2020 data. In 2021, around 94% of abortions occurred before 14 weeks gestation. Abortions later than 20 weeks&nbsp; account for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/abortions-later-in-pregnancy-in-a-post-dobbs-era/#:~:text=Abortions%20at%20or%20after%2021,require%20travel%20and%20lost%20wages." target="_blank">fewer than 1% of all abortions in the United States</a>, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Divine, in his final arguments Wednesday, characterized the state’s TRAP laws as incidental, much like speeding laws or road construction that could delay someone getting to an abortion. But he said the TRAP laws don’t fall under the strict scrutiny requirement and therefore don’t require an immediate ruling.

Zhang asked if delaying an abortion through the required 72-hour waiting period would infringe on a patient’s autonomy, especially if the patient was a day or two shy of 10 weeks gestation, when procedures switch from medication to surgical abortions.

Divine responded that the attorney general’s office believes Amendment 3 gives Missourians the right to an abortion, but doesn’t give them the right to a certain abortion procedure.&nbsp;

He also noted that Amendment 3 doesn’t specifically mention the legalization of mifepristone, alluding to future attempts by the incoming GOP administration to enforce the Comstock Act, an 1873 law that bans mailing obscene material, including for the use of abortion.

Judge could allow Planned Parenthood to begin performing abortions in Missouri Friday

GRUNDY COUNTY—Two people were injured in an accident just before 6a.m. Wednesday in Grundy County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Ford Ranger driven by a 32-year-old from Trenton, was westbound on MO 6 one mile west of Trenton.

The driver lost control of the pickup on the icy bridge. The pickup slid into the eastbound lanes and struck a 2023 Volvo semi driven by a 48-year-old man from Kansas City.&nbsp;

After impact the semi continued skidding east and jackknifed blocking both lanes of MO 6.&nbsp; A 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan driven by a 59-year-old man from Trenton to rear-ended the Ford Ranger.&nbsp; A 2018 Ford Eco Sport driven by a 25-year-old man from Trenton struck the semi.

EMS transported the driver of the Eco Sport and a 52-year-old passenger in the Dodge to Wright Memorial Hospital.&nbsp; All were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

2 hospitalized after 4-vehicle crash on icy bridge

The Northwest Missouri State football team has their new head coach, after announcing the firing of Rich Wright. 

Northwest Athletic Director Andy Peterson has named John McMenamin as the new head coach of the Bearcat football program, making McMenamin, a Bearcat alum, the 21st head coach in program history.

“I feel so fortunate and grateful for the opportunity that Dr. Lance Tatum and Athletic Director Andy Peterson have extended to lead this storied Bearcat football program,” McMenamin says in a news release. “There is no other football program like this in the country. It’s the university, the students, the community and especially the alums throughout the country that really make this such a special place to be."

"Until you’ve been a part of it, I don’t think you can fully appreciate what it means to be a part of Bearcat football and this community. Once a Bearcat, Always a Bearcat truly hits home.”

 McMenamin, a native of Omaha, Neb., served as the offensive co-coordinator/pass game coordinator/wide receivers coach at Tulane University in New Orleans, La., from December 2021 to July 2023. He helped orchestrate the biggest one-year turnaround in NCAA history as the Green Wave went from 2-10 to 10-2. 

Tulane scored a 2023 Cotton Bowl Classic victory over USC, 46-45. The Green Wave ranked No. 9 in the nation in team passing efficiency (160.48), No. 18 in scoring (36.0 points/game) and No. 20 in red-zone offense (86.8 scoring percentage).

"I am thrilled to be able to bring Coach McMenamin back to lead our football program," Peterson says. "His energy and passion for coaching and leading young men through the game of football just consumes you when you talk to him. I cannot wait to get him in front of our athletes, recruits, and all our stakeholders to cast his vision for the next iteration of Bearcat football. I know Coach McMenamin is focused and eager to quickly get connected to build meaningful relationships on behalf of Bearcat football."

Northwest will be McMenamin's second head coaching job. He was the head coach at Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb., from December 2019 to December 2021 when he left to go to Tulane. McMenamin delivered the program's first seven-win seasons in 11 years with a 7-4 record that included victories over nationally-ranked foes in Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota State. 

McMenamin was the offensive coordinator at the University of Central Missouri from January 2015 to December 2019. He also served as the offensive coordinator at Midland University in Fremont, Neb., in 2009-2010 where he helped turn around a Warrior program that went 8-3 in 2010 while finishing No. 22 nationally in NAIA.

McMenamin played football at Northwest from 1998 to 2002 and was a part of two national championship squads in 1998 and 1999. He was a member of four MIAA championship squads and was voted a team captain in 2002.

He was a first-team all-MIAA quarterback in 2002. McMenamin set 27 Northwest and MIAA passing records during his playing days. He still holds the Northwest school records for passing yards in a game (473 vs. Central Missouri) and total offense in a game (475 vs. Central Missouri).

A formal press conference to announce McMenamin as the Bearcat head coach will be scheduled at a later date.

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

John McMenamin named newest football coach at Northwest Missouri State University

The Kansas City Chiefs announced that tight end Travis Kelce has been selected as the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide. 

The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is the league's most prestigious honor, recognizing players who excel on the field and demonstrate a steadfast commitment to creating a positive impact beyond the game. Kelce is joined by 31 other nominees, with a selection from each club.

“Over the past 12 years, Travis Kelce has grown into one of the most dynamic individuals in all of football, both on and off the field,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt says in a news release from the team. “He’s a three-time Super Bowl Champion, a nine-time Pro Bowler and one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. He’s also a tremendous leader, a role model for young people in Kansas City and an inspiration to football fans around the world." 

"Through his new Ignition Lab, the growing Eighty-Seven &amp; Running Foundation and his partnership with Operation Breakthrough, Travis has impacted the lives of thousands of young people in the Kansas City region and beyond. Very few athletes in the history of the game have balanced the same level of team success, individual accolades and community engagement. The Chiefs organization and the Kansas City community are proud to have Travis as the club’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.”

 All 32 nominees will be recognized for their achievements during the week leading up to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. The winner of the 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special to air nationally on FOX and the NFL Network on Thursday, Feb. 6. 

Each nominee will receive up to $55,000 and the award winner will receive up to a $265,000 donation to their charity of choice. All donations are made possible by the NFL Foundation and Nationwide Foundation.

“I’m truly honored to be nominated as the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. This organization and this city mean so much to me and to have the Chiefs nominate me again is special,” Kelce says. “Growing up in Cleveland Heights with supportive family and friends, I know the power of having people in your corner. It’s been incredible to be able to work towards providing that same support and inspiration to kids through Eighty-Seven &amp; Running and our work with Operation Breakthrough and the Ignition Lab."

"To see the inaugural class from the Ignition Lab getting ready to graduate is so special and something that I’ll cherish forever. I know how valuable hope and purpose is in those high school years, and these kids have really seized the opportunity. Being able to give back to the community here in Kansas City as well as show love to my hometown is not something I’ll ever take for granted. I’m forever grateful to represent Kansas City, the Hunt family, our fans and my foundation, and it’s an honor to be nominated.”

Since entering the NFL as a third-round draft pick in 2013, Kelce has been an impactful contributor to the Kansas City community, while also being a dominant force on the field and already being hailed as one of the greatest to play the position. 

Since establishing his foundation, Eighty-Seven &amp; Running, in 2015, Kelce has grown his contributions both in scope and financial contributions. In 2020, Kelce was recognized for his diligent efforts to support Kansas City youth with his first Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination. 

Kelce has continued his dedication to the youth of Kansas City throughout his 12-year career, partnering with Operation Breakthrough, an after-school program diligently working to provide support and extracurricular opportunities to some of the most impoverished community members of Kansas City. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Kelce was an avid supporter of Operation Breakthrough, helping to keep their doors open through a tumultuous economic time and generating thousands of meals for Operation Breakthrough’s food-insecure population.

In 2020, Kelce purchased an abandoned muffler shop with the vision of turning the space into the “Ignition Lab” – a safe, after-school program for inner-city students to gain real-world, tangible experience and life skills and ignite their passions as an extension of Operation Breakthrough. 

This year, the inaugural class of the Ignition Lab is set to graduate high school, bolstered with work experience, internships, industry skills and support. Since its inception in 2020, the Ignition Lab has grown the number of students served by 350%.

In the four years of its existence, Ignition Lab students have launched three entrepreneurial businesses, including a food truck, a hydroponic farm and a digital media studio, all providing opportunities for students to discover their unique interests and further develop their skills. 

Along with the unparalleled knowledge, these ventures provide students an opportunity to earn wages from their work to help support their families. Ignition Lab students also complete a required financial literacy course to help equip them for success beyond their time in the program.

Since beginning his historic career over 10 years ago, Kelce has made an impact not only in Kansas City, including visits to children to encourage healthy lifestyles, visiting first responders, providing his time and voice to food banks and promoting the values of youth football.

Fans are once again encouraged to participate in Nationwide's annual Charity Challenge, a social media and online contest that allows fans to show support for their favorite Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee. Fans can vote on X/Twitter by posting #WPMOYChallenge along with the last name/X handle of their chosen nominee or by voting directly on NFL.com/ManOfTheYear. 

The nominee who receives the most collective hashtag mentions and online votes will win an additional $35,000 donation from Nationwide to the charity of their choice, with the runner-up receiving $10,000 and the third-place winner receiving $5,000. Charity Challenge voting takes place from Thursday, Dec. 5 to Monday, Jan. 6.

Beginning Week 14 and continuing through the end of the season, each of this year's nominees, including Kelce, will wear a special Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal in recognition of their accomplishments on and off the field.

Travis Kelce nominated as Chiefs rep for Walter Payton Man of the Year

St. Joseph Central High School running back Gabe Fields is continuing his football career at Vanderbilt.   

It's been quite a turnaround for the Vanderbilt Commodores, who for the first time since 2018 became bowl eligible this year.  Next year Fields, a standout at Central, will be a part of that turnaround.  

Fields says he's excited to get to Nashville and help build the culture 

"You know I've had some experience of trying to build something, here at Central we were 1-9 at one point, so I'm just ready to get up there and put the work in and try to win a National Championship is the end goal," Fields tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post 

Fields, who received several division one offers, says it was the Commodores coaching staff he fell in love with 

"I knew one of the coaches really well, Ghaali Muhammad, so I really loved how he was doing things and where he was," Fields explains.  "And I also loved how they also focus on academics, the other side of life, because one day football is going to stop and I know that, but with a Vanderbilt degree you can do anything you want." 

Muhammed-Lankford was a standout himself at Central, graduating from Wyoming after playing football on both offense and defense. 

Fields had offers from multiple Division 1 programs, Iowa State, Baylor, Navy, Air Force, Harvard, Cornell, Penn, Yale, UNLV, Toledo, and Kent State were just some of the schools that wanted Fields. 

While he doesn't know if he'll play right away, Fields has some lofty goals.  

"My goal personally is to be a Freshman All American, but we'll see how everything shakes out," Fields says. 

Fields, ranked as the number 22 prospect from Missouri in the 2025 class by 247 Sports, says being a division one commit from St. Joseph is a great feeling, and says it shows that you can accomplish your dreams from wherever 

"And that you don't have to leave your hometown just to go chase a different dream, you can do it all where you're at," Fields says.  "I mean you've got everything you need, you've got your family around you, you've got your teammates, people you've grown up with, and you can also show the youth that it don't matter where you start, it's just all about how you finish quite honestly." 

Fields in his senior season at Central compiled 1,806 all-purpose yards with 20 total touchdowns. 

Fields says he will major in business management.

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

St. Joseph Central HS running back Gabe Fields signs with Vanderbilt

Ravens upset Texas Wesleyan to advance in NAIA FCS Tournament

The #9 Benedictine Ravens went into Fort Worth, Texas to face an undefeated #8 Texas Wesleyan and used a massive second half to upset the Rams 42-33 to advance to the NAIA FCS Quarterfinals.&nbsp;

The Ravens did fall behind through the first quarter quickly.&nbsp; On the Rams first drive, Carson Rodgers connected with Darren White for a 25 yard touchdown pass.&nbsp; Then, after a fumble by&nbsp;Joseph Lagafuaina on the ensuing kickoff was recovered by Texas Wesleyan, Rodgers found&nbsp;Ernest Ceasar on a six yard touchdown strike, putting the Rams up 14-0 in less than four minutes.

Benedictine went on to answer on their first offensive drive of the game, needing just two plays to do so, as Jackson Dooley threw a 41 yard touchdown pass to Jacob Gathright.&nbsp; Early into the second quarter, Dooley again connected with Gathright, this time on a 40 yard strike, to tie up the game.&nbsp;

With his second touchdown catch, Gathright became the all time leading receiver in Benedictine school history.&nbsp;

But late into the quarter, nearing halftime, Texas Wesleyan took the lead back with a two yard rushing score by Ceasar.&nbsp; And with no time remaining on the clock,&nbsp;Diego Chavarria knocked in a 50 yard field goal, sending the teams to the locker room with the Rams leading 24-14 at the break.&nbsp;

Whatever message Ravens head coach Joel Osborn had for his team at halftime seemed to work, as Benedictine came out in the second half and scored 28 unanswered points, taking a massive lead on the higher seeded Rams.&nbsp;

After Benedictine scored on their first offensive drive of the half, a one yard run by Dalton Witherspoon, they didn't score again until late into the third on another rushing score from Witherpoon, from 21 yards away, giving the Ravens their first lead of the game.&nbsp;

In the fourth quarter, after&nbsp;Jackson Hoskins picked off Rodgers, Benedictine extended the lead on a long pass play, with Dooley finding JaShawn Todd for an 89 yard touchdown strike in just one play.&nbsp; On the first play of the next drive Rodgers was again intercepted, this time by&nbsp; Zachary LaCombe, and the Ravens scored again on a nine play drive, Dooley using his legs this time for a one yard rushing score.

The deficit would be too much to overcome for the Rams, getting a 30 yard field goal from Chavarria, before with no time remaining in the game Ceasar caught his second receiving touchdown of the game from Rodgers from 24 yards.&nbsp;

Dooley was 15 of 30 through the air for 344 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.&nbsp; Witherspoon rushed 19 times for 102 yards and two scores.&nbsp; Gathright caught six passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns, while Todd had three catches for 109 yards and a score.&nbsp;

Next up, Benedictine will travel for a second straight week for the NAIA FCS Quarterfinals taking on #3 seed Indiana Wesleyan.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Brady Cook carries Mizzou past Arkansas on snowy day at Faurot

Both the #21 Missouri Tigers and Arkansas Razorbacks seemed to struggle with the weather through a slow first half, but a big second half for both teams led to the Tigers needing a play from senior quarterback Brady Cook to come away with a 28-21 win in the Battle Line rivalry on Senior Day at Faurot Field.&nbsp;

The game went to halftime tied at 7-7 after both teams scored just one touchdown through the first half.&nbsp; Missouri senior running back Marcus Carroll scored on a two yard rushing touchdown in the first, while Arkansas running back&nbsp;Ja'Quinden Jackson had a two yard jaunt of his own in the second.&nbsp;

Jackson added a longer rushing touchdown early on in the second half following a Missouri punt, a 24 yard rushing score, and on the ensuing drive the Tigers could only manage a field goal, sending Blake Craig out to knock through a 28 yard kick, leaving Mizzou trailing heading into the final frame of regulation.&nbsp;

But Missouri would not be trailing for long, after forcing a fumble with 2:42 left in the third quarter, an eight play drive ended early into the fourth quarter with Carroll scoring his second touchdown of the night, from one yard out, giving the Tigers their first lead since the first quarter.&nbsp;

After Craig extended the lead with a 34 yard field goal, the Razorbacks snatched the lead back after a 12 play drive, relying again on the run game as Jackson scored on a nine yard touchdown run with 4:19 left in the game.&nbsp; And that's when the Tigers offense turned it on.&nbsp;

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