St. Joseph residents now have a streamlined way to track how their tax dollars are managed following the launch of the City’s new interactive Budget Transparency Portal. 

Powered by ClearGov’s Public Transparency Center, the portal transforms complex municipal financial data into digestible charts and graphs. The tool is designed to provide a comprehensive look at the City’s fiscal health, offering historical data dating back to 2013 alongside real-time updates for the current fiscal year.

The platform allows users to toggle between broad overviews and granular details, navigating through specialized functions such as departmental breakdowns for public safety or parks, and specific spending categories like salaries and supplies. For those who prefer independent analysis, the portal also offers the ability to download raw financial data directly into spreadsheets.

A standout feature of the site is the personalized property tax tool located within the expenditures section. By entering their annual tax bill amount, residents can see exactly how their individual contribution is allocated across essential services, including sewer maintenance, street repairs, and general government operations. This tool aims to give taxpayers a clear picture of the tangible impact of their tax dollars.

Beyond financial metrics, the portal includes a dedicated demographics tab featuring U.S. Census Bureau data on population trends, household characteristics, and income levels. This launch marks an expansion of the City’s partnership with ClearGov, which began in 2023 to modernize internal budgeting and capital planning. The Finance Department views the portal as a central step in its ongoing commitment to making local government more accessible and accountable to the public.

Residents can access the new tool at <a href="https://cleargov.com/missouri/buchanan/city/st-joseph">bit.ly/STJMOClearGov</a> or by visiting the Finance Department’s page on the official City website at stjosephmo.gov and clicking the green transparency button.

City of St. Joseph launches interactive online portal to help enhance budget transparency

The plan Republicans forced through the Legislature meets standards for compactness and contiguity, the judge ruled

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>

The&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/12/gerrymandered-congressional-map-initiative-petitions-limits-sent-to-missouri-governor/">gerrymandered congressional map</a>&nbsp;pushed through the General Assembly by Republicans meets constitutional requirements for districts to be compact and contiguous, a Jackson County&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Wise%20et%20al%20and%20Healey%20et%20al%20v%20State%20Order%20and%20Judgment.PDF?courtCode=16&amp;di=30514046" target="_blank">judge ruled Thursday</a>.

The decision from Circuit Judge Adam Caine is the third Missouri court ruling to reject a constitutional challenge to the plan intended to shift the 5th Congressional District to the Republican Party. In earlier rulings, Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh has upheld Gov. Mike Kehoe’s authority to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/special-session-to-redraw-missouri-congressional-districts-was-constitutional-judge-rules/">convene the special session</a>&nbsp;that passed the plan and the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/12/09/missouri-gerrymander-congressional-map-referendum/">legislature’s power to enact it</a>&nbsp;without a new census report.

In Thursday’s ruling, Caine did not address the question of whether lawmakers had authority to enact the map. That question, he noted, is in the hands of the Missouri Supreme Court, which&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2026/03/10/lawmaker-power-to-draw-gerrymandered-congressional-map-tested-at-missouri-supreme-court/">heard the appeal on Tuesday</a>.

Lawmakers approved the map in September&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/25/trump-white-house-pressing-missouri-republicans-to-redraw-congressional-map/">under pressure from President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;to help maintain the slim Republican majority in the U.S. House. Along with the legal challenges to the map itself, opponents who hope to force a referendum submitted&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/12/09/missouri-gerrymander-congressional-map-referendum/">more than 300,000 signatures</a>&nbsp;in December.

The referendum has become a major legal tangle of its own, with cases over&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/judge-delays-decision-on-signatures-for-missouri-referendum-on-gerrymandered-map/">which signatures should be checked</a>&nbsp;and whether the map passed in September&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2026/02/10/judge-to-decide-whether-missouris-gerrymandered-congressional-map-is-in-effect/">is in effect</a>&nbsp;for this year’s election.&nbsp;

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, meanwhile, has&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2026/02/24/emanuel-cleaver-four-republicans-file-for-missouris-gerrymandered-5th-district/">filed for re-election</a>, with five Republicans already filed for the August primary.

Caine took evidence in the case filed by the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center , the ACLU Voting Rights Project and the ACLU of Missouri over four days in February. The evidence, he wrote, was not enough to convince him to override the legislature.

While discussing historic district maps and the plan passed in 2022 that last year’s enactment is intended to replace, Caine noted that Kansas City and Jackson County have been split into multiple districts for decades and other counties around the state have been whole and split at various times.

“The result of plaintiffs’ position in these cases would be for the court to make value judgments about which communities should be divided in redistricting plans,” Caine wrote.

In a statement Thursday afternoon, Attorney General Catherine Hanaway called the ruling “a complete victory for Missouri and for the people’s elected representatives.”

Caine’s ruling will be appealed, the three organizations said in a joint statement.

The map violates the Missouri Constitution’s requirements that districts be as compact as possible, the statement read.

“Drawn under direct pressure from the Trump administration, the map divides the Kansas City area across multiple sprawling districts in clear violation of that constitutional mandate,” the organizations said. “If allowed to stand, it would represent a significant setback for fair representation in Missouri.”

At trial, Caine consolidated two cases with common claims. In one, the lawsuit argued that the map was unconstitutional because a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/18/court-battle-looms-over-kc-precinct-listed-twice-in-missouris-new-congressional-map/">precinct identifier was used twice</a>&nbsp;in the law enacting the districts. There are two distinct geographic areas with the same designation — VTD 811 — in the Census Bureau files used for determining the population of any particular location.

The only confusion was that there are two, Caine wrote. Each, he wrote, “has a unique GEOID, a unique alphanumeric identifier, that allows mapping software to assign each separately to the appropriate district.”

A large portion of the ruling is a discussion of particular measures of how compact the districts were.

“The 2025 plan is not an outlier and is within historical measures of compactness scores,” Caine wrote.

The new map splits five of Missouri’s 114 counties, with seven total portions from those five. The map approved in 2022 split nine counties, with 10 total portions. The number of municipalities in two or more districts was reduced from 30 to 13, Caine wrote.

Under the map approved by lawmakers in 2022, the 5th District is entirely contained within Jackson and Clay counties and includes most of Kansas City south and north of the Missouri River.&nbsp;

The map approved by lawmakers last year puts portions of Kansas City north of the river into the 6th District, and puts sections of the city into the 4th and 5th Districts and pairs those areas with places as far away as Columbia in the 5th District and Lebanon in the 4th District.&nbsp;

The organizations challenging the map argued that splitting Kansas City and Jackson County divided it as a community of interest and diminished its ability to influence the selection of representatives.

In his ruling, Caine wrote that Kansas City, and Jackson County, has a larger portion of the population in the 4th, 5th and 6th districts than any other community.

Each Missouri congressional district has 769,364 people counted in the 2020 census. Kansas City has 126,008 people in the 4th District, 174,515 in the 5th District and 207,567 people in the 6th District, Caine wrote. Sedalia, the largest city in the 4th District, has 21,275 people, he wrote, and Jefferson City, the largest city entirely within the 5th, has 43,228.

Jackson County has 330,299 people in the 4th District compared to 109,638 in Cass and 370,868 in the 5th District, compared to 77,278 in Cole County.

“This court,” Caine wrote, “finds it is more helpful to engage in an objective review of the 2025 plan rather than be guided by subjective factors like policy preferences and views of current representation.”

Judge rules gerrymandered Missouri congressional map is constitutional 

Griffon Media, the student-led news organization at Missouri Western State University, earned three national honors at the College Media Association Spring Convention held here March 4-7. 

The organization received three David L. Adams Apple Awards, which serve as the flagship honors for recognizing excellence in collegiate media across the country.

The staff of Griffon Media took home second place for Best News Website in Division III. Individual honors included Charlie Sample, who earned third place for Best Multimedia Package in Divisions II and III, and Kylee Leach, a member of the class of 2025, who placed third for Best News Photography in Division III.

Representing the university at the convention were Kiana Martinez, a senior graphic design major from Kansas City, Missouri; Kendall Warren, a sophomore applied communication and journalism major from Kansas City, Missouri; and faculty adviser Dr. Luling Huang. During the event, the group presented an educational session titled “Beyond the Questions: Audio and Video Essentials for Interviews” to fellow student journalists.

In addition to the awards ceremony and presentations, students participated in professional development tours of the Spectrum News and Sirius XM headquarters. The convention provided the team the opportunity to network with industry professionals and peers while showcasing the caliber of journalism produced at Missouri Western.

Griffon Media students earn national awards at NYC Convention

Next month, the Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art will host it's largest fundraising event with the annual Pot of Gold Gala 

Executive Director Eric Fuson says while the event isn't until next month, currently there is a need for donations to the events auction, as well as event sponsors 

"We have great luck sometimes with people who have like a vacation home or something like that and say I’d like to give a few days in that, or a week, that you can auction off,” Fuson says on the KFEQmunnity show.  “So, we just kind of want to put the word out and say hey this is coming up, and if you have somebody that would like to help us raise our funds, we sure would appreciate it.” 

Fuson says anything and everything can be put into the auction  

"Everything from rounds of golf at some local golf courses to maybe like a detailing of a car, we’ve had all kinds of things like that from a lot of really wonderful sponsors,” Fuson explains.  “And we’re just kind of reaching out to see what else there might be around that somebody says you know I wish they would have asked me, and we just didn’t know to ask, because it takes the whole community to keep someplace like the Albrecht Kemper running.” 

Fuson says this year's theme for the event will be A Great American Road Trip 

"Since it’s the 100th anniversary of Route 66 and the 250th anniversary of the United States, and not only that but it’s the 60th anniversary of the Albrecht Kemper this year, so we’re going to have some fun with all of that,” Fuson says.  “It’s going to allow for people to come to dress up like they’re from Hollywood or New York, and be dressed very glamoursly, to they want to be dressed like a tourist on the side of the road taking a road trip.” 

The 48th annual Pot of Gold Gala and Auction will take place April 25th.  

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

Albrecht Kemper prepares for annual Pot of Gold Gala and Auction next month

The St. Joseph Streets Division will close a section of the Southwest Parkway beginning March 17 for essential infrastructure improvements, city officials announced.

The closure is required to replace a crossroad culvert south of the Fairview Golf Course parkway entrance. The project is designed to improve drainage and roadway safety.

The work is expected to take approximately one week, weather permitting. Following the culvert installation, a contractor will perform outfall work in the area, which officials say will not require further road closures.

Motorists are advised to use alternate routes and should note the following traffic impacts:

Local access will be maintained where possible. City officials say updates will be provided if weather or unforeseen circumstances delay the schedule.

St. Joseph to close section of Southwest Parkway for culvert repairs

A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the St. Joseph area today, March 12, from 12:00 - 9:00 p.m.

The combination of high wind gusts, low humidity, and dry vegetation has created a high risk for rapid fire spread. To keep the community safe, officials advise the following:

St. Joseph area under Red Flag Warning for Thursday due to high winds

ATCHISON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 5p.m. Wednesday in Atchison.

Police Chief Mike Wilson reported a 2019 Ford pickup driven by Colten Harris, 15, Atchison, was westbound on Woodlawn Avenue in Atchison.

The teen turned south onto the connecting service road to U.S.59 when a collision occurred with a 2014 GMC SUV driven by Tiffany McKelvey, 43, Atchison, who was eastbound on U.S.73. 

EMS transported&nbsp; Harris to Amberwell Hospital for examination. He was also cited for failure to yield.

Kan. teen hospitalized and cited after pickup, SUV crash

The YMCA of St. Joseph, in partnership with the City of St. Joseph, Buchanan County, and Mosaic Life Care, will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Mid America National Aquatic Center at 1:00 p.m. on March 24.

The event will take place at the Campus Family YMCA, located at 3601 N. Village Drive.

The ceremony marks the start of construction on a 49,000-square-foot indoor facility, designed as an expansion of the existing YMCA building. The project aims to restore and expand long-term aquatics access for families, competitive athletes, local schools, and senior citizens throughout Northwest Missouri.

The project represents a multi-agency effort to bolster recreational infrastructure and wellness resources for the Buchanan County area.

Mid America National Aquatic Center groundbreaking in St. Joseph March 24

KFEQ Morning Sports

The annual St. Joseph St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns on Saturday, March 14, running from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

 The procession kicks off at the intersection of Frederick and Noyes, winding its way through the city to conclude at 8th and Felix. Spectators can look forward to a vibrant display of Irish music, festive floats, and a variety of entries all honoring Irish culture and tradition.

This year’s celebration is led by Grand Marshals The Dolan Clan. The parade carries a deep historical legacy, originally debuting in 1867 before being revitalized in 1986. Since 1997, the Ancient Order of Hibernians has spearheaded the organization of the event, ensuring that the spirit of the celebration continues to grow with the enthusiastic support of the local community.

In addition to the festivities, the Hibernians are continuing their partnership with the Second Harvest Food Bank to support local hunger relief efforts. Attendees are encouraged to look for donation buckets stationed at participating businesses along the parade route to contribute to this cause.

St. Joseph to host St. Patrick’s Day Parade this weekend

The bill approved Wednesday would restore provisions struck down in January by the Missouri Supreme Court. If passed into law, the measure would allow three attempts at revisions by the secretary of state before the courts take on the job

A&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB3146&amp;year=2026&amp;code=R" target="_blank">bill</a>&nbsp;to protect ballot summaries written by politicians from judicial revision passed the Missouri House on Wednesday, as lawmakers moved to restore a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2026/01/23/missouri-supreme-court-strikes-down-law-on-ballot-title-cases-special-appeal-power-for-ag/">law struck down</a>&nbsp;earlier this year by the state Supreme Court.

The legislation would give the secretary of state three chances to revise ballot summaries found to be insufficient or unfair before a judge could take over the job. And if the trial court judgment is overturned on appeal, the measure would require the appeals court to send it back to the trial court for revisions rather than make any changes.

State Rep. John Simmons, a Republican from Washington, said revising ballot summaries is a political job and “the courts for recent history have been actually circumventing the will of the General Assembly, the elected people in writing a lot of these statements on their own.”

The House voted 90-55 to approve the legislation, with all Democrats and nine Republicans opposed. It now moves to the Missouri Senate.&nbsp;

The bill is a response to a Jan. 23 decision that struck down a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/14/missouri-lawmakers-approve-bill-targeting-pending-abortion-lawsuit/">similar law passed last year.</a>&nbsp;The court ruled that amendments to that bill went beyond its original purpose and violated the Missouri Constitution.

“We all know that’s a temper-tantrum reaction to (the law) being struck down,” state Rep. Martin Jacobs, a Democrat from Liberty, said during Wednesday’s debate. “It’s a kickback at the court, which is not what we should be in the business of doing.”

Every proposed statutory or constitutional change presented to voters includes a summary and estimate of the financial impact on state and local governments. The bill approved Wednesday would expand the limit, currently 50 words, to 100 words.

If backers or opponents of the ballot measure think the summary is unfair because it takes sides or is insufficient because it leaves out key elements, they can sue to have it changed.

Currently, if a court finds problems, the judge rewrites the language. If the bill approved on Wednesday becomes law, after finding a summary needs to be changed, the judge would send it to the secretary of state for revision.

The bill allows the secretary of state three chances, under increasingly tight deadlines, to write a ballot summary the judge will accept. If the revisions fail to satisfy the judge, he or she would then write a new summary.

The ballot summary provisions are a reaction to past rulings, especially in the lead-up to the 2024 vote making abortion legal again in the state. So far in this election cycle, the courts have rewritten ballot summaries for an initiative to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2026/01/30/missouri-appeals-court-rejects-secretary-of-states-ballot-language-on-private-school-funding-ban/">ban vouchers</a>&nbsp;for private school tuition, a constitutional amendment to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/judge-revises-ballot-language-for-plan-to-make-it-harder-to-amend-missouri-constitution/">make abortion illegal</a>&nbsp;and another to change how majorities are calculated for constitutional amendments&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/judge-revises-ballot-language-for-plan-to-make-it-harder-to-amend-missouri-constitution/">proposed by initiative</a>.

The provisions putting ballot summary revisions in the hands of the secretary of state are intended to delay initiatives and protect “ballot candy” in summaries of measures sent to voters by the GOP majority, Democrats said Wednesday.

Republicans argued that the courts are biased and ballot summaries need to be protected from meddling.

“There is nowhere in the Constitution, there is nowhere in (state statutes),” state Rep. Darin Chappell, a Republican from Rogersville said, “wherein the courts have the authority to override and usurp the power of the legislature to establish their own wording.”

Missouri House passes bill limiting judges’ power to rewrite ballot summaries

May corn closed up 2 1/4 cents and July corn was up 2 cents. May soybeans closed up 13 1/4 cents and July soybeans were up 12 3/4 cents. May KC wheat closed unchanged, 0 cents, May Chicago wheat was up 3 3/4 cents, May Minneapolis wheat was down 3 1/2 cents.

The soybean market continued to press higher, setting new calendar highs in early trade on Thursday before eventually relaxing off highs through the day trade. Corn futures held to modest gains despite late session pressure while wheat markets were more mixed in nature. Prices were supported by higher energy markets with the war in the Middle East raging on and thus far little indication of an easing to the conflict but held in check by immediate chart resistance to the upside. The U.S. dollar was firm and again testing topside resistance among 2026 highs and closing in on six month highs. Equity markets were sharply lower again as investors are anxious regarding what the sharp rise in energy prices could mean for the greater world economy through 2026.

Following Wednesday's lower close, the live cattle complex was back to trading mildly higher. It's not because of an uptick in fundamental support -- but rather that some light technical support has worked its way into the market and is helping drive the contracts up into Thursday's closing bell. The other supportive factor that might be adding a slight boost to the market was the marketing year high of 25,400 metric tons of beef sold in Thursday morning's export report. A single bid is on the table in Kansas at $235 but otherwise no new cash cattle trade has developed following Wednesday's business.

Meanwhile the feeder cattle complex traded mostly mixed into Thursday's close as it isn't as confident at this time as the live cattle complex. The market continues to hover around its 100-day moving average, which could be a difficult threshold to boldly move past until some of the market's pressure resolves and its fundamentals improve.

Once again the lean hog complex was trailing lower as the market's resistance simply is too much for traders to bear at this point. While pork cutout values may be mildly higher, the market doesn't seem to be seeing that as a wildly supportive gesture as it not only wants to see higher prices but also consistency.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2026/03/12135054/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Commodity markets daily recap

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ monthly “Flash Report” said the sales of all tractors during February in the U.S. were down 12 percent from the same month in 2025. During February, a total of 9,084 tractors were sold, which compares to 11,167 sold during the same month in 2025. For the month, two-wheel drive smaller tractors under 40 horsepower were down 11 percent from last year, while 40-and-under-100-horsepower sales were down nine percent from 2025. 

Sales of two-wheel drive 100-plus-horsepower tractors were down 26 percent, while four-wheel drive tractors were up 11 percent. Combine sales in February totaled 159, down 13 percent from last year. For the year, total tractor sales are down nine percent from 2025. For the year, combine sales totaled 322 through February, which was up 15 percent from last year during the first two months. 

U.S. tractor and combine sales down 12% in February

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall offered a variety of solutions for increasing the demand for U.S.-grown agricultural goods during testimony before the Senate Ag Committee. He joined several other agricultural leaders to share priorities to address a structural imbalance that threatens both farmers’ livelihoods and food insecurity in the U.S. The solutions offered included authorizing year-round E15, modernizing farm labor programs, and establishing improved programs to enable schools and the military to purchase directly from local farms. 

When it comes to E15, Duvall said it’s a no-brainer. “It’s a win-win-win,” he said. “It’s a win for our consumers, a win for the farmer, and it’s a win for Congress to make sure that you can do that for the consumer and for the farmer at the same time.” Duvall also recently sent a letter to President Trump asking him to intervene to address the disruption of fertilizer shipments from the Middle East. 

Duvall testifies before Senate Ag Committee

May corn closed up 8 cents and July corn was up 8 3/4 cents. May soybeans closed up 12 1/4 cents and July soybeans were up 12 1/4 cents. May KC wheat closed up 4 3/4 cents, May Chicago wheat was up 3 3/4 cents, May Minneapolis wheat was up 3 cents.

After a brief pause to review underlying fundamentals on Tuesday, markets wasted no time building on their recent bullish trends with another buying spree Wednesday. Once again, soybean oil set the tone rebounding after the first consecutive lower closes for most active futures in over a month to post another high close for the move. Expectations EPA will finalize their biofuel blending mandates this month and those mandates will be very friendly to agriculture is the primary bullish influence, despite USDA cutting soybean oil demand in Tuesday's WASDE. Corn and wheat markets joined in on the rally with soybeans paving the way higher. Outside markets were calmer on Wednesday, with crude oil futures higher but setting lower highs for the second straight session as IEA announced a record 400-million-barrel reserve release to stabilize the market amid the trade choke in the Middle East. Equity markets were lower again on unease regarding the oil situation and its potential impact on the world economy.

The live cattle complex traded lower from the open, but with new developments surfacing in the fed cash cattle market, where cattle are trading sharply lower than compared to a week ago, there's a slim chance the market will do anything but continue to scale lower through the week's end. Some light cash cattle trade is currently being noted in the North at $372, which is $8.00 lower than last week's weighted average. And a handful of steers have also been sold in Kansas at $235, which is $5.00 lower than last week's weighted average. Asking prices are noted in the North at $374, but are not established yet in the South.

It's was a "bah humbug"-like day for the cattle complex, but especially for the feeder cattle market as its contracts were trading anywhere from $5.00 to $7.00 lower. The onset of weaker market fundamentals in the cash sector is why the feeder cattle complex is trading significantly lower and is currently even pressuring the market's 100-day moving average in the spot April contract.

The lean hog complex also traded lower as a weaker note has overcome the entire livestock complex. And with midday pork cutout values lower, the market was not able to turn around and trade higher ahead of the day's end, and may see follow through pressure in the coming day or two.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2026/03/11142244/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

The Renewable Fuels Association urged the White House to take immediate action allowing broader use of lower-cost, American-made ethanol in the U.S. fuel supply to help blunt the impact of higher prices for crude oil and gasoline. “Adding larger volumes of low-cost ethanol to gasoline is a proven solution for reducing fuel prices and helping to insulate the U.S. market from global supply shocks,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

 “A series of deregulatory actions could rapidly unleash billions of gallons of additional fuel volume, providing relief at the pump for hardworking families.” Cooper also said the Environmental Protection Agency should issue emergency summertime fuel waivers that allow a 1-psi Reid Vapor Pressure (RPV) volatility tolerance for E15 use nationwide, as well as E10 in certain areas that previously opted out of the RVP Waiver Program. 

As fuel prices soar, the time is now for immediate action on E15

The USDA and the Army Corps of Engineers announced a construction contract with Mortenson Construction to build a new sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in Texas. This facility is a key part of the five-prong strategy by Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins that’s designed to fight New World Screwworm. The plan will expand USDA’s domestic response capacity, bolstering production for U.S. livestock, wildlife, and public health. 

The Army Corps is partnering with USDA and will provide oversight for the contract, design, engineering, and construction of the facility. “The Army Corps is the best in the business, and their engineering expertise and proven track record in delivering complex projects will help ensure that we can build a modern, resilient facility that protects American agriculture from invasive pests for decades to come,” said Rollins. Lt. General William Graham said the Corps of Engineers has helped secure America by engineering solutions to its toughest challenges. 

Plans to fight NWS move forward

May corn closed down 1 1/2 cents and July corn was down 2 1/4 cents. May soybeans closed up 5 1/2 cents and July soybeans were up 6 cents. May KC wheat closed down 11 cents, May Chicago wheat was down 12 1/4 cents, May Minneapolis wheat was down 11 cents.

For at least a few minutes on Tuesday morning, traders took a break from following the geopolitical whirlwind of the past ten days to review fresh crop supply and demand estimates from USDA, with prices showing little to no reaction as USDA left most forecasts unchanged or very close. The theme of the past 24 hours has been an incredible reversal in crude oil, with NYMEX WTI futures back below $85 per barrel after trading just under $120 per barrel late Sunday evening. Comments from President Trump on Monday that the end of the conflict with Iran may be on the horizon increased selling pressure, but on Tuesday Defense Secretary Hegseth signaled more intense bombing campaigns, and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi states negotiations with the U.S. were "off the table." The market is anticipating a coordinated release of G7 country oil reserves to stabilize the market, hence Tuesday's price pressure. Meanwhile, price action in equities has been the opposite, with a reversal off Monday lows and the Dow Jones Industrial Average now attempting to post back-to-back higher sessions for the first time in March.

Following Monday's weaker close, the live cattle complex found some renewed technical support and traded moderately higher into Tuesday's closing bell. Unfortunately, the spot April contract is still trading just below the market's 100-day moving average, which will continue to be an important threshold to monitor as whenever the complex is trading below that price-point a level of bearishness is present throughout the marketplace. Still no cash cattle trade has developed and trade will likely be delayed until Thursday or Friday.

Keeping in alignment with the live cattle complex, the feeder cattle complex also traded moderately higher into Tuesday's close. The spot April feeder cattle contract is currently trading above the market's 100-day moving average -- but could face some technical pressure when the complex comes up against the resistance at the 40-day moving average. Despite the immense pressure the futures complex endured Monday, feeder cattle sales held relatively steady; hopefully the same will be said about sales throughout today.

The lean hog complex traded modestly higher into Tuesday's close and is beginning to rival the market's resistance, which could be problematic for traders later this week if the market's fundamental support isn't as strong as desired. Unfortunately, pork cutout values were down at the day's start, which may not help traders in their desire to continue to see the contracts scale higher.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2026/03/10141745/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Farmers are facing high input costs, trade uncertainty, and surging grain production. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins spoke directly about those challenges during the recent Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas, her home state. The Secretary told attendees that between 2020 and 2024, fuel costs increased 33 percent, seed costs were up 19 percent, fertilizer prices rose by 48 percent, labor was up 44 percent, and interest expenses were up 71 percent.

 “We’re seven years out from the last farm bill and all of this information we’re trying to work with is so outdated,” said Jed Bower, president of the National Corn Growers Association, “Our costs are so different that we have to get something done. It’s like they’ve forgotten about rural America.” There were some stern conversations and tension between farm leaders and representatives of major seed, fertilizer, machinery, and chemical companies during the opening day of the Commodity Classic. 

Farmer frustrations voiced at Commodity Classic

A new poll conducted by YouGov on behalf of Rural Voices USA found that 71 percent of farm families across five Midwestern states say they’re more likely to support a Congressional candidate who votes for year-round E15 legislation. The survey included respondents from Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin, and it also found that a majority of all rural voters, at 57 percent, say a candidate’s support of E15 would make them more likely to vote for that candidate.

 “Rural voters see the farm crisis enveloping their communities and are looking for answers from Congress,” said Rural Voices USA Chairman Chris Gibbs. “This survey shows that rural voters and farm families want their members of Congress to go to bat for them on E15 because it ripples across the farm economy.” Gibbs also said that members of Congress would be wise to listen and stop the delays in passing the legislation.

Poll: 71 Percent of farm families back candidates supporting E15

May corn closed down 6 3/4 cents and July corn was down 5 1/2 cents. May soybeans closed down 4 1/2 cents and July soybeans were down 4 cents. May KC wheat closed down 3 3/4 cents, May Chicago wheat was down 13 1/2 cents, May Minneapolis wheat was up 3 cents.

As was wildly expected, crude oil (and related energy markets) jumped drastically again on the Sunday open, with oil hitting the highest level seen since the first half of 2022 following the initial Russian invasion of Ukraine. Prices eventually eased on profit-taking, falling back below $100 per barrel, accelerated on reports that G7 nations will discuss a coordinated release of oil reserves to ease the supply shock caused by the trade halt in the Persian Gulf. Row crops fell from highs along with the energy sector, with overbought technical conditions likely playing a role in encouraging profit-taking and hedging as well. Equity markets were lower again but off their daily lows, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average on pace for the first monthly loss since last April, barring a mid-March turnaround. The U.S. dollar was firm but will face a major technical test near 100 on the index, which has held since early 2025.

It's almost as if the live cattle complex thinks cattlemen and traders alike would grow weary if the market simply traded in a lackadaisical mundane fashion as opposed to the rollercoaster ride it turns into at times. Which perfectly describes the market's $3.00 to $4.00 decline Monday, as news broke late last week that union workers will indeed strike at the JBS packing plant in Greeley, Colorado. The strike is expected to happen the week of March 16, and JBS intends to shift production to other facilities during that time. This causes great anxiousness for the cattle complex as the market is already seeing minimal throughput from packers as they try to manage their margins to the best of their ability. It also raises the question: How is this going to affect beef consumers? Unfortunately, a level of uneasiness will likely reside within the market until this ordeal is played out; expect continued volatility until then. New showlists appear to be mixed, higher in Texas, but lower in Kansas and Nebraska/Colorado.

As expected, the feeder cattle complex has noted the decline in the live cattle market and consequently elected to send its contracts tumbling $4.00 to $5.00 lower into Monday's close. Until the live cattle complex settles down and trade in a more stable manner, the feeder cattle contracts will likely continue to scale lower.

Not even the lean hog complex could trade higher Monday, as its market is also seeing a slight regression into the closing bell. For the lean hog complex the market's resistance seems to be inflicting pressure more than anything else.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2026/03/09140148/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY, Kan.– Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.

Just afater 7p.m. March 6, Sheriff’s Deputies, with the assistance of the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Charles Weston Alford, 40, of Topeka, on a Jackson County District Court Warrant in the 3400 block of NE Happy Hollow Road, according to Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse.

Alford was arrested in connection with illegal methamphetamine sales, which allegedly took place during a multi-month drug investigation earlier this year in collaboration with the Kansas Bureau of Investigations.

Alford was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of Distribute methamphetamine, no drug tax stamp for controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sheriff: Kansas man accused of selling meth

WASHINGTON —Two U.S. sailors are recovering after a fire on board an aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.

On March 12, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) experienced a fire that originated in the ship’s main laundry spaces, according to a statement fro&nbsp;U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet.

The cause of the fire was not combat-related and is contained.

There is no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational.

Two Sailors are currently receiving medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition. The U.S. Navy reported no additional details

The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is currently operating in the Red Sea in support of Operation Epic Fury.

2 injured after fire aboard aircraft carrier in support of Operation Epic Fury

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a>

Passengers at a handful of airports this week waited in hours-long security lines as the government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security dragged on.

Though Transportation Security Administration officers are required by law to work during a lapse in funding, more than usual have been absent after receiving only a partial paycheck during the most recent pay period. TSA officers will miss an entire paycheck this weekend if the shutdown is still in effect then.&nbsp;

No end to the shutdown appeared imminent Wednesday, as the U.S. Senate rejected a bill that would have funded TSA and other agencies in DHS that are not related to immigration enforcement.

In the meantime, TSA officers are not being paid.&nbsp;

Most live paycheck-to-paycheck, said Johnny Jones, the secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 100, which represents TSA agents.

The lack of pay has contributed to absenteeism, Jones added. The union does not condone coordinated “sick-outs,” which are illegal.&nbsp;

But individual officers miss work for one of three reasons during a shutdown, he said: pre-planned time off, legitimate illness or personal emergencies, and those calling in sick but seeking other work to pay bills.

“If you’re normally receiving a paycheck, you wouldn’t have that third group,” he said.

Some of those who are working are going without lunch or making other sacrifices, Jones added. And he said two colleagues were evicted during the most recent shutdown last fall, which lasted for 43 days.

The U.S. war against Iran, which has an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trumps-iran-war-estimated-cost-billions-already-no-end-sight" target="_blank">estimated price</a>&nbsp;in the billions of dollars in just its first two weeks, has also driven resentment among TSA workers, Jones said.

“One of the things that I’ve heard from the colleagues is that, man, we got plenty of money to go fight wars and bomb Iran, but we can’t pay our own employees,” he said.

No exceptionally long wait times were reported Wednesday, but the previous few days saw several examples of snarled security lines.

Security lines&nbsp;<a href="http://houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/trending/article/government-shutdown-hobby-airport-21963811.php" target="_blank">topped three hours</a>&nbsp;at Houston’s William P. Hobby International Airport on Monday and Tuesday.&nbsp;

Lines at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport were up to two hours Monday and the airport’s social media drew a direct line to the shutdown.

“Due to impacts from the federal government’s partial shutdown, there continues to be a shortage of TSA workers at the security checkpoint … which is causing longer-than-average lines,” the airport’s X account&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/flyneworleans/status/2030952799811355119?s=20" target="_blank">posted</a>.

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport also urged passengers to leave extra time to account for factors including “TSA staffing constraints.”

CBS News&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tsa-absences-double-shutdown-300-quit-airport-security-lines/" target="_blank">reported</a>&nbsp;Wednesday that more than 300 TSA agents have left their jobs since the shutdown began. TSA officials did not respond to messages seeking confirmation of that figure.

The top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Washington’s Patty Murray, sought unanimous consent Wednesday for the Senate to approve a bill that would fund all of DHS other than Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the secretary’s office.

Sen. Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican who chairs the subcommittee on Homeland Security funding, objected.

Murray’s bill “would effectively defund our law enforcement officers that are charged with keeping Americans safe,” Britt said.

Each party blamed the other for the impasse, which has been unbreachable since the department’s funding lapsed Feb. 14.

Following the January fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by immigration officers in Minneapolis, Democrats are demanding changes to immigration agencies’ conduct as a condition of funding the department.

Republicans have said they are willing to negotiate the issue, but the parties disagree on what to do for the department, which also includes the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in the meantime.

Republican leaders sought to pass a short-term continuing resolution to fund the entire department, but Democrats rejected it, saying it would allow the operation of immigration agencies without adding accountability measures.

“Right now, TSA agents are going without pay because Republicans and the White House have decided they would rather shut down all of DHS than pass some very basic reforms to rein in ICE and Border Patrol,” Murray said. “We also want TSA and FEMA funded, but we are not going to be blackmailed into cutting a blank check for ICE to get it done.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, of South Dakota, said Democrats have stopped negotiating on DHS funding in a bid to keep the issue alive for the November midterm elections.&nbsp;

“The American people are tired,” he said. “Lines get longer at the airports because TSA isn’t funded. The American people want us to do our jobs. Republicans are at the table. We’re ready to work toward a solution. Democrats have walked away.”

Jones, the AFGE member and TSA officer, declined to say which approach to short-term funding was preferable, but said it was Congress’ job to fund the federal government.

“We all swear the same oath to the same Constitution,” he said. “Now my job function is a little different than theirs, so they need to do theirs so I can do mine.”

Long security lines pop up at airports as TSA officers go without pay

Two Missouri men are facing felony charges following separate child pornography investigations conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control (DDCC). 

The arrests, announced Wednesday, were the result of probes launched earlier this year by the patrol's Special Victims Unit after receiving tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Investigators first contacted John F. McCallum, 46, of Farmington, on March 9. Authorities said evidence of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) was discovered during the interaction, leading to McCallum's arrest. He was formally charged Tuesday with one count each of promoting child pornography and possession of child pornography. He is being held in the St. Francois County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

In a separate case, investigators interviewed William E. Watson, 47, of Park Hills, on March 10. Following a consent search of an electronic device and a subsequent search of his residence, authorities reportedly located both CSAM and illicit narcotics. Watson was charged Wednesday with promoting child pornography, possession of child pornography, possession of a controlled substance, and failing to register as a sex offender. He remains in custody on a $500,000 bond.

The DDCC was assisted in the investigations by the Farmington Police Department, the State Technical Assistance Team, and the Missouri Digital Forensic Center.

Two Missouri men arrested on child sex crime charges following state investigations

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/29/kansan-returns-to-the-catholic-church-as-the-states-first-woman-priest/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas legislators’ lineup of property tax relief legislation could chip away at state and local revenue, but some see the proposals as course correction, making up for years of rising property taxes.

One bill would phase out Kansans’ property taxes in favor of added sales taxes, and another would exempt seniors from paying property taxes that go toward funding school districts.

But legislators, who have eagerly pursued tax relief legislation in recent years, were conflicted about the proposals.

Sen. Mike Murphy, a Sylvia Republican, said Tuesday that the Legislature needs to look at property tax relief differently. Past measures haven’t made much of a dent, he said, and he often hears from constituents who are struggling to pay their property taxes.

“I look at property tax as a Titanic that’s hit the iceberg, and it’s going down,” Murphy said. “We can rearrange the deck chairs. We can ask the band director to play a little bit peppier song, but I don’t think it’s going to — we’re not going to be able to fix it.”

He propped up&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb488/" target="_blank">Senate Bill 488</a>, or the “Kansas property tax freedom act of 2026,” as a potential solution. The bill would phase out property tax payments over the next two years and eliminate property tax levies beginning in the 2028 tax year. Taxing jurisdictions such as school districts, counties and cities would make up for the lost revenue through sales tax surcharges on medicine, fuel, rent and mortgage payments, utilities, child care and K-12 tuition.

Murphy acknowledged during the Tuesday hearing before the Senate’s tax committee that the bill, as written, didn’t work.

Sen. Jeff Klemp, a Lansing Republican, agreed.

“It’s not ready for prime time on all the aspects of it, but I think it warrants a conversation, and I’m glad you brought it up,” Klemp said.

Both chambers would need to pass a resolution and a majority of voters would have to approve an amendment to the state constitution to phase out and eventually prohibit property tax levies before the act could go into effect.

For supporters, the bill was a silver bullet solution that they believed could provide near immediate property tax relief.

Tatum Lee, a former state legislator who represented a west-central district, said the bill was crucial to maintaining affordability for generations.

“It doesn’t matter if you live on a farm or if you live in a house. Your home is where the heart is and we should not have to be renting from the government year after year,” Lee said.

Sen. Marci Francisco, a Lawrence Democrat, asked Murphy whether the proposal would disproportionately benefit the wealthy. Murphy didn’t directly answer the question, saying a response would depend upon individual properties’ circumstances.

Charlotte O’Hara, a Johnson County commissioner and Republican candidate for governor, said the property tax burdens of today are a symptom of the 1986 voter-approved constitutional amendment that created the current annual property appraisal system.

“For 40 years we have been busy eviscerating our tax base,” O’Hara said.

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