Lake Contrary is hardly a lake anymore, a fact
that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner Scott
Nelson who has heard about the state of the lake from area residents.

“You’re looking a weeds,” Nelson says Lake
Contrary residents have complained to him. “There’re no pontoons. It’s puddle
front property, not lake front property.”

Nelson acknowledges the County Commission has
struggled to decide what to do about Lake Contrary which is overgrown with
weeds without any visible water at the surface.

Nelson says dredging has been suggested as the
obvious recourse.

“Then it’s, okay, now what are you going to do?
How are you going to do it? Who is going to do it?” Nelson asks. “Because there
are many options when it comes to that.”

Nelson says any attempt to restore the lake would
take a long time and a lot of money.

“If we were to start dredging the lake, six foot,
eight foot, whatever. Pick a number,” Nelson says. “It’s three years to do it.
It’s a three-year dredging season to get it done.”

Nelson estimates it would cost between $8 million
and $9 million to dredge Lake Contrary.

Nelson says everyone believes there is a lake
there, somewhere.

“I know that somebody said, you know, if you take
that thing down six to eight feet, you’re going to hit water,” Nelson says. “Well,
that’s about how much silt’s there based on core samples.”

Nelson says he would prefer to take a small part
of Lake Contrary, excavate it, and see just how much silting has taken place.

Nelson says he would like to restore Lake Contrary,
but wants to be careful to do it in the right way.

Restoring Lake Contrary would take time and money, a lot of money

A coalition of 16 State Attorneys General sent letters to Congressional leadership regarding the EATS Act. 

Sponsors of the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act have positioned the bill as a regulatory solution, but it will undermine states’ rights to regulate agriculture within their local jurisdictions and nullify numerous state and local laws that already exist. 

Those hundreds of laws that would be invalidated support family beef, dairy, egg, and pork producers, as well as hundreds of laws related to food safety and invasive pest control. 

The letter states that, “For over 200 years, state and local governments have been responsible for ensuring that there is a safe and healthy food supply for their consumers and that locally sold farm products are governed by locally accountable elected officials.” 

Groups like the Organization for Competitive Markets and Competitive Markets Action say the Act would up-end the crucial balance between state and federal authority. &nbsp;

State Attorneys General against the Eats Act

Looking for less secrecy in the Crop Insurance Program, representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Ralph Norman (R-SC) introduced the Crop Insurance Transparency Act. 

If passed, it would require USDA to publicly disclose the names of producers and insurers who receive federal crop insurance subsidies and the amount received. 

“At a time when federal crop insurance payments are at an all-time high, it is an abject failure that a majority of our small farmers and ranchers do not even have access to the crop insurance safety net,” says Blumenauer. 

“Reform begins with accurate and transparent information.” Norman adds that one-third of all crop insurance subsidies don’t make it to farmers, but instead go to massive insurance companies. 

“Millionaires and billionaires are likely receiving crop insurance subsidies at a time when most farmers are struggling to get by,” says Scott Faber of the Environmental Working Group. “It’s time to lift this veil of secrecy.”

Legislation will require crop insurance transparency

The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released its Grain Stocks report that showed lower numbers for corn and soybeans. 

Old crop corn stocks on hand as of September 1 totaled 1.36 billion bushels, one percent lower than the same time last year. 

Old crop soybeans stored in all positions were down two percent from September 1, 2022, and all wheat stocks were up slightly from a year earlier. 

Of the total corn stocks, 605 million bushels were stored on farms, 19 percent higher than last year. Old crop soybeans stored in all positions on September 1, 2023, totaled 268 million bushels, two percent lower than last year. 

Soybean stocks stored on farms totaled 72 million bushels, up 14 percent from a year ago. All wheat stored in all positions on September 1 totaled 1.78 billion bushels, up slightly from September 1, 2022. On-farm stocks were one percent higher than in 2022.

Corn and soybean ending stocks lower in 2023

The Department of Agriculture reports record demand for funding to advance affordable and reliable clean energy in rural America. 

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says, “The Inflation Reduction Act is driving investment in rural communities across the nation, particularly in places that for too long have been left out or left behind.” 

The Inflation Reduction Act made nearly $13 billion available to support clean energy infrastructure for rural America through USDA Rural Development programs. 

In May, USDA made $9.7 billion available under the New Empowering Rural America program for member-owned rural electric cooperatives, and received 157 proposals from nearly every state. 

Also in May, USDA made $1 billion available under Powering Affordable Clean Energy to fund new clean energy projects and energy storage in rural America. 

So far, USDA has received requests for more than $7.8 billion through letters of interest. USDA has also seen substantially more interest than funding available under the Inflation Reduction Act in USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

USDA sees record demand to advance clean energy in rural America

The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice this week filed a complaint against eBay. 

The complaint alleges eBay allows the unlawful selling of pesticides, violating the Clean Air Act, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, commonly known as FIFRA and the Toxic Substances Control Act. 

FIFRA prohibits the unlawful distribution or sale of unregistered, misbranded, and restricted-use pesticides, and authorizes EPA to issue Stop Sale, Use, or Removal Orders. 

The complaint also alleges that eBay has unlawfully distributed or sold at least 23,000 such products, and that some of those sales directly violate a stop sale order issued to eBay in 2020 and amended in 2021. 

Examples of these pesticides include a high-toxicity insecticide banned in the U.S., restricted-use pesticides that only certified applicators may apply, and products fraudulently claiming to protect users against SARS-CoV-2. The complaint also targets aftermarket parts that defeat motor vehicle emission controls.

Federal complaint alleges environmental violations by eBay

Consumers in low-income countries spend a greater proportion of their budgets on food than those in higher-income countries, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service. 

As incomes rise with economic development and urbanization, the share of income spent on food tends to fall, while discretionary spending on household goods, education, medical services, and recreation tends to increase. 

In low-income African and South Asian countries, spending on food accounted for more than 40 percent of total consumer expenditures in 2022. 

This contrasts with higher-income economies in Latin America, including Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico, where an average of about 22.5 percent of budgets was spent on food. In emerging markets such as Brazil, India, and China, where incomes are rising, the share of discretionary income spent on nonfood categories has increased. 

In higher-income economies, including the United States, Switzerland, Australia, and Canada, disposable incomes remain larger, and the food share of consumer expenditures is smaller than those in countries where urban communities are still expanding.

USDA: Lower income countries spend more on food

A Missouri farmland auction broke the previous record set in Iowa as 115 acres of land sold for a record amount. 

The Missouri farmland sale smashed the previous record of $30,000 an acre set in Iowa. 

The bill of sale from Dyer and Fenner Auctioneers said the record sale happened last week in Saline County, Missouri. 

Two farmers got into a bidding war, and, in only 15 minutes, the 115 acres set the new record at $34,800 per acre. 

The buyer wasn’t an investor. The winning bid came from a farmer named Jeff Baxter from neighboring Carroll County, Missouri. 

Area farmers say the competing bidder was a farmer whose home farm touches the land that was up for sale. Farm Journal’s AgWeb says the bidding started at $15,000 an acre for the piece of ground that’s been in the same family for four generations, and the bids climbed very fast. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Missouri farmland sale sets new record

The National Corn Growers Association launched a grassroots advocacy campaign to encourage the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to provide a level playing field for biofuels like ethanol. 

The organization wants corn growers and advocates to make their voices heard by submitting comments to the agency. 

The campaign comes after NHTSA proposed hiking the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standard, referred to as the CAFÉ Standard. 

It regulates how much fuel a vehicle consumes per mile. The agency’s current proposal would move the fleet average for small cars and light trucks from 44 to 58 miles per gallon by 2032. 

NCGA President Tom Haag says the proposal sets an unattainable goal and concerning precedent. 

“Auto manufacturers will be forced to overlook viable solutions in high-octane biofuels like corn ethanol to meet these standards,” Haag says. “This would minimize the role biofuels play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving consumers money.”

NCGA campaign call for a level playing field

A new survey from the American Sugar Alliance shows American voters recognize the importance of agriculture. 

The poll says they want Congress to prioritize American farmers in the next farm bill, provide them with a strong and reliable safety net, and protect them from foreign businesses that could displace American farmers and workers and disrupt our national food supply. 

Almost two-thirds of the respondents in the survey say the nation’s food supply should be less dependent on foreign suppliers. 

The results cut across political parties and geographical regions. As far as where America should buy its sugar from, eight times as many voters preferred American-made sugar compared to those who preferred imported sugar. 

“Clearly, voters value domestic sugar production and don’t want to depend on foreign suppliers for an essential food ingredient,” says Cassie Blaedow, Chair of the American Sugar Alliance. Approximately 11,000 family farmers raise sugar beets and sugarcane.

Americans want their food produced domestically

USDA’s September Cold Storage Report shows lower dairy and meat supplies and seasonally higher frozen fruit and vegetables. 

The report released this week shows total natural cheese stocks in refrigerated warehouses on August 31, 2023, were down slightly from the previous month but up one percent from August 31, 2022. 

Butter stocks were down 12 percent from last month but up four percent from a year ago. 

Total frozen poultry supplies were down slightly from the previous month, but up one percent from a year ago, and total pounds of turkey in freezers were up two percent from last month. 

Frozen fruit stocks were up six percent from last month but down two percent from a year ago, while frozen vegetable stocks were up 18 percent from last month and five percent from a year ago. 

Finally, red meat supplies in freezers were up one percent from the previous month but down 15 percent from last year.

USDA report details cold storage food supply

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for an alleged violent weekend incident.

On Sunday, police arrested 31-year-old Shaina D. Burton of Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

She remains jailed on requested charges of assault and criminal damage to property in the 1300 block North 6th Street. Her bond is set at $2500, according to online jail records.&nbsp; Police released no additional details.

Kansas woman accused of assault, criminal damage to property

MERCER COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 7:30a.m. Monday in Mercer County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Ford F150 driven by Bryant T. Elder, 34, Princeton, was southbound on U.S. 65 just north of Mercer.

The pickup crossed the center line and struck the passenger side of a northbound&nbsp; 2018 Volvo semi driven by Christoper E. Carr, 57, Chillicothe.&nbsp;

After impact, the pickup traveled into the path of a northbound 2015 Chevy Impala driven by Deann R. Dorsey, 57, Osceola, Iowa, head-on.

The pickup then traveled off the road and rolled.&nbsp;

Dorsey was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Roberson Funeral Home.&nbsp; Mercer County ambulance transported Elder to Harriso County Community Hospital. Flight Flight Eagle then airlifted him to Research Medical Center in Kansas City.&nbsp; Carr was not injured. Dorsey was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

Woman dead after 3-vehicle NW Missouri head-on crash

Register below to win 2 tickets to Gregg Lynn's guided ghost tour of the Glore Psychiatric Museum.

We'll break into small groups and be taken on a guided Paranormal Investigation by the Boo Crew. We'll have access to all 3 tunnels and all 4 floors of the Glore! (you can even get IN the coolers of the Morgue for a photo op!)

JoeTown 107.5 Is Throwing A Dead Man's Party

Bill Eigel has faced accusations that his gubernatorial campaign used deceptive fundraising tactics, drawing a rebuke from former President Trump’s lawyers. The firm behind that strategy also raised cash for attorney general hopeful Will Scharf

Becoming a registered Republican was the worst decision B.J. Adams says he ever made.

Adams, a resident of Burlington, North Carolina, isn’t upset with GOP policies. And he loves former President Donald Trump.&nbsp;

But when the 87-year-old conservative who grew up a Democrat finally switched his party registration, he said it unleashed a torrent of fundraising pleas that on one day this year included 66 emails asking for money.

“Definitely my advice would be don’t do it,” Adams said in an interview with The Independent, “because all you’ll do is get a bunch of dumb-ass requests for donations.”

Some solicitations Adams received – and responded to – were some from Missouri, though that wasn’t always clear.&nbsp;

His name is among 33,408 donations from individuals reported to the Missouri Ethics Commission this year by Believe in Life and Liberty, or BILL PAC, which is backing state Sen. Bill Eigel’s campaign for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. He also shows up on the report for Eigel’s official campaign committee, which lists 6,914 individual donations this year.&nbsp;

Adams is also listed as a donor to Will Scharf, a Republican candidate for Missouri attorney general who has reported 962 donations from individuals this year.

In all there are 185 individuals who gave to both Eigel and Scharf, averaging nine contributions per donor.

How nearly 200 individuals from around the country landed on reports for Eigel and Scharf has an easy explanation – both used Targeted Victory, a Virginia consulting firm, to contact donors nationwide.

The firm has drawn criticism over its tactics, including a scathing letter from Trump’s campaign demanding it stop&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/23/trump-to-gop-firms-stop-using-my-image-or-your-clients-will-suffer-00088649">using the former president’s name, image and likeness</a>&nbsp;in fundraising pitches that appear designed to obscure where the money is actually going.&nbsp;

The number of individual donations for Eigel, BILL PAC and Scharf far surpass those of any other announced or potential candidate seeking one of the five statewide constitutional offices on next year’s ballot. Missouri residents, however, gave only a tiny fraction of those individual donations, an analysis by The Independent shows.

More than 90% of the listed individual donations for Eigel and Scharf’s campaign are from people living outside Missouri.&nbsp;

For BILL PAC, almost 99% of the donations were from outside the state.

Eigel did not return text and telephone messages seeking comment for this story.&nbsp;

In an interview, Scharf distanced himself from Targeted Victory’s controversial tactics, saying the wording of his solicitations was not deceptive and all of his fundraising appeals stated upfront who he was and the office he was seeking.&nbsp;

“I’ve tried to reach out to conservatives here in Missouri and around the country through a lot of different means,” Scharf said, “including using social media, emails and text messages to get people involved and engaged with our campaign.”

Adams said the solicitations were often emails or text messages making a statement about a national issue and asking for support in a petition or a survey.

“I’d fill that survey and then you’d have to give them a donation or it wouldn’t go through,” Adams said. “I thought, okay. I’ll give them $1, sometimes $2 or something like that, to get them off my back.”

That, Adams said, is when you find out who gets the money.

“If you gave them a donation, then it would come back and say, it was given to somebody, you know, (House Majority Leader Steve) Scalise or somebody else,” Adams said. “And you don’t know where it went. And so I assume that that’s exactly what’s happened in these two cases.”

&nbsp;“I’ve just washed my hands of them,” Adams said. “So you won’t get anything else like that from me because I’m not gonna give them any more.”

Neither Scharf nor Eigel’s campaign committee have reported payments to Targeted Victory. BILL PAC has reported spending just over $300,000 with the firm during 2023.

Scharf said he was uncertain why the company isn’t on his second quarter report but said it is likely because the campaign had not received a bill yet.&nbsp;

“As a first time candidate, we’ve used a lot of different tools to reach out to as many people as possible,” Scharf said. “We’ve got at this point tens of millions of impressions on Twitter, tens of thousands of impressions on Facebook and Instagram. We’re using every means at our disposal to get the word out about our campaign.”

Targeted Victory is also one of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/23/trump-to-gop-firms-stop-using-my-image-or-your-clients-will-suffer-00088649">10 GOP consulting firms</a>&nbsp;put on notice in March to be careful how they use Trump’s name and image in fundraising appeals.&nbsp;

And Eigel specifically has been warned that his appeals could be crossing that line.

The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/a-candidate-for-missouri-governor-has-thousands-of-donors-do-they-know-who-he-is/article_1145d05c-4830-11ee-b9ba-1fd5c19b9fe3.html">St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported</a>&nbsp;that in August, Eigel’s campaign sent a solicitation that it needed 500,000 names to “Stand with Trump.” After a potential donor clicks through to join the petition, the final step to register a name is a required donation to benefit Eigel for Missouri, his campaign committee, identified in small type near the box stating the amount of the donation.

The newspaper quoted a donor from Arizona who had no idea she had given $10 to Eigel’s PAC and didn’t know who Eigel was.

The story drew a rebuke from Trump, who through a lawyer sent a “cease and desist this unauthorized use immediately” to BILL PAC and Targeted Victory&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/trump-campaign-blasts-fundraising-efforts-for-missouri-candidate-for-governor-bill-eigel/article_65b163b6-516f-11ee-ae29-f761b6a1d3ad.html">the newspaper reported</a>.

Scharf said he doesn’t engage in that type of deceptive fundraising activity.&nbsp;

In an April 19 solicitation on his campaign letterhead, Scharf asked for money by invoking the controversy generated by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-scotus-undisclosed-luxury-travel-gifts-crow">ProPublica’s investigation of luxury travel</a>&nbsp;provided to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas by major GOP donor Harlan Crow.&nbsp;

That solicitation stated that “the left and their allies are working overtime to smear his good name, all because he believes in the U.S. Constitution and defends it every day.”

Scharf’s committee received 52 donations that day, generating $995.50.

On June 21, Scharf received 98 contributions totaling $1,054, including $2 from Adams.&nbsp;

On that day, he said, he appeared on the radio talk show hosted by Mark Levin and discussed Trump’s most recent federal indictment.

The solicitation sent that day, he said, introduced him as a Levin-endorsed MAGA candidate for Missouri attorney general and told potential donors that he had just released an opinion piece on the “sham indictment.”&nbsp;

When recipients clicked on the link, they were offered an opportunity to read it before contributing, Scharf said. No one had to give money to know who they were supporting or to get any information offered, Scharf said.

“We tried to be very, very careful about that sort of thing,” Scharf said.

Once a donor responds to a solicitation, it unleashes a flood of additional requests, said John Otis of Dickinson, Texas.

Otis remembers giving to Eigel. His first donation, $1, was on May 10. He gave two more times in May, and twice again in June.

When he agrees with the message – and the cash demand isn’t too much – Otis said he’s willing to help.

“I’m not trying to donate to him per se,” Otis said. “I’d do that for any good cause, I’d give a dollar, you know, to sign a petition, and I have to include a donation to do that and Bill Eigel puts them out massively.”

He does not remember donating to Scharf, but said he doesn’t doubt that he did so.

“If he put out a petition and I didn’t know who it was and I read something that I really, really agree with, I’m going to be inclined to want to sign it,” Otis said.

Otis did not realize, however, that the 44 donations he made to BILL PAC would also help Eigel’s effort to become governor. Otis’ first donation was on Jan. 19. On several days he gave more than once, including seven donations to BILL PAC on April 10.

“That’s where he masked them,” Otis said when told the purpose of the Believe in Life and Liberty PAC. “I didn’t know it was him. I’m gonna stop, honestly. I’m not going to give any more to his petitions. I’ve done more than my part for the cause.”

Like most of the donors who are on all three reports, Otis gave only once to Scharf.

While on the telephone with The Independent, Otis received a text solicitation that he said is typical in its urgency.

“Mount Rushmore demolished?” he read. “Thousands have signed a woke petition to destroy Mount Rushmore. Major GOP comeback needed now!”

The text asks the recipient to click a response button to add their name to the petition. It turned out to be a solicitation for donations to U.S. Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Texas.&nbsp;

Otis said he likes Ellzey but that the fate of Mount Rushmore “is not going to make or break our country” and he would not donate for that request.

Ellzey — like Eigel, BILL PAC and Scharf — is a client of Targeted Victory, spending almost $500,000 with the consulting firm in the first five months of the year, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fec.gov/data/disbursements/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00770438&amp;recipient_name=Targeted+Victory&amp;two_year_transaction_period=2024&amp;min_date=01%2F01%2F2023&amp;max_date=12%2F31%2F2024">Federal Election Commission</a>&nbsp;records.

Told that Trump is upset over the use of his name and image by consulting firms like Targeted Victory, Otis said that many of the solicitations he gets invoke Trump’s name.

“A lot of these people take advantage of Trump,” Otis said. “They use his name, like an endorsement, and they use it for themselves. And I agree that’s what’s going on in some cases.”

The information he would like, Otis said, is to know whether his “signatures” on various petitions actually go anywhere. One reason he participates is a hope that the petitions will be used for more than knowing whether he is still willing to give.

“No one else is asking me to give my voice,” he said. “I mean, this is an opportunity. And it would be nice if they are collecting those petitions and presenting them to Congress or wherever they could, or put it out in the media and to the public.”

Eigel is running against Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft in the GOP primary. Scharf is challenging Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.&nbsp;

In a news release after delivering second quarter fundraising reports, Eigel used the large number of individual donations to claim broad support for his campaign.

“The purpose of the exploratory phase of this campaign was to see if sufficient support existed for our message of a stronger Missouri,” Eigel said in the release. “The answer is a resounding yes – there is overwhelming support around Missouri for a proven conservative outsider.”

Thousands of small donations from outside the state don’t say anything about how Missourians view the candidates, Eigel’s rivals said.&nbsp;

Consultants have offered to help his gubernatorial campaign engage in a nationwide hunt for money, Ashcroft said in an interview with The Independent.

“I have been approached about doing this and we declined,” he said. “We felt like when we were going to be soliciting money, we needed to be upfront with the people about how we were soliciting, and what we’re going to be using their money for.”

The methods seem deceptive and manipulative, he said. Using a national issue that has a Missouri angle is an acceptable practice, he said, but not in a way that doesn’t reveal until the end, “in really fine print,” who is actually being supported.

“I’m not willing to compromise my character for an election victory,” Ashcroft said.

Mike Haffner, a political consultant advising both Kehoe and Bailey, likened many of the solicitations to bait-and-switch retail advertising.

“These fundraising schemes should be illegal and should be investigated,” Haffner said.

The solicitations abuse the trust of donors, Haffner said, and target people who often can’t afford to give.

“Anyone who has scammed elderly individuals disabled individuals, or fixed income individuals for contributions for themselves by dishonesty using conservative causes, or President Trump’s name is shameful and they should refund every one of these donors immediately,” Haffner said.

Of the BILL PAC contributions this year, 27,219 were reported with “retired” listed as the donor’s occupation and another 123, including 30 disabled veterans, were listed as not working due to their disability. For Eigel’s campaign committee, 5,680 donations had “retired” in the occupation line and 16 were from people not working due to a disability.

Scharf’s list of individual donations for this year includes 715 contributions with “retired” in the occupation line. None are from individuals who are not working due to a disability.

Fundraising practices that make donors work to be sure where their money is going aren’t new, said James Harris, a Republican political consultant who does not have a client in the governor or attorney general’s race.

The $63 million raised by the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20041028&amp;slug=repubs28m">College Republican National Committee in 2004</a>&nbsp;is a notorious example, Harris said.&nbsp;

“In the mail they would do all this prospecting of older people, we are going to fight for X, or fight for Y,” Harris said. “They would leave off the word ‘College’ and people thought it was for the Republican National Committee.”

The survey solicitation seems to be the hot new thing in political fundraising from small-dollar donors.

“I think people ran to it because it is the shiny new object, thinking it will be easy,” Harris said.

During President Barack Obama’s initial campaign in 2008, Democrats proved they were far more adept at organizing supporters through technology. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign also excelled at raising money in small amounts from dedicated supporters.

Republicans caught up, and then surpassed the competition, thanks to the fervor of Trump’s supporters, Harris said. And the consulting firms handling the solicitations built lists they could then sell to other candidates.

The only truly successful small-donor politicians are those who are instantly recognizable, Harris said.&nbsp;

“If you are running for the General Assembly, absolutely not,” Harris said. “If you are a bomb-throwing conservative and will say potentially anything, maybe. But really for it to be effective you should have your own brand or name ID.”

Jason Roe, a Washington D.C.-based consultant working for Ashcroft’s campaign, said the tactic inflates donor numbers but can cost more than it brings in.&nbsp;

“Creating an artificial fundraising bump that consumes a lot of our bandwidth and probably is misleading in its messaging is not really worth the price of admission,” Roe said.

One problem is making a message standout and get a lot of responses, he said.

“When you do digital fundraising, it tends to get a little hysterical and the message doesn’t always match the messenger,” Roe said. “You know, in Eigel’s case, he’s about performance conservatism, so everything about him is theatrics, not effectiveness. So you know, I’m sure the history of hysteria in his messaging matches his behavior.”

Out-of-state donors fuel GOP candidates running for Missouri governor, AG

HARRISON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 8p.m. Saturday in Harrison County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2005 GMC pickup driven by Ronald C. Ward, 71, Gillman City, was northbound on Fisher Street and rear-ended a parked, unoccupied&nbsp; 2000 Ford F250.

A private vehicle transported a passenger in the GMC Christine C. Ward, 73, Gillman City, to Harrison County Community Hospital. Ronald Ward was not injured. They were not wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP.

Missouri woman injured after rear-end crash

CLINTON COUNTY —A St. Joseph man was injured and later arrested after a crash just before 5p.m. Friday in Clinton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Ford F 150 driven by Joshua C. Walkup, 39, St. Joseph, was northbound on Route VV six miles southwest of Stewartsville.&nbsp;

The pickup traveled off the road struck a sign and embankment. Tri-County Ambulance transported Walkup to Mosaic Life Care.&nbsp; He was later arrested on requested charges of DWI, drugs, careless and imprudent driving involving a crash, according to the MSHP.

St. Joseph man injured, arrested after pickup crash

A longtime dream has come true for a student at Mid-Buchanan High School.  

Blake Templeton has dreamed about being a police officer since he was four years old, and now that dream is a reality as he was sworn in as an honorary deputy by Sheriff Bill Puett 

Rebecca Templeton, Blake's mother, says this is a wonderful opportunity for her son 

"Something he would not have had any other way and the way they did everything for him, it's a memory he'll have the rest of his life," Templeton tells reporters.  "It's a beautiful gift." 

Templeton, a 16-year-old student at Mid-Buchanan High School diagnosed with cerebral palsy was sworn in as an honorary deputy prior to Mid-Buchanan's homecoming game.

School Resource Dennis Yager is the man who began this process.  Yager says that at least four to five times a day Templeton would ask him what it takes to be a police officer 

"And my answer every time was, ok you have to be kind, you have to listen to your teachers, you've got to help out, if you see danger you've got to tell mom, you've got to tell dad, you've got to tell your teachers, you can come to me," Yager says.  "And it was the same thing over and over every day." 

The interactions made Yager reach out to Templeton's mother, who told him Blake would ask her the same questions and that he had been saving up for several years to go to the police academy, making it a no brainer for Yager to reach out to Puett 

"With Blake, he is on cloud nine, he's been running, I don't really see him that much as a runner but tonight he was," Yager happily says.

Puett says after hearing about Templeton from Yager, it was exciting to meet Blake.  Puett says he told Deputy Templeton that following his swearing in, he was going right to work on patrol. 

"And his immediate response was yes he was ready to go to work and you saw how quick he climbed into that truck when I told him deputy it's time to go to work," Puett says. "So that's pretty exciting that he gets to do this tonight, we're just really happy that we could do that and I'm thankful to Dennis for bringing it to me." 

Templeton will also help Yager patrol the school and check doors at least once a week.

Dream come true for Mid-Buchanan student whose named honorary deputy

Missouri’s proposal to alter the way it sets rates for an at-home disability care program drew concern from the state’s federally-mandated disability-rights organization

By CLARA BATES,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>

The federally-funded organization responsible for protecting the rights of people with disabilities in Missouri believes a proposed change in how the state pays for at-home care could violate the law.&nbsp;

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.moadvocacy.org/">Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services</a>, which was established in 1977, said in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23993402-2023-9-22-combined-letter-to-cms">letter</a>&nbsp;to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that it is “investigating the proposed changes and believes they may be in violation of federal law protecting people with disabilities against discrimination.”

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