As the year comes to a close, the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce is celebrating some of the successes of 2025.  

President Natalie Hawn says there were some big wins around economic development and expanding businesses in St. Joseph, such as Daily's Premium Meats and Schutz [SHOOTS] Container Systems.  

Hawn says she believes that expanding current businesses in St. Joseph is almost more important than focusing on bringing in new ventures 

"You’re never going to not chase that new business or make sure that we’re expanding into industry that would be great in St. Joseph,” Hawn says on the KFEQmunnity show.  “But we also have to make sure that the companies that are already invested here, are already employing here, have everything they need to be successful and making sure they can grow and continue to have a great business here in St. Joseph.” 

Hawn says the current employers are very important and making sure they have the resources be successful and want to continue growing in St. Joseph. 

Hawn says another big win this year was a housing study and implementation, which will help develop more middle-class housing for the St. Joseph workforce.  

Hawn says while it won't be developed until hopefully next year, a 178-unit housing complex near the North Village Shoppes was announced this year  

"So we’re hoping with rents that are affordable for that young engineer at Altec or that UMKC Med student, some of the folks that we know are having a hard time finding housing in our market, and they’re driving from Platte City, Kearney, Kansas City, and when you talk to them they don’t want to be driving from other communities, they just can’t find appropriate affordable housing here,” Hawn explains. 

Hawn says whether it's housing or an apartment, that middle class housing was the biggest gap, with the study currently revealing a 24-month waiting period for that type of housing. 

One final big win for the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce was the soft launch of the Launch Pad. The Chamber secured a Missouri Technology Corporation Infrastructure Grant to help build the Launch Pad 

Hawn says the Launch Pad, which should officially launch next year, is a one stop place for entrepreneurs to be successful 

"So we don’t really currently have a coworking space, where you can just land and co-work in St. Joseph, there are several spaces with great affordable offices for entrepreneurs, but we don’t have that one place to come and learn about all of the resources for entrepreneurs,” Hawn says. 

Hawn says the space will have things such as pitch nights for tech start-ups, but also other things for any kind of small business or entrepreneur. and points out these events will focus on the region, not just Chamber members. 

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

As year closes, St. Joseph Chamber celebrates wins of 2025

DEKALB COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 9p.m. Saturday in DeKalb County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a Chevy Tahoe driven by a 34-year-old Savannah man was northbound on MO 33 two miles west of Osborn. The driver failed to stop at the stop sign at U.S. 36. The Tahoe traveled into the path of an eastbound 2025 Volvo semi. After impact, the semi overturned and came to rest blocking the eastbound passing lane of the highway.

The 34-year-old Tahoe driver was pronounced dead at the scene. DeKalb Clinton Ambulance transported a 12-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy, passengers in the Tahoe, to Mosaic in St. Joseph. The 36-year-old semi driver from Florida was not injured. The 13-year-old in the Tahoe was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Mo. man dead, 2 juveniles injured after semi, SUV crash

NODAWAY COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 2:30p.m. Saturday in Nodaway County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Kawasaki Vulcan driven by a 35-year-old Carrollton was eastbound on Route M five and one half miles east of Guilford. The driver failed to negotiate a cure. The motorcycle traveled off the south side of the road down an embankment, struck a ditch, overturned and the driver was ejected.

EMS transported the driver to Mosaic in Maryville where he was pronounced deceased. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri man dies in motorcycle accident

CALDWELL COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 9:30p.m. Friday in Caldwell County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Chevy 2500 driven by a 27-year-old Dalton M. Stith of Hamilton was southbound on MO 13 three miles south of Hamilton. The pickup traveled off the west side of the road and rolled onto its top.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Stith was arrested on requested charges of driving while intoxicated, driving without a valid license and careless and imprudent driving involving a crash. He was also not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

Caldwell County EMS transported Stith to Cameron Regional Medial Center and then on to Truman Medical Center.

Mo. man accused of DWI after injured in rollover crash

The City of St. Joseph is once again providing a drop-off site for residents to dispose of their Christmas trees.

From now through Saturday, January 31st, residents can drop off their live trees at the Drake Softball Complex, located at the corner of 22nd Street and Southwest Parkway.

The city is reminding all residents to make sure their trees are bare, as trees collected will be recycled into mulch. Remember to remove all ornaments, tinsel, and tree stands before you arrive.

For more information, you can visit the <a href="https://www.stjosephmo.gov/">city’s website</a>.

Christmas tree drop-off site offered in St. Joseph

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/charleyduffin/">Charley Duffin</a>

When Jan. 1 rolls around, Missouri’s minimum wage will increase from $13.75 to $15 an hour, putting the state ahead of many others.

The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations announced that the minimum wage is set to increase by $1.25 beginning in 2026. The minimum wage rate will be in effect for all non-exempt employers.

Missouri’s HB 567, signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe into law on July 10, repealed statewide earned paid sick time while simultaneously modifying the state’s minimum wage law.

It eliminated the automatic inflation adjustments that were set to begin in 2027 and kept the $15 per hour rate for public employers. However, it is also removing voter-approved worker protections for businesses as of Aug. 28.

Lily Roberts is the managing director of economic policy at the Center for American Progress, a nonpartisan economic policy institute. She said conversations about adjusting the minimum wage reflect rising prices that have increased in recent years.

“Everybody can tell you about inflation, and everybody can tell you about the cost of rent or groceries or childcare being really expensive, but the flip side of that is wages,” Roberts said. “There are many folks who are worse off and less able to keep up with those raising prices because a major pillar of how we make wage policy hasn’t been changed since 2009.”

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 and it hasn’t been adjusted since 2009, which Roberts said is the longest it’s gone unchanged since the introduction of minimum wage in 1938.

“$7.25 is so unbelievably low that many people don’t even believe that it’s still that low,” Roberts said.

In Missouri, employers who are involved in retail or service businesses and have an annual gross income less than $500,000 are exempt from having to pay the state minimum wage rate. Instead, those employers can pay their workers any wage at their discretion, according to the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Roberts said Missouri is unique in the fact that it raised its minimum wage to reflect inflation numbers, but when the state implements a $15 an hour minimum wage, it is no longer required to factor in inflation.

Between 2015 and 2019, Missouri’s minimum wage rose just under a dollar, from $7.65 to $8.60. Since 2019, the increase has been at least $0.75 annually every year except for 2023. The $1.25 jump will be the second straight year that the minimum wage has increased by more than a dollar.

Missouri is one of 34 U.S. states, territories and districts that has a higher minimum wage than the federal requirement.

Roberts said Missouri is in line with nearby states, such as South Dakota, Nebraska and Arkansas. All of those states, plus Missouri, have consistently been working on increasing their respective minimum wages.

“Some of them are doing it gradually over time to get to ($15 an hour) and others are passing individual laws,” Roberts said. “These longer-term predictable changes are really the trend right now, where you give businesses and employees a sense of how their wages will grow over time, and it means that it’s easier to predict and easier for employers to budget for.”

She said business owners are often fighting for higher wages, contrary to popular belief, because they need to be able to compete.

“The higher your wages that you pay, in general, the lower your turnover is,” Roberts said. “So businesses that pay really small dollars tend to have a lot of turnover. It actually gets really counterproductive and expensive very quickly because the business owner has to spend all of their time hiring, training and trying to retain folks.”

This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/state_news/missouri-minimum-wage-set-to-increase-over-a-dollar-in-2026/article_3d33d784-f2f7-4fb3-a7a7-34fe23712ad8.html#tncms-source=topstory" target="_blank">Columbia Missourian</a>.&nbsp;

Missouri minimum wage set to increase over a dollar in 2026

KFEQ Morning News 12/26/2025

KFEQ Sports 12/26/2025

MERCER COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 10p.m. Thursday in Mercer County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Mercedes CL2 driven by a 19-year-old Kirksville woman was southbound on High Street just south of U.S. 65 in Princeton. The driver ran a stop sign. The vehicle traveled off the east side of the road, struck a large piece of concrete in the ditch, started sliding counterclockwise, struck another ditch, rolled and the driver was ejected. The vehicle continued over Elm Street, traveled off the south side of Elm Street and struck another embankment.

Mercer County EMS transported the driver to Liberty Hospital. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Mo. woman hospitalized after ejected in rollover crash

DEKALB COUNTY —Two people were injured in an accident just before 7p.m. Wednesday in DeKalb County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Ford F150 driven by a 50-year-old Stewartsville man was eastbound on U.S. 36 at MO 33 three iles west of Osborn.&nbsp;A northbound 2017 Ford F150 driven by a 46-year-old Stewartsville man pulled in front of the 2001 Ford F150.&nbsp; The 2001 Ford F150 struck the drivers side of the 2017 Ford F150.

DeKalb Clinton ambulance transported both drivers to Mosaic in St. Joseph. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

2 hospitalized in St. Joe after pickups collide

LIVINGSTON COUNTY —Three people were injured in an accident just before 5:30p.m. Wednesday in Livingston County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Chevy Malibu driven by an 18-year-old Chillicothe woman was southbound on U.S. 65 four miles north of Chillicothe. The car struck the passenger side of a 2022 Honda Pilot driven by a 62-year-old Chillicothe man who was attempting to make a u-turn.

Chillicothe EMS transported the teen driver, a 13-year-old and a 50-year-old who were both passengers in the Honda to Hedrick Medical Center.&nbsp; The Honda driver was not injured. All four were properly restrained, accoding to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

3 hospitalized after crash during u-turn

March corn closed down 1 cent per bushel at $4.50 and May Corn&nbsp;closed down 3/4 cent per bushel at $4.58 1/4 and January soybeans closed down 4 1/2 cents at $10.58 3/4 and March soybeans were down 4 cents at $10.72 1/2. March KC wheat closed down 1/2 cent at $5.33 1/2, March Chicago wheat was down 2 3/4 cents at $5.19 and MIAX March Minneapolis wheat was down 0.01 cents at $5.7925.

With little in the way of fresh news, and in typical holiday-slowed futures trade, corn, soybeans and for the most part wheat traded lower after an early start, with beans and Chicago wheat weakest.

The livestock complex was trading mixed into Friday's noon hour as the market tries to regain focus following the Christmas holiday. Still no new cash cattle trade had developed and no bids were currently on the table.

The live cattle complex was trading higher into Friday's noon hour after as the market is seeing a little bit of a post-holiday rally. More than anything it seemed as though the contracts were trading a tic higher after a weaker close on Wednesday as traders elected to let the contracts fall away from the market's resistance at its 100-day moving average.

The feeder cattle complex was again following the direction of the live cattle market as it too was higher. But what's different about the feeder cattle complex as opposed to the live cattle market is that for the last four trading days, the feeder cattle complex has been able to maintain a position above the market's 100-day moving average in its spot March contract.

Although pork cutout values are up noticeably, the lean hog contracts were still trading lower.&nbsp;

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/10/24195559/30001.mp3">Click HERE fro Audio</a>

Commodity market daily recap

For only the second time in 2025, the overall Rural Mainstreet Index climbed above a growth-neutral reading of 50.0. That’s according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in a rural ten-state region dependent on agriculture and energy. The December reading hit 50.1, its highest level since July 2025, and was up from November’s 44.0. The index ranges from 0 to 100, with 50.0 representing growth neutral. 

“Weak agriculture commodity prices and high input costs for grain producers continue to restrain economic activity in the ten-state region,” said Ernie Goss of Creighton University. When asked to identify the most effective policy changes to boost farm income, half of the bank CEOs named the reduction of farm tariffs and trade restrictions as the most effective or useful. For only the second time in the past 20 months, farmland prices expanded above growth-neutral. Farm loan delinquencies only grew by 1.6 percent during the past six months.

Rural Mainstreet Index Climbed Above Growth Neutral

The U.S. hog inventory is growing. As of December 1, there were 75.5 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, which is up one percent from December 2024 and slightly higher than the numbers on September 1, 2025. That’s according to the Hogs and Pigs report published by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. 

Other key findings in the report included that of the 75.5 million hogs and pigs, 69.6 million were market hogs, while 5.95 million were kept for breeding. Between September and November 2025, 35 million pigs were weaned on U.S. farms, up slightly from the same period a year earlier. During the same timeframe, hog and pig producers weaned an average of 11.92 pigs per litter. 

Producers also intend to have 2.89 million sows farrow between December 2025 and February 2026, and 2.91 million sows farrow between March and May 2026. Iowa, Minnesota, and North Carolina had the most hogs.

U.S. Hog Inventory Up One Percent

The Fertilizer Institute applauded the House of Representatives for passing HR 4776, the Standard Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act. The bipartisan legislation is focused on taking important steps to modernize the federal permitting process while maintaining strong environmental protection. 

“Fertilizer production is highly capital-intensive and requires long-term investment in mines, manufacturing plants, and processing facilities,” said TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch. “Even with additional projects in development, after extensive environmental analysis, these projects too often face years of uncertainty due to duplicative reviews, poor coordination, and permitting-related litigation.” 

The bill modernizes and reforms the National Environmental Policy Act review process, codifying a recent Supreme Court decision clarifying that environmental reviews should focus on impacts with a reasonably close causal relationship to the project under review. That will help return NEPA to its intended role as a procedural statute rather than a tool for indefinite delay.

House Passes the SPEED Act

Corn futures were higher, with trade pressing back toward the next level of nearby resistance with flat to soft spread action in a quiet session into the break. Ethanol margins are seeing a little pressure from corn gains as unleaded remains at the lower end of the range. Basis will likely remain steady to softer into the holiday weeks.

Soybean futures were higher, with meal leading the product complex heading into the break as we continue to ease oversold conditions. South American weather looks to remain mostly good into the end of the months with key growing areas in the best shape. Basis will likely remain soft into the end of the year.

Wheat futures were higher, with winter wheats leading again as KC pushes back past nearby resistance this morning and Chicago gets closer to testing its resistance as well. Southern Hemisphere harvest will start heading to the homestretch soon. Weather for the Plains looks to cool a little from the weekend with short term moisture remaining limited. On the KC March chart, support is the 20-day moving average at $5.23, which we are consolidating above, with resistance the Upper Bollinger Band at $5.40.

The live cattle complex is traded mostly lower into Wednesday's closing bell as traders had mostly checked out ahead of the holiday. And with the market's 100-day moving average still remaining a barrier, which the complex has yet to be able to challenge, a lower trend is most likely to remain the market's theme through the week's end. A few bids are currently on the table in the fed cash cattle market, but nothing sizeable has developed following Tuesday's light trade. On Tuesday, there was some light trade noted in the North at $356 to $357, which is steady to $1.00 lower than last week's weighted average, and some Southern live cattle traded at $229, which is $2.00 higher than last week's weighted average. Some light clean up trade could happen between now and Friday, but this week's trade isn't expected to amount to much.

While the live cattle complex traded mostly lower, the feeder cattle contracts moved the opposite direction of the live cattle market and traded mostly higher for the bulk of the session but faded to end narrowly mixed into the day's closing bell. It's quite impressive that the feeder cattle complex has been able to maintain its position above the market's 100-day moving average without much support from the live cattle complex.

The lean hog complex was again trading lower into Wednesday's close, after seeing the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report, and with the holiday sluggishness setting in. It's likely that the market will look for reassurance fundamentally again before it challenges the resistance at $90.00.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/12/24124738/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Congressional Republicans plan to revive stalled farm bill negotiations in January after failing to pass a new measure by year’s end, extending uncertainty for farmers facing high costs, inflation and trade disruptions. House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson said he hopes to schedule a committee markup ahead of a Jan. 30 funding deadline, though he acknowledged it may be difficult to attach the bill to must-pass spending legislation. The delay means Congress will enter a third year without updating major agriculture policy. Lawmakers remain divided over whether a traditional five-year farm bill is still achievable. 

Thompson and Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman say progress remains possible, even in an election year. But some policy experts are skeptical, noting recent budget legislation sharply expanded farm subsidies while cutting food assistance, weakening the longstanding political link between the two. Congress extended the 2018 farm bill for another year in November, giving lawmakers until Sept. 30, 2026, to enact a replacement.

Lawmakers divided on whether farm bill can be passed in 2026

Two railroad companies submitted a comprehensive application to the Surface Transportation Board requesting approval to combine two major freight railroads into what would be the first transcontinental railroad in America. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern filed the request late last week, representing what could be a landmark development in the U.S. They’re proposing to create a unified rail network across the nation from coast to coast. 

Reports say that the almost 7,000-page application gives a specific explanation on how the combination would enhance competition throughout the freight industry while delivering public benefits to their customers, employees, and communities across the country. The merger agreement, which outlines that Union Pacific is acquiring Norfolk Southern, was put in place on July 29, 2025, setting the stage for the regulatory application. The move isn’t without critics, as it has drawn opposition from trade groups, unions representing engineers and track workers, and rival carrier BNSF.

Historic rail merger application filed

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

Tuesday was, as expected, another very quiet session across row-crop futures, with markets falling from early day gains amid a lack of volume required to build momentum to break through technical ceilings. Another round of solid export data from USDA, this time for the week ended Dec. 11 offered some strength, which was countered by at least a temporary unwinding of some of the surge seen in vegetable oil markets on Monday, specifically canola and soybean oil. Palm oil futures in the meanwhile remained sharply higher. Outside markets for Tuesday saw higher equity markets after U.S. third quarter GDP was reported well above expectations and the highest quarterly growth for the U.S. economy at annual rate of 4.3%. Energy markets were mixed to higher as well.

To no one's real surprise, following Monday's stronger trade, the live cattle complex was back to trading lower as the market's resistance at its 100-day moving average remains a difficult barrier to conquer. Still no cash cattle trade has developed, and the week's volume will likely be rather thin given that it's the week of Christmas and packers will run reduced kill schedules both this week and next. Boxed beef prices are mixed: choice down $3.04 ($359.83) and select up $1.18 ($351.87) with a movement of 58 loads (38.91 loads of choice, 4.72 loads of select, 5.32 loads of trim and 8.78 loads of ground beef).

The feeder cattle complex also traded lower, again seeming to follow the direction of the live cattle complex closely. But even with the market's slight downturn, the spot March contract is still currently trading above its 100-day moving average.

The lean hog complex was rallying into Tuesday's close, waiting for the highly anticipated Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report to be shared later this afternoon. The nearby April contract is currently trading above the market's resistance threshold at $90.00, which was a significant move this morning.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/12/23140213/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Commodity markets daily recap

The Department of Agriculture does not plan to issue additional emergency farm aid beyond the recently announced $12 billion assistance package, even as financial stress deepens across the farm sector, said Richard Fordyce, USDA's undersecretary for farm production and conservation. The payments are intended to help producers cope with low commodity prices, elevated production costs and reduced export demand tied to ongoing trade tensions. But economists and farm advocates warn many operations may continue to struggle without further support or stronger export growth. 

U.S. agriculture has traditionally posted trade surpluses, but rising imports and slowing exports have pushed the sector into a widening trade deficit. That shift has weighed heavily on farm income, particularly for row-crop producers dependent on foreign markets. USDA officials say budget constraints and existing authorities limit the department’s ability to offer more aid in the near term. Many farmers, however, say long-term relief will depend less on direct payments and more on expanded trade opportunities.

USDA signals no additional farm aid beyond $12B Package

A new USDA labeling rule takes effect Jan. 1, tightening standards for when meat, poultry and egg products may be identified as a product of the United States. Under the regulation, finalized in March 2024, companies may use labels such as “Product of USA” or “Made in USA” only if the animals were born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the United States. Meat from animals imported live for feeding or processing no longer qualifies.

 Products that are minimally processed may use qualified claims, such as noting they were sliced or packaged domestically using imported meat. The rule does not require companies to use U.S.-origin labels, but any firm that does must maintain records supporting the claim. USDA will generically approve labels without additional verification programs. The regulation applies only to domestic sales, not exports. Critics warn it could strain trade ties, particularly with Canada and Mexico, and discourage imports of live animals.

'Product of USA' meat labeling rule takes effect Jan. 1

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement investigating another homicide in Kansas City have identified the victims as 17-year-old Damon L. Gully and 24-year-old RIckey T. Young.

Just after 9a.m. Friday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 7400 block of Chestnut in Kansas City, Missouri on a reported disturbance, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino. While en route the call was upgraded to a shooting.&nbsp;

As officers arrived they located Gully and Young in the street, suffering from gunshot wounds. KCFD EMS arrived simultaneously and performed life saving measures. Both victims were pronounced deceased on scene.&nbsp;

This is being investigated as a homicide. The preliminary investigation has revealed that there was a dispute over property, just prior to shots being fired and the victims being struck. Detectives have located several witnesses and continue to canvass the area for additional witnesses or surveillance footage. Crime scene personnel are processing the scene for any available physical evidence.&nbsp;

17-year-old among victims in deadly Kansas City gun fight

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/bernard-j-wolfson-kff-health-news/">Bernard J. Wolfson, &nbsp;KFF Health News</a>-

As Congress debates whether to extend the temporary federal subsidies that have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/aca-marketplace-premium-payments-would-more-than-double-on-average-next-year-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire/" target="_blank">helped millions</a>&nbsp;of Americans buy health coverage, a crucial underlying reality is sometimes overlooked: Those subsidies are merely a band-aid covering the often unaffordable cost of health care.

California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milbank.org/publications/beyond-public-reporting-strengthening-accountability-to-states-cost-growth-targets-and-leveraging-targets-in-health-care-oversight/" target="_blank">five other states</a>&nbsp;have set caps on health care spending in a bid to rein in the intense financial pressure felt by many families, individuals and employers who every year face increases in premiums, deductibles and other health-related expenses.

Hospitals and other health care providers are citing Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump in July, as one more reason to challenge those limits.

The law is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/medicaid-enrollment-spending-growth-fy-2025-2026/" target="_blank">more than $900 billion</a>&nbsp;over a decade, which mathematically should help the overall health care system meet the caps. But the law is also expected to increase the number of uninsured Americans, mostly Medicaid beneficiaries, by an estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/uninsured/how-will-the-2025-reconciliation-law-affect-the-uninsured-rate-in-each-state/" target="_blank">10 million people</a>. Health care analysts predict hospitals and other providers will raise prices to cover the double whammy of lost Medicaid revenue and the cost of caring for an influx of newly uninsured patients.

Whether regulators in some states will allow providers to justify higher prices and exceed the spending caps is unclear. Only&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milbank.org/publications/beyond-public-reporting-strengthening-accountability-to-states-cost-growth-targets-and-leveraging-targets-in-health-care-oversight/" target="_blank">California and Oregon</a>&nbsp;can penalize providers financially if they fail to meet targets.

“Are we going to say, ‘That’s OK’? Or are we going to say, ‘Well, you exceeded the target. We’re still going to penalize you for that’?” said Richard Pan, a former state lawmaker and a member of the California Office of Health Care Affordability’s board. “That has not yet been decided.”

The California Hospital Association, the industry’s main state lobbying group,&nbsp;<a href="https://calhospital.org/file/ohca-petition-for-writ-of-mandate/?_cldee=A8GhrcOY_cTuDPfqPGEYnuTgoZXm3szCgl31GFGm7Rb9gSK_2LWVhcwpQwK8EuuJ&amp;recipientid=contact-e10e51f96e20eb11a813000d3a375a4d-5668c9ec73c54063bd98803095e124ac&amp;esid=7bd201ea-8aa4-f011-bbd3-6045bd03d69a" target="_blank">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in October asking a state court to strike down the spending caps, which it argued fail to account for all the cost pressures hospitals face. Those pressures, it said, include an aging, sicker population; the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Health-Care-Worker-Minimum-Wage-FAQ.htm" target="_blank">rising cost</a>&nbsp;of labor; expensive advances in medical technology; large capital outlays on required seismic retrofitting; and changes in federal policy, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The hospital group’s lawsuit also asserted that the state affordability office, by hastily imposing ill-considered cost-cutting targets, was undermining its other key mission of improving health care access, quality and equity.

California’s affordability office last year set a&nbsp;<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/health-brief-california-annual-health-spending-caps/" target="_blank">five-year target</a>&nbsp;to cap statewide spending growth, starting at 3.5% in 2025 and declining to 3% by 2029. The annual caps apply to a wide range of health care entities, including hospitals, medical groups, insurers and other payers.

Earlier this year, it imposed much lower spending growth caps — starting at 1.8% in 2026 and declining to 1.6% by 2029 — for&nbsp;<a href="https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Update-to-Draft-Motions-Presented-April-2025.pdf" target="_blank">seven “high-cost” hospitals</a>.

“The spending caps set by politically appointed bureaucrats could force cuts that result in many Californians traveling farther for care, facing longer emergency room wait times, experiencing more overcrowding and losing access to critical services,” Carmela Coyle, the hospital association’s president and CEO, said in an October press release.

The California attorney general’s office, which will represent the affordability agency, has not yet filed a response to the hospital group’s complaint and did not respond to a request for comment.

California is not the only state taking a close look at hospital prices, which are widely considered a&nbsp;<a href="https://tobin.yale.edu/research/who-pays-rising-health-care-prices-evidence-hospital-mergers" target="_blank">primary driver</a>&nbsp;of health care costs.

“States, armed with information that points to payments to hospitals as a driver of what is way beyond affordable commercial premiums, have begun to take increasingly targeted actions focused on commercial hospital prices,” said Michael Bailit, founder of the Needham, Massachusetts-based consultancy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bailit-health.com/team/michael-bailit.php" target="_blank">Bailit Health</a>, which has advised multiple states, including California, on ways to tame health care spending. “It is not surprising that the hospital industry is going to oppose such state actions.”

In its lawsuit, the California Hospital Association said the affordability office’s own report showed that pharmaceutical and insurance companies are largely responsible for high costs.

Hospitals in some states with cost growth limits, including&nbsp;<a href="https://cthosp.org/advocacy/healthcare-legislation-and-policy/healthcare-cost-growth-benchmarking/" target="_blank">Connecticut</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mhalink.org/mondayreport/is-benchmark-good-too-weak-or-irrelevant/" target="_blank">Massachusetts</a>, have expressed objections similar to the ones raised in the California lawsuit. They could follow their counterparts in California if their lawsuit succeeds, said Peter Lee, who led California’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, Covered California, for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coveredca.com/newsroom/news-releases/2021/09/16/peter-v-lee-to-leave-as-executive-director-of-covered-california-after-10-years-leading-the-nations-largest-state-based-marketplace/" target="_blank">over a decade</a>&nbsp;and is now a&nbsp;<a href="https://med.stanford.edu/cerc/about/affiliates-advisors.html" target="_blank">senior scholar</a>&nbsp;at Stanford Medicine’s Clinical Excellence Research Center.

Lee said the work of California’s affordability office and similar agencies in other states is just about the only systemwide effort being made to cut health care costs. They are basically saying, “‘Look, health care is taking money away from education, it is taking money away from the environment, it is taking money away from everything in the public sector, and in the private sector it is taking money away from wages,’” he said. “‘We don’t know how you, the health system, are going to do it, but it is your job not just to provide quality but to lower costs. Here’s the target.’”

To be sure, achieving the cost savings that California and those other states are seeking is no easy lift. It will ultimately require persuading large, financially powerful players that compete fiercely for health care dollars to adopt a different mindset and begin cooperating to reduce costs instead. And that, in many cases, will mean lower revenue.

But the status quo, as many people know all too well, means continued financial pain for millions.

In early 2020, Estevan Rodriguez, a bartender at California’s Monterey Beach Hotel, had surgery for a staph infection in his leg. The bill came to nearly $168,000. His insurance paid most of it, but he still owed $5,665, which took him two years to pay, more than $200 every month. “It may not be a lot to some people, but it was a lot to me,” Rodriguez said.

He said he dropped his Hulu subscription, switched to a lower-cost cellphone, and got cheaper car insurance. He started going to food banks rather than the grocery store, he said, and had a lot less time with his kids, because he was constantly working to pay off the hospital bill.

<a href="https://www.montagehealth.org/locations/profile/community-hospital-monterey-peninsula/" target="_blank">Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula</a>, where Rodriguez had his surgery, is one of the seven hospitals identified by California’s affordability office as high-cost. A&nbsp;<a href="https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/OHCA-Investigative-Study-of-Hospital-Market-Competition-in-Monterey-County-1.pdf" target="_blank">study by the office</a>&nbsp;attributed high hospital prices in Monterey County to a lack of market competition “rather than higher operating costs or superior quality of care.”

The Monterey hospital referred a request for comment about its “high-cost” designation to the California Hospital Association. CHA spokesperson Jan Emerson-Shea declined to comment beyond the language of the lawsuit and Coyle’s press release statement.

Health care analysts worry the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will reduce market competition even further by stressing already weak hospitals, leading some to shut services, merge with larger health systems, or close. One study estimates&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2838483" target="_blank">338 rural hospitals</a>&nbsp;are at risk of closing nationwide.

Less competition, in addition to fewer Medicaid dollars and an increase in uninsured patients, will only strengthen the incentive of health systems with the requisite market clout to raise their commercial prices, increasing premiums for employers and individuals.

“We think commercial prices will continue to increase as health care providers, and hospitals in particular, will seek to preserve or increase their revenue,” said Rachel Block, a program officer at the Milbank Memorial Fund, a foundation that focuses on health equity.

That in turn could pose a challenge to state affordability regulators tasked with overseeing compliance with growth targets for health care spending.

California’s affordability office is required to consider mitigating factors, including changes in federal and state laws. But some of its board members have expressed skepticism about letting hospitals offset Medicaid losses with higher commercial prices.

“There’s a lot of talk about using HR 1 and other federal policies as an excuse to raise prices on commercial payers,” Ian Lewis, an affordability office board member and policy director for UNITE HERE Local 2, a hospitality workers union in the Bay Area, said at the agency’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEKO4RfH2Y4" target="_blank">July board meeting</a>, referring to the One Big Beautiful Bill. “There’s no more blood to be squeezed from this stone.”

<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us" target="_blank">KFF Health News</a>&nbsp;is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — an independent source of health policy research, polling and journalism. Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us" target="_blank">KFF</a>.

This story was originally produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/12/26/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-complicates-state-health-care-affordability-efforts/" target="_blank">Stateline</a>, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Nebraska Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

State health care affordability pushes complicated by One Big Beautiful Bil

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson announced murder and assault charges against a Blue Springs man in connection with three shootings&nbsp; that left two people dead and one injured.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2784/Kur-Bak---Charging-Packet-">Kur B. Bak</a>, 28, faces two counts of 1st Degree Murder, three counts of Armed Criminal Action, one count of 1st Degree Assault, and two counts of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.

According to court records, Kansas City police responded to a shooting on Dec. 3 near Hardesty Avenue and East 26th Street, where they found the victim lying on the sidewalk suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was confirmed deceased on the scene.

Surveillance footage showed the victim walking when an individual, later identified as&nbsp; Bak, approached him. After a brief exchange, the victim continued walking, but the defendant followed and shot him. Bak then fired at the victim seven more times as he lay on the ground. Bak dropped a fully loaded handgun magazine at the crime scene as he fled.&nbsp;

Twenty-five minutes later, police responded to another shooting near Park Avenue and 8th Street. The victim was suffering from gunshot wounds and transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.&nbsp;

Surveillance video showed Bak exiting a vehicle and running toward the victim. The shooting occurred off camera. A short time later, Bak is captured returning to the vehicle.

Detectives found shell casings from the same firearm at both scenes. The same vehicle appeared in surveillance footage from both locations, and the Bak’s DNA was found on the magazine dropped at the first scene.&nbsp;

On Dec. 21, police responded to a shooting near Admiral Boulevard and Paseo Boulevard, where they found a victim dead in the street from gunshot trauma to the face.

Surveillance footage captured the victim walking when a vehicle pulled into a nearby parking lot. Bak, wearing a red hooded sweatshirt with yellow writing, exited and followed the victim’s same route. Minutes later, Bak was captured on video running back to his vehicle, where he removed the red sweatshirt and placed it in the passenger seat.&nbsp;

During a search of the defendant’s bedroom, detectives recovered the firearm used in all three shootings and the red hooded sweatshirt seen in surveillance footage from the third shooting.

Bak attended a SAVE KC call-in earlier this year but did not follow up for services.&nbsp;

A Jackson County judge set the defendant’s bond at $500,000 cash-only. &nbsp;

Surveillance video show suspect in deadly crime spree

MITCHELL COUNTY—Law enforcement have a kidnapping suspect in custody after a high-speed chase in north central Kansas.

On Friday, the Mitchell County Sheriff's office asked the public to be on the lookout for a black 2014 Mustang with a silver grille. "Proceed with caution, do not approach and contact law enforcement immediately."

The car and driver were involved in a kidnapping incident on US Highway 24 west of Beloit in Mitchell County, according to the sheriff's office. The victim escaped with injuries and was hospitalized with suspected serious injuries. 

The suspect and stolen Mustang left the scene and were later pursued in Osborne County.&nbsp;The suspect is believed to have been possibly involved in an incident in Jewell County prior to the Mitchell County incident.&nbsp;

The Kansas Highway Patrol and Osborne county authorities took the suspect into custody.&nbsp; The name of the suspect and possible charges have not been released.

Sheriff: Suspect in alleged Kan. kidnapping is in custody

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire at a home in Kansas City.

Just before 10:30a.m. Friday, Kansas City Missouri Fire Dept. companies were dispatched to a reported fire in the 2800 block of East 6th Street, according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan.

 On arrival, the first company on scene reported smoke showing from a 2-story carriage house. Crews initiated an offensive interior attack, using 2 hose lines to extinguish the fire. The fire was brought under control at 10:36 a.m. Searches throughout the structure were performed and came back all clear.&nbsp;The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Fire damages 2-story carriage house in Kansas City

Luke Karg is the only Missouri student to qualify for the high school national bass fishing championship five times, including as an incoming freshman

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

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/"></a>The water on Truman Lake was colder and muddier than normal this April, making for some tough fishing conditions.&nbsp;

Luke Karg, of House Springs, had one last shot before graduating to win the Missouri TBF High School Trail Super Tournament for bass fishing – which he and his then 16-year-old fishing partner, A.J. Massa, had won the year before.

It’s the last tournament of the season for the Missouri student program of The Bass Federation, and it’s also the final opportunity to earn enough points to be named Team of the Year — the top-scoring duo in the state.

“The tournament itself meant a lot to us, with it being our last state tournament together,” Karg said. “It was very tough. There was, at most, two inches of visibility in the water, but a lot of fishing is just adapting to the changes.”

Karg and Massa headed out on the water for two days for eight hours each. At the end of each day, they weighed their top five fish.&nbsp;

“The first day, they caught almost enough bass to win the tournament,” said Gary Foree, Karg’s mentor and family friend, who is a former professional fisherman. “They had almost 19 pounds, which is insane. There hasn’t been a tournament in three years over 17 pounds on Truman Lake.”

They brought in 16 pounds on the second day, which would have brought their total up to nearly 35 pounds. But unfortunately it didn’t count. Their boat malfunctioned, making them miss the weigh in.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“It was pretty heart-wrenching,” Karg said. “It was one of our best bags as a team on one of the most difficult days.”

Karg and Massa ended up taking second place at Truman Lake with one day’s worth of fish, and they still had enough points to be named Team of the Year, just as they were last year.

Karg has been part of the Team of the Year five years in a row, including as an incoming high-school freshman.&nbsp;

That title also sent the team to the TBF Student Angler Federation High School National Championship, which was held at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in June.&nbsp;

Only the top two high-school teams from each state can compete, and Karg is the only person in Missouri to have qualified for that opportunity five years in a row, according to officials for the national championship.

“To be one of the top two teams in Missouri for five consecutive years is pretty freaking amazing,” said Karl Buck, who previously led the federation’s high school program in Missouri and was also Karg’s team leader. “I’m just so proud it’s unbelievable. I mean, I can’t believe that I was involved in his upcoming as a fisherman.”

Karg began competitive fishing when he was 12 and participated in dozens of individual and team tournaments as a teen. Through it all, he struggled with an autoimmune illness that made him miss numerous days from school, he said, but he’s proud he still managed to graduate on time in May and continue fishing.

While it was grueling standing on a boat for hours under the hot sun, Karg said the national championship was exhilarating because some of the world’s top fishermen were watching.&nbsp;

“It’s the biggest tourn of the year, and a lot of people only get to go to it once, if even,” Karg said. “It really could be the biggest tournament of your life.”

Karg has loved to fish ever since he could hold a rod, said his father Rick Karg. Even as early as 5, he said Karg could catch fish when the adults around him were coming up empty.&nbsp;

“There’s a magic,” Rick said. “My scientific brain says, ‘Is there like a vibration from his heartbeat that travels down the line because he’s got his finger touching it, that the fish like?’”&nbsp;

Foree met Karg because of a life-changing promise he made to Karg’s mother, Becky Rumley.

Rumley was the nurse administering Foree’s chemotherapy treatment at St. Claire Hospital, and one day, she told him how much her nine-year-old son loved to fish. At the time, Foree thought he only had a few months to live.

“I ended up telling her that if I survive this, I’ll take him to Lake of the Ozarks and get him a five pounder because I used to be a [fishing] guide on the lake,” he said.

Foree did pull through, and when they went out fishing, Karg didn’t just catch one five-pound bass.&nbsp;

“I caught three five-pound bass and two six pounders, and like a bunch of big fish,” Karg said. “It is probably the best day of fishing in my life. And ever since then, he’s just dedicated a huge part of his life to help teach me and my partner.”

Foree was equally amazed after Karg pulled out nearly 40 pounds of fish that day.&nbsp;

“He just had the best day of fishing anybody could have,” Foree said. “That’s how I got him hooked on fishing.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Over the years, Foree taught him about tracking fish through the different seasons and how to read the water and the banks. He also helped him get his first boat.

Now, Foree said, Karg’s instincts are his fishing superpower.&nbsp;

“So many times they won a tournament when the fishing was really tough, and Luke said, ‘Let’s try over here. That bank looks good,’” Foree said. “And they’ll go over, and they’ll catch enough fish on that bank to win the tournament.”