With more people coming in and out of your house this Thanksgiving holiday, you should also be sure to consider the well-being of your pets.   

Melanie Barnes with Friends of the Animal Shelter says with more people coming over, maybe some your pets don't know, it's important to consider how they will react 

"Does that stress your pet out? In which case, how are they going to behave, and how are they going to respond, and is that going to affect their health,” Barnes says on the KFEQmunnity show.  “If you’re having kids over and you don’t have kids in the household, you put a three or four year old running around making noise or playing with noisemakers and maybe the pets not used to it, whether its a dog, cat, or some other type of pet.” 

Barnes says if things like that do stress your pet out, you have to consider if they will make your pet run and hide or try to run away, making it important to keep them secure as you open the door to let people in and out. 

Barnes says while most owners know their dogs well, they don't always know what will set them off 

"And it doesn’t always have to come from a place of anxiety within the pet, and obviously that’s the hardest part, is they can’t tell you how they’re feeling so you do have to be pretty observant,” Barnes explains 

Barnes says while most of this happens with dogs going from puppies to adults, but points out its also common in senior dogs who are beginning to lose their senses 

“So maybe their hearing, their sense of smell, potentially even a little bit of their eyesight, that can put them on edge,” Barnes says.  “Because they don’t how to trust, they’re used to trusting all their senses, and they don’t know how to trust without that sense.” 

Barnes points out to pet owners that while it may not always happen, a pets behavior can change from year to year, so it's important to be aware. 

As you cook all that food this Thanksgiving, there's a good chance your pet is going to want some of it from your guests 

Barnes says there are a number of things your pet shouldn't eat this Thanksgiving, and it's best to do your own research, but says best case scenario is don't give your pet any human food 

"If you know they’re going to give them those eyes, and you can’t intervene with your guests, it’s probably best to crate your dog or cat, or go put them in a separate room so they don’t get put in that situation,” Barnes says.  “Because it’s kind of natural sometimes for the dog and cat to do that if you haven’t trained them otherwise, so sometimes you can’t really put that on them, and then if Uncle Bob comes over and always feeds the dog from the table, you need to do something to make sure Uncle Bob doesn’t do that.” 

Barnes says you have to think about it from three perspectives, should they be eating it from a calorie perspective, a health perspective, and a toxicity perspective.  

Barnes says items like grapes, raisins, onions, any raw items, and false sugars can all be toxic items to your pets used around Thanksgiving. 

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.

Make sure to keep an eye on your pets this Thanksgiving

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ahanshaw/">Annelise Hanshaw</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

Less than 2% of MOScholars students are funded through donations this school year. The rest depend on general revenue from the state budget

More than 98% of scholarships administered by the MOScholars program this school year are funded by Missouri taxpayers. And though there are strict eligibility requirements for private-school scholarships, eligibility isn’t checked after the initial scholarship is awarded or for siblings of students who received a scholarship.

The revelations about the inner workings of Missouri’s private school voucher program came to light over the course of a two-day trial in Cole County Circuit Court this week.

The focus of the arguments Monday and Tuesday were over whether the state can use general revenue for private school tuition, with the attorney general’s office defending state funds as transformative for the program and Missouri’s largest teacher’s union saying the funding is unlawful.

But witness testimony pulled back the curtain on certain details about the MOScholars program that have stayed largely out of the public consciousness.

MOScholars, which is in its fourth year of operation, awards scholarships to K-12 students who meet certain criteria.

When state lawmakers created the program in a 2021 bill, they set it up to run on donations that are eligible for a 100% tax credit up to half of a donor’s tax liability. In the first three years of the program, donations totaled $33.8 million.

Gov. Mike Kehoe announced in January that he intended to bring a major infusion of funding to the program through a $50 million appropriation of general revenue. This windfall for MOScholars has allowed the state to nearly triple the amount of scholarships awarded this fall.

“If not for general revenue, would many of (the new) scholars be able to receive a scholarship?” Assistant Attorney General Peter Donahue asked the treasurer’s director of programs, Trent Blair.

Of 6,418 scholarships awarded this school year, only 111 are funded through tax credits. That includes the 2,405 students who were in the program last year. So if MOScholars did not receive the state appropriation, the funding would cover less than 5% of the renewal students going into the school year.

The State Treasurer’s Office, which oversees MOScholars, has previously admitted to problems with the timing of funding. The bulk of donations hit the accounts of educational assistance organizations — intermediary nonprofits that connect students with the funding — in December.

With tuition due in August, MOScholars had to either wait eight months to award the funds or put stress on the system. Blair testified that the educational assistance organizations largely chose the latter and that the organizations themselves choose when to use donated funds.&nbsp;

In 2023, two of the six educational assistance organizations acknowledged they used&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/21/funding-lag-creates-barrier-for-missouri-private-school-tax-credit-program/">their private funds to pay tuition</a>&nbsp;in the fall and paid themselves back once they received donations.&nbsp;In October, two organizations&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/13/nearly-all-state-funding-for-missouri-school-vouchers-used-for-religious-schools/">told The Independent</a>&nbsp;that they were able to fund scholarships for all their renewal students and clear their waitlists with the new state funds.

The state money “stabilizes the program,” Blair testified Tuesday.

Representing the Missouri National Education Association, attorney Loretta Haggard unearthed issues with the administration of the program as she cross-examined Blair.

She honed in on MOScholars’ eligibility requirements. State law limits the program to students with an individualized education plan or those whose family makes at or below 300% of the income standard used to qualify for free and reduced price lunches.

The treasurer’s office uses an education management system called FACTS to review applications and determine eligibility. Haggard asked if the software checks if renewal students still meet eligibility requirements.&nbsp;

“So a student can receive a scholarship even though they don’t meet the IEP or income requirements?” Haggard then asked.

When a student is eligible one year, the system presumes that they retain eligibility. The siblings of renewal students are also deemed eligible.

The treasurer’s office has faced criticism before over how it has administered MOScholars, including&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/10/missouri-treasurer-vivek-malek-transparency-moscholars/">complaints from Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck</a>&nbsp;that the office wasn’t transparent about program data. And in July, a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/16/missouri-auditor-says-treasurer-put-35-million-into-wrong-state-fund/">report from the State Auditor</a>&nbsp;found the treasurer’s office didn’t conduct annual audits of the MOScholars program required by state law.

But Tuesday’s testimony was the first time the state has admitted to not rechecking eligibility, something that is routine for other state-funded programs like food assistance or Medicaid.&nbsp;

Any questions about the administration of the program don’t impact the legality of the appropriation, said Bryan Cleveland, an attorney with Indiana-based advocacy group EdChoice, who intervened in the case on behalf of three parents whose children have received assistance through MOScholars.

“The case does not depend on whether any one treasurer is doing a good job but rather on interpretation of statutory provisions,” he told the judge. “The rest of the discussion of what the treasurer or the educational assistance organizations do after (the appropriation) is not relevant.”

Blair, stepping off the witness stand Tuesday, sighed, head tucked as he walked back to his seat. The trial marked one of the few occasions the treasurer’s office has answered questions publicly, apart from occasional statements to the media.

When Cole County Judge Brian Stumpe denied a request for a temporary restraining order, which would have blocked the spending of the general revenue during the trial, the treasurer’s office held a joint press conference with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office but did not take any questions.

On Monday, attorneys argued over whether the Missouri NEA or its individual members had standing to challenge the state appropriation to MOScholars.&nbsp;

A decision on the case is not expected until after Dec. 8, when attorneys’ post-trial filings are due.

Trial reveals inner workings of Missouri private school voucher program

DeKalb County
sheriff’s officials have released the identities of the three killed in a
residential fire in Weatherby earlier this month.

Killed in the fire
were 36-year-old Mary Justus and her daughter, eight-year-old Millie Krebs. The
fire also took the life of 26-year-old Christopher Evans, the boyfriend of Mary
Justus. All were residents of Weatherby.

DeKalb County
Sheriff’s deputies and first responders found the three dead inside the residence after responding
to the house fire at 190 N. North Street, Lot 1, in Weatherby November 20th.

The Jackson County
Medical Examiner’s Office performed autopsies last Friday. The results are pending.

The investigation
into the fire continues.

If anyone has
information they think might be important to the investigation, they are
requested to contact Captain Michael Marvin at The DeKalb County Sheriff’s
Office at 816-449-5802.

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

DeKalb County names victims of fatal Weatherby house fire

The Chiefs in week 14 take on the Texans at Arrowhead. Enter to win a pair of tickets to the game up until Thursday night (12/4/25) at 9:27 pm. You can enter once each hour. SPECIAL OFFER: Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app now and use code QCOUNTRY to grab $300 in bonus bets with just a five dollar bet when it goes live December 1st. That’s code QCOUNTRY — in partnership with DraftKings Sportsbook. Gambling problem? Call one eight hundred GAMBLER. Twenty one plus. Physically present in Missouri. Eligibility restrictions apply. Bonus bets expire seven days after issuance. Excludes customers who redeem prelaunch sign-up offer. Terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos.

Enter To Win A Pair Of Tickets To The Chiefs vs. Texans

KFEQ Morning Sports

KFEQ Morning News

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and many will hit the road today (Wed.) if they haven't already, to get to their Thanksgiving travel destination. 

Seargeant Shane Hux with the Missouri Highway Patrol Troop H says the patrol is expecting a higher number of people on the roads between today and Sunday 

"And more so, even to narrow it down a little further, Wednesday and Sunday are the two peak travel days of when the majority of the traffic will be traveling to and from their Thanksgiving destination,” Hux tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. 

Hux says with some still having to work today, or taking half days, the patrol ix expecting a high number of travelers today and then on Sunday to get home to go back to work on Monday.  

With some weather in the forecast through the weekend, including a chance of snow on Saturday, the Missouri Highway Patrol encourages drivers to be aware of weather changes on their route 

Hux says with those chances of bad weather, it's imperative to check the weather along your entire route 

"If you’re traveling from Missouri to another state, especially if you’re going up north, if you’re going down south hopefully you wouldn’t have as much of an issue, but I’d say if you’re going anywhere within Missouri for sure to make sure that you check the weather,” Hux explains.  “And then also to make sure that you have your vehicle ready.” 

Hux says to make sure to check the antifreeze and that your tires are in good shape, as well as the battery and such so you don't end up stranded in bad weather.  

After the holiday, there's another day many will be out and about on Missouri's roads, getting deals on Black Friday. 

Hux says if you are out traveling on Black Friday, with drivers going store to store, it's best to pay extra attention 

"They may be rolling through a stop sign, running the yellow lights at the very end, so that’s something you really want to pay attention to and take extra time,” Hux says.  “Whenever you do come to a red light and immediately when that thing turns green you might want to sit there and look a minute, just look both ways before you pull out into that intersection, just in case someone fails to yield to that caution light and continues through that intersection.” 

Hux also says during travel, throughout the holiday, be aware of deer on the move through the day and night. 

Winter weather expected, travel safe this Thanksgiving 

ATCHISON COUNTY—A Kansas school bus driver is in custody after an incident on Tuesday in Atchison.

Police were notified on Tuesday morning of an argument that had occurred between a bus driver identified as 68-year-old Paul G. Detherage of Atthison and a student on a school bus, according to. Police Chief Mike Wilson.&nbsp; During the argument, the bus driver allegedly made threatening statements. 

Just before 8a.m. Tuesday, police took Detherage into custody after he returned to the USD 409 school bus barn in the 2600 Block of Industrial Road, according to Wilson. He is being held on a requested charge of criminal threat.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kan. school bus driver jailed for allegedly threatening student

A former accountant for the Savannah R-III School District has been sentenced in federal court for stealing money from programs receiving federal funds.  

44-year-old Anthony S Moon who worked as the district accountant for Savannah R-III School District and was also the owner and president of Parker and Associates LLC, was sentenced for theft concerning federal funds wire fraud, and embezzlement from an employee benefit plan from January to November of 2023. 

Moon used his position at the district to write unauthorized checks to himself and his business from the district’s checking account.  Moon also used the district’s checking account to make Automated Clearing House payments, to his and his wife’s personal credit card accounts.  

Moon also devised a scheme as president of his accounting business and embezzled funds from his employees’ retirement savings plan.   For his employees, Moon sponsored an employee pension plan subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Simple IRA Plan (Plan). However, for nearly two years, Moon caused tens of thousands of dollars to be withheld from salaries of his employees but failed to transfer those funds to the Plan. In addition, Moon failed to deposit funds in employer matching contributions to the Plan. 

Moon used those embezzled funds to pay for his and his wife’s personal expenses, including, among other things, Kansas City Chiefs tickets, food, travel, gas, and entertainment.   

Moon was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to a total of 12 months and one day in federal prison without parole.  The court also ordered Moon to pay restitution of $92,746.99 to the district and $29,695.77 to his two employee-victims.   

In addition, the court entered a final order of money judgment forfeiture of $122,442.76. 

The court ordered Moon to self-surrender on January 8th, 2026. 

Former Savannah school district accountant sentenced in federal court

St. Joseph now is
moving toward two public high schools after years of planning and several fits
and starts.

The St. Joseph
Board of Education has voted 5-to-2 to keep Central and Benton High Schools and
convert Lafayette High School into a middle school.

St. Joseph school
Superintendent Ashly McGinnis acknowledges this has been a long time coming. 

“This has been
very challenging, difficult for our board for several years and several boards,”
McGinnis tells KFEQmmunity. “When the bond failed in April, the board agreed
then to go to a two high school model. And so, over the past five months since
we’ve been in our roles, we’ve been coming up with different plans, presenting that
to the board, getting their feedback, getting feedback from the community,
tweaking plans.”

McGinnis says the
district has not been able to provide the same education at Benton and
Lafayette as it has at Central due to falling student numbers. Central High
School has an enrollment of approximately 1,650 students while Benton and
Lafayette have around 650 students. Under the new plan, Central would grow to
1,900 students with Benton at 1,070 students.

The move will
close Pershing and Field Elementary Schools. Webster will no longer be the alternative
school. Robidoux Middle School will become an elementary school.

McGinnis is
hopeful a step back will eventually lead to a step forward.

“And so, what we
will do now is go back and look at where do we want to be in 15 years? We still
have hopes of having two new high schools in our town,” McGinnis says. “And so,
I think that this first step will position us well to get to that end goal. But
we’re going to have different phases leading up to those two new high schools
that will have to be down the road.”

The St. Joseph
School District has seen a big drop in enrollment. In 1993, the district had
approximately 12,500 students. It dropped below 10,000 this year. School
officials along with various school boards have floated plans to reduce the number
of high schools to adjust the entire system to the falling numbers. Also, the
district announced its financial reserves have dropped to near 10%, far from
the Board of Education policy to maintain a 20% budget reserve. The district
aims to cut $4 million from its budget over the next two years.

The district had
proposed a $157 million bond issue in April to build a new high school, but
voters rejected the proposal. Even though the bond issue failed, the district
stuck with its plan to move to two high schools.

The vote by the
St. Joseph Board of Education has been a long time coming. The board first
considered a plan to drop Benton as a high school and keep Lafayette along with
Central. Then it considered keeping Benton with the use of Hyde Elementary to
add space. McGinnis says it now appears the district won’t need the added room,
that Benton can be refigured to house the incoming students. The board even
considered retaining the three high school model.

Even with the vote
and now a clear path ahead, McGinnis acknowledges a lot is left to be determined.

“But I do think we
are trying to position ourselves to where we can think long-term to move our
district forward, but also to have a better impact in our community,” McGinnis
says. “We want people to come here. We want people to live here, have their
families here, and stay here in St. Joseph.”

The plan goes into
effect next school year.

Back and forth ends - St. Joseph moves toward two high school model

A state audit is
underway in Clinton County.

Auditors began
reviewing financial and other records along with interviewing county
officeholders and staff to prepare for the regularly scheduled audit.

Missouri State
Auditor, Scott Fitzpatrick, says a full audit in 2018 disclosed some financial
problems with Clinton County government. An audit of the Clinton County
Commission and Clerk sparked by a whistleblower complaint in 2022 also resulted
in a poor rating.

“For whatever
reason, it’s a county that’s struggled to operate well in the past,”
Fitzpatrick tells KFEQmmunity. “And so, we’ll be looking at some of the
previous issues and try to determine if they’ve made progress on those and also
try to determine if there are new problems that have come up.”

Fitzpatrick says
an audit in 2018 disclosed real financial problems within county government.

“They were
projected at the end of 2018 to only have a couple hundred dollars left in
their General Revenue Fund,” Fitzpatrick says. “I don’t know how that ended up
turning out for them, but I know at the time of that audit they were basically deficit
spending and were on track to essentially run out of money.”

Fitzpatrick says
auditors will review the weaknesses disclosed in the last audits and review
current conditions as they prepare their findings.

“But at the end of
the day, our job is to go in figure out if there are things they’re doing incorrectly,
things that they’re doing that are inefficient, making them aware of it, and then
trying to help them by providing them recommendations on how to fix that with
the end goal of making the county government as effective and efficient as
possible for the taxpayers of the county.”

Fitzpatrick says
it will take between nine and 12 months to complete the audit.

The state
Auditor’s office is required to audit each county government at least once
every four years. Missouri has 114 counties.

State audit of Clinton County underway

March corn closed up 7 cents and May corn was up 6 1/4 cents. January soybeans closed up 6 3/4 cents and March soybeans were up 6 cents. March KC wheat closed up 1 3/4 cents, March Chicago wheat was up 1 1/4 cents, March Minneapolis wheat was down 2 1/4 cents.

Row-crop futures posted respectable gains in a breakout session from what had been a narrow range for prices through the holiday week. Seasonality is certainly on the side of the bulls for now as traders also are anticipating U.S. production estimates will fall again from November figures when USDA revisits the supply side of the balance sheet in January. Meanwhile, strong demand ideas are working to keep a floor under prices as well. Outside markets for Wednesday saw firmer equities as indices are heading toward a retracement of last week's AI bubble fear induced selloff. Energy prices were mixed with crude oil futures higher but among 2025 lows, and diesel prices continuing to fall sharply from last week's highs.

Wednesday's rally in the live cattle complex could be in part due to the interview that Lonesome Lands shared with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. A couple of major points were discussed in the interview: Rollins stated that when the U.S.-Mexico border reopens, not all ports will reopen at once and that "you will not see 1 million head of cattle show up overnight, it's going to be a slow and gradual process." Rollins also stated the port in Arizona is likely to reopen first as it's furthest away from any detected New World screwworm. Rollins also stated there's not an ag industry that she's more bullish about than cattle. No new cash cattle trade has been reported, but bids are on the table in Kansas at $215. On Tuesday, some trade developed in the North at $330, which is $15.00 lower than last week's weighted average. Although there have not been many cattle traded in the South, a handful of deals were marked at $215, which is $7.00 to $9.00 lower than last week's weighted average. Boxed beef prices are mixed: choice down $1.45 ($368.64) and select up $2.55 ($358.48) with a movement of 115 loads (76.90 loads of choice, 10.97 loads of select, 12.76 loads of trim and 14.74 loads of ground beef).

The feeder cattle complex also traded notably higher (mostly $7.00 to $8.00 higher) as the market is pleased to hear positive news from Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins. So long as the live cattle contracts continue to trade higher through Wednesday's close, it's likely feeder cattle contracts will as well.

The lean hog complex also traded higher as the market is pleased to note a slight bump in pork demand and is likely receiving a little extra spill-over support from the cattle complex. Packers have made it bluntly clear that they don't need many hogs this week.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/11/26140616/web-closing-markets-2.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Commodity markets daily recap

Data from the USDA said that inspections of soybeans and corn for offshore delivery declined week to week, while wheat assessments increased during the week ending on November 20. Soybean inspections were reported at almost 800,000 metric tons, down from the 1.21 million tons inspected during the previous week. That’s also well below the 2.12 million tons assessed during the same week last year. 

Examinations of corn for overseas delivery dropped to 1.63 million metric tons, down from 2.97 million tons the previous week, but up from 1.01 million tons at the same point during the prior year. Wheat inspections rose to 474,530 metric tons, up from 246,533 tons the previous week and the 366,000 tons a year earlier. Since the marketing year began, the government has inspected 17.5 million metric tons of corn, and soybean assessments are at 10.9 million metric tons. Marketing-year wheat inspections reached 10.7 million tons.

Weekly exports of soybeans and corn decline

For the eighth time this year, the overall Rural Mainstreet Index sank below a growth-neutral score of 50.0. That’s according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a ten-state region dependent on agriculture and energy. The region’s overall reading was 34.6 in October, the lowest level since May 2020. That’s down from 38.5 in September. “Weak agriculture commodity prices for grain producers continue to dampen economic activity in the ten-state region,” said Ernie Goss of Creighton University. “While tariffs are producing higher economic volatility, 72 percent of bank CEOs say President Trump’s approach toward Chinese trade is ‘about right.’” 

For the 17th time in the past 18 months, farmland prices slumped below growth-neutral. The region’s farmland price index dropped to 37.0 from 45.8 in September. Farm loan delinquency rates rose from a very low 1.1 percent in June of this year to 1.6 percent this month. 

Rural Mainstreet Index stays below growth neutral

December corn closed down 1/4 cent and March corn was up 1 1/2 cents. January soybeans closed up 1 1/2 cents and March soybeans were up 2 3/4 cents. March KC wheat closed up 5 3/4 cents, March Chicago wheat was up 4 1/2 cents, March Minneapolis wheat was up 4 3/4 cents.

As expected for Thanksgiving week, grain and oilseed markets have been very quiet and more or less directionless thus far, struggling to gain breakout momentum in either direction with many traders likely on the sidelines and taking an extended holiday break from the action. The trade, albeit thin, does exhibit the characteristic of at least a short-term bottom in accordance to technical guidelines. Outside markets for Tuesday were mixed with higher equities, but weaker energy markets with crude oil futures working their way back toward 2025 lows.

It was technically a mixed session, but mostly lower morning for the live cattle complex. Although most of the deferred contracts were traded higher, spot and nearby contracts are trading slightly lower. There's even been some trade already in the fed cash cattle market. There was light movement of dressed trade this morning in Nebraska, where cattle are trading anywhere from $325 to $330, but mostly at $330, which is a $15.00 decline from last week's weighted average. Still no trade has developed yet in the South, and asking prices are still not known in that region. Delivery dates for the cattle that have traded have been set for mostly the week of Dec. 1 and Dec. 8. Boxed beef prices are higher: choice up $1.56 ($372.05) and select up $3.46 ($358.97) with a movement of 74 loads (55.78 loads of choice, 8.21 loads of select, 4.08 loads of trim and 5.76 loads of ground beef).

The feeder cattle complex traded higher following Monday's sharp decline. Traders seem to be recovering some position that was lost on Monday, but it's more a technical reaction than a decision being made because more confidence has truly been established in the marketplace.

The lean hog contracts continued to trade slightly higher as the market crosses its fingers that the uncertainty in the cattle sector could be gained opportunity for the hog complex. The market still hasn't gained a strong fundamental foothold, as pork cutout values are lower.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/11/25142053/web-closing-markets-2.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Last week, the American Carbon Alliance submitted a formal letter of support for the bipartisan SPEED Act — legislation designed to bring long-overdue clarity, accountability, and timeliness to federal environmental reviews. The bill establishes firm review deadlines, streamlines agency coordination, and prevents the kind of regulatory delay that regularly stalls energy, carbon-capture, biofuels, and rural-infrastructure projects. 

For ethanol producers, rural communities, and carbon capture developers, predictable permitting isn’t a luxury — it’s essential. Investments stall when timelines slip, and rural economies lose opportunities when critical infrastructure gets caught in bureaucratic gridlock. The SPEED Act is a major step toward ensuring the U.S. can actually build the projects needed for lower emissions, stronger energy security, and new economic growth across the Midwest. As of Friday morning, the SPEED Act passed committee markup with a bipartisan vote. 

ACA supports the SPEED Act to deliver real permitting reform

A new report released this week reveals that severe agricultural labor shortages are accelerating the financial strain facing America’s family farms and contributing to rising prices for traditional Thanksgiving foods. According to the findings, farms across the country are struggling to secure the skilled, reliable workforce needed to harvest crops, care for livestock, and maintain year-round operations. 

As labor shortages worsen, growers are facing higher production costs, reduced yields, and in some cases, the difficult decision to scale back or abandon crops altogether. The result of these significant disruptions: domestic food production instability and higher prices for U.S. consumers. The report calls for urgent policy action to modernize the agricultural workforce system and protect the long-term viability of U.S. food producers. Without meaningful reform, consumers will face continued price increases and local farming communities will bear deepening economic consequences.

Higher holiday food prices and crisis for American family farms

Missouri Gov. Mike
Kehoe has appointed Andrea Fischer of St. Joseph to the Missouri Veterinary
Medical Board.

Fischer is a
senior therapeutic specialist for Gilead Sciences. Fischer previously worked as
an executive oncology account specialist for AstraZeneca.

Fischer is a
member of several organizations, including the Missouri Cattlemen's Association
and the American Simmental Association. Fischer earned her bachelor's degree in
animal science from the University of Missouri–Columbia.

Gov. Kehoe appoints Fischer to Missouri Veterinary Medical Board

December corn closed down 1 3/4 cents and March corn was down 3/4 cents. January soybeans closed down 1 3/4 cents and March soybeans were down 2 1/4 cents. March KC wheat closed down 3 3/4 cents, March Chicago wheat was down 5 cents, March Minneapolis wheat was up 3/4 cents.

Grains and oilseed markets began what should be a fairly low volume week around a holiday break on Thursday and a shortened session for Friday as well. Prices hovered on both sides of even for Monday, with contracts managing to recover from daily lows by the close but with a lack of bullish momentum capping upside potential as well. Outside markets were mixed influence on agriculture markets for Monday, with a firmer U.S. dollar which continues to challenge long-term resistance among the highest level since May. Stock indices were higher, while energy markets were mixed. Crude oil futures moved higher but diesel prices continue to crash back to earth after trading among 2025 highs last week as talks of a peace plan for the Russian-Ukraine war have gained momentum over the past week.

It's was a painstaking day for the live cattle complex -- there's no other way to put it. Following Tyson Food's announcement on Friday that they're closing their plant in Lexington, Nebraska, and going to reduce their throughput in Amarillo, Texas, to only a single shift per day -- the market has taken the news poorly. Having sufficient shackle space is a big concern for grassroot producers and the thought of losing availability is rather concerning. Last week, Northern dressed cattle were marked at mostly $345, $6 lower than the prior week's weighted average basis Nebraska. Southern live deals were marked at $222 to $224, $4 to $6 lower than the previous week's weighted average.

The feeder cattle complex dropped $9.25 (its daily trading limit) right from the day's get-go as traders fully believed that the only direction that the market could go on Monday was lower. It's unlikely that the market finds any significant support ahead of the day's close.

But adversely, the lean hog complex was trading higher into Monday's closing bell, as the market sees the chaos in the cattle sector as potentially room for increased demand in the hog sector. Pork cutout values are up slightly this morning too, but more than anything, traders seem to be finding some technical footing in the market.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/11/24135900/web-closing-markets-2.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

U.S. ethanol exports climbed sharply in August, driven by record sales to Canada and the European Union, federal trade data show. Shipments reached 188.8 million gallons, a 15% increase from July and 24% higher than a year earlier. Canada remained the top buyer at 74.4 million gallons, while another 47.6 million gallons moved through the Netherlands for use across the EU. RFD-TV reports that together, those markets accounted for nearly two-thirds of all U.S. ethanol exports. The U.S. imported no foreign ethanol during the month. 

Other key markets shifted as well. Colombia boosted purchases by 43% to 14.1 million gallons, India rebounded after several slow months, and Mexico increased buying as the United Kingdom, Peru and the Philippines pulled back. Year-to-date exports reached 1.42 billion gallons, 16% ahead of 2024. Exports of distillers dried grains, or DDGs, with solubles also strengthened, rising 10% to 1.17 million metric tons, though cumulative shipments remain slightly below last year. 

Record ethanol exports are expanding on strong demand

The Senate unanimously passed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, clearing a major hurdle toward restoring whole and 2% milk options in school meal programs. The bill now heads to the House, where similar legislation passed overwhelmingly in 2023, before it can be sent to the president’s desk. The measure would allow schools to serve whole and reduced-fat milk alongside the current offerings of low-fat, fat-free and flavored varieties. 

Supporters say the change reflects updated nutrition research showing milk of all fat levels has neutral or positive health effects. Whole and 2% milk remain the most commonly consumed varieties at home. “Restoring schools’ option to offer whole and reduced-fat milk will mean more schoolkids get the essential nutrients they need,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. The bipartisan bill is sponsored by Sens. Roger Marshall, Peter Welch, Dave McCormick and John Fetterman.

Senate passes whole milk for healthy kids act

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A new page on a federal government website that provides inaccurate information about vaccines and autism is concerning to Kansans who work in autism research.

A majority of studies and researchers say there is no connection between autism and vaccinations, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/about/autism.html" target="_blank">updated a page</a>&nbsp;to share contradictory information.

“The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism,” the site says.

The page was updated last week, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/us/politics/rfk-jr-cdc-vaccines-autism-website.html" target="_blank">in an interview with the New York Times</a>, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services, said he instructed the CDC to change the information.

“The information posted on the CDC website unfortunately contains multiple inaccurate or misleading statements,” said Matt Mosconi, director of the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training. “The CDC message ignores many studies that have been conducted on this topic. And, my expectation is that this statement is confusing for individuals and families, and it has strong potential to be harmful.”

The Coalition of Autism Scientists, which Mosconi and other researchers at K-CART belong to, published a statement saying the harm caused by questioning the safety of childhood vaccines cannot be overstated.

“By altering and distorting the evidence on vaccine safety, the CDC can no longer be relied on to provide the public with accurate information,” the statement said.

Mosconi said if there had been evidence that vaccines caused autism, scientists would have followed that evidence.

“Rigorous study after rigorous study failed to find that link, so we, as scientists, follow the data to identify those factors that are associated with autism and do have potential to be informative for supporting the autism community,” he said.

Kathryn Unruh, an assistant researcher at K-CART, said the new information presented on the CDC site is concerning for several reasons, including whether people will hesitate to vaccinate their children.

Kansas has seen&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/04/02/vaccination-rates-down-in-most-kansas-counties-where-measles-cases-occurring/">vaccination rates</a>&nbsp;for kindergarteners drop in many areas across the state. The state also had a measles outbreak, which has since ended.

“As an autism researcher, we are also quite concerned with how this may misdirect attention as well as the critical funding we may need for studies that will support autistic individuals and their families,” Unruh said.

Two “very large” and rigorous studies have shown no association between autism and vaccinations, she said. The studies were well-controlled and had large samples. The initial and since discredited study that started the misinformation about vaccines and autism included just 12 children, Unruh said.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1124634/" target="_blank">2002 Danish study</a>&nbsp;included more than 500,000 children and looked at the risks of developing autism in children who were vaccinated and unvaccinated. The study controlled for multiple variables, including the age at which children received vaccines, their gestational age, birth weight and their economic status, Unruh said.

No connection was found between autism and vaccinations in that study.

<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2215632120" target="_blank">Another large study</a>&nbsp;in the United States also looked at familial factors because of the high likelihood of developing autism if the individual has a sibling with autism, Unruh said.

“Even if kids already had one likelihood factor for developing autism, they also found no increased association with developing autism and vaccines in those children,” she said.

The information being put out by the CDC on its official website worries Unruh.

“As a scientist, I’m quite concerned that they have ignored decades of rigorous research, including multiple studies that use CDC data,” she said. “On their own website,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.restoredcdc.org/www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/about/autism.html" target="_blank">an archived page now</a>, they do have a long list of studies that they have documented that show no association between vaccines and risk for developing autism.”

Scientific studies have shown a genetic component to autism and other studies have looked at environmental interactions that might increase the risk for autism, Unruh said.

<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25898051/" target="_blank">A 2015 study</a>&nbsp;published in JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association, researched possible connections between children who have a genetic likelihood of developing autism — identified because siblings had autism — and vaccinations causing them to develop autism, she said.

That study found no connections between the two, Unruh said.

Kansas autism researchers concerned about misinformation on federal website

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia,&nbsp;identified the guard members at a news conference as Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24. Both remained hospitalized in critical condition.

🎥DOJ releases names of National Guard soldiers shot near White House

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Police are investigating a shooting that left two dead in Topeka.&nbsp;

Just before 8:30p.m. Sunday, police responded to report of a shooting at McDonalds restaurant in the 1200 block of SW Gage Boulevard in Topeka, according to Topeka Police&nbsp; LT Jayme Green.

At the scene, first responders located two victims who were&nbsp;deceased. EMS transported a third victim to a hospital with life-threatening injuries

On Wednesday, Topeka Police reported they are now investigating this incident as a murder-suicide. At the scene, officers located a deceased 76-year-old man who suffered an apparent gunshot wound. A 22-year-old man with life-threatening gunshot injuries was also found at the scene and was transported to a local hospital for emergency treatment.

 Officers additionally discovered a man who died from what appears to have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police released no additional details Wednesday afternoon.

Police update details on deadly shooting near Kan. fast-food restaurant

WASHINGTON&nbsp;– Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran Tuesday released a new statement regarding the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end the unjust war in Ukraine:

He spoke last month on the Senate Floor, reaffirming support for Ukraine.

“As negotiations move forward, the administration must make certain Ukraine is equipped with the tools needed to defend its people and territory against ongoing aggression and demand meaningful, enduring security guarantees for Kyiv. Lasting peace will be achieved when the costs of continuing the war in Ukraine are unsustainable for Russia, not by acceding to Vladimir Putin’s demands. Any other result makes the world a more dangerous place.”

Sen. Moran has consistently emphasized the importance of U.S. support for Ukraine in their fight against Russian aggression.&nbsp;

Kan. U.S. Senator on Ukraine, Russia peace negotiations

🎥President Trump's remarks on the attack on National Guard soldiers

By:<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/author/ccoyne/">Caity Coyne</a> <a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/">West Virginia Watch</a>

Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot while on deployment in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, according to a statement from Gov. Patrick Morrisey.

In a news briefing around 4:45 p.m., FBI director Kash Patel said the two victims were “in critical condition.”

That announcement came after previous conflicting reports from Morrisey regarding their status.

Morrisey initially&nbsp;posted on social media&nbsp;at 3:33 p.m. that one of the victims was dead and another sent to the hospital following the shooting. He then announced at 3:42 p.m. that both members of the West Virginia National Guard were dead.

In a third post at 4:04 p.m., however, Morrisey said he was receiving “conflicting reports” about the condition of the West Virginia National Guard members.

“… [The state] will provide additional updates once we receive more complete information,” Morrisey continued.

The shooting<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/11/26/repub/breaking-two-national-guard-members-shot-in-washington-d-c-officials-confirm/">&nbsp;took place blocks&nbsp;</a>from the White House around 2:15 p.m. According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DCPoliceDept/status/1993767333979168981?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" target="_blank">Washington Metropolitan Police Department</a>, the scene was secure and one suspect was in custody at 2:58 p.m.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a news briefing that the incident was “a targeted shooting” perpetrated by one person.

“What we know … is that this is a targeted shooting — one individual who appeared to target these Guardsmen,” Bowser said. “That individual has been taken into custody.”

President Donald Trump was in Florida on Wednesday but was briefed on the shooting, White House officials said. In social media posts, Trump said the perpetrator was an “animal” and was “also severely wounded” in the incident. Regardless, he continued, the shooter will “pay a very steep price.”

“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement,” Trump said. “These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”

The shooting comes less than a week after a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/20/national-guard-washington-dc-00663137" target="_blank">federal judge ruled</a>&nbsp;that the deployment of National Guard troops from several states to Washington, D.C. at the request of Trump was illegal. The Trump administration was given until Dec. 11 to pull troops out or file an appeal to the ruling.&nbsp;

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