Missouri Gov. Mike
Kehoe has appointed a Chillicothe man as an associate circuit judge.

Kehoe appointed
Livingston County Prosecuting Attorney, Adam Warren, as Associate Circuit Judge
for Sullivan County in the 9th Judicial Circuit.

Warren has been
the Livingston County Prosecutor since 2011. He earned his law degree from the
University of Missouri School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Science in
hospitality and restaurant administration from Missouri State University.

Warren ran a
private practice, Warren Law Office. He served in the Missouri Army National
Guard from 2004 to 2011 before being honorably discharged.

Warren fills the
vacancy left by the death of Judge Tracey Mason-White.

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

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostMissouri Gov. Mike
Kehoe has appointed a Chillicothe man as an associate circuit judge.Kehoe appointed
Livingston County Prosecuting Attorney, Adam Warren, as Associate Circuit Judge
for Sullivan County in the 9th Judicial Circuit.Warren has been
the Livingston County Prosecutor since 2011. He earned his law degree from the
University of Missouri School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Science in
hospitality and restaurant administration from Missouri State University.Warren ran a
private practice, Warren Law Office. He served in the Missouri Army National
Guard from 2004 to 2011 before being honorably discharged.Warren fills the
vacancy left by the death of Judge Tracey Mason-White.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Gov. Kehoe appoints Warren as Associate Circuit Judge

(Radio Iowa) - At one minute past midnight Tuesday morning, President Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on all goods being brought into the U-S from Canada and Mexico, Iowa's two largest trading partners. 

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley predicts it will likely mean Iowa consumers will soon start having to pay more for a wide range of products. Grassley expects both nations to impose their own tariffs on products from the U-S. Iowa businesses ship more products to Canada than anywhere else, while Mexico is Iowa’s second-largest trading partner. Grassley says he's already hearing from Iowa hog farmers about the tariffs, especially those who get baby pigs from Canada.

 Iowa sends all types of products to our neighbors to the north and south, including: pork, beef, corn, dried distillers grains, soybeans, soybean meal, and ethanol.

(Radio Iowa) - At one minute past midnight Tuesday morning, President Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on all goods being brought into the U-S from Canada and Mexico, Iowa's two largest trading partners. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley predicts it will likely mean Iowa consumers will soon start having to pay more for a wide range of products. Grassley expects both nations to impose their own tariffs on products from the U-S. Iowa businesses ship more products to Canada than anywhere else, while Mexico is Iowa’s second-largest trading partner. Grassley says he's already hearing from Iowa hog farmers about the tariffs, especially those who get baby pigs from Canada. Iowa sends all types of products to our neighbors to the north and south, including: pork, beef, corn, dried distillers grains, soybeans, soybean meal, and ethanol.

Grassley: Tariffs on Iowa's biggest trading allies may impact profits

U.S. pork exports to Central America were record-large last year, breaking previous highs in both volume and value. Lucia Ruano represents the U.S. Meat Export Federation in Central America. Ruano says consumer education programs, made possible through support from USDA and the National Pork Board, have helped position U.S. pork as a high-quality, center-of-the-plate protein. The record performance was achieved despite some obstacles in Panama, which has imposed a cap on pork imports that is inconsistent with its obligations under the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement. 

This has frustrated importers in Panama and led to some product shortages, including pork ribs sought by the country’s restaurants. U.S. pork has full, duty-free access to all other Central American countries under a separate Free Trade Agreement. In 2024, pork exports to Central America increased 21 percent, reaching 166,000 metric tons. Export value climbed 29 percent to $523 million.

U.S. pork exports to Central America were record-large last year, breaking previous highs in both volume and value. Lucia Ruano represents the U.S. Meat Export Federation in Central America. Ruano says consumer education programs, made possible through support from USDA and the National Pork Board, have helped position U.S. pork as a high-quality, center-of-the-plate protein. The record performance was achieved despite some obstacles in Panama, which has imposed a cap on pork imports that is inconsistent with its obligations under the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement. This has frustrated importers in Panama and led to some product shortages, including pork ribs sought by the country’s restaurants. U.S. pork has full, duty-free access to all other Central American countries under a separate Free Trade Agreement. In 2024, pork exports to Central America increased 21 percent, reaching 166,000 metric tons. Export value climbed 29 percent to $523 million.

U.S. pork exports to Central America reach record levels

Yet another major winter storm is set to hit the area tonight (Tues) into tomorrow morning (Wed.). 

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning between 9pm tonight until 5am tomorrow morning.  

Senior Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill Chris Bowman says the most dangerous part of this storm will be the heavy winds. 

"We might see some dangerous wind gusts of 60 to 70 miles per hour with this really powerful storm system," Bowman tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  "The secondary thing is the snow fall, and up there it looks like you could get several inches of snow." 

Bowman says with those high winds and blowing snow will come reduced visibility 

"Near whiteout conditions with falling and blowing snow, so people on interstates that's going to be problematic for people driving and not being able to see very far," Bowman explains.  "One of the criteria for a blizzard is visibility less than a quarter mile, and that's in the realm of possibility with this system." 

Bowman advises that if anyone is traveling and gets stuck in this storm, slow down and increase your driving distance to avoid any accidents.  

Bowman says blizzard warnings like this are not super frequent 

"Every four to six years you might get a storm that strong," Bowman says.  "For this particular system, I've been in the Kansas City office since 2009, and I can't remember a system as strong as this one producing the magnitude of winds for as long as we have forecast." 

The National Weather Service is projecting around one to three inches of snow to fall during this storm. 

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Yet another major winter storm is set to hit the area tonight (Tues) into tomorrow morning (Wed.). The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning between 9pm tonight until 5am tomorrow morning. Senior Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill Chris Bowman says the most dangerous part of this storm will be the heavy winds. "We might see some dangerous wind gusts of 60 to 70 miles per hour with this really powerful storm system," Bowman tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "The secondary thing is the snow fall, and up there it looks like you could get several inches of snow." Bowman says with those high winds and blowing snow will come reduced visibility "Near whiteout conditions with falling and blowing snow, so people on interstates that's going to be problematic for people driving and not being able to see very far," Bowman explains. "One of the criteria for a blizzard is visibility less than a quarter mile, and that's in the realm of possibility with this system." Bowman advises that if anyone is traveling and gets stuck in this storm, slow down and increase your driving distance to avoid any accidents. Bowman says blizzard warnings like this are not super frequent "Every four to six years you might get a storm that strong," Bowman says. "For this particular system, I've been in the Kansas City office since 2009, and I can't remember a system as strong as this one producing the magnitude of winds for as long as we have forecast." The National Weather Service is projecting around one to three inches of snow to fall during this storm.

National Weather Service issues blizzard warning

Gov. Mike Kehoe
has appointed two more members of the Missouri Western State University Board of
Governors.

Kehoe has
appointed Scott Albers of Country Club to the board.

Albers is the
president of Public Refrigerated Warehousing at Nor-Am Cold Storage and has
served in leadership roles at the company since 2009. Albers serves on the
board of the Global Cold Chain Alliance and previously held roles with the
Greater St. Joseph United Way and the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce.

Albers earned a
Bachelor of Arts in Finance from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master
of Business Administration from the UCLA Anderson School of Business.

Kehoe also
appointed Todd Michalski of St. Joseph to the Missouri Western Board of
Governors.

Michalski is the
senior vice president of sales and marketing at Gray Manufacturing Company. He
serves as a board member for the Missouri Western State University Foundation
and the Automotive Lift Institute.

Michalski is an
alumnus of Missouri Western. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business
Administration and minor in Marketing and Management from MWSU. 

Kehoe earlier
appointed Bill Severn to the MWSU Board of Governors.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostGov. Mike Kehoe
has appointed two more members of the Missouri Western State University Board of
Governors.Kehoe has
appointed Scott Albers of Country Club to the board.Albers is the
president of Public Refrigerated Warehousing at Nor-Am Cold Storage and has
served in leadership roles at the company since 2009. Albers serves on the
board of the Global Cold Chain Alliance and previously held roles with the
Greater St. Joseph United Way and the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce.Albers earned a
Bachelor of Arts in Finance from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master
of Business Administration from the UCLA Anderson School of Business.Kehoe also
appointed Todd Michalski of St. Joseph to the Missouri Western Board of
Governors.Michalski is the
senior vice president of sales and marketing at Gray Manufacturing Company. He
serves as a board member for the Missouri Western State University Foundation
and the Automotive Lift Institute.Michalski is an
alumnus of Missouri Western. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business
Administration and minor in Marketing and Management from MWSU. Kehoe earlier
appointed Bill Severn to the MWSU Board of Governors.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Gov. Kehoe appoints 2 more to MWSU Board of Governors

‘I hope people really feel how meaningful this is,’ said Dr. Iman Alsaden, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood Great Plains who on Monday performed the first abortions in years at the Columbia clinic

COLUMBIA — The doors of the only Planned Parenthood clinic in mid-Missouri opened up on Monday morning just like they have since 1970.&nbsp;

But for the first time since 2018, pregnant women from central Missouri received an abortion at their local clinic instead of traveling across state lines.

By 10 a.m., the first two patients had received ultrasounds to confirm gestational age and were provided with educational materials in preparation for their abortions.&nbsp;By day’s end, a total of four women received dilation and curettage procedures in which the embryo or fetus (depending on the gestational age) is removed from the uterus using suction.

“I hope people really feel how meaningful this is,” said Dr. Iman Alsaden, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which runs the Columbia clinic.

Missouri’s first elective abortion since voters in November enshrined reproductive rights into the state constitution was performed last month in Kansas City. But Monday’s procedures mark a turning point as the first time abortion has been available outside the major metro areas of the state since well before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal abortion protections.

Even a year ago, as they were helping gather signatures and advocate for the abortion-rights amendment, Alsadan said the idea of restoring access in in Columbia was “completely unbelievable.”&nbsp;

Alsadan is one of five physicians at Planned Parenthood Great Plains who perform abortions across their Kansas and Missouri clinics. On Monday, they drove in from Kansas City to help re-start the procedure and re-train staff in Columbia who for the past several years have only been providing family planning services, STI testing and treatment and cancer screenings.

So did Macy Thompson, a registered nurse based in the Overland Park, Kansas, clinic who made the trek to assist Columbia staff Monday. Her job was to help prepare patients before the procedure and then provide them with the information they needed once it was completed.&nbsp;

Her bright pink hair matched her scrubs as she sat at a desk inside the two-person recovery room Monday morning. She had recently told the first patients about what medication was available to them ahead of the procedure. Then Thompson informed them of common symptoms post-procedure, like cramping and some bleeding.

Beside her were “goody bags” for the patients: pads, underwear, a heat pack and “a big handful of condoms, just in case.” In the corner a speaker played music. She usually takes requests from patients.&nbsp;

“It’s not the fanciest,” Thompson said. “But we try to do a lot for comfort.”

Thompson considers herself more than a nurse. She also described her role as “a receiver of narratives.”&nbsp;

Many of the patients are having a bad day, she said. But not every story is sad, and she often reminds patients that they don’t have to justify their decision.

Her last parting gift to patients before they head home?

“I’m a big hugger,” Thompson said. “That’s the final step of the abortion process. Or a high-five.”

By late afternoon, the inside of the clinic was quiet. In the waiting room, at least 100 colorfully wrapped condoms sat in a plastic tub. Pamphlets on puberty, sex education, birth control, HIV and syphilis lined a wall.&nbsp;

Health center manager Krissy Lincoln sat at the front desk. Purple earrings with the words “Pro Choice AF” dangled above her shoulders.&nbsp;

“It’s a normal doctor’s office clinic,” she said. “It’s nothing that is unusual. It’s just a scary word — abortion — that people don’t like.”

The only obvious difference was a computer screen with a live video stream of the entrance to the clinic, including a view of some of the protesters gathered outside.&nbsp;

Protesters, or sidewalk counselors, aren’t uncommon outside the Columbia clinic. On Monday, about 20 people gathered outside the clinic’s tall fence in rotations. Many have been coming to pray outside the clinic for years.&nbsp;

“You have another choice,” one said through the fence to a patient walking into the clinic beside a volunteer Planned Parenthood clinic escort who shielded them from view with an umbrella.&nbsp;

Some cars honked in support. Others blared angry blasts as passengers shouted out windows at the small crowd.

“Get a life,” a passerby yelled as Connie Gerling, a longtime volunteer with 40 Days for Life, bowed her head and prayed.

She repeated one verse to herself on several occasions Monday: “Everything is possible with God.”&nbsp;

“Who decides when a baby is a baby?” she asked. “God made that decision.”&nbsp;

Bonnie Lee, a retired registered nurse who has been taking up residence outside the Columbia clinic since 2009, felt the heaviness of the day as she stood beside a rotation of about 20 other anti-abortion volunteers who rotated in and out Monday, watching as staff members walked in and out of the building.

“I pray for them because they cannot comprehend what they’re bringing down on themselves,” she said. “Whether it’s in this life or afterwards.”&nbsp;

Lee remains confident that abortion won’t remain legal for long.&nbsp;

“I believe a referendum on truth is out there,” she said, emphasizing her belief that a judge’s recent ruling dissolved all oversight of Planned Parenthood clinics.&nbsp;

Last month, Jackson County judge Jerri Zhang&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/14/missouri-judge-blocks-discriminatory-abortion-clinics-rules-blamed-for-lack-of-access/">struck down the final few regulations for Missouri abortion providers</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/14/missouri-judge-blocks-discriminatory-abortion-clinics-rules-blamed-for-lack-of-access/">calling them “unnecessary” and “discriminatory.”</a>&nbsp;This order opened the door for abortions to resume at every clinic in Missouri, though&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/28/planned-parenthood-abortion-appointments-columbia-kansas-city/">only the clinics in Kansas City and Columbia have re-started the procedure.&nbsp;</a>

The state previously imposed licensing laws on Planned Parenthood clinics that the organization cited as so burdensome that they weren’t able to continue offering the procedure at most of their Missouri clinics even before abortion was outlawed in 2022.&nbsp;

This included a mandatory 72-hour waiting period between seeing a provider and having the same provider perform the abortion and a requirement that physicians performing the procedure have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.&nbsp;

Abortion opponents, including Lee, often cite a 2018 state health inspection report at the Columbia clinic that found tubing used in procedural abortions contained “black mold and bodily fluid.” Planned Parenthood officials have disputed the characterization of the inspection and later said the equipment had been replaced and the issue resolved.

When Vicki Casey started at Planned Parenthood’s Columbia clinic in 2005, she said state inspections weren’t nearly as “politicized” or “weaponized.”&nbsp;

Now director of centralized operations for Planned Parenthood Great Plains, Casey said the two-decade difference is stark. A few years into the job, she noticed more protesters gathering outside, sometimes numbering in the hundreds. Inspection reports were “a little more over the top.” Each year, the job got harder as abortion regulations approved by the anti-abortion legislature piled on.&nbsp;

Patients took the brunt of the burden, Casey said.&nbsp;

Suddenly patients had to scramble to take off work twice, get child care twice, find funds to travel to the clinic twice. In 2018 the clinic ended abortions because it could no longer meet a state requirement that doctors performing abortions have admitting privileges at a hospital no more than 15 minutes from the clinic and the clinic’s license expired.&nbsp;

Casey called the decision “devastating.”&nbsp;

Their goal is to get patients in and out in two hours. Prior to 2018, Casey said it took between four and six hours to get a patient through for an abortion procedure, pointing to the consent laws that slowed the process.&nbsp;

She’s stuck it out for two decades despite the near-constant changes.&nbsp;

“You have to believe in what you do,” Casey said. “I believe that abortion is health care and that there’s no difference between that and the other things that we do here.”&nbsp;

When Emily Wales, now CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, started at the organization nearly eight years ago, she recalled a patient who lived about 30 minutes outside Columbia calling to push her appointment to later in the day after her child care plans fell through. The clinic adjusted her appointment time, and the woman came in later that day for her abortion before making it home in time to pick her kids up again.&nbsp;

“It’s the best example of why care has to be close,” Wales said, adding that for the first time in years, mid-Missourians are among the growing number of people who have reasonable access to an abortion clinic.

Zhang’s ruling, Wales said, put Planned Parenthood clinics on the same playing field as private OBGYN offices rather than holding them to similar standards as hospitals.&nbsp;

She said while the clinic itself is no longer licensed by the state, the physicians and nurses inside the building are, and they are instructed by oversight boards. She said the clinic also has to abide by requirements in order to keep its lab license, as well as municipal building codes.&nbsp;

“We’re just like going to your normal doctor’s office without an additional level of state oversight,” she said, adding that their equipment is inspected on a regular basis through an infection control process.&nbsp;

It’s a bit hard to believe abortion has returned to the clinic, Wales said, though the fight is far from over.&nbsp;

Planned Parenthood is still waiting on the state to approve or reject a complication plan for medication abortions, the most common type of abortion and the method preferred by most patients still in their first trimester.

She’s also closely watching the state’s elected officials.&nbsp;

This legislative session, dozens of bills have been filed seeking to restrict abortion rights. This includes multiple proposed constitutional amendments seeking to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/05/missouri-abortion-ban-constitutional-amendment-stinnett-rape-incest-exception/">put an abortion ban on the ballot as soon as this year.&nbsp;&nbsp;</a>

Wales oversees the Planned Parenthood affiliate where in 2009 Dr. George Tiller, an abortion doctor in Kansas, was shot and killed while attending church. She worries about the anti-abortion rhetoric she hears on a regular basis.

“When you have the state’s attorney general saying that Planned Parenthood should be eradicated or eliminated,” Wales said. “That kind of language does incite others potentially to violence.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741103208726.png" alt="Dr. Iman Alsaden, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood Great Plains, stands outside a procedure room on Monday after performing the first elective abortion in Columbia since 2018 (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Dr. Iman Alsaden, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood Great Plains, stands outside a procedure room on Monday after performing the first elective abortion in Columbia since 2018 (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘I hope people really feel how meaningful this is,’ said Dr. Iman Alsaden, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood Great Plains who on Monday performed the first abortions in years at the Columbia clinic</h2>COLUMBIA — The doors of the only Planned Parenthood clinic in mid-Missouri opened up on Monday morning just like they have since 1970.&nbsp;But for the first time since 2018, pregnant women from central Missouri received an abortion at their local clinic instead of traveling across state lines.By 10 a.m., the first two patients had received ultrasounds to confirm gestational age and were provided with educational materials in preparation for their abortions.&nbsp;By day’s end, a total of four women received dilation and curettage procedures in which the embryo or fetus (depending on the gestational age) is removed from the uterus using suction.“I hope people really feel how meaningful this is,” said Dr. Iman Alsaden, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which runs the Columbia clinic.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741103177243.png" alt=" An abortion procedure room pictured on Monday at Planned Parenthood in Columbia, Missouri (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> An abortion procedure room pictured on Monday at Planned Parenthood in Columbia, Missouri (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>Missouri’s first elective abortion since voters in November enshrined reproductive rights into the state constitution was performed last month in Kansas City. But Monday’s procedures mark a turning point as the first time abortion has been available outside the major metro areas of the state since well before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal abortion protections.Even a year ago, as they were helping gather signatures and advocate for the abortion-rights amendment, Alsadan said the idea of restoring access in in Columbia was “completely unbelievable.”&nbsp;Alsadan is one of five physicians at Planned Parenthood Great Plains who perform abortions across their Kansas and Missouri clinics. On Monday, they drove in from Kansas City to help re-start the procedure and re-train staff in Columbia who for the past several years have only been providing family planning services, STI testing and treatment and cancer screenings.So did Macy Thompson, a registered nurse based in the Overland Park, Kansas, clinic who made the trek to assist Columbia staff Monday. Her job was to help prepare patients before the procedure and then provide them with the information they needed once it was completed.&nbsp;Her bright pink hair matched her scrubs as she sat at a desk inside the two-person recovery room Monday morning. She had recently told the first patients about what medication was available to them ahead of the procedure. Then Thompson informed them of common symptoms post-procedure, like cramping and some bleeding.Beside her were “goody bags” for the patients: pads, underwear, a heat pack and “a big handful of condoms, just in case.” In the corner a speaker played music. She usually takes requests from patients.&nbsp;“It’s not the fanciest,” Thompson said. “But we try to do a lot for comfort.”Thompson considers herself more than a nurse. She also described her role as “a receiver of narratives.”&nbsp;Many of the patients are having a bad day, she said. But not every story is sad, and she often reminds patients that they don’t have to justify their decision.Her last parting gift to patients before they head home?“I’m a big hugger,” Thompson said. “That’s the final step of the abortion process. Or a high-five.”By late afternoon, the inside of the clinic was quiet. In the waiting room, at least 100 colorfully wrapped condoms sat in a plastic tub. Pamphlets on puberty, sex education, birth control, HIV and syphilis lined a wall.&nbsp;Health center manager Krissy Lincoln sat at the front desk. Purple earrings with the words “Pro Choice AF” dangled above her shoulders.&nbsp;“It’s a normal doctor’s office clinic,” she said. “It’s nothing that is unusual. It’s just a scary word — abortion — that people don’t like.”The only obvious difference was a computer screen with a live video stream of the entrance to the clinic, including a view of some of the protesters gathered outside.&nbsp;Protesters, or sidewalk counselors, aren’t uncommon outside the Columbia clinic. On Monday, about 20 people gathered outside the clinic’s tall fence in rotations. Many have been coming to pray outside the clinic for years.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741103135177.png" alt="Connie Gerling, with 40 Days for Life, prays as she stands outside the Columbia Planned Parenthood clinic on Monday. A sign beside her reads: “We Care. We can Help” (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Connie Gerling, with 40 Days for Life, prays as she stands outside the Columbia Planned Parenthood clinic on Monday. A sign beside her reads: “We Care. We can Help” (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>“You have another choice,” one said through the fence to a patient walking into the clinic beside a volunteer Planned Parenthood clinic escort who shielded them from view with an umbrella.&nbsp;Some cars honked in support. Others blared angry blasts as passengers shouted out windows at the small crowd.“Get a life,” a passerby yelled as Connie Gerling, a longtime volunteer with 40 Days for Life, bowed her head and prayed.She repeated one verse to herself on several occasions Monday: “Everything is possible with God.”&nbsp;“Who decides when a baby is a baby?” she asked. “God made that decision.”&nbsp;Bonnie Lee, a retired registered nurse who has been taking up residence outside the Columbia clinic since 2009, felt the heaviness of the day as she stood beside a rotation of about 20 other anti-abortion volunteers who rotated in and out Monday, watching as staff members walked in and out of the building.“I pray for them because they cannot comprehend what they’re bringing down on themselves,” she said. “Whether it’s in this life or afterwards.”&nbsp;Lee remains confident that abortion won’t remain legal for long.&nbsp;“I believe a referendum on truth is out there,” she said, emphasizing her belief that a judge’s recent ruling dissolved all oversight of Planned Parenthood clinics.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741103083728.png" alt=" Longtime anti-abortion activist Bonnie Lee stands outside the Columbia Planned Parenthood clinic on Monday. “At the same time that I get so frustrated, I have to remember the judgement they’re calling down on themselves,” she said of those involved with abortions inside the clinic (Anna Spoerre/Missouri" />
 <figcaption> Longtime anti-abortion activist Bonnie Lee stands outside the Columbia Planned Parenthood clinic on Monday. “At the same time that I get so frustrated, I have to remember the judgement they’re calling down on themselves,” she said of those involved with abortions inside the clinic (Anna Spoerre/Missouri</figcaption>
 </figure>Last month, Jackson County judge Jerri Zhang&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/14/missouri-judge-blocks-discriminatory-abortion-clinics-rules-blamed-for-lack-of-access/">struck down the final few regulations for Missouri abortion providers</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/14/missouri-judge-blocks-discriminatory-abortion-clinics-rules-blamed-for-lack-of-access/">calling them “unnecessary” and “discriminatory.”</a>&nbsp;This order opened the door for abortions to resume at every clinic in Missouri, though&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/28/planned-parenthood-abortion-appointments-columbia-kansas-city/">only the clinics in Kansas City and Columbia have re-started the procedure.&nbsp;</a>The state previously imposed licensing laws on Planned Parenthood clinics that the organization cited as so burdensome that they weren’t able to continue offering the procedure at most of their Missouri clinics even before abortion was outlawed in 2022.&nbsp;This included a mandatory 72-hour waiting period between seeing a provider and having the same provider perform the abortion and a requirement that physicians performing the procedure have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.&nbsp;Abortion opponents, including Lee, often cite a 2018 state health inspection report at the Columbia clinic that found tubing used in procedural abortions contained “black mold and bodily fluid.” Planned Parenthood officials have disputed the characterization of the inspection and later said the equipment had been replaced and the issue resolved.When Vicki Casey started at Planned Parenthood’s Columbia clinic in 2005, she said state inspections weren’t nearly as “politicized” or “weaponized.”&nbsp;Now director of centralized operations for Planned Parenthood Great Plains, Casey said the two-decade difference is stark. A few years into the job, she noticed more protesters gathering outside, sometimes numbering in the hundreds. Inspection reports were “a little more over the top.” Each year, the job got harder as abortion regulations approved by the anti-abortion legislature piled on.&nbsp;Patients took the brunt of the burden, Casey said.&nbsp;Suddenly patients had to scramble to take off work twice, get child care twice, find funds to travel to the clinic twice. In 2018 the clinic ended abortions because it could no longer meet a state requirement that doctors performing abortions have admitting privileges at a hospital no more than 15 minutes from the clinic and the clinic’s license expired.&nbsp;Casey called the decision “devastating.”&nbsp;Monday was anything but for her.&nbsp;Their goal is to get patients in and out in two hours. Prior to 2018, Casey said it took between four and six hours to get a patient through for an abortion procedure, pointing to the consent laws that slowed the process.&nbsp;She’s stuck it out for two decades despite the near-constant changes.&nbsp;“You have to believe in what you do,” Casey said. “I believe that abortion is health care and that there’s no difference between that and the other things that we do here.”&nbsp;When Emily Wales, now CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, started at the organization nearly eight years ago, she recalled a patient who lived about 30 minutes outside Columbia calling to push her appointment to later in the day after her child care plans fell through. The clinic adjusted her appointment time, and the woman came in later that day for her abortion before making it home in time to pick her kids up again.&nbsp;“It’s the best example of why care has to be close,” Wales said, adding that for the first time in years, mid-Missourians are among the growing number of people who have reasonable access to an abortion clinic.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741103037580.png" alt="Emily Wales, CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains (right) takes a shift as a clinic escort with Vicki Casey director of centralized operations, on March 3, 2025, outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Emily Wales, CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains (right) takes a shift as a clinic escort with Vicki Casey director of centralized operations, on March 3, 2025, outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>Zhang’s ruling, Wales said, put Planned Parenthood clinics on the same playing field as private OBGYN offices rather than holding them to similar standards as hospitals.&nbsp;She said while the clinic itself is no longer licensed by the state, the physicians and nurses inside the building are, and they are instructed by oversight boards. She said the clinic also has to abide by requirements in order to keep its lab license, as well as municipal building codes.&nbsp;“We’re just like going to your normal doctor’s office without an additional level of state oversight,” she said, adding that their equipment is inspected on a regular basis through an infection control process.&nbsp;It’s a bit hard to believe abortion has returned to the clinic, Wales said, though the fight is far from over.&nbsp;Planned Parenthood is still waiting on the state to approve or reject a complication plan for medication abortions, the most common type of abortion and the method preferred by most patients still in their first trimester.She’s also closely watching the state’s elected officials.&nbsp;This legislative session, dozens of bills have been filed seeking to restrict abortion rights. This includes multiple proposed constitutional amendments seeking to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/05/missouri-abortion-ban-constitutional-amendment-stinnett-rape-incest-exception/">put an abortion ban on the ballot as soon as this year.&nbsp;&nbsp;</a>Wales oversees the Planned Parenthood affiliate where in 2009 Dr. George Tiller, an abortion doctor in Kansas, was shot and killed while attending church. She worries about the anti-abortion rhetoric she hears on a regular basis.“When you have the state’s attorney general saying that Planned Parenthood should be eradicated or eliminated,” Wales said. “That kind of language does incite others potentially to violence.”

Abortion returns to Columbia, opening access for mid-Missouri for first time since 2018

(Radio Iowa) - Republicans on the Iowa House Health and Human Services Committee have voted to limit what Iowans using government SNAP benefits may buy. 

The bill originally had a permitted list of groceries like "real" eggs, meat and milk as well as bread and pasta and peanut butter and nuts. Republican Representative Carter Nordman of Adel has proposed adjusting the bill, to limit SNAP purchases to "healthy foods." He says obesity related diseases often affect low income individuals at a much higher rate and the move will promote better eating habits in kids who live in households that quality for federal food assistance. 

Democrats on the committee voted against the bill. They argued it's difficult to find affordable healthy food, like fresh fruits and vegetables, in rural Iowa stores and in urban areas as well.

(Radio Iowa) - Republicans on the Iowa House Health and Human Services Committee have voted to limit what Iowans using government SNAP benefits may buy. The bill originally had a permitted list of groceries like "real" eggs, meat and milk as well as bread and pasta and peanut butter and nuts. Republican Representative Carter Nordman of Adel has proposed adjusting the bill, to limit SNAP purchases to "healthy foods." He says obesity related diseases often affect low income individuals at a much higher rate and the move will promote better eating habits in kids who live in households that quality for federal food assistance. Democrats on the committee voted against the bill. They argued it's difficult to find affordable healthy food, like fresh fruits and vegetables, in rural Iowa stores and in urban areas as well.

Bill seeks to limit SNAP purchases to 'healthy foods'

(Radio Iowa) - A bill to make it a crime to administer M-R-N-A vaccines in Iowa -- like the Moderna and Pfizer COVID shots -- has cleared initial review in the Iowa Senate. 

However, the bill's sponsor plans to adjust the legislation and instead give Iowans a route to sue M-R-N-A vaccine manufacturers. Iowa medical groups and the association that represents Iowa pharmacists oppose the bill. 

According to the Iowa Biotechnology Association, there are Iowa companies doing research on M-R-N-A vaccines for both humans and animals -- including development of a bird flu vaccine.

(Radio Iowa) - A bill to make it a crime to administer M-R-N-A vaccines in Iowa -- like the Moderna and Pfizer COVID shots -- has cleared initial review in the Iowa Senate. However, the bill's sponsor plans to adjust the legislation and instead give Iowans a route to sue M-R-N-A vaccine manufacturers. Iowa medical groups and the association that represents Iowa pharmacists oppose the bill. According to the Iowa Biotechnology Association, there are Iowa companies doing research on M-R-N-A vaccines for both humans and animals -- including development of a bird flu vaccine.

Bill would essentially ban COVID-19 shots and other mRNA vaccines in Iowa

St. Joseph, MO –&nbsp;As marketing and media evolve at lightning speed, Eagle
Media&nbsp;is stepping up to help local businesses stay ahead. On March 11, the
company will host a free Lunch &amp; Learn&nbsp;at the Albrecht Kemper Museum
of Art, focusing on AI’s growing influence on search, SEO, and modern marketing
strategies.

“Marketing and media are moving so quickly,”
said Liby Waltemath, General Manager of Eagle Media. “I’m glad we can host
these free events to support our local business community. They’re informative,
and fun. I love hearing the growth strategies people are using.”

The session begins at 11 AM&nbsp;in the museum’s
lower-level theater, where attendees will gain insights from local business
leaders&nbsp;who have successfully adapted their digital marketing strategies.
A catered lunch will follow at 12 PM, providing a great opportunity to network
and discuss innovative approaches in today’s fast-changing marketing landscape.

Seats are limited, so early registration is
encouraged. For more details or to reserve your spot, Click <a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/c2fae922-e85f-48d7-b81b-13dc71325700#//">HERE</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739543724297.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>St. Joseph, MO –&nbsp;As marketing and media evolve at lightning speed, Eagle
Media&nbsp;is stepping up to help local businesses stay ahead. On March 11, the
company will host a free Lunch &amp; Learn&nbsp;at the Albrecht Kemper Museum
of Art, focusing on AI’s growing influence on search, SEO, and modern marketing
strategies.“Marketing and media are moving so quickly,”
said Liby Waltemath, General Manager of Eagle Media. “I’m glad we can host
these free events to support our local business community. They’re informative,
and fun. I love hearing the growth strategies people are using.”The session begins at 11 AM&nbsp;in the museum’s
lower-level theater, where attendees will gain insights from local business
leaders&nbsp;who have successfully adapted their digital marketing strategies.
A catered lunch will follow at 12 PM, providing a great opportunity to network
and discuss innovative approaches in today’s fast-changing marketing landscape.Seats are limited, so early registration is
encouraged. For more details or to reserve your spot, Click <a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/c2fae922-e85f-48d7-b81b-13dc71325700#//">HERE</a>.

Eagle Media Hosts Free Lunch & Learn on AI and Modern Marketing

As they revise the $54 billion spending plan proposed by Gov. Mike Kehoe, lawmakers are striking out money unused in major programs, trimming others as they pack new items into spending bills

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

A Missouri House budget subcommittee slashed more than $300 million from agency budgets Monday, which the chairman said is intended to align spending authority with actual spending.

Another budget subcommittee, also meeting Monday, cut $59.5 million more in general revenue from several agencies, earmarking the money instead for local projects that include&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/28/missouri-governor-slashes-1-billion-from-state-budget-approved-by-lawmakers/">several that were vetoed last year</a>.

The Subcommittee on Appropriations – Agriculture, Conservation, Natural Resources and Economic Development went first and state Rep. Darin Chappell, the chairman, said most of the cuts target lapsed funds — money appropriated but not actually spent — and should have no impact on agency operations.

Other cuts, he said, target earmarked funds that agencies say they do not need and did not request.

“Our job is to go through and find out where the money is being spent, where it’s actually going, and what it’s returning on the investment,” said Chappell, a Republican from Rogersville. “There is no ability for us to exercise legislative oversight if the budget is so muddied that we cannot see where the funds are actually going.”

The subcommittee was the first of five that are recommending changes to the $53.7 billion budget&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">submitted in January</a>&nbsp;by Gov. Mike Kehoe. When they are finished, the full House Budget Committee will decide whether to accept the changes as part of the spending plan sent to the House for debate.

Subcommittees meeting Tuesday will make recommendations for funding education, social services and health programs, among others.

The budget, which must be completed one week before the session ends, is moving faster than many recent years. The House gave first-round approval Monday to a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/27/budget-committee-sends-2-billion-supplemental-spending-bill-to-missouri-house/">$2 billion supplemental spending bill</a>&nbsp;for the current fiscal year, which includes $14 million for Area Agencies on Aging, which could run out of funds for senior meals and transportation by the end of the month.

Both subcommittees meeting Monday made cuts based on lapsed funds. Unlike Chappell’s subcommittee, which did not spend its cuts in other areas, the Subcommittee on Appropriations – Public Safety, Corrections, Transportation and Revenue redirected most of its cuts to earmarks.

During fiscal 2024, which ended June 30, lawmakers appropriated $52.4 billion for day-to-day operations of state government but agencies only spent $41.1 billion, or 78.4% of the total.

The cuts approved in Chappell’s subcommittee include:

The water infrastructure grants and loans are financed with dedicated funds that cannot be spent anywhere else.&nbsp;

“Is DNR ok with this or not?” state Rep. Jim Kalberloh, a Republican from Lowry City asked Chappell.

“Probably not,” Chappell replied. “I’ve talked to them, and I’m sure I’ll be talking to them very shortly here.”

The $15 million cut to the Department of Economic Development was on a list of items, totaling $144 million, that Chappell said the agency did not request or want.&nbsp;

“They’ve been moved around the budget, and I’m going after all of them,” Chappell said.

The $9.6 million grant was included last year for the&nbsp;<a href="https://blogs.umsl.edu/news/2025/01/27/api-innovation-center-funding-from-missouri-department-of-economic-development/" target="_blank">University of Missouri-St. Louis</a>&nbsp;to partner with a not-for-profit to develop processes for making pharmaceutical ingredients that are mainly made overseas. The $5.4 million was directed&nbsp;<a href="https://engineering.missouri.edu/2022/mizzou-engineers-develop-new-method-to-design-semiconductors/" target="_blank">to the university’s Columbia campus</a>&nbsp;to promote computer chip manufacturing in the state.

When departments point out places where they have excess spending authority or unwanted earmarks, the subcommittee’s job is easier, Chappell said.

“If the departments would bring me the squishy stuff, I’m happy to not dig into the heavier stuff if I don’t have to right away,” he said.

The general revenue cuts made in the second subcommittee to meet, chaired by Republican state Rep. Donnie Brown of New Madrid, were generally less than $1 million from any single budget line. The exceptions include $30.7 million for rail grade crossing improvements and $4 million from a transportation cost-share program.

The 32 earmarked items added include $1.15 million for grants to 16 volunteer fire departments, as well as $37.5 million for projects vetoed last year, including $8 million for a police training facility in O’Fallon and $5 million for the New Madrid Port Authority.

The subcommittee also tapped the state Highway Fund to earmark $88 million for improvements to U.S. Highway 412 in the Bootheel and $100 million for rural routes.

Brown’s subcommittee also recommended a major change in the language controlling how $1.4 billion of state tax funds are used for highway improvements. When first set aside in 2023, the money was part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/05/05/missouri-lawmakers-approve-largest-budget-in-state-history-almost-51-billion/">$2.8 billion plan</a>&nbsp;for widening Interstate 70.

The language change, proposed by state Rep. Don Mayhew, a Republican from Crocker, would make the money generally available for any road project.

Very little of the $1.4 billion has actually been spent because current work is being financed with bonds. The original set-aside has grown by $40 million because of accrued interest.

The change means the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission may keep the money in the I-70 project or redirect it, Mayhew said.&nbsp;

“We have a new (federal) highway act that will be coming out in the next couple of years, and we will need significant match money to be able to achieve some of the things, the goals that are going to be directed to us,” Mayhew said.

In an interview after the subcommittee meeting, Chappell said he will continue to push to reduce lines where a substantial amount of money isn’t being spent.

“When I see it year over year over year, they’re clearly not spending it, and that budget should reflect what we’re actually doing,” Chappell said.

During the subcommittee meeting, Chappell said he will listen if departments show why the money should remain in the budget.

“If I see any department that has lapse year over year over year, and I suggest that half of that be pulled away in appropriation authority, it’s not the equivalent of me trying to sacrifice somebody’s child on the courthouse steps,” he said, “but I’m open to discussion when the hearing is over.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741093253664.png" alt=" State Rep. Darin Chappell of Rogersville speaks in March 2024 during Missouri House floor debate (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications)." />
 <figcaption> State Rep. Darin Chappell of Rogersville speaks in March 2024 during Missouri House floor debate (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>As they revise the $54 billion spending plan proposed by Gov. Mike Kehoe, lawmakers are striking out money unused in major programs, trimming others as they pack new items into spending bills</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>A Missouri House budget subcommittee slashed more than $300 million from agency budgets Monday, which the chairman said is intended to align spending authority with actual spending.Another budget subcommittee, also meeting Monday, cut $59.5 million more in general revenue from several agencies, earmarking the money instead for local projects that include&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/28/missouri-governor-slashes-1-billion-from-state-budget-approved-by-lawmakers/">several that were vetoed last year</a>.The Subcommittee on Appropriations – Agriculture, Conservation, Natural Resources and Economic Development went first and state Rep. Darin Chappell, the chairman, said most of the cuts target lapsed funds — money appropriated but not actually spent — and should have no impact on agency operations.Other cuts, he said, target earmarked funds that agencies say they do not need and did not request.“Our job is to go through and find out where the money is being spent, where it’s actually going, and what it’s returning on the investment,” said Chappell, a Republican from Rogersville. “There is no ability for us to exercise legislative oversight if the budget is so muddied that we cannot see where the funds are actually going.”The subcommittee was the first of five that are recommending changes to the $53.7 billion budget&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">submitted in January</a>&nbsp;by Gov. Mike Kehoe. When they are finished, the full House Budget Committee will decide whether to accept the changes as part of the spending plan sent to the House for debate.Subcommittees meeting Tuesday will make recommendations for funding education, social services and health programs, among others.The budget, which must be completed one week before the session ends, is moving faster than many recent years. The House gave first-round approval Monday to a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/27/budget-committee-sends-2-billion-supplemental-spending-bill-to-missouri-house/">$2 billion supplemental spending bill</a>&nbsp;for the current fiscal year, which includes $14 million for Area Agencies on Aging, which could run out of funds for senior meals and transportation by the end of the month.Both subcommittees meeting Monday made cuts based on lapsed funds. Unlike Chappell’s subcommittee, which did not spend its cuts in other areas, the Subcommittee on Appropriations – Public Safety, Corrections, Transportation and Revenue redirected most of its cuts to earmarks.During fiscal 2024, which ended June 30, lawmakers appropriated $52.4 billion for day-to-day operations of state government but agencies only spent $41.1 billion, or 78.4% of the total.The cuts approved in Chappell’s subcommittee include:<ul>
 <li>$280 million from Department of Natural Resources water and energy projects. Most of the cut, $250 million, is from water infrastructure grants and loans, where between $405 million and $695 million has been unspent in each of the past three years.</li><li>$15 million from the Department of Economic Development, with $9.6 million from a program to promote pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing and $5.4 million from a program to promote semiconductor manufacturing. Both items were added as&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/27/state-budget-loaded-with-earmarks-nears-deadline-for-action-by-missouri-gov-mike-parson/">earmarks in last year’s budget</a>.</li><li>$20 million from administration at the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.</li>
 </ul>The water infrastructure grants and loans are financed with dedicated funds that cannot be spent anywhere else.&nbsp;“Is DNR ok with this or not?” state Rep. Jim Kalberloh, a Republican from Lowry City asked Chappell.“Probably not,” Chappell replied. “I’ve talked to them, and I’m sure I’ll be talking to them very shortly here.”The $15 million cut to the Department of Economic Development was on a list of items, totaling $144 million, that Chappell said the agency did not request or want.&nbsp;“They’ve been moved around the budget, and I’m going after all of them,” Chappell said.The $9.6 million grant was included last year for the&nbsp;<a href="https://blogs.umsl.edu/news/2025/01/27/api-innovation-center-funding-from-missouri-department-of-economic-development/" target="_blank">University of Missouri-St. Louis</a>&nbsp;to partner with a not-for-profit to develop processes for making pharmaceutical ingredients that are mainly made overseas. The $5.4 million was directed&nbsp;<a href="https://engineering.missouri.edu/2022/mizzou-engineers-develop-new-method-to-design-semiconductors/" target="_blank">to the university’s Columbia campus</a>&nbsp;to promote computer chip manufacturing in the state.When departments point out places where they have excess spending authority or unwanted earmarks, the subcommittee’s job is easier, Chappell said.“If the departments would bring me the squishy stuff, I’m happy to not dig into the heavier stuff if I don’t have to right away,” he said.The general revenue cuts made in the second subcommittee to meet, chaired by Republican state Rep. Donnie Brown of New Madrid, were generally less than $1 million from any single budget line. The exceptions include $30.7 million for rail grade crossing improvements and $4 million from a transportation cost-share program.The 32 earmarked items added include $1.15 million for grants to 16 volunteer fire departments, as well as $37.5 million for projects vetoed last year, including $8 million for a police training facility in O’Fallon and $5 million for the New Madrid Port Authority.The subcommittee also tapped the state Highway Fund to earmark $88 million for improvements to U.S. Highway 412 in the Bootheel and $100 million for rural routes.Brown’s subcommittee also recommended a major change in the language controlling how $1.4 billion of state tax funds are used for highway improvements. When first set aside in 2023, the money was part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/05/05/missouri-lawmakers-approve-largest-budget-in-state-history-almost-51-billion/">$2.8 billion plan</a>&nbsp;for widening Interstate 70.The language change, proposed by state Rep. Don Mayhew, a Republican from Crocker, would make the money generally available for any road project.Very little of the $1.4 billion has actually been spent because current work is being financed with bonds. The original set-aside has grown by $40 million because of accrued interest.The change means the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission may keep the money in the I-70 project or redirect it, Mayhew said.&nbsp;“We have a new (federal) highway act that will be coming out in the next couple of years, and we will need significant match money to be able to achieve some of the things, the goals that are going to be directed to us,” Mayhew said.In an interview after the subcommittee meeting, Chappell said he will continue to push to reduce lines where a substantial amount of money isn’t being spent.“When I see it year over year over year, they’re clearly not spending it, and that budget should reflect what we’re actually doing,” Chappell said.During the subcommittee meeting, Chappell said he will listen if departments show why the money should remain in the budget.“If I see any department that has lapse year over year over year, and I suggest that half of that be pulled away in appropriation authority, it’s not the equivalent of me trying to sacrifice somebody’s child on the courthouse steps,” he said, “but I’m open to discussion when the hearing is over.”

Missouri House budget writers target unspent funds for cuts, new earmarks

The value of U.S. agricultural exports in fiscal year 2025 is expected to drop to the lowest level in five years. USDA says shipments this year are projected to be valued at $170.5 billion, up from the $170 billion in the November 2024 outlook. That would still be the lowest level since 2020. Corn exports will total $13.8 billion, up from the prior forecast of $12.4 billion. Soybean shipments will reach $21.2 billion, down from the previous forecast of $22.6 billion and well below the value of last year’s shipments. 

The value of U.S. agricultural exports in fiscal year 2025 is expected to drop to the lowest level in five years. USDA says shipments this year are projected to be valued at $170.5 billion, up from the $170 billion in the November 2024 outlook. That would still be the lowest level since 2020. Corn exports will total $13.8 billion, up from the prior forecast of $12.4 billion. Soybean shipments will reach $21.2 billion, down from the previous forecast of $22.6 billion and well below the value of last year’s shipments.

Ag export values to drop in 2025

(Radio Iowa) - The Iowa legislature is considering a bill to override federal nutritional requirements for school breakfast and lunch programs. 

If the bill becomes law, the Iowa Department of Education would seek federal approval to adopt state-specific nutritional guidelines that make servings of meat and dairy products top priorities. The bill says regional food sources - like corn, pork and milk - are not adequately addressed by federal guidelines. Federal guidelines for school meals include sodium and calorie limits and emphasize whole grains, fruits, vegetable and low-fat dairy products.

The bill would have state officials seek a federal waiver and the state would develop its own set of nutritional guidelines for meals served in schools.

(Radio Iowa) - The Iowa legislature is considering a bill to override federal nutritional requirements for school breakfast and lunch programs. If the bill becomes law, the Iowa Department of Education would seek federal approval to adopt state-specific nutritional guidelines that make servings of meat and dairy products top priorities. The bill says regional food sources - like corn, pork and milk - are not adequately addressed by federal guidelines. Federal guidelines for school meals include sodium and calorie limits and emphasize whole grains, fruits, vegetable and low-fat dairy products.The bill would have state officials seek a federal waiver and the state would develop its own set of nutritional guidelines for meals served in schools.

Bill would have Iowa officials set school meals' nutritional standards

(Radio Iowa) - More than 60 counties across western, central and northeast Iowa are under a Winter Storm Watch starting tomorrow (Tuesday) night and lasting into Wednesday afternoon.

 National Weather Service meteorologist Brooke Hagenhoff says rain will start falling tonight and it'll switch to snow as the temperature drops. Hagenhoff says it'll get very windy on Tuesday night, with winds gusting over 50 miles an hour and the potential for blizzard conditions. She says the snow and winds should start to to taper off after midday Wednesday, though roads may be icy or snow-covered. 

Hagenhoff says they only expect perhaps two inches of snow, but she says the real threat is the winds creating poor visibility and blowing and drifting snow.

(Radio Iowa) - More than 60 counties across western, central and northeast Iowa are under a Winter Storm Watch starting tomorrow (Tuesday) night and lasting into Wednesday afternoon. National Weather Service meteorologist Brooke Hagenhoff says rain will start falling tonight and it'll switch to snow as the temperature drops. Hagenhoff says it'll get very windy on Tuesday night, with winds gusting over 50 miles an hour and the potential for blizzard conditions. She says the snow and winds should start to to taper off after midday Wednesday, though roads may be icy or snow-covered. Hagenhoff says they only expect perhaps two inches of snow, but she says the real threat is the winds creating poor visibility and blowing and drifting snow.

Potential blizzard conditions are in approaching winter storm

By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas said President Donald Trump’s administration shouldn’t cancel a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon and transfer work on the Federal Aviation Administration’s traffic control system to presidential adviser Elon Musk’s own company.

Davids, the 3rd District Democrat who serves on the aviation subcommittee of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the potential deal with Musk raised conflict-of-interest issues.

Starlink is part of Musk’s SpaceX satellite and rocket company — a business rival of Verizon. Musk also was hired by Trump to lead an effort to reduce federal government spending, including at the FAA.

“Elon Musk’s reported interference in a competitively awarded FAA contract is deeply concerning and raises serious questions about conflicts of interest,” Davids said. “Aviation safety — not private gain — must be the priority in our air traffic control system.”

Verizon was issued a 15-year contract in 2023 to integrate fiber-optic cables into the network allowing FAA facilities to communicate. The current federal air traffic control system is the responsibility of L3Harris, not Verizon, but Musk has repeatedly blamed Verizon for technology shortcomings.

“The administration must ensure federal contracts are awarded through a fair and transparent process, not at the whim of a billionaire with political ties to those in power,” Davids said.

In the past week, The New York Times, CNN and other news outlets reported Musk was interested in deploying his own company, Starlink, to operate the federal air traffic control system. The Trump administration has allowed Starlink equipment to be tested at at least two airports.

The issue of aviation safety was brought into focus for the Kansas congressional delegation Jan. 29 when American Airlines Flight 5342 originating from Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita collided mid-air with a U.S. Army helicopter while over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.

All 67 people aboard the aircraft, including Kansans, were killed in the first major U.S. commercial passenger flight crash in more than 15 years.

In aftermath of the accident, members of the Kansas congressional delegation shared empathy for victims and their families and vowed to make certain the crash was thoroughly investigated. Five of the six members of the delegation took part in a moment of silence on the U.S. House chamber.

“Together, we commit to finding answers, and to working to ensure another tragedy like this doesn’t happen again,” said U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Republican serving the 4th District centered on Wichita.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741033089425.png" alt=" Kansas Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, left, said the suggestion from billionaire Elon Musk, a budget adviser to President Donald Trump, to cancel Verizon’s $2.4 billion, 15-year contract with FAA and hand that work to his own company Starlink created a conflict of interest. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Kansas Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, left, said the suggestion from billionaire Elon Musk, a budget adviser to President Donald Trump, to cancel Verizon’s $2.4 billion, 15-year contract with FAA and hand that work to his own company Starlink created a conflict of interest. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas said President Donald Trump’s administration shouldn’t cancel a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon and transfer work on the Federal Aviation Administration’s traffic control system to presidential adviser Elon Musk’s own company.Davids, the 3rd District Democrat who serves on the aviation subcommittee of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the potential deal with Musk raised conflict-of-interest issues.Starlink is part of Musk’s SpaceX satellite and rocket company — a business rival of Verizon. Musk also was hired by Trump to lead an effort to reduce federal government spending, including at the FAA.“Elon Musk’s reported interference in a competitively awarded FAA contract is deeply concerning and raises serious questions about conflicts of interest,” Davids said. “Aviation safety — not private gain — must be the priority in our air traffic control system.”Verizon was issued a 15-year contract in 2023 to integrate fiber-optic cables into the network allowing FAA facilities to communicate. The current federal air traffic control system is the responsibility of L3Harris, not Verizon, but Musk has repeatedly blamed Verizon for technology shortcomings.“The administration must ensure federal contracts are awarded through a fair and transparent process, not at the whim of a billionaire with political ties to those in power,” Davids said.In the past week, The New York Times, CNN and other news outlets reported Musk was interested in deploying his own company, Starlink, to operate the federal air traffic control system. The Trump administration has allowed Starlink equipment to be tested at at least two airports.The issue of aviation safety was brought into focus for the Kansas congressional delegation Jan. 29 when American Airlines Flight 5342 originating from Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita collided mid-air with a U.S. Army helicopter while over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.All 67 people aboard the aircraft, including Kansans, were killed in the first major U.S. commercial passenger flight crash in more than 15 years.In aftermath of the accident, members of the Kansas congressional delegation shared empathy for victims and their families and vowed to make certain the crash was thoroughly investigated. Five of the six members of the delegation took part in a moment of silence on the U.S. House chamber.“Together, we commit to finding answers, and to working to ensure another tragedy like this doesn’t happen again,” said U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Republican serving the 4th District centered on Wichita.

Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids objects to Musk’s call for cancellation of $2.4 billion FAA contract

Missouri Gov. Mike
Kehoe has appointed an executive with the News Press and Gazette Company to the
Missouri Western State University Board of Governors.

Bill Severn, who
is from Country Club, serves as the executive vice president for the News Press
and Gazette, where he has worked for nearly 15 years.

Severn holds a
Bachelor of Science in Park Resource Management from Kansas State University.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostMissouri Gov. Mike
Kehoe has appointed an executive with the News Press and Gazette Company to the
Missouri Western State University Board of Governors.Bill Severn, who
is from Country Club, serves as the executive vice president for the News Press
and Gazette, where he has worked for nearly 15 years.Severn holds a
Bachelor of Science in Park Resource Management from Kansas State University.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Gov. Kehoe appoints Severn to MWSU Board of Governors

(Radio Iowa) - Governor Kim Reynolds signed the bill into law that removes the words gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act Friday. It had been approved by the legislature Thursday. 

The governor released a video statement saying the signing of the bill into law safeguards the rights of women and girls. "It is common sense to acknowledge the obvious biological differences between men and women. In fact, it is necessary to secure genuine equal protection for women and girls," Reynolds says. 

Reynolds says commonsense protections were at risk as the Civil Rights Code blurred the biological line between the sexes. The Governor says many have heard misinformation about what this bill does. She says it simply brings Iowa in line with the federal Civil Rights Code, as well as most states. The law goes into effect July 1st.

(Radio Iowa) - Governor Kim Reynolds signed the bill into law that removes the words gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act Friday. It had been approved by the legislature Thursday. The governor released a video statement saying the signing of the bill into law safeguards the rights of women and girls. "It is common sense to acknowledge the obvious biological differences between men and women. In fact, it is necessary to secure genuine equal protection for women and girls," Reynolds says. Reynolds says commonsense protections were at risk as the Civil Rights Code blurred the biological line between the sexes. The Governor says many have heard misinformation about what this bill does. She says it simply brings Iowa in line with the federal Civil Rights Code, as well as most states. The law goes into effect July 1st.

Governor Signs Gender Identity Bill Into Law

It could be crowded at the Buchanan County
Courthouse today.

Today marks the first day Buchanan County
senior citizens can file to have their property tax rates frozen.

The Buchanan County Commission
unanimously voted to participate in the freeze created by state law.

Western District Commissioner, Ron Hook,
says the legislature stumbled the first time it passed the law, but made
corrections in its second attempt.

“The idea’s great, but the design on how
to get to that point and who’s going to qualify and just so on and so forth.,” Hook
explains to host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. &nbsp;“It’s pretty generic now.”

Buchanan County residents who were at
least 62 on January first are eligible for the property tax freeze. Under the
program, senior citizens who own property in Buchanan County can apply to have
their property tax rates kept at the 2024 level as long as they own the
property.

Hook says the commission sought input
before devising the application process.

“Not only the commissioners being
involved in trying to do the matrix on getting this done, but we’ve had the
Auditor, we’ve had the Assessor, we’ve had the Collector, and we’ve had the
Recorder of Deeds all involved,” according to Hook.

Hook says a property owner only has to
apply once, but will likely have to notify the county each year that they
remain at that property.

“It’s going to be kind of like your
personal property where you have to justify that you still own that car and that
car’s still licensed to you, so on and so forth,” Hook says. “That process we’re
still working on and we’ve got about a year to do it.”

Hook expects a lot of senior citizens
will apply today at the courthouse. But he points out the application period
runs through June 30th.

The state law is officially called the Senior Citizen Property Tax Credit. Buchanan County homeowners who
are at least 62 will see the amount owed for most of the taxes on their primary
residence held stable at the 2024 amount. For citizens who do not yet qualify, the
amount owed will freeze in whatever year they do become eligible and apply.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostIt could be crowded at the Buchanan County
Courthouse today.Today marks the first day Buchanan County
senior citizens can file to have their property tax rates frozen.The Buchanan County Commission
unanimously voted to participate in the freeze created by state law.Western District Commissioner, Ron Hook,
says the legislature stumbled the first time it passed the law, but made
corrections in its second attempt.“The idea’s great, but the design on how
to get to that point and who’s going to qualify and just so on and so forth.,” Hook
explains to host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. &nbsp;“It’s pretty generic now.”Buchanan County residents who were at
least 62 on January first are eligible for the property tax freeze. Under the
program, senior citizens who own property in Buchanan County can apply to have
their property tax rates kept at the 2024 level as long as they own the
property.Hook says the commission sought input
before devising the application process.“Not only the commissioners being
involved in trying to do the matrix on getting this done, but we’ve had the
Auditor, we’ve had the Assessor, we’ve had the Collector, and we’ve had the
Recorder of Deeds all involved,” according to Hook.Hook says a property owner only has to
apply once, but will likely have to notify the county each year that they
remain at that property.“It’s going to be kind of like your
personal property where you have to justify that you still own that car and that
car’s still licensed to you, so on and so forth,” Hook says. “That process we’re
still working on and we’ve got about a year to do it.”Hook expects a lot of senior citizens
will apply today at the courthouse. But he points out the application period
runs through June 30th.The state law is officially called the Senior Citizen Property Tax Credit. Buchanan County homeowners who
are at least 62 will see the amount owed for most of the taxes on their primary
residence held stable at the 2024 amount. For citizens who do not yet qualify, the
amount owed will freeze in whatever year they do become eligible and apply.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Buchanan CO senior citizens can begin applying for property tax freeze

Facing thousands of lawsuits and seeking protection from lawmakers, Bayer is using ads, lobbying and third-party mouthpieces to sway opinion in its favor

German chemical giant Bayer is improperly using a court order to hide details of a “propaganda” campaign targeting Missouri lawmakers and potential jurors, an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Plaintiffs%20Emergency%20Motion%20to%20De-Designate%20Forty-Six%20Documents%20Marked%20Confidential.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3493767" target="_blank">emergency motion</a>&nbsp;to lift the confidentiality cloak claims.

At a hearing on Thursday in Cole County Circuit Court, attorney Matt Clement will argue that 46 “public relations” documents designated as confidential by Bayer’s attorneys contain no proprietary information.&nbsp;

Instead, Clement wrote in the motion filed last week, the records — included among 20,000 delivered under discovery — detail the methods Bayer has used to influence opinion, including radio, television and print ads.

Bayer acquired Roundup — and the liability that may accrue in lawsuits over its health effects — when it took over St. Louis-based Monsanto in 2018. There are approximately 25,000 lawsuits pending in Cole County alleging that Roundup causes cancer and the label failed to warn consumers of the risk.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593022262288.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Facing thousands of lawsuits and seeking protection from lawmakers, Bayer is using ads, lobbying and third-party mouthpieces to sway opinion in its favor</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>German chemical giant Bayer is improperly using a court order to hide details of a “propaganda” campaign targeting Missouri lawmakers and potential jurors, an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Plaintiffs%20Emergency%20Motion%20to%20De-Designate%20Forty-Six%20Documents%20Marked%20Confidential.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3493767" target="_blank">emergency motion</a>&nbsp;to lift the confidentiality cloak claims.At a hearing on Thursday in Cole County Circuit Court, attorney Matt Clement will argue that 46 “public relations” documents designated as confidential by Bayer’s attorneys contain no proprietary information.&nbsp;Instead, Clement wrote in the motion filed last week, the records — included among 20,000 delivered under discovery — detail the methods Bayer has used to influence opinion, including radio, television and print ads.Bayer acquired Roundup — and the liability that may accrue in lawsuits over its health effects — when it took over St. Louis-based Monsanto in 2018. There are approximately 25,000 lawsuits pending in Cole County alleging that Roundup causes cancer and the label failed to warn consumers of the risk.“Cole County has been especially inundated with Monsanto’s propaganda,” Clement wrote in the motion seeking to unseal the records. “Legion are its billboards, radio and television ads, social media pop ups and other communications seeking to convince both the jury pool and the legislature that the lawsuits involving Roundup are somehow illegitimate and that Bayer/Monsanto needs legislative protection.”Clement represents Ronald Jackelen of Somerset, Wisconsin, in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/cases/newHeader.do?inputVO.caseNumber=22AC-CC00964&amp;inputVO.courtId=SMPDB0004_CT19&amp;inputVO.isTicket=false#header" target="_blank">case filed in Cole County</a>&nbsp;in 2022. Jackelen has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma he blames on Roundup and its main ingredient, glyphosate.Clement declined to comment on the filing.Legislation that&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB544&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">passed the Missouri House</a>&nbsp;last month to protect Bayer would make the label mandated by the EPA for all chemicals classified as pesticides — weed killers, bug killers and fertilizers — “sufficient to satisfy any requirement for a warning label regarding cancer.”&nbsp;The bill is awaiting assignment to a state Senate committee.Several lawsuits are scheduled for trial this year. Bayer has already been through a 2023 trial where a Cole County jury&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Gunther%20Judgment.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=2991162" target="_blank">awarded three plaintiffs $1.56 billion</a>, including $1.5 billion in punitive damages. The verdict was reduced to $622 million and is under appeal, with arguments&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/cases/newHeader.do?inputVO.caseNumber=WD87059&amp;inputVO.courtId=SMPDB0001_WAP#header" target="_blank">scheduled for April 10</a>&nbsp;in Kirksville.Two organizations are making direct public appeals seeking support for legislation protecting glyphosate.&nbsp;One set of messages, running on Jefferson City-area radio stations, is from an organization called the Modern Ag Alliance. The ads present glyphosate as a benign, beneficial chemical essential to modern agriculture.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741010314879.png" alt="State Sen. Brad Hudson of Cape Fair speaks at a news conference Feb. 25 about flyers sent to his constituents attacking his opposition to a bill limiting lawsuits against Bayer over its herbicide Roundup. Joining Hudson, from left, are Sens. Nick Schroer of Defiance, Ben Brown of Washington, Joe Nicola of Independence, Mike Moon of Ash Grove, Rick Brattin of Harrisonville, Adam Schnelting of St. Charles, Jill Carter of Joplin and David Gregory of Chesterfield (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Brad Hudson of Cape Fair speaks at a news conference Feb. 25 about flyers sent to his constituents attacking his opposition to a bill limiting lawsuits against Bayer over its herbicide Roundup. Joining Hudson, from left, are Sens. Nick Schroer of Defiance, Ben Brown of Washington, Joe Nicola of Independence, Mike Moon of Ash Grove, Rick Brattin of Harrisonville, Adam Schnelting of St. Charles, Jill Carter of Joplin and David Gregory of Chesterfield (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>The other, from the Protect America Initiative, includes television ads in central Missouri and a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/25/political-attacks-stiffen-opposition-to-missouri-bill-to-protect-pesticide-makers/">direct mail campaign</a>&nbsp;accusing nine Republican state senators of betraying President Donald Trump’s agenda by allowing “Chinese Communist Party chemicals” to take over the market.The Modern Ag Alliance has spent almost $100,000 on its ad campaign since mid-November, Federal Communications Commission records show. The ads are designed to educate the public, not influence potential jurors, said Jess Christiansen, spokeswoman for Bayer Crop Science at its U.S. headquarters in St. Louis County.“That’s not the business we’re in,” Christiansen said. “Those campaigns are nothing more than that, just to educate and inform.”Bayer doesn’t hide that it is part of the Modern Ag Alliance, which Christiansen said has about 90 other partners.&nbsp;The Protect America Initiative has spent almost $175,000 since late January — including a $75,000 ad during the Super Bowl — in addition to the direct mail effort.If they were intended to boost support for the legislation, the ads and mailers have backfired, with the nine senators holding a joint news conference last week denouncing the attacks. They said they were convinced Bayer was responsible and would ask the Missouri Ethics Commission to investigate.“It’s dark money, through and through,” said state Sen. Nick Schroer, a Republican from Defiance.Bayer has no connection with the politically charged ads, Christiansen said.“There’s lots of misinformation swirling around,” she said. “We are willing to sit with whomever it is. I don’t care if it’s a Republican, a Democrat, a libertarian, a Freedom Caucus member. We need to work together.”In the motion to be argued Thursday, Clement wrote that the documents that should be unsealed detail how Bayer crafted its messaging, who it has enlisted to deliver it from a seemingly neutral position and how much it has paid for advertising and lobbying.“Monsanto’s motivation for its abuse of the protective order to blanket-designate these documents as ‘confidential’ is clear — to hide Monsanto’s ongoing attempts to improperly influence the public, as well as its legislative efforts concerning the safety of glyphosate, such that it can continue to sell and profit from the product without a warning,” Clement wrote.Bayer is the only U.S. manufacturer of glyphosate, with a production facility in Luling, Louisiana, that is the world’s largest single producer. Other production facilities are in Idaho and Iowa. China is the world’s other main supplier of glyphosate. China and India are major world suppliers of a variety of farm chemicals.Along with the U.S. corporate headquarters, Bayer has its research and development facilities in St. Louis County. Its total Missouri employment is about 5,000, Christiansen said.Along with Missouri, legislation to designate the EPA label as the only label needed on Roundup and other regulated farm chemicals is being pushed in Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa,&nbsp;Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming, Christiansen said.“The purpose of the legislation is to really protect access to critical crop protection tools that farmers need to safely, effectively and affordably produce the food we all need,” Christiansen said.Winning passage of the legislation in Missouri is especially important because most state-level cases are filed here because it is the national home of Bayer. When a Missouri-based corporation is sued by someone for injuries that occurred outside the state, the case must be filed in the court covering the location&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=508.010&amp;bid=47727&amp;hl=" target="_blank">of the company’s registered agent</a>.&nbsp;Bayer’s registered agent was in St. Louis County, and thousands of cases were filed there before the company shifted its agent to Jefferson City in October 2021. Last year, following the massive jury award in Cole County, the registered agent was moved again, back to St. Louis County.Thousands of new cases have been filed in St. Louis County since the shift. There are also a multitude of federal lawsuits pending in the&nbsp;<a href="https://cand.uscourts.gov/judges/chhabria-vince-vc/in-re-roundup-products-liability-litigation-mdl-no-2741/" target="_blank">U.S. District Court for Northern California</a>.&nbsp;Bayer has set aside about $16 billion to deal with Roundup lawsuits, including more than $10 billion it has already paid out in settlements, Christiansen said.“This failure to warn claim just is not valid, because, No. 1, glyphosate doesn’t cause cancer,” Christiansen said. “And No. 2, we’re labeling according to how we’re legally required to label.”Glyphosate is listed as a probable cause of cancer by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.iarc.who.int/" target="_blank">International Agency on Research of Cancer</a>, a part of the World Health Organization.“There is limited evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of glyphosate,” stated a&nbsp;<a href="https://publications.iarc.fr/Book-And-Report-Series/Iarc-Monographs-On-The-Identification-Of-Carcinogenic-Hazards-To-Humans/Some-Organophosphate-Insecticides-And-Herbicides-2017" target="_blank">2016 report</a>&nbsp;evaluating research worldwide. “A positive association has been observed for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”There are four categories of public relations documents Clement is asking Circuit Judge Daniel Green to unseal. They are records showing correspondence with journalists or third parties, with talking points for use in public interviews; plans for advertising and media buys; lobbying strategies; and how it enlists third parties to deliver messages the public would mistrust if it came from Bayer.“These documents are important to this litigation because they demonstrate Monsanto’s efforts to manipulate and mislead the public,” Clement wrote.In the filing, Clement noted that in a pretrial order for a California case, denying Monsanto’s motion for summary judgment, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria focused on the company’s efforts&nbsp;<a href="https://cand.uscourts.gov/filelibrary/3626/PTO_101.pdf" target="_blank">to sway the public</a>&nbsp;as it contested the allegations that Roundup causes cancer.“Although the evidence that Roundup causes cancer is quite equivocal,” Chhabria wrote, “there is strong evidence from which a jury could conclude that Monsanto does not particularly care whether its product is in fact giving people cancer, focusing instead on manipulating public opinion and undermining anyone who raises genuine and legitimate concerns about the issue.”

Kbct