WASHINGTON —It has been a busy week in Washington for new 2nd District Kansas Congressman Derek Schmidt.

On Thursday, Schmidt presided over the House floor for the first time.

In addition, Schmidt this week announced he introduced the&nbsp;Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act along with five other members of the House including Missouri Congresswoman Ann Wagner.

&nbsp; The bill redirects unobligated funds collected through the&nbsp;False Claims Act&nbsp;to the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) through fiscal year (FY) 2029, stabilizing the CVF.

Schmidt also announced he has cosponsored four bills to protect Americans’ Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.&nbsp;

H.R. 38, the&nbsp;Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, provides nationwide reciprocity for concealed carry license holders and for residents of constitutional carry states.

H.R. 45, the&nbsp;Firearm Industry Non-Discrimination&nbsp;(FIND)&nbsp;Act, prevents any business that discriminates against firearm businesses or associations from contracting or subcontracting with the federal government.

H.R. 404, the&nbsp;Hearing Protection Act&nbsp;(HPA), reduces archaic barriers to purchasing a firearm suppressor.

Schmidt served as the&nbsp;Kansas Attorney General&nbsp;from 2011 to 2023. He was first elected to office serving in the&nbsp;Kansas Senate&nbsp; representing the&nbsp;15th district&nbsp;from 2001 to 2011. In 2022, Schmidt was the Republican nominee for&nbsp;governor of Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1738931611218.png" alt="Images courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Images courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —It has been a busy week in Washington for new 2nd District Kansas Congressman Derek Schmidt.On Thursday, Schmidt presided over the House floor for the first time.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1738931999797.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In addition, Schmidt this week announced he introduced the&nbsp;Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act along with five other members of the House including Missouri Congresswoman Ann Wagner.&nbsp; The bill redirects unobligated funds collected through the&nbsp;False Claims Act&nbsp;to the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) through fiscal year (FY) 2029, stabilizing the CVF.Schmidt also announced he has cosponsored four bills to protect Americans’ Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.&nbsp;H.R. 38, the&nbsp;Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, provides nationwide reciprocity for concealed carry license holders and for residents of constitutional carry states.H.R. 45, the&nbsp;Firearm Industry Non-Discrimination&nbsp;(FIND)&nbsp;Act, prevents any business that discriminates against firearm businesses or associations from contracting or subcontracting with the federal government.H.R. 404, the&nbsp;Hearing Protection Act&nbsp;(HPA), reduces archaic barriers to purchasing a firearm suppressor.Schmidt served as the&nbsp;Kansas Attorney General&nbsp;from 2011 to 2023. He was first elected to office serving in the&nbsp;Kansas Senate&nbsp; representing the&nbsp;15th district&nbsp;from 2001 to 2011. In 2022, Schmidt was the Republican nominee for&nbsp;governor of Kansas.

 Kan. Congressman presided over the House floor for the first time

The legislation allows drinks but prohibits the sale of intoxicating hemp edibles outside of marijuana dispensaries

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

Legislation allowing low-dose intoxicating hemp drinks to continue to be sold in grocery and liquor stores won the approval of committees in both the Missouri House and Senate this week.&nbsp;

A House committee advanced a bill 12 to 5 on Wednesday afternoon, followed the next morning by a 5 to 1 by a Senate committee.

While the bills carve out a place for hemp-THC seltzers to remain on store shelves, both bills ban intoxicating hemp edibles and vapes from being sold outside of marijuana dispensaries.&nbsp;

That point caused some reluctance from House public safety committee members who worried it would harshly impact a number of current Missouri companies that sell those products.&nbsp;

“This is a tough bill to vote on,” said Democratic state Rep. Mark Sharp of Kansas City, who voted in favor. “On the one hand, you’re regulating to the point where you want to keep children safe, especially in our urban areas. But on the other hand, you’re maybe over regulating.”

Sharp and several other lawmakers said they voted in favor to get “more eyes” on the bill when it reaches the full House, while others voted against because they’d prefer other legislation that has been filed this year.&nbsp;

Among the other proposals is the beer wholesalers’&nbsp;<a href="https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills251/hlrbillspdf/0718H.01I.pdf" target="_blank">legislation</a>, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Barry Hovis of Whitewater, which lays out regulations only for hemp beverages. Like both the bills approved this week, it would also establish the same three-tier distribution system that the alcohol industry has long abided by.

“I’m against monopolies, always have been,” said Hovis at the Wednesday House committee meeting, “and I still think that with the unknown of what it’s going to cost an independent business has been selling stuff that’s legal under the farm bill already. It could be tripling, quadrupling…”&nbsp;

Under both bills approved this week, all retailers must get a license to sell the beverages. But a key difference is which state agency is tasked with issuing and regulating the licenses.&nbsp;

The Senate bill, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Nick Schroer of Defiance, puts the job in the hands of the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, which already regulates liquor retailers, distributors and manufacturers.&nbsp;

The House bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Chad Perkins of Bowling Green, will ask the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, which already houses the state’s cannabis regulating agency.

“This isn’t a final product,” Schroer said of his bill in the Senate committee Thursday. “If we’re going to have a regulated industry, implement consumer protections to make sure that the potency that’s on the packaging is exactly what it is. The main point is making sure that our kids don’t have access to this stuff.”

Schroer’s original&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/BillText.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=292" target="_blank">bill</a>&nbsp;proposed to treat hemp-derived THC edibles, vapes and beverages the same as marijuana — meaning under the Division of Cannabis Regulation’s rules and exclusively sold in dispensaries.&nbsp;

The Missouri Cannabis Trade Association&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/22/missouri-cannabis-trade-group-offers-compromise-in-fight-over-regulating-intoxicating-hemp/">proposed an amendment</a>&nbsp;last month to carve out an exception for beverages, such as THC seltzers sold in cans. It capped the amount of THC at five milligrams per can and excluded drinks made with “synthetic” THC, or THC that has been converted from CBD using a chemical process.

That language is in both the House and Senate bills.&nbsp;

However, Brooklyn Hill, president of the Missouri Hemp Trade Association, said MoCann’s carve out is “not a solution to the problem.”

“This bill will still, even with the hemp beverage carve out, shut down hundreds of Missouri businesses and cost hundreds of Missourians their jobs,” Hill said.

Currently, Delta-8 THC products — including a large variety of drinks that are popular at bars and available at gas stations throughout the state — can be sold in Missouri stores because the intoxicating ingredient is derived from hemp, not marijuana.

Hemp is&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/11/farm-bill-debate-includes-hemp-regulation-as-issue-takes-center-stage-in-missouri-recall/">federally legal</a>, though several states have passed laws to prohibit intoxicating hemp products.&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/04/14/missouri-lawmakers-take-aim-at-unregulated-delta-8-thc-hemp-products/">Missouri legislators have tried</a>&nbsp;for the past two years to do that as well.&nbsp;

There’s no state or federal law saying teenagers or children can’t buy them or stores can’t sell them to minors — though some stores and vendors have taken it upon themselves to impose age restrictions of 21 and up.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=860121" target="_blank">proposal backed by the hemp association</a>&nbsp;would limit beverages and edibles to 100 mg of THC per serving, saying that some people who use the products medicinally require a higher dose. It directs the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control to regulate hemp licensees.

The Missouri Hemp Trade Association believes vehemently opposes establishing the three-tier system, saying it would create a monopoly on behalf of the distributors.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1738932671240.jpeg" alt="Delta-8 THC products like this pineapple seltzer can be sold in stores in Missouri because the intoxicating ingredient, THC, is derived from hemp, not marijuana which is a controlled substance (Rebecca Rivas/The Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Delta-8 THC products like this pineapple seltzer can be sold in stores in Missouri because the intoxicating ingredient, THC, is derived from hemp, not marijuana which is a controlled substance (Rebecca Rivas/The Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The legislation allows drinks but prohibits the sale of intoxicating hemp edibles outside of marijuana dispensaries</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rebecca-rivas/">REBECCA RIVAS</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Legislation allowing low-dose intoxicating hemp drinks to continue to be sold in grocery and liquor stores won the approval of committees in both the Missouri House and Senate this week.&nbsp;A House committee advanced a bill 12 to 5 on Wednesday afternoon, followed the next morning by a 5 to 1 by a Senate committee.While the bills carve out a place for hemp-THC seltzers to remain on store shelves, both bills ban intoxicating hemp edibles and vapes from being sold outside of marijuana dispensaries.&nbsp;That point caused some reluctance from House public safety committee members who worried it would harshly impact a number of current Missouri companies that sell those products.&nbsp;“This is a tough bill to vote on,” said Democratic state Rep. Mark Sharp of Kansas City, who voted in favor. “On the one hand, you’re regulating to the point where you want to keep children safe, especially in our urban areas. But on the other hand, you’re maybe over regulating.”Sharp and several other lawmakers said they voted in favor to get “more eyes” on the bill when it reaches the full House, while others voted against because they’d prefer other legislation that has been filed this year.&nbsp;Among the other proposals is the beer wholesalers’&nbsp;<a href="https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills251/hlrbillspdf/0718H.01I.pdf" target="_blank">legislation</a>, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Barry Hovis of Whitewater, which lays out regulations only for hemp beverages. Like both the bills approved this week, it would also establish the same three-tier distribution system that the alcohol industry has long abided by.“I’m against monopolies, always have been,” said Hovis at the Wednesday House committee meeting, “and I still think that with the unknown of what it’s going to cost an independent business has been selling stuff that’s legal under the farm bill already. It could be tripling, quadrupling…”&nbsp;Under both bills approved this week, all retailers must get a license to sell the beverages. But a key difference is which state agency is tasked with issuing and regulating the licenses.&nbsp;The Senate bill, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Nick Schroer of Defiance, puts the job in the hands of the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, which already regulates liquor retailers, distributors and manufacturers.&nbsp;The House bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Chad Perkins of Bowling Green, will ask the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, which already houses the state’s cannabis regulating agency.“This isn’t a final product,” Schroer said of his bill in the Senate committee Thursday. “If we’re going to have a regulated industry, implement consumer protections to make sure that the potency that’s on the packaging is exactly what it is. The main point is making sure that our kids don’t have access to this stuff.”Schroer’s original&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/BillText.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=292" target="_blank">bill</a>&nbsp;proposed to treat hemp-derived THC edibles, vapes and beverages the same as marijuana — meaning under the Division of Cannabis Regulation’s rules and exclusively sold in dispensaries.&nbsp;The Missouri Cannabis Trade Association&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/22/missouri-cannabis-trade-group-offers-compromise-in-fight-over-regulating-intoxicating-hemp/">proposed an amendment</a>&nbsp;last month to carve out an exception for beverages, such as THC seltzers sold in cans. It capped the amount of THC at five milligrams per can and excluded drinks made with “synthetic” THC, or THC that has been converted from CBD using a chemical process.That language is in both the House and Senate bills.&nbsp;However, Brooklyn Hill, president of the Missouri Hemp Trade Association, said MoCann’s carve out is “not a solution to the problem.”“This bill will still, even with the hemp beverage carve out, shut down hundreds of Missouri businesses and cost hundreds of Missourians their jobs,” Hill said.Currently, Delta-8 THC products — including a large variety of drinks that are popular at bars and available at gas stations throughout the state — can be sold in Missouri stores because the intoxicating ingredient is derived from hemp, not marijuana.Hemp is&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/11/farm-bill-debate-includes-hemp-regulation-as-issue-takes-center-stage-in-missouri-recall/">federally legal</a>, though several states have passed laws to prohibit intoxicating hemp products.&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/04/14/missouri-lawmakers-take-aim-at-unregulated-delta-8-thc-hemp-products/">Missouri legislators have tried</a>&nbsp;for the past two years to do that as well.&nbsp;There’s no state or federal law saying teenagers or children can’t buy them or stores can’t sell them to minors — though some stores and vendors have taken it upon themselves to impose age restrictions of 21 and up.&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=860121" target="_blank">proposal backed by the hemp association</a>&nbsp;would limit beverages and edibles to 100 mg of THC per serving, saying that some people who use the products medicinally require a higher dose. It directs the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control to regulate hemp licensees.The Missouri Hemp Trade Association believes vehemently opposes establishing the three-tier system, saying it would create a monopoly on behalf of the distributors.

Bills adding regulations to hemp-derived THC beverages advance in Missouri legislature

James Pointer was in his housing unit at the Moberly Correctional Center when the cap on a femoral catheter became dislodged

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>

James Pointer’s life sentence in the Missouri Department of Corrections ended abruptly last week when he bled to death from an opening in his leg used to administer dialysis treatments.

Pointer, 76, was housed at the Moberly Correctional Center, where the state prison agency keeps offenders with kidney disease because it has a dialysis center, department spokeswoman Karen Pojmann wrote in an email to The Independent.

Pointer was pronounced dead at 5:13 p.m. last Friday and “had been on dialysis for many years, had been incarcerated since 2009 and had been at Moberly Correctional Center for 10 years,” Pojmann wrote.

Pointer was sentenced to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/cases/newHeader.do?inputVO.caseNumber=0822-CR03825-01&amp;inputVO.courtId=CT22#charges" target="_blank">life in prison without parole</a>&nbsp;in 2009 after pleading guilty in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/former-dps-principal-murdered/73-342958055" target="_blank">murder of his estranged wife</a>&nbsp;in St. Louis.

An autopsy has been ordered, local law enforcement was notified and an investigation of the death is underway, Pojmann wrote.

Pojmann did not share any information regarding the manner of Pointer’s death. The Independent learned how he died from Déna Notz, a former corrections officer who founded an organization called Collectively Changing Corrections. Notz shared an email from a man incarcerated at the Moberly prison who saw Pointer bleeding.

“Friday night I witnessed a man I loved, James Pointer, a Vietnam veteran, bleed out from his femoral artery on a cold, dirty prison floor,” the inmate wrote. “It took medical so long to get to him that he died.”

“It doesn’t surprise me because of all the stuff I hear,” she said,“but I still cannot believe that something like this happened.”&nbsp;

The description of events was confirmed by Tammy Mogab, a woman whose brother Shawn Scrivens is an insulin-dependent diabetic housed at the Moberly prison. Scrivens told a Phelps County judge he had&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/column/tony-messenger/messenger-missouri-man-pleads-guilty-because-he-doesn-t-want-to-die-in-a-county/article_6284eb18-7352-11ee-8516-1fcd5d1a2d33.html" target="_blank">not received an insulin shot in 124 days</a>&nbsp;when he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Mogab said she spoke to her brother on the telephone on Saturday as well as other men incarcerated at the prison.

“There are witnesses to the death of Mr. Pointer,”&nbsp; Mogab said, “and now all the dialysis patients are afraid to take their treatments.”

The Randolph County Ambulance District received an emergency call for the prison at 4:37 p.m. Friday and arrived on the scene at 4:49 p.m., district Superintendent Clay Joiner said.

“We did everything we could in this situation,” Joiner said.

Dialysis treats kidney failure and over time, preferred access points in a person’s arms can become scarred or otherwise unusable. A permanent catheter inserted into a blood vessel in the upper leg is a last-resort method.

Rapid bleeding can occur if the access port at the end of the tube becomes dislodged and there is no clamp to close off the tube.

The femoral artery is one of the largest in the human body. A person can bleed to death&nbsp;<a href="https://truerescue.com/blogs/knowledge/how-long-does-it-take-to-bleed-out-from-artery?srsltid=AfmBOorfNW_rbuszcmlUdMcgQ8B9fcaDz6QLvm2frF7sR-K9MDL_umXW" target="_blank">in 2 to 5 minutes</a>&nbsp;if no action is taken to staunch the flow of blood.

Joiner said he has responded to similar emergencies among dialysis patients in their homes.

“When your femoral artery is bleeding out, you have very little time,” Joiner said.

Randolph County Coroner Charlie Peel will rule on the cause of death for Pointer. He said that he is not ready to release any information about what he observed or was told by the department.

“We are in the middle of an investigation,” Peel said.

Many of the autopsies on people who die in the custody of the department are conducted at the Boone County Medical Examiner’s office in Columbia. Autopsy records obtained by The Independent for deaths at the Algoa and Jefferson City correctional centers show that in the past two years, the time elapsed from the date of the death to a completed report has ranged from 30 to more than 250 days.

There were 11 deaths at Moberly Correctional Center in 2024, fifth most among the 19 adult prisons operated by the department. The prison system recorded 139 deaths in 2024, the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/14/missouri-prison-deaths-increase-bringing-renewed-calls-for-scrutiny/">highest number of deaths in custody</a>&nbsp;in its history.

The inmate who wrote to Notz stated that it was the fourth time in the past month that Pointer’s access point opened. He blamed medical staff working for contractor Centurion Health, not department officers.

“How inept does a nurse have to be, does a company have to be, to allow this man to bleed out of an open artery four times in one month?” the inmate wrote. “DOC staff is not to blame for this atrocity.&nbsp; Medical staff is responsible and they alone must pay.”

Health care in Missouri’s prisons is performed by Centurion Health under a contract, recently renegotiated, that pays the company&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/30/missouri-supplemental-budget-shows-shortfall-in-medicaid-education-funding/">$21.65 per day</a>&nbsp;for each person in custody.&nbsp;

The state will pay Centurion approximately $203 million in the coming fiscal year, an increase of about 11% from the previous rate.

Centurion did not respond to telephone and email messages seeking comment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1738926865477.png" alt="James Pointer, who died Jan. 31 at the Moberly Correctional Center when a problem developed with a femoral catheter for dialysis treatment. Pointer, 76, was serving life without parole for a 2008 murder (Department of Corrections photo)." />
 <figcaption>James Pointer, who died Jan. 31 at the Moberly Correctional Center when a problem developed with a femoral catheter for dialysis treatment. Pointer, 76, was serving life without parole for a 2008 murder (Department of Corrections photo).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>James Pointer was in his housing unit at the Moberly Correctional Center when the cap on a femoral catheter became dislodged</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>James Pointer’s life sentence in the Missouri Department of Corrections ended abruptly last week when he bled to death from an opening in his leg used to administer dialysis treatments.Pointer, 76, was housed at the Moberly Correctional Center, where the state prison agency keeps offenders with kidney disease because it has a dialysis center, department spokeswoman Karen Pojmann wrote in an email to The Independent.Pointer was pronounced dead at 5:13 p.m. last Friday and “had been on dialysis for many years, had been incarcerated since 2009 and had been at Moberly Correctional Center for 10 years,” Pojmann wrote.Pointer was sentenced to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/cases/newHeader.do?inputVO.caseNumber=0822-CR03825-01&amp;inputVO.courtId=CT22#charges" target="_blank">life in prison without parole</a>&nbsp;in 2009 after pleading guilty in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/former-dps-principal-murdered/73-342958055" target="_blank">murder of his estranged wife</a>&nbsp;in St. Louis.An autopsy has been ordered, local law enforcement was notified and an investigation of the death is underway, Pojmann wrote.Pojmann did not share any information regarding the manner of Pointer’s death. The Independent learned how he died from Déna Notz, a former corrections officer who founded an organization called Collectively Changing Corrections. Notz shared an email from a man incarcerated at the Moberly prison who saw Pointer bleeding.“Friday night I witnessed a man I loved, James Pointer, a Vietnam veteran, bleed out from his femoral artery on a cold, dirty prison floor,” the inmate wrote. “It took medical so long to get to him that he died.”The email was chilling, Notz said.“It doesn’t surprise me because of all the stuff I hear,” she said,“but I still cannot believe that something like this happened.”&nbsp;The description of events was confirmed by Tammy Mogab, a woman whose brother Shawn Scrivens is an insulin-dependent diabetic housed at the Moberly prison. Scrivens told a Phelps County judge he had&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/column/tony-messenger/messenger-missouri-man-pleads-guilty-because-he-doesn-t-want-to-die-in-a-county/article_6284eb18-7352-11ee-8516-1fcd5d1a2d33.html" target="_blank">not received an insulin shot in 124 days</a>&nbsp;when he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.Mogab said she spoke to her brother on the telephone on Saturday as well as other men incarcerated at the prison.“There are witnesses to the death of Mr. Pointer,”&nbsp; Mogab said, “and now all the dialysis patients are afraid to take their treatments.”The Randolph County Ambulance District received an emergency call for the prison at 4:37 p.m. Friday and arrived on the scene at 4:49 p.m., district Superintendent Clay Joiner said.“We did everything we could in this situation,” Joiner said.Dialysis treats kidney failure and over time, preferred access points in a person’s arms can become scarred or otherwise unusable. A permanent catheter inserted into a blood vessel in the upper leg is a last-resort method.Rapid bleeding can occur if the access port at the end of the tube becomes dislodged and there is no clamp to close off the tube.The femoral artery is one of the largest in the human body. A person can bleed to death&nbsp;<a href="https://truerescue.com/blogs/knowledge/how-long-does-it-take-to-bleed-out-from-artery?srsltid=AfmBOorfNW_rbuszcmlUdMcgQ8B9fcaDz6QLvm2frF7sR-K9MDL_umXW" target="_blank">in 2 to 5 minutes</a>&nbsp;if no action is taken to staunch the flow of blood.Joiner said he has responded to similar emergencies among dialysis patients in their homes.“When your femoral artery is bleeding out, you have very little time,” Joiner said.Randolph County Coroner Charlie Peel will rule on the cause of death for Pointer. He said that he is not ready to release any information about what he observed or was told by the department.“We are in the middle of an investigation,” Peel said.Many of the autopsies on people who die in the custody of the department are conducted at the Boone County Medical Examiner’s office in Columbia. Autopsy records obtained by The Independent for deaths at the Algoa and Jefferson City correctional centers show that in the past two years, the time elapsed from the date of the death to a completed report has ranged from 30 to more than 250 days.There were 11 deaths at Moberly Correctional Center in 2024, fifth most among the 19 adult prisons operated by the department. The prison system recorded 139 deaths in 2024, the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/14/missouri-prison-deaths-increase-bringing-renewed-calls-for-scrutiny/">highest number of deaths in custody</a>&nbsp;in its history.The inmate who wrote to Notz stated that it was the fourth time in the past month that Pointer’s access point opened. He blamed medical staff working for contractor Centurion Health, not department officers.“How inept does a nurse have to be, does a company have to be, to allow this man to bleed out of an open artery four times in one month?” the inmate wrote. “DOC staff is not to blame for this atrocity.&nbsp; Medical staff is responsible and they alone must pay.”Health care in Missouri’s prisons is performed by Centurion Health under a contract, recently renegotiated, that pays the company&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/30/missouri-supplemental-budget-shows-shortfall-in-medicaid-education-funding/">$21.65 per day</a>&nbsp;for each person in custody.&nbsp;The state will pay Centurion approximately $203 million in the coming fiscal year, an increase of about 11% from the previous rate.Centurion did not respond to telephone and email messages seeking comment.

Inmate on dialysis bleeds to death while serving life sentence in Missouri prison

DICKINSON COUNTY —A triple murder suspect captured in central Kansas is now being held in a jail in Missouri.

According to online jail record, 50-year-old Armondo Navarro was transferred on Wednesday and booked into the Platte County jail.

On Sunday morning, the Sheriff’s Office received a report of a vehicle in the ditch in the area of K-15 Highway and 2900 Avenue, north of Abilene, according to a media release from the Dickinson County Sheriff.

A deputy responded to the motorist assist and made contact with a man later identified as Navarro of Kansas City, Missouri.

The vehicle was out of the roadway and Navarro advised he was waiting for a tow truck. The deputy then left the scene but told Navarro he would check on him later.

The Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office was later notified that Navarro was a suspect in a triple homicide that occurred on February 2, in Kansas City. Deputies returned to the area and confirmed the suspect was still with the vehicle.

Additional deputies arrived as well as troopers with the Kansas Highway Patrol. While awaiting the arrival of an armored vehicle from the Junction City Police department, deputies observed Navarro leaving the area on 2900 Road and heading towards K-15 Highway.

The Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit and another deputy contacted Navarro at 2900 Avenue and K-15 Highway. A brief foot pursuit ensued and the K-9 was deployed.&nbsp; Navarro surrendered to the K-9 unit and was taken into custody by deputies.

He is being held in the Platte County jail on requested charges of first degree murder, armed criminal action, first degree assault and animal abuse, according to online records.&nbsp;KCPD Captain Jake Becchina identified the homicide victims as 73-year-old Sherri Duncan; 49-year-old Jodie Hopcus and 24-year-old Hailey Hopcus.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1738861731859.png" alt="Navarro photo Platte Co." />
 <figcaption>Navarro photo Platte Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>DICKINSON COUNTY —A triple murder suspect captured in central Kansas is now being held in a jail in Missouri.According to online jail record, 50-year-old Armondo Navarro was transferred on Wednesday and booked into the Platte County jail.On Sunday morning, the Sheriff’s Office received a report of a vehicle in the ditch in the area of K-15 Highway and 2900 Avenue, north of Abilene, according to a media release from the Dickinson County Sheriff.A deputy responded to the motorist assist and made contact with a man later identified as Navarro of Kansas City, Missouri.The vehicle was out of the roadway and Navarro advised he was waiting for a tow truck. The deputy then left the scene but told Navarro he would check on him later.The Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office was later notified that Navarro was a suspect in a triple homicide that occurred on February 2, in Kansas City. Deputies returned to the area and confirmed the suspect was still with the vehicle.Additional deputies arrived as well as troopers with the Kansas Highway Patrol. While awaiting the arrival of an armored vehicle from the Junction City Police department, deputies observed Navarro leaving the area on 2900 Road and heading towards K-15 Highway.The Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit and another deputy contacted Navarro at 2900 Avenue and K-15 Highway. A brief foot pursuit ensued and the K-9 was deployed.&nbsp; Navarro surrendered to the K-9 unit and was taken into custody by deputies.He is being held in the Platte County jail on requested charges of first degree murder, armed criminal action, first degree assault and animal abuse, according to online records.&nbsp;KCPD Captain Jake Becchina identified the homicide victims as 73-year-old Sherri Duncan; 49-year-old Jodie Hopcus and 24-year-old Hailey Hopcus.

Triple-murder suspect captured in Kan. moved to Platte Co. jail

The Kansas City Chiefs are going for an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title when they face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. It's a rematch of a championship game from two years ago that Kansas City won in Arizona. Among the first elected officials from Kansas to announce a friendly wager is Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach.

The Kansas City Chiefs are going for an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title when they face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. It's a rematch of a championship game from two years ago that Kansas City won in Arizona. Among the first elected officials from Kansas to announce a friendly wager is Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">To my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/PAAttorneyGen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PAAttorneyGen</a> Dave Sunday, I propose a gentlemen&#39;s bet on the Big Game. May the best team, the <a href="https://twitter.com/Chiefs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Chiefs</a>, win. <a href="https://t.co/oIGU0GUlf9">pic.twitter.com/oIGU0GUlf9</a>&mdash; Kansas AG&#39;s Office (@KSAGOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/KSAGOffice/status/1887524104330240256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Kansas AG announces friendly Super Bowl wager

(Radio Iowa) - Iowa farmers, consumers and others are watchful for any impact that may be coming from tariffs President Trump is proposing on trade partners. 

A new ten-percent tariff is being imposed on China, while planned tariffs on Mexico and Canada are paused for a month, but they could still be enacted. Brian Ortner, spokesman for Triple-A-Iowa, says gasoline prices haven't fluctuated far, as yet. Triple-A says gas prices in Iowa are averaging three-dollars a gallon Thursday, while they were at two-95 a week ago, so they've only risen five cents a gallon since the tariffs were first announced. 

Reports show Canada and Mexico, combined, supply more than 71-percent of U-S crude imports.

(Radio Iowa) - Iowa farmers, consumers and others are watchful for any impact that may be coming from tariffs President Trump is proposing on trade partners. A new ten-percent tariff is being imposed on China, while planned tariffs on Mexico and Canada are paused for a month, but they could still be enacted. Brian Ortner, spokesman for Triple-A-Iowa, says gasoline prices haven't fluctuated far, as yet. Triple-A says gas prices in Iowa are averaging three-dollars a gallon Thursday, while they were at two-95 a week ago, so they've only risen five cents a gallon since the tariffs were first announced. Reports show Canada and Mexico, combined, supply more than 71-percent of U-S crude imports.

Gasoline prices in Iowa hold fairly steady, despite tariff talk

(Radio Iowa) - Four Iowa elected officials were at the White House Wednesday as President Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from women's and girls' sports. 

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Attorney General Brenna Bird and Congresswomen Ashley Hinson and Mariannette Miller-Meeks attended the event, held on National Girls and Womens in Sports Day. Governor Reynolds signed a state law nearly three years ago that says only those with female listed on their birth certificate may participate in girls sporting events sponsored by Iowa schools. 

Reynolds says President Trump's "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order ensures girls and women can compete on an even playing field anywhere in the country. Attorney General Brenna Bird says the executive order ensures every schoolgirl can safely compete and succeed in the sports she loves.

(Radio Iowa) - Four Iowa elected officials were at the White House Wednesday as President Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from women's and girls' sports. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Attorney General Brenna Bird and Congresswomen Ashley Hinson and Mariannette Miller-Meeks attended the event, held on National Girls and Womens in Sports Day. Governor Reynolds signed a state law nearly three years ago that says only those with female listed on their birth certificate may participate in girls sporting events sponsored by Iowa schools. Reynolds says President Trump's "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order ensures girls and women can compete on an even playing field anywhere in the country. Attorney General Brenna Bird says the executive order ensures every schoolgirl can safely compete and succeed in the sports she loves.

Four Iowans at White House for Trump's signing of 'No Men in Women's Sports' order

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/megcunningham/">MEG CUNNINGHAM</a>

Missouri teens were less interested in cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana in 2024 than in previous years.

Vapes were the most reported among teens when asked what they had used in the last 30 days, with 9.1% of respondents saying they used one.

The results of the state Department of Mental Health’s Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://dmh.mo.gov/sites/dmh/files/media/pdf/2024/08/mss-2024-report-final_0.pdf" target="_blank">Student Survey&nbsp;</a>were welcome news to substance use prevention experts across the state.

“Things are trending in a good direction,” said Chris Davis, the vice president of prevention and youth support at the Community Partnership of the Ozarks, a prevention resource network in southwest Missouri.

“The concern and challenge with that is when people start seeing things get better, they want to stop doing the prevention,” Davis said. “Prevention isn’t a one-and-done. It’s something that we continue.”

While some metrics improved, others worsened. Prescription drug use and use of over-the-counter medicines rose in 2024. And teens reported using things like marijuana or cigarettes at younger ages than in previous years. Because the dataset was so large and weighted to match statewide demographics, the Department of Mental Health said in their report, these changes shouldn’t be analyzed as statistically significant over time.

Cigarettes and nicotine use in Missouri&nbsp;

Over time, cigarette use is decreasing among teens in Missouri, but the state still ranks higher than the national average. In Missouri, 11% of teens surveyed said they had used a vape or cigarette in the last 30 days, compared to 8.1% of teens nationally.

National data show that teens seem to be moving away from e-cigarette use. In 2024, 1.63 million teens said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/youth-and-tobacco/results-annual-national-youth-tobacco-survey#:~:text=The%20findings%20showed%20current%20e,and%201.8%25%20in%202024)." target="_blank">nationwide tobacco use</a>&nbsp;survey that they used e-cigarettes once or more during the past 30 days, down from 2.13 million in 2023.

Nationally, 8.1% of all students reported current use of tobacco products. Among high school students, the rate was just above 10%. In Missouri, most teens reported getting cigarettes, vapes or e-cigarettes from a friend.

Tobacco vaping devices on the market today use stronger concentrations of nicotine. Popular vapes can have the nicotine content of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2024/12/429131/believe-it-or-not-1-vape-has-20-cigarettes-worth-nicotine" target="_blank">600 cigarettes.</a>&nbsp;Vapes also use acids called salts, which reduce things like throat burning and coughing.

“There’s a lot of misinformation that contributes to the belief that [vaping] is safe and a good alternative,” Davis said.

Davis and the Community Partnership of the Ozarks led a program to place vape drop boxes in high schools across Springfield in an effort to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ky3.com/2024/01/29/teen-vaping-major-issue-ozarks-what-one-local-organization-is-doing-curb-problem/" target="_blank">reduce their usage</a>.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show that vaping was highest among high school students from 2018 to 2020, when nearly 20% of students reported using them. The rate has fallen over the past few years.

Researchers&nbsp;<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10134143/#:~:text=Overall%2C%20significant%20associations%20were%20found,reportedly%20higher%20among%20EC%20users." target="_blank">looked at studies</a>&nbsp;from the U.S., Australia, South Korea and European countries and found that there were significant links between mental health outcomes, including depression and suicidal ideation, among current youth users of electronic cigarettes.

Across the studies, impulsive behaviors were also associated with electronic cigarette use.

The American Lung Association’s 2025 State of Tobacco Control gave Missouri poor rankings for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lung.org/research/sotc/state-grades/missouri" target="_blank">most of its metrics</a>. Missouri received an “F” for tobacco prevention and cessation funding, tobacco taxes and access to flavored tobacco products. Missouri received a “C” for access to cessation services.

The group recommended Missouri increase funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs to prevent youth from starting to use tobacco or nicotine products. Research shows that if youth use e-cigarettes or vapes, they’re more likely to use cigarettes in the future.

Teens report less alcohol, marijuana usage&nbsp;

The student survey found that alcohol had the highest lifetime usage of any substance among teens in Missouri. Overall, usage fell from previous surveys. Nearly 20% of teens reported drinking alcohol over time, less than than the national average of 22.3%.

Of teens who had said they’d consumed alcohol in the last month, about 24% said they had less than one drink.

For Davis, alcohol use among teens is still the biggest problem to tackle.

“Alcohol is still the number one drug problem for our youth. It’s not the one that’s the hot topic,” Davis said. “Underage drinking is still the number one drug problem that we have in youth who are in treatment.”

Two years after Missouri voters approved recreational use of marijuana, teens in the state reported their use dropped slightly. But a higher percentage of teens said that occasional use posed no risk at all, compared to other substances.

About half of teens who responded to the survey said alcohol was easy to obtain, while one-third said marijuana was easy for them to get.

Legalization of recreational marijuana has made accessing it easier and softened the public’s perception of the risk, Davis said.

“Because of legalization, there’s a lot of information talking about how it is a medicine and it’s safe and things like that,” Davis said. “All of that contributes to you thinking, ‘What’s the big deal?’”

Missouri trends lower than the national average when it comes to marijuana use among teens, with 7.3% of Missouri teens saying they had used marijuana in the last 30 days, compared to 11.5% of teens nationwide.

Prescription drug, over-the-counter medication use rises&nbsp;

Prescription drug use rose slightly from 2022, but is still down dramatically from 2016, when 10.6% of surveyed teens said they had used prescription drugs in the last month. In 2024, 1.6% of teens surveyed said they had used prescription drugs.

Pain medication was the most misused, followed by anxiety medication and sleeping medication. Teens reported getting access to the medications from a family member 51% of the time.

“That’s simply because the medications are easily, more easily available, like that in the medicine cabinet,” Davis said.

The Community Partnership of the Ozarks has a medication lockbox program which allows families to safely store their medications at home.

It is one of many methods they are pursuing when it comes to preventing substance misuse in the community.

“We just have to do lots of strategies at different times in different ways,” Davis said. “Time and time again, when you let your foot off the gas, things get worse.”

This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/02/04/missouri-teens-nicotine-vapes-cigarettes-alcohol-2024/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Missouri</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1738853509729.png" alt="With cigarette ads on display, the Philips 66 gas station 59th and Troost is a few hundred feet from Troost Elementary School in Kansas City (Chase Castor/The Beacon)." />
 <figcaption>With cigarette ads on display, the Philips 66 gas station 59th and Troost is a few hundred feet from Troost Elementary School in Kansas City (Chase Castor/The Beacon).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/megcunningham/">MEG CUNNINGHAM</a>Missouri teens were less interested in cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana in 2024 than in previous years.Vapes were the most reported among teens when asked what they had used in the last 30 days, with 9.1% of respondents saying they used one.The results of the state Department of Mental Health’s Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://dmh.mo.gov/sites/dmh/files/media/pdf/2024/08/mss-2024-report-final_0.pdf" target="_blank">Student Survey&nbsp;</a>were welcome news to substance use prevention experts across the state.“Things are trending in a good direction,” said Chris Davis, the vice president of prevention and youth support at the Community Partnership of the Ozarks, a prevention resource network in southwest Missouri.“The concern and challenge with that is when people start seeing things get better, they want to stop doing the prevention,” Davis said. “Prevention isn’t a one-and-done. It’s something that we continue.”While some metrics improved, others worsened. Prescription drug use and use of over-the-counter medicines rose in 2024. And teens reported using things like marijuana or cigarettes at younger ages than in previous years. Because the dataset was so large and weighted to match statewide demographics, the Department of Mental Health said in their report, these changes shouldn’t be analyzed as statistically significant over time.<h2>Cigarettes and nicotine use in Missouri&nbsp;</h2>Over time, cigarette use is decreasing among teens in Missouri, but the state still ranks higher than the national average. In Missouri, 11% of teens surveyed said they had used a vape or cigarette in the last 30 days, compared to 8.1% of teens nationally.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1738853328013.png" alt="Percentage of substance use among teens in last 30 days *no data was available for nationwide use of prescription drugs- Source Department of Mental Health Mental Health Missouri student survey- Meg Cunningham" />
 <figcaption>Percentage of substance use among teens in last 30 days *no data was available for nationwide use of prescription drugs- Source Department of Mental Health Mental Health Missouri student survey- Meg Cunningham</figcaption>
 </figure>National data show that teens seem to be moving away from e-cigarette use. In 2024, 1.63 million teens said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/youth-and-tobacco/results-annual-national-youth-tobacco-survey#:~:text=The%20findings%20showed%20current%20e,and%201.8%25%20in%202024)." target="_blank">nationwide tobacco use</a>&nbsp;survey that they used e-cigarettes once or more during the past 30 days, down from 2.13 million in 2023.Nationally, 8.1% of all students reported current use of tobacco products. Among high school students, the rate was just above 10%. In Missouri, most teens reported getting cigarettes, vapes or e-cigarettes from a friend.Tobacco vaping devices on the market today use stronger concentrations of nicotine. Popular vapes can have the nicotine content of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2024/12/429131/believe-it-or-not-1-vape-has-20-cigarettes-worth-nicotine" target="_blank">600 cigarettes.</a>&nbsp;Vapes also use acids called salts, which reduce things like throat burning and coughing.“There’s a lot of misinformation that contributes to the belief that [vaping] is safe and a good alternative,” Davis said.Davis and the Community Partnership of the Ozarks led a program to place vape drop boxes in high schools across Springfield in an effort to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ky3.com/2024/01/29/teen-vaping-major-issue-ozarks-what-one-local-organization-is-doing-curb-problem/" target="_blank">reduce their usage</a>.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show that vaping was highest among high school students from 2018 to 2020, when nearly 20% of students reported using them. The rate has fallen over the past few years.Researchers&nbsp;<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10134143/#:~:text=Overall%2C%20significant%20associations%20were%20found,reportedly%20higher%20among%20EC%20users." target="_blank">looked at studies</a>&nbsp;from the U.S., Australia, South Korea and European countries and found that there were significant links between mental health outcomes, including depression and suicidal ideation, among current youth users of electronic cigarettes.Across the studies, impulsive behaviors were also associated with electronic cigarette use.The American Lung Association’s 2025 State of Tobacco Control gave Missouri poor rankings for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lung.org/research/sotc/state-grades/missouri" target="_blank">most of its metrics</a>. Missouri received an “F” for tobacco prevention and cessation funding, tobacco taxes and access to flavored tobacco products. Missouri received a “C” for access to cessation services.The group recommended Missouri increase funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs to prevent youth from starting to use tobacco or nicotine products. Research shows that if youth use e-cigarettes or vapes, they’re more likely to use cigarettes in the future.<h2>Teens report less alcohol, marijuana usage&nbsp;</h2>The student survey found that alcohol had the highest lifetime usage of any substance among teens in Missouri. Overall, usage fell from previous surveys. Nearly 20% of teens reported drinking alcohol over time, less than than the national average of 22.3%.Of teens who had said they’d consumed alcohol in the last month, about 24% said they had less than one drink.For Davis, alcohol use among teens is still the biggest problem to tackle.“Alcohol is still the number one drug problem for our youth. It’s not the one that’s the hot topic,” Davis said. “Underage drinking is still the number one drug problem that we have in youth who are in treatment.”Two years after Missouri voters approved recreational use of marijuana, teens in the state reported their use dropped slightly. But a higher percentage of teens said that occasional use posed no risk at all, compared to other substances.About half of teens who responded to the survey said alcohol was easy to obtain, while one-third said marijuana was easy for them to get.Legalization of recreational marijuana has made accessing it easier and softened the public’s perception of the risk, Davis said.“Because of legalization, there’s a lot of information talking about how it is a medicine and it’s safe and things like that,” Davis said. “All of that contributes to you thinking, ‘What’s the big deal?’”Missouri trends lower than the national average when it comes to marijuana use among teens, with 7.3% of Missouri teens saying they had used marijuana in the last 30 days, compared to 11.5% of teens nationwide.<h2>Prescription drug, over-the-counter medication use rises&nbsp;</h2>Prescription drug use rose slightly from 2022, but is still down dramatically from 2016, when 10.6% of surveyed teens said they had used prescription drugs in the last month. In 2024, 1.6% of teens surveyed said they had used prescription drugs.Pain medication was the most misused, followed by anxiety medication and sleeping medication. Teens reported getting access to the medications from a family member 51% of the time.“That’s simply because the medications are easily, more easily available, like that in the medicine cabinet,” Davis said.The Community Partnership of the Ozarks has a medication lockbox program which allows families to safely store their medications at home.It is one of many methods they are pursuing when it comes to preventing substance misuse in the community.“We just have to do lots of strategies at different times in different ways,” Davis said. “Time and time again, when you let your foot off the gas, things get worse.”This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/02/04/missouri-teens-nicotine-vapes-cigarettes-alcohol-2024/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Missouri</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Cigarettes, alcohol use dropping among Missouri teens

State representatives argue their bills would give school districts say in crafting a cell-phone policy that may be required or recommended by the state

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

Missouri lawmakers are hoping to reduce cell-phone usage in schools with bipartisan legislation that would require school districts make a policy restricting mobile devices during instructional time.

State Reps. Kathy Steinhoff, a Columbia Democrat, and Jamie Gragg, a Republican from Ozark, presented similar bills in the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee Wednesday afternoon. The committee’s chair, GOP state Rep. Ed Lewis of Moberly, also has legislation that is nearly identical to Steinhoff’s.

“This is not a partisan issue,” Steinhoff told committee members. “When you look around our country, there are eight states that have initiated some kind of restriction on cell phones already. Some of them are red states. Some of them are blue states.”

<a href="https://www.edweek.org/technology/which-states-ban-or-restrict-cellphones-in-schools/2024/06" target="_blank">According to Education Week</a>, three states have a law restricting cell-phone use during instructional time, and five states have requirements that districts set policies restricting use. An additional 11 states have recommended policies and incentive programs for districts to establish restrictions.

Steinhoff and Gragg plan to combine their bills into a version that recommends or requires school districts to set policies prohibiting cell-phone use during instructional hours while allowing exceptions, like for students who use a mobile device for health reasons.

“I do believe in local control,” Gragg said. “I believe our school districts are all unique in their own special way, just like our communities are, and they need to make the policy that fits them the best.”

Gragg said he heard from teachers that have cell-phone policies in their classrooms that test scores improved.

Steinhoff, a retired math teacher, believes the bill will lead to “better engagement.”

“As somebody who was leading a classroom just two years ago, I can attest to the fact that some of our students really are almost addicted to their cell phones,” she said.

Administrators from the Cape Girardeau School District told committee members they established a zero-tolerance policy for cell phones in high schools in 2024.

James Russell, assistant superintendent of academic services for the district, said it has provided a “culture shift.”

“This year, after a full year of implementation at the high school, kids really came back ready to learn,” he said.

Lewis said the districts who have already established the policies can assist others.

“We aren’t going to be the ones that are going to be telling what policies those local school districts should implement,” Lewis said. “We’ve already got multiple pilots around the state that are already doing this, and that’s where they’re going to get those pilot policies from.”

State Rep. Ann Kelley, a Republican from Lamar, said the state should allow the districts leniency to create their own policies while giving support when needed.

“It needs to be in the school district’s hands. It should not be the state dictating anything, just offering a suggestion that they have a plan in place and offering them that support,” she said. “Because it is a big thing whenever school districts do this, and they get a lot of grief from parents and students.”

State Rep. Kem Smith, a Democrat from Florissant and a former English teacher, said parents often have valid points, like security concerns in case of a school shooting.

“I’ve been on lockdown with students who have survived that, and their parents have wanted to talk to them while we were in lockdown,” she said.

Gragg said schools would be able to decide “what they feel is best for their community,” so cell phones do not necessarily have to be out of the students’ possession.

The committee plans to combine the three lawmakers’ bills before voting to send them to the full House in a future hearing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1738804885460.png" alt=" State Rep. Ed Lewis, a Republican from Moberly, chairs the House Elementary and Secondary Education committee (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> State Rep. Ed Lewis, a Republican from Moberly, chairs the House Elementary and Secondary Education committee (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>State representatives argue their bills would give school districts say in crafting a cell-phone policy that may be required or recommended by the state</h2>BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri lawmakers are hoping to reduce cell-phone usage in schools with bipartisan legislation that would require school districts make a policy restricting mobile devices during instructional time.State Reps. Kathy Steinhoff, a Columbia Democrat, and Jamie Gragg, a Republican from Ozark, presented similar bills in the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee Wednesday afternoon. The committee’s chair, GOP state Rep. Ed Lewis of Moberly, also has legislation that is nearly identical to Steinhoff’s.“This is not a partisan issue,” Steinhoff told committee members. “When you look around our country, there are eight states that have initiated some kind of restriction on cell phones already. Some of them are red states. Some of them are blue states.”<a href="https://www.edweek.org/technology/which-states-ban-or-restrict-cellphones-in-schools/2024/06" target="_blank">According to Education Week</a>, three states have a law restricting cell-phone use during instructional time, and five states have requirements that districts set policies restricting use. An additional 11 states have recommended policies and incentive programs for districts to establish restrictions.Steinhoff and Gragg plan to combine their bills into a version that recommends or requires school districts to set policies prohibiting cell-phone use during instructional hours while allowing exceptions, like for students who use a mobile device for health reasons.“I do believe in local control,” Gragg said. “I believe our school districts are all unique in their own special way, just like our communities are, and they need to make the policy that fits them the best.”Gragg said he heard from teachers that have cell-phone policies in their classrooms that test scores improved.Steinhoff, a retired math teacher, believes the bill will lead to “better engagement.”“As somebody who was leading a classroom just two years ago, I can attest to the fact that some of our students really are almost addicted to their cell phones,” she said.Administrators from the Cape Girardeau School District told committee members they established a zero-tolerance policy for cell phones in high schools in 2024.James Russell, assistant superintendent of academic services for the district, said it has provided a “culture shift.”“This year, after a full year of implementation at the high school, kids really came back ready to learn,” he said.Lewis said the districts who have already established the policies can assist others.“We aren’t going to be the ones that are going to be telling what policies those local school districts should implement,” Lewis said. “We’ve already got multiple pilots around the state that are already doing this, and that’s where they’re going to get those pilot policies from.”State Rep. Ann Kelley, a Republican from Lamar, said the state should allow the districts leniency to create their own policies while giving support when needed.“It needs to be in the school district’s hands. It should not be the state dictating anything, just offering a suggestion that they have a plan in place and offering them that support,” she said. “Because it is a big thing whenever school districts do this, and they get a lot of grief from parents and students.”State Rep. Kem Smith, a Democrat from Florissant and a former English teacher, said parents often have valid points, like security concerns in case of a school shooting.“I’ve been on lockdown with students who have survived that, and their parents have wanted to talk to them while we were in lockdown,” she said.Gragg said schools would be able to decide “what they feel is best for their community,” so cell phones do not necessarily have to be out of the students’ possession.The committee plans to combine the three lawmakers’ bills before voting to send them to the full House in a future hearing.

Missouri lawmakers seek to restrict cell-phone use in high schools statewide

The federal government is by far Kansas City’s largest employer and a major economic engine. Experts warn the region’s economy will feel the pain when jobs disappear

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/suzanneking/">SUZANNE KING</a>

Almost 30,000 federal employees in the Kansas City area are caught in the chaos that has defined President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

So far, the Trump administration has reinstituted a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/restoring-accountability-to-policy-influencing-positions-within-the-federal-workforce/" target="_blank">policy</a>&nbsp;making it easier to fire federal employees. It has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/return-to-in-person-work/" target="_blank">ordered</a>&nbsp;remote workers to return to the office. Federal agencies have been placed under a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/hiring-freeze/" target="_blank">hiring freeze</a>. And most civilian employees have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opm.gov/fork" target="_blank">emailed</a>&nbsp;a buyout offer that experts agree has tenuous legal standing.

“The federal workforce,” the Jan. 28 email to employees said, “should be comprised of employees who are reliable, loyal, trustworthy, and who strive for excellence in their daily work. Employees will be subject to enhanced standards of suitability and conduct as we move forward.”

The email, headlined “Fork in the Road,” promised “restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force. These actions are likely to include the use of furloughs and the reclassification to at-will status of a substantial number of federal employees.”

“It’s pretty gross,” said one federal employee in Kansas City who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. “I went so far as to change my voter registration” from Democrat to independent.

He said he hoped that could spare him from a potential loyalty sweep that might use party affiliation as a metric.

“I knew this would probably happen,” said another local federal employee who also asked not to be named. “But in the first week he was in office?”

Federal job cuts will have ‘outsized impact’

While federal workers brace for more changes and fear for their livelihoods, economists warn that any major reduction in federal jobs — and the inevitable disruptions in government services that follow — could be devastating to Kansas City’s economy.

“It can cascade really easily,” said Chris Kuehl, co-founder of Armada Corporate Intelligence.

Since the Truman administration, the federal government has played a major role in the Kansas City area’s economic health. With 29,883 federal employees here, the federal government is by far the metro’s largest employer, accounting for about 3% of overall employment. And that figure doesn’t include contract workers or private companies that depend on federal contracts to do business.

The Internal Revenue Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Social Security Administration, the Small Business Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the General Services Administration are just some of the federal agencies that have a regional presence.

“Even a small adjustment in the federal workforce will have an outsized impact on the economy,” said Brent Never, an associate professor of public affairs at the&nbsp;<a href="https://bloch.umkc.edu/bloch-lead-scholars/index.html?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=visionpoint_blochleadscholars_pros&amp;utm_content=branded&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAqfe8BhBwEiwAsne6gZDfZ9PwXvRvMdE7Uk79jXOOxORKMMOUwvk6fjO4Ih0ElUuyxX5VSxoCcIcQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Henry W. Bloch School of Management</a>&nbsp;at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Federal employees tend to be fairly well paid and their salaries are fueled by money coming from outside the community, making them even more valuable in economic terms. Federal workers spend at stores and restaurants, and on services inside the community.

Frank Lenk, director of economic research at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marc.org/" target="_blank">Mid-America Regional Council</a>, estimates that each federal job, and the income it creates, fuels another job in the region. That means if 3,000 federal jobs permanently went away, Kansas City’s economy could lose about 6,000 workers overall.

“From an impact standpoint,” Lenk said, “those are powerful jobs.”

Federal workforce feels growing uncertainty

Before Jan. 20, the federal government’s approximately 3 million civilian employees probably would have said that they enjoyed job security.

But then came President Trump’s hiring freeze, his promises to slash jobs and his executive&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/return-to-in-person-work/" target="_blank">order</a>&nbsp;requiring every employee to return to the office or get fired.

The Kansas City federal worker who said he changed his voter party affiliation out of fear of being fired said he took his government job because of its benefits — especially the benefit of working remotely.

Only going into the office once a week means he can be around when his kids get home from school. He saves an hour a day not having to commute, which gives him time to cook, rather than having to pay to eat out. And he avoids other ancillary expenses like parking and extra child care. Parking alone, he estimates, will run thousands of dollars a year if he has to return to the office full time.

“You’re not making a lot in pay being a federal employee,” he said, “but that one benefit of being able to telework means everything.”

Diana Hicks, a national vice president with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.afge.org/" target="_blank">American Federation of Government Employees</a>&nbsp;(AFGE) who oversees a district that includes Missouri and Kansas, said the union is fighting against the return-to-work order.

Many employees were hired with the promise of remote positions. And the benefit is baked into many of the union’s collective bargaining agreements, she said.

“They’re altering a condition of employment,” Hicks said.

The union is also advising its members to beware of the “deferred resignation” offer thousands of employees received on Jan. 28 in an email that came directly to employees from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Normally, communication from the government’s top personnel office would be filtered through individual agencies.

The “Fork in the Road”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opm.gov/fork" target="_blank">memo</a>, which had the same title and highly similar content as one that Twitter employees received from tech billionaire Elon Musk in 2022, read more like a scene from “Severance,” the dystopian TV show, than an HR memo.

It offered employees the chance to resign now, but retain pay and benefits until Sept. 30. It was sent to all full-time federal employees except for military personnel, U.S. Postal Service workers, and people working in the areas of immigration enforcement and national security.

Employees who decide to accept it need only reply to the email, adding the word “resign,” by Feb. 6.

“At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency,” the memo advised employees who don’t accept the resignation offer.

But accepting it, many legal experts warned, would come with no guarantees and many questions. For one thing, a continuing resolution currently funding the U.S. budget expires March 14, more than six months before the promised last paycheck. And that’s not the only&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/breaking-down-opm-s--fork-in-the-road--email-to-federal-workers" target="_blank">legal hurdle</a>&nbsp;that could render the offer much less than promised, experts said.

Unions representing federal workers urged caution.

“There is not yet any evidence the administration can or will uphold its end of the bargain, that Congress will go along with this unilateral massive restructuring, or that appropriated funds can be used this way, among other issues that have been raised,” the National Treasury Employees Union told members in an email.

AFGE said the offer should not be viewed as voluntary.

“It is an attempt to get federal employees to resign,”&nbsp; said Hicks. “This is essentially a fast track, ‘You have a week to respond with no guarantee.’”

It is unclear how many employees have returned the email. But a&nbsp;<a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2025/01/survey-most-feds-say-opms-resignation-offer-too-uncertain-to-accept/" target="_blank">survey</a>&nbsp;of 4,600 federal employees conducted by the Federal News Network found that three-quarters of respondents said they would decline.

Regardless of whether employees choose to leave, however, the Trump administration has promised a major overhaul of the civilian workforce and promised “restructurings, realignments and reductions in force.”

That means many of Kansas City’s federal employees are likely to end up on the job market. Kuehl said many will need training to easily fit into jobs currently available in private industry. So far, that doesn’t seem to be on the new administration’s to-do list.

Never, the UMKC professor, speculated that many of the federal employees who lose their jobs will face underemployment when they move to their next job.

“That has a large effect on a family’s wealth over time,” he said.

The federal downsizing could have economic implications beyond just the salaries that disappear. The services federal jobs provide will probably be disrupted, and that could also affect the region. If tax refunds are delayed, small-business or education loans go unprocessed or Social Security benefits aren’t paid, the effects will ripple through the economy.

On top of that, a raft of other executive orders have threatened federal funding to organizations across the region, creating widespread&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/01/29/federal-funding-freeze-threat-causes-panic-in-kc-health-nonprofits/" target="_blank">uncertainty</a>.

The Trump administration may be betting that there’s enough bloat in the federal government to take out thousands of jobs without services being affected.

“That’s the open question,” Lenk said. “Can you have this kind of reduction and not have it significantly affect government services?”

<h2>The federal government is by far Kansas City’s largest employer and a major economic engine. Experts warn the region’s economy will feel the pain when jobs disappear</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/suzanneking/">SUZANNE KING</a>Almost 30,000 federal employees in the Kansas City area are caught in the chaos that has defined President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.So far, the Trump administration has reinstituted a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/restoring-accountability-to-policy-influencing-positions-within-the-federal-workforce/" target="_blank">policy</a>&nbsp;making it easier to fire federal employees. It has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/return-to-in-person-work/" target="_blank">ordered</a>&nbsp;remote workers to return to the office. Federal agencies have been placed under a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/hiring-freeze/" target="_blank">hiring freeze</a>. And most civilian employees have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opm.gov/fork" target="_blank">emailed</a>&nbsp;a buyout offer that experts agree has tenuous legal standing.“The federal workforce,” the Jan. 28 email to employees said, “should be comprised of employees who are reliable, loyal, trustworthy, and who strive for excellence in their daily work. Employees will be subject to enhanced standards of suitability and conduct as we move forward.”The email, headlined “Fork in the Road,” promised “restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force. These actions are likely to include the use of furloughs and the reclassification to at-will status of a substantial number of federal employees.”“It’s pretty gross,” said one federal employee in Kansas City who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. “I went so far as to change my voter registration” from Democrat to independent.He said he hoped that could spare him from a potential loyalty sweep that might use party affiliation as a metric.“I knew this would probably happen,” said another local federal employee who also asked not to be named. “But in the first week he was in office?”<h2>Federal job cuts will have ‘outsized impact’</h2>While federal workers brace for more changes and fear for their livelihoods, economists warn that any major reduction in federal jobs — and the inevitable disruptions in government services that follow — could be devastating to Kansas City’s economy.“It can cascade really easily,” said Chris Kuehl, co-founder of Armada Corporate Intelligence.Since the Truman administration, the federal government has played a major role in the Kansas City area’s economic health. With 29,883 federal employees here, the federal government is by far the metro’s largest employer, accounting for about 3% of overall employment. And that figure doesn’t include contract workers or private companies that depend on federal contracts to do business.The Internal Revenue Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Social Security Administration, the Small Business Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the General Services Administration are just some of the federal agencies that have a regional presence.“Even a small adjustment in the federal workforce will have an outsized impact on the economy,” said Brent Never, an associate professor of public affairs at the&nbsp;<a href="https://bloch.umkc.edu/bloch-lead-scholars/index.html?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=visionpoint_blochleadscholars_pros&amp;utm_content=branded&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAqfe8BhBwEiwAsne6gZDfZ9PwXvRvMdE7Uk79jXOOxORKMMOUwvk6fjO4Ih0ElUuyxX5VSxoCcIcQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Henry W. Bloch School of Management</a>&nbsp;at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.Federal employees tend to be fairly well paid and their salaries are fueled by money coming from outside the community, making them even more valuable in economic terms. Federal workers spend at stores and restaurants, and on services inside the community.Frank Lenk, director of economic research at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marc.org/" target="_blank">Mid-America Regional Council</a>, estimates that each federal job, and the income it creates, fuels another job in the region. That means if 3,000 federal jobs permanently went away, Kansas City’s economy could lose about 6,000 workers overall.“From an impact standpoint,” Lenk said, “those are powerful jobs.”<h2>Federal workforce feels growing uncertainty</h2>Before Jan. 20, the federal government’s approximately 3 million civilian employees probably would have said that they enjoyed job security.But then came President Trump’s hiring freeze, his promises to slash jobs and his executive&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/return-to-in-person-work/" target="_blank">order</a>&nbsp;requiring every employee to return to the office or get fired.The Kansas City federal worker who said he changed his voter party affiliation out of fear of being fired said he took his government job because of its benefits — especially the benefit of working remotely.Only going into the office once a week means he can be around when his kids get home from school. He saves an hour a day not having to commute, which gives him time to cook, rather than having to pay to eat out. And he avoids other ancillary expenses like parking and extra child care. Parking alone, he estimates, will run thousands of dollars a year if he has to return to the office full time.“You’re not making a lot in pay being a federal employee,” he said, “but that one benefit of being able to telework means everything.”Diana Hicks, a national vice president with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.afge.org/" target="_blank">American Federation of Government Employees</a>&nbsp;(AFGE) who oversees a district that includes Missouri and Kansas, said the union is fighting against the return-to-work order.Many employees were hired with the promise of remote positions. And the benefit is baked into many of the union’s collective bargaining agreements, she said.“They’re altering a condition of employment,” Hicks said.The union is also advising its members to beware of the “deferred resignation” offer thousands of employees received on Jan. 28 in an email that came directly to employees from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Normally, communication from the government’s top personnel office would be filtered through individual agencies.The “Fork in the Road”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opm.gov/fork" target="_blank">memo</a>, which had the same title and highly similar content as one that Twitter employees received from tech billionaire Elon Musk in 2022, read more like a scene from “Severance,” the dystopian TV show, than an HR memo.It offered employees the chance to resign now, but retain pay and benefits until Sept. 30. It was sent to all full-time federal employees except for military personnel, U.S. Postal Service workers, and people working in the areas of immigration enforcement and national security.Employees who decide to accept it need only reply to the email, adding the word “resign,” by Feb. 6.“At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency,” the memo advised employees who don’t accept the resignation offer.But accepting it, many legal experts warned, would come with no guarantees and many questions. For one thing, a continuing resolution currently funding the U.S. budget expires March 14, more than six months before the promised last paycheck. And that’s not the only&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/breaking-down-opm-s--fork-in-the-road--email-to-federal-workers" target="_blank">legal hurdle</a>&nbsp;that could render the offer much less than promised, experts said.Unions representing federal workers urged caution.“There is not yet any evidence the administration can or will uphold its end of the bargain, that Congress will go along with this unilateral massive restructuring, or that appropriated funds can be used this way, among other issues that have been raised,” the National Treasury Employees Union told members in an email.AFGE said the offer should not be viewed as voluntary.“It is an attempt to get federal employees to resign,”&nbsp; said Hicks. “This is essentially a fast track, ‘You have a week to respond with no guarantee.’”<h2>‘Reductions in force’ promised</h2>It is unclear how many employees have returned the email. But a&nbsp;<a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2025/01/survey-most-feds-say-opms-resignation-offer-too-uncertain-to-accept/" target="_blank">survey</a>&nbsp;of 4,600 federal employees conducted by the Federal News Network found that three-quarters of respondents said they would decline.Regardless of whether employees choose to leave, however, the Trump administration has promised a major overhaul of the civilian workforce and promised “restructurings, realignments and reductions in force.”That means many of Kansas City’s federal employees are likely to end up on the job market. Kuehl said many will need training to easily fit into jobs currently available in private industry. So far, that doesn’t seem to be on the new administration’s to-do list.Never, the UMKC professor, speculated that many of the federal employees who lose their jobs will face underemployment when they move to their next job.“That has a large effect on a family’s wealth over time,” he said.The federal downsizing could have economic implications beyond just the salaries that disappear. The services federal jobs provide will probably be disrupted, and that could also affect the region. If tax refunds are delayed, small-business or education loans go unprocessed or Social Security benefits aren’t paid, the effects will ripple through the economy.On top of that, a raft of other executive orders have threatened federal funding to organizations across the region, creating widespread&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/01/29/federal-funding-freeze-threat-causes-panic-in-kc-health-nonprofits/" target="_blank">uncertainty</a>.The Trump administration may be betting that there’s enough bloat in the federal government to take out thousands of jobs without services being affected.“That’s the open question,” Lenk said. “Can you have this kind of reduction and not have it significantly affect government services?”And as for the administration’s stated goal to trim costs in order to cut the federal deficit, questions also exist about whether this plan will help.Reducing the deficit may be a worthy goal, Never said, but cuts that cause disruptions in federal services and affect the economy could actually lead to bigger problems for the country than a large deficit.“We have the most attractive debt because people know we’re good for it,” Never said. “But when the government becomes erratic, there start to be questions about our intent on paying our bills. That’s what would make our debt more expensive.”This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/02/03/kc-federal-workers-braces-for-job-cuts-as-trump-plans-purge/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Kansas City</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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