Missouri Chamber
of Commerce officials say Missouri must become more competitive to expand its
manufacturing industry.

Chair of the state
chamber, Stet Schanze, president of Gray Manufacturing in St. Joseph, says while manufacturing
makes up 30% of the local workforce, it is only 10% of the state workforce. 

“In my mind, it is
absolutely the cornerstone of a healthy economy is the manufacturing that you
have in the city, the region, or the state that you’re talking about,” Schanze
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “And as a state, we’ve just got to do better.”

The Missouri
Chamber Foundation says research by Economic Leadership LLC ranks Missouri 28th
in overall manufacturing competitiveness. The neighboring states of Nebraska,
Kentucky, and Tennessee rank in the top 15. Kansas ranks close to Missouri.

Schanze says the
COVID-19 pandemic exposed a flaw in the strategy of United States manufacturers.
Many had their supply chains disrupted, because they had moved them overseas.
Schanze says Gray Manufacturing kept its suppliers close and took market share,
because production in St. Joseph could continue.

Schanze says a
changing geo-political climate should encourage the country to consider ways to
bolster the manufacturing sector.

“We’re basically
in a hot economic war with China right now,” according to Schanze. “I think it
makes a lot of sense to get supply chains back. So, thus, we’re going through
this time, and I think it’s a good time to bring manufacturing back to the United
States, and in that environment, I think Missouri has to make itself more
competitive.”

First, the state
needs to expand the workforce, in particular skilled workers, such as welders,
so in demand by manufacturers. Incentives and technical assistance need to be
provided to increase capital investment. The state, according to the Chamber, should
invest in the infrastructure needed by modern factories, such as transportation,
energy, and broadband. Other recommendations made by the Chamber include
supporting the recruitment of new manufacturers and expansion of existing
operations, increasing exports, strengthening the state legal climate, and
address public safety.

Schanze says the
state needs to consider its current ranking unacceptable.

“I just think the
state’s got to do a much better job,” Schanze says. “We shouldn’t be happy with
28th. That’s not even in the top 50% there and particularly with the
threat of those close by states that are always nipping at us and in many cases
right now ranking higher than us. We’ve just got to improve there.”

Manufacturing
contributes $50 billion a year to the Missouri gross domestic product,
employing 287,000 workers.

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

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostMissouri Chamber
of Commerce officials say Missouri must become more competitive to expand its
manufacturing industry.Chair of the state
chamber, Stet Schanze, president of Gray Manufacturing in St. Joseph, says while manufacturing
makes up 30% of the local workforce, it is only 10% of the state workforce. “In my mind, it is
absolutely the cornerstone of a healthy economy is the manufacturing that you
have in the city, the region, or the state that you’re talking about,” Schanze
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “And as a state, we’ve just got to do better.”The Missouri
Chamber Foundation says research by Economic Leadership LLC ranks Missouri 28th
in overall manufacturing competitiveness. The neighboring states of Nebraska,
Kentucky, and Tennessee rank in the top 15. Kansas ranks close to Missouri.Schanze says the
COVID-19 pandemic exposed a flaw in the strategy of United States manufacturers.
Many had their supply chains disrupted, because they had moved them overseas.
Schanze says Gray Manufacturing kept its suppliers close and took market share,
because production in St. Joseph could continue.Schanze says a
changing geo-political climate should encourage the country to consider ways to
bolster the manufacturing sector.“We’re basically
in a hot economic war with China right now,” according to Schanze. “I think it
makes a lot of sense to get supply chains back. So, thus, we’re going through
this time, and I think it’s a good time to bring manufacturing back to the United
States, and in that environment, I think Missouri has to make itself more
competitive.”The Chamber has
some suggestions.First, the state
needs to expand the workforce, in particular skilled workers, such as welders,
so in demand by manufacturers. Incentives and technical assistance need to be
provided to increase capital investment. The state, according to the Chamber, should
invest in the infrastructure needed by modern factories, such as transportation,
energy, and broadband. Other recommendations made by the Chamber include
supporting the recruitment of new manufacturers and expansion of existing
operations, increasing exports, strengthening the state legal climate, and
address public safety.Schanze says the
state needs to consider its current ranking unacceptable.“I just think the
state’s got to do a much better job,” Schanze says. “We shouldn’t be happy with
28th. That’s not even in the top 50% there and particularly with the
threat of those close by states that are always nipping at us and in many cases
right now ranking higher than us. We’ve just got to improve there.”Manufacturing
contributes $50 billion a year to the Missouri gross domestic product,
employing 287,000 workers.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Missouri Chamber says state must improve its manufacturing competitiveness

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

If your mail-order prescription landed in a pile of snow on your doorstep last week, you may want to proceed with caution.

Pharmacists warn that extreme temperatures — cold or hot — can change the chemical makeup of medicine, often making it less effective. But medicine coming through the mail in overheated UPS trucks or ending up in frozen mailboxes has little in the way of temperature control — and not much regulatory oversight.

A revised prescription delivery rule in Missouri, which took effect Dec. 30, aims to address that.

The new&nbsp;<a href="https://pr.mo.gov/boards/pharmacy/20131224.pdf" target="_blank">Missouri Board of Pharmacy rule</a>&nbsp;gives pharmacies licensed in the state a list of requirements to follow when mailing prescriptions to patients, a practice that became more common during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2024, just over 4% of the country’s prescriptions were delivered by mail, according to the health care research company IQVIA. The number has declined from around 5% at the height of the pandemic.

But factors like more independent drug stores and chain pharmacies&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2024/09/23/communities-lose-health-care-with-pharmacies-closing-in-kansas-and-missouri/" target="_blank">closing&nbsp;</a>and online giant Amazon&nbsp;<a href="https://drugstorenews.com/amazon-pharmacy-bringing-same-day-medication-delivery-20-more-cities" target="_blank">moving</a>&nbsp;deeper into the business could drive growth in mailed prescriptions.

Missouri’s rule change is a major expansion of state regulations related to pharmacy delivery. For starters, the old rule didn’t mention mail — only delivery.

Under the new rule, pharmacies must attempt to contact the patient before shipping medication. The package they send also has to include information about how to contact state regulators, how to detect if medicine has been compromised in transit and what to do if it has.

In addition, Missouri’s new rule states that pharmacies must have “policies and procedures” for mailing medicine, including using “proper packaging containers and materials to maintain physical integrity and stability of package contents.”

Kansas does not have regulations specifically related to mailed prescriptions.

Kimberly Grinston, executive director of the Missouri Board of Pharmacy, said the change is a response to public feedback and part of the board’s routine review of rules.

“The rule overall adds new requirements and new safeguards for pharmacies that are mailing medications,” she said.

‘Anybody’s best guess’ if medicine is safe

But critics said it doesn’t go far enough to protect medications from extreme transit temperatures.

“These policies and procedures should already be in place,” said Loretta Boesing, a Missouri mom who founded&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uniteforsafemedications.org/" target="_blank">Unite for Safe Medications</a>&nbsp;after her son nearly rejected a transplanted liver when his mail-order medication arrived damaged from extreme heat.

“The problem is it’s not being demanded of them,” she said. “I guarantee you there are still patients here in Missouri, where we’re having temperatures below freezing, (whose) medications are still going to be shipped mostly in bags.”

Boesing said regulators should require pharmacies to be sure medications stay within safe temperature ranges by doing things like shipping them with temperature sensors that could indicate if a delivery has endured extreme temperatures.

“Right now, it’s anybody’s best guess if their medications are safe,” she said.

Lori Croy, a spokesperson for the Missouri Board of Pharmacy, said in an email that the board has not made a decision about temperature sensors. Their use, she said, is being considered by United States Pharmacopeia (USP), the national organization that establishes standards for drug handling, and “the board will continue to monitor circumstances and USP recommendations/guidance to protect Missouri patients.”

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates many aspects of medications, states deal with pharmacies. The “last mile” when a medication is shipped by mail or commercial carrier directly to a consumer has had little oversight.

Regulations generally lay out temperatures required for storing drugs, but not necessarily for shipping them.

Medications that must be refrigerated have the same temperature requirements during shipping. But drugs that can be stored at room temperature have no stipulations about shipping temperatures, said Paul Abato, a pharmaceutical expert witness.

That means a prescription that should be stored at room temperature could be exposed to temperatures well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit going through the mail on summer days in Missouri.

“All bets are off when drugs that are meant to be stored at room temperature get shipped,” Abato said.

Experts agree that heat or cold can compromise the efficacy of medication.

“If you have a drug that’s exposed to temperature extremes whether hot or cold, there’s a chance the drug could not be as potent,” said Kendall Guthrie, a professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy. “That could mean the drug may not be as effective.”

Patients can’t always tell that a medicine has been affected just by looking at it. They might think they’re taking the dose their doctor prescribed, but actually extreme temperature exposure has made the pill they got in the mail much less powerful, Guthrie said.

Boesing, who lives in Park Hills in the eastern part of the state, had a sense that her son’s medication was too warm when it arrived in the mail a few years ago. He needs it every 12 hours to prevent his body from rejecting a donated liver.

After she gave her now 14-year-old the medicine, it didn’t take long for his body to begin rejecting the liver. Luckily, the worst didn’t happen and her son is fine, but Boesing believes the close call wouldn’t have happened at all if her son’s medication had been protected from the heat. Or if her family’s insurance hadn’t forced her to get the drug by mail in the first place.

That’s why she dedicates so much of her time to advocating for safeguards.

“People are getting hurt because the regulators fail to enact policies and rules that have teeth,” Boesing said.

Medicine coming by mail should be protected, she said. And people should always have the choice not to get medicine by mail.

Guthrie, who also serves as president of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.morx.com/" target="_blank">Missouri Pharmacy Association</a>, agreed. She said the Board of Pharmacy’s rule changes are a good step toward mail-order drug safety. But the more important change, she said, needs to come from lawmakers.

Legislation introduced in Jefferson City and backed by the pharmacy association would stop pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the middlemen who administer pharmacy insurance benefits, from forcing patients to use mail-order pharmacies in the first place.

<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2024/09/25/an-overland-park-pharmacist-avoids-pbms-and-cuts-costs/" target="_blank">PBMs</a>, which also own mail-order pharmacies, do this by giving patients a better deal through mail order or by refusing to cover medicine dispensed by another pharmacy.

That leaves many patients with no choice but getting their drugs through the mail, whether or not it’s a medication that can withstand the resulting uncertainty.

“I think mail is a really good option for some patients,” Guthrie said. “But I think there’s also a really big percentage of patients who want to use a community pharmacy.”

This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/01/15/new-missouri-mail-order-pharmacy-rule-aims-to-protect-patients/" 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/2025/1/1737123147081.png" alt="A revised Missouri Board of Pharmacy rule aims to protect mail-order medications (Vaughn Wheat/The Beacon)." />
 <figcaption>A revised Missouri Board of Pharmacy rule aims to protect mail-order medications (Vaughn Wheat/The Beacon).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/suzanneking/">SUZANNE KING</a>&nbsp;If your mail-order prescription landed in a pile of snow on your doorstep last week, you may want to proceed with caution.Pharmacists warn that extreme temperatures — cold or hot — can change the chemical makeup of medicine, often making it less effective. But medicine coming through the mail in overheated UPS trucks or ending up in frozen mailboxes has little in the way of temperature control — and not much regulatory oversight.A revised prescription delivery rule in Missouri, which took effect Dec. 30, aims to address that.The new&nbsp;<a href="https://pr.mo.gov/boards/pharmacy/20131224.pdf" target="_blank">Missouri Board of Pharmacy rule</a>&nbsp;gives pharmacies licensed in the state a list of requirements to follow when mailing prescriptions to patients, a practice that became more common during the COVID-19 pandemic.In 2024, just over 4% of the country’s prescriptions were delivered by mail, according to the health care research company IQVIA. The number has declined from around 5% at the height of the pandemic.But factors like more independent drug stores and chain pharmacies&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2024/09/23/communities-lose-health-care-with-pharmacies-closing-in-kansas-and-missouri/" target="_blank">closing&nbsp;</a>and online giant Amazon&nbsp;<a href="https://drugstorenews.com/amazon-pharmacy-bringing-same-day-medication-delivery-20-more-cities" target="_blank">moving</a>&nbsp;deeper into the business could drive growth in mailed prescriptions.Missouri’s rule change is a major expansion of state regulations related to pharmacy delivery. For starters, the old rule didn’t mention mail — only delivery.Under the new rule, pharmacies must attempt to contact the patient before shipping medication. The package they send also has to include information about how to contact state regulators, how to detect if medicine has been compromised in transit and what to do if it has.In addition, Missouri’s new rule states that pharmacies must have “policies and procedures” for mailing medicine, including using “proper packaging containers and materials to maintain physical integrity and stability of package contents.”Kansas does not have regulations specifically related to mailed prescriptions.Kimberly Grinston, executive director of the Missouri Board of Pharmacy, said the change is a response to public feedback and part of the board’s routine review of rules.“The rule overall adds new requirements and new safeguards for pharmacies that are mailing medications,” she said.<h2>‘Anybody’s best guess’ if medicine is safe</h2>But critics said it doesn’t go far enough to protect medications from extreme transit temperatures.“These policies and procedures should already be in place,” said Loretta Boesing, a Missouri mom who founded&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uniteforsafemedications.org/" target="_blank">Unite for Safe Medications</a>&nbsp;after her son nearly rejected a transplanted liver when his mail-order medication arrived damaged from extreme heat.“The problem is it’s not being demanded of them,” she said. “I guarantee you there are still patients here in Missouri, where we’re having temperatures below freezing, (whose) medications are still going to be shipped mostly in bags.”Boesing said regulators should require pharmacies to be sure medications stay within safe temperature ranges by doing things like shipping them with temperature sensors that could indicate if a delivery has endured extreme temperatures.“Right now, it’s anybody’s best guess if their medications are safe,” she said.Lori Croy, a spokesperson for the Missouri Board of Pharmacy, said in an email that the board has not made a decision about temperature sensors. Their use, she said, is being considered by United States Pharmacopeia (USP), the national organization that establishes standards for drug handling, and “the board will continue to monitor circumstances and USP recommendations/guidance to protect Missouri patients.”While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates many aspects of medications, states deal with pharmacies. The “last mile” when a medication is shipped by mail or commercial carrier directly to a consumer has had little oversight.Regulations generally lay out temperatures required for storing drugs, but not necessarily for shipping them.Medications that must be refrigerated have the same temperature requirements during shipping. But drugs that can be stored at room temperature have no stipulations about shipping temperatures, said Paul Abato, a pharmaceutical expert witness.That means a prescription that should be stored at room temperature could be exposed to temperatures well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit going through the mail on summer days in Missouri.“All bets are off when drugs that are meant to be stored at room temperature get shipped,” Abato said.<h2>No longer the prescribed dose</h2>Experts agree that heat or cold can compromise the efficacy of medication.“If you have a drug that’s exposed to temperature extremes whether hot or cold, there’s a chance the drug could not be as potent,” said Kendall Guthrie, a professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy. “That could mean the drug may not be as effective.”Patients can’t always tell that a medicine has been affected just by looking at it. They might think they’re taking the dose their doctor prescribed, but actually extreme temperature exposure has made the pill they got in the mail much less powerful, Guthrie said.Boesing, who lives in Park Hills in the eastern part of the state, had a sense that her son’s medication was too warm when it arrived in the mail a few years ago. He needs it every 12 hours to prevent his body from rejecting a donated liver.After she gave her now 14-year-old the medicine, it didn’t take long for his body to begin rejecting the liver. Luckily, the worst didn’t happen and her son is fine, but Boesing believes the close call wouldn’t have happened at all if her son’s medication had been protected from the heat. Or if her family’s insurance hadn’t forced her to get the drug by mail in the first place.That’s why she dedicates so much of her time to advocating for safeguards.“People are getting hurt because the regulators fail to enact policies and rules that have teeth,” Boesing said.Medicine coming by mail should be protected, she said. And people should always have the choice not to get medicine by mail.Guthrie, who also serves as president of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.morx.com/" target="_blank">Missouri Pharmacy Association</a>, agreed. She said the Board of Pharmacy’s rule changes are a good step toward mail-order drug safety. But the more important change, she said, needs to come from lawmakers.Legislation introduced in Jefferson City and backed by the pharmacy association would stop pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the middlemen who administer pharmacy insurance benefits, from forcing patients to use mail-order pharmacies in the first place.<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2024/09/25/an-overland-park-pharmacist-avoids-pbms-and-cuts-costs/" target="_blank">PBMs</a>, which also own mail-order pharmacies, do this by giving patients a better deal through mail order or by refusing to cover medicine dispensed by another pharmacy.That leaves many patients with no choice but getting their drugs through the mail, whether or not it’s a medication that can withstand the resulting uncertainty.“I think mail is a really good option for some patients,” Guthrie said. “But I think there’s also a really big percentage of patients who want to use a community pharmacy.”This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/01/15/new-missouri-mail-order-pharmacy-rule-aims-to-protect-patients/" 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.

New Missouri rule tries to protect mail-order medications from extreme cold and heatUntitled

A 27-year-old Savannah man has been taken into
custody after shooting and hitting another vehicle Wednesday morning on I-29
near St. Joseph.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports Amouir
Standiford has been charged with one count of Unlawful Use of a Weapon.
Standiford is being held in the Buchanan County jail on $10,000 bond.

The patrol reports a vehicle was damaged but no one
was hurt.

The patrol says the St. Joseph Police Department
alerted it to reports that shots had been fired on northbound I-29 near mile
marker 49 around eight o’clock Wednesday morning.

Troopers took Standiford into custody. The
investigation continues.

This article has been updated since first published.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737112319976.png" alt="Amouir Standiford/Buchanan County Sheriff's Office photo" />
 <figcaption>Amouir Standiford/Buchanan County Sheriff's Office photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostA 27-year-old Savannah man has been taken into
custody after shooting and hitting another vehicle Wednesday morning on I-29
near St. Joseph.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports Amouir
Standiford has been charged with one count of Unlawful Use of a Weapon.
Standiford is being held in the Buchanan County jail on $10,000 bond.The patrol reports a vehicle was damaged but no one
was hurt.The patrol says the St. Joseph Police Department
alerted it to reports that shots had been fired on northbound I-29 near mile
marker 49 around eight o’clock Wednesday morning.Troopers took Standiford into custody. The
investigation continues.This article has been updated since first published.

UPDATE:  MSHP releases identity in I-29 road rage shooting

(Radio Iowa) - Iowa National Guard Adjutant General Steve Olson says the Pentagon has authorized adding dozens of new positions to the Iowa Guard -- and major infrastructure projects are underway. 

The 137 new positions are for combat engineers as well as soldiers who'll work in cyber security and field artillery. Later this year, there will be a groundbreaking in Sioux City for a new 14-million-dollar Army National Guard maintenance facility. And Olson says the F-A-A has notified the guard that within two years a runway at Sioux City's airport will be unsafe for Air Guard planes carrying massive amounts of fuel to take off to resupply military aircraft in mid-flight. 

Olson says they hope to line up federal funding soon to rebuild the runway so it's bigger and thicker, to accommodate the heavy refueling aircraft.

(Radio Iowa) - Iowa National Guard Adjutant General Steve Olson says the Pentagon has authorized adding dozens of new positions to the Iowa Guard -- and major infrastructure projects are underway. The 137 new positions are for combat engineers as well as soldiers who'll work in cyber security and field artillery. Later this year, there will be a groundbreaking in Sioux City for a new 14-million-dollar Army National Guard maintenance facility. And Olson says the F-A-A has notified the guard that within two years a runway at Sioux City's airport will be unsafe for Air Guard planes carrying massive amounts of fuel to take off to resupply military aircraft in mid-flight. Olson says they hope to line up federal funding soon to rebuild the runway so it's bigger and thicker, to accommodate the heavy refueling aircraft.

Iowa Guard's leader touts new positions

(Radio Iowa) - The Iowa Department of Health reports hospitals are seeing an increase in respiratory virus cases in recent weeks. 

MercyOne Des Moines infectious disease consultant Aneesa Afroze says they're seeing more patients with the flu, COVID-19, and R-S-V, but she anticipates case numbers will drop as we move further away from the holidays. Afroze recommends you take precautions to prevent the spreading any illness you may be carrying. 

Precautions include: staying home when you're sick, staying away from other immunocompromised people in your family, especially the elderly, and getting vaccinated.

(Radio Iowa) - The Iowa Department of Health reports hospitals are seeing an increase in respiratory virus cases in recent weeks. MercyOne Des Moines infectious disease consultant Aneesa Afroze says they're seeing more patients with the flu, COVID-19, and R-S-V, but she anticipates case numbers will drop as we move further away from the holidays. Afroze recommends you take precautions to prevent the spreading any illness you may be carrying. Precautions include: staying home when you're sick, staying away from other immunocompromised people in your family, especially the elderly, and getting vaccinated.

Cases of flu, RSV, COVID on the rise in Iowa

JEFFERSON CITY&nbsp;— On Thursday, Governor Mike Kehoe announced the appointment of Sarah Willson as Director of Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).Willson will assume the role of DHSS Director effective February 14, 2025, and awaits Missouri Senate confirmation, according to a media release from Kehoe's office.

“I am proud to have Sarah join my Cabinet as a key leader in our efforts to improve the health of Missourians across the state,” said Governor Kehoe. “Sarah’s background as a healthcare professional brings a deep understanding of the critical issues facing our healthcare systems today. I look forward to working together to strengthen the systems that support public health and well-being of all Missourians.”

Willson has served as Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs for the Missouri Hospital Association (MHA) since 2016. In that role, she provided clinical and regulatory guidance to over 140 hospitals across the state, serving as a key expert on licensing, survey processes and compliance for acute care, critical access, long-term care, rehabilitation, and psychiatric facilities. She also collaborated with lawmakers to develop healthcare legislation at both the state and federal levels.

“I am truly humbled at the opportunity to serve the people of Missouri in the Kehoe Administration,” said Willson. “As a nurse and a small business owner, I understand the impact of health and regulation from a personal and public perspective. I look forward to collaborating with stakeholders to ensure the departments programs and services help all Missourians live healthy and safe lives.”

Prior to MHA, Willson held leadership roles with Compassus Hospice and Palliative Care, where she oversaw operations in multiple states, and at Capital Region Medical Center, directing patient care services across several departments. Her work has focused on advancing quality care, developing efficiencies, and improving outcomes for patients.

Willson earned her Master of Business Administration in health management from William Woods University and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has been recognized with several awards throughout her career. A headshot of Willson is attached.

JEFFERSON CITY&nbsp;— On Thursday, Governor Mike Kehoe announced the appointment of Sarah Willson as Director of Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).Willson will assume the role of DHSS Director effective February 14, 2025, and awaits Missouri Senate confirmation, according to a media release from Kehoe's office.“I am proud to have Sarah join my Cabinet as a key leader in our efforts to improve the health of Missourians across the state,” said Governor Kehoe. “Sarah’s background as a healthcare professional brings a deep understanding of the critical issues facing our healthcare systems today. I look forward to working together to strengthen the systems that support public health and well-being of all Missourians.”Willson has served as Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs for the Missouri Hospital Association (MHA) since 2016. In that role, she provided clinical and regulatory guidance to over 140 hospitals across the state, serving as a key expert on licensing, survey processes and compliance for acute care, critical access, long-term care, rehabilitation, and psychiatric facilities. She also collaborated with lawmakers to develop healthcare legislation at both the state and federal levels.“I am truly humbled at the opportunity to serve the people of Missouri in the Kehoe Administration,” said Willson. “As a nurse and a small business owner, I understand the impact of health and regulation from a personal and public perspective. I look forward to collaborating with stakeholders to ensure the departments programs and services help all Missourians live healthy and safe lives.”Prior to MHA, Willson held leadership roles with Compassus Hospice and Palliative Care, where she oversaw operations in multiple states, and at Capital Region Medical Center, directing patient care services across several departments. Her work has focused on advancing quality care, developing efficiencies, and improving outcomes for patients.Willson earned her Master of Business Administration in health management from William Woods University and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has been recognized with several awards throughout her career. A headshot of Willson is attached.

Gov. names new director of Mo. Dept. of Health and Senior Services

An important step has been cleared in the redesign of the I-229 double decker bridge in downtown St. Joseph.  

Missouri Department of Transportation District Design Engineer Shannon Kusilek says the findings by the federal highway commission that the proposed realignment would have of no significant environmental impact is a big step. 

"Moving forward now that means we can use that alignment, and we can start looking to work on a project to replace the existing bridge, as per the preferred alternate, and move forward with that," Kusilek tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  

Kusilek says the next step will be to get the project designated as a design-build project with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. 

"There's some things we have to do like risk analysis assessment and determine some of the things we need to look at, and identify a team to lead the project, it will be a project director and a few other staff members to lead the project," Kusilek explains. "And then, once we get that approved as a design-build project, then the first item of business would probably be to start working on getting design-build teams together and ideally then de-designating I-229 as an interstate." 

Kusilek says there is still funding needed for the project, and there is no set timeline at this time 

"I think in the next five years it's quite possible this is going to move forward with construction, probably sometime maybe in that five-year time frame," Kusilek says.  "The whole process for the design-build, to get that team going does take a couple years for that process, and then they'll have to start with their proposals and then actually start the construction, I'd say five years is quite possible and maybe sometime within the next five years." 

The alternative plan for I-229 is to move the road to four lanes rather than the current double decker bridge. It would also lose its interstate designation and become a federal highway. 

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680807589405.jpeg" alt="I-229 Double decker overpass/ File photo" />
 <figcaption>I-229 Double decker overpass/ File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post An important step has been cleared in the redesign of the I-229 double decker bridge in downtown St. Joseph. Missouri Department of Transportation District Design Engineer Shannon Kusilek says the findings by the federal highway commission that the proposed realignment would have of no significant environmental impact is a big step. "Moving forward now that means we can use that alignment, and we can start looking to work on a project to replace the existing bridge, as per the preferred alternate, and move forward with that," Kusilek tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. Kusilek says the next step will be to get the project designated as a design-build project with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. "There's some things we have to do like risk analysis assessment and determine some of the things we need to look at, and identify a team to lead the project, it will be a project director and a few other staff members to lead the project," Kusilek explains. "And then, once we get that approved as a design-build project, then the first item of business would probably be to start working on getting design-build teams together and ideally then de-designating I-229 as an interstate." Kusilek says there is still funding needed for the project, and there is no set timeline at this time "I think in the next five years it's quite possible this is going to move forward with construction, probably sometime maybe in that five-year time frame," Kusilek says. "The whole process for the design-build, to get that team going does take a couple years for that process, and then they'll have to start with their proposals and then actually start the construction, I'd say five years is quite possible and maybe sometime within the next five years." The alternative plan for I-229 is to move the road to four lanes rather than the current double decker bridge. It would also lose its interstate designation and become a federal highway. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

I-229 reconfiguration takes big step forward

MoCann Trade urges state regulators to adopt a rule that would allow microbusiness licensees to sell license sooner, not have exclusive operational control of business

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>

Missouri cannabis regulators and the state’s largest marijuana trade group agree that people should be banned from flooding the license lottery with applicants they recruit who are never intended to have any actual control or profits.

It’s a practice the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation has called predatory, and efforts to root it out of the state’s microbusiness program have resulted in 41 licenses being revoked or facing possible revocation.&nbsp;

“We understand and agree with the intent of eliminating straw applicants and groups who are only interested in taking control of the licenses from such applicants, instead of a true partnership,” Andrew Mullins, president of the Missouri Cannabis Trade association, said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/25489791-letter-to-dhss-proposed-amendments-19-csr-100-1" target="_blank">letter</a>&nbsp;to cannabis regulators last week.

But the details on how to do it are where differences emerge.

The Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/12/23/missouri-cannabis-regulators-announce-new-rules-to-target-predatory-contracts/">announced last month</a>&nbsp;a series of proposed rules aimed at&nbsp;combating predatory&nbsp;<a href="https://legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/25489941-19-csr-100-1190-amendment" target="_blank">financial agreements</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/25489942-19-csr-100-1060-amendment" target="_blank">other practices</a>&nbsp;during the application process. The division will now incorporate public feedback before submitting the final rules to the Secretary of State’s office.

The microbusiness program, which was written into&nbsp;the Missouri 2022 constitutional amendment that legalized marijuana, was designed for the licenses to end up in the hands of disadvantaged business owners —&nbsp;including&nbsp;disabled veterans, those with lower incomes and people with non-violent marijuana offenses.

The new rules attempt to clarify that contracts that take away majority ownership and control from the eligible applicants do not meet the constitutional requirements for the microbusiness program.

In its letter, MoCann pushed back on the division’s “list of arrangements that indicate a license is not owned and operated by the eligible applicants.”&nbsp;

On that list are “unexecuted” contracts that would take away control in the future. MoCann criticized the division for revoking licenses for having such agreements.

“If a contract is unexecuted, it is not an agreement at all,” Mullins wrote.&nbsp;

The letter reflects a key defense used in some of the appeals of licenses the division revoked last year.&nbsp;

Mullins wrote that the proposed rules were too vague about what an&nbsp;“exploitive exit fee” is if applicants want to get out of an agreement, along with what&nbsp;“majority owned and operated” looks like in practice. Mullins also urged the state to consider a new rule — allowing licensees to sell majority ownership right after the license is issued, instead of after the business is up and running which is required currently.

“Seeking to protect microbusiness owners from their own decisions will only succeed in crushing that dynamism,”&nbsp;Mullins said of the proposed rules. “It might protect microbusiness licensees from exploitation, but it will also protect their businesses straight into insolvency.”

Sami Jo Freeman, spokeswoman for the division, said regulators are “in the process of reviewing this letter, as well as all comments received, prior to moving forward.”&nbsp;

State regulators have used a lottery system over the last two years to award 96 microbusiness licenses — a program sold to voters as a way to help victims of the War on Drugs get a toehold in the burgeoning cannabis industry.&nbsp;

But of the 96 licenses issued so far,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/10/29/cannabis-missouri-predatory-socia-equity/">41 have been either revoked or are currently at risk of being revoked</a>. Another three are under investigation.&nbsp;

A majority of those 44 licenses are connected to groups or individuals who flooded the lottery by recruiting people to submit applications and then offering them contracts that limited their profit and control of the business.

Some of MoCann Trade’s key members are associated with the licenses under state scrutiny.&nbsp;

The association’s general counsel is Eric Walter, an attorney who also represents cannabis investor Michael Halow.&nbsp;

Halow is connected to more than 1,000 of the 3,600 applications submitted for Missouri’s lottery since the program began and 22 awarded licenses. But every one of those licences has been either revoked or was denied certification earlier in October by the division.&nbsp;

An&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/23/alleged-predatory-contracts-continue-to-surface-in-missouri-social-equity-marijuana-program/">investigation by The Independent</a>&nbsp;into one of these revoked licenses revealed that Halow signed a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25480535-ever-eco-llc-contract-redacted/" target="_blank">contract</a>&nbsp;with a Black disabled veteran who told regulators she didn’t realize the agreement would give Halow full ownership of the business.&nbsp;

Missouri cannabis consultant&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/07/26/missouri-cannabis-leader-accused-of-using-predatory-contracts-to-win-social-equity-licenses/">John Payne</a>&nbsp;led the campaign to legalize recreational cannabis in 2022 and sits on MoCann’s board of directors. He is connected to nearly 500 applications and 12 awarded licenses since the program’s inception.&nbsp;

Payne received six notices of pending revocation in October for licenses where he serves as the designated contact, stating the agreements reflected that the licenses would not be “majority owned and operated” by eligible applicants. Three more current licenses are under investigation for the same reason.&nbsp;

Seven of these licenses are connected to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/12/23/missouri-cannabis-regulators-announce-new-rules-to-target-predatory-contracts/">David Brodsky</a>, who is MoCann’s microbusiness representative to the advisory board.&nbsp;

Brodsky told The Independent in an email Monday that he didn’t provide any input into MoCann’s response to the letter.&nbsp;

“I do agree with everything MoCann said in their response though,” he said.

Payne and Walter did not respond to The Independent’s request for comment.

When asked if Payne or Walter had a hand in writing the comments to the state, MoCann’s spokesman Jack Cardetti said, “Rule and regulatory matters generally emanate from our 10-person government affairs committee, which is comprised of licensees, many of whom are attorneys.”&nbsp;

Payne sits on the association’s government affairs committee. Cardetti further said, “As MoCann’s outside general counsel, Eric Walter is one of several who review these.”

The proposed rules would impact a number of contracts The Independent has analyzed.

The Independent’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/07/26/missouri-cannabis-leader-accused-of-using-predatory-contracts-to-win-social-equity-licenses/">June investigation</a>&nbsp;found that for some of the applications, Payne recruited eligible Missourians and had them sign a 47-page contract that would ultimately give him and his partners 90.1% of profits and majority control of the business. Despite only owning a fraction of the business, under state law the applicants would bear the lion’s share of the regulatory scrutiny. If they ever want to walk away from the deal, they would be required to pay a nearly $1 million fee.

Four legal experts who reviewed the contract for The Independent concluded it was unfair and potentially predatory.&nbsp;

According to the proposed new rules, a license would not be considered owned and operated by the eligible applicants if the financial arrangement includes an “exploitive exit fee by a consultant or manager.”&nbsp;

The proposed rules also address provisions found in Destiny Brown’s contract with Michael Halow. Brown, who qualifies as an eligible applicant because she’s a disabled veteran, signed a memo of understanding and promissory note giving Halow the right to convert the loan he promised to provide into 100% of the “membership interest” — or all of the profits and voting rights of the business.

The state revoked the license on seven grounds, including that the application included “false or misleading information” and the licensee withheld information.

The proposed rule prohibits “agreements that the original majority eligible owner(s) in the application will not have majority ownership in the future.” That also includes any other documents, whether executed or in draft form, that may remove operational control from the eligible individuals listed in the application.

Halow told The Independent in an email last week that the proposed changes are “problematic.”&nbsp;

“Specifically, by stipulating that eligible applicants who are not the original lottery winners cannot operate a recently issued license,” Halow wrote, “the state would effectively strip those individuals of their constitutionally granted right or privilege to operate these businesses, regardless of their ownership or lottery status.”&nbsp;

MoCann suggests allowing agreements to sell majority equity of the business to occur after the state has issued the license. Currently, the licensees can only do that after the business has been approved to commence.&nbsp;

“The ability to sell the license – including by contracting to sell prior to commencement – is a valuable backup plan for every licensee,” Mullins wrote in his letter.

One contract associated with Brodsky established a board of three managers that would vote on all company decisions. The lender and the “consultant” each get to select a member.&nbsp;

That left the qualified applicant with only one-third of the voting power.

Brodsky said his contract is valid because all&nbsp;board members meet the program’s eligibility requirements.

“The constitution only says that it must be majority owned and operated by eligible applicants,” Brodsky stated in an email to The Independent. “I am an eligible applicant as is everyone involved with Green Zebra LLC.”

The validity of this type of board structure could potentially change by alternative language that MoCann proposed in its letter.

In the state’s definition of majority owned and operated, eligible individuals must also have the power to direct the management and policies of the license and enter into agreements.&nbsp;

The association proposes to add the word “collectively” after individuals. It also proposes stating that, “Non-eligible owners may hold a&nbsp; minority of voting rights, and the owners may hire management, managers, staff and enter into contracts that implement the decisions of the ownership collectively.”

The division’s definition also includes the phrase “must have a level of operational control that would be expected of an owner.”&nbsp;

MoCann suggests an alternative definition that eligible majority owners don’t need to have “exclusive operational control” of the business, but they must have majority voting rights. This takes out any “vagueness,” the letter states, on what operational control means.&nbsp;

“If they must indeed exercise exclusive and total control over the business, there is effectively no way for them to hire any&nbsp;managers, staff or vendors to assist with the business,” Mullins wrote.&nbsp;

However, the division’s website states that, “the ‘owned and operated’ requirement does not prohibit microbusiness licensees from entering into management agreements for facility operations.”

Michael Wolff, a former chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court and dean emeritus of the St. Louis University Law School, said he wouldn’t construe the state’s definition to prohibit somebody from hiring a manager — because that’s what would normally be expected of an owner.&nbsp;

“I don’t think you can make a parade of horribles out of that language,” Wolff said. “I think that language was put in there with a good effect and good intent.”

The division stated in a press release last month that a “purported owner with little to no knowledge, control, agency or decision-making authority in an application or license does not meet the intent or meaning of the requirement in Article XIV.”

Adolphus Pruitt, president of the St. Louis City NAACP and who helped write the microbusiness provision, sided with the division’s definition.&nbsp;

It’s similar, he said, to a federal standard, known as the “<a href="https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/federal-aidessentials/commusefunction.pdf" target="_blank">commercially useful function</a>” rule, used to weed out pass-through companies in contracts set aside for underrepresented business enterprises.&nbsp;

“It ensures that underrepresented business enterprises are genuinely responsible for executing distinct elements of work by actively performing, managing,” Pruitt said, “and supervising their operations, thereby preventing token participation.”

James Harnden says he didn’t realize that when he agreed to apply for a microbusiness license that the contract he signed gave him 100% ownership interest but no revenue or profits from the business.&nbsp;

The contract was with&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/26/applicants-recruited-on-craigslist-competed-for-missouri-social-equity-cannabis-licenses/">Michigan-based cannabis group Canna Zoned</a>.&nbsp;

After the business passed through all the state and municipal approvals, the contract stated that Harnden would be required to sell his share of the business for $1 to the group or be held in breach of contract.&nbsp;

Harden did not get a license, but the state revoked two other applicants connected to Canna Zoned.

Under the new rules, any entity who was the designated contact for a license that was previously revoked for failure to comply with the ownership and operation requirements will no longer be allowed to be involved in any capacity in a future microbusiness application.&nbsp;&nbsp;

All microbusiness applications in which such former designated contact has any involvement would be denied.

Jeffrey Yatooma, president of Canna Zoned and the designated contact for the two licenses revoked last year, told The Independent in an email last week that the proposed rule changes “reflect a fundamental misunderstanding” of the support that many applicants need to navigate the “labyrinthine system.”&nbsp;

“These applicants often lack the experience or resources to manage the hurdles involved in obtaining full licensure,” Yatooma stated. “That’s exactly why they turn to us—to provide guidance, expertise, and a clear path forward. The assertion that these partnerships are somehow ‘predatory’ mischaracterizes the reality of the situation.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692273868300.png" alt="&nbsp;The Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation announced last month a series of proposed rules aimed at combating predatory financial agreements and other practices during the application process (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;The Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation announced last month a series of proposed rules aimed at combating predatory financial agreements and other practices during the application process (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>MoCann Trade urges state regulators to adopt a rule that would allow microbusiness licensees to sell license sooner, not have exclusive operational control of business</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>Missouri cannabis regulators and the state’s largest marijuana trade group agree that people should be banned from flooding the license lottery with applicants they recruit who are never intended to have any actual control or profits.It’s a practice the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation has called predatory, and efforts to root it out of the state’s microbusiness program have resulted in 41 licenses being revoked or facing possible revocation.&nbsp;“We understand and agree with the intent of eliminating straw applicants and groups who are only interested in taking control of the licenses from such applicants, instead of a true partnership,” Andrew Mullins, president of the Missouri Cannabis Trade association, said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/25489791-letter-to-dhss-proposed-amendments-19-csr-100-1" target="_blank">letter</a>&nbsp;to cannabis regulators last week.But the details on how to do it are where differences emerge.The Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/12/23/missouri-cannabis-regulators-announce-new-rules-to-target-predatory-contracts/">announced last month</a>&nbsp;a series of proposed rules aimed at&nbsp;combating predatory&nbsp;<a href="https://legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/25489941-19-csr-100-1190-amendment" target="_blank">financial agreements</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/25489942-19-csr-100-1060-amendment" target="_blank">other practices</a>&nbsp;during the application process. The division will now incorporate public feedback before submitting the final rules to the Secretary of State’s office.The microbusiness program, which was written into&nbsp;the Missouri 2022 constitutional amendment that legalized marijuana, was designed for the licenses to end up in the hands of disadvantaged business owners —&nbsp;including&nbsp;disabled veterans, those with lower incomes and people with non-violent marijuana offenses.The new rules attempt to clarify that contracts that take away majority ownership and control from the eligible applicants do not meet the constitutional requirements for the microbusiness program.In its letter, MoCann pushed back on the division’s “list of arrangements that indicate a license is not owned and operated by the eligible applicants.”&nbsp;On that list are “unexecuted” contracts that would take away control in the future. MoCann criticized the division for revoking licenses for having such agreements.“If a contract is unexecuted, it is not an agreement at all,” Mullins wrote.&nbsp;The letter reflects a key defense used in some of the appeals of licenses the division revoked last year.&nbsp;Mullins wrote that the proposed rules were too vague about what an&nbsp;“exploitive exit fee” is if applicants want to get out of an agreement, along with what&nbsp;“majority owned and operated” looks like in practice. Mullins also urged the state to consider a new rule — allowing licensees to sell majority ownership right after the license is issued, instead of after the business is up and running which is required currently.“Seeking to protect microbusiness owners from their own decisions will only succeed in crushing that dynamism,”&nbsp;Mullins said of the proposed rules. “It might protect microbusiness licensees from exploitation, but it will also protect their businesses straight into insolvency.”Sami Jo Freeman, spokeswoman for the division, said regulators are “in the process of reviewing this letter, as well as all comments received, prior to moving forward.”&nbsp;<h2>Revocations and MoCann’s members</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737034596825.png" alt=" John Payne, managing partner at Amendment 2 Consultants, discusses legislation at an industry summit in downtown St. Louis on March 28, 2024, with Amy Moore (middle), director of the Division of Cannabis Regulation, and Mitch Meyers, partner at BeLeaf Medical (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> John Payne, managing partner at Amendment 2 Consultants, discusses legislation at an industry summit in downtown St. Louis on March 28, 2024, with Amy Moore (middle), director of the Division of Cannabis Regulation, and Mitch Meyers, partner at BeLeaf Medical (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>State regulators have used a lottery system over the last two years to award 96 microbusiness licenses — a program sold to voters as a way to help victims of the War on Drugs get a toehold in the burgeoning cannabis industry.&nbsp;But of the 96 licenses issued so far,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/10/29/cannabis-missouri-predatory-socia-equity/">41 have been either revoked or are currently at risk of being revoked</a>. Another three are under investigation.&nbsp;A majority of those 44 licenses are connected to groups or individuals who flooded the lottery by recruiting people to submit applications and then offering them contracts that limited their profit and control of the business.Some of MoCann Trade’s key members are associated with the licenses under state scrutiny.&nbsp;The association’s general counsel is Eric Walter, an attorney who also represents cannabis investor Michael Halow.&nbsp;Halow is connected to more than 1,000 of the 3,600 applications submitted for Missouri’s lottery since the program began and 22 awarded licenses. But every one of those licences has been either revoked or was denied certification earlier in October by the division.&nbsp;An&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/23/alleged-predatory-contracts-continue-to-surface-in-missouri-social-equity-marijuana-program/">investigation by The Independent</a>&nbsp;into one of these revoked licenses revealed that Halow signed a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25480535-ever-eco-llc-contract-redacted/" target="_blank">contract</a>&nbsp;with a Black disabled veteran who told regulators she didn’t realize the agreement would give Halow full ownership of the business.&nbsp;Missouri cannabis consultant&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/07/26/missouri-cannabis-leader-accused-of-using-predatory-contracts-to-win-social-equity-licenses/">John Payne</a>&nbsp;led the campaign to legalize recreational cannabis in 2022 and sits on MoCann’s board of directors. He is connected to nearly 500 applications and 12 awarded licenses since the program’s inception.&nbsp;Payne received six notices of pending revocation in October for licenses where he serves as the designated contact, stating the agreements reflected that the licenses would not be “majority owned and operated” by eligible applicants. Three more current licenses are under investigation for the same reason.&nbsp;Seven of these licenses are connected to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/12/23/missouri-cannabis-regulators-announce-new-rules-to-target-predatory-contracts/">David Brodsky</a>, who is MoCann’s microbusiness representative to the advisory board.&nbsp;Brodsky told The Independent in an email Monday that he didn’t provide any input into MoCann’s response to the letter.&nbsp;“I do agree with everything MoCann said in their response though,” he said.Payne and Walter did not respond to The Independent’s request for comment.When asked if Payne or Walter had a hand in writing the comments to the state, MoCann’s spokesman Jack Cardetti said, “Rule and regulatory matters generally emanate from our 10-person government affairs committee, which is comprised of licensees, many of whom are attorneys.”&nbsp;Payne sits on the association’s government affairs committee. Cardetti further said, “As MoCann’s outside general counsel, Eric Walter is one of several who review these.”<h2>The rules and contracts</h2>The proposed rules would impact a number of contracts The Independent has analyzed.The Independent’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/07/26/missouri-cannabis-leader-accused-of-using-predatory-contracts-to-win-social-equity-licenses/">June investigation</a>&nbsp;found that for some of the applications, Payne recruited eligible Missourians and had them sign a 47-page contract that would ultimately give him and his partners 90.1% of profits and majority control of the business. Despite only owning a fraction of the business, under state law the applicants would bear the lion’s share of the regulatory scrutiny. If they ever want to walk away from the deal, they would be required to pay a nearly $1 million fee.Four legal experts who reviewed the contract for The Independent concluded it was unfair and potentially predatory.&nbsp;According to the proposed new rules, a license would not be considered owned and operated by the eligible applicants if the financial arrangement includes an “exploitive exit fee by a consultant or manager.”&nbsp;The proposed rules also address provisions found in Destiny Brown’s contract with Michael Halow. Brown, who qualifies as an eligible applicant because she’s a disabled veteran, signed a memo of understanding and promissory note giving Halow the right to convert the loan he promised to provide into 100% of the “membership interest” — or all of the profits and voting rights of the business.The state revoked the license on seven grounds, including that the application included “false or misleading information” and the licensee withheld information.The proposed rule prohibits “agreements that the original majority eligible owner(s) in the application will not have majority ownership in the future.” That also includes any other documents, whether executed or in draft form, that may remove operational control from the eligible individuals listed in the application.Halow told The Independent in an email last week that the proposed changes are “problematic.”&nbsp;“Specifically, by stipulating that eligible applicants who are not the original lottery winners cannot operate a recently issued license,” Halow wrote, “the state would effectively strip those individuals of their constitutionally granted right or privilege to operate these businesses, regardless of their ownership or lottery status.”&nbsp;MoCann suggests allowing agreements to sell majority equity of the business to occur after the state has issued the license. Currently, the licensees can only do that after the business has been approved to commence.&nbsp;“The ability to sell the license – including by contracting to sell prior to commencement – is a valuable backup plan for every licensee,” Mullins wrote in his letter.<h2>‘Operated by’</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698531124512.png" alt="(Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>(Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>One contract associated with Brodsky established a board of three managers that would vote on all company decisions. The lender and the “consultant” each get to select a member.&nbsp;That left the qualified applicant with only one-third of the voting power.Brodsky said his contract is valid because all&nbsp;board members meet the program’s eligibility requirements.“The constitution only says that it must be majority owned and operated by eligible applicants,” Brodsky stated in an email to The Independent. “I am an eligible applicant as is everyone involved with Green Zebra LLC.”The validity of this type of board structure could potentially change by alternative language that MoCann proposed in its letter.In the state’s definition of majority owned and operated, eligible individuals must also have the power to direct the management and policies of the license and enter into agreements.&nbsp;The association proposes to add the word “collectively” after individuals. It also proposes stating that, “Non-eligible owners may hold a&nbsp; minority of voting rights, and the owners may hire management, managers, staff and enter into contracts that implement the decisions of the ownership collectively.”The division’s definition also includes the phrase “must have a level of operational control that would be expected of an owner.”&nbsp;MoCann suggests an alternative definition that eligible majority owners don’t need to have “exclusive operational control” of the business, but they must have majority voting rights. This takes out any “vagueness,” the letter states, on what operational control means.&nbsp;“If they must indeed exercise exclusive and total control over the business, there is effectively no way for them to hire any&nbsp;managers, staff or vendors to assist with the business,” Mullins wrote.&nbsp;However, the division’s website states that, “the ‘owned and operated’ requirement does not prohibit microbusiness licensees from entering into management agreements for facility operations.”Michael Wolff, a former chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court and dean emeritus of the St. Louis University Law School, said he wouldn’t construe the state’s definition to prohibit somebody from hiring a manager — because that’s what would normally be expected of an owner.&nbsp;“I don’t think you can make a parade of horribles out of that language,” Wolff said. “I think that language was put in there with a good effect and good intent.”The division stated in a press release last month that a “purported owner with little to no knowledge, control, agency or decision-making authority in an application or license does not meet the intent or meaning of the requirement in Article XIV.”Adolphus Pruitt, president of the St. Louis City NAACP and who helped write the microbusiness provision, sided with the division’s definition.&nbsp;It’s similar, he said, to a federal standard, known as the “<a href="https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/federal-aidessentials/commusefunction.pdf" target="_blank">commercially useful function</a>” rule, used to weed out pass-through companies in contracts set aside for underrepresented business enterprises.&nbsp;“It ensures that underrepresented business enterprises are genuinely responsible for executing distinct elements of work by actively performing, managing,” Pruitt said, “and supervising their operations, thereby preventing token participation.”<h2>Canna Zoned</h2>James Harnden says he didn’t realize that when he agreed to apply for a microbusiness license that the contract he signed gave him 100% ownership interest but no revenue or profits from the business.&nbsp;The contract was with&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/26/applicants-recruited-on-craigslist-competed-for-missouri-social-equity-cannabis-licenses/">Michigan-based cannabis group Canna Zoned</a>.&nbsp;After the business passed through all the state and municipal approvals, the contract stated that Harnden would be required to sell his share of the business for $1 to the group or be held in breach of contract.&nbsp;Harden did not get a license, but the state revoked two other applicants connected to Canna Zoned.Under the new rules, any entity who was the designated contact for a license that was previously revoked for failure to comply with the ownership and operation requirements will no longer be allowed to be involved in any capacity in a future microbusiness application.&nbsp;&nbsp;All microbusiness applications in which such former designated contact has any involvement would be denied.Jeffrey Yatooma, president of Canna Zoned and the designated contact for the two licenses revoked last year, told The Independent in an email last week that the proposed rule changes “reflect a fundamental misunderstanding” of the support that many applicants need to navigate the “labyrinthine system.”&nbsp;“These applicants often lack the experience or resources to manage the hurdles involved in obtaining full licensure,” Yatooma stated. “That’s exactly why they turn to us—to provide guidance, expertise, and a clear path forward. The assertion that these partnerships are somehow ‘predatory’ mischaracterizes the reality of the situation.”

Cannabis trade group pushes back on Missouri rules to combat ‘predatory’ practices

(Radio Iowa) - A new study from the Iowa Pork Producers Association finds the hog industry contributed more than 15-billion dollars to Iowa's economy last year. 

Association spokesman Kevin Hall says the study, which is done every four years, identified nearly 52-hundred pig farms statewide who produce one-third of the nation's pork, reinforcing Iowa's position as the number-one pork producing state. Hall says the industry is vital to Iowa's economy, creating more than 120-thousand jobs. Among those jobs, the study says 64-thousand are in hog production, 39-thousand are in hog slaughter, and another 16-thousand jobs are in hog processing. 

The study says the top five Iowa counties for hog inventories are: Washington, Sioux, Lyon, Plymouth, and Hardin. Among those, Washington, Sioux and Lyon counties each have more than one-million pigs.

(Radio Iowa) - A new study from the Iowa Pork Producers Association finds the hog industry contributed more than 15-billion dollars to Iowa's economy last year. Association spokesman Kevin Hall says the study, which is done every four years, identified nearly 52-hundred pig farms statewide who produce one-third of the nation's pork, reinforcing Iowa's position as the number-one pork producing state. Hall says the industry is vital to Iowa's economy, creating more than 120-thousand jobs. Among those jobs, the study says 64-thousand are in hog production, 39-thousand are in hog slaughter, and another 16-thousand jobs are in hog processing. The study says the top five Iowa counties for hog inventories are: Washington, Sioux, Lyon, Plymouth, and Hardin. Among those, Washington, Sioux and Lyon counties each have more than one-million pigs.

Study suggests Iowa's pork industry worth $15 billion to Iowa economy last year

State of the State speech sets tone of governor’s spending, policy effort

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly’s seventh State of the State speech on Wednesday called for investments in water resources and public schools, streamlining early childhood regulation, pursuit of sustainable tax policy and expansion of Medicaid eligibility.

Kelly, a Democrat who took office in 2019 as the state’s 48th governor after serving 14 years as a state senator, urged the Kansas Legislature to frame these significant issues in the context of what Kansas could look like at the end of this century.

She asked lawmakers to step outside the day-to-day competition to score short-term political points. She recommended elected officials at the Capitol devote more energy to shaping what would lie ahead for Kansas’ children and grandchildren.

“Since I’ve been in office, we have built an incredibly strong foundation for our state. Kansas has never been in better financial shape,” Kelly said. “Now, it’s time to build on that foundation.”

While looking down the road to 2100, she posed big questions: Is the agriculture economy booming because water resources were preserved and rural Kansas didn’t dry up? Do Kansas businesses have the best and brightest workers because the priority was superior public schools? Is Kansas an economic-development powerhouse? Did Kansas hold onto its small-town traditions?

“It’s easy to forget that we aren’t playing some kind of game here,” Kelly said. “We have real power. The decisions we make in this building touch every aspect of the lives of the people we work for. Here’s the truth. The Kansas our grandkids will inherit is up to us right now.”

Kelly said the mission was to filter through some pretty wacky notions to settle on smart, reasonable common-sense bipartisan ideas.

“I’m not asking you not to love your political party,” the Democratic governor said. “I’m just asking you to love your state a little more.”

Kelly said the way Kansas chose to invest in children would hold sway over the trajectory of the rest of this century. A child’s experiences from birth to age 5 played a central role in social and emotional development, academic achievement and career success, she said.

She said the state recognized the shortage of child-care providers and that skyrocketing costs handicapped businesses. Urgent state investment meant Kansas would added more child-care capacity in the next two years than in the previous 15 years, the governor said.

The problem? Kansas has siloed early-childhood services into four different state agencies.

“If a family is searching for care for a newborn, that family must navigate among three different agencies to figure out which program is the right fit,” Kelly said. “If a child care center wants to get off the ground, it must work with one state agency to get licensed, another to receive financial aid and workforce support, and a third to get assistance with start-up costs.”

Kelly’s solution: Create the Office of Early Childhood. It would be a one-stop shop for young families. This idea of eliminating irritating red tape and bureaucracy gained traction in the Kansas House in 2024, passing the chamber with 110 votes.

Meanwhile, Kelly proposed creation of the Office of Natural Resources to streamline management of water resources. Currently, those programs were shared among 14 different state agencies. This consolidation would improve the state’s ability to align policy, planning and investment, she said.

“When I imagine the end of this century and the state our youngest Kansans will inherit, I see so many good things on the horizon,” Kelly said. “But, there is one thing that is seriously concerning. Our dwindling water supply. Forget making it 75 years down the road. Some parts of western Kansas don’t have the groundwater to last another 25 years.”

Last year, the Legislature appropriated $35 million additional dollars in each of the next five years to improve the state’s ability to deliver a clean, sustainable water supply, stabilize the Ogallala Aquifer and maximize the capacity of reservoirs in Kansas.

Kelly’s budget recommendations, to be presented to House and Senate members Thursday, would add $30 million to the state’s annual investment in the water supply. That would raise the level of state investment to $90 million annually.

Kelly said the state required a solid K-12 public school system to continue to attract new businesses and young families in the future. Ninety-percent of the state’s students attend public schools, she said, and those districts represented the most effective place to invest in the next generations, the governor said.

“When we talk about protecting the Kansas way of life, our public schools are the heart and soul of so many of our communities,” Kelly said. “For both, the future we aspire to create and the values we aspire to maintain, we must continue to make our public schools our top priority.”

Kelly said she would “never, ever” take taxpayer dollars from public schools and give it to private schools. Kansas Republican legislative leaders have been preparing another bid to expand support for private or parochial education.

“Doing so weakens our public school system, particularly in our rural communities,” the governor said. “As a state, we just can’t afford to do that. Simply put, I will continue to reject any attempt, no matter what it looks like, to reroute public taxpayer dollars to public schools.”

She also said her 2025 state budget plan included funding to provide free school lunches to more than 35,000 Kansas students.

Kelly, who defeated Republican Kris Kobach in 2018 and the GOP’s Derek Schmidt in 2022, campaigned in both races against the reckless 2012 income tax reductions signed into law by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. His goal was to end the state’s income tax. The resulting steep decline in state revenue wasn’t balanced with equivalent spending cuts, leading to years of budget problems that cut into appropriations for schools, highways and other core services.

In her six years as governor, Kelly said she’d signed into law more than $2 billion in tax cuts. In June, she signed into law a bill that cut state taxes by $1.2 billion over three years.

She said she wouldn’t support a proposal to slash the state corporate income tax to zero. The referred to the idea as a “non-starter.” The GOP leadership in the Senate and House also indicated they would attempt during the 2025 session to lower property tax burdens.

“We must stay on the path to prosperity as we move through the rest of the 21st century,” she said.

She preferred to postpone discussions about new tax reductions until the 2026 legislative session to get a better handle on the full fiscal impact of tax cuts adopted last year. However, she said she would consider changes to the state’s tax structure that paid for themselves and didn’t threaten the state’s long-term financial health.

Kelly did renew her push for the Legislature to expand eligibility for Medicaid to about 150,000 lower-income workers in the state. The proposal has been blocked by Republican lawmakers for more than a decade, and the governor said the only remaining objections centered on partisan politics.

“Over the past six years,” she said, “all the horror myths around Medicaid expansion have been debunked, and all the surrounding states have expanded.”

She said the lingering argument in Kansas was that it would be too expensive for the state to broaden access to Medicaid health services. In 2025, she said, it would cost the state $78.3 million to follow in the footsteps of dozens of other states. Instead of making that investment, the state has already left $7.6 billion in federal funding on the table in Washington, D.C., that could have flowed into the state’s medical system.

“If we can strip away partisan politics and just look at the numbers, we will expand Medicaid this year,” Kelly said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737028018739.png" alt=" Gov. Laura Kelly delivers the annual State of the State speech Wednesday in the Kansas House. She urged the 2025 Kansas Legislature to invest in K-12 public schools, water resources and early-childhood initiatives. She also warned the Republican-led Legislature to be wary of unsustainable tax reductions. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Gov. Laura Kelly delivers the annual State of the State speech Wednesday in the Kansas House. She urged the 2025 Kansas Legislature to invest in K-12 public schools, water resources and early-childhood initiatives. She also warned the Republican-led Legislature to be wary of unsustainable tax reductions. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>State of the State speech sets tone of governor’s spending, policy effort</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly’s seventh State of the State speech on Wednesday called for investments in water resources and public schools, streamlining early childhood regulation, pursuit of sustainable tax policy and expansion of Medicaid eligibility.Kelly, a Democrat who took office in 2019 as the state’s 48th governor after serving 14 years as a state senator, urged the Kansas Legislature to frame these significant issues in the context of what Kansas could look like at the end of this century.She asked lawmakers to step outside the day-to-day competition to score short-term political points. She recommended elected officials at the Capitol devote more energy to shaping what would lie ahead for Kansas’ children and grandchildren.“Since I’ve been in office, we have built an incredibly strong foundation for our state. Kansas has never been in better financial shape,” Kelly said. “Now, it’s time to build on that foundation.”While looking down the road to 2100, she posed big questions: Is the agriculture economy booming because water resources were preserved and rural Kansas didn’t dry up? Do Kansas businesses have the best and brightest workers because the priority was superior public schools? Is Kansas an economic-development powerhouse? Did Kansas hold onto its small-town traditions?“It’s easy to forget that we aren’t playing some kind of game here,” Kelly said. “We have real power. The decisions we make in this building touch every aspect of the lives of the people we work for. Here’s the truth. The Kansas our grandkids will inherit is up to us right now.”Kelly said the mission was to filter through some pretty wacky notions to settle on smart, reasonable common-sense bipartisan ideas.“I’m not asking you not to love your political party,” the Democratic governor said. “I’m just asking you to love your state a little more.”<h2>Young kids, and water</h2>Kelly said the way Kansas chose to invest in children would hold sway over the trajectory of the rest of this century. A child’s experiences from birth to age 5 played a central role in social and emotional development, academic achievement and career success, she said.She said the state recognized the shortage of child-care providers and that skyrocketing costs handicapped businesses. Urgent state investment meant Kansas would added more child-care capacity in the next two years than in the previous 15 years, the governor said.The problem? Kansas has siloed early-childhood services into four different state agencies.“If a family is searching for care for a newborn, that family must navigate among three different agencies to figure out which program is the right fit,” Kelly said. “If a child care center wants to get off the ground, it must work with one state agency to get licensed, another to receive financial aid and workforce support, and a third to get assistance with start-up costs.”Kelly’s solution: Create the Office of Early Childhood. It would be a one-stop shop for young families. This idea of eliminating irritating red tape and bureaucracy gained traction in the Kansas House in 2024, passing the chamber with 110 votes.Meanwhile, Kelly proposed creation of the Office of Natural Resources to streamline management of water resources. Currently, those programs were shared among 14 different state agencies. This consolidation would improve the state’s ability to align policy, planning and investment, she said.“When I imagine the end of this century and the state our youngest Kansans will inherit, I see so many good things on the horizon,” Kelly said. “But, there is one thing that is seriously concerning. Our dwindling water supply. Forget making it 75 years down the road. Some parts of western Kansas don’t have the groundwater to last another 25 years.”Last year, the Legislature appropriated $35 million additional dollars in each of the next five years to improve the state’s ability to deliver a clean, sustainable water supply, stabilize the Ogallala Aquifer and maximize the capacity of reservoirs in Kansas.Kelly’s budget recommendations, to be presented to House and Senate members Thursday, would add $30 million to the state’s annual investment in the water supply. That would raise the level of state investment to $90 million annually.<h2>Public schools</h2>Kelly said the state required a solid K-12 public school system to continue to attract new businesses and young families in the future. Ninety-percent of the state’s students attend public schools, she said, and those districts represented the most effective place to invest in the next generations, the governor said.“When we talk about protecting the Kansas way of life, our public schools are the heart and soul of so many of our communities,” Kelly said. “For both, the future we aspire to create and the values we aspire to maintain, we must continue to make our public schools our top priority.”Kelly said she would “never, ever” take taxpayer dollars from public schools and give it to private schools. Kansas Republican legislative leaders have been preparing another bid to expand support for private or parochial education.“Doing so weakens our public school system, particularly in our rural communities,” the governor said. “As a state, we just can’t afford to do that. Simply put, I will continue to reject any attempt, no matter what it looks like, to reroute public taxpayer dollars to public schools.”She also said her 2025 state budget plan included funding to provide free school lunches to more than 35,000 Kansas students.<h2>No Brownback 2.0</h2>Kelly, who defeated Republican Kris Kobach in 2018 and the GOP’s Derek Schmidt in 2022, campaigned in both races against the reckless 2012 income tax reductions signed into law by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. His goal was to end the state’s income tax. The resulting steep decline in state revenue wasn’t balanced with equivalent spending cuts, leading to years of budget problems that cut into appropriations for schools, highways and other core services.In her six years as governor, Kelly said she’d signed into law more than $2 billion in tax cuts. In June, she signed into law a bill that cut state taxes by $1.2 billion over three years.She said she wouldn’t support a proposal to slash the state corporate income tax to zero. The referred to the idea as a “non-starter.” The GOP leadership in the Senate and House also indicated they would attempt during the 2025 session to lower property tax burdens.“We must stay on the path to prosperity as we move through the rest of the 21st century,” she said.She preferred to postpone discussions about new tax reductions until the 2026 legislative session to get a better handle on the full fiscal impact of tax cuts adopted last year. However, she said she would consider changes to the state’s tax structure that paid for themselves and didn’t threaten the state’s long-term financial health.Kelly did renew her push for the Legislature to expand eligibility for Medicaid to about 150,000 lower-income workers in the state. The proposal has been blocked by Republican lawmakers for more than a decade, and the governor said the only remaining objections centered on partisan politics.“Over the past six years,” she said, “all the horror myths around Medicaid expansion have been debunked, and all the surrounding states have expanded.”She said the lingering argument in Kansas was that it would be too expensive for the state to broaden access to Medicaid health services. In 2025, she said, it would cost the state $78.3 million to follow in the footsteps of dozens of other states. Instead of making that investment, the state has already left $7.6 billion in federal funding on the table in Washington, D.C., that could have flowed into the state’s medical system.“If we can strip away partisan politics and just look at the numbers, we will expand Medicaid this year,” Kelly said.

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