(Radio Iowa) - The DEMOCRATIC Party in a southern Iowa county is in the process of nominating a REPUBLICAN for one of the party's slots on the November ballot. 

Republican Chris Clark of Sidney is chairman of the Fremont County Board of Supervisors, but he lost this month's G-O-P Primary by seven votes. Fremont County Democratic Party chairman John Powers says that was an unexpected result -- and a recent change in Iowa law prohibits Clark and all other losers of party primaries from running as an independent in the General Election. 

According to the party, Clark is expected to accept the Democratic Party's nomination, but will remain a Republican. Fremont County Democrats credit Clark for prioritizing county needs over what they called "partisan politics and personal grievance."

(Radio Iowa) - The DEMOCRATIC Party in a southern Iowa county is in the process of nominating a REPUBLICAN for one of the party's slots on the November ballot. Republican Chris Clark of Sidney is chairman of the Fremont County Board of Supervisors, but he lost this month's G-O-P Primary by seven votes. Fremont County Democratic Party chairman John Powers says that was an unexpected result -- and a recent change in Iowa law prohibits Clark and all other losers of party primaries from running as an independent in the General Election. According to the party, Clark is expected to accept the Democratic Party's nomination, but will remain a Republican. Fremont County Democrats credit Clark for prioritizing county needs over what they called "partisan politics and personal grievance."

Southwest Iowa Democrats nominating Republican for county office

Missouri’s Lt. Governor gave his pitch for a promotion during
a stop in Savannah Friday afternoon.

Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe is in the crowded field for the
Republican nomination for governor, taking a veiled shot at some of his fellow Republican
opponents, saying they come to Jefferson City not ready to work with others.

“And they’d rather stand on this table and scream at you on
how conservative they are and what they’re values are than actually work with
you on something,” Kehoe tells a crowd gathered at United Electric Cooperative.
“And I tell people all the time, I’m conservative to my core. That’s the way my
mother raised me, a conservative Christian to my core, but I don’t feel like I
have to stand on a table and scream. I’d rather talk to you. I’d rather develop
a relationship with you.”

Kehoe ran a Ford dealership in Jefferson City before running
for the Missouri Senate. Gov. Mike Parson appointed Kehoe Lt. Governor in 2018 after
Parson became governor upon the resignation of Eric Greitens. Kehoe won
election to the office in 2020. Kehoe also raises cattle on a farm in Phelps
and Pulaski Counties.

There are nine candidates listed on the Republican primary
ballot for governor. High-profile Republicans in the race include Secretary of
State Jay Ashcroft and state Sen. Bill Eigel of St. Charles County.

Kehoe lists four primary goals he would have as governor:&nbsp; crack down on crime, increase workforce
development beyond high school, agriculture, and economic development.

As part of his economic platform, Kehoe  proposes eliminating the state income tax.

“And it fits a core fundamental piece of who a conservative is.
I believe you can spend your money way better than any elected official can any
day of the year. So, this puts money back in your pocket and it gets us a
really good leg up on economic development conversation,” Kehoe says. “We
intend to work with the legislature to get that passed in a responsible manner
so we can continue to fill our other commitments that we have across the state.”

The Savannah stop was part of Kehoe’s statewide campaign tour.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719001352836.jpeg" alt="Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe speaks to a crowd at United Electric Cooperative in Savannah during his gubernatorial campaign./Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe speaks to a crowd at United Electric Cooperative in Savannah during his gubernatorial campaign./Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostMissouri’s Lt. Governor gave his pitch for a promotion during
a stop in Savannah Friday afternoon.Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe is in the crowded field for the
Republican nomination for governor, taking a veiled shot at some of his fellow Republican
opponents, saying they come to Jefferson City not ready to work with others.“And they’d rather stand on this table and scream at you on
how conservative they are and what they’re values are than actually work with
you on something,” Kehoe tells a crowd gathered at United Electric Cooperative.
“And I tell people all the time, I’m conservative to my core. That’s the way my
mother raised me, a conservative Christian to my core, but I don’t feel like I
have to stand on a table and scream. I’d rather talk to you. I’d rather develop
a relationship with you.”Kehoe ran a Ford dealership in Jefferson City before running
for the Missouri Senate. Gov. Mike Parson appointed Kehoe Lt. Governor in 2018 after
Parson became governor upon the resignation of Eric Greitens. Kehoe won
election to the office in 2020. Kehoe also raises cattle on a farm in Phelps
and Pulaski Counties.There are nine candidates listed on the Republican primary
ballot for governor. High-profile Republicans in the race include Secretary of
State Jay Ashcroft and state Sen. Bill Eigel of St. Charles County.Kehoe lists four primary goals he would have as governor:&nbsp; crack down on crime, increase workforce
development beyond high school, agriculture, and economic development.As part of his economic platform, Kehoe proposes eliminating the state income tax.“And it fits a core fundamental piece of who a conservative is.
I believe you can spend your money way better than any elected official can any
day of the year. So, this puts money back in your pocket and it gets us a
really good leg up on economic development conversation,” Kehoe says. “We
intend to work with the legislature to get that passed in a responsible manner
so we can continue to fill our other commitments that we have across the state.”The Savannah stop was part of Kehoe’s statewide campaign tour.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Lt. Gov. Kehoe stumps for governor during Savannah stop

Officials with the American Red Cross advise taking precautions as the temperatures begin to rise.  

Regional Red Cross Executive Director JoAnn Woody says heat exhaustion is dangerous but even worse is heat stroke 

"It can be a deadly condition and it requires immediate medical attention as soon as possible," Woody tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "Some of the symptoms for that include a higher body temperature, that hot, red dry skin, a fast or strong pulse, just sounds like it's pounding, dizziness, nausea." 

Three tips the Red Cross advises are to slow down, stay hydrated, and spend time indoors to help stay safe in the extreme heat.  

Woody says to keep yourself safe in the heat, be sure to take frequent breaks if you have to be outside and exposed to the temperatures. 

Woody says the key to knowing how long to take a break is understanding your body and its heat tolerance. 

"Some people recover from a little bit of overheating very quickly," Woody explains. "I would say we want to make sure we're being attentive to what our body is telling us, if you start sweating profusely, that's a good indicator you need to take a break and you need to let your body cool down because your body is trying super hard with all that sweating to cool itself off." 

Woody advises people to do any work outside early in the day before it reaches peak temperatures.  

Woody says to avoid sugary drinks and alcohol while in the heat and to be sure to drink water to stay hydrated 

"Nothing beats water for instant hydration and getting some things into your body," Woody says. "A lot of those other drinks they have other additives to them, so depending on where you're at in that heat exposure cycle, they may or may not benefit you." 

Woody also says to be sure to just sip the water as you recover from any overheating and to make sure it is not ice cold to not cause harm to your body. 

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Officials with the American Red Cross advise taking precautions as the temperatures begin to rise. Regional Red Cross Executive Director JoAnn Woody says heat exhaustion is dangerous but even worse is heat stroke "It can be a deadly condition and it requires immediate medical attention as soon as possible," Woody tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "Some of the symptoms for that include a higher body temperature, that hot, red dry skin, a fast or strong pulse, just sounds like it's pounding, dizziness, nausea." Three tips the Red Cross advises are to slow down, stay hydrated, and spend time indoors to help stay safe in the extreme heat. Woody says to keep yourself safe in the heat, be sure to take frequent breaks if you have to be outside and exposed to the temperatures. Woody says the key to knowing how long to take a break is understanding your body and its heat tolerance. "Some people recover from a little bit of overheating very quickly," Woody explains. "I would say we want to make sure we're being attentive to what our body is telling us, if you start sweating profusely, that's a good indicator you need to take a break and you need to let your body cool down because your body is trying super hard with all that sweating to cool itself off." Woody advises people to do any work outside early in the day before it reaches peak temperatures. Woody says to avoid sugary drinks and alcohol while in the heat and to be sure to drink water to stay hydrated "Nothing beats water for instant hydration and getting some things into your body," Woody says. "A lot of those other drinks they have other additives to them, so depending on where you're at in that heat exposure cycle, they may or may not benefit you." Woody also says to be sure to just sip the water as you recover from any overheating and to make sure it is not ice cold to not cause harm to your body.

Temperatures are rising, take precautions

(Radio Iowa) - With bird flu cases confirmed in at least nine northwest Iowa dairy herds, there may be new requirements for dairy cattle exhibited at county fairs and the Iowa State Fair this summer. 

Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig expects to make an announcement soon and he says it will be some sort of protocol where exhibitors will have to test lactating dairy animals before a livestock show. 

In early 2022 after bird flu reemerged in Iowa poultry operations, Naig cancelled live bird shows at fairs and other exhibitions to try to curb the spread of the virus. Iowa law requires county fairs to have a veterinarian inspect all livestock, poultry and birds as the animals arrive on the fairgrounds for shows and exhibits.

(Radio Iowa) - With bird flu cases confirmed in at least nine northwest Iowa dairy herds, there may be new requirements for dairy cattle exhibited at county fairs and the Iowa State Fair this summer. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig expects to make an announcement soon and he says it will be some sort of protocol where exhibitors will have to test lactating dairy animals before a livestock show. In early 2022 after bird flu reemerged in Iowa poultry operations, Naig cancelled live bird shows at fairs and other exhibitions to try to curb the spread of the virus. Iowa law requires county fairs to have a veterinarian inspect all livestock, poultry and birds as the animals arrive on the fairgrounds for shows and exhibits.

Officials mull testing rules for dairy shows at Iowa fairs this summer

Missouri House majority leader calls Kansas legislation a ‘wakeup call,’ anticipates lawmakers will craft a response to keep teams

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/allison-kite/">ALLISON KITE</a>&nbsp;-&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

State and local officials from Missouri denounced&nbsp; Kansas legislators’ attempt to lure the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals across the state line, saying they would take steps to keep both teams.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, in a statement on Tuesday, said the city and state would continue negotiations with the teams that Missouri and Kansas City have “welcomed, funded and supported … since the 1960s.”&nbsp;

“We remain in the first quarter of the Kansas City stadium discussion,” Lucas said.&nbsp;

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/18/kansas-legislature-chiefs-royals/">Kansas lawmakers on Tuesday passed legislation</a>&nbsp;meant to help finance new stadiums for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in an attempt to relocate one or both teams from Missouri. The legislation, an expansion of the state’s existing&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/program/community-programs/star-bonds/">Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bond</a>&nbsp;program, could yield hundreds of millions of dollars for each stadium.

It comes after Jackson County, Missouri, voters in April rejected the extension of a sales tax to help finance a new downtown Kansas City baseball stadium for the Royals and upgrades to the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium.

Kansas lawmakers who supported the STAR Bond legislation said it was necessary to keep the teams in the Kansas City area.

“We’re in jeopardy of Kansas City losing those franchises,” Kansas Sen. Jeff Pittman, a Leavenworth Democrat, said during debate on the bill Tuesday. “Missouri has dropped the ball. We now have an opportunity to make an offer.”&nbsp;

After Kansas lawmakers’ vote, Missouri legislators said they hoped and expected to see the state put forward a plan.&nbsp;

“It’s a wakeup call to Missouri that there are other states that are willing to do whatever it takes to get the teams,” Missouri House Majority Leader Jonathan Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican, said in an interview Thursday.

Patterson, who is in line to become speaker of the House next year, said he expected to see Missouri put together a plan after this summer’s primary elections and before the Missouri General Assembly returns for its legislative session in January. He said it was possible legislators would be called back to Jefferson City for a special session but didn’t think it was necessary.

<a target="_blank" href="https://kslegislature.org/li_2024s/b2023_24/measures/hb2001/">The Kansas legislation</a>&nbsp;would help finance up to 70% of a stadium project — with a minimum $1 billion price tag and 30,000 seats — by issuing bonds to be repaid with the state sales tax collected in the STAR Bond district. Liquor taxes from the district and funds from the state’s legalization of sports betting also could be used to repay the bonds.

The offer remains in place for a year and is limited to National Football League or Major League Baseball teams in states adjacent to Kansas.&nbsp;

Kansas’ attempt to poach the teams was seen by several Missouri lawmakers as a violation of a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://governor.kansas.gov/laura-kelly-reaching-across-the-aisle-to-end-the-kansas-missouri-border-war/">truce the two states reached five years ago</a>&nbsp;to stop offering incentives to move businesses back and forth the state line in the Kansas City area.&nbsp;

But Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, didn’t see it that way.

“The border war was really focused on businesses like AMC Theatres, which went back and forth, back and forth,” Kelly said. “We never discussed teams.”

For years, the two states engaged in an economic development “border war,” offering incentives to companies that jumped the state line, spending taxpayer funds while largely not creating any new jobs.&nbsp;

“Today’s vote regrettably restarts the Missouri-Kansas incentive border war, creating leverage for the teams, but injecting even greater uncertainty into the regional stadium conversation,” Lucas said Tuesday.&nbsp;

In a statement Tuesday, Jackson County, Missouri, Executive Frank White Jr. urged state and local governments to abide by the border war truce “and refrain from engaging in a counterproductive stadium bidding war.”

“We must focus on common sense over politics,” White said. “Our resources should be used wisely to improve the lives of our residents, not wasted on bidding wars that only serve to drain public funds and divide our region.”

White said in order to agree to subsidies for a stadium he expects “a complete and transparent plan that offers tangible benefits to our taxpayers.”

“My office remains open to conversations with the Royals, Chiefs, lawmakers, and other stakeholders, but any proposal must meet this standard and make sense for our community,” he said.

Missouri Sen. Denny Hoskins, a Warrensburg Republican, said the border war “didn’t benefit anyone” and saw Kansas’ push to relocate the teams as a violation.&nbsp;

He said he wanted to see the Missouri Department of Economic Development make an offer to keep the teams, but he didn’t support the idea of lawmakers being called back to Jefferson City for a special session and didn’t want a package that could put taxpayers on the hook.&nbsp;

“We want to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and KC Royals in the state of Missouri, but we can’t saddle taxpayers with billions of dollars in debt to help finance stadiums,” he said.&nbsp;

Hoskins, who is running in the GOP primary for secretary of state, said he thought the Kansas plan was based on lofty revenue expectations and that the stadiums wouldn’t generate enough activity to pay off the bonds without additional assistance from Kansas taxpayers. He didn’t want to see Missouri put forward a similar plan.

“Missouri taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for financing stadiums for billion-dollar corporations and multimillion-dollar athletes,” he said. “It’s hard enough being a Missourian right now just trying to keep your own money in your pocket, let alone financing stadiums for a billion-dollar industry.”&nbsp;

Patterson called the border war talk “somewhat irrelevant.”&nbsp;

“It’s obvious that Kansas is going to act,” he said, “and I think we should focus on acting ourselves and not crying about some sort of truce that may or may not have been agreed to regarding the teams.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718763171046.png" alt="A red-clad crowd packs Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play (Eric Thomas/Kansas Reflector)." />
 <figcaption>A red-clad crowd packs Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play (Eric Thomas/Kansas Reflector).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Missouri House majority leader calls Kansas legislation a ‘wakeup call,’ anticipates lawmakers will craft a response to keep teams</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/allison-kite/">ALLISON KITE</a>&nbsp;-&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>State and local officials from Missouri denounced&nbsp; Kansas legislators’ attempt to lure the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals across the state line, saying they would take steps to keep both teams.Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, in a statement on Tuesday, said the city and state would continue negotiations with the teams that Missouri and Kansas City have “welcomed, funded and supported … since the 1960s.”&nbsp;“We remain in the first quarter of the Kansas City stadium discussion,” Lucas said.&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/18/kansas-legislature-chiefs-royals/">Kansas lawmakers on Tuesday passed legislation</a>&nbsp;meant to help finance new stadiums for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in an attempt to relocate one or both teams from Missouri. The legislation, an expansion of the state’s existing&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/program/community-programs/star-bonds/">Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bond</a>&nbsp;program, could yield hundreds of millions of dollars for each stadium.It comes after Jackson County, Missouri, voters in April rejected the extension of a sales tax to help finance a new downtown Kansas City baseball stadium for the Royals and upgrades to the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium.Kansas lawmakers who supported the STAR Bond legislation said it was necessary to keep the teams in the Kansas City area.“We’re in jeopardy of Kansas City losing those franchises,” Kansas Sen. Jeff Pittman, a Leavenworth Democrat, said during debate on the bill Tuesday. “Missouri has dropped the ball. We now have an opportunity to make an offer.”&nbsp;After Kansas lawmakers’ vote, Missouri legislators said they hoped and expected to see the state put forward a plan.&nbsp;“It’s a wakeup call to Missouri that there are other states that are willing to do whatever it takes to get the teams,” Missouri House Majority Leader Jonathan Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican, said in an interview Thursday.Patterson, who is in line to become speaker of the House next year, said he expected to see Missouri put together a plan after this summer’s primary elections and before the Missouri General Assembly returns for its legislative session in January. He said it was possible legislators would be called back to Jefferson City for a special session but didn’t think it was necessary.<a target="_blank" href="https://kslegislature.org/li_2024s/b2023_24/measures/hb2001/">The Kansas legislation</a>&nbsp;would help finance up to 70% of a stadium project — with a minimum $1 billion price tag and 30,000 seats — by issuing bonds to be repaid with the state sales tax collected in the STAR Bond district. Liquor taxes from the district and funds from the state’s legalization of sports betting also could be used to repay the bonds.The offer remains in place for a year and is limited to National Football League or Major League Baseball teams in states adjacent to Kansas.&nbsp;Kansas’ attempt to poach the teams was seen by several Missouri lawmakers as a violation of a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://governor.kansas.gov/laura-kelly-reaching-across-the-aisle-to-end-the-kansas-missouri-border-war/">truce the two states reached five years ago</a>&nbsp;to stop offering incentives to move businesses back and forth the state line in the Kansas City area.&nbsp;But Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, didn’t see it that way.“The border war was really focused on businesses like AMC Theatres, which went back and forth, back and forth,” Kelly said. “We never discussed teams.”For years, the two states engaged in an economic development “border war,” offering incentives to companies that jumped the state line, spending taxpayer funds while largely not creating any new jobs.&nbsp;“Today’s vote regrettably restarts the Missouri-Kansas incentive border war, creating leverage for the teams, but injecting even greater uncertainty into the regional stadium conversation,” Lucas said Tuesday.&nbsp;In a statement Tuesday, Jackson County, Missouri, Executive Frank White Jr. urged state and local governments to abide by the border war truce “and refrain from engaging in a counterproductive stadium bidding war.”“We must focus on common sense over politics,” White said. “Our resources should be used wisely to improve the lives of our residents, not wasted on bidding wars that only serve to drain public funds and divide our region.”White said in order to agree to subsidies for a stadium he expects “a complete and transparent plan that offers tangible benefits to our taxpayers.”“My office remains open to conversations with the Royals, Chiefs, lawmakers, and other stakeholders, but any proposal must meet this standard and make sense for our community,” he said.Missouri Sen. Denny Hoskins, a Warrensburg Republican, said the border war “didn’t benefit anyone” and saw Kansas’ push to relocate the teams as a violation.&nbsp;He said he wanted to see the Missouri Department of Economic Development make an offer to keep the teams, but he didn’t support the idea of lawmakers being called back to Jefferson City for a special session and didn’t want a package that could put taxpayers on the hook.&nbsp;“We want to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and KC Royals in the state of Missouri, but we can’t saddle taxpayers with billions of dollars in debt to help finance stadiums,” he said.&nbsp;Hoskins, who is running in the GOP primary for secretary of state, said he thought the Kansas plan was based on lofty revenue expectations and that the stadiums wouldn’t generate enough activity to pay off the bonds without additional assistance from Kansas taxpayers. He didn’t want to see Missouri put forward a similar plan.“Missouri taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for financing stadiums for billion-dollar corporations and multimillion-dollar athletes,” he said. “It’s hard enough being a Missourian right now just trying to keep your own money in your pocket, let alone financing stadiums for a billion-dollar industry.”&nbsp;Patterson called the border war talk “somewhat irrelevant.”&nbsp;“It’s obvious that Kansas is going to act,” he said, “and I think we should focus on acting ourselves and not crying about some sort of truce that may or may not have been agreed to regarding the teams.”

Missouri lawmakers criticize Kansas attempt to poach Royals, Chiefs

Margie Vandeven, who leaves the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at the end of the month, discusses enduring problems and bright futures within Missouri’s K-12 education system

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

Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven will leave her position with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at the end of the month, ending her 19 years of work in the department.

She&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-commissioner-of-education-announces-resignation/">announced her departure in October</a>, saying it was the “right time to move on personally and professionally.”

An educator since 1990, Vandeven was appointed commissioner in 2015. She was ousted briefly between December 2017 and November 2018 when then-Gov. Eric Greitens stacked the board to force her out. After Greitens was forced to resign a few months later in order to avoid impeachment, the board&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article221947225.html">voted to reinstate Vandeven</a>

“Margie went through something that I never thought I’d see in my political life — with the Greitens administration,” State Board of Education president Charlie Shields, of St. Joseph, said during the state board’s June 11 meeting. “The idea that you had a governor that tried to influence the State Board of Education, tried to influence the selection of a commissioner, that wanted change for no other reason than political expediency.”

He said Vandeven “never, ever cracked during that,” applauding her for “grace under pressure.”

Next, Vandeven will work as an education chief with the Missouri Department of Conservation and help with education research at Hoover Institution, a public policy think tank at Stanford University.

She has been working alongside incoming commissioner Karla Eslinger, who will be serving solo beginning July 1. Eslinger, who recently resigned from the state senate, has served as a teacher, assistant commissioner and an advisor to federal education officials.

In her last days in her office, Vandeven spoke to The Independent about the issues that will persist long after her tenure.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: A big problem for a lot of districts, both in Missouri and nationwide, is attendance. What’s Missouri doing to work on this?

A: The thing with attendance is that the issues are very different depending upon where you are. Local context matters on attendance. It is a national issue right now, and we certainly saw an increase post-pandemic.

We are really focusing on getting a highly trained teacher in every classroom, which helps attendance rates because we know that that relationship between the student and the teacher is key. If they have a different substitute teacher in front of them every single day… it can be intimidating.

We are looking at learning just a little bit differently and talking about more competency based learning, project based learning, keeping our students very engaged and putting our career counselors in place to say, “You need to know this and understand this because it will help you go on this particular pathway that you’re choosing.”

We are meeting with parents and helping them understand that school is a little bit different today than it might have been when they were in school. People depend on you being there. We do a lot of group projects. We do a lot of collaborative teaming… It is making sure parents are aware of the disruption that occurs when students are out and helping educate on what is considered an illness that is severe enough that students should stay home and when is it appropriate to send them back to school.&nbsp;

There are a lot of different efforts that are taking place. I had a meeting today with the Department of Mental Health to really talk about how we better address some of these mental health issues that our students are feeling.

Q: I always hear that Missouri students can’t read at grade level. Can you tell me about this problem?

A: I think what they’re referring to are the National Assessment for Educational Progress scores, and those have been relatively stagnant across the nation for the past decades. So that’s what they’re referring to when they talk about reading scores.

The main shift that we’re seeing is that the science of reading has been just so studied and better understood now. We know better how to teach reading.

We’ve been working with our educator-preparation programs. We’ve been working with our teachers who are in the classroom today, and we’ve been looking at high-quality instructional materials. We have been looking at measuring students earlier.

If we say we need students to be proficient in reading by grade three, because if you look again at the data, it will tell you that students who are proficient in reading by grade three then read to learn. So, waiting until grade three to get a statewide temperature check on that doesn’t make as much sense.

We have kindergarten through third-grade reading assessments, but we’re really focusing on getting that statewide metric for grade two so that they’re assessed early and then interventions are provided early.

Early intervention is key. So working with that, I think we’re gonna see the big, big shifts in the future.

Q: Has the state done an inventory of which districts have science-based reading curriculum?

A: We have not done a complete inventory as a state but that is because curriculum is a local decision. However, our school districts are all, to my knowledge, really working on the science of reading.

It would be hard to do the state assessments and plans in today’s environment with a curriculum that does not support the science of reading.

Q: As Gov. Mike Parson leaves office, what should people know about working with him, especially with the budget process?

A: I feel very fortunate to have worked with Gov. Parson. He has made it clear from the start that his emphasis was on workforce development and infrastructure, and education falls right into that.

He believes that investing in our children is investing in the future of the state of Missouri. And so working with the budget process, the State Board of Education approves (the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) budget. Then, we take it to the governor’s budget, we see what they’re going to put in, and then it goes through the legislative process. It’s a pretty lengthy process. But I do think you can really get a sense of where people’s priorities are when you look at where they’re putting their funding. We’ve seen significant increases in funding for education, and for our students, which genuinely is an investment in the state’s future.

Q: What are your hopes for the next governor?

A: I hope that we can stay united and committed to educating our kids. We can get a lot more done when we’re focusing on the same things together.

I always say this, “Great teachers matter.” And you need great teachers in public schools; you need them in private schools; you need them in charter schools, and you need them in virtual schools. Great teachers matter.&nbsp;

Early learning matters, no matter your ZIP code. Making sure families have access to that opportunity matters. So, I really hope that the next governor can find some of those areas that are genuinely common ground and focus more on bringing people together and moving towards those goals.

Q: Have you seen a trend of politicization of K-12 education?

A: I’ve absolutely seen an increase in the politicization of education throughout my tenure, and it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when that occurred. But we certainly have seen it. And that’s not just in Missouri, that is across the nation.

People do realize how important education is for our students and how important it is for this country, so that has garnered quite a bit of attention from both sides of the aisle. I still believe that we can get much more accomplished when we focus on the big issues.

We need politicians, and we need them to be involved in education. But we don’t want it to be a politicized football, where you’re just battling back and forth. We need to be focusing on what it is that we want to accomplish as a state and move those initiatives forward.

Q: Do you have any tips for focusing on the big issues?

A: Both sides of the aisle should be at the table together. I always say that’s one of the greatest things about our State Board of Education. It was written in the constitution that there can’t be more than four (of eight) of any party. Then they develop these personal relationships with one another.

If you’ve only talked to like minded people, you’re missing out on a lot of opportunities to fully understand solutions to issues. When you do that, you find out there are more commonalities than differences. I just truly believe that.

Q: Missouri is the only state that I know of with the schools for the disabled model. Do you think this will continue to be the state’s model for high intervention?

A: We’re doing a study right now. We are the only state that does it this way. We’re studying to make sure that it is the best way to serve the students and their families, and that’ll be coming out shortly.

It really requires change over time. This has been in place for over 50 years. So I think it is time to really look at the model. And if it’s working in some places, that’s great. If it can be improved in others, let’s take a look at that. But what we want to really do is make sure that we’re serving the students and their families well.

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Q: Some lawmakers have proposed different methods of accreditation and accountability. What arguments would you make in favor of the current model, the Missouri School Improvement Plan 6 (MSIP6)?

A:&nbsp; There is a place for statewide state standards. You have to have something in place.

When we develop our state standards, we get input from people from all across the state to say: this is what every third grader should know, this is what every fifth grader should know. We really do it for backwards design to say this is what every graduate should know, and be able to do in the state of Missouri. And then you go back, what do they need to know here all the way down to kindergarten, right? It shouldn’t matter where you live in our state, the expectation should be that they’ve acquired these particular skills, and how you go about doing that should be at the local level.

MSIP gives that great flexibility where it says, “These are your standards.” And it gives local districts flexibility on how to get there.

The general public and taxpayers do want to know how students are performing against those standards, so I do think there is certainly a place for a third-party provider to come in and provide that information. The state board has been given that authority and has used it consistently from the first MSIP to MSIP6 to focus on ways to provide improvement.

If they choose to go to a different accrediting model, I would not go for multiple models because you can’t compare apples to apples, then. And there’s got to be a base understanding of where we are in these measures.

Q: In MSIP6, the distribution of districts among scores seems to be more of a bell curve with fewer high achievers compared to MSIP5.

A: What happened in MSIP5 is there were a number of changes in assessments, a number of things that were passing legislation that said you can’t penalize districts. S we had a lot of districts at the very top of the chart.

MSIP6 provides a reset. So often you will see a bell curve at the start of any kind of a reset. That’s sometimes what happens. It is just a much more even distribution of where districts really fall within measurement against those standards.

Q: Do you think the scores needed for accreditation might change because of this different distribution?

A: It could change some. They have multiple years to make sure that they’re showing some improvement. The first year that you run these systems, you’re typically going to see a number of districts that say, “Okay, what do we need to move forward,” and then they are able to do that.

One of the big things with MSIP 6 is that we have a growth model that’s in place. Now, that gives equal credit for both individual student growth and their status. That has been a significant shift.

Q: What do you think Commissioner Eslinger will bring to the table?

A: She has so much wisdom, and she’s got a strong drive about doing the right things for kids. With her background of being an educator, of having experience in the state capitol, she is a people person. She is committed to doing the right things for our students.

I really couldn’t be happier with the choice. I think she’s gonna do a great job.

Q: Is there anything else we should know?

A: It has been an honor working here. I really, really have found this to be the opportunity of a lifetime.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718971537412.png" alt="Margie Vandeven, who is leaving her position as the Commissioner of Education, spends one of her final days in her office Commissioner Karla Eslinger will serve solo at the helm of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Margie Vandeven, who is leaving her position as the Commissioner of Education, spends one of her final days in her office Commissioner Karla Eslinger will serve solo at the helm of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Margie Vandeven, who leaves the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at the end of the month, discusses enduring problems and bright futures within Missouri’s K-12 education system</h2>BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven will leave her position with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at the end of the month, ending her 19 years of work in the department.She&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-commissioner-of-education-announces-resignation/">announced her departure in October</a>, saying it was the “right time to move on personally and professionally.”An educator since 1990, Vandeven was appointed commissioner in 2015. She was ousted briefly between December 2017 and November 2018 when then-Gov. Eric Greitens stacked the board to force her out. After Greitens was forced to resign a few months later in order to avoid impeachment, the board&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article221947225.html">voted to reinstate Vandeven</a>“Margie went through something that I never thought I’d see in my political life — with the Greitens administration,” State Board of Education president Charlie Shields, of St. Joseph, said during the state board’s June 11 meeting. “The idea that you had a governor that tried to influence the State Board of Education, tried to influence the selection of a commissioner, that wanted change for no other reason than political expediency.”He said Vandeven “never, ever cracked during that,” applauding her for “grace under pressure.”Next, Vandeven will work as an education chief with the Missouri Department of Conservation and help with education research at Hoover Institution, a public policy think tank at Stanford University.She has been working alongside incoming commissioner Karla Eslinger, who will be serving solo beginning July 1. Eslinger, who recently resigned from the state senate, has served as a teacher, assistant commissioner and an advisor to federal education officials.In her last days in her office, Vandeven spoke to The Independent about the issues that will persist long after her tenure.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.<h2>Q: A big problem for a lot of districts, both in Missouri and nationwide, is attendance. What’s Missouri doing to work on this?</h2>A: The thing with attendance is that the issues are very different depending upon where you are. Local context matters on attendance. It is a national issue right now, and we certainly saw an increase post-pandemic.We are really focusing on getting a highly trained teacher in every classroom, which helps attendance rates because we know that that relationship between the student and the teacher is key. If they have a different substitute teacher in front of them every single day… it can be intimidating.We are looking at learning just a little bit differently and talking about more competency based learning, project based learning, keeping our students very engaged and putting our career counselors in place to say, “You need to know this and understand this because it will help you go on this particular pathway that you’re choosing.”We are meeting with parents and helping them understand that school is a little bit different today than it might have been when they were in school. People depend on you being there. We do a lot of group projects. We do a lot of collaborative teaming… It is making sure parents are aware of the disruption that occurs when students are out and helping educate on what is considered an illness that is severe enough that students should stay home and when is it appropriate to send them back to school.&nbsp;There are a lot of different efforts that are taking place. I had a meeting today with the Department of Mental Health to really talk about how we better address some of these mental health issues that our students are feeling.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718971662877.png" alt=" Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven listens to board member comments about commissioner appointee Karla Eslinger (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven listens to board member comments about commissioner appointee Karla Eslinger (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Q: I always hear that Missouri students can’t read at grade level. Can you tell me about this problem?</h2>A: I think what they’re referring to are the National Assessment for Educational Progress scores, and those have been relatively stagnant across the nation for the past decades. So that’s what they’re referring to when they talk about reading scores.The main shift that we’re seeing is that the science of reading has been just so studied and better understood now. We know better how to teach reading.We’ve been working with our educator-preparation programs. We’ve been working with our teachers who are in the classroom today, and we’ve been looking at high-quality instructional materials. We have been looking at measuring students earlier.If we say we need students to be proficient in reading by grade three, because if you look again at the data, it will tell you that students who are proficient in reading by grade three then read to learn. So, waiting until grade three to get a statewide temperature check on that doesn’t make as much sense.We have kindergarten through third-grade reading assessments, but we’re really focusing on getting that statewide metric for grade two so that they’re assessed early and then interventions are provided early.Early intervention is key. So working with that, I think we’re gonna see the big, big shifts in the future.<h2>Q: Has the state done an inventory of which districts have science-based reading curriculum?</h2>A: We have not done a complete inventory as a state but that is because curriculum is a local decision. However, our school districts are all, to my knowledge, really working on the science of reading.It would be hard to do the state assessments and plans in today’s environment with a curriculum that does not support the science of reading.<h2>Q: As Gov. Mike Parson leaves office, what should people know about working with him, especially with the budget process?</h2>A: I feel very fortunate to have worked with Gov. Parson. He has made it clear from the start that his emphasis was on workforce development and infrastructure, and education falls right into that.He believes that investing in our children is investing in the future of the state of Missouri. And so working with the budget process, the State Board of Education approves (the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) budget. Then, we take it to the governor’s budget, we see what they’re going to put in, and then it goes through the legislative process. It’s a pretty lengthy process. But I do think you can really get a sense of where people’s priorities are when you look at where they’re putting their funding. We’ve seen significant increases in funding for education, and for our students, which genuinely is an investment in the state’s future.<h2>Q: What are your hopes for the next governor?</h2>A: I hope that we can stay united and committed to educating our kids. We can get a lot more done when we’re focusing on the same things together.I always say this, “Great teachers matter.” And you need great teachers in public schools; you need them in private schools; you need them in charter schools, and you need them in virtual schools. Great teachers matter.&nbsp;Early learning matters, no matter your ZIP code. Making sure families have access to that opportunity matters. So, I really hope that the next governor can find some of those areas that are genuinely common ground and focus more on bringing people together and moving towards those goals.<h2>Q: Have you seen a trend of politicization of K-12 education?</h2>A: I’ve absolutely seen an increase in the politicization of education throughout my tenure, and it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when that occurred. But we certainly have seen it. And that’s not just in Missouri, that is across the nation.People do realize how important education is for our students and how important it is for this country, so that has garnered quite a bit of attention from both sides of the aisle. I still believe that we can get much more accomplished when we focus on the big issues.We need politicians, and we need them to be involved in education. But we don’t want it to be a politicized football, where you’re just battling back and forth. We need to be focusing on what it is that we want to accomplish as a state and move those initiatives forward.<h2>Q: Do you have any tips for focusing on the big issues?</h2>A: Both sides of the aisle should be at the table together. I always say that’s one of the greatest things about our State Board of Education. It was written in the constitution that there can’t be more than four (of eight) of any party. Then they develop these personal relationships with one another.If you’ve only talked to like minded people, you’re missing out on a lot of opportunities to fully understand solutions to issues. When you do that, you find out there are more commonalities than differences. I just truly believe that.<h2>Q: Missouri is the only state that I know of with the schools for the disabled model. Do you think this will continue to be the state’s model for high intervention?</h2>A: We’re doing a study right now. We are the only state that does it this way. We’re studying to make sure that it is the best way to serve the students and their families, and that’ll be coming out shortly.It really requires change over time. This has been in place for over 50 years. So I think it is time to really look at the model. And if it’s working in some places, that’s great. If it can be improved in others, let’s take a look at that. But what we want to really do is make sure that we’re serving the students and their families well.GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOXSUBSCRIBE<h2>Q: Some lawmakers have proposed different methods of accreditation and accountability. What arguments would you make in favor of the current model, the Missouri School Improvement Plan 6 (MSIP6)?</h2>A:&nbsp; There is a place for statewide state standards. You have to have something in place.When we develop our state standards, we get input from people from all across the state to say: this is what every third grader should know, this is what every fifth grader should know. We really do it for backwards design to say this is what every graduate should know, and be able to do in the state of Missouri. And then you go back, what do they need to know here all the way down to kindergarten, right? It shouldn’t matter where you live in our state, the expectation should be that they’ve acquired these particular skills, and how you go about doing that should be at the local level.MSIP gives that great flexibility where it says, “These are your standards.” And it gives local districts flexibility on how to get there.The general public and taxpayers do want to know how students are performing against those standards, so I do think there is certainly a place for a third-party provider to come in and provide that information. The state board has been given that authority and has used it consistently from the first MSIP to MSIP6 to focus on ways to provide improvement.If they choose to go to a different accrediting model, I would not go for multiple models because you can’t compare apples to apples, then. And there’s got to be a base understanding of where we are in these measures.<h2>Q: In MSIP6, the distribution of districts among scores seems to be more of a bell curve with fewer high achievers compared to MSIP5.</h2>A: What happened in MSIP5 is there were a number of changes in assessments, a number of things that were passing legislation that said you can’t penalize districts. S we had a lot of districts at the very top of the chart.MSIP6 provides a reset. So often you will see a bell curve at the start of any kind of a reset. That’s sometimes what happens. It is just a much more even distribution of where districts really fall within measurement against those standards.<h2>Q: Do you think the scores needed for accreditation might change because of this different distribution?</h2>A: It could change some. They have multiple years to make sure that they’re showing some improvement. The first year that you run these systems, you’re typically going to see a number of districts that say, “Okay, what do we need to move forward,” and then they are able to do that.One of the big things with MSIP 6 is that we have a growth model that’s in place. Now, that gives equal credit for both individual student growth and their status. That has been a significant shift.<h2>Q: What do you think Commissioner Eslinger will bring to the table?</h2>A: She has so much wisdom, and she’s got a strong drive about doing the right things for kids. With her background of being an educator, of having experience in the state capitol, she is a people person. She is committed to doing the right things for our students.I really couldn’t be happier with the choice. I think she’s gonna do a great job.<h2>Q: Is there anything else we should know?</h2>A: It has been an honor working here. I really, really have found this to be the opportunity of a lifetime.

Missouri education commissioner discusses long-standing issues as she preps to leave job

(Radio Iowa) - Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is calling on the E-P-A and the Biden Administration to raise Renewable Fuel Standard volumes so they keep up with the amount of biofuels our factories can churn out. 

Grassley says the levels far enough last year. He says it's an "insult" for those levels to be so low and the result is a stifled industry and a discouragement of outside investment, which is costing green jobs in Iowa. 

His letter to the E-P-A highlights environmental benefits from an increase in biofuels production, including how biomass-based diesel can cut carbon emissions by more than 70 percent.

(Radio Iowa) - Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is calling on the E-P-A and the Biden Administration to raise Renewable Fuel Standard volumes so they keep up with the amount of biofuels our factories can churn out. Grassley says the levels far enough last year. He says it's an "insult" for those levels to be so low and the result is a stifled industry and a discouragement of outside investment, which is costing green jobs in Iowa. His letter to the E-P-A highlights environmental benefits from an increase in biofuels production, including how biomass-based diesel can cut carbon emissions by more than 70 percent.

Grassley calls EPA production standards on biofuels an insult

(Radio Iowa) - Iowans who use wheelchairs to get around can now zip right onto the sandy beach -- or practically anywhere else -- at Big Creek State Park in a motorized track chair that's part wheelchair and part A-T-V. 

Chad Kelchen, a parks supervisor with the Iowa D-N-R, says the new Action Trackchair is designed to handle tougher terrain than a typical wheelchair as it has tracks like on a skid loader. Kelchen says the goal is to be able to give everyone access to the beach and tall grass areas. He says park staff had noticed people in wheelchairs sometimes only go as far as the concrete, while the new chair offers complete autonomy. 

Its battery charge will last five to seven hours, depending on the terrain. The 20-thousand dollar chair came to Iowa at no charge through a grant program.

(Radio Iowa) - Iowans who use wheelchairs to get around can now zip right onto the sandy beach -- or practically anywhere else -- at Big Creek State Park in a motorized track chair that's part wheelchair and part A-T-V. Chad Kelchen, a parks supervisor with the Iowa D-N-R, says the new Action Trackchair is designed to handle tougher terrain than a typical wheelchair as it has tracks like on a skid loader. Kelchen says the goal is to be able to give everyone access to the beach and tall grass areas. He says park staff had noticed people in wheelchairs sometimes only go as far as the concrete, while the new chair offers complete autonomy. Its battery charge will last five to seven hours, depending on the terrain. The 20-thousand dollar chair came to Iowa at no charge through a grant program.

New tracked device lets Iowa wheelchair users hit the beach

BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

A lawsuit filed by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey accusing Planned Parenthood of transporting minors out of state for abortions will move forward, a judge ruled Tuesday evening.

The lawsuit is based on conversations between Planned Parenthood staff and a man with Project Veritas who secretly filmed the staff while<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article289159614.html">&nbsp;inquiring about an abortion for his fake 13-year-old niece.&nbsp;</a>

Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which runs the Kansas City area clinic where the video was taken, asked that the judge dismiss the lawsuit shortly after it was filed.&nbsp;

“We’re reviewing all our options and will continue to vigorously defend this case based on hypotheticals and fictitious patients,” Erin Thompson, general counsel with Planned Parenthood Great Plain, said in a statement Wednesday.

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/10/planned-parenthood-andrew-bailey-project-veritas/">At a hearing in early June,</a>&nbsp;John Andrew Hirth, an attorney for Planned Parenthood, said there was no proof the Kansas City area clinic broke the law.

“There’s no allegation that any abortion has been performed either in Missouri or outside of Missouri, with or without parental consent here,” Hirth said. “The whole conversation is hypothetical.”

But Boone County Judge Brouck Jacobs found merit for moving forward with the case. He did not issue an opinion along with his ruling explaining his reasoning.

“This is the beginning of the end for Planned Parenthood in the State of Missouri,” Bailey said in a statement Tuesday following the ruling.

The video, captured in December, was posted on social media by Project Veritas, a self-proclaimed right wing news organization that often conducts undercover stings.&nbsp;

The man filming in the clinic told staff that the made-up girl’s parents couldn’t know about the abortion. Staff then directed him to their affiliate clinics in Kansas where they said he could “bypass” parental consent.&nbsp; When the man asked how often girls go out of state for abortions, the Planned Parenthood employee said it happens “every day.”

Kathryn Monroe, who represented the attorney general’s office at the hearing, said while the man’s questions were hypothetical, the employee at Planned Parenthood thought the situation was real.&nbsp;

“There was admitted conduct about what they would do in this actual situation,” she said.

The attorney general’s office in its arguments before the court pointed to Missouri law which states: “No one shall intentionally cause aid or assist a minor to obtain an abortion.”&nbsp;

That law was written before the state’s trigger law went into place in June 2022, effectively making all abortions — with the exception of life-threatening situations — illegal.

Missouri doesn’t have explicit laws requiring parental consent for minors getting abortions in other states, nor does it prohibit minors from going to other states to get abortions.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2016/b2015_16/statute/065_000_0000_chapter/065_067_0000_article/065_067_0005_section/065_067_0005_k/">Kansas law</a>&nbsp;requires physicians to either obtain parental consent or to go through the judicial bypass process where a judge can authorize a minor to get an abortion without parental consent.

A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Great Plains said in February that they do not provide any form of transportation directly to any patients, regardless of age or where they live.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665657486023.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>A lawsuit filed by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey accusing Planned Parenthood of transporting minors out of state for abortions will move forward, a judge ruled Tuesday evening.The lawsuit is based on conversations between Planned Parenthood staff and a man with Project Veritas who secretly filmed the staff while<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article289159614.html">&nbsp;inquiring about an abortion for his fake 13-year-old niece.&nbsp;</a>Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which runs the Kansas City area clinic where the video was taken, asked that the judge dismiss the lawsuit shortly after it was filed.&nbsp;“We’re reviewing all our options and will continue to vigorously defend this case based on hypotheticals and fictitious patients,” Erin Thompson, general counsel with Planned Parenthood Great Plain, said in a statement Wednesday.<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/10/planned-parenthood-andrew-bailey-project-veritas/">At a hearing in early June,</a>&nbsp;John Andrew Hirth, an attorney for Planned Parenthood, said there was no proof the Kansas City area clinic broke the law.“There’s no allegation that any abortion has been performed either in Missouri or outside of Missouri, with or without parental consent here,” Hirth said. “The whole conversation is hypothetical.”But Boone County Judge Brouck Jacobs found merit for moving forward with the case. He did not issue an opinion along with his ruling explaining his reasoning.“This is the beginning of the end for Planned Parenthood in the State of Missouri,” Bailey said in a statement Tuesday following the ruling.The video, captured in December, was posted on social media by Project Veritas, a self-proclaimed right wing news organization that often conducts undercover stings.&nbsp;The man filming in the clinic told staff that the made-up girl’s parents couldn’t know about the abortion. Staff then directed him to their affiliate clinics in Kansas where they said he could “bypass” parental consent.&nbsp; When the man asked how often girls go out of state for abortions, the Planned Parenthood employee said it happens “every day.”Kathryn Monroe, who represented the attorney general’s office at the hearing, said while the man’s questions were hypothetical, the employee at Planned Parenthood thought the situation was real.&nbsp;“There was admitted conduct about what they would do in this actual situation,” she said.The attorney general’s office in its arguments before the court pointed to Missouri law which states: “No one shall intentionally cause aid or assist a minor to obtain an abortion.”&nbsp;That law was written before the state’s trigger law went into place in June 2022, effectively making all abortions — with the exception of life-threatening situations — illegal.Missouri doesn’t have explicit laws requiring parental consent for minors getting abortions in other states, nor does it prohibit minors from going to other states to get abortions.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2016/b2015_16/statute/065_000_0000_chapter/065_067_0000_article/065_067_0005_section/065_067_0005_k/">Kansas law</a>&nbsp;requires physicians to either obtain parental consent or to go through the judicial bypass process where a judge can authorize a minor to get an abortion without parental consent.A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Great Plains said in February that they do not provide any form of transportation directly to any patients, regardless of age or where they live.

Judge denies Planned Parenthood’s request to dismiss suit based on Project Veritas video

Majority of Missourians sent to restrictive nursing homes because of mental illness would be better served in a less restrictive setting, a year-and-a-half federal investigation determined

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

Missouri is violating federal disability law by unnecessarily institutionalizing thousands of adults with mental illness in nursing homes, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a scathing report published Tuesday.

The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2024-06/2024_missouri_ada_findings_report.pdf">report</a>, which is based on a year-and-a-half of investigation, determined that those suffering with mental illness are “subjected to unnecessary stays in nursing facilities, generally because of a series of systemic failures by the state.”

For years Missouri has placed a higher portion of adults with mental health disabilities in nursing facilities than “all but a few states,” according to the report.

As of March 2023, there were&nbsp;3,289&nbsp;adults with mental health disabilities who had spent at least 100 days in Missouri’s nursing homes, according to the report. That number excludes those with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Most don’t fit the profile one might imagine.&nbsp;

Around half are under 65, and some are in their 20s. Most don’t need help with basic physical activities like eating, transferring to bed or going to the bathroom.&nbsp;

And once placed in a nursing home, adults with mental health disabilities are often stuck, staying for an average of at least three years.&nbsp;

“We found that almost none of the adults with mental health disabilities living in nursing facilities&nbsp;in Missouri need to be in these institutions, even for short-term stays,” the report found.

Most, the report found, are there against their will and end up in nursing homes out of a series of Missouri’s “deliberate policy choices.”&nbsp;

Those sent to nursing homes are often resistant to treatment and cycled in and out of psychiatric hospitals.&nbsp;

The major problems are that the state doesn’t provide sufficient community-based mental health services and “improperly relies” on guardianship for those who have resisted treatment. Appointed guardians often place the person in nursing facilities.

One woman in her late 50s interviewed in the report, who was placed in a nursing home by a guardian, is quoted as saying, “I have a dream that one day I will be free” — to live in her community, have overnight stays with her grandkids, and be “free to not have someone place me in a nursing home and leave me, without any regard to my well-being, mentally and physically.”

A mother is quoted as saying her son “had a life before they took him there and now, he has nothing.” He lives in a locked unit of the facility.

These adults are concentrated in a few dozen facilities across the state. In some facilities, over 80% of the residents have bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. And those facilities generally offer little by way of mental health services beyond medication.&nbsp;

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires states make reasonable modifications to allow adults with mental health disabilities to live in a setting that is the most integrated with the community as possible. The state can’t discriminate through what amounts to segregation of those with disabilities.

The state will need to work with the DOJ to come up with a plan to fix the violations identified in the report. If they can’t reach a resolution, the state could be sued by the DOJ.

None of the state agencies involved immediately responded to a request for comment. The Department of Mental Health oversees the state’s mental health services, the Department of Health Senior Services oversees nursing homes and the Department of Social Services runs Medicaid, which funds eligible nursing home stays and community-based services.

Many of those adults with mental health disabilities in nursing homes are under court-ordered guardianship, the report states.

The state has relied on guardianship when people resist mental health treatment, which the DOJ found serves as a “pipeline to unnecessary institutionalization.”&nbsp;

According to the report, one provider called guardianship in Missouri a “sentence to be locked in a [nursing facility].”

Guardianship is supposed to be used in extreme cases when a person lacks capacity to make basic decisions and no less-restrictive options exist, but in Missouri it is used more broadly, the report states, and frequently is used when a person with mental health disability is not engaging in treatment.

“Combining guardianships and nursing facility placement creates the functional equivalent of involuntary and indefinite commitment,” the report states.

Guardians are often public administrators, meaning county officials who are appointed when no adult relative is available or suitable. Many have heavy caseloads and place the person in a nursing home because they have limited resources and are trying to ensure safety, according to the report.

“Instead of diverting people with mental health disabilities from unnecessary nursing facility admission or transitioning people from nursing facilities who do not need to be there,” the report states, “people are sent out of sight and out of mind.”

One man, in his late 20s, has goals well-suited to intensive community-based mental health services: He “wants to work part time at a fast food restaurant and live in his&nbsp;own apartment or trailer around Kansas City.&nbsp;

“Instead, he lives in a locked nursing facility over 6 hours away,” according to the report.

That person did not receive appropriate services, the report states, which would include permanent supportive housing. He was unhoused and hospitalized several times, some of which were because he needed shelter in the cold. His caseworker recommended guardianship because they lacked access to needed services and a public administrator was appointed.

“His guardian has since placed him in three different nursing facilities.”

The report urges Missouri to prioritize community-based services, including wraparound services that provide assistance with housing, treatment and other needs, directly to the person’s home and community.

“The fact that some of these changes might result in short-term increases in spending does not render them unreasonable,” the report states.

Beyond the issues laid out in the DOJ report, Missouri has been struggling with housing those with mental illness in another inappropriate setting: jails.

Missourians who are arrested, deemed unfit to stand trial and ordered into mental health treatment are now detained in jail for an average of eleven months before being transferred to a mental health facility.

There are currently 312 people in jails waiting to be moved to psychiatric hospitals, according to data provided to The Independent by the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

Debra Walker, a spokesperson for the department, said in an email last week to The Independent that the reason the number seems to keep going up is due to a workforce shortage.

“People in need of mental health care or substance use treatment are unable to access it in a timely manner due to provider shortages,” she said.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/03/22/missourians-with-developmental-disabilities-languish-in-hospitals-jails-shelters/">state’s years-long struggle</a>&nbsp;to transfer people from jails into mental hospitals stems, in part, from a lack of hospital beds and an increase in referrals. Patients are supposed to be moved to receive rehabilitative mental health services that allow them to become competent to stand trial, a process called competency restoration. Instead, they languish in jails —&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/03/22/missourians-with-developmental-disabilities-languish-in-hospitals-jails-shelters/">often solitary confinement</a>&nbsp;because they must be isolated from the incarcerated population — without having been found guilty of any crime.

Missouri this year passed a law to bring treatment to the jails — “jail-based competency restoration” — which Department of Mental Health officials said will reduce the wait time.

The hiring of staff has begun, Walker said, and training will start soon as jail contracts are “being finalized.”

<h2>Majority of Missourians sent to restrictive nursing homes because of mental illness would be better served in a less restrictive setting, a year-and-a-half federal investigation determined</h2>BY:&nbsp;CLARA BATES&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri is violating federal disability law by unnecessarily institutionalizing thousands of adults with mental illness in nursing homes, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a scathing report published Tuesday.The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2024-06/2024_missouri_ada_findings_report.pdf">report</a>, which is based on a year-and-a-half of investigation, determined that those suffering with mental illness are “subjected to unnecessary stays in nursing facilities, generally because of a series of systemic failures by the state.”For years Missouri has placed a higher portion of adults with mental health disabilities in nursing facilities than “all but a few states,” according to the report.As of March 2023, there were&nbsp;3,289&nbsp;adults with mental health disabilities who had spent at least 100 days in Missouri’s nursing homes, according to the report. That number excludes those with Alzheimer’s and dementia.Most don’t fit the profile one might imagine.&nbsp;Around half are under 65, and some are in their 20s. Most don’t need help with basic physical activities like eating, transferring to bed or going to the bathroom.&nbsp;And once placed in a nursing home, adults with mental health disabilities are often stuck, staying for an average of at least three years.&nbsp;“We found that almost none of the adults with mental health disabilities living in nursing facilities&nbsp;in Missouri need to be in these institutions, even for short-term stays,” the report found.Most, the report found, are there against their will and end up in nursing homes out of a series of Missouri’s “deliberate policy choices.”&nbsp;Those sent to nursing homes are often resistant to treatment and cycled in and out of psychiatric hospitals.&nbsp;The major problems are that the state doesn’t provide sufficient community-based mental health services and “improperly relies” on guardianship for those who have resisted treatment. Appointed guardians often place the person in nursing facilities.One woman in her late 50s interviewed in the report, who was placed in a nursing home by a guardian, is quoted as saying, “I have a dream that one day I will be free” — to live in her community, have overnight stays with her grandkids, and be “free to not have someone place me in a nursing home and leave me, without any regard to my well-being, mentally and physically.”A mother is quoted as saying her son “had a life before they took him there and now, he has nothing.” He lives in a locked unit of the facility.These adults are concentrated in a few dozen facilities across the state. In some facilities, over 80% of the residents have bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. And those facilities generally offer little by way of mental health services beyond medication.&nbsp;The Americans with Disabilities Act requires states make reasonable modifications to allow adults with mental health disabilities to live in a setting that is the most integrated with the community as possible. The state can’t discriminate through what amounts to segregation of those with disabilities.The state will need to work with the DOJ to come up with a plan to fix the violations identified in the report. If they can’t reach a resolution, the state could be sued by the DOJ.None of the state agencies involved immediately responded to a request for comment. The Department of Mental Health oversees the state’s mental health services, the Department of Health Senior Services oversees nursing homes and the Department of Social Services runs Medicaid, which funds eligible nursing home stays and community-based services.<h2>‘Sent out of sight and out of mind’</h2>Many of those adults with mental health disabilities in nursing homes are under court-ordered guardianship, the report states.The state has relied on guardianship when people resist mental health treatment, which the DOJ found serves as a “pipeline to unnecessary institutionalization.”&nbsp;According to the report, one provider called guardianship in Missouri a “sentence to be locked in a [nursing facility].”Guardianship is supposed to be used in extreme cases when a person lacks capacity to make basic decisions and no less-restrictive options exist, but in Missouri it is used more broadly, the report states, and frequently is used when a person with mental health disability is not engaging in treatment.“Combining guardianships and nursing facility placement creates the functional equivalent of involuntary and indefinite commitment,” the report states.Guardians are often public administrators, meaning county officials who are appointed when no adult relative is available or suitable. Many have heavy caseloads and place the person in a nursing home because they have limited resources and are trying to ensure safety, according to the report.“Instead of diverting people with mental health disabilities from unnecessary nursing facility admission or transitioning people from nursing facilities who do not need to be there,” the report states, “people are sent out of sight and out of mind.”One man, in his late 20s, has goals well-suited to intensive community-based mental health services: He “wants to work part time at a fast food restaurant and live in his&nbsp;own apartment or trailer around Kansas City.&nbsp;“Instead, he lives in a locked nursing facility over 6 hours away,” according to the report.That person did not receive appropriate services, the report states, which would include permanent supportive housing. He was unhoused and hospitalized several times, some of which were because he needed shelter in the cold. His caseworker recommended guardianship because they lacked access to needed services and a public administrator was appointed.“His guardian has since placed him in three different nursing facilities.”The report urges Missouri to prioritize community-based services, including wraparound services that provide assistance with housing, treatment and other needs, directly to the person’s home and community.“The fact that some of these changes might result in short-term increases in spending does not render them unreasonable,” the report states.<h2>Housed in jails</h2>Beyond the issues laid out in the DOJ report, Missouri has been struggling with housing those with mental illness in another inappropriate setting: jails.Missourians who are arrested, deemed unfit to stand trial and ordered into mental health treatment are now detained in jail for an average of eleven months before being transferred to a mental health facility.There are currently 312 people in jails waiting to be moved to psychiatric hospitals, according to data provided to The Independent by the Missouri Department of Mental Health.Debra Walker, a spokesperson for the department, said in an email last week to The Independent that the reason the number seems to keep going up is due to a workforce shortage.“People in need of mental health care or substance use treatment are unable to access it in a timely manner due to provider shortages,” she said.The&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/03/22/missourians-with-developmental-disabilities-languish-in-hospitals-jails-shelters/">state’s years-long struggle</a>&nbsp;to transfer people from jails into mental hospitals stems, in part, from a lack of hospital beds and an increase in referrals. Patients are supposed to be moved to receive rehabilitative mental health services that allow them to become competent to stand trial, a process called competency restoration. Instead, they languish in jails —&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/03/22/missourians-with-developmental-disabilities-languish-in-hospitals-jails-shelters/">often solitary confinement</a>&nbsp;because they must be isolated from the incarcerated population — without having been found guilty of any crime.Missouri this year passed a law to bring treatment to the jails — “jail-based competency restoration” — which Department of Mental Health officials said will reduce the wait time.The hiring of staff has begun, Walker said, and training will start soon as jail contracts are “being finalized.”

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