(Radio Iowa) - A study by the Better Business Bureau shows the number of complaints about bogus investment schemes has overtaken complaints about online shopping scams. 

Bureau spokeswoman Lisa Schiller says these financial con artists have done their psychological homework and know how to push people's buttons. Schiller says anyone trying to offer you a fantastic chance to get in on a new business venture or a "sure thing" for your portfolio is likely trying to rip you off, even if it seems legit. 

Unlike online shopping scams, Schiller says an increasing number of investment scams are being carried out in person, like at breakfast meetings, or they may be through a shared connection like your job or church. She says to do your research before writing anyone a check, and if someone demands money right away, walk away.

(Radio Iowa) - A study by the Better Business Bureau shows the number of complaints about bogus investment schemes has overtaken complaints about online shopping scams. Bureau spokeswoman Lisa Schiller says these financial con artists have done their psychological homework and know how to push people's buttons. Schiller says anyone trying to offer you a fantastic chance to get in on a new business venture or a "sure thing" for your portfolio is likely trying to rip you off, even if it seems legit. Unlike online shopping scams, Schiller says an increasing number of investment scams are being carried out in person, like at breakfast meetings, or they may be through a shared connection like your job or church. She says to do your research before writing anyone a check, and if someone demands money right away, walk away.

BBB warns Iowans about increase in investment scams

St. Joseph city officials are continuing to explore building a new indoor athletics facility designed for youth sports.  

A site has been decided on near the Missouri Western campus, and the city has put out a proposal to select a developer for the project.  

Interim City Manager Clint Thompson says the idea for the project came with several families having to leave St. Joseph to take their children to sporting events. 

"And they always ask how come we couldn't have something similar like that in St. Joseph? And so as a result of that conversation it transpired into the city considering the availability of creating a youth sports facility," Thompson tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr.  

Thompson says originally there were two sites in mind, the one at Missouri Western and another at the Sears location at East Hills Mall.  that plan had called for the indoor sports facility to be at the Sears location 

"However, the shift now has changed to having all of those options on one property as an events just from an economy of the scale," Thompson explain.  

Thompson says the facility will be a joint partnership with Missouri Western 

"In an effort to not only attract outside tourism to St. Joseph, but it would be an amenity that the university itself would be able to utilize in attracting additional enrollment potentially with the availability of this amenity on their campus," Thompson says. "But also, existing students would have an opportunity to utilize the facilities when they're not hosting events as well." 

Thompson says the facility will focus on sports such as basketball, baseball, and soccer having no type of aquatic component at this time. 

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post St. Joseph city officials are continuing to explore building a new indoor athletics facility designed for youth sports. A site has been decided on near the Missouri Western campus, and the city has put out a proposal to select a developer for the project. Interim City Manager Clint Thompson says the idea for the project came with several families having to leave St. Joseph to take their children to sporting events. "And they always ask how come we couldn't have something similar like that in St. Joseph? And so as a result of that conversation it transpired into the city considering the availability of creating a youth sports facility," Thompson tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. Thompson says originally there were two sites in mind, the one at Missouri Western and another at the Sears location at East Hills Mall. that plan had called for the indoor sports facility to be at the Sears location "However, the shift now has changed to having all of those options on one property as an events just from an economy of the scale," Thompson explain. Thompson says the facility will be a joint partnership with Missouri Western "In an effort to not only attract outside tourism to St. Joseph, but it would be an amenity that the university itself would be able to utilize in attracting additional enrollment potentially with the availability of this amenity on their campus," Thompson says. "But also, existing students would have an opportunity to utilize the facilities when they're not hosting events as well." Thompson says the facility will focus on sports such as basketball, baseball, and soccer having no type of aquatic component at this time.

St. Joseph and MWSU join together on youth sports facility 

LIVINGSTON COUNTY —Two people were injured in an accident just after 4:30p.m. Saturday in Livingston County.&nbsp;

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Pontiac G6 driven by Blayze R. Stains, 18, St. Joseph, was westbound on U.S. 36 two miles west of Mooresville. The car traveled off the south side of the road into the median. It overturned, crossed eastbound lanes of U.S. 36 and came to rest on its top off the south side of the road.

Chillicothe EMS transported Stains to Hedrick Medical Center. A 17-year-old female passenger from St. Joseph refused treatment at the scene for minor injuries. Stains was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

LIVINGSTON COUNTY —Two people were injured in an accident just after 4:30p.m. Saturday in Livingston County.&nbsp;The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Pontiac G6 driven by Blayze R. Stains, 18, St. Joseph, was westbound on U.S. 36 two miles west of Mooresville. The car traveled off the south side of the road into the median. It overturned, crossed eastbound lanes of U.S. 36 and came to rest on its top off the south side of the road.Chillicothe EMS transported Stains to Hedrick Medical Center. A 17-year-old female passenger from St. Joseph refused treatment at the scene for minor injuries. Stains was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

St. Joe teen hospitalized after rollover accident

DADE COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 7p.m. Saturday in Dade County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Toyota Camry driven by Derek E. Bridges, 53, Greenfield, was northbound on County Road 187 two miles southwest of Dadeville.&nbsp; The car traveled off the left side of the road, overturned off a bridge and came to rest on its roof in the river.

Bridge was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Greenfield Funeral Chapel. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

DADE COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 7p.m. Saturday in Dade County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Toyota Camry driven by Derek E. Bridges, 53, Greenfield, was northbound on County Road 187 two miles southwest of Dadeville.&nbsp; The car traveled off the left side of the road, overturned off a bridge and came to rest on its roof in the river.Bridge was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Greenfield Funeral Chapel. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

Missouri man dies after car overturns off bridge

The Attorney General’s Office, the Missouri Press Association and the Freedom Center of Missouri seek ruling on form and content of meeting notices and agendas

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

A rural Missouri fire district near Kansas City committed so many violations of the Missouri Sunshine Law that listing them separately wasn’t the best way to present them, attorney Jim Layton told Western District Court of Appeals during oral arguments.

Under questioning from Presiding Judge Thomas Chapman, Layton said he counted 46 violations committed in 11 meetings of the Western Cass Fire Protection board. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Appellants%20Brief%20Redacted.PDF?courtCode=WA&amp;di=453073" target="_blank">appeal brief</a>&nbsp;gives a narrative of events, seeking to show a multiplicity of violations at any particular meeting, rather than individually enumerated violations for each meeting.

“We have to look at it and weigh the evidence in each one of these instances, and it just seems like it kind of was a shotgun approach on these,” Chapman said.

The nature of the appeal led to the format he chose, Layton said. Cass County Circuit Judge R. Michael Wagner entered a judgment against his client, Citizens for Transparency and Accountability, when he concluded his portion of the case during a June 2023 trial.

Wagner didn’t give any reasons for his decision in his judgment. The appeal is of that single act, so a narrative is the correct format, Layton said.

“I will confess that I struggled with how to draft points relied on in this case as much as I ever have on an appeal because of the nature of how this was decided below,” Layton said.

Wednesday’s hearing at the appeals court is just the latest round in battles, in and out of court, involving the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.westerncassfire.org/" target="_blank">fire district</a>, based in Cleveland, that serves about 2,600 homes. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article281486948.html" target="_blank">battling factions</a>&nbsp;of the board have made&nbsp;<a href="https://www.northcassherald.com/post/citizens-group-files-suit-against-western-cass-fire" target="_blank">numerous headlines</a>, and the appeal drew the attention of three important voices for open government.

Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office, the Missouri Press Association and the Freedom Center of Missouri all wrote briefs urging the court to overturn the trial court. The issues involved are some of the most fundamental aspects of what constitutes proper notice of a meeting, how much can be added to an agenda after it is posted, and what information must be presented about an item to be considered.

“If you can obscure the matters that are actually going to be discussed and decided at a public meeting, then you can kind of slip under the public’s radar and address matters that otherwise members of the public would very much like to have input,” said Dave Roland, litigation director of the Freedom Center of Missouri.

An example from the Western Cass case is the Aug. 3, 2022, meeting, where the notice included an item called “special considerations,” with no more detail. What board members Kerri VanMeveren and Darvin Schildknecht didn’t know, and found out only when the agenda item was reached that evening, was that “special considerations” meant booting them off the board.

“I asked at the start of the meeting, before we adopted the agenda, ‘can you please explain what special considerations mean?’” VanMeveren said in an interview with The Independent. Board president “John Webb would not answer the question. And I kept saying, ‘I think the public has a right to know,’ and he just would not answer it.”

Defending the judgment on Wednesday, attorney Aaron Racine told the court that any violations that may have occurred were inadvertent, due to inexperience of new members.

Judge Alok Ahuja was skeptical of that as he looked at the Aug. 3, 2022, meeting agenda.

“What does special considerations mean?” he asked. “Special considerations of weather? Special considerations of finances? Special considerations of personnel?”

Even the phrasing of particular agenda items can be traced to inexperience, Racine said.

“I think those are the mitigating or exigent circumstances, and that you had an inexperienced board trying to comply with the law,” he said.

VanMeveren won election to the district Board of Directors in 2020, running for the position after a brush fire spread onto her property in 2018 and she felt the tactics employed showed poor training.

“It was just kind of a clown show,” VanMeveren said.

When she became district treasurer, she said, she found that tax rates for a bond issue had been improperly calculated, bringing in excessive revenue.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://auditor.mo.gov/AuditReport/ViewReport?report=2021037" target="_blank">state auditor’s report in 2021</a>, prepared in response to a residents’ petition, found problems with bidding procedures, budget information and Sunshine Law compliance. VanMeveren recruited new board members, including John Webb, a conservative Republican who unsuccessfully challenged then-U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler several times in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/politics/2014/06/18/challenger-john-webb-says-he/21725111007/" target="_blank">4th Congressional District GOP primary</a>.&nbsp;

But she and Webb were soon battling over issues that included payroll expenses for contractors and a contract for lawn care at the firehouse,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article281486948.html" target="_blank">the Kansas City Star reported</a>. In the late summer and early fall of 2022, three departments in Belton, Dolan-West Dolan and West Peculiar canceled their mutual aid agreements.

VanMeveren resigned as treasurer in May 2022 but remained on the board. A lawsuit was filed by the board to oust her and Schildknecht. It was dismissed when a recall effort began that succeeded in removing VanMeveren and Schildknecht in August 2023.

VanMeveren and Schildknecht formed Citizens for Transparency and Accountability and filed a countersuit, the case now in the hands of the Western District Court of Appeals.

They testified in the spring in favor of a bill that gives the State Auditor&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/28/new-missouri-law-expands-state-auditors-powers-to-dig-into-local-governments/">new power to investigate wrongdoing</a>&nbsp;in local government. Instead of a time-consuming petition process, the auditor can now open a full audit if investigation of a complaint shows problems that require more attention.&nbsp;

And the cost of the audit would be borne by the auditor’s office instead of taxpayers in the political subdivision being examined.

The new power is an important tool to help taxpayers, Schildknecht testified in a Missouri House hearing.&nbsp;

“Over the years some people who come on the board who do want to try and do the right things, but I have also seen others who realize there is no outside agencies monitoring fire districts and take advantage of this, knowing there is nobody watching that they follow the laws,” he said.

Widespread issues the case will address brought amicus, or friend of the court, briefs from the attorney general’s office, the press association and the Freedom Center of Missouri.

“Several issues raised in this appeal are brought to this office’s attention with increasing frequency in complaints filed by citizens against local public governmental bodies, in question-and-answer sessions during training programs, and phone call inquiries from the public and public governmental bodies,” Assistant Attorney General Jason Lewis wrote. “Unfortunately, many of these issues have not yet been conclusively addressed by Missouri’s appellate courts.”

Those questions include what an agenda must have when a meeting notice is posted and what can be added later.

“All public governmental bodies shall give notice of the time, date, and place of each meeting, and its tentative agenda, in a manner reasonably calculated to advise the public of the matters to be considered,”&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=610.020&amp;bid=30417&amp;hl=" target="_blank">the law states</a>.&nbsp;

The fire district board used the word tentative in the broadest sense. At one meeting in November 2022, Layton’s appeal brief states, the board approved “a contract for a medical director; creating and sending a newsletter throughout the district; adopting a program that would allow firefighters to reside at the fire station; changing the bid solicitation for one of the fire stations; an insurance rider for proof of loss; barring one director from taking photographs at the fire station; having and paying for a party; and purchasing a generator battery.”

No violation occurred when items were added, Racine told the judges.

“Tentative means what tentative means, and absent some statutory or court guidance as to what tentative means, we have to look to its plain meaning, which is subject to change going forward,” Racine said.

All three of the amicus briefs argued that tentative means subject to change for unforeseen reasons, such as a storm that prevents the meeting from being held or the absence of someone essential that prevents an item from being considered.

It cannot mean that new items can be added at will because the public, and their watchdogs, deserve full notice of the items to be considered, attorney Jean Maneke wrote for the press association.

“Reporters recognize that they cannot be everywhere at once and the agenda gives them the&nbsp;information they need to make the best use of their time,” Maneke wrote. “Like the public, the reporters rely on the agenda to inform them regarding which activities/issues will be addressed at each public meeting.”

Other meeting notice issues the appeal addresses are the amount of information that must be provided. Fire district notices often gave the least possible information, appellants argue, such as a resolution number and no other details under the heading “Banking” on the July 20, 2022, meeting.

During the same meeting, while on the agenda item with the heading “reports,” the board adopted changes to the duties of some personnel without any indication that was the intent.

“It’s crucial that public governmental bodies not be able to shoehorn in agenda items at the last minute, and that’s why they need to provide an acceptable level of specificity when it comes to what they’re going to be considering and voting on,” Roland said.

The attorney general’s brief also argues that notices must provide details that show the intent of the action.&nbsp;

“That means that a public governmental body cannot hide an elephant in a mouse hole by using vague or excessively broad terms to hide what the body intends to do,” Lewis wrote. “The tentative agenda must be specific enough for the public to be able to make an informed decision about whether to attend the meeting.”

The court could create a test that would help agencies in the preparation of meeting notices and agendas, Lewis wrote.

“The Attorney General’s Office is eager for resolution of these issues at the appellate level,” Lewis wrote, “which will provide both this office and the public with significant guidance in resolving citizens’ Sunshine Law complaints, providing education to local public governmental bodies, and seeking enforcement when appropriate.”

<h2>The Attorney General’s Office, the Missouri Press Association and the Freedom Center of Missouri seek ruling on form and content of meeting notices and agendas</h2>By RUDI KELLER&nbsp; <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>A rural Missouri fire district near Kansas City committed so many violations of the Missouri Sunshine Law that listing them separately wasn’t the best way to present them, attorney Jim Layton told Western District Court of Appeals during oral arguments.Under questioning from Presiding Judge Thomas Chapman, Layton said he counted 46 violations committed in 11 meetings of the Western Cass Fire Protection board. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Appellants%20Brief%20Redacted.PDF?courtCode=WA&amp;di=453073" target="_blank">appeal brief</a>&nbsp;gives a narrative of events, seeking to show a multiplicity of violations at any particular meeting, rather than individually enumerated violations for each meeting.“We have to look at it and weigh the evidence in each one of these instances, and it just seems like it kind of was a shotgun approach on these,” Chapman said.The nature of the appeal led to the format he chose, Layton said. Cass County Circuit Judge R. Michael Wagner entered a judgment against his client, Citizens for Transparency and Accountability, when he concluded his portion of the case during a June 2023 trial.Wagner didn’t give any reasons for his decision in his judgment. The appeal is of that single act, so a narrative is the correct format, Layton said.“I will confess that I struggled with how to draft points relied on in this case as much as I ever have on an appeal because of the nature of how this was decided below,” Layton said.Wednesday’s hearing at the appeals court is just the latest round in battles, in and out of court, involving the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.westerncassfire.org/" target="_blank">fire district</a>, based in Cleveland, that serves about 2,600 homes. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article281486948.html" target="_blank">battling factions</a>&nbsp;of the board have made&nbsp;<a href="https://www.northcassherald.com/post/citizens-group-files-suit-against-western-cass-fire" target="_blank">numerous headlines</a>, and the appeal drew the attention of three important voices for open government.Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office, the Missouri Press Association and the Freedom Center of Missouri all wrote briefs urging the court to overturn the trial court. The issues involved are some of the most fundamental aspects of what constitutes proper notice of a meeting, how much can be added to an agenda after it is posted, and what information must be presented about an item to be considered.“If you can obscure the matters that are actually going to be discussed and decided at a public meeting, then you can kind of slip under the public’s radar and address matters that otherwise members of the public would very much like to have input,” said Dave Roland, litigation director of the Freedom Center of Missouri.An example from the Western Cass case is the Aug. 3, 2022, meeting, where the notice included an item called “special considerations,” with no more detail. What board members Kerri VanMeveren and Darvin Schildknecht didn’t know, and found out only when the agenda item was reached that evening, was that “special considerations” meant booting them off the board.“I asked at the start of the meeting, before we adopted the agenda, ‘can you please explain what special considerations mean?’” VanMeveren said in an interview with The Independent. Board president “John Webb would not answer the question. And I kept saying, ‘I think the public has a right to know,’ and he just would not answer it.”Defending the judgment on Wednesday, attorney Aaron Racine told the court that any violations that may have occurred were inadvertent, due to inexperience of new members.Judge Alok Ahuja was skeptical of that as he looked at the Aug. 3, 2022, meeting agenda.“What does special considerations mean?” he asked. “Special considerations of weather? Special considerations of finances? Special considerations of personnel?”Even the phrasing of particular agenda items can be traced to inexperience, Racine said.“I think those are the mitigating or exigent circumstances, and that you had an inexperienced board trying to comply with the law,” he said.<h2>Origins of the dispute</h2>VanMeveren won election to the district Board of Directors in 2020, running for the position after a brush fire spread onto her property in 2018 and she felt the tactics employed showed poor training.“It was just kind of a clown show,” VanMeveren said.When she became district treasurer, she said, she found that tax rates for a bond issue had been improperly calculated, bringing in excessive revenue.A&nbsp;<a href="https://auditor.mo.gov/AuditReport/ViewReport?report=2021037" target="_blank">state auditor’s report in 2021</a>, prepared in response to a residents’ petition, found problems with bidding procedures, budget information and Sunshine Law compliance. VanMeveren recruited new board members, including John Webb, a conservative Republican who unsuccessfully challenged then-U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler several times in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/politics/2014/06/18/challenger-john-webb-says-he/21725111007/" target="_blank">4th Congressional District GOP primary</a>.&nbsp;But she and Webb were soon battling over issues that included payroll expenses for contractors and a contract for lawn care at the firehouse,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article281486948.html" target="_blank">the Kansas City Star reported</a>. In the late summer and early fall of 2022, three departments in Belton, Dolan-West Dolan and West Peculiar canceled their mutual aid agreements.VanMeveren resigned as treasurer in May 2022 but remained on the board. A lawsuit was filed by the board to oust her and Schildknecht. It was dismissed when a recall effort began that succeeded in removing VanMeveren and Schildknecht in August 2023.VanMeveren and Schildknecht formed Citizens for Transparency and Accountability and filed a countersuit, the case now in the hands of the Western District Court of Appeals.They testified in the spring in favor of a bill that gives the State Auditor&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/28/new-missouri-law-expands-state-auditors-powers-to-dig-into-local-governments/">new power to investigate wrongdoing</a>&nbsp;in local government. Instead of a time-consuming petition process, the auditor can now open a full audit if investigation of a complaint shows problems that require more attention.&nbsp;And the cost of the audit would be borne by the auditor’s office instead of taxpayers in the political subdivision being examined.The new power is an important tool to help taxpayers, Schildknecht testified in a Missouri House hearing.&nbsp;“Over the years some people who come on the board who do want to try and do the right things, but I have also seen others who realize there is no outside agencies monitoring fire districts and take advantage of this, knowing there is nobody watching that they follow the laws,” he said.<h2>The meaning of “tentative”</h2>Widespread issues the case will address brought amicus, or friend of the court, briefs from the attorney general’s office, the press association and the Freedom Center of Missouri.“Several issues raised in this appeal are brought to this office’s attention with increasing frequency in complaints filed by citizens against local public governmental bodies, in question-and-answer sessions during training programs, and phone call inquiries from the public and public governmental bodies,” Assistant Attorney General Jason Lewis wrote. “Unfortunately, many of these issues have not yet been conclusively addressed by Missouri’s appellate courts.”Those questions include what an agenda must have when a meeting notice is posted and what can be added later.“All public governmental bodies shall give notice of the time, date, and place of each meeting, and its tentative agenda, in a manner reasonably calculated to advise the public of the matters to be considered,”&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=610.020&amp;bid=30417&amp;hl=" target="_blank">the law states</a>.&nbsp;The fire district board used the word tentative in the broadest sense. At one meeting in November 2022, Layton’s appeal brief states, the board approved “a contract for a medical director; creating and sending a newsletter throughout the district; adopting a program that would allow firefighters to reside at the fire station; changing the bid solicitation for one of the fire stations; an insurance rider for proof of loss; barring one director from taking photographs at the fire station; having and paying for a party; and purchasing a generator battery.”None of those items were on the agenda.No violation occurred when items were added, Racine told the judges.“Tentative means what tentative means, and absent some statutory or court guidance as to what tentative means, we have to look to its plain meaning, which is subject to change going forward,” Racine said.All three of the amicus briefs argued that tentative means subject to change for unforeseen reasons, such as a storm that prevents the meeting from being held or the absence of someone essential that prevents an item from being considered.It cannot mean that new items can be added at will because the public, and their watchdogs, deserve full notice of the items to be considered, attorney Jean Maneke wrote for the press association.“Reporters recognize that they cannot be everywhere at once and the agenda gives them the&nbsp;information they need to make the best use of their time,” Maneke wrote. “Like the public, the reporters rely on the agenda to inform them regarding which activities/issues will be addressed at each public meeting.”Other meeting notice issues the appeal addresses are the amount of information that must be provided. Fire district notices often gave the least possible information, appellants argue, such as a resolution number and no other details under the heading “Banking” on the July 20, 2022, meeting.During the same meeting, while on the agenda item with the heading “reports,” the board adopted changes to the duties of some personnel without any indication that was the intent.“It’s crucial that public governmental bodies not be able to shoehorn in agenda items at the last minute, and that’s why they need to provide an acceptable level of specificity when it comes to what they’re going to be considering and voting on,” Roland said.The attorney general’s brief also argues that notices must provide details that show the intent of the action.&nbsp;“That means that a public governmental body cannot hide an elephant in a mouse hole by using vague or excessively broad terms to hide what the body intends to do,” Lewis wrote. “The tentative agenda must be specific enough for the public to be able to make an informed decision about whether to attend the meeting.”The court could create a test that would help agencies in the preparation of meeting notices and agendas, Lewis wrote.“The Attorney General’s Office is eager for resolution of these issues at the appellate level,” Lewis wrote, “which will provide both this office and the public with significant guidance in resolving citizens’ Sunshine Law complaints, providing education to local public governmental bodies, and seeking enforcement when appropriate.”

Missouri Sunshine Law appeal from Cass County digs into public notice requirements

SEDGWICK COUNTY — The suspect involved in a shooting near a school on Monday made his first court appearance in the case.

Vincent Solomon Jr., 46,&nbsp; Wichita, is charged with attempted 1st degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, and interference with law enforcement, according to the Sedgwick County District attorney's office

Just after 9a.m. Monday, Sedgwick County Emergency Communications began to receive reports of a shooting outside Cessna Elementary School, 2101 West 45th Street South in Wichita, according to a statement from Police Chief Joe Sullivan during a Tuesday afternoon news conference.

The call was broadcast on all law enforcement radio channels. A Sedgwick County Deputy heard the call and responded. When the deputy arrived, he located Solomon who was armed with a handgun. The man made statements that the deputy would kill him while pointing the gun at the deputy, according to Sullivan.

The suspect than ran to and laid on top of a 30-year-old woman. The deputy gave commands for the man to drop his gun and observed the suspect place the gun to the woman's head.

In defense of the woman, the deputy fired his gun twice. The suspect would not let go of the woman. The deputy then attempted to disarm the man physically. It took two Wichita Police officers and the deputy to disarm Solomon.

Investigators have learned that Solomon and woman live together and have children together. The couple had an argument in a vehicle on the way to the school which led to the suspect shooting the woman multiple times. The woman ran toward the school and the Solomon chased her. A Wichita Public School staff member saw the suspect with the gun approaching the school and pulled the door of the school shut and locked it so the suspect could not get inside.

EMS transported Solomon and the woman to an area hospital for treatment.

The Advanced Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) was activated to conduct this investigation. Solomon remains jailed on a $750,000 bond. He is due back in court October 7.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727347323043.png" alt="Solomon -photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Solomon -photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — The suspect involved in a shooting near a school on Monday made his first court appearance in the case.Vincent Solomon Jr., 46,&nbsp; Wichita, is charged with attempted 1st degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, and interference with law enforcement, according to the Sedgwick County District attorney's officeJust after 9a.m. Monday, Sedgwick County Emergency Communications began to receive reports of a shooting outside Cessna Elementary School, 2101 West 45th Street South in Wichita, according to a statement from Police Chief Joe Sullivan during a Tuesday afternoon news conference.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727210527551.png" alt="Image from security camera shows Solomon chasing the woman, after she had been shot, as they approach the entrance to the school.- image from Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Image from security camera shows Solomon chasing the woman, after she had been shot, as they approach the entrance to the school.- image from Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>The call was broadcast on all law enforcement radio channels. A Sedgwick County Deputy heard the call and responded. When the deputy arrived, he located Solomon who was armed with a handgun. The man made statements that the deputy would kill him while pointing the gun at the deputy, according to Sullivan.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727106753444.png" alt="Police on the scene near the school-photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene near the school-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>The suspect than ran to and laid on top of a 30-year-old woman. The deputy gave commands for the man to drop his gun and observed the suspect place the gun to the woman's head.In defense of the woman, the deputy fired his gun twice. The suspect would not let go of the woman. The deputy then attempted to disarm the man physically. It took two Wichita Police officers and the deputy to disarm Solomon.Investigators have learned that Solomon and woman live together and have children together. The couple had an argument in a vehicle on the way to the school which led to the suspect shooting the woman multiple times. The woman ran toward the school and the Solomon chased her. A Wichita Public School staff member saw the suspect with the gun approaching the school and pulled the door of the school shut and locked it so the suspect could not get inside.EMS transported Solomon and the woman to an area hospital for treatment.The Advanced Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) was activated to conduct this investigation. Solomon remains jailed on a $750,000 bond. He is due back in court October 7.

Kan. man who shot woman near a school released on bond

(Radio Iowa) - A live music and auction event in Greenfield this weekend aims to help the western Iowa community as it continues to recover from the deadly tornado that hit back in May. 

Thaddeus Hawley, president of Greenfield's Warren Cultural Center, says the idea for Sunday's benefit started as a Facebook post and has grown into much more. Hawley says there'll be five musical acts, as well as auctions and raffles of items including a guitar autographed by country music star Vince Gill and two fire suits donated by NASCAR driver Sammy Smith, along with things like baked goods and quilts. 

The twister destroyed the Greenfield Volunteer Fire Station and all proceeds from Sunday's event will go toward rebuilding the station.

(Radio Iowa) - A live music and auction event in Greenfield this weekend aims to help the western Iowa community as it continues to recover from the deadly tornado that hit back in May. Thaddeus Hawley, president of Greenfield's Warren Cultural Center, says the idea for Sunday's benefit started as a Facebook post and has grown into much more. Hawley says there'll be five musical acts, as well as auctions and raffles of items including a guitar autographed by country music star Vince Gill and two fire suits donated by NASCAR driver Sammy Smith, along with things like baked goods and quilts. The twister destroyed the Greenfield Volunteer Fire Station and all proceeds from Sunday's event will go toward rebuilding the station.

Weekend concert to help rebuild Greenfield fire station, flattened by twister

A St. Joseph native who has published numerous novels returns
to her home town for a forthcoming book.

Lee Ann Sonthemeier Murphy now lives in Neosho, but grew up in
St. Joseph. Murphy published her first novel in 2010 and explores a variety of
subjects.

“I like to say I write everything from sweet to heat,” Murphy
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “I also write historical romance. For those books,
I write those under Patrice Wayne, a pen name because my publisher thought to
keep them different, separate, from my contemporary romance. But I write, pretty
much I write whatever ideas that come up.”

Murphy has been busy this year. “The Legacy of Boone Wilson”
came out earlier this year. “Venganza” came out earlier this month. “The
Cowboy’s Last Chance” comes out next month with “Homeward Bound Hearts” set in
St. Joseph and Savannah is due out in mid-December. An earlier work, “Urban
Renewal,” was set in St. Joseph.

Murphy says she dreamed of being a novelist since she was a
little girl, growing up in north St. Joseph.

“I hope they get a good story that they enjoy. I hope it’s a
story that sticks with them awhile. I occasionally get some fan mail, not a
lot, but some,” Murphy says. “If they tell me my work really touched them or
they really related to it, that makes me feel good.”

Murphy, who now lives in Neosho, has published more than 50
novels or novellas over the years. She published her first novel in 2010 after
working as editor of the Neosho Daily News and the Aurora Advertiser. Murphy even
worked for a time as a broadcast reporter.

And while Murphy says some fantasize about the glamorous life
of a writer, reality is much different.

“My Dad used to say there is no perfect job and I think he was
right,” Murphy says. “I love what I do, but it’s maybe not what people envision
it to be. At the end of the day, I’m still me. I’m still Lee Ann from north St.
Joe, spinning my stories.”

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727461183355.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostA St. Joseph native who has published numerous novels returns
to her home town for a forthcoming book.Lee Ann Sonthemeier Murphy now lives in Neosho, but grew up in
St. Joseph. Murphy published her first novel in 2010 and explores a variety of
subjects.“I like to say I write everything from sweet to heat,” Murphy
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “I also write historical romance. For those books,
I write those under Patrice Wayne, a pen name because my publisher thought to
keep them different, separate, from my contemporary romance. But I write, pretty
much I write whatever ideas that come up.”Murphy has been busy this year. “The Legacy of Boone Wilson”
came out earlier this year. “Venganza” came out earlier this month. “The
Cowboy’s Last Chance” comes out next month with “Homeward Bound Hearts” set in
St. Joseph and Savannah is due out in mid-December. An earlier work, “Urban
Renewal,” was set in St. Joseph.Murphy says she dreamed of being a novelist since she was a
little girl, growing up in north St. Joseph.Murphy says her aim is simple.“I hope they get a good story that they enjoy. I hope it’s a
story that sticks with them awhile. I occasionally get some fan mail, not a
lot, but some,” Murphy says. “If they tell me my work really touched them or
they really related to it, that makes me feel good.”Murphy, who now lives in Neosho, has published more than 50
novels or novellas over the years. She published her first novel in 2010 after
working as editor of the Neosho Daily News and the Aurora Advertiser. Murphy even
worked for a time as a broadcast reporter.And while Murphy says some fantasize about the glamorous life
of a writer, reality is much different.“My Dad used to say there is no perfect job and I think he was
right,” Murphy says. “I love what I do, but it’s maybe not what people envision
it to be. At the end of the day, I’m still me. I’m still Lee Ann from north St.
Joe, spinning my stories.”<div><iframe src="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/St--Joseph-native-returns-to-hometown-for-latest-book-e2ov008" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

St. Joseph native returns to home town in Christmas romance

(Radio Iowa) - Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has filed a lawsuit accusing an out-of-state company and two of its top executives of failing to properly dispose of over a thousand decommissioned wind turbine blades. 

According to the lawsuit, General Electric and MidAmerican Energy paid millions to a company in Washington state to cut up, transport and recycle wind turbine blades. The attorney general says that company -- Global Fiberglass Solutions -- illegally dumped about 13-hundred wind turbine blades at parking lots in Newton and in fields in Ellsworth and Atlantic. 

The lawsuit seeks civil penalties of five-thousand dollars per day -- over a roughtly five year period -- for violations of the state's solid waste disposal rules.

(Radio Iowa) - Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has filed a lawsuit accusing an out-of-state company and two of its top executives of failing to properly dispose of over a thousand decommissioned wind turbine blades. According to the lawsuit, General Electric and MidAmerican Energy paid millions to a company in Washington state to cut up, transport and recycle wind turbine blades. The attorney general says that company -- Global Fiberglass Solutions -- illegally dumped about 13-hundred wind turbine blades at parking lots in Newton and in fields in Ellsworth and Atlantic. The lawsuit seeks civil penalties of five-thousand dollars per day -- over a roughtly five year period -- for violations of the state's solid waste disposal rules.

Iowa sues company over alleged dumping of old wind turbine blades

Trial over 2023 law turns to impact of ban after first days dive into expert testimony on effect of treatments

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>

After three days of battling over&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/23/battling-experts-qualifications-of-witnesses-a-key-in-missouri-gender-affirming-care-case/">scientific papers and expert testimony</a>, the trial of a lawsuit challenging Missouri’s restrictions on gender-affirming treatments on Thursday turned to the impact the law has on patients and providers.

Nicole Carr, a nurse practitioner at Southampton Community Healthcare in St. Louis, said anxiety, fear and depression first increased in transgender patients when Attorney General Andrew Bailey published an emergency rule that established barriers to care in&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/04/13/emergency-rule-seeks-to-limit-access-to-certain-procedures-for-transgender-missourians/">April 2023</a>.

“No one thinks about how these laws affect the actual people they are supposed to protect and they are supposed to serve,” she said.

Patients were crying in the clinic in fear, she testified.

“I’m trying to give them hope that they don’t have to fear being in Missouri, that they don’t have to fear coming to me as a provider, that they can move past this,” Carr said. “It’s sad because I’m referring a lot of people to therapy that, before these rules, were fine.”

She worries about youth in foster care, which she worked with frequently in a previous position. Transgender teenagers in foster care often must wait until they turn 18 to go to the doctor alone for assessment to obtain hormone-replacement therapy.

But if they are on Medicaid, as most are soon after foster care, Missouri won’t pay for the treatment.

“(The law) has impacted the quality of care I can give my patients when I know the solution to their problem is out there and I can’t do anything about it,” she said.

Carr and Southampton healthcare are among 11 plaintiffs hoping to block enforcement of a 2023 law banning&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-governor-signs-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-restrictions-for-trans-athletes/">gender-affirming medical treatments for minors</a>. Other plaintiffs include parents of transgender children, transgender adolescents, other medical care providers and organizations supporting gender-affirming care.

Their attorneys began putting witnesses on the stand Monday in the Cole County Circuit Court trial scheduled to continue through next week. The lawsuit asks Judge Craig Carter, assigned to the case from Wright County, to declare the law unconstitutional,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Petition.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=2861307" target="_blank">alleging violations of equal protection</a>, due process and other rights guaranteed by the Missouri Constitution.

Although the law does not ban counseling or the continuation of treatments begun before it passed, several providers ceased all gender-affirming treatments for minors soon after it took effect on Aug. 28, 2023. First University of Missouri Health, then&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/09/11/washington-university-the-second-missouri-provider-to-stop-transgender-care-for-minors/">Washington University&nbsp; in St. Louis</a>, ended their programs, citing the threat of future litigation allowed in the law.

Neither provider is a party to the lawsuit.

Over the first three days of the trial, assistant attorney generals defending the law have repeatedly sought to discredit plaintiffs’ expert witnesses. The painstaking cross examinations have slowed the pace of the trial to two experts per day and led to a late recess on Wednesday.

Carter, however, has declined to limit the cross-examination, despite arguments from plaintiffs’ attorneys that it means the trial will exceed the time allotted to complete it.

During cross-examination, members of the defense team have read scientific articles, news articles and editorials on gender-affirming care. Almost invariably, that leads to objections that the exhibits are new.

Carter has allowed reading as a way to challenge the credibility of witnesses by&nbsp; showing deficiencies in their testimony, such as bias or poor memory.

“They seem to be reading a lot of newspaper articles and a lot of opinion pieces,” Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, an attorney for plaintiffs, told reporters. “If they wanted to introduce the opinion of some random person in the United Kingdom, they could have called them.”

During one question to Dr. Armand Matheny Antommaria from Solicitor General Joshua Divine, plaintiffs’ attorney Nora Huppert objected, arguing that it was as if Divine was testifying himself.

It came as Antommaria, a pediatric hospitalist and bioethicist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, answered questions slowly, often with a “yes sir” or “no sir,” correcting Divine’s questions.

“If you go to the key findings, the statement you’ve pulled out is not part of the key findings,” he said, after a question in which Divine asked about a singular sentence of a scientific article. The context is important, Antommaria told him, saying the overall report was the opposite of Divine’s characterization.

Divine also asked&nbsp; if Antommaria’s religious beliefs or divinity degree should disqualify him as an expert.

“Given the nature of that particular degree, that does not disqualify myself,” he said.

Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, an adolescent medicine physician at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and medical director of the hospital’s center for transgender youth health and development, testified about her research linking distress about breast development to depression and anxiety. She also discussed benefits of gender-affirming care she has seen in her clinical experience.

Hal Frampton, senior counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, brought one of the 11 three-ring binders prepared for the Olson-Kennedy testimony to the podium. He flipped through the approximately three-inch binder, presenting studies and articles to question Olson-Kennedy’s research and concluding with videos from talks she gave years ago.

In one talk, she said people “get worked up” about certain surgical procedures that are part of gender affirming care.

Frampton asked if she doesn’t like people that get worked up. Olson-Kennedy said she was emphasizing the difference between gender-affirming surgeries.

“The seriousness of getting a sterilizing surgery is more severe than someone who needs a chest surgery,” she said.

He also asked about an interview she gave in which she spoke about being involved in social justice efforts.

“People being able to get access to medically necessary care is an advocacy issue,” she responded.

The defense is scheduled to begin arguments Monday, with a scheduled final day of Oct. 4.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727446832059.png" alt=" Judge Craig Carter, a Wright County judge serving in Cole County for Missouri’s gender-affirming care trial, listens to a nurse practitioner testify Thursday afternoon (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Judge Craig Carter, a Wright County judge serving in Cole County for Missouri’s gender-affirming care trial, listens to a nurse practitioner testify Thursday afternoon (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Trial over 2023 law turns to impact of ban after first days dive into expert testimony on effect of treatments</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>After three days of battling over&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/23/battling-experts-qualifications-of-witnesses-a-key-in-missouri-gender-affirming-care-case/">scientific papers and expert testimony</a>, the trial of a lawsuit challenging Missouri’s restrictions on gender-affirming treatments on Thursday turned to the impact the law has on patients and providers.Nicole Carr, a nurse practitioner at Southampton Community Healthcare in St. Louis, said anxiety, fear and depression first increased in transgender patients when Attorney General Andrew Bailey published an emergency rule that established barriers to care in&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/04/13/emergency-rule-seeks-to-limit-access-to-certain-procedures-for-transgender-missourians/">April 2023</a>.“No one thinks about how these laws affect the actual people they are supposed to protect and they are supposed to serve,” she said.Patients were crying in the clinic in fear, she testified.“I’m trying to give them hope that they don’t have to fear being in Missouri, that they don’t have to fear coming to me as a provider, that they can move past this,” Carr said. “It’s sad because I’m referring a lot of people to therapy that, before these rules, were fine.”She worries about youth in foster care, which she worked with frequently in a previous position. Transgender teenagers in foster care often must wait until they turn 18 to go to the doctor alone for assessment to obtain hormone-replacement therapy.But if they are on Medicaid, as most are soon after foster care, Missouri won’t pay for the treatment.“(The law) has impacted the quality of care I can give my patients when I know the solution to their problem is out there and I can’t do anything about it,” she said.Carr and Southampton healthcare are among 11 plaintiffs hoping to block enforcement of a 2023 law banning&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-governor-signs-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-restrictions-for-trans-athletes/">gender-affirming medical treatments for minors</a>. Other plaintiffs include parents of transgender children, transgender adolescents, other medical care providers and organizations supporting gender-affirming care.Their attorneys began putting witnesses on the stand Monday in the Cole County Circuit Court trial scheduled to continue through next week. The lawsuit asks Judge Craig Carter, assigned to the case from Wright County, to declare the law unconstitutional,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Petition.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=2861307" target="_blank">alleging violations of equal protection</a>, due process and other rights guaranteed by the Missouri Constitution.Although the law does not ban counseling or the continuation of treatments begun before it passed, several providers ceased all gender-affirming treatments for minors soon after it took effect on Aug. 28, 2023. First University of Missouri Health, then&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/09/11/washington-university-the-second-missouri-provider-to-stop-transgender-care-for-minors/">Washington University&nbsp; in St. Louis</a>, ended their programs, citing the threat of future litigation allowed in the law.Neither provider is a party to the lawsuit.Over the first three days of the trial, assistant attorney generals defending the law have repeatedly sought to discredit plaintiffs’ expert witnesses. The painstaking cross examinations have slowed the pace of the trial to two experts per day and led to a late recess on Wednesday.Carter, however, has declined to limit the cross-examination, despite arguments from plaintiffs’ attorneys that it means the trial will exceed the time allotted to complete it.During cross-examination, members of the defense team have read scientific articles, news articles and editorials on gender-affirming care. Almost invariably, that leads to objections that the exhibits are new.Carter has allowed reading as a way to challenge the credibility of witnesses by&nbsp; showing deficiencies in their testimony, such as bias or poor memory.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727446795351.png" alt=" Plaintiffs’ attorney Omar Gonzalez-Pagan listens to testimony Thursday afternoon in Missouri’s gender-affirming care trial (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Plaintiffs’ attorney Omar Gonzalez-Pagan listens to testimony Thursday afternoon in Missouri’s gender-affirming care trial (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>“They seem to be reading a lot of newspaper articles and a lot of opinion pieces,” Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, an attorney for plaintiffs, told reporters. “If they wanted to introduce the opinion of some random person in the United Kingdom, they could have called them.”During one question to Dr. Armand Matheny Antommaria from Solicitor General Joshua Divine, plaintiffs’ attorney Nora Huppert objected, arguing that it was as if Divine was testifying himself.It came as Antommaria, a pediatric hospitalist and bioethicist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, answered questions slowly, often with a “yes sir” or “no sir,” correcting Divine’s questions.“If you go to the key findings, the statement you’ve pulled out is not part of the key findings,” he said, after a question in which Divine asked about a singular sentence of a scientific article. The context is important, Antommaria told him, saying the overall report was the opposite of Divine’s characterization.Divine also asked&nbsp; if Antommaria’s religious beliefs or divinity degree should disqualify him as an expert.“Given the nature of that particular degree, that does not disqualify myself,” he said.Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, an adolescent medicine physician at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and medical director of the hospital’s center for transgender youth health and development, testified about her research linking distress about breast development to depression and anxiety. She also discussed benefits of gender-affirming care she has seen in her clinical experience.Hal Frampton, senior counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, brought one of the 11 three-ring binders prepared for the Olson-Kennedy testimony to the podium. He flipped through the approximately three-inch binder, presenting studies and articles to question Olson-Kennedy’s research and concluding with videos from talks she gave years ago.In one talk, she said people “get worked up” about certain surgical procedures that are part of gender affirming care.Frampton asked if she doesn’t like people that get worked up. Olson-Kennedy said she was emphasizing the difference between gender-affirming surgeries.“The seriousness of getting a sterilizing surgery is more severe than someone who needs a chest surgery,” she said.He also asked about an interview she gave in which she spoke about being involved in social justice efforts.“People being able to get access to medically necessary care is an advocacy issue,” she responded.The defense is scheduled to begin arguments Monday, with a scheduled final day of Oct. 4.

Patients hurt by Missouri’s ban on gender-affirming care, providers testify

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>&nbsp;

The Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, laid out more of her economic vision Wednesday during her first one-on-one cable TV interview.

Harris and former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, are laying out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/taxes-where-do-trump-and-harris-stand" target="_blank">dueling economic agendas</a>&nbsp;this week as the two vie for the Oval Office in an extremely close race.

“I really love and am so energized by what I know to be the spirit and character of the American people — we have ambition, we have aspirations, we have dreams, we can see what’s possible, we have an incredible work ethic, but not everyone has the access to the opportunities that allow them to achieve those things, but we don’t lack for those things, but not everyone gets handed stuff on a silver platter,” Harris told MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle.

“My vision for the economy — I call it an opportunity economy — is about making sure that all Americans — wherever they start, wherever they are — have the ability to actually achieve those dreams and those ambitions, which include, for middle-class families, just being able to know that their hard work allows them to get ahead,” she said.

Earlier on Wednesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/election-2024/harris-touts-economic-plans-in-pittsburgh-the-best-way-to-predict-the-future-is-to-invent-it/" target="_blank">Harris touted her economic plans</a>&nbsp;in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at Carnegie Mellon University. During her MSNBC interview later in the day, she reiterated her plan to cut taxes for more than 100 million Americans, including $6,000 in tax relief for new parents in the first year of their child’s life.

In that first year, Harris said these parents are going to “need help buying a crib, buying a car seat, and we all benefit when they’re actually able to do what they naturally want to do to take care of their child.”

Part of her economic agenda also includes as much as $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers and an up to $50,000 tax break for first-time small businesses.

She also took jabs at Trump when it comes to the economy, saying he’s “just not very serious about how he thinks about some of these issues.”

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/news/8760cee3-7340-4dcc-9fc5-3457aa5953bd" target="_blank">Trump campaign</a>&nbsp;clapped back at her MSNBC appearance on Wednesday, saying “it was (another) reminder why she never does interviews,” and that she’s “not competent enough — and she has no plans to offer Americans.”

Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2024/09/24/trump-pitches-economic-plan-in-savannah-while-insulting-democrats-praising-kemp/" target="_blank">pitched his economic plan</a>&nbsp;earlier this week in Georgia, part of which includes levying tariffs on exported goods, and he vowed to place a 100% tariff on cars imported from Mexico.

Harris also touched on immigration, telling Ruhle “we do have a broken immigration system, and it needs to be fixed.”

She also said she would bring back and sign into law a major&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/bleak-future-immigration-action-after-us-senate-gop-abandons-border-security-deal" target="_blank">bipartisan border security bill</a>&nbsp;from earlier this year while pinning its legislative failure on Trump.

“He killed a bill that would have actually been a solution because he wants to run on a problem instead of fixing the problem, and that’s part of what needs to be addressed,” Harris said.

The veep is set to visit the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday for the first time since becoming the Democratic nominee. Her Douglas, Arizona, visit comes as she’s faced repeated criticism and backlash from both sides of the aisle for her efforts surrounding immigration.

In a&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113193502568945796" target="_blank">Truth Social post</a>&nbsp;earlier this week regarding her upcoming visit, Trump again dubbed Harris a “border czar,” saying “what a disgrace that she waited so long, allowing millions of people to enter our Country from prisons, mental institutions, and criminal cells all over the World, not just South America, many of those coming are terrorists, and at a level never seen before!”

President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/what-know-about-vice-president-kamala-harris-endorsed-biden-his-successor" target="_blank">tapped Harris back in 2021</a>&nbsp;to help address the “root causes” of migration in Central America, but he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.factcheck.org/2024/08/trump-tv-ad-repeats-false-border-czar-illegal-immigration-claims/" target="_blank">did not give her</a>&nbsp;the title of “border czar.” The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of border security.

What’s next for Harris, Trump campaigns

Harris was set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday afternoon.

The meeting between the two leaders “serves as a reminder that the Vice President has been a champion for the United States, advancing our security and prosperity on the world stage and standing up to dictators and autocrats,” her campaign said in a Thursday press release.

This will be her seventh meeting with Zelenskyy, according to her campaign, which noted that as vice president, “she helped rally a global coalition of 50 allies and partners to help Ukraine defend itself.”

Trump is set to deliver remarks in Walker, Michigan, on Friday. Later in the day, he will also host a town hall in Warren, Michigan.

And in the thick of the college football season, Trump is set to attend the Alabama-Georgia football game on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, the University of Alabama&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-says-jewish-voters-would-be-partly-blame-election-loss" target="_blank">confirmed to States Newsroom last week</a>.

Harris’ running mate, Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is set to attend the Michigan-Minnesota football game Saturday in Ann Arbor, the Harris-Walz campaign announced.

He’s also slated to campaign there and will “speak with students about the power of their vote and the importance of registering to vote ahead of the November election,” per the announcement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727438181004.png" alt="Vice President Harris during a White House press conference on Thursday image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Vice President Harris during a White House press conference on Thursday image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>&nbsp;The Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, laid out more of her economic vision Wednesday during her first one-on-one cable TV interview.Harris and former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, are laying out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/taxes-where-do-trump-and-harris-stand" target="_blank">dueling economic agendas</a>&nbsp;this week as the two vie for the Oval Office in an extremely close race.“I really love and am so energized by what I know to be the spirit and character of the American people — we have ambition, we have aspirations, we have dreams, we can see what’s possible, we have an incredible work ethic, but not everyone has the access to the opportunities that allow them to achieve those things, but we don’t lack for those things, but not everyone gets handed stuff on a silver platter,” Harris told MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle.“My vision for the economy — I call it an opportunity economy — is about making sure that all Americans — wherever they start, wherever they are — have the ability to actually achieve those dreams and those ambitions, which include, for middle-class families, just being able to know that their hard work allows them to get ahead,” she said.Earlier on Wednesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/election-2024/harris-touts-economic-plans-in-pittsburgh-the-best-way-to-predict-the-future-is-to-invent-it/" target="_blank">Harris touted her economic plans</a>&nbsp;in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at Carnegie Mellon University. During her MSNBC interview later in the day, she reiterated her plan to cut taxes for more than 100 million Americans, including $6,000 in tax relief for new parents in the first year of their child’s life.In that first year, Harris said these parents are going to “need help buying a crib, buying a car seat, and we all benefit when they’re actually able to do what they naturally want to do to take care of their child.”Part of her economic agenda also includes as much as $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers and an up to $50,000 tax break for first-time small businesses.She also took jabs at Trump when it comes to the economy, saying he’s “just not very serious about how he thinks about some of these issues.”The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/news/8760cee3-7340-4dcc-9fc5-3457aa5953bd" target="_blank">Trump campaign</a>&nbsp;clapped back at her MSNBC appearance on Wednesday, saying “it was (another) reminder why she never does interviews,” and that she’s “not competent enough — and she has no plans to offer Americans.”Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2024/09/24/trump-pitches-economic-plan-in-savannah-while-insulting-democrats-praising-kemp/" target="_blank">pitched his economic plan</a>&nbsp;earlier this week in Georgia, part of which includes levying tariffs on exported goods, and he vowed to place a 100% tariff on cars imported from Mexico.<h2>Harris to visit southern border&nbsp;</h2>Harris also touched on immigration, telling Ruhle “we do have a broken immigration system, and it needs to be fixed.”She also said she would bring back and sign into law a major&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/bleak-future-immigration-action-after-us-senate-gop-abandons-border-security-deal" target="_blank">bipartisan border security bill</a>&nbsp;from earlier this year while pinning its legislative failure on Trump.“He killed a bill that would have actually been a solution because he wants to run on a problem instead of fixing the problem, and that’s part of what needs to be addressed,” Harris said.The veep is set to visit the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday for the first time since becoming the Democratic nominee. Her Douglas, Arizona, visit comes as she’s faced repeated criticism and backlash from both sides of the aisle for her efforts surrounding immigration.In a&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113193502568945796" target="_blank">Truth Social post</a>&nbsp;earlier this week regarding her upcoming visit, Trump again dubbed Harris a “border czar,” saying “what a disgrace that she waited so long, allowing millions of people to enter our Country from prisons, mental institutions, and criminal cells all over the World, not just South America, many of those coming are terrorists, and at a level never seen before!”President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/what-know-about-vice-president-kamala-harris-endorsed-biden-his-successor" target="_blank">tapped Harris back in 2021</a>&nbsp;to help address the “root causes” of migration in Central America, but he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.factcheck.org/2024/08/trump-tv-ad-repeats-false-border-czar-illegal-immigration-claims/" target="_blank">did not give her</a>&nbsp;the title of “border czar.” The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of border security.<h2>What’s next for Harris, Trump campaigns</h2>Harris was set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday afternoon.The meeting between the two leaders “serves as a reminder that the Vice President has been a champion for the United States, advancing our security and prosperity on the world stage and standing up to dictators and autocrats,” her campaign said in a Thursday press release.This will be her seventh meeting with Zelenskyy, according to her campaign, which noted that as vice president, “she helped rally a global coalition of 50 allies and partners to help Ukraine defend itself.”Trump is set to deliver remarks in Walker, Michigan, on Friday. Later in the day, he will also host a town hall in Warren, Michigan.And in the thick of the college football season, Trump is set to attend the Alabama-Georgia football game on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, the University of Alabama&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-says-jewish-voters-would-be-partly-blame-election-loss" target="_blank">confirmed to States Newsroom last week</a>.Harris’ running mate, Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is set to attend the Michigan-Minnesota football game Saturday in Ann Arbor, the Harris-Walz campaign announced.He’s also slated to campaign there and will “speak with students about the power of their vote and the importance of registering to vote ahead of the November election,” per the announcement.

Harris pitches an ‘opportunity economy’ in debut one-on-one TV interview 

WASHINGTON —On Thursday, as part of the surge of assistance that President Biden directed ahead of his meeting with President Zelenskyy, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced a significant new security assistance package to ensure Ukraine has the tools it needs to prevail in its fight against Russian aggression, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Defense.

This security assistance package commits an additional $2.4 billion in support through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) that will provide Ukraine with additional air defense, Unmanned Aerial Systems, and air-to-ground munitions, as well as strengthen Ukraine’s defense industrial base and support its maintenance and sustainment requirements.&nbsp;

The capabilities in this announcement include:

This is the Biden Administration’s twenty-first USAI package. The United States will continue to work together with some 50 Allies and partners through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and its associated capability coalitions to provide the support Ukraine needs to win the war.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727380260471.png" alt="Ukrainian President Zelenskyy watches as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signs bombs that will used in the war against Russia-photo Office of Gov. Shapiro" />
 <figcaption>Ukrainian President Zelenskyy watches as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signs bombs that will used in the war against Russia-photo Office of Gov. Shapiro</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —On Thursday, as part of the surge of assistance that President Biden directed ahead of his meeting with President Zelenskyy, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced a significant new security assistance package to ensure Ukraine has the tools it needs to prevail in its fight against Russian aggression, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Defense.This security assistance package commits an additional $2.4 billion in support through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) that will provide Ukraine with additional air defense, Unmanned Aerial Systems, and air-to-ground munitions, as well as strengthen Ukraine’s defense industrial base and support its maintenance and sustainment requirements.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727392281821.png" alt="-President Zelenskyy and Vice President Harris at the White House on Thursday-White House image" />
 <figcaption>-President Zelenskyy and Vice President Harris at the White House on Thursday-White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>The capabilities in this announcement include:<ul>
 <li>Munitions and support for Ukrainian air defense systems;</li><li>Air-to-ground munitions;</li><li>Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and components to support Ukrainian production of UAS;</li><li>Counter-UAS equipment;&nbsp; Unmanned surface vessels;</li><li>Secure communications equipment;</li><li>Equipment and materiel to support Ukrainian munitions production; and&nbsp;</li><li>Spare parts, maintenance and sustainment support, and other ancillary equipment.</li>
 </ul><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727380341399.png" alt="Ukraine President Zelenskyy and President Biden at the White House on Thursday-White House image" />
 <figcaption>Ukraine President Zelenskyy and President Biden at the White House on Thursday-White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>This is the Biden Administration’s twenty-first USAI package. The United States will continue to work together with some 50 Allies and partners through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and its associated capability coalitions to provide the support Ukraine needs to win the war.

U.S. to spend another $2.4 billion on security assistance for Ukraine

(Radio Iowa) - Two disability rights groups are hosting candidate forums focused on issues faced by Iowans with disabilities. 

The seven forums next month will feature candidates for the Iowa legislature. Catherine Johnson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, says the first-ever forums are so Iowans with disabilities have a chance to understand how candidates running for state office think through disability issues. Piper Haugan, a voting rights advocate at Disability Rights Iowa, says candidates will be asked questions about their experience with disabilities and their related policy priorities. 

The first forum is scheduled for October 1st in Council Bluffs. Others will follow: October 8th in Waverly, October 10th in Sioux City, October 16th in Ankeny, October 17th in Waukee, October 22nd in Des Moines, and October 24 in Ottumwa.

(Radio Iowa) - Two disability rights groups are hosting candidate forums focused on issues faced by Iowans with disabilities. The seven forums next month will feature candidates for the Iowa legislature. Catherine Johnson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, says the first-ever forums are so Iowans with disabilities have a chance to understand how candidates running for state office think through disability issues. Piper Haugan, a voting rights advocate at Disability Rights Iowa, says candidates will be asked questions about their experience with disabilities and their related policy priorities. The first forum is scheduled for October 1st in Council Bluffs. Others will follow: October 8th in Waverly, October 10th in Sioux City, October 16th in Ankeny, October 17th in Waukee, October 22nd in Des Moines, and October 24 in Ottumwa.

Seven forums featuring Iowa legislative candidates to focus on disability issues

Colombia lifted a ban on American beef imports from the states where bird flu was detected in dairy cows. According to USDA’s export library, beef exporters in 14 states will get restored access to Colombian markets. Colombia was the only country to ban U.S. beef imports over the H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle. Agriculture Dive says Colombia’s ban hurt U.S. beef export purchases and reduced Colombia’s spending by as much as 70 percent during the summer. 

Colombia lifted a ban on American beef imports from the states where bird flu was detected in dairy cows. According to USDA’s export library, beef exporters in 14 states will get restored access to Colombian markets. Colombia was the only country to ban U.S. beef imports over the H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle. Agriculture Dive says Colombia’s ban hurt U.S. beef export purchases and reduced Colombia’s spending by as much as 70 percent during the summer.

Columbia lifts ban on U.S. beef imports

Legislation introduced in the House and Senate would extend a new sustainable aviation fuel tax credit for biofuels for ten years and prevent foreign producers from accessing the credits. Groups like the National Corn Growers Association applauded the legislation that supports domestic producers. “Corn growers are making every effort to help the airline industry lower its greenhouse gas emissions through the use of corn ethanol,” says NCGA President Harold Wolle. 

The 45Z tax credit provides incentives to refineries that produce biofuels that can be used in commercial aircraft. The National Oilseed Processors Association and the American Soybean Association also hailed the legislation. “NOPA commends this bipartisan, bicameral legislative effort that puts U.S. fuel producers, crushers, and farmers first,” says NOPA President Kailee Buller. “While we support free trade and open markets, we don’t believe foreign feedstocks should benefit on the backs of U.S. taxpayers and to the detriment of U.S. farmers.”

Legislation introduced in the House and Senate would extend a new sustainable aviation fuel tax credit for biofuels for ten years and prevent foreign producers from accessing the credits. Groups like the National Corn Growers Association applauded the legislation that supports domestic producers. “Corn growers are making every effort to help the airline industry lower its greenhouse gas emissions through the use of corn ethanol,” says NCGA President Harold Wolle. The 45Z tax credit provides incentives to refineries that produce biofuels that can be used in commercial aircraft. The National Oilseed Processors Association and the American Soybean Association also hailed the legislation. “NOPA commends this bipartisan, bicameral legislative effort that puts U.S. fuel producers, crushers, and farmers first,” says NOPA President Kailee Buller. “While we support free trade and open markets, we don’t believe foreign feedstocks should benefit on the backs of U.S. taxpayers and to the detriment of U.S. farmers.”- NAFB

Groups respond to SAF tax credit guidelines

The American Red Cross is again experiencing a blood shortage, and while the need isn't critical, it is close to an emergency situation.  

Executive Director of the northwest Missouri chapter JoAnn Woody says it's currently a tenuous situation.  

"We're still not seeing quite the levels of blood donors walking in the doors as we would like, we're not quite in as bad a spot as we were a couple months ago," Woody tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "But we're still in that very tenuous position where if we don't beef up our numbers of blood donors walking in the doors to donate blood, then we could find ourselves back in that very critical space of a blood emergency again."  

Woody says since July the Red Cross has seen a 25% decrease in the number of donors coming to donate blood. 

Woody says there's a number of reasons why people may not donate, whether it's time or not being able too.  

But Woody says for those that are able to donate, the Red Cross asks them to step back and think about how it could affect people in their own lives.  

"It's kind of like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon, you can find someone who is needing blood in our personal circles if you step back and look at it," Woody explains. 

Woody says even in her role when she really sat back to think about friends and family members in her own life 

"And then when I really got to looking at it, it was like wow there are so many people that I know that have had to rely on the generosity of a blood donor," Woody says. 

Woody says it can be really kind of scary when you sit back and dig into the people in your lives that have relied on a blood transfusion for a medical emergency.  

Woody says a way people can help in getting donations, if there are no events near you, is to call the Red Cross and help set one up 

"In a school, in a church, in a community center, you know it's easy to do, it doesn't take much, it's not a heavy lift on the person who has the idea and the facility, Red Cross brings the staff, we bring the equipment and the supplies," Woody points out. "What we ask the blood sponsor, if you will, to help with is the recruitment and just kind of helping to make sure they help get the word out." 

Woody emphasizes while it's not a critical situation yet, it is a time where with people back in school and doing sporting events, there's a increased risk of blood being needed. 

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727368952449.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post The American Red Cross is again experiencing a blood shortage, and while the need isn't critical, it is close to an emergency situation. Executive Director of the northwest Missouri chapter JoAnn Woody says it's currently a tenuous situation. "We're still not seeing quite the levels of blood donors walking in the doors as we would like, we're not quite in as bad a spot as we were a couple months ago," Woody tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "But we're still in that very tenuous position where if we don't beef up our numbers of blood donors walking in the doors to donate blood, then we could find ourselves back in that very critical space of a blood emergency again." Woody says since July the Red Cross has seen a 25% decrease in the number of donors coming to donate blood. Woody says there's a number of reasons why people may not donate, whether it's time or not being able too. But Woody says for those that are able to donate, the Red Cross asks them to step back and think about how it could affect people in their own lives. "It's kind of like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon, you can find someone who is needing blood in our personal circles if you step back and look at it," Woody explains. Woody says even in her role when she really sat back to think about friends and family members in her own life "And then when I really got to looking at it, it was like wow there are so many people that I know that have had to rely on the generosity of a blood donor," Woody says. Woody says it can be really kind of scary when you sit back and dig into the people in your lives that have relied on a blood transfusion for a medical emergency. Woody says a way people can help in getting donations, if there are no events near you, is to call the Red Cross and help set one up "In a school, in a church, in a community center, you know it's easy to do, it doesn't take much, it's not a heavy lift on the person who has the idea and the facility, Red Cross brings the staff, we bring the equipment and the supplies," Woody points out. "What we ask the blood sponsor, if you will, to help with is the recruitment and just kind of helping to make sure they help get the word out." Woody emphasizes while it's not a critical situation yet, it is a time where with people back in school and doing sporting events, there's a increased risk of blood being needed. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Kbct