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

WASHINGTON — Amid persistent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/despite-opt-outs-gop-states-debut-kids-summer-food-program-seen-success" target="_blank">child hunger and food insecurity</a>&nbsp;in the United States, lawmakers and advocates on Wednesday stressed the importance of school meal programs during a U.S. Senate Agriculture subcommittee hearing.

Hunger severely impacts&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nokidhungry.org/blog/effects-of-hunger-on-the-body" target="_blank">kids’ emotional and physical well-being</a>&nbsp;and can lead to negative outcomes in school,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.academicpedsjnl.net/article/S1876-2859(20)30426-5/fulltext" target="_blank">research has shown</a>. Last year, 47.4 million people lived in food-insecure households, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/key-statistics-graphics/" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a>.

Federally funded efforts, such as the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, provide free and reduced-cost meals to students across the country.

Advocates say these programs play a crucial role in helping to reduce child hunger and urged the panel to expand them.

“School lunch should always be free and definitely free of judgment,” said Sen. John Fetterman, who chairs the Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research.

“Honestly, it shouldn’t be a conversation — it would be like asking the kids to pay for the school bus every morning or to pay for their own textbooks at school,” Fetterman said.

Fetterman and fellow Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. Bob Casey&nbsp;<a href="https://www.casey.senate.gov/news/releases/casey-fetterman-introduce-legislation-to-combat-student-hunger-expand-access-to-free-or-reduced-price-school-meals" target="_blank">introduced two bills</a>&nbsp;in June aiming to expand free or reduced-price meals access for kids. Part of the initiatives also call for amending the Community Eligibility Provision, which allows schools and school districts in low-income areas to offer free meal options to all students.

Fetterman also sponsored the Universal School Meals Program Act, an effort introduced by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1568/text" target="_blank">independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders</a>&nbsp;last May, which would “provide free breakfast, lunch, and dinner to every student — without demanding they prove they are poor enough to deserve help getting three meals a day,” according to Sanders’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Universal-School-Meals-Program-Act-of-2023_Bill-Summary.pdf" target="_blank">summary</a>&nbsp;of the bill. U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, introduced&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3204/text" target="_blank">a companion bill</a>.

Subcommittee ranking member Mike Braun of Indiana said he introduced the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.braun.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-braun-brown-introduce-senate-version-american-food-american-schools-act/" target="_blank">American Food for American Schools Act</a>&nbsp;last July with Ohio Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown in an effort “to better prioritize and support the use of American food in school meal programs.”

That bipartisan bill would increase requirements for school meals to include U.S. products.

Crystal FitzSimons, interim president of the Food Research &amp; Action Center, pointed out that eight states&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/08/29/usda-celebrates-new-school-meals-options-new-school-year-begins#:~:text=Eight%20states%20have%20taken%20permanent,Minnesota%2C%20New%20Mexico%20and%20Vermont" target="_blank">have implemented policies</a>&nbsp;that offer school meals to all students, regardless of one’s household income. Those states are California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont.

The national nonprofit aims to reduce poverty-related hunger in the U.S. through research, advocacy and policy solutions.

“While those eight states are showing us what is possible, there are critical steps the subcommittee and Congress should take to enhance the reach and impact of school meals nationwide,” FitzSimons said.

As one piece of the puzzle, FitzSimons said Congress can “ensure that all children nationwide are hunger-free and ready to learn while they are at school by allowing all schools to offer meals to all their students at no charge” and the Universal School Meals Program Act “creates that path.”

Meg Bruening, professor and department head at Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Nutritional Sciences, said “the school meal programs in the U.S. provide a critical safety net for almost 30 million children with meals each year” — comprising 60% of children in the country.

Bruening said these school meal programs align closely with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/" target="_blank">Dietary Guidelines for Americans</a>, “ensuring a variety of healthy foods are offered to children while at school, where children spend most of their waking and eating hours.”

The guidelines, developed by the USDA and the Health and Human Services Department, are&nbsp;<a href="https://health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/dietary-guidelines" target="_blank">updated every five years</a>.

Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock underscored how child hunger increases in the summer months when kids lack access to regular meals at school.

Thirty-seven states, the District of Columbia and multiple territories and tribal nations opted in this year to a new effort, known as Summer EBT, to feed kids during the long summer months.

Also called Sun Bucks, the USDA initiative provides low-income families with school-aged children a grocery-buying benefit of $120 per child for the summer.

But 13 states,&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2024/08/13/georgia-dems-press-governor-to-participate-for-federal-2025-summer-feeding-program/" target="_blank">including Georgia</a>, chose not to participate in the program in 2024. The USDA said states have until Jan. 1 to submit a notice of intent if they plan to participate in the program next year.

Warnock said he hopes&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2024/08/13/georgia-dems-press-governor-to-participate-for-federal-2025-summer-feeding-program/" target="_blank">state leaders reverse their position</a>&nbsp;on Summer EBT.

“Unfortunately, my home state — the state of Georgia — has not opted in to Sun Bucks, with some officials saying it does not result in higher nutritional outcomes for students, and that existing programs are ‘effective,’” he said.

“I heard our state leadership say: ‘We don’t need it,’” he added. “I’m still trying to figure out who this ‘we’ is — for whom are you speaking when you say: ‘We don’t need it?’”

A spokesperson for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has said the governor has concerns about the program’s dietary standards and cost.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727007674307.png" alt="Students eat lunch at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in South Salt Lake, Utah, on March 12 (Spenser Heaps/Utah News Dispatch)." />
 <figcaption>Students eat lunch at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in South Salt Lake, Utah, on March 12 (Spenser Heaps/Utah News Dispatch).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a> State's Newsroom WASHINGTON — Amid persistent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/despite-opt-outs-gop-states-debut-kids-summer-food-program-seen-success" target="_blank">child hunger and food insecurity</a>&nbsp;in the United States, lawmakers and advocates on Wednesday stressed the importance of school meal programs during a U.S. Senate Agriculture subcommittee hearing.Hunger severely impacts&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nokidhungry.org/blog/effects-of-hunger-on-the-body" target="_blank">kids’ emotional and physical well-being</a>&nbsp;and can lead to negative outcomes in school,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.academicpedsjnl.net/article/S1876-2859(20)30426-5/fulltext" target="_blank">research has shown</a>. Last year, 47.4 million people lived in food-insecure households, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/key-statistics-graphics/" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a>.Federally funded efforts, such as the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, provide free and reduced-cost meals to students across the country.Advocates say these programs play a crucial role in helping to reduce child hunger and urged the panel to expand them.“School lunch should always be free and definitely free of judgment,” said Sen. John Fetterman, who chairs the Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research.“Honestly, it shouldn’t be a conversation — it would be like asking the kids to pay for the school bus every morning or to pay for their own textbooks at school,” Fetterman said.Fetterman and fellow Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. Bob Casey&nbsp;<a href="https://www.casey.senate.gov/news/releases/casey-fetterman-introduce-legislation-to-combat-student-hunger-expand-access-to-free-or-reduced-price-school-meals" target="_blank">introduced two bills</a>&nbsp;in June aiming to expand free or reduced-price meals access for kids. Part of the initiatives also call for amending the Community Eligibility Provision, which allows schools and school districts in low-income areas to offer free meal options to all students.Fetterman also sponsored the Universal School Meals Program Act, an effort introduced by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1568/text" target="_blank">independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders</a>&nbsp;last May, which would “provide free breakfast, lunch, and dinner to every student — without demanding they prove they are poor enough to deserve help getting three meals a day,” according to Sanders’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Universal-School-Meals-Program-Act-of-2023_Bill-Summary.pdf" target="_blank">summary</a>&nbsp;of the bill. U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, introduced&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3204/text" target="_blank">a companion bill</a>.Subcommittee ranking member Mike Braun of Indiana said he introduced the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.braun.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-braun-brown-introduce-senate-version-american-food-american-schools-act/" target="_blank">American Food for American Schools Act</a>&nbsp;last July with Ohio Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown in an effort “to better prioritize and support the use of American food in school meal programs.”That bipartisan bill would increase requirements for school meals to include U.S. products.<h2>States a model</h2>Crystal FitzSimons, interim president of the Food Research &amp; Action Center, pointed out that eight states&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/08/29/usda-celebrates-new-school-meals-options-new-school-year-begins#:~:text=Eight%20states%20have%20taken%20permanent,Minnesota%2C%20New%20Mexico%20and%20Vermont" target="_blank">have implemented policies</a>&nbsp;that offer school meals to all students, regardless of one’s household income. Those states are California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont.The national nonprofit aims to reduce poverty-related hunger in the U.S. through research, advocacy and policy solutions.“While those eight states are showing us what is possible, there are critical steps the subcommittee and Congress should take to enhance the reach and impact of school meals nationwide,” FitzSimons said.As one piece of the puzzle, FitzSimons said Congress can “ensure that all children nationwide are hunger-free and ready to learn while they are at school by allowing all schools to offer meals to all their students at no charge” and the Universal School Meals Program Act “creates that path.”Meg Bruening, professor and department head at Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Nutritional Sciences, said “the school meal programs in the U.S. provide a critical safety net for almost 30 million children with meals each year” — comprising 60% of children in the country.Bruening said these school meal programs align closely with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/" target="_blank">Dietary Guidelines for Americans</a>, “ensuring a variety of healthy foods are offered to children while at school, where children spend most of their waking and eating hours.”The guidelines, developed by the USDA and the Health and Human Services Department, are&nbsp;<a href="https://health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/dietary-guidelines" target="_blank">updated every five years</a>.<h2>Summer EBT&nbsp;</h2>Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock underscored how child hunger increases in the summer months when kids lack access to regular meals at school.Thirty-seven states, the District of Columbia and multiple territories and tribal nations opted in this year to a new effort, known as Summer EBT, to feed kids during the long summer months.Also called Sun Bucks, the USDA initiative provides low-income families with school-aged children a grocery-buying benefit of $120 per child for the summer.But 13 states,&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2024/08/13/georgia-dems-press-governor-to-participate-for-federal-2025-summer-feeding-program/" target="_blank">including Georgia</a>, chose not to participate in the program in 2024. The USDA said states have until Jan. 1 to submit a notice of intent if they plan to participate in the program next year.Warnock said he hopes&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2024/08/13/georgia-dems-press-governor-to-participate-for-federal-2025-summer-feeding-program/" target="_blank">state leaders reverse their position</a>&nbsp;on Summer EBT.“Unfortunately, my home state — the state of Georgia — has not opted in to Sun Bucks, with some officials saying it does not result in higher nutritional outcomes for students, and that existing programs are ‘effective,’” he said.“I heard our state leadership say: ‘We don’t need it,’” he added. “I’m still trying to figure out who this ‘we’ is — for whom are you speaking when you say: ‘We don’t need it?’”A spokesperson for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has said the governor has concerns about the program’s dietary standards and cost.

Advocates call for expanding free school meals at U.S. Senate hearing

KANSAS CITY —A man has been charged in an August 2013 rape in Grain Valley, Missouri after he was identified by DNA testing, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Jason Dewayne Bell, 24, Grain Valley, faces Rape in the 1st Degree and Sodomy in the 1st Degree. A grand jury indicted Bell in August.

According to court records, the Missouri Highway Patrol issued a report to Grain Valley detectives alerting them that defendant's DNA was found in a sample collected from the victim in an August 2013 sexual assault. In March 2024, the victim told detectives she went to a pub in Independence with others when the defendant started driving her to a parking lot near trucks and he sexually assaulted her in the vehicle. Detectives reported the defendant had been a suspect in other sexual assault investigations.

The defendant is currently being held in custody. Anyone with more information regarding the defendant should contact Grain Valley police detective Jason Werges at 816-847-6262.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726764514816.png" alt="Bell photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Bell photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A man has been charged in an August 2013 rape in Grain Valley, Missouri after he was identified by DNA testing, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Jason Dewayne Bell, 24, Grain Valley, faces Rape in the 1st Degree and Sodomy in the 1st Degree. A grand jury indicted Bell in August.According to court records, the Missouri Highway Patrol issued a report to Grain Valley detectives alerting them that defendant's DNA was found in a sample collected from the victim in an August 2013 sexual assault. In March 2024, the victim told detectives she went to a pub in Independence with others when the defendant started driving her to a parking lot near trucks and he sexually assaulted her in the vehicle. Detectives reported the defendant had been a suspect in other sexual assault investigations.The defendant is currently being held in custody. Anyone with more information regarding the defendant should contact Grain Valley police detective Jason Werges at 816-847-6262.

DNA testing led to arrest in KC area rape investigation

(Radio Iowa) - Iowa's bumper crop of buzzing cicadas this year may lead to a population boom in another, much-smaller insect known as the oak leaf itch mite. 

St. Louis-area entomologist Tad Yankoski says the mites are tiny, but there are many millions of them emerging in Missouri, and Iowa could be next. The mites feast on cicada eggs and Yankoski says if you're working under an oak tree, you might get nipped by the mite, which can leave an annoying welt that might persist for days or even weeks. He says the mites are very small and may just resemble a speck of dust.

 Iowa saw emergences of both the 13- and 17-year cicada broods this spring, with large populations in northeast and southeast Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) - Iowa's bumper crop of buzzing cicadas this year may lead to a population boom in another, much-smaller insect known as the oak leaf itch mite. St. Louis-area entomologist Tad Yankoski says the mites are tiny, but there are many millions of them emerging in Missouri, and Iowa could be next. The mites feast on cicada eggs and Yankoski says if you're working under an oak tree, you might get nipped by the mite, which can leave an annoying welt that might persist for days or even weeks. He says the mites are very small and may just resemble a speck of dust. Iowa saw emergences of both the 13- and 17-year cicada broods this spring, with large populations in northeast and southeast Iowa.

Millions of tiny biting mites may have Iowa in their sights

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers are scrambling to ensure that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-secret-service">U.S. Secret Service</a>&nbsp;has enough money and resources to keep the nation’s presidential candidates safe amid repeated threats of violence. It’s unclear, though, how much they can do with only weeks before the election, or if additional dollars would make an immediate difference.

Days after a gunman was arrested on former President Donald Trump's golf course, the House on Friday overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation 405-0 to require the agency use the same standards when assigning agents to major presidential candidates as they do presidents and vice presidents. The agency has told Congress that it has already boosted Trump's security, but House lawmakers want it put into law.

The efforts come after an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-vp-vance-rubio-7c7ba6b99b5f38d2d840ed95b2fdc3e5">assassination attempt</a>&nbsp;on former President Donald Trump at a rally in July, and after Secret Service agents arrested a man with a rifle hiding on the golf course at Trump’s Florida club over the weekend. The suspect in Florida apparently also sought&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-what-to-know-564c56e167c3cdc6c50f6a2e91db9a6c">to assassinate</a>&nbsp;the GOP presidential nominee.

“In America, elections are determined at the ballot box, not by an assassin’s bullet,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., a chief sponsor of the bill, said in floor debate ahead of the vote. “That these incidents were allowed to occur is a stain on our country."

With the election rapidly approaching and Congress headed out of town before October, lawmakers are rushing to figure out exactly what might help, hoping to assess the agency’s most pressing needs while ensuring that they are doing everything they can in an era where political violence has become&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-political-violence-america-3cbc5575e2b4c53a231e8abd9b786d22">more commonplace</a>&nbsp;and every politician is a target.

“We have a responsibility here in Congress to get down to the bottom of this to figure out why these things are happening and what we can do about it,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Tuesday. “This is not a partisan issue. We have both parties working on it."

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday that “we've got to get the Secret Service into a position where its protectees are shielded in the most maximum way possible.”

Democrats and Republicans have been in talks with the agency this week to find out whether additional resources are needed. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, the Democratic chairman of the spending subcommittee that oversees the Secret Service, said Congress wants to make sure that if it is spending new dollars, “it’s going to help the situation between now and the inauguration.”

Murphy said new money could go toward technology like drones, partnerships with other agencies that could provide immediate assistance and overtime pay for agents. It would likely be added to a stopgap spending bill that Congress will consider next week to keep the government running, either in the form of allowing the Secret Service to spend money more quickly or providing them with emergency dollars.

“I’m confident we are going to take care of this one way or the other,” Murphy said.

After the July shooting, House Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-congress-task-force-cd084a29e3a26da7eead4425e4064118">created a bipartisan task force</a>&nbsp;focused on investigating the security failures of that day, and the panel will hold its first hearing next week. The House voted Friday to expand the committee's mandate to include what happened in Florida, even though the Secret Service successfully apprehended the suspect before anyone was hurt.

In a letter earlier this month, the Secret Service told lawmakers that a funding shortfall was not the reason for lapses in Trump's security when a gunman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-fbi-secret-service-a382e3ec081dd13e85eaa9e726cca02c">climbed onto an unsecured roof</a>&nbsp;on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and opened fire. But Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. said this week that the agency had “immediate needs” and that he’s talking to Congress.

Secret Service officials also told lawmakers behind closed doors that they have already increased Trump’s security to the same level as Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden.

"There are a handful of specialized assets only the commander in chief gets, but the rest of his protection is at the same level,” Spencer Love, a Democratic spokesperson for the House task force, said after the agency briefed members on Wednesday.

In the Senate, Florida Sen. Rick Scott has also introduced a bill mandating similar protection for presidential candidates. Both bills would also require regular reports to Congress on the status of the candidates’ protection. Senate leaders have not yet said whether they will consider the legislation.

In a joint statement after the bill’s passage, Lawler and his co-sponsor, Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York, urged the Senate to take up the bill and President Joe Biden to sign it. They thanked Biden for expanding Trump’s security but said that “without the passage and implementation of this legislation, this enhanced protection will not be codified into law and is subject to change with time.”

Republicans have argued that an overhaul of the agency, and potentially reallocating agents, should be a higher priority than funding.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican who was himself shot at a baseball practice in 2017, noted this week that the Secret Service has received regular budget increases in recent years.

“It’s not about the money,” Scalise said, but “what they’re doing with the money.”

Rep. Mike Waltz, a Republican on the task force, said he pushed Secret Service officials Wednesday on what new resources they needed and they said they were still evaluating.

“I think it’s irresponsible to just throw money at it when they’re not even sure what exactly they need and how quickly they can get it,” the Florida lawmaker said, adding that he hopes the agency shifts to a more threat-focused approach to protecting officials and candidates.

It's unclear, though, if Republicans would fight a funding boost.

“It’s been made implicitly clear that they’re stretched pretty thin,” said Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey, a member of the task force. “I know that there’s some folks who see a $3 billion budget and think that should be enough. But when you look at where all of the bodies have to go, that’s a problem.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726692527169.png" alt="House Speaker Mike Johnson with Donald Trump earlier this week-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Mike Johnson with Donald Trump earlier this week-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers are scrambling to ensure that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-secret-service">U.S. Secret Service</a>&nbsp;has enough money and resources to keep the nation’s presidential candidates safe amid repeated threats of violence. It’s unclear, though, how much they can do with only weeks before the election, or if additional dollars would make an immediate difference.Days after a gunman was arrested on former President Donald Trump's golf course, the House on Friday overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation 405-0 to require the agency use the same standards when assigning agents to major presidential candidates as they do presidents and vice presidents. The agency has told Congress that it has already boosted Trump's security, but House lawmakers want it put into law.The efforts come after an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-vp-vance-rubio-7c7ba6b99b5f38d2d840ed95b2fdc3e5">assassination attempt</a>&nbsp;on former President Donald Trump at a rally in July, and after Secret Service agents arrested a man with a rifle hiding on the golf course at Trump’s Florida club over the weekend. The suspect in Florida apparently also sought&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-what-to-know-564c56e167c3cdc6c50f6a2e91db9a6c">to assassinate</a>&nbsp;the GOP presidential nominee.“In America, elections are determined at the ballot box, not by an assassin’s bullet,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., a chief sponsor of the bill, said in floor debate ahead of the vote. “That these incidents were allowed to occur is a stain on our country."With the election rapidly approaching and Congress headed out of town before October, lawmakers are rushing to figure out exactly what might help, hoping to assess the agency’s most pressing needs while ensuring that they are doing everything they can in an era where political violence has become&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-political-violence-america-3cbc5575e2b4c53a231e8abd9b786d22">more commonplace</a>&nbsp;and every politician is a target.“We have a responsibility here in Congress to get down to the bottom of this to figure out why these things are happening and what we can do about it,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Tuesday. “This is not a partisan issue. We have both parties working on it."House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday that “we've got to get the Secret Service into a position where its protectees are shielded in the most maximum way possible.”Democrats and Republicans have been in talks with the agency this week to find out whether additional resources are needed. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, the Democratic chairman of the spending subcommittee that oversees the Secret Service, said Congress wants to make sure that if it is spending new dollars, “it’s going to help the situation between now and the inauguration.”Murphy said new money could go toward technology like drones, partnerships with other agencies that could provide immediate assistance and overtime pay for agents. It would likely be added to a stopgap spending bill that Congress will consider next week to keep the government running, either in the form of allowing the Secret Service to spend money more quickly or providing them with emergency dollars.“I’m confident we are going to take care of this one way or the other,” Murphy said.After the July shooting, House Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-congress-task-force-cd084a29e3a26da7eead4425e4064118">created a bipartisan task force</a>&nbsp;focused on investigating the security failures of that day, and the panel will hold its first hearing next week. The House voted Friday to expand the committee's mandate to include what happened in Florida, even though the Secret Service successfully apprehended the suspect before anyone was hurt.In a letter earlier this month, the Secret Service told lawmakers that a funding shortfall was not the reason for lapses in Trump's security when a gunman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-fbi-secret-service-a382e3ec081dd13e85eaa9e726cca02c">climbed onto an unsecured roof</a>&nbsp;on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and opened fire. But Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. said this week that the agency had “immediate needs” and that he’s talking to Congress.Secret Service officials also told lawmakers behind closed doors that they have already increased Trump’s security to the same level as Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden."There are a handful of specialized assets only the commander in chief gets, but the rest of his protection is at the same level,” Spencer Love, a Democratic spokesperson for the House task force, said after the agency briefed members on Wednesday.In the Senate, Florida Sen. Rick Scott has also introduced a bill mandating similar protection for presidential candidates. Both bills would also require regular reports to Congress on the status of the candidates’ protection. Senate leaders have not yet said whether they will consider the legislation.In a joint statement after the bill’s passage, Lawler and his co-sponsor, Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York, urged the Senate to take up the bill and President Joe Biden to sign it. They thanked Biden for expanding Trump’s security but said that “without the passage and implementation of this legislation, this enhanced protection will not be codified into law and is subject to change with time.”Republicans have argued that an overhaul of the agency, and potentially reallocating agents, should be a higher priority than funding.House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican who was himself shot at a baseball practice in 2017, noted this week that the Secret Service has received regular budget increases in recent years.“It’s not about the money,” Scalise said, but “what they’re doing with the money.”Rep. Mike Waltz, a Republican on the task force, said he pushed Secret Service officials Wednesday on what new resources they needed and they said they were still evaluating.“I think it’s irresponsible to just throw money at it when they’re not even sure what exactly they need and how quickly they can get it,” the Florida lawmaker said, adding that he hopes the agency shifts to a more threat-focused approach to protecting officials and candidates.It's unclear, though, if Republicans would fight a funding boost.“It’s been made implicitly clear that they’re stretched pretty thin,” said Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey, a member of the task force. “I know that there’s some folks who see a $3 billion budget and think that should be enough. But when you look at where all of the bodies have to go, that’s a problem.”

Unanimous: House votes to boost Trump security 

Bartlett’s $375 million facility will process soybeans for food, animal feed and fuel

By ALLISON KITE <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

CHERRYVALE — While this southeast Kansas town’s population peaked more than 100 years ago, the opening of the region’s largest ever economic development project means its best days are ahead, Lt. Gov. David Toland said Thursday.

Toland spoke to a crowd of more than 100 state and federal lawmakers, economic development officials and construction company representatives who gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Bartlett soybean crushing plant just south of Cherryvale. The town’s population peaked at 4,700 in 1920 and is now 2,200.

Toland, a Democrat and Iola native who also serves as commerce secretary, said the project reminds him of southeast Kansas’ “glory days.”

“When heavy industry was pouring into this region and our towns were booming,” Toland said of the early 20th century, “it looked a lot like this, and we’re doing it again.”

The $375 million plant, which began accepting shipments of soybeans in February, can house 49 million bushels of the crop and will help create food, animal feed and fuel, officials said. Now that it’s operational, Bartlett executives said, it will employ about 60 full-time workers.

“This impressive facility is far more than a soybean crushing complex,” said Gov. Laura Kelly. “This is where community members will find new employment and where the growing demand for renewable biodiesel will be met.”

Kelly said the construction of the facility is part of Kansas’ “economic transformation” that began when she took office in 2019. She said the state had attracted $20 billion in private investment and created or retained tens of thousands of jobs in the past five and a half years.

“We’re focused on creating opportunity everywhere,” Kelly said, “so that Kansans regardless of their ZIP code have the chance to … prosper in one of our state’s strong and vital communities.”

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, joined state lawmakers to celebrate the new facility and noted it had been 100 years since Cherryvale had a significant manufacturing facility.

“That’s why this is so important,” Marshall said. “It’s taken 100 years to bring something like that back to this particular community.”

Bartlett, which was purchased by Savage in 2018, received both state and local incentives to ensure the plant landed in Cherryvale as the company conducted its nationwide search. Company executives said Kansas officials also quickly approved environmental permits and offered other assistance.

Bill Webster, vice president for Bartlett, said Toland gave him his home phone number.

“This is a level of engagement that is not ceremonial or delegating,” Webster said. “It is hands-on, and it has made a profound difference.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726828240512.png" alt=" The new $375 million Bartlett soybean crushing plant just south of Cherryvale will help create food, animal feed and fuel, officials say. (Allison Kite/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> The new $375 million Bartlett soybean crushing plant just south of Cherryvale will help create food, animal feed and fuel, officials say. (Allison Kite/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Bartlett’s $375 million facility will process soybeans for food, animal feed and fuel</h2>By ALLISON KITE <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>CHERRYVALE — While this southeast Kansas town’s population peaked more than 100 years ago, the opening of the region’s largest ever economic development project means its best days are ahead, Lt. Gov. David Toland said Thursday.Toland spoke to a crowd of more than 100 state and federal lawmakers, economic development officials and construction company representatives who gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Bartlett soybean crushing plant just south of Cherryvale. The town’s population peaked at 4,700 in 1920 and is now 2,200.Toland, a Democrat and Iola native who also serves as commerce secretary, said the project reminds him of southeast Kansas’ “glory days.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726790263540.png" alt="Photo officer of Gov. Laura Kelly" />
 <figcaption>Photo officer of Gov. Laura Kelly</figcaption>
 </figure>“When heavy industry was pouring into this region and our towns were booming,” Toland said of the early 20th century, “it looked a lot like this, and we’re doing it again.”The $375 million plant, which began accepting shipments of soybeans in February, can house 49 million bushels of the crop and will help create food, animal feed and fuel, officials said. Now that it’s operational, Bartlett executives said, it will employ about 60 full-time workers.“This impressive facility is far more than a soybean crushing complex,” said Gov. Laura Kelly. “This is where community members will find new employment and where the growing demand for renewable biodiesel will be met.”Kelly said the construction of the facility is part of Kansas’ “economic transformation” that began when she took office in 2019. She said the state had attracted $20 billion in private investment and created or retained tens of thousands of jobs in the past five and a half years.“We’re focused on creating opportunity everywhere,” Kelly said, “so that Kansans regardless of their ZIP code have the chance to … prosper in one of our state’s strong and vital communities.”U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, joined state lawmakers to celebrate the new facility and noted it had been 100 years since Cherryvale had a significant manufacturing facility.“That’s why this is so important,” Marshall said. “It’s taken 100 years to bring something like that back to this particular community.”Bartlett, which was purchased by Savage in 2018, received both state and local incentives to ensure the plant landed in Cherryvale as the company conducted its nationwide search. Company executives said Kansas officials also quickly approved environmental permits and offered other assistance.Bill Webster, vice president for Bartlett, said Toland gave him his home phone number.“This is a level of engagement that is not ceremonial or delegating,” Webster said. “It is hands-on, and it has made a profound difference.”

Officials celebrate Kansas’ ‘economic transformation’ at new soybean plant

The Energy Information Administration says ethanol output fell to its lowest level in three months while inventories rose slightly during the week that ended on September 13. The agency said production sank to an average of 1.04 million barrels a day, down from 1.09 million barrels a day the previous week. It’s also the lowest output since the middle of June. 

The Midwest, which produces the most ethanol of any region in the country, saw production drop to an average of 986,000 barrels a day from 1.02 million the week prior. That’s the lowest point in the region since June 7th. That was the entirety of the losses as Gulf Coast production rose to an average of 28,000 barrels a day, East Coast output was unchanged at 12,000 barrels a day, and Rocky Mountain production was steady at 14,000 barrels. West Coast production remained at an average of 9,000 barrels per day.

The Energy Information Administration says ethanol output fell to its lowest level in three months while inventories rose slightly during the week that ended on September 13. The agency said production sank to an average of 1.04 million barrels a day, down from 1.09 million barrels a day the previous week. It’s also the lowest output since the middle of June. The Midwest, which produces the most ethanol of any region in the country, saw production drop to an average of 986,000 barrels a day from 1.02 million the week prior. That’s the lowest point in the region since June 7th. That was the entirety of the losses as Gulf Coast production rose to an average of 28,000 barrels a day, East Coast output was unchanged at 12,000 barrels a day, and Rocky Mountain production was steady at 14,000 barrels. West Coast production remained at an average of 9,000 barrels per day.-NAFB

Ethanol production falls to near three-Month low

Kicking off an expected loosening of U.S. monetary policy, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half a percentage point on Wednesday. The move brings a larger-than-normal reduction in the cost of borrowing, which followed growing concern about the health of America’s job market. Reports show that the higher interest rates have hit the agricultural sector much harder than the rest of the U.S. economy. 

Kicking off an expected loosening of U.S. monetary policy, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half a percentage point on Wednesday. The move brings a larger-than-normal reduction in the cost of borrowing, which followed growing concern about the health of America’s job market. Reports show that the higher interest rates have hit the agricultural sector much harder than the rest of the U.S. economy.

Fed cuts interest rates, some relief for agriculture

(Radio Iowa) - Artists from communities across southwest Iowa will be featured in a multi-city showcase this weekend, starting this (Friday) afternoon.

 The Southwest Iowa Art Tour is in its 11th year with displays in Page, Fremont, Montgomery, Mills, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties. Tour coordinator Rebecca Castle Laughlin says there's a wide range of art, including: painting, sculpture, photography, pottery, wood carving, jewelry and more. 

The art will be on display at 20 locations in 13 communities on this year's tour, including: Harlan, Avoca, Neola, Council Bluffs, Macedonia, Glenwood, Malvern, Red Oak, Essex, Clarinda, Shenandoah, Sidney, and Thurman.

(Radio Iowa) - Artists from communities across southwest Iowa will be featured in a multi-city showcase this weekend, starting this (Friday) afternoon. The Southwest Iowa Art Tour is in its 11th year with displays in Page, Fremont, Montgomery, Mills, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties. Tour coordinator Rebecca Castle Laughlin says there's a wide range of art, including: painting, sculpture, photography, pottery, wood carving, jewelry and more. The art will be on display at 20 locations in 13 communities on this year's tour, including: Harlan, Avoca, Neola, Council Bluffs, Macedonia, Glenwood, Malvern, Red Oak, Essex, Clarinda, Shenandoah, Sidney, and Thurman.

Dozens of SW Iowa artists are featured in 20 locations on weekend 'art tour'

Vendors of wines and spirits will take over Griffith Park in Mound City tomorrow.   

The 15th annual Missouri's Great Northwest Winefest will bring several vendors to Mound City this weekend to help benefit the Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation 

But a big focus of Winefest, Amanda Griffin with Winefest says, is on the wine and spirits 

"We've introduced several new wineries, and then on top of that we've actually opened it up to distilleries, and there are two breweries coming this year, so we're very, very excited, bigger and better than ever, hey something for everyone you don't want to miss it," Griffin tells guest host of the KFEQ Hotline Brent Martin. 

The festival will run from 11:30am to 7pm tomorrow at Griffith Park in Mound City. 

Griffin says on top of the wine and spirits there are several other fun things to enjoy, with several vendors, food trucks, and musical entertainment. 

"Don't even have to drink at all, you can come and get a half-price ticket, $15 at the gate for a designated driver bracelet to come on in," Griffin explains. "So, that's no tasting, but there's a lot to do, you can listen to the performers, and we have almost 60 vendors and food trucks available for you to come and hang out and enjoy." 

Another fun activity will be happening as well during Winefest, at a vineyard just adjacent to Griffith Park, where Griffin says people will have the chance to stomp some grapes 

"The vineyard is owned by Mound City Development Corporation and every year they go ahead, and you can get into the grape stomping tank," Griffin says. "And it's optional, but this is something I would encourage anybody to do, is you can dress up like a period costume type stuff while you're stomping, get your photo taken." 

Adult tickets are $30 while children 12 and under can get in for $5. Children five and under get in free. You can find out more information by clicking <a href="https://nwmef.org/winefest-dnt/">HERE</a>.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726848905185.jpeg" alt="Several wineries, breweries and distilleries will have tastings available during the Great Northwest Winefest/ Photo courtesy of the Great Northwest Winefest Facebook page" />
 <figcaption>Several wineries, breweries and distilleries will have tastings available during the Great Northwest Winefest/ Photo courtesy of the Great Northwest Winefest Facebook page</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Vendors of wines and spirits will take over Griffith Park in Mound City tomorrow. The 15th annual Missouri's Great Northwest Winefest will bring several vendors to Mound City this weekend to help benefit the Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation But a big focus of Winefest, Amanda Griffin with Winefest says, is on the wine and spirits "We've introduced several new wineries, and then on top of that we've actually opened it up to distilleries, and there are two breweries coming this year, so we're very, very excited, bigger and better than ever, hey something for everyone you don't want to miss it," Griffin tells guest host of the KFEQ Hotline Brent Martin. The festival will run from 11:30am to 7pm tomorrow at Griffith Park in Mound City. Griffin says on top of the wine and spirits there are several other fun things to enjoy, with several vendors, food trucks, and musical entertainment. "Don't even have to drink at all, you can come and get a half-price ticket, $15 at the gate for a designated driver bracelet to come on in," Griffin explains. "So, that's no tasting, but there's a lot to do, you can listen to the performers, and we have almost 60 vendors and food trucks available for you to come and hang out and enjoy." Another fun activity will be happening as well during Winefest, at a vineyard just adjacent to Griffith Park, where Griffin says people will have the chance to stomp some grapes "The vineyard is owned by Mound City Development Corporation and every year they go ahead, and you can get into the grape stomping tank," Griffin says. "And it's optional, but this is something I would encourage anybody to do, is you can dress up like a period costume type stuff while you're stomping, get your photo taken." Adult tickets are $30 while children 12 and under can get in for $5. Children five and under get in free. You can find out more information by clicking <a href="https://nwmef.org/winefest-dnt/">HERE</a>.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726848999001.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy of Missouri's Great Northwest Winefest Facebook page" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of Missouri's Great Northwest Winefest Facebook page</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fgreatnorthwestwinefest%2Fvideos%2F1761515841047392%2F&show_text=true&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="429" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>

Taste wine, eat food, enjoy music, all during the 15th Annual Great Northwest Winefest

Transgender adolescents say a state law barring them from beginning puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones has caused them harm and should be blocked

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>

A lawsuit filed by&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/lawsuit-seeks-to-block-missouri-ban-on-transgender-care-for-minors/">transgender children and their parents</a>&nbsp;challenging a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/05/10/missouri-house-sends-bill-banning-transgender-health-care-for-minors-to-governor/">one year-old Missouri law</a>&nbsp;restricting minors from accessing cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers heads to trial in Cole County Circuit Court beginning Monday.&nbsp;

Plaintiffs are asking Circuit Court Judge Craig Carter, who typically serves in Wright County, to block the law’s enforcement.

Pretrial briefs filed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Plaintiffs%20Pretrial%20Brief.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3289266" target="_blank">plaintiff’s attorneys</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Defendants%20Pretrial%20Brief.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3289241" target="_blank">Missouri Attorney General’s office</a>, which is defending the state, have very little in common in the factual background of the case.

The parties have different definitions of gender-affirming care, with Solicitor General Joshua Divine writing that “gender transition interventions are at best experimental and at worst deeply harmful.”&nbsp;

Gillian Wilcox, an attorney with the ACLU of Missouri, labeled the treatment “medically necessary, evidence-based and potentially lifesaving.”

“Gender-affirming medical care does not harm transgender youth,” she wrote. “To the contrary, it allows them to thrive.”

Both sides agree that transgender Missourians electing to start gender-affirming care have a condition called “gender dysphoria,” which is widely defined as distress arising from an incongruence between one’s gender identity and sex as assigned at birth.

But Divine argues this is purely a “psychiatric, not medical condition” and calls for talk therapy as an alternative to cross-sex hormones or puberty blockers.

“The worst thing that could befall plaintiffs from not receiving an injunction is that individuals seeking treatment for gender dysphoria will receive counseling instead of chemical and surgical interventions. That is no harm at all,” he wrote.

Plaintiffs point to therapy as an unsatisfactory alternative, meaning the law has taken away all avenues for this type of care. Wilcox argues that gender dysphoria was once categorized by the World Health Organization in a chapter on mental and behavioral disorders, under the name “gender identity disorder,” but has since been moved to a section on sexual health.

The sides both mark this 2013 change from “gender identity disorder” to “gender dysphoria,” but Divine writes this in a shallower history that he says begins in 2007 when “clinicians in the United States started to experiment with surgical and chemical interventions.”&nbsp;

Wilcox says gender-affirming medical care emerged in the 1920s, with the first clinics in the United States treating transgender patients in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Arguments in the case are scheduled to last approximately two weeks, though both sides have filed motions seeking to exclude the testimony of doctors and other expert witnesses that the opposing party has brought.

Plaintiffs — including families that have changed their child’s care plan because of the law, health care providers and advocacy groups — will argue that the law is unconstitutional. Additionally, they will try to prove that it is subject to higher scrutiny because it discriminates based on sex and “transgender status.”

Defendants — including Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Gov. Mike Parson, among others — argue the state had a compelling governmental interest in enacting and enforcing the law.

The litigation could also determine whether the state can lawfully exclude gender-affirming care coverage from the state’s Medicaid program and covered services in state prisons.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676064784756.png" alt="-A case that seeks to block enforcement of a state law restricting transgender minors' access to gender affirming care is scheduled for two&nbsp;weeks of debate in Cole County Circuit Court (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>-A case that seeks to block enforcement of a state law restricting transgender minors' access to gender affirming care is scheduled for two&nbsp;weeks of debate in Cole County Circuit Court (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Transgender adolescents say a state law barring them from beginning puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones has caused them harm and should be blocked</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>A lawsuit filed by&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/lawsuit-seeks-to-block-missouri-ban-on-transgender-care-for-minors/">transgender children and their parents</a>&nbsp;challenging a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/05/10/missouri-house-sends-bill-banning-transgender-health-care-for-minors-to-governor/">one year-old Missouri law</a>&nbsp;restricting minors from accessing cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers heads to trial in Cole County Circuit Court beginning Monday.&nbsp;Plaintiffs are asking Circuit Court Judge Craig Carter, who typically serves in Wright County, to block the law’s enforcement.Pretrial briefs filed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Plaintiffs%20Pretrial%20Brief.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3289266" target="_blank">plaintiff’s attorneys</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Defendants%20Pretrial%20Brief.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3289241" target="_blank">Missouri Attorney General’s office</a>, which is defending the state, have very little in common in the factual background of the case.The parties have different definitions of gender-affirming care, with Solicitor General Joshua Divine writing that “gender transition interventions are at best experimental and at worst deeply harmful.”&nbsp;Gillian Wilcox, an attorney with the ACLU of Missouri, labeled the treatment “medically necessary, evidence-based and potentially lifesaving.”“Gender-affirming medical care does not harm transgender youth,” she wrote. “To the contrary, it allows them to thrive.”Both sides agree that transgender Missourians electing to start gender-affirming care have a condition called “gender dysphoria,” which is widely defined as distress arising from an incongruence between one’s gender identity and sex as assigned at birth.But Divine argues this is purely a “psychiatric, not medical condition” and calls for talk therapy as an alternative to cross-sex hormones or puberty blockers.“The worst thing that could befall plaintiffs from not receiving an injunction is that individuals seeking treatment for gender dysphoria will receive counseling instead of chemical and surgical interventions. That is no harm at all,” he wrote.Plaintiffs point to therapy as an unsatisfactory alternative, meaning the law has taken away all avenues for this type of care. Wilcox argues that gender dysphoria was once categorized by the World Health Organization in a chapter on mental and behavioral disorders, under the name “gender identity disorder,” but has since been moved to a section on sexual health.The sides both mark this 2013 change from “gender identity disorder” to “gender dysphoria,” but Divine writes this in a shallower history that he says begins in 2007 when “clinicians in the United States started to experiment with surgical and chemical interventions.”&nbsp;Wilcox says gender-affirming medical care emerged in the 1920s, with the first clinics in the United States treating transgender patients in the ‘60s and ‘70s.Arguments in the case are scheduled to last approximately two weeks, though both sides have filed motions seeking to exclude the testimony of doctors and other expert witnesses that the opposing party has brought.Plaintiffs — including families that have changed their child’s care plan because of the law, health care providers and advocacy groups — will argue that the law is unconstitutional. Additionally, they will try to prove that it is subject to higher scrutiny because it discriminates based on sex and “transgender status.”Defendants — including Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Gov. Mike Parson, among others — argue the state had a compelling governmental interest in enacting and enforcing the law.The litigation could also determine whether the state can lawfully exclude gender-affirming care coverage from the state’s Medicaid program and covered services in state prisons.

Lawsuit seeking to block Missouri ban on gender-affirming care for minors heads to trial

Vice President Kamala Harris participated in an online town hall&nbsp; Thursday evening with former talk show host Oprah Winfrey. The "Unite for America" event in Michigan featured a number of celebrities.

Harris discussed abortion rights, gun violence and the economy.

The Harris campaign livestreamed the event on YouTube and other social media platforms.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726796309324.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Vice President Kamala Harris participated in an online town hall&nbsp; Thursday evening with former talk show host Oprah Winfrey. The "Unite for America" event in Michigan featured a number of celebrities.Harris discussed abortion rights, gun violence and the economy.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bZasBoVhuUA?si=t0Y7R3kt2ONgkg8C&amp;start=787" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The Harris campaign livestreamed the event on YouTube and other social media platforms.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726796287122.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The election is November 5.

🎥Oprah and Kamala Harris host online town hall

The description of Brandon Pace dying in April 2023 after being pepper-sprayed mirrors allegations made in Cole County murder charges against four corrections officers for the December death Othel Moore

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

Missouri corrections officers drenched an inmate with pepper spray and ignored his pleas for help for four hours, responding only when his screaming stopped as he died in the Tipton Correctional Center, a federal lawsuit filed this month alleges.

The events that led to Brandon Pace’s death on April 7, 2023, began when correctional officers intervened in an altercation between Pace and another inmate, according to the lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri.&nbsp;

Both men were taken into administrative segregation in restraints.

When Pace refused to give up what corrections officers believed to be methamphetamine, the lawsuit states, they put him in a holding cell and ordered him to strip for a search. When he refused, the officers called the Correctional Emergency Response Team, a unit used in cases where use of force may be required to deal with an inmate who will not comply with officer instructions.

An officer from the team used a fire extinguisher-sized can of pepper spray, a type usually used for riot situations, to subdue Pace.

The officers “took the&nbsp;<a href="https://danasafetysupply.com/mk-46-crowd-control-size-pepper-spray-oc-cs-aerosol-projector/" target="_blank">MK-46 canister of OC</a>&nbsp;and sprayed Mr. Pace with an excessive dose of the chemical agent at close range while Mr. Pace was in a confined space and, based upon information and belief, Mr. Pace’s hands were restrained behind his back and his legs shackled,” the lawsuit filed on behalf of Pace’s mother, Tammy Reed, states. “Mr. Pace began screaming in pain, gasping for air, and saying ‘I can’t breathe.’ He kept saying, ‘Help me, I can’t breathe,’ over and over.”

The lawsuit names former department Director Anne Precythe, current acting director Trevor Foley, three deputy directors, the department’s general counsel, former Tipton warden Brock Van Loo, medical care contractor Centurion Health, 12 corrections officers and a nurse as defendants.

The 11 counts in the lawsuit seek damages for wrongful death, civil rights violations and Missouri Sunshine Law violations for refusing to turn over any of the records, including video recordings, of the events prior to Pace’s death.

The lawsuit relies on statements from other men, held in nearby cells, for many of the allegations.

“The Department of Corrections is duty-bound to protect those individuals like Brandon Pace, who are in state custody,” said Lynn Ellenberger, one of Reed’s attorneys . “They’re obligated to provide for his well being and for his care, and in this case, that was not done.”

The department does not comment on pending litigation, Foley said last week.

The lawsuit is the latest in a string of cases filed this year related to inmate deaths. Despite a one-third reduction in the number of men and women being held by the department over the past decade, inmate deaths are at record levels.

In June, four former correctional officers were&nbsp;charged with assault and murder&nbsp;and a fifth was charged with involuntary manslaughter for the December death of Othel Moore while he was incarcerated at the Jefferson City Correctional Center.

Moore, 38, was pepper-sprayed in the face multiple times, had his face improperly covered by a hood that blocked his nose and mouth and was left unattended in a cell for more than 30 minutes, according to documents filed in the criminal case.

The charges against one of the corrections officers have been dropped and the remaining defendants were charged with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Joint%20Indictment.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3293395" target="_blank">assault and second-degree murder</a>&nbsp;in September by the Cole County Grand Jury. An arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 16.

The criminal charges came after four officers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article286346160.html" target="_blank">were fired in March</a>&nbsp;and the warden at the Jefferson City prison was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/17/warden-of-missouri-prison-replaced-after-investigation-of-inmate-death/">fired in June</a>.

“We take seriously our responsibility for creating the safest environment possible and will not tolerate behaviors or conditions that endanger the wellbeing of Missourians working or living in our facilities,” the corrections department said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://doc.mo.gov/media-center/newsroom/moore-investigation" target="_blank">statement issued after the charges</a>&nbsp;were filed. “The department has begun implementing body-worn cameras in restrictive-housing units at maximum-security facilities, starting with Jefferson City Correctional Center, to bolster both security and accountability.”

The family of Othel Moore began&nbsp;<a href="https://abc17news.com/news/jefferson-city/2023/12/19/family-of-man-who-died-in-jefferson-city-correctional-center-asks-for-video/" target="_blank">publicly agitating for release of records</a>, including video showing the actions of the officers, in the weeks following his Dec. 8 death. The case was investigated by the Cole County Sheriff’s office.

No outside agency has investigated Pace’s death, said Tom Porto, an attorney working with Pace’s family.&nbsp;

“That’s not going to be done until the facts are brought to light,” Porto said. “There’s not going to be an investigation from the police, from the prosecutor’s office, from the Attorney General’s Office, until you smack them with the facts right in their face.”

Tony Wheatley, Moniteau County sheriff, said in an interview Wednesday that he has not received a complaint from the family about Pace’s death and he has not been asked to investigate by the department. His office has the necessary resources and no conflicts that would prevent him from investigating.

“What really upsets me is, and this happens all the time, is everybody wants to blame the local sheriff’s office because they didn’t do anything,” Wheatley said.

The only way he can act is if he gets a call, Wheatley said.

“I have not once heard from the family, I have not once heard from the state, I have not heard from anybody on this,” Wheatley said.

If Reed or her attorneys send him the complaint, Wheatley said, he will read it and evaluate whether it warrants further action.

The mother of another man who died in custody, Willa Hynes, won a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/24/missouri-prison-agency-to-pay-60k-for-sunshine-law-violations-over-inmate-death-records/">$60,000 judgment against the department</a>&nbsp;for withholding records in the death of her son Jahi, who died April 4, 2021, at the Southeast Missouri Correctional Center in Charleston.

Jahi Hynes, who was 27, was serving a 13-year sentence for first degree robbery when he hanged himself with a bedsheet while in solitary confinement.

On April 1, Willa Hynes filed a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/cases/newHeader.do?inputVO.caseNumber=24MI-CV00185&amp;inputVO.courtId=SMPDB0005_CT33#header" target="_blank">wrongful death lawsuit</a>&nbsp;accusing the department, Centurion Health and 11 corrections employees of negligence in allowing her son to possess the bedsheet and failing to conduct required checks on inmates in administrative segregation.

A hearing is set for Monday in Charleston on a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

Pace’s death was one of 134 among people being held by the Department of Corrections in 2023. This year, with 96 deaths through Aug. 31, could exceed the record 136 deaths in 2022.

Only eight of the inmate deaths over the three years were executions of men sentenced for capital crimes.&nbsp;

“My main concern being an organizer and an advocate is to make sure this information is publicized,” said Michelle Smith, director of the Missouri Justice Coalition, who compiles data on inmate deaths.

Smith, who in January led a memorial service for the deceased inmates at the Missouri Capitol Building, said most elected officials have yet to take the problem seriously.

“They think that I and other people are just being hyperbolic and exaggerating the issues at the Department of Corrections,” she said. “We need legislation, we need transparency, we need accountability at DOC.”

In his opinion in the Hynes case alleging Sunshine Law violations, Western District Court of Appeals Judge Edward Ardini wrote that the department deliberately withheld public records, including video recordings and a death investigation report, to hinder her wrongful death lawsuit.

The department argued unsuccessfully that the material was inmate medical records protected from disclosure even to the family of an inmate.&nbsp;

The same violations are occurring in the case of Pace, his mother’s lawsuit alleges. Reed, who is a former corrections officer, asked for all the video from that day that shows officers with her son. The video recordings being withheld include one recorded by a member of the emergency response team of the pepper spray being used on Pace.

Pace was autopsied two weeks after his death by the Boone/Callaway Medical Examiner’s Office and the toxicology tests showed methamphetamine and Narcan, used by officers as they tried to revive him. The report says Van Loo told the medical examiner’s office he investigated Pace’s death personally and that video showed Pace swallowing the methamphetamine.

“Plaintiff has been denied all video evidence of the events that occurred that day – including the video defendant Van Loo says exists – despite lawful requests for such evidence,” the lawsuit states.

The autopsy report lists the cause of death as accidental due to methamphetamine intoxication, the court filing states.

The lawsuit accuses Van Loo of lying to the medical examiner’s office by stating Pace was taken to a medical unit after he was seen ingesting the unknown substance, and that there was an emergency response in an attempt to revive him when he stopped breathing while in the unit.

Based on statements of other inmates in nearby cells, the lawsuit alleges “other inmates at Tipton were charged with spurious infractions because they said things such as ‘Rest in Pace’ or otherwise referred to Mr. Pace’s death,” the lawsuit states. “The correctional officer defendants did this to instill fear in the inmates to stop them from speaking about the brutality and callousness that led to Mr. Pace’s death.”

In the recitation of events after Pace was doused with pepper spray, the lawsuit alleges the corrections officers joked about his agony. When corrections officer Billie Webb told another officer, Randy Witt, that Pace was “saying he can’t breathe,” Witt allegedly responded, “I don’t give a f**k.”

A nurse “talked and laughed” with another corrections officer stationed outside the cell where Pace was held but never entered the cell to check on Pace. She only did so at the urging of inmates after Pace had stopped crying out for help.

“Defendant (Terry) Payne said to other correctional officers present words to the effect of, ‘make sure you get the restraints off of him before the ambulance arrives,’ in an attempt to cover-up that Mr. Pace was restrained when he suffered and died,” the lawsuit states.

The degrading comments about Pace by corrections officers did not stop when he died, the lawsuit alleges.

“An inmate in administrative segregation said to Defendant (Earl) Roach, ‘they killed that guy,” referring to Brandon Pace,” the filing states. “Defendant Roach responded, ‘we didn’t kill him. He was kinda like a dog that ran out on the street, and we were just the car that hit him.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726783866504.png" alt=" Tammy Reed, center, is suing the Missouri Department of Corrections for wrongful death of her son, Brandon Pace, at Tipton Correctional Center. In January, she was joined by Tina Burger, left, and her daughter, Bethany Pace, at a memorial service for the 382 Missourians who died in department custody in 2021, 2022 and 2023 (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Tammy Reed, center, is suing the Missouri Department of Corrections for wrongful death of her son, Brandon Pace, at Tipton Correctional Center. In January, she was joined by Tina Burger, left, and her daughter, Bethany Pace, at a memorial service for the 382 Missourians who died in department custody in 2021, 2022 and 2023 (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The description of Brandon Pace dying in April 2023 after being pepper-sprayed mirrors allegations made in Cole County murder charges against four corrections officers for the December death Othel Moore</h2>By RUDI KELLER&nbsp; <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri corrections officers drenched an inmate with pepper spray and ignored his pleas for help for four hours, responding only when his screaming stopped as he died in the Tipton Correctional Center, a federal lawsuit filed this month alleges.The events that led to Brandon Pace’s death on April 7, 2023, began when correctional officers intervened in an altercation between Pace and another inmate, according to the lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri.&nbsp;Both men were taken into administrative segregation in restraints.When Pace refused to give up what corrections officers believed to be methamphetamine, the lawsuit states, they put him in a holding cell and ordered him to strip for a search. When he refused, the officers called the Correctional Emergency Response Team, a unit used in cases where use of force may be required to deal with an inmate who will not comply with officer instructions.An officer from the team used a fire extinguisher-sized can of pepper spray, a type usually used for riot situations, to subdue Pace.The officers “took the&nbsp;<a href="https://danasafetysupply.com/mk-46-crowd-control-size-pepper-spray-oc-cs-aerosol-projector/" target="_blank">MK-46 canister of OC</a>&nbsp;and sprayed Mr. Pace with an excessive dose of the chemical agent at close range while Mr. Pace was in a confined space and, based upon information and belief, Mr. Pace’s hands were restrained behind his back and his legs shackled,” the lawsuit filed on behalf of Pace’s mother, Tammy Reed, states. “Mr. Pace began screaming in pain, gasping for air, and saying ‘I can’t breathe.’ He kept saying, ‘Help me, I can’t breathe,’ over and over.”The lawsuit names former department Director Anne Precythe, current acting director Trevor Foley, three deputy directors, the department’s general counsel, former Tipton warden Brock Van Loo, medical care contractor Centurion Health, 12 corrections officers and a nurse as defendants.The 11 counts in the lawsuit seek damages for wrongful death, civil rights violations and Missouri Sunshine Law violations for refusing to turn over any of the records, including video recordings, of the events prior to Pace’s death.The lawsuit relies on statements from other men, held in nearby cells, for many of the allegations.“The Department of Corrections is duty-bound to protect those individuals like Brandon Pace, who are in state custody,” said Lynn Ellenberger, one of Reed’s attorneys . “They’re obligated to provide for his well being and for his care, and in this case, that was not done.”The department does not comment on pending litigation, Foley said last week.<h2>Other death cases</h2>The lawsuit is the latest in a string of cases filed this year related to inmate deaths. Despite a one-third reduction in the number of men and women being held by the department over the past decade, inmate deaths are at record levels.In June, four former correctional officers were&nbsp;charged with assault and murder&nbsp;and a fifth was charged with involuntary manslaughter for the December death of Othel Moore while he was incarcerated at the Jefferson City Correctional Center.Moore, 38, was pepper-sprayed in the face multiple times, had his face improperly covered by a hood that blocked his nose and mouth and was left unattended in a cell for more than 30 minutes, according to documents filed in the criminal case.The charges against one of the corrections officers have been dropped and the remaining defendants were charged with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Joint%20Indictment.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3293395" target="_blank">assault and second-degree murder</a>&nbsp;in September by the Cole County Grand Jury. An arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 16.The criminal charges came after four officers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article286346160.html" target="_blank">were fired in March</a>&nbsp;and the warden at the Jefferson City prison was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/17/warden-of-missouri-prison-replaced-after-investigation-of-inmate-death/">fired in June</a>.“We take seriously our responsibility for creating the safest environment possible and will not tolerate behaviors or conditions that endanger the wellbeing of Missourians working or living in our facilities,” the corrections department said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://doc.mo.gov/media-center/newsroom/moore-investigation" target="_blank">statement issued after the charges</a>&nbsp;were filed. “The department has begun implementing body-worn cameras in restrictive-housing units at maximum-security facilities, starting with Jefferson City Correctional Center, to bolster both security and accountability.”The family of Othel Moore began&nbsp;<a href="https://abc17news.com/news/jefferson-city/2023/12/19/family-of-man-who-died-in-jefferson-city-correctional-center-asks-for-video/" target="_blank">publicly agitating for release of records</a>, including video showing the actions of the officers, in the weeks following his Dec. 8 death. The case was investigated by the Cole County Sheriff’s office.No outside agency has investigated Pace’s death, said Tom Porto, an attorney working with Pace’s family.&nbsp;“That’s not going to be done until the facts are brought to light,” Porto said. “There’s not going to be an investigation from the police, from the prosecutor’s office, from the Attorney General’s Office, until you smack them with the facts right in their face.”Tony Wheatley, Moniteau County sheriff, said in an interview Wednesday that he has not received a complaint from the family about Pace’s death and he has not been asked to investigate by the department. His office has the necessary resources and no conflicts that would prevent him from investigating.“What really upsets me is, and this happens all the time, is everybody wants to blame the local sheriff’s office because they didn’t do anything,” Wheatley said.The only way he can act is if he gets a call, Wheatley said.“I have not once heard from the family, I have not once heard from the state, I have not heard from anybody on this,” Wheatley said.If Reed or her attorneys send him the complaint, Wheatley said, he will read it and evaluate whether it warrants further action.The mother of another man who died in custody, Willa Hynes, won a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/24/missouri-prison-agency-to-pay-60k-for-sunshine-law-violations-over-inmate-death-records/">$60,000 judgment against the department</a>&nbsp;for withholding records in the death of her son Jahi, who died April 4, 2021, at the Southeast Missouri Correctional Center in Charleston.Jahi Hynes, who was 27, was serving a 13-year sentence for first degree robbery when he hanged himself with a bedsheet while in solitary confinement.On April 1, Willa Hynes filed a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/cases/newHeader.do?inputVO.caseNumber=24MI-CV00185&amp;inputVO.courtId=SMPDB0005_CT33#header" target="_blank">wrongful death lawsuit</a>&nbsp;accusing the department, Centurion Health and 11 corrections employees of negligence in allowing her son to possess the bedsheet and failing to conduct required checks on inmates in administrative segregation.A hearing is set for Monday in Charleston on a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.<h2>‘The car that hit him’</h2>Pace’s death was one of 134 among people being held by the Department of Corrections in 2023. This year, with 96 deaths through Aug. 31, could exceed the record 136 deaths in 2022.Only eight of the inmate deaths over the three years were executions of men sentenced for capital crimes.&nbsp;“My main concern being an organizer and an advocate is to make sure this information is publicized,” said Michelle Smith, director of the Missouri Justice Coalition, who compiles data on inmate deaths.Smith, who in January led a memorial service for the deceased inmates at the Missouri Capitol Building, said most elected officials have yet to take the problem seriously.“They think that I and other people are just being hyperbolic and exaggerating the issues at the Department of Corrections,” she said. “We need legislation, we need transparency, we need accountability at DOC.”In his opinion in the Hynes case alleging Sunshine Law violations, Western District Court of Appeals Judge Edward Ardini wrote that the department deliberately withheld public records, including video recordings and a death investigation report, to hinder her wrongful death lawsuit.The department argued unsuccessfully that the material was inmate medical records protected from disclosure even to the family of an inmate.&nbsp;The same violations are occurring in the case of Pace, his mother’s lawsuit alleges. Reed, who is a former corrections officer, asked for all the video from that day that shows officers with her son. The video recordings being withheld include one recorded by a member of the emergency response team of the pepper spray being used on Pace.Pace was autopsied two weeks after his death by the Boone/Callaway Medical Examiner’s Office and the toxicology tests showed methamphetamine and Narcan, used by officers as they tried to revive him. The report says Van Loo told the medical examiner’s office he investigated Pace’s death personally and that video showed Pace swallowing the methamphetamine.“Plaintiff has been denied all video evidence of the events that occurred that day – including the video defendant Van Loo says exists – despite lawful requests for such evidence,” the lawsuit states.The autopsy report lists the cause of death as accidental due to methamphetamine intoxication, the court filing states.The lawsuit accuses Van Loo of lying to the medical examiner’s office by stating Pace was taken to a medical unit after he was seen ingesting the unknown substance, and that there was an emergency response in an attempt to revive him when he stopped breathing while in the unit.Based on statements of other inmates in nearby cells, the lawsuit alleges “other inmates at Tipton were charged with spurious infractions because they said things such as ‘Rest in Pace’ or otherwise referred to Mr. Pace’s death,” the lawsuit states. “The correctional officer defendants did this to instill fear in the inmates to stop them from speaking about the brutality and callousness that led to Mr. Pace’s death.”In the recitation of events after Pace was doused with pepper spray, the lawsuit alleges the corrections officers joked about his agony. When corrections officer Billie Webb told another officer, Randy Witt, that Pace was “saying he can’t breathe,” Witt allegedly responded, “I don’t give a f**k.”A nurse “talked and laughed” with another corrections officer stationed outside the cell where Pace was held but never entered the cell to check on Pace. She only did so at the urging of inmates after Pace had stopped crying out for help.“Defendant (Terry) Payne said to other correctional officers present words to the effect of, ‘make sure you get the restraints off of him before the ambulance arrives,’ in an attempt to cover-up that Mr. Pace was restrained when he suffered and died,” the lawsuit states.The degrading comments about Pace by corrections officers did not stop when he died, the lawsuit alleges.“An inmate in administrative segregation said to Defendant (Earl) Roach, ‘they killed that guy,” referring to Brandon Pace,” the filing states. “Defendant Roach responded, ‘we didn’t kill him. He was kinda like a dog that ran out on the street, and we were just the car that hit him.”

New federal lawsuit pins blame for inmate’s death on Missouri prison officials

NODAWAY COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 8:30p.m. Wednesday in Nodaway County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Chevy HHR driven by&nbsp; Joe D. Hamilton, 46, New Market, Iowa, was eastbound on Route JJ six miles west of Hopkins. The vehicle traveled off the south side of the road, struck a fence, embankment, went airborne and rolled.

Mercy 1 Life Flight transported Hamilton to Mercy 1 in Des Moines. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

NODAWAY COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 8:30p.m. Wednesday in Nodaway County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Chevy HHR driven by&nbsp; Joe D. Hamilton, 46, New Market, Iowa, was eastbound on Route JJ six miles west of Hopkins. The vehicle traveled off the south side of the road, struck a fence, embankment, went airborne and rolled.Mercy 1 Life Flight transported Hamilton to Mercy 1 in Des Moines. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

Driver air-lifted to hospital after violent Nodaway Co. crash

(Radio Iowa) - A study finds many Iowa parents stop using child seats and booster seats as their children grow, despite those seats being an important safety measure -- plus, it's the law. 

In Iowa, kids between one and six years old must be secured in a child restraint system -- a safety seat or booster seat, not a seat belt -- or the driver faces fines. Brian Ortner, spokesman for Triple-A-Iowa, says the study is based on five years of government crash data and it reveals a concerning trend. Ortner says it found 93-percent of Iowa parents transition their children to an adult seat belt too soon, while 24-percent transition their kids to a booster seat too soon. 

The study also found almost three-quarters of car seats that were inspected were not being used correctly or were improperly installed.

(Radio Iowa) - A study finds many Iowa parents stop using child seats and booster seats as their children grow, despite those seats being an important safety measure -- plus, it's the law. In Iowa, kids between one and six years old must be secured in a child restraint system -- a safety seat or booster seat, not a seat belt -- or the driver faces fines. Brian Ortner, spokesman for Triple-A-Iowa, says the study is based on five years of government crash data and it reveals a concerning trend. Ortner says it found 93-percent of Iowa parents transition their children to an adult seat belt too soon, while 24-percent transition their kids to a booster seat too soon. The study also found almost three-quarters of car seats that were inspected were not being used correctly or were improperly installed.

Study: Majority of Iowa parents take kids out of car seats too soon

Efforts to keep AM radio in the dashboards of U.S. vehicles have taken a step forward in the House. The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 45-2 to send the proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act to the full House for a vote. “It’s been a stalwart of American prosperity and information sharing,” says Representative Jeff Duncan (R-SC). “Having AM radio available is important to my constituents, especially during emergencies.” 

If passed by the full House, the proposed Act would require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring access to AM broadcast stations in motor vehicles. If they don’t, automakers would get fined. The role of AM during natural disasters was cited by several lawmakers as they spoke during the bill’s markup, noting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency spent millions solidifying the Emergency Alert System with AM radio as the backbone of the EAS.

Efforts to keep AM radio in the dashboards of U.S. vehicles have taken a step forward in the House. The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 45-2 to send the proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act to the full House for a vote. “It’s been a stalwart of American prosperity and information sharing,” says Representative Jeff Duncan (R-SC). “Having AM radio available is important to my constituents, especially during emergencies.” If passed by the full House, the proposed Act would require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring access to AM broadcast stations in motor vehicles. If they don’t, automakers would get fined. The role of AM during natural disasters was cited by several lawmakers as they spoke during the bill’s markup, noting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency spent millions solidifying the Emergency Alert System with AM radio as the backbone of the EAS.-NAFB

AM Radio bill moves to house floor

Northern Missouri Congressman Sam Graves doesn’t believe there
is going to be a federal government shutdown at the end of this month, though
he doesn’t want to see the budget battle pushed off on the new Congress.

Graves, a Republican, sees the House, which is controlled by
Republicans, and the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats, reaching an
agreement over the next few days.

“I don’t think there’s any real appetite for a government
shutdown on either side of the aisle,” Graves tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “I
think we will get our spending bills done. But that’s always risky,
particularly when we have a very narrow margin like we have now, because it
takes a few people to shut the process down if the two parties can’t get along.
So, I think we’ll see an agreement between Democrats and Republicans.”

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, floated a proposal
that would have extended current funding levels for six months, letting the
next Congress deal with the issue. The proposal failed with 220 voting against
and 202 voting in favor. Opponents objected to adding a provision added to the
spending measure that would require proof of citizenship when registering to
vote.

Graves says he’s willing to go along with Johnson’s proposal
to extend current spending to March, but would rather the issue be decided by
this Congress.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostNorthern Missouri Congressman Sam Graves doesn’t believe there
is going to be a federal government shutdown at the end of this month, though
he doesn’t want to see the budget battle pushed off on the new Congress.Graves, a Republican, sees the House, which is controlled by
Republicans, and the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats, reaching an
agreement over the next few days.“I don’t think there’s any real appetite for a government
shutdown on either side of the aisle,” Graves tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “I
think we will get our spending bills done. But that’s always risky,
particularly when we have a very narrow margin like we have now, because it
takes a few people to shut the process down if the two parties can’t get along.
So, I think we’ll see an agreement between Democrats and Republicans.”U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, floated a proposal
that would have extended current funding levels for six months, letting the
next Congress deal with the issue. The proposal failed with 220 voting against
and 202 voting in favor. Opponents objected to adding a provision added to the
spending measure that would require proof of citizenship when registering to
vote.Graves says he’s willing to go along with Johnson’s proposal
to extend current spending to March, but would rather the issue be decided by
this Congress.“I would rather it were done; not wait for the next Congress,
because you don’t know what that is going to look like,” Graves says. “I would
rather have a shorter-term CR (continuing resolution).”The timeframe Graves favors would extend current federal
spending only a couple of months.“I would like to see it, personally, at the end of November,
first of December,” Graves says.But why?“Because it gives us an opportunity to do something before the
end of the year, before the new Congress sits.”You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

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