Friends, family, and long, hot practices for the Kansas City
Chiefs who just wrapped up a full weekend of practices in pads.

The Chiefs practices for more than two hours on Sunday.

Offensive lineman Trey Smith acknowledges things get a little
chippy between the offense and the defense during drills.

“I mean, coach sets the tempo, but it’s football man,” Smith
tells reporters after Sunday’s practice on the Missouri Western State
University campus. “Anger, sparks are going to fly, bodies might get hit a
little harder than expected. It is what it is, though. At the end of the day,
we’re grown men out here competing for jobs. Man, there’s going to be tension
and there’s going to be a lot of hot heads and stuff going on, but even cool
tempers, we know what our goal is at the end of the year, though. We’re going
to get after it.”

Linebacker Drue Tranquill returns to the team after signing an
extension.

“We’ve got a great group of guys and we’re excited to play
ball,” Tranquill tells reporters post-practice. “One of the things I noticed
when I came to Kansas City is you just had a group of guys who love to play
football. The days get long out here at St. Joe. They can get hot. Thankfully,
we had a nice breeze today. Everybody felt it. It felt good. But the spirit was
high. We’ve just got a lot in the balance. We’ve got a lot to compete for. We
know, Coach Reid says it every day, you’ve just got to show up and push
through.”

Smith says it is a privilege to line up with long-time friend
of Creed Humphrey.

“Creed and I have known each other since sophomore year of
high school. So, we’ve always been friends. And to be able to play with a guy,
to have that continuity, that chemistry together as well, it makes our jobs a
lot easier; a lot of things we don’t have to verbalize.” Smith says. “It’s been
a huge help, man. It’s easy when you play next to a talent player like that.”

And Tranquill praises the sacrifices made by the wives
and families as the players sequester on the Missouri Western campus for
training camp.

“Our families go through a lot for us to play this
game. They don’t get nearly the credit we do,” Tranquill says. “They don’t get
to talk to the media, the media doesn’t really talk about them, and so the
stuff that they do behind the scenes to make this possible is nothing short of
amazing. They know how much we love and appreciate them. We love our wives, we
love our kids, we love our family.”

The Chiefs return to the practice fields on the Missouri Western
campus tomorrow morning, before taking Tuesday off.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722200481498.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Center Creed Humphrey talk with coaches during Training Camp warmups./Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Center Creed Humphrey talk with coaches during Training Camp warmups./Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostFriends, family, and long, hot practices for the Kansas City
Chiefs who just wrapped up a full weekend of practices in pads.The Chiefs practices for more than two hours on Sunday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722200567585.jpeg" alt="Trey Smith/Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Trey Smith/Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>Offensive lineman Trey Smith acknowledges things get a little
chippy between the offense and the defense during drills.“I mean, coach sets the tempo, but it’s football man,” Smith
tells reporters after Sunday’s practice on the Missouri Western State
University campus. “Anger, sparks are going to fly, bodies might get hit a
little harder than expected. It is what it is, though. At the end of the day,
we’re grown men out here competing for jobs. Man, there’s going to be tension
and there’s going to be a lot of hot heads and stuff going on, but even cool
tempers, we know what our goal is at the end of the year, though. We’re going
to get after it.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722200618724.jpeg" alt="Drue Tranquill/Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Drue Tranquill/Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>Linebacker Drue Tranquill returns to the team after signing an
extension.“We’ve got a great group of guys and we’re excited to play
ball,” Tranquill tells reporters post-practice. “One of the things I noticed
when I came to Kansas City is you just had a group of guys who love to play
football. The days get long out here at St. Joe. They can get hot. Thankfully,
we had a nice breeze today. Everybody felt it. It felt good. But the spirit was
high. We’ve just got a lot in the balance. We’ve got a lot to compete for. We
know, Coach Reid says it every day, you’ve just got to show up and push
through.”Smith says it is a privilege to line up with long-time friend
of Creed Humphrey.“Creed and I have known each other since sophomore year of
high school. So, we’ve always been friends. And to be able to play with a guy,
to have that continuity, that chemistry together as well, it makes our jobs a
lot easier; a lot of things we don’t have to verbalize.” Smith says. “It’s been
a huge help, man. It’s easy when you play next to a talent player like that.”And Tranquill praises the sacrifices made by the wives
and families as the players sequester on the Missouri Western campus for
training camp.“Our families go through a lot for us to play this
game. They don’t get nearly the credit we do,” Tranquill says. “They don’t get
to talk to the media, the media doesn’t really talk about them, and so the
stuff that they do behind the scenes to make this possible is nothing short of
amazing. They know how much we love and appreciate them. We love our wives, we
love our kids, we love our family.”The Chiefs return to the practice fields on the Missouri Western
campus tomorrow morning, before taking Tuesday off.

Chiefs wrap up a full weekend of Training Camp in St. Joseph

(Radio Iowa) - The Fremont County Sheriff's Office is holding two Shenandoah residents on child endangerment and abandonment charges after an incident Thursday in Hamburg. 

Deputies found a four-year-old, with reported developmental disabilities, covered in filth outside a house, and another child inside the home. Both children were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. Authorities allege the parents, 26-year-olds Dustin Perry and Lindsey Hamilton, left the children in the care of relatives with directions to keep the four-year-old in a makeshift cage. 

A second homemade cage was discovered in a walk-in closet in a Shenandoah home. Authorities say multiple children were removed from the home by the Iowa H-H-S.

(Radio Iowa) - The Fremont County Sheriff's Office is holding two Shenandoah residents on child endangerment and abandonment charges after an incident Thursday in Hamburg. Deputies found a four-year-old, with reported developmental disabilities, covered in filth outside a house, and another child inside the home. Both children were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. Authorities allege the parents, 26-year-olds Dustin Perry and Lindsey Hamilton, left the children in the care of relatives with directions to keep the four-year-old in a makeshift cage. A second homemade cage was discovered in a walk-in closet in a Shenandoah home. Authorities say multiple children were removed from the home by the Iowa H-H-S.

SW Iowa parents charged after telling sitters to keep child in 'makeshift cage'

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator from Missouri Josh Hawley reported Thursday in a letter to Homeland Security Director Alejando Mayorkas,&nbsp; the night before the Butler, Pennsylvania Trump campaign rally, U.S. Secret Service repeatedly denied offers from a local law enforcement partner to utilize drone technology to secure the rally.

As Homeland Security Secretary, Mayorkas is responsible for the Secret Service.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720972888448.png" alt="Photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator from Missouri Josh Hawley reported Thursday in a letter to Homeland Security Director Alejando Mayorkas,&nbsp; the night before the Butler, Pennsylvania Trump campaign rally, U.S. Secret Service repeatedly denied offers from a local law enforcement partner to utilize drone technology to secure the rally.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721930168996.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>As Homeland Security Secretary, Mayorkas is responsible for the Secret Service.

Mo. U.S. Senator: Secret Service declined use of drones before Trump rally

Chiefs Training Camp returned to the Missouri Western State
University practice fields after taking Thursday off.

Head Coach Andy Reid says this first day of practice in pads
went well.

“Good day. Back in pads, which is a positive. The guys moved
around great,” Reid tells reporters after practice. “We’re in this wrap up
phase, so it was an hour and 40 minute practice and then we’ll kick it up a
little bit more tomorrow, eventually get to our normal practice.”

An hour and 40 minutes under hot conditions.

Still, Reid says the offense and defense traded light-hearted jabs
and did the work they needed to do.

“I thought the guys worked hard,” Reid says. “They challenged
each other back and forth, offense, defense; positive.”

The Chiefs returned to practice on the Missouri Western campus
Friday after taking Thursday off. A full weekend schedule awaits.

Kansas City added speed to its receiver corps by signing
Hollywood Brown, drafting Xavier Worthy, and retaining Mecole Hardman, hoping
to revive a potent offense.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes says these receivers can allow him
to go deep.

“It’s getting better and better. Obviously, we missed on some
today. We’ve hit on some earlier in camp, but that’s what we’re doing it for.
We’re out here to practice, try to shoot the ball down the field by going
against the best defense in the National Football League,” Mahomes tells
reporters post-practice. “We’ll continue to get better and better with building
chemistry as the camp goes on.”

Mahomes says he hopes to be able to throw deep passes, which will
open up the middle for tight end Travis Kelce and others. Mahomes is quick to
point out the running back corps is strong as well.

Mahomes also says he has seen a rising star on defense in
cornerback Trent McDuffie, who he says has given him fits.

“That’s what we want. We want to play against the best and
that’s what we’re doing on a day-to-day basis,” Mahomes says. “I mean, Trent
man’s good. That man’s really good. I try him. I always tell him I’m going to
try him once or twice a day. You all have seen he’s gotten me a couple of times
and I’ve gotten over him, but that’s what makes great players great players.”

The team returns to practice tomorrow morning at 9:15.

The Red Rally will be held at Civic Center Park, beginning at
one o’clock Saturday afternoon.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722022714230.jpeg" alt="Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes speaks to reporters after Friday's Training Camp practice./Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes speaks to reporters after Friday's Training Camp practice./Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostChiefs Training Camp returned to the Missouri Western State
University practice fields after taking Thursday off.Head Coach Andy Reid says this first day of practice in pads
went well.“Good day. Back in pads, which is a positive. The guys moved
around great,” Reid tells reporters after practice. “We’re in this wrap up
phase, so it was an hour and 40 minute practice and then we’ll kick it up a
little bit more tomorrow, eventually get to our normal practice.”An hour and 40 minutes under hot conditions.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722022793136.jpeg" alt="Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid answers questions following Friday's practice./Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid answers questions following Friday's practice./Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>Still, Reid says the offense and defense traded light-hearted jabs
and did the work they needed to do.“I thought the guys worked hard,” Reid says. “They challenged
each other back and forth, offense, defense; positive.”The Chiefs returned to practice on the Missouri Western campus
Friday after taking Thursday off. A full weekend schedule awaits.Kansas City added speed to its receiver corps by signing
Hollywood Brown, drafting Xavier Worthy, and retaining Mecole Hardman, hoping
to revive a potent offense.Quarterback Patrick Mahomes says these receivers can allow him
to go deep.“It’s getting better and better. Obviously, we missed on some
today. We’ve hit on some earlier in camp, but that’s what we’re doing it for.
We’re out here to practice, try to shoot the ball down the field by going
against the best defense in the National Football League,” Mahomes tells
reporters post-practice. “We’ll continue to get better and better with building
chemistry as the camp goes on.”Mahomes says he hopes to be able to throw deep passes, which will
open up the middle for tight end Travis Kelce and others. Mahomes is quick to
point out the running back corps is strong as well.Mahomes also says he has seen a rising star on defense in
cornerback Trent McDuffie, who he says has given him fits.“That’s what we want. We want to play against the best and
that’s what we’re doing on a day-to-day basis,” Mahomes says. “I mean, Trent
man’s good. That man’s really good. I try him. I always tell him I’m going to
try him once or twice a day. You all have seen he’s gotten me a couple of times
and I’ve gotten over him, but that’s what makes great players great players.”The team returns to practice tomorrow morning at 9:15.The Red Rally will be held at Civic Center Park, beginning at
one o’clock Saturday afternoon.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Chiefs return to practice at MWSU, honing an offense with more speed

In response to questions from The Independent, state cannabis regulators said they’ve opened an investigation into three licenses awarded last year to verify whether they ‘continue to be majority owned and operated by eligible individuals’

By REBECCA RIVAS <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

When John Payne was leading the campaign to legalize recreational cannabis in 2022, he faced a major hurdle.

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/03/09/with-legalization-looming-black-missourians-worry-about-losing-out-in-marijuana-industry/">Black business owners were largely excluded</a>&nbsp;from the medical marijuana program when licenses to grow and sell cannabis were doled out by the state in 2019, and many feared history was about to repeat itself.&nbsp;

So to soothe the concerns and win over&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/11/01/st-louis-mayor-tishaura-jones-announces-opposition-to-missouri-marijuana-amendment/">skeptics</a>, Payne partnered with Black community leaders to come up with what they hoped was a solution — a social equity program, known as “microbusiness licenses,” that would diversify the industry and ensure communities most impacted by the War on Drugs were not once again left out of the burgeoning industry.

“We do know from data that the people who have been harmed by marijuana prohibition directly, Black Americans are overrepresented,” Payne, who is white,<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/14/missouri-official-vows-to-conduct-survey-on-cannabis-business-demographics/">&nbsp;told The Independent last year</a>.

Because marijuana prohibition did the most harm on the Black community — Black Missourians are 2.6 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white Missourians — “that should carry over into a disproportionate good impact of the microbusiness licenses,” Payne said.

But documents uncovered by The Independent show that in some cases, Payne and his business partners were the ones aiming to benefit most from the social-equity program.

Payne’s name is connected to more than 300 social-equity applications submitted earlier this year for the second round of microbusiness licenses, winning six of the 24 dispensary licenses&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/safety/cannabis/pdf/mb-lottery-results-dispensary060424.pdf" target="_blank">selected through a lottery</a>&nbsp;in June and officially&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/safety/cannabis/pdf/mb-approved-denied-list072524.pdf" target="_blank">issued</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday.&nbsp;

For some of the applications, Payne recruited eligible Missourians and had them sign a 47-page contract that would ultimately give him and his partners 90.1% of profits and majority control of the business.&nbsp;

Despite only owning a fraction of the business, under state law the applicants would bear the lion’s share of the regulatory scrutiny. If they ever want to walk away from the deal, they would be required to pay a nearly $1 million fee.&nbsp;

In an interview with The Independent, Payne defended the contract, saying the arrangement was designed for people who wanted to get into the industry but didn’t want to put in their own money.&nbsp;

Payne insists the six successful applications he’s involved with this year didn’t use the contract. However, one license connected to Payne that was approved last year involved a nearly identical contract, which The Independent obtained through a public records request.

Four legal experts who reviewed the contract from this year for The Independent concluded it was unfair and potentially predatory. All four agreed state cannabis regulators should reject any license application connected to the contract because it violates the constitutional mandate requiring licenses to be “majority owned and operated” by the eligible applicant.&nbsp;

“If you don’t have the staying power and legal assistance, you’re going to get screwed,” said Michael Goldberg, managing partner of the Chicago-based firm Goldberg Law Group, about the 47-page contract.&nbsp;

Nimrod Chapel — an attorney, president of the Missouri NAACP and an outspoken critic of the 2022 legalization amendment — believes the contract meets the&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/news/newsitem/uuid/86ba6e97-2847-45fb-ab71-5d37f8579b2c/missouri-cannabis-regulators-provide-guidance-cautions-to-future-microbusiness-applicants" target="_blank">state’s definition of “predatory practices.”</a>

“I find it incredibly disappointing that this section of licensees is getting monopolized by John Payne,” Chapel said, “the very person who was in the middle of the campaign for cannabis legalization and used this as a way to gain minority buy-in.”&nbsp;

Joseph von Kaenel, a St. Louis corporate governance attorney, likened the arrangement to companies “abusing” public contracting dollars meant to empower minority businesses by “finding a woman or minority to front the business.”&nbsp;

The contract states several times that, “the applicant understands that this agreement is not predatory.”

“It doesn’t mean it’s true,” said Michael Wolff, a former chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court and dean emeritus of the St. Louis University Law School.

But the harshest criticism came from Adolphus Pruitt, president of the St. Louis NAACP who served on the committee that helped write the 2022 legalization amendment. Pruitt said he brought the idea for the social-equity licenses to Payne and spent months working alongside him publicly defending the proposal during the 2022 campaign.

“I’m insulted,” Pruitt said. “This is indentured servitude. That’s what this is.”

There are seven categories where people can&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/06/28/missouri-holds-outreach-events-in-run-up-to-lottery-for-cannabis-microbusiness-licenses/">qualify for a microbusiness license</a>, ranging from a lower income level or living in an area considered impoverished to having past arrests or incarcerations related to marijuana offenses.

“When you look at the categories and the qualifications, there’s no doubt that overwhelmingly the qualifications are geared up for people who were impacted by the unjust enforcement of marijuana laws,” Pruitt said. “No one would dispute that that population, in most cases, are African Americans.”&nbsp;

Payne told The Independent his critics have it all wrong.&nbsp;

The contract The Independent obtained was used in a “relatively small number” of the more than 300 microbusiness applications that his company worked on.

“The applicants in these cases were typically personal contacts of our team members with whom we could envision a mutually beneficial long-term partnership,” Payne said.&nbsp;

Payne founded the cannabis consultancy group Amendment 2 Consultants and is a leader in the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, also known as MoCann Trade. He said the trade association’s law firm — Armstrong Teasdale — wrote the contract.&nbsp;

Even though the firm’s name appears in the contract, Armstrong Teasdale adamantly denies preparing or providing it to Payne.&nbsp;

“The firm had nothing to do with that agreement,” said Jay Wager, Armstrong Teasdale’s acting chief business development director, adding that Payne is not the firm’s client.

When asked if Payne repurposed an agreement written by Armstrong Teasdale without the firm’s permission, Wager said the firm is “too busy” helping their clients to read the agreement to see if the language was theirs.

Payne did not respond to questions about Armstrong Teasdale’s comments.&nbsp;

In response to The Independent’s questions, the Division of Cannabis Regulation said it has opened an investigation into three microbusiness licenses awarded last October and connected to Payne in order to verify that the licenses “continue to be majority owned and operated by eligible individuals,” spokeswoman Lisa Cox said.

The Independent obtained the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25002786-mbd000007-notice-of-investigation-072324" target="_blank">notices of investigation</a>&nbsp;the division sent Tuesday evening to Payne, who is the designated contact for the licenses, giving him seven days to provide documents regulators need to verify ownership.&nbsp;

Garrett Farley said he was approached by Payne this spring to apply for a social-equity dispensary license.&nbsp;

Payne said he would take care of the $1,500 application fee and do all the work to get the dispensary running — and Farley could sit back and get a paycheck when profits rolled in every quarter.&nbsp;

“The way he made it seem,” Farley, who is white, told The Independent, “there was like no catch.”

Farley is a cannabis union organizer — something Payne didn’t know at the time. He said he was curious about the social-equity process, but the way Payne described the deal raised red flags for him. When Payne shared the 47-page agreement, it confirmed Farley’s suspicions.&nbsp;

The moment Farley won a license, his contract states, he’d have to pay nearly $1 million as a “break-up fee” to walk away— even though the only investment the consultant had put in at that point was the $1,500 application fee.&nbsp;

He’d have to immediately set up an LLC, where he would give up almost all control of the business. So if he ever wanted to sell the license he wouldn’t have the voting power to make that choice.

Instead, he’d only get 9.9% of the profits if the license was ever sold.&nbsp;

He’d later have to transfer ownership to the person who would eventually loan the company $1 million in startup costs.

If he failed to do any of these steps, he’d be in breach of contract.&nbsp;

After reviewing the contract, the St. Louis NAACP’s Pruitt compared it to “the slave owner giving me some land to work on. It’s their company, they put up the capital, they’re preparing the applications, they’re paying the fees, they’re managing the business. And if at any time me as the slave fails to do something, I owe them.”

Payne vehemently disagreed with that assessment.

“I see it as a partnership,” Payne told The Independent. “That is an agreement for the long term.”

Payne confirmed that he never told Farley about the break-up fee when they talked about the deal, but he said that was because Armstrong Teasdale had not finished drafting the agreement.&nbsp;

“I did not actually write the agreement, and did not yet have it at that point,” Payne said. “I will say that if I had known that exact figure was in there, yeah, I would have explained that. But there does have to be some provision on what happens if a contract is voided.”

Von Kaenel, the St. Louis corporate governance attorney, said the amount of the breakup fee is significant.&nbsp;

He said the amount is “so far in excess of any damages” that are likely to occur that it “could be considered a punitive provision calculated to limit applicant’s business options.”&nbsp;

While Farley would be entitled to 9.9% of the company’s profits, the LLC must pay Payne a $10,000 monthly consulting fee before the applicant receives any revenue.&nbsp;

“Frankly, that’s a decent deal for helping to essentially manage a lot of the administrative functions of a dispensary,” Payne said. “It is not as if the applicant is on the hook, that it is the business that is on the hook for that.”

All four of the legal experts who analyzed the agreement said it does not meet the constitutional mandate that the business is to be “majority owned and operated” by the eligible applicant.&nbsp;

If Farley won the license, he must set up an LLC and ask the state to approve a name change of the license. After that happens, a board with three managers would be established to make all the top-level decisions about the company.

In Farley’s case, the board would have included one of Payne’s business partners, who Payne said would also be eligible for a microbusiness license because he has a marijuana charge on his record.&nbsp;

The other board manager is fronting the money, Payne said, and is eligible because she lives in a qualifying ZIP code.

Von Kaenel called the board structure the agreement’s “fatal blow,” because it gives Farley only a third of the voting power and a sliver of the company’s equity.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“We pay the application fee, we are going to pay for everything to get up and running,” Payne told Farley in a meeting together. “And we’re going to basically put in the work to do that. And in exchange, we would take 90% of the equity, you will keep 10% of the equity.”

Goldberg, the Chicago attorney, said the profit distribution and company control are what the state regulators should be looking at.

“This contract should not get past the state,” he said. “Social-equity applicants are supposed to have control. They’re not supposed to have 10% or one third of the voting power. That’s the whole thing.”

Missouri cannabis law says&nbsp;a person or group cannot have significant voting or financial interest in more than one microbusiness license — or the state can revoke the license.&nbsp;

The contract is between Farley and a consultant group called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25003040-comonca-llc" target="_blank">Comonca LLC</a>, with whom&nbsp;Payne is the registered agent in documents filed with the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office.&nbsp;

“The minute Mr. Applicant signs that agreement with the consultant, the consultant already has an interest in the business,” said Wolff, the former state Supreme Court judge.&nbsp;&nbsp;

That’s largely because if the applicant changes his mind and wants to get out of the deal, he owes them $995,750 in liquidated damages, or their expected value of the license, Wolff said.

And if the agreements are the same for all six dispensary licenses connected to Payne in this round, then Payne and his associates indeed have a financial interest in all of these licenses, Wolff said.

Payne told The Independent that none of the applicants with an agreement like Farley’s won a license. He could not elaborate about how many of his applications included agreements that were similar to Farley because either he&nbsp;wasn’t involved in that aspect for all of his clients or he signed a nondisclosure agreement.

Contracts of winning applicants will soon be publicly available now that the latest round of licenses have been issued, and the state has officially begun its post-licensure review.&nbsp;

Payne said he believes the agreement will win the division’s approval.

“It is going to be something that is compliant with what the department requires because I trust the standard of Armstrong’s work,” Payne said.&nbsp;

These are not the first licenses Payne has orchestrated — and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/26/applicants-recruited-on-craigslist-competed-for-missouri-social-equity-cannabis-licenses/">caused a stir.</a>&nbsp;

The&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/29/missouri-announces-lottery-results-for-microbusiness-cannabis-licenses/">first round of 48 microbusiness licenses</a>&nbsp;– 16 of which were dispensary licenses – were selected through a lottery last August. Payne’s clients won two dispensary licenses and two wholesale licenses.

One dispensary license was under investigation by the Division of Cannabis Regulators for several months, after the division issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25002783-mbd000007_nopr_121523" target="_blank">letter in December</a>&nbsp;stating that the application was “misleading.”

In its letter to Payne, the state said the licensee “entered an agreement that transfers ownership and operational control to another entity. This is cause for revocation… in violation of” the regulations requiring all owners to be disclosed in the application.&nbsp;

The nature of the agreement also did not allow the state to “verify the microbusiness license will be majority owned and operated by individuals who meet qualifications,” state regulators said in the letter.&nbsp;

The Independent obtained a copy of a redacted contract through a public records request, and the available language is almost identical to the contract offered to Farley.

As with Farley’s contract, last year’s contract states that, “​​Armstrong Teasdale LLP has no conflict of interest in drafting this agreement.” But Wager said the firm could not comment on whether it wrote the contract for this licensee.

Payne was able to submit new documents that satisfied these concerns, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25002784-mbd7_nopr-satisfied_03112024" target="_blank">March 21 letter</a>&nbsp;from the division. The state allowed the applicant to retain the license, but this week opened a new investigation into the ownership structure – along with the two wholesale licenses where Payne is the designated contact.&nbsp;

Cox, the spokeswoman for the Division of Cannabis Regulation, confirmed the investigation focused on the ownership of the license holder but could not offer additional details about the inquiry.&nbsp;

Ownership issues led to the state&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/27/missouri-revokes-nine-social-equity-cannabis-business-licenses-for-out-of-state-companies/">revoking eight microbusiness licenses</a>&nbsp;in the first round last year, she said.

“We will continue to exercise our authority at each stage of this process to ensure the microbusiness program is benefiting the individuals for whom it was so evidently designed,” Cox said.

The state recently approved this licensee’s request to change the name of the license to “<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25003021-green-zebra-llc" target="_blank">Green Zebra LLC</a>,” Cox confirmed. According to the contract, the next step would be to establish a three-member board, leaving the original applicant with one-third of the voting power.&nbsp;

Given the timeline, it’s possible the board structure sparked the state’s inquiry.

Payne did not respond to a request for comment on the state’s investigation, but he previously told The Independent all board members would meet the program’s eligibility requirements.

As for Farley, he never ended up signing the contract to jump into the lottery for a Missouri social-equity license, but said Payne submitted his name anyway.&nbsp;

He didn’t get a license, but on July 3 received a letter from Payne’s group asking him if he would like to submit his name in the Minnesota social equity cannabis license lottery.&nbsp;

Missouri cannabis leader accused of using ‘predatory’ contracts to win social-equity licenses

(Radio Iowa) - The wet spring could lead to a drop in the number of pheasants in Iowa. 

Iowa D-N-R wildlife research biologist Todd Bogenschutz says we went from major drought to major flooding in a pretty short time frame, and the flooding coincided with the peak nesting time. He says hunters had their best harvest last year since 2007. The relatively mild winter helped more pheasants survive, so it's hard to tell what their fall pheasant survey will show. 

Bogenschutz says there are still going to be birds out there, but some areas may see a drop in numbers, particularly in those areas that saw flooding. The annual roadside pheasant surveys are held in August and the results on pheasant numbers will be released in September.

(Radio Iowa) - The wet spring could lead to a drop in the number of pheasants in Iowa. Iowa D-N-R wildlife research biologist Todd Bogenschutz says we went from major drought to major flooding in a pretty short time frame, and the flooding coincided with the peak nesting time. He says hunters had their best harvest last year since 2007. The relatively mild winter helped more pheasants survive, so it's hard to tell what their fall pheasant survey will show. Bogenschutz says there are still going to be birds out there, but some areas may see a drop in numbers, particularly in those areas that saw flooding. The annual roadside pheasant surveys are held in August and the results on pheasant numbers will be released in September.

Wet Spring Could Hurt Pheasant Numbers

LACLEDE COUNTY —A Missouri teen died in an accident just after 8p.m. Thursday in Laclede County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Jeep Wrangler driven by James L. Richardson, 47, Lebanon, was westbound on Highway 32 ten miles west of Lebanon.

A 14-year-old girl jumped from the Jeep.&nbsp; Mercy Lifeline air ambulance transported her to Mercy Springfield where she was pronounced deceased. The driver was not injured and properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

LACLEDE COUNTY —A Missouri teen died in an accident just after 8p.m. Thursday in Laclede County. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Jeep Wrangler driven by James L. Richardson, 47, Lebanon, was westbound on Highway 32 ten miles west of Lebanon.A 14-year-old girl jumped from the Jeep.&nbsp; Mercy Lifeline air ambulance transported her to Mercy Springfield where she was pronounced deceased. The driver was not injured and properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

Missouri teen dies after jumping from moving vehicle

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/chase-woodruff/">CHASE WOODRUFF</a>

A Colorado judge has issued an order temporarily blocking the proposed $24.6 billion merger between the nation’s two largest supermarket chains ahead of an antitrust trial in state court set to begin in September.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in February&nbsp;<a href="https://coag.gov/app/uploads/2024/02/2024-02-14-Complaint-Public.pdf" target="_blank">sued</a>&nbsp;to block the merger between grocery giant Kroger, which operates King Soopers and City Market stores in Colorado, and Albertsons, which operates the Safeway brand. Weiser’s suit alleges that the deal violates state antitrust laws and would have “harmful impacts on consumers, workers, and suppliers.” The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson have also challenged the merger in court.

Denver District Court Judge Andrew Luxen on Thursday granted Weiser’s request for a preliminary injunction against the merger, barring the two companies from completing their deal before a ruling is issued in the case.

“Based on the evidence presented by the State in its Motion and the Joint Stipulation, the Court finds there is a reasonable probability that the State will prove its claims against Defendants at trial,” Luxen wrote in his order.

Hearings on Weiser’s request for a preliminary injunction was scheduled to begin Aug. 12. The companies agreed to the temporary injunction “to conserve judicial and party resources,” according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://coag.gov/app/uploads/2024/07/2024-07-24-Joint-Stipulated-Order-for-Temporary-Injunctive-Relief.pdf" target="_blank">stipulation</a>&nbsp;filed with the court Wednesday, and the case will instead proceed to trial in the fall.

“I am pleased that Kroger and Albertsons agreed to halt their plans to merge until the court rules on the state’s lawsuit to permanently block the grocery merger,” Weiser said in a statement. “This is great news for shoppers, workers, farmers, and other suppliers, who can rest assured that this megamerger will not go into effect during harvest season and while kids are headed back to school.”

Kroger, based in Ohio, operates more than 2,700 stores and Albertsons, based in Idaho, operates more than 2,200 stores across the country. Kroger’s proposed acquisition of Albertsons, one of the largest retail mergers ever proposed, has been opposed by labor unions and consumer advocates who fear that the consolidation could lead to higher prices and decreased wages and bargaining power for workers.

The companies last month&nbsp;<a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/2024/07/11/colorado-workers-kroger-albertsons-divest-merger/" target="_blank">detailed a divestiture plan</a>&nbsp;in which they propose to sell 579 locations nationwide — including 91 Safeway stores in Colorado — to New Hampshire-based C&amp;S Wholesale Grocers, in a bid to allay antitrust concerns. But critics of the plan paint C&amp;S, a supplier that currently operates just 23 retail locations nationwide, as a struggling company with shaky finances, unequipped to operate 579 newly acquired stores as an “effective competitor” to the merged Kroger-Albertsons behemoth.

“We cannot entrust our grocery stores — which are integral to our communities and our workers — to the untested, inexperienced C&amp;S Wholesale Grocers,” United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 President Kim Cordova, whose union represents more than 23,000 King Soopers and Safeway workers in Colorado and Wyoming, said in a statement earlier this month.

In addition to other antitrust concerns, Weiser’s yearlong investigation into the merger uncovered evidence of alleged collusion between Kroger and Albertsons during a January 2022 strike by UCFW Local 7 workers at Colorado King Soopers stores: “no-poach” and “non-solicitation” deals in which Albertsons agreed not to hire striking King Soopers employees or to attract King Soopers pharmacy customers.

A two-week trial in the Colorado case is scheduled to begin Sept. 30.

“My office looks forward to making the case that this merger will eliminate competition and impact food prices, jobs, and consumer choice,” Weiser said.

<a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/colorado-judge-blocks-kroger-albertsons/" target="_blank">This story</a>&nbsp;was produced by Colorado Newsline.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721996032601.png" alt="Workers and community members form a picket line outside a Denver King Soopers, after United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 began a strike over stalled labor negotiations on Jan. 12, 2021. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)" />
 <figcaption>Workers and community members form a picket line outside a Denver King Soopers, after United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 began a strike over stalled labor negotiations on Jan. 12, 2021. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/chase-woodruff/">CHASE WOODRUFF</a>A Colorado judge has issued an order temporarily blocking the proposed $24.6 billion merger between the nation’s two largest supermarket chains ahead of an antitrust trial in state court set to begin in September.Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in February&nbsp;<a href="https://coag.gov/app/uploads/2024/02/2024-02-14-Complaint-Public.pdf" target="_blank">sued</a>&nbsp;to block the merger between grocery giant Kroger, which operates King Soopers and City Market stores in Colorado, and Albertsons, which operates the Safeway brand. Weiser’s suit alleges that the deal violates state antitrust laws and would have “harmful impacts on consumers, workers, and suppliers.” The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson have also challenged the merger in court.Denver District Court Judge Andrew Luxen on Thursday granted Weiser’s request for a preliminary injunction against the merger, barring the two companies from completing their deal before a ruling is issued in the case.“Based on the evidence presented by the State in its Motion and the Joint Stipulation, the Court finds there is a reasonable probability that the State will prove its claims against Defendants at trial,” Luxen wrote in his order.Hearings on Weiser’s request for a preliminary injunction was scheduled to begin Aug. 12. The companies agreed to the temporary injunction “to conserve judicial and party resources,” according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://coag.gov/app/uploads/2024/07/2024-07-24-Joint-Stipulated-Order-for-Temporary-Injunctive-Relief.pdf" target="_blank">stipulation</a>&nbsp;filed with the court Wednesday, and the case will instead proceed to trial in the fall.“I am pleased that Kroger and Albertsons agreed to halt their plans to merge until the court rules on the state’s lawsuit to permanently block the grocery merger,” Weiser said in a statement. “This is great news for shoppers, workers, farmers, and other suppliers, who can rest assured that this megamerger will not go into effect during harvest season and while kids are headed back to school.”Kroger, based in Ohio, operates more than 2,700 stores and Albertsons, based in Idaho, operates more than 2,200 stores across the country. Kroger’s proposed acquisition of Albertsons, one of the largest retail mergers ever proposed, has been opposed by labor unions and consumer advocates who fear that the consolidation could lead to higher prices and decreased wages and bargaining power for workers.The companies last month&nbsp;<a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/2024/07/11/colorado-workers-kroger-albertsons-divest-merger/" target="_blank">detailed a divestiture plan</a>&nbsp;in which they propose to sell 579 locations nationwide — including 91 Safeway stores in Colorado — to New Hampshire-based C&amp;S Wholesale Grocers, in a bid to allay antitrust concerns. But critics of the plan paint C&amp;S, a supplier that currently operates just 23 retail locations nationwide, as a struggling company with shaky finances, unequipped to operate 579 newly acquired stores as an “effective competitor” to the merged Kroger-Albertsons behemoth.“We cannot entrust our grocery stores — which are integral to our communities and our workers — to the untested, inexperienced C&amp;S Wholesale Grocers,” United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 President Kim Cordova, whose union represents more than 23,000 King Soopers and Safeway workers in Colorado and Wyoming, said in a statement earlier this month.In addition to other antitrust concerns, Weiser’s yearlong investigation into the merger uncovered evidence of alleged collusion between Kroger and Albertsons during a January 2022 strike by UCFW Local 7 workers at Colorado King Soopers stores: “no-poach” and “non-solicitation” deals in which Albertsons agreed not to hire striking King Soopers employees or to attract King Soopers pharmacy customers.A two-week trial in the Colorado case is scheduled to begin Sept. 30.“My office looks forward to making the case that this merger will eliminate competition and impact food prices, jobs, and consumer choice,” Weiser said.<a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/colorado-judge-blocks-kroger-albertsons/" target="_blank">This story</a>&nbsp;was produced by Colorado Newsline.

Judge temporarily blocks Kroger-Albertsons grocery ‘megamerger’

KANSAS CITY— Crews continued searching Thursday for a man who is missing in the Missouri River in Kansas City.

Just before 9p.m. Wednesday, the Kansas City Fire Department&nbsp;responded to a possible water rescue on the Missouri River, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. 

The police department received a call just before 9:00 p.m. from a third party stating that someone had entered the water nearly six hours earlier and was possible stranded on one of many rock outcroppings along the river.

The fire department deployed their Rescue Division with three boats along with two drones. On arrival crews began searching for the possible victim on the river from the boat ramp at River Front Park and areas east all the way to the city limits and shortly beyond. Using manual search techniques in conjunction with the drones' thermal imaging capabilities the river, both banks, out-croppings, strainers and islands were checked. 

The drones identified multiple areas of interest for boat crews to investigate, but physical searches of those areas came back negative. The KCFD spent just over four hours search the river and surrounding area before ceasing operations just after 1:00 a.m.&nbsp;

Early Thursday, the victim was identified as a 25-year-old man, according to Hopkins.&nbsp; Friends reported he entered the water to swim and could not return to the shore due to the current. The last contact was late afternoon near a rock out cropping offshore from the ramp, according to Hopkins.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721952217492.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY— Crews continued searching Thursday for a man who is missing in the Missouri River in Kansas City.Just before 9p.m. Wednesday, the Kansas City Fire Department&nbsp;responded to a possible water rescue on the Missouri River, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. The police department received a call just before 9:00 p.m. from a third party stating that someone had entered the water nearly six hours earlier and was possible stranded on one of many rock outcroppings along the river.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721952186275.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>The fire department deployed their Rescue Division with three boats along with two drones. On arrival crews began searching for the possible victim on the river from the boat ramp at River Front Park and areas east all the way to the city limits and shortly beyond. Using manual search techniques in conjunction with the drones' thermal imaging capabilities the river, both banks, out-croppings, strainers and islands were checked. The drones identified multiple areas of interest for boat crews to investigate, but physical searches of those areas came back negative. The KCFD spent just over four hours search the river and surrounding area before ceasing operations just after 1:00 a.m.&nbsp;Early Thursday, the victim was identified as a 25-year-old man, according to Hopkins.&nbsp; Friends reported he entered the water to swim and could not return to the shore due to the current. The last contact was late afternoon near a rock out cropping offshore from the ramp, according to Hopkins.

Search continues for man swept away in river near Kansas City

(Radio Iowa) - The board of a northwest Iowa community college has accepted a settlement with international students who accused the school of human trafficking. 

Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City will pay two-point-three million dollars to settle a lawsuit involving ten students from Brazil. College President Terry Murrell (murr-ELL) took full responsibility for the program's problems. In April, the college’s board of directors approved paying three-million dollar to students from Chile who filed a lawsuit in 2020. 

The students said they were promised a free, two-year program with internships but were instead forced into working manual labor jobs to pay off tuition. Murrell disputed that claim, saying the students were free to leave at any time and were paid for every hour they worked, plus free tuition and other amenities.

(Radio Iowa) - The board of a northwest Iowa community college has accepted a settlement with international students who accused the school of human trafficking. Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City will pay two-point-three million dollars to settle a lawsuit involving ten students from Brazil. College President Terry Murrell (murr-ELL) took full responsibility for the program's problems. In April, the college’s board of directors approved paying three-million dollar to students from Chile who filed a lawsuit in 2020. The students said they were promised a free, two-year program with internships but were instead forced into working manual labor jobs to pay off tuition. Murrell disputed that claim, saying the students were free to leave at any time and were paid for every hour they worked, plus free tuition and other amenities.

NW Iowa college settles suit with human trafficking claims

United States Senate candidate, Democrat Lucas Kunce,
campaigns in St. Joseph prior to the August primary, hoping this year to win
the nomination of Democrats to take on incumbent Republican Josh Hawley.

Kunce, a former Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan,
says he wants to give a voice in the U.S. Senate to ordinary Missourians, like
those who helped his family through a rough time when he was a child.

“I’m doing this race to represent the folks who took care of
me as a kid and everyday Missourians. I don’t take any corporate PAC money. I
don’t take federal lobbyist money. I don’t take money from Big Pharma folks;
there’s a long list,” Kunce tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “And I think we’re
doing it the right way and I want to fundamentally change who has power in this
country so that we can have power again and our communities are like they used
to be.”

Kunce, who is from Independence, made a stop in St. Joseph,
speaking to an enthusiastic crowd at the UA Local 45 Plumbers and Pipefitters
Hall.

Kunce lost a close primary race to Trudy Busch Valentine two
years ago. Kunce says he learned a lot from that loss.

“We had to figure out how to raise money the right way. I
mentioned all the folks that I don’t take money from, right? Well, when I first
started the campaign, a bunch of people were, like, ‘That’s stupid. You can’t
win a modern campaign that way,’” Kunce says. “I just think it’s stupid to say
you’re going to represent people when you can’t and you have to represent the
folks you’re taking money from. What we learned in that first campaign was how
to do it the right way.”

Kunce garnered 38% of the vote in the 2022 Democratic U.S.
Senate primary, losing to Valentine, who won 43%. Valentine lost to Republican
Eric Schmitt in the General Election.

As for the recent events of his party in Washington, Kunce doesn’t
see the decision of President Biden to end his re-election bid and the
elevation of Vice President Kamla Harris as the presumptive party nominee to
have much effect on his race.

“With my background and the way we’re doing things, we were
positioned to win this race a year ago. We’re positioned to win the race a
month ago. We’re positioned to win the race today,” Kunce says. “For me, the top
of the ticket here in Missouri; it’s my race and the initiative petition that’s
coming up, the one that would protect women’s reproductive rights. That’s going
to be driving a lot of turnout. It’s going to be where a lot of focus is.”

Kunce is one of four Democrats running in the August primary. His
primary opponent is state Sen. Karla May of St. Louis. Mita Biswas of St. Louis
and December Harmon of Columbia are also in the race on the Democratic side.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721931776012.jpeg" alt="Democrat US Senate candidate, Lucas Kunce, addresses the crowd UA Local 45 Plumbers &amp; Pipefitters in St. Joseph/Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Democrat US Senate candidate, Lucas Kunce, addresses the crowd UA Local 45 Plumbers &amp; Pipefitters in St. Joseph/Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostUnited States Senate candidate, Democrat Lucas Kunce,
campaigns in St. Joseph prior to the August primary, hoping this year to win
the nomination of Democrats to take on incumbent Republican Josh Hawley.Kunce, a former Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan,
says he wants to give a voice in the U.S. Senate to ordinary Missourians, like
those who helped his family through a rough time when he was a child.“I’m doing this race to represent the folks who took care of
me as a kid and everyday Missourians. I don’t take any corporate PAC money. I
don’t take federal lobbyist money. I don’t take money from Big Pharma folks;
there’s a long list,” Kunce tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “And I think we’re
doing it the right way and I want to fundamentally change who has power in this
country so that we can have power again and our communities are like they used
to be.”Kunce, who is from Independence, made a stop in St. Joseph,
speaking to an enthusiastic crowd at the UA Local 45 Plumbers and Pipefitters
Hall.Kunce lost a close primary race to Trudy Busch Valentine two
years ago. Kunce says he learned a lot from that loss.“We had to figure out how to raise money the right way. I
mentioned all the folks that I don’t take money from, right? Well, when I first
started the campaign, a bunch of people were, like, ‘That’s stupid. You can’t
win a modern campaign that way,’” Kunce says. “I just think it’s stupid to say
you’re going to represent people when you can’t and you have to represent the
folks you’re taking money from. What we learned in that first campaign was how
to do it the right way.”Kunce garnered 38% of the vote in the 2022 Democratic U.S.
Senate primary, losing to Valentine, who won 43%. Valentine lost to Republican
Eric Schmitt in the General Election.As for the recent events of his party in Washington, Kunce doesn’t
see the decision of President Biden to end his re-election bid and the
elevation of Vice President Kamla Harris as the presumptive party nominee to
have much effect on his race.“With my background and the way we’re doing things, we were
positioned to win this race a year ago. We’re positioned to win the race a
month ago. We’re positioned to win the race today,” Kunce says. “For me, the top
of the ticket here in Missouri; it’s my race and the initiative petition that’s
coming up, the one that would protect women’s reproductive rights. That’s going
to be driving a lot of turnout. It’s going to be where a lot of focus is.”Kunce is one of four Democrats running in the August primary. His
primary opponent is state Sen. Karla May of St. Louis. Mita Biswas of St. Louis
and December Harmon of Columbia are also in the race on the Democratic side.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Democrat Lucas Kunce brings his US Senate campaign to St. Joseph

Ashcroft says he’ll eliminate the income tax by shifting funds dedicated to things like transportation or conservation to general revenue — requiring intense legislative work and statewide votes

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

A&nbsp;<a href="https://mcusercontent.com/db358242620bb5bfd24ec7d05/files/37f31a62-c00a-f6ff-a3e3-0c7d797b3b9a/MO_Statewide_Toplines_Release.pdf" target="_blank">February poll</a>&nbsp;of Republican primary voters showed Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft had the most recognizable name in the race for governor.&nbsp;

Ashcroft has held statewide office for eight years, and his father John ran statewide seven times, winning five elections for state attorney general, governor and U.S. senator before becoming U.S. Attorney General under President George W. Bush.

Jay Ashcroft was born the year his father was appointed state auditor in 1973 and spent his teenage years living in the Governor’s Mansion. He learned that everything the family did was news when his mother got his dad in trouble by calling the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-16-mn-388-story.html" target="_blank">state librarian on Mother’s Day</a>&nbsp;so his brother could finish a homework assignment.

“When I was a little kid, I made the decision that I wasn’t going to go into politics,” he said in an interview with The Independent&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/04/06/jay-ashcroft-makes-it-official-hes-running-for-missouri-governor-in-2024/">after announcing his candidacy</a>. “I said, ‘I’m never going to go into politics. I’m never going to be an attorney. I’m going to have a real job.’ Famous last words.”

So first at the Merchant Marine Academy,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/dlippman/status/1747597568652021806" target="_blank">where he did not do well</a>, then later at Missouri University of Science and Technology, where he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering management, Ashcroft stuck with his vow.

He worked first at a defense contractor and later as a teacher of mechanical engineering and engineering technology at St. Louis Community College.&nbsp;

But he eventually did study law – at St. Louis University – and went to work in the&nbsp;<a href="https://ashcroftlawfirm.com/john-ashcroft/" target="_blank">law firm his father founded</a>&nbsp;after leaving public life.

Then politics beckoned, though just like his father, his first race didn’t go well. His 2014 bid for a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2014-11-05/gop-consolidates-hold-over-missouri-legislature-schupp-is-a-democratic-bright-spot" target="_blank">St. Louis County state Senate seat</a>&nbsp;ended in defeat.&nbsp;

He bounced back two years later when he was elected secretary of state, getting the second largest majority of all Republicans on the statewide ballot. He won a second term in 2020.&nbsp;

Now he’s set his sights on following his father into the governor’s mansion. If he wins, he’ll be the first son of a governor elected to the office since John Sappington Marmaduke&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_S._Marmaduke" target="_blank">in 1884</a>.

Locked in a three-way battle for the GOP nomination with Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and state Sen. Bill Eigel, Ashcroft hopes voters see how he has used his power as secretary of state to advance a conservative agenda.&nbsp;

He’s implemented rules requiring libraries to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/11/16/opposition-growing-to-missouri-secretary-of-state-rule-on-library-materials-for-children/">obtain parental consent</a>&nbsp;for materials their children borrow — or face a loss of state funding.&nbsp;And he’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/24/jay-ashcroft-seeks-1-2-million-to-defend-anti-esg-investing-rules-in-federal-court/">being sued</a>&nbsp;for imposing rules on financial advisers requiring them to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/09/missouris-secretary-of-state-reins-in-environmentally-minded-investing/">get investor consent</a>&nbsp;for making a company’s stand on climate action or other socially driven issues — also known as ESG for environmental social governance — a factor in an investment decision.

Perhaps his highest profile official action led to the court battle over ballot language for a proposal to make abortion a state constitutional right. When the language was challenged, Ashcroft took the rare step of&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/19/jay-ashcroft-joins-legal-team-defending-his-summary-of-missouri-abortion-amendment/">officially joining the legal team</a>&nbsp;defending it — a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/31/appeals-court-swats-down-ashcroft-arguments-on-missouri-abortion-rights-petitions/">fight he ultimately lost</a>.&nbsp;

It was in the midst of that fight, however, that he won the endorsement of the state’s largest anti-abortion group,&nbsp;<a href="https://newstalkkzrg.com/2023/07/17/missouri-right-to-life-endorses-ashcroft-for-governor/" target="_blank">Missouri Right to Life</a>.

Outside the strict duties of his office, in recent years Ashcroft has been testifying before legislative committees in favor of bills that would ban certain medical treatments for transgender minors and ban foreign ownership of farmland, among others. And he became highly involved in the unsuccessful effort to redraw Missouri’s congressional maps in a way that eliminated a Democratic seat in Kansas City.

In the run up to the Aug. 6 primary, The Independent asked Ashcroft a series of questions with one theme — what would Missouri be like if he becomes governor? Here’s some of what he said:

Like both his major opponents, Ashcroft wants to eliminate the state income tax. And like Eigel, he wants to repeal the 2021 gas tax increase.

The 2021 increase was the first state fuel tax increase since 1992, when John Ashcroft signed a bill adding 4 cents a gallon. The 2021 increase was passed with strong backing from Kehoe.

His plan, Ashcroft said, is to cut spending and reorganize the state tax system so more money from earmarked sources is placed in the general revenue fund.

“I truly think the government’s doing too much,” Ashcroft said. “Looking at COVID, we were spending the same amount of money but the government was seemingly shut down and life went along fine.”

In the eight years since Republicans took control of the governor’s office, the state budget has increased from $27.5 billion, with $9.7 billion coming from general revenue in fiscal 2017, to $51.6 billion and $15.1 billion from general revenue in the current year.

The top income tax rate is currently 4.8% and in the fiscal year that ended June 30, the personal income tax accounted for 65% of general revenue collections. There are future tax cuts, depending on revenue increases, that would drop the top rate to 4.5%.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721930397875.png" alt=" Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft speaks to reporters Dec. 20 about the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to bar former president Donald Trump from the Colorado ballot (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft speaks to reporters Dec. 20 about the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to bar former president Donald Trump from the Colorado ballot (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Ashcroft says he’ll eliminate the income tax by shifting funds dedicated to things like transportation or conservation to general revenue — requiring intense legislative work and statewide votes</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>A&nbsp;<a href="https://mcusercontent.com/db358242620bb5bfd24ec7d05/files/37f31a62-c00a-f6ff-a3e3-0c7d797b3b9a/MO_Statewide_Toplines_Release.pdf" target="_blank">February poll</a>&nbsp;of Republican primary voters showed Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft had the most recognizable name in the race for governor.&nbsp;That shouldn’t be surprising.&nbsp;Ashcroft has held statewide office for eight years, and his father John ran statewide seven times, winning five elections for state attorney general, governor and U.S. senator before becoming U.S. Attorney General under President George W. Bush.Jay Ashcroft was born the year his father was appointed state auditor in 1973 and spent his teenage years living in the Governor’s Mansion. He learned that everything the family did was news when his mother got his dad in trouble by calling the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-16-mn-388-story.html" target="_blank">state librarian on Mother’s Day</a>&nbsp;so his brother could finish a homework assignment.“When I was a little kid, I made the decision that I wasn’t going to go into politics,” he said in an interview with The Independent&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/04/06/jay-ashcroft-makes-it-official-hes-running-for-missouri-governor-in-2024/">after announcing his candidacy</a>. “I said, ‘I’m never going to go into politics. I’m never going to be an attorney. I’m going to have a real job.’ Famous last words.”So first at the Merchant Marine Academy,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/dlippman/status/1747597568652021806" target="_blank">where he did not do well</a>, then later at Missouri University of Science and Technology, where he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering management, Ashcroft stuck with his vow.He worked first at a defense contractor and later as a teacher of mechanical engineering and engineering technology at St. Louis Community College.&nbsp;But he eventually did study law – at St. Louis University – and went to work in the&nbsp;<a href="https://ashcroftlawfirm.com/john-ashcroft/" target="_blank">law firm his father founded</a>&nbsp;after leaving public life.Then politics beckoned, though just like his father, his first race didn’t go well. His 2014 bid for a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2014-11-05/gop-consolidates-hold-over-missouri-legislature-schupp-is-a-democratic-bright-spot" target="_blank">St. Louis County state Senate seat</a>&nbsp;ended in defeat.&nbsp;He bounced back two years later when he was elected secretary of state, getting the second largest majority of all Republicans on the statewide ballot. He won a second term in 2020.&nbsp;Now he’s set his sights on following his father into the governor’s mansion. If he wins, he’ll be the first son of a governor elected to the office since John Sappington Marmaduke&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_S._Marmaduke" target="_blank">in 1884</a>.Locked in a three-way battle for the GOP nomination with Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and state Sen. Bill Eigel, Ashcroft hopes voters see how he has used his power as secretary of state to advance a conservative agenda.&nbsp;He’s implemented rules requiring libraries to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/11/16/opposition-growing-to-missouri-secretary-of-state-rule-on-library-materials-for-children/">obtain parental consent</a>&nbsp;for materials their children borrow — or face a loss of state funding.&nbsp;And he’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/24/jay-ashcroft-seeks-1-2-million-to-defend-anti-esg-investing-rules-in-federal-court/">being sued</a>&nbsp;for imposing rules on financial advisers requiring them to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/09/missouris-secretary-of-state-reins-in-environmentally-minded-investing/">get investor consent</a>&nbsp;for making a company’s stand on climate action or other socially driven issues — also known as ESG for environmental social governance — a factor in an investment decision.Perhaps his highest profile official action led to the court battle over ballot language for a proposal to make abortion a state constitutional right. When the language was challenged, Ashcroft took the rare step of&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/19/jay-ashcroft-joins-legal-team-defending-his-summary-of-missouri-abortion-amendment/">officially joining the legal team</a>&nbsp;defending it — a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/31/appeals-court-swats-down-ashcroft-arguments-on-missouri-abortion-rights-petitions/">fight he ultimately lost</a>.&nbsp;It was in the midst of that fight, however, that he won the endorsement of the state’s largest anti-abortion group,&nbsp;<a href="https://newstalkkzrg.com/2023/07/17/missouri-right-to-life-endorses-ashcroft-for-governor/" target="_blank">Missouri Right to Life</a>.Outside the strict duties of his office, in recent years Ashcroft has been testifying before legislative committees in favor of bills that would ban certain medical treatments for transgender minors and ban foreign ownership of farmland, among others. And he became highly involved in the unsuccessful effort to redraw Missouri’s congressional maps in a way that eliminated a Democratic seat in Kansas City.In the run up to the Aug. 6 primary, The Independent asked Ashcroft a series of questions with one theme — what would Missouri be like if he becomes governor? Here’s some of what he said:<h2>Budget and taxes</h2>Like both his major opponents, Ashcroft wants to eliminate the state income tax. And like Eigel, he wants to repeal the 2021 gas tax increase.The 2021 increase was the first state fuel tax increase since 1992, when John Ashcroft signed a bill adding 4 cents a gallon. The 2021 increase was passed with strong backing from Kehoe.His plan, Ashcroft said, is to cut spending and reorganize the state tax system so more money from earmarked sources is placed in the general revenue fund.“I truly think the government’s doing too much,” Ashcroft said. “Looking at COVID, we were spending the same amount of money but the government was seemingly shut down and life went along fine.”In the eight years since Republicans took control of the governor’s office, the state budget has increased from $27.5 billion, with $9.7 billion coming from general revenue in fiscal 2017, to $51.6 billion and $15.1 billion from general revenue in the current year.The top income tax rate is currently 4.8% and in the fiscal year that ended June 30, the personal income tax accounted for 65% of general revenue collections. There are future tax cuts, depending on revenue increases, that would drop the top rate to 4.5%.The other two categories of money funding state operations are federal funds, often requiring a state match, and “other” funds, totaling $12.1 billion, generated by taxes and fees for specialized purposes.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721930569678.png" alt=" Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, center, listens during a community meeting on electric rates July 8 in Republic. Joining Ashcroft, from left, are state Reps. Bill Owen, R-Springfield, Alex Riley, R-Springfield, First Assistant Attorney General Jay Atkins and state Reps. Brad Hudson, R-Cape Fair, and Melanie Stinnett (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, center, listens during a community meeting on electric rates July 8 in Republic. Joining Ashcroft, from left, are state Reps. Bill Owen, R-Springfield, Alex Riley, R-Springfield, First Assistant Attorney General Jay Atkins and state Reps. Brad Hudson, R-Cape Fair, and Melanie Stinnett (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>“We want to go back to the people and say you have these designated funds,” Ashcroft said. “We’d like you to allow us to put those into general revenue to spend as the state needs and in return for that will give you an immediate decrease in your income tax for giving us that flexibility.”If enacted, Ashcroft’s proposal would be the biggest reorganization of state government finances in state history. It would require intense legislative work, followed by one or more statewide votes.Bringing dedicated funds into general revenue would eliminate earmarked funding&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=IV++++43(a)&amp;bid=31865&amp;constit=y" target="_blank">for conservation</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=IV++++47(a)&amp;bid=31872&amp;constit=y" target="_blank">state parks and soil conservation</a>. It would also end a 1982 sales tax that provides $1,513 per pupil to school districts and the motor fuel tax fund, which took in $1 billion.Gambling taxes from casinos and the lottery are worth about $750 million annually, money that is dedicated to education needs.&nbsp;Putting the money under the control of the governor and lawmakers, Ashcroft said, will lead to greater oversight.“In the road fund, the way it’s done, there is no accountability for how those funds are spent,” Ashcroft said. “But when you put them in general revenue, then the legislature can have oversight over those and we the people can really be involved in making sure those funds are being spent correctly.”Through a combination of budget cuts and reorganization, Ashcroft said the income tax can be put on a “glide path” to elimination.He’s not going to specify any cuts during the campaign, Ashcroft said.“I’m not gonna roll all of that out right now,” Ashcroft said. “What I have done is shown that it’s eminently possible because of the number of dollars.”<h2>Crime</h2>Ashcroft’s proposals involve a multi-pronged approach to crime — more police on the streets, more investment in mental health services and local incarceration for some offenders.He wants the state to support the hiring of 1,000 new police officers, Ashcroft said. The goal would be to increase the Missouri State Highway Patrol to its&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=43.050&amp;bid=1363&amp;hl=" target="_blank">full strength of 1,064 troopers</a>&nbsp;and help local agencies attract new officers.“There are a whole lot of other things that we can do to draw people that are officers elsewhere and say, if you’re willing to serve the public, you want to be a public servant, Missouri is the place where you want to do it,” Ashcroft said.Under the Missouri Constitution, the&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=X++++21&amp;bid=51537&amp;constit=y" target="_blank">legislature is prohibited</a>&nbsp;from requiring a “new activity or service or an increase in the level of any activity or service beyond that required by existing law” without paying for it with state funds.Staffing shortages in local agencies mean they are under strength and the state can help without having to pay the full cost, Ashcroft said.“There probably will be some financial support from the state but you also have to understand there are other things the state needs to do,” Ashcroft said.Statewide, Missouri State Highway Patrol statistics show that both violent crimes and property crimes declined in 2023 compared to 2022. FBI data, however, shows&nbsp;<a href="https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/LATEST/webapp/#/pages/explorer/crime/crime-trend" target="_blank">both violent and property crime rates</a>&nbsp;in Missouri have been higher than the national average for the past decade.In addition to increasing the number of police patrolling Missouri’s streets and highways, Ashcroft said he wants to address mental health issues that lead to arrests. In February there were approximately&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/07/missouri-chief-justice-calls-for-action-as-hundreds-wait-in-jails-for-mental-health-services/">300 people in county jails</a>&nbsp;awaiting a bed in a state mental health facility and state mental health officials forecast it will be 500 by the end of the year.The Department of Mental Health faces major staffing shortages with more than one-third licensed practical nurse slots unfilled, two out of every five jobs for psychiatrists unfilled and fewer than one-third of licensed clinical social worker slots filled.Missouri should invest more in community mental health programs that can provide help before people are in crisis, Ashcroft said.“We’re already incurring a cost for these people, but we’re incurring it in such a way that we don’t incentivize the reduction of the costs or getting these people help,” he said.Over the past decade, the number of people in state custody has gone down by about one-third, from an average of 31,442 in 2012 to 2014 to an average of 23,409 in the 2020-2022 period. Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-424dacf3797e4daa8585b1de5836b492" target="_blank">closed a prison in 2019</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2020/oct/1/missouri-downsizing-prisons-save-cash/" target="_blank">housing units</a>&nbsp;in others during 2020&nbsp; to save money on partially used facilities.Despite that reduction, deaths in state prisons have increased from an average of 89 per year to 122 per year, with 135 deaths in 2023. Four corrections officers are&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/28/missouri-corrections-officers-charged-with-murder-in-death-of-inmate-in-restraints/">charged with murder</a>&nbsp;of an inmate at Jefferson City Correctional Center in December and the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/17/warden-of-missouri-prison-replaced-after-investigation-of-inmate-death/">warden was fired</a>.One issue for the state is staffing shortages, Ashcroft said. Many prisons are in rural areas where there is a limited ability to recruit correction officers.His solution, he said, is to house some offenders in local facilities. Federal agencies house their prisoners in county jails and the payments help defer local costs, he said.“They don’t want to do that for the state right now because the state doesn’t pay what it costs to house those individuals,” Ashcroft said.The state could pay more, and support regional facilities, he said.There would also be a benefit for the families of people who are incarcerated, Ashcroft said.“That might be better if their families are there,” he said. “Does that mean that you see your children more?”<h2>Family legacy</h2>The Ashcroft name means a lot in southwest Missouri, where John Ashcroft began his political career and Robert Ashcroft, Jay’s grandfather, was the first president of Evangel College, said state Rep. Bill Owen of Springfield.The family still owns land near Willard.Ashcroft’s father hasn’t taken a major role in the campaign, but he did&nbsp;<a href="https://ashcroftformissouri.com/kehoelieschina" target="_blank">make a video</a>&nbsp;attacking Kehoe over land ownership by Chinese companies. And he shows up in campaign photos on occasion.“The family is so ingrained in the community and in the area, people just feel really comfortable with him down here,” Owen said.On the campaign trail, Ashcroft’s foes have accused him of running mainly on his famous name.&nbsp;After Ashcroft said at a recent debate that his father wasn’t happy about his opposition to public funding of professional sports stadiums, Eigel was ready with a rejoinder: “Jay, be a little easy on your dad, you need that last name.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721930495021.png" alt=" Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft joined the Midwest March for Life on May 1 at the Missouri State Capitol. “I think regardless of what the legislature does, the people of this state – with hard work – can protect all life in this state,” Ashcroft said (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft joined the Midwest March for Life on May 1 at the Missouri State Capitol. “I think regardless of what the legislature does, the people of this state – with hard work – can protect all life in this state,” Ashcroft said (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>Jay Ashcroft has created his own identity, separate from his family, Owen added.“Some people would be swallowed up by the shadow,” he said. “And I don’t think he has been. On his own merits, he’s been able to stand out on his own.”In 1998, as he considered a White House bid, John Ashcroft wrote a book he titled “<a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Lessons_from_a_Father_to_His_Son.html?id=7ax72lA12woC&amp;source=kp_book_description" target="_blank">Lessons from a Father to his Son</a>.”&nbsp;The biggest lesson he learned from his father, Jay Ashcroft said, is the honor in public service.“It was ordained by God before time began the fact that public service is one of the, if not the, greatest things you can do in life because you spend your time making life better for others instead of just elevating yourself,” Ashcroft said. “And the idea of integrity of character, and how valuable it is to have a good name, and no matter what you do, to protect them.”

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