The state has banned transgender athletes from competing according to their gender identity, but student handbooks and board policies have yet to add the change

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>

It has been a year since a&nbsp;<a href="https://senate.mo.gov/23info/pdf-bill/tat/SB39.pdf" target="_blank">state law</a>&nbsp;required Missouri schools to have athletes compete according to their sex as assigned at birth, and few student manuals and school-board policies reflect the change.

Enforcement,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/21/enforcement-unclear-as-missouri-approaches-transgender-athlete-restrictions/">which was murky last year</a>, remains unprescribed with many districts stating that they will follow the law without describing how.

The law, which bars transgender athletes from competing according to their gender identity, penalizes noncompliant schools by revoking their state funding. It calls for state education officials to create any rules necessary for enforcement.

But the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education “is not involved in school athletics and activities,” its spokeswoman Mallory McGowin told The Independent.&nbsp;

The Missouri High School Activities Association (MSHSAA), which is not a state entity, oversees eligibility for extracurricular events.

The association has eligibility standards that schools statewide require their athletes to adhere to in order to compete in MSHSAA-sanctioned events. One such requirement is a semiannual physical, in which doctors clear athletes to compete.

The paperwork provided by MSHSAA for the sports physical asks the student’s sex as assigned at birth and gender identity for the medical history provided to the doctor. The form submitted to schools only includes sex as assigned at birth.

But MSHSAA is not the enforcer of the law, said Andrew Kauffman, the association’s spokesman. Individual schools are.

When asked if MSHSAA has provided guidance to schools, he said it “has advised its (member) schools to follow the law.”

According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/youth/sports_participation_bans" target="_blank">Movement Advancement Project</a>, which maps policies affecting LGBTQ people in the U.S., 25 states ban transgender athletes from participating according to their gender identity.

When a Missouri Senate committee was hearing the bill in 2023, a swath of advocates warned lawmakers that the legislation would harm transgender youth.

“Bills, such as (this one), communicate not just to the LGBTQ community but to all people that our very existence can and should be rejected and devalued,”&nbsp;<a href="https://promomissouri.org/over-20-missourians-compromised-of-former-collegiate-athletes-educators-and-clergy-voice-opposition-to-senate-bill-42/" target="_blank">said Shira Berkowitz</a>, senior director of public policy and advocacy of PROMO, Missouri’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group.

School had brief answers to questions about their policies, with most unwilling to grant requests for an interview.

“We follow the state statute with regard to what gender is listed on a birth certificate and MSHSAA guidelines in terms of student participation in sports based on gender. We have worked effectively with families and student athletes to comply with the state law and we will continue to do so,” Rockwood School District’s spokesperson said.

In a review by The Independent of Missouri’s 10 largest school districts’ student manuals, Rockwood was one of two to cite state law in policies around athletic eligibility.

“The district complies with all relevant state law regarding participation in athletic competitions,” the policy says, citing&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=163.048" target="_blank">the section that restricts participation based on sex at birth</a>.

Wentzville School District based its policy on the law, copying phrases out of state statute and noting a loss of funding if the district does not comply.

The other districts lacked mention of the statute, or gender identity, in their athletics eligibility policies.

The policy in North Kansas City High School says: “Participation… can be granted to those who meet the eligibility standards of the school and the state of Missouri.”

MSHSAA is widely pointed to in eligibility policies.

Fort Zumwalt School District, in O’Fallon, determines eligibility “in accordance with the MSHSAA regulations and school district policies and regulations.”

Prior to the state law, there were only five transgender athletes eligible to compete in MSHSAA events.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725571026542.png" alt=" A teenager speaks during a Senate hearing during the 2023 legislative session, donning a vest with a transgender flag (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)" />
 <figcaption> A teenager speaks during a Senate hearing during the 2023 legislative session, donning a vest with a transgender flag (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The state has banned transgender athletes from competing according to their gender identity, but student handbooks and board policies have yet to add the change</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>It has been a year since a&nbsp;<a href="https://senate.mo.gov/23info/pdf-bill/tat/SB39.pdf" target="_blank">state law</a>&nbsp;required Missouri schools to have athletes compete according to their sex as assigned at birth, and few student manuals and school-board policies reflect the change.Enforcement,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/21/enforcement-unclear-as-missouri-approaches-transgender-athlete-restrictions/">which was murky last year</a>, remains unprescribed with many districts stating that they will follow the law without describing how.The law, which bars transgender athletes from competing according to their gender identity, penalizes noncompliant schools by revoking their state funding. It calls for state education officials to create any rules necessary for enforcement.But the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education “is not involved in school athletics and activities,” its spokeswoman Mallory McGowin told The Independent.&nbsp;The Missouri High School Activities Association (MSHSAA), which is not a state entity, oversees eligibility for extracurricular events.The association has eligibility standards that schools statewide require their athletes to adhere to in order to compete in MSHSAA-sanctioned events. One such requirement is a semiannual physical, in which doctors clear athletes to compete.The paperwork provided by MSHSAA for the sports physical asks the student’s sex as assigned at birth and gender identity for the medical history provided to the doctor. The form submitted to schools only includes sex as assigned at birth.But MSHSAA is not the enforcer of the law, said Andrew Kauffman, the association’s spokesman. Individual schools are.When asked if MSHSAA has provided guidance to schools, he said it “has advised its (member) schools to follow the law.”According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/youth/sports_participation_bans" target="_blank">Movement Advancement Project</a>, which maps policies affecting LGBTQ people in the U.S., 25 states ban transgender athletes from participating according to their gender identity.When a Missouri Senate committee was hearing the bill in 2023, a swath of advocates warned lawmakers that the legislation would harm transgender youth.“Bills, such as (this one), communicate not just to the LGBTQ community but to all people that our very existence can and should be rejected and devalued,”&nbsp;<a href="https://promomissouri.org/over-20-missourians-compromised-of-former-collegiate-athletes-educators-and-clergy-voice-opposition-to-senate-bill-42/" target="_blank">said Shira Berkowitz</a>, senior director of public policy and advocacy of PROMO, Missouri’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group.School had brief answers to questions about their policies, with most unwilling to grant requests for an interview.“We follow the state statute with regard to what gender is listed on a birth certificate and MSHSAA guidelines in terms of student participation in sports based on gender. We have worked effectively with families and student athletes to comply with the state law and we will continue to do so,” Rockwood School District’s spokesperson said.In a review by The Independent of Missouri’s 10 largest school districts’ student manuals, Rockwood was one of two to cite state law in policies around athletic eligibility.“The district complies with all relevant state law regarding participation in athletic competitions,” the policy says, citing&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=163.048" target="_blank">the section that restricts participation based on sex at birth</a>.Wentzville School District based its policy on the law, copying phrases out of state statute and noting a loss of funding if the district does not comply.The other districts lacked mention of the statute, or gender identity, in their athletics eligibility policies.The policy in North Kansas City High School says: “Participation… can be granted to those who meet the eligibility standards of the school and the state of Missouri.”MSHSAA is widely pointed to in eligibility policies.Fort Zumwalt School District, in O’Fallon, determines eligibility “in accordance with the MSHSAA regulations and school district policies and regulations.”Prior to the state law, there were only five transgender athletes eligible to compete in MSHSAA events.

Missouri schools lack public enforcement policies for transgender athlete restrictions

Week 2 of high school football in Missouri is here and high school football in Kansas kicks off. Below is a list of all of the games being played in the KFEQ/St. Joseph Post area!

Tune into KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3, 680kfeq.com) for Friday Night Lights with Matt Pike every Friday night of the regular season from 10- midnight. for scores and interviews with area coaches!

Lathrop @  Christ Preparatory Academy (Kan.)

St. Joseph Christian vs Sewartsville Osborn

Stewartsville-Osborn @ St. Joseph Christian

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostWeek 2 of high school football in Missouri is here and high school football in Kansas kicks off. Below is a list of all of the games being played in the KFEQ/St. Joseph Post area!Tune into KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3, 680kfeq.com) for Friday Night Lights with Matt Pike every Friday night of the regular season from 10- midnight. for scores and interviews with area coaches!MECCameron @ WarrensburgMaryville vs Pleasant HillLafayette @ RichmondBenton vs St. Joseph CentralSavannah @ East BuchananChillicothe @ KirksvilleBishop Leblond vs Schuyler CountyKCIEast Buchanan vs SavannahLathrop @ Christ Preparatory Academy (Kan.)Lawson @ Lafayette CountyMid-Buchanan vs LexingtonNorth Platte @ MilanHamilton @ Crest Ridge with ChilhoweePlattsburg vs Knox CountyWest Platte vs Liberty (Mountain View)GRC 11-man (East Division)Trenton vs PoloSouth Harrison @ Putnam CountyMaysville @ BrookfieldGallatin vs MarcelineGRC 8-man (West Division)King City vs Nodaway ValleyEast Atchison @ AlbanyNorth Andrew vs DekalbWorth County vs Mound CityPlatte Valley @ PrincetonStanberry vs Rock PortSt. Joseph Christian vs Sewartsville Osborn275Stewartsville-Osborn @ St. Joseph ChristianGreater KC SuburbanSt. Joseph Central @ BentonNortheast KansasAtchison vs OttawaHiawatha @ Hoyt-Royal Valley HSTroy vs Belleville-Republic County HSRiverside vs Holton-Jackson Heights HS

Area High School Football schedule for September 6th, 2024

GRUNDY COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 2:30p.m. Thursday in Grundy County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a Suzuki Quad driven by Raymond W. Rinehart, 75, Spickard was southbound on the shoulder of U.S. 65 six miles west of Trenton.&nbsp; The ATV overturned and the driver was ejected.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Grundy County EMS transported Rinehart to Wright Memorial Hospital.&nbsp;

GRUNDY COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 2:30p.m. Thursday in Grundy County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a Suzuki Quad driven by Raymond W. Rinehart, 75, Spickard was southbound on the shoulder of U.S. 65 six miles west of Trenton.&nbsp; The ATV overturned and the driver was ejected.&nbsp;&nbsp; Grundy County EMS transported Rinehart to Wright Memorial Hospital.&nbsp;

Missouri man injured after ejected when ATV overturns

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month and to help celebrate, the St. Joseph Public Library has a lot going on.

Director of St. Joseph Public Library, Mary Beth Revels, says the library is offering prizes to anyone who uses their library card during the month of September. Infants to age six can register to win a Frog and Toad plush animal and book set. While people over the age of 18 could win a $25 Visa gift card.

Revels says a library card can unlock a lot of resources and programs the library offers, "You&nbsp; can check out books, movies, and online material. We have e-books and movies that can be streamed online."

In addition to books and films, Revels emphasizes the St. Joseph Public Library also provides access to car repair databases, legal forms, and genealogy information.

Revels says the library offers programs for residents of all ages, "We have programming for babies to senior adults."

Some of those programs and services include local history resources, book clubs, and story times.

In September, the usual $1.00 replacement fee for lost library cards will be waived.

The St. Joseph Library system includes four locations; Carnegie Library, Downtown Library, East Hills Library, and Washington Park Library.

For more information about programs and services offered, visit the <a href="https://sjpl.lib.mo.us/">St. Joseph Public Library's website</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720729481189.jpeg" alt="St. Joseph Public Library R" />
 <figcaption>St. Joseph Public Library R</figcaption>
 </figure>By RYAN SKAITHSt. Joseph PostSeptember is Library Card Sign-Up Month and to help celebrate, the St. Joseph Public Library has a lot going on.Director of St. Joseph Public Library, Mary Beth Revels, says the library is offering prizes to anyone who uses their library card during the month of September. Infants to age six can register to win a Frog and Toad plush animal and book set. While people over the age of 18 could win a $25 Visa gift card.Revels says a library card can unlock a lot of resources and programs the library offers, "You&nbsp; can check out books, movies, and online material. We have e-books and movies that can be streamed online."In addition to books and films, Revels emphasizes the St. Joseph Public Library also provides access to car repair databases, legal forms, and genealogy information.Revels says the library offers programs for residents of all ages, "We have programming for babies to senior adults."Some of those programs and services include local history resources, book clubs, and story times.In September, the usual $1.00 replacement fee for lost library cards will be waived.The St. Joseph Library system includes four locations; Carnegie Library, Downtown Library, East Hills Library, and Washington Park Library.For more information about programs and services offered, visit the <a href="https://sjpl.lib.mo.us/">St. Joseph Public Library's website</a>.

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month at St. Joseph Public Library

CLINTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 12:30p.m. Thursday in Clinton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Ford Taurus driven by Rosara J. Picone, 50, Liberty, was eastbound on MO 116 at U.S. 169 four miles south of Gower.

The car traveled across U.S. 169. A southbound 2016 Chevy 2500 driven by Jason P. Newman, 33, Kearney, Mo. struck the rear of the Ford.

EMS transported Picone to Liberty Hospital. Newman was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

CLINTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 12:30p.m. Thursday in Clinton County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Ford Taurus driven by Rosara J. Picone, 50, Liberty, was eastbound on MO 116 at U.S. 169 four miles south of Gower.The car traveled across U.S. 169. A southbound 2016 Chevy 2500 driven by Jason P. Newman, 33, Kearney, Mo. struck the rear of the Ford.EMS transported Picone to Liberty Hospital. Newman was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

Missouri woman hospitalized after pickup, car crash

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for alleged child sex crimes.

This week, police began an investigation focusing on unlawful sexual contact involving a victim under the age of 10, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.&nbsp;

On Wednesday, police arrested 40-year-old Jeffery W. Bowen of Atchison at his home.&nbsp; He is being held on requested charges of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725550710990.png" alt="Bowen photo Atchison County" />
 <figcaption>Bowen photo Atchison County</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for alleged child sex crimes.This week, police began an investigation focusing on unlawful sexual contact involving a victim under the age of 10, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.&nbsp;On Wednesday, police arrested 40-year-old Jeffery W. Bowen of Atchison at his home.&nbsp; He is being held on requested charges of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

Kan. man jailed for alleged sex crimes with victim under the age of 10

Minor League Baseball has announced that Omaha Storm Chasers, and St. Joseph's Noah Cameron, has been named the International League Pitcher of the Month for August. .

Cameron went 2-1 with a 1.71 ERA over five starts in August, allowing only six earned runs on 20 hits across 31.2 innings.  The left hander struck out 36 while holding batters to an average of .180. He ranked third in the league in strikeouts and was tied for first among qualified International League pitchers in WHIP and was third in ERA. 

All five starts for Cameron were quality starts, with one scoreless outing. 

Drafted by Kansas City in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of the University of Central Arkansas, Cameron joined Triple-A Omaha in late July and made his Storm Chasers debut July 31 at Rochester , a 10-strikeout performance. 

All six of Cameron’s Triple-A starts to date have been quality starts and the southpaw has worked a 1.64 ERA (7 ER in 38.1 IP) with 46 strikeouts to just 8 walks. 

Since his debut, Cameron is first among Triple-A pitchers in ERA and strikeouts, the only Minor League pitcher with 6 quality starts in that span.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725564576908.jpeg" alt="Noah Cameron was named the International League Pitcher of the Month in August/ Photo courtesy of the Omaha Storm Chasers on X" />
 <figcaption>Noah Cameron was named the International League Pitcher of the Month in August/ Photo courtesy of the Omaha Storm Chasers on X</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostMinor League Baseball has announced that Omaha Storm Chasers, and St. Joseph's Noah Cameron, has been named the International League Pitcher of the Month for August. .Cameron went 2-1 with a 1.71 ERA over five starts in August, allowing only six earned runs on 20 hits across 31.2 innings. The left hander struck out 36 while holding batters to an average of .180. He ranked third in the league in strikeouts and was tied for first among qualified International League pitchers in WHIP and was third in ERA. All five starts for Cameron were quality starts, with one scoreless outing. Drafted by Kansas City in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of the University of Central Arkansas, Cameron joined Triple-A Omaha in late July and made his Storm Chasers debut July 31 at Rochester , a 10-strikeout performance. All six of Cameron’s Triple-A starts to date have been quality starts and the southpaw has worked a 1.64 ERA (7 ER in 38.1 IP) with 46 strikeouts to just 8 walks. Since his debut, Cameron is first among Triple-A pitchers in ERA and strikeouts, the only Minor League pitcher with 6 quality starts in that span.

St. Joseph's Noah Cameron named International League Pitcher of the Month

United Way of Greater St. Joseph has kicked off its
fundraising campaign announcing the Pacesetter campaign has raised nearly $900,000.

Campaign co-chair, Doug Walter, says the United Way is
important, because its agencies touch so many lives.

“It could be you. None of us know when our time of need is
going to be. United Way reaches out to everybody in our community. From cradle
to grave, there’s an opportunity to find help and find support through United Way,”
Walter tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “We support United Way, because we believe
that’s a way to make a tremendous difference in our community.”

The United Way held its official campaign kickoff event
Thursday morning during an event on the Missouri Western State University
campus.

The campaign theme this year is “Better Days made by You.”

A preliminary Pacesetter campaign number of $873,278.80 was
announced though more money from the various Pacesetter companies is expected
to come in.

Walter says though the campaign is now officially underway, it
has been going on behind the scenes for a while.

“It’s been going on for about 60 days, maybe 90 days, as we kind
of get with CEOs and kind of get this thing started,” Walter says. “But the
pacesetters are organizations that have just said we’d like to run the campaign
early; we’d like for you to be able to announce the results as an encouragement
to others.”

Walter, who is lead pastor at Ashland United Methodist Church,
co-chairs the campaign with his wife, Carol.

Carol Walter says the Greater St. Joseph United Way no longer
sets a campaign raising goal.

“Our goal is just to raise as much as possible. Two-point-five
million was (raised) last year. We hope to do at least that,” Carol Walter
says. “So, there’s not a goal, but we always want to just do as much as
possible in the community.”

The $2.5 million raised last year supports the United Way’s 17
member agencies, which provide a wide range of services. The Greater St. Joseph
United Way fundraising campaign wraps up November 7th.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725557841164.jpeg" alt="United Way kickoff event on the MWSU campus/Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>United Way kickoff event on the MWSU campus/Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostUnited Way of Greater St. Joseph has kicked off its
fundraising campaign announcing the Pacesetter campaign has raised nearly $900,000.Campaign co-chair, Doug Walter, says the United Way is
important, because its agencies touch so many lives.“It could be you. None of us know when our time of need is
going to be. United Way reaches out to everybody in our community. From cradle
to grave, there’s an opportunity to find help and find support through United Way,”
Walter tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “We support United Way, because we believe
that’s a way to make a tremendous difference in our community.”The United Way held its official campaign kickoff event
Thursday morning during an event on the Missouri Western State University
campus.The campaign theme this year is “Better Days made by You.”A preliminary Pacesetter campaign number of $873,278.80 was
announced though more money from the various Pacesetter companies is expected
to come in.Walter says though the campaign is now officially underway, it
has been going on behind the scenes for a while.“It’s been going on for about 60 days, maybe 90 days, as we kind
of get with CEOs and kind of get this thing started,” Walter says. “But the
pacesetters are organizations that have just said we’d like to run the campaign
early; we’d like for you to be able to announce the results as an encouragement
to others.”Walter, who is lead pastor at Ashland United Methodist Church,
co-chairs the campaign with his wife, Carol.Carol Walter says the Greater St. Joseph United Way no longer
sets a campaign raising goal.“Our goal is just to raise as much as possible. Two-point-five
million was (raised) last year. We hope to do at least that,” Carol Walter
says. “So, there’s not a goal, but we always want to just do as much as
possible in the community.”The $2.5 million raised last year supports the United Way’s 17
member agencies, which provide a wide range of services. The Greater St. Joseph
United Way fundraising campaign wraps up November 7th.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Greater St. Joseph United Way campaign off to fast start

A group of volunteers has been helping make the dreams of chronically ill children come true since 1980 

The Dream Factory began in Kentucky in 1980 with one chapter and has since stemmed into the largest all volunteer children's wish granting organization in the country with 37 chapters.  

The Dream Factory is similar to Make-A Wish, but Northwest Missouri chapter volunteer Rita Hook says there is one key difference 

"We grant dreams to children between the ages of three and 18 with a chronic or critical illness, our children do not have to be terminal, critical and chronic,” Hook tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr.  

Hook says the organization grants all kinds of dreams for these children 

"The biggest one by far is Disney World, we do have shopping sprees occasionally, right now we have a 15-year-old girl that wants a she shed, so we’re working on that,” Hook explains. 

Hook says some of the more common requests also revolve around going to sporting events or meeting athletes.  

Hook says the organization has made several dreams possible, and the guidelines to provide that dream is around $6,500. 

Hook says there has been a struggle in raising funds for the group, but several fundraising efforts have helped raise money.  

"We had a volunteer in Trenton in last year that put on a concert of Rhonda Vincent, he had been with the Dream Factory over 30 years and he had come to know her personally, long story short he pretty much single handedly raised over $40,000 for our chapter, that was the money that was cleared after the concert, and that’s a huge thing for us,” Hook says. 

There will be fundraisers coming up next month with a Music Bingo at the Eagles on October 11th and a tenderloin dinner on October 18th. 

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostA group of volunteers has been helping make the dreams of chronically ill children come true since 1980 The Dream Factory began in Kentucky in 1980 with one chapter and has since stemmed into the largest all volunteer children's wish granting organization in the country with 37 chapters. The Dream Factory is similar to Make-A Wish, but Northwest Missouri chapter volunteer Rita Hook says there is one key difference "We grant dreams to children between the ages of three and 18 with a chronic or critical illness, our children do not have to be terminal, critical and chronic,” Hook tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr. Hook says the organization grants all kinds of dreams for these children "The biggest one by far is Disney World, we do have shopping sprees occasionally, right now we have a 15-year-old girl that wants a she shed, so we’re working on that,” Hook explains. Hook says some of the more common requests also revolve around going to sporting events or meeting athletes. Hook says the organization has made several dreams possible, and the guidelines to provide that dream is around $6,500. Hook says there has been a struggle in raising funds for the group, but several fundraising efforts have helped raise money. "We had a volunteer in Trenton in last year that put on a concert of Rhonda Vincent, he had been with the Dream Factory over 30 years and he had come to know her personally, long story short he pretty much single handedly raised over $40,000 for our chapter, that was the money that was cleared after the concert, and that’s a huge thing for us,” Hook says. There will be fundraisers coming up next month with a Music Bingo at the Eagles on October 11th and a tenderloin dinner on October 18th.

Dream Factory helping make dreams across northwest Missouri into reality

Avenues to enhance the St. Joseph area skilled workforce have
expanded.

St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce President Natalie Hawn points
out 35% of St. Joseph’s economy is manufacturing based and local manufacturers
are in great need of more skilled workers. Hawn says the opening of the Skilled
Manufacturing Center at Hillyard Technical Center has been a great addition in
training those workers and fits with the traditional college degrees offered at
Missouri Western State University.

“Maybe you want to go back to school and become an engineer
and get a four-year degree or a masters,” Hawn says. “It just allows you some
more options and flexibility and it’s great to have that just right here in our
backyard.”

Hawn says the addition of the North Central Missouri College
campus in Savannah and North Central’s work with Missouri Western State
University to build the Convergent Technology Alliance Center on the St. Joseph
campus will also help train the high-skilled workers local manufacturers need.

Hawn says the Chamber will host its Manufacturing Day in early
October with around 800 area high school students expected to visit local manufacturers.
Hawn says the day focuses on the good paying jobs local manufacturers offer.

“And to see their eyes just light up and for it to really connect
the dots that education, and it doesn’t have to be a four-year education, it
can start with something as simple as a certificate or graduating high school,”
according to Hawn. “It was just really great to see that connect with the
students and sometimes they have to see it, feel it, touch it.”

Hawn says the opportunity for workers to obtain more education
and training to advance will be available.

“From maybe just working the line to being a welder or getting
that forklift certificate or learning CNC, becoming a diesel machinic where it
significantly raises your salary and you just maybe need a little skill up to
be able to do that.”

The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce will host a Career Fair September 17th from 3pm to 6pm at Stoney Creek Hotel.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostAvenues to enhance the St. Joseph area skilled workforce have
expanded.St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce President Natalie Hawn points
out 35% of St. Joseph’s economy is manufacturing based and local manufacturers
are in great need of more skilled workers. Hawn says the opening of the Skilled
Manufacturing Center at Hillyard Technical Center has been a great addition in
training those workers and fits with the traditional college degrees offered at
Missouri Western State University.“Maybe you want to go back to school and become an engineer
and get a four-year degree or a masters,” Hawn says. “It just allows you some
more options and flexibility and it’s great to have that just right here in our
backyard.”Hawn says the addition of the North Central Missouri College
campus in Savannah and North Central’s work with Missouri Western State
University to build the Convergent Technology Alliance Center on the St. Joseph
campus will also help train the high-skilled workers local manufacturers need.Hawn says the Chamber will host its Manufacturing Day in early
October with around 800 area high school students expected to visit local manufacturers.
Hawn says the day focuses on the good paying jobs local manufacturers offer.“And to see their eyes just light up and for it to really connect
the dots that education, and it doesn’t have to be a four-year education, it
can start with something as simple as a certificate or graduating high school,”
according to Hawn. “It was just really great to see that connect with the
students and sometimes they have to see it, feel it, touch it.”Hawn says the opportunity for workers to obtain more education
and training to advance will be available.“From maybe just working the line to being a welder or getting
that forklift certificate or learning CNC, becoming a diesel machinic where it
significantly raises your salary and you just maybe need a little skill up to
be able to do that.”The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce will host a Career Fair September 17th from 3pm to 6pm at Stoney Creek Hotel.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Skilled workforce training options expanding in St. Joseph

Wednesday’s bench trial focused on a provision in the abortion-rights amendment pertaining to provider immunity

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

A judge could decide as early as Thursday whether Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s “fair ballot language” summary for an abortion-rights amendment is truly fair.&nbsp;

Missouri voters will be asked on Nov. 5 whether they support Amendment 3, which would establish a constitutional right to an abortion up until fetal viability and protect other reproductive rights, including access to in-vitro fertilization and birth control. Abortion became illegal in Missouri in June 2022, with limited exceptions for the life and health of the mother.

Posted at every polling station around the state, next to sample ballots, is&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=116.025" target="_blank">“fair ballot language”</a>&nbsp;that summarizes the questions that voters will be asked to decide on. State law requires that this language, written by the secretary of state, be “true and impartial.”

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/20/missouri-secretary-state-ashcroft-lawsuit-abortion/">In a lawsuit filed two weeks ago,&nbsp;</a>organizers behind Amendment 3 claimed that Ashcroft’s summary was “intentionally argumentative” and could create confusion among voters.&nbsp;

The same day Ashcroft&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/13/missouri-voters-will-decide-whether-to-legalize-abortion-in-november/">certified the measure for the November ballot,&nbsp;</a>his office also published to its website a “fair ballot language” summary statement for the amendment which reads:&nbsp;

“A ‘yes’ vote will enshrine the right to abortion at any time of pregnancy in the Missouri Constitution. Additionally, it will prohibit any regulation of abortion, including regulations designed to protect women undergoing abortions and prohibit any civil or criminal recourse against anyone who performs an abortion and hurts or kills the pregnant women.”&nbsp;

The abortion rights campaign is asking the court to issue new “fair ballot language” and order that Ashcroft remove his current language from his government website.

A brief bench trial Wednesday afternoon in Cole County Circuit Court focused in particular on the last sentence of Ashcroft’s summary, and how a court could interpret subsection 5 of the amendment, which reads: “No person shall be penalized, prosecuted, or otherwise subjected to adverse action based on their actual, potential, perceived, or alleged pregnancy outcomes, including but not limited to miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. Nor shall any person assisting a person in exercising their right to reproductive freedom with that person’s consent be penalized, prosecuted, or otherwise subjected to adverse action for doing so.”

Andrew Crane, representing Ashcroft on behalf of the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, argued Wednesday that this subsection would result in “effectively neutering the government’s ability to enforce any effective regulations” on abortion.&nbsp;

Tori Schafer, an attorney with the ACLU of Missouri, which is representing the plaintiff, called this claim “politically-charged” and unfounded, as it fails to take into account other language in the amendment protecting patients.

“The amendment will provide greater independence from the government,” she told the court. “But it does not create the boundless, limitless, unregulated right the secretary continues to make it to be.”&nbsp;

Schafer said Ashcroft in the latest language “resurrects his false claims” that have already been denounced by the Missouri Court of Appeals.

Ashcroft was sued last year by the abortion-rights campaign over the initial ballot summary he drafted, which would have asked Missourians, in part, if they wanted to “allow for dangerous, unregulated, and unrestricted abortions, from conception to live birth.”&nbsp;

Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled a year ago that Ashcroft’s language was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/09/25/judge-rejects-rewrites-summary-for-missouri-abortion-initiative-petition/">“problematic” and inaccurate.</a>&nbsp;

An appeals court agreed, ruling that it is “not a probable effect” that the amendment would allow unrestricted abortion in all nine months of pregnancy or that it would toss aside health and safety regulations, “including requirements that physicians perform abortions and that they maintain medical malpractice insurance.”

However, Crane on Wednesday argued that the appeals court ruling didn’t specifically address the immunity provisions of subsection 5.

Ashcroft, who recently lost a bid for the GOP candidate for governor, has been open about his opposition to abortion.&nbsp;

During the Midwest March for Life outside in May, he told The Independent of the abortion initiative petition: “I just want to make sure that people know what this amendment will actually do. That it’s abortion from conception until the very last second that the last toenail leaves the birth canal.”

Cole County Circuit Judge Cotton Walker, who is overseeing the current case, said he intends to rule on Thursday.&nbsp;

Walker recently upheld the “fair ballot language” summary written by Ashcroft for a proposed constitutional&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/judge-upholds-ballot-language-to-ban-noncitizen-voting-already-illegal-in-missouri/">amendment that would ban ranked-choice voting</a>&nbsp;after two voters sued over the language. The voters called the language imprecise, in part because it doesn’t state that it’s currently illegal for non-citizens to vote in Missouri.&nbsp;

The Amendment 3 lawsuit was filed by retired physician Dr. Anna Fitz-James, who initially filed the abortion rights initiative petition in spring 2023 on behalf of Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign behind the amendment.&nbsp;

The campaign has raised millions of dollars this election cycle, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.slu.edu/research/research-institute/big-ideas/slu-poll/index.php" target="_blank">recent polling by St. Louis University/YouGov&nbsp;</a>showed&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/29/poll-shows-missouri-voters-back-trump-hawley-abortion-rights-and-minimum-wage-hike/">52% of Missouri voters supported Amendment 3.&nbsp;</a>The poll surveyed 900 voters across nine days in August.

Meanwhile, a second lawsuit regarding Amendment 3 is also pending in Cole County after a number of anti-abortion activists and lawmakers asked a judge to block the amendment from the Nov. 5 ballot. Their lawsuit claims Amendment 3 violates the state constitution by including more than one subject and&nbsp;fails to specify which laws and constitutional provisions would be repealed if it was approved.

A bench trial in that lawsuit is scheduled for Friday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725532637576.png" alt=" Cole County Circuit Court Judge Cotton Walker listens to arguments during a Sept. 8, 2022, hearing (pool photo courtesy of Emily Manley/Nexstar Media Group)." />
 <figcaption> Cole County Circuit Court Judge Cotton Walker listens to arguments during a Sept. 8, 2022, hearing (pool photo courtesy of Emily Manley/Nexstar Media Group).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Wednesday’s bench trial focused on a provision in the abortion-rights amendment pertaining to provider immunity</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>A judge could decide as early as Thursday whether Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s “fair ballot language” summary for an abortion-rights amendment is truly fair.&nbsp;Missouri voters will be asked on Nov. 5 whether they support Amendment 3, which would establish a constitutional right to an abortion up until fetal viability and protect other reproductive rights, including access to in-vitro fertilization and birth control. Abortion became illegal in Missouri in June 2022, with limited exceptions for the life and health of the mother.Posted at every polling station around the state, next to sample ballots, is&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=116.025" target="_blank">“fair ballot language”</a>&nbsp;that summarizes the questions that voters will be asked to decide on. State law requires that this language, written by the secretary of state, be “true and impartial.”<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/20/missouri-secretary-state-ashcroft-lawsuit-abortion/">In a lawsuit filed two weeks ago,&nbsp;</a>organizers behind Amendment 3 claimed that Ashcroft’s summary was “intentionally argumentative” and could create confusion among voters.&nbsp;The same day Ashcroft&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/13/missouri-voters-will-decide-whether-to-legalize-abortion-in-november/">certified the measure for the November ballot,&nbsp;</a>his office also published to its website a “fair ballot language” summary statement for the amendment which reads:&nbsp;“A ‘yes’ vote will enshrine the right to abortion at any time of pregnancy in the Missouri Constitution. Additionally, it will prohibit any regulation of abortion, including regulations designed to protect women undergoing abortions and prohibit any civil or criminal recourse against anyone who performs an abortion and hurts or kills the pregnant women.”&nbsp;The abortion rights campaign is asking the court to issue new “fair ballot language” and order that Ashcroft remove his current language from his government website.A brief bench trial Wednesday afternoon in Cole County Circuit Court focused in particular on the last sentence of Ashcroft’s summary, and how a court could interpret subsection 5 of the amendment, which reads: “No person shall be penalized, prosecuted, or otherwise subjected to adverse action based on their actual, potential, perceived, or alleged pregnancy outcomes, including but not limited to miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. Nor shall any person assisting a person in exercising their right to reproductive freedom with that person’s consent be penalized, prosecuted, or otherwise subjected to adverse action for doing so.”Andrew Crane, representing Ashcroft on behalf of the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, argued Wednesday that this subsection would result in “effectively neutering the government’s ability to enforce any effective regulations” on abortion.&nbsp;Tori Schafer, an attorney with the ACLU of Missouri, which is representing the plaintiff, called this claim “politically-charged” and unfounded, as it fails to take into account other language in the amendment protecting patients.“The amendment will provide greater independence from the government,” she told the court. “But it does not create the boundless, limitless, unregulated right the secretary continues to make it to be.”&nbsp;Schafer said Ashcroft in the latest language “resurrects his false claims” that have already been denounced by the Missouri Court of Appeals.Ashcroft was sued last year by the abortion-rights campaign over the initial ballot summary he drafted, which would have asked Missourians, in part, if they wanted to “allow for dangerous, unregulated, and unrestricted abortions, from conception to live birth.”&nbsp;Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled a year ago that Ashcroft’s language was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/09/25/judge-rejects-rewrites-summary-for-missouri-abortion-initiative-petition/">“problematic” and inaccurate.</a>&nbsp;An appeals court agreed, ruling that it is “not a probable effect” that the amendment would allow unrestricted abortion in all nine months of pregnancy or that it would toss aside health and safety regulations, “including requirements that physicians perform abortions and that they maintain medical malpractice insurance.”However, Crane on Wednesday argued that the appeals court ruling didn’t specifically address the immunity provisions of subsection 5.Ashcroft, who recently lost a bid for the GOP candidate for governor, has been open about his opposition to abortion.&nbsp;During the Midwest March for Life outside in May, he told The Independent of the abortion initiative petition: “I just want to make sure that people know what this amendment will actually do. That it’s abortion from conception until the very last second that the last toenail leaves the birth canal.”Cole County Circuit Judge Cotton Walker, who is overseeing the current case, said he intends to rule on Thursday.&nbsp;Walker recently upheld the “fair ballot language” summary written by Ashcroft for a proposed constitutional&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/judge-upholds-ballot-language-to-ban-noncitizen-voting-already-illegal-in-missouri/">amendment that would ban ranked-choice voting</a>&nbsp;after two voters sued over the language. The voters called the language imprecise, in part because it doesn’t state that it’s currently illegal for non-citizens to vote in Missouri.&nbsp;The Amendment 3 lawsuit was filed by retired physician Dr. Anna Fitz-James, who initially filed the abortion rights initiative petition in spring 2023 on behalf of Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign behind the amendment.&nbsp;The campaign has raised millions of dollars this election cycle, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.slu.edu/research/research-institute/big-ideas/slu-poll/index.php" target="_blank">recent polling by St. Louis University/YouGov&nbsp;</a>showed&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/29/poll-shows-missouri-voters-back-trump-hawley-abortion-rights-and-minimum-wage-hike/">52% of Missouri voters supported Amendment 3.&nbsp;</a>The poll surveyed 900 voters across nine days in August.Meanwhile, a second lawsuit regarding Amendment 3 is also pending in Cole County after a number of anti-abortion activists and lawmakers asked a judge to block the amendment from the Nov. 5 ballot. Their lawsuit claims Amendment 3 violates the state constitution by including more than one subject and&nbsp;fails to specify which laws and constitutional provisions would be repealed if it was approved.A bench trial in that lawsuit is scheduled for Friday.

Missouri judge hears arguments challenging ‘fair ballot language’ for abortion amendment

CLINTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 8a.m. Wednesday in Clinton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Lincoln Zephyr driven by Jacqueline A. Wright, 68, Lathrop, was southbound on MO 33 just north of 209th Street one and one half miles north of Holt.&nbsp;

The car traveled off the road, struck a rock bluff, a road sign and a telephone pole.&nbsp;

Holt EMS transported Wright to Liberty Hospital.&nbsp; She was properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

CLINTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 8a.m. Wednesday in Clinton County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Lincoln Zephyr driven by Jacqueline A. Wright, 68, Lathrop, was southbound on MO 33 just north of 209th Street one and one half miles north of Holt.&nbsp;The car traveled off the road, struck a rock bluff, a road sign and a telephone pole.&nbsp;Holt EMS transported Wright to Liberty Hospital.&nbsp; She was properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

Mo. woman injured after car strikes rock bluff, telephone pole

As the city of St. Joseph faces an end-of-the year deadline to obligate federal COVID relief funds, several city projects have been chosen for funding.  

One project that has been in a sort of grey area for funding is putting handrails at Civic Arena.   

City Manager Bryan Carter says while it's not the biggest project on the docket, it's a project that many residents have been asking to get done 

"That plan will put a handrail in every other row of Civic Arena, meaning that every section will have access to seating with that handrail,” Carter tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr.  “Again, not the biggest number, I think at the end of the day was somewhere around $15,000, but it’s important because it’s one of those things people want.” 

Carter says one of the largest products will be going for the replacement of fire department rescue truck for Fire Station number 10.  

 Carter says one project that will be funded is a program that began when these federal funds first became available.  

Carter says money will go towards a program that helps cadets looking to get into law enforcement enroll at the Law Enforcement Academy at Missouri Western State University. 

"So, it will enable the city to pay for the tuition for individuals who want to become police officers for the City of St. Joseph,” Carter explains. “So, it helps us in that way, but it also helps the University, it helps funnel folks to the law enforcement academy out there.” 

Carter says there are several other projects in line to receive funding, including helping furnish the recent Hillyard Technical Center expansion.  

One smaller project that will be funded with the money helping out is $150,000 dollars for Hillyard Technical Center.  

 Carter says the money will help with some furnishings and equipment within the new expansion.  

"For some final furnishings for it and then equipment that’s needed, so as they’ve gotten that project wrapped up, they’ve had a couple other needs that have come up,” Carter says. 

$60,000 will be donated to the feasibility study for the Felix Street Market project.  

"It’s just an interactive public space that we don’t really have downtown,” Carter points out. “Felix Street Square serves as a good public space, but it’s not great when it’s 14 degrees.” 

Currently the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce has put out a survey for residents to voice their thoughts on the project as well.  

While the deadline to obligate funds is this year, the deadline to spend that money is in 2026. 

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostAs the city of St. Joseph faces an end-of-the year deadline to obligate federal COVID relief funds, several city projects have been chosen for funding. One project that has been in a sort of grey area for funding is putting handrails at Civic Arena. City Manager Bryan Carter says while it's not the biggest project on the docket, it's a project that many residents have been asking to get done "That plan will put a handrail in every other row of Civic Arena, meaning that every section will have access to seating with that handrail,” Carter tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. “Again, not the biggest number, I think at the end of the day was somewhere around $15,000, but it’s important because it’s one of those things people want.” Carter says one of the largest products will be going for the replacement of fire department rescue truck for Fire Station number 10. Carter says one project that will be funded is a program that began when these federal funds first became available. Carter says money will go towards a program that helps cadets looking to get into law enforcement enroll at the Law Enforcement Academy at Missouri Western State University. "So, it will enable the city to pay for the tuition for individuals who want to become police officers for the City of St. Joseph,” Carter explains. “So, it helps us in that way, but it also helps the University, it helps funnel folks to the law enforcement academy out there.” Carter says there are several other projects in line to receive funding, including helping furnish the recent Hillyard Technical Center expansion. One smaller project that will be funded with the money helping out is $150,000 dollars for Hillyard Technical Center. Carter says the money will help with some furnishings and equipment within the new expansion. "For some final furnishings for it and then equipment that’s needed, so as they’ve gotten that project wrapped up, they’ve had a couple other needs that have come up,” Carter says. $60,000 will be donated to the feasibility study for the Felix Street Market project. "It’s just an interactive public space that we don’t really have downtown,” Carter points out. “Felix Street Square serves as a good public space, but it’s not great when it’s 14 degrees.” Currently the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce has put out a survey for residents to voice their thoughts on the project as well. While the deadline to obligate funds is this year, the deadline to spend that money is in 2026.

Federal COVID relief funds helping several projects across St. Joseph

A deadly Labor Day weekend on Missouri roads and lakes,
including one traffic death in northwest Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that statewide seven
people died in traffic crashes, two in boating wrecks, with one person drowning.
In all, the patrol responded to 233 crashes, resulting in 115 injuries, and
seven deaths. Troopers made 108 driving while intoxicated arrests and five drug
arrests.

Three boating accidents injured eight and left two dead. The
patrol reports one drowning. Officers made eight boating while intoxicated
arrests.

A Minnesota woman was killed when struck on I-35 north of
Cameron Sunday afternoon. The patrol reports 38-year-old Luci Pineda of Farmington,
Minnesota was struck while standing next to her SUV which had overturned
earlier.

The fatalities over the Labor Day weekend included Osage Beach
Police Officer Phylicia Carson of Lake Ozark. Carson, who was 33, was killed
while in pursuit in Camden County Saturday. Carson’s patrol car went into a
skid, went off the road, and struck a tree. The vehicle caught fire. Carson
died at the scene.

The counting period for the Missouri State Highway Patrol began Friday evening and ran through late Monday night.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostA deadly Labor Day weekend on Missouri roads and lakes,
including one traffic death in northwest Missouri.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that statewide seven
people died in traffic crashes, two in boating wrecks, with one person drowning.
In all, the patrol responded to 233 crashes, resulting in 115 injuries, and
seven deaths. Troopers made 108 driving while intoxicated arrests and five drug
arrests.Three boating accidents injured eight and left two dead. The
patrol reports one drowning. Officers made eight boating while intoxicated
arrests.A Minnesota woman was killed when struck on I-35 north of
Cameron Sunday afternoon. The patrol reports 38-year-old Luci Pineda of Farmington,
Minnesota was struck while standing next to her SUV which had overturned
earlier.The fatalities over the Labor Day weekend included Osage Beach
Police Officer Phylicia Carson of Lake Ozark. Carson, who was 33, was killed
while in pursuit in Camden County Saturday. Carson’s patrol car went into a
skid, went off the road, and struck a tree. The vehicle caught fire. Carson
died at the scene.The counting period for the Missouri State Highway Patrol began Friday evening and ran through late Monday night.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Deadly Labor Day weekend on Missouri roads and waterways

Habitat for Humanity might have begun in St. Joseph in 1996,
but it has been renewing itself ever since.

St. Joseph Habitat Executive Director Tim Osborn says four
volunteers brought Habitat to St. Joseph.

“It is kind of crazy to me how far Habitat came from a group
of four individuals; it was four individuals that started St. Joseph Habitat
for Humanity,” Osborn tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “All volunteer
driven. I’m not sure when the first executive director actually started, but it
was about 10 years into the process.”

Habitat for Humanity has built more than 80 houses in St.
Joseph. Those homes don’t just benefit the family moving in, according to Osborn,
but the neighborhood as a whole.

“It’s always nice to see the neighbors in the area seem to
notice that property values are going to go up,” Osborn says. “You’ll see a new
roof going on next door, new siding going on down the street. It doesn’t just
help one family. It helps the entire neighborhood.”

Families, along with their friends, provide sweat equity.
Habitat for Humanity requires the family chosen to contribute at least 200
hours to the building of a house. The family will have to provide a down
payment, but that payment will be much smaller than a normal mortgage would
require. The family also must pay on a mortgage, though the loan is provided
without interest.

The St. Joseph chapter is expanding into a new project:
building multiple homes in an area.

Habitat will build seven houses off Highland Avenue near the
intersection with Lovers Lane, an experiment in rebuilding a neighborhood.

Habitat does more than just build new houses for families,
according to Osborn, who says the organization gives families a chance at a new
life. Osborn recalls visiting a house Habitat built and noticing a little girl
had left her shoes outside a bedroom.

“I’m thinking, oh wow, they’re getting ready to move in and I
said, ‘You took your shoes off before you went in your room.’ And she goes, ‘Yeah.
This is the first bedroom I’ve ever had. This is my room. I want everybody to
know this is my room.’”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725463922547.jpeg" alt="Habitat for Humanity house/file photo" />
 <figcaption>Habitat for Humanity house/file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostHabitat for Humanity might have begun in St. Joseph in 1996,
but it has been renewing itself ever since.St. Joseph Habitat Executive Director Tim Osborn says four
volunteers brought Habitat to St. Joseph.“It is kind of crazy to me how far Habitat came from a group
of four individuals; it was four individuals that started St. Joseph Habitat
for Humanity,” Osborn tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “All volunteer
driven. I’m not sure when the first executive director actually started, but it
was about 10 years into the process.”Habitat for Humanity has built more than 80 houses in St.
Joseph. Those homes don’t just benefit the family moving in, according to Osborn,
but the neighborhood as a whole.“It’s always nice to see the neighbors in the area seem to
notice that property values are going to go up,” Osborn says. “You’ll see a new
roof going on next door, new siding going on down the street. It doesn’t just
help one family. It helps the entire neighborhood.”Families, along with their friends, provide sweat equity.
Habitat for Humanity requires the family chosen to contribute at least 200
hours to the building of a house. The family will have to provide a down
payment, but that payment will be much smaller than a normal mortgage would
require. The family also must pay on a mortgage, though the loan is provided
without interest.The St. Joseph chapter is expanding into a new project:
building multiple homes in an area.Habitat will build seven houses off Highland Avenue near the
intersection with Lovers Lane, an experiment in rebuilding a neighborhood.Habitat does more than just build new houses for families,
according to Osborn, who says the organization gives families a chance at a new
life. Osborn recalls visiting a house Habitat built and noticing a little girl
had left her shoes outside a bedroom.“I’m thinking, oh wow, they’re getting ready to move in and I
said, ‘You took your shoes off before you went in your room.’ And she goes, ‘Yeah.
This is the first bedroom I’ve ever had. This is my room. I want everybody to
know this is my room.’”You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Habitat for Humanity expanding in St. Joseph

ATCHISON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 5:30p.m. Tuesday in Atchison.

Shortly after 5:30PM on Tuesday officers responded to a three vehicle injury accident at 14th and Main Street. 

A 2015 GMC pickup driven by Clayton Marlowe, 38, Leavenworth, westbound on Main Street at 14th Street in the city of Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

The pickup entered the intersection on a red light and struck a southbound 2005 Hyundai Tucson driven by Bristal Gann, 29, Atchison. 

That impact caused the Hyundai to collide with a 2019 Toyota Highlander driven by Lee Eckert of Atchison that was stopped eastbound on Main at the traffic light. 

EMS transported Gann to Amberwell Hospital for treatment of injuries. She was cited for driving while suspended. Clayton Marlowe was cited for disobeying a red traffic signal.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725461340365.png" alt="Photo Atchison Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Atchison Police</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 5:30p.m. Tuesday in Atchison.Shortly after 5:30PM on Tuesday officers responded to a three vehicle injury accident at 14th and Main Street. A 2015 GMC pickup driven by Clayton Marlowe, 38, Leavenworth, westbound on Main Street at 14th Street in the city of Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.The pickup entered the intersection on a red light and struck a southbound 2005 Hyundai Tucson driven by Bristal Gann, 29, Atchison. That impact caused the Hyundai to collide with a 2019 Toyota Highlander driven by Lee Eckert of Atchison that was stopped eastbound on Main at the traffic light. EMS transported Gann to Amberwell Hospital for treatment of injuries. She was cited for driving while suspended. Clayton Marlowe was cited for disobeying a red traffic signal.

Kansas woman hospitalized after 3-vehicle crash

GENTRY COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 7:30p.m. Tuesday in Gentry County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Chevy Traverse driven by Cody L. Adwell, 45, Ravenwood, was westbound on Route O five miles east of Ravenwood.

The SUV rear-ended a horse and buggy driven by Freeman J. Miller, 21, Ravenwood. Miller was ejected from the vehicle. Grand River Ambulance transported him to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph. Adwell was not injured and properly restrained, according to the MSHP.&nbsp;

GENTRY COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 7:30p.m. Tuesday in Gentry County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Chevy Traverse driven by Cody L. Adwell, 45, Ravenwood, was westbound on Route O five miles east of Ravenwood.The SUV rear-ended a horse and buggy driven by Freeman J. Miller, 21, Ravenwood. Miller was ejected from the vehicle. Grand River Ambulance transported him to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph. Adwell was not injured and properly restrained, according to the MSHP.&nbsp;

Mo. man hospitalized after SUV rear-ends horse and buggy

A 67-year-old Iowa man has pleaded guilty in federal court to
robbing a Princeton bank at gunpoint in May of last year.

Federal prosecutors report Phillip Michael Blink pleaded
guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to one count of armed
bank robbery and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of
violence.

Blink admitted he walked into First Interstate Bank in
Princeton the morning of May 19th, 2023 wearing a cowboy hat, a red
bandana over his face, gloves, and a trench coat, speaking to the teller in a
low voice, stating, “I’m sorry, but this is going to be a bad morning.”

Blink set a Ruger 9mm semi-automatic handgun on the counter,
pointing it at the teller.

Blink took $4,115 and fled in a pickup, northbound on Highway
65. Later that day, a Knoxville, Iowa, police officer pulled Blink over and
arrested him. Blink confessed to robbing the bank. Officers found the handgun
and clothing used in the rubbering in the truck.

Blink faces the possibility of 25 years in federal prison. A
sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence
investigation by the United States Probation Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725382483373.jpeg" alt="Princeton bank robbery/Photo courtesy of U.S. Attorney's Office" />
 <figcaption>Princeton bank robbery/Photo courtesy of U.S. Attorney's Office</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostA 67-year-old Iowa man has pleaded guilty in federal court to
robbing a Princeton bank at gunpoint in May of last year.Federal prosecutors report Phillip Michael Blink pleaded
guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to one count of armed
bank robbery and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of
violence.Blink admitted he walked into First Interstate Bank in
Princeton the morning of May 19th, 2023 wearing a cowboy hat, a red
bandana over his face, gloves, and a trench coat, speaking to the teller in a
low voice, stating, “I’m sorry, but this is going to be a bad morning.”Blink set a Ruger 9mm semi-automatic handgun on the counter,
pointing it at the teller.Blink took $4,115 and fled in a pickup, northbound on Highway
65. Later that day, a Knoxville, Iowa, police officer pulled Blink over and
arrested him. Blink confessed to robbing the bank. Officers found the handgun
and clothing used in the rubbering in the truck.Blink faces the possibility of 25 years in federal prison. A
sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence
investigation by the United States Probation Office.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Iowa man pleads guilty to robbing Princeton bank at gunpoint

A huge influx of money to make the Missouri River a more
reliable navigation channel has nearly been spent as the Army Corps of
Engineers completes repairs and upgrades.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725379345452.jpeg" alt="A barge on the Missouri River in St. Joseph/file photo" />
 <figcaption>A barge on the Missouri River in St. Joseph/file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostA huge influx of money to make the Missouri River a more
reliable navigation channel has nearly been spent as the Army Corps of
Engineers completes repairs and upgrades.Missouri River Program Manager, Clint Mason, says the Army Corps
of Engineers Kansas City office had never seen an allocation as large as the $340
million approved by Congress.“So our annual budget for operations and maintenance on the
river in Kansas City is about $10-11 million,” Mason tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
“And so, whenever we get an influx of $340+ million, it was definitely orders
of magnitude above what we will get on a normal year. And even more I think than
what we’ve seen after past floods and other major events when we’ve had damages.”The Kansas City office of the Corps of Engineers maintains the
Missouri River from Holt County to its mouth in St. Louis.Mason asserts a lack of maintenance along the Missouri River
led directly to damage in wake of the 2011 and 2019 floods. He says the money
will bring navigational structures back to their original strength.Mason points out the Corps’ Kansas City office receives its
annual maintenance budget for all the waterways under its management with only
a portion designated for the Missouri River.“But over time, it became evident that that wasn’t, it wasn’t
enough to keep all the structures to their full criteria,” according to Mason. “The
rock breaks down with freeze, thaw. High, full events will push the rock or
move it off of their structures, things like that. Over time, those rock
structures require continual upkeep and maintenance.”Upgrades along the Missouri River has made it a more reliable transportation
source, which has led to more barge traffic from Sioux City, Iowa to St. Louis.
Mason says the Corps expects even more barge traffic on the Missouri in the
future.“Right now, I think we’re seeing a resurgence of navigation
now that we’ve made the repairs over the last two years and I mentioned during
low water even the last couple of years the channel has remained open and
navigable the entire time,” Mason says.Mason says the Corps has observed more navigation this year.“I think that we’re seeing more navigation on the river than
we have in the last, certainly, five, 10 years.”There are 5,000 navigational structures on the lower Missouri
River.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

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