It could be crowded at the Buchanan County
Courthouse today.

Today marks the first day Buchanan County
senior citizens can file to have their property tax rates frozen.

The Buchanan County Commission
unanimously voted to participate in the freeze created by state law.

Western District Commissioner, Ron Hook,
says the legislature stumbled the first time it passed the law, but made
corrections in its second attempt.

“The idea’s great, but the design on how
to get to that point and who’s going to qualify and just so on and so forth.,” Hook
explains to host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. &nbsp;“It’s pretty generic now.”

Buchanan County residents who were at
least 62 on January first are eligible for the property tax freeze. Under the
program, senior citizens who own property in Buchanan County can apply to have
their property tax rates kept at the 2024 level as long as they own the
property.

Hook says the commission sought input
before devising the application process.

“Not only the commissioners being
involved in trying to do the matrix on getting this done, but we’ve had the
Auditor, we’ve had the Assessor, we’ve had the Collector, and we’ve had the
Recorder of Deeds all involved,” according to Hook.

Hook says a property owner only has to
apply once, but will likely have to notify the county each year that they
remain at that property.

“It’s going to be kind of like your
personal property where you have to justify that you still own that car and that
car’s still licensed to you, so on and so forth,” Hook says. “That process we’re
still working on and we’ve got about a year to do it.”

Hook expects a lot of senior citizens
will apply today at the courthouse. But he points out the application period
runs through June 30th.

The state law is officially called the Senior Citizen Property Tax Credit. Buchanan County homeowners who
are at least 62 will see the amount owed for most of the taxes on their primary
residence held stable at the 2024 amount. For citizens who do not yet qualify, the
amount owed will freeze in whatever year they do become eligible and apply.

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

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostIt could be crowded at the Buchanan County
Courthouse today.Today marks the first day Buchanan County
senior citizens can file to have their property tax rates frozen.The Buchanan County Commission
unanimously voted to participate in the freeze created by state law.Western District Commissioner, Ron Hook,
says the legislature stumbled the first time it passed the law, but made
corrections in its second attempt.“The idea’s great, but the design on how
to get to that point and who’s going to qualify and just so on and so forth.,” Hook
explains to host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. &nbsp;“It’s pretty generic now.”Buchanan County residents who were at
least 62 on January first are eligible for the property tax freeze. Under the
program, senior citizens who own property in Buchanan County can apply to have
their property tax rates kept at the 2024 level as long as they own the
property.Hook says the commission sought input
before devising the application process.“Not only the commissioners being
involved in trying to do the matrix on getting this done, but we’ve had the
Auditor, we’ve had the Assessor, we’ve had the Collector, and we’ve had the
Recorder of Deeds all involved,” according to Hook.Hook says a property owner only has to
apply once, but will likely have to notify the county each year that they
remain at that property.“It’s going to be kind of like your
personal property where you have to justify that you still own that car and that
car’s still licensed to you, so on and so forth,” Hook says. “That process we’re
still working on and we’ve got about a year to do it.”Hook expects a lot of senior citizens
will apply today at the courthouse. But he points out the application period
runs through June 30th.The state law is officially called the Senior Citizen Property Tax Credit. Buchanan County homeowners who
are at least 62 will see the amount owed for most of the taxes on their primary
residence held stable at the 2024 amount. For citizens who do not yet qualify, the
amount owed will freeze in whatever year they do become eligible and apply.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Buchanan CO senior citizens can begin applying for property tax freeze

Facing thousands of lawsuits and seeking protection from lawmakers, Bayer is using ads, lobbying and third-party mouthpieces to sway opinion in its favor

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

German chemical giant Bayer is improperly using a court order to hide details of a “propaganda” campaign targeting Missouri lawmakers and potential jurors, an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Plaintiffs%20Emergency%20Motion%20to%20De-Designate%20Forty-Six%20Documents%20Marked%20Confidential.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3493767" target="_blank">emergency motion</a>&nbsp;to lift the confidentiality cloak claims.

At a hearing on Thursday in Cole County Circuit Court, attorney Matt Clement will argue that 46 “public relations” documents designated as confidential by Bayer’s attorneys contain no proprietary information.&nbsp;

Instead, Clement wrote in the motion filed last week, the records — included among 20,000 delivered under discovery — detail the methods Bayer has used to influence opinion, including radio, television and print ads.

Bayer acquired Roundup — and the liability that may accrue in lawsuits over its health effects — when it took over St. Louis-based Monsanto in 2018. There are approximately 25,000 lawsuits pending in Cole County alleging that Roundup causes cancer and the label failed to warn consumers of the risk.

“Cole County has been especially inundated with Monsanto’s propaganda,” Clement wrote in the motion seeking to unseal the records. “Legion are its billboards, radio and television ads, social media pop ups and other communications seeking to convince both the jury pool and the legislature that the lawsuits involving Roundup are somehow illegitimate and that Bayer/Monsanto needs legislative protection.”

Clement represents Ronald Jackelen of Somerset, Wisconsin, in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/cases/newHeader.do?inputVO.caseNumber=22AC-CC00964&amp;inputVO.courtId=SMPDB0004_CT19&amp;inputVO.isTicket=false#header" target="_blank">case filed in Cole County</a>&nbsp;in 2022. Jackelen has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma he blames on Roundup and its main ingredient, glyphosate.

Clement declined to comment on the filing.

Legislation that&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB544&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">passed the Missouri House</a>&nbsp;last month to protect Bayer would make the label mandated by the EPA for all chemicals classified as pesticides — weed killers, bug killers and fertilizers — “sufficient to satisfy any requirement for a warning label regarding cancer.”&nbsp;

The bill is awaiting assignment to a state Senate committee.

Several lawsuits are scheduled for trial this year. Bayer has already been through a 2023 trial where a Cole County jury&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Gunther%20Judgment.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=2991162" target="_blank">awarded three plaintiffs $1.56 billion</a>, including $1.5 billion in punitive damages. The verdict was reduced to $622 million and is under appeal, with arguments&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/cases/newHeader.do?inputVO.caseNumber=WD87059&amp;inputVO.courtId=SMPDB0001_WAP#header" target="_blank">scheduled for April 10</a>&nbsp;in Kirksville.

Two organizations are making direct public appeals seeking support for legislation protecting glyphosate.&nbsp;

One set of messages, running on Jefferson City-area radio stations, is from an organization called the Modern Ag Alliance. The ads present glyphosate as a benign, beneficial chemical essential to modern agriculture.&nbsp;

The other, from the Protect America Initiative, includes television ads in central Missouri and a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/25/political-attacks-stiffen-opposition-to-missouri-bill-to-protect-pesticide-makers/">direct mail campaign</a>&nbsp;accusing nine Republican state senators of betraying President Donald Trump’s agenda by allowing “Chinese Communist Party chemicals” to take over the market.

The Modern Ag Alliance has spent almost $100,000 on its ad campaign since mid-November, Federal Communications Commission records show. The ads are designed to educate the public, not influence potential jurors, said Jess Christiansen, spokeswoman for Bayer Crop Science at its U.S. headquarters in St. Louis County.

“That’s not the business we’re in,” Christiansen said. “Those campaigns are nothing more than that, just to educate and inform.”

Bayer doesn’t hide that it is part of the Modern Ag Alliance, which Christiansen said has about 90 other partners.&nbsp;

The Protect America Initiative has spent almost $175,000 since late January — including a $75,000 ad during the Super Bowl — in addition to the direct mail effort.

If they were intended to boost support for the legislation, the ads and mailers have backfired, with the nine senators holding a joint news conference last week denouncing the attacks. They said they were convinced Bayer was responsible and would ask the Missouri Ethics Commission to investigate.

“It’s dark money, through and through,” said state Sen. Nick Schroer, a Republican from Defiance.

Bayer has no connection with the politically charged ads, Christiansen said.

“There’s lots of misinformation swirling around,” she said. “We are willing to sit with whomever it is. I don’t care if it’s a Republican, a Democrat, a libertarian, a Freedom Caucus member. We need to work together.”

In the motion to be argued Thursday, Clement wrote that the documents that should be unsealed detail how Bayer crafted its messaging, who it has enlisted to deliver it from a seemingly neutral position and how much it has paid for advertising and lobbying.

“Monsanto’s motivation for its abuse of the protective order to blanket-designate these documents as ‘confidential’ is clear — to hide Monsanto’s ongoing attempts to improperly influence the public, as well as its legislative efforts concerning the safety of glyphosate, such that it can continue to sell and profit from the product without a warning,” Clement wrote.

Bayer is the only U.S. manufacturer of glyphosate, with a production facility in Luling, Louisiana, that is the world’s largest single producer. Other production facilities are in Idaho and Iowa. China is the world’s other main supplier of glyphosate. China and India are major world suppliers of a variety of farm chemicals.

Along with the U.S. corporate headquarters, Bayer has its research and development facilities in St. Louis County. Its total Missouri employment is about 5,000, Christiansen said.

Along with Missouri, legislation to designate the EPA label as the only label needed on Roundup and other regulated farm chemicals is being pushed in Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa,&nbsp;

Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming, Christiansen said.

“The purpose of the legislation is to really protect access to critical crop protection tools that farmers need to safely, effectively and affordably produce the food we all need,” Christiansen said.

Winning passage of the legislation in Missouri is especially important because most state-level cases are filed here because it is the national home of Bayer. When a Missouri-based corporation is sued by someone for injuries that occurred outside the state, the case must be filed in the court covering the location&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=508.010&amp;bid=47727&amp;hl=" target="_blank">of the company’s registered agent</a>.&nbsp;

Bayer’s registered agent was in St. Louis County, and thousands of cases were filed there before the company shifted its agent to Jefferson City in October 2021. Last year, following the massive jury award in Cole County, the registered agent was moved again, back to St. Louis County.

Thousands of new cases have been filed in St. Louis County since the shift. There are also a multitude of federal lawsuits pending in the&nbsp;<a href="https://cand.uscourts.gov/judges/chhabria-vince-vc/in-re-roundup-products-liability-litigation-mdl-no-2741/" target="_blank">U.S. District Court for Northern California</a>.&nbsp;

Bayer has set aside about $16 billion to deal with Roundup lawsuits, including more than $10 billion it has already paid out in settlements, Christiansen said.

“This failure to warn claim just is not valid, because, No. 1, glyphosate doesn’t cause cancer,” Christiansen said. “And No. 2, we’re labeling according to how we’re legally required to label.”

Glyphosate is listed as a probable cause of cancer by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.iarc.who.int/" target="_blank">International Agency on Research of Cancer</a>, a part of the World Health Organization.

“There is limited evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of glyphosate,” stated a&nbsp;<a href="https://publications.iarc.fr/Book-And-Report-Series/Iarc-Monographs-On-The-Identification-Of-Carcinogenic-Hazards-To-Humans/Some-Organophosphate-Insecticides-And-Herbicides-2017" target="_blank">2016 report</a>&nbsp;evaluating research worldwide. “A positive association has been observed for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”

There are four categories of public relations documents Clement is asking Circuit Judge Daniel Green to unseal. They are records showing correspondence with journalists or third parties, with talking points for use in public interviews; plans for advertising and media buys; lobbying strategies; and how it enlists third parties to deliver messages the public would mistrust if it came from Bayer.

“These documents are important to this litigation because they demonstrate Monsanto’s efforts to manipulate and mislead the public,” Clement wrote.

In the filing, Clement noted that in a pretrial order for a California case, denying Monsanto’s motion for summary judgment, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria focused on the company’s efforts&nbsp;<a href="https://cand.uscourts.gov/filelibrary/3626/PTO_101.pdf" target="_blank">to sway the public</a>&nbsp;as it contested the allegations that Roundup causes cancer.

“Although the evidence that Roundup causes cancer is quite equivocal,” Chhabria wrote, “there is strong evidence from which a jury could conclude that Monsanto does not particularly care whether its product is in fact giving people cancer, focusing instead on manipulating public opinion and undermining anyone who raises genuine and legitimate concerns about the issue.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593022262288.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Facing thousands of lawsuits and seeking protection from lawmakers, Bayer is using ads, lobbying and third-party mouthpieces to sway opinion in its favor</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>German chemical giant Bayer is improperly using a court order to hide details of a “propaganda” campaign targeting Missouri lawmakers and potential jurors, an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Plaintiffs%20Emergency%20Motion%20to%20De-Designate%20Forty-Six%20Documents%20Marked%20Confidential.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3493767" target="_blank">emergency motion</a>&nbsp;to lift the confidentiality cloak claims.At a hearing on Thursday in Cole County Circuit Court, attorney Matt Clement will argue that 46 “public relations” documents designated as confidential by Bayer’s attorneys contain no proprietary information.&nbsp;Instead, Clement wrote in the motion filed last week, the records — included among 20,000 delivered under discovery — detail the methods Bayer has used to influence opinion, including radio, television and print ads.Bayer acquired Roundup — and the liability that may accrue in lawsuits over its health effects — when it took over St. Louis-based Monsanto in 2018. There are approximately 25,000 lawsuits pending in Cole County alleging that Roundup causes cancer and the label failed to warn consumers of the risk.“Cole County has been especially inundated with Monsanto’s propaganda,” Clement wrote in the motion seeking to unseal the records. “Legion are its billboards, radio and television ads, social media pop ups and other communications seeking to convince both the jury pool and the legislature that the lawsuits involving Roundup are somehow illegitimate and that Bayer/Monsanto needs legislative protection.”Clement represents Ronald Jackelen of Somerset, Wisconsin, in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/cases/newHeader.do?inputVO.caseNumber=22AC-CC00964&amp;inputVO.courtId=SMPDB0004_CT19&amp;inputVO.isTicket=false#header" target="_blank">case filed in Cole County</a>&nbsp;in 2022. Jackelen has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma he blames on Roundup and its main ingredient, glyphosate.Clement declined to comment on the filing.Legislation that&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB544&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">passed the Missouri House</a>&nbsp;last month to protect Bayer would make the label mandated by the EPA for all chemicals classified as pesticides — weed killers, bug killers and fertilizers — “sufficient to satisfy any requirement for a warning label regarding cancer.”&nbsp;The bill is awaiting assignment to a state Senate committee.Several lawsuits are scheduled for trial this year. Bayer has already been through a 2023 trial where a Cole County jury&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Gunther%20Judgment.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=2991162" target="_blank">awarded three plaintiffs $1.56 billion</a>, including $1.5 billion in punitive damages. The verdict was reduced to $622 million and is under appeal, with arguments&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/cases/newHeader.do?inputVO.caseNumber=WD87059&amp;inputVO.courtId=SMPDB0001_WAP#header" target="_blank">scheduled for April 10</a>&nbsp;in Kirksville.Two organizations are making direct public appeals seeking support for legislation protecting glyphosate.&nbsp;One set of messages, running on Jefferson City-area radio stations, is from an organization called the Modern Ag Alliance. The ads present glyphosate as a benign, beneficial chemical essential to modern agriculture.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741010314879.png" alt="State Sen. Brad Hudson of Cape Fair speaks at a news conference Feb. 25 about flyers sent to his constituents attacking his opposition to a bill limiting lawsuits against Bayer over its herbicide Roundup. Joining Hudson, from left, are Sens. Nick Schroer of Defiance, Ben Brown of Washington, Joe Nicola of Independence, Mike Moon of Ash Grove, Rick Brattin of Harrisonville, Adam Schnelting of St. Charles, Jill Carter of Joplin and David Gregory of Chesterfield (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Brad Hudson of Cape Fair speaks at a news conference Feb. 25 about flyers sent to his constituents attacking his opposition to a bill limiting lawsuits against Bayer over its herbicide Roundup. Joining Hudson, from left, are Sens. Nick Schroer of Defiance, Ben Brown of Washington, Joe Nicola of Independence, Mike Moon of Ash Grove, Rick Brattin of Harrisonville, Adam Schnelting of St. Charles, Jill Carter of Joplin and David Gregory of Chesterfield (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>The other, from the Protect America Initiative, includes television ads in central Missouri and a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/25/political-attacks-stiffen-opposition-to-missouri-bill-to-protect-pesticide-makers/">direct mail campaign</a>&nbsp;accusing nine Republican state senators of betraying President Donald Trump’s agenda by allowing “Chinese Communist Party chemicals” to take over the market.The Modern Ag Alliance has spent almost $100,000 on its ad campaign since mid-November, Federal Communications Commission records show. The ads are designed to educate the public, not influence potential jurors, said Jess Christiansen, spokeswoman for Bayer Crop Science at its U.S. headquarters in St. Louis County.“That’s not the business we’re in,” Christiansen said. “Those campaigns are nothing more than that, just to educate and inform.”Bayer doesn’t hide that it is part of the Modern Ag Alliance, which Christiansen said has about 90 other partners.&nbsp;The Protect America Initiative has spent almost $175,000 since late January — including a $75,000 ad during the Super Bowl — in addition to the direct mail effort.If they were intended to boost support for the legislation, the ads and mailers have backfired, with the nine senators holding a joint news conference last week denouncing the attacks. They said they were convinced Bayer was responsible and would ask the Missouri Ethics Commission to investigate.“It’s dark money, through and through,” said state Sen. Nick Schroer, a Republican from Defiance.Bayer has no connection with the politically charged ads, Christiansen said.“There’s lots of misinformation swirling around,” she said. “We are willing to sit with whomever it is. I don’t care if it’s a Republican, a Democrat, a libertarian, a Freedom Caucus member. We need to work together.”In the motion to be argued Thursday, Clement wrote that the documents that should be unsealed detail how Bayer crafted its messaging, who it has enlisted to deliver it from a seemingly neutral position and how much it has paid for advertising and lobbying.“Monsanto’s motivation for its abuse of the protective order to blanket-designate these documents as ‘confidential’ is clear — to hide Monsanto’s ongoing attempts to improperly influence the public, as well as its legislative efforts concerning the safety of glyphosate, such that it can continue to sell and profit from the product without a warning,” Clement wrote.Bayer is the only U.S. manufacturer of glyphosate, with a production facility in Luling, Louisiana, that is the world’s largest single producer. Other production facilities are in Idaho and Iowa. China is the world’s other main supplier of glyphosate. China and India are major world suppliers of a variety of farm chemicals.Along with the U.S. corporate headquarters, Bayer has its research and development facilities in St. Louis County. Its total Missouri employment is about 5,000, Christiansen said.Along with Missouri, legislation to designate the EPA label as the only label needed on Roundup and other regulated farm chemicals is being pushed in Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa,&nbsp;Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming, Christiansen said.“The purpose of the legislation is to really protect access to critical crop protection tools that farmers need to safely, effectively and affordably produce the food we all need,” Christiansen said.Winning passage of the legislation in Missouri is especially important because most state-level cases are filed here because it is the national home of Bayer. When a Missouri-based corporation is sued by someone for injuries that occurred outside the state, the case must be filed in the court covering the location&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=508.010&amp;bid=47727&amp;hl=" target="_blank">of the company’s registered agent</a>.&nbsp;Bayer’s registered agent was in St. Louis County, and thousands of cases were filed there before the company shifted its agent to Jefferson City in October 2021. Last year, following the massive jury award in Cole County, the registered agent was moved again, back to St. Louis County.Thousands of new cases have been filed in St. Louis County since the shift. There are also a multitude of federal lawsuits pending in the&nbsp;<a href="https://cand.uscourts.gov/judges/chhabria-vince-vc/in-re-roundup-products-liability-litigation-mdl-no-2741/" target="_blank">U.S. District Court for Northern California</a>.&nbsp;Bayer has set aside about $16 billion to deal with Roundup lawsuits, including more than $10 billion it has already paid out in settlements, Christiansen said.“This failure to warn claim just is not valid, because, No. 1, glyphosate doesn’t cause cancer,” Christiansen said. “And No. 2, we’re labeling according to how we’re legally required to label.”Glyphosate is listed as a probable cause of cancer by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.iarc.who.int/" target="_blank">International Agency on Research of Cancer</a>, a part of the World Health Organization.“There is limited evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of glyphosate,” stated a&nbsp;<a href="https://publications.iarc.fr/Book-And-Report-Series/Iarc-Monographs-On-The-Identification-Of-Carcinogenic-Hazards-To-Humans/Some-Organophosphate-Insecticides-And-Herbicides-2017" target="_blank">2016 report</a>&nbsp;evaluating research worldwide. “A positive association has been observed for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”There are four categories of public relations documents Clement is asking Circuit Judge Daniel Green to unseal. They are records showing correspondence with journalists or third parties, with talking points for use in public interviews; plans for advertising and media buys; lobbying strategies; and how it enlists third parties to deliver messages the public would mistrust if it came from Bayer.“These documents are important to this litigation because they demonstrate Monsanto’s efforts to manipulate and mislead the public,” Clement wrote.In the filing, Clement noted that in a pretrial order for a California case, denying Monsanto’s motion for summary judgment, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria focused on the company’s efforts&nbsp;<a href="https://cand.uscourts.gov/filelibrary/3626/PTO_101.pdf" target="_blank">to sway the public</a>&nbsp;as it contested the allegations that Roundup causes cancer.“Although the evidence that Roundup causes cancer is quite equivocal,” Chhabria wrote, “there is strong evidence from which a jury could conclude that Monsanto does not particularly care whether its product is in fact giving people cancer, focusing instead on manipulating public opinion and undermining anyone who raises genuine and legitimate concerns about the issue.”

Lawyer demands records of Bayer’s Roundup ‘propaganda’ campaign in Missouri

The East Buchanan Bulldog boy's basketball team overcame being down by as many as 14 points to defeat the Mid-Buchanan Dragons 73-66 in the Class 3 District 15 championship game, winning their second straight district title.  

East Buchanan opened the scoring in the first quarter, a three pointer by Seth Spencer, but after that it was all Mid-Buchanan with the Dragons going on a 12-0 run until Bulldogs head coach Michael Carpenter called a timeout.  The timeout allowed the right time to adjust and for East Buchanan to start clawing back, ending the first quarter trailing 23-18.  

Both teams continued going back and forth in the second quarter, a strong and physical effort by the Dragons forcing the Bulldogs into several turnovers, and Mid-Buchanan held their lead at halftime 41-31.

Things continued to go bad for East Buchanan to start the second half, falling behind by 14 points at one point to Mid-Buchanan.  But the Bulldogs did not stop fighting, as senior Isaiah Watkins turned a switch and took the game into his own hands, helping to pull East Buchanan back to within five at 54-49.  

Watkins hot hand continued into the final quarter, scoring the first five points to tie the game up, before East Buchanan took their first lead since the start of the game, leading 61-58 with just under five minutes remaining and forcing Dragons head coach Bryce Kemper to call a timeout.  

The Bulldogs and Dragons exchanged the lead a couple more times before East Buchanan pulled away for good and earned the win.

"I don't even know, I've been telling our assistant coaches I'm not sure how we came back and got that," Carpenter told reporters following the game.  "I know Isaiah got hot and then we kind of cut it back and our boys did an awesome job of fighting, I couldn't be more proud of them." 

"There's been a lot of times we're playing MId-Buchanan and we get down and they just keep us there, but to show that fight and do that I couldn't be more proud, that was a crazy game." 

Watkins led East Buchanan with 21 points.  Clark Scott scored 17 and Spencer added 12.  For Mid-Buchanan Chris Kowalewcyz led with 17. 

It will be a short turnaround for East Buchanan as they play Lexington on Monday in Gower for sectionals.  Tipping off at 6:30pm. 

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1740810199472.jpeg" alt="East Buchanan's boys brought home their second straight division title, beating Mid-Buchanan 73-66/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>East Buchanan's boys brought home their second straight division title, beating Mid-Buchanan 73-66/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe East Buchanan Bulldog boy's basketball team overcame being down by as many as 14 points to defeat the Mid-Buchanan Dragons 73-66 in the Class 3 District 15 championship game, winning their second straight district title. East Buchanan opened the scoring in the first quarter, a three pointer by Seth Spencer, but after that it was all Mid-Buchanan with the Dragons going on a 12-0 run until Bulldogs head coach Michael Carpenter called a timeout. The timeout allowed the right time to adjust and for East Buchanan to start clawing back, ending the first quarter trailing 23-18. Both teams continued going back and forth in the second quarter, a strong and physical effort by the Dragons forcing the Bulldogs into several turnovers, and Mid-Buchanan held their lead at halftime 41-31.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1740810245174.jpeg" alt="Mid Buchanan's Chris Kowalewycz (0) goes up for a shot/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>Mid Buchanan's Chris Kowalewycz (0) goes up for a shot/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure>Things continued to go bad for East Buchanan to start the second half, falling behind by 14 points at one point to Mid-Buchanan. But the Bulldogs did not stop fighting, as senior Isaiah Watkins turned a switch and took the game into his own hands, helping to pull East Buchanan back to within five at 54-49. Watkins hot hand continued into the final quarter, scoring the first five points to tie the game up, before East Buchanan took their first lead since the start of the game, leading 61-58 with just under five minutes remaining and forcing Dragons head coach Bryce Kemper to call a timeout. The Bulldogs and Dragons exchanged the lead a couple more times before East Buchanan pulled away for good and earned the win.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1740810400507.jpeg" alt="Isaiah Watkins/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>Isaiah Watkins/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure>"I don't even know, I've been telling our assistant coaches I'm not sure how we came back and got that," Carpenter told reporters following the game. "I know Isaiah got hot and then we kind of cut it back and our boys did an awesome job of fighting, I couldn't be more proud of them." "There's been a lot of times we're playing MId-Buchanan and we get down and they just keep us there, but to show that fight and do that I couldn't be more proud, that was a crazy game." Watkins led East Buchanan with 21 points. Clark Scott scored 17 and Spencer added 12. For Mid-Buchanan Chris Kowalewcyz led with 17. It will be a short turnaround for East Buchanan as they play Lexington on Monday in Gower for sectionals. Tipping off at 6:30pm. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1740810465971.jpeg" alt="Carder Campbell (3) goes for three as East Buchanan's Dylan Davidson defends/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>Carder Campbell (3) goes for three as East Buchanan's Dylan Davidson defends/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1740810483299.jpeg" alt="Kolten Woodside (11) defends against Ian Wegenga (5)/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>Kolten Woodside (11) defends against Ian Wegenga (5)/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1740810500954.jpeg" alt="Seth Spencer/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>Seth Spencer/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure>You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

East Buchanan takes down rival Mid-Buchanan 73-66 for Class 3 District 15 title

LIVINGSTON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a shooting that sent a teen to the hospital.

In the early morning hours Sunday, police initiated an investigation following a shooting incident that led to one victim being hospitalized, according to a media release from the Chillicothe Police Department.

Just after 2a.m. officers were alerted to an 18-year-old gunshot victim who had been transported to Hedrick Medical Center for treatment of his injuries.

Criminal charges against the hospitalized individual are pending and will be filed at a later date. A male acquaintance of the victim was taken from the hospital to the Chillicothe Police Department, where he was subsequently taken into custody.

During the course of the investigation, Chillicothe Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop that led to the discovery of evidence related to the shooting. The vehicle's driver and her child were transported to the Chillicothe Police Department, where the child was later released to a family member. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to assist, including Chillicothe Police Department, Livingston County Sheriff's Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol

Following the initial investigation, officers executed a search warrant in the 400 block Walnut Street in Chillicothe. As a result of the investigation, one adult female and one adult male have been transported to Caldwell County Detention Center and placed on a 24-hour-hold pending the following requested charges Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Tampering with Physical Evidence and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

A vehicle believed to be connected to the incident has been secured as evidence and is being processed by law enforcement officials.

LIVINGSTON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a shooting that sent a teen to the hospital.In the early morning hours Sunday, police initiated an investigation following a shooting incident that led to one victim being hospitalized, according to a media release from the Chillicothe Police Department.Just after 2a.m. officers were alerted to an 18-year-old gunshot victim who had been transported to Hedrick Medical Center for treatment of his injuries.Criminal charges against the hospitalized individual are pending and will be filed at a later date. A male acquaintance of the victim was taken from the hospital to the Chillicothe Police Department, where he was subsequently taken into custody.During the course of the investigation, Chillicothe Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop that led to the discovery of evidence related to the shooting. The vehicle's driver and her child were transported to the Chillicothe Police Department, where the child was later released to a family member. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to assist, including Chillicothe Police Department, Livingston County Sheriff's Office and the Missouri State Highway PatrolFollowing the initial investigation, officers executed a search warrant in the 400 block Walnut Street in Chillicothe. As a result of the investigation, one adult female and one adult male have been transported to Caldwell County Detention Center and placed on a 24-hour-hold pending the following requested charges Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Tampering with Physical Evidence and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.A vehicle believed to be connected to the incident has been secured as evidence and is being processed by law enforcement officials.

Multiple arrests after 18-year-old shot in Chillicothe

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

The most extensive database on Vietnam War causalities was the passion of a man from Hays.

The late Richard Coffelt, a longtime Hays attorney, spent years and his own money researching and amassing the <a href="https://www.coffeltdatabase.org/">Coffelt Database</a>, which is now available for free through the National Archives.

Although others contributed to the database and Coffelt wanted the record source named something more accessible, the database was named in honor of him.

Jo Ann Jennings, Coffelt's wife, recounted information about the database during a lecture at the Hays VFW on Feb. 16.

Coffelt was a U.S. Army veteran who served during the Korean War. He had no connection with the Vietnam War.

However, in 1980, he became acquainted with the mother of&nbsp;Gary Lee Binder of Hays. Gary Binder, who served with the Navy, was killed in action in 1967 in Vietnam, and Coffelt wanted to learn more about the circumstances of Binder's death.

Jennings explained this was before the rise of personal computing and Google, which meant hours spent at libraries, especially the&nbsp;Presidential Library of Lyndon Baines Johnson in Austin, Texas. She said she spent many vacations accompanying Richard on research trips, sometimes at his side in study rooms.

Johnson sent a letter of condolence to every family of a service member killed in Vietnam during his administration. Those letters included the unit numbers of the service members, which made them valuable in Coffelt's research.

Jennings said Richard spent countless hours taking notes on yellow legal pads.

Coffelt saw the need to connect soldiers with other soldiers. The men who served wanted to know what had happened to their buddies.

Jennings said Coffelt was interested in working on the research because the federal government didn't keep track of the units the men who were killed in action were from.

He said having a unit designation was the most important thing to know if you wanted to know what happened to your friend.

“I felt that if I just looked long enough, hard enough, I would hit the mother lode,” Coffelt was quoted as saying in a story published in the February 2012 edition of the VVA Veteran magazine. 

“I still felt that there had to be some government source that would have all this information. It became kind of a game to try and locate the information in some government repository somewhere.”

In 1993-94, after PCs had become commonplace, Tom Holloway (Emory University, Atlanta) changed the landscape by obtaining the Department of Defense's casualty database and the Army Adjutant General's database in digital form, according to the database's website.

"Using the university's mainframe computers to read the reel-to-reel computer tapes,&nbsp;Holloway integrated the two databases and converted the information into a commonly used small-computer format. The "Holloway Database" effectively became the public's sole source of information regarding all American Vietnam dead," the database website said.

The database website said that in the late 1990s, others joined Coffelt's effort, contributing information and collating the collected material into digital form using the Holloway database as a baseline, the database said.

"The additional resources allowed the project's scope to expand to include units of assignment information for all service branches," according to the database's website. "In 2002, an early version of the Coffelt Database was deeded to the National Archives, which made it available online as a searchable database," the database said.

Jennings said Coffelt amassed a library that filled a room floor to ceiling with more than 300 books on Vietnam. She said her husband had read every book.

She said her husband had an almost photographic memory of the information. She recalled a person from Australia writing Coffelt, asking him if he might know what happened to his uncle.&nbsp;

Without the need to look at any source, Coffelt was able to write him a page of the entire account of the battle in which the man's uncle was killed and what happened in that battle.

"He had super-detailed information just from his remembrance," Jennings said.

A Vietnam veteran who worked on the database with Coffelt spoke at his funeral and said, "Richard knew more about what happened in Vietnam than any soldier that was there, and he wasn't there."

Today, the database contains more than 60,000 names and more than 1 million pieces of information. Gary L. Noller, Co. B, 1/46th Infantry, Vietnam 1970-71, called the database a gift to and for Vietnam veterans and their families.

He said in a letter on the database, often, the child or grandchild of a Vietnam casualty wishes to contact a veteran who served with their deceased family member.

Prior to the Coffelt Database, a search of this kind was often overwhelming. The official record listed casualties by unit at the division or brigade level,&nbsp;Noller said in his letter.

Coffelt's research expanded the casualty database to list the company and battalion-level casualties, Noller said.

"This effectively reduced the search for a veteran from a magnitude of 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 100. It can be said that the Coffelt Database made the search at least 100 times easier to conduct,"&nbsp;Noller said.

Vietnam veteran Dick Arnold worked on the database with Coffelt.&nbsp;

In a 2011 letter published on the database's website, he said, "I consider my participation in the creation and continued improvement of The Coffelt Database to be one of the proudest parts of my life. I also consider it a singular honor to have known and worked with Richard these last few years. All of us Vietnam veterans owe him a huge debt ..."

Although Coffelt and the others who contributed to the database were offered money to privatize the data, Coffelt and his fellow researchers insisted the database remain a free, open-source of information, Jennings said.

By 2009, Coffelt developed Lewy body dementia. He died on Jan. 25, 2012.

Hays VVA Chapter 939&nbsp;dedicated a plaque at the Hays Regional Airport to honor Coffelt's work in creating the database.

Not only is the Coffelt database still available and in use today. But a story on the database sparked an unlikely friendship between Jennings and a WWII veteran who read a story on the database in a veterans magazine.

Frank Malizia, who was 92 at the time, read that story and recognized Hays as a familiar place. He had been stationed in Great Bend during the war and was familiar with Hays and Ellis County. This led him to contact Jennings.

Read more on Malizia and Jennings' long friendship and correspondents at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/74f5a4c8-b37b-458a-b1a8-ddb7a744b869">NWester: WWII soldier laid to rest next to 'love of his life' in Antonino</a>.

You can access the Coffelt Database online for free. <a href="https://www.coffeltdatabase.org/">Click here for a link</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740765066874.png" alt="Richard Coffelt Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Richard Coffelt Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post The most extensive database on Vietnam War causalities was the passion of a man from Hays.The late Richard Coffelt, a longtime Hays attorney, spent years and his own money researching and amassing the <a href="https://www.coffeltdatabase.org/">Coffelt Database</a>, which is now available for free through the National Archives.Although others contributed to the database and Coffelt wanted the record source named something more accessible, the database was named in honor of him.Jo Ann Jennings, Coffelt's wife, recounted information about the database during a lecture at the Hays VFW on Feb. 16.Coffelt was a U.S. Army veteran who served during the Korean War. He had no connection with the Vietnam War.However, in 1980, he became acquainted with the mother of&nbsp;Gary Lee Binder of Hays. Gary Binder, who served with the Navy, was killed in action in 1967 in Vietnam, and Coffelt wanted to learn more about the circumstances of Binder's death.Jennings explained this was before the rise of personal computing and Google, which meant hours spent at libraries, especially the&nbsp;Presidential Library of Lyndon Baines Johnson in Austin, Texas. She said she spent many vacations accompanying Richard on research trips, sometimes at his side in study rooms.Johnson sent a letter of condolence to every family of a service member killed in Vietnam during his administration. Those letters included the unit numbers of the service members, which made them valuable in Coffelt's research.Jennings said Richard spent countless hours taking notes on yellow legal pads.Coffelt saw the need to connect soldiers with other soldiers. The men who served wanted to know what had happened to their buddies.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740519068072.png" alt="Richard Coffelt when he was in the service. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Richard Coffelt when he was in the service. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Jennings said Coffelt was interested in working on the research because the federal government didn't keep track of the units the men who were killed in action were from.He said having a unit designation was the most important thing to know if you wanted to know what happened to your friend.“I felt that if I just looked long enough, hard enough, I would hit the mother lode,” Coffelt was quoted as saying in a story published in the February 2012 edition of the VVA Veteran magazine. “I still felt that there had to be some government source that would have all this information. It became kind of a game to try and locate the information in some government repository somewhere.”In 1993-94, after PCs had become commonplace, Tom Holloway (Emory University, Atlanta) changed the landscape by obtaining the Department of Defense's casualty database and the Army Adjutant General's database in digital form, according to the database's website."Using the university's mainframe computers to read the reel-to-reel computer tapes,&nbsp;Holloway integrated the two databases and converted the information into a commonly used small-computer format. The "Holloway Database" effectively became the public's sole source of information regarding all American Vietnam dead," the database website said.The database website said that in the late 1990s, others joined Coffelt's effort, contributing information and collating the collected material into digital form using the Holloway database as a baseline, the database said."The additional resources allowed the project's scope to expand to include units of assignment information for all service branches," according to the database's website. "In 2002, an early version of the Coffelt Database was deeded to the National Archives, which made it available online as a searchable database," the database said.Jennings said Coffelt amassed a library that filled a room floor to ceiling with more than 300 books on Vietnam. She said her husband had read every book.She said her husband had an almost photographic memory of the information. She recalled a person from Australia writing Coffelt, asking him if he might know what happened to his uncle.&nbsp;Without the need to look at any source, Coffelt was able to write him a page of the entire account of the battle in which the man's uncle was killed and what happened in that battle."He had super-detailed information just from his remembrance," Jennings said.A Vietnam veteran who worked on the database with Coffelt spoke at his funeral and said, "Richard knew more about what happened in Vietnam than any soldier that was there, and he wasn't there."Today, the database contains more than 60,000 names and more than 1 million pieces of information. Gary L. Noller, Co. B, 1/46th Infantry, Vietnam 1970-71, called the database a gift to and for Vietnam veterans and their families.He said in a letter on the database, often, the child or grandchild of a Vietnam casualty wishes to contact a veteran who served with their deceased family member.Prior to the Coffelt Database, a search of this kind was often overwhelming. The official record listed casualties by unit at the division or brigade level,&nbsp;Noller said in his letter.Coffelt's research expanded the casualty database to list the company and battalion-level casualties, Noller said."This effectively reduced the search for a veteran from a magnitude of 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 100. It can be said that the Coffelt Database made the search at least 100 times easier to conduct,"&nbsp;Noller said.Vietnam veteran Dick Arnold worked on the database with Coffelt.&nbsp;In a 2011 letter published on the database's website, he said, "I consider my participation in the creation and continued improvement of The Coffelt Database to be one of the proudest parts of my life. I also consider it a singular honor to have known and worked with Richard these last few years. All of us Vietnam veterans owe him a huge debt ..."Although Coffelt and the others who contributed to the database were offered money to privatize the data, Coffelt and his fellow researchers insisted the database remain a free, open-source of information, Jennings said.By 2009, Coffelt developed Lewy body dementia. He died on Jan. 25, 2012.Hays VVA Chapter 939&nbsp;dedicated a plaque at the Hays Regional Airport to honor Coffelt's work in creating the database.Not only is the Coffelt database still available and in use today. But a story on the database sparked an unlikely friendship between Jennings and a WWII veteran who read a story on the database in a veterans magazine.Frank Malizia, who was 92 at the time, read that story and recognized Hays as a familiar place. He had been stationed in Great Bend during the war and was familiar with Hays and Ellis County. This led him to contact Jennings.Read more on Malizia and Jennings' long friendship and correspondents at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/74f5a4c8-b37b-458a-b1a8-ddb7a744b869">NWester: WWII soldier laid to rest next to 'love of his life' in Antonino</a>.You can access the Coffelt Database online for free. <a href="https://www.coffeltdatabase.org/">Click here for a link</a>.

Coffelt Database on Americans killed in Vietnam was passion of Kan. attorney

The sponsor says ending the tax is a matter of fairness, while cities point to lost revenue needed for police and other services

A little-known quirk of Missouri’s sales tax law means that retailers charge a higher rate for a hot dog purchased off a roller&nbsp;<a href="https://dor.mo.gov/taxation/business/tax-types/sales-use/reduction-on-food.html" target="_blank">than for a cold sandwich</a>.

Both are meant for immediate consumption. But the cold sandwich can be purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, better known as food stamps, while the hot dog can’t.&nbsp;

On Wednesday, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=434" target="_blank">bill to exempt eligible food</a>&nbsp;from all sales tax drew bipartisan praise for the sponsor and warnings from local officials that it would gut their budgets, forcing cuts in police patrols and other services.

State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, a Republican from Arnold, has been pushing the bill for several years. During a hearing before the Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee, Coleman acknowledged that opposition.

“You’re going to hear from a number of people behind me who think this is a terrible idea,” Coleman said. “I hold a lot of minority views, so that doesn’t bother me too much. I’m hopeful I can convince you all that it’s the right thing to do.”

Eliminating the sales tax on food will provide immediate, visible relief for people, said state Sen. Barbara Washington, a Democrat from Kansas City.

“I love this bill, I really appreciate it,” Washington said. “And I want to just say thank you for that. In my district, where I have a lot of low income people, that will really help them with getting their food.”

Missouri is one of 12 states that have a state sales tax on food purchases, and of the states that do not, six allow local sales taxes that cover food sold in grocery stores.

Food accounts for about 20% of the goods subject to sales tax. The remaining state sales tax on food has three components — 1% dedicated to public schools, 0.125% for the Department of Conservation and 0.1% for state parks and soil conservation.

In some communities, where grocery stores are the major retailer, the share of sales tax revenue from food purchases can be even higher.

Natalie McNish, mayor of Marshfield in southwest Missouri, said her city of 8,000 people operates on a budget of $6.8 million. Food sales alone make up 28% of that revenue, she said.

“We do not agree that this is the best course of action, and we do believe that this would very negatively impact our operations,” McNish said. “We also are looking forward to being partners with the team and helping forge something that is better for everybody.”

Coleman’s bill would eliminate the state portion of the sales tax immediately and phase out local taxes over four years.

“If our local communities need to take a vote to the people to ask if they’d like to have an offset by adjusting the other sales tax rates,” Coleman said. “This would give them time to do so.”

According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://senate.mo.gov/FiscalNotes/2025-1/0134S.02I.ORG.pdf" target="_blank">fiscal note</a>&nbsp;prepared for Coleman’s bill, food sales in fiscal 2024 totaled $18.4 billion. Eliminating the tax would reduce funding for schools by $184 million, or about $250 per student in every district in the state.

City governments across the state would receive $417 million less in revenue, county receipts would be cut by $308 million and other political subdivisions, such as ambulance, fire and emergency services, would be cut by almost $77 million.

The revenue from food sales tax helps cities pay salaries for police and meet debt payments, said David Dimmit, mayor of Brentwood in St. Louis County.

“Every citizen is feeling the effect of inflation and the pain of purchasing goods and services at this time,” Dimmit said ”And your city governments are no different, but cutting the sales taxes on groceries would be the wrong way to address the issue. Instead, it would only lead to unacceptable and potentially dangerous cuts to services expected and deserved by local residents.”

State Sen. David Gregory, a Chesterfield Republican, said he wasn’t worried that local governments would have to pare back spending.

“I know with 100% certainty that there are ways to save money within government operations,” Gregory said.

A 1997 law exempted products that can be purchased with SNAP benefits from the state general revenue sales tax. But the law left in place the remainder of the state sales tax — 1.225% — and all local sales taxes — as much as 8% in some communities.

The 1997 law was passed at a time when the state treasury was collecting more than allowed under the tax limitation provisions of the state Constitution known as the Hancock Amendment. The exemption was not extended to other taxes because of the impact on schools and local budgets and the possibility the courts could order the state to replace the lost revenue.

Coleman’s bill is being considered in a year when lawmakers are also looking at ways to cut or eliminate the state income tax and replace the revenue with an expanded sales tax. As much as she likes the bill, Washington said during the hearing, she is worried about the state maintaining its revenue base.

“If we do this, and we eliminate the income tax, where will we fund the state?” Washington asked.

If the income tax plans move forward, Coleman replied, it will mean a close examination of every one of the dozens of sales tax exemptions.

“They’re going to have to be addressed as part of a cohesive plan,” Coleman said.

The food exemption makes sense under any system, she said.

“If we don’t get a grand solution on revamping how our tax base is working,” Coleman said, “I still think that this is the right solution to create this carve-out because our poorest citizens are having to pay regressive taxes.”

<h2>The sponsor says ending the tax is a matter of fairness, while cities point to lost revenue needed for police and other services</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>A little-known quirk of Missouri’s sales tax law means that retailers charge a higher rate for a hot dog purchased off a roller&nbsp;<a href="https://dor.mo.gov/taxation/business/tax-types/sales-use/reduction-on-food.html" target="_blank">than for a cold sandwich</a>.Both are meant for immediate consumption. But the cold sandwich can be purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, better known as food stamps, while the hot dog can’t.&nbsp;So the tax on the hot dog is 3% more.On Wednesday, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=434" target="_blank">bill to exempt eligible food</a>&nbsp;from all sales tax drew bipartisan praise for the sponsor and warnings from local officials that it would gut their budgets, forcing cuts in police patrols and other services.State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, a Republican from Arnold, has been pushing the bill for several years. During a hearing before the Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee, Coleman acknowledged that opposition.“You’re going to hear from a number of people behind me who think this is a terrible idea,” Coleman said. “I hold a lot of minority views, so that doesn’t bother me too much. I’m hopeful I can convince you all that it’s the right thing to do.”Eliminating the sales tax on food will provide immediate, visible relief for people, said state Sen. Barbara Washington, a Democrat from Kansas City.“I love this bill, I really appreciate it,” Washington said. “And I want to just say thank you for that. In my district, where I have a lot of low income people, that will really help them with getting their food.”Missouri is one of 12 states that have a state sales tax on food purchases, and of the states that do not, six allow local sales taxes that cover food sold in grocery stores.Food accounts for about 20% of the goods subject to sales tax. The remaining state sales tax on food has three components — 1% dedicated to public schools, 0.125% for the Department of Conservation and 0.1% for state parks and soil conservation.In some communities, where grocery stores are the major retailer, the share of sales tax revenue from food purchases can be even higher.Natalie McNish, mayor of Marshfield in southwest Missouri, said her city of 8,000 people operates on a budget of $6.8 million. Food sales alone make up 28% of that revenue, she said.“We do not agree that this is the best course of action, and we do believe that this would very negatively impact our operations,” McNish said. “We also are looking forward to being partners with the team and helping forge something that is better for everybody.”Coleman’s bill would eliminate the state portion of the sales tax immediately and phase out local taxes over four years.“If our local communities need to take a vote to the people to ask if they’d like to have an offset by adjusting the other sales tax rates,” Coleman said. “This would give them time to do so.”According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://senate.mo.gov/FiscalNotes/2025-1/0134S.02I.ORG.pdf" target="_blank">fiscal note</a>&nbsp;prepared for Coleman’s bill, food sales in fiscal 2024 totaled $18.4 billion. Eliminating the tax would reduce funding for schools by $184 million, or about $250 per student in every district in the state.City governments across the state would receive $417 million less in revenue, county receipts would be cut by $308 million and other political subdivisions, such as ambulance, fire and emergency services, would be cut by almost $77 million.The revenue from food sales tax helps cities pay salaries for police and meet debt payments, said David Dimmit, mayor of Brentwood in St. Louis County.“Every citizen is feeling the effect of inflation and the pain of purchasing goods and services at this time,” Dimmit said ”And your city governments are no different, but cutting the sales taxes on groceries would be the wrong way to address the issue. Instead, it would only lead to unacceptable and potentially dangerous cuts to services expected and deserved by local residents.”State Sen. David Gregory, a Chesterfield Republican, said he wasn’t worried that local governments would have to pare back spending.“I know with 100% certainty that there are ways to save money within government operations,” Gregory said.A 1997 law exempted products that can be purchased with SNAP benefits from the state general revenue sales tax. But the law left in place the remainder of the state sales tax — 1.225% — and all local sales taxes — as much as 8% in some communities.The 1997 law was passed at a time when the state treasury was collecting more than allowed under the tax limitation provisions of the state Constitution known as the Hancock Amendment. The exemption was not extended to other taxes because of the impact on schools and local budgets and the possibility the courts could order the state to replace the lost revenue.Coleman’s bill is being considered in a year when lawmakers are also looking at ways to cut or eliminate the state income tax and replace the revenue with an expanded sales tax. As much as she likes the bill, Washington said during the hearing, she is worried about the state maintaining its revenue base.“If we do this, and we eliminate the income tax, where will we fund the state?” Washington asked.If the income tax plans move forward, Coleman replied, it will mean a close examination of every one of the dozens of sales tax exemptions.“They’re going to have to be addressed as part of a cohesive plan,” Coleman said.The food exemption makes sense under any system, she said.“If we don’t get a grand solution on revamping how our tax base is working,” Coleman said, “I still think that this is the right solution to create this carve-out because our poorest citizens are having to pay regressive taxes.”

Bill to end Missouri sales tax on groceries draws resistance from local governments

Currently, Medicaid in Missouri only covers hearing aids and cochlear implants for adults under very limited circumstances

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

The Missouri House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to expand coverage for hearing aids and cochlear implants for adults enrolled in Medicaid.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/bill.aspx?bill=HB177&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">bill</a>&nbsp;now heads to the Senate for consideration.

Currently, Medicaid in Missouri, which is called MO HealthNet, only covers hearing aids for eligible children, pregnant women and blind people. The bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Cameron Parker of Campbell, would expand coverage to all individuals on Medicaid. Medicaid is the federal health care program for low-income and disabled Americans, which is administered by the states.

“Hearing loss affects many, many people, including many of our own family members,” Parker said during House debate of the bill on Thursday. “The ability to hear and communicate is critical to a person’s independence, and the benefits of these services will affect many Missourians.”

In a press conference Thursday, Parker shared a story of a constituent with hearing loss who was unable to get her hearing aids repaired after she turned 18.

“She was working at the local McDonald’s, and she could not afford to get her hearing aids fixed. And so then she got fired from McDonald’s,” Parker said. “So she lost her independence. She lost her ability to support her family or help support her family.”

State Rep. Jo Doll, a St. Louis Democrat who sponsored similar&nbsp;legislation this year, said many members of the Missouri House benefit from hearing aids.

“And we know that those hearing aids provide an increased quality of life for the people that need them and have them. So I would encourage you to vote yes on this bill and make sure that everybody in Missouri can access the same devices that we have,” she said.

It was approved by the House by a&nbsp;<a href="https://legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/25546838-house-vote-on-hb-177/" target="_blank">vote of 148 to 8.&nbsp;</a>

There was no opposition voiced in Thursday’s debate, but in previous years, there has been some concern around the cost. The eight in opposition Thursday were Republicans.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills241/fiscal/fispdf/5464H.02P.ORG.pdf" target="_blank">fiscal note&nbsp;</a>estimates that 15,915 Medicaid enrollees would seek out hearing aid services if the bill passes. Due to “pent-up demand,” the fiscal note states, many of those individuals may seek services in the first year they become available, which would be fiscal year 2026.

The fiscal note&nbsp;estimates a cost of up to $10.6 million that year, and up to $2.8 million in the following year. The majority of that would be in federal funding.&nbsp;

In the public hearing on the bill in January, Parker said: “I realize there are some costs to this, but I do believe that the benefit of these services, the hearing instruments, the cochlear implants, outweigh the cost greatly.”

Doll added that hearing aids may save the state money in the long run by helping reduce the risk of dementia and keeping individuals out of nursing homes.&nbsp;

Rep. Ann Kelley, a Republican from Lamar, said her husband has hearing issues and wouldn’t have succeeded professionally without hearing aids.

“I know this has got a massive fiscal note,” Kelley said, “and this is one of those instances where we have to think beyond the fiscal note, and how much it’s going to help.”

Last year, the bill was voted out of the House by a&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/bill.aspx?bill=HB2626&amp;year=2024&amp;code=R" target="_blank">vote of 149 to 3,</a>&nbsp;and passed a Senate committee but never came up for a vote in the Senate, which Doll said was due to the Senate’s dysfunction in the final days of session.

No one testified in opposition to the bill in the public hearing held in January.&nbsp;

Dr. Kate Sinks, director of audiology at the Center for Hearing and Speech in St. Louis, testified at the public hearing in January that 36 states already offer full coverage under Medicaid for hearing aids and cochlear implants for adults.

Sinks said that she has heard thousands of stories from patients about how hearing devices have “changed their lives, from going to the symphony, to getting their dream jobs, reconnecting with family, being able to run a simple errand independently, and even hearing the alarm when their home caught fire.”

Mallory Rusch from anti-poverty advocacy organization Empower Missouri told the committee the cost of a hearing aid ranges from $1,000 to $4,000. Yet an individual qualifying for Medicaid in Missouri makes no more than $21,597 per year.&nbsp;For a family of four, the annual income cap to qualify for Medicaid is&nbsp;just under $43,000.

“I would invite you to consider your own families’ annual income and expenses,” Rusch said, “and then consider if you feel like an individual or family earning that low of an income could manage to be able to afford a $2,500 medical bill on average, just to be able to hear.”

Christina Koehler, an audiologist, said it is “extremely heartbreaking” to see people age out of coverage. “And they do become less involved in society,” she added.

Dr. Kristen Lewis, audiologist at Midwest Ear Institute in Kansas City, said she sees patients without access to hearing aids or cochlear implants “face a vicious cycle of isolation, unemployment and diminished quality of life.

“By providing Medicaid coverage for these essential devices,” Lewis testified in January, “we not only support the well being of these individuals, but also help them remain productive and contributing members of society.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1740838065602.png" alt="State Rep. Cameron Parker presents her bill to expand hearing aid access under Medicaid on the House floor Tuesday (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications)." />
 <figcaption>State Rep. Cameron Parker presents her bill to expand hearing aid access under Medicaid on the House floor Tuesday (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Currently, Medicaid in Missouri only covers hearing aids and cochlear implants for adults under very limited circumstances</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/cbates/">CLARA BATES</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>The Missouri House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to expand coverage for hearing aids and cochlear implants for adults enrolled in Medicaid.The&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/bill.aspx?bill=HB177&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">bill</a>&nbsp;now heads to the Senate for consideration.Currently, Medicaid in Missouri, which is called MO HealthNet, only covers hearing aids for eligible children, pregnant women and blind people. The bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Cameron Parker of Campbell, would expand coverage to all individuals on Medicaid. Medicaid is the federal health care program for low-income and disabled Americans, which is administered by the states.“Hearing loss affects many, many people, including many of our own family members,” Parker said during House debate of the bill on Thursday. “The ability to hear and communicate is critical to a person’s independence, and the benefits of these services will affect many Missourians.”In a press conference Thursday, Parker shared a story of a constituent with hearing loss who was unable to get her hearing aids repaired after she turned 18.“She was working at the local McDonald’s, and she could not afford to get her hearing aids fixed. And so then she got fired from McDonald’s,” Parker said. “So she lost her independence. She lost her ability to support her family or help support her family.”State Rep. Jo Doll, a St. Louis Democrat who sponsored similar&nbsp;legislation this year, said many members of the Missouri House benefit from hearing aids.“And we know that those hearing aids provide an increased quality of life for the people that need them and have them. So I would encourage you to vote yes on this bill and make sure that everybody in Missouri can access the same devices that we have,” she said.It was approved by the House by a&nbsp;<a href="https://legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/25546838-house-vote-on-hb-177/" target="_blank">vote of 148 to 8.&nbsp;</a>There was no opposition voiced in Thursday’s debate, but in previous years, there has been some concern around the cost. The eight in opposition Thursday were Republicans.The&nbsp;<a href="https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills241/fiscal/fispdf/5464H.02P.ORG.pdf" target="_blank">fiscal note&nbsp;</a>estimates that 15,915 Medicaid enrollees would seek out hearing aid services if the bill passes. Due to “pent-up demand,” the fiscal note states, many of those individuals may seek services in the first year they become available, which would be fiscal year 2026.The fiscal note&nbsp;estimates a cost of up to $10.6 million that year, and up to $2.8 million in the following year. The majority of that would be in federal funding.&nbsp;In the public hearing on the bill in January, Parker said: “I realize there are some costs to this, but I do believe that the benefit of these services, the hearing instruments, the cochlear implants, outweigh the cost greatly.”Doll added that hearing aids may save the state money in the long run by helping reduce the risk of dementia and keeping individuals out of nursing homes.&nbsp;Rep. Ann Kelley, a Republican from Lamar, said her husband has hearing issues and wouldn’t have succeeded professionally without hearing aids.“I know this has got a massive fiscal note,” Kelley said, “and this is one of those instances where we have to think beyond the fiscal note, and how much it’s going to help.”Last year, the bill was voted out of the House by a&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/bill.aspx?bill=HB2626&amp;year=2024&amp;code=R" target="_blank">vote of 149 to 3,</a>&nbsp;and passed a Senate committee but never came up for a vote in the Senate, which Doll said was due to the Senate’s dysfunction in the final days of session.No one testified in opposition to the bill in the public hearing held in January.&nbsp;Dr. Kate Sinks, director of audiology at the Center for Hearing and Speech in St. Louis, testified at the public hearing in January that 36 states already offer full coverage under Medicaid for hearing aids and cochlear implants for adults.Sinks said that she has heard thousands of stories from patients about how hearing devices have “changed their lives, from going to the symphony, to getting their dream jobs, reconnecting with family, being able to run a simple errand independently, and even hearing the alarm when their home caught fire.”Mallory Rusch from anti-poverty advocacy organization Empower Missouri told the committee the cost of a hearing aid ranges from $1,000 to $4,000. Yet an individual qualifying for Medicaid in Missouri makes no more than $21,597 per year.&nbsp;For a family of four, the annual income cap to qualify for Medicaid is&nbsp;just under $43,000.“I would invite you to consider your own families’ annual income and expenses,” Rusch said, “and then consider if you feel like an individual or family earning that low of an income could manage to be able to afford a $2,500 medical bill on average, just to be able to hear.”Christina Koehler, an audiologist, said it is “extremely heartbreaking” to see people age out of coverage. “And they do become less involved in society,” she added.Dr. Kristen Lewis, audiologist at Midwest Ear Institute in Kansas City, said she sees patients without access to hearing aids or cochlear implants “face a vicious cycle of isolation, unemployment and diminished quality of life.“By providing Medicaid coverage for these essential devices,” Lewis testified in January, “we not only support the well being of these individuals, but also help them remain productive and contributing members of society.”

House passes bill to expand hearing aid access under Missouri Medicaid

KANSAS CITY —The suspect in two Platte County, Missouri homicides that occurred late Thursday night, as well as an Amber Alert, is believed to have also committed a number of felonies overnight in Kansas City, Kansas.

Just before midnight on Thursday, Kansas City, Kansas police dispatch received a 911 call reporting a shooting inside a bar at 2724 N. 13th Street, according to a media release.&nbsp; When officers arrived, they confirmed a non-injury aggravated assault had occurred.&nbsp; Witness reported the suspect, who matched the description of George C. Manning, the suspect in two Platte County, Missouri homicides earlier Thursday evening, had fled the scene on foot.

 Minutes later, just a few blocks away, a carjacking was reported near N. 11th and Rowland Avenue.

 Again, that suspect matched the description of Platte County suspect, George C. Manning. Officers canvassing the area found that vehicle wrecked a short time later. Then at approximately 5:57a.m., a caller to 911 reported that a man had just stolen his unoccupied, light blue Hyundai Accent, outside a convenience store at 1313 Quindaro Blvd. 

Once again, that suspect matched the description of George C. Manning.• That vehicle then left Kansas City, Kansas at 6:07a.m.The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed that at approximately 7:30 AM, Manning was killed in Riverside, Missouri, in a police-involved shooting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740778477775.png" alt="Manning photo MSHP" />
 <figcaption>Manning photo MSHP</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —The suspect in two Platte County, Missouri homicides that occurred late Thursday night, as well as an Amber Alert, is believed to have also committed a number of felonies overnight in Kansas City, Kansas.Just before midnight on Thursday, Kansas City, Kansas police dispatch received a 911 call reporting a shooting inside a bar at 2724 N. 13th Street, according to a media release.&nbsp; When officers arrived, they confirmed a non-injury aggravated assault had occurred.&nbsp; Witness reported the suspect, who matched the description of George C. Manning, the suspect in two Platte County, Missouri homicides earlier Thursday evening, had fled the scene on foot. Minutes later, just a few blocks away, a carjacking was reported near N. 11th and Rowland Avenue. Again, that suspect matched the description of Platte County suspect, George C. Manning. Officers canvassing the area found that vehicle wrecked a short time later. Then at approximately 5:57a.m., a caller to 911 reported that a man had just stolen his unoccupied, light blue Hyundai Accent, outside a convenience store at 1313 Quindaro Blvd. Once again, that suspect matched the description of George C. Manning.• That vehicle then left Kansas City, Kansas at 6:07a.m.The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed that at approximately 7:30 AM, Manning was killed in Riverside, Missouri, in a police-involved shooting.

Police kill suspect wanted for Platte Co. double-murder, Amber Alert

A St. Joseph man has been found guilty by a Buchanan County jury of trafficking drugs.

Paul David Chaney has been found guilty of trafficking in the second degree.  

The jury found Chaney guilty of possessing more than 450 grams of methamphetamine on March 1st, 2023 during a drug bust by the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force and St. Joseph Police Department. Officers found the methamphetamine at his home on N. 3rd Street.

While officers served the search warrant a man arrived at the home to purchase methamphetamine.  

A sentencing hearing has been set for April 4th. 

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740778308091.jpeg" alt="Paul David Chaney" />
 <figcaption>Paul David Chaney</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostA St. Joseph man has been found guilty by a Buchanan County jury of trafficking drugs.Paul David Chaney has been found guilty of trafficking in the second degree. The jury found Chaney guilty of possessing more than 450 grams of methamphetamine on March 1st, 2023 during a drug bust by the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force and St. Joseph Police Department. Officers found the methamphetamine at his home on N. 3rd Street.While officers served the search warrant a man arrived at the home to purchase methamphetamine. A sentencing hearing has been set for April 4th. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

St. Joseph man found guilty of trafficking methamphetamine

 The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced its postseason basketball championships will remain in Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium through 2030.

"Following consideration of multiple competitive bids by other communities to host the MIAA women's and men's basketball championships every March, I am pleased to announce that the MIAA Tournament will remain in Kansas City at least through the 2030 Championships,” said MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy in a news release by the MIAA.

"The MIAA is one of the oldest conferences in the NCAA, and we have one of the most competitive college basketball tournaments in the country every year,” continued Commissioner Racy. “Our coaches and student-athletes love competing in the historic Municipal Auditorium, and it’s exciting that leaders in Kansas City want to continue to feature the MIAA basketball championships every Spring as part of ‘March Madness’ in this great college basketball city!"

The league’s upcoming men’s and women’s basketball championships will mark the 22nd year of MIAA Madness in Kansas City’s historic Municipal Auditorium. 

With the Association’s previous contract expiring after the 2026 championships, MIAA presidents put the tournament up for proposals and unanimously approved a four-year extension to keep one of Division II’s best conference championships in Kansas City.&nbsp; St. Joseph, as well as Topeka, were the two other cities that put in competitive bids and were up for consideration.

“The MIAA is a Kansas City institution and longtime contributor in this community recognized for its sports culture,” said Kathy Nelson, President and CEO of Visit KC and the Kansas City Sports Commission. “We’re thrilled and grateful to know the MIAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will continue to play a key role in making KC an unparalleled destination for college basketball.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740774784791.jpeg" alt="Municipal Auditorium basketball court/ Courtesy of Visit KC" />
 <figcaption>Municipal Auditorium basketball court/ Courtesy of Visit KC</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced its postseason basketball championships will remain in Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium through 2030."Following consideration of multiple competitive bids by other communities to host the MIAA women's and men's basketball championships every March, I am pleased to announce that the MIAA Tournament will remain in Kansas City at least through the 2030 Championships,” said MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy in a news release by the MIAA."The MIAA is one of the oldest conferences in the NCAA, and we have one of the most competitive college basketball tournaments in the country every year,” continued Commissioner Racy. “Our coaches and student-athletes love competing in the historic Municipal Auditorium, and it’s exciting that leaders in Kansas City want to continue to feature the MIAA basketball championships every Spring as part of ‘March Madness’ in this great college basketball city!"The league’s upcoming men’s and women’s basketball championships will mark the 22nd year of MIAA Madness in Kansas City’s historic Municipal Auditorium. With the Association’s previous contract expiring after the 2026 championships, MIAA presidents put the tournament up for proposals and unanimously approved a four-year extension to keep one of Division II’s best conference championships in Kansas City.&nbsp; St. Joseph, as well as Topeka, were the two other cities that put in competitive bids and were up for consideration.“The MIAA is a Kansas City institution and longtime contributor in this community recognized for its sports culture,” said Kathy Nelson, President and CEO of Visit KC and the Kansas City Sports Commission. “We’re thrilled and grateful to know the MIAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will continue to play a key role in making KC an unparalleled destination for college basketball.”This season’s MIAA men’s and women’s basketball championships begin Wednesday, March 5, with the championship games scheduled for Sunday, March 9. To find more information you can click <a href="https://themiaa.com/feature/2025-miaa-basketball-championships">HERE</a>.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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