DEKALB COUNTY -One person was injured in an accident just before 6p.m. Fridayin DeKalb County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Harley Street Glide driven by John A. Klawuhn, 41, Union Star, turned southbound from 97th Street onto U.S. 169.

The driver lost control when the motorcycle struck loose gravel. The vehicle overturned.&nbsp;

Grand River ambulance transported Klawuhn to Mosaic in St. Joseph. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP.

DEKALB COUNTY -One person was injured in an accident just before 6p.m. Fridayin DeKalb County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Harley Street Glide driven by John A. Klawuhn, 41, Union Star, turned southbound from 97th Street onto U.S. 169.The driver lost control when the motorcycle struck loose gravel. The vehicle overturned.&nbsp;Grand River ambulance transported Klawuhn to Mosaic in St. Joseph. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP.

Missouri man hospitalized in St. Joe after motorcycle overturns

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas woman on new allegations after an arrest.

On Wednesday, police arrested 36-year-old Melissa I. Ross of Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.&nbsp;

Ross is being held on a Municipal Court warrant for failure to appear in court. She was arrested on similar allegations in 2018 and again in 2019, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697751156478.png" alt="Ross-photo Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>Ross-photo Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas woman on new allegations after an arrest.On Wednesday, police arrested 36-year-old Melissa I. Ross of Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.&nbsp;Ross is being held on a Municipal Court warrant for failure to appear in court. She was arrested on similar allegations in 2018 and again in 2019, according to online jail records.

Kansas woman continues to skip court

The Kiwanis Club in St. Joseph along with the Ali Kemp Foundation are helping women of all ages be prepared to protect themselves against the worst.  

Club member Bobbie Cronk says the classes through the foundation were a response from the family of Ali Kemp, a woman from Kansas City who was murdered. 

Cronk says the classes teaches ways to defend yourself when needed and general awareness 

"It's just a really simple way to gain awareness about how to keep yourself safe and how to stay safe if you're ever in that unfortunate situation where you have to defend yourself," Cronk tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  

Cronk says the classes are open to both women and girls 

"Really anywhere from 13 years old all the way up to really 100, we actually have someone who is in their 80's that signed up to be with us Saturday morning," Cronk says. 

Cronk says one of the important factors the class stresses for younger girls is the importance of listening to your parents and letting them know where you'll be 

"Something as simple as making sure that your parents know you're going to be at Suzy's house and then following up on that and actually being at that place," Cronk explains. "So, a lot of it relates to anyone but she does focus as well on the younger participants." 

Cronk says the reception for the classes has been great every year, which is why the club continues to provide them 

"It's something where people are interested in learning the information and she covers a broad range of information about how to keep yourself safe as well as how to defend yourself," Cronk says. "So, there's some physical defense involved but a lot of it is something you can kind of do at your own level and your own pace, and it's just some good things to be aware of." 

The class will take place from 10am to noon with doors opening at 9:30am at the Brookdale Student Ministry building in St. Joseph at 3501 Felix Street. 

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post The Kiwanis Club in St. Joseph along with the Ali Kemp Foundation are helping women of all ages be prepared to protect themselves against the worst. Club member Bobbie Cronk says the classes through the foundation were a response from the family of Ali Kemp, a woman from Kansas City who was murdered. Cronk says the classes teaches ways to defend yourself when needed and general awareness "It's just a really simple way to gain awareness about how to keep yourself safe and how to stay safe if you're ever in that unfortunate situation where you have to defend yourself," Cronk tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. Cronk says the classes are open to both women and girls "Really anywhere from 13 years old all the way up to really 100, we actually have someone who is in their 80's that signed up to be with us Saturday morning," Cronk says. Cronk says one of the important factors the class stresses for younger girls is the importance of listening to your parents and letting them know where you'll be "Something as simple as making sure that your parents know you're going to be at Suzy's house and then following up on that and actually being at that place," Cronk explains. "So, a lot of it relates to anyone but she does focus as well on the younger participants." Cronk says the reception for the classes has been great every year, which is why the club continues to provide them "It's something where people are interested in learning the information and she covers a broad range of information about how to keep yourself safe as well as how to defend yourself," Cronk says. "So, there's some physical defense involved but a lot of it is something you can kind of do at your own level and your own pace, and it's just some good things to be aware of." The class will take place from 10am to noon with doors opening at 9:30am at the Brookdale Student Ministry building in St. Joseph at 3501 Felix Street.

Kiwanis Club of St. Joseph teaching women how to protect themselves 

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/micahbarnes/">MICAH BARNES</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/katecassady/">KATE CASSADY</a>

Until eighth grade, Carter Bremer went to school on a standard five-day schedule. After moving to Harrisburg, he stopped going to class on Mondays.

Now a senior at Harrisburg High School, Carter has spent just four days a week in school for the past five years, giving him more time to spend on sports, a job and college-level classes.

“I have more free time to do more activities,” he said. “It definitely helps with that extra day to do schoolwork and get ahead on the next week.

The 2024 graduating class has never spent Mondays in the classroom. Since the 2011-2012 school year, the Harrisburg School District has operated with four-day weeks.

Harrisburg was among the first districts in Missouri to drop classes once a week, but this year, at least 160 public school districts are running four-day weeks, accounting for about 30% of the 581 school districts statewide.

The trend is more prevalent in rural districts, where fewer teachers and students make four-day weeks less complicated to arrange. But the tide may be turning.

In September, the Independence School District with nearly 14,000 students shifted to four-day weeks to combat a persistent teacher shortage. It became the largest school system in the state to make the switch.

Of the roughly 160 school districts that have shifted, only two have reverted to the five-day model. The Lutie R-IV School District south of Columbia switched in 2023 after three years and the Lexington School District in 2014 after two, both citing little academic improvement and limited financial return.

In Boone County, three of the six districts have adopted four-day weeks — Harrisburg, Hallsville and Sturgeon — and Centralia has a late start on Mondays. So far, the remaining two — Columbia Public Schools with more than 19,000 students and Southern Boone School District with about 2,000 — have indicated little interest in altering the school week.

Nationwide, an estimated 1,600 schools in 24 states have adopted a four-day school week, according to the most recent estimate from the Four-Day School Week policy research team at Oregon State University. Not every state has mandated reporting, however, so the numbers may be incomplete.

The shifts to four-day weeks are attributed primarily to persistent teacher shortages and complaints about salaries. Studies have shown that teacher morale improves when the work week gets shorter, as do recruitment and retention.Parents also play a significant role in the success of any change, with some eager to have the flexibility, while others are anxious about arranging child care to cover an additional day.

A Rand Corp. study published in August surveyed parents, students and teachers and found that the four-day week had the most positive impact on family relationships and overall school satisfaction.

Student attendance improved slightly, but the difference was not statistically meaningful, and younger students reported getting more sleep, but middle and high school students did not.

According to the survey, four-day school districts were able to cut some costs by not operating on Fridays or Mondays, but the savings amounted to only a few percentage points in the annual budget.

Another study, conducted by the Center for School and Student Progress, found that fighting and assaults dropped by .79 incidents per 100 students, or 31%, after schools moved to a four-day week. Some of it was mechanical — students spending less time in school — but the study concluded that it didn’t account for all of it.

Jon Turner, associate professor of special education, leadership and professional studies at Missouri State University, has conducted research to assess the growing trend in Missouri.

He traveled to 60 of 61 school districts that had a four-day week during the 2019-2020 school year, interviewing superintendents, principals, parents, teachers and students.

Turner found that parental support for four-day school weeks ranged from 70% to 80%. He said serious pushback from parents would likely have resulted in fewer school districts adopting the four-day week.

“If there is a negative reaction to the four-day week,” Turner said, “there’s a direct channel to school board members.”

Emily Goyea-Furlong, head of the Parent-Teacher Organization in Harrisburg, said she likes using Saturdays and Sundays as true days off with her family. Instead of treating Monday as another weekend day, Goyea-Furlong said she uses the time to schedule appointments on her family’s to-do list.

“We spend Mondays doing doctors’ appointments, vision appointments or those appointments you pull your kids out of school for on a regular five-day school week,” she said. “Then they don’t have to miss school during the week.”

Another Harrisburg parent, Dana Byrd, has a flexible work schedule and can spend Mondays with her fifth grader. But she said she knows day care facilities in Harrisburg are crowded on Mondays, and some parents have to commute to Columbia for child care.

“Day care gets to be a bit of a challenge for some families with younger kids,” Byrd said.

In Independence, the school district began offering its own child care for $30 a day, but that still could be a stretch for some families.

School districts in Missouri have the freedom to structure their calendar in a variety of ways. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, districts in Missouri can be flexible, as long as first through 12th grades maintain 1,044 instructional hours during the school year.

The Harrisburg School District operates on a Tuesday-through-Friday schedule from 7:54 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

“We did it back in 2011, 2012, when we were really struggling financially, like a lot of other schools were,” high school principal Kyle Fisher said. “We did it as a way to try and save money on transportation costs and hourly staff and utilities costs and things like that.”

The four-day week has been popular with teachers in Harrisburg who say they can use Monday as a planning day to map out the rest of the week. Some schools also schedule professional development activities for teachers on select Mondays.

Harrisburg teacher Jennie Simpson said the extra day gives her more time to develop hands-on, engaging lessons for students.

“It gives you the feel of having a full weekend,” Simpson said. “I think it decreases teacher burnout because you feel like you have more time to be prepared.”

According to Turner, making the switch is almost always about money. School districts may be able to save $50,000 or more on transportation, custodial work, cafeteria set-up and other expenses.

“That ($50,000) may sound trivial,” Turner said. “But if you’re in a tiny little school district that only has nine or 10 teachers, saving $50,000 is one teacher’s salary.”

Salaries, especially in smaller, rural districts, influence teacher retention. New teachers typically start their careers in smaller districts after college, Turner said, eventually leaving those positions for a better salary in larger cities.

“They’re always looking for a job at Jefferson City or Columbia because the salaries are so much higher, and that happens all across the state,” Turner said. “You can travel 20, 30 miles outside Jefferson City and Columbia, and teachers with the same experience and same education can be making $15,000 or $20,000 less.”

Dale Herl, superintendent of the Independence School District, said he has seen a significant increase in teacher applications since the four-day policy was announced this summer.

“The number of our teacher applications increased by more than fourfold,” Herl said. “We are fully staffed with teachers here in the Independence School District, and it’s been a number of years since we’ve been able to say that.”

In Harrisburg, Fisher said he has also noticed improvements in teacher recruitment and retention, particularly among high-quality teachers and staff.

“The four-day school week was very attractive to a lot of teachers,” he said. “I think it allowed us to get a lot of high quality teachers for the district and keep a lot of high quality teachers in the district.”

Turner said teacher retention, primarily driven by inequity in salaries, is a driver of shift to the four-day school week. Until that is solved, Turner believes the four-day week policy will continue to gain traction in Missouri.

“This (four-day week) keeps rural schools in the game,” Turner said. “Until the state and decision-makers and legislature figure out ways that help rural school districts be competitive in the teaching job market, you’re going to continue to see schools transition to the four-day week.”

This story originally appeared in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/k12_education/more-school-districts-in-missouri-are-switching-to-a-four-day-week/article_5a56e6f0-6487-11ee-b09e-476c2c5b700f.html">the Columbia Missourian</a>. It can be republished in print or online.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697810019728.png" alt=" Lina Goyea, 11, stands in the doorway while Emmett Furlong, 4, plays with a toy on Oct. 9 in Sturgeon. “I wouldn’t trade this for anything,” Emily Goyea-Furlong said on the four-day school week as she puts clothes on Ruby Furlong, 16 months. “It’s a tight knit community, and there’s accommodations for people who need child care” (Kate Cassady/Missourian)." />
 <figcaption> Lina Goyea, 11, stands in the doorway while Emmett Furlong, 4, plays with a toy on Oct. 9 in Sturgeon. “I wouldn’t trade this for anything,” Emily Goyea-Furlong said on the four-day school week as she puts clothes on Ruby Furlong, 16 months. “It’s a tight knit community, and there’s accommodations for people who need child care” (Kate Cassady/Missourian).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/micahbarnes/">MICAH BARNES</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/katecassady/">KATE CASSADY</a>Until eighth grade, Carter Bremer went to school on a standard five-day schedule. After moving to Harrisburg, he stopped going to class on Mondays.Now a senior at Harrisburg High School, Carter has spent just four days a week in school for the past five years, giving him more time to spend on sports, a job and college-level classes.“I have more free time to do more activities,” he said. “It definitely helps with that extra day to do schoolwork and get ahead on the next week.The 2024 graduating class has never spent Mondays in the classroom. Since the 2011-2012 school year, the Harrisburg School District has operated with four-day weeks.Harrisburg was among the first districts in Missouri to drop classes once a week, but this year, at least 160 public school districts are running four-day weeks, accounting for about 30% of the 581 school districts statewide.The trend is more prevalent in rural districts, where fewer teachers and students make four-day weeks less complicated to arrange. But the tide may be turning.In September, the Independence School District with nearly 14,000 students shifted to four-day weeks to combat a persistent teacher shortage. It became the largest school system in the state to make the switch.Of the roughly 160 school districts that have shifted, only two have reverted to the five-day model. The Lutie R-IV School District south of Columbia switched in 2023 after three years and the Lexington School District in 2014 after two, both citing little academic improvement and limited financial return.In Boone County, three of the six districts have adopted four-day weeks — Harrisburg, Hallsville and Sturgeon — and Centralia has a late start on Mondays. So far, the remaining two — Columbia Public Schools with more than 19,000 students and Southern Boone School District with about 2,000 — have indicated little interest in altering the school week.Nationwide, an estimated 1,600 schools in 24 states have adopted a four-day school week, according to the most recent estimate from the Four-Day School Week policy research team at Oregon State University. Not every state has mandated reporting, however, so the numbers may be incomplete.<h2>What the research shows</h2>The shifts to four-day weeks are attributed primarily to persistent teacher shortages and complaints about salaries. Studies have shown that teacher morale improves when the work week gets shorter, as do recruitment and retention.Parents also play a significant role in the success of any change, with some eager to have the flexibility, while others are anxious about arranging child care to cover an additional day.A Rand Corp. study published in August surveyed parents, students and teachers and found that the four-day week had the most positive impact on family relationships and overall school satisfaction.Student attendance improved slightly, but the difference was not statistically meaningful, and younger students reported getting more sleep, but middle and high school students did not.According to the survey, four-day school districts were able to cut some costs by not operating on Fridays or Mondays, but the savings amounted to only a few percentage points in the annual budget.Another study, conducted by the Center for School and Student Progress, found that fighting and assaults dropped by .79 incidents per 100 students, or 31%, after schools moved to a four-day week. Some of it was mechanical — students spending less time in school — but the study concluded that it didn’t account for all of it.<h2>What parents say</h2>Jon Turner, associate professor of special education, leadership and professional studies at Missouri State University, has conducted research to assess the growing trend in Missouri.He traveled to 60 of 61 school districts that had a four-day week during the 2019-2020 school year, interviewing superintendents, principals, parents, teachers and students.Turner found that parental support for four-day school weeks ranged from 70% to 80%. He said serious pushback from parents would likely have resulted in fewer school districts adopting the four-day week.“If there is a negative reaction to the four-day week,” Turner said, “there’s a direct channel to school board members.”Emily Goyea-Furlong, head of the Parent-Teacher Organization in Harrisburg, said she likes using Saturdays and Sundays as true days off with her family. Instead of treating Monday as another weekend day, Goyea-Furlong said she uses the time to schedule appointments on her family’s to-do list.“We spend Mondays doing doctors’ appointments, vision appointments or those appointments you pull your kids out of school for on a regular five-day school week,” she said. “Then they don’t have to miss school during the week.”Another Harrisburg parent, Dana Byrd, has a flexible work schedule and can spend Mondays with her fifth grader. But she said she knows day care facilities in Harrisburg are crowded on Mondays, and some parents have to commute to Columbia for child care.“Day care gets to be a bit of a challenge for some families with younger kids,” Byrd said.In Independence, the school district began offering its own child care for $30 a day, but that still could be a stretch for some families.<h2>What teachers say</h2>School districts in Missouri have the freedom to structure their calendar in a variety of ways. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, districts in Missouri can be flexible, as long as first through 12th grades maintain 1,044 instructional hours during the school year.The Harrisburg School District operates on a Tuesday-through-Friday schedule from 7:54 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.“We did it back in 2011, 2012, when we were really struggling financially, like a lot of other schools were,” high school principal Kyle Fisher said. “We did it as a way to try and save money on transportation costs and hourly staff and utilities costs and things like that.”The four-day week has been popular with teachers in Harrisburg who say they can use Monday as a planning day to map out the rest of the week. Some schools also schedule professional development activities for teachers on select Mondays.Harrisburg teacher Jennie Simpson said the extra day gives her more time to develop hands-on, engaging lessons for students.“It gives you the feel of having a full weekend,” Simpson said. “I think it decreases teacher burnout because you feel like you have more time to be prepared.”<h2>What the numbers indicate</h2>According to Turner, making the switch is almost always about money. School districts may be able to save $50,000 or more on transportation, custodial work, cafeteria set-up and other expenses.“That ($50,000) may sound trivial,” Turner said. “But if you’re in a tiny little school district that only has nine or 10 teachers, saving $50,000 is one teacher’s salary.”Salaries, especially in smaller, rural districts, influence teacher retention. New teachers typically start their careers in smaller districts after college, Turner said, eventually leaving those positions for a better salary in larger cities.“They’re always looking for a job at Jefferson City or Columbia because the salaries are so much higher, and that happens all across the state,” Turner said. “You can travel 20, 30 miles outside Jefferson City and Columbia, and teachers with the same experience and same education can be making $15,000 or $20,000 less.”Dale Herl, superintendent of the Independence School District, said he has seen a significant increase in teacher applications since the four-day policy was announced this summer.“The number of our teacher applications increased by more than fourfold,” Herl said. “We are fully staffed with teachers here in the Independence School District, and it’s been a number of years since we’ve been able to say that.”In Harrisburg, Fisher said he has also noticed improvements in teacher recruitment and retention, particularly among high-quality teachers and staff.“The four-day school week was very attractive to a lot of teachers,” he said. “I think it allowed us to get a lot of high quality teachers for the district and keep a lot of high quality teachers in the district.”Turner said teacher retention, primarily driven by inequity in salaries, is a driver of shift to the four-day school week. Until that is solved, Turner believes the four-day week policy will continue to gain traction in Missouri.“This (four-day week) keeps rural schools in the game,” Turner said. “Until the state and decision-makers and legislature figure out ways that help rural school districts be competitive in the teaching job market, you’re going to continue to see schools transition to the four-day week.”This story originally appeared in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/k12_education/more-school-districts-in-missouri-are-switching-to-a-four-day-week/article_5a56e6f0-6487-11ee-b09e-476c2c5b700f.html">the Columbia Missourian</a>. It can be republished in print or online.&nbsp;

More school districts in Missouri are switching to a four-day week

The 8th annual Coffee for a Cure Day is today.

All sales and tips from the Human Bean in St. Joseph today benefit the Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary Breast Cancer Patient Assistance
Fund. Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary will match each gift.

The fund provides Mosaic breast cancer
patients with financial help, treatment, mammograms and education. It’s not
just coffee – all drinks, baked goods and tips will be donated as well.

Last
year, The Human Bean collected $10,525.94 in sales and tips. After the Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary match, the grand total
of $21,051.88 was donated to help area breast cancer
patients.

Over the past seven years, The Human
Bean has donated about $55,000, and the Auxiliary has matched that, for a total
of almost $110,000 with our Coffee for a Cure endeavor.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostThe 8th annual Coffee for a Cure Day is today.All sales and tips from the Human Bean in St. Joseph today benefit the Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary Breast Cancer Patient Assistance
Fund. Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary will match each gift.The fund provides Mosaic breast cancer
patients with financial help, treatment, mammograms and education. It’s not
just coffee – all drinks, baked goods and tips will be donated as well.Last
year, The Human Bean collected $10,525.94 in sales and tips. After the Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary match, the grand total
of $21,051.88 was donated to help area breast cancer
patients.Over the past seven years, The Human
Bean has donated about $55,000, and the Auxiliary has matched that, for a total
of almost $110,000 with our Coffee for a Cure endeavor.

Coffee for a Cure Day today

GENTRY COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 3:30p.m. Thursday in Gentry County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1982 Chevy C70 Farm Truck driven by Kevin T. Heneggeler, 19, Guilford, was eastbound on County Road 340 two miles west of Stanberry.&nbsp;

The truck traveled off the south side of the road and the driver overcorrected. The truck returned to the road and overturned.

A private vehicle transported Heneggler to Mosaic in Maryville. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

GENTRY COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 3:30p.m. Thursday in Gentry County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1982 Chevy C70 Farm Truck driven by Kevin T. Heneggeler, 19, Guilford, was eastbound on County Road 340 two miles west of Stanberry.&nbsp;The truck traveled off the south side of the road and the driver overcorrected. The truck returned to the road and overturned.A private vehicle transported Heneggler to Mosaic in Maryville. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

Missouri teen injured after farm truck overturns

BROWN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas couple on drug allegations.

Just before 8p.m. Oct. 16, a sheriff's deputies with assistance from Iowa Tribal Police Department, initiated a search warrant at 2155 Iowa Drive on the Iowa Reservation in Brown County Kansas, according to Sheriff John Merchant.

Deputies arrested 47-year-old Christy Butrick and 59-year-old Larry Butrick both of White Cloud on requested charges of Possession of Meth, Possession of Marijuana,Possession of Opiates and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, according to Merchant.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697750621497.png" alt=" Butrick-photo Brown Co." />
 <figcaption> Butrick-photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>BROWN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas couple on drug allegations.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697750580543.png" alt=" Butrick-photo Brown Co." />
 <figcaption> Butrick-photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 8p.m. Oct. 16, a sheriff's deputies with assistance from Iowa Tribal Police Department, initiated a search warrant at 2155 Iowa Drive on the Iowa Reservation in Brown County Kansas, according to Sheriff John Merchant.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697750769633.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies arrested 47-year-old Christy Butrick and 59-year-old Larry Butrick both of White Cloud on requested charges of Possession of Meth, Possession of Marijuana,Possession of Opiates and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, according to Merchant.

Deputies, Tribal Police found drugs at Kansas home

Ahead of the first snowfall of the year, the Missouri Department of Transportation is beginning to get ready for snow plowing season.  

District Engineer Marty Liles says the winter weather drill conducted today was the first drill of the year to get ready before the first snowfall. 

"This is the best time for us to get our trucks out there and get the drivers acclimated back to driving those vehicles and those trucks," Liles tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "I mean you think about once you put a 12-to-14-foot plow on those trucks, they operate differently and they handle differently because of that, and they're wider." 

Liles says this is also a drill to get those newer snowplow drivers training and get them familiar with routes they will be driving during snow events.  

Liles says it can be hard to simulate what the routes will be like during a snow event, because once snow is on the ground it's the real deal 

"There could be several inches of snow, it could be ice, it could be wind, it could be white outs and things like that very difficult for them to see, and then you've got all those things to look out for plus the traveling public," Liles explains. "The purpose of this is really the start of the process, to get them familiar with it really before the snow actually happens." 

Liles says once the first snowfall does happen there will be even more training for newer plow drivers to go through as they are actually plowing alongside a veteran driver. 

As MoDOT begins to prepare for snow, they are also still in need of more snowplow drivers.  

Liles says the department plows snow over 34,000 miles of roadway statewide, which takes close to 3,000 people to manage.  

Liles says if they were to have to shift into a 24-hour shift for snow management, right now they might not be able to do that.  

"So, we're down statewide around a couple hundred people at least just to try to man those trucks to get that done," Liles points out. "So, we know that if we have a snow event that's going to last for over 12 hours, we get into a 24-hour situation, we may not be able to manage all those trucks unless we can get some more people hired." 

Liles says the hardest part of training those new drivers is getting them used to the trucks, which as soon as they get their CDL license they can then join crews out on the roads to start learning. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697743878719.jpeg" alt="Snow plows were out and about for the first time on Thursday during MoDOTs annual winter weather drill/ Photo courtesy of the Missouri Department of Transportation" />
 <figcaption>Snow plows were out and about for the first time on Thursday during MoDOTs annual winter weather drill/ Photo courtesy of the Missouri Department of Transportation</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Ahead of the first snowfall of the year, the Missouri Department of Transportation is beginning to get ready for snow plowing season. District Engineer Marty Liles says the winter weather drill conducted today was the first drill of the year to get ready before the first snowfall. "This is the best time for us to get our trucks out there and get the drivers acclimated back to driving those vehicles and those trucks," Liles tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "I mean you think about once you put a 12-to-14-foot plow on those trucks, they operate differently and they handle differently because of that, and they're wider." Liles says this is also a drill to get those newer snowplow drivers training and get them familiar with routes they will be driving during snow events. Liles says it can be hard to simulate what the routes will be like during a snow event, because once snow is on the ground it's the real deal "There could be several inches of snow, it could be ice, it could be wind, it could be white outs and things like that very difficult for them to see, and then you've got all those things to look out for plus the traveling public," Liles explains. "The purpose of this is really the start of the process, to get them familiar with it really before the snow actually happens." Liles says once the first snowfall does happen there will be even more training for newer plow drivers to go through as they are actually plowing alongside a veteran driver. As MoDOT begins to prepare for snow, they are also still in need of more snowplow drivers. Liles says the department plows snow over 34,000 miles of roadway statewide, which takes close to 3,000 people to manage. Liles says if they were to have to shift into a 24-hour shift for snow management, right now they might not be able to do that. "So, we're down statewide around a couple hundred people at least just to try to man those trucks to get that done," Liles points out. "So, we know that if we have a snow event that's going to last for over 12 hours, we get into a 24-hour situation, we may not be able to manage all those trucks unless we can get some more people hired." Liles says the hardest part of training those new drivers is getting them used to the trucks, which as soon as they get their CDL license they can then join crews out on the roads to start learning.

MoDOT beginning preperations for snow with annual winter weather drill

A St. Joseph woman was sentenced in federal court today (Thursday) for using the stolen identities of prison inmates to fraudulently obtain federal unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

39-year-old Brooke Stewart was sentenced to 2.5 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Stewart to pay over 139-thousand dollars in restitution to the Missouri Department of Employment Security as well as a $50 fine.

Stewart pleaded guilty this past May to one count of stealing government funds. She admitted to facilitating the filing of false claims for unemployment benefits by using the stolen I.D. of five people who were incarcerated in state or federal prison.

Stewart also fraudulently received federal unemployment benefits in her own name as well as another person.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653823187015.jpeg" alt="Brooke Stewart." />
 <figcaption>Brooke Stewart.</figcaption>
 </figure>By TOMMY REZACSt. Joseph PostA St. Joseph woman was sentenced in federal court today (Thursday) for using the stolen identities of prison inmates to fraudulently obtain federal unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.39-year-old Brooke Stewart was sentenced to 2.5 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Stewart to pay over 139-thousand dollars in restitution to the Missouri Department of Employment Security as well as a $50 fine.Stewart pleaded guilty this past May to one count of stealing government funds. She admitted to facilitating the filing of false claims for unemployment benefits by using the stolen I.D. of five people who were incarcerated in state or federal prison.Stewart also fraudulently received federal unemployment benefits in her own name as well as another person.

St. Joseph woman sentenced for COVID unemployment fraud scheme

Officials with the St. Joseph Police Department are urging residents to use the TIPS hotline to report crimes after seeing a severe decline in usage.  

Officer Greg Lewis, an evidence technician, says when the TIPS hotline launched the department received an average of 50 calls a month, but lately that's dropped to around 20 to 25 a month. 

Lewis says he thinks a lot of that decline can be attributed to social media. 

"These days there's a lot of Facebook pages that are crime catch pages, and a lot of that information that normally in the past would have went through the TIPS hotline, information someone might have had,  they see someone post something on Facebook or whatever, so they just add to that post and put information there," Lewis tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr. 

Police Chief Paul Luster says there's a misconception that the department constantly has someone monitoring those pages on social media. 

"We don't, we don't have the personnel for that and the validity of a lot of that information can be questioned very easily and it's not considered a great source when we're trying to make a criminal case against somebody," Luster explains. 

Luster says it's not accurate for residents to think that because they put something on social media his officers saw it 

"The TIPS hotline or the online platform is much more preferred by us," Luster says. 

Luster says getting reports through the hotline from residents also helps his department work more efficiently in investigations. 

Lewis says a post to a crime stopper page on Facebook is no substitute to using the TIPS line. 

"We'd love nothing more than to get the information out to the public to use the 238-TIPS hotline, love to see our numbers get back up to where they were 10, 15, 20 years ago when we were getting 50 plus tips a month," Lewis says. "Would like to pay rewards." 

The Greater St. Joseph Crime Stoppers do offer rewards to residents who use the TIPS hotline of up to $1,000, which Lewis reminds residents you won't get on Facebook. 

There are options to utilize the TIPS hotline, including calling 238-TIPS, going online to P3TIPS.com or by downloading the P3 TIPS app on your phone. 

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Officials with the St. Joseph Police Department are urging residents to use the TIPS hotline to report crimes after seeing a severe decline in usage. Officer Greg Lewis, an evidence technician, says when the TIPS hotline launched the department received an average of 50 calls a month, but lately that's dropped to around 20 to 25 a month. Lewis says he thinks a lot of that decline can be attributed to social media. "These days there's a lot of Facebook pages that are crime catch pages, and a lot of that information that normally in the past would have went through the TIPS hotline, information someone might have had, they see someone post something on Facebook or whatever, so they just add to that post and put information there," Lewis tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr. Police Chief Paul Luster says there's a misconception that the department constantly has someone monitoring those pages on social media. "We don't, we don't have the personnel for that and the validity of a lot of that information can be questioned very easily and it's not considered a great source when we're trying to make a criminal case against somebody," Luster explains. Luster says it's not accurate for residents to think that because they put something on social media his officers saw it "The TIPS hotline or the online platform is much more preferred by us," Luster says. Luster says getting reports through the hotline from residents also helps his department work more efficiently in investigations. Lewis says a post to a crime stopper page on Facebook is no substitute to using the TIPS line. "We'd love nothing more than to get the information out to the public to use the 238-TIPS hotline, love to see our numbers get back up to where they were 10, 15, 20 years ago when we were getting 50 plus tips a month," Lewis says. "Would like to pay rewards." The Greater St. Joseph Crime Stoppers do offer rewards to residents who use the TIPS hotline of up to $1,000, which Lewis reminds residents you won't get on Facebook. There are options to utilize the TIPS hotline, including calling 238-TIPS, going online to P3TIPS.com or by downloading the P3 TIPS app on your phone.

St. Joseph Police urging residents to use TIPS hotline after seeing massive user decrease

Lawmakers Wednesday announce the reintroduction of the Adopt GREET Act. 

The legislation is a bipartisan bill directing the Environmental Protection Agency to update its greenhouse gas modeling for ethanol and biodiesel. 

Republican Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Thune of South Dakota, and Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar introduced the legislation. 

Grassley says, "My colleagues and I are working to empower the innovation stemming from our energy and agricultural communities, and get federal emissions testing up to speed with private sector producers." 

The Adopt GREET Act would require the EPA to apply the Argonne National Lab's "Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Transportation" or GREET Model to energy commodities under the Renewable Fuel Standard. 

It would hold EPA accountable by ensuring the agency updates its modeling every five years. The EPA would need to report to Congress either affirming its modeling is current or explaining why no updates were made.

Lawmakers Wednesday announce the reintroduction of the Adopt GREET Act. The legislation is a bipartisan bill directing the Environmental Protection Agency to update its greenhouse gas modeling for ethanol and biodiesel. Republican Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Thune of South Dakota, and Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar introduced the legislation. Grassley says, "My colleagues and I are working to empower the innovation stemming from our energy and agricultural communities, and get federal emissions testing up to speed with private sector producers." The Adopt GREET Act would require the EPA to apply the Argonne National Lab's "Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Transportation" or GREET Model to energy commodities under the Renewable Fuel Standard. It would hold EPA accountable by ensuring the agency updates its modeling every five years. The EPA would need to report to Congress either affirming its modeling is current or explaining why no updates were made.- NAFB

Lawmakers reintroduce the adopt GREET Act

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin this week ordered Syngenta to divest its ownership of approximately 160 acres in the state. 

Griffin also imposed a civil penalty of $280,000 for failure to timely report foreign ownership by the Chinese state-owned company. 

The land in question is owned by Northrup King Seed Co., a subsidiary of Syngenta Seeds, LLC, which is ultimately owned by China National Chemical Company, known as ChemChina. 

Griffin says, "I am ordering ChemChina, as a 'prohibited foreign-party-controlled business' to divest this land within two years, or I will commence an enforcement action in Craighead County circuit court." 

Under Arkansas Act 636, state law bars a "prohibited foreign-party-controlled business" from acquiring or holding public or private land in Arkansas either directly or through affiliated parties. 

In March 2022, Syngenta Seeds, LLC submitted paperwork to USDA regarding the property under the federal Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act, stating that "ultimately, the foreign person that holds indirectly a significant interest in the person owning the land is from China."

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin this week ordered Syngenta to divest its ownership of approximately 160 acres in the state. Griffin also imposed a civil penalty of $280,000 for failure to timely report foreign ownership by the Chinese state-owned company. The land in question is owned by Northrup King Seed Co., a subsidiary of Syngenta Seeds, LLC, which is ultimately owned by China National Chemical Company, known as ChemChina. Griffin says, "I am ordering ChemChina, as a 'prohibited foreign-party-controlled business' to divest this land within two years, or I will commence an enforcement action in Craighead County circuit court." Under Arkansas Act 636, state law bars a "prohibited foreign-party-controlled business" from acquiring or holding public or private land in Arkansas either directly or through affiliated parties. In March 2022, Syngenta Seeds, LLC submitted paperwork to USDA regarding the property under the federal Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act, stating that "ultimately, the foreign person that holds indirectly a significant interest in the person owning the land is from China."- NAFB

Arkansas orders Syngenta to sell farmland

An investigation is ongoing into a suspicious device found in the back of a St. Joseph truck Wednesday evening. 

St. Joseph Police responded Wednesday evening just before 4:30 to a call about a suspicious device as 2420 Frederick Avenue.   

Officers responded and made a perimeter around the location.  The Kansas City Police Department Bomb Squad assisted in collecting the device and transporting it to a lab for further analysis.  

The investigation into the origin of the device is ongoing. 

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostAn investigation is ongoing into a suspicious device found in the back of a St. Joseph truck Wednesday evening. St. Joseph Police responded Wednesday evening just before 4:30 to a call about a suspicious device as 2420 Frederick Avenue. Officers responded and made a perimeter around the location. The Kansas City Police Department Bomb Squad assisted in collecting the device and transporting it to a lab for further analysis. The investigation into the origin of the device is ongoing.

St. Joseph Police investigating suspicious device found in St. Joseph truck 

ATCHISON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 5a.m. Thursday in Atchison County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2021 Peterbilt semi driven by Mohamed Abdirahman, 31, Omaha, was northbound on Interstate 29 just south of the Rock Port exit.

The semi traveled off the right side of the road struck the towed unit of a 2019 GMC 3500 driven by Luis A. Gonzalez, 34, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, that was parked on the north shoulder of the highway.

Atchison Holt ambulance transported Abdirahman to Grape Hospital. Gonzalez was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

ATCHISON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 5a.m. Thursday in Atchison County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2021 Peterbilt semi driven by Mohamed Abdirahman, 31, Omaha, was northbound on Interstate 29 just south of the Rock Port exit.The semi traveled off the right side of the road struck the towed unit of a 2019 GMC 3500 driven by Luis A. Gonzalez, 34, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, that was parked on the north shoulder of the highway.Atchison Holt ambulance transported Abdirahman to Grape Hospital. Gonzalez was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

Semi driver injured after rear-end crash

The Secretary of State would not say whether he intends to participate in oral arguments set for Oct. 30 before the Court of Appeals

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

There is a new member of the legal team defending the ballot language Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft wrote for proposed initiatives that would add abortion rights to the Missouri Constitution – Ashcroft himself.

Ashcroft, who was an engineer by trade until earning his law degree in 2008, rarely appeared in court on behalf of clients, he said in an interview with The Independent on Wednesday. He will be in court Oct. 30, when the Western District Court of Appeals in Kansas City hears arguments in the case, but said he won’t disclose whether he will take an active role in the hearing.

“That’s something that we’ll decide internally and it’s really not something I necessarily want to let the opposition know about before the trial date,” Ashcroft said.

Ashcfroft is appealing the Sept. 25 ruling that the ballot language he wrote for six proposed constitutional amendments&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/09/25/judge-rejects-rewrites-summary-for-missouri-abortion-initiative-petition/">was biased</a>. Petitions must have an approved ballot title before signatures can be gathered.

In the decision that rewrote the ballot language, Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem concluded&nbsp; that “certain phrases included in the secretary’s summary are problematic in that they are argumentative or do not fairly describe the purposes or probable effect of the initiative.”&nbsp;

The appeal will be argued before a panel of three judges, with a hearing immediately afterward before a separate panel of judges on the appeal of Beetem’s ruling upholding the financial summary that is also part of the ballot language.

His decision to add his name to the list of attorneys working on the case is not a criticism of Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s team assigned to the case, Ashcroft said.

“It is not something I do lightly,” Ashcroft said. “It is not, in any way, meant to say anything about the representation the attorney general’s office has provided.”

Ashcroft’s name, along with attorneys Josh Divine and Samuel Freedlund of the attorney general’s office, is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Appellants%20Brief.PDF?courtCode=WA&amp;di=437830">on the appeal brief filed Oct. 11</a>. In it, they argue that Beetem exceeded his authority by completely rewriting the ballot summaries for six initiatives. They also wrote that he failed to properly explain his reason for doing so.

“Indeed, in doing so, the trial court performed an executive function, placing serious stress on fundamental principles of separation of powers, and the trial court’s own language is both insufficient and unfair,” they wrote.

Anna Fitz-James, a St. Louis physician, filed 11 versions of the proposal with Ashcroft’s office in March on behalf of a political action committee called Missourians for Constitutional Freedom.&nbsp;

Once a ballot title is finalized for the six summaries challenged in the court case, one petition will be chosen for signature-gathering to make the 2024 ballot.

The ACLU of Missouri is representing Fitz-James and on Wednesday filed its brief on her behalf.&nbsp;

In his ruling, Beetem wrote that the problematic phrases Ashcroft used in his summary, which must be 100 words or less, include statements that the initiatives would allow “dangerous, unregulated and unrestricted abortions,” that abortion would be allowed “from conception to live birth” and could be performed by anyone “without requiring a medical license” or “potentially being subject to medical malpractice.”

The ACLU is asking the Western District judges&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Brief%20of%20Respondent%20Dr%20Anna%20Fitz-James.PDF?courtCode=WA&amp;di=438531">to uphold Beetem’s ruling</a>.

“Rather than providing nonargumentative, nonprejudicial, nonbiased summary statements, the Secretary takes a side in the debate and saturates the statements with moral frames favoring his opinion,” ACLU attorney Tony Rothert wrote. “Voters are entitled to a summary statement that is not argumentative.”

With the filing, all but one of the expected documents due before the Oct. 30 hearing is in the court’s hands. The court has also receive amicus briefs from the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Brief%20of%20The%20League%20of%20Women%20Voters%20of%20Missouri%20as%20Amicus%20Curiae.PDF?courtCode=WA&amp;di=438528">League of Women Voters</a>, represented by former Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Wolff, which want Beetem’s decision upheld, and state&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Brief%20of%20Amicus%20Curiae.PDF?courtCode=WA&amp;di=438010">Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin</a>, R-Shelbina and represented by attorney Ed Greim, who wants the court to reverse Beetem.

Much of Ashcroft’s brief deals with what would happen to Missouri’s extensive laws regulating abortion if one of the initiatives passes.

Abortion became&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/25/abortion-is-illegal-in-missouri-providers-look-to-next-frontier-to-ensure-access/">illegal in Missouri in June 2022</a>&nbsp;when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that recognized a constitutional right to abortion. The only exception is for emergency abortions to save the life of the mother or when there is “a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.”

Prior to that time, heavy regulation had reduced the number abortion providers to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/state/2020/06/26/after-yearlong-fight-missouris-lone-abortion-clinic-gets-its-license-renewed/113703906/">single clinic in St. Louis</a>&nbsp;affiliated with Planned Parenthood. Before obtaining an abortion, a woman had to visit the clinic, receive state-mandated material on fetal development and alternatives to abortion, and then return after 72 hours for medication or, for later abortions, a medical procedure.

While some of the proposals allow the state to regulate abortions after fetal viability or 24 weeks of gestation, the appeal brief from Ashcroft says other language means regulation of late abortions would be meaningless. An abortion would be legal if a medical professional determined it would improve the mother’s health, the brief states.

“Under Respondent’s petitions, simply asking a dermatologist to say that abortion might clear up acne would be a permission slip for abortion through all nine months of pregnancy,” the brief states.

That is an absurd argument, Rothert wrote. Nothing in the petitions would overturn any existing regulation but it would open those regulations to challenge to determine if they were truly intended to promote the woman’s health.

Ashcroft’s argument “provides no evidence that the good-faith-judgment requirement is not a sufficient safeguard against his predicted outcomes,” Rothert wrote.

By law, the process for filing an initiative proposal with Ashcroft’s office to having it ready for circulation should take no more than 56 days. The hearing Oct. 30 at the Court of Appeals is the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/20/missouri-supreme-court-rejects-ags-push-to-inflate-cost-of-abortion-rights-amendment/">second round of litigation</a>&nbsp;in the abortion case and has delayed signature gathering by seven months. It will be weeks before a decision and additional delays are likely with further appeals to the Missouri Supreme Court.

To make the 2024 ballot, backers must secure more than 170,000 signatures from registered voters by early May.

If it makes the ballot, voters at the same election could be deciding if Ashcroft becomes governor.

Ashcroft is the favorite in the race for the GOP nomination for many abortion foes. He received the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/gubernatorial-hopeful-jay-ashcroft-lands-key-endorsement-from-missouri-right-to-life/article_96b91ac2-257c-11ee-ac86-03b8a3fc3a06.html">endorsement of Missouri Right to Life</a>, the largest political organization opposed to abortion, over Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and state Sen. Bill Eigel of Weldon Spring, the other GOP candidates mounting major campaigns.

In discussions of how to present the arguments to the appeals court, Ashcroft said, he pushed to lean heavily on whether Beetem had the authority to completely rewrite the ballot summaries.

“I was just incredulous that the court would just wave their magic wand,” he said. “If the court believes there are changes or problems or you name it, it is right for the court to say that, but it is incumbent upon the court to explain why. We are not ruled by kings.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697719125871.png" alt="Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft speaks during a campaign stop Oct. 27, 2020, in Columbia (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft speaks during a campaign stop Oct. 27, 2020, in Columbia (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The Secretary of State would not say whether he intends to participate in oral arguments set for Oct. 30 before the Court of Appeals</h2>By RUDI KELLER,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>There is a new member of the legal team defending the ballot language Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft wrote for proposed initiatives that would add abortion rights to the Missouri Constitution – Ashcroft himself.Ashcroft, who was an engineer by trade until earning his law degree in 2008, rarely appeared in court on behalf of clients, he said in an interview with The Independent on Wednesday. He will be in court Oct. 30, when the Western District Court of Appeals in Kansas City hears arguments in the case, but said he won’t disclose whether he will take an active role in the hearing.“That’s something that we’ll decide internally and it’s really not something I necessarily want to let the opposition know about before the trial date,” Ashcroft said.Ashcfroft is appealing the Sept. 25 ruling that the ballot language he wrote for six proposed constitutional amendments&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/09/25/judge-rejects-rewrites-summary-for-missouri-abortion-initiative-petition/">was biased</a>. Petitions must have an approved ballot title before signatures can be gathered.In the decision that rewrote the ballot language, Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem concluded&nbsp; that “certain phrases included in the secretary’s summary are problematic in that they are argumentative or do not fairly describe the purposes or probable effect of the initiative.”&nbsp;The appeal will be argued before a panel of three judges, with a hearing immediately afterward before a separate panel of judges on the appeal of Beetem’s ruling upholding the financial summary that is also part of the ballot language.His decision to add his name to the list of attorneys working on the case is not a criticism of Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s team assigned to the case, Ashcroft said.“It is not something I do lightly,” Ashcroft said. “It is not, in any way, meant to say anything about the representation the attorney general’s office has provided.”Ashcroft’s name, along with attorneys Josh Divine and Samuel Freedlund of the attorney general’s office, is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Appellants%20Brief.PDF?courtCode=WA&amp;di=437830">on the appeal brief filed Oct. 11</a>. In it, they argue that Beetem exceeded his authority by completely rewriting the ballot summaries for six initiatives. They also wrote that he failed to properly explain his reason for doing so.“Indeed, in doing so, the trial court performed an executive function, placing serious stress on fundamental principles of separation of powers, and the trial court’s own language is both insufficient and unfair,” they wrote.Anna Fitz-James, a St. Louis physician, filed 11 versions of the proposal with Ashcroft’s office in March on behalf of a political action committee called Missourians for Constitutional Freedom.&nbsp;Once a ballot title is finalized for the six summaries challenged in the court case, one petition will be chosen for signature-gathering to make the 2024 ballot.The ACLU of Missouri is representing Fitz-James and on Wednesday filed its brief on her behalf.&nbsp;In his ruling, Beetem wrote that the problematic phrases Ashcroft used in his summary, which must be 100 words or less, include statements that the initiatives would allow “dangerous, unregulated and unrestricted abortions,” that abortion would be allowed “from conception to live birth” and could be performed by anyone “without requiring a medical license” or “potentially being subject to medical malpractice.”The ACLU is asking the Western District judges&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Brief%20of%20Respondent%20Dr%20Anna%20Fitz-James.PDF?courtCode=WA&amp;di=438531">to uphold Beetem’s ruling</a>.“Rather than providing nonargumentative, nonprejudicial, nonbiased summary statements, the Secretary takes a side in the debate and saturates the statements with moral frames favoring his opinion,” ACLU attorney Tony Rothert wrote. “Voters are entitled to a summary statement that is not argumentative.”With the filing, all but one of the expected documents due before the Oct. 30 hearing is in the court’s hands. The court has also receive amicus briefs from the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Brief%20of%20The%20League%20of%20Women%20Voters%20of%20Missouri%20as%20Amicus%20Curiae.PDF?courtCode=WA&amp;di=438528">League of Women Voters</a>, represented by former Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Wolff, which want Beetem’s decision upheld, and state&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Brief%20of%20Amicus%20Curiae.PDF?courtCode=WA&amp;di=438010">Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin</a>, R-Shelbina and represented by attorney Ed Greim, who wants the court to reverse Beetem.Much of Ashcroft’s brief deals with what would happen to Missouri’s extensive laws regulating abortion if one of the initiatives passes.Abortion became&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/25/abortion-is-illegal-in-missouri-providers-look-to-next-frontier-to-ensure-access/">illegal in Missouri in June 2022</a>&nbsp;when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that recognized a constitutional right to abortion. The only exception is for emergency abortions to save the life of the mother or when there is “a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.”Prior to that time, heavy regulation had reduced the number abortion providers to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/state/2020/06/26/after-yearlong-fight-missouris-lone-abortion-clinic-gets-its-license-renewed/113703906/">single clinic in St. Louis</a>&nbsp;affiliated with Planned Parenthood. Before obtaining an abortion, a woman had to visit the clinic, receive state-mandated material on fetal development and alternatives to abortion, and then return after 72 hours for medication or, for later abortions, a medical procedure.While some of the proposals allow the state to regulate abortions after fetal viability or 24 weeks of gestation, the appeal brief from Ashcroft says other language means regulation of late abortions would be meaningless. An abortion would be legal if a medical professional determined it would improve the mother’s health, the brief states.“Under Respondent’s petitions, simply asking a dermatologist to say that abortion might clear up acne would be a permission slip for abortion through all nine months of pregnancy,” the brief states.That is an absurd argument, Rothert wrote. Nothing in the petitions would overturn any existing regulation but it would open those regulations to challenge to determine if they were truly intended to promote the woman’s health.Ashcroft’s argument “provides no evidence that the good-faith-judgment requirement is not a sufficient safeguard against his predicted outcomes,” Rothert wrote.By law, the process for filing an initiative proposal with Ashcroft’s office to having it ready for circulation should take no more than 56 days. The hearing Oct. 30 at the Court of Appeals is the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/20/missouri-supreme-court-rejects-ags-push-to-inflate-cost-of-abortion-rights-amendment/">second round of litigation</a>&nbsp;in the abortion case and has delayed signature gathering by seven months. It will be weeks before a decision and additional delays are likely with further appeals to the Missouri Supreme Court.To make the 2024 ballot, backers must secure more than 170,000 signatures from registered voters by early May.If it makes the ballot, voters at the same election could be deciding if Ashcroft becomes governor.Ashcroft is the favorite in the race for the GOP nomination for many abortion foes. He received the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/gubernatorial-hopeful-jay-ashcroft-lands-key-endorsement-from-missouri-right-to-life/article_96b91ac2-257c-11ee-ac86-03b8a3fc3a06.html">endorsement of Missouri Right to Life</a>, the largest political organization opposed to abortion, over Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and state Sen. Bill Eigel of Weldon Spring, the other GOP candidates mounting major campaigns.In discussions of how to present the arguments to the appeals court, Ashcroft said, he pushed to lean heavily on whether Beetem had the authority to completely rewrite the ballot summaries.“I was just incredulous that the court would just wave their magic wand,” he said. “If the court believes there are changes or problems or you name it, it is right for the court to say that, but it is incumbent upon the court to explain why. We are not ruled by kings.”

Sec. of State joins legal team defending his summary of Mo. abortion amendment

St. Joseph Police are investigating a shooting that left a man with a non-fatal gunshot wound to his leg.  

Police report that around 1:09 this (Thu.) morning they received a call from a resident reporting hearing eight to nine gunshots around South 11th and Atchison Street.  Around 1:20am they received a call from Mosaic Life Care about a man with a gunshot wound to his leg.  

The man reported to police that a car had been following his vehicle when the driver began shooting at his vehicle in the area where the gunshots were heard, identifying the shooter as an unidentified male  

There is no suspect at this time.  An investigation continues 

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostSt. Joseph Police are investigating a shooting that left a man with a non-fatal gunshot wound to his leg. Police report that around 1:09 this (Thu.) morning they received a call from a resident reporting hearing eight to nine gunshots around South 11th and Atchison Street. Around 1:20am they received a call from Mosaic Life Care about a man with a gunshot wound to his leg. The man reported to police that a car had been following his vehicle when the driver began shooting at his vehicle in the area where the gunshots were heard, identifying the shooter as an unidentified male There is no suspect at this time. An investigation continues

St. Joseph Police investigating shooting that left man with wound to leg

BROWN COUNTY —Two people weree injured in an accident just before 1p.m. Wednesday in Brown County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1996 Ford F250 driven by&nbsp;Arthur Melvin&nbsp; Wagoner, 27, Fairview, was&nbsp;Oregon Street at North 9th Street in Hiawatha.

The pickup rear-ended a 1995 Chevy Tahoe driven by Jacqueline E.&nbsp; Findley, 59, Broken Bow, Nebraska, who had stopped to allow a vehicle in front to turn.

EMS transported&nbsp; Findley and a passenger in the Tahoe Catherine E.&nbsp;Dehart, 59, Berwyn, Nebraska, to the Hiawatha Hospital.&nbsp; Wagoner was not wearing a seat belt but not injured, according to the KHP.

BROWN COUNTY —Two people weree injured in an accident just before 1p.m. Wednesday in Brown County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1996 Ford F250 driven by&nbsp;Arthur Melvin&nbsp; Wagoner, 27, Fairview, was&nbsp;Oregon Street at North 9th Street in Hiawatha.The pickup rear-ended a 1995 Chevy Tahoe driven by Jacqueline E.&nbsp; Findley, 59, Broken Bow, Nebraska, who had stopped to allow a vehicle in front to turn.EMS transported&nbsp; Findley and a passenger in the Tahoe Catherine E.&nbsp;Dehart, 59, Berwyn, Nebraska, to the Hiawatha Hospital.&nbsp; Wagoner was not wearing a seat belt but not injured, according to the KHP.

Two hospitalized after rear-end pickup, SUV crash

The Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art is getting into the holiday spirit as the annual Sugarplum Festival fundraiser returns for another year.  

Communications Manager Dansare Marks says the event is the museum's annual holiday fair. 

"We have 40 plus vendors who are all set up throughout the museum, and this will be entrepreneurs, crafters, artisans, small businesses, so this is the best way for everyone to start to shop local," Marks tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "To kind of get out of the big box businesses, get offline, and support our local makers." 

The event opens to the public on November 10th; however, Marks says a specialty ticket can be purchased for a preview party on the 9th.  

"That just gets you early access to all the vendors and kind of a special little evening," Marks explains.  

"You get to be the first one to see everything," Museum registrar Megan Benitz adds.   

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697648946043.jpeg" alt="The Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art is gearing up for it's biggest holiday fundraiser as the Sugarplum Festival takes over the museum in November/ Photo courtesy of the Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art Facebook page" />
 <figcaption>The Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art is gearing up for it's biggest holiday fundraiser as the Sugarplum Festival takes over the museum in November/ Photo courtesy of the Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art Facebook page</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post The Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art is getting into the holiday spirit as the annual Sugarplum Festival fundraiser returns for another year. Communications Manager Dansare Marks says the event is the museum's annual holiday fair. "We have 40 plus vendors who are all set up throughout the museum, and this will be entrepreneurs, crafters, artisans, small businesses, so this is the best way for everyone to start to shop local," Marks tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "To kind of get out of the big box businesses, get offline, and support our local makers." The event opens to the public on November 10th; however, Marks says a specialty ticket can be purchased for a preview party on the 9th. "That just gets you early access to all the vendors and kind of a special little evening," Marks explains. "You get to be the first one to see everything," Museum registrar Megan Benitz adds. "Yeah, and that also gets you some special parking, I think it gets you more general admission passes than just one, so we have all of those ticket packages available on our website if you're interested," Marks goes on to say. The festival runs at the museum through November 11th. It features several local vendors, a silent auction and live musical performances throughout the event. With vendors ready to go, the museum is seeking one more thing, decorations. Marks says they are accepting donations of Lego builds from local artists "So, what we're trying to do is create a winter wonderland for our Sugarplum Festival coming up in November," Marks says. "And so, we want anyone, it doesn't have to be young people old people can participate too, build your winter wonderland Lego and bring that to the museum and we're hoping to create a beautiful scene for everyone to enjoy at the Sugarplum Festival." Marks asks that builds are dropped off at the museum with a name on them, and a best of show award will also be given. Lego builds must be dropped off by November 1st.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697649194708.jpeg" alt="Vendors will be spread out all around the Albrecht Kemper during the Sugarplum Festival/ Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Vendors will be spread out all around the Albrecht Kemper during the Sugarplum Festival/ Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>

Local