Federal prosecutors recommend a St. Joseph couple who
participated in the January 6th, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol should
spend time behind bars.

Both Kim Dragoo and her husband, Steven Dragoo, pleaded guilty
August 11th of last year to charges of picketing, parading, and
demonstrating in the U.S. Capitol.

Prosecutors has asked the judge presiding over their case to
sentence Kim Dragoo to three weeks in jail, to be served intermittently, and to
sentence Steven Dragoo to two weeks in jail. Prosecutors recommended a longer
jail sentence for Kim, claiming she has failed to express remorse.

The two also must pay $500 in restitution to the Architect
of the U.S. Capitol.

Sentencing is scheduled for later this month.

Kim Dragoo unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the St. Joseph
School Board.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712849708257.png" alt="Image of Kimberly Dragoo from the Jan. 6 Committee provided by the U.S. District Court" />
 <figcaption>Image of Kimberly Dragoo from the Jan. 6 Committee provided by the U.S. District Court</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostFederal prosecutors recommend a St. Joseph couple who
participated in the January 6th, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol should
spend time behind bars.Both Kim Dragoo and her husband, Steven Dragoo, pleaded guilty
August 11th of last year to charges of picketing, parading, and
demonstrating in the U.S. Capitol.Prosecutors has asked the judge presiding over their case to
sentence Kim Dragoo to three weeks in jail, to be served intermittently, and to
sentence Steven Dragoo to two weeks in jail. Prosecutors recommended a longer
jail sentence for Kim, claiming she has failed to express remorse.The two also must pay $500 in restitution to the Architect
of the U.S. Capitol.Sentencing is scheduled for later this month.Kim Dragoo unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the St. Joseph
School Board.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Prosecutors recommend Dragoo serve jail time in US Capitol riot

A bipartisan bill to ban child marriage in Missouri won initial approval in the state Senate Wednesday afternoon.

Under current law, 16 and 17-year-olds are allowed to get married with parental consent. Marriage between a minor and anyone 21 or older is prohibited.

The legislation discussed Wednesday would prohibit issuing a marriage license to anyone younger than 18 under any circumstances.&nbsp;

Under identical bills&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=226">co-sponsored by Republican Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder of Scott City</a>&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=1604608">and Democratic Sen. Lauren Arthur</a>&nbsp;of Kansas City, Missouri would join 10&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://19thnews.org/2023/07/explaining-child-marriage-laws-united-states/">states</a>&nbsp;that have banned child marriage.&nbsp;

“We’ve heard from so many people who have endured a lot of trauma as a result of getting married at a young age and often having abusive relationships, or being forced to become pregnant,” Arthur said.&nbsp;

“There are all kinds of individual situations that have played out as a result of child marriage,” she added, “but all of them in their own way are terrible and should be warning signs to us all, that this is no longer an acceptable standard.”&nbsp;

Rehder said that she got married at 15, “and so as a child that was married, I can unequivocally say that this: It’s a terrible idea and you’re not old enough to make those type of decisions.”

“…I was very alone,” Rehder said, adding that statistics bear out that child brides often face mental health issues.

There was no opposition on Wednesday. Those who have previously opposed banning child marriage often invoke&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://19thnews.org/2023/07/explaining-child-marriage-laws-united-states/">parental rights</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/equality/4283941-child-marriage-is-still-legal-in-most-of-the-u-s-heres-why/">religious liberty</a>. Last year, Sen. Mike Moon, a Republican from Ash Grove, garnered national attention when he&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article274244525.html#storylink=cpy">said</a>: “Do you know any kids who have been married at age 12? I do. And guess what? They’re still married.”

Arthur said Wednesday the bill adjusts the marriage age to align with children’s limited legal rights.

“We’re not telling someone that they can’t marry the person they love, we’re just saying that children aren’t allowed to engage in legal contracts until they’re 18,” Arthur said.

Rehder added that “all of us have stories of our great grandparents or getting married early and that was absolutely the norm. But that was before women had the opportunity that they have now. They didn’t have the opportunity for education. They didn’t have the opportunity for a professional life, like they have now.”

“…This is the one thing that can absolutely sidetrack all of that for our girls.”

Until the legislature voted to raise the minimum marriage age to 16 in 2018, Missouri had among the most&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article204329774.html">lenient</a>&nbsp;child marriage laws in the nation — making it&nbsp; an especially popular state for&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article204287484.html">15-year-olds</a>&nbsp;to travel to be married.

Despite the 2018 change, Missouri law still does not align with international human rights standards, which set the minimum age at 18.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article211345289.html">Activists argued at the time</a>&nbsp;Missouri’s new law would continue to leave 16 and 17-year-olds vulnerable to potential coercion.

Those in favor of a ban on child marriage often argue that marriage under 18 is coercive and can transform into forced marriage, especially because children&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://19thnews.org/2023/07/explaining-child-marriage-laws-united-states/">lack the legal rights of adulthood.</a>&nbsp;

Rehder said that since the 2018 change, “we got a little further, but we didn’t complete the policy process which says this is an adult decision.”&nbsp;

Between 2000 and 2018,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/29/missouri-lawmakers-seek-to-ban-child-marriage-without-exception/#:~:text=A%20study%20from%20the%20advocacy,over%20the%20age%20of%2018.">8,007 children</a>&nbsp;were married in Missouri and Rehder said around 300 have been married since 2018.

The bill that won initial approval Wednesday afternoon also had a provision added by Rehder and two amendments from other senators.

Rehder’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/bts_web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=235">bill</a>, folded into this legislation, would&nbsp;modify fees in divorce proceedings. When one person is failing to abide by the court’s orders in divorce proceedings,&nbsp;that person would be the one on the line to pay the costs of returning to court.&nbsp;

Rehder said her former spouse was refusing to abide by the process the court decided on for divorce. She would have to pay “just to have a judge look at him and say, ‘Yes, you have to do what I’ve already told you to do.’”

“…And I’m like, you gotta be kidding me. I have to pay for that to make him do what he’s already been told to do?” Rehder said.

She said she’s heard from many women who’ve experienced domestic violence about “how this was another way of having that hold on them and making them pay more money to get away from a bad situation.”

Sen. Rick Brattin, a Republican of Harrisonville, voiced his support for this provision.

“I love the fact of kind of penalizing those that try to abuse the system,” Brattin said.

Brattin&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/BTS_web/amendments/2840S03.01S.pdf">added</a>&nbsp;his own amendment to the underlying bill as well.&nbsp;

Currently, state law says sheriffs and other law enforcement officials “may” enforce the rights of custody or visitation agreements. His amendment changes that to make it required — that they “shall” enforce those rights.

Brattin said he faced his own challenges trying to get visitation with his kids after divorce, despite a court order, and said law enforcement could deter parents from failing to abide by those agreements.

“The law enforcement shows up, well then that parent’s gonna know, ‘I’m not gonna be able to get away with this, so I do have to buck up and I have to play nice, even though I don’t want to,’” Brattin said.

Arthur also added an amendment to the bill that would&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/BTS_web/amendments/2840S03.02S.pdf">add considerations</a>&nbsp;for judges when determining child custody, including the child’s “physical, emotional, educational and other needs.”&nbsp;

The legislation still needs to receive final approval from the Senate before heading to the House, where a similar&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://house.mo.gov/bill.aspx?bill=HB2709&amp;year=2024&amp;code=R">bill</a>&nbsp;dealing with child marriage has yet to receive a committee hearing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711235947617.png" alt="Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder, R-Scott City, listens to Senate debate on Feb. 12, 2024 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder, R-Scott City, listens to Senate debate on Feb. 12, 2024 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>A bipartisan bill to ban child marriage in Missouri won initial approval in the state Senate Wednesday afternoon.Under current law, 16 and 17-year-olds are allowed to get married with parental consent. Marriage between a minor and anyone 21 or older is prohibited.The legislation discussed Wednesday would prohibit issuing a marriage license to anyone younger than 18 under any circumstances.&nbsp;Under identical bills&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=226">co-sponsored by Republican Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder of Scott City</a>&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=1604608">and Democratic Sen. Lauren Arthur</a>&nbsp;of Kansas City, Missouri would join 10&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://19thnews.org/2023/07/explaining-child-marriage-laws-united-states/">states</a>&nbsp;that have banned child marriage.&nbsp;“We’ve heard from so many people who have endured a lot of trauma as a result of getting married at a young age and often having abusive relationships, or being forced to become pregnant,” Arthur said.&nbsp;“There are all kinds of individual situations that have played out as a result of child marriage,” she added, “but all of them in their own way are terrible and should be warning signs to us all, that this is no longer an acceptable standard.”&nbsp;Rehder said that she got married at 15, “and so as a child that was married, I can unequivocally say that this: It’s a terrible idea and you’re not old enough to make those type of decisions.”“…I was very alone,” Rehder said, adding that statistics bear out that child brides often face mental health issues.There was no opposition on Wednesday. Those who have previously opposed banning child marriage often invoke&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://19thnews.org/2023/07/explaining-child-marriage-laws-united-states/">parental rights</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/equality/4283941-child-marriage-is-still-legal-in-most-of-the-u-s-heres-why/">religious liberty</a>. Last year, Sen. Mike Moon, a Republican from Ash Grove, garnered national attention when he&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article274244525.html#storylink=cpy">said</a>: “Do you know any kids who have been married at age 12? I do. And guess what? They’re still married.”Arthur said Wednesday the bill adjusts the marriage age to align with children’s limited legal rights.“We’re not telling someone that they can’t marry the person they love, we’re just saying that children aren’t allowed to engage in legal contracts until they’re 18,” Arthur said.Rehder added that “all of us have stories of our great grandparents or getting married early and that was absolutely the norm. But that was before women had the opportunity that they have now. They didn’t have the opportunity for education. They didn’t have the opportunity for a professional life, like they have now.”“…This is the one thing that can absolutely sidetrack all of that for our girls.”Until the legislature voted to raise the minimum marriage age to 16 in 2018, Missouri had among the most&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article204329774.html">lenient</a>&nbsp;child marriage laws in the nation — making it&nbsp; an especially popular state for&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article204287484.html">15-year-olds</a>&nbsp;to travel to be married.Despite the 2018 change, Missouri law still does not align with international human rights standards, which set the minimum age at 18.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article211345289.html">Activists argued at the time</a>&nbsp;Missouri’s new law would continue to leave 16 and 17-year-olds vulnerable to potential coercion.Those in favor of a ban on child marriage often argue that marriage under 18 is coercive and can transform into forced marriage, especially because children&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://19thnews.org/2023/07/explaining-child-marriage-laws-united-states/">lack the legal rights of adulthood.</a>&nbsp;Rehder said that since the 2018 change, “we got a little further, but we didn’t complete the policy process which says this is an adult decision.”&nbsp;Between 2000 and 2018,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/29/missouri-lawmakers-seek-to-ban-child-marriage-without-exception/#:~:text=A%20study%20from%20the%20advocacy,over%20the%20age%20of%2018.">8,007 children</a>&nbsp;were married in Missouri and Rehder said around 300 have been married since 2018.The bill that won initial approval Wednesday afternoon also had a provision added by Rehder and two amendments from other senators.Rehder’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/bts_web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=235">bill</a>, folded into this legislation, would&nbsp;modify fees in divorce proceedings. When one person is failing to abide by the court’s orders in divorce proceedings,&nbsp;that person would be the one on the line to pay the costs of returning to court.&nbsp;Rehder said her former spouse was refusing to abide by the process the court decided on for divorce. She would have to pay “just to have a judge look at him and say, ‘Yes, you have to do what I’ve already told you to do.’”“…And I’m like, you gotta be kidding me. I have to pay for that to make him do what he’s already been told to do?” Rehder said.She said she’s heard from many women who’ve experienced domestic violence about “how this was another way of having that hold on them and making them pay more money to get away from a bad situation.”Sen. Rick Brattin, a Republican of Harrisonville, voiced his support for this provision.“I love the fact of kind of penalizing those that try to abuse the system,” Brattin said.Brattin&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/BTS_web/amendments/2840S03.01S.pdf">added</a>&nbsp;his own amendment to the underlying bill as well.&nbsp;Currently, state law says sheriffs and other law enforcement officials “may” enforce the rights of custody or visitation agreements. His amendment changes that to make it required — that they “shall” enforce those rights.Brattin said he faced his own challenges trying to get visitation with his kids after divorce, despite a court order, and said law enforcement could deter parents from failing to abide by those agreements.“The law enforcement shows up, well then that parent’s gonna know, ‘I’m not gonna be able to get away with this, so I do have to buck up and I have to play nice, even though I don’t want to,’” Brattin said.Arthur also added an amendment to the bill that would&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/BTS_web/amendments/2840S03.02S.pdf">add considerations</a>&nbsp;for judges when determining child custody, including the child’s “physical, emotional, educational and other needs.”&nbsp;The legislation still needs to receive final approval from the Senate before heading to the House, where a similar&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://house.mo.gov/bill.aspx?bill=HB2709&amp;year=2024&amp;code=R">bill</a>&nbsp;dealing with child marriage has yet to receive a committee hearing.

Missouri Senate gives initial approval to complete ban on child marriage

ANDREW COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 5p.m. Wednesday in Andrew County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Ford F150 driven by a 16-year-old boy from Amazoia was&nbsp; eastbound on State Route T and County Road 398 one and one half miles north of Amazonia.

The driver lost control of the&nbsp; pickup. It traveled off the south side of the road and the driver overcorrected. The vehicle returned to the road and the driver overcorrected again. The pickup traveled off the south side of the road a second time and overturned.

A private vehicle transported the teen to Mosaic Life Care. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

ANDREW COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 5p.m. Wednesday in Andrew County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Ford F150 driven by a 16-year-old boy from Amazoia was&nbsp; eastbound on State Route T and County Road 398 one and one half miles north of Amazonia.The driver lost control of the&nbsp; pickup. It traveled off the south side of the road and the driver overcorrected. The vehicle returned to the road and the driver overcorrected again. The pickup traveled off the south side of the road a second time and overturned.A private vehicle transported the teen to Mosaic Life Care. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

Missouri teen hospitalized after pickup overturns

A $20 million dollar St. Joseph <a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/6dab078f-64af-4da0-8d80-1cee6134e02b">School District Bond Issue</a> was heavily approved by voters last week.

It encompasses many different aspects, focusing on improvements to	 student safety and experience.

One of the biggest pieces of this bond deals with athletics. About $6.5 million will go toward new turf fields and running tracks at Benton, Central and Lafayette High Schools.

Shannon Notle, activities director for the school district, says this was a much needed upgrade for student competitors in the city, noting that teams and athletes travel to state-of-the-art facilities in Kansas City and other communities on a regular basis.

"There's a lot more out there that they see that we don't have here," Nolte told KFEQ Radio. "So, I think for our kids and students, it's a great thing. I'm glad our community was able to see that and vote that way so that our kids can have things that other students have in other areas."

Nolte says it'd be nice to have the fields done by the start of the next school year, but reiterates that it's not a guarantee.

"It might be better to wait and make sure we get things right and done correctly," he said. "Get the designs right. In some places, it'll be a tight fit. So, if we have to do some other things around the field to get it done right, I think we'd rather take our time and get it done right, versus rushing into it to get it done by August."

Turf fields will be more cost effective in the long run. District officials estimate it costs around $50,000 annually to maintain a grass field for competition and activities.

Nolte adds it'll be fun for athletes and teams once these projects are completed.

"What a fun experience it'll be at this time next (school) year when these things finally get done," he said, "and people say, 'Wow, there's some definite improvements going on.'"

"I'd like to thank the community for their support and their vote and we're going to now begin the work to get these things done."

The second biggest piece in the bond issue is $3.2 million, which is going towards fine arts upgrades across all schools in the district.

You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712780069507.jpeg" alt="Benton, Central and Lafayette High School will all be getting new turf fields and running tracks, thanks to a newly passed bond issue from the St. Joseph School District. Stock photo." />
 <figcaption>Benton, Central and Lafayette High School will all be getting new turf fields and running tracks, thanks to a newly passed bond issue from the St. Joseph School District. Stock photo.</figcaption>
 </figure>By TOMMY REZACSt. Joseph PostA $20 million dollar St. Joseph <a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/6dab078f-64af-4da0-8d80-1cee6134e02b">School District Bond Issue</a> was heavily approved by voters last week.It encompasses many different aspects, focusing on improvements to	 student safety and experience.One of the biggest pieces of this bond deals with athletics. About $6.5 million will go toward new turf fields and running tracks at Benton, Central and Lafayette High Schools.Shannon Notle, activities director for the school district, says this was a much needed upgrade for student competitors in the city, noting that teams and athletes travel to state-of-the-art facilities in Kansas City and other communities on a regular basis."There's a lot more out there that they see that we don't have here," Nolte told KFEQ Radio. "So, I think for our kids and students, it's a great thing. I'm glad our community was able to see that and vote that way so that our kids can have things that other students have in other areas."Nolte says it'd be nice to have the fields done by the start of the next school year, but reiterates that it's not a guarantee."It might be better to wait and make sure we get things right and done correctly," he said. "Get the designs right. In some places, it'll be a tight fit. So, if we have to do some other things around the field to get it done right, I think we'd rather take our time and get it done right, versus rushing into it to get it done by August."Turf fields will be more cost effective in the long run. District officials estimate it costs around $50,000 annually to maintain a grass field for competition and activities.Nolte adds it'll be fun for athletes and teams once these projects are completed."What a fun experience it'll be at this time next (school) year when these things finally get done," he said, "and people say, 'Wow, there's some definite improvements going on.'""I'd like to thank the community for their support and their vote and we're going to now begin the work to get these things done."The second biggest piece in the bond issue is $3.2 million, which is going towards fine arts upgrades across all schools in the district.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712780095800.jpeg" alt="Stock photo by Tommy Rezac." />
 <figcaption>Stock photo by Tommy Rezac.</figcaption>
 </figure>You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

St. Joseph School District athletics to get big boost from newly passed bond issue

St.
Joseph and northwest Missouri could reap benefits from the state budget, if
projects placed in the budget by the House remain.

State
Representative Brenda Shields of St. Joseph, a member of the House Budget
Committee, points out the House version of the $51 billion state budget contains
$7.5 million for Rosecrans Memorial Airport, money to pay for the design of a
new hangar that could accommodate upgraded C-130 cargo planes.

“Hopefully,
we’ll get into the design process and when the opportunity for the J model
comes back around, we’ll score high enough that we’ll be able to secure the
C-130Js at Rosecrans with the 7 ½ million that we’re able to contribute to the
design,” Shields tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.

This
latest move to finance further improvements at Rosecrans Memorial Airport is
part of a concerted effort to lure the upgraded C-130 cargo planes vital to the
long-term future of the Air National Guard’s 139th Airlift Wing in
St. Joseph. The Pentagon passed over the 139th in awarding the
C-130J model planes to other Air National Guard bases. A federal scoring system
disclosed some deficiencies at Rosecrans that city, state, and even federal
officials are attempting to address with the belief that if those deficiencies
are addressed, the 139th will be awarded the new planes.

Transportation
is a big feature of the state budget approved by the Missouri House. Money is
also in the budget to upgrade rural roadways.

“I
think it’s important that we continue to invest in infrastructure and I’m happy
that we’re able to invest another 100 million in our rural roads,” Sheilds
says. “We’ve known that we’ve neglected those over the years.”

Shields
says those blacktop, two-lane roads are more important than they might look.

“We
know that it is important that we can get product to market,” Shields says,
pointing out farmers need good rural roads.&nbsp;
“And they’re crumbling and it was important that we continue to improve
those rural roads.”

The
House also set aside $53 million to improve the intersection of I-29 and I-35
in Kansas City.

Also
included in the House version is money to study whether US Highway 36 should
become Interstate 72.

“Because
we want to really look at the study to determine if 36 can become I-72 and it
all starts with a study and that’s what we have money in the budget for,”
Shields says, adding the appropriation has been reworked to satisfy objections
raised by Gov. Mike Parson, who vetoed a similar spending measure last year.

The
budget now is under review in the Senate. Shields notes the Senate in the past
has made significant changes to the House version of the budget, which requires
both chambers to agree to a compromise spending plan.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostSt.
Joseph and northwest Missouri could reap benefits from the state budget, if
projects placed in the budget by the House remain.State
Representative Brenda Shields of St. Joseph, a member of the House Budget
Committee, points out the House version of the $51 billion state budget contains
$7.5 million for Rosecrans Memorial Airport, money to pay for the design of a
new hangar that could accommodate upgraded C-130 cargo planes.“Hopefully,
we’ll get into the design process and when the opportunity for the J model
comes back around, we’ll score high enough that we’ll be able to secure the
C-130Js at Rosecrans with the 7 ½ million that we’re able to contribute to the
design,” Shields tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.This
latest move to finance further improvements at Rosecrans Memorial Airport is
part of a concerted effort to lure the upgraded C-130 cargo planes vital to the
long-term future of the Air National Guard’s 139th Airlift Wing in
St. Joseph. The Pentagon passed over the 139th in awarding the
C-130J model planes to other Air National Guard bases. A federal scoring system
disclosed some deficiencies at Rosecrans that city, state, and even federal
officials are attempting to address with the belief that if those deficiencies
are addressed, the 139th will be awarded the new planes.Transportation
is a big feature of the state budget approved by the Missouri House. Money is
also in the budget to upgrade rural roadways.“I
think it’s important that we continue to invest in infrastructure and I’m happy
that we’re able to invest another 100 million in our rural roads,” Sheilds
says. “We’ve known that we’ve neglected those over the years.”Shields
says those blacktop, two-lane roads are more important than they might look.“We
know that it is important that we can get product to market,” Shields says,
pointing out farmers need good rural roads.&nbsp;
“And they’re crumbling and it was important that we continue to improve
those rural roads.”The
House also set aside $53 million to improve the intersection of I-29 and I-35
in Kansas City.Also
included in the House version is money to study whether US Highway 36 should
become Interstate 72.“Because
we want to really look at the study to determine if 36 can become I-72 and it
all starts with a study and that’s what we have money in the budget for,”
Shields says, adding the appropriation has been reworked to satisfy objections
raised by Gov. Mike Parson, who vetoed a similar spending measure last year.The
budget now is under review in the Senate. Shields notes the Senate in the past
has made significant changes to the House version of the budget, which requires
both chambers to agree to a compromise spending plan.<div><iframe src="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/Reprenstative-Brenda-Shields-on-State-Budget-e2i7qut" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

St. Joseph stands to win in House version of $51B state budget

Plans are coming into place and St. Joseph is getting ever closer to beginning construction on a new animal shelter.  

After securing more money last month to put towards a new animal shelter, The St. Joseph City Council has selected a firm to take on the job.  

Ellison-Auxier architects, out of St. Joseph, will be responsible for putting together the new building located on the South Belt. 

At Large Councilmember Randy Schultz says he estimates the design phase will take somewhere between three to four months. 

"I'm going to push them on that, it'll be exciting to get it going, because I would like to see it get started before snow flys again," Schultz tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "And I think that's a reasonable timeline to get the prints out, get it bid, and get it on the books to get it constructed hopefully starting this year." 

Schultz says overall once construction begins, he believes it might take another year to get the building fully up and running. 

Schultz says Friends of the Animal Shelter believes, and he believes, animals at the shelter deserve dignity 

"So, we're going to build a building that is dignified, it's not going to be a metal slap up, it's going to be something that is cohesive for the dogs to thrive, the cats to thrive, and you can come in and adopt and it's a very welcoming place," Schultz explains.  

After several hiccups in the journey for a new animal shelter, Schultz says it's good to finally get this going.  

"Friends of the Animal Shelter came in at a work session, who knew how that work session was going to go, but with the strong leadership of all the city councilmen and our mayor, we worked a solution out," Schultz says. "And they have worked very hard to get those donations." 

Last month the city dedicated $3.4 million towards the project on top of the$1.6 million raised by Friends of the Animal Shelter. 

The new building will be on the South Belt, near the city recycling plant, at 3405 South Belt Highway. 

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710432377060.jpeg" alt="File photo" />
 <figcaption>File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Plans are coming into place and St. Joseph is getting ever closer to beginning construction on a new animal shelter. After securing more money last month to put towards a new animal shelter, The St. Joseph City Council has selected a firm to take on the job. Ellison-Auxier architects, out of St. Joseph, will be responsible for putting together the new building located on the South Belt. At Large Councilmember Randy Schultz says he estimates the design phase will take somewhere between three to four months. "I'm going to push them on that, it'll be exciting to get it going, because I would like to see it get started before snow flys again," Schultz tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "And I think that's a reasonable timeline to get the prints out, get it bid, and get it on the books to get it constructed hopefully starting this year." Schultz says overall once construction begins, he believes it might take another year to get the building fully up and running. Schultz says Friends of the Animal Shelter believes, and he believes, animals at the shelter deserve dignity "So, we're going to build a building that is dignified, it's not going to be a metal slap up, it's going to be something that is cohesive for the dogs to thrive, the cats to thrive, and you can come in and adopt and it's a very welcoming place," Schultz explains. After several hiccups in the journey for a new animal shelter, Schultz says it's good to finally get this going. "Friends of the Animal Shelter came in at a work session, who knew how that work session was going to go, but with the strong leadership of all the city councilmen and our mayor, we worked a solution out," Schultz says. "And they have worked very hard to get those donations." Last month the city dedicated $3.4 million towards the project on top of the$1.6 million raised by Friends of the Animal Shelter. The new building will be on the South Belt, near the city recycling plant, at 3405 South Belt Highway. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Firm selected to design new St. Joseph Animal Shelter; as dream moves towards reality

Democrats filibustered for more than 11 hours before sending the bill back to the House for a final vote

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

A bill that would make Planned Parenthood ineligible to receive reimbursements from the state’s Medicaid program passed out of the Missouri Senate early Wednesday morning after an 11-hour Democratic filibuster.

The bill now returns to the House, where it can be sent to Gov. Mike Parson to sign into law.

<a target="_blank" href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB%202634">This legislation, originally filed by Republican state Rep. Cody Smith</a>&nbsp;of Carthage, is nearly identical to a bill filed by state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, a Republican from Arnold, which&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/08/missouri-abortion-legislation-defund-planned-parenthood-defund/">was blocked by a Democratic filibuster in February</a>.&nbsp;

The legislation would make it financially tenuous, if not impossible, for the state’s Planned Parenthood clinics to continue seeing patients on Medicaid since the clinics would no longer be reimbursed for the cost of seeing these low-income patients.

Coleman, who is running for Secretary of State, said Tuesday afternoon that she hopes putting her bill into law makes it “abundantly clear to the state of Missouri that people who are engaged in, are associated with, who are providing abortions in the state of Missouri, shall be ineligible to be part of the Medicaid program.”

Missouri was the first state to outlaw abortion in June 2022 after the constitutional right to the procedure was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. From June 2022 through 2023 , there were 52 abortions performed in Missouri under the state’s emergency exemption, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.&nbsp;

None took place at Missouri Planned Parenthood clinics; however, Planned Parenthood clinics in the neighboring states of Kansas and Illinois still provide abortions.

“Dollars are fungible,” Coleman said Tuesday.&nbsp;

Her Democratic colleagues blocked a vote on the legislation past midnight, arguing that the state’s health care safety net couldn’t reasonably support displaced Medicaid patients.&nbsp;

State Sen. Tracy McCreery, a Democrat from Olivette, called the bill a “bizarre quest to just continue to punish Planned Parenthood.”&nbsp;

“But the reality is it’s not punishing Planned Parenthood,” she said. “This is hurting our very own constituents.”

Missouri’s Medicaid program, called MO HealthNet, serves low-income and disabled citizens, and has long banned funding for abortion, with limited exceptions. Planned Parenthood clinics primarily provide contraceptives, STI testing, cancer screenings and wellness checks.&nbsp;

The bill was ultimately approved along party lines around 12:30 a.m.&nbsp;

The bills filed this session attempt to cut Planned Parenthood’s funding through state law after Missouri Republicans twice tried to end Medicaid reimbursements through the state budget. Both times, including as recently as February, courts&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-supreme-court-again-says-state-cant-deny-medicaid-funds-to-planned-parenthood/">ruled those attempts unconstitutional.</a>

Despite the legal victories, Planned Parenthood affiliates in Missouri last month said they have not received any Medicaid reimbursements since 2022.&nbsp;

Emily Wales, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which oversees clinics in western Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, said previously that her organization has been privately fundraising to offset the cost of care to continue seeing Missouri Medicaid patients.&nbsp;

When&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/28/missouri-looks-to-mirror-arkansas-law-that-forced-planned-parenthood-to-turn-away-patients/">a similar law passed in Arkansas</a>&nbsp;several years ago, clinics immediately ceased seeing Medicaid patients. Arkansas’ law was upheld by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.

Nearly one in five Planned Parenthood patients in Missouri are on Medicaid. Wales said they’re still evaluating their options if the bill becomes law.&nbsp;

Coleman on Tuesday said this bill is not about access to health care, reiterating that federally qualified health centers, which also take patients on Medicaid, could take on the patients. She again suggested that Planned Parenthood clinics could also drop their Planned Parenthood affiliation to become eligible for reimbursements.&nbsp;

“It’s no politician’s business to tell somebody where they can and can’t go for healthcare,” McCreery said, emphasizing her concerns that patients won’t quickly be able to find new providers.

The Missouri Family Health Council Inc has over the past two years informally surveyed the capacity at the state’s safety net clinics.&nbsp;

When calling to inquire about availability for new patients, the organization found wait times at the state’s Planned Parenthood clinics averaged between the same day and three days to get an appointment. Across the other safety net clinics, wait times averaged between five and seven weeks, with some clinics as few as two weeks and some pausing new patients completely.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In 2022, across all 68 safety net clinics in the state that take Title X funding, around 24% of the clients were on Medicaid, said Michelle Trupiano, the council’s executive director. She previously testified that Planned Parenthood is the primary family planning services provider for about 20,000 patients across the state.

State Sen. Karla May, a Democrat from St. Louis, said in her travels around rural Missouri last year she heard a resounding cry for more health care providers. A bill like this, she argued, would create “chaos.”

McCreery on Tuesday brought forward an amendment that would exempt in vitro fertilization from Missouri’s current statute which states that life begins at conception.&nbsp;

The amendment never made it to a vote, but it fueled much of the Democratic senators’ filibuster.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I assumed wrongly, stupidly, that when the legislature passed a total ban on abortion, that that would be enough. People would feel like they had their pro life credentials,” said state Sen. Lauren Arthur, a Democrat from Kansas City. “What I have since realized is it’s never enough.”

<h2>Democrats filibustered for more than 11 hours before sending the bill back to the House for a final vote</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>A bill that would make Planned Parenthood ineligible to receive reimbursements from the state’s Medicaid program passed out of the Missouri Senate early Wednesday morning after an 11-hour Democratic filibuster.The bill now returns to the House, where it can be sent to Gov. Mike Parson to sign into law.<a target="_blank" href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB%202634">This legislation, originally filed by Republican state Rep. Cody Smith</a>&nbsp;of Carthage, is nearly identical to a bill filed by state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, a Republican from Arnold, which&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/08/missouri-abortion-legislation-defund-planned-parenthood-defund/">was blocked by a Democratic filibuster in February</a>.&nbsp;The legislation would make it financially tenuous, if not impossible, for the state’s Planned Parenthood clinics to continue seeing patients on Medicaid since the clinics would no longer be reimbursed for the cost of seeing these low-income patients.Coleman, who is running for Secretary of State, said Tuesday afternoon that she hopes putting her bill into law makes it “abundantly clear to the state of Missouri that people who are engaged in, are associated with, who are providing abortions in the state of Missouri, shall be ineligible to be part of the Medicaid program.”Missouri was the first state to outlaw abortion in June 2022 after the constitutional right to the procedure was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. From June 2022 through 2023 , there were 52 abortions performed in Missouri under the state’s emergency exemption, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.&nbsp;None took place at Missouri Planned Parenthood clinics; however, Planned Parenthood clinics in the neighboring states of Kansas and Illinois still provide abortions.“Dollars are fungible,” Coleman said Tuesday.&nbsp;Her Democratic colleagues blocked a vote on the legislation past midnight, arguing that the state’s health care safety net couldn’t reasonably support displaced Medicaid patients.&nbsp;State Sen. Tracy McCreery, a Democrat from Olivette, called the bill a “bizarre quest to just continue to punish Planned Parenthood.”&nbsp;“But the reality is it’s not punishing Planned Parenthood,” she said. “This is hurting our very own constituents.”Missouri’s Medicaid program, called MO HealthNet, serves low-income and disabled citizens, and has long banned funding for abortion, with limited exceptions. Planned Parenthood clinics primarily provide contraceptives, STI testing, cancer screenings and wellness checks.&nbsp;The bill was ultimately approved along party lines around 12:30 a.m.&nbsp;<h2>Capacity at safety net clinics</h2>The bills filed this session attempt to cut Planned Parenthood’s funding through state law after Missouri Republicans twice tried to end Medicaid reimbursements through the state budget. Both times, including as recently as February, courts&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-supreme-court-again-says-state-cant-deny-medicaid-funds-to-planned-parenthood/">ruled those attempts unconstitutional.</a>Despite the legal victories, Planned Parenthood affiliates in Missouri last month said they have not received any Medicaid reimbursements since 2022.&nbsp;Emily Wales, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which oversees clinics in western Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, said previously that her organization has been privately fundraising to offset the cost of care to continue seeing Missouri Medicaid patients.&nbsp;When&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/28/missouri-looks-to-mirror-arkansas-law-that-forced-planned-parenthood-to-turn-away-patients/">a similar law passed in Arkansas</a>&nbsp;several years ago, clinics immediately ceased seeing Medicaid patients. Arkansas’ law was upheld by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.Nearly one in five Planned Parenthood patients in Missouri are on Medicaid. Wales said they’re still evaluating their options if the bill becomes law.&nbsp;Coleman on Tuesday said this bill is not about access to health care, reiterating that federally qualified health centers, which also take patients on Medicaid, could take on the patients. She again suggested that Planned Parenthood clinics could also drop their Planned Parenthood affiliation to become eligible for reimbursements.&nbsp;“It’s no politician’s business to tell somebody where they can and can’t go for healthcare,” McCreery said, emphasizing her concerns that patients won’t quickly be able to find new providers.The Missouri Family Health Council Inc has over the past two years informally surveyed the capacity at the state’s safety net clinics.&nbsp;When calling to inquire about availability for new patients, the organization found wait times at the state’s Planned Parenthood clinics averaged between the same day and three days to get an appointment. Across the other safety net clinics, wait times averaged between five and seven weeks, with some clinics as few as two weeks and some pausing new patients completely.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 2022, across all 68 safety net clinics in the state that take Title X funding, around 24% of the clients were on Medicaid, said Michelle Trupiano, the council’s executive director. She previously testified that Planned Parenthood is the primary family planning services provider for about 20,000 patients across the state.State Sen. Karla May, a Democrat from St. Louis, said in her travels around rural Missouri last year she heard a resounding cry for more health care providers. A bill like this, she argued, would create “chaos.”McCreery on Tuesday brought forward an amendment that would exempt in vitro fertilization from Missouri’s current statute which states that life begins at conception.&nbsp;The amendment never made it to a vote, but it fueled much of the Democratic senators’ filibuster.&nbsp;&nbsp;“I assumed wrongly, stupidly, that when the legislature passed a total ban on abortion, that that would be enough. People would feel like they had their pro life credentials,” said state Sen. Lauren Arthur, a Democrat from Kansas City. “What I have since realized is it’s never enough.”

Bill ending Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood clears Missouri Senate

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

Just after 8:30p.m. April 7, the Brown County Sheriff's Office Drug Task Force conducted&nbsp; a search warrant at 143 W. 13th. Street in Horton, according to Sheriff John Merchant.

At the conclusion of the investigation, Susanne Smith 55 Horton was arrested on requested charges of Possession of Opiate(fentanyl),&nbsp;Possession of Meth,  Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.&nbsp; The Iowa Tribal Police assisted in the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712676192145.png" alt="Smith-photo Brown Co." />
 <figcaption>Smith-photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a northeast Kansas woman on drug allegations.Just after 8:30p.m. April 7, the Brown County Sheriff's Office Drug Task Force conducted&nbsp; a search warrant at 143 W. 13th. Street in Horton, according to Sheriff John Merchant.At the conclusion of the investigation, Susanne Smith 55 Horton was arrested on requested charges of Possession of Opiate(fentanyl),&nbsp;Possession of Meth, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.&nbsp; The Iowa Tribal Police assisted in the case.

Deputies found fentanyl at Kansas home

NODAWAY COUNTY —A Missouri man was injured in an accident just after 7:30p.m. Tuesday in Nodaway County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1986 Honda motorcycle driven by Joshua W. Schroder, 39, Maitland, was southbound on Highway ZZ one mile north of Graham.

The driver lost control of the vehicle when the rear brakes on the motorcycle locked up.&nbsp; The motorcycle crossed the center line, returned to the southbound lanes and then off the west side of the road and the driver was ejected.

Nodaway EMS transported Schroder to Mosaic in St. Joseph. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP.

NODAWAY COUNTY —A Missouri man was injured in an accident just after 7:30p.m. Tuesday in Nodaway County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1986 Honda motorcycle driven by Joshua W. Schroder, 39, Maitland, was southbound on Highway ZZ one mile north of Graham.The driver lost control of the vehicle when the rear brakes on the motorcycle locked up.&nbsp; The motorcycle crossed the center line, returned to the southbound lanes and then off the west side of the road and the driver was ejected.Nodaway EMS transported Schroder to Mosaic in St. Joseph. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP.

Missouri man injured after motorcycle accident

Missouri residents
62 and older could see their property taxes frozen under a bill passing the
Missouri Senate and moving to the House.

State Sen. Tony
Luetkemeyer sponsors the bill which is a clean-up of legislation approved last
year. Luetkemeyer, a Republican from Parkville, says the legislation responds
to recent hikes in property taxes.

“The purpose
behind that is we’ve seen, particularly in a lot of the metropolitan areas in
and around Kansas City and St. Louis, huge increases in the assessed valuations
for real estate property,” Luetkemeyer tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “It’s caused
many seniors who are on fixed incomes to be put in the spot of potentially being
taxed out of their home.”

Luetkemeyer
succeeded in getting his measure through the legislature last year and signed
into law. But that legislation restricted the tax break to those receiving
Social Security. The follow up legislation expands the measure to any Missouri
property owner 62 and older.

“There are a lot
of seniors that are not eligible for Social Security, because they receive
public pensions,” Luetkemeyer explains. “So, for example, school teachers, firefighters,
police officers. And so, one of the things that I did this year is I filed a clean-up
bill that would expand the eligibility to all seniors who are age 62 and older
rather than seniors who just qualify for Social Security.”

The measure has
passed the Senate and been sent to the House.

Luetkemeyer has
asked House leadership to pick up the measure and send it on to the governor
rather than risk amending it and returning it to the Senate.

“The Senate has
been a little touch and go, to say the least, this session,” says Luetkemeyer. “This
is probably the slowest start to a legislative session we’ve had in the six
years that I’ve been in the Senate and there’s a host of different reasons for
that. My fear is if the House were to amend the bill and send it back to the
Senate during the last couple of weeks of session, it might be difficult for me
to get it passed and to the governor’s desk.”

A property tax
freeze for senior citizens is up to each county to enact. It can be done with a
vote of the county commission or placed on the ballot through initiative
petition.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712675664918.jpeg" alt="Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer/Missouri Senate photo" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer/Missouri Senate photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostMissouri residents
62 and older could see their property taxes frozen under a bill passing the
Missouri Senate and moving to the House.State Sen. Tony
Luetkemeyer sponsors the bill which is a clean-up of legislation approved last
year. Luetkemeyer, a Republican from Parkville, says the legislation responds
to recent hikes in property taxes.“The purpose
behind that is we’ve seen, particularly in a lot of the metropolitan areas in
and around Kansas City and St. Louis, huge increases in the assessed valuations
for real estate property,” Luetkemeyer tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “It’s caused
many seniors who are on fixed incomes to be put in the spot of potentially being
taxed out of their home.”Luetkemeyer
succeeded in getting his measure through the legislature last year and signed
into law. But that legislation restricted the tax break to those receiving
Social Security. The follow up legislation expands the measure to any Missouri
property owner 62 and older.“There are a lot
of seniors that are not eligible for Social Security, because they receive
public pensions,” Luetkemeyer explains. “So, for example, school teachers, firefighters,
police officers. And so, one of the things that I did this year is I filed a clean-up
bill that would expand the eligibility to all seniors who are age 62 and older
rather than seniors who just qualify for Social Security.”The measure has
passed the Senate and been sent to the House.Luetkemeyer has
asked House leadership to pick up the measure and send it on to the governor
rather than risk amending it and returning it to the Senate.“The Senate has
been a little touch and go, to say the least, this session,” says Luetkemeyer. “This
is probably the slowest start to a legislative session we’ve had in the six
years that I’ve been in the Senate and there’s a host of different reasons for
that. My fear is if the House were to amend the bill and send it back to the
Senate during the last couple of weeks of session, it might be difficult for me
to get it passed and to the governor’s desk.”A property tax
freeze for senior citizens is up to each county to enact. It can be done with a
vote of the county commission or placed on the ballot through initiative
petition.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Missouri senior citizens property tax break could be expanded

After a win in the U.S. Supreme Court last year, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a new lawsuit challenging the Department of Education’s second attempt at loan forgiveness

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

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is seeking to squash a nearly eight-month-old program that has waived&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/02/21/fact-sheet-president-biden-cancels-student-debt-for-more-than-150000-student-loan-borrowers-ahead-of-schedule/">$1.2 billion in student loans</a>&nbsp;for 153,000 borrowers and limited the payment amounts for&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/08/president-joe-biden-outlines-new-plans-to-deliver-student-debt-relief-to-over-30-million-americans-under-the-biden-harris-administration/">8 million</a>&nbsp;others.&nbsp;

He is joined by the attorneys general from Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Dakota, Ohio and Oklahoma in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ago.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=55bd24fd8f5e7d3dc227d1072&amp;id=e718efc6ea&amp;e=0708f36fa1">lawsuit</a>&nbsp;filed Tuesday in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s SAVE Plan, an income-driven repayment plan launched in August of last year and is set to be fully implemented in July.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed his own legal challenge of the SAVE Plan at the end of March alongside 10 other states. Bailey said at the time that he was “extremely pleased” to see Kobach’s lawsuit, announcing the same day that he intended to file a similar motion.

He followed through on the promise Tuesday.&nbsp;

“Between our two coalitions of states, we will get this matter in front of a judge even more quickly to deliver a win for the American people,” he said in a news release.

Bailey was part of a legal challenge of an earlier program for student-loan forgiveness, which culminated in the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the federal government’s plan last June.

In that lawsuit, the Department of Education had proposed using the Heroes Act to give widespread relief during the pandemic.

Included in Bailey’s argument in that lawsuit was that debt relief would hurt the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, or MOHELA.&nbsp;

The quasi-governmental nonprofit did not consent to be part of the original lawsuit, and internal communications released last year showed some of the company’s employees expressing apprehension about being involved. .

Bailey’s latest lawsuit also claims harm against MOHELA.

“By accelerating the forgiveness timeline for the typical borrower by as much as 15 years, the final rule imposes financial harm on MOHELA, and thus the State of Missouri, by depriving MOHELA of up to 15 years in servicing fees,” the attorneys general wrote in the lawsuit.

MOHELA did not respond to a request for comment.

Although some of the arguments remain, the department has used a different federal law to justify the SAVE Plan. This time around, the department is pulling its authority from the Higher Education Act, which was first enacted in 1965 but has been amended since.

The Higher Education Act authorizes need-based financial aid for college students, among other provisions.

Bailey argues that, when Congress passed the Higher Education Act, they didn’t intend for it to be used as the SAVE Plan does.

The SAVE Plan, when fully implemented, would cap borrowers’ loan payments at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/02/21/fact-sheet-president-biden-cancels-student-debt-for-more-than-150000-student-loan-borrowers-ahead-of-schedule/">5% of their discretionary income</a>. In February, the Department of Education announced that of the 7.5 million people that had enrolled in the program, 4.3 million had a $0 monthly payment.

The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/save-plan">SAVE Plan</a>&nbsp;also promises loan forgiveness within 10 years for those who borrowed $12,000 or less. For those who initially borrowed over $12,000, the department says it will relieve debts with an additional year for each $1,000 beyond $12,000 borrowed.

Bailey argues in Tuesday’s lawsuit that the 10-year period is problematic because of another federal program, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or PSLF, which forgives student debt for those who have worked in public service for 10 years and made payments on their loans during that period.

“PSLF is so important for government agencies because, before the Final Rule, PSLF was comparatively much more generous than any other federal loan repayment program. That gave borrowers a sizeable incentive to work for public service employers,” the lawsuit says.

Bailey repeatedly refers to the 10-year cost of loan forgiveness citing both the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2023-03/58983-IDR.pdf">Congressional Budget Office’s estimate of $276 billion</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2023/7/17/biden-income-driven-repayment-budget-update">Penn-Wharton Budget Model’s $475 billion</a>&nbsp;prediction.

The lawsuit mentions a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/in-wisconsin-biden-underlines-plans-to-help-college-students-with-unsustainable-debts/">debt-relief plan announced Monday by President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;but does not appear to explicitly challenge it.&nbsp;

The SAVE Plan is a component of the latest plan, which also relies on the Higher Education Act.

Solicitor General Josh Divine, who signed Tuesday’s lawsuit on behalf of Bailey’s office, was part of a rulemaking committee that shapes the latest debt-relief plan announced Monday. He&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9gYK34sUSs">stepped down from the committee</a>&nbsp;after his peers rejected his proposal to bring in business leaders as a constituency group.

“There’s essentially no program for small business owners, people who didn’t go to college, people who went to trade schools or went through alternative career processes,” Divine told the committee in December.

Bailey, who was appointed to his position by Gov. Mike Parson, is running for a full term in office this year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712591036531.png" alt="White House image" />
 <figcaption>White House image</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>After a win in the U.S. Supreme Court last year, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a new lawsuit challenging the Department of Education’s second attempt at loan forgiveness</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ahanshaw/">ANNELISE HANSHAW</a><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is seeking to squash a nearly eight-month-old program that has waived&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/02/21/fact-sheet-president-biden-cancels-student-debt-for-more-than-150000-student-loan-borrowers-ahead-of-schedule/">$1.2 billion in student loans</a>&nbsp;for 153,000 borrowers and limited the payment amounts for&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/08/president-joe-biden-outlines-new-plans-to-deliver-student-debt-relief-to-over-30-million-americans-under-the-biden-harris-administration/">8 million</a>&nbsp;others.&nbsp;He is joined by the attorneys general from Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Dakota, Ohio and Oklahoma in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ago.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=55bd24fd8f5e7d3dc227d1072&amp;id=e718efc6ea&amp;e=0708f36fa1">lawsuit</a>&nbsp;filed Tuesday in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s SAVE Plan, an income-driven repayment plan launched in August of last year and is set to be fully implemented in July.Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed his own legal challenge of the SAVE Plan at the end of March alongside 10 other states. Bailey said at the time that he was “extremely pleased” to see Kobach’s lawsuit, announcing the same day that he intended to file a similar motion.He followed through on the promise Tuesday.&nbsp;“Between our two coalitions of states, we will get this matter in front of a judge even more quickly to deliver a win for the American people,” he said in a news release.Bailey was part of a legal challenge of an earlier program for student-loan forgiveness, which culminated in the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the federal government’s plan last June.In that lawsuit, the Department of Education had proposed using the Heroes Act to give widespread relief during the pandemic.Included in Bailey’s argument in that lawsuit was that debt relief would hurt the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, or MOHELA.&nbsp;The quasi-governmental nonprofit did not consent to be part of the original lawsuit, and internal communications released last year showed some of the company’s employees expressing apprehension about being involved. .Bailey’s latest lawsuit also claims harm against MOHELA.“By accelerating the forgiveness timeline for the typical borrower by as much as 15 years, the final rule imposes financial harm on MOHELA, and thus the State of Missouri, by depriving MOHELA of up to 15 years in servicing fees,” the attorneys general wrote in the lawsuit.MOHELA did not respond to a request for comment.Although some of the arguments remain, the department has used a different federal law to justify the SAVE Plan. This time around, the department is pulling its authority from the Higher Education Act, which was first enacted in 1965 but has been amended since.The Higher Education Act authorizes need-based financial aid for college students, among other provisions.Bailey argues that, when Congress passed the Higher Education Act, they didn’t intend for it to be used as the SAVE Plan does.The SAVE Plan, when fully implemented, would cap borrowers’ loan payments at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/02/21/fact-sheet-president-biden-cancels-student-debt-for-more-than-150000-student-loan-borrowers-ahead-of-schedule/">5% of their discretionary income</a>. In February, the Department of Education announced that of the 7.5 million people that had enrolled in the program, 4.3 million had a $0 monthly payment.The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/save-plan">SAVE Plan</a>&nbsp;also promises loan forgiveness within 10 years for those who borrowed $12,000 or less. For those who initially borrowed over $12,000, the department says it will relieve debts with an additional year for each $1,000 beyond $12,000 borrowed.Bailey argues in Tuesday’s lawsuit that the 10-year period is problematic because of another federal program, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or PSLF, which forgives student debt for those who have worked in public service for 10 years and made payments on their loans during that period.“PSLF is so important for government agencies because, before the Final Rule, PSLF was comparatively much more generous than any other federal loan repayment program. That gave borrowers a sizeable incentive to work for public service employers,” the lawsuit says.Bailey repeatedly refers to the 10-year cost of loan forgiveness citing both the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2023-03/58983-IDR.pdf">Congressional Budget Office’s estimate of $276 billion</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2023/7/17/biden-income-driven-repayment-budget-update">Penn-Wharton Budget Model’s $475 billion</a>&nbsp;prediction.The lawsuit mentions a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/in-wisconsin-biden-underlines-plans-to-help-college-students-with-unsustainable-debts/">debt-relief plan announced Monday by President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;but does not appear to explicitly challenge it.&nbsp;The SAVE Plan is a component of the latest plan, which also relies on the Higher Education Act.Solicitor General Josh Divine, who signed Tuesday’s lawsuit on behalf of Bailey’s office, was part of a rulemaking committee that shapes the latest debt-relief plan announced Monday. He&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9gYK34sUSs">stepped down from the committee</a>&nbsp;after his peers rejected his proposal to bring in business leaders as a constituency group.“There’s essentially no program for small business owners, people who didn’t go to college, people who went to trade schools or went through alternative career processes,” Divine told the committee in December.Bailey, who was appointed to his position by Gov. Mike Parson, is running for a full term in office this year.

Missouri AG leads coalition challenging Biden student debt relief

A special fund in St. Joseph helps provide money to arts programs and projects.   

The Allied Arts Council Arts Fund gathers money through the community to fund an array of arts programs, such as the downtown Sculpture Walk and Artists in Schools.  

A campaign to raise the funds is currently underway, and Co-Chair Terri Modlin says the committee has set a pretty lofty goal 

"We've been in the low $200,000's the last couple of years and we had a great opportunity with a jumpstart on our campaign, and we set the goal at $300,000 for this year," Modlin tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr.  

Modlin says the campaign is off to a good start, already raising more than $200,000 dollars.  

Modlin says the arts fund helps fund several of these programs throughout the year 

"Last year the arts fund helped support over 331 events in our community," Modlin says. 

Area businesses help fund these events and Modlin says that helps make St. Joseph a more enjoyable place to be 

"This makes this community more fun to be in, we know it's a great outlet for people maybe struggling with mental health or anxiety, but it's also just a a fun way to get together," Modlin explains. 

Campaign Co Chair Allison Schieber says St. Joseph has a great arts community to help the fund 

"It's strong, it's good, and that your donation really helps a lot of people to explore the arts, even if you don't your neighbors will, and it will enhance their lives in our community," Schieber says.  

The campaign runs through April 30th, but the Allied Arts Council will accept donations for this year’s arts fund through the end of June. 

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post A special fund in St. Joseph helps provide money to arts programs and projects. The Allied Arts Council Arts Fund gathers money through the community to fund an array of arts programs, such as the downtown Sculpture Walk and Artists in Schools. A campaign to raise the funds is currently underway, and Co-Chair Terri Modlin says the committee has set a pretty lofty goal "We've been in the low $200,000's the last couple of years and we had a great opportunity with a jumpstart on our campaign, and we set the goal at $300,000 for this year," Modlin tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr. Modlin says the campaign is off to a good start, already raising more than $200,000 dollars. Modlin says the arts fund helps fund several of these programs throughout the year "Last year the arts fund helped support over 331 events in our community," Modlin says. Area businesses help fund these events and Modlin says that helps make St. Joseph a more enjoyable place to be "This makes this community more fun to be in, we know it's a great outlet for people maybe struggling with mental health or anxiety, but it's also just a a fun way to get together," Modlin explains. Campaign Co Chair Allison Schieber says St. Joseph has a great arts community to help the fund "It's strong, it's good, and that your donation really helps a lot of people to explore the arts, even if you don't your neighbors will, and it will enhance their lives in our community," Schieber says. The campaign runs through April 30th, but the Allied Arts Council will accept donations for this year’s arts fund through the end of June.

Drive seeks to raise money for the arts in St. Joseph

A 77-year-old St. Joseph man has pleaded guilty to his part in
an $8 million scheme to cheat hundreds in the guise of a Christian health
care sharing ministry.

James McGinnis pleaded guilty before federal District Judge
Greg Kays to avoid a trial.

McGinnis founded Medical Cost Sharing along with 62-year-old Craig
Anthony Reynolds of St. Joseph in 2014. Reynolds, who acted as president,
pleaded guilty to similar charges late last year.

McGinnis pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit
wire fraud and one count of making false statements on a tax return.

The two promoted Medical Cost Sharing, a tax-exempt
organization, as a Christian health care sharing ministry. The two collected
more than $8 million in member contributions and paid out only three
percent in health care claims.

Federal prosecutors say McGinnis and Reynolds pocketed more
than five million dollars from member contributions from December 2015 through
December 2022.

The two marketed Medical Cost Sharing widely, stating that
while it wasn’t an insurance company, it would share members’ healthcare costs
with other Christians enrolled in the plan. Medical Cost Sharing rarely paid
members’ health care claims. In fact, prosecutors say it didn’t pay any claims
from early 2021 through the end of 2022 even though it collected nearly $1.2
million dues during that time.

On December 13th of 2022, federal agents served
search warrants on the Medical Cost Sharing business location as well as the
residences of both McGinnis and Reynolds, seizing property obtained through the
scheme. Later that month the court entered a restraining order against Medical
Cost Sharing, because it continued to collect membership dues after the search
and seizure warrants were served.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, McGinnis must make
restitution to Medical Cost Sharing members and to the IRS. McGinnis also has
been ordered to forfeit property obtained from the wire fraud conspiracy.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostA 77-year-old St. Joseph man has pleaded guilty to his part in
an $8 million scheme to cheat hundreds in the guise of a Christian health
care sharing ministry.James McGinnis pleaded guilty before federal District Judge
Greg Kays to avoid a trial.McGinnis founded Medical Cost Sharing along with 62-year-old Craig
Anthony Reynolds of St. Joseph in 2014. Reynolds, who acted as president,
pleaded guilty to similar charges late last year.McGinnis pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit
wire fraud and one count of making false statements on a tax return.The two promoted Medical Cost Sharing, a tax-exempt
organization, as a Christian health care sharing ministry. The two collected
more than $8 million in member contributions and paid out only three
percent in health care claims.Federal prosecutors say McGinnis and Reynolds pocketed more
than five million dollars from member contributions from December 2015 through
December 2022.The two marketed Medical Cost Sharing widely, stating that
while it wasn’t an insurance company, it would share members’ healthcare costs
with other Christians enrolled in the plan. Medical Cost Sharing rarely paid
members’ health care claims. In fact, prosecutors say it didn’t pay any claims
from early 2021 through the end of 2022 even though it collected nearly $1.2
million dues during that time.On December 13th of 2022, federal agents served
search warrants on the Medical Cost Sharing business location as well as the
residences of both McGinnis and Reynolds, seizing property obtained through the
scheme. Later that month the court entered a restraining order against Medical
Cost Sharing, because it continued to collect membership dues after the search
and seizure warrants were served.Under the terms of the plea agreement, McGinnis must make
restitution to Medical Cost Sharing members and to the IRS. McGinnis also has
been ordered to forfeit property obtained from the wire fraud conspiracy.McGinnis will be sentenced later.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

St. Joseph man pleads guilty in fraudulent Christian health care scheme 

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for leaving the scene of an accident and other allegations.

Just after 10:30p.m. Monday, a Mercury Sable driven by Jesse Ferris, 34, Atchison, was northbound in the 800 Block of 9th Street in Atchison, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712671388610.png" alt="Photos Atchison Police" />
 <figcaption>Photos Atchison Police</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for leaving the scene of an accident and other allegations.Just after 10:30p.m. Monday, a Mercury Sable driven by Jesse Ferris, 34, Atchison, was northbound in the 800 Block of 9th Street in Atchison, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712671368253.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The car&nbsp;struck the utility pole on the west side of the street. The pole fell on top of the vehicle and the driver fled the area. Officers found Ferris, a short time later at a residence and he was accused of leaving the scene of the accident and driving while suspended and issued a notice to appear in court. He was not injured. Some residents were without power until Evergy replaced the utility pole and restored power, according to Wilson.

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