Clean Fuels Alliance America Wednesday released a new report assessing potential global supplies of used cooking oil. 

Specifically, the report looks at used cooking oil to meet the growing demand for biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel through 2030. 

In 2022, global used cooling oil trade reached 3.7 billion gallons. 

With anticipated demand and added value from biodiesel and renewable diesel production, the supply could grow to between five billion and ten billion gallons by 2030. 

With additional global used cooking oil collection, the potential supply could increase by an additional four billion to seven billion gallons. 

The report indicates that the United States has the most well-developed used cooking oil collection system, due to long-standing practices for its use and disposal. In 2022, the U.S. supply reached 850 million gallons. 

Increasing biodiesel and renewable diesel production incentivizes domestic use of that supply – curbing recent export trends. Global used cooking oil trade reached 1.3 billion gallons in 2022.

Clean Fuels Alliance America Wednesday released a new report assessing potential global supplies of used cooking oil. Specifically, the report looks at used cooking oil to meet the growing demand for biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel through 2030. In 2022, global used cooling oil trade reached 3.7 billion gallons. With anticipated demand and added value from biodiesel and renewable diesel production, the supply could grow to between five billion and ten billion gallons by 2030. With additional global used cooking oil collection, the potential supply could increase by an additional four billion to seven billion gallons. The report indicates that the United States has the most well-developed used cooking oil collection system, due to long-standing practices for its use and disposal. In 2022, the U.S. supply reached 850 million gallons. Increasing biodiesel and renewable diesel production incentivizes domestic use of that supply – curbing recent export trends. Global used cooking oil trade reached 1.3 billion gallons in 2022.- NAFB

Clean Fuels releases used cooking oil outlook for biodiesel

A St. Joseph state representative who fell short
in efforts to provide child care incentives during the last legislative session
expects the issue to resurface as one of, if not the, top issue next session.

Rep. Brenda Shields got her child care tax credit
bill through the House, but it got tangle up in Senate Republican infighting at
the end of the session. Shields kept pushing the issue after the session
wrapped up.

“We’ve been working really hard on it,” Shields
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “I’ve been going around the state advocating for
the bill, talking to business leaders so that we’re all on the same page. We
have real plans to be able to get it across the finish line this year.”

Shields says the last-week collapse might have
been avoided if she were able to start earlier.

“Well, we got started late on the bill,” Shields
says. “We didn’t introduce it until after the governor’s State of the State
address, so that puts us a month into session and I really think if we’d had
more time, we would have been able to get it across the finish line.”

Despite backing by Gov. Mike Parson, the bill
failed to make it through the session to his desk. Shield’s bill would have allowed
child care providers to claim a tax credit of up to 30% of their expenses.
Child care providers would also have been allowed to keep the withholding tax
of their employees. Businesses would have been given a tax break if they helped
offset the cost of child care for their employees.

“So, I think that that is helpful that we’ll be
able to increase the capacity and then on top of that this will give businesses
incentive,” Shields says. “They say that they have a problem, they can’t create
a workforce, they can’t get enough people to work, because of child care
issues. This requires businesses to put skin in the game and if they put skin
in the game, then the state will get involved in the crisis and that’s exactly
what the purpose of a great tax credit is.”

Shields says the business community needs to make
its case for the incentives and not just during the next legislative session.
Shields says business leaders need to be speaking with their individual
legislators before the session starts in January.

“I think the key of getting it passed is making
sure that we have our business community 100% behind it, so they can advocate
their legislators,” Shields says. “And I think it’s once again tremendous
communication with the legislative body on an individual basis which is what I’ve
been doing all summer long.”

The Missouri General Assembly just concluded its
annual veto session (with no vetoes overridden) and will return to the state
Capitol in Jefferson City for the next session in January.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostA St. Joseph state representative who fell short
in efforts to provide child care incentives during the last legislative session
expects the issue to resurface as one of, if not the, top issue next session.Rep. Brenda Shields got her child care tax credit
bill through the House, but it got tangle up in Senate Republican infighting at
the end of the session. Shields kept pushing the issue after the session
wrapped up.“We’ve been working really hard on it,” Shields
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “I’ve been going around the state advocating for
the bill, talking to business leaders so that we’re all on the same page. We
have real plans to be able to get it across the finish line this year.”Shields says the last-week collapse might have
been avoided if she were able to start earlier.“Well, we got started late on the bill,” Shields
says. “We didn’t introduce it until after the governor’s State of the State
address, so that puts us a month into session and I really think if we’d had
more time, we would have been able to get it across the finish line.”Despite backing by Gov. Mike Parson, the bill
failed to make it through the session to his desk. Shield’s bill would have allowed
child care providers to claim a tax credit of up to 30% of their expenses.
Child care providers would also have been allowed to keep the withholding tax
of their employees. Businesses would have been given a tax break if they helped
offset the cost of child care for their employees.“So, I think that that is helpful that we’ll be
able to increase the capacity and then on top of that this will give businesses
incentive,” Shields says. “They say that they have a problem, they can’t create
a workforce, they can’t get enough people to work, because of child care
issues. This requires businesses to put skin in the game and if they put skin
in the game, then the state will get involved in the crisis and that’s exactly
what the purpose of a great tax credit is.”Shields says the business community needs to make
its case for the incentives and not just during the next legislative session.
Shields says business leaders need to be speaking with their individual
legislators before the session starts in January.“I think the key of getting it passed is making
sure that we have our business community 100% behind it, so they can advocate
their legislators,” Shields says. “And I think it’s once again tremendous
communication with the legislative body on an individual basis which is what I’ve
been doing all summer long.”The Missouri General Assembly just concluded its
annual veto session (with no vetoes overridden) and will return to the state
Capitol in Jefferson City for the next session in January.

St. Joe state rep. sees child care as top issue for next session

A structure fire Wednesday night in Gower has caused heavy
damage to a large shed next to a convenience store.

Several crews responded to the fire next to the Kwik Korner
gas station around eight o’clock, working for around an hour to put out the
fire and keep it from spreading.

The cause of the fire is not known at this time. It destroyed
the roof of the shed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694710213988.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy of Gower Fire Protection District" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of Gower Fire Protection District</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostA structure fire Wednesday night in Gower has caused heavy
damage to a large shed next to a convenience store.Several crews responded to the fire next to the Kwik Korner
gas station around eight o’clock, working for around an hour to put out the
fire and keep it from spreading.The cause of the fire is not known at this time. It destroyed
the roof of the shed.

Structure fire damages Gower building

A new survey from Morning Consult found continued strong voter support for policies promoting the use of lower-cost, lower-carbon American-made ethanol. 

Registered voters also indicated robust support for specific legislation allowing the year-round sale of E15 and policy promoting the production of more flex-fuel vehicles capable of using the lower-cost E85 fuel blend. 

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says, "This nationwide poll of more than 2,000 voters shows strong support for important legislative proposals that are currently pending in the House and Senate." 

Among the results, 62 percent of those surveyed had a favorable opinion of ethanol, while only 17 percent had an unfavorable opinion. Further, 67 percent also support the United States increasing the availability of the E15 blend, and only 14 percent opposed the expansion of E15. 

Of those surveyed, 63 percent support the Flex Fuel Fairness Act, 61 percent support the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, and 61 percent support the Next Generation Fuels Act.

A new survey from Morning Consult found continued strong voter support for policies promoting the use of lower-cost, lower-carbon American-made ethanol. Registered voters also indicated robust support for specific legislation allowing the year-round sale of E15 and policy promoting the production of more flex-fuel vehicles capable of using the lower-cost E85 fuel blend. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says, "This nationwide poll of more than 2,000 voters shows strong support for important legislative proposals that are currently pending in the House and Senate." Among the results, 62 percent of those surveyed had a favorable opinion of ethanol, while only 17 percent had an unfavorable opinion. Further, 67 percent also support the United States increasing the availability of the E15 blend, and only 14 percent opposed the expansion of E15. Of those surveyed, 63 percent support the Flex Fuel Fairness Act, 61 percent support the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, and 61 percent support the Next Generation Fuels Act.- NAFB

Voters want Congressional support for low-carbon ethanol

Department of Social Services leadership testified at a House Children and Families committee hearing Tuesday about issues facing the state’s child welfare agency

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

Leaders of Missouri’s child welfare agency on Tuesday touted a reduction in the number of children in the state’s overburdened foster care system, telling lawmakers it represented progress toward building a more preventative system.

But they also acknowledged that Children’s Division continues to face major challenges, fielding questions from the House Committee on Children and Families about persistent staffing and retention issues, a backlog of child abuse and neglect reports, a lack of publicly-accessible data and more.

There were 12,790 kids in foster care as of August 2023, down from a peak at 14,265 kids in 2021.

The reduction of kids in foster care is evidence of “the trajectory toward a healthier system,” Robert Knodell, director of the Department of Social Services said, in part due to an increased focus on providing resources to prevent kids from entering foster care.

But “much work remains to be done,” he said. “…We have no desire to either minimize or distract from these challenges.”

The hearing, which featured wide-ranging questions from lawmakers about the Children’s Division, took place Tuesday morning in advance of the legislature’s annual veto session on Wednesday.

The next legislative session begins in January.

Rep. Hannah Kelly, a Mountain Grove Republican who chairs the committee, said convening the hearing to discuss a range of questions for Children’s Division leadership was an effort to prepare for a “productive session for the kids in 2024.”

“We all work together at the end of the day to make sure that kids are safe,” Kelly said,&nbsp; “and to find out what that needs to look like as we move into each new session.”

Reducing the number of kids in state custody by expanding front-end resources to help families stay together has been a consistent&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/01/26/missouri-child-welfare-agency-pitches-plan-to-rebuild-overburdened-foster-care-system/">goal</a>&nbsp;of Darrell Missey, who became director of Children’s Division in January 2022 — the sixth director under Gov. Mike Parson.

In 2021,&nbsp;the state removed children at a rate nearly twice the national average, even when accounting for poverty, according to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-7H8vNhd9zxkpWzLOewiS8qLCkeUJmTt/view">National Coalition for Child Protection Reform</a>.

And once kids enter care, the goal is “almost always” reunification, Missey said, but children taken into custody were reunited with their families only about half of the time last year, Missey said.

The other half includes adoptions, guardianships and aging out of the system.

In July, the number of kids in the state’s foster care system dipped below 13,000 for the first time in nearly a decade, according to public data.

Knodell credited the decline not only to “upstream prevention,” but also to children achieving permanency, improved staffing in “many areas,” and collaboration with the court system.&nbsp;

Missey said preventative services the agency currently offers include family-centered service workers who are involved in cases where the issues don’t rise to the level of needing to remove the child, who help connect families with resources, among other tasks.&nbsp;

Other preventative services include privately-contracted in-home services.

Last year’s budget included $13.7 million to help “<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/01/26/missouri-child-welfare-agency-pitches-plan-to-rebuild-overburdened-foster-care-system/">rebuild” the Children’s Division</a>&nbsp;by hiring 100 “prevention workers.”&nbsp;

Missey said they have so far hired only 16 prevention workers and have “more in the pipeline.”

And Knodell said staffing and “especially retention” in the agency remain “a real challenge.”

“We need more foster families,” he said. “I can’t say that enough. Capacity for prevention, notably in substance abuse, and behavioral health spaces is limited.”&nbsp;

A program called Parents as Teachers, which provides free at-home visits to provide high-need families parenting education and support, is moving from the social services department to be housed entirely in the Office of Childhood within the education department, which lawmakers raised concern about.

One&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://homvee.acf.hhs.gov/implementation/Parents%20as%20Teachers%20(PAT)%C2%AE/Model%20Overview">goal</a>&nbsp;of Parents as Teachers is to prevent child abuse and neglect.

“I am concerned that with this move,” Kelly said, “we are telling vulnerable families that they’re not going to get the specific attention needed by these services now.”

Missey said where the money goes “indicates what the emphasis is going to be” and “the context of child welfare is something very different from home visiting that is done in this context of education.”&nbsp;

Missey also said home-visiting funding would help the agency.

“If you all decided to give more funding for more home visiting that would be done by us or contracted with somebody, it would be welcome,” Missey said, “ because it’s the kind of thing we need to be able to make sure that we can take care of kids in their own homes without removing them.”

Kelly pledged to continue the conversation about the program going into session.

“And I guess I’ll just say on the record that I feel this is not a good decision,” she said. ”If I would have realized what was in the package that I cast a vote for, I probably would have thought differently about this.”

A major concern lawmakers raised during the Tuesday hearing regarded data transparency on the number of kids Missouri has in a temporary care program.

In 2020, lawmakers passed a law to create a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=210.123">“temporary alternative placement agreement,”</a>&nbsp;or TAPA, which provides removal of children from the home for no more than 90 days into relatives’ care. The parent or guardian voluntarily enters into a TAPA with the Children’s Division, and it can only be done when the child is not in imminent risk.

It was implemented in mid-2021. TAPAs, sometimes called “kinship diversions,” were&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://trackbill.com/bill/missouri-senate-bill-653-modifies-provisions-relating-to-child-protection/1777831/">framed</a>&nbsp;as mitigating the trauma of entering foster care by preventing kids from needing to enter foster care.&nbsp;

Beginning in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/09/30/federal-watchdog-finds-missouri-failed-to-adequately-report-protect-missing-foster-kids/">2021</a>, Kelly raised concerns that the kids in TAPAs agreements were “uncounted.”

The state does not publicly post the numbers of kids in temporary care, which lawmakers said gives an incomplete picture of the foster care system.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/they-took-us-away-from-each-other-lost-inside-americas-shadow-foster-system">Nationally</a>&nbsp;the practice of kinship diversion has been referred to as a kind of “hidden foster care” system which some child welfare experts have&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/us/07safe.html?_r=1">criticized</a>.

“I need to get these numbers, because it is my firm belief that we need to have a tracking system very similar to the tracking system that you give us here,” Kelly said, referring to the public data for the number of kids in foster care.&nbsp;

“We need to have that same transparency,” she said.

Missey said TAPAs are “the last line before we’re making a request for custody.”&nbsp;

Statute requires a family-centered service worker to be involved in the TAPAs cases, which Missey said is one “reason the number isn’t higher” — in St. Louis, he said, there are no TAPAs cases because there aren’t enough workers.&nbsp;

According to current data Missey shared at the hearing:

Lawmakers asked for more extensive, regularly-updated public data on the matter.&nbsp;

Knodell said the department believes “we have a capacity to provide you with ongoing numbers that are consistent with what I’ve got here, to the degree we can understand them,” and that he’d look into whether their system allows for that to be published.

Missey agreed that more transparency is needed, including so he himself can regularly consult the data.&nbsp;

“When people ask me these questions I have to dig to find out,” Missey said. “I have to say okay, research people, go find the answers to these questions. It’d be really nice if we could all just look at it. And I think we’re in the process of making all that happen. “

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694686679391.png" alt=" Director of Children’s Division Darrell Missey and director of the Department of Social Services Robert Knodell testify in the House Children and Families committee Sept. 12, 2023 (Clara Bates/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Director of Children’s Division Darrell Missey and director of the Department of Social Services Robert Knodell testify in the House Children and Families committee Sept. 12, 2023 (Clara Bates/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Department of Social Services leadership testified at a House Children and Families committee hearing Tuesday about issues facing the state’s child welfare agency</h2>By CLARA BATES,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>Leaders of Missouri’s child welfare agency on Tuesday touted a reduction in the number of children in the state’s overburdened foster care system, telling lawmakers it represented progress toward building a more preventative system.But they also acknowledged that Children’s Division continues to face major challenges, fielding questions from the House Committee on Children and Families about persistent staffing and retention issues, a backlog of child abuse and neglect reports, a lack of publicly-accessible data and more.There were 12,790 kids in foster care as of August 2023, down from a peak at 14,265 kids in 2021.The reduction of kids in foster care is evidence of “the trajectory toward a healthier system,” Robert Knodell, director of the Department of Social Services said, in part due to an increased focus on providing resources to prevent kids from entering foster care.But “much work remains to be done,” he said. “…We have no desire to either minimize or distract from these challenges.”The hearing, which featured wide-ranging questions from lawmakers about the Children’s Division, took place Tuesday morning in advance of the legislature’s annual veto session on Wednesday.The next legislative session begins in January.Rep. Hannah Kelly, a Mountain Grove Republican who chairs the committee, said convening the hearing to discuss a range of questions for Children’s Division leadership was an effort to prepare for a “productive session for the kids in 2024.”“We all work together at the end of the day to make sure that kids are safe,” Kelly said,&nbsp; “and to find out what that needs to look like as we move into each new session.”<h2>Progress on prevention, officials say</h2>Reducing the number of kids in state custody by expanding front-end resources to help families stay together has been a consistent&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/01/26/missouri-child-welfare-agency-pitches-plan-to-rebuild-overburdened-foster-care-system/">goal</a>&nbsp;of Darrell Missey, who became director of Children’s Division in January 2022 — the sixth director under Gov. Mike Parson.In 2021,&nbsp;the state removed children at a rate nearly twice the national average, even when accounting for poverty, according to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-7H8vNhd9zxkpWzLOewiS8qLCkeUJmTt/view">National Coalition for Child Protection Reform</a>.And once kids enter care, the goal is “almost always” reunification, Missey said, but children taken into custody were reunited with their families only about half of the time last year, Missey said.The other half includes adoptions, guardianships and aging out of the system.In July, the number of kids in the state’s foster care system dipped below 13,000 for the first time in nearly a decade, according to public data.Knodell credited the decline not only to “upstream prevention,” but also to children achieving permanency, improved staffing in “many areas,” and collaboration with the court system.&nbsp;Missey said preventative services the agency currently offers include family-centered service workers who are involved in cases where the issues don’t rise to the level of needing to remove the child, who help connect families with resources, among other tasks.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694686637506.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Other preventative services include privately-contracted in-home services.Last year’s budget included $13.7 million to help “<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/01/26/missouri-child-welfare-agency-pitches-plan-to-rebuild-overburdened-foster-care-system/">rebuild” the Children’s Division</a>&nbsp;by hiring 100 “prevention workers.”&nbsp;Missey said they have so far hired only 16 prevention workers and have “more in the pipeline.”And Knodell said staffing and “especially retention” in the agency remain “a real challenge.”“We need more foster families,” he said. “I can’t say that enough. Capacity for prevention, notably in substance abuse, and behavioral health spaces is limited.”&nbsp;A program called Parents as Teachers, which provides free at-home visits to provide high-need families parenting education and support, is moving from the social services department to be housed entirely in the Office of Childhood within the education department, which lawmakers raised concern about.One&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://homvee.acf.hhs.gov/implementation/Parents%20as%20Teachers%20(PAT)%C2%AE/Model%20Overview">goal</a>&nbsp;of Parents as Teachers is to prevent child abuse and neglect.“I am concerned that with this move,” Kelly said, “we are telling vulnerable families that they’re not going to get the specific attention needed by these services now.”Missey said where the money goes “indicates what the emphasis is going to be” and “the context of child welfare is something very different from home visiting that is done in this context of education.”&nbsp;Missey also said home-visiting funding would help the agency.“If you all decided to give more funding for more home visiting that would be done by us or contracted with somebody, it would be welcome,” Missey said, “ because it’s the kind of thing we need to be able to make sure that we can take care of kids in their own homes without removing them.”Kelly pledged to continue the conversation about the program going into session.“And I guess I’ll just say on the record that I feel this is not a good decision,” she said. ”If I would have realized what was in the package that I cast a vote for, I probably would have thought differently about this.”<h2>Concerns about data transparency&nbsp;</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694686593657.png" alt=" Rep. Hannah Kelley, R-Mountain Grove (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications)." />
 <figcaption> Rep. Hannah Kelley, R-Mountain Grove (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications).</figcaption>
 </figure>A major concern lawmakers raised during the Tuesday hearing regarded data transparency on the number of kids Missouri has in a temporary care program.In 2020, lawmakers passed a law to create a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=210.123">“temporary alternative placement agreement,”</a>&nbsp;or TAPA, which provides removal of children from the home for no more than 90 days into relatives’ care. The parent or guardian voluntarily enters into a TAPA with the Children’s Division, and it can only be done when the child is not in imminent risk.It was implemented in mid-2021. TAPAs, sometimes called “kinship diversions,” were&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://trackbill.com/bill/missouri-senate-bill-653-modifies-provisions-relating-to-child-protection/1777831/">framed</a>&nbsp;as mitigating the trauma of entering foster care by preventing kids from needing to enter foster care.&nbsp;Beginning in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/09/30/federal-watchdog-finds-missouri-failed-to-adequately-report-protect-missing-foster-kids/">2021</a>, Kelly raised concerns that the kids in TAPAs agreements were “uncounted.”The state does not publicly post the numbers of kids in temporary care, which lawmakers said gives an incomplete picture of the foster care system.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/they-took-us-away-from-each-other-lost-inside-americas-shadow-foster-system">Nationally</a>&nbsp;the practice of kinship diversion has been referred to as a kind of “hidden foster care” system which some child welfare experts have&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/us/07safe.html?_r=1">criticized</a>.“I need to get these numbers, because it is my firm belief that we need to have a tracking system very similar to the tracking system that you give us here,” Kelly said, referring to the public data for the number of kids in foster care.&nbsp;“We need to have that same transparency,” she said.Missey said TAPAs are “the last line before we’re making a request for custody.”&nbsp;Statute requires a family-centered service worker to be involved in the TAPAs cases, which Missey said is one “reason the number isn’t higher” — in St. Louis, he said, there are no TAPAs cases because there aren’t enough workers.&nbsp;According to current data Missey shared at the hearing:<ul>
 <li>There are 217 kids now in temporary care under TAPAs, meaning they are with relatives in temporary placements, within 188 agreements.</li><li>There are 23 kids on what Missey called diversion, which is when the custodial arrangement is adjusted in the immediate family — for instance, when custody shifts from a mom to dad.</li><li>In fiscal year 2023, the TAPAs and diversions combined included 1,065 kids, he said. Only around half returned home.</li><li>Of those 1,065: 302 ended up in foster care, 508 were returned to their previous arrangement — generally meaning home, 149 were diverted to another caregiver, 97 to guardianship, and 65 unknown “which means to say there’s a data entry problem, in my mind” he said.</li>
 </ul>Lawmakers asked for more extensive, regularly-updated public data on the matter.&nbsp;Knodell said the department believes “we have a capacity to provide you with ongoing numbers that are consistent with what I’ve got here, to the degree we can understand them,” and that he’d look into whether their system allows for that to be published.Missey agreed that more transparency is needed, including so he himself can regularly consult the data.&nbsp;“When people ask me these questions I have to dig to find out,” Missey said. “I have to say okay, research people, go find the answers to these questions. It’d be really nice if we could all just look at it. And I think we’re in the process of making all that happen. “

Number of kids in Missouri foster care drop; officials admit challenges persist

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge has upheld the constitutionality of the state's Senate districts in a case that provided the first legal test of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-voter-dump-redistricting-reform-a9e177612d135176ff53718b9b0e5436">revised redistricting criteria</a>&nbsp;approved by voters.

Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem rejected claims that&nbsp;<a href="https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Senate_StatewideSpringfield.pdf">the Senate map</a>&nbsp;unlawfully divided certain local governments into multiple Senate districts, but an attorney said Wednesday that his clients are considering an appeal.

“We are concerned that the ruling announces a new and incorrect standard that could affect redistricting for a long time," said attorney Chuck Hatfield, who represents voters who sued. “So this seems like a good candidate for a Supreme Court appeal.”

Missouri is one of about 20 states with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-redistricting-gerrymandering-elections-75e2764f2cc7c8a2e7e0a0e2848d90e9">ongoing litigation</a>&nbsp;stemming from redistricting that occurred after the 2020 census. Many of those cases allege the districts put voters of minority races or political parties at a disadvantage.

In Missouri, two separate bipartisan citizen commissions are supposed to redraw state House and Senate districts after each census to account for population changes. But the Senate commission was unable to agree on a plan and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-redistricting-elections-census-2020-a522adc541fedfe42cace39440a29ca8">the task fell to a judicial panel</a>.

A lawsuit alleged that the judicial panel violated the state constitution by splitting the St. Louis suburb of Hazelwood and Buchanan County in western Missouri into multiple districts. The suit also originally claimed the voting strength of minority residents was wrongly diluted in some St. Louis-area districts, but that claim was dropped before trial.

The case provided the first legal test of Missouri's redistricting criteria since voters revised them in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c49a2cf375894f539ca4aad5aafc6a74">a 2018 ballot initiative</a>&nbsp;and then — before those standards ever were used — revised them again in a 2020 constitutional amendment referred to the ballot by the Republican-led Legislature.

In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Judgment%20Entered.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=2906573">a ruling Tuesday</a>, Beetem said that the 2020 constitutional amendment placed a higher priority on creating compact districts than on keeping intact political subdivisions such as cities or counties.

“The evidence clearly shows that to the extent any political subdivision lines were crossed, the Judicial Commission chose districts that were more compact,” Beetem wrote.

Hatfield said he doesn't believe the constitutional criteria make it OK to split a county into multiple districts when it could be kept whole.

The Senate districts were defended in court by Attorney General Andrew Bailey's office. Bailey spokesperson Madeline Sieren described the ruling as a “win for the people of Missouri.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694627930056.png" alt="Image Missouri Secretary of State" />
 <figcaption>Image Missouri Secretary of State</figcaption>
 </figure>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge has upheld the constitutionality of the state's Senate districts in a case that provided the first legal test of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-voter-dump-redistricting-reform-a9e177612d135176ff53718b9b0e5436">revised redistricting criteria</a>&nbsp;approved by voters.Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem rejected claims that&nbsp;<a href="https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Senate_StatewideSpringfield.pdf">the Senate map</a>&nbsp;unlawfully divided certain local governments into multiple Senate districts, but an attorney said Wednesday that his clients are considering an appeal.“We are concerned that the ruling announces a new and incorrect standard that could affect redistricting for a long time," said attorney Chuck Hatfield, who represents voters who sued. “So this seems like a good candidate for a Supreme Court appeal.”Missouri is one of about 20 states with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-redistricting-gerrymandering-elections-75e2764f2cc7c8a2e7e0a0e2848d90e9">ongoing litigation</a>&nbsp;stemming from redistricting that occurred after the 2020 census. Many of those cases allege the districts put voters of minority races or political parties at a disadvantage.In Missouri, two separate bipartisan citizen commissions are supposed to redraw state House and Senate districts after each census to account for population changes. But the Senate commission was unable to agree on a plan and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-redistricting-elections-census-2020-a522adc541fedfe42cace39440a29ca8">the task fell to a judicial panel</a>.A lawsuit alleged that the judicial panel violated the state constitution by splitting the St. Louis suburb of Hazelwood and Buchanan County in western Missouri into multiple districts. The suit also originally claimed the voting strength of minority residents was wrongly diluted in some St. Louis-area districts, but that claim was dropped before trial.The case provided the first legal test of Missouri's redistricting criteria since voters revised them in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c49a2cf375894f539ca4aad5aafc6a74">a 2018 ballot initiative</a>&nbsp;and then — before those standards ever were used — revised them again in a 2020 constitutional amendment referred to the ballot by the Republican-led Legislature.In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Judgment%20Entered.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=2906573">a ruling Tuesday</a>, Beetem said that the 2020 constitutional amendment placed a higher priority on creating compact districts than on keeping intact political subdivisions such as cities or counties.“The evidence clearly shows that to the extent any political subdivision lines were crossed, the Judicial Commission chose districts that were more compact,” Beetem wrote.Hatfield said he doesn't believe the constitutional criteria make it OK to split a county into multiple districts when it could be kept whole.The Senate districts were defended in court by Attorney General Andrew Bailey's office. Bailey spokesperson Madeline Sieren described the ruling as a “win for the people of Missouri.”

Mo. court upholds state Senate districts in the first test of revised redistricting rules

Three
first-year college students have been awarded the Lowell C. Kruse Healthy Choices. Healthy Lives. scholarship
for 2023 by the Mosaic Life Care Foundation.

The Mosaic Foundation says Shawn
(Aiden) Gregory, attending the University of Kansas; Jordan Moser, attending Missouri
Western State University; and Laura Nold, attending the University of Missouri
will each received a $10,000 scholarship to help offset tuition costs.

Moser, a 2023 scholarship awardee, takes pride in the quality
and safety of nursing and wants to instill similar values in up-and-coming
nurses.&nbsp;

“I applied for the Kruse scholarship because I take ownership
and pride in my values and want to continue to educate new nurses with
everything they need to know to be successful in this ever-growing profession,”
Moser said in a written statement released by the foundation.

The Kruse Scholarship provides financial assistance to a
first-year, full-time graduate student studying in areas leading to improved
quality of life for the residents of the Mosaic Life Care service region. 

To honor the leadership of former Heartland Health President
Lowell Kruse, Mosaic Life Care created the scholarship, which is managed by
Mosaic Life Care Foundation.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostThree
first-year college students have been awarded the Lowell C. Kruse Healthy Choices. Healthy Lives. scholarship
for 2023 by the Mosaic Life Care Foundation.The Mosaic Foundation says Shawn
(Aiden) Gregory, attending the University of Kansas; Jordan Moser, attending Missouri
Western State University; and Laura Nold, attending the University of Missouri
will each received a $10,000 scholarship to help offset tuition costs.Moser, a 2023 scholarship awardee, takes pride in the quality
and safety of nursing and wants to instill similar values in up-and-coming
nurses.&nbsp;“I applied for the Kruse scholarship because I take ownership
and pride in my values and want to continue to educate new nurses with
everything they need to know to be successful in this ever-growing profession,”
Moser said in a written statement released by the foundation.The Kruse Scholarship provides financial assistance to a
first-year, full-time graduate student studying in areas leading to improved
quality of life for the residents of the Mosaic Life Care service region. To honor the leadership of former Heartland Health President
Lowell Kruse, Mosaic Life Care created the scholarship, which is managed by
Mosaic Life Care Foundation.

Area students received Lowell C. Kruse scholarships

Flu season is getting closer, and everyone is encouraged to get their flu shot to begin building up those antibodies to be protected.  

The Doniphan County Health Department will hold its annual drive-thru flu clinic on October 6th.  

Health Director Sheryl Pierce says the drive-thru clinic originally started 15 years ago as a test to prepare for large dispensing in the case of a pandemic. 

"So, it was kind of an exercise initially," Pierce tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "Well, it caught on so well and the public liked it so well that we got a lot of feedback that wanted us to continue to do it, because typically what we were going to do was a drive-thru one year and then the following year we go to all the schools and all the senior centers, but it's become more of a drive-thru every year." 

Pierce says people enjoy the clinic because of the convenience of being able to drive up, get their shot, and be on their way. 

"We've got it down to a pretty good science, I don't think you're in a wait line usually over two to three minutes, it's a long day it's 9am to 6pm so we can catch people over their lunch hour, we can catch pretty much every shift you're working with that drive-thru," Pierce says. 

Pierce encourages everyone to fill out the consent form prior to get through the line faster.  The form can be found around Doniphan County at post offices and banks.  

As flu season approaches it is vitally important to get out and get a flu shot prior to the start.  

Pierce says the flu causes several deaths each year.  

"We certainly want to protect our elderly and our immunocompromised and our young children," Pierce explains. "It does take a couple of weeks to build up the antibodies also to the vaccine so, if you are going to be around folks or know you have a surgery coming up, we certainly recommend you get it a couple of weeks before that if you're going to be around high-risk people." 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694624099284.jpg" alt="Stock photo" />
 <figcaption>Stock photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Flu season is getting closer, and everyone is encouraged to get their flu shot to begin building up those antibodies to be protected. The Doniphan County Health Department will hold its annual drive-thru flu clinic on October 6th. Health Director Sheryl Pierce says the drive-thru clinic originally started 15 years ago as a test to prepare for large dispensing in the case of a pandemic. "So, it was kind of an exercise initially," Pierce tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "Well, it caught on so well and the public liked it so well that we got a lot of feedback that wanted us to continue to do it, because typically what we were going to do was a drive-thru one year and then the following year we go to all the schools and all the senior centers, but it's become more of a drive-thru every year." Pierce says people enjoy the clinic because of the convenience of being able to drive up, get their shot, and be on their way. "We've got it down to a pretty good science, I don't think you're in a wait line usually over two to three minutes, it's a long day it's 9am to 6pm so we can catch people over their lunch hour, we can catch pretty much every shift you're working with that drive-thru," Pierce says. Pierce encourages everyone to fill out the consent form prior to get through the line faster. The form can be found around Doniphan County at post offices and banks. As flu season approaches it is vitally important to get out and get a flu shot prior to the start. Pierce says the flu causes several deaths each year. "We certainly want to protect our elderly and our immunocompromised and our young children," Pierce explains. "It does take a couple of weeks to build up the antibodies also to the vaccine so, if you are going to be around folks or know you have a surgery coming up, we certainly recommend you get it a couple of weeks before that if you're going to be around high-risk people."

Flu season is coming so get your flu shots during drive-thru clinic in Doniphan County

St. Joseph city government might soon regulate houses being
used for short-term rentals.

Using a home for an Airbnb or a Vrbo has been around for a
while, but complaints have filtered to city hall about problems created when
houses in a residential neighborhood are used, in effect, as a hotel.

City Manager Bryan Carter has posted some proposed regulations
on the city website.

“This kind of arose from a few citizens who are affected by it,”
according to Carter. “They have Airbnb or Vrbo properties within their neighborhood
and they’re seeing different people coming in and out on various days. They’re
seeing a little more traffic than a typical residential house might have.”

Carter says city staff is trying to balance the detrimental
impact short-term rentals can have on a residential neighbor with the rights of
property owners to use their property as they see fit. Carter says the city is
soliciting feedback on proposed regulations being drafted by city officials.

“Feedback from folks who are affected by Airbnb or Vrbo
properties next to them and who really personally understand the effect those
properties have,” Carter says. “But also the feedback from those folks who own
those properties, who put money into those properties, preparing to use them in
this way and have really invested and honestly helped us fill a hotel room gap.”

St. Joseph lacks hotel space for major events.

Carter says some St. Joseph residential neighborhoods aren’t
designed for the increase traffic short-term rentals generate, leading
residents to complain.

“A lot of parking has been taken up around their home or there
have been parties in houses in purely typical residential neighborhoods, parties
that wouldn’t ordinarily happen in a house,” Carter says. “They brought the
concerns up. They brought it up and we didn’t have good ways of regulating
these things and that triggered the conversation about what is right.”

Carter says any feedback received will be used in altering the
proposal to be passed along to the St. Joseph City Council for its
consideration.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostSt. Joseph city government might soon regulate houses being
used for short-term rentals.Using a home for an Airbnb or a Vrbo has been around for a
while, but complaints have filtered to city hall about problems created when
houses in a residential neighborhood are used, in effect, as a hotel.City Manager Bryan Carter has posted some proposed regulations
on the city website.“This kind of arose from a few citizens who are affected by it,”
according to Carter. “They have Airbnb or Vrbo properties within their neighborhood
and they’re seeing different people coming in and out on various days. They’re
seeing a little more traffic than a typical residential house might have.”Carter says city staff is trying to balance the detrimental
impact short-term rentals can have on a residential neighbor with the rights of
property owners to use their property as they see fit. Carter says the city is
soliciting feedback on proposed regulations being drafted by city officials.“Feedback from folks who are affected by Airbnb or Vrbo
properties next to them and who really personally understand the effect those
properties have,” Carter says. “But also the feedback from those folks who own
those properties, who put money into those properties, preparing to use them in
this way and have really invested and honestly helped us fill a hotel room gap.”St. Joseph lacks hotel space for major events.Carter says some St. Joseph residential neighborhoods aren’t
designed for the increase traffic short-term rentals generate, leading
residents to complain.“A lot of parking has been taken up around their home or there
have been parties in houses in purely typical residential neighborhoods, parties
that wouldn’t ordinarily happen in a house,” Carter says. “They brought the
concerns up. They brought it up and we didn’t have good ways of regulating
these things and that triggered the conversation about what is right.”Carter says any feedback received will be used in altering the
proposal to be passed along to the St. Joseph City Council for its
consideration.

St. Joseph looking to regulate houses used for short-term rentals

Two northwest Missouri Republican freshmen representatives are
back in Jefferson City for the annual veto session at the state Capitol, a bit
wiser than when they began their first legislative session in January.

Rep. Jeff Farnan of Stanberry says lawmakers did some good
work this year, passing a few good bills.

“One of them was for getting young farmers back into farming
by having older generational farmers sell their land to a younger farmer,” Farnan
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “So, I thought that was great bill. I was really
glad that passed.”

Farnan represents Nodaway, Atchison, Holt, and Gentry Counties
in the Missouri House.

Gov. Mike Parson used his line-item veto power to eliminate
more than $555 million in spending from the $53 billion state budget.

Farnan doesn’t see lawmakers overriding any of those line-item
vetoes to restore the spending.

“I think that the House was very generous with the budget. The
Senate added more money to the budget,” Farnan says. “I don’t think that
anything will probably happen. I think that we have a very good budget for the
year.”

Fellow freshmen legislator, Rep. Mazzie Boyd of Hamilton, is
blunt when asked if she expects anything from this veto session.

“Absolutely not,” was her succinct answer to a question posed
by KFEQ/St. Joseph Post in a phone interview.

In fact, Boyd sees little reason to return to the Capitol.

“I wish we could be talking about initiative petition reform,
because I think that’s one of the biggest things that we have here in the state
of Missouri that we need to fix and make better. We’re not only a democracy. We’re
a republic,” Boyd says. “But I haven’t heard that. So, I think it’s just going
to be a waste of time.”

Boyd believes raising the voting threshold to amend the state
constitution is a big enough issue to warrant a special session on it.

“We have, you know, five or six months out of the year to
actually do things and everybody always waits until the last week of session in
May to actually get things started,” Boyd says. “The fact that the governor
hasn’t called for a special session to really work on this issue has just been
extremely disappointing to me.”

Boyd represents Grundy, Harrison, Caldwell, Daviess, and Worth
Counties.

Aside from the spending cuts, the only veto issued by Gov.
Parson was on <a href="https://senate.mo.gov/23info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=44562">SB 189</a>, a wide-ranging anti-crime bill. A section of that bill
was called Max’s Law, named after St. Joseph’s K-9 Max, the police dog shot and
killed chasing a suspect in 2021. It would have increased the penalty for
harming a law enforcement animal.

Also attached to that bill was a section making it a crime to
discharge a firearm within the city limits. That section was named Blair’s Law
after 11-year-old Blair Lane of Kansas City who died from celebratory gunfire
during Independence Day celebrations in 2011.

Parson objected to separate sections of the bill, including
one that would allow certain criminals convicted of sex crimes to expunge their
records and remove their names from the sex offender registry. Another section
would have required the state to pay restitution to felons exonerated through DNA
testing.

SB 189 was sponsored by state Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer of
Parkville.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostTwo northwest Missouri Republican freshmen representatives are
back in Jefferson City for the annual veto session at the state Capitol, a bit
wiser than when they began their first legislative session in January.Rep. Jeff Farnan of Stanberry says lawmakers did some good
work this year, passing a few good bills.“One of them was for getting young farmers back into farming
by having older generational farmers sell their land to a younger farmer,” Farnan
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “So, I thought that was great bill. I was really
glad that passed.”Farnan represents Nodaway, Atchison, Holt, and Gentry Counties
in the Missouri House.Gov. Mike Parson used his line-item veto power to eliminate
more than $555 million in spending from the $53 billion state budget.Farnan doesn’t see lawmakers overriding any of those line-item
vetoes to restore the spending.“I think that the House was very generous with the budget. The
Senate added more money to the budget,” Farnan says. “I don’t think that
anything will probably happen. I think that we have a very good budget for the
year.”Fellow freshmen legislator, Rep. Mazzie Boyd of Hamilton, is
blunt when asked if she expects anything from this veto session.“Absolutely not,” was her succinct answer to a question posed
by KFEQ/St. Joseph Post in a phone interview.In fact, Boyd sees little reason to return to the Capitol.“I wish we could be talking about initiative petition reform,
because I think that’s one of the biggest things that we have here in the state
of Missouri that we need to fix and make better. We’re not only a democracy. We’re
a republic,” Boyd says. “But I haven’t heard that. So, I think it’s just going
to be a waste of time.”Boyd believes raising the voting threshold to amend the state
constitution is a big enough issue to warrant a special session on it.“We have, you know, five or six months out of the year to
actually do things and everybody always waits until the last week of session in
May to actually get things started,” Boyd says. “The fact that the governor
hasn’t called for a special session to really work on this issue has just been
extremely disappointing to me.”Boyd represents Grundy, Harrison, Caldwell, Daviess, and Worth
Counties.Aside from the spending cuts, the only veto issued by Gov.
Parson was on <a href="https://senate.mo.gov/23info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=44562">SB 189</a>, a wide-ranging anti-crime bill. A section of that bill
was called Max’s Law, named after St. Joseph’s K-9 Max, the police dog shot and
killed chasing a suspect in 2021. It would have increased the penalty for
harming a law enforcement animal.Also attached to that bill was a section making it a crime to
discharge a firearm within the city limits. That section was named Blair’s Law
after 11-year-old Blair Lane of Kansas City who died from celebratory gunfire
during Independence Day celebrations in 2011.Parson objected to separate sections of the bill, including
one that would allow certain criminals convicted of sex crimes to expunge their
records and remove their names from the sex offender registry. Another section
would have required the state to pay restitution to felons exonerated through DNA
testing.SB 189 was sponsored by state Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer of
Parkville.<div><iframe src="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/Northwest-Missouri-Freshman-legislators-on-first-veto-session-e2999jf" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>

New NW MO legislators see little happening in veto session

President Joe Biden this week nominated Dr. Basil Gooden to serve as USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development. 

If confirmed by the Senate, Gooden would fill the undersecretary position left vacant by Xochitl Torres Small, who was confirmed in July 2023 as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. 

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack responded, “Dr. Basil Gooden is a widely-respected, accomplished champion for affordable housing, community advancement, and economic development.” 

One of USDA’s seven mission areas, Rural Development helps to expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. 

Gooden recently served as a Visiting Scholar in the Sustainable Food Access Core of the Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry and Innovation at Virginia Commonwealth University. 

From 2016-2018, he served as the 3rd Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Before that, Gooden served as the Virginia State Director for Rural Development at USDA.

President Joe Biden this week nominated Dr. Basil Gooden to serve as USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development. If confirmed by the Senate, Gooden would fill the undersecretary position left vacant by Xochitl Torres Small, who was confirmed in July 2023 as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack responded, “Dr. Basil Gooden is a widely-respected, accomplished champion for affordable housing, community advancement, and economic development.” One of USDA’s seven mission areas, Rural Development helps to expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. Gooden recently served as a Visiting Scholar in the Sustainable Food Access Core of the Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry and Innovation at Virginia Commonwealth University. From 2016-2018, he served as the 3rd Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Before that, Gooden served as the Virginia State Director for Rural Development at USDA.- NAFB

Basil Gooden nominated as USDA Rural Development Undersecretary

USDA released the September World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report Tuesday. 

This month’s corn outlook calls for slightly larger supplies and ending stocks. 

Projected beginning stocks for 2023/24 are five million bushels lower, and corn production is forecast at 15.1 billion bushels, up 23 million from last month. 

The national average yield is forecast at 173.8 bushels per acre, down 1.3 bushels. 

Ending stocks are up 19 million bushels to 2.2 billion. The season-average corn price is unchanged at $4.90 per bushel. Soybean supply and use changes for 2023/24 include lower beginning stocks, production, crush, exports, and ending stocks. 

The soybean yield of 50.1 bushels per acre is down 0.8 bushels from last month. Ending stocks are projected at 220 million bushels, down 25 million from last month. The season-average soybean price is forecast at $12.90 per bushel, up $0.20 from last month. 

The wheat outlook for supply and use is unchanged this month. The projected 2023/24 season-average farm price is also unchanged at $7.50 per bushel.

USDA released the September World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report Tuesday. This month’s corn outlook calls for slightly larger supplies and ending stocks. Projected beginning stocks for 2023/24 are five million bushels lower, and corn production is forecast at 15.1 billion bushels, up 23 million from last month. The national average yield is forecast at 173.8 bushels per acre, down 1.3 bushels. Ending stocks are up 19 million bushels to 2.2 billion. The season-average corn price is unchanged at $4.90 per bushel. Soybean supply and use changes for 2023/24 include lower beginning stocks, production, crush, exports, and ending stocks. The soybean yield of 50.1 bushels per acre is down 0.8 bushels from last month. Ending stocks are projected at 220 million bushels, down 25 million from last month. The season-average soybean price is forecast at $12.90 per bushel, up $0.20 from last month. The wheat outlook for supply and use is unchanged this month. The projected 2023/24 season-average farm price is also unchanged at $7.50 per bushel.- NAFB

USDA releases September WASDE Report

The Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art is finding fun ways to get children engaged with the arts, bringing back a popular program.  

The Kids Media Mix-up brings in kids ages 6 through 12 to make projects ranging from paintings and sculptures to mixed media prints.  

Museum Director Eric Fuson says the program operates through what they call Collection Connections. 

"We have such a resource just right upstairs with all of our permanent collection that B, who is our instructor for this class, takes kids up and talks about some of the works that are in the collection and then they go down and make a project based off of that," Fuson tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "So, they can be inspired by the artist, inspired by the media, whatever technique." 

Fuson says kids are very enthusiastic about the program and are always excited to show off what they learned by attending.  

The event runs every Tuesday through December 19th from 4 to 6pm.  Class sizes are limited so you should call the Albrecht for information.  

It's still just under a month away but the Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art is also gearing up for a popular fundraising event.  

The Sugarplum festival is coming up in November at the Albrecht bringing in several vendors and festivities to get people in the holiday spirit.  

Museum Director Eric Fuson says the event has been happening at the Albrecht for 40 years now. 

"It's very early in November so you can get some of that Christmas shopping done early and get in the mood for Christmas and things, it really is the community kind of coming together for celebrating the museum and the holiday coming up" Fuson explains. "This year we've already got some of the youth corrals and things in town scheduled to come and sing, it really gets you in the mood for the whole Christmas." 

A preview event will be held on November 9th, with a special ticket required, with the festival opening to the general public November 10th and 11th. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/8/1566485088591.jpeg" alt="Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art/ file photo" />
 <figcaption>Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art/ file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post The Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art is finding fun ways to get children engaged with the arts, bringing back a popular program. The Kids Media Mix-up brings in kids ages 6 through 12 to make projects ranging from paintings and sculptures to mixed media prints. Museum Director Eric Fuson says the program operates through what they call Collection Connections. "We have such a resource just right upstairs with all of our permanent collection that B, who is our instructor for this class, takes kids up and talks about some of the works that are in the collection and then they go down and make a project based off of that," Fuson tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "So, they can be inspired by the artist, inspired by the media, whatever technique." Fuson says kids are very enthusiastic about the program and are always excited to show off what they learned by attending. The event runs every Tuesday through December 19th from 4 to 6pm. Class sizes are limited so you should call the Albrecht for information. It's still just under a month away but the Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art is also gearing up for a popular fundraising event. The Sugarplum festival is coming up in November at the Albrecht bringing in several vendors and festivities to get people in the holiday spirit. Museum Director Eric Fuson says the event has been happening at the Albrecht for 40 years now. "It's very early in November so you can get some of that Christmas shopping done early and get in the mood for Christmas and things, it really is the community kind of coming together for celebrating the museum and the holiday coming up" Fuson explains. "This year we've already got some of the youth corrals and things in town scheduled to come and sing, it really gets you in the mood for the whole Christmas." A preview event will be held on November 9th, with a special ticket required, with the festival opening to the general public November 10th and 11th.

Fall events coming to the Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art

The pricing plans, which place a premium on power used at times of peak demand, were met with controversy this summer

By ALLISON KITE,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/epa-estimates-more-than-54000-lead-pipes-remain-in-kansas/">Kansas Reflector</a>

The largest utility in western Missouri has requested permission to allow customers to opt out of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/17/missouri-utility-regulators-plan-for-peak-pricing-prompts-pushback-from-top-republican/">controversial time-of-use pricing plans</a>&nbsp;imposed by state regulators.

Evergy is expected under an order from the Missouri Public Service Commission to implement time-of-use pricing, which places a premium on electricity prices at times of high demand, starting next month.

This summer, as&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-06-30/peak-electricity-rates-will-nearly-quadruple-under-default-evergy-electricity-plans-in-missouri">customers were asked to select one of the new plans</a>, Evergy saw blowback from those concerned their bills would skyrocket. Under one of the plans, power used on summer days between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. —&nbsp;when residents are most likely to be using their air conditioners — would be almost four times as expensive as the rest of the day.

The company also drew fire from Missouri Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin, who in July accused state regulators of trying to ration power, gouge customers and force a transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy.&nbsp;

In a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://efis.psc.mo.gov/Document/Display/754111">request to alter the program, filed Friday</a>&nbsp;with the Missouri Public Service Commission, Evergy said it received a “substantial” number of complaints on social media about the new pricing mechanism.&nbsp;

“The tone of the comments is mostly negative and speaks to customer frustration with being forced to move rates because Evergy is trying to spike customer bills to increase profits,” the filing says.&nbsp;

And in June, Ameren Missouri, which serves the St. Louis area, was allowed to roll out optional time-of-use pricing for its electric customers.&nbsp;

Citing customer discontent and commissioners’ suggestions at a meeting last month of possible amendments to the time-of-use pricing program, Evergy asked the commission’s permission for several changes.&nbsp;

In a news release, Evergy said it believed a traditional flat-rate plan should be an option for customers who may not be able to shift their electricity usage.

“Evergy has always advocated for customer rate choice and does not support mandated time-based rates,” said Chuck Caisley, the company’s chief customer officer. “Customers, elected officials and other stakeholders have clearly voiced their concerns about mandating summer peak pricing, and we appreciate that the commission is willing to listen to this feedback.”

Most significantly, Evergy asked permission to allow customers to return to a traditional flat-rate pricing plan starting in May. With the new plans going into effect next month, offering a return to a traditional plan in May “would have the added advantage of allowing all residential customers to experience one of the (time-of-use) options before choosing to return to the traditional residential rate structure,” the company’s filing says.&nbsp;

The company also asked permission to change the default plan from its “Standard Peak Saver,” which nearly quadruples the price of energy on summer afternoons, to the “Peak Reward Saver,” which has a much smaller price increase at that times and a discount for power used between midnight and 6 a.m.

The reward saver plan, according to Evergy’s website, is the closest to its current standard plan. But prices per kilowatt hour can increase throughout the month depending on the amount of energy used.&nbsp;

In its Friday filing, Evergy also asked the commission’s permission to restrict customers’ ability to switch rate plans. Specifically, if a customer switches from one rate plan to another, the customer wants to require that they wait a year before switching back. They could switch to a third plan at any time.&nbsp;

“Evergy is concerned that customers may move from one of the three ‘high differential’…rates…and into one of the two ‘low differential’ rates…to take advantage of seasonal differences in the rates,” the filing says.

Evergy said it “cannot recover its costs to serve if customers take seasonal advantage of this difference.”&nbsp;

The commission initially instructed Evergy to implement mandatory time-of-use pricing because while&nbsp; the company has been installing smart meters in customers homes for years, most of the benefits, including being able to remotely disconnect customers who haven’t paid their bills, have flowed to the utility.&nbsp;

In an interview with The Independent last week, O’Laughlin said she’s asking regulators to suspend the decision or reverse it.&nbsp;

“If they do not, then you will see legislation coming through, which I believe both Democrats and Republicans will support, that will remove some of their power and likely make it much more difficult for people to get on that commission,” she said.

The Missouri Public Service Commission scheduled a hearing to discuss Evergy’s request for Sept. 19.

The Independent’s Rudi Keller contributed to this report.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687004047927.png" alt=" Evergy headquarters in downtown Topeka, Kansas (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)." />
 <figcaption> Evergy headquarters in downtown Topeka, Kansas (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The pricing plans, which place a premium on power used at times of peak demand, were met with controversy this summer</h2>By ALLISON KITE,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/epa-estimates-more-than-54000-lead-pipes-remain-in-kansas/">Kansas Reflector</a>The largest utility in western Missouri has requested permission to allow customers to opt out of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/17/missouri-utility-regulators-plan-for-peak-pricing-prompts-pushback-from-top-republican/">controversial time-of-use pricing plans</a>&nbsp;imposed by state regulators.Evergy is expected under an order from the Missouri Public Service Commission to implement time-of-use pricing, which places a premium on electricity prices at times of high demand, starting next month.This summer, as&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-06-30/peak-electricity-rates-will-nearly-quadruple-under-default-evergy-electricity-plans-in-missouri">customers were asked to select one of the new plans</a>, Evergy saw blowback from those concerned their bills would skyrocket. Under one of the plans, power used on summer days between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. —&nbsp;when residents are most likely to be using their air conditioners — would be almost four times as expensive as the rest of the day.The company also drew fire from Missouri Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin, who in July accused state regulators of trying to ration power, gouge customers and force a transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy.&nbsp;In a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://efis.psc.mo.gov/Document/Display/754111">request to alter the program, filed Friday</a>&nbsp;with the Missouri Public Service Commission, Evergy said it received a “substantial” number of complaints on social media about the new pricing mechanism.&nbsp;“The tone of the comments is mostly negative and speaks to customer frustration with being forced to move rates because Evergy is trying to spike customer bills to increase profits,” the filing says.&nbsp;And in June, Ameren Missouri, which serves the St. Louis area, was allowed to roll out optional time-of-use pricing for its electric customers.&nbsp;Citing customer discontent and commissioners’ suggestions at a meeting last month of possible amendments to the time-of-use pricing program, Evergy asked the commission’s permission for several changes.&nbsp;In a news release, Evergy said it believed a traditional flat-rate plan should be an option for customers who may not be able to shift their electricity usage.“Evergy has always advocated for customer rate choice and does not support mandated time-based rates,” said Chuck Caisley, the company’s chief customer officer. “Customers, elected officials and other stakeholders have clearly voiced their concerns about mandating summer peak pricing, and we appreciate that the commission is willing to listen to this feedback.”Most significantly, Evergy asked permission to allow customers to return to a traditional flat-rate pricing plan starting in May. With the new plans going into effect next month, offering a return to a traditional plan in May “would have the added advantage of allowing all residential customers to experience one of the (time-of-use) options before choosing to return to the traditional residential rate structure,” the company’s filing says.&nbsp;The company also asked permission to change the default plan from its “Standard Peak Saver,” which nearly quadruples the price of energy on summer afternoons, to the “Peak Reward Saver,” which has a much smaller price increase at that times and a discount for power used between midnight and 6 a.m.The reward saver plan, according to Evergy’s website, is the closest to its current standard plan. But prices per kilowatt hour can increase throughout the month depending on the amount of energy used.&nbsp;In its Friday filing, Evergy also asked the commission’s permission to restrict customers’ ability to switch rate plans. Specifically, if a customer switches from one rate plan to another, the customer wants to require that they wait a year before switching back. They could switch to a third plan at any time.&nbsp;“Evergy is concerned that customers may move from one of the three ‘high differential’…rates…and into one of the two ‘low differential’ rates…to take advantage of seasonal differences in the rates,” the filing says.Evergy said it “cannot recover its costs to serve if customers take seasonal advantage of this difference.”&nbsp;The commission initially instructed Evergy to implement mandatory time-of-use pricing because while&nbsp; the company has been installing smart meters in customers homes for years, most of the benefits, including being able to remotely disconnect customers who haven’t paid their bills, have flowed to the utility.&nbsp;In an interview with The Independent last week, O’Laughlin said she’s asking regulators to suspend the decision or reverse it.&nbsp;“If they do not, then you will see legislation coming through, which I believe both Democrats and Republicans will support, that will remove some of their power and likely make it much more difficult for people to get on that commission,” she said.The Missouri Public Service Commission scheduled a hearing to discuss Evergy’s request for Sept. 19.The Independent’s Rudi Keller contributed to this report.&nbsp;

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