CLINTON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 1a.m. Friday in Clinton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Hino 258 driven by Serkiy A. Skrypka, 59, Baltimore, Maryland, was southbound on Interstate 35 three miles north of Lathrop.

The truck traveled off the road into the median and overturned. Tri County ambulance transported Skrypka to Liberty Hospital. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

CLINTON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 1a.m. Friday in Clinton County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Hino 258 driven by Serkiy A. Skrypka, 59, Baltimore, Maryland, was southbound on Interstate 35 three miles north of Lathrop.The truck traveled off the road into the median and overturned. Tri County ambulance transported Skrypka to Liberty Hospital. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

Driver hospitalized after truck overturns

CLINTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 6p.m. Thursday in Clinton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix driven by Calvin T. Burton, 31, Chillicothe, was northbound on Interstate 35 three miles east of Lathrop.

The car rear-ended a 2004 Chevy Blazer driven by Cory W. Omera, 53, Independence.

Tri County ambulance transported Omera to Cameron Regional Medical Center. Burton was not injured and not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

CLINTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 6p.m. Thursday in Clinton County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix driven by Calvin T. Burton, 31, Chillicothe, was northbound on Interstate 35 three miles east of Lathrop.The car rear-ended a 2004 Chevy Blazer driven by Cory W. Omera, 53, Independence.Tri County ambulance transported Omera to Cameron Regional Medical Center. Burton was not injured and not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

Missouri man hospitalized after rear-end crash

RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas teen on drug allegations.

Just before 2:30p.m. Wednesday, police arrested&nbsp; Robert Olp, 18, of Hiawatha, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.

 Olp was arrested on a Brown County District Court warrant for possession of opiate, opium, narcotic, or certain stimulant and criminal damage to property.&nbsp; Brown&nbsp; posted bond and is no longer in custody.

RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas teen on drug allegations.Just before 2:30p.m. Wednesday, police arrested&nbsp; Robert Olp, 18, of Hiawatha, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report. Olp was arrested on a Brown County District Court warrant for possession of opiate, opium, narcotic, or certain stimulant and criminal damage to property.&nbsp; Brown&nbsp; posted bond and is no longer in custody.

NE Kansas teen jailed on a warrant for drug possession

A World League Wrestling event in St. Joseph this weekend will raise money to offset the medical bills of a wrestler injured during a match.&nbsp;

World League Wrestling will hold a show at the ROC Fellowship Church on Saturday night. A portion of the proceeds will go to St. Joseph wrestler, and member of WLW, Lori Tovey, who suffered a neck injury wrestling.&nbsp;

Professional Wrestler Leland Race says it’s a privilege to get to hold a wrestling event in St. Joseph, because of its rich wrestling history that dates back decades.&nbsp;

"Not just with Harley Race, not just with World League Wrestling, but if you look at KQ2 they held All Star Championship Wrestling and wrestling every week on their TV station, and again it dates back decades and decades," Race tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.&nbsp;

World League Wrestling was formed by Missouri wrestler Harley Race in the late 90's.&nbsp; Race began his wrestling career under St. Joseph wrestling promoter Gust Karras in 1959.&nbsp;

Race says while most know wrestling from watching it on TV, what WLW offers is geared towards those in attendance&nbsp;

"That are at the live wrestling event, and they're going to walk away knowing that they got to see live pro wrestling and they got to be engaged with it a lot more," Race explains.&nbsp;

The event will begin on Saturday at 6pm.&nbsp; Tickets can be purchased online prior to the event or at the door.&nbsp;

Race encourages people to come experience the event for a couple of different reasons. &nbsp;

"Knowing that it's pro wrestling first and foremost fans should give that a shot, if you haven't been, give it a shot, I promise you you're not going to leave angry that's for sure," Race points out. "Number two, knowing that its directly helping somebody that's from St. Joe is just an even better experience, especially during the holidays times are tough for everybody."&nbsp;

By MATT PIKE&nbsp;St. Joseph Post&nbsp;A World League Wrestling event in St. Joseph this weekend will raise money to offset the medical bills of a wrestler injured during a match.&nbsp;World League Wrestling will hold a show at the ROC Fellowship Church on Saturday night. A portion of the proceeds will go to St. Joseph wrestler, and member of WLW, Lori Tovey, who suffered a neck injury wrestling.&nbsp;Professional Wrestler Leland Race says it’s a privilege to get to hold a wrestling event in St. Joseph, because of its rich wrestling history that dates back decades.&nbsp;"Not just with Harley Race, not just with World League Wrestling, but if you look at KQ2 they held All Star Championship Wrestling and wrestling every week on their TV station, and again it dates back decades and decades," Race tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.&nbsp;World League Wrestling was formed by Missouri wrestler Harley Race in the late 90's.&nbsp; Race began his wrestling career under St. Joseph wrestling promoter Gust Karras in 1959.&nbsp;Race says while most know wrestling from watching it on TV, what WLW offers is geared towards those in attendance&nbsp;"That are at the live wrestling event, and they're going to walk away knowing that they got to see live pro wrestling and they got to be engaged with it a lot more," Race explains.&nbsp;The event will begin on Saturday at 6pm.&nbsp; Tickets can be purchased online prior to the event or at the door.&nbsp;Race encourages people to come experience the event for a couple of different reasons. &nbsp;"Knowing that it's pro wrestling first and foremost fans should give that a shot, if you haven't been, give it a shot, I promise you you're not going to leave angry that's for sure," Race points out. "Number two, knowing that its directly helping somebody that's from St. Joe is just an even better experience, especially during the holidays times are tough for everybody."&nbsp;<div><iframe src="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/Harley-Races-World-League-Wrestling-coming-to-St--Joseph-e2ckqpb" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>

St. Joseph World League Wrestling event to benefit local wrestler hurt in ring

An American agricultural leader says China can be a very
profitable market for United States grains, but a difficult one to navigate.

Chair of the US Grain Council, Brent Boydston, says it would
be difficult to overstate the importance of China as an agricultural market.

“We were there a few weeks ago as part of a combined cooperator
group and seeing China first-hand, China is an incredibly important market to
the United States and United States agriculture,” Boydston tells KFEQ/St.
Joseph Post.

Boydston acknowledges it can be a difficult market.

“In the broad scope, there can be challenges, but I was left
with a sense after our meetings that there’s a willingness to work with their
agricultural trade partners to help try and get some of those challenges out of
the way,” Boydston says.

Boydston says during his time in China the delegation got a
chance to speak with Ambassador Nick Burns who Boydston says has been a big
advocate for United States agriculture in China.

“He made some comments that we can handle what we can handle
and then there are those issues that are government-to-government,” according
to Boydston. “So, we’re going to focus on what we can handle.”

Boydston says not only is the US Grain Council pushing corn
and sorghum sales to China, it also is touting ethanol and distillers’ s dried
grains. Boydston points out the Grain Council has had an office in China for 40
years.

“And we feel like we’re just now starting to see the fruits of
that office. We’ve had several directors in China and we’re now starting to get
into places that we haven’t been able to before and that’s because we have had
to have those relationships develop over time,” Boydston says “China is a very,
very long play, very slow play.”

Boydston says many believe agricultural trade between the US
and China could help ease the political tension between the two countries. Boydston
says the recent face-to-face meeting between President Biden and Chinese leader
Xi Jinping in San Francisco should help ease tensions between the two
countries.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostAn American agricultural leader says China can be a very
profitable market for United States grains, but a difficult one to navigate.Chair of the US Grain Council, Brent Boydston, says it would
be difficult to overstate the importance of China as an agricultural market.“We were there a few weeks ago as part of a combined cooperator
group and seeing China first-hand, China is an incredibly important market to
the United States and United States agriculture,” Boydston tells KFEQ/St.
Joseph Post.Boydston acknowledges it can be a difficult market.“In the broad scope, there can be challenges, but I was left
with a sense after our meetings that there’s a willingness to work with their
agricultural trade partners to help try and get some of those challenges out of
the way,” Boydston says.Boydston says during his time in China the delegation got a
chance to speak with Ambassador Nick Burns who Boydston says has been a big
advocate for United States agriculture in China.“He made some comments that we can handle what we can handle
and then there are those issues that are government-to-government,” according
to Boydston. “So, we’re going to focus on what we can handle.”Boydston says not only is the US Grain Council pushing corn
and sorghum sales to China, it also is touting ethanol and distillers’ s dried
grains. Boydston points out the Grain Council has had an office in China for 40
years.“And we feel like we’re just now starting to see the fruits of
that office. We’ve had several directors in China and we’re now starting to get
into places that we haven’t been able to before and that’s because we have had
to have those relationships develop over time,” Boydston says “China is a very,
very long play, very slow play.”Boydston says many believe agricultural trade between the US
and China could help ease the political tension between the two countries. Boydston
says the recent face-to-face meeting between President Biden and Chinese leader
Xi Jinping in San Francisco should help ease tensions between the two
countries.

US Grain Council says potential there for trade with China, despite tension

The St. Joseph School Board is looking to put a no-tax increase bond issue before voters next year.

The school board is considering placing a $20 million bond issue on either the April or August ballot in 2024 - a bond issue that would focus primarily on facilities.

School board member David Foster says the money would pay for new student activity facilities.

"Some of the things we're looking to do is maybe enhance our athletic department," Foster said during an appearance on KFEQ's The Hotline. "Maybe new football fields. Perhaps fine arts - a new theatre or two."

The School District overwhelmingly passed a measure in August 2022 - a tax levy renewal that went towards maintenance costs and teacher salary increases.&nbsp;More than 71 percent voters were in favor of that.

Foster says the school board will decide in January the size of the bond issue, and whether it will be on the April or August ballot.

Fellow board member Isaura Garcia says her top priorities for facility improvements are basic safety mechanisms, such as adding more sidewalks.

"There's still a lot of schools that don't have sidewalks," she said. "There's a lot of schools that need large maintenance work. So, putting the funds into really enhancing what we already have would be the best thing for me."

The school board could borrow up to $80 million without increasing taxes, but the goal is to keep it to within $20 million.

Foster notes that the public will have a say before the issue gets on the ballot.

"Some of this will be up to the comments and opinions of the public," he said. "It will be presented to our facilities planning committee. We can take all of this information, dissect it, take it to the board and see where it goes from there."

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

By TOMMY REZACSt. Joseph PostThe St. Joseph School Board is looking to put a no-tax increase bond issue before voters next year.The school board is considering placing a $20 million bond issue on either the April or August ballot in 2024 - a bond issue that would focus primarily on facilities.School board member David Foster says the money would pay for new student activity facilities."Some of the things we're looking to do is maybe enhance our athletic department," Foster said during an appearance on KFEQ's The Hotline. "Maybe new football fields. Perhaps fine arts - a new theatre or two."The School District overwhelmingly passed a measure in August 2022 - a tax levy renewal that went towards maintenance costs and teacher salary increases.&nbsp;More than 71 percent voters were in favor of that.Foster says the school board will decide in January the size of the bond issue, and whether it will be on the April or August ballot.Fellow board member Isaura Garcia says her top priorities for facility improvements are basic safety mechanisms, such as adding more sidewalks."There's still a lot of schools that don't have sidewalks," she said. "There's a lot of schools that need large maintenance work. So, putting the funds into really enhancing what we already have would be the best thing for me."The school board could borrow up to $80 million without increasing taxes, but the goal is to keep it to within $20 million.Foster notes that the public will have a say before the issue gets on the ballot."Some of this will be up to the comments and opinions of the public," he said. "It will be presented to our facilities planning committee. We can take all of this information, dissect it, take it to the board and see where it goes from there."You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

SJSD looks to put a no-tax increase facilities bond issue on the ballot in 2024

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a teen for alleged car theft.

On Tuesday, police arrested a 16-year-old boy male was arrested for the alleged theft of a vehicle, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.

The vehicle&nbsp; was taken from a family member on November 20, in the 1200 block North 5th Street in Atchison.

Following the arrest, police released the teen to a parent. Police also recovered the vehicle.

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a teen for alleged car theft.On Tuesday, police arrested a 16-year-old boy male was arrested for the alleged theft of a vehicle, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.The vehicle&nbsp; was taken from a family member on November 20, in the 1200 block North 5th Street in Atchison.Following the arrest, police released the teen to a parent. Police also recovered the vehicle.

Police recover vehicle allegedly stolen by Kansas teen

The company was given a choice by a federal court to either shut down the Rush Island Energy Center or add expensive pollution controls

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

Missouri’s largest electric provider hopes to use a state law meant to help utilities add renewable energy to close a coal plant found in violation of federal clean air laws.&nbsp;

St. Louis-based Ameren Missouri, which serves 1.2 million customers, is planning to close its&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ameren.com/-/media/missouri-site/files/aboutus/rush-island-factsheet.pdf?la=en-us-mo&amp;hash=E4A7BFFDEBACE901ADFE187BC1F2486054CF8EE4#:~:text=Rush%20Island%20is%20the%20third,safe%2C%20reliable%20and%20affordable%20energy.&amp;text=Rush%20Island%20is%20one%20of,the%20Midwest%20and%20the%20country.">Rush Island Energy Center</a>&nbsp;in Jefferson County next year under a court order forcing it to either install pollution controls or shut down the facility.

The company&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/12/14/ameren-to-shutter-rush-island-coal-plant-by-2024-following-clean-air-act-violation/">announced almost two years ago it would close the plant</a>, saying the pollution controls would be too expensive.

Last week, it&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://efis.psc.mo.gov/Case/Display/10206">filed with the Missouri Public Service Commission</a>&nbsp;seeking permission to use a new financing law known as securitization to recoup its investment at Rush Island.&nbsp;

In testimony filed with the Public Service Commission, Ameren Missouri President Mark Birk said continuing to operate coal plants had become “extremely challenging.”

“Faced with these realities, the only prudent option was to shut down Rush Island instead of adding scrubbers,” Birk said.&nbsp;

Rush Island is a two-unit coal plant south of St. Louis on the Mississippi River. Ameren had planned to operate Rush Island until 2039 before the court order.

Rush Island is old enough that the company was not required to install pollution controls when the facility’s two units were put into operation in 1976 and 1977. A 1977 update to the Clean Air Act required new power plants to do so. Older coal plants were grandfathered into the rule until they made upgrades beyond routine maintenance in a way that increased emissions.&nbsp;

Once Ameren overhauled the coal plant units in 2007 and 2010, it fell under the requirement, but it failed to apply for that permit,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/1122_00%20-%202019-09-30%20-%20Memorandum%20Opinion%20and%20Order.pdf">according to court filings</a>.&nbsp;

U.S. District Court Judge Rodney Sippel ordered Ameren in 2019 to obtain that permit, install scrubbers and meet standards for sulfur dioxide emissions. In 2021, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://news.stlpublicradio.org/health-science-environment/2021-08-20/federal-appeals-court-finds-ameren-violated-clean-air-act-must-install-pollution-controls-at-jeffco-plant">8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld that ruling</a>, though it struck down a requirement that Ameren also install scrubbers at the Labadie Energy Center in Franklin County.

Despite losing the argument in court, Ameren maintains its upgrades at Rush Island were not significant enough to trigger the required pollution control updates.&nbsp;

“Given the facts and circumstances as they existed at the time, no rational utility would have done anything differently with respect to Rush Island,” Birk said. “Having made prudent decisions, the securitization of the cost of retirement for Rush Island is appropriate.”

For the Public Service Commission to approve Ameren’s request, it must find the utility is acting prudently in retiring the plant. Even in its decision not to seek a permit for the upgrades to Rush Island, Ameren argues it has acted prudently.&nbsp;

“We believe we have a strong case that at the time the decision was made to (not) pursue a permit for this work, we had no regulatory directive to do so,” said Warren Wood, Ameren’s vice president for legislative and regulatory affairs.&nbsp;

Asked if he had any misgivings about Ameren using securitization in the case of a coal plant found in violation of the Clean Air Act, Andy Knott, with the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, said the environmental nonprofit supports the use of the securitization to shutter coal plants.&nbsp;

“But Ameren must use the proceeds to invest back in renewables,” Knott said.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/07/06/parson-signs-bill-helping-utilities-shutter-coal-plants-transition-to-renewable-power/">relatively new securitization law</a>&nbsp;allows utilities to essentially refinance coal plants. A third party issues bonds to pay back the utility’s investment in building the plant. Then customers repay the bonds through their bills.

The policy — which was backed by an unusual alliance of environmental and consumer advocate groups and utility companies — is meant to incentivize companies to close coal plants early and invest the savings in renewable energy projects.

Ameren did not commit to additional clean energy investments if it is allowed to securitize Rush Island. Under its current “integrated resource plan,” filed with Missouri regulators, the company proposes adding 2,800 megawatts of wind and solar power, 400 megawatts of battery storage and an 800-megawatt natural gas plant by 2030.&nbsp;

“I can’t speak to if it provides opportunities to accelerate some of those investments,” Wood said. “It may, but it would certainly be helpful to moving ahead with the IRP plan that we most recently issued.”

According to Ameren’s filing, it’s seeking to securitize the remaining value at Rush Island of $475 million and other costs associated with decommissioning the plant. Including financing costs, the company hopes to securitize costs of more than $519 million.&nbsp;

Compared to recouping its investment at Rush Island from ratepayers, Ameren estimates customers will save almost $76 million in net present value over 15 years.&nbsp;

The cost to ratepayers to pay back the securitization bonds, the company estimates will be about $1.71 per month for the average customer.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701344150978.png" alt="The Rush Island Energy Center on the Mississippi River will close following a federal court ruling (photo courtesy of Ameren Missouri)." />
 <figcaption>The Rush Island Energy Center on the Mississippi River will close following a federal court ruling (photo courtesy of Ameren Missouri).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The company was given a choice by a federal court to either shut down the Rush Island Energy Center or add expensive pollution controls</h2>By ALLISON KITE&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri’s largest electric provider hopes to use a state law meant to help utilities add renewable energy to close a coal plant found in violation of federal clean air laws.&nbsp;St. Louis-based Ameren Missouri, which serves 1.2 million customers, is planning to close its&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ameren.com/-/media/missouri-site/files/aboutus/rush-island-factsheet.pdf?la=en-us-mo&amp;hash=E4A7BFFDEBACE901ADFE187BC1F2486054CF8EE4#:~:text=Rush%20Island%20is%20the%20third,safe%2C%20reliable%20and%20affordable%20energy.&amp;text=Rush%20Island%20is%20one%20of,the%20Midwest%20and%20the%20country.">Rush Island Energy Center</a>&nbsp;in Jefferson County next year under a court order forcing it to either install pollution controls or shut down the facility.The company&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/12/14/ameren-to-shutter-rush-island-coal-plant-by-2024-following-clean-air-act-violation/">announced almost two years ago it would close the plant</a>, saying the pollution controls would be too expensive.Last week, it&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://efis.psc.mo.gov/Case/Display/10206">filed with the Missouri Public Service Commission</a>&nbsp;seeking permission to use a new financing law known as securitization to recoup its investment at Rush Island.&nbsp;In testimony filed with the Public Service Commission, Ameren Missouri President Mark Birk said continuing to operate coal plants had become “extremely challenging.”“Faced with these realities, the only prudent option was to shut down Rush Island instead of adding scrubbers,” Birk said.&nbsp;Rush Island is a two-unit coal plant south of St. Louis on the Mississippi River. Ameren had planned to operate Rush Island until 2039 before the court order.Rush Island is old enough that the company was not required to install pollution controls when the facility’s two units were put into operation in 1976 and 1977. A 1977 update to the Clean Air Act required new power plants to do so. Older coal plants were grandfathered into the rule until they made upgrades beyond routine maintenance in a way that increased emissions.&nbsp;Once Ameren overhauled the coal plant units in 2007 and 2010, it fell under the requirement, but it failed to apply for that permit,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/1122_00%20-%202019-09-30%20-%20Memorandum%20Opinion%20and%20Order.pdf">according to court filings</a>.&nbsp;U.S. District Court Judge Rodney Sippel ordered Ameren in 2019 to obtain that permit, install scrubbers and meet standards for sulfur dioxide emissions. In 2021, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://news.stlpublicradio.org/health-science-environment/2021-08-20/federal-appeals-court-finds-ameren-violated-clean-air-act-must-install-pollution-controls-at-jeffco-plant">8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld that ruling</a>, though it struck down a requirement that Ameren also install scrubbers at the Labadie Energy Center in Franklin County.Despite losing the argument in court, Ameren maintains its upgrades at Rush Island were not significant enough to trigger the required pollution control updates.&nbsp;“Given the facts and circumstances as they existed at the time, no rational utility would have done anything differently with respect to Rush Island,” Birk said. “Having made prudent decisions, the securitization of the cost of retirement for Rush Island is appropriate.”For the Public Service Commission to approve Ameren’s request, it must find the utility is acting prudently in retiring the plant. Even in its decision not to seek a permit for the upgrades to Rush Island, Ameren argues it has acted prudently.&nbsp;“We believe we have a strong case that at the time the decision was made to (not) pursue a permit for this work, we had no regulatory directive to do so,” said Warren Wood, Ameren’s vice president for legislative and regulatory affairs.&nbsp;Asked if he had any misgivings about Ameren using securitization in the case of a coal plant found in violation of the Clean Air Act, Andy Knott, with the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, said the environmental nonprofit supports the use of the securitization to shutter coal plants.&nbsp;“But Ameren must use the proceeds to invest back in renewables,” Knott said.&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/07/06/parson-signs-bill-helping-utilities-shutter-coal-plants-transition-to-renewable-power/">relatively new securitization law</a>&nbsp;allows utilities to essentially refinance coal plants. A third party issues bonds to pay back the utility’s investment in building the plant. Then customers repay the bonds through their bills.The policy — which was backed by an unusual alliance of environmental and consumer advocate groups and utility companies — is meant to incentivize companies to close coal plants early and invest the savings in renewable energy projects.Ameren did not commit to additional clean energy investments if it is allowed to securitize Rush Island. Under its current “integrated resource plan,” filed with Missouri regulators, the company proposes adding 2,800 megawatts of wind and solar power, 400 megawatts of battery storage and an 800-megawatt natural gas plant by 2030.&nbsp;“I can’t speak to if it provides opportunities to accelerate some of those investments,” Wood said. “It may, but it would certainly be helpful to moving ahead with the IRP plan that we most recently issued.”According to Ameren’s filing, it’s seeking to securitize the remaining value at Rush Island of $475 million and other costs associated with decommissioning the plant. Including financing costs, the company hopes to securitize costs of more than $519 million.&nbsp;Compared to recouping its investment at Rush Island from ratepayers, Ameren estimates customers will save almost $76 million in net present value over 15 years.&nbsp;The cost to ratepayers to pay back the securitization bonds, the company estimates will be about $1.71 per month for the average customer.

Ameren seeks to shutter Mo. coal plant early, recoup investment from ratepayers

It appears a medical condition caused a crash in which a
vehicle plowed into a business on St. Joseph Avenue.

St. Joseph police report the crash late Tuesday night caused
damage to the front of Dick’s Bait and Tackle at 2604 St. Joseph Avenue.

Though a medical condition appears to have caused the
accident, the driver not only survived the wreck, but appears to have fully recovered.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostIt appears a medical condition caused a crash in which a
vehicle plowed into a business on St. Joseph Avenue.St. Joseph police report the crash late Tuesday night caused
damage to the front of Dick’s Bait and Tackle at 2604 St. Joseph Avenue.Though a medical condition appears to have caused the
accident, the driver not only survived the wreck, but appears to have fully recovered.

Medical condition appears to have caused car-building crash on St. Joseph Avenue

Missouri’s child welfare agency already offers guidance to foster care providers asking them to use a child’s ‘preferred name and pronouns’ and provide ‘physically and emotionally safe and supportive care and resources regardless of one’s personal attitudes and beliefs’

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

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey this week joined with 18 other states to oppose a proposed federal rule that aims to protect LGBTQ youth in foster care and provide them with necessary services.

The attorneys general argue in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023.11.27-Alabama-et-al.-Foster-Care-Comment-SUBMITTED.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;to the U.S. Department of Health &amp; Human Services that the proposed rule — which requires states to provide safe and appropriate placements with providers who are appropriately trained about the child’s sexual orientation or gender identity&nbsp; — amounts to religion-based discrimination and violates freedom of speech.

“As a foster parent myself,” Bailey said in a news release Tuesday, “I am deeply invested in protecting children and putting their best interests first.”

“Biden’s proposed rule does exactly the opposite by enacting policies meant to exclude people with deeply held religious beliefs from being foster parents.”

The rule is part of a package of federal proposals on foster care and is an extension of the Biden administration’s broader&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/06/15/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-sign-historic-executive-order-advancing-lgbtqi-equality-during-pride-month/">push</a>&nbsp;to protect LGBTQ kids in foster care.

“Because of family rejection and abuse,” the Biden administration&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/27/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions-to-support-children-and-families-in-foster-care/#:~:text=The%20proposed%20rule%20would%20require,on%20how%20to%20meet%20their">said in a September press release,</a>&nbsp;LGBTQ children are “overrepresented in foster care where they face poor outcomes, including mistreatment and discrimination because of who they are.”

State agencies would be required under the rule to provide safe and appropriate foster care placements for those who are “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex,” along with children who are “non-binary or have non-conforming gender identity or expression.”

A qualifying foster parent would need to be educated on the needs of the child’s sexuality or gender identity and, if the child wishes, “facilitate the child’s access to age-appropriate resources, services, and activities that support their health and well-being.”

An example of a safe and appropriate placement is one where a provider is “expected to utilize the child’s identified pronouns, chosen name, and allow the child to dress in an age-appropriate manner,” according to the proposal, “that the child believes reflects their self-identified gender identity and expression.”

The attorneys general characterize that as “forcing an individual to use another’s preferred pronouns by government fiat,” in violation of the First Amendment.

Robert Fischer, director of communications for Missouri LGBTQ advocacy organization PROMO, said the freedom of religion “doesn’t give any person the right to impose those beliefs on others, particularly to discriminate.”&nbsp;

“Any state official who claims to put ‘children’s interests first’ and in the same breath is willing to risk their well-being and opportunity to thrive in the name of religion — I think that speaks for itself,” Fischer told The Independent.&nbsp;

The rule prohibits retaliation against children who identify as LGBTQ or are perceived as LGBTQ.

Public agencies would need to notify children about the option to request foster homes identified as “safe and appropriate” and tell them how to report concerns about their placement.

Agencies would also have to go through extra steps before placing transgender, intersex and gender non-conforming children in group care settings that are divided by sex.

The “majority” of states, according to the proposed rule, would have to “expand their efforts” to recruit and identify providers who could meet the needs of LGBTQ children.

Laws and policies for protecting LGBTQ youth in foster care — relating to kids’ rights, supports, placement considerations, caregiver qualifications and definitions — currently vary by state.&nbsp;

According to a federal report published in January, which reviewed states’ laws and policies, Missouri&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/laws-policies/state/?CWIGFunctionsaction=statestatutes:main.getResults">does not have laws or policies</a>&nbsp;explicitly addressing any of those five categories.

Most states — 39 states and Washington, D.C. — have “explicit protections from harassment or discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression,” according to a federal&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/LGBTyouth.pdf">report</a>, as of January. Missouri is not one of them.&nbsp;

Twenty-two&nbsp; states and D.C. as of January, require agencies to provide tailored services and supports to LGBTQ youth, and eight states and D.C. offer case management and facilitate access to “gender-affirming medical, mental health and social services.”

Children’s Division, the agency within the Missouri Department of Social Services that oversees foster care, offers guidance on their website for&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dss.mo.gov/cd/foster-care/files/best-practice-guide-for-placement-providers.pdf">providers</a>&nbsp;and child welfare&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dss.mo.gov/cd/older-youth-program/files/best-practice-guide-for-staff.pdf">staff</a>&nbsp;in “supporting LGBTQ youth in foster care,” but still does not appear to have official policy on the issue.

A spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Social Services did not respond to a request for comment.&nbsp;

Those guidelines include using the child’s “preferred name and pronouns,” along with establishing a supportive environment and providing “physically and emotionally safe and supportive care and resources regardless of one’s personal attitudes and beliefs.”

The Department of Social Services is part of the administration of Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, and the guidelines were in place the entire time Bailey was serving as Parson’s general counsel — the second highest ranking job in the governor’s office.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Bailey’s spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked whether he raised any objections to the guidelines during his tenure with Parson.

The 19 attorneys general contend the federal rule would “remove faith-based providers from the foster care system” because of their “religious beliefs on sexual orientation and gender identity.”

They cite Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, a U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled a public agency couldn’t force private, religious foster agencies to allow same-sex foster parents.

The proposed rule itself also acknowledges the Supreme Court case and alleges that by not requiring religious foster-care providers to welcome LGBTQ children, it is complying with the court’s precedent.

But the attorneys general do not believe this is enough. Their letter argues the proposal violates freedom of religion because those unwilling to support LGBTQ foster children “would be excluded from providing care to as many as one-third of foster children ages 12-21.”

“In addition to discriminating against religion, the proposed rule will harm children by limiting the number of available foster homes, harm families by risking kinship placements, and harm states by increasing costs and decreasing care options,” the letter says.

The rule would “discourage individuals and organizations of faith from joining or continuing in foster care,” the attorneys general argue, and “reduce family setting options.” Without faith-based foster parents, the attorneys general say, children would be more likely to be placed in congregate settings.

They also say the rule could disqualify family members who volunteer as placement, or kinship care, if the family member does not agree to support the child’s sexuality or gender identity with age-appropriate resources, as the rule entails.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701262449456.png" alt=" A qualifying foster parent under the proposed federal rule would need to be educated on the needs of the child’s sexuality or gender identity and, if the child wishes, “facilitate the child's access to age-appropriate resources, services, and activities that support their health and well-being" (photo illustration by Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)." />
 <figcaption> A qualifying foster parent under the proposed federal rule would need to be educated on the needs of the child’s sexuality or gender identity and, if the child wishes, “facilitate the child's access to age-appropriate resources, services, and activities that support their health and well-being" (photo illustration by Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Missouri’s child welfare agency already offers guidance to foster care providers asking them to use a child’s ‘preferred name and pronouns’ and provide ‘physically and emotionally safe and supportive care and resources regardless of one’s personal attitudes and beliefs’</h2>By CLARA BATES&nbsp;AND&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey this week joined with 18 other states to oppose a proposed federal rule that aims to protect LGBTQ youth in foster care and provide them with necessary services.The attorneys general argue in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023.11.27-Alabama-et-al.-Foster-Care-Comment-SUBMITTED.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;to the U.S. Department of Health &amp; Human Services that the proposed rule — which requires states to provide safe and appropriate placements with providers who are appropriately trained about the child’s sexual orientation or gender identity&nbsp; — amounts to religion-based discrimination and violates freedom of speech.“As a foster parent myself,” Bailey said in a news release Tuesday, “I am deeply invested in protecting children and putting their best interests first.”“Biden’s proposed rule does exactly the opposite by enacting policies meant to exclude people with deeply held religious beliefs from being foster parents.”The rule is part of a package of federal proposals on foster care and is an extension of the Biden administration’s broader&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/06/15/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-sign-historic-executive-order-advancing-lgbtqi-equality-during-pride-month/">push</a>&nbsp;to protect LGBTQ kids in foster care.“Because of family rejection and abuse,” the Biden administration&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/27/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions-to-support-children-and-families-in-foster-care/#:~:text=The%20proposed%20rule%20would%20require,on%20how%20to%20meet%20their">said in a September press release,</a>&nbsp;LGBTQ children are “overrepresented in foster care where they face poor outcomes, including mistreatment and discrimination because of who they are.”State agencies would be required under the rule to provide safe and appropriate foster care placements for those who are “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex,” along with children who are “non-binary or have non-conforming gender identity or expression.”A qualifying foster parent would need to be educated on the needs of the child’s sexuality or gender identity and, if the child wishes, “facilitate the child’s access to age-appropriate resources, services, and activities that support their health and well-being.”An example of a safe and appropriate placement is one where a provider is “expected to utilize the child’s identified pronouns, chosen name, and allow the child to dress in an age-appropriate manner,” according to the proposal, “that the child believes reflects their self-identified gender identity and expression.”The attorneys general characterize that as “forcing an individual to use another’s preferred pronouns by government fiat,” in violation of the First Amendment.Robert Fischer, director of communications for Missouri LGBTQ advocacy organization PROMO, said the freedom of religion “doesn’t give any person the right to impose those beliefs on others, particularly to discriminate.”&nbsp;“Any state official who claims to put ‘children’s interests first’ and in the same breath is willing to risk their well-being and opportunity to thrive in the name of religion — I think that speaks for itself,” Fischer told The Independent.&nbsp;The rule prohibits retaliation against children who identify as LGBTQ or are perceived as LGBTQ.Public agencies would need to notify children about the option to request foster homes identified as “safe and appropriate” and tell them how to report concerns about their placement.Agencies would also have to go through extra steps before placing transgender, intersex and gender non-conforming children in group care settings that are divided by sex.The “majority” of states, according to the proposed rule, would have to “expand their efforts” to recruit and identify providers who could meet the needs of LGBTQ children.<h2>Missouri guidelines</h2>Laws and policies for protecting LGBTQ youth in foster care — relating to kids’ rights, supports, placement considerations, caregiver qualifications and definitions — currently vary by state.&nbsp;According to a federal report published in January, which reviewed states’ laws and policies, Missouri&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/laws-policies/state/?CWIGFunctionsaction=statestatutes:main.getResults">does not have laws or policies</a>&nbsp;explicitly addressing any of those five categories.Most states — 39 states and Washington, D.C. — have “explicit protections from harassment or discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression,” according to a federal&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/LGBTyouth.pdf">report</a>, as of January. Missouri is not one of them.&nbsp;Twenty-two&nbsp; states and D.C. as of January, require agencies to provide tailored services and supports to LGBTQ youth, and eight states and D.C. offer case management and facilitate access to “gender-affirming medical, mental health and social services.”Children’s Division, the agency within the Missouri Department of Social Services that oversees foster care, offers guidance on their website for&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dss.mo.gov/cd/foster-care/files/best-practice-guide-for-placement-providers.pdf">providers</a>&nbsp;and child welfare&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dss.mo.gov/cd/older-youth-program/files/best-practice-guide-for-staff.pdf">staff</a>&nbsp;in “supporting LGBTQ youth in foster care,” but still does not appear to have official policy on the issue.A spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Social Services did not respond to a request for comment.&nbsp;Those guidelines include using the child’s “preferred name and pronouns,” along with establishing a supportive environment and providing “physically and emotionally safe and supportive care and resources regardless of one’s personal attitudes and beliefs.”The Department of Social Services is part of the administration of Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, and the guidelines were in place the entire time Bailey was serving as Parson’s general counsel — the second highest ranking job in the governor’s office.&nbsp;&nbsp;Bailey’s spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked whether he raised any objections to the guidelines during his tenure with Parson.<h2>AG arguments</h2>The 19 attorneys general contend the federal rule would “remove faith-based providers from the foster care system” because of their “religious beliefs on sexual orientation and gender identity.”They cite Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, a U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled a public agency couldn’t force private, religious foster agencies to allow same-sex foster parents.The proposed rule itself also acknowledges the Supreme Court case and alleges that by not requiring religious foster-care providers to welcome LGBTQ children, it is complying with the court’s precedent.But the attorneys general do not believe this is enough. Their letter argues the proposal violates freedom of religion because those unwilling to support LGBTQ foster children “would be excluded from providing care to as many as one-third of foster children ages 12-21.”“In addition to discriminating against religion, the proposed rule will harm children by limiting the number of available foster homes, harm families by risking kinship placements, and harm states by increasing costs and decreasing care options,” the letter says.The rule would “discourage individuals and organizations of faith from joining or continuing in foster care,” the attorneys general argue, and “reduce family setting options.” Without faith-based foster parents, the attorneys general say, children would be more likely to be placed in congregate settings.They also say the rule could disqualify family members who volunteer as placement, or kinship care, if the family member does not agree to support the child’s sexuality or gender identity with age-appropriate resources, as the rule entails.

Missouri AG opposes proposed federal rule supporting LGBTQ foster kids

Mosaic Life Care officials say
there has been a dramatic increase in violence against its caregivers, and it
won’t be tolerated.

Mosaic CEO Mike Poore says the
increase in violence the last couple of years has no discernable common thread.

“We’ve had random acts of
violence in every department in the hospital,” Moore tells reporters during a
news conference at the St. Joseph hospital. “It’s increasingly frustrating.”

Those acts vary, according to
Mosaic Chief Nursing Officer Rebecca Bledsoe.

“Everything from verbal abuse,
mental abuse, and to physical abuse,” Bledsoe says. “And it’s every scenario
that you can imagine.”

While there appears to be no
common thread or discernable trend to the violence, it does seem to be on the
increase of late. &nbsp;Poore says assaults
have spiked the last two years and seem to only be increasing.

“In the last several weeks, I’ve
had a nurse punched in the face. I’ve had another caregiver who was grabbed by
the hair and her face was slammed into a table,” Poore says, adding that a security
guard suffered a broken knee cap responding to an assault.

“I’ve been in health care for 36
years. It’s just that we’ve seen it increase to a level that has not been seen
in my career,” Poore says.

Mosaic showed a video of some of the acts of violence. We have that video below.

Both Bledsoe and Poore say Mosaic
is encouraging nurses and others who are assaulted to report assaults to
police. Both add caregivers are reluctant to report.

“Deep down in their heart they
feel like it goes against what they are here to do and that’s just to provide
care to patients,” Bledsoe explains. “But the other thing is, we are very busy
in health care and there’s a lot of steps that goes into making sure we’re reporting.
And so, it is another burden that we have to go through.”

Bledsoe says Mosaic is helping
alleviate some of the burden of filing the paperwork to report workplace
violence.

The St. Joseph Police Department
pledges to investigate every report of workplace violence at Mosaic. Buchanan
County Prosecutor Michelle Davidson urges anyone assaulted to file a report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701206080410.jpeg" alt="Mosaic Life Care CEO Mike Poore addresses a St. Joseph news conference. Sitting left to right is Mosaic Chief Nursing Officer Rebecca Bledsoe, St. Joseph Police Chief Paul Luster, and Buchanan County Prosecutor Michelle Davidson./Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Mosaic Life Care CEO Mike Poore addresses a St. Joseph news conference. Sitting left to right is Mosaic Chief Nursing Officer Rebecca Bledsoe, St. Joseph Police Chief Paul Luster, and Buchanan County Prosecutor Michelle Davidson./Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostMosaic Life Care officials say
there has been a dramatic increase in violence against its caregivers, and it
won’t be tolerated.Mosaic CEO Mike Poore says the
increase in violence the last couple of years has no discernable common thread.“We’ve had random acts of
violence in every department in the hospital,” Moore tells reporters during a
news conference at the St. Joseph hospital. “It’s increasingly frustrating.”Those acts vary, according to
Mosaic Chief Nursing Officer Rebecca Bledsoe.“Everything from verbal abuse,
mental abuse, and to physical abuse,” Bledsoe says. “And it’s every scenario
that you can imagine.”While there appears to be no
common thread or discernable trend to the violence, it does seem to be on the
increase of late. &nbsp;Poore says assaults
have spiked the last two years and seem to only be increasing.“In the last several weeks, I’ve
had a nurse punched in the face. I’ve had another caregiver who was grabbed by
the hair and her face was slammed into a table,” Poore says, adding that a security
guard suffered a broken knee cap responding to an assault.“I’ve been in health care for 36
years. It’s just that we’ve seen it increase to a level that has not been seen
in my career,” Poore says.Mosaic showed a video of some of the acts of violence. We have that video below.Both Bledsoe and Poore say Mosaic
is encouraging nurses and others who are assaulted to report assaults to
police. Both add caregivers are reluctant to report.“Deep down in their heart they
feel like it goes against what they are here to do and that’s just to provide
care to patients,” Bledsoe explains. “But the other thing is, we are very busy
in health care and there’s a lot of steps that goes into making sure we’re reporting.
And so, it is another burden that we have to go through.”Bledsoe says Mosaic is helping
alleviate some of the burden of filing the paperwork to report workplace
violence.The St. Joseph Police Department
pledges to investigate every report of workplace violence at Mosaic. Buchanan
County Prosecutor Michelle Davidson urges anyone assaulted to file a report.<div><div style="position:relative;overflow:hidden;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/57M2da03-KcBmu4K3.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="Mosaic Life Care Workplace Violence" style="position:absolute;" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div><div><iframe src="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/Mosaic-working-to-solve-growing-violence-problem-in-the-hospital-e2chke2" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>

Mosaic reports "dramatic" increase in violence in its hospitals

Worries about the Farm Bill extend into next year when
Congress will make another run at approving nutrition programs as well as agricultural
policy.

Chief Economist Roger Cryan at the American Farm Bureau
Federation says the Bureau is pleased Congress didn’t allow the Farm Bill to
just run out, but insists a new Farm Bill must be passed, sooner rather than
later.

“We’re happy that there’s an extension, because it’s much
better than letting programs expire and stop working,” Cryan tells KFEQ/St.
Joseph Post. “It’s much better to have some certainty for planting season than
to have it all up in the air. But we really need those adjustments, those
updates and our hope is that we’ll get a Farm Bill early next year.”

Cryan says the focus cannot just be on extending the nutrition
program in the form of food stamps. It must, according to Cryan, be on the crop
commodity programs, providing farmers with a safety net now that inflation has
increased the cost of production without increasing the prices farmers receive.
Cryan says inflation makes extending current commodity price programs
problematic.

“I mean, inflation is what has essentially triggered the need
for more money for the Title 1 program (commodity programs),” Cryan says. “If
we hadn’t had the inflation, then the commodity prices wouldn’t have gone up as
much and there’d be a little easier to work with what we’ve got.”

Cryan says nutrition programs have gotten a boost, but several
agricultural programs now are outdated and are badly in need of revision.

“We support the nutrition programs. We support resources being
made available to folks to have enough to eat. It’s important,” Cryan says.
“But, for the world as a whole, you’ve got to keep production going. You’ve got
to maintain ag productivity and make sure there’s enough food being produced.
If nobody’s producing it, all the money in the world won’t buy it.”

Chairs of both the Senate and House agricultural committees
have pledged to pass legislation early next year in order to pass a Farm Bill
before presidential politics makes it impossible to find compromise. In fact,
Cryan says the conventional wisdom in Washington is that if legislation cannot
be passed early next year, it will have to be put off until 2025.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701186272628.jpeg" alt="File photo" />
 <figcaption>File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostWorries about the Farm Bill extend into next year when
Congress will make another run at approving nutrition programs as well as agricultural
policy.Chief Economist Roger Cryan at the American Farm Bureau
Federation says the Bureau is pleased Congress didn’t allow the Farm Bill to
just run out, but insists a new Farm Bill must be passed, sooner rather than
later.“We’re happy that there’s an extension, because it’s much
better than letting programs expire and stop working,” Cryan tells KFEQ/St.
Joseph Post. “It’s much better to have some certainty for planting season than
to have it all up in the air. But we really need those adjustments, those
updates and our hope is that we’ll get a Farm Bill early next year.”Cryan says the focus cannot just be on extending the nutrition
program in the form of food stamps. It must, according to Cryan, be on the crop
commodity programs, providing farmers with a safety net now that inflation has
increased the cost of production without increasing the prices farmers receive.
Cryan says inflation makes extending current commodity price programs
problematic.“I mean, inflation is what has essentially triggered the need
for more money for the Title 1 program (commodity programs),” Cryan says. “If
we hadn’t had the inflation, then the commodity prices wouldn’t have gone up as
much and there’d be a little easier to work with what we’ve got.”Cryan says nutrition programs have gotten a boost, but several
agricultural programs now are outdated and are badly in need of revision.“We support the nutrition programs. We support resources being
made available to folks to have enough to eat. It’s important,” Cryan says.
“But, for the world as a whole, you’ve got to keep production going. You’ve got
to maintain ag productivity and make sure there’s enough food being produced.
If nobody’s producing it, all the money in the world won’t buy it.”Chairs of both the Senate and House agricultural committees
have pledged to pass legislation early next year in order to pass a Farm Bill
before presidential politics makes it impossible to find compromise. In fact,
Cryan says the conventional wisdom in Washington is that if legislation cannot
be passed early next year, it will have to be put off until 2025.<div><iframe src="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/New-Farm-Bill-needed-sooner-rather-than-later-e2chaj1" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>

Farm Bureau: new Farm Bill needed, though extension is helpful

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ceilidhkern/">CEILIDH KERN</a>

On a small farm near Laddonia, Brian Willott waded through fields of dried corn stalks that had already been crushed into the ground.

He had just finished harvesting his corn and soybeans and was preparing his empty fields to plant cover crops, which will hold his soil together and replenish its nutrients over the winter.

Willott is among a new generation of farmers working to make their operations more environmentally friendly. Traditional farming practices such as tilling and monoculture — cultivating a single crop — have come under fire in recent years for their role in harming soil and exacerbating climate change.

Willott is part of the new Climate-Resilient Crop and Livestock Project, which gives farmers and ranchers needed funding and technical assistance to make their operations more climate-smart.

“We farmers get painted as the villain a lot on environmental issues, and we’re not,” he said.

“I think this is one of those programs where we really get to show everybody what we can do to help. We’re making things better on our own farm, and it’s also removing carbon from the atmosphere. We’re part of the solution, not the problem.”

Willott has been interested in being “part of the solution” since he was a kid. Growing up on his parents’ farm, he watched his father experiment with no-till farming and crop rotation to protect the soil before these practices were well-known.

In 2008, Willott’s father received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study cover crops, which are planted after the harvest to improve soil fertility by capturing excess nutrients.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Back then, Willott said, almost no one in their community had heard of cover crops. But his father became a major advocate for the practice, and his son now recommends it to other farmers.

“Cover crops are a better way to farm, and I see mostly positives in it,” he said.

He registered both himself and his father for the Climate-Resilient Crop and Livestock programs so they could plant clover, cereal rye, turnips and radishes.

Not only will these crops help protect their soil, but they can combat climate change. Healthier soil stores more carbon and produces larger, healthier plants that draw more carbon dioxide from the air.

But for these benefits to be realized, the cover crops need to be carefully managed or they can actually be detrimental to fields, Willott said.

Kelly Wilson, the associate director of the MU Center for Regenerative Agriculture, said this is why the project’s educational resources are so important for long-term environmental and crop health.

“The other aspect of this is providing a lot more education and technical assistance to farmers,” Wilson said. “It’s one thing to receive financial assistance to offset your costs, but it’s also important to ensure that farmers can successfully implement these practices.”

The positives of planting cover crops include supporting the local environment and making crops more productive and climate-resilient. Thanks to cover crops, no-till and crop rotation, Willott said his farm still had a fairly good harvest despite this year’s drought, extreme heat and flooding.

“I think some of the reasons I had good yields this year and some other people didn’t is my father before me and I really have taken care of this soil” he said.

The Climate-Resilient Crop and Livestock Project, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is set to run for four more years. Applications for the regenerative grazing, nutrient management and climate-smart fieldscapes programs opened earlier this month and will close in January.

This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/state_news/farmers-adopt-practices-that-improve-their-land-support-environment/article_eaa8a95a-7cbf-11ee-99d9-9b78b3bda0e6.html#tncms-source=Featured">Columbia Missourian</a>. It can be republished in print or online.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701177209647.png" alt=" Brian Willott opens the doors of his truck on Nov. 3 at his property in Laddonia. Willott used to live in Brazil where he managed agricultural projects and taught English as a second language (Sharon Quintana/Missourian)." />
 <figcaption> Brian Willott opens the doors of his truck on Nov. 3 at his property in Laddonia. Willott used to live in Brazil where he managed agricultural projects and taught English as a second language (Sharon Quintana/Missourian).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ceilidhkern/">CEILIDH KERN</a>On a small farm near Laddonia, Brian Willott waded through fields of dried corn stalks that had already been crushed into the ground.He had just finished harvesting his corn and soybeans and was preparing his empty fields to plant cover crops, which will hold his soil together and replenish its nutrients over the winter.Willott is among a new generation of farmers working to make their operations more environmentally friendly. Traditional farming practices such as tilling and monoculture — cultivating a single crop — have come under fire in recent years for their role in harming soil and exacerbating climate change.Willott is part of the new Climate-Resilient Crop and Livestock Project, which gives farmers and ranchers needed funding and technical assistance to make their operations more climate-smart.“We farmers get painted as the villain a lot on environmental issues, and we’re not,” he said.“I think this is one of those programs where we really get to show everybody what we can do to help. We’re making things better on our own farm, and it’s also removing carbon from the atmosphere. We’re part of the solution, not the problem.”Willott has been interested in being “part of the solution” since he was a kid. Growing up on his parents’ farm, he watched his father experiment with no-till farming and crop rotation to protect the soil before these practices were well-known.In 2008, Willott’s father received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study cover crops, which are planted after the harvest to improve soil fertility by capturing excess nutrients.GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOXSUBSCRIBEBack then, Willott said, almost no one in their community had heard of cover crops. But his father became a major advocate for the practice, and his son now recommends it to other farmers.“Cover crops are a better way to farm, and I see mostly positives in it,” he said.He registered both himself and his father for the Climate-Resilient Crop and Livestock programs so they could plant clover, cereal rye, turnips and radishes.Not only will these crops help protect their soil, but they can combat climate change. Healthier soil stores more carbon and produces larger, healthier plants that draw more carbon dioxide from the air.But for these benefits to be realized, the cover crops need to be carefully managed or they can actually be detrimental to fields, Willott said.Kelly Wilson, the associate director of the MU Center for Regenerative Agriculture, said this is why the project’s educational resources are so important for long-term environmental and crop health.“The other aspect of this is providing a lot more education and technical assistance to farmers,” Wilson said. “It’s one thing to receive financial assistance to offset your costs, but it’s also important to ensure that farmers can successfully implement these practices.”The positives of planting cover crops include supporting the local environment and making crops more productive and climate-resilient. Thanks to cover crops, no-till and crop rotation, Willott said his farm still had a fairly good harvest despite this year’s drought, extreme heat and flooding.“I think some of the reasons I had good yields this year and some other people didn’t is my father before me and I really have taken care of this soil” he said.The Climate-Resilient Crop and Livestock Project, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is set to run for four more years. Applications for the regenerative grazing, nutrient management and climate-smart fieldscapes programs opened earlier this month and will close in January.This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/state_news/farmers-adopt-practices-that-improve-their-land-support-environment/article_eaa8a95a-7cbf-11ee-99d9-9b78b3bda0e6.html#tncms-source=Featured">Columbia Missourian</a>. It can be republished in print or online.&nbsp;

Missouri farmers adopt practices that improve their land, support environment

The group behind a proposed ballot initiative that would add rape exceptions to Missouri’s abortion ban says a reporting requirement would give victims access to help. But some survivor advocacy groups worry it could cause further harm

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

When Trish Mitchell got an abortion three decades ago in Missouri, she didn’t tell the doctor her pregnancy was a result of sexual assault.

It would be years before she told anyone that she had been raped.

“Speaking for myself, it was literally almost impossible,” said Mitchell, who was 21 at the time of the assault. “I wasn’t able to talk about what happened to me for many, many years.”&nbsp;

When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion, a near total ban on the procedure went into effect in Missouri. It doesn’t include exceptions for victims of rape like Mitchell.&nbsp;

An initiative petition effort to add an exemption for rape victims to Missouri’s abortion ban is officially underway, alongside provisions that would prohibit the government from interfering with access to an abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and provide immunity from prosecution for women who receive abortions and for those who help them.

But the proposed constitutional amendment would require women seeking an abortion following a rape to report the assault to a crisis hotline, an idea that has drawn criticism from some survivors and advocates who worry it will be a barrier to accessing care.&nbsp;

“If that’s what’s required, then I say yes, it’s better than telling someone ‘no, you can’t make this decision about your own body,’” Mitchell said. “But at the same time, I really wish they would talk with people who’ve had that experience and understand the amount of trauma that they actually go through before they even arrive at the decision to have an abortion.”

The initiative petition campaign is being led by Jamie Corley, a longtime Republican congressional staffer who formed a 501c4 nonprofit in June to jumpstart the effort.&nbsp;

When crafting the proposal, Corley and her team at the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.missouriwomenandfamilyresearchfund.org/">Missouri Women and Family Research Fund</a>&nbsp;decided a reporting element was necessary to establish a qualifying event for the rape exception. She believes it also makes for a stronger ballot initiative. The group has until May to garner enough signatures to get the proposed initiative on the ballot.

Corley said she studied reporting requirements in other states, including Florida, where victims have to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-abortion-ban-approved-c9c53311a0b2426adc4b8d0b463edad1">provide proof of a police report or restraining order.&nbsp;</a>But she felt that was too “onerous,” since there are myriad reasons survivors may not report an assault to police.

“Our intention is to give crime victims access to care,” Corley said of the crisis hotline requirement, which she said is unique from any other state.&nbsp;

She pointed to 2019 numbers from the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dps.mo.gov/dir/programs/cvsu/documents/mo-rights-of-sexual-assault-task-force-final-report-123121.pdf">Missouri Rights of Victims of Sexual Assault Task Force</a>&nbsp;which showed more than three times as many people reached out to a crisis hotline as reported sexual assaults to police.

As she sees it, the reporting can be done confidentiality, anonymously, via text, call or email, and done locally or through national groups. It can be as simple as writing “I am a survivor of sexual assault,” to meet the reporting requirement, she said.&nbsp;

But Corley hopes it would also provide access to care for survivors that they might not have known about previously.&nbsp;

<a target="_blank" href="https://mocadsv.coalitionmanager.org/contactmanager/contact/publicdirectory">Dozens of crisis hotlines&nbsp;</a>are operated by victim agencies across Missouri. Many are 24/7 and don’t require survivors to share their identity. All are voluntary.

National hotlines are also plentiful. For example, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline">National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline,</a>&nbsp;run by the Rape, Abuse &amp; Incest Network, is confidential and does not even record the caller’s full phone number.

Hotlines provide survivors a space to process what they are going through with an advocate who is trained to listen. From there, the advocate suggest information and services that could be helpful to the survivor, said Matthew Huffman, a spokesman for the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.&nbsp;

Huffman’s group has not taken a position on any of the initiative petitions at this point.

“I’m very hesitant to ever say that a survivor should have to make a decision in order to qualify for another service,” Huffman said of Corley’s proposal, adding that he also has concerns about asking someone to relive the trauma of a sexual assault.&nbsp; “It’s important that we are able to preserve the intent of what a hotline is, so that there isn’t a chilling effect where survivors feel like they would be uncomfortable calling a hotline for any reason.”

No one would be required to tell the story of their assault, Corley said, only required to report that it happened.&nbsp;

It can also be dangerous to call a hotline, Huffman said, as some survivors fear being found out by their abuser. During the pandemic, hotline calls were down in many states as victims remained stuck at home with abusers, unable to get help as easily.

Corley said if there are concerns about calling a hotline, those same concerns would exist in making the abortion appointment in the first place.&nbsp;

Huffman said he does see a benefit to the proposal, in that it could be a path to bodily autonomy for survivors.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656159553649.png" alt="When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion, a near total ban on the procedure went into effect in Missouri.-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion, a near total ban on the procedure went into effect in Missouri.-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The group behind a proposed ballot initiative that would add rape exceptions to Missouri’s abortion ban says a reporting requirement would give victims access to help. But some survivor advocacy groups worry it could cause further harm</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>When Trish Mitchell got an abortion three decades ago in Missouri, she didn’t tell the doctor her pregnancy was a result of sexual assault.She couldn’t bring herself to.It would be years before she told anyone that she had been raped.“Speaking for myself, it was literally almost impossible,” said Mitchell, who was 21 at the time of the assault. “I wasn’t able to talk about what happened to me for many, many years.”&nbsp;When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion, a near total ban on the procedure went into effect in Missouri. It doesn’t include exceptions for victims of rape like Mitchell.&nbsp;An initiative petition effort to add an exemption for rape victims to Missouri’s abortion ban is officially underway, alongside provisions that would prohibit the government from interfering with access to an abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and provide immunity from prosecution for women who receive abortions and for those who help them.But the proposed constitutional amendment would require women seeking an abortion following a rape to report the assault to a crisis hotline, an idea that has drawn criticism from some survivors and advocates who worry it will be a barrier to accessing care.&nbsp;“If that’s what’s required, then I say yes, it’s better than telling someone ‘no, you can’t make this decision about your own body,’” Mitchell said. “But at the same time, I really wish they would talk with people who’ve had that experience and understand the amount of trauma that they actually go through before they even arrive at the decision to have an abortion.”<h2>Reporting requirement</h2>The initiative petition campaign is being led by Jamie Corley, a longtime Republican congressional staffer who formed a 501c4 nonprofit in June to jumpstart the effort.&nbsp;When crafting the proposal, Corley and her team at the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.missouriwomenandfamilyresearchfund.org/">Missouri Women and Family Research Fund</a>&nbsp;decided a reporting element was necessary to establish a qualifying event for the rape exception. She believes it also makes for a stronger ballot initiative. The group has until May to garner enough signatures to get the proposed initiative on the ballot.Corley said she studied reporting requirements in other states, including Florida, where victims have to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-abortion-ban-approved-c9c53311a0b2426adc4b8d0b463edad1">provide proof of a police report or restraining order.&nbsp;</a>But she felt that was too “onerous,” since there are myriad reasons survivors may not report an assault to police.“Our intention is to give crime victims access to care,” Corley said of the crisis hotline requirement, which she said is unique from any other state.&nbsp;She pointed to 2019 numbers from the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dps.mo.gov/dir/programs/cvsu/documents/mo-rights-of-sexual-assault-task-force-final-report-123121.pdf">Missouri Rights of Victims of Sexual Assault Task Force</a>&nbsp;which showed more than three times as many people reached out to a crisis hotline as reported sexual assaults to police.As she sees it, the reporting can be done confidentiality, anonymously, via text, call or email, and done locally or through national groups. It can be as simple as writing “I am a survivor of sexual assault,” to meet the reporting requirement, she said.&nbsp;But Corley hopes it would also provide access to care for survivors that they might not have known about previously.&nbsp;<h2>Hotlines and how they work</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://mocadsv.coalitionmanager.org/contactmanager/contact/publicdirectory">Dozens of crisis hotlines&nbsp;</a>are operated by victim agencies across Missouri. Many are 24/7 and don’t require survivors to share their identity. All are voluntary.National hotlines are also plentiful. For example, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline">National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline,</a>&nbsp;run by the Rape, Abuse &amp; Incest Network, is confidential and does not even record the caller’s full phone number.Hotlines provide survivors a space to process what they are going through with an advocate who is trained to listen. From there, the advocate suggest information and services that could be helpful to the survivor, said Matthew Huffman, a spokesman for the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.&nbsp;Huffman’s group has not taken a position on any of the initiative petitions at this point.“I’m very hesitant to ever say that a survivor should have to make a decision in order to qualify for another service,” Huffman said of Corley’s proposal, adding that he also has concerns about asking someone to relive the trauma of a sexual assault.&nbsp; “It’s important that we are able to preserve the intent of what a hotline is, so that there isn’t a chilling effect where survivors feel like they would be uncomfortable calling a hotline for any reason.”No one would be required to tell the story of their assault, Corley said, only required to report that it happened.&nbsp;It can also be dangerous to call a hotline, Huffman said, as some survivors fear being found out by their abuser. During the pandemic, hotline calls were down in many states as victims remained stuck at home with abusers, unable to get help as easily.Corley said if there are concerns about calling a hotline, those same concerns would exist in making the abortion appointment in the first place.&nbsp;Huffman said he does see a benefit to the proposal, in that it could be a path to bodily autonomy for survivors.“These conversations and these efforts are important for us to be having, but I think we also have to be cautious about how they aren’t actually implemented,” he said. “And so I take a very pragmatic “both/and” approach where we can see benefits, but we can also see risks.”<h2>Survivors’ perspectives</h2>Mitchell was a young mother with two boys when she was raped on a first date.&nbsp;She learned she was pregnant 12 weeks after the assault. Mitchell was already in survival mode, trying to stay present for her boys despite the rape playing on repeat in her head.“I was very young and didn’t know how to begin to understand what happened to me,” she said.Mitchell, who comes from a “very religious” upbringing, said the decision to seek out abortion care was met with much prayer and consideration. Calling a hotline was the last thing on her mind. Even if it was, Mitchell said did not have the mental or emotional capacity at the time to do so.&nbsp;Mitchell has worked with the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;ved=2ahUKEwicl_DW2tyCAxVgnGoFHRRsAXQQFnoECA8QAQ&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fmocsa.org%2F&amp;usg=AOvVaw1Cj5ciR_1Tg5D_lYvICqBR&amp;opi=89978449">Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault</a>. While she agrees calling a hotline is recommended and can be helpful, survivors should be able to seek those services on their own timeline.Contacting a hotline is not as cut and dry as it seems on paper, she said. After her assault, Mitchell said she waded through guilt, shame and embarrassment, and that reaching out to a hotline would have been extremely taxing.“Even to make a quick call to say, ‘hey by the way, I got raped and I need abortion care,’ it just feels so impersonal and uncaring,” Mitchell said.After she was raped 30 years ago, Taylor Hirth said calling a rape crisis center was the furthest thing from her mind.&nbsp;“This requirement adds one more thing to the extensive to-do list that further traumatizes survivors of sexual violence when they are just trying to move on with their lives,” said Hirth, a survivor and advocate who has occasionally written columns for The Independant and lives in the Kansas City area.&nbsp;While Hirth said she will take any “scraps of bodily autonomy the government is willing to offer me,” she would rather do without the requirement.“While I’m grateful for any attempt at improved access to abortion, inherent in the fight for reproductive rights is the belief in the bodily autonomy of the person seeking an abortion,” she said, later adding: “This is just one more unnecessary expectation.”<h2>Trojan horse?</h2>While Corley has settled on an initiative to move forward with, 11 more expansive abortion-rights amendment proposals filed in March by St. Louis physician Anna Fitz-James remain in limbo.&nbsp;Corley’s initiative has been met with criticism from both sides of the abortion debate, including from groups who oppose any abortion exclusions and from groups that oppose any limitations to abortion.&nbsp;Emily Wales, Planned Parenthood Great Plains’ CEO and president, said Corley’s ballot initiative reinforces stigma around abortion by allowing the government to declare what is a “good abortion versus a bad abortion.”Planned Parenthood has not yet taken a public position on any of the proposed initiative petitions.&nbsp;“At the end of the day,” she said, “what it does is have non-physicians sitting in a position of determining what an individual’s private healthcare should be.”&nbsp;She remains skeptical that other abortion restrictions in place that have driven providers out of the state will allow providers to reasonably return to Missouri. But if they did, she argued the reporting requirement could affect a patient’s experience.&nbsp;“This type of reporting reporting requirements doesn’t do anything but further restrict the rights of the individual who has already been violated,” Wales said. “It is deeply upsetting to me to read this and to hear that from somebody who thinks they are advocating for abortion access or individual rights.”&nbsp;Both Wales and Huffman raised questions about how the government would maintain patient and provider confidentiality.&nbsp;“I have a real concern about how those conversations which are intended to be confidential for a reason, end up being documented,” Huffman said.“We’ve seen the state be really irresponsible when it comes to patient information when it comes to tracking periods and patient data. I don’t want to give the government any more reason to be watching Missourians private lives,” Wales added, referencing a 2019 incident in which the state’s then health director, Randall Williams, testified that&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article236773058.html#:~:text=The%20Missouri%20state%20health%20director,on%20the%20governor%20to%20investigate.">the state monitored personal information of Planned Parenthood patients,</a>&nbsp;including women’s menstrual cycles, with the goal of identifying who had failed abortions. The patients’ names were not included.&nbsp;Missourians deserve better, Wales said.&nbsp;“This is not the moment for something is better than nothing,” she said.&nbsp;Corley said to get an abortion in Missouri before the ban, some level of reporting was always required. But she emphasized privacy would always be respected.&nbsp;“Just like Planned Parenthood tries to make it as easy as possible with their confidential online portals to make an appointment, and confidential phone lines to make an appointment, we have the same amount of respect and understanding for patient privacy,” Corley said.Her biggest priority, Corley said, is in getting access to survivors as quickly as possible. Her proposal is not some sort of “Trojan horse to get reporting requirements in place.”“Survivors have no access right now,” Corley said. “And so to sit on the sidelines and complain about ballot initiatives, without offering your own real solution is disrespectful to sexual assault survivors.”

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