CALDWELL COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 7:30p.m. Saturday in Caldwell County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Volvo semi driven by Artem A. Vovk, 40, Tucson, Arizona, was westbound on U.S. 36 four miles east of Cameron.

The semi rear-ended a 1969 Dodge truck driven by Mark S. Caster, 54, Lee's Summit.&nbsp;

Cameron Ambulance transported a passenger in the Dodge truck identified as Kristine A. Caster, 53, Lee's Summit, to Cameron Regional Medical Center. The drivers were not injured. All three were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

CALDWELL COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 7:30p.m. Saturday in Caldwell County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Volvo semi driven by Artem A. Vovk, 40, Tucson, Arizona, was westbound on U.S. 36 four miles east of Cameron.The semi rear-ended a 1969 Dodge truck driven by Mark S. Caster, 54, Lee's Summit.&nbsp;Cameron Ambulance transported a passenger in the Dodge truck identified as Kristine A. Caster, 53, Lee's Summit, to Cameron Regional Medical Center. The drivers were not injured. All three were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

Missouri woman hospitalized after semi rear-ends truck

NODAWAY COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 4p.m. Friday in Nodaway County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Ford Taurus driven by Curtis E.&nbsp; Jones, 64, Tarkio, was eastbound on U.S. 36 three miles east of Burlington Junction.

The Ford rear-ended a 2022 Kia Telluride driven by Jon F. Garrigan, 62, Council Bluffs, Iowa, that abruptly slowed to yield to a stopped unloading school bus.

After the crash, a 2014 Ford Mustang driven by a 17-year-old Brownville, Nebraska girl rear-ended the Ford Taurus.

 Nodaway County EMS transported the teen to Mosaic in Maryville. Garrigan and Jones were not injured.&nbsp; All three were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

NODAWAY COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 4p.m. Friday in Nodaway County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Ford Taurus driven by Curtis E.&nbsp; Jones, 64, Tarkio, was eastbound on U.S. 36 three miles east of Burlington Junction.The Ford rear-ended a 2022 Kia Telluride driven by Jon F. Garrigan, 62, Council Bluffs, Iowa, that abruptly slowed to yield to a stopped unloading school bus.After the crash, a 2014 Ford Mustang driven by a 17-year-old Brownville, Nebraska girl rear-ended the Ford Taurus. Nodaway County EMS transported the teen to Mosaic in Maryville. Garrigan and Jones were not injured.&nbsp; All three were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

Teen driver hospitalized after 3-vehicle rear-end crash

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new allegations after a traffic stop.

Just before 10:30p.m.&nbsp;Thursday an officer on patrol stopped a vehicle near U.S. 73 and Woodlawn Avenue in Atchison for an alleged traffic violation, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

 The driver of the vehicle later identified as 68-year-old Randall Gilliland of Atchison was found to be driving while suspended and subsequently found to be in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Police arrested him on requested charges of driving while suspended, improper driving on laned highway, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.&nbsp;

Gilliland has eight previous felony convictions for burglary and drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. Police in Atchison arrested him in July on drug and motor vehicle and parole violation allegations, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699626767510.png" alt="Gilliland photo Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>Gilliland photo Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new allegations after a traffic stop.Just before 10:30p.m.&nbsp;Thursday an officer on patrol stopped a vehicle near U.S. 73 and Woodlawn Avenue in Atchison for an alleged traffic violation, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson. The driver of the vehicle later identified as 68-year-old Randall Gilliland of Atchison was found to be driving while suspended and subsequently found to be in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.Police arrested him on requested charges of driving while suspended, improper driving on laned highway, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.&nbsp;Gilliland has eight previous felony convictions for burglary and drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. Police in Atchison arrested him in July on drug and motor vehicle and parole violation allegations, according to online jail records.

Kansas felon caught transporting meth

Hunters will be hitting their deer stands starting tomorrow [SAT] as Missouri's firearm deer season gets underway.  

Buchanan County Sheriff’s Captain Shawn Collie says ignoring firearm safety causes many accidents during hunting season. 

"Taking the proper classes, maybe trying to make sure that within your hunting groups that everybody knows where everybody is, know your surroundings," Collie tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr.  

Collie says the sheriff’s department gets calls complaining of trespassing among others during deer season. 

"From the deer on the roadway or crossing the roadway, to the hunting injuries, and the other reports that we get as far as that," Collie says.  

Collie says mishandling firearms causes many accidental shootings during deer season. Collie says it all comes back to firearm safety. 

"Not having your finger on the trigger, maybe not having a round chambered in the firearm while you're moving from field or from deer stand to deer stand," Collie explains. "And just trying to be safe in handling that firearm." 

Collie also reminds hunters to be sure to have their hunter’s orange on as they travel through the fields. 

Collie says as you are out hunting you should be aware of your surroundings. 

"Obviously if you're in an area where there's other hunters, you know which direction are they, making sure that where you're shooting is in a safe direction with a safe background, and to always be aware of your surroundings," Collie says. 

Missouri's firearm season runs through November 21st. 

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Hunters will be hitting their deer stands starting tomorrow [SAT] as Missouri's firearm deer season gets underway. Buchanan County Sheriff’s Captain Shawn Collie says ignoring firearm safety causes many accidents during hunting season. "Taking the proper classes, maybe trying to make sure that within your hunting groups that everybody knows where everybody is, know your surroundings," Collie tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr. Collie says the sheriff’s department gets calls complaining of trespassing among others during deer season. "From the deer on the roadway or crossing the roadway, to the hunting injuries, and the other reports that we get as far as that," Collie says. Collie says mishandling firearms causes many accidental shootings during deer season. Collie says it all comes back to firearm safety. "Not having your finger on the trigger, maybe not having a round chambered in the firearm while you're moving from field or from deer stand to deer stand," Collie explains. "And just trying to be safe in handling that firearm." Collie also reminds hunters to be sure to have their hunter’s orange on as they travel through the fields. Collie says as you are out hunting you should be aware of your surroundings. "Obviously if you're in an area where there's other hunters, you know which direction are they, making sure that where you're shooting is in a safe direction with a safe background, and to always be aware of your surroundings," Collie says. Missouri's firearm season runs through November 21st.

Remember firearm safety as Missouri's firearm deer season begins tomorrow

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with&nbsp;Camber President Bobby Eklofe.

For reference, the list of gifts mentioned during the interview includes:&nbsp;

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6uRPueIKhvc?si=Rs55WchM2c_Cg94a" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with&nbsp;Camber President Bobby Eklofe.For reference, the list of gifts mentioned during the interview includes:&nbsp;Rubix CubesFidgetsAge-appropriate booksBasketballsFootballsVolleyballsSoccer ballsSquishmellosStuffed animalsDollsAction figuresBoard gamesPlaying cardsUnoPhase 10Fidget spinnersBluetooth headphonesUnderwear and socks

🎤 Forward Ever: Camber President Bobby Eklofe

Mosaic Life Care encourages residents to get their flu shot after seeing a number of cases last month. 

Across Mosaic campuses in St. Joseph, Albany, and Maryville, the hospital saw 30 flu cases in October.   

Dr. Scott Folk, a specialist in Adult Infectious Diseases at Mosaic, says the best way to prevent the flu, is to get your flu shot 

"Now the flu shot doesn't guarantee that you won't get the flu, but if you do get the flu, chances are it won't be as severe as it otherwise would have been had you not gotten the flu shot," Folk tells reporters during a news conference at Mosaic. 

Folk says you cannot get the flu from getting the flu shot, and it takes two weeks to build up those antibodies after getting the shot 

"By far the best and most important thing that we have to offer to prevent flu is the flu shot," Folk says. "So, I would strongly recommend that, yes." 

Folk says he's sure the numbers will continue to rise, especially with the time of year it is.  

"People huddle together indoors, they cluster together in schools, the weather is getting colder outside so it's less time outdoors more time indoors huddled together which facilitates and makes it easier to transmit person to person through coughing or sneezing or talking, one person to another," Folk explains. 

Folk says it’s hard to know how many people have gotten flu shots with how many different places you can get them.  The goal of getting them anywhere, Folk says, is easier access. 

"Not just be confined to having to come to a doctor's office, but the thought there was to make it easier for them to go and get a vaccine at maybe a time that the doctor's office that was closed," Folk points out. "That's the whole goal is to try to get more people vaccinated, so if we can make it easier for them to be vaccinated, then hopefully more people will get vaccinated." 

Flu shots are available at local pharmacies, health clinics, your local doctor, or you can go to Mosaic Life Care.   

Flu season begins to ramp up in December and could last as late as March.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699640523934.jpeg" alt="Dr. Scott Folk, a specialist in Adult Infectious Diseases at Mosaic, received his flu shot to show the importance of getting your flu shot/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Scott Folk, a specialist in Adult Infectious Diseases at Mosaic, received his flu shot to show the importance of getting your flu shot/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Mosaic Life Care encourages residents to get their flu shot after seeing a number of cases last month. Across Mosaic campuses in St. Joseph, Albany, and Maryville, the hospital saw 30 flu cases in October. Dr. Scott Folk, a specialist in Adult Infectious Diseases at Mosaic, says the best way to prevent the flu, is to get your flu shot "Now the flu shot doesn't guarantee that you won't get the flu, but if you do get the flu, chances are it won't be as severe as it otherwise would have been had you not gotten the flu shot," Folk tells reporters during a news conference at Mosaic. Folk says you cannot get the flu from getting the flu shot, and it takes two weeks to build up those antibodies after getting the shot "By far the best and most important thing that we have to offer to prevent flu is the flu shot," Folk says. "So, I would strongly recommend that, yes." Folk says he's sure the numbers will continue to rise, especially with the time of year it is. "People huddle together indoors, they cluster together in schools, the weather is getting colder outside so it's less time outdoors more time indoors huddled together which facilitates and makes it easier to transmit person to person through coughing or sneezing or talking, one person to another," Folk explains. Folk says it’s hard to know how many people have gotten flu shots with how many different places you can get them. The goal of getting them anywhere, Folk says, is easier access. "Not just be confined to having to come to a doctor's office, but the thought there was to make it easier for them to go and get a vaccine at maybe a time that the doctor's office that was closed," Folk points out. "That's the whole goal is to try to get more people vaccinated, so if we can make it easier for them to be vaccinated, then hopefully more people will get vaccinated." Flu shots are available at local pharmacies, health clinics, your local doctor, or you can go to Mosaic Life Care. Flu season begins to ramp up in December and could last as late as March.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699640904707.jpeg" alt="Dr. Jeff Sherwood, a specialist in Adult Infectious Diseases at Mosaic, receives his COVID booster/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Jeff Sherwood, a specialist in Adult Infectious Diseases at Mosaic, receives his COVID booster/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure>

Rise in flu cases prompts Mosaic to encourage residents to get their flu shot

ANDREW COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 6:30p.m. Thursday in Andrew County.

&nbsp;A pedestrian identified as Keith L. Nold 66, Cosby, was outside a stationary 2004 Dodge Ram directing traffic for a slow moving farm implement eastbound on Highway O two miles east of Cosby.

An unidentified vehicle struck the pickup on the drivers side and pushed&nbsp; Nold into the pickup.&nbsp; The unidentified vehicle then fled the scene.

Andrew County EMS transported to Mosaic in St. Joseph. The accident remains under investigation.

ANDREW COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 6:30p.m. Thursday in Andrew County.&nbsp;A pedestrian identified as Keith L. Nold 66, Cosby, was outside a stationary 2004 Dodge Ram directing traffic for a slow moving farm implement eastbound on Highway O two miles east of Cosby.An unidentified vehicle struck the pickup on the drivers side and pushed&nbsp; Nold into the pickup.&nbsp; The unidentified vehicle then fled the scene.Andrew County EMS transported to Mosaic in St. Joseph. The accident remains under investigation.

Pedestrian injured after Andrew County hit-and-run

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jaredstrong/">JARED STRONG</a>

Federal ag officials are poised to enact new disclosure requirements for the poultry industry to give chicken growers a better understanding of their potential profits.

The changes are meant to address some long-standing complaints by farmers who are contracted by large companies to grow chickens for meat, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said Wednesday.

Most often, the companies are meat processors that pay farmers to grow their chickens. The companies provide the chicks, feed and medicines, and the farmers provide the facilities and labor to raise them until the birds are ready for slaughter.

The farmers are often compensated based on how efficiently they produce meat compared with other farmers contracted by the companies, and many farmers have complained to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more than a decade that the companies have too much leverage in the arrangements and too little accountability, department officials said.

That can result in farmers making less-than-expected profits while being saddled with debt for constructing or upgrading their facilities.

“It’s high time that poultry growers get the benefit of robust transparency — upfront and ongoing — to clean up the broiler chicken market of deceptive practices,” said Andy Green, a USDA senior advisor for fair and competitive markets.

The department announced on Wednesday the first in a series of new requirements that are a result of President Joe Biden’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/07/09/executive-order-on-promoting-competition-in-the-american-economy/">executive order</a>&nbsp;in 2021 to increase competition in the country’s economy.

The new regulations require large live poultry dealers to disclose to farmers the earnings of their contracted growers. The dealers must also describe how they handle flock losses associated with disease and natural disasters, shortages of food and farmer complaints about food quality.

The new regulations require dealers to guarantee a minimum number of flock placements with the farmers per year and to specify the sizes of those flocks. Broiler chickens mature in about two months.

Dealers that slaughter less than 2 million pounds of live broilers weekly or 104 million pounds annually are exempt.

“It’s fair to say that, for many, many years, we’ve heard concerns from poultry growers as to whether or not the contracting and tournament system that they’re engaged in provides a level of fairness and transparency,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Wednesday during a news conference.

He said the new regulations are being imposed under the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921, the purpose of which is to protect farmers from unfair and monopolistic practices. They are expected to go into effect in late January.

Consolidation in the meatpacking industry gained renewed focus during the coronavirus pandemic, when large processing facilities were forced to temporarily close and some livestock producers had nowhere to sell their animals. Federal officials have said that a handful of large companies control about 85% of the beef market, 70% of the pork and more than 50% of the chicken.

This story originally appeared in&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, a States Newsroom affiliate.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609439094343.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jaredstrong/">JARED STRONG</a>Federal ag officials are poised to enact new disclosure requirements for the poultry industry to give chicken growers a better understanding of their potential profits.The changes are meant to address some long-standing complaints by farmers who are contracted by large companies to grow chickens for meat, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said Wednesday.Most often, the companies are meat processors that pay farmers to grow their chickens. The companies provide the chicks, feed and medicines, and the farmers provide the facilities and labor to raise them until the birds are ready for slaughter.The farmers are often compensated based on how efficiently they produce meat compared with other farmers contracted by the companies, and many farmers have complained to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more than a decade that the companies have too much leverage in the arrangements and too little accountability, department officials said.That can result in farmers making less-than-expected profits while being saddled with debt for constructing or upgrading their facilities.“It’s high time that poultry growers get the benefit of robust transparency — upfront and ongoing — to clean up the broiler chicken market of deceptive practices,” said Andy Green, a USDA senior advisor for fair and competitive markets.The department announced on Wednesday the first in a series of new requirements that are a result of President Joe Biden’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/07/09/executive-order-on-promoting-competition-in-the-american-economy/">executive order</a>&nbsp;in 2021 to increase competition in the country’s economy.The new regulations require large live poultry dealers to disclose to farmers the earnings of their contracted growers. The dealers must also describe how they handle flock losses associated with disease and natural disasters, shortages of food and farmer complaints about food quality.The new regulations require dealers to guarantee a minimum number of flock placements with the farmers per year and to specify the sizes of those flocks. Broiler chickens mature in about two months.Dealers that slaughter less than 2 million pounds of live broilers weekly or 104 million pounds annually are exempt.“It’s fair to say that, for many, many years, we’ve heard concerns from poultry growers as to whether or not the contracting and tournament system that they’re engaged in provides a level of fairness and transparency,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Wednesday during a news conference.He said the new regulations are being imposed under the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921, the purpose of which is to protect farmers from unfair and monopolistic practices. They are expected to go into effect in late January.Consolidation in the meatpacking industry gained renewed focus during the coronavirus pandemic, when large processing facilities were forced to temporarily close and some livestock producers had nowhere to sell their animals. Federal officials have said that a handful of large companies control about 85% of the beef market, 70% of the pork and more than 50% of the chicken.This story originally appeared in&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, a States Newsroom affiliate.&nbsp;

New federal rule seeks to curb ‘deceptive practices’ in poultry production

Con artists will try any number of scams to separate you from
your money.

Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett warns consumers to be
protective of your personal and financial information, because law enforcement
can only do so much, especially if the scams originate from other countries.

“They’re spoofing numbers and even if they’re in the United
States, it’s just so, so difficult to track these folks down,” Puett says. “We,
citizens, have to be the guardians or our information.”

Puett says to never disclose information to someone who calls
you out of the blue. Mostly, the con artists attempt to get you to give your credit
card information, bank numbers, even Social Security numbers over the phone.

“The best way to say it is you have to be very, very
protective of that information and not fall victim to a scam.”

Puett is especially angry that some con artists call, claiming
they are from the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department and need money to get a
relative out of jail.

“They’re in jail and they need bond and this and that and they
need your credit card number right away. And you’ve got families that are just horrified
and they don’t know what to do. Next thing you know, they’re rattling off
credit card numbers and those type of things,” Puett says, adding. “We don’t
ever do that.”

Puett advises not to engage the person and just hang up.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostCon artists will try any number of scams to separate you from
your money.Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett warns consumers to be
protective of your personal and financial information, because law enforcement
can only do so much, especially if the scams originate from other countries.“They’re spoofing numbers and even if they’re in the United
States, it’s just so, so difficult to track these folks down,” Puett says. “We,
citizens, have to be the guardians or our information.”Puett says to never disclose information to someone who calls
you out of the blue. Mostly, the con artists attempt to get you to give your credit
card information, bank numbers, even Social Security numbers over the phone.“The best way to say it is you have to be very, very
protective of that information and not fall victim to a scam.”Puett is especially angry that some con artists call, claiming
they are from the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department and need money to get a
relative out of jail.“They’re in jail and they need bond and this and that and they
need your credit card number right away. And you’ve got families that are just horrified
and they don’t know what to do. Next thing you know, they’re rattling off
credit card numbers and those type of things,” Puett says, adding. “We don’t
ever do that.”Puett advises not to engage the person and just hang up.

Scammers are out there - don't engage

A St. Joseph School Board work session this afternoon might
not take a step forward in changing school district boundaries.

In fact, school Superintendent Gabe Edgar will advise the
board to take a step back.

“There won’t be any recommendation,” Edgar tells KFEQ/St. Joseph
Post in a phone interview. “There won’t be any sort of vote or move forward. We’re
kind of going to slow down the process, because we can get the feeder patterns
correct and we can make things more equitable, but at this time it’s really
hard to right-size.”

Edgar will advise the board to consider all the St. Joseph
School District schools before recommending boundary changes. Edgar says all
the school boundaries, from pre-kindergarten to high school, need to be taken
into account before boundaries can be considered equitable and balanced.

The school board called the work session to discuss the
controversial issue of changing school boundaries.

Edgar says administrators met Monday to discuss options and
have concluded that the district and the school board need to think long-range,
perhaps five to seven years, and consider all the school boundaries, not just
the kindergarten through 8th Grade boundaries.

Edgar says the administration will be looking for guidance
from the school board this afternoon.

“To see whether they want us to continue to bring them a
recommendation to change boundaries, but they need to understand the boundaries
right now can’t right-size the school district,” according to Edgar.

Edgar says the district needs to settle on a consistent middle
school pattern and must create a feeder system that reduces the imbalances of
student populations for the three high schools, with Central being much larger
than both Benton and Lafayette.

Edgar says neglect over a number of years has caused school populations
to be imbalanced, leading some schools to be crowded while others have room.

“Those buildings were built, a lot of them were built as
neighborhood schools that don’t have the neighborhoods that they had before,”
Edgar says.

School boundaries haven’t shifted with the shift in
population.

“So, there are a lot of underlying factors there, but absolutely
that’s exactly what happened,” Edgar says. “This has been problem, I’ve only
been here six years, it’s been a problem since I’ve been here and I would
venture to say it’s been a problem for over 40 years.”

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostA St. Joseph School Board work session this afternoon might
not take a step forward in changing school district boundaries.In fact, school Superintendent Gabe Edgar will advise the
board to take a step back.“There won’t be any recommendation,” Edgar tells KFEQ/St. Joseph
Post in a phone interview. “There won’t be any sort of vote or move forward. We’re
kind of going to slow down the process, because we can get the feeder patterns
correct and we can make things more equitable, but at this time it’s really
hard to right-size.”Edgar will advise the board to consider all the St. Joseph
School District schools before recommending boundary changes. Edgar says all
the school boundaries, from pre-kindergarten to high school, need to be taken
into account before boundaries can be considered equitable and balanced.The school board called the work session to discuss the
controversial issue of changing school boundaries.Edgar says administrators met Monday to discuss options and
have concluded that the district and the school board need to think long-range,
perhaps five to seven years, and consider all the school boundaries, not just
the kindergarten through 8th Grade boundaries.Edgar says the administration will be looking for guidance
from the school board this afternoon.“To see whether they want us to continue to bring them a
recommendation to change boundaries, but they need to understand the boundaries
right now can’t right-size the school district,” according to Edgar.Edgar says the district needs to settle on a consistent middle
school pattern and must create a feeder system that reduces the imbalances of
student populations for the three high schools, with Central being much larger
than both Benton and Lafayette.Edgar says neglect over a number of years has caused school populations
to be imbalanced, leading some schools to be crowded while others have room.“Those buildings were built, a lot of them were built as
neighborhood schools that don’t have the neighborhoods that they had before,”
Edgar says.School boundaries haven’t shifted with the shift in
population.“So, there are a lot of underlying factors there, but absolutely
that’s exactly what happened,” Edgar says. “This has been problem, I’ve only
been here six years, it’s been a problem since I’ve been here and I would
venture to say it’s been a problem for over 40 years.”<div><iframe src="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/No-school-boundary-recommendations-quite-yet-in-St--Joseph-e2bn7ta" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>

St. Joseph School Board advised to take step back on school boundary changes

Progress is being made on the Convergent Technology Alliance Center on the campus of Missouri Western State University.  

Missouri Western President Elizabeth Kennedy says the building is finally starting to look like a building. 

"So, there's some really neat milestones, we had the floors those were all poured back at the beginning of October, that was important because now we're kind of rushing against the clock to get the structure on the outside done so they can work on the inside," Kennedy tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "So, we've got the structural steel, which is all the main canopy and the columns, that's all been put up." 

Kennedy says exterior framing began on Monday and the roofing should be completed and closed off by January.

Kennedy says with the building progressing nicely, construction is still on track to be completed by June. 

"And then we will be ready and open for business in the fall semester of '24, so super-duper excited" Kennedy says. "We hope, I've kind of been quasi-promising this to the boards and folks, is that we should be able to do a hard hat walkthrough in January or February, which is really cool to be in, so we've got that going on." 

The CTAC, as it’s called, is a partnership between Missouri Western and North Central Missouri College in Trenton, providing hands-on learning experiences. 

Missouri Western President Elizabeth Kennedy says the CTAC was designed with the needs of St. Joseph in mind.  

"For students who are interested in technology programs, those technology based professional programs, engineering, cyber, robotics, those kinds of things, it's going to be, a state of the art is probably too old fashioned of a term, because it is going to have the most current equipment and software programs and it's just going to be a spectacular learning environment," Kennedy explains. 

Kennedy says both Missouri Western and North Central Missouri College are beginning to work with faculty to begin some workforce development classes before the building is completed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699550359222.jpeg" alt="Progress is being made on the Convergent Technology Alliance Center on the campus of Missouri Western State University/ Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Progress is being made on the Convergent Technology Alliance Center on the campus of Missouri Western State University/ Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Progress is being made on the Convergent Technology Alliance Center on the campus of Missouri Western State University. Missouri Western President Elizabeth Kennedy says the building is finally starting to look like a building. "So, there's some really neat milestones, we had the floors those were all poured back at the beginning of October, that was important because now we're kind of rushing against the clock to get the structure on the outside done so they can work on the inside," Kennedy tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "So, we've got the structural steel, which is all the main canopy and the columns, that's all been put up." Kennedy says exterior framing began on Monday and the roofing should be completed and closed off by January.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699550414941.jpeg" alt="Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>Kennedy says with the building progressing nicely, construction is still on track to be completed by June. "And then we will be ready and open for business in the fall semester of '24, so super-duper excited" Kennedy says. "We hope, I've kind of been quasi-promising this to the boards and folks, is that we should be able to do a hard hat walkthrough in January or February, which is really cool to be in, so we've got that going on." The CTAC, as it’s called, is a partnership between Missouri Western and North Central Missouri College in Trenton, providing hands-on learning experiences. Missouri Western President Elizabeth Kennedy says the CTAC was designed with the needs of St. Joseph in mind. "For students who are interested in technology programs, those technology based professional programs, engineering, cyber, robotics, those kinds of things, it's going to be, a state of the art is probably too old fashioned of a term, because it is going to have the most current equipment and software programs and it's just going to be a spectacular learning environment," Kennedy explains. Kennedy says both Missouri Western and North Central Missouri College are beginning to work with faculty to begin some workforce development classes before the building is completed.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699550390279.jpeg" alt="Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>

Progress is being made on the Convergent Technology Alliance Center on Missouri Western campus

DEKALB COUNTY —Two people were injured in an accident just before 5:30p.m. Wednesday in DeKalb County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Chevy Malibu driven by&nbsp; Donald D. Vincent Hensen, 41, Cameron, was westbound on U.S. 36 at Baker Road five miles east of Osborn.

The car struck a westbound 2001 Toyota Camry driven by Brian J. Johnson, 43, Clarksdale. After impact the Toyota traveled&nbsp; off the left side of the road, rolled and came to rest in the median. The Chevy traveled off the left side of the road and struck a culvert.

DeKalb-Clinton ambulance transported Henson to Cameron Regional Medical Center and Johnson to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

DEKALB COUNTY —Two people were injured in an accident just before 5:30p.m. Wednesday in DeKalb County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Chevy Malibu driven by&nbsp; Donald D. Vincent Hensen, 41, Cameron, was westbound on U.S. 36 at Baker Road five miles east of Osborn.The car struck a westbound 2001 Toyota Camry driven by Brian J. Johnson, 43, Clarksdale. After impact the Toyota traveled&nbsp; off the left side of the road, rolled and came to rest in the median. The Chevy traveled off the left side of the road and struck a culvert.DeKalb-Clinton ambulance transported Henson to Cameron Regional Medical Center and Johnson to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

2 Mo. men injured after 2-vehicle DeKalb County crash

ATCHISON COUNTY —A Kansas man accused of criminal threat in August is facing new allegations.

Just after 10a.m. Tuesday, police arrested 32-year-old&nbsp;Elvin H. Kenny III, of Atchison, in the 400 block Santa Fe. according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

He is being held on requested charges of interference with law enforcement, a Community Corrections detain order, and a District Court warrant for violation of a protective order and domestic battery.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699456732926.png" alt="Kenny-photo Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>Kenny-photo Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —A Kansas man accused of criminal threat in August is facing new allegations.Just after 10a.m. Tuesday, police arrested 32-year-old&nbsp;Elvin H. Kenny III, of Atchison, in the 400 block Santa Fe. according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.He is being held on requested charges of interference with law enforcement, a Community Corrections detain order, and a District Court warrant for violation of a protective order and domestic battery.&nbsp;

Kan. man jailed for alleged criminal threat accused of domestic battery

CALDWELL COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 10a.m. Wednesday in Caldwell County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Jeep Compass driven by Kitty Wilson, 49, Chillicothe, was westbound on U.S. 36 at Panther Road two miles southwest of Breckinridge.&nbsp;

The jeep struck a northbound 2000 Chevy 1700 driven by Andrew Greenwood, 39, Breckinridge, in the intersection. 

Caldwell County ambulance transported Wilson to Liberty Hospital.&nbsp; Greenwood was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

CALDWELL COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 10a.m. Wednesday in Caldwell County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Jeep Compass driven by Kitty Wilson, 49, Chillicothe, was westbound on U.S. 36 at Panther Road two miles southwest of Breckinridge.&nbsp; The jeep struck a northbound 2000 Chevy 1700 driven by Andrew Greenwood, 39, Breckinridge, in the intersection. Caldwell County ambulance transported Wilson to Liberty Hospital.&nbsp; Greenwood was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

Missouri woman injured after Jeep, truck crash

As the Adopt A Family program enters its 40th year, AFL-CIO Community Services could be looking at another big year of families in need.  

Executive Director Nichi Seckinger says after one week of accepting applications for the program, 245 people have already signed up. 

Seckinger says taking that number and multiplying it by three gives her staff an idea of how many families could be up for adoption this year.  

"So, if we already have 250 now, if it doubles before next week and we get 500 in that first week, it's going to be one heck of a year," Seckinger tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "But we've had years where we've had it that way, the year of the flood we had about 1,200 families, so it's not unusual during hard times for us to see a flux." 

Last year the agency saw more than 800 families in need apply and at the wire got every need filled.  

Seckinger says if that current number continues to crawl higher, they'll begin getting word out to regular donors about the increased need. 

"When we can go to those regular supporters and those continued supporters and kind of give them the information and let them know where we're at as well, they're really good about helping us get the word out and they're really good about not only providing support themselves but helping us find additional support along with that," Seckinger explains.  

"So, we're really lucky that way in that we have kind of a support system within our donors for the program." 

You can pick up applications through December 1st and they must be submitted by December 4th.  Adopters can apply for a family now. 

AFL-CIO Community Services in St. Joseph has hit a historic mark with the 40th year of the Adopt A Family program.  

Seckinger says it's crazy to think about how long the program has been around and how many families it has helped. 

"In the past probably 10 years we've seen more and more folks that come in and say when I was a kid my family got help and now I'm able to help and so we're doing this or I talked to my siblings and we all decided instead of having our adult Christmas exchange we want to do Adopt a Family and we're all finally to a place where we can afford to do this and we want to do this," Seckinger says. 

Seckinger says it's unbelievable to think that the program has become a tradition for families during the holidays. 

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post As the Adopt A Family program enters its 40th year, AFL-CIO Community Services could be looking at another big year of families in need. Executive Director Nichi Seckinger says after one week of accepting applications for the program, 245 people have already signed up. Seckinger says taking that number and multiplying it by three gives her staff an idea of how many families could be up for adoption this year. "So, if we already have 250 now, if it doubles before next week and we get 500 in that first week, it's going to be one heck of a year," Seckinger tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "But we've had years where we've had it that way, the year of the flood we had about 1,200 families, so it's not unusual during hard times for us to see a flux." Last year the agency saw more than 800 families in need apply and at the wire got every need filled. Seckinger says if that current number continues to crawl higher, they'll begin getting word out to regular donors about the increased need. "When we can go to those regular supporters and those continued supporters and kind of give them the information and let them know where we're at as well, they're really good about helping us get the word out and they're really good about not only providing support themselves but helping us find additional support along with that," Seckinger explains. "So, we're really lucky that way in that we have kind of a support system within our donors for the program." You can pick up applications through December 1st and they must be submitted by December 4th. Adopters can apply for a family now. AFL-CIO Community Services in St. Joseph has hit a historic mark with the 40th year of the Adopt A Family program. Seckinger says it's crazy to think about how long the program has been around and how many families it has helped. "In the past probably 10 years we've seen more and more folks that come in and say when I was a kid my family got help and now I'm able to help and so we're doing this or I talked to my siblings and we all decided instead of having our adult Christmas exchange we want to do Adopt a Family and we're all finally to a place where we can afford to do this and we want to do this," Seckinger says. Seckinger says it's unbelievable to think that the program has become a tradition for families during the holidays. <div><iframe src="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/Adopt-A-Family-gearing-up-for-another-big-year-e2bllsu" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>

As Adopt A Family enters 40th year, another big year could be in store

ATCHISON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 6:30p.m. Tuesday in Atchison County.

A 2008 Ford van driven by&nbsp;Thomas Sweet, 67, Leavenworth, was southbound in the 1500 Block of U.S.73, according to Police Chief Mike WIlson.

The van had problems that forced Sweet to pull over onto the shoulder of the road. He then got out of and underneath the van to look for the cause of a noise.&nbsp;

The vehicle, which had been left running and accidentlly left in gear, moved forward and ran over his legs.

The vehicle came to rest in an adjoining ditch. A passerby called 911. EMS transported Sweet to the Mosaic in St. Joseph for treatment of his injuries.

ATCHISON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 6:30p.m. Tuesday in Atchison County.A 2008 Ford van driven by&nbsp;Thomas Sweet, 67, Leavenworth, was southbound in the 1500 Block of U.S.73, according to Police Chief Mike WIlson.The van had problems that forced Sweet to pull over onto the shoulder of the road. He then got out of and underneath the van to look for the cause of a noise.&nbsp;The vehicle, which had been left running and accidentlly left in gear, moved forward and ran over his legs.The vehicle came to rest in an adjoining ditch. A passerby called 911. EMS transported Sweet to the Mosaic in St. Joseph for treatment of his injuries.

Kan. man hospitalized after van ran over his legs

St. Joseph police are investigating a call about shots being
fired in south St. Joseph.

Police report though officers found multiple shell casings,
they found no victims and observed no property damage. No suspect has been
arrested.

The call came in between 10:30 and 10:45 Tuesday night in
the 5800 block of Carnegie Street.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostSt. Joseph police are investigating a call about shots being
fired in south St. Joseph.Police report though officers found multiple shell casings,
they found no victims and observed no property damage. No suspect has been
arrested.The call came in between 10:30 and 10:45 Tuesday night in
the 5800 block of Carnegie Street.The investigation continues.

Shots fired in south St. Joseph; no one wounded, no property damage

Kids have made up almost half of Missourians disenrolled from Medicaid since renewals resumed after the COVID-era pause, even though they are eligible at higher levels than adults

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>

More than 52,000 Missouri children have been kicked off of Medicaid in the first four months of renewed eligibility checks, though the state isn’t sure how many of those kids have managed to re-enroll.

At Tuesday’s quarterly meeting of the board that oversees Missouri’s Medicaid program, the MO HealthNet oversight committee, concerns about the number of children losing coverage were raised.&nbsp;According to research by the health policy nonprofit KFF, the proportion of children disenrolled in Missouri is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/">higher than all but two of the 20 states</a>&nbsp;that publicly report data.&nbsp;

Sen. Tracy McCreery, a Democrat Olivette who serves on the committee, asked Tuesday why “so many kids are losing coverage during the unwinding process.”

“My concern is that there are kids out there that are dependent on adults to get the forms filled out properly,” McCreery said, “and in the meantime it’s a kid that’s losing coverage.”

Kim Evans, director of the state’s Family Support Division, told the committee that one culprit is that Missouri has a “high rate of self employment,” specifically mentioning professions like beauticians, Uber drivers and landscapers.

She said that can make it hard for the state to get renewal paperwork back from those individuals, and “unfortunately, sometimes, you know, the children are in the household. They’re some of our largest groups, and when it’s that self-employment, then we have trouble getting that information.”

The income limit for kids to be eligible for Medicaid is higher than adults — meaning even if parents lose coverage, kids may still qualify but sometimes fall through the cracks. Children make up roughly half of the overall Medicaid caseload in the state.

Due to a federal policy change, children will soon have one full year of coverage once they’re approved or renewed for the program — unlike adults, who can lose coverage in the months between yearly checks if, for instance, their income changes. But that policy change has little bearing on the current renewal issues which stem from the required, one-a-year eligibility check.

Paperwork issues are the main reason most in Missouri lose coverage — not lack of eligibility.&nbsp;

Over the first four months, 79% of those who lost coverage in Missouri lost it for procedural reasons, which is slightly higher than the national average of 71%, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/">KFF</a>.

September, the most recent month for which&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dss.mo.gov/mis/clcounter/">data</a>&nbsp;is available, was the fourth month of the state reassessing the eligibility of every Medicaid participant after a three year COVID-era pause on the practice. The process will take place over a year.&nbsp;

Around one-quarter of the state’s population, or&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://publichealth.wustl.edu/items/missouri-medicaid-enrollment-tracking-dashboard/">over 1.5 million</a>&nbsp;people, were enrolled in Medicaid in June when the process began. On Sept. 30, there were&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dss.mo.gov/mis/clcounter/">1,459,399</a>&nbsp;people on the program — it’s not yet clear the breakdown of new applicants to Medicaid versus those who lost coverage and then cycled back onto the program.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Over the first four months of eligibility checks, one-quarter of those reviewed lost coverage. Over half remained eligible and 22% of renewals were still pending.

As is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://t-and-unwinding-tracker/">the case nationally</a>, Missouri has, so far, had a high rate of terminations due to paperwork issues.&nbsp;Procedural disenrollments refer to a variety of paperwork-related issues that prevent the state from determining a participant’s eligibility — including that the state never received the completed paperwork or the participant never received the form.&nbsp;

Enrollees have 90 days after termination to submit required paperwork for reconsideration and to be reinstated if eligible. After 90 days, they need to fill out a new application to be enrolled.

The state has not yet broken down the sources of procedural issues.

Elizabeth Larsen, attorney and program director of advocates for family health at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, said she and colleagues are seeing a variety of issues.

Some of the common causes of procedural denials, she said, include people who did not receive the renewal form; received it but are confused and so don’t complete it; and people who submitted it on time and submitted more information as requested, but are nonetheless denied because their information isn’t processed in time by the state.&nbsp;

In the latter case, Larsen said the denial could be because the state’s document processing can sometimes take “days and we’ve even seen a week” — so the state’s computer system closes out the case and automatically denies coverage while the documents are still waiting to be processed.&nbsp;

“To me, those are the most distressing cases,” Larsen said, “because there is literally nothing else the person could have done. They did everything that was requested of them and they’re still losing coverage.”

The Department of Social Services, which oversees the Medicaid program, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment and the specific causes of procedural denials didn’t come up in the Tuesday meeting.

Missouri last year came under&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/08/09/federal-government-steps-in-to-help-pull-missouri-out-of-medicaid-backlog/">scrutiny</a>&nbsp;for its long processing times for new Medicaid applications. The average processing times have been ticking upward since the renewals began and the workload for staff has expanded.

For the Medicaid group which includes the majority of participants, the average time to process a new application went from 15 days in July to 24 days in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dss.mo.gov/re/pdf/fsd_mhdmr/fsd-mohealthnet-report-0923.pdf">September</a>.&nbsp;Federal rules say the wait should be no longer than&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/08/10/missouri-officials-vow-progress-as-medicaid-applicant-wait-time-remains-at-100-days/">45 days.</a>

As of the September report, there was a backlog of 12,205 of these applications awaiting determination, up from 4,266 in July and 8,686 in August.&nbsp;

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/report-section/medicaid-public-health-emergency-unwinding-policies-affecting-seniors-people-with-disabilities-findings-from-a-50-state-survey-issue-brief/">Many</a>&nbsp;other states make these determinations near-instantaneously, automatically verifying through electronic data sources.

For the aged, blind and disabled Medicaid group, the average wait, up to 87 days in September from 54 in July, is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/report-section/medicaid-public-health-emergency-unwinding-policies-affecting-seniors-people-with-disabilities-findings-from-a-50-state-survey-issue-brief/">just under what federal&nbsp;</a>rules allow. The federal rule is a maximum of 90 days.

As of September there was a backlog of 9,588 of these applications pending determinations, compared to 8,906 in July and 10,210 in August.&nbsp;

There has been a rise in new applications, which Evans attributed to&nbsp;&nbsp;open enrollment, the period when the federal marketplace is open to new applicants, which began Nov. 1 and lasts until Jan. 16.&nbsp;She said some of the increase can also be attributed to new residents in Missouri.&nbsp;

<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/02/medicaid-unwinding-breeds-chaos-in-states-as-millions-lose-coverage/">There</a>&nbsp;have been reports of high wait times for those calling for assistance with their renewal, too, but Evans attributed the issue to individuals selecting the wrong phone line.

“One thing that we’re hearing from some of our stakeholders…is that participants are having trouble getting through the phone,” Evans said. “What we found is that the individuals are not going to the Medicaid call center so they’re not taking that option to get themselves to the call centers.”

Evans said callers are mistakenly going through the general questions line and urged those at the meeting to educate participants: “They’re not choosing that option to take them to Medicaid.”

On a “really positive note,” Evans said the division’s longstanding staffing issues have ebbed. During job fairs, the family support division has had “more applicants than we have positions” in several places in Missouri.&nbsp;

“That’s really going to help us,” she said, “as we talk to some of these numbers and all the work that we have in front of us right now.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699443741896.png" alt="A family enters the Missouri Department of Social Services resource center in Columbia (Clara Bates/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>A family enters the Missouri Department of Social Services resource center in Columbia (Clara Bates/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Kids have made up almost half of Missourians disenrolled from Medicaid since renewals resumed after the COVID-era pause, even though they are eligible at higher levels than adults</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>More than 52,000 Missouri children have been kicked off of Medicaid in the first four months of renewed eligibility checks, though the state isn’t sure how many of those kids have managed to re-enroll.At Tuesday’s quarterly meeting of the board that oversees Missouri’s Medicaid program, the MO HealthNet oversight committee, concerns about the number of children losing coverage were raised.&nbsp;According to research by the health policy nonprofit KFF, the proportion of children disenrolled in Missouri is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/">higher than all but two of the 20 states</a>&nbsp;that publicly report data.&nbsp;Sen. Tracy McCreery, a Democrat Olivette who serves on the committee, asked Tuesday why “so many kids are losing coverage during the unwinding process.”“My concern is that there are kids out there that are dependent on adults to get the forms filled out properly,” McCreery said, “and in the meantime it’s a kid that’s losing coverage.”Kim Evans, director of the state’s Family Support Division, told the committee that one culprit is that Missouri has a “high rate of self employment,” specifically mentioning professions like beauticians, Uber drivers and landscapers.She said that can make it hard for the state to get renewal paperwork back from those individuals, and “unfortunately, sometimes, you know, the children are in the household. They’re some of our largest groups, and when it’s that self-employment, then we have trouble getting that information.”The income limit for kids to be eligible for Medicaid is higher than adults — meaning even if parents lose coverage, kids may still qualify but sometimes fall through the cracks. Children make up roughly half of the overall Medicaid caseload in the state.Due to a federal policy change, children will soon have one full year of coverage once they’re approved or renewed for the program — unlike adults, who can lose coverage in the months between yearly checks if, for instance, their income changes. But that policy change has little bearing on the current renewal issues which stem from the required, one-a-year eligibility check.Paperwork issues are the main reason most in Missouri lose coverage — not lack of eligibility.&nbsp;Over the first four months, 79% of those who lost coverage in Missouri lost it for procedural reasons, which is slightly higher than the national average of 71%, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/">KFF</a>.September, the most recent month for which&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dss.mo.gov/mis/clcounter/">data</a>&nbsp;is available, was the fourth month of the state reassessing the eligibility of every Medicaid participant after a three year COVID-era pause on the practice. The process will take place over a year.&nbsp;Around one-quarter of the state’s population, or&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://publichealth.wustl.edu/items/missouri-medicaid-enrollment-tracking-dashboard/">over 1.5 million</a>&nbsp;people, were enrolled in Medicaid in June when the process began. On Sept. 30, there were&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dss.mo.gov/mis/clcounter/">1,459,399</a>&nbsp;people on the program — it’s not yet clear the breakdown of new applicants to Medicaid versus those who lost coverage and then cycled back onto the program.&nbsp;&nbsp;Over the first four months of eligibility checks, one-quarter of those reviewed lost coverage. Over half remained eligible and 22% of renewals were still pending.<h2>‘Distressing cases’</h2>As is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://t-and-unwinding-tracker/">the case nationally</a>, Missouri has, so far, had a high rate of terminations due to paperwork issues.&nbsp;Procedural disenrollments refer to a variety of paperwork-related issues that prevent the state from determining a participant’s eligibility — including that the state never received the completed paperwork or the participant never received the form.&nbsp;Enrollees have 90 days after termination to submit required paperwork for reconsideration and to be reinstated if eligible. After 90 days, they need to fill out a new application to be enrolled.The state has not yet broken down the sources of procedural issues.Elizabeth Larsen, attorney and program director of advocates for family health at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, said she and colleagues are seeing a variety of issues.Some of the common causes of procedural denials, she said, include people who did not receive the renewal form; received it but are confused and so don’t complete it; and people who submitted it on time and submitted more information as requested, but are nonetheless denied because their information isn’t processed in time by the state.&nbsp;In the latter case, Larsen said the denial could be because the state’s document processing can sometimes take “days and we’ve even seen a week” — so the state’s computer system closes out the case and automatically denies coverage while the documents are still waiting to be processed.&nbsp;“To me, those are the most distressing cases,” Larsen said, “because there is literally nothing else the person could have done. They did everything that was requested of them and they’re still losing coverage.”The Department of Social Services, which oversees the Medicaid program, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment and the specific causes of procedural denials didn’t come up in the Tuesday meeting.<h2>Processing delays</h2>Missouri last year came under&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/08/09/federal-government-steps-in-to-help-pull-missouri-out-of-medicaid-backlog/">scrutiny</a>&nbsp;for its long processing times for new Medicaid applications. The average processing times have been ticking upward since the renewals began and the workload for staff has expanded.For the Medicaid group which includes the majority of participants, the average time to process a new application went from 15 days in July to 24 days in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dss.mo.gov/re/pdf/fsd_mhdmr/fsd-mohealthnet-report-0923.pdf">September</a>.&nbsp;Federal rules say the wait should be no longer than&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/08/10/missouri-officials-vow-progress-as-medicaid-applicant-wait-time-remains-at-100-days/">45 days.</a>As of the September report, there was a backlog of 12,205 of these applications awaiting determination, up from 4,266 in July and 8,686 in August.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/report-section/medicaid-public-health-emergency-unwinding-policies-affecting-seniors-people-with-disabilities-findings-from-a-50-state-survey-issue-brief/">Many</a>&nbsp;other states make these determinations near-instantaneously, automatically verifying through electronic data sources.For the aged, blind and disabled Medicaid group, the average wait, up to 87 days in September from 54 in July, is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/report-section/medicaid-public-health-emergency-unwinding-policies-affecting-seniors-people-with-disabilities-findings-from-a-50-state-survey-issue-brief/">just under what federal&nbsp;</a>rules allow. The federal rule is a maximum of 90 days.As of September there was a backlog of 9,588 of these applications pending determinations, compared to 8,906 in July and 10,210 in August.&nbsp;There has been a rise in new applications, which Evans attributed to&nbsp;&nbsp;open enrollment, the period when the federal marketplace is open to new applicants, which began Nov. 1 and lasts until Jan. 16.&nbsp;She said some of the increase can also be attributed to new residents in Missouri.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/02/medicaid-unwinding-breeds-chaos-in-states-as-millions-lose-coverage/">There</a>&nbsp;have been reports of high wait times for those calling for assistance with their renewal, too, but Evans attributed the issue to individuals selecting the wrong phone line.“One thing that we’re hearing from some of our stakeholders…is that participants are having trouble getting through the phone,” Evans said. “What we found is that the individuals are not going to the Medicaid call center so they’re not taking that option to get themselves to the call centers.”Evans said callers are mistakenly going through the general questions line and urged those at the meeting to educate participants: “They’re not choosing that option to take them to Medicaid.”On a “really positive note,” Evans said the division’s longstanding staffing issues have ebbed. During job fairs, the family support division has had “more applicants than we have positions” in several places in Missouri.&nbsp;“That’s really going to help us,” she said, “as we talk to some of these numbers and all the work that we have in front of us right now.”

More than 52,000 kids were kicked off Missouri Medicaid from June to September

BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged violent crimes, according to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant.

On Monday, after on an investigation by the Brown County Sheriff's office, deputies arrested 25-year-old Cody Ptomey of Horton on requested charges of Rape, Aggravated Criminal Sodomy and Aggravated Kidnapping.&nbsp; He is being held without bond, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699377926923.png" alt="Ptomey photo Brown Co." />
 <figcaption>Ptomey photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged violent crimes, according to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant.On Monday, after on an investigation by the Brown County Sheriff's office, deputies arrested 25-year-old Cody Ptomey of Horton on requested charges of Rape, Aggravated Criminal Sodomy and Aggravated Kidnapping.&nbsp; He is being held without bond, according to online jail records.

Kansas man accused of kidnapping and rape

BUCHANAN COUNTY —Three people were injured in an accident just before 10a.m. Tuesday in Buchanan County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2002 GMC Canyon driven by Gary R. Power, 73, Easton was eastbound on MO 6 two miles east of St. Joseph.

The pickup struck the front left wheel well of an eastbound 2010 Ford Econoline E150 driven by Antonio Abilez Wilmer, 44, Kansas City, Kansas, who slowed to make a left turn onto River Ridge road.

Buchanan County EMS transported Power, Wilmer and a passenger in the van Sergio O. Velazquez, 31, Kansas City, Kansas, to Mosaic Life Care. Power was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

BUCHANAN COUNTY —Three people were injured in an accident just before 10a.m. Tuesday in Buchanan County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2002 GMC Canyon driven by Gary R. Power, 73, Easton was eastbound on MO 6 two miles east of St. Joseph.The pickup struck the front left wheel well of an eastbound 2010 Ford Econoline E150 driven by Antonio Abilez Wilmer, 44, Kansas City, Kansas, who slowed to make a left turn onto River Ridge road.Buchanan County EMS transported Power, Wilmer and a passenger in the van Sergio O. Velazquez, 31, Kansas City, Kansas, to Mosaic Life Care. Power was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

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