Buchanan County
commissioners have written the St. Joseph Board of Education, urging the board
to stick with its original long-range plan to move the school district to a two
high school model.

Buchanan County
Presiding Commissioner, Scott Nelson, says the three commissioners simply want
to support the plan to reduce the number of St. Joseph public high schools.

“We just supported
that whole process knowing that they felt at the time and we agreed that St.
Joseph should go to a two (high) school model,” Nelson tells KFEQmmunity. “We’re
not picking schools. It’s just two schools.”

The move came
after it appeared the St. Joseph Board of Education backed off its original
long-range plan and decided to remain with the three high school model. The
board, though, now appears to have again embraced the two high school model,
favoring retaining Central High School along with Benton High School, using
neighboring Hyde Elementary School to provide sufficient space.

Nelson says the
Buchanan County Commission drafted the letter after he spoke with the other two
commissioners following a discussion at the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce about
the future of the school district.

“So, I brought that
information back to the commissioners and we said, yeah, we do need to support
our school board and not this whole idea of a last-minute change to things,” Nelson
says. “That’s just chaos. Nothing good comes from chaos. Why is chaos even brought
into the picture? Why a last-minute change? &nbsp;I just don’t understand that.”

Nelson says the
commission understands the importance of the St. Joseph School District to the
county as a whole and believes the plan to reduce the number of high schools
makes the most sense.

“We are losing
population. We are losing school numbers. Those are facts,” Nelson says. “Employers,
and I’m not going to say which ones, are reluctant to come – some – are reluctant
to come to the area or live in the area, because of the school district.”

Nelson says the school
board earlier realized the district needed to change and that change wouldn’t
be easy.

“But I felt like
they kind of did their due diligence and came up with a plan and then all of
the sudden the plan changes on the drop of a hat? &nbsp;I’m not sure that’s productive.”

The St. Joseph
Board of Education is scheduled to consider the move to the two high school model
during its Monday regular meeting.

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostBuchanan County
commissioners have written the St. Joseph Board of Education, urging the board
to stick with its original long-range plan to move the school district to a two
high school model.Buchanan County
Presiding Commissioner, Scott Nelson, says the three commissioners simply want
to support the plan to reduce the number of St. Joseph public high schools.“We just supported
that whole process knowing that they felt at the time and we agreed that St.
Joseph should go to a two (high) school model,” Nelson tells KFEQmmunity. “We’re
not picking schools. It’s just two schools.”The move came
after it appeared the St. Joseph Board of Education backed off its original
long-range plan and decided to remain with the three high school model. The
board, though, now appears to have again embraced the two high school model,
favoring retaining Central High School along with Benton High School, using
neighboring Hyde Elementary School to provide sufficient space.Nelson says the
Buchanan County Commission drafted the letter after he spoke with the other two
commissioners following a discussion at the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce about
the future of the school district.“So, I brought that
information back to the commissioners and we said, yeah, we do need to support
our school board and not this whole idea of a last-minute change to things,” Nelson
says. “That’s just chaos. Nothing good comes from chaos. Why is chaos even brought
into the picture? Why a last-minute change? &nbsp;I just don’t understand that.”Nelson says the
commission understands the importance of the St. Joseph School District to the
county as a whole and believes the plan to reduce the number of high schools
makes the most sense.“We are losing
population. We are losing school numbers. Those are facts,” Nelson says. “Employers,
and I’m not going to say which ones, are reluctant to come – some – are reluctant
to come to the area or live in the area, because of the school district.”Nelson says the school
board earlier realized the district needed to change and that change wouldn’t
be easy.“But I felt like
they kind of did their due diligence and came up with a plan and then all of
the sudden the plan changes on the drop of a hat? &nbsp;I’m not sure that’s productive.”The St. Joseph
Board of Education is scheduled to consider the move to the two high school model
during its Monday regular meeting.You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

Buchanan County Commission urges St. Joe school board to stick with plan

A true crime series hosted by the St. Joseph Public Libraries will host a presentation this evening talking about some lesser-known St. Joseph criminals. 

Kim Schutte will present at the East Hills Library, teaching people about St. Joseph's equivalent of Bonnie and Clyde, Clarence and Juanita Spargur. 

Downtown library manager Jen Wildhagen who organized the series says even she had never heard of this couple, so she's excited to learn more about them 

"The fact that the environment could put out people like this regularly and in our area, is very interesting to me,” Wildhagen tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  “I’m looking forward to learning more about who these people were, how they got involved in the crimes they did, and what ended up happening to them, because I don’t really know anything about that.” 

Wildhagen says along with the fascination on true crime, learning about it 100 years later helps soften the blow of what they did 

"The thirties mob, bank robber, Baby Face Nelson and all of that crew, those stories I think are really fun to listen to probably because they are so long ago now that the impact isn’t as direct and awful on a personal level,” Wildhagen explains.  “So that’s another thing it has going for it I think.” 

Wildhagen says the fascination with true crime seems to come with people touching the dark, without worrying about it touching them back 

"Learning about the stories without the fear necessarily of it happening to you personally or learning about terrible stories in a safe environment is fascinating,” Wildhagen says. 

Wildhagen says she has been fascinated with true crime for some time now, and one thing that has been a benefit to her from it, is learning more how to protect herself 

"Because I’ve heard about the terrible things people can do to one another, I am on alert,” Wildhagen points out.  “And I’m not necessarily saying that that’s what everybody gets out of it, but that is something that I’ve gotten from it.” 

The presentation is free to attend and will begin at 6pm tonight at the East Hills Library in the theatre. 

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

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostA true crime series hosted by the St. Joseph Public Libraries will host a presentation this evening talking about some lesser-known St. Joseph criminals. Kim Schutte will present at the East Hills Library, teaching people about St. Joseph's equivalent of Bonnie and Clyde, Clarence and Juanita Spargur. Downtown library manager Jen Wildhagen who organized the series says even she had never heard of this couple, so she's excited to learn more about them "The fact that the environment could put out people like this regularly and in our area, is very interesting to me,” Wildhagen tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “I’m looking forward to learning more about who these people were, how they got involved in the crimes they did, and what ended up happening to them, because I don’t really know anything about that.” Wildhagen says along with the fascination on true crime, learning about it 100 years later helps soften the blow of what they did "The thirties mob, bank robber, Baby Face Nelson and all of that crew, those stories I think are really fun to listen to probably because they are so long ago now that the impact isn’t as direct and awful on a personal level,” Wildhagen explains. “So that’s another thing it has going for it I think.” Wildhagen says the fascination with true crime seems to come with people touching the dark, without worrying about it touching them back "Learning about the stories without the fear necessarily of it happening to you personally or learning about terrible stories in a safe environment is fascinating,” Wildhagen says. Wildhagen says she has been fascinated with true crime for some time now, and one thing that has been a benefit to her from it, is learning more how to protect herself "Because I’ve heard about the terrible things people can do to one another, I am on alert,” Wildhagen points out. “And I’m not necessarily saying that that’s what everybody gets out of it, but that is something that I’ve gotten from it.” The presentation is free to attend and will begin at 6pm tonight at the East Hills Library in the theatre. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

St. Joseph public libraries true crime series spotlights pair of infamous local criminals

It appears the two
high school model is back on the table for the St. Joseph School District.

The Board of
Education, after holding public hearings over the last couple of weeks, has
reverted to the two high school model after switching back to the current three
high school model. The school board now is expected to vote Monday on moving to
two high schools:&nbsp; Central High School
and Benton High School with the addition of neighboring Hyde Elementary School
to provide enough space.

The latest move
comes after the St. Joseph Board of Education in late October scrapped plans to
move to two high schools and embraced the current three high school model.

The board’s
long-range plan reached a couple of years ago called for the elimination of one
high school, but public backlash moved the board to reconsider.

In April, St. Joseph voters rejected a $157 million bond
issue which would have financed the building of a new high school, pivotal to
the St. Joseph School District plan to downsize from three to two high schools.
The Board of Education decided to forge ahead on the two high school model,
first considering using Central High School and Lafayette High School. The
board then instructed staff to consider using Benton High School as well, which
would have required using Hyde Elementary to provide enough space.

A final vote is
expected during the Board of Education regularly scheduled meeting on Monday,
November 24th.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostIt appears the two
high school model is back on the table for the St. Joseph School District.The Board of
Education, after holding public hearings over the last couple of weeks, has
reverted to the two high school model after switching back to the current three
high school model. The school board now is expected to vote Monday on moving to
two high schools:&nbsp; Central High School
and Benton High School with the addition of neighboring Hyde Elementary School
to provide enough space.The latest move
comes after the St. Joseph Board of Education in late October scrapped plans to
move to two high schools and embraced the current three high school model.The board’s
long-range plan reached a couple of years ago called for the elimination of one
high school, but public backlash moved the board to reconsider.In April, St. Joseph voters rejected a $157 million bond
issue which would have financed the building of a new high school, pivotal to
the St. Joseph School District plan to downsize from three to two high schools.
The Board of Education decided to forge ahead on the two high school model,
first considering using Central High School and Lafayette High School. The
board then instructed staff to consider using Benton High School as well, which
would have required using Hyde Elementary to provide enough space.A final vote is
expected during the Board of Education regularly scheduled meeting on Monday,
November 24th.You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

Back to 2:  St. Joseph school board embraces 2 high school model once again

A fight broke out
at a St. Joseph funeral home leading to the arrest of two adults.

St. Joseph police
report officers arrived at the Heaton-Bowman-Smith &amp; Sidenfaden Chapel on
Frederick Avenue shortly after seven o’clock Wednesday night after emergency
calls described a fight involving as many as 50 people.

Police say relatives
began to argue during the funeral leading to a physical altercation. Officers
arrested one woman and one man, both from out of town.

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostA fight broke out
at a St. Joseph funeral home leading to the arrest of two adults.St. Joseph police
report officers arrived at the Heaton-Bowman-Smith &amp; Sidenfaden Chapel on
Frederick Avenue shortly after seven o’clock Wednesday night after emergency
calls described a fight involving as many as 50 people.Police say relatives
began to argue during the funeral leading to a physical altercation. Officers
arrested one woman and one man, both from out of town.The fight remains
under investigation.You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

St. Joseph funeral fight leads to arrest of two

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an encounter with police.

Just before 2a.m. Wednesday, an officer on patrol observed a vehicle stopped in the lane of traffic in the 900 block U.S.Highway 59, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson. 

The officer made contact with the driver of the vehicle identified as 32-year-old Kyle White of Hiawatha who appeared to be asleep or passed out. 

An investigation at the scene resulted in the discovery of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia in White’s possession and in the vehicle. He was taken into custody and jailed on requested charges of&nbsp;possession of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia and driving while suspended.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763570202382.png" alt="White -Atchison County" />
 <figcaption>White -Atchison County</figcaption>
 </figure> ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an encounter with police.Just before 2a.m. Wednesday, an officer on patrol observed a vehicle stopped in the lane of traffic in the 900 block U.S.Highway 59, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson. The officer made contact with the driver of the vehicle identified as 32-year-old Kyle White of Hiawatha who appeared to be asleep or passed out. An investigation at the scene resulted in the discovery of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia in White’s possession and in the vehicle. He was taken into custody and jailed on requested charges of&nbsp;possession of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia and driving while suspended.

Kan. man caught with fentanyl was asleep in his car on highway

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

Missouri will try to seize assets owned by China to collect a $24 billion default judgment in its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/21/840550059/missouri-sues-china-communist-party-over-the-coronavirus-pandemic" target="_blank">case accusing the Asian nation</a>&nbsp;of lying to the world about the COVID-19 pandemic that began in Wuhan, Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said.

U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh&nbsp;<a href="https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/State-of-Missouri-v.-Peoples-Republic-of-China-Judgment.pdf" target="_blank">entered the verdict in March</a>&nbsp;after China did not defend itself in the lawsuit. Speaking to reporters at her office Wednesday, Hanaway said she is working to compile a list of properties and other assets owned by government agencies named in the lawsuit.

“It’s been a long process for us to be able to enforce that judgment, but now we’ll enforce that judgment, much like any other judgment in this area,” Hanaway said.

The state will not try to take assets from companies owned by Chinese citizens or businesses, she said.

That would put the Smithfield Hog Production operation in north Missouri, previously known as Premium Standard Farms, off-limits. The farm is owned by China-based WH Group and is one of the most valuable Chinese-owned assets in the state.

“We can’t go after Chinese individuals or companies necessarily,” Hanaway said. “I might be proven wrong over time, but my belief is that we’ve got to go after those assets actually owned by China.”

In his ruling, Limbaugh wrote that China concealed the true nature of COVID-19 so it could stockpile protective gear that could limit spread of the virus.

“China’s pattern of actions strongly suggests that it had knowledge of the existence and human-to-human transmission of the COVID-19 virus as early as September 2019,” Limbaugh wrote. “China’s actions also suggest that China engaged in a deliberate campaign to suppress information about the COVID-19 pandemic in order to support its campaign to hoard PPE from Missouri and an unsuspecting world.”

Limbaugh found that Missouri lost tax revenue due to the pandemic and will experience a long-term loss of revenue as well, accepting the $8.04 billion estimate for the period 2020 to 2051. He added the state’s increased cost for protective gear, estimated at $123 million, due to the hoarding and tripled the amount to set the final judgment.

The judgment is against the Chinese government, the Communist Party of China, several national agencies, provincial and local governments around Wuhan and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

The first step toward collecting any part of the judgment will be getting a copy of the judgment, translated into Mandarin, and other documentation to the State Department via the federal court clerk, Hanaway said in a news release Wednesday evening.

Once the defendants are served, she said, the state will be back in court to identify assets it wants to seize.

The case was first filed by Eric Schmitt, who is now a U.S. Senator, and continued by Andrew Bailey, now co-deputy director of the FBI. Hanaway was appointed attorney general in September.

The Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., issued a harsh statement about the judgment and Hanaway’s actions to collect.

The steps China took to limit the spread of infection and provide for its people “are acts of national sovereignty and are not subject to the jurisdiction of US courts,”&nbsp;spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. “The so-called pandemic compensation lawsuits fabricated by certain forces in the U.S. ignore basic objective facts and violate fundamental legal principles; they are purely malicious frivolous lawsuits and political manipulation, with extremely sinister intentions.”

China will not pay and will retaliate if necessary, Pengyu said, “to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests in response to the so-called lawsuits and judgments from the US.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634865905825.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri will try to seize assets owned by China to collect a $24 billion default judgment in its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/21/840550059/missouri-sues-china-communist-party-over-the-coronavirus-pandemic" target="_blank">case accusing the Asian nation</a>&nbsp;of lying to the world about the COVID-19 pandemic that began in Wuhan, Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said.U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh&nbsp;<a href="https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/State-of-Missouri-v.-Peoples-Republic-of-China-Judgment.pdf" target="_blank">entered the verdict in March</a>&nbsp;after China did not defend itself in the lawsuit. Speaking to reporters at her office Wednesday, Hanaway said she is working to compile a list of properties and other assets owned by government agencies named in the lawsuit.“It’s been a long process for us to be able to enforce that judgment, but now we’ll enforce that judgment, much like any other judgment in this area,” Hanaway said.The state will not try to take assets from companies owned by Chinese citizens or businesses, she said.That would put the Smithfield Hog Production operation in north Missouri, previously known as Premium Standard Farms, off-limits. The farm is owned by China-based WH Group and is one of the most valuable Chinese-owned assets in the state.“We can’t go after Chinese individuals or companies necessarily,” Hanaway said. “I might be proven wrong over time, but my belief is that we’ve got to go after those assets actually owned by China.”In his ruling, Limbaugh wrote that China concealed the true nature of COVID-19 so it could stockpile protective gear that could limit spread of the virus.“China’s pattern of actions strongly suggests that it had knowledge of the existence and human-to-human transmission of the COVID-19 virus as early as September 2019,” Limbaugh wrote. “China’s actions also suggest that China engaged in a deliberate campaign to suppress information about the COVID-19 pandemic in order to support its campaign to hoard PPE from Missouri and an unsuspecting world.”Limbaugh found that Missouri lost tax revenue due to the pandemic and will experience a long-term loss of revenue as well, accepting the $8.04 billion estimate for the period 2020 to 2051. He added the state’s increased cost for protective gear, estimated at $123 million, due to the hoarding and tripled the amount to set the final judgment.The judgment is against the Chinese government, the Communist Party of China, several national agencies, provincial and local governments around Wuhan and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.The first step toward collecting any part of the judgment will be getting a copy of the judgment, translated into Mandarin, and other documentation to the State Department via the federal court clerk, Hanaway said in a news release Wednesday evening.Once the defendants are served, she said, the state will be back in court to identify assets it wants to seize.The case was first filed by Eric Schmitt, who is now a U.S. Senator, and continued by Andrew Bailey, now co-deputy director of the FBI. Hanaway was appointed attorney general in September.The Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., issued a harsh statement about the judgment and Hanaway’s actions to collect.The steps China took to limit the spread of infection and provide for its people “are acts of national sovereignty and are not subject to the jurisdiction of US courts,”&nbsp;spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. “The so-called pandemic compensation lawsuits fabricated by certain forces in the U.S. ignore basic objective facts and violate fundamental legal principles; they are purely malicious frivolous lawsuits and political manipulation, with extremely sinister intentions.”China will not pay and will retaliate if necessary, Pengyu said, “to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests in response to the so-called lawsuits and judgments from the US.”

Missouri wants to seize Chinese assets to recover $24 billion judgment in COVID case

The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign in St. Joseph is underway and volunteers are needed to help ring bells 

The campaign began earlier this month, and runs through December 23rd, and through the first three weeks has had a good number of volunteers. 

But Social Services Director Emily Bravo says they could always use more. . . 

"You can never have to many volunteers, and so it’s something that businesses like to come in and ring as a group and they like to go to one of the stores with two different doors and see who can bring in the most, things like that,” Bravo tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  “And so we’re always bringing in new volunteers.” 

The campaign runs until December 23rd with bell ringers out every day except for Sundays and on Thanksgiving.   

Bravo says the campaign is important because it not only helps with Christmas, but also helps fund several other Salvation Army programs 

"It helps with things for the shelter as well as food for the homeless, clothing, we have some programs that can send kids to camp,” Bravo explains.  “And just different things throughout the year that we otherwise may not have funding for.” 

The Salvation Army has bell ringers at more than five locations around St. Joseph.  To volunteer you can contact Megan Smith at the Salvation Army offices. 

Bravo says for those interested in volunteering, ringing the bells also doesn't require a huge time commitment 

"Shifts are usually four to five hour shifts, if somebody can only come in and ring for an hour we can work with that as well,” Bravo says.  “But it’s not usually a huge time commitment.” 

To volunteer you can contact Megan Smith at the Salvation Army offices. 

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

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign in St. Joseph is underway and volunteers are needed to help ring bells The campaign began earlier this month, and runs through December 23rd, and through the first three weeks has had a good number of volunteers. But Social Services Director Emily Bravo says they could always use more. . . "You can never have to many volunteers, and so it’s something that businesses like to come in and ring as a group and they like to go to one of the stores with two different doors and see who can bring in the most, things like that,” Bravo tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “And so we’re always bringing in new volunteers.” The campaign runs until December 23rd with bell ringers out every day except for Sundays and on Thanksgiving. Bravo says the campaign is important because it not only helps with Christmas, but also helps fund several other Salvation Army programs "It helps with things for the shelter as well as food for the homeless, clothing, we have some programs that can send kids to camp,” Bravo explains. “And just different things throughout the year that we otherwise may not have funding for.” The Salvation Army has bell ringers at more than five locations around St. Joseph. To volunteer you can contact Megan Smith at the Salvation Army offices. Bravo says for those interested in volunteering, ringing the bells also doesn't require a huge time commitment "Shifts are usually four to five hour shifts, if somebody can only come in and ring for an hour we can work with that as well,” Bravo says. “But it’s not usually a huge time commitment.” To volunteer you can contact Megan Smith at the Salvation Army offices. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Salvation Army asking volunteers to ring bells during Red Kettle campaign

Mosaic Life Care
has broken ground on a new women’s health clinic in Maryville.

More than 100
attended the groundbreaking ceremony hosted by Mosaic Medical Center –
Maryville and Mosaic Life Care – Philanthropy. Mosaic states in a news release
the clinic will offer preventive care, obstetrics, gynecology and wellness
support.

Mosaic Medical
Center – Maryville also announced it has received a $100,000 Rural Planning
Grant from Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program, which
is funded by the Health Resources &amp; Services Administration (HRSA). Through
this grant, outreach clinics have already been set up in Bedford and Albany to
offer OB patients greater access to care.

The Maryville
clinic will offer services that women in northwest Missouri have had to drive long
distances to receive.

“I see the
disparities in women’s healthcare in this region and across the state. Women’s
health care is expensive and difficult to deliver, which is why so many near us
have closed their maternity unit doors,” Megan Jennings, director of
development for the St. Francis Foundation said. “Today, I am so proud to say
through the efforts and dedication of many, we aren’t saying when we close, but
rather, let’s grow, let’s extend our arm to other communities, let’s be the
solution.”

&nbsp;The new clinic, made possible by community
support through the St. Francis Foundation and a significant investment from
Mosaic Life Care, is set to open in late summer of 2026. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763577055948.jpeg" alt="Groundbreaking of women's clinic at Mosaic - Maryville/Photo courtesy of Mosaic Life Care" />
 <figcaption>Groundbreaking of women's clinic at Mosaic - Maryville/Photo courtesy of Mosaic Life Care</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINMosaic Life Care
has broken ground on a new women’s health clinic in Maryville.More than 100
attended the groundbreaking ceremony hosted by Mosaic Medical Center –
Maryville and Mosaic Life Care – Philanthropy. Mosaic states in a news release
the clinic will offer preventive care, obstetrics, gynecology and wellness
support.Mosaic Medical
Center – Maryville also announced it has received a $100,000 Rural Planning
Grant from Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program, which
is funded by the Health Resources &amp; Services Administration (HRSA). Through
this grant, outreach clinics have already been set up in Bedford and Albany to
offer OB patients greater access to care.The Maryville
clinic will offer services that women in northwest Missouri have had to drive long
distances to receive.“I see the
disparities in women’s healthcare in this region and across the state. Women’s
health care is expensive and difficult to deliver, which is why so many near us
have closed their maternity unit doors,” Megan Jennings, director of
development for the St. Francis Foundation said. “Today, I am so proud to say
through the efforts and dedication of many, we aren’t saying when we close, but
rather, let’s grow, let’s extend our arm to other communities, let’s be the
solution.”&nbsp;The new clinic, made possible by community
support through the St. Francis Foundation and a significant investment from
Mosaic Life Care, is set to open in late summer of 2026. You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

Mosaic breaks ground on new Maryville women's clinic

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations after a traffic stop.&nbsp;

Just before 7p.m. Tuesday, a police officer on patrol conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in the 500 block South 5th Street in Atchison for a traffic violation, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

 A sheriff’s deputy was on the scene with a K-9 and alerted to the presence of a controlled substance. A smoking device containing methamphetamine was subsequently located in the vehicle and the driver, Martin Winfield, was taken into custody. He is being held on requested charges of&nbsp;for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763570083333.png" alt="Winfield photo Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>Winfield photo Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations after a traffic stop.&nbsp;Just before 7p.m. Tuesday, a police officer on patrol conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in the 500 block South 5th Street in Atchison for a traffic violation, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson. A sheriff’s deputy was on the scene with a K-9 and alerted to the presence of a controlled substance. A smoking device containing methamphetamine was subsequently located in the vehicle and the driver, Martin Winfield, was taken into custody. He is being held on requested charges of&nbsp;for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.&nbsp;

Kan. sheriff's K9 alerted to smoking device containing meth

It has taken longer than expected to
fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the classroom.

That likely is no better illustrated than
during the news conference in which St. Joseph School Superintendent, Ashly
McGinnis, disclosed the St. Joseph School District scored 74.7% on the state
Annual Performance Report.

“We haven’t been above 70% since COVID,” McGinnis
stated during the news conference at the St. Joseph School District offices.

McGinnis said recovery from the pandemic
hasn’t come as soon as she would have liked or as soon as she anticipated.

“I think we didn’t anticipate the recovery
time well,” McGinnis said in answer to a question about what impact the
pandemic had on the district. “I was at Lafayette High School during that time
and an assistant principal said it takes about four years to recover from a
pandemic and I think he was right.”

McGinnis said only a few students thrived
in the digital classroom created by the St. Joseph School District during the
pandemic. She said most students must have a good classroom teacher in front of
them to truly succeed in school.

McGinnis said the APR score indicates St.
Joseph students are finally throwing off the bad habits that hurt their
progress during as well as immediately after the pandemic.

“It has taken a very long time to get rid
of some bad habits we created during COVID,” according to McGinnis. “Everything
was shut down so we relied heavily on devices and education through different
platforms, virtually. And that just wasn’t best for most of our kids.”

A key to recovery, according to McGinnis,
was dealing with those bad habits bred by the pandemic.

“Breaking some of those bad habits has
been a challenge for us as a district,” McGinnis said, quickly adding it was a
problem experienced by other school districts as well. &nbsp;“Just getting back into that sense of coming
to school every day, having that high-quality teacher in front of you.”

Perhaps, the school district and its
students are finally emerging from the harmful impact of the pandemic.

“So, to me, this 74.7% is a sign that we
are finally overcoming that barrier that we all had during COVID.”
McGinnis added perhaps the biggest illustration of the lingering negative
effect of the pandemic is the attendance rate. She said the St. Joseph School
District still has work to do on student attendance.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763573364784.jpeg" alt="St. Joseph School Supt. Ashly McGinnis (right) speaks to reporters during a news conference as Asst. Supt. Stacia Studer looks on./Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>St. Joseph School Supt. Ashly McGinnis (right) speaks to reporters during a news conference as Asst. Supt. Stacia Studer looks on./Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostIt has taken longer than expected to
fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the classroom.That likely is no better illustrated than
during the news conference in which St. Joseph School Superintendent, Ashly
McGinnis, disclosed the St. Joseph School District scored 74.7% on the state
Annual Performance Report.“We haven’t been above 70% since COVID,” McGinnis
stated during the news conference at the St. Joseph School District offices.McGinnis said recovery from the pandemic
hasn’t come as soon as she would have liked or as soon as she anticipated.“I think we didn’t anticipate the recovery
time well,” McGinnis said in answer to a question about what impact the
pandemic had on the district. “I was at Lafayette High School during that time
and an assistant principal said it takes about four years to recover from a
pandemic and I think he was right.”McGinnis said only a few students thrived
in the digital classroom created by the St. Joseph School District during the
pandemic. She said most students must have a good classroom teacher in front of
them to truly succeed in school.McGinnis said the APR score indicates St.
Joseph students are finally throwing off the bad habits that hurt their
progress during as well as immediately after the pandemic.“It has taken a very long time to get rid
of some bad habits we created during COVID,” according to McGinnis. “Everything
was shut down so we relied heavily on devices and education through different
platforms, virtually. And that just wasn’t best for most of our kids.”A key to recovery, according to McGinnis,
was dealing with those bad habits bred by the pandemic.“Breaking some of those bad habits has
been a challenge for us as a district,” McGinnis said, quickly adding it was a
problem experienced by other school districts as well. &nbsp;“Just getting back into that sense of coming
to school every day, having that high-quality teacher in front of you.”Perhaps, the school district and its
students are finally emerging from the harmful impact of the pandemic.“So, to me, this 74.7% is a sign that we
are finally overcoming that barrier that we all had during COVID.”
McGinnis added perhaps the biggest illustration of the lingering negative
effect of the pandemic is the attendance rate. She said the St. Joseph School
District still has work to do on student attendance.You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

Perhaps St. Joseph School District is finally shaking off impact of COVID-19

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/0ZoKhEttxB18c9OuUXt1I1?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

KFEQ Morning Sports

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/1YC8nFBaWAlJ07OfhHHdYc?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

KFEQ Morning News

A law creating a misdemeanor offense for school employees that supply ‘sexually explicit material’ to students is now void

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

A Jackson County Circuit Court judge struck down a state law criminalizing school employees for supplying “sexually explicit material” to students, ruling it unconstitutionally vague and overbroad in a five-page decision Monday.

“This is a real victory for all library professionals who are trained to select age-appropriate, developmentally appropriate material for students in both public and private schools,” Gillian Wilcox, the ACLU of Missouri’s director of litigation, told The Independent. “It is a real insult to their training and professionalism for the government to think that it knows better what books belong in those schools, and it’s an insult to parents as well.”

The now-void law, passed by Missouri lawmakers in 2022, expanded the state’s regulations on pornography to create the offense of providing explicit sexual material to a student. It applied only to those “affiliated with a public or private elementary or secondary school in an official capacity.”

The law is part of a larger trend placing higher scrutiny on what books are offered by libraries and schools. In Missouri, efforts earlier this year to place new restrictions on digital libraries and expand the officials who could face prosecution were debated but did not pass.

“The ACLU has been seeing an increase in the last at least five years in book removal from school libraries and public libraries for a variety of reasons,” Wilcox said. “And it all culminated in this law being passed.”

The Missouri Association of School Librarians and Missouri Library Association, represented by Stinson LLP and the ACLU of Missouri, challenged the law in 2023 after “hundreds” of titles were removed from shelves.

“Librarians and school professionals statewide now assess prospective and existing titles in their collections based on fear, rather than expertise,” their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Suggestions%20in%20Support%20of%20Plaintiffs%20Motion%20for%20Summary%20Judgment.PDF?courtCode=16&amp;di=28487444" target="_blank">attorneys wrote in July</a>. “They have been reluctant, or have refused, to add new art, books, or even digital access to such materials that contain diverse or marginalized content or viewpoints, lest some unknown government official determine the work contains prohibited ‘explicit sexual material.’”

The state has long&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=573.040&amp;bid=56402" target="_blank">prohibited</a>&nbsp;people from giving pornographic material to minors. The decades-old law uses a different definition of pornography, one that has been held up in courts as only prohibiting speech unprotected by the First Amendment.

But the 2022 law extends beyond that precedent, plaintiffs attorneys argued, impeding free speech rights.

The case was originally filed against county prosecutors but is currently being defended by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.

Deputy Solicitor General Samuel Freedlund labeled librarians’ arguments as insufficient, since they hadn’t presented evidence of the law being enforced.

“Absent evidence of any instance of any defendant actually enforcing the law against any of plaintiffs’ members, plaintiffs can only raise hypothetical enforcement examples in their vagueness challenge — an approach Missouri courts have consistently rejected as facially insufficient to raise a vagueness challenge,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Defendant-Intervenors%20Memorandum%20in%20Support%20of%20their%20Motion%20for%20Summary%20Judgment.PDF?courtCode=16&amp;di=28488819" target="_blank">he wrote</a>.

Circuit Court Judge J. Dale Youngs offered little insight into the basis of his decision in the brief ruling, though he acknowledged in a footnote that with his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.16thcircuit.org/Data/Sites/1/media/news/news_releases/judges-burnett-and-youngs-to-retire.pdf" target="_blank">retirement coming at the end of the month</a>, “time is a factor.”&nbsp;

“Moreover, the court recognizes — now more than ever — its status as a ‘way station’ to the Supreme Court of Missouri,” Youngs wrote. “What the parties here need is a decision that can be fully and finally considered by an appellate court that — consistent with its standard of review — gives no deference to what this court thinks or why.”

Wilcox said the judge’s decision, while brief, shows large agreement with plaintiffs’ arguments.

“By granting our motion on all counts and denying the state, the court did agree with all of our legal arguments and found that there were undisputed facts supporting those arguments,” she said.

In the months leading up to summary judgment, “thousands of pages of documents were exchanged” in discovery.

The attorney general’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732120511456.jpg" alt="Image Pixaby" />
 <figcaption>Image Pixaby</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A law creating a misdemeanor offense for school employees that supply ‘sexually explicit material’ to students is now void</h2>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ahanshaw/">Annelise Hanshaw</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>A Jackson County Circuit Court judge struck down a state law criminalizing school employees for supplying “sexually explicit material” to students, ruling it unconstitutionally vague and overbroad in a five-page decision Monday.“This is a real victory for all library professionals who are trained to select age-appropriate, developmentally appropriate material for students in both public and private schools,” Gillian Wilcox, the ACLU of Missouri’s director of litigation, told The Independent. “It is a real insult to their training and professionalism for the government to think that it knows better what books belong in those schools, and it’s an insult to parents as well.”The now-void law, passed by Missouri lawmakers in 2022, expanded the state’s regulations on pornography to create the offense of providing explicit sexual material to a student. It applied only to those “affiliated with a public or private elementary or secondary school in an official capacity.”The law is part of a larger trend placing higher scrutiny on what books are offered by libraries and schools. In Missouri, efforts earlier this year to place new restrictions on digital libraries and expand the officials who could face prosecution were debated but did not pass.“The ACLU has been seeing an increase in the last at least five years in book removal from school libraries and public libraries for a variety of reasons,” Wilcox said. “And it all culminated in this law being passed.”The Missouri Association of School Librarians and Missouri Library Association, represented by Stinson LLP and the ACLU of Missouri, challenged the law in 2023 after “hundreds” of titles were removed from shelves.“Librarians and school professionals statewide now assess prospective and existing titles in their collections based on fear, rather than expertise,” their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Suggestions%20in%20Support%20of%20Plaintiffs%20Motion%20for%20Summary%20Judgment.PDF?courtCode=16&amp;di=28487444" target="_blank">attorneys wrote in July</a>. “They have been reluctant, or have refused, to add new art, books, or even digital access to such materials that contain diverse or marginalized content or viewpoints, lest some unknown government official determine the work contains prohibited ‘explicit sexual material.’”The state has long&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=573.040&amp;bid=56402" target="_blank">prohibited</a>&nbsp;people from giving pornographic material to minors. The decades-old law uses a different definition of pornography, one that has been held up in courts as only prohibiting speech unprotected by the First Amendment.But the 2022 law extends beyond that precedent, plaintiffs attorneys argued, impeding free speech rights.The case was originally filed against county prosecutors but is currently being defended by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.Deputy Solicitor General Samuel Freedlund labeled librarians’ arguments as insufficient, since they hadn’t presented evidence of the law being enforced.“Absent evidence of any instance of any defendant actually enforcing the law against any of plaintiffs’ members, plaintiffs can only raise hypothetical enforcement examples in their vagueness challenge — an approach Missouri courts have consistently rejected as facially insufficient to raise a vagueness challenge,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Defendant-Intervenors%20Memorandum%20in%20Support%20of%20their%20Motion%20for%20Summary%20Judgment.PDF?courtCode=16&amp;di=28488819" target="_blank">he wrote</a>.Circuit Court Judge J. Dale Youngs offered little insight into the basis of his decision in the brief ruling, though he acknowledged in a footnote that with his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.16thcircuit.org/Data/Sites/1/media/news/news_releases/judges-burnett-and-youngs-to-retire.pdf" target="_blank">retirement coming at the end of the month</a>, “time is a factor.”&nbsp;“Moreover, the court recognizes — now more than ever — its status as a ‘way station’ to the Supreme Court of Missouri,” Youngs wrote. “What the parties here need is a decision that can be fully and finally considered by an appellate court that — consistent with its standard of review — gives no deference to what this court thinks or why.”Wilcox said the judge’s decision, while brief, shows large agreement with plaintiffs’ arguments.“By granting our motion on all counts and denying the state, the court did agree with all of our legal arguments and found that there were undisputed facts supporting those arguments,” she said.In the months leading up to summary judgment, “thousands of pages of documents were exchanged” in discovery.The attorney general’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Missouri court strikes down 2022 law that pulled library books off shelves

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just after 5a.m. Tuesday at Kansas City International Airport.

A Honda Fit was traveling the wrong way on International Circle, just south of 1 KC Boulevard, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina. The car&nbsp; collided head-on with a Subaru. 

The driver of the Honda was pronounced dead from the medical staff at a local hospital. The driver and passenger of the Subaru were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.

 This is Fatality #59 vs #82 last year in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Becchina.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763514409391.png" alt="KCI image courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>KCI image courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just after 5a.m. Tuesday at Kansas City International Airport.A Honda Fit was traveling the wrong way on International Circle, just south of 1 KC Boulevard, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina. The car&nbsp; collided head-on with a Subaru. The driver of the Honda was pronounced dead from the medical staff at a local hospital. The driver and passenger of the Subaru were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. This is Fatality #59 vs #82 last year in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Becchina.

Driver killed in head-on crash at Kansas City International Airport

Recent damage to the Gene Field Road Bridge in St. Joseph has forced the Missouri Department of Transportation to close the bridge for an extensive amount of time.  

MoDOT District Engineer Austin Hibler says the bridge had been set to be replaced due to its condition, but a truck hauling an oversized load on I-29 hit the bridge supports, causing more damage  

"This bridge has four girders that support the deck, and during the incident one of the four girders was damaged and is essentially not supporting the deck like it was intended to,” Hibler tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  “So, you have about 25% of the deck there that is unsupported from its original design.” 

The Missouri Department of Transportation moved up a bridge replacement project from next fall to early next spring, but construction will not begin until at least summer.     

Hibler says that means construction won't be able to begin at least until summer. 

"Our goal would be completed by the fall, late fall early winter of 2026, depending on the contractors schedule,” Hibler explains. 

 Hibler says, currently, design work on the bridge is underway. 

"It takes a lot of preliminary data and information to get the design correct, so that’s all being taken care of right now, in hopes that we can get the design out for a letting in March or April of 2026,” Hibler says.  “And then a contractor, or multiple contractors, will look at it and bid on it.” 

There is a public listening session scheduled for December 17th at 4pm for residents to speak with MoDOT officials about the bridge. 

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

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostRecent damage to the Gene Field Road Bridge in St. Joseph has forced the Missouri Department of Transportation to close the bridge for an extensive amount of time. MoDOT District Engineer Austin Hibler says the bridge had been set to be replaced due to its condition, but a truck hauling an oversized load on I-29 hit the bridge supports, causing more damage "This bridge has four girders that support the deck, and during the incident one of the four girders was damaged and is essentially not supporting the deck like it was intended to,” Hibler tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “So, you have about 25% of the deck there that is unsupported from its original design.” The Missouri Department of Transportation moved up a bridge replacement project from next fall to early next spring, but construction will not begin until at least summer. Hibler says that means construction won't be able to begin at least until summer. "Our goal would be completed by the fall, late fall early winter of 2026, depending on the contractors schedule,” Hibler explains. Hibler says, currently, design work on the bridge is underway. "It takes a lot of preliminary data and information to get the design correct, so that’s all being taken care of right now, in hopes that we can get the design out for a letting in March or April of 2026,” Hibler says. “And then a contractor, or multiple contractors, will look at it and bid on it.” There is a public listening session scheduled for December 17th at 4pm for residents to speak with MoDOT officials about the bridge. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Work on Gene Field Road Bridge may not start until summer 2026 

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6b2NsspRK93Wk1qS3BSJjN?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph Post <div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/17VvBsyDduIwRyTzV1A3r7?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

CALDWELL COUNTY — Three people were injured in an accident just after 6p.m. Monday in Caldwell County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2024 Chevy Silverado 3500 driven by a 63-year-old Trenton man was stopped in the crossover of U.S. 36 and started northbound and entered the westbound lanes of U.S. 36

A westbound 2012 Chrysler Town and Country driven by a 74-year-old Chillicothe man struck the right side of the pickup. After impact both vehicles began skidding and sliding. The vehicles traveled off the north side of U.S. 36. The van became airborne and rolled.

Life Flight Eagle transported the driver of the van to Truman Medical Center and a 67-year-old female passenger in the van to St. Luke's Hospital.&nbsp; Livingston County EMS transported the pickup driver to Liberty Hospital. All three were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

CALDWELL COUNTY — Three people were injured in an accident just after 6p.m. Monday in Caldwell County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2024 Chevy Silverado 3500 driven by a 63-year-old Trenton man was stopped in the crossover of U.S. 36 and started northbound and entered the westbound lanes of U.S. 36A westbound 2012 Chrysler Town and Country driven by a 74-year-old Chillicothe man struck the right side of the pickup. After impact both vehicles began skidding and sliding. The vehicles traveled off the north side of U.S. 36. The van became airborne and rolled.Life Flight Eagle transported the driver of the van to Truman Medical Center and a 67-year-old female passenger in the van to St. Luke's Hospital.&nbsp; Livingston County EMS transported the pickup driver to Liberty Hospital. All three were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri couple airlifted to hospital after van, pickup crash

North Central
Missouri College has been awarded a $1.37 million grant to expand mental health
workforce training on its Savannah campus.

College officials
say it has received the grant in partnership with Mosaic Life Care of St.
Joseph.

North Central says
the partnership with Mosaic through the Community Behavioral Health Alliance was
a key to receiving the grant from the Health Resources and Services
Administration. The Community Behavioral Health Alliance is comprised of direct
mental health service provider organizations such as Mosaic Life Care, Mosaic
Life Care Foundation, Family Guidance, The Center, and Greater St. Joseph
United Way. Other members of the alliance include regional public schools as
well as Missouri Western State University and North Central Missouri College.

Since 2021, the
Community Behavioral Health Alliance has identified areas of need, including access
to care, mental health workforce provider shortage, wrap-around service
availability, and post-secondary educational opportunities for mental health
related caregivers.

&nbsp;The alliance collaboration has resulted in
heightened shared commitment to embracing a grow-our-own philosophy to meet our
regional communities’ expansive mental health needs. 

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostNorth Central
Missouri College has been awarded a $1.37 million grant to expand mental health
workforce training on its Savannah campus.College officials
say it has received the grant in partnership with Mosaic Life Care of St.
Joseph.North Central says
the partnership with Mosaic through the Community Behavioral Health Alliance was
a key to receiving the grant from the Health Resources and Services
Administration. The Community Behavioral Health Alliance is comprised of direct
mental health service provider organizations such as Mosaic Life Care, Mosaic
Life Care Foundation, Family Guidance, The Center, and Greater St. Joseph
United Way. Other members of the alliance include regional public schools as
well as Missouri Western State University and North Central Missouri College.Since 2021, the
Community Behavioral Health Alliance has identified areas of need, including access
to care, mental health workforce provider shortage, wrap-around service
availability, and post-secondary educational opportunities for mental health
related caregivers.&nbsp;The alliance collaboration has resulted in
heightened shared commitment to embracing a grow-our-own philosophy to meet our
regional communities’ expansive mental health needs. You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

North Central MO College gets grant to train mental health care workers

Buchanan County was honored with a Blue Shield designation, and now with money coming from the state will be able to purchase new equipment.  

Last month, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe announced nearly $10 million in state grants with the program to help improve public safety.  

Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett says now, after months of planning, his office knows how much they will be able to get through the grant 

"We are earmarked to receive $50,000 no matching funds, it’s a direct award from the state, and so that’s going to help buy some equipment, mainly it’s directed towards equipment and things like that, not salaries or anything,” Puett says on the KFEQmunnity show.  “And so we’re looking at a couple UTV’s and a trailer.” 

Puett says the current UTV the department has is worn down and needs to be replaced, pointing out the vehicle is valuable to be used in special events such as floods or ice storms 

"We have plenty of incidents where people are lost in wooded areas or we have to recover injured or deceased people that are way out in a bad area that you can’t get to with vehicles and things like that,” Puett explains. 

Puett says the vehicle is also helpful to have for accidents along the interstate to help move supplies back and forth.   

Puett says having this would help expand his deputy's ability to get to people and serve them better and quicker, especially in tight and bad locations. 

Once the money is spent, will there be more to come?  Puett says they are hopeful Kehoe will continue these public safety programs 

"Obviously as we pay state taxes and it goes to the state, it’s nice to get some of our tax dollars that we pay back into our community for things that we’re able to utilize and all those things here locally instead of going somewhere else in the state, so that’s a plus,” Puett says. 

Puett says they won't know if this will continue however until after the first of the year, but also points out many things were held up and in limbo due to the recently ended federal government shutdown. 

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

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostBuchanan County was honored with a Blue Shield designation, and now with money coming from the state will be able to purchase new equipment. Last month, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe announced nearly $10 million in state grants with the program to help improve public safety. Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett says now, after months of planning, his office knows how much they will be able to get through the grant "We are earmarked to receive $50,000 no matching funds, it’s a direct award from the state, and so that’s going to help buy some equipment, mainly it’s directed towards equipment and things like that, not salaries or anything,” Puett says on the KFEQmunnity show. “And so we’re looking at a couple UTV’s and a trailer.” Puett says the current UTV the department has is worn down and needs to be replaced, pointing out the vehicle is valuable to be used in special events such as floods or ice storms "We have plenty of incidents where people are lost in wooded areas or we have to recover injured or deceased people that are way out in a bad area that you can’t get to with vehicles and things like that,” Puett explains. Puett says the vehicle is also helpful to have for accidents along the interstate to help move supplies back and forth. Puett says having this would help expand his deputy's ability to get to people and serve them better and quicker, especially in tight and bad locations. Once the money is spent, will there be more to come? Puett says they are hopeful Kehoe will continue these public safety programs "Obviously as we pay state taxes and it goes to the state, it’s nice to get some of our tax dollars that we pay back into our community for things that we’re able to utilize and all those things here locally instead of going somewhere else in the state, so that’s a plus,” Puett says. Puett says they won't know if this will continue however until after the first of the year, but also points out many things were held up and in limbo due to the recently ended federal government shutdown. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Buchanan County Sheriff benefits from Blue Shield program with new equipment

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/5PVlFf6xH7VmJACLYs2iEz?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6Z5q9wpzGYZbYguRJ89V6E?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/joshmerchant/">Josh Merchant</a>

The World Cup is just seven months away, and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority faces the immense challenge of moving hundreds of thousands of fans around Kansas City next summer.

Now, the transit agency has decided to crack open its piggy bank.

For years, transit leaders have asked Kansas, Missouri and the federal government for financial support during the World Cup to manage massive crowds of fans who will travel to the region without cars.

But they have not received a dime for World Cup bus service. So the KCATA is planning to raid millions of dollars from a federal grant from 2018 intended to buy new buses. Instead, that money will be spent on 40 days of expanded service for fans and tourists.

Chuck Ferguson, the chief operations officer for the KCATA, asked the Mid-America Regional Council to approve the change at a committee meeting on Nov. 10.

“We — Johnson County, the Unified Government — have been pushing local, regional and the feds for some kind of dedicated funding for transit for the last few years to no avail,” Ferguson said. “So now we’re scrambling.”

The federal government created a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/13/drone-defenses-world-cup-00606174" target="_blank">$625 million grant program for safety and security</a>&nbsp;in World Cup cities. But none of that money can be used by transit agencies.

Ferguson told The Beacon that Missouri also provided some support with an “ambassador” program, which will pay people to be “wayfinders” to help visitors find bus stops at World Cup events. But again, that money can’t be used to pay for additional bus routes or operators.

In the absence of additional support, the KCATA is being asked to manage unprecedented numbers of bus riders in Kansas City with a budget that’s already spread thin. And that exposes funding challenges that the KCATA was already facing before the World Cup was even announced.

KC2026, the organizing committee&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/06/19/is-kansas-city-world-cup-ready-2026/" target="_blank">formed to raise funds for and manage the World Cup</a>, announced earlier this year that it plans to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/housing-development-section/2025-06-12/world-cup-kansas-city-2026-transportation" target="_blank">lease 200 buses</a>&nbsp;to get visitors between the airport, downtown and the six matches planned to be hosted at Arrowhead Stadium.

“KC2026 is currently planning to fund and operate all transportation required to meet the Host City obligations, as well as additional services to facilitate movement in the region,” a spokesperson for KC2026 said in an email statement. “This includes the 200 buses we have leased, as well as any event-specific services that may be provided by partners.”

But transportation leaders are still staring down a problem — getting fans to and from the&nbsp;<a href="https://kansascityfwc26.com/fan-fest/" target="_blank">FIFA Fan Festival</a>&nbsp;on the south lawn of the National World War I Museum and Memorial.

The World War I Museum sits along the newly extended streetcar line, which theoretically could move fans to and from the festival. But anyone who attended the recent Chappell Roan concerts or the NFL Draft in 2023 will remember long wait times to board the streetcar when tens of thousands of people left the venue at the end of the night.

Transportation planners call that a “crush load” —&nbsp;when people are packed shoulder-to-shoulder in the train and a long line of passengers has to wait for the next ride.

“The big worry right now,” Ferguson said at the MARC committee meeting, “is between 25,000 and 35,000 people leaving that venue at one point in time and looking to go somewhere.”

The streetcar, he said, can only handle a fraction of that number — a few thousand per hour.

KC2026 is planning to host the Fan Fest for 18 nights next summer — on the day of every Kansas City or Team USA match. But if the public transit along Main Street is overwhelmed that frequently, transit leaders worry it could be catastrophic for public safety and for the city’s reputation during the World Cup.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763390696925.png" alt=" Kansas City expects about 650,000 visitors next summer over the course of the Kansas City World Cup. KC’s transit agency is concerned that if buses or the streetcar are overwhelmed with tourists, that could impact bus service for the city’s residents (Vaughn Wheat/The Beacon)." />
 <figcaption> Kansas City expects about 650,000 visitors next summer over the course of the Kansas City World Cup. KC’s transit agency is concerned that if buses or the streetcar are overwhelmed with tourists, that could impact bus service for the city’s residents (Vaughn Wheat/The Beacon).</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/joshmerchant/">Josh Merchant</a>The World Cup is just seven months away, and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority faces the immense challenge of moving hundreds of thousands of fans around Kansas City next summer.Now, the transit agency has decided to crack open its piggy bank.For years, transit leaders have asked Kansas, Missouri and the federal government for financial support during the World Cup to manage massive crowds of fans who will travel to the region without cars.But they have not received a dime for World Cup bus service. So the KCATA is planning to raid millions of dollars from a federal grant from 2018 intended to buy new buses. Instead, that money will be spent on 40 days of expanded service for fans and tourists.Chuck Ferguson, the chief operations officer for the KCATA, asked the Mid-America Regional Council to approve the change at a committee meeting on Nov. 10.“We — Johnson County, the Unified Government — have been pushing local, regional and the feds for some kind of dedicated funding for transit for the last few years to no avail,” Ferguson said. “So now we’re scrambling.”The federal government created a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/13/drone-defenses-world-cup-00606174" target="_blank">$625 million grant program for safety and security</a>&nbsp;in World Cup cities. But none of that money can be used by transit agencies.Ferguson told The Beacon that Missouri also provided some support with an “ambassador” program, which will pay people to be “wayfinders” to help visitors find bus stops at World Cup events. But again, that money can’t be used to pay for additional bus routes or operators.In the absence of additional support, the KCATA is being asked to manage unprecedented numbers of bus riders in Kansas City with a budget that’s already spread thin. And that exposes funding challenges that the KCATA was already facing before the World Cup was even announced.<h2>Kansas City’s Fan Fest problem</h2>KC2026, the organizing committee&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/06/19/is-kansas-city-world-cup-ready-2026/" target="_blank">formed to raise funds for and manage the World Cup</a>, announced earlier this year that it plans to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/housing-development-section/2025-06-12/world-cup-kansas-city-2026-transportation" target="_blank">lease 200 buses</a>&nbsp;to get visitors between the airport, downtown and the six matches planned to be hosted at Arrowhead Stadium.“KC2026 is currently planning to fund and operate all transportation required to meet the Host City obligations, as well as additional services to facilitate movement in the region,” a spokesperson for KC2026 said in an email statement. “This includes the 200 buses we have leased, as well as any event-specific services that may be provided by partners.”But transportation leaders are still staring down a problem — getting fans to and from the&nbsp;<a href="https://kansascityfwc26.com/fan-fest/" target="_blank">FIFA Fan Festival</a>&nbsp;on the south lawn of the National World War I Museum and Memorial.The World War I Museum sits along the newly extended streetcar line, which theoretically could move fans to and from the festival. But anyone who attended the recent Chappell Roan concerts or the NFL Draft in 2023 will remember long wait times to board the streetcar when tens of thousands of people left the venue at the end of the night.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763390661542.png" alt="Chappell Roan fans wait for the KC Streetcar following her Oct. 3 concert. The concert was attended by about 30,000 people, which roughly compares to the expected attendance of Fan Fest (Josh Merchant/The Beacon)." />
 <figcaption>Chappell Roan fans wait for the KC Streetcar following her Oct. 3 concert. The concert was attended by about 30,000 people, which roughly compares to the expected attendance of Fan Fest (Josh Merchant/The Beacon).</figcaption>
 </figure>Transportation planners call that a “crush load” —&nbsp;when people are packed shoulder-to-shoulder in the train and a long line of passengers has to wait for the next ride.“The big worry right now,” Ferguson said at the MARC committee meeting, “is between 25,000 and 35,000 people leaving that venue at one point in time and looking to go somewhere.”The streetcar, he said, can only handle a fraction of that number — a few thousand per hour.KC2026 is planning to host the Fan Fest for 18 nights next summer — on the day of every Kansas City or Team USA match. But if the public transit along Main Street is overwhelmed that frequently, transit leaders worry it could be catastrophic for public safety and for the city’s reputation during the World Cup.So the plan is to repurpose about $2.1 million that the KCATA received in 2018 to purchase new energy efficient buses. Instead, the agency will spend it on operations during the World Cup to run some extra buses along the streetcar line to manage the flood of fans. Another $387,500 would come from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2018-04-09/second-most-popular-bus-line-in-kansas-city-receives-long-awaited-30m-federal-funding" target="_blank">Prospect MAX grant</a>.That would fund overtime pay for bus operators and the extra fuel.“It’s not going to be the massive amounts of service that people had originally envisioned,” Ferguson told the committee. “But it is one dedicated opportunity that we hope to put out there.”Johnson County Transit made a similar request at the Nov. 10 meeting, except it would use $2.1 million to bolster bus lines to hotels like the Sheraton in Overland Park.In both cases, if the extra buses are not needed, the money will not be spent and it will be returned to the fund, likely to pay for the new efficient buses as originally intended.<h2>KCATA is expected to do more with the same budget</h2>Ultimately, the MARC transportation and emissions committee voted to recommend the change for approval by the entire board later this year.But there were some dissenters, including Eric Rogers, the executive director and cofounder of BikeWalkKC. Rogers was one of three “no” votes.He voted that way because he’s concerned about sacrificing long-term transit investments —&nbsp;like buses that could last for 25 years — for the sake of solving a short-term problem at the World Cup.But he remains frustrated that the KCATA is expected to provide transit service for an unprecedented event in Kansas City without any funding from FIFA or from state or federal partners.“We are putting our transit agencies in a tough position,” he said. “My question is, ‘Why isn’t the event that’s creating all of this demand doing more to provide the funding that’s needed for the transit agency to respond to the demand?’”That concern was echoed by several other members of the committee during the meeting, including some who voted yes.Bailey Waters, the chief mobility officer at Kansas City, asked Ferguson if FIFA was providing any support for the planned World Cup events.“FIFA is not, never was going to sponsor anything,” Ferguson said in response. “FIFA requires things. But really all that FIFA provides is the happiness that we get to host the World Cup.”Kansas City Councilmember Eric Bunch, who also serves on the KCATA Board of Commissioners, supports the move to repurpose the green bus funds for World Cup operations. But he said the frustration with FIFA is not lost on him.“That is the problem with major events like the World Cup, like the Olympics, like the DNC or the RNC,” he said. “They’re pitching this as a positive economic impact. And in the end, it’s the local governments that pick up the bill often, and it’s the local residents who are impacted by it.”<h2>A fundamental funding challenge</h2>Bunch said this most recent situation is emblematic of ongoing funding issues at the KCATA.Not only is the transit agency underfunded in the Kansas City area, but its biggest financial constraints are around operating costs, rather than buying new buses.In other words, the KCATA does not tend to have problems paying for new buses. The issue is finding money to pay the drivers and mechanics or buying fuel.That’s because the federal government is willing to give grants for “capital” like new buses or streetcar tracks, but it is much rarer for the KCATA to get grants that can be used for “operations.”(The Trump administration has deprioritized public transit as a whole compared to the Biden administration.)“The federal government basically says, ‘All right, we’ll help you build your transit system, we’ll buy buses, we’ll build tracks for streetcars and light rail,’” Bunch said. “But once it’s up and running, that’s (the city’s) responsibility.”About 72% of the KCATA’s operations — $61 million out of total $85 million — are paid for by Kansas City Hall.So if the KCATA can find a way to use the federal grants to pay bus operators during the World Cup, Bunch said, that’s a far more appealing option than tapping an already strained operations budget.Tristin Amezcua-Hogan, the chair of the Regional Transit Alliance, told The Beacon in an email statement that the KCATA is “trapped in a cycle of poverty right now that is perpetuated by a lack of stable regional funding.”“This is just one of the many instances of the organization having to choose what gets the job done over the optimal decision that would come out of consistent funding,” he said.Some members of the MARC committee, including Westwood City Administrator Leslie Herring, believe that the positive side of the World Cup is that some Kansas Citians are going to be taking public transit for the first time to get to the Fan Fest.“It might be an opportunity to expand who all in Kansas City actually feels comfortable riding the buses,” Herring said at the committee meeting. “When Mission would take residents down to the Plaza, in Westport, to go bar hop during the holiday season, that was one of my first times on a bus. And I feel very comfortable on KCATA buses now.”In theory, that kind of public support from new bus riders could pay off in the future if a regional transit sales tax is placed on the ballot.A sales tax has some support in the Jackson County Courthouse, and four out of five of the Unified Government commissioners elected earlier this month&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/10/23/wyandotte-county-election-2025-ug-districts/" target="_blank">told The Beacon that they would support putting a similar measure on the ballot</a>&nbsp;in Wyandotte County.Bunch said polling shows the majority of voters in Jackson, Johnson, Clay and Wyandotte counties&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/housing-development-section/2025-10-02/kansas-city-regional-transit-alliance-poll-sales-tax-bus-service" target="_blank">already support raising taxes to fund public transit</a>. And that could increase if the KCATA does a good job during the World Cup.“That is the opportunity we have with the World Cup, and enhancing bus service during that time,” he said. “That more people are going to be willing to try it out. And I think that that’s a really good thing.”This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/11/13/kcata-kansas-city-world-cup-public-transit/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Kansas City</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.

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