After going back
and forth and after it nearly appeared to be off, it seems the City of St.
Joseph and the YMCA will enter a partnership to build a new indoor Aquatic
Center.

St. Joseph City
Manager, Mike Schumacher, says that under the agreement, the city will provide $7
million with the YMCA raising $8 million to build the facility at new YMCA
headquarters, 3601 North Village Drive.

It’s a good deal
for the city, according to Schumacher.

“For us to build
an indoor facility like that is estimated at $30 to 35 million,” Schumacher
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “That’s $30 to 35 million we really don’t have even
if you take the 7 million going to the Y off of it.”

The St. Joseph
City Council has given preliminary approval to the cost-share. It will take up
the measure for final consideration later this month.

Schumacher says the
agreement is a bargain for an indoor pool that would could cost the city much more
to build on its own.

“Any public
facility is incredibly expensive and then you add water and pumps and filters
and chemicals and everything that goes with it; they’re incredibly expensive,”
according to Schumacher. “The ongoing operating costs is another piece of that.”

The YMCA proposed
the project with the city, but hit a funding snag. A last-minute push gave the
Y enough money to complete the project in partnership with the city.

Schumacher says that
if the city attempted to build a new pool on its own, it would have cost a lot
upfront and would have added an annual expense to the city it doesn’t need.

“It isn’t you
build it and you’re done,” Schumacher says. “It’s something that’s going to
cost you money for the rest of time.”

Under the
agreement, the Aquatic Center would be open to the public with daily admission
not to succeed $8 unless approved by the city. Public transportation will be
made available to the pool. The city has agreed to pay $270,000 in annual
operating costs.

The city pool at
the St. Joseph Aquatic Park failed in 2019.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747674374845.jpeg" alt="File photo" />
 <figcaption>File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostAfter going back
and forth and after it nearly appeared to be off, it seems the City of St.
Joseph and the YMCA will enter a partnership to build a new indoor Aquatic
Center.St. Joseph City
Manager, Mike Schumacher, says that under the agreement, the city will provide $7
million with the YMCA raising $8 million to build the facility at new YMCA
headquarters, 3601 North Village Drive.It’s a good deal
for the city, according to Schumacher.“For us to build
an indoor facility like that is estimated at $30 to 35 million,” Schumacher
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “That’s $30 to 35 million we really don’t have even
if you take the 7 million going to the Y off of it.”The St. Joseph
City Council has given preliminary approval to the cost-share. It will take up
the measure for final consideration later this month.Schumacher says the
agreement is a bargain for an indoor pool that would could cost the city much more
to build on its own.“Any public
facility is incredibly expensive and then you add water and pumps and filters
and chemicals and everything that goes with it; they’re incredibly expensive,”
according to Schumacher. “The ongoing operating costs is another piece of that.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747674542189.jpeg" alt="St. Joseph YMCA/file photo" />
 <figcaption>St. Joseph YMCA/file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The YMCA proposed
the project with the city, but hit a funding snag. A last-minute push gave the
Y enough money to complete the project in partnership with the city.Schumacher says that
if the city attempted to build a new pool on its own, it would have cost a lot
upfront and would have added an annual expense to the city it doesn’t need.“It isn’t you
build it and you’re done,” Schumacher says. “It’s something that’s going to
cost you money for the rest of time.”Under the
agreement, the Aquatic Center would be open to the public with daily admission
not to succeed $8 unless approved by the city. Public transportation will be
made available to the pool. The city has agreed to pay $270,000 in annual
operating costs.The city pool at
the St. Joseph Aquatic Park failed in 2019.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

St. Joseph city pool at YMCA a step closer to reality

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are&nbsp;investigating a robbery that occurred at a business in Atchison have released a description of the suspect.

Just after 10p.m. Sunday, an employee in the customer service area at Walmart, 1920 U.S. 73 in Atchison, was entering an office door when she was approached by a man who grabbed a cash bag she was holding. 

The suspect struggled briefly with the employee and pushed her as he ran from the area, he did not display any type of weapon.

The suspect fled the store with a bag of cash. The suspect is described as a black male, tall, long dreads, wearing a black t-shirt and sweatpants with white dots, and wearing a surgical or covid type mask, according to Wilson. 

He left the area in a white Chrysler Pacifica. It is believed the vehicle left the Walmart parking lot west on Raven Hill Road and south on U.S.73.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1577468952529.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are&nbsp;investigating a robbery that occurred at a business in Atchison have released a description of the suspect.Just after 10p.m. Sunday, an employee in the customer service area at Walmart, 1920 U.S. 73 in Atchison, was entering an office door when she was approached by a man who grabbed a cash bag she was holding. The suspect struggled briefly with the employee and pushed her as he ran from the area, he did not display any type of weapon.The suspect fled the store with a bag of cash. The suspect is described as a black male, tall, long dreads, wearing a black t-shirt and sweatpants with white dots, and wearing a surgical or covid type mask, according to Wilson. He left the area in a white Chrysler Pacifica. It is believed the vehicle left the Walmart parking lot west on Raven Hill Road and south on U.S.73.&nbsp;

Suspect escaped business with bag of cash

ATCHISON COUNTY —One person avoided serious injury during an accident just after 3p.m. Saturday in Atchison.

According to Atchison Police Chief Mike&nbsp; Wilson, a&nbsp;2017 Harley Davidson driven by by Christopher McDaniel, 38, Atchison, was westbound on Unity Street. When approaching 5th Street, McDaniel reacted to a vehicle that was at the stop sign on 5th Street causing him to lose control of the vehicle.&nbsp; The motorcycle fell over onto its side. 

EMS examined McDaniel at the scene.&nbsp; He was not transported.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747667803621.png" alt="Photo Atchison Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Atchison Police</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —One person avoided serious injury during an accident just after 3p.m. Saturday in Atchison.According to Atchison Police Chief Mike&nbsp; Wilson, a&nbsp;2017 Harley Davidson driven by by Christopher McDaniel, 38, Atchison, was westbound on Unity Street. When approaching 5th Street, McDaniel reacted to a vehicle that was at the stop sign on 5th Street causing him to lose control of the vehicle.&nbsp; The motorcycle fell over onto its side. EMS examined McDaniel at the scene.&nbsp; He was not transported.

Kansas man avoids serious injury after motorcycle accident

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

For the first time in years, the legislative session wasn’t defined by Republican infighting.&nbsp;

The GOP supermajority managed to mend fences and get along most of the year. And even though both the House and Senate left town early last week — an historically rare occurrence that is quickly becoming the norm — they still managed to send 49 bills to the governor’s desk, put two proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot and pass a $53 billion state budget.&nbsp;

It wasn’t until the final week when the wheels came off, though this time the culprit was squabbles with Democrats.&nbsp;

Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/missouri-republicans-shut-down-senate-debate-to-pass-abortion-ban-repeal-sick-leave-law/">deployed a rarely-used procedural maneuver</a>&nbsp;to cut off debate and pass bills seeking to repeal two voter-approved initiatives protecting abortion rights and increasing access to paid sick leave. The move effectively ended the session two days early and killed a litany of unrelated bills in the process.&nbsp;

So who were the big winners and losers of the legislative session?&nbsp;

Not everything went Mike Kehoe’s way during his first legislative session as governor.&nbsp;

One of his&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/24/missouri-governor-drops-education-board-pick-after-criticism-from-senator-right-wing-groups/">appointments to the State Board of Education</a>&nbsp;got spiked in the Senate, and he pushed his stadium funding plan so late in the session it will&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/16/missouri-governor-will-call-lawmakers-back-into-session-for-royals-chiefs-stadium-funding/">now require lawmakers to return to Jefferson City next month</a>&nbsp;in a long-shot bid to pass it and prevent the Royals and Chiefs from moving to Kansas.&nbsp;

But he got most of the big-ticket items he called for when he laid out his agenda in his&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/missouri-governor-vows-state-takeover-of-st-louis-police-in-state-of-the-state-address/">first State of the State address in January</a>, highlighted by a capital gains tax cut, state control of St. Louis police and a $50 million private school voucher program.

He also earned rave reviews from state lawmakers, who marveled at a governor actually leaving his office to work personally with the legislature.&nbsp;

“We made it a priority to walk the halls, not just to meet with lawmakers, but to build relationships, have real discourse and understand what mattered most to the people they represent, because progress starts with relationships and open conversations,” Kehoe told reporters Friday.

The state’s budget may never be as rosy again, with federal funding in limbo and state revenues not keeping up with projections. And with tough fights over stadium funding in the near term and a mid-term election on the horizon, Kehoe’s honeymoon with the legislature could be short lived.&nbsp;

Whether his first year as governor will be Kehoe’s high-water mark is anybody’s guess. But he undoubtedly just finished one of the best legislative sessions any governor has had in years.&nbsp;

The pattern of crafting a state budget has become familiar over the years.&nbsp;

The House works for months to get its budget plan in place, then the Senate basically rewrites everything before it gets sent to the governor.&nbsp;

This year, House Budget Chairman Dirk Deaton certainly had to swallow a lot of spending he didn’t like. But he held firm and won passage of the governor’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/08/missouri-budget-negotiators-agree-to-spend-50-million-on-private-school-scholarship-program/">$50 million private school voucher program</a>&nbsp;that the Senate wanted to eliminate.&nbsp;

Then, just hours before the constitutional deadline to finish work on the budget, and after the Senate had already gone home for the week, Deaton orchestrated the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/09/missouri-house-republicans-surprise-senate-by-killing-500-million-construction-bill/">surprise death of a $500 million construction spending package</a>&nbsp;— sinking projects for health care, education and law enforcement across the state and creating a bipartisan backlash that helped derail the governor’s stadium funding plan.&nbsp;

The long-term consequences of Deaton’s move on the House’s relationship with the Senate still aren’t clear. But it solidified his reputation as a budget hawk willing to take extraordinary steps to keep state spending in check.&nbsp;

The session certainly didn’t end the way Senate Democrats would have liked.&nbsp;

Efforts to protect two voter-approved initiatives — an abortion rights constitutional amendment and a paid sick leave law —&nbsp;went up in flames when Republicans went nuclear and shut down debate to force repeal bills to a vote.&nbsp;

The 10 Democrats in the 34-member Senate had already spent months watching a suddenly unified GOP supermajority eliminate taxes on capital gains, take control of the St. Louis police, ease regulations on utilities and implement new hurdles in the initiative petition process.&nbsp;

Yet despite the inglorious ending and parade of GOP wins, Democrats were successful at ensuring no high-profile bill cleared the Senate this year without at least a few Democratic priorities tacked on.&nbsp;

The capital gains tax cut also expanded a property tax credit for the elderly and disabled that has been a longstanding Democratic priority. And it included sales tax exemptions for diapers and feminine hygiene products.&nbsp;

Democrats won additions to the St. Louis police bill banning the shackling of pregnant prisoners, establishing a fund for exonerated prisoners to receive restitution and limiting what jails and prisons can charge inmates for phone calls.

A bill allowing Missouri Farm Bureau to sell health plans also requires all health plans to cover extended supplies of birth control and expands access to testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.

Next year’s legislative session may not be as fruitful for either party (see below). And it’s doubtful Democrats will look back at 2025 fondly. But the small-ball approach of making bills they hate a little less terrible scored the party some unexpected wins this year.&nbsp;

For the first time in nearly 50 years, Missouri’s major electric utilities will be able to include the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/13/bill-repealing-missouri-law-limiting-utility-charges-heads-to-gov-mike-kehoe/">cost of new power plants</a>&nbsp;in the rates customers pay for service.

Written specifically to encourage the construction of new natural gas-based generation, the new law could also be used to help finance a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/14/ameren-missouri-makes-long-term-plans-to-build-new-nuclear-power-plant/">new nuclear power station</a>. The law banning rates that include costs for construction work in progress was approved by voters in 1976 in response to the costs of the Callaway Energy Center, a 1,200 megawatt reactor near Fulton.

The utility companies employed “squadrons” of lobbyists to pass the bill, complained state Rep. Don Mayhew, a Republican from Crocker. But they stitched together bipartisan majorities in both the Missouri House and Senate, getting votes from 20 Democrats and 76 Republicans in the lower chamber as it was sent to Kehoe, who signed it.

Just days later, Evergy, a major power supplier in western Missouri, announced plans to construct a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.maryvilleforum.com/news/evergy-announces-plan-for-natural-gas-power-plant-near-maryville/article_7236bc78-d79d-48bc-8737-d9de595b825b.html" target="_blank">natural gas-fired power plant</a>&nbsp;near Maryville.

The final day of the legislative session ended when Republicans deployed the “PQ,” a rule allowing leadership to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/missouri-republicans-shut-down-senate-debate-to-pass-abortion-ban-repeal-sick-leave-law/">cut off debate and force a vote</a>&nbsp;over the objections of any senators trying to slow things down.&nbsp;

The maneuver hasn’t been used by the Senate in five years. Before last week, the Senate had only used it 18 times since 1970.&nbsp;

Democrats were furious, both because the GOP went nuclear after a session marked by negotiation and compromise and because they did so to roll back laws enacted by the voters just months earlier.&nbsp;

Knowing Democrats’ response to the PQ would be to spend the final days of session using procedural hijinks of their own to muck up the process, Republicans adjourned for the year.

Senate leaders have historically been hesitant to utilize the PQ because it generates lasting bitterness — and sparks retaliation. And that’s exactly what Democrats promised as they were leaving town last week.&nbsp;

The bad blood could spill into a special session next month for the governor’s stadium funding plan. But just as likely, it could lead to wall-to-wall gridlock when lawmakers return in January.&nbsp;

“From this point forward…everything is going to be so hard around here,” said Senate Democratic Leader Doug Beck. “It’s going to be very hard.”

Missouri voters in 2010 overwhelmingly enacted tougher standards on dog breeders in the hopes of eliminating the state’s reputation as the puppy-mill capital of America.

A few months later, lawmakers repealed the law and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlpr.org/politics-issues/2011-03-10/mo-senate-passes-reversal-of-proposition-b" target="_blank">replaced it with a far less stringent version</a>.

In the years since, the legislature repealed a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2020/11/04/voters-repeal-clean-missouri-redistricting-plan-they-enacted-in-2018/">nonpartisan redistricting plan</a>&nbsp;enacted by initiative petition in 2020; refused to implement&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/07/22/missouri-supreme-court-rules-voter-approved-medicaid-expansion-is-constitutional/">voter-approved Medicaid expansion</a>&nbsp;until the state Supreme Court ordered it to in 2021; and this year repealed a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/missouri-republicans-shut-down-senate-debate-to-pass-abortion-ban-repeal-sick-leave-law/">paid sick leave law</a>&nbsp;that 58% of voters enacted in November.&nbsp;

Republicans also put a constitutional amendment banning abortion on the 2026 ballot, months after voters enshrined&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/missouri-republicans-shut-down-senate-debate-to-pass-abortion-ban-repeal-sick-leave-law/">abortion rights in the Missouri Constitution</a>.&nbsp;

GOP lawmakers are quick to note that in the same elections that enacted all these policies, voters also put the GOP in control of every statewide office and sent a supermajority of the party to the legislature.&nbsp;

And they contend voters were duped into supporting the proposals by well-financed campaigns.

“This is one of those things, of the problem with direct democracy,” state Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican, said earlier this year. “This is exactly what our founders were expressively against when they formed this nation.”

For Democrats and the activists who backed the initiative petitions, the reality is Republicans aren’t concerned about the will of the people.&nbsp;

“They disrespect the voters,” Beck said. “They don’t care.”

When Bayer purchased St. Louis-based Monsanto in 2018, it inherited an avalanche of litigation alleging the key ingredient in its Roundup weed killer — glyphosate — causes cancer.&nbsp;

The German pharmaceutical and biotechnology group has paid about $10 billion to settle Roundup claims, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/bayer-seeks-new-roundup-settlement-while-exploring-monsanto-bankruptcy-35bf28de" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a>, and still faces about 67,000 pending cases.&nbsp;

Roughly 25,000 of those cases are in Missouri, since Bayer’s U.S. headquarters is in St. Louis. In 2023, a Cole County jury ordered the company to pay $1.56 billion to three plaintiffs, though a judge later reduced that to $622 million.&nbsp;

The legal and financial peril has inspired the company to push legislation shielding itself from lawsuits alleging Roundup caused cancer. Two states — North Dakota and Georgia — have approved shield legislation.&nbsp;

But the stakes in Missouri are especially high.&nbsp;

A group tied to Bayer&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/25/political-attacks-stiffen-opposition-to-missouri-bill-to-protect-pesticide-makers/">ran TV and radio ads in Missouri this year</a>&nbsp;presenting glyphosate as a benign, beneficial chemical essential to modern agriculture that is at risk thanks to frivolous lawsuits.&nbsp;

Legislative leaders, along with the governor, lined up in support of the shield legislation.&nbsp;

The bill eked out of the House with barely enough votes to pass before running into a buzzsaw of opposition in the Senate. Leading the charge was the Senate Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative Republicans lawmakers who in recent years have enjoyed the financial backing of Missouri trial attorneys.&nbsp;

The four-member Freedom Caucus’s effort to kill the Roundup bill was joined by five other Republican senators after they were&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/25/political-attacks-stiffen-opposition-to-missouri-bill-to-protect-pesticide-makers/">targeted with a direct mail campaign</a>&nbsp;claiming resistance to passing the bill was a betrayal of President Donald Trump’s fight against China.&nbsp;

The rising opposition sealed the bill’s fate, and few expect it to fare any better next year.&nbsp;

The first-term GOP lieutenant governor didn’t mince words earlier this month when he decried how the Senate conducted itself while debating the state budget.

It is time for a change, Wasinger declared while presiding over the chamber, and he vowed to take a more active role in proceedings while also&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/02/lieutenant-governor-sparks-fight-with-push-to-secure-larger-role-in-missouri-senate/">working to change the rules of the chamber</a>.&nbsp;

“Uh… no,” was the response from Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin.&nbsp;

A lieutenant governor doesn’t have any of that power. Wasinger was out of line giving a speech in the Senate chambers in the first place, O’Laughlin said, because that is “a right reserved for senators.”

Soon after the kerfuffle, Republican state Sen. Jason Bean of Holcomb demanded Senate staff — both partisan and nonpartisan — be directed by leadership not to participate in any efforts by Wasinger to influence the rules or process.&nbsp;

The next week, with Wasinger presiding, senators began making complicated procedural motions that appeared to befuddle the lieutenant governor. In the confusion, he incorrectly called for a vote on a bill too early, and when he tried to walk everything back left the Senate briefly paralyzed as staff worked to sort things out.&nbsp;

Wasinger presided for a few more minutes before leaving the dais and sending a letter to Senate leaders informing them he would be absent the rest of the week.&nbsp;

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747656752316.png" alt=" Members of the Missouri House celebrate the end of the 2025 legislative session with the traditional paper toss on May 15 (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications)." />
 <figcaption> Members of the Missouri House celebrate the end of the 2025 legislative session with the traditional paper toss on May 15 (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>For the first time in years, the legislative session wasn’t defined by Republican infighting.&nbsp;The GOP supermajority managed to mend fences and get along most of the year. And even though both the House and Senate left town early last week — an historically rare occurrence that is quickly becoming the norm — they still managed to send 49 bills to the governor’s desk, put two proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot and pass a $53 billion state budget.&nbsp;It wasn’t until the final week when the wheels came off, though this time the culprit was squabbles with Democrats.&nbsp;Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/missouri-republicans-shut-down-senate-debate-to-pass-abortion-ban-repeal-sick-leave-law/">deployed a rarely-used procedural maneuver</a>&nbsp;to cut off debate and pass bills seeking to repeal two voter-approved initiatives protecting abortion rights and increasing access to paid sick leave. The move effectively ended the session two days early and killed a litany of unrelated bills in the process.&nbsp;So who were the big winners and losers of the legislative session?&nbsp;<h2>WINNERS</h2><h2>Mike Kehoe</h2>Not everything went Mike Kehoe’s way during his first legislative session as governor.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747656830417.png" alt=" Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe speaks to the media the morning after the legislative session’s end at the state Capitol on May 16 (Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio)." />
 <figcaption> Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe speaks to the media the morning after the legislative session’s end at the state Capitol on May 16 (Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio).</figcaption>
 </figure>One of his&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/24/missouri-governor-drops-education-board-pick-after-criticism-from-senator-right-wing-groups/">appointments to the State Board of Education</a>&nbsp;got spiked in the Senate, and he pushed his stadium funding plan so late in the session it will&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/16/missouri-governor-will-call-lawmakers-back-into-session-for-royals-chiefs-stadium-funding/">now require lawmakers to return to Jefferson City next month</a>&nbsp;in a long-shot bid to pass it and prevent the Royals and Chiefs from moving to Kansas.&nbsp;But he got most of the big-ticket items he called for when he laid out his agenda in his&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/missouri-governor-vows-state-takeover-of-st-louis-police-in-state-of-the-state-address/">first State of the State address in January</a>, highlighted by a capital gains tax cut, state control of St. Louis police and a $50 million private school voucher program.He also earned rave reviews from state lawmakers, who marveled at a governor actually leaving his office to work personally with the legislature.&nbsp;“We made it a priority to walk the halls, not just to meet with lawmakers, but to build relationships, have real discourse and understand what mattered most to the people they represent, because progress starts with relationships and open conversations,” Kehoe told reporters Friday.The state’s budget may never be as rosy again, with federal funding in limbo and state revenues not keeping up with projections. And with tough fights over stadium funding in the near term and a mid-term election on the horizon, Kehoe’s honeymoon with the legislature could be short lived.&nbsp;Whether his first year as governor will be Kehoe’s high-water mark is anybody’s guess. But he undoubtedly just finished one of the best legislative sessions any governor has had in years.&nbsp;<h2>Dirk Deaton</h2>The pattern of crafting a state budget has become familiar over the years.&nbsp;The House works for months to get its budget plan in place, then the Senate basically rewrites everything before it gets sent to the governor.&nbsp;Lather. Rinse. Repeat.&nbsp;This year, House Budget Chairman Dirk Deaton certainly had to swallow a lot of spending he didn’t like. But he held firm and won passage of the governor’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/08/missouri-budget-negotiators-agree-to-spend-50-million-on-private-school-scholarship-program/">$50 million private school voucher program</a>&nbsp;that the Senate wanted to eliminate.&nbsp;Then, just hours before the constitutional deadline to finish work on the budget, and after the Senate had already gone home for the week, Deaton orchestrated the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/09/missouri-house-republicans-surprise-senate-by-killing-500-million-construction-bill/">surprise death of a $500 million construction spending package</a>&nbsp;— sinking projects for health care, education and law enforcement across the state and creating a bipartisan backlash that helped derail the governor’s stadium funding plan.&nbsp;The long-term consequences of Deaton’s move on the House’s relationship with the Senate still aren’t clear. But it solidified his reputation as a budget hawk willing to take extraordinary steps to keep state spending in check.&nbsp;<h2>Senate Democrats</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747266967562.png" alt="-&nbsp;Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck speaks about negotiations on a bill that seeks to establish a constitutional amendment to ban abortion (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>-&nbsp;Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck speaks about negotiations on a bill that seeks to establish a constitutional amendment to ban abortion (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>The session certainly didn’t end the way Senate Democrats would have liked.&nbsp;Efforts to protect two voter-approved initiatives — an abortion rights constitutional amendment and a paid sick leave law —&nbsp;went up in flames when Republicans went nuclear and shut down debate to force repeal bills to a vote.&nbsp;The 10 Democrats in the 34-member Senate had already spent months watching a suddenly unified GOP supermajority eliminate taxes on capital gains, take control of the St. Louis police, ease regulations on utilities and implement new hurdles in the initiative petition process.&nbsp;Yet despite the inglorious ending and parade of GOP wins, Democrats were successful at ensuring no high-profile bill cleared the Senate this year without at least a few Democratic priorities tacked on.&nbsp;The capital gains tax cut also expanded a property tax credit for the elderly and disabled that has been a longstanding Democratic priority. And it included sales tax exemptions for diapers and feminine hygiene products.&nbsp;Democrats won additions to the St. Louis police bill banning the shackling of pregnant prisoners, establishing a fund for exonerated prisoners to receive restitution and limiting what jails and prisons can charge inmates for phone calls.A bill allowing Missouri Farm Bureau to sell health plans also requires all health plans to cover extended supplies of birth control and expands access to testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.Next year’s legislative session may not be as fruitful for either party (see below). And it’s doubtful Democrats will look back at 2025 fondly. But the small-ball approach of making bills they hate a little less terrible scored the party some unexpected wins this year.&nbsp;<h2>Utility corporations</h2>For the first time in nearly 50 years, Missouri’s major electric utilities will be able to include the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/13/bill-repealing-missouri-law-limiting-utility-charges-heads-to-gov-mike-kehoe/">cost of new power plants</a>&nbsp;in the rates customers pay for service.Written specifically to encourage the construction of new natural gas-based generation, the new law could also be used to help finance a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/14/ameren-missouri-makes-long-term-plans-to-build-new-nuclear-power-plant/">new nuclear power station</a>. The law banning rates that include costs for construction work in progress was approved by voters in 1976 in response to the costs of the Callaway Energy Center, a 1,200 megawatt reactor near Fulton.The utility companies employed “squadrons” of lobbyists to pass the bill, complained state Rep. Don Mayhew, a Republican from Crocker. But they stitched together bipartisan majorities in both the Missouri House and Senate, getting votes from 20 Democrats and 76 Republicans in the lower chamber as it was sent to Kehoe, who signed it.Just days later, Evergy, a major power supplier in western Missouri, announced plans to construct a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.maryvilleforum.com/news/evergy-announces-plan-for-natural-gas-power-plant-near-maryville/article_7236bc78-d79d-48bc-8737-d9de595b825b.html" target="_blank">natural gas-fired power plant</a>&nbsp;near Maryville.<h2>LOSERS</h2><h2>The 2026 legislative session</h2>The final day of the legislative session ended when Republicans deployed the “PQ,” a rule allowing leadership to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/missouri-republicans-shut-down-senate-debate-to-pass-abortion-ban-repeal-sick-leave-law/">cut off debate and force a vote</a>&nbsp;over the objections of any senators trying to slow things down.&nbsp;The maneuver hasn’t been used by the Senate in five years. Before last week, the Senate had only used it 18 times since 1970.&nbsp;Democrats were furious, both because the GOP went nuclear after a session marked by negotiation and compromise and because they did so to roll back laws enacted by the voters just months earlier.&nbsp;Knowing Democrats’ response to the PQ would be to spend the final days of session using procedural hijinks of their own to muck up the process, Republicans adjourned for the year.Senate leaders have historically been hesitant to utilize the PQ because it generates lasting bitterness — and sparks retaliation. And that’s exactly what Democrats promised as they were leaving town last week.&nbsp;The bad blood could spill into a special session next month for the governor’s stadium funding plan. But just as likely, it could lead to wall-to-wall gridlock when lawmakers return in January.&nbsp;“From this point forward…everything is going to be so hard around here,” said Senate Democratic Leader Doug Beck. “It’s going to be very hard.”<h2>Direct democracy</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747656918817.png" alt=" Protestors hold up signs criticizing Missouri lawmakers’ recent votes to overturn ballot measures passed in 2024 during a rally on the Missouri Capitol steps on May 15 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Protestors hold up signs criticizing Missouri lawmakers’ recent votes to overturn ballot measures passed in 2024 during a rally on the Missouri Capitol steps on May 15 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>Missouri voters in 2010 overwhelmingly enacted tougher standards on dog breeders in the hopes of eliminating the state’s reputation as the puppy-mill capital of America.A few months later, lawmakers repealed the law and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlpr.org/politics-issues/2011-03-10/mo-senate-passes-reversal-of-proposition-b" target="_blank">replaced it with a far less stringent version</a>.In the years since, the legislature repealed a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2020/11/04/voters-repeal-clean-missouri-redistricting-plan-they-enacted-in-2018/">nonpartisan redistricting plan</a>&nbsp;enacted by initiative petition in 2020; refused to implement&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/07/22/missouri-supreme-court-rules-voter-approved-medicaid-expansion-is-constitutional/">voter-approved Medicaid expansion</a>&nbsp;until the state Supreme Court ordered it to in 2021; and this year repealed a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/missouri-republicans-shut-down-senate-debate-to-pass-abortion-ban-repeal-sick-leave-law/">paid sick leave law</a>&nbsp;that 58% of voters enacted in November.&nbsp;Republicans also put a constitutional amendment banning abortion on the 2026 ballot, months after voters enshrined&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/missouri-republicans-shut-down-senate-debate-to-pass-abortion-ban-repeal-sick-leave-law/">abortion rights in the Missouri Constitution</a>.&nbsp;GOP lawmakers are quick to note that in the same elections that enacted all these policies, voters also put the GOP in control of every statewide office and sent a supermajority of the party to the legislature.&nbsp;And they contend voters were duped into supporting the proposals by well-financed campaigns.“This is one of those things, of the problem with direct democracy,” state Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican, said earlier this year. “This is exactly what our founders were expressively against when they formed this nation.”For Democrats and the activists who backed the initiative petitions, the reality is Republicans aren’t concerned about the will of the people.&nbsp;“They disrespect the voters,” Beck said. “They don’t care.”<h2>Bayer</h2>When Bayer purchased St. Louis-based Monsanto in 2018, it inherited an avalanche of litigation alleging the key ingredient in its Roundup weed killer — glyphosate — causes cancer.&nbsp;The German pharmaceutical and biotechnology group has paid about $10 billion to settle Roundup claims, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/bayer-seeks-new-roundup-settlement-while-exploring-monsanto-bankruptcy-35bf28de" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a>, and still faces about 67,000 pending cases.&nbsp;Roughly 25,000 of those cases are in Missouri, since Bayer’s U.S. headquarters is in St. Louis. In 2023, a Cole County jury ordered the company to pay $1.56 billion to three plaintiffs, though a judge later reduced that to $622 million.&nbsp;The legal and financial peril has inspired the company to push legislation shielding itself from lawsuits alleging Roundup caused cancer. Two states — North Dakota and Georgia — have approved shield legislation.&nbsp;But the stakes in Missouri are especially high.&nbsp;A group tied to Bayer&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/25/political-attacks-stiffen-opposition-to-missouri-bill-to-protect-pesticide-makers/">ran TV and radio ads in Missouri this year</a>&nbsp;presenting glyphosate as a benign, beneficial chemical essential to modern agriculture that is at risk thanks to frivolous lawsuits.&nbsp;Legislative leaders, along with the governor, lined up in support of the shield legislation.&nbsp;The bill eked out of the House with barely enough votes to pass before running into a buzzsaw of opposition in the Senate. Leading the charge was the Senate Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative Republicans lawmakers who in recent years have enjoyed the financial backing of Missouri trial attorneys.&nbsp;The four-member Freedom Caucus’s effort to kill the Roundup bill was joined by five other Republican senators after they were&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/25/political-attacks-stiffen-opposition-to-missouri-bill-to-protect-pesticide-makers/">targeted with a direct mail campaign</a>&nbsp;claiming resistance to passing the bill was a betrayal of President Donald Trump’s fight against China.&nbsp;The rising opposition sealed the bill’s fate, and few expect it to fare any better next year.&nbsp;<h2>David Wasinger</h2>The first-term GOP lieutenant governor didn’t mince words earlier this month when he decried how the Senate conducted itself while debating the state budget.It is time for a change, Wasinger declared while presiding over the chamber, and he vowed to take a more active role in proceedings while also&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/02/lieutenant-governor-sparks-fight-with-push-to-secure-larger-role-in-missouri-senate/">working to change the rules of the chamber</a>.&nbsp;“Uh… no,” was the response from Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin.&nbsp;A lieutenant governor doesn’t have any of that power. Wasinger was out of line giving a speech in the Senate chambers in the first place, O’Laughlin said, because that is “a right reserved for senators.”Soon after the kerfuffle, Republican state Sen. Jason Bean of Holcomb demanded Senate staff — both partisan and nonpartisan — be directed by leadership not to participate in any efforts by Wasinger to influence the rules or process.&nbsp;The next week, with Wasinger presiding, senators began making complicated procedural motions that appeared to befuddle the lieutenant governor. In the confusion, he incorrectly called for a vote on a bill too early, and when he tried to walk everything back left the Senate briefly paralyzed as staff worked to sort things out.&nbsp;Wasinger presided for a few more minutes before leaving the dais and sending a letter to Senate leaders informing them he would be absent the rest of the week.&nbsp;The Independent’s Rudi Keller contributed to this story.&nbsp;

Winners and losers of Missouri’s 2025 legislative session

The Kansas City Royals fell to the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 on Saturday night, but making his debut in a stadium that he grew up attending games in, cheering on the team he's now playing for, St. Joseph's Noah Cameron dazzled on the mound again.&nbsp;

Cameron was called up to make a spot start in place of Seth Lugo, who was dealing with what manager Matt Quatraro said was right middle finger tightness.&nbsp; Originally, the Royals had hoped to avoid a stint on the injury list, but to make the move to call up Cameron, Lugo was placed on the 15 day IL, retroactive to May 14th with a right third finger sprain.&nbsp;

In what was already a special evening at Kauffman Stadium, as the Royals celebrated the 2015 World Series winning team, fans were just as loud it seemed when Cameron's name was announced during the starting lineups and he was shown on Crown Vision, and again as he took the mound and threw out his first pitch of the game.&nbsp; There was excitement in the air for the hometown kid.&nbsp;

Cameron started just as he did in Tampa Bay, breezing through the Cardinals lineup with a 1-2-3 first inning.&nbsp; He did allow a baserunner in the second inning, due to an error by second baseman Jonathan India, but erased that quickly with a double play.&nbsp; It wasn't until the fifth inning that Cameron gave up his first hit, a ball that third baseman Maikel Garcia just missed getting his glove on that skipped into left field.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Cameron got out of that inning unharmed however, forcing&nbsp;Pedro Pagés to fly out to end the inning.&nbsp; But in the sixth, Jordan Walker took advantage of a mistake pitch from Cameron, hitting a leadoff home run into left field.&nbsp; Like a veteran though, Cameron did not let that shake him, striking out Victor Scott, getting Lars Nootbaar to ground out, and then Masyn Winn flying out to left field to end the inning.&nbsp;

With a lefty vs lefty matchup against Brendan Donovan, Cameron started the seventh inning by getting a flyout to left field, before being pulled to a standing ovation from the Kauffman crowd, for Steven Cruz.&nbsp; Cruz and Angel Zerpa combined to give up no more hits, but the Royals couldn't push across any runs to force a no decision for Cameron.&nbsp;

Cameron says while his major league debut in Tampa Bay was special, this start felt even more so.&nbsp;

"All the family and friends and everybody here, it was amazing," Cameron tells reporters in the locker room after the game.&nbsp; "Obviously wish we would have maybe got the win, but it's baseball."

Cameron says the biggest thing he's going to take away from the game is just wanting to soak it all in. 

"It was a dream just to make your debut, but I think pitching here is just something special, I think just even the guys kind of welcoming me back is super special, and just means a lot to me," Cameron explains.&nbsp; "But yeah, everybody's here, and all the support that I'm getting from Kansas City people and back home, you just can't beat it, you can't make it up."

The Royals might need more impressive starts from Cameron, after placing Lugo and also Cole Ragans on the 15 day IL, leaving two spots open in the starting rotation.&nbsp; Ragans was placed on the IL after leaving Friday's start against the Cardinals with left groin tightness.&nbsp; It's the second time this season Ragans has suffered from a groin injury, being put on the IL with a left groin strain.&nbsp;

Catcher Salvador Perez is confident in pitchers like Cameron to help carry the load while two of the top pitchers on the staff are out

"We have to have some good pitchers in there early, like Cameron, you guys saw what he did today," Perez says.&nbsp; "So I think we'll be fine."

Perez, a constant veteran leader, has been impressed with what he's seen from Cameron over his two starts

"He's got some pretty good pitches and he doesn't leave to many things in the middle of home plate," Perez points out.&nbsp; "His cutter was good, curveball was good, changeup, slider, fastball, just one pitch back to the middle, but I think he's doing a pretty good job, he can help us to win."

With Lugo and Ragans being placed on the IL, being out for some time, fans might see Cameron on the mound again in the future.&nbsp; The Royals also called up reliever Evan Sisk on Saturday, essentially trading a starter for a reliever.&nbsp; Kansas City does not have a plan for who will start on Wednesday against the Giants, which would have been Ragans next start.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Cameron pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up two hits, the biggest being the home run to Walker, striking out three against the Cardinals.&nbsp; Cameron also made some MLB history in the start.&nbsp; According to Ian Kraft, assistant director of media relations for the Royals,&nbsp;Cameron is the first player in MLB history to begin a career with consecutive starts of 6 1/3 or more innings pitched and two or fewer hits allowed.

There wasn't much offense for either team.&nbsp; While the Cardinals managed just the two hits off Cameron, by Walker and&nbsp;Iván Herrera, the Royals had just four hits, coming from Garcia, Drew Waters, Kyle Isbel, and Vinnie Pasquantino.&nbsp; Miles Mikolas got the win for St. Louis, pitching six innings and striking out four, giving up two of the four hits, walking two.&nbsp;

Kansas City and St. Louis wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Wacha (3-4. 2.96 ERA) will take the mound for the Royals, hoping to slow down his former team and avoid a sweep, taking on Matthew Liberatore (3-3, 3.11 ERA).&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:10pm, with Royals pregame coverage on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM) beginning at 12:30.&nbsp; Cardinals coverage will be joined at 1pm on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747540752952.jpeg" alt="St. Joseph's Noah Cameron made his Kauffman Stadium debut on Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals, taking his first loss, but putting on another solid performance pitching 6.1 innings and giving up just two hits, one run, and striking out three/ Photo credit Jason Hanna- Royals Staff Photographer" />
 <figcaption>St. Joseph's Noah Cameron made his Kauffman Stadium debut on Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals, taking his first loss, but putting on another solid performance pitching 6.1 innings and giving up just two hits, one run, and striking out three/ Photo credit Jason Hanna- Royals Staff Photographer</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe Kansas City Royals fell to the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 on Saturday night, but making his debut in a stadium that he grew up attending games in, cheering on the team he's now playing for, St. Joseph's Noah Cameron dazzled on the mound again.&nbsp;Cameron was called up to make a spot start in place of Seth Lugo, who was dealing with what manager Matt Quatraro said was right middle finger tightness.&nbsp; Originally, the Royals had hoped to avoid a stint on the injury list, but to make the move to call up Cameron, Lugo was placed on the 15 day IL, retroactive to May 14th with a right third finger sprain.&nbsp;In what was already a special evening at Kauffman Stadium, as the Royals celebrated the 2015 World Series winning team, fans were just as loud it seemed when Cameron's name was announced during the starting lineups and he was shown on Crown Vision, and again as he took the mound and threw out his first pitch of the game.&nbsp; There was excitement in the air for the hometown kid.&nbsp;Cameron started just as he did in Tampa Bay, breezing through the Cardinals lineup with a 1-2-3 first inning.&nbsp; He did allow a baserunner in the second inning, due to an error by second baseman Jonathan India, but erased that quickly with a double play.&nbsp; It wasn't until the fifth inning that Cameron gave up his first hit, a ball that third baseman Maikel Garcia just missed getting his glove on that skipped into left field.&nbsp;&nbsp;Cameron got out of that inning unharmed however, forcing&nbsp;Pedro Pagés to fly out to end the inning.&nbsp; But in the sixth, Jordan Walker took advantage of a mistake pitch from Cameron, hitting a leadoff home run into left field.&nbsp; Like a veteran though, Cameron did not let that shake him, striking out Victor Scott, getting Lars Nootbaar to ground out, and then Masyn Winn flying out to left field to end the inning.&nbsp;With a lefty vs lefty matchup against Brendan Donovan, Cameron started the seventh inning by getting a flyout to left field, before being pulled to a standing ovation from the Kauffman crowd, for Steven Cruz.&nbsp; Cruz and Angel Zerpa combined to give up no more hits, but the Royals couldn't push across any runs to force a no decision for Cameron.&nbsp;Cameron says while his major league debut in Tampa Bay was special, this start felt even more so.&nbsp;"All the family and friends and everybody here, it was amazing," Cameron tells reporters in the locker room after the game.&nbsp; "Obviously wish we would have maybe got the win, but it's baseball."Cameron says the biggest thing he's going to take away from the game is just wanting to soak it all in. "It was a dream just to make your debut, but I think pitching here is just something special, I think just even the guys kind of welcoming me back is super special, and just means a lot to me," Cameron explains.&nbsp; "But yeah, everybody's here, and all the support that I'm getting from Kansas City people and back home, you just can't beat it, you can't make it up."The Royals might need more impressive starts from Cameron, after placing Lugo and also Cole Ragans on the 15 day IL, leaving two spots open in the starting rotation.&nbsp; Ragans was placed on the IL after leaving Friday's start against the Cardinals with left groin tightness.&nbsp; It's the second time this season Ragans has suffered from a groin injury, being put on the IL with a left groin strain.&nbsp;Catcher Salvador Perez is confident in pitchers like Cameron to help carry the load while two of the top pitchers on the staff are out"We have to have some good pitchers in there early, like Cameron, you guys saw what he did today," Perez says.&nbsp; "So I think we'll be fine."Perez, a constant veteran leader, has been impressed with what he's seen from Cameron over his two starts"He's got some pretty good pitches and he doesn't leave to many things in the middle of home plate," Perez points out.&nbsp; "His cutter was good, curveball was good, changeup, slider, fastball, just one pitch back to the middle, but I think he's doing a pretty good job, he can help us to win."With Lugo and Ragans being placed on the IL, being out for some time, fans might see Cameron on the mound again in the future.&nbsp; The Royals also called up reliever Evan Sisk on Saturday, essentially trading a starter for a reliever.&nbsp; Kansas City does not have a plan for who will start on Wednesday against the Giants, which would have been Ragans next start.&nbsp;&nbsp;Cameron pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up two hits, the biggest being the home run to Walker, striking out three against the Cardinals.&nbsp; Cameron also made some MLB history in the start.&nbsp; According to Ian Kraft, assistant director of media relations for the Royals,&nbsp;Cameron is the first player in MLB history to begin a career with consecutive starts of 6 1/3 or more innings pitched and two or fewer hits allowed.There wasn't much offense for either team.&nbsp; While the Cardinals managed just the two hits off Cameron, by Walker and&nbsp;Iván Herrera, the Royals had just four hits, coming from Garcia, Drew Waters, Kyle Isbel, and Vinnie Pasquantino.&nbsp; Miles Mikolas got the win for St. Louis, pitching six innings and striking out four, giving up two of the four hits, walking two.&nbsp;Kansas City and St. Louis wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Wacha (3-4. 2.96 ERA) will take the mound for the Royals, hoping to slow down his former team and avoid a sweep, taking on Matthew Liberatore (3-3, 3.11 ERA).&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:10pm, with Royals pregame coverage on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM) beginning at 12:30.&nbsp; Cardinals coverage will be joined at 1pm on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Royals fall as St. Joseph's Noah Cameron shines at Kauffman Stadium

ANDREW COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before noon Saturday in Andrew County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1996 Honda Goldwing driven&nbsp; by a 56-year-old Gretna, Nebraska man was Southbound on Interstate 29 four miles west of Savannah. The motorcycle struck a ditch and overturned.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Andrew County EMS transported the driver to Mosaic Life Care. He was wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

ANDREW COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before noon Saturday in Andrew County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1996 Honda Goldwing driven&nbsp; by a 56-year-old Gretna, Nebraska man was Southbound on Interstate 29 four miles west of Savannah. The motorcycle struck a ditch and overturned.&nbsp;&nbsp;Andrew County EMS transported the driver to Mosaic Life Care. He was wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Motorcyclist hospitalized in St. Joe after accident

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6NW1ecPI5pcW1nLrkD1Ahe?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 Week in Review

CALDWELL COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 4:30p.m. Friday in Caldwell County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta driven by a 19-year-old woman from Nebraska was eastbound on MO 116 at SW Brangus Road. The driver was attempting to pass another vehicle. The Jetta was approaching a westbound vehicle.&nbsp; The 19-year-old swerved the Volkswagen off the road. The vehicle traveled down an embankment and overturned on its top in a creek.

Caldwell County EMS transported the driver to Liberty Hospital. She was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

CALDWELL COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 4:30p.m. Friday in Caldwell County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta driven by a 19-year-old woman from Nebraska was eastbound on MO 116 at SW Brangus Road. The driver was attempting to pass another vehicle. The Jetta was approaching a westbound vehicle.&nbsp; The 19-year-old swerved the Volkswagen off the road. The vehicle traveled down an embankment and overturned on its top in a creek.Caldwell County EMS transported the driver to Liberty Hospital. She was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Woman injured after car overturns on its top in a creek

WORTH COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 1p.m. Friday in Worth County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Harley Davidson driven by a 52-year-old Grant City man was northbound on U.S. 169 just north of 150th Street. A hen turkey entered the raod from the west. The motorcycle struck the turkey, traveled off the east side of the road, overturned and the driver was ejected.

Worth County EMS transported the driver to Ringold County Hospital. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer released names of accident victims.

WORTH COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 1p.m. Friday in Worth County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Harley Davidson driven by a 52-year-old Grant City man was northbound on U.S. 169 just north of 150th Street. A hen turkey entered the raod from the west. The motorcycle struck the turkey, traveled off the east side of the road, overturned and the driver was ejected.Worth County EMS transported the driver to Ringold County Hospital. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer released names of accident victims.

Mo. man hospitalized after motorcyle strikes a turkey

The Pony Express Short Takeoff and Landing, or STOL, competition is happening Saturday at Rosecrans Memorial Airport in St. Joseph.  

It's the first time ever the national competition will make a stop in St. Joseph as pilots compete towards the championships in November.  

Co-Founder of FlyTech Flight Academy at Rosecrans Lute Atieh says pilots will display impressive feats in short takeoffs and landings 

"These planes are essentially landing and taking off, many of them in under 20 feet," Atieh tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  "So imagine, we've all seen the wingspan of a C-130, so you're landing and taking off in far less than the width of the wing of a C-130, it's really amazing." 

Atieh says the whole goal for pilots will be going as slow as they can and hit the ground while rolling as few feet as possible 

"It's a very delicate balance between the air speed required to stay in the air and going slow enough to where you can hit the brakes and stop within 12 to 15 feet, so you're talking a very short landing period" Atieh explains.  "Now some of the newer participants are going to land much longer, 30, 40, 50, 100 feet, 130 feet, some of the more experienced pilots are going to land in less than 12 feet." 

Atieh hopes the event will be well attended and that it can become an annual event at Rosecrans.  There is a practice round happening today also at Rosecrans.  

Atieh says the event Saturday goes mostly all day, and people are welcome to come and go as they please 

"Just come out to the airport, there's going to be signs, there's going to be parking and it's all very close, not nearly as many people as you see at one of our large air shows," Atieh says.  "So, it should be very easy to get in and out and park and come and go, you don't have to stay for the whole thing obviously." 

Tickets can be purchased online for $20, but kids under 12 can get in for free.  There are also VIP tickets available for Saturday for $70.  The competition runs from 9am to 3pm on Saturday. 

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

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post The Pony Express Short Takeoff and Landing, or STOL, competition is happening Saturday at Rosecrans Memorial Airport in St. Joseph. It's the first time ever the national competition will make a stop in St. Joseph as pilots compete towards the championships in November. Co-Founder of FlyTech Flight Academy at Rosecrans Lute Atieh says pilots will display impressive feats in short takeoffs and landings "These planes are essentially landing and taking off, many of them in under 20 feet," Atieh tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "So imagine, we've all seen the wingspan of a C-130, so you're landing and taking off in far less than the width of the wing of a C-130, it's really amazing." Atieh says the whole goal for pilots will be going as slow as they can and hit the ground while rolling as few feet as possible "It's a very delicate balance between the air speed required to stay in the air and going slow enough to where you can hit the brakes and stop within 12 to 15 feet, so you're talking a very short landing period" Atieh explains. "Now some of the newer participants are going to land much longer, 30, 40, 50, 100 feet, 130 feet, some of the more experienced pilots are going to land in less than 12 feet." Atieh hopes the event will be well attended and that it can become an annual event at Rosecrans. There is a practice round happening today also at Rosecrans. Atieh says the event Saturday goes mostly all day, and people are welcome to come and go as they please "Just come out to the airport, there's going to be signs, there's going to be parking and it's all very close, not nearly as many people as you see at one of our large air shows," Atieh says. "So, it should be very easy to get in and out and park and come and go, you don't have to stay for the whole thing obviously." Tickets can be purchased online for $20, but kids under 12 can get in for free. There are also VIP tickets available for Saturday for $70. The competition runs from 9am to 3pm on Saturday. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Air pilot competition visits St. Joseph for first time ever this weekend

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6QYm1aodviY4p8qHxwMH5r?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 style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3AF7Dgcg7blJiK3Ec8ufrl?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 legislative
session that began with so much promise fell apart in the last week with major
legislation failing in Jefferson City.

State Senator
Rusty Black, a Republican from Chillicothe, says the session ended abruptly
after Republicans forced a vote on two contentious issues, then adjourned.

“We are done for
this session,” Black tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “We’ll see whether we end up
back to discuss, there was a budget bill not passed last week, and then also I’m
confident most people know there was work being done to try to offer a package to
keep the Chiefs and Royals within the state in the Kansas City area.”

Those bills died
after the Senate adjourned two days early. The Missouri legislative session was
scheduled for end at six o’clock this evening.

Tension had been
building at the Capitol in Jefferson City and came to a head on Wednesday when
negotiations between majority Republicans and minority Democrats broke down.
Republicans, believing they couldn’t reach a compromise with Democrats, invoked
a rarely used parliamentary procedure to cut off debate. Calling for the Previous
Question is an extreme measure in the Senate, which prides itself on letting
members extent debate for as long as they see fit.

Republicans
approved the PQ, ending debate. That allowed the Senate to move on two extremely
controversial measures. The body approved sending the abortion issue back
before voters, who overturned the state’s strict abortion ban in November. The
Senate also stripped the paid sick leave provisions of the minimum wage law
approved by voters in November.

Black says anger
over House leadership killing a $513 million capital improvement package set
the tone for a very contentious last week of the session.

House Bill 19 was
one of the budget bills that had to be approved by the end of the day last
Friday. House Budget Committee chair, Rep. Dirk Deaton of Seneca, bypassed HB19
while reviewing the budget bills before the full House, effectively killing the
measure. The budget bill would have financed construction projects throughout
the state, including St. Joseph projects.

“The fact that
House Bill 19 didn’t get passed last week; there were construction projects,
projects for different senators in that bill that made it much more difficult
to finish negotiation on these bills,” according to Black.

That became
evident even as senators returned to Jefferson City to begin the final week of
the legislative session.

“On Monday, when
you went in there, there were people with the hair up on the back of their neck
and the tension started which put a lot of pressure on these other issues,”
Black says.

The abrupt end to
the session dealt a fatal blow to a lot of legislation, including an incentive
package to keep the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri.

Black worries Missouri
could lose the teams and the economic impact they provide the state, much like
when the state failed to approved a tax incentive package for a NASCAR race
track. The track didn’t get built in Platte County as originally planned. It
moved to Kansas. The Kansas Speedway was born along with Legends Outlet Kansas
City.

Black says he has
nothing against Kansas, but.

“When it comes to
economic development, that tax money’s not coming to Missouri,” Black says.

Black says Gov.
Mike Kehoe could call a special session to reconsider the capital improvement
package as well as the Chiefs and Royals incentives.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostA legislative
session that began with so much promise fell apart in the last week with major
legislation failing in Jefferson City.State Senator
Rusty Black, a Republican from Chillicothe, says the session ended abruptly
after Republicans forced a vote on two contentious issues, then adjourned.“We are done for
this session,” Black tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “We’ll see whether we end up
back to discuss, there was a budget bill not passed last week, and then also I’m
confident most people know there was work being done to try to offer a package to
keep the Chiefs and Royals within the state in the Kansas City area.”Those bills died
after the Senate adjourned two days early. The Missouri legislative session was
scheduled for end at six o’clock this evening.Tension had been
building at the Capitol in Jefferson City and came to a head on Wednesday when
negotiations between majority Republicans and minority Democrats broke down.
Republicans, believing they couldn’t reach a compromise with Democrats, invoked
a rarely used parliamentary procedure to cut off debate. Calling for the Previous
Question is an extreme measure in the Senate, which prides itself on letting
members extent debate for as long as they see fit.Republicans
approved the PQ, ending debate. That allowed the Senate to move on two extremely
controversial measures. The body approved sending the abortion issue back
before voters, who overturned the state’s strict abortion ban in November. The
Senate also stripped the paid sick leave provisions of the minimum wage law
approved by voters in November.Black says anger
over House leadership killing a $513 million capital improvement package set
the tone for a very contentious last week of the session.House Bill 19 was
one of the budget bills that had to be approved by the end of the day last
Friday. House Budget Committee chair, Rep. Dirk Deaton of Seneca, bypassed HB19
while reviewing the budget bills before the full House, effectively killing the
measure. The budget bill would have financed construction projects throughout
the state, including St. Joseph projects.“The fact that
House Bill 19 didn’t get passed last week; there were construction projects,
projects for different senators in that bill that made it much more difficult
to finish negotiation on these bills,” according to Black.That became
evident even as senators returned to Jefferson City to begin the final week of
the legislative session.“On Monday, when
you went in there, there were people with the hair up on the back of their neck
and the tension started which put a lot of pressure on these other issues,”
Black says.The abrupt end to
the session dealt a fatal blow to a lot of legislation, including an incentive
package to keep the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri.Black worries Missouri
could lose the teams and the economic impact they provide the state, much like
when the state failed to approved a tax incentive package for a NASCAR race
track. The track didn’t get built in Platte County as originally planned. It
moved to Kansas. The Kansas Speedway was born along with Legends Outlet Kansas
City.Black says he has
nothing against Kansas, but.“When it comes to
economic development, that tax money’s not coming to Missouri,” Black says.Black says Gov.
Mike Kehoe could call a special session to reconsider the capital improvement
package as well as the Chiefs and Royals incentives.<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6RXvd6MuD2A2gLhg9b4Dec?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Missouri Senate brings legislative session to abrupt halt; two days early

CALDWELL COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 5p.m. Thursday in Caldwell County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Ford Focus driven by a 19-year-old Pattonsburg man was westbound on MO 116 at Route T three miles west of Polo. The car rear-ended a 2002 BMW 325I driven by a 25-year-old Lawson woman who slowed to allow another vehicle to turn.

A private vehicle transported the BMW driver to Liberty Hospital. The teen driver was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

CALDWELL COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 5p.m. Thursday in Caldwell County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Ford Focus driven by a 19-year-old Pattonsburg man was westbound on MO 116 at Route T three miles west of Polo. The car rear-ended a 2002 BMW 325I driven by a 25-year-old Lawson woman who slowed to allow another vehicle to turn.A private vehicle transported the BMW driver to Liberty Hospital. The teen driver was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Mo. woman hospitalized after rear-end crash

Lawmakers pointed to capital gains tax cut, St. Louis police control and private school funding among the long list of GOP priorities that passed this year

When Missouri Senate leaders turned to a rarely-used procedural maneuver Wednesday to cut off debate and force a vote to ban abortion and repeal a paid-sick leave law, they essentially ended the legislative session two days early.

They also sealed the fate of a litany of bills.&nbsp;

– A massive incentive package designed to convince the Chiefs and Royals to stay in Missouri;&nbsp;

– A bill clarifying that a judge can’t prevent a divorce from being finalized just because a woman is pregnant;&nbsp;

– An effort to reenact a law penalizing Missouri police for enforcing federal gun laws;

– Legislation allowing Missouri students to enroll in neighboring school districts;

– A tax-credit program aimed at improving access to child care.

It was the 5th year in a row the Senate was unable to make it to the 6 p.m. Friday constitutional deadline for the session to adjourn. Even the House decided to adjourn early, announcing that it would work on bills Thursday then head home for the year.

It marks the first time the House has not worked on the legislative session’s final day since a fixed adjournment date was set in 1952.&nbsp;

House Speaker Jon Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican, said despite the Wednesday meltdown, the Senate actually functioned much better than any year since he joined the legislature.&nbsp;

“With the Senate, you just have to keep your expectations in check,” he said. “But I’m actually very happy with the way things went. You can’t always end the way you want.”

After years of the Senate’s discord being caused by internal GOP squabbles, Republican leaders celebrated soon after the early adjournment Wednesday by touting party unity and a host of big-ticket accomplishments.&nbsp;

They pointed to legislation sent to the governor enacting state control of the St. Louis police, exempting capital gains from the income tax and pumping $50 million into a private school voucher program, among others.&nbsp;

“This session proved what’s possible when Republicans lead together,” said Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican.&nbsp;

But after a mostly placid legislative session, which O’Laughlin noted last week was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/12/abortion-ban-repeal-of-paid-sick-leave-top-agenda-for-missouri-legislatures-final-week/">marked by solid cooperation with Senate Democrats</a>, the decision to cut off debate in order to roll back two voter-approved initiatives could have long-lasting consequences.&nbsp;

“It’s sad. We tried. We tried to negotiate all session on these issues,” said Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, an Affton Democrat, later adding: “You think things are going back to business as usual. I’ve heard a long time, ‘well, nobody has ever made us pay.’ You’ll find out now.”

Republicans cut off debate using a procedural maneuver known as “calling the previous question,” or PQ.&nbsp;

Used regularly in the Missouri House, it is used rarely in the Senate because the chamber has a tradition of unlimited debate and negotiations over difficult issues. Wednesday was the first time since 2020 when a PQ was invoked and the first time since 2017 when it was used during a regular session.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe spent the session’s final days trying to avoid a PQ and win support for his plan to help finance stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals.

Kehoe formally rolled out his plan Tuesday morning to cover up to half of the cost of a new stadium for the Royals and a refurbished Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs.&nbsp;

It easily cleared the House, but when it landed in the Senate, it ran into a wall of resistance.&nbsp;

Looking for a path forward on stadium funding, Kehoe began pushing for a compromise that could lead to a vote on his plan along with paid sick leave and abortion.&nbsp;

Democrats agreed to end their filibuster and allow Republicans to repeal the paid sick leave law — which voters approved in November and went into effect May 1 — as long the minimum wage would continue to be indexed to inflation.&nbsp;

They also were willing to let Republicans put an abortion ban constitutional amendment on the statewide ballot if they agreed to remove a provision purporting to ban gender-affirming care for minors, something that is already illegal in Missouri.

A repeal of Missouri’s abortion ban was approved by voters in November, and Planned Parenthood clinics have restarted surgical abortions for those up to 12 weeks gestation at clinics in Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis.&nbsp;

“We put everything out there on negotiations, we were willing to do everything,” said state Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, a Kansas City Democrat. “It came down to making sure that we were being honest with voters when it came to amendments that were being placed on the ballot. And to us, it is non negotiable to lie to voters.”

In the end, Republican leadership decided to deploy the PQ and force a vote.&nbsp;

O’Laughlin defended the move in a post on social media, declaring that while she respects her colleagues on both sides of the aisle and is willing to “work endlessly” to reach compromise, “sometimes it simply is not something we can achieve.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709142006045.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;Aerial view of newly renovated Arrowhead Stadium. Courtesy image." />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Aerial view of newly renovated Arrowhead Stadium. Courtesy image.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Lawmakers pointed to capital gains tax cut, St. Louis police control and private school funding among the long list of GOP priorities that passed this year</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>When Missouri Senate leaders turned to a rarely-used procedural maneuver Wednesday to cut off debate and force a vote to ban abortion and repeal a paid-sick leave law, they essentially ended the legislative session two days early.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747338967301.png" alt="Missouri Senate security shuts down protestors with a “stop the ban” banner in the Senate’s upper gallery Wednesday evening (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Missouri Senate security shuts down protestors with a “stop the ban” banner in the Senate’s upper gallery Wednesday evening (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>They also sealed the fate of a litany of bills.&nbsp;Among the final-day casualties:&nbsp;– A massive incentive package designed to convince the Chiefs and Royals to stay in Missouri;&nbsp;– A bill clarifying that a judge can’t prevent a divorce from being finalized just because a woman is pregnant;&nbsp;– An effort to reenact a law penalizing Missouri police for enforcing federal gun laws;– Legislation allowing Missouri students to enroll in neighboring school districts;– A tax-credit program aimed at improving access to child care.It was the 5th year in a row the Senate was unable to make it to the 6 p.m. Friday constitutional deadline for the session to adjourn. Even the House decided to adjourn early, announcing that it would work on bills Thursday then head home for the year.It marks the first time the House has not worked on the legislative session’s final day since a fixed adjournment date was set in 1952.&nbsp;House Speaker Jon Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican, said despite the Wednesday meltdown, the Senate actually functioned much better than any year since he joined the legislature.&nbsp;“With the Senate, you just have to keep your expectations in check,” he said. “But I’m actually very happy with the way things went. You can’t always end the way you want.”After years of the Senate’s discord being caused by internal GOP squabbles, Republican leaders celebrated soon after the early adjournment Wednesday by touting party unity and a host of big-ticket accomplishments.&nbsp;They pointed to legislation sent to the governor enacting state control of the St. Louis police, exempting capital gains from the income tax and pumping $50 million into a private school voucher program, among others.&nbsp;“This session proved what’s possible when Republicans lead together,” said Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican.&nbsp;But after a mostly placid legislative session, which O’Laughlin noted last week was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/12/abortion-ban-repeal-of-paid-sick-leave-top-agenda-for-missouri-legislatures-final-week/">marked by solid cooperation with Senate Democrats</a>, the decision to cut off debate in order to roll back two voter-approved initiatives could have long-lasting consequences.&nbsp;“It’s sad. We tried. We tried to negotiate all session on these issues,” said Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, an Affton Democrat, later adding: “You think things are going back to business as usual. I’ve heard a long time, ‘well, nobody has ever made us pay.’ You’ll find out now.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747266967562.png" alt=" Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck speaks about negotiations on a bill that seeks to establish a constitutional amendment to ban abortion (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck speaks about negotiations on a bill that seeks to establish a constitutional amendment to ban abortion (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>Republicans cut off debate using a procedural maneuver known as “calling the previous question,” or PQ.&nbsp;Used regularly in the Missouri House, it is used rarely in the Senate because the chamber has a tradition of unlimited debate and negotiations over difficult issues. Wednesday was the first time since 2020 when a PQ was invoked and the first time since 2017 when it was used during a regular session.Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe spent the session’s final days trying to avoid a PQ and win support for his plan to help finance stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals.Kehoe formally rolled out his plan Tuesday morning to cover up to half of the cost of a new stadium for the Royals and a refurbished Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs.&nbsp;It easily cleared the House, but when it landed in the Senate, it ran into a wall of resistance.&nbsp;Looking for a path forward on stadium funding, Kehoe began pushing for a compromise that could lead to a vote on his plan along with paid sick leave and abortion.&nbsp;Democrats agreed to end their filibuster and allow Republicans to repeal the paid sick leave law — which voters approved in November and went into effect May 1 — as long the minimum wage would continue to be indexed to inflation.&nbsp;They also were willing to let Republicans put an abortion ban constitutional amendment on the statewide ballot if they agreed to remove a provision purporting to ban gender-affirming care for minors, something that is already illegal in Missouri.A repeal of Missouri’s abortion ban was approved by voters in November, and Planned Parenthood clinics have restarted surgical abortions for those up to 12 weeks gestation at clinics in Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis.&nbsp;“We put everything out there on negotiations, we were willing to do everything,” said state Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, a Kansas City Democrat. “It came down to making sure that we were being honest with voters when it came to amendments that were being placed on the ballot. And to us, it is non negotiable to lie to voters.”In the end, Republican leadership decided to deploy the PQ and force a vote.&nbsp;O’Laughlin defended the move in a post on social media, declaring that while she respects her colleagues on both sides of the aisle and is willing to “work endlessly” to reach compromise, “sometimes it simply is not something we can achieve.”“Those who support conservative measures and vote us into office expect us to stand our ground on issues which reflect their bedrock beliefs,” she said. “That is what we did and I am proud of all my colleagues for taking a stand for what we consider right.”Democrats contend Republican leadership was not interested in finding a compromise.“Republicans did not step up and provide leadership,” said state Sen. Stephen Webber, a Columbia Democrat.&nbsp;The governor vowed Tuesday to call the General Assembly back into session later this year if the stadium funding plan didn’t pass. Missouri is competing to keep the teams with Kansas, which last year expanded a tax incentive program in the hopes of convincing one or both teams to relocate.&nbsp;The leases for both teams’ Jackson County stadiums run through the end of the 2030 season.Senators have also floated the idea of a special session to consider a $500 million construction package the House refused to pass that would have funded projects for health care, education and law enforcement across the state.“You could possibly have a special session,” said state Sen. Nick Schroer, a Defiance Republican. “But what’s that going to look like? I hope my colleagues on both sides can continue moving forward. We showed that we could work together on the majority of these issues this year, both sides making concessions, and that’s how it should be. Unfortunately we hit a brick wall, but I’m hoping for the best once we do come back, whether it’s in a special or in January.”But on Wednesday, as the legislative session was collapsing under the weight of the Senate PQ, Democrats promised a much more confrontational approach.“Moving forward, we’re going to operate with an assumption that Republicans don’t respect their fellow senators, they don’t respect the voters, they don’t respect the process and they don’t respect the institution,” Webber said. “We didn’t pick this fight, but we’re not scared.”

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