By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4sypinOwMlOvpTFpjXWz37?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/0tYXboinlFYpIwes1hJTai?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

St. Joseph needs
more housing. Buchanan County is helping.

The county is
moving toward approving the sale of land near The Shoppes at North Village for
a multi-family housing apartment complex.

“That will be the
first apartment complex, new apartment complex, in St. Joe in about 21 years,”
says St. Joseph City Manager, Mike Schumacher, who says plans call for a 178-unit
complex.

“It’s a large
apartment complex, first-class apartment complex with all the modern amenities if you will,” Schumacher says.

Schumacher acknowledges
residential growth hasn’t been strong.

“While other
communities around us, it sure has been,” Schumacher says. “We spend a lot of
time asking why? And I don’t know that we have great answers to the why. When
we’ve met with different developers from the region, the answer that I get
anyway is we haven’t really thought about the St. Joe market.”

Schumacher says a
lack of housing has hurt business employee recruitment, which has hurt
population growth. Schumacher says city is working with developers to
streamline the permitting process and considering incentives to lure them to
the city.

“The population
growth aspect of this is absolutely critical for the health of St. Joe, whether
that’s our school systems, whether it’s the city of St. Joe, we have to focus
on quality housing for our existing folks and to attract new folks and growth,”
Schumacher says. “That is absolutely key to the success of St. Joe and I believe
that 100%.”

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostSt. Joseph needs
more housing. Buchanan County is helping.The county is
moving toward approving the sale of land near The Shoppes at North Village for
a multi-family housing apartment complex.“That will be the
first apartment complex, new apartment complex, in St. Joe in about 21 years,”
says St. Joseph City Manager, Mike Schumacher, who says plans call for a 178-unit
complex.“It’s a large
apartment complex, first-class apartment complex with all the modern amenities if you will,” Schumacher says.Schumacher acknowledges
residential growth hasn’t been strong.“While other
communities around us, it sure has been,” Schumacher says. “We spend a lot of
time asking why? And I don’t know that we have great answers to the why. When
we’ve met with different developers from the region, the answer that I get
anyway is we haven’t really thought about the St. Joe market.”Schumacher says a
lack of housing has hurt business employee recruitment, which has hurt
population growth. Schumacher says city is working with developers to
streamline the permitting process and considering incentives to lure them to
the city.“The population
growth aspect of this is absolutely critical for the health of St. Joe, whether
that’s our school systems, whether it’s the city of St. Joe, we have to focus
on quality housing for our existing folks and to attract new folks and growth,”
Schumacher says. “That is absolutely key to the success of St. Joe and I believe
that 100%.”You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

Buchanan County stepping up to add to St. Joseph housing

Teen accessories retailer Claire’s, known for ear piercing, now struggling with a big debt load and changing consumer tastes, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month.&nbsp; The retailer is closing nearly 300 stores including six locations in Missouri and seven in Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756388896738.png" alt="Image courtesy Claire's" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy Claire's</figcaption>
 </figure>Teen accessories retailer Claire’s, known for ear piercing, now struggling with a big debt load and changing consumer tastes, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month.&nbsp; The retailer is closing nearly 300 stores including six locations in Missouri and seven in Kansas.<ul>
 <li>Claire’s: Capital Mall, Jefferson</li><li>Claire’s: Ward Parkway Center, Kansas City</li><li>Claire’s: Shoppes At North Village, St Joseph</li><li>Icing: West County Mall, Des Peres</li><li>Icing: Independence Center, Independence</li><li>Icing: Northpark Mall, Joplin</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Claire’s: Town Center Plaza, Leawood</li><li>Claire’s: Flinthills Mall, Emporia</li><li>Claire’s: Manhattan Town Center, Manhattan</li><li>Claire’s: Village Square Mall, Dodge City</li><li>Claire’s: Meadowbrook Mall, Pittsburg</li><li>Claire’s: New Market Square, Wichita</li><li>Claire’s: Garden City Shopping Center, Garden City</li>
 </ul>

Claire's set to close over 290 stores including 6 in Missouri

ATCHISON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 5:30p.m. Wednesday in Atchison County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Chrysler Town &amp; Country driven by a 57-year-old Maryville woman was eastbound on MO 46 at Route EE nine miles east of Fairfax. The driver swerved to avoid a deer. The van traveled off the road and the front bumper struck an embankment.

Atchison-Holt ambulance transported the driver to Fairfax community hospital. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

ATCHISON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 5:30p.m. Wednesday in Atchison County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Chrysler Town &amp; Country driven by a 57-year-old Maryville woman was eastbound on MO 46 at Route EE nine miles east of Fairfax. The driver swerved to avoid a deer. The van traveled off the road and the front bumper struck an embankment.Atchison-Holt ambulance transported the driver to Fairfax community hospital. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri woman injured after van strikes embankment

DeKalb County has
joined four other counties to sue the Missouri Tax Commission.

The counties claim
in a lawsuit that demands by the commission to increase local property
assessments and unfair and exceed the commission’s authority. DeKalb is joined
by Polk, Audrain, Pike, and Reynolds Counties in the lawsuit which has been
filed in Polk County.

The Missouri Tax Commission
recently ordered counties to bring property values in line with market rates,
which could raise some assessment as high as 90 to 110%. Many local county
assessors argue the increases do not reflect local conditions and could lead to
steep tax hikes. The commission has threatened to withhold state reimbursement
funds if the counties do not comply.

“County officials are sworn to
protect the interests of their residents,” DeKalb County Presiding
Commissioner, Kyle Carroll, said in a written statement released by the county.
“The State Tax Commission’s directive would force small business owners to
shoulder steep tax increases without due consideration of the economic
realities in our communities.”

Carroll also raised concerns about
the timing of the Tax Commission order.

“Some of the counties involved
have already established their tax levy,” Carroll said in the written statement.
“By issuing this mandate so late in the levy-setting process, the State Tax
Commission has created unnecessary confusion. In fact, counties may not be able
to comply at all, because other deadlines under state law are August 31st.
This puts our County and entities in an impossible position.”

Melissa Meek, DeKalb County Clerk,
agreed.

“The timing of this order could
not be worse,” Meek said in a written statement “Local taxing entities would
either end up collecting far too much or not nearly enough to meet their
budgets. On top of that, taxpayers would not see the impact of these increases
until they receive their bills in November, giving businesses no time to plan
financially. It is both unfair and irresponsible to spring such a burden on our
local businesses at the last minute.”

The lawsuit challenges the State
Tax Commission’s authority to impose its mandate. It alleges the directive
undermines the rights of taxpayers and local control. The counties argue that
property assessments should reflect fair market value and be determined by
local officials.

The suit also requests that the state
be barred from withholding reimbursement funds as a punitive measure against
counties that resist the directive.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostDeKalb County has
joined four other counties to sue the Missouri Tax Commission.The counties claim
in a lawsuit that demands by the commission to increase local property
assessments and unfair and exceed the commission’s authority. DeKalb is joined
by Polk, Audrain, Pike, and Reynolds Counties in the lawsuit which has been
filed in Polk County.The Missouri Tax Commission
recently ordered counties to bring property values in line with market rates,
which could raise some assessment as high as 90 to 110%. Many local county
assessors argue the increases do not reflect local conditions and could lead to
steep tax hikes. The commission has threatened to withhold state reimbursement
funds if the counties do not comply.“County officials are sworn to
protect the interests of their residents,” DeKalb County Presiding
Commissioner, Kyle Carroll, said in a written statement released by the county.
“The State Tax Commission’s directive would force small business owners to
shoulder steep tax increases without due consideration of the economic
realities in our communities.”Carroll also raised concerns about
the timing of the Tax Commission order.“Some of the counties involved
have already established their tax levy,” Carroll said in the written statement.
“By issuing this mandate so late in the levy-setting process, the State Tax
Commission has created unnecessary confusion. In fact, counties may not be able
to comply at all, because other deadlines under state law are August 31st.
This puts our County and entities in an impossible position.”Melissa Meek, DeKalb County Clerk,
agreed.“The timing of this order could
not be worse,” Meek said in a written statement “Local taxing entities would
either end up collecting far too much or not nearly enough to meet their
budgets. On top of that, taxpayers would not see the impact of these increases
until they receive their bills in November, giving businesses no time to plan
financially. It is both unfair and irresponsible to spring such a burden on our
local businesses at the last minute.”The lawsuit challenges the State
Tax Commission’s authority to impose its mandate. It alleges the directive
undermines the rights of taxpayers and local control. The counties argue that
property assessments should reflect fair market value and be determined by
local officials.The suit also requests that the state
be barred from withholding reimbursement funds as a punitive measure against
counties that resist the directive.You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

DeKalb County joins 4 others suing Missouri Tax Commission

A state grant will
help modernize the St. Joseph Communication Center which serves St. Joseph and
Buchanan County law enforcement and emergency responders.

St. Joseph Deputy
Police Chief, Jason Strong, says the nearly $1 million grant from the Missouri
9-1-1 Service Board will be used to purchase new equipment from the Comm Center.

“It gets us off of
the copper 9-1-1 lines and moves us to VOIP, which is the future of police communication
centers.” Strong says. “It gives you redundancy, because it allows us to bring
in cable, fiber, and first net so that the Comm Center can continue to take
9-1-1 calls in the event that one of those providers goes down.” 

The transition to
VOIP – Voice Over Internet Protocol – is already underway.

Strong says the
money will be used to move the current Comm Center off of outdated
communication equipment into the latest version.

“The way that calls
are routed right now is the way it’s been for a long time, analog off of copper
lines,” according to Strong who adds that infrastructure is very limited. “And
so, it’s becoming very cost prohibitive to stay on copper lines, because they
don’t have, like I said, the infrastructure and the equipment to replace it.”

Strong points out
the Comm Center serves more than just the St. Joseph Police Department.

“It serves the sheriff’s
office. It serves the fire department, rural county. We take medical calls and
transfer them to Buchanan County EMS. We serve a lot of different entities,”
Strong says. “It takes a lot of coordination. It takes a lot of equipment. I’ve
been there. I’ve been in that assignment so I have a tremendous respect for everybody
that does that job.”

Work on the
project began this month. It is expected to be completed by early next year.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostA state grant will
help modernize the St. Joseph Communication Center which serves St. Joseph and
Buchanan County law enforcement and emergency responders.St. Joseph Deputy
Police Chief, Jason Strong, says the nearly $1 million grant from the Missouri
9-1-1 Service Board will be used to purchase new equipment from the Comm Center.“It gets us off of
the copper 9-1-1 lines and moves us to VOIP, which is the future of police communication
centers.” Strong says. “It gives you redundancy, because it allows us to bring
in cable, fiber, and first net so that the Comm Center can continue to take
9-1-1 calls in the event that one of those providers goes down.” The transition to
VOIP – Voice Over Internet Protocol – is already underway.Strong says the
money will be used to move the current Comm Center off of outdated
communication equipment into the latest version.“The way that calls
are routed right now is the way it’s been for a long time, analog off of copper
lines,” according to Strong who adds that infrastructure is very limited. “And
so, it’s becoming very cost prohibitive to stay on copper lines, because they
don’t have, like I said, the infrastructure and the equipment to replace it.”Strong points out
the Comm Center serves more than just the St. Joseph Police Department.“It serves the sheriff’s
office. It serves the fire department, rural county. We take medical calls and
transfer them to Buchanan County EMS. We serve a lot of different entities,”
Strong says. “It takes a lot of coordination. It takes a lot of equipment. I’ve
been there. I’ve been in that assignment so I have a tremendous respect for everybody
that does that job.”Work on the
project began this month. It is expected to be completed by early next year.You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

Modernization underway at St. Joseph Communication Center

The need for upgraded C-130 planes for the 139th Airlift Wing at Rosecrans Memorial Airport continues to be a hot topic.  

St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce President Natalie Hawn spent her time at the Missouri State Fair during the Governors Ham Breakfast advocating for the 139th with state officials. 

Hawn says she got the opportunity to speak with Missouri Adjutant General, Charles Hausman, as well as both Congressman Mark Alford and Senator Eric Schmitt. 

"To remind them of our need to get the J model, so we need upgraded C-130's,” Hawn says on the KFEQmunnity program.  “And so it was a great time to get in front of them as a nice reminder since we do our fly in, we do some of the things in DC, but it’s nice to catch them in a casual setting where you can remind them of the needs that your community has in the state.” 

Hawn says the reserve base at Rosecrans is often overlooked because of funding to the Air Force, which is understandable, but says the guard base that is a reserve base should also be a top priority 

"And a lot of times we’re looked on equipment, though we will be the ones that will be serving with national security at home,” Hawn explains.  “So, if the New Madrid fault for example would happen to go off in Missouri, we’re the ones that get deployed to help with those services, and if we don’t have adequate equipment to be able to serve our state, and our community, and the whole US appropriately, it does affect the residents of Missouri.” 

Hawn says another reason they are fighting so hard for the "J" Model is the Air Tactics Training Center, where pilots come from around the world to train and need to learn how to fly those J model planes. 

Hawn says it's important to keep the 139th in St. Joseph, because obviously St. Joseph benefits from having them here at Rosecrans 

"Because that means we have a reason that we’re getting a brand-new runway and a brand-new tower, that wouldn’t be happening without being the home of the 139th,” Hawn says.  “So, the folks that use the airport on maybe the civilian or the business side they get the benefit of that as well, so we have to make sure that we continue to fight for the 139th, so they can continue to call St. Joseph home for many years.” 

Hawn says anytime you're not getting those upgraded planes she likes to say you're one administration away from potentially losing your flying mission, so advocation for the 139th needs to continue to be a priority. 

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

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe need for upgraded C-130 planes for the 139th Airlift Wing at Rosecrans Memorial Airport continues to be a hot topic. St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce President Natalie Hawn spent her time at the Missouri State Fair during the Governors Ham Breakfast advocating for the 139th with state officials. Hawn says she got the opportunity to speak with Missouri Adjutant General, Charles Hausman, as well as both Congressman Mark Alford and Senator Eric Schmitt. "To remind them of our need to get the J model, so we need upgraded C-130's,” Hawn says on the KFEQmunnity program. “And so it was a great time to get in front of them as a nice reminder since we do our fly in, we do some of the things in DC, but it’s nice to catch them in a casual setting where you can remind them of the needs that your community has in the state.” Hawn says the reserve base at Rosecrans is often overlooked because of funding to the Air Force, which is understandable, but says the guard base that is a reserve base should also be a top priority "And a lot of times we’re looked on equipment, though we will be the ones that will be serving with national security at home,” Hawn explains. “So, if the New Madrid fault for example would happen to go off in Missouri, we’re the ones that get deployed to help with those services, and if we don’t have adequate equipment to be able to serve our state, and our community, and the whole US appropriately, it does affect the residents of Missouri.” Hawn says another reason they are fighting so hard for the "J" Model is the Air Tactics Training Center, where pilots come from around the world to train and need to learn how to fly those J model planes. Hawn says it's important to keep the 139th in St. Joseph, because obviously St. Joseph benefits from having them here at Rosecrans "Because that means we have a reason that we’re getting a brand-new runway and a brand-new tower, that wouldn’t be happening without being the home of the 139th,” Hawn says. “So, the folks that use the airport on maybe the civilian or the business side they get the benefit of that as well, so we have to make sure that we continue to fight for the 139th, so they can continue to call St. Joseph home for many years.” Hawn says anytime you're not getting those upgraded planes she likes to say you're one administration away from potentially losing your flying mission, so advocation for the 139th needs to continue to be a priority. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Fight continues to get 139th Airlift Wing new upgraded planes

A community needs a vaccination rate of at least 95% to be adequately protected from measles outbreaks. In Missouri, the rate of vaccinated kindergarteners stands at 90%

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>

The percentage of kindergarten students in Missouri vaccinated against diseases like measles and whooping cough is dropping each year as more parents turn in non-medical exemptions prior to their child’s first day of school.

Only 90%&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">of Missouri kindergarten students</a>&nbsp;were immunized against measles, mumps and rubella last year, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services</a>. That’s down from 94.6% five years prior. Some counties&nbsp;have rates nearing 75%.

According to the CDC and World Health Organization, a community needs a vaccination rate of at least 95% to be adequately protected from measles outbreaks.

“We are sweating,” Dr. Laura Morris, a University of Missouri Health Care family medicine physician and liaison to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, told The Independent. “There are a couple of diseases that are very infectious that require really high rates of vaccination to provide herd immunity.”

Missouri exceeds the national average of non-medical exemptions. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5% of Missouri kindergarteners had non-medical exemptions on file last school year, compared to a nationwide rate of 3.4%.

This percentage, which has been on a steady incline since the 2020-21 school year, is troubling public health experts who say vaccination rates are dipping below safe levels.

“The number of children in a particular school that might be vulnerable or unvaccinated, it’s going to vary by community,” Morris said. “There are definitely some places and communities where there are a lot more unvaccinated kiddos, and then there are some communities where the rate might be 97% or even higher.”

Morris added: “It is going to be a bit of a firestorm if those infections get into some of those places.”&nbsp;

As vaccination rates drop, measles is popping up&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/measles-reaches-highest-level-in-33-years-now-in-39-states/">at levels not seen since 1992</a>. Seven cases of the disease have been confirmed in Missouri this year — five of which occurred in Cedar County, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state with&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">74.4% of kindergarteners vaccinated against measles</a>.

It is not just the MMR vaccine worrying health providers. The percentage of kindergarten-aged children with updated DTP vaccines (which protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) has declined over the past 10 years from 96% to 90% in Missouri.

This is much steeper than the national drop, which went from 94.3% in the 2014-15 school year to 92.1% last year.

Rachel Hassani, director of education and engagement for the Missouri Rural Health Association, told The Independent that family hesitancy as well as access issues are contributing to the declining vaccination rates.

“Across the board, access to care is more limited in rural Missouri. Access to specialists, pediatricians, things like that is far more challenging,” she said. “And these workforce issues are really growing.”

Marvia Jones, director of the Kansas City Health Department, told The Independent that the city has been working to make vaccines more easily available. The health department has extended office hours to be convenient for working parents and scheduled more informational events in the community.

The result is a strong level of vaccination in the majority of the city, but Jones is noticing lower rates in suburban areas like the Northland.

“It is more of a hesitance issue,” she said. “A lot of misinformation and some of the political issues have been added to the discussions around public health vaccination in the past three to five years.”

The trend of lower vaccination rates and more religious exemptions in Missouri begins around the 2020-21 school year, which is when the COVID-19 vaccine was released. That year, only 2.4% of Missouri kindergarteners had a religious exemption from vaccination — less than half the rate of the 2024-25 school year.

“It has been just a big backslide in terms of the misinformation and inaccurate information,” Morris said. “It has become so prevalent to see so many things that are completely inaccurate.”

She has seen misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines spill into patient concerns about regularly scheduled vaccinations.

Health officials hope ease of access and proper education will help reverse the trend. But Missouri and the United States as a whole is also facing newfound systemic issues.

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/27/repub/u-s-department-of-health-and-human-services-to-slash-10000-jobs-close-5-regional-offices/">Cuts in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services</a>&nbsp;has trickled down to Missouri programs. This spring, the Missouri Immunization Coalition shuttered after losing federal funding, and the Missouri Rural Health Association lost a $1 million grant intended to study immunizations in rural health clinics,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlpr.org/health-science-environment/2025-04-16/federal-government-cuts-missouri-vaccine-funds-as-immunizations-dip" target="_blank">as reported by St. Louis Public Radio</a>.

And in June, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-cdc-acip-vaccines-3790c89f45b6314c5c7b686db0e3a8f9" target="_blank">replaced all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices</a>, a group that guides the CDC on vaccine policy.&nbsp;

Morris, a non-voting liaison to the committee, is still serving in an advisory role.

“The process of where those (vaccine) recommendations come from has been subverted over the last couple of months, and that (group) is no longer a source that has the same merit and the same kind of evidence-based background that it previously did,” she said.

Kansas City&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcmo.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2417/1746" target="_blank">joined a lawsuit challenging the federal cuts</a>&nbsp;to public health programs. The state has taken no such action.

Since 2021, Missouri lawmakers have&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/09/15/missouri-lawmakers-look-to-undermine-biden-covid-vaccine-mandate/">spoken against COVID-19 vaccine mandates</a>, filing bills annually that seek to make such mandates illegal.

“It’s hard to know which direction things go. Does our state have less of an appreciation and trust of public health, so it funds it at lower levels? Or because of the low levels of funding, do people see us and respect us as an authority on these matters less?” Jones said. “It is an interesting kind of conundrum.”

Missouri ranks last in per-capita funding of public health, at $7 per person,&nbsp;<a href="https://statehealthcompare.shadac.org/rank/117/per-person-state-public-health-funding#2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52/a/76/154/false/lowest" target="_blank">according to the State Health Access Data Assistance Center</a>.

“We need lawmakers and certainly our medical community to be evidence-driven,” Jones said. “And to not stray away from tried and true public health interventions due to any political leanings.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671049425198.jpg" alt="Image Pixaby" />
 <figcaption>Image Pixaby</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A community needs a vaccination rate of at least 95% to be adequately protected from measles outbreaks. In Missouri, the rate of vaccinated kindergarteners stands at 90%</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>The percentage of kindergarten students in Missouri vaccinated against diseases like measles and whooping cough is dropping each year as more parents turn in non-medical exemptions prior to their child’s first day of school.Only 90%&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">of Missouri kindergarten students</a>&nbsp;were immunized against measles, mumps and rubella last year, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services</a>. That’s down from 94.6% five years prior. Some counties&nbsp;have rates nearing 75%.According to the CDC and World Health Organization, a community needs a vaccination rate of at least 95% to be adequately protected from measles outbreaks.“We are sweating,” Dr. Laura Morris, a University of Missouri Health Care family medicine physician and liaison to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, told The Independent. “There are a couple of diseases that are very infectious that require really high rates of vaccination to provide herd immunity.”Missouri exceeds the national average of non-medical exemptions. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5% of Missouri kindergarteners had non-medical exemptions on file last school year, compared to a nationwide rate of 3.4%.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756290483222.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>This percentage, which has been on a steady incline since the 2020-21 school year, is troubling public health experts who say vaccination rates are dipping below safe levels.“The number of children in a particular school that might be vulnerable or unvaccinated, it’s going to vary by community,” Morris said. “There are definitely some places and communities where there are a lot more unvaccinated kiddos, and then there are some communities where the rate might be 97% or even higher.”Morris added: “It is going to be a bit of a firestorm if those infections get into some of those places.”&nbsp;As vaccination rates drop, measles is popping up&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/measles-reaches-highest-level-in-33-years-now-in-39-states/">at levels not seen since 1992</a>. Seven cases of the disease have been confirmed in Missouri this year — five of which occurred in Cedar County, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state with&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">74.4% of kindergarteners vaccinated against measles</a>.It is not just the MMR vaccine worrying health providers. The percentage of kindergarten-aged children with updated DTP vaccines (which protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) has declined over the past 10 years from 96% to 90% in Missouri.This is much steeper than the national drop, which went from 94.3% in the 2014-15 school year to 92.1% last year.Rachel Hassani, director of education and engagement for the Missouri Rural Health Association, told The Independent that family hesitancy as well as access issues are contributing to the declining vaccination rates.“Across the board, access to care is more limited in rural Missouri. Access to specialists, pediatricians, things like that is far more challenging,” she said. “And these workforce issues are really growing.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756290569089.png" alt="Map: Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri IndependenSource: Missouri Department of Health and Senior ServicesGet the dataCreated with Datawrapper " />
 <figcaption>Map: Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri IndependenSource: Missouri Department of Health and Senior ServicesGet the dataCreated with Datawrapper </figcaption>
 </figure>Marvia Jones, director of the Kansas City Health Department, told The Independent that the city has been working to make vaccines more easily available. The health department has extended office hours to be convenient for working parents and scheduled more informational events in the community.The result is a strong level of vaccination in the majority of the city, but Jones is noticing lower rates in suburban areas like the Northland.“It is more of a hesitance issue,” she said. “A lot of misinformation and some of the political issues have been added to the discussions around public health vaccination in the past three to five years.”The trend of lower vaccination rates and more religious exemptions in Missouri begins around the 2020-21 school year, which is when the COVID-19 vaccine was released. That year, only 2.4% of Missouri kindergarteners had a religious exemption from vaccination — less than half the rate of the 2024-25 school year.“It has been just a big backslide in terms of the misinformation and inaccurate information,” Morris said. “It has become so prevalent to see so many things that are completely inaccurate.”She has seen misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines spill into patient concerns about regularly scheduled vaccinations.Health officials hope ease of access and proper education will help reverse the trend. But Missouri and the United States as a whole is also facing newfound systemic issues.<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/27/repub/u-s-department-of-health-and-human-services-to-slash-10000-jobs-close-5-regional-offices/">Cuts in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services</a>&nbsp;has trickled down to Missouri programs. This spring, the Missouri Immunization Coalition shuttered after losing federal funding, and the Missouri Rural Health Association lost a $1 million grant intended to study immunizations in rural health clinics,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlpr.org/health-science-environment/2025-04-16/federal-government-cuts-missouri-vaccine-funds-as-immunizations-dip" target="_blank">as reported by St. Louis Public Radio</a>.And in June, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-cdc-acip-vaccines-3790c89f45b6314c5c7b686db0e3a8f9" target="_blank">replaced all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices</a>, a group that guides the CDC on vaccine policy.&nbsp;Morris, a non-voting liaison to the committee, is still serving in an advisory role.“The process of where those (vaccine) recommendations come from has been subverted over the last couple of months, and that (group) is no longer a source that has the same merit and the same kind of evidence-based background that it previously did,” she said.Kansas City&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcmo.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2417/1746" target="_blank">joined a lawsuit challenging the federal cuts</a>&nbsp;to public health programs. The state has taken no such action.Since 2021, Missouri lawmakers have&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/09/15/missouri-lawmakers-look-to-undermine-biden-covid-vaccine-mandate/">spoken against COVID-19 vaccine mandates</a>, filing bills annually that seek to make such mandates illegal.“It’s hard to know which direction things go. Does our state have less of an appreciation and trust of public health, so it funds it at lower levels? Or because of the low levels of funding, do people see us and respect us as an authority on these matters less?” Jones said. “It is an interesting kind of conundrum.”Missouri ranks last in per-capita funding of public health, at $7 per person,&nbsp;<a href="https://statehealthcompare.shadac.org/rank/117/per-person-state-public-health-funding#2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52/a/76/154/false/lowest" target="_blank">according to the State Health Access Data Assistance Center</a>.“We need lawmakers and certainly our medical community to be evidence-driven,” Jones said. “And to not stray away from tried and true public health interventions due to any political leanings.”

‘We are sweating’: Missouri kindergarten vaccination rates fall below immunity threshold

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating the theft of an expensive bicycle have made an arrest.

On August 8,&nbsp; a 76 year old man from Williamsburg, Virginia stopped in Atchison, Kansas, as h traveled across America on his&nbsp;Surly Disc Trucker bicycle on his way to Oregon, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.

The bicycle was stolen at 11:00AM in the 700 block Commercial as the victim was in a local laundromat. Police recovered the bicycle a short time later just across the bridge in Missouri. 

Just after 8:30a.m. Tuesday, police arrested 50-year-old Jody B. Erickson of Atchison in the 700 block M Street on a District Court warrant charging him with felony theft. Erickson was taken to the County Jail and is being held on a $10,000 bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756222412660.png" alt="Erickson Atchison County" />
 <figcaption>Erickson Atchison County</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating the theft of an expensive bicycle have made an arrest.On August 8,&nbsp; a 76 year old man from Williamsburg, Virginia stopped in Atchison, Kansas, as h traveled across America on his&nbsp;Surly Disc Trucker bicycle on his way to Oregon, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.The bicycle was stolen at 11:00AM in the 700 block Commercial as the victim was in a local laundromat. Police recovered the bicycle a short time later just across the bridge in Missouri. Just after 8:30a.m. Tuesday, police arrested 50-year-old Jody B. Erickson of Atchison in the 700 block M Street on a District Court warrant charging him with felony theft. Erickson was taken to the County Jail and is being held on a $10,000 bond.

Kan. man accused of bicycle theft from man riding cross-country

The St. Joseph Fire Department has applied for and been awarded grant money to help in training its firefighters better to protect the city of St. Joseph.  

A $130,000 grant will allow St. Joseph firefighters to train with the 139th Airlift Wing at Rosecrans Memorial Airport to gain better knowledge and training.  

City Manager Mike Schumacher says it's critical that St. Joseph's fire fighters are well trained 

"And that’s why Ivan the Fire Chief has been so focused on it, that we want our folks safe and if they’re not training and they’re not keeping certain certifications up, then you’ve got to worry we’re sending them out into harm's way without being really equipped with knowledge and training,” Schumacher says on the KFEQmunnity show.  “And the 139th feels the same way, and that’s what makes that collaboration so fantastic.” 

Schumacher says the 139th helps supply abilities in firefighting that will be helpful to St. Joseph firefighters 

"They are very important to this community, but perhaps on an even more important note they’re in partnership with this community, so they’re not out there on an island so to speak,” Schumacher explains.  “They’re very much plugged into this community as a whole and really just a great partner and partnership, that’s one of the really fantastic things about St. Joseph, is the collaboration between all these different organizations.” 

Schumacher says the city plans on applying two additional years to the grant to help make sure St. Joseph's firefighters are current on their certifications and well trained. 

Schumacher also points out collaborations between the city and entities like the 139th is important to continue helping the city become a better place to live.    

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe St. Joseph Fire Department has applied for and been awarded grant money to help in training its firefighters better to protect the city of St. Joseph. A $130,000 grant will allow St. Joseph firefighters to train with the 139th Airlift Wing at Rosecrans Memorial Airport to gain better knowledge and training. City Manager Mike Schumacher says it's critical that St. Joseph's fire fighters are well trained "And that’s why Ivan the Fire Chief has been so focused on it, that we want our folks safe and if they’re not training and they’re not keeping certain certifications up, then you’ve got to worry we’re sending them out into harm's way without being really equipped with knowledge and training,” Schumacher says on the KFEQmunnity show. “And the 139th feels the same way, and that’s what makes that collaboration so fantastic.” Schumacher says the 139th helps supply abilities in firefighting that will be helpful to St. Joseph firefighters "They are very important to this community, but perhaps on an even more important note they’re in partnership with this community, so they’re not out there on an island so to speak,” Schumacher explains. “They’re very much plugged into this community as a whole and really just a great partner and partnership, that’s one of the really fantastic things about St. Joseph, is the collaboration between all these different organizations.” Schumacher says the city plans on applying two additional years to the grant to help make sure St. Joseph's firefighters are current on their certifications and well trained. Schumacher also points out collaborations between the city and entities like the 139th is important to continue helping the city become a better place to live. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Grant will help provide high quality training to St. Joseph firefighters 

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4ZuKJxZUb3nNWpbgPaVbQe?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 MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4fIyjkVQphCfNQ8vjWfOXA?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

The judge also denied a motion to dismiss the case, meaning Missouri tax dollars will continue to fund the voucher program as the lawsuit progresses

The Missouri State Treasurer’s Office can continue to subsidize private-school scholarships from a $51 million allotment of state revenue while a lawsuit challenging the fund’s constitutionality makes its way through the system, Cole County Circuit Court Judge Brian Stumpe ruled Monday morning.

Stumpe rejected&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/01/missouri-educators-sue-state-over-51-million-appropriation-to-private-school-vouchers/">arguments by the Missouri branch of the National Education Association</a>&nbsp;that the flow of funds should be stopped in order to prevent unauthorized spending of state funds that can’t be “clawed back.”

But he didn’t outright deny the teachers union’s case, also turning down the state’s motion to dismiss Monday.

Still, Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is in his final days in office before stepping into a federal position as co-deputy director of the FBI, labeled the ruling a “victory.”

“Parents, not unions, not bureaucrats, know what’s best for their kids,” he said in a press release. “This case is about freedom and opportunity, and today’s ruling is a huge step toward securing both.”

At the center of the case is the MOScholars program, which until the infusion of general revenue landed last month funded private-school scholarships through a tax credit program.

The lawsuit challenges the shift from a program dependent on donations&nbsp; — which taxpayers are able to receive back as a tax credit equal to 100% of their contribution — to a state-sponsored voucher program.

Both sides&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/21/missouri-teachers-union-asks-judge-to-freeze-private-school-voucher-payments/">met in circuit court last Thursday</a>&nbsp;for the first in-person hearing of what will likely be a months-long legal battle. MNEA’s attorney Loretta Haggard argued that the appropriation lacks authority from state statute.

“You can’t just turn on a hose of $51 million in general revenue and force it through the tax credit framework,” she said. “There are gaps in that framework.”

But the attorney general’s office and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/04/parents-intervene-in-missouri-voucher-lawsuit-with-help-from-herzog-foundation-leader/">intervenors from Indiana-based advocacy group EdChoice</a>&nbsp;argued the legislature’s authority in the budget process was sufficient.

“Just because (the budget bill) funds a program set up by other statutes does not make a new appropriation unlawful—new funding is a common, necessary, and entirely unsurprising

feature of general-revenue bills,” Bailey’s office wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/SIS%20Defendants%20Motion%20to%20Dismiss,%20SIO%20Plaintiffs%20Motion%20for%20TRO.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3645329" target="_blank">in a filing submitted Aug. 15</a>.

The digital case record does not include Stumpe’s reasoning for the two denials Monday.

MNEA President Rebeka McIntosh shared her concerns about the unhampered flow of tax dollars to private schools in a statement.

“Politicians think they’ve won, but Missouri NEA’s 45,000 educators know better. We’ll prove in court what rural Missouri already knows: when you kill the school, you kill the town,” she said. “These vouchers violate our constitution and hurt our kids.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719493597787.png" alt="&nbsp;Cole County Circuit Court Judge Brian Stumpe issues an influential ruling in a lawsuit challenging a $51 million appropriation to the MOScholars program Monday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Cole County Circuit Court Judge Brian Stumpe issues an influential ruling in a lawsuit challenging a $51 million appropriation to the MOScholars program Monday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The judge also denied a motion to dismiss the case, meaning Missouri tax dollars will continue to fund the voucher program as the lawsuit progresses</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>The Missouri State Treasurer’s Office can continue to subsidize private-school scholarships from a $51 million allotment of state revenue while a lawsuit challenging the fund’s constitutionality makes its way through the system, Cole County Circuit Court Judge Brian Stumpe ruled Monday morning.Stumpe rejected&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/01/missouri-educators-sue-state-over-51-million-appropriation-to-private-school-vouchers/">arguments by the Missouri branch of the National Education Association</a>&nbsp;that the flow of funds should be stopped in order to prevent unauthorized spending of state funds that can’t be “clawed back.”But he didn’t outright deny the teachers union’s case, also turning down the state’s motion to dismiss Monday.Still, Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is in his final days in office before stepping into a federal position as co-deputy director of the FBI, labeled the ruling a “victory.”“Parents, not unions, not bureaucrats, know what’s best for their kids,” he said in a press release. “This case is about freedom and opportunity, and today’s ruling is a huge step toward securing both.”At the center of the case is the MOScholars program, which until the infusion of general revenue landed last month funded private-school scholarships through a tax credit program.The lawsuit challenges the shift from a program dependent on donations&nbsp; — which taxpayers are able to receive back as a tax credit equal to 100% of their contribution — to a state-sponsored voucher program.Both sides&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/21/missouri-teachers-union-asks-judge-to-freeze-private-school-voucher-payments/">met in circuit court last Thursday</a>&nbsp;for the first in-person hearing of what will likely be a months-long legal battle. MNEA’s attorney Loretta Haggard argued that the appropriation lacks authority from state statute.“You can’t just turn on a hose of $51 million in general revenue and force it through the tax credit framework,” she said. “There are gaps in that framework.”But the attorney general’s office and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/04/parents-intervene-in-missouri-voucher-lawsuit-with-help-from-herzog-foundation-leader/">intervenors from Indiana-based advocacy group EdChoice</a>&nbsp;argued the legislature’s authority in the budget process was sufficient.“Just because (the budget bill) funds a program set up by other statutes does not make a new appropriation unlawful—new funding is a common, necessary, and entirely unsurprisingfeature of general-revenue bills,” Bailey’s office wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/SIS%20Defendants%20Motion%20to%20Dismiss,%20SIO%20Plaintiffs%20Motion%20for%20TRO.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3645329" target="_blank">in a filing submitted Aug. 15</a>.The digital case record does not include Stumpe’s reasoning for the two denials Monday.MNEA President Rebeka McIntosh shared her concerns about the unhampered flow of tax dollars to private schools in a statement.“Politicians think they’ve won, but Missouri NEA’s 45,000 educators know better. We’ll prove in court what rural Missouri already knows: when you kill the school, you kill the town,” she said. “These vouchers violate our constitution and hurt our kids.”The case does not yet have a trial date.

Judge denies request to freeze Missouri private-school voucher payments

The St. Joseph Police Department participated along with other area local law enforcement&nbsp; this past weekend in Saturation Saturday. 

St. Joseph Police report that during the targeted enforcement on August 23rd, officers conducted a total of 48 traffic stops. Additionally, seven vehicles refused to stop, prompting further investigative follow-ups. The department issued 19 citations and delivered 29 warnings for a variety of traffic violations.

Saturation Saturday is a nationwide campaign hosted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving aimed at deterring impaired and dangerous driving on local roadways.  The enforcement resulted in two arrests for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and two additional arrests for outstanding warrants.

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

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe St. Joseph Police Department participated along with other area local law enforcement&nbsp; this past weekend in Saturation Saturday. St. Joseph Police report that during the targeted enforcement on August 23rd, officers conducted a total of 48 traffic stops. Additionally, seven vehicles refused to stop, prompting further investigative follow-ups. The department issued 19 citations and delivered 29 warnings for a variety of traffic violations.Saturation Saturday is a nationwide campaign hosted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving aimed at deterring impaired and dangerous driving on local roadways. The enforcement resulted in two arrests for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and two additional arrests for outstanding warrants.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

St. Joseph Police crack down on impaired driving during 'Saturation Saturday'

ANDREW COUNTY—Two people were injured in an accident just before 11:30p.m. Monday in Andrew County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Yamaha Royal Star driven by a 50-year-old Savannah man was westbound on MO 48 at County Road 227 six miles west of King City.

The driver failed to negotiate a curve in the road. The motorcycle traveled off the south side of the road, down an embankment and overturned. The driver and passenger were ejected. Grand River EMS transported the driver and the 46-year-old female passenger to Mosaic Life Care. They were not wearing helmets, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

ANDREW COUNTY—Two people were injured in an accident just before 11:30p.m. Monday in Andrew County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Yamaha Royal Star driven by a 50-year-old Savannah man was westbound on MO 48 at County Road 227 six miles west of King City.The driver failed to negotiate a curve in the road. The motorcycle traveled off the south side of the road, down an embankment and overturned. The driver and passenger were ejected. Grand River EMS transported the driver and the 46-year-old female passenger to Mosaic Life Care. They were not wearing helmets, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Mo. couple hospitalized after motorcycle accident

An effort to
resurrect a prominent building on the downtown Albany Courthouse Square is off
to a strong start, though there is much work ahead.

Albany Economic
Development Director, Mackenzie Manring, says efforts to restore the Rigney
Theater began in earnest in 2020.

“I mean this is a
111-year-old theater that is a main focal point of our downtown other than our
courthouse,” Manring says. “If you’ve been to Albany, you know the courthouse,
you know the theater, you know the library. Those are the historic buildings
around our downtown. And the theater had sat vacant since 2013.”

Restoration of the
Rigney began in earnest in 2020 as individual donors provided enough money to
repair the roof. Cleanup of the interior began the following year. Two
foundations issued $50,000 matching grant challenges each. Albany residents
were up for it. They matched both, totaling $200,000 toward restoration of the
Rigney. That money is being used to secure the outside structure of the
building going toward tuck pointing to stabilize the brick, securing windows
and doors to keep water and wildlife out.

One theme has
threaded through this process that the Rigney is just too prominent and too
historic for Albany to lose.

“It was built in
1914 by a local judge. He thought Albany should have an opera house. And so, he
made that happen,” Manring says. “He built it for $20,000. So, that’s the
equivalent now of around $600,000. And if you think about building a structure
like that you likely couldn’t do it for that amount. At the time, that was a
lot of money.”

As it sat vacant
and began to deteriorate, Albany residents decided to act.

“And we just
thought you know we’ve got to do something,” Manring says. “We’ve lost several
of our older brick buildings around our square and this one was just too
prominent to lose.”

Manring says
supporters understand that even with all that has been raised and all that is
being done, full restoration of the Rigney will take even more.

“There’s a lot to
do, but we don’t have to do it all at once,” Manring says. “And there are
probably things we can do piece by piece to get to a point where it’s usable
and then work on all those finishing touches as we go,”

Albany has been
working with the Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri in St. Joseph on
the restoration project.

Albany hopes to
restore the Rigney as a home for the Albany school district fine arts program,
to host entertainment for the community and region, and to provide a central
meeting place.

Click <a href="https://www.therigney.org/">HERE</a> to read
more about the project.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756140615403.png" alt="Rigney Theater/Photo courtesy of Albany Community Development Corp." />
 <figcaption>Rigney Theater/Photo courtesy of Albany Community Development Corp.</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostAn effort to
resurrect a prominent building on the downtown Albany Courthouse Square is off
to a strong start, though there is much work ahead.Albany Economic
Development Director, Mackenzie Manring, says efforts to restore the Rigney
Theater began in earnest in 2020.“I mean this is a
111-year-old theater that is a main focal point of our downtown other than our
courthouse,” Manring says. “If you’ve been to Albany, you know the courthouse,
you know the theater, you know the library. Those are the historic buildings
around our downtown. And the theater had sat vacant since 2013.”Restoration of the
Rigney began in earnest in 2020 as individual donors provided enough money to
repair the roof. Cleanup of the interior began the following year. Two
foundations issued $50,000 matching grant challenges each. Albany residents
were up for it. They matched both, totaling $200,000 toward restoration of the
Rigney. That money is being used to secure the outside structure of the
building going toward tuck pointing to stabilize the brick, securing windows
and doors to keep water and wildlife out.One theme has
threaded through this process that the Rigney is just too prominent and too
historic for Albany to lose.“It was built in
1914 by a local judge. He thought Albany should have an opera house. And so, he
made that happen,” Manring says. “He built it for $20,000. So, that’s the
equivalent now of around $600,000. And if you think about building a structure
like that you likely couldn’t do it for that amount. At the time, that was a
lot of money.”As it sat vacant
and began to deteriorate, Albany residents decided to act.“And we just
thought you know we’ve got to do something,” Manring says. “We’ve lost several
of our older brick buildings around our square and this one was just too
prominent to lose.”Manring says
supporters understand that even with all that has been raised and all that is
being done, full restoration of the Rigney will take even more.“There’s a lot to
do, but we don’t have to do it all at once,” Manring says. “And there are
probably things we can do piece by piece to get to a point where it’s usable
and then work on all those finishing touches as we go,”Albany has been
working with the Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri in St. Joseph on
the restoration project.Albany hopes to
restore the Rigney as a home for the Albany school district fine arts program,
to host entertainment for the community and region, and to provide a central
meeting place.Click <a href="https://www.therigney.org/">HERE</a> to read
more about the project.You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

Efforts to bring back the Rigney Theater in Albany off to strong start

Missouri Gov. Mike
Kehoe has appointed LeAndra Beauford of St. Joseph to the Missouri
Developmental Disabilities Council.

Beauford is a
family navigation manager for Progressive Community Services and a certified
family support provider. She has served as a substitute teacher in the St.
Joseph School District. Beauford received a certificate in legal studies from
Missouri Western State University.

Keho also
appointed Frank Kruse of Smithville to the Conservation Commission.

Kruse is the
president of Martin Hill Advisors and previously served as the vice-president
of business development and marketing for Sekisui XenoTech LLC. Kruse is a
member of several conservation organizations, including the Missouri
Conservation Heritage Foundation, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership,
and Johnny Morris Institute of Fisheries.

Kruse previously
served as an international marketing representative for the Missouri Department
of Agriculture.&nbsp; Kruse holds a master’s
degree in economics from North Carolina State University.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostMissouri Gov. Mike
Kehoe has appointed LeAndra Beauford of St. Joseph to the Missouri
Developmental Disabilities Council.Beauford is a
family navigation manager for Progressive Community Services and a certified
family support provider. She has served as a substitute teacher in the St.
Joseph School District. Beauford received a certificate in legal studies from
Missouri Western State University.Keho also
appointed Frank Kruse of Smithville to the Conservation Commission.Kruse is the
president of Martin Hill Advisors and previously served as the vice-president
of business development and marketing for Sekisui XenoTech LLC. Kruse is a
member of several conservation organizations, including the Missouri
Conservation Heritage Foundation, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership,
and Johnny Morris Institute of Fisheries.Kruse previously
served as an international marketing representative for the Missouri Department
of Agriculture.&nbsp; Kruse holds a master’s
degree in economics from North Carolina State University.You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

Beauford appointed to Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council

Missouri Western State University is making applying to college a little easier for students in the St. Joseph School District through a new partnership, 

The two recently signed an agreement for a direct admissions program, that will cut down the information needed for students applying for college, streamlining the process slightly. 

President Elizabeth Kennedy says college application paperwork can be complicated 

"Basically, what we’re doing is just taking out some of those requirements, getting the basics, the very basics that we need for information, taking that and putting it into our system so that we can get either an admissions recruiter, an advisor, whoever it is, connected immediately to walk them through the rest of it,” Kennedy tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  

 Kennedy says this process will make the difficulty of applying for college easier, possibly drawing more local students to MoWest. 

"Ask yourself the question, if you had to do something and it was very complicated and difficult, or you had to do something and you just had to do a little bit, you’d probably go for option B,” Kennedy explains.  “And that’s kind of our goal.” 

Kennedy says students already matriculate well from St. Joseph to MoWest, this agreement is more about eliminating barriers to getting into college 

"We know we’re affordable, so that’s not a barrier, we know that we have high quality education, what’s the other piece that might prohibit or restrict people from coming and that’s ease of application,” Kennedy says. 

The partnership will begin being offered to district graduates of the class of 2026.  This is the first partnership of its kind between a university and a school district in Missouri. 

St. Joseph School Superintendent Ashly McGinnis says this is a great opportunity for students, especially with all of the workforce growth opportunities at the university, such as the Houlne Center for Convergent Technology.  

"Houlne Center is an awesome expansion almost onto our Hillyard programming, and so we are excited to be able to offer those opportunities for our kids,” McGinnis says. 

Direct admission guarantees admission to graduates of Central, Benton and Lafayette High Schools that meet minimum academic criteria 

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostMissouri Western State University is making applying to college a little easier for students in the St. Joseph School District through a new partnership, The two recently signed an agreement for a direct admissions program, that will cut down the information needed for students applying for college, streamlining the process slightly. President Elizabeth Kennedy says college application paperwork can be complicated "Basically, what we’re doing is just taking out some of those requirements, getting the basics, the very basics that we need for information, taking that and putting it into our system so that we can get either an admissions recruiter, an advisor, whoever it is, connected immediately to walk them through the rest of it,” Kennedy tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. Kennedy says this process will make the difficulty of applying for college easier, possibly drawing more local students to MoWest. "Ask yourself the question, if you had to do something and it was very complicated and difficult, or you had to do something and you just had to do a little bit, you’d probably go for option B,” Kennedy explains. “And that’s kind of our goal.” Kennedy says students already matriculate well from St. Joseph to MoWest, this agreement is more about eliminating barriers to getting into college "We know we’re affordable, so that’s not a barrier, we know that we have high quality education, what’s the other piece that might prohibit or restrict people from coming and that’s ease of application,” Kennedy says. The partnership will begin being offered to district graduates of the class of 2026. This is the first partnership of its kind between a university and a school district in Missouri. St. Joseph School Superintendent Ashly McGinnis says this is a great opportunity for students, especially with all of the workforce growth opportunities at the university, such as the Houlne Center for Convergent Technology. "Houlne Center is an awesome expansion almost onto our Hillyard programming, and so we are excited to be able to offer those opportunities for our kids,” McGinnis says. Direct admission guarantees admission to graduates of Central, Benton and Lafayette High Schools that meet minimum academic criteria You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Agreement between MoWest and St. Joseph School District adds ease to applying for college

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4Ckdt6mEpzTRksVm8i9Ck9?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/0YkoGvGR72bH2NaIgUYRI5?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:&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>

Lawmakers voted to repeal the Missouri Incarceration Reimbursement Act, a 1988 law now seen as a property rights violation and barrier to a fresh start after prison

One of the&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB495&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">most-watched bills</a>&nbsp;approved by Missouri lawmakers this year put the state&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/26/gov-mike-kehoe-signs-bill-to-put-st-louis-police-under-state-control/">back in control</a>&nbsp;of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

The police takeover provisions made the bill one of the most controversial of the session, and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/05/civil-rights-law-firm-sues-to-block-missouri-from-taking-over-st-louis-police/">sparked a lawsuit</a>, set for trial Nov. 5. But tucked inside, and noticed only by those watching closely, the bill also includes bipartisan provisions ending the practice of seizing assets from incarcerated people that are unrelated to their crimes.

Known as the&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=217.825&amp;bid=11876&amp;hl=" target="_blank">Missouri Incarceration Reimbursement Act</a>, the law was passed in 1988, when any idea intended to make life harder for criminals received a favorable hearing. Now, the law is viewed as a violation of property rights and a barrier to a law-abiding life.

“We need to pay our debts to society,” state Rep. Tara Peters, a Rolla Republican, said in an interview with The Independent. “Those who have paid their debt to society should have every opportunity to have a fresh start and to get out on the right foot when it comes time to go back into society.”

Peters sponsored a bill with the repeal, as did state Sen. Stephen Webber, a Columbia Democrat. It was added to the St. Louis police takeover bill to persuade Democrats in the Senate to end a filibuster.

Once enacted, it is one of two bills that will allow people under the control of the state to keep assets they would use when released. The other stops the state from taking&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/09/missouri-governor-signs-bill-banning-state-from-seizing-foster-kids-benefits/">foster children’s Social Security benefits</a>&nbsp;to cover the cost of foster care.

The incarceration reimbursement law was intended to take money from inmates to cover the cost of maintaining them in prison. The most recovered over the past five years is $523,000 in fiscal 2024, while the cost of operating the Department of Corrections is greater than $1 billion.

In the fiscal year that ended June 30, efforts to enforce the act brought in only $136,000.

“People who are incarcerated by the state should not have to pay like it’s a hotel or an Airbnb,” said Amy Malinowski, director of the Missouri office of the MacArthur Justice Center. “It’s a prison. It’s the state’s responsibility to maintain those prisons, not the people who are detained there.”

Missouri has laws allowing prosecutors to seize assets gained in a criminal enterprise, and the courts can enforce restitution for stolen or damaged property as part of a sentence. The incarceration reimbursement act allows the attorney general to seek other assets, such as a family inheritance or proceeds from the sale of a house, that are unrelated to the crime.

State Rep. Brad Christ, a Republican from St. Louis County, sponsored the St. Louis police bill and chaired a committee where Peters’ bill was discussed in February. It was an easy decision to accept Democratic requests to include the repeal, he said in an interview.

“Democrats support it from a criminal justice aspect and a number of Republicans supported this, too, because it’s just basic property rights,” Christ said.

Missouri’s prisons hold about 24,000 people. In any given year, about 11,000 will be released on parole or because they have completed their sentence. The goal of prison is to punish and to prepare inmates to live within society’s rules, Christ said.

The seized money can be an important part of avoiding a return to prison, he said.

“Whatever it may be, whether it’s two grand, 20 grand or 200 grand,” Christ said, “to knock someone down a peg while they are in prison, I thought, was a little unjust after their sentence has been fulfilled.”

Under the law, people sentenced to state prison are required to make a statement of their assets when they arrive in custody and, on release, allow the department to garnish their wages for five years.

The attorney general can file a lawsuit to seize any assets found or received by the incarcerated person.&nbsp;

With the repeal, the Department of Corrections is no longer requiring the statement of assets on entry, agency spokeswoman Karen Pojmann said in an email. But any current garnishments will be stopped only if the person making the payments petitions the courts to end them, she said.

At the House hearing in February, St. Louis attorney Bevis Schock, who has represented clients in civil litigation against the department, said he has won judgments that the attorney general then tried to seize.&nbsp;

Schock said he believes the law is unconstitutional and expected a court would rule that way in the future. But he still urged lawmakers to act.

“I hate criminals,” Schock said. “I don’t want to help them all. I want them to go to jail, but a criminal’s property should be as sacred as the property of a non-criminal.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756121643685.png" alt="State Rep. Tara Peters, R-Rolla, speaks during Missouri House floor debate in May. (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications)" />
 <figcaption>State Rep. Tara Peters, R-Rolla, speaks during Missouri House floor debate in May. (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications)</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><h2>Lawmakers voted to repeal the Missouri Incarceration Reimbursement Act, a 1988 law now seen as a property rights violation and barrier to a fresh start after prison</h2>One of the&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB495&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">most-watched bills</a>&nbsp;approved by Missouri lawmakers this year put the state&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/26/gov-mike-kehoe-signs-bill-to-put-st-louis-police-under-state-control/">back in control</a>&nbsp;of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.The police takeover provisions made the bill one of the most controversial of the session, and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/05/civil-rights-law-firm-sues-to-block-missouri-from-taking-over-st-louis-police/">sparked a lawsuit</a>, set for trial Nov. 5. But tucked inside, and noticed only by those watching closely, the bill also includes bipartisan provisions ending the practice of seizing assets from incarcerated people that are unrelated to their crimes.Known as the&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=217.825&amp;bid=11876&amp;hl=" target="_blank">Missouri Incarceration Reimbursement Act</a>, the law was passed in 1988, when any idea intended to make life harder for criminals received a favorable hearing. Now, the law is viewed as a violation of property rights and a barrier to a law-abiding life.“We need to pay our debts to society,” state Rep. Tara Peters, a Rolla Republican, said in an interview with The Independent. “Those who have paid their debt to society should have every opportunity to have a fresh start and to get out on the right foot when it comes time to go back into society.”Peters sponsored a bill with the repeal, as did state Sen. Stephen Webber, a Columbia Democrat. It was added to the St. Louis police takeover bill to persuade Democrats in the Senate to end a filibuster.Once enacted, it is one of two bills that will allow people under the control of the state to keep assets they would use when released. The other stops the state from taking&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/09/missouri-governor-signs-bill-banning-state-from-seizing-foster-kids-benefits/">foster children’s Social Security benefits</a>&nbsp;to cover the cost of foster care.The incarceration reimbursement law was intended to take money from inmates to cover the cost of maintaining them in prison. The most recovered over the past five years is $523,000 in fiscal 2024, while the cost of operating the Department of Corrections is greater than $1 billion.In the fiscal year that ended June 30, efforts to enforce the act brought in only $136,000.“People who are incarcerated by the state should not have to pay like it’s a hotel or an Airbnb,” said Amy Malinowski, director of the Missouri office of the MacArthur Justice Center. “It’s a prison. It’s the state’s responsibility to maintain those prisons, not the people who are detained there.”Missouri has laws allowing prosecutors to seize assets gained in a criminal enterprise, and the courts can enforce restitution for stolen or damaged property as part of a sentence. The incarceration reimbursement act allows the attorney general to seek other assets, such as a family inheritance or proceeds from the sale of a house, that are unrelated to the crime.State Rep. Brad Christ, a Republican from St. Louis County, sponsored the St. Louis police bill and chaired a committee where Peters’ bill was discussed in February. It was an easy decision to accept Democratic requests to include the repeal, he said in an interview.“Democrats support it from a criminal justice aspect and a number of Republicans supported this, too, because it’s just basic property rights,” Christ said.Missouri’s prisons hold about 24,000 people. In any given year, about 11,000 will be released on parole or because they have completed their sentence. The goal of prison is to punish and to prepare inmates to live within society’s rules, Christ said.The seized money can be an important part of avoiding a return to prison, he said.“Whatever it may be, whether it’s two grand, 20 grand or 200 grand,” Christ said, “to knock someone down a peg while they are in prison, I thought, was a little unjust after their sentence has been fulfilled.”Under the law, people sentenced to state prison are required to make a statement of their assets when they arrive in custody and, on release, allow the department to garnish their wages for five years.The attorney general can file a lawsuit to seize any assets found or received by the incarcerated person.&nbsp;With the repeal, the Department of Corrections is no longer requiring the statement of assets on entry, agency spokeswoman Karen Pojmann said in an email. But any current garnishments will be stopped only if the person making the payments petitions the courts to end them, she said.At the House hearing in February, St. Louis attorney Bevis Schock, who has represented clients in civil litigation against the department, said he has won judgments that the attorney general then tried to seize.&nbsp;Schock said he believes the law is unconstitutional and expected a court would rule that way in the future. But he still urged lawmakers to act.“I hate criminals,” Schock said. “I don’t want to help them all. I want them to go to jail, but a criminal’s property should be as sacred as the property of a non-criminal.”