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

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Dodge Dakota driven by Cody J. Scopel, 37, Maryville, was westbound on MO 46 two miles west of Maryville.

The pickup traveled off the south side of the road and rolled. Nodaway County EMS transported Scopel to Mosaic in Maryville. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

NODAWAY COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 6p.m. Thursday in Nodaway County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Dodge Dakota driven by Cody J. Scopel, 37, Maryville, was westbound on MO 46 two miles west of Maryville.The pickup traveled off the south side of the road and rolled. Nodaway County EMS transported Scopel to Mosaic in Maryville. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

Mo. man injured after pickup rollover accident

CLINTON COUNTY—Three people were injured in an accident just after 2p.m. Thursday in Clinton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Dodge Charger driven by Ayrika N. Ross, 22, Raytown, was westbound on MO 116 three miles east of Lathrop.&nbsp;

The driver was attempted to pass another vehicle.&nbsp; The Charger traveled off the south side of the road and the driver overcorrected. The car traveled off the north side of the road, struck a private drive and culvert, became airborne and came to rest on the north road.

Caldwell County EMS transported Ross to Liberty Hospital.&nbsp; Tri-County EMS transported two children, a 7-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl both from Richmond, to Liberty Hospital. Ross was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

CLINTON COUNTY—Three people were injured in an accident just after 2p.m. Thursday in Clinton County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Dodge Charger driven by Ayrika N. Ross, 22, Raytown, was westbound on MO 116 three miles east of Lathrop.&nbsp;The driver was attempted to pass another vehicle.&nbsp; The Charger traveled off the south side of the road and the driver overcorrected. The car traveled off the north side of the road, struck a private drive and culvert, became airborne and came to rest on the north road.Caldwell County EMS transported Ross to Liberty Hospital.&nbsp; Tri-County EMS transported two children, a 7-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl both from Richmond, to Liberty Hospital. Ross was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

Mo. woman, 2 children hospitalized after car goes airborne

ATCHISON COUNTY —Two people were injured in an accident just before 11:30a.m.&nbsp; Thursday in Atchison.

According to Police Chief Mike Wilson, a&nbsp;2014 Buick passenger car driven by Sandra Dunn, 72, Atchison, was westbound on Kansas Avenue and was making a left turn onto 15th Street.

The vehicle struck a 2007 Yamaha motorcycle ridden by Alan Yancey, 65, Atchison, that was stopped northbound on 15th Street at the stop sign.

EMS transported both drivers to Amberwell Hospital for treatment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720729603721.png" alt="Photos Atchison Police" />
 <figcaption>Photos Atchison Police</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Two people were injured in an accident just before 11:30a.m.&nbsp; Thursday in Atchison.According to Police Chief Mike Wilson, a&nbsp;2014 Buick passenger car driven by Sandra Dunn, 72, Atchison, was westbound on Kansas Avenue and was making a left turn onto 15th Street.The vehicle struck a 2007 Yamaha motorcycle ridden by Alan Yancey, 65, Atchison, that was stopped northbound on 15th Street at the stop sign.EMS transported both drivers to Amberwell Hospital for treatment.

Police: 2 injured after car strikes motorcycle 

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has demanded records
from the St. Joseph School Board after receiving allegations of misconduct during
the successful campaign to pass a $20 million bond issue in April.

Bailey, in a news release, says his office has received “disturbing
allegations” that the St. Joseph School Board violated several laws, included
the Sunshine Law.

“As Attorney General, I take seriously my obligation to
enforce the laws as written,” Bailey said in a written statement released by
his office. “Public officials have a duty to maintain the highest standards of
conduct, and this is especially true when public officials are responsible for
the education of Missouri children.”

The Attorney General says he has received allegations the St.
Joseph School Board violated the Sunshine Law, the state ballot-measure
expenditure law, and the state conflict-of-interest law.

Bailey is requesting records and documents from all meetings,
both open and closed, this year. Also, Bailey has requested information about
any agreements or financial arrangements made between the St. Joseph School
District or Board and Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph. The
AG wants financial records related to the April bond issue.&nbsp; The news release states the AG office also
wants school district and school board personnel policies, especially any
pertaining to conflicts of interest.

“The allegations brought to my office are very concerning and
I take them very seriously. As such, it is critical that you comply immediately
with the demands contained herein and promptly provide these records. Sunshine
is said to be the best disinfectant and full transparency is certainly the best
way to restore the trust of the public,” Baily said in a written statement.

The
St. Joseph School District issued a statement:

“The St. Joseph School District has received a request for
records from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. The district is working to
respond to that request in accordance with the law and will fully cooperate
with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office as they complete their review.”

More than 65% of St. Joseph voters approved the $20 million bond
issue in April.

This article has been updated to add the St. Joseph School District response.

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

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostMissouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has demanded records
from the St. Joseph School Board after receiving allegations of misconduct during
the successful campaign to pass a $20 million bond issue in April.Bailey, in a news release, says his office has received “disturbing
allegations” that the St. Joseph School Board violated several laws, included
the Sunshine Law.“As Attorney General, I take seriously my obligation to
enforce the laws as written,” Bailey said in a written statement released by
his office. “Public officials have a duty to maintain the highest standards of
conduct, and this is especially true when public officials are responsible for
the education of Missouri children.”The Attorney General says he has received allegations the St.
Joseph School Board violated the Sunshine Law, the state ballot-measure
expenditure law, and the state conflict-of-interest law.Bailey is requesting records and documents from all meetings,
both open and closed, this year. Also, Bailey has requested information about
any agreements or financial arrangements made between the St. Joseph School
District or Board and Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph. The
AG wants financial records related to the April bond issue.&nbsp; The news release states the AG office also
wants school district and school board personnel policies, especially any
pertaining to conflicts of interest.“The allegations brought to my office are very concerning and
I take them very seriously. As such, it is critical that you comply immediately
with the demands contained herein and promptly provide these records. Sunshine
is said to be the best disinfectant and full transparency is certainly the best
way to restore the trust of the public,” Baily said in a written statement.The
St. Joseph School District issued a statement:“The St. Joseph School District has received a request for
records from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. The district is working to
respond to that request in accordance with the law and will fully cooperate
with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office as they complete their review.”More than 65% of St. Joseph voters approved the $20 million bond
issue in April.This article has been updated to add the St. Joseph School District response.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Attorney General demands records from successful $20M St. Joseph school bond campaign

PLATTE COUNTY —Three people died in an accident just before 12:30a.m. Thursday in Platte County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Ford Edge driven by Kyle A. Mendez, 37, Topeka, was northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate 29 just south of the Route E exit.

The SUV struck a southbound 2007 Honda Odyssey driven by Joel Similien, 55, Kansas City, Missouri, head-on. After impact the van traveled off the road and struck a concrete barrier.

Similien and passengers in the van Sheyla Similien, 54, and Michelet Metellus, 52, both of Kansas City, Missouri, were pronounced dead at the scene. 

Northland Regional EMS transported Mendez and three of the six passengers in the van Herilert Bellot, Jacnert Lubin, 37 and Franckel Francois, 54, of Kansas City, Missouri, to North Kansas City Hospital. Buchanan County EMS transported one passenger in the van Vladimyr Mercier, 33, Kansas City, Missouri, to Mosaic in St. Joseph.

Mercier and Metellus were not wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP. The Patrol also did not have the age of Heirlert Bellot.

PLATTE COUNTY —Three people died in an accident just before 12:30a.m. Thursday in Platte County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Ford Edge driven by Kyle A. Mendez, 37, Topeka, was northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate 29 just south of the Route E exit.The SUV struck a southbound 2007 Honda Odyssey driven by Joel Similien, 55, Kansas City, Missouri, head-on. After impact the van traveled off the road and struck a concrete barrier.Similien and passengers in the van Sheyla Similien, 54, and Michelet Metellus, 52, both of Kansas City, Missouri, were pronounced dead at the scene. Northland Regional EMS transported Mendez and three of the six passengers in the van Herilert Bellot, Jacnert Lubin, 37 and Franckel Francois, 54, of Kansas City, Missouri, to North Kansas City Hospital. Buchanan County EMS transported one passenger in the van Vladimyr Mercier, 33, Kansas City, Missouri, to Mosaic in St. Joseph.Mercier and Metellus were not wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP. The Patrol also did not have the age of Heirlert Bellot.

3 dead after wrong-way, head-on crash in Platte County

A four-year-old Wathena, Kansas boy has succumbed to injuries
sustained while submerged in a backyard swimming pool.

Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett reports the boy was
pronounced dead Thursday morning at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.

His name is not being released, because he is a juvenile.

The father and grandfather of the child pulled the boy from
the pool at a residence on Southwest 36th Road the evening of an Independence
Day party on the 4th. &nbsp;The two
performed CPR until emergency workers arrived and rushed the boy to Mosaic Life
Care. He then was transferred to Children’s Mercy.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostA four-year-old Wathena, Kansas boy has succumbed to injuries
sustained while submerged in a backyard swimming pool.Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett reports the boy was
pronounced dead Thursday morning at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.His name is not being released, because he is a juvenile.The father and grandfather of the child pulled the boy from
the pool at a residence on Southwest 36th Road the evening of an Independence
Day party on the 4th. &nbsp;The two
performed CPR until emergency workers arrived and rushed the boy to Mosaic Life
Care. He then was transferred to Children’s Mercy.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

4-year-old Wathena boy dies week after falling into pool

The city of Gower will celebrate small town living this weekend during an annual festival.   

Gower Days is happening this weekend in the rural town of Gower, Missouri.  An annual celebration filled with family fun, food, and music.  

Gower Days Committee Chairman Chip Holman says the festival is a sort of homecoming 

"It's an opportunity for folks to come back, not only from Gower, but from everywhere else," Holman tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr. "We have 92 vendor spots to fill this year, last year we had 61, so that's a lot of spots." 

The first event of the festival takes place tonight at the Gower Christian Church, starting at 6pm with the Little Mr. and Miss Gower, Prince and Princess and Queen pageant.  

Gower Days will also feature a a variety of vendors filling up Gower City Park this weekend. 

Holman says his committee works hard to ensure there's something at the festival for everyone 

"And not a ton of the same thing, cause a lot of times you go to festivals and not knocking other festivals, but you have cups, hats, shirts, and cups, hats, and shirts and then you've got a woodworker, and then you have cups, hats, and shirts," Holman explains.  "So, we try to do a good job of making a wide variety of things." 

A popular attraction will highlight the final day of the annual festival.  The big event Sunday will be the Gower Days Car Show, hosted by the Gower Area Chamber of Commerce. 

Holman says the event, which is in its seventh year, is always well attended.  

"Last year at the car show, 205 participants, cars, trucks, and motorcycles, we've got over 45 awards, so 45 classes first, second, and third place," Holman says. "I have to say, and we get this compliment all the time so I'm going to use a quote, 'You're one of the biggest and best cars shows in northwest Missouri.'" 

The festival begins at 5pm tomorrow, with opening ceremonies at 5:30pm, and runs through Sunday.  The car show on Sunday begins with registration at 8am and runs until 3pm.

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post The city of Gower will celebrate small town living this weekend during an annual festival. Gower Days is happening this weekend in the rural town of Gower, Missouri. An annual celebration filled with family fun, food, and music. Gower Days Committee Chairman Chip Holman says the festival is a sort of homecoming "It's an opportunity for folks to come back, not only from Gower, but from everywhere else," Holman tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr. "We have 92 vendor spots to fill this year, last year we had 61, so that's a lot of spots." The first event of the festival takes place tonight at the Gower Christian Church, starting at 6pm with the Little Mr. and Miss Gower, Prince and Princess and Queen pageant. Gower Days will also feature a a variety of vendors filling up Gower City Park this weekend. Holman says his committee works hard to ensure there's something at the festival for everyone "And not a ton of the same thing, cause a lot of times you go to festivals and not knocking other festivals, but you have cups, hats, shirts, and cups, hats, and shirts and then you've got a woodworker, and then you have cups, hats, and shirts," Holman explains. "So, we try to do a good job of making a wide variety of things." A popular attraction will highlight the final day of the annual festival. The big event Sunday will be the Gower Days Car Show, hosted by the Gower Area Chamber of Commerce. Holman says the event, which is in its seventh year, is always well attended. "Last year at the car show, 205 participants, cars, trucks, and motorcycles, we've got over 45 awards, so 45 classes first, second, and third place," Holman says. "I have to say, and we get this compliment all the time so I'm going to use a quote, 'You're one of the biggest and best cars shows in northwest Missouri.'" The festival begins at 5pm tomorrow, with opening ceremonies at 5:30pm, and runs through Sunday. The car show on Sunday begins with registration at 8am and runs until 3pm.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720711340817.jpeg" alt="The schedule for the 2024 Gower Days festival running this weekend/ Photo courtesy of the Gower Days Facebook page" />
 <figcaption>The schedule for the 2024 Gower Days festival running this weekend/ Photo courtesy of the Gower Days Facebook page</figcaption>
 </figure>

Gower invites you to come celebrate small town life

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is leading a coalition of seven states challenging a rule by the Biden administration that would preempt state restrictions on gender-affirming care.&nbsp;

Filed in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on Wednesday, the states are seeking to block the regulation and prevent the federal government from enforcing similar mandates.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/05/06/2024-08711/nondiscrimination-in-health-programs-and-activities" target="_blank">rule</a>&nbsp;seeks to add protections to a section of the Affordable Care Act that prevent health care providers who discriminate on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation from receiving federal funding, including through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

The rule was set to go into effect July 5, with some provisions beginning later. But another coalition of attorneys general succeeded in their petition to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/03/politics/transgender-anti-discrimination-protections-biden-chevron/index.html" target="_blank">block its implementation</a>&nbsp;just two days prior. The judge in that case cited the recent&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/28/u-s-supreme-court-flips-precedent-that-empowered-federal-agencies/">U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn “Chevron Deference,”</a>&nbsp;a precedent that gave regulatory authority to federal agencies when statute is unclear.

Bailey, along with attorneys general from Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Idaho and Arkansas, argues that the rule conflicts with their states’ restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors. Each has varying restrictions on payments for gender-affirming treatment, with Missouri blocking payment for all treatments for medical transition through Medicaid and CHIP.

“… states will be unable to enforce these duly enacted laws and longstanding policies without coming into conflict with the rule,” the attorneys general wrote in the lawsuit.

The American College of Pediatricians joins the attorneys general as a plaintiff. The ACPeds is a group of 400 physicians and other health care professionals in 47 states with a history of anti-LGBTQ advocacy.

“ACPeds members categorically do not provide medical interventions or referrals for, and do not facilitate or speak in ways that affirm the legitimacy of, the practice of ‘gender transition,’” the attorneys general wrote.

The lawsuit alleges that the organization’s pediatricians would suffer “significant financial harm to lose eligibility to participate in federal healthcare programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP.”

One pediatrician in Utah is quoted in the lawsuit saying he would not “self-censor his opinions on transition efforts if the rule goes into effect.”

Predicting his noncompliance with the rule, the Utah pediatrician “faces the prospect of no longer caring for his patients, being fired from his employment and being unable to practice medicine in most settings,” the attorneys general wrote.

The rule violates physicians’ freedom of assembly, the lawsuit states, “by coercing them to participate in facilities, programs, groups and other healthcare-related endeavors that are contrary to their views and that express messages with which they disagree.”

The lawsuit also says it “coerces ACPeds members’ speech.”

“By forcing ACPeds members to tell patients directly, on their walls, and on their websites that they do not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, the rule forces ACPeds members to speak falsely, and it forces ACPeds members to fatally undermine their communication of their own medical ethical standards,” it says.

Beyond questions of constitutionality, the attorneys general allege that the rule goes beyond congressional authorization.

The rule interprets gender identity as protected by both including gender dysphoria as a disability and interpreting sex discrimination to include gender identity. The attorneys general disagree with this application.

Key to the case will be the judge’s interpretation of the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court Case Bostock v. Clayton County, in which a majority of justices ruled that gender identity was protected under&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/19pdf/17-1618_hfci.pdf" target="_blank">Title VII</a>, which is on employment discrimination.

The rule leans on some courts’ interpretation that transfers the Bostock decision to Title IX and the Affordable Care Act, according to its publication in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/05/06/2024-08711/nondiscrimination-in-health-programs-and-activities" target="_blank">Federal Register</a>. But the attorneys general cite decisions from judges in red states that do not allow Bostock to apply outside of Title VII.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which is the defendant in the litigation, did not respond to a request for comment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701262449456.png" alt="&nbsp;A federal rule seeks to add protections to a section of the Affordable Care Act that prevent health care providers who discriminate on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation from receiving federal funding, including through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (photo illustration by Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)." />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;A federal rule seeks to add protections to a section of the Affordable Care Act that prevent health care providers who discriminate on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation from receiving federal funding, including through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (photo illustration by Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder).</figcaption>
 </figure>Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is leading a coalition of seven states challenging a rule by the Biden administration that would preempt state restrictions on gender-affirming care.&nbsp;Filed in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on Wednesday, the states are seeking to block the regulation and prevent the federal government from enforcing similar mandates.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/05/06/2024-08711/nondiscrimination-in-health-programs-and-activities" target="_blank">rule</a>&nbsp;seeks to add protections to a section of the Affordable Care Act that prevent health care providers who discriminate on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation from receiving federal funding, including through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.The rule was set to go into effect July 5, with some provisions beginning later. But another coalition of attorneys general succeeded in their petition to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/03/politics/transgender-anti-discrimination-protections-biden-chevron/index.html" target="_blank">block its implementation</a>&nbsp;just two days prior. The judge in that case cited the recent&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/28/u-s-supreme-court-flips-precedent-that-empowered-federal-agencies/">U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn “Chevron Deference,”</a>&nbsp;a precedent that gave regulatory authority to federal agencies when statute is unclear.Bailey, along with attorneys general from Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Idaho and Arkansas, argues that the rule conflicts with their states’ restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors. Each has varying restrictions on payments for gender-affirming treatment, with Missouri blocking payment for all treatments for medical transition through Medicaid and CHIP.“… states will be unable to enforce these duly enacted laws and longstanding policies without coming into conflict with the rule,” the attorneys general wrote in the lawsuit.The American College of Pediatricians joins the attorneys general as a plaintiff. The ACPeds is a group of 400 physicians and other health care professionals in 47 states with a history of anti-LGBTQ advocacy.“ACPeds members categorically do not provide medical interventions or referrals for, and do not facilitate or speak in ways that affirm the legitimacy of, the practice of ‘gender transition,’” the attorneys general wrote.The lawsuit alleges that the organization’s pediatricians would suffer “significant financial harm to lose eligibility to participate in federal healthcare programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP.”One pediatrician in Utah is quoted in the lawsuit saying he would not “self-censor his opinions on transition efforts if the rule goes into effect.”Predicting his noncompliance with the rule, the Utah pediatrician “faces the prospect of no longer caring for his patients, being fired from his employment and being unable to practice medicine in most settings,” the attorneys general wrote.The rule violates physicians’ freedom of assembly, the lawsuit states, “by coercing them to participate in facilities, programs, groups and other healthcare-related endeavors that are contrary to their views and that express messages with which they disagree.”The lawsuit also says it “coerces ACPeds members’ speech.”“By forcing ACPeds members to tell patients directly, on their walls, and on their websites that they do not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, the rule forces ACPeds members to speak falsely, and it forces ACPeds members to fatally undermine their communication of their own medical ethical standards,” it says.Beyond questions of constitutionality, the attorneys general allege that the rule goes beyond congressional authorization.The rule interprets gender identity as protected by both including gender dysphoria as a disability and interpreting sex discrimination to include gender identity. The attorneys general disagree with this application.Key to the case will be the judge’s interpretation of the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court Case Bostock v. Clayton County, in which a majority of justices ruled that gender identity was protected under&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/19pdf/17-1618_hfci.pdf" target="_blank">Title VII</a>, which is on employment discrimination.The rule leans on some courts’ interpretation that transfers the Bostock decision to Title IX and the Affordable Care Act, according to its publication in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/05/06/2024-08711/nondiscrimination-in-health-programs-and-activities" target="_blank">Federal Register</a>. But the attorneys general cite decisions from judges in red states that do not allow Bostock to apply outside of Title VII.The Department of Health and Human Services, which is the defendant in the litigation, did not respond to a request for comment.

Missouri leads 7 states challenging health care protections for transgender Americans

BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating an injury crash have made an arrest.

On July 2,&nbsp;&nbsp;Brown County Deputies responded to a report of an injury accident in the vicinity of U.S. 73 Highway near 220th, according to Sheriff John Merchant.

Upon conclusion of the accident investigation, it was determined that&nbsp; 38-year-old William Bundy of Bellevue, Nebraska who was driving a 2024 Dodge pickup crossed the center line and struck a 2014 KIA Optima.&nbsp;

 Both drivers were taken to Amberwell by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.&nbsp; 

On Wednesday, Merchant reported deputies arrested Bundy on requested charges of Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Assault of&nbsp; a Law Enforcement Officer, Obstruction, DUI, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Opiate and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720643967190.png" alt="Bundy photo Brown Co." />
 <figcaption>Bundy photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating an injury crash have made an arrest.On July 2,&nbsp;&nbsp;Brown County Deputies responded to a report of an injury accident in the vicinity of U.S. 73 Highway near 220th, according to Sheriff John Merchant.Upon conclusion of the accident investigation, it was determined that&nbsp; 38-year-old William Bundy of Bellevue, Nebraska who was driving a 2024 Dodge pickup crossed the center line and struck a 2014 KIA Optima.&nbsp; Both drivers were taken to Amberwell by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.&nbsp; On Wednesday, Merchant reported deputies arrested Bundy on requested charges of Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Assault of&nbsp; a Law Enforcement Officer, Obstruction, DUI, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Opiate and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Nebraska driver arrested after 2-vehicle Kansas crash

Pivotal Point Transitional Housing announced Rick Lipira as its new Executive Director, effective August 1.

Rick will work alongside former executive director Melissa Frakes, who announced her retirement this spring, until she transitions to a social work position with Pivotal Point.

Lipira recently served as Associate Pastor and Director of Finance at Grace Calvary Chapel, where he oversaw budgeting, financial management and community engagement. He was also a Certified Budget Coach for Crown Financial.

For decades, Lipira was the owner of Jim Walters Construction Co, Inc. The company’s many projects included housing, nursing homes, independent and skilled health care facilities, group homes and new and renovated offices. They also worked closely with numerous school and early childhood learning centers and churches.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Rick to the Pivotal Point family,” says Tom Richmond, Board Chair in a statement. “I’ve had the privilege of knowing Rick for many years, and he possesses a deep understanding of the challenges many in our community face. Coupled with his mature faith and strong foundation in biblical principles, I’m confident his leadership skills and strategic vision can guide Pivotal Point to even greater heights.”

“I am deeply inspired by Pivotal Point’s mission and values and am enthusiastic to work with our dedicated staff and those in our program as they work toward self-sufficiency,” said Lipira. “Pivotal Point’s dedication to those in need truly resonates with me. I look forward to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to find stable housing and build a brighter future.”

Lipira will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of Pivotal Point's operations, including strategic vision and goals, fundraising, program development and staff leadership.

By TOMMY REZACSt. Joseph PostPivotal Point Transitional Housing announced Rick Lipira as its new Executive Director, effective August 1.Rick will work alongside former executive director Melissa Frakes, who announced her retirement this spring, until she transitions to a social work position with Pivotal Point.Lipira recently served as Associate Pastor and Director of Finance at Grace Calvary Chapel, where he oversaw budgeting, financial management and community engagement. He was also a Certified Budget Coach for Crown Financial.For decades, Lipira was the owner of Jim Walters Construction Co, Inc. The company’s many projects included housing, nursing homes, independent and skilled health care facilities, group homes and new and renovated offices. They also worked closely with numerous school and early childhood learning centers and churches.“We are incredibly excited to welcome Rick to the Pivotal Point family,” says Tom Richmond, Board Chair in a statement. “I’ve had the privilege of knowing Rick for many years, and he possesses a deep understanding of the challenges many in our community face. Coupled with his mature faith and strong foundation in biblical principles, I’m confident his leadership skills and strategic vision can guide Pivotal Point to even greater heights.”“I am deeply inspired by Pivotal Point’s mission and values and am enthusiastic to work with our dedicated staff and those in our program as they work toward self-sufficiency,” said Lipira. “Pivotal Point’s dedication to those in need truly resonates with me. I look forward to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to find stable housing and build a brighter future.”Lipira will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of Pivotal Point's operations, including strategic vision and goals, fundraising, program development and staff leadership.

Pivotal Point names Rick Lipira as New Executive Director

Exploration of the potential for a Buchanan County Fairgrounds in Easton continues to progress.  

Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner Scott Nelson says the proposed fairgrounds would take the place of the current East Buchanan Middle School, which will move to Gower in 2025.  

Nelson says one obstacle in planning where the fairgrounds could go is the potential for growth. 

"I mean there might be five to ten acres there at Easton, but what if," Nelson tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr. "Well, that group has talked to landowners to the north and east and tried to work out an arrangement with them, so that if it was ever to need to expand, they could do that." 

Nelson says he's felt for some time now that the potential of a county fair and fairgrounds in Buchanan County is an exciting and good opportunity. 

Nelson says a central goal in developing a fairground is to provide opportunities for kids.  

"So, they can show their animals, and whatever comes from that great, and it gives them an opportunity, these kids are going to different counties to show their stuff, so why wouldn't we, we're a big county" Nelson explains. "A fairground in the county would project I think this county forward, make it a better place." 

Nelson says the idea of fairgrounds also fits in with the 2040 plan put together by the Community Alliance 

"What are we trying to do? We're trying to make St. Joseph and the county a better place to live, and people want to come to and live," Nelson says. "So, it's a small piece of the puzzle, believe me, but it's a start why wouldn't we do it?" 

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Exploration of the potential for a Buchanan County Fairgrounds in Easton continues to progress. Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner Scott Nelson says the proposed fairgrounds would take the place of the current East Buchanan Middle School, which will move to Gower in 2025. Nelson says one obstacle in planning where the fairgrounds could go is the potential for growth. "I mean there might be five to ten acres there at Easton, but what if," Nelson tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr. "Well, that group has talked to landowners to the north and east and tried to work out an arrangement with them, so that if it was ever to need to expand, they could do that." Nelson says he's felt for some time now that the potential of a county fair and fairgrounds in Buchanan County is an exciting and good opportunity. Nelson says a central goal in developing a fairground is to provide opportunities for kids. "So, they can show their animals, and whatever comes from that great, and it gives them an opportunity, these kids are going to different counties to show their stuff, so why wouldn't we, we're a big county" Nelson explains. "A fairground in the county would project I think this county forward, make it a better place." Nelson says the idea of fairgrounds also fits in with the 2040 plan put together by the Community Alliance "What are we trying to do? We're trying to make St. Joseph and the county a better place to live, and people want to come to and live," Nelson says. "So, it's a small piece of the puzzle, believe me, but it's a start why wouldn't we do it?"

County still considering turning Easton school into fairgrounds

The abortion law took effect July 1 and has joined other efforts to limit abortion in Kansas in ongoing court battles about how far state lawmakers can regulate the procedure.

What’s the harm in asking? Abortion rights supporters say quite a bit. Republicans in the state Legislature are trying to gather more data about the practice.&nbsp;

Starting July 1, any medical professional performing an abortion is required by Kansas statute to ask patients their reasons for getting it.

<a href="https://kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/hb2749_enrolled.pdf">The law</a>&nbsp;passed the Kansas Legislature this spring, and lawmakers overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto. It’s already entangled in court fights, and the state agency that regulates medical care doesn’t plan immediate enforcement.

The Republicans who engineered the bill argued that a questionnaire — asking whether the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest, if it threatens a patient’s health, if the parents don’t feel supported by family or if the baby would interfere with someone’s life goals — could give a better understanding of what leads to abortions.&nbsp;

Opponents see the questions as intrusive and intimidating to women at particularly vulnerable times.

“There is no valid medical reason to force a woman to disclose to the Legislature if they have been a victim of abuse, rape, or incest,” Kelly said in her veto statement. “There is also no valid reason to force a woman to disclose to the Legislature why she is seeking an abortion.”&nbsp;

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/2024-07-05/kansas-supreme-court-reaffirms-that-abortion-rights-are-protected-by-constitution-striking-down-2-laws">Kansas News Service reported</a>&nbsp;that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment told providers it will not enforce the law. The agency didn’t confirm those statements when asked by reporters.&nbsp;

Here is what else you need to know about the law.&nbsp;

Do patients have to tell doctors why they are seeking an abortion in Kansas?

Women seeking an abortion don’t need to respond to the questions.&nbsp;

Republicans say that should address Democrats’ concerns, but Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Shawnee Democrat, said it’s “outrageous” that patients are asked.&nbsp;

Republicans say more information on abortion is helpful&nbsp;

The law passed through the Statehouse on party lines. Republicans said it would provide valuable information the state Legislature could use.&nbsp;

Rep. Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican, quoted an excerpt from a September 2005 report from the research group the Guttmacher Institute, which backs abortion rights, to support the bill.&nbsp;

“Understanding women’s reasons for having abortions can inform public debate and policy,” Landwher said during an April debate. “This does not restrict women from having their abortion.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Legislature overrode Kelly’s veto without any votes to spare in the House or Senate. Republicans have a veto-proof majority in the Statehouse.&nbsp;

Democrats say asking patients why they seek abortions is invasive

Democrats blasted the bill as government overreach and an attack on abortion access.&nbsp;

Ruiz said during an April debate that the Legislature wouldn’t use the results of the questionnaires in good faith.&nbsp;

“We are not known to pass legislation that actually really does benefit women,” she said. “We are not known for that.”&nbsp;

The Kansas abortion law can be included in a lawsuit. Will it get struck down?&nbsp;

Doctors are challenging the new law, saying it’s intrusive and unconstitutional.&nbsp;

In August 2022, voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have opened the way for the Legislature to ban abortion. But lawmakers can still regulate it. Attempts by the Legislature to impose strict regulations that threatened the ability to perform abortions in Kansas have been regularly rejected by the courts for going too far.&nbsp;

The new law doesn’t add new health or safety standards during the procedure. Rather, it adds things providers must do. Courts will ultimately decide if lawmakers imposed something that’s overly burdensome.&nbsp;

The Kansas Supreme Court recently struck down two abortion laws that were over a decade old. One ruling threw out a&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.org/li_2016/b2015_16/measures/documents/summary_sb_95_2015.pdf">law banning a type of abortion procedure</a>. The second ruling said a&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.org/li_2012/b2011_12/measures/documents/summary_sb_36_2011.pdf">set of requirements for abortion providers</a>&nbsp;was unconstitutional because other providers weren’t subject to those same regulations.&nbsp;

Those decade-old laws were never enforced because courts set them aside while the legal issues played out.

<h2>The abortion law took effect July 1 and has joined other efforts to limit abortion in Kansas in ongoing court battles about how far state lawmakers can regulate the procedure.</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720628368995.png" alt="The Legislature passed a law requiring clinics to ask patients why they're seeking abortions. Credit: Niko Schmidt / The Beacon" />
 <figcaption>The Legislature passed a law requiring clinics to ask patients why they're seeking abortions. Credit: Niko Schmidt / The Beacon</figcaption>
 </figure>TAKEAWAYS<ul>
 <li>Republicans say asking patients why they want an abortion provides useful information that can inform future state laws.</li><li>Democrats say the law is intrusive and unnecessary.&nbsp;</li><li>Medical providers have to ask the question, but patients don’t have to answer it.</li>
 </ul>What’s the harm in asking? Abortion rights supporters say quite a bit. Republicans in the state Legislature are trying to gather more data about the practice.&nbsp;Starting July 1, any medical professional performing an abortion is required by Kansas statute to ask patients their reasons for getting it.<a href="https://kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/hb2749_enrolled.pdf">The law</a>&nbsp;passed the Kansas Legislature this spring, and lawmakers overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto. It’s already entangled in court fights, and the state agency that regulates medical care doesn’t plan immediate enforcement.The Republicans who engineered the bill argued that a questionnaire — asking whether the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest, if it threatens a patient’s health, if the parents don’t feel supported by family or if the baby would interfere with someone’s life goals — could give a better understanding of what leads to abortions.&nbsp;Opponents see the questions as intrusive and intimidating to women at particularly vulnerable times.“There is no valid medical reason to force a woman to disclose to the Legislature if they have been a victim of abuse, rape, or incest,” Kelly said in her veto statement. “There is also no valid reason to force a woman to disclose to the Legislature why she is seeking an abortion.”&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/2024-07-05/kansas-supreme-court-reaffirms-that-abortion-rights-are-protected-by-constitution-striking-down-2-laws">Kansas News Service reported</a>&nbsp;that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment told providers it will not enforce the law. The agency didn’t confirm those statements when asked by reporters.&nbsp;Here is what else you need to know about the law.&nbsp;<h2>Do patients have to tell doctors why they are seeking an abortion in Kansas?</h2>Women seeking an abortion don’t need to respond to the questions.&nbsp;Republicans say that should address Democrats’ concerns, but Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Shawnee Democrat, said it’s “outrageous” that patients are asked.&nbsp;<h2>Republicans say more information on abortion is helpful&nbsp;</h2>The law passed through the Statehouse on party lines. Republicans said it would provide valuable information the state Legislature could use.&nbsp;Rep. Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican, quoted an excerpt from a September 2005 report from the research group the Guttmacher Institute, which backs abortion rights, to support the bill.&nbsp;“Understanding women’s reasons for having abortions can inform public debate and policy,” Landwher said during an April debate. “This does not restrict women from having their abortion.”&nbsp;&nbsp;The Legislature overrode Kelly’s veto without any votes to spare in the House or Senate. Republicans have a veto-proof majority in the Statehouse.&nbsp;<h2>Democrats say asking patients why they seek abortions is invasive</h2>Democrats blasted the bill as government overreach and an attack on abortion access.&nbsp;Ruiz said during an April debate that the Legislature wouldn’t use the results of the questionnaires in good faith.&nbsp;“We are not known to pass legislation that actually really does benefit women,” she said. “We are not known for that.”&nbsp;<h2>The Kansas abortion law can be included in a lawsuit. Will it get struck down?&nbsp;</h2>Doctors are challenging the new law, saying it’s intrusive and unconstitutional.&nbsp;In August 2022, voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have opened the way for the Legislature to ban abortion. But lawmakers can still regulate it. Attempts by the Legislature to impose strict regulations that threatened the ability to perform abortions in Kansas have been regularly rejected by the courts for going too far.&nbsp;The new law doesn’t add new health or safety standards during the procedure. Rather, it adds things providers must do. Courts will ultimately decide if lawmakers imposed something that’s overly burdensome.&nbsp;The Kansas Supreme Court recently struck down two abortion laws that were over a decade old. One ruling threw out a&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.org/li_2016/b2015_16/measures/documents/summary_sb_95_2015.pdf">law banning a type of abortion procedure</a>. The second ruling said a&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.org/li_2012/b2011_12/measures/documents/summary_sb_36_2011.pdf">set of requirements for abortion providers</a>&nbsp;was unconstitutional because other providers weren’t subject to those same regulations.&nbsp;Those decade-old laws were never enforced because courts set them aside while the legal issues played out.

Newest abortion law in Kansas requires putting questions to patients. Here’s what that means

The lieutenant governor is next in line to be governor, breaks ties in the Missouri Senate and sits on various boards

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

When Eric Greitens was forced to resign from the Missouri governor’s office in 2018, he was replaced by Lt. Gov. Mike Parson.

Two years later, Parson won a full term of his own.&nbsp;

Being next in line for governor is the major constitutional requirement for the lieutenant governor. In Missouri, unlike many other states, the lieutenant governor doesn’t run on a ticket with the governor.&nbsp;

Five Republicans hope to win their party’s nomination for lieutenant governor on Aug. 6, vying for a job that involves sitting on&nbsp;<a href="https://ltgov.mo.gov/boards-commissions/" target="_blank">various boards</a>&nbsp;and breaking ties in the Missouri Senate.

Despite its limited constitutional authority,&nbsp;millions are being spent to capture the GOP nod heading into the fall, where the winner will take on one of two Democrats — state Rep. Richard Brown of Kansas City or Anastasia Syes of St. Louis&nbsp; — and Libertarian Ken Iverson of Lake St. Louis.

Rehder, of Scott City, served eight years in the Missouri House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate in 2020.

The work she’s most proud of in the legislature, she said in an interview, was helping pass policies to “help people out of poverty, help them become self-reliant and and help with the mental health struggles we see,” pointing to veteran suicides and the opioid epidemic.

“I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “I grew up on the system and got myself out, turning into a business owner, starting from the ground up, not because anyone handed me anything but because it was because I worked for it and took the risk.”

Rehder, who married at 15 and had a daughter at 16, sponsored legislation this year&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/legislation-enacting-total-ban-on-child-marriage-in-missouri-dies-in-the-house/">to ban child marriage</a>, which narrowly failed.&nbsp;

She also sponsored legislation last year to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-governor-signs-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-restrictions-for-trans-athletes/">prohibit transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from competing in sports that align with their gender identity, which was signed into law.

Before politics, Rehder worked in the cable television industry and co-founded a cable contracting company.&nbsp;She is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University.

She said she decided to run for lieutenant governor to make a larger impact on people’s lives than she can as a senator, with the opportunity to “delve into some policy issues and really fight to help people.” Areas she is particularly interested in focusing attention toward include the foster care system and veterans’ mental health.

Rehder&nbsp;has&nbsp;$302,928 cash on hand&nbsp;in her&nbsp;<a href="https://mec.mo.gov/MEC/Campaign_Finance/CommInfo.aspx?MECID=C111145" target="_blank">campaign fund</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;$264,596&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href="https://mec.mo.gov/MEC/Campaign_Finance/CommInfo.aspx?MECID=C211685" target="_blank">Southern Drawl PAC</a>, her joint fundraising committee, as of April 15 filings. Her campaign fund had spent $190,055 and the PAC had spent $40,508 on the campaign, as of April 15.

Wasinger is an attorney at a St. Louis law firm he owns and manages, and a certified public accountant.

He ran for auditor in 2018 and lost in the GOP primary.

Wasinger grew up in Hannibal and attended the University of Missouri and then Vanderbilt Law School, before moving to St. Louis. He has worked at the law firm for over 20 years, specializing in business litigation.

After the 2008 financial crisis, Wasinger “took on Wall Street banks,” he said,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-courts-wallstreet/small-firm-lawyer-takes-on-wall-street-and-wins-twice-idUSBREA1F0M120140217/" target="_blank">representing whistleblowers</a>&nbsp;in financial fraud cases against Countrywide Home Loans and JP Morgan Chase. The whistleblowers were key witnesses in the federal government’s case against the banks, helping federal prosecutors recover billions of dollars.&nbsp;

Wasinger said the position of lieutenant governor “serves as a great bully pulpit to expose this corruption and these insider deals taking place in Jefferson City.”&nbsp;

As of April 15&nbsp;<a href="https://mec.mo.gov/MEC/Campaign_Finance/CommInfo.aspx?MECID=C242714" target="_blank">filings</a>, Wasinger’s campaign had $222,554 cash on hand and had spent&nbsp;$17,759. Since then, he has donated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mec.mo.gov/CampaignFinanceReports/Generator.aspx?Keys=UQggPoJftVkEEf1ZNi5D6RYZJXNG2vDba4ENMvWHEVCvOWH17nTkRAj158jgMKdNeOyoKXtQSV%2fNHBQgEqUF0LAzRPhHahiB" target="_blank">$1.5 million</a>&nbsp;of his own money to the campaign.&nbsp;

Hough, of Springfield, first won election to the Missouri House in 2010 and won a seat on the Greene County Commission in 2016. Two years later, he was elected to the Senate and was re-elected last year.

Hough is a “first-generation cattleman” who started his cattle ranch when he was in seventh grade. He graduated from Missouri State University.

“The most important thing I would want people to know about me is that I’m a self made person,” he said. “And I don’t come from a political family. I don’t come from money.”&nbsp;

Hough has served as chairman of the powerful Senate appropriations committee since last year, giving him huge influence over the state budget.&nbsp;

He said he’s proudest of his work in the legislature&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/29/legislature-sends-764-million-income-tax-cut-to-missouri-governor/">cutting the income tax</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/04/19/missouri-senate-committee-triples-funding-for-widening-i-70-across-the-state/">investing in Interstate 70</a>&nbsp;and providing state funds to support the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-house-sends-bill-funding-border-deployment-to-the-senate/">National Guard when it was dispatched to the US-Mexico border</a>&nbsp;by the governor.&nbsp; He also said that in his time as chairman “we have completely&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/02/23/missouri-senate-passes-4-6b-spending-bill-with-pay-raises-federal-school-funds/">defunded Planned Parenthood,”&nbsp;</a>by preventing it from receiving Medicaid reimbursements.

&nbsp;“I’ve got a good track record of actually getting things done in Jefferson City,” he said, “and not just not just doing the kind of the political talking points that people like to do.”&nbsp;

Hough said he sees the focus of the lieutenant governor as&nbsp; “promoting Missouri,” and “supporting the workforce initiatives of the governor.”

Hough’s&nbsp;<a href="https://mec.mo.gov/MEC/Campaign_Finance/CommInfo.aspx?MECID=C091272" target="_blank">campaign fund</a>&nbsp;had $377,679 cash on hand as of April 15. A joint fundraising PAC,&nbsp;<a href="https://mec.mo.gov/MEC/Campaign_Finance/CommInfo.aspx?MECID=C171164" target="_blank">Lincoln PAC</a>, had roughly $1.2 million.&nbsp;

His campaign fund had spent&nbsp;$138,222 and the PAC had spent $143,683 as of April 15.

Berry, a St. Louis County businessman, has&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/24/republican-lg-hopeful-files-lawsuit-seeking-to-toss-out-71-missouri-initiative-petitions/">run unsuccessfully</a>&nbsp;in five campaigns since 2012.&nbsp;

He has also filed numerous lawsuits that have either been dismissed or withdrawn, including one intended to force state lawmakers to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/missouri-congressional-candidate-paul-berry-files-redistricting-lawsuit/39389086#" target="_blank">pass a congressional redistricting map</a>&nbsp;and another alleging election irregularities cost him victory in his&nbsp;<a href="https://callnewspapers.com/paul-berrys-lawsuit-asking-for-new-county-executive-election-is-dismissed/" target="_blank">22 percentage-point loss</a>&nbsp;in the 2020 St. Louis County Executive race.

Though he isn’t an attorney, Berry represented himself in those cases.

Berry is a bail bondsman from Bridgeton and the great-nephew of rock-n-roll legend Chuck Berry.

His campaign filed a limited activity report with the Missouri Ethics Commission, meaning it raised and spent less than $500.

Baker is the county clerk in Franklin County. He lives in Robertsville and before becoming clerk ran for county commissioner three times and lost.

As county clerk, Baker said, he has focused on saving taxpayer money by reducing “wasteful spending.”

He said he believes in the importance of the boards the lieutenant governor serves on, including veterans and tourism, and would hope to bring more attention to farming in Missouri.

“Farming is our number one industry in our state,” he said. “And a lot of people, especially in the urban areas, don’t necessarily know what a farm looks like or where their food comes from whenever you go out and talk to folks. And it would be nice to bring that to the forefront too.”

Baker has $5,646 on hand, according to April 15&nbsp;<a href="https://mec.mo.gov/MEC/Campaign_Finance/CommInfo.aspx?MECID=C180071" target="_blank">filings</a>, and had spent $4,079.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704198327621.png" alt="The Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City, as pictured September 26, 2023 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>The Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City, as pictured September 26, 2023 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The lieutenant governor is next in line to be governor, breaks ties in the Missouri Senate and sits on various boards</h2>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/cbates/">CLARA BATES</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>When Eric Greitens was forced to resign from the Missouri governor’s office in 2018, he was replaced by Lt. Gov. Mike Parson.Two years later, Parson won a full term of his own.&nbsp;Being next in line for governor is the major constitutional requirement for the lieutenant governor. In Missouri, unlike many other states, the lieutenant governor doesn’t run on a ticket with the governor.&nbsp;Five Republicans hope to win their party’s nomination for lieutenant governor on Aug. 6, vying for a job that involves sitting on&nbsp;<a href="https://ltgov.mo.gov/boards-commissions/" target="_blank">various boards</a>&nbsp;and breaking ties in the Missouri Senate.Despite its limited constitutional authority,&nbsp;millions are being spent to capture the GOP nod heading into the fall, where the winner will take on one of two Democrats — state Rep. Richard Brown of Kansas City or Anastasia Syes of St. Louis&nbsp; — and Libertarian Ken Iverson of Lake St. Louis.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720613034642.png" alt="&nbsp;Holly Rehder (photo submitted)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Holly Rehder (photo submitted)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Holly Thompson Rehder</h2>Rehder, of Scott City, served eight years in the Missouri House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate in 2020.The work she’s most proud of in the legislature, she said in an interview, was helping pass policies to “help people out of poverty, help them become self-reliant and and help with the mental health struggles we see,” pointing to veteran suicides and the opioid epidemic.“I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “I grew up on the system and got myself out, turning into a business owner, starting from the ground up, not because anyone handed me anything but because it was because I worked for it and took the risk.”Rehder, who married at 15 and had a daughter at 16, sponsored legislation this year&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/legislation-enacting-total-ban-on-child-marriage-in-missouri-dies-in-the-house/">to ban child marriage</a>, which narrowly failed.&nbsp;She also sponsored legislation last year to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-governor-signs-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-restrictions-for-trans-athletes/">prohibit transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from competing in sports that align with their gender identity, which was signed into law.Before politics, Rehder worked in the cable television industry and co-founded a cable contracting company.&nbsp;She is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University.She said she decided to run for lieutenant governor to make a larger impact on people’s lives than she can as a senator, with the opportunity to “delve into some policy issues and really fight to help people.” Areas she is particularly interested in focusing attention toward include the foster care system and veterans’ mental health.Rehder&nbsp;has&nbsp;$302,928 cash on hand&nbsp;in her&nbsp;<a href="https://mec.mo.gov/MEC/Campaign_Finance/CommInfo.aspx?MECID=C111145" target="_blank">campaign fund</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;$264,596&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href="https://mec.mo.gov/MEC/Campaign_Finance/CommInfo.aspx?MECID=C211685" target="_blank">Southern Drawl PAC</a>, her joint fundraising committee, as of April 15 filings. Her campaign fund had spent $190,055 and the PAC had spent $40,508 on the campaign, as of April 15.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720613080951.png" alt="Dave Wasinger (photo submitted)" />
 <figcaption>Dave Wasinger (photo submitted)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Dave Wasinger</h2>Wasinger is an attorney at a St. Louis law firm he owns and manages, and a certified public accountant.He ran for auditor in 2018 and lost in the GOP primary.Wasinger grew up in Hannibal and attended the University of Missouri and then Vanderbilt Law School, before moving to St. Louis. He has worked at the law firm for over 20 years, specializing in business litigation.After the 2008 financial crisis, Wasinger “took on Wall Street banks,” he said,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-courts-wallstreet/small-firm-lawyer-takes-on-wall-street-and-wins-twice-idUSBREA1F0M120140217/" target="_blank">representing whistleblowers</a>&nbsp;in financial fraud cases against Countrywide Home Loans and JP Morgan Chase. The whistleblowers were key witnesses in the federal government’s case against the banks, helping federal prosecutors recover billions of dollars.&nbsp;Wasinger said the position of lieutenant governor “serves as a great bully pulpit to expose this corruption and these insider deals taking place in Jefferson City.”&nbsp;As of April 15&nbsp;<a href="https://mec.mo.gov/MEC/Campaign_Finance/CommInfo.aspx?MECID=C242714" target="_blank">filings</a>, Wasinger’s campaign had $222,554 cash on hand and had spent&nbsp;$17,759. Since then, he has donated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mec.mo.gov/CampaignFinanceReports/Generator.aspx?Keys=UQggPoJftVkEEf1ZNi5D6RYZJXNG2vDba4ENMvWHEVCvOWH17nTkRAj158jgMKdNeOyoKXtQSV%2fNHBQgEqUF0LAzRPhHahiB" target="_blank">$1.5 million</a>&nbsp;of his own money to the campaign.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720613124250.png" alt="Lincoln Hough (courtesy of Missouri Senate)." />
 <figcaption>Lincoln Hough (courtesy of Missouri Senate).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Lincoln Hough</h2>Hough, of Springfield, first won election to the Missouri House in 2010 and won a seat on the Greene County Commission in 2016. Two years later, he was elected to the Senate and was re-elected last year.Hough is a “first-generation cattleman” who started his cattle ranch when he was in seventh grade. He graduated from Missouri State University.“The most important thing I would want people to know about me is that I’m a self made person,” he said. “And I don’t come from a political family. I don’t come from money.”&nbsp;Hough has served as chairman of the powerful Senate appropriations committee since last year, giving him huge influence over the state budget.&nbsp;He said he’s proudest of his work in the legislature&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/29/legislature-sends-764-million-income-tax-cut-to-missouri-governor/">cutting the income tax</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/04/19/missouri-senate-committee-triples-funding-for-widening-i-70-across-the-state/">investing in Interstate 70</a>&nbsp;and providing state funds to support the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-house-sends-bill-funding-border-deployment-to-the-senate/">National Guard when it was dispatched to the US-Mexico border</a>&nbsp;by the governor.&nbsp; He also said that in his time as chairman “we have completely&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/02/23/missouri-senate-passes-4-6b-spending-bill-with-pay-raises-federal-school-funds/">defunded Planned Parenthood,”&nbsp;</a>by preventing it from receiving Medicaid reimbursements.&nbsp;“I’ve got a good track record of actually getting things done in Jefferson City,” he said, “and not just not just doing the kind of the political talking points that people like to do.”&nbsp;Hough said he sees the focus of the lieutenant governor as&nbsp; “promoting Missouri,” and “supporting the workforce initiatives of the governor.”Hough’s&nbsp;<a href="https://mec.mo.gov/MEC/Campaign_Finance/CommInfo.aspx?MECID=C091272" target="_blank">campaign fund</a>&nbsp;had $377,679 cash on hand as of April 15. A joint fundraising PAC,&nbsp;<a href="https://mec.mo.gov/MEC/Campaign_Finance/CommInfo.aspx?MECID=C171164" target="_blank">Lincoln PAC</a>, had roughly $1.2 million.&nbsp;His campaign fund had spent&nbsp;$138,222 and the PAC had spent $143,683 as of April 15.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720613155329.png" alt="Paul Berry III" />
 <figcaption>Paul Berry III</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Paul Berry III</h2>Berry, a St. Louis County businessman, has&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/24/republican-lg-hopeful-files-lawsuit-seeking-to-toss-out-71-missouri-initiative-petitions/">run unsuccessfully</a>&nbsp;in five campaigns since 2012.&nbsp;He has also filed numerous lawsuits that have either been dismissed or withdrawn, including one intended to force state lawmakers to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/missouri-congressional-candidate-paul-berry-files-redistricting-lawsuit/39389086#" target="_blank">pass a congressional redistricting map</a>&nbsp;and another alleging election irregularities cost him victory in his&nbsp;<a href="https://callnewspapers.com/paul-berrys-lawsuit-asking-for-new-county-executive-election-is-dismissed/" target="_blank">22 percentage-point loss</a>&nbsp;in the 2020 St. Louis County Executive race.Though he isn’t an attorney, Berry represented himself in those cases.Berry is a bail bondsman from Bridgeton and the great-nephew of rock-n-roll legend Chuck Berry.His campaign filed a limited activity report with the Missouri Ethics Commission, meaning it raised and spent less than $500.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720613253993.png" alt="Tim Baker (photo submitted)" />
 <figcaption>Tim Baker (photo submitted)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Tim Baker</h2>Baker is the county clerk in Franklin County. He lives in Robertsville and before becoming clerk ran for county commissioner three times and lost.As county clerk, Baker said, he has focused on saving taxpayer money by reducing “wasteful spending.”He said he believes in the importance of the boards the lieutenant governor serves on, including veterans and tourism, and would hope to bring more attention to farming in Missouri.“Farming is our number one industry in our state,” he said. “And a lot of people, especially in the urban areas, don’t necessarily know what a farm looks like or where their food comes from whenever you go out and talk to folks. And it would be nice to bring that to the forefront too.”Baker has $5,646 on hand, according to April 15&nbsp;<a href="https://mec.mo.gov/MEC/Campaign_Finance/CommInfo.aspx?MECID=C180071" target="_blank">filings</a>, and had spent $4,079.

Crowded GOP primary field vying to be Missouri’s next lieutenant governor

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/graceburwell/">GRACE BURWELL</a>

Construction crews began work Monday night on an ambitious $2.8 billion project that will expand Interstate 70 to three lanes across Missouri.

Crews are first tackling a stretch from Route J at Millersburg to Route M at Hatton, 7 miles of a 20-mile section that will ultimately add a third lane in each direction from Columbia to Kingdom City.

The overnight schedule is designed to minimize traffic disruptions as the highway work progresses from the center of the state to other portions at the east and west ends of the highway.

The project’s first 20-mile section is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. Subsequent phases include improving stretches of highway from Warrenton to Wentzville and from Blue Springs to Odessa. The entire project is expected to be finished by 2030.

Road crews will first close the westbound lane from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. nightly to lay new asphalt that will strengthen the highway shoulders, said the state’s Improve I-70 central project director, Jeff Gander.

When that portion is done, the eastbound lane will be closed to traffic. Estimated completion is this summer.

“After they get that shoulder-strengthening done, they’re going to re-stripe the highway to push traffic more toward the outsides, and then they’ll be setting barrier wall all along the inside to barrier off the median so we can perform our work in there,” Gander said.

In addition to adding a third lane each way to the 20 miles between the U.S. 63 and U.S. 54 exits, crews will improve the intersections of U.S. 63 and I-70 in Columbia and between U.S. 54 and I-70 in Kingdom City.

Missouri Department of Transportation plans to begin working on the U.S. 63-Interstate-70 connector this summer, while construction on U.S. 54 will likely not start until 2025, Gander said.

A St. Charles-based contractor, Millstone Weber, was selected to do the first section, which has a $405 million price tag. The contractor intends to avoid impacting local traffic by keeping two lanes open during construction at all times, with the exception of some temporary closures at night.

“What we have committed to for this project is to keep two lanes of I-70 flowing at all peak times, which means during the day,” he said. “There’s a good possibility that they will have a lane closed at night, both eastbound and westbound at the same time.”

MoDOT did preliminary work ahead of Monday’s construction, including pavement coring, as well as subsurface boring where some of the structures will go to prepare for the design.

Since the initiative is a design-build project, highway improvement happens incrementally, Gander said. In this kind of project, the full design plans are completed while the project is underway.

“When we actually award this contract, we don’t have full design plans — we have plans that are probably at, say, 30 percent complete,” Gander said. “Right now, they are hot-and-heavy working on fully designing the rest of the project.”

The project has been on MoDOT’s unfunded agenda for almost 20 years and is the largest interstate construction program since the early 1960s. The expanded highway portion will run from Blue Springs in Jackson County to Wentzville in St. Charles County.

More than 40,000 vehicles travel between Kansas City and St. Louis each day. A third lane will allow for emergency vehicles to access crashes faster and with less traffic back-up, keeping drivers safer and less frustrated, according to MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna in an earlier Missourian report.

Due to the significant highway construction happening around Columbia during the next few years, Gander said it is important for people to pay attention while driving.

Distracted driving is the main issue that highway construction workers must deal with, he said.

“When this project gets really rolling, and we have all the different areas that we’re working on, we could have upwards of around 300 people out there working on a day-to-day basis, including our prime contractor and our subcontractors,” he said.

“Our goal is for everybody to go home safe, so we really need the public’s help for that.”

This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/long-awaited-i-70-expansion-project-begins-near-columbia/article_0cde008a-3d48-11ef-a41e-7ff24996b4b8.html#tncms-source=Featured" target="_blank">Columbia Missourian</a>. It can be republished in print or online.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720571482343.png" alt="Construction on Interstate 70 begins Monday in Columbia. The $2.8 billion project is expected to be finished by 2030 (Sarah Voyles/Missourian)." />
 <figcaption>Construction on Interstate 70 begins Monday in Columbia. The $2.8 billion project is expected to be finished by 2030 (Sarah Voyles/Missourian).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/graceburwell/">GRACE BURWELL</a>Construction crews began work Monday night on an ambitious $2.8 billion project that will expand Interstate 70 to three lanes across Missouri.Crews are first tackling a stretch from Route J at Millersburg to Route M at Hatton, 7 miles of a 20-mile section that will ultimately add a third lane in each direction from Columbia to Kingdom City.The overnight schedule is designed to minimize traffic disruptions as the highway work progresses from the center of the state to other portions at the east and west ends of the highway.The project’s first 20-mile section is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. Subsequent phases include improving stretches of highway from Warrenton to Wentzville and from Blue Springs to Odessa. The entire project is expected to be finished by 2030.Road crews will first close the westbound lane from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. nightly to lay new asphalt that will strengthen the highway shoulders, said the state’s Improve I-70 central project director, Jeff Gander.When that portion is done, the eastbound lane will be closed to traffic. Estimated completion is this summer.“After they get that shoulder-strengthening done, they’re going to re-stripe the highway to push traffic more toward the outsides, and then they’ll be setting barrier wall all along the inside to barrier off the median so we can perform our work in there,” Gander said.In addition to adding a third lane each way to the 20 miles between the U.S. 63 and U.S. 54 exits, crews will improve the intersections of U.S. 63 and I-70 in Columbia and between U.S. 54 and I-70 in Kingdom City.Missouri Department of Transportation plans to begin working on the U.S. 63-Interstate-70 connector this summer, while construction on U.S. 54 will likely not start until 2025, Gander said.A St. Charles-based contractor, Millstone Weber, was selected to do the first section, which has a $405 million price tag. The contractor intends to avoid impacting local traffic by keeping two lanes open during construction at all times, with the exception of some temporary closures at night.“What we have committed to for this project is to keep two lanes of I-70 flowing at all peak times, which means during the day,” he said. “There’s a good possibility that they will have a lane closed at night, both eastbound and westbound at the same time.”MoDOT did preliminary work ahead of Monday’s construction, including pavement coring, as well as subsurface boring where some of the structures will go to prepare for the design.Since the initiative is a design-build project, highway improvement happens incrementally, Gander said. In this kind of project, the full design plans are completed while the project is underway.“When we actually award this contract, we don’t have full design plans — we have plans that are probably at, say, 30 percent complete,” Gander said. “Right now, they are hot-and-heavy working on fully designing the rest of the project.”The project has been on MoDOT’s unfunded agenda for almost 20 years and is the largest interstate construction program since the early 1960s. The expanded highway portion will run from Blue Springs in Jackson County to Wentzville in St. Charles County.More than 40,000 vehicles travel between Kansas City and St. Louis each day. A third lane will allow for emergency vehicles to access crashes faster and with less traffic back-up, keeping drivers safer and less frustrated, according to MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna in an earlier Missourian report.Due to the significant highway construction happening around Columbia during the next few years, Gander said it is important for people to pay attention while driving.Distracted driving is the main issue that highway construction workers must deal with, he said.“When this project gets really rolling, and we have all the different areas that we’re working on, we could have upwards of around 300 people out there working on a day-to-day basis, including our prime contractor and our subcontractors,” he said.“Our goal is for everybody to go home safe, so we really need the public’s help for that.”This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/long-awaited-i-70-expansion-project-begins-near-columbia/article_0cde008a-3d48-11ef-a41e-7ff24996b4b8.html#tncms-source=Featured" target="_blank">Columbia Missourian</a>. It can be republished in print or online.&nbsp;

Local