ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a northeast Kansas man for alleged child sex crimes.

On Monday, police arrested 37-year-old&nbsp;Steven J. Woodward, Jr., of Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.&nbsp;

Woodward was jailed on a Federal warrant charging him with sexual exploitation of a minor. Police booked him into the Atchison County jail and he was moved to another facility, according to online jail records.

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a northeast Kansas man for alleged child sex crimes.On Monday, police arrested 37-year-old&nbsp;Steven J. Woodward, Jr., of Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.&nbsp;Woodward was jailed on a Federal warrant charging him with sexual exploitation of a minor. Police booked him into the Atchison County jail and he was moved to another facility, according to online jail records.

Northeast Kansas man accused of child sex crimes

Buchanan County residents 62 and older will be able to apply
next year for a property tax freeze on their primary residence.

The County Commission has unanimously approved the proposal
made possible by a change in state law.

Presiding Commissioner, Scott Nelson, says the commission met
with entities that received revenue from property taxes before making the
decision. Nelson doesn’t expect a freeze in property tax assessments for senior
citizens to have much of an impact.

“I can only speak from the county’s budget and we’re of the
opinion that it will have very little impact on our budgeting,” Nelson tells
KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.

Eligible county residents will have the property tax
assessment of their primary residence maintained at the 2024 level as long as
their live there. As other residents reach the age of 62, they can apply for
the property tax freeze.

The Missouri legislature first adopted Senate Bill 190 a year
ago. Though signed into law, problems arose quickly. Not only did the law leave
out retirees who do not receive Social Security benefits, such as teachers and many
public employees, it confused many county officials looking to adopt its
provisions.

State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer of Parkville returned to the
legislative session this year seeking to shore up its provisions. The revised
legislation passed and Gov. Mike Parson signed it into law.

Applications will be taken in Buchanan County beginning March
1st. Nelson says the Commission met with county officeholders on an
application process to make it as simple as possible.

“Simple as possible for anybody over 62 to walk in the
courthouse, be pointed in the right direction, pick up an application, and know
exactly where to go,” Nelson says. “For those who are computer savvy, you can
get on early and find out what you need to bring. Because you need to prove two
things. You need to prove your residence and you need to prove your age.”

The state cannot impose a tax break on local governmental
jurisdictions, so the legislation left it up to the 114 individual counties in
Missouri as well as the City of St. Louis to adopt its provisions. The
legislation allows counties to freeze the property tax assessment on the
primary residence for as long as the senior citizens live there. It could either
be adopted by county officials or through initiative petition of county residents.

Nelson says the commission didn’t feel pressured into adopting
the freeze, stating any tax relief the county can provide to senior citizens is
a good step.

“And give them some peace of mind in whatever sort of budgeting
process they go to with their finances and not have to worry about their real
estate taxes being increased; that’s a good thing,” Nelson says.

The initial application period will run through June 30th.

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

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostBuchanan County residents 62 and older will be able to apply
next year for a property tax freeze on their primary residence.The County Commission has unanimously approved the proposal
made possible by a change in state law.Presiding Commissioner, Scott Nelson, says the commission met
with entities that received revenue from property taxes before making the
decision. Nelson doesn’t expect a freeze in property tax assessments for senior
citizens to have much of an impact.“I can only speak from the county’s budget and we’re of the
opinion that it will have very little impact on our budgeting,” Nelson tells
KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.Eligible county residents will have the property tax
assessment of their primary residence maintained at the 2024 level as long as
their live there. As other residents reach the age of 62, they can apply for
the property tax freeze.The Missouri legislature first adopted Senate Bill 190 a year
ago. Though signed into law, problems arose quickly. Not only did the law leave
out retirees who do not receive Social Security benefits, such as teachers and many
public employees, it confused many county officials looking to adopt its
provisions.State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer of Parkville returned to the
legislative session this year seeking to shore up its provisions. The revised
legislation passed and Gov. Mike Parson signed it into law.Applications will be taken in Buchanan County beginning March
1st. Nelson says the Commission met with county officeholders on an
application process to make it as simple as possible.“Simple as possible for anybody over 62 to walk in the
courthouse, be pointed in the right direction, pick up an application, and know
exactly where to go,” Nelson says. “For those who are computer savvy, you can
get on early and find out what you need to bring. Because you need to prove two
things. You need to prove your residence and you need to prove your age.”The state cannot impose a tax break on local governmental
jurisdictions, so the legislation left it up to the 114 individual counties in
Missouri as well as the City of St. Louis to adopt its provisions. The
legislation allows counties to freeze the property tax assessment on the
primary residence for as long as the senior citizens live there. It could either
be adopted by county officials or through initiative petition of county residents.Nelson says the commission didn’t feel pressured into adopting
the freeze, stating any tax relief the county can provide to senior citizens is
a good step.“And give them some peace of mind in whatever sort of budgeting
process they go to with their finances and not have to worry about their real
estate taxes being increased; that’s a good thing,” Nelson says.The initial application period will run through June 30th.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Older Buchanan CO residents could see property tax relief

“This is not the end all, be all,” state Sen. Elizabeth Coleman said. “And I think you will see efforts, win or lose, for Missourians to get another say in this”

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

Four lawsuits. Several failed attempts to raise the threshold to pass constitutional amendments. One unprecedented attempt to decertify a ballot measure.&nbsp;

Despite this succession of failed GOP efforts to torpedo Amendment 3 over the past 18 months, abortion will remain on Missouri’s Nov. 5 ballot.&nbsp;

“What a long strange trip it’s been,”&nbsp;said Michael Wolff, a former Missouri Supreme Court chief justice and dean emeritus at St. Louis University School of Law,&nbsp;quoting Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia.&nbsp;

In the 18 months since the amendment, which would legalize abortion up until the point of fetal viability, was proposed as&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/03/09/group-files-ballot-measures-adding-abortion-protections-to-missouri-constitution/">an initiative petition</a>, it has faced a “minefield of ballot litigation” that ended earlier this month when the state’s highest court ruled the measure must stay on the ballot, Wolff said.

On June 24, 2022, Missouri became the first state in the country&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/24/abortion-is-now-illegal-in-missouri-in-wake-of-u-s-supreme-court-ruling/">to ban abortions</a>&nbsp;in response to the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion. The ruling triggered a state law banning all abortions with limited exceptions in cases of medical emergencies. There are no exceptions for victims or rape or incest.&nbsp;

Since then,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/dashboard/ballot-tracker-status-of-abortion-related-state-constitutional-amendment-measures/" target="_blank">citizens in six states have voted&nbsp;</a>to protect or increase abortion access, including in Kansas, Ohio and Michigan. Missouri is among 10 states where abortion will be on the ballot this year.&nbsp;

Amendment 3 would legalize abortion until the point of fetal viability and protect other reproductive rights, including birth control.

For anti-abortion lawmakers, “this is like the mega Super Bowl,” said James Harris, a longtime Republican political consultant.

He said litigation to drive up costs for proponents is advantageous, so lawsuits are par for the course. But the secretary of state’s effort to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/10/missouri-supreme-court-rules-amendment-legalizing-abortion-will-remain-on-ballot/">decertify the measure before the court cases concluded</a>&nbsp;was unique.

While all the attempts were ultimately rebuffed by Missouri’s higher courts, they could foreshadow fights to come if Amendment 3 passes.

Sean Nicholson,&nbsp;a long-time progressive activist who has worked on multiple initiative petition campaigns, but is not involved with Amendment 3, called a circuit court ruling earlier this month that threatened to throw the measure off the ballot “some creative lawyering.”

“Nothing shocks me anymore in terms of what politicians are willing to do,” Nicholson said. “I think fundamentally they are terrified of a straight up or down vote on Amendment 3 and they’re going to pull out everything they can to avoid the consequences of voters having their say.”

State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, a Republican from Arnold, is among the anti-abortion activists who sued to keep Amendment 3 off the ballot. She said regardless of what happens in November, there’s a long road ahead.

“This is not the end all be all,” Coleman said. “And I think you will see efforts, win or lose, for Missourians to get another say in this.”&nbsp;

In&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/03/09/group-files-ballot-measures-adding-abortion-protections-to-missouri-constitution/">March 2023, 11 iterations of what’s now Amendment 3&nbsp;</a>were filed by Dr. Anna Fitz-James on behalf of the coalition behind the campaign. The political maneuvering by the state’s Republican elected officials aimed at keeping the abortion-rights amendment off the ballot began almost immediately.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey refused to accept State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick’s fiscal note summary estimating the potential public cost of the amendment. Bailey, who thought the estimate&nbsp; should be about $6.9 trillion, attempted to force Fitzpatrick to alter his estimate of $51,000.

By the time Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/06/21/missouri-ag-misses-deadline-on-abortion-petition-as-appeal-is-filed/">ordered Bailey to certify the measure&nbsp;</a>with Fitzpatrick’s estimate, the initial certification process, which is supposed to take no more than 54 days, had already taken nearly double that. The Supreme Court ultimately<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/20/missouri-supreme-court-rejects-ags-push-to-inflate-cost-of-abortion-rights-amendment/">&nbsp;ruled in favor of Fitzpatrick.</a>

Shortly after, Amendment 3 backers sued Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft over the ballot summary language he drafted, which would have asked Missourians, in part, if they wanted to “allow for dangerous, unregulated, and unrestricted abortions, from conception to live birth.”&nbsp;

Beetem ruled in September 2023 that Ashcroft’s language was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/09/25/judge-rejects-rewrites-summary-for-missouri-abortion-initiative-petition/">“problematic” and inaccurate.</a>&nbsp;

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign behind the amendment,<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/19/missouri-abortion-ballot-viabilty-effort-fundraises-1-million/">&nbsp;officially kicked-off signature gathering efforts in January</a>, blaming the previous months of litigation for the delay.&nbsp;

Despite a May deadline to gather more than 171,000 signatures from Missourians across six of the eight congressional districts, the campaign ultimately<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/03/missourians-signatures-abortion-amendment-viability/">&nbsp;filed more than 380,000 signatures</a>&nbsp;with the secretary of state’s office.&nbsp;

This was despite a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/02/missouri-abortion-amendment-march-life/">“decline to sign” campaign,</a>&nbsp;the distribution of fliers urging Missourians to withdraw their signatures and unsubstantiated warnings&nbsp;that signing the initiative could result in identity theft.&nbsp;

At the same time, GOP lawmakers failed to pass one of their top priorities —&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/17/missouri-session-initiative-petition-senate/">legislation raising the threshold to pass initiative petitions</a>&nbsp;— due in part to a record-breaking filibuster by Senate Democrats.

Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, executive director at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, said Missouri has been a battleground for attacks on the initiative process.&nbsp;

“We’ve seen an escalation of attacks to the ballot measure process and politicians trying to change the rules of the game to prevent citizens from putting these issues on the ballot,” she said. “Like reproductive freedom.”

Shortly after<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/13/missouri-voters-will-decide-whether-to-legalize-abortion-in-november/">&nbsp;Ashcroft certified the measure for the ballot in mid-August</a>, he posted “fair ballot language” to his official website that mirrored the ballot language rejected by the courts in 2023. Cole County Circuit Judge Cotton Walker ruled the description was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/05/judge-rules-ashcrofts-abortion-amendment-unfair-misleading/">“unfair, inaccurate, insufficient and misleading.”</a>&nbsp;

Ashcroft was ordered to replace his language with the court’s language.&nbsp;

The final effort to keep Amendment 3 off the ballot began in late August, when a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/10/missouri-supreme-court-rules-amendment-legalizing-abortion-will-remain-on-ballot/">lawsuit filed by anti-abortion lawmakers and activists&nbsp;</a><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/09/missouri-abortion-rights-amendment-state-supreme-court/">claimed the initiative petition failed to follow a number of laws.&nbsp;</a>

Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh sided with the plaintiffs, ruling the proposal failed “to include any statute or provision that will be repealed, especially when many of these statutes are apparent.”

“I do think the circuit court decision is an important inflection point for the legislature to have a policy discussion in [2025] about when all of these measures are putting umpteen things into the constitution which then directly or indirectly invalidate a statute,” James said. “Should the voter clearly know that, and has it been kind of loosy-goosy?”

The Supreme Court took an expedited appeal of Limbaugh’s ruling. But Ashcroft announced he was decertifying the measure, an unprecedented attempt to rescind his previous decision that the measure had met the requirements to be on the ballot.

The next day, the Supreme Court judges said Ashcroft missed his statutory deadline to change his mind and they allowed the measure to stay on the ballot in a narrow 4-3 vote.

“The litigation, although highly charged, tends to wring out the politics of it and get down to what is legally required and how to apply that,” Wolff said, later adding: “It’s still not going to be easy to pass a constitutional amendment in the future, but I think we have some greater clarity about the process going forward.”

Alice Clapman, senior counsel for voting rights at the Brennan Center for Justice — a nonpartisan nonprofit that focuses on democracy issues — said&nbsp;Ashcroft&nbsp;“acted outside the law” when he decertified the ballot initiative.

It was an example of a series of “particularly brazen” attempts to stop abortion ballot initiatives that reflect a much broader pattern seen across the United States, she said.&nbsp;

“In a way these tactics to block abortion rights ballot initiatives are really doubling down on the repressive nature of abortion restrictions,” Clapman said.&nbsp;

Ashcroft called Clapman’s characterization of him “patently false,” saying his decision was within reason until the Supreme Court decided otherwise.

“The court did not follow state statute to stop it from going to the ballot,” he said. “I stepped in and did what the court illegally failed to do.”

Ashcroft added that he was “disheartened” by the rulings, but he expects if Amendment 3 passes, “some people will celebrate, and some people will act in the very same way they did in 1973 when Roe v Wade passed. They will work and act to make sure that women and children are protected.”

Missouri isn’t the only state to have a fight over an abortion amendment play out in new ways.&nbsp;

In Florida, state police have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-abortion-ballot-amendment-elections-police-cfd4e3479498e63e65f1116acd95f7be" target="_blank">knocked on voters’ doors to question them about signing a petition&nbsp;</a>to restore abortion rights in their state. A state health care agency also created a website denouncing the amendment, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been particularly vocal in his opposition to it.

In Arkansas, the state Supreme Court upheld the secretary of state’s decision to keep an abortion amendment off the ballot, ruling that&nbsp;<a href="https://19thnews.org/2024/08/arkansas-supreme-court-abortion-ballot-measure/" target="_blank">the campaign behind the initiative did not submit the correct paperwork on time.</a>

If voters approve Amendment 3, Missouri could be the first state to overturn a statewide ban by the vote of the people.&nbsp;

GOP lawmakers over the last decade passed laws targeting abortion providers in order to make obtaining an abortion more difficult.&nbsp;Those laws included mandatory pelvic exams for medication abortions and 72-hour waiting period between the initial appointment and an abortion.

A decade ago, more than 5,000 abortions were performed in the state, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. But by 2020, that number dropped to 167 as providers closed. Between the Supreme Court decision in June 2022 through March 2024, there were 64 abortions under the state’s emergency exemption, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.&nbsp;

Meanwhile,&nbsp;<a href="https://guttmacherinstitute.github.io/provision-dashboard/" target="_blank">a recent study by the Guttmacher Institute,</a>&nbsp;a reproductive rights research group, found that in 2023, 8,710 Missourians traveled to Illinois and 2,860 Missourians went to Kansas for the procedure, which remains legal in both states.&nbsp;

Polling has remained favorable for Amendment 3.&nbsp;

<a href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/september-2024-missouri-poll-republican-candidates-lead-in-president-governor-senate-races/" target="_blank">An Emerson College poll</a>&nbsp;found 58% of those surveyed support Amendment 3, with 30% opposed. The most recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.slu.edu/research/research-institute/big-ideas/slu-poll/index.php" target="_blank">SLU/YouGov Poll</a>&nbsp;found that 52% supported the amendment and 34% opposed.

State Sen. Tracy McCreery, a Democrat from Olivette and a long-time advocate for abortion rights, said it’s important to keep in mind Missouri’s recent past.

“The legislature has a history of overturning the vote of the people,” she said.

As far back as 1940, when Missourians approved&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=174544#:~:text=Under%20the%20Missouri%20Nonpartisan%20Court,Judicial%20Commission%20makes%20the%20selection." target="_blank">an initiative for a nonpartisan court plan to select appellate judges,</a>&nbsp;the legislature put a proposition on the ballot two years later hoping to repeal it. Voters rejected the attempt.&nbsp;

In 2010, voters approved a new statute banning puppy mills by regulating dog breeders. The next year, legislation changed key provisions, such as removing the cap on the number of dogs allowed per breeder, undoing the citizen-led statutory change.

In 2018,&nbsp;Missourians passed a citizen-led amendment that would have&nbsp;required legislative districts be drawn to ensure partisan fairness.&nbsp;This amendment, known as&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2020/11/04/voters-repeal-clean-missouri-redistricting-plan-they-enacted-in-2018/">“Clean Missouri,” was repealed two years later</a>&nbsp;through a legislature-proposed amendment.

In 2020, Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion. Lawmakers refused to fund it until the Missouri Supreme Court ruled they had no choice.&nbsp;

If Amendment 3 passes, McCreery predicted, Republican lawmakers will try something similar to what happened with Medicaid expansion, “but on steroids.”

“I expect shenanigans moving forward,” she said.

Wolff said lawmakers may also attempt to legislate around the issue. Even though parental consent is not directly mentioned in the amendment, lawmakers could try to rewrite laws requiring it.&nbsp;

Wolff added that he’s never seen such a unified effort by elected officials to stop a ballot measure. Even the heavily-opposed embryonic&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/us/10stemcell.html" target="_blank">stem cell research amendment&nbsp;of 2006&nbsp;</a>didn’t face such pushback.

But lawmakers limited the kinds of research that could be conducted under&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/us/10stemcell.html" target="_blank">the stem cell amendment</a>. Ultimately, those restrictions made it impossible for researchers to move forward.&nbsp;

“(Amendment 3) is going to be harder to chip around about,” Wolff said. “But they’ll be creative. They’ve already been quite creative, so they will continue. That’s what a democratic republic will give you.”

Coleman said if the amendment passes, it will not be the last time Missourians vote on abortion, adding that an effort similar to the one that undid Clean Missouri is likely.&nbsp;

“The reason why you’ve seen such passion in the pro-life movement or from elected officials who are pro-life is because that reflects the passion of Missouri citizens who are pro-life,” Coleman said. “Which is to do anything and everything to protect the most vulnerable.”

Wolff agreed that this won’t be the end.&nbsp;

“There’s nothing permanent,” Wolff said, “in the people’s constitution.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725617026837.png" alt="&nbsp;Attendees cheer during a Missourians for Constitutional Freedom rally after the campaign turned in more than 380,000 signatures for its initiative petition to enshrine abortion rights in Missouri’s constitution Friday morning (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Attendees cheer during a Missourians for Constitutional Freedom rally after the campaign turned in more than 380,000 signatures for its initiative petition to enshrine abortion rights in Missouri’s constitution Friday morning (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>“This is not the end all, be all,” state Sen. Elizabeth Coleman said. “And I think you will see efforts, win or lose, for Missourians to get another say in this”</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Four lawsuits. Several failed attempts to raise the threshold to pass constitutional amendments. One unprecedented attempt to decertify a ballot measure.&nbsp;Despite this succession of failed GOP efforts to torpedo Amendment 3 over the past 18 months, abortion will remain on Missouri’s Nov. 5 ballot.&nbsp;“What a long strange trip it’s been,”&nbsp;said Michael Wolff, a former Missouri Supreme Court chief justice and dean emeritus at St. Louis University School of Law,&nbsp;quoting Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia.&nbsp;In the 18 months since the amendment, which would legalize abortion up until the point of fetal viability, was proposed as&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/03/09/group-files-ballot-measures-adding-abortion-protections-to-missouri-constitution/">an initiative petition</a>, it has faced a “minefield of ballot litigation” that ended earlier this month when the state’s highest court ruled the measure must stay on the ballot, Wolff said.On June 24, 2022, Missouri became the first state in the country&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/24/abortion-is-now-illegal-in-missouri-in-wake-of-u-s-supreme-court-ruling/">to ban abortions</a>&nbsp;in response to the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion. The ruling triggered a state law banning all abortions with limited exceptions in cases of medical emergencies. There are no exceptions for victims or rape or incest.&nbsp;Since then,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/dashboard/ballot-tracker-status-of-abortion-related-state-constitutional-amendment-measures/" target="_blank">citizens in six states have voted&nbsp;</a>to protect or increase abortion access, including in Kansas, Ohio and Michigan. Missouri is among 10 states where abortion will be on the ballot this year.&nbsp;Amendment 3 would legalize abortion until the point of fetal viability and protect other reproductive rights, including birth control.For anti-abortion lawmakers, “this is like the mega Super Bowl,” said James Harris, a longtime Republican political consultant.He said litigation to drive up costs for proponents is advantageous, so lawsuits are par for the course. But the secretary of state’s effort to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/10/missouri-supreme-court-rules-amendment-legalizing-abortion-will-remain-on-ballot/">decertify the measure before the court cases concluded</a>&nbsp;was unique.While all the attempts were ultimately rebuffed by Missouri’s higher courts, they could foreshadow fights to come if Amendment 3 passes.Sean Nicholson,&nbsp;a long-time progressive activist who has worked on multiple initiative petition campaigns, but is not involved with Amendment 3, called a circuit court ruling earlier this month that threatened to throw the measure off the ballot “some creative lawyering.”“Nothing shocks me anymore in terms of what politicians are willing to do,” Nicholson said. “I think fundamentally they are terrified of a straight up or down vote on Amendment 3 and they’re going to pull out everything they can to avoid the consequences of voters having their say.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725989310270.png" alt="&nbsp;Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, anti-abortion activist Kathy Forck, Thomas More Society attorney Mary Catherine Martin speak to reporters on the steps of the Missouri Supreme Court Sept. 10 following oral arguments in a case involving the abortion-rights amendment (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, anti-abortion activist Kathy Forck, Thomas More Society attorney Mary Catherine Martin speak to reporters on the steps of the Missouri Supreme Court Sept. 10 following oral arguments in a case involving the abortion-rights amendment (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)</figcaption>
 </figure>State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, a Republican from Arnold, is among the anti-abortion activists who sued to keep Amendment 3 off the ballot. She said regardless of what happens in November, there’s a long road ahead.“This is not the end all be all,” Coleman said. “And I think you will see efforts, win or lose, for Missourians to get another say in this.”&nbsp;<h2>In the courts</h2>In&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/03/09/group-files-ballot-measures-adding-abortion-protections-to-missouri-constitution/">March 2023, 11 iterations of what’s now Amendment 3&nbsp;</a>were filed by Dr. Anna Fitz-James on behalf of the coalition behind the campaign. The political maneuvering by the state’s Republican elected officials aimed at keeping the abortion-rights amendment off the ballot began almost immediately.Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey refused to accept State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick’s fiscal note summary estimating the potential public cost of the amendment. Bailey, who thought the estimate&nbsp; should be about $6.9 trillion, attempted to force Fitzpatrick to alter his estimate of $51,000.By the time Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/06/21/missouri-ag-misses-deadline-on-abortion-petition-as-appeal-is-filed/">ordered Bailey to certify the measure&nbsp;</a>with Fitzpatrick’s estimate, the initial certification process, which is supposed to take no more than 54 days, had already taken nearly double that. The Supreme Court ultimately<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/20/missouri-supreme-court-rejects-ags-push-to-inflate-cost-of-abortion-rights-amendment/">&nbsp;ruled in favor of Fitzpatrick.</a>Shortly after, Amendment 3 backers sued Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft over the ballot summary language he drafted, which would have asked Missourians, in part, if they wanted to “allow for dangerous, unregulated, and unrestricted abortions, from conception to live birth.”&nbsp;Beetem ruled in September 2023 that Ashcroft’s language was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/09/25/judge-rejects-rewrites-summary-for-missouri-abortion-initiative-petition/">“problematic” and inaccurate.</a>&nbsp;Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign behind the amendment,<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/19/missouri-abortion-ballot-viabilty-effort-fundraises-1-million/">&nbsp;officially kicked-off signature gathering efforts in January</a>, blaming the previous months of litigation for the delay.&nbsp;Despite a May deadline to gather more than 171,000 signatures from Missourians across six of the eight congressional districts, the campaign ultimately<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/03/missourians-signatures-abortion-amendment-viability/">&nbsp;filed more than 380,000 signatures</a>&nbsp;with the secretary of state’s office.&nbsp;This was despite a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/02/missouri-abortion-amendment-march-life/">“decline to sign” campaign,</a>&nbsp;the distribution of fliers urging Missourians to withdraw their signatures and unsubstantiated warnings&nbsp;that signing the initiative could result in identity theft.&nbsp;At the same time, GOP lawmakers failed to pass one of their top priorities —&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/17/missouri-session-initiative-petition-senate/">legislation raising the threshold to pass initiative petitions</a>&nbsp;— due in part to a record-breaking filibuster by Senate Democrats.Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, executive director at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, said Missouri has been a battleground for attacks on the initiative process.&nbsp;“We’ve seen an escalation of attacks to the ballot measure process and politicians trying to change the rules of the game to prevent citizens from putting these issues on the ballot,” she said. “Like reproductive freedom.”Shortly after<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/13/missouri-voters-will-decide-whether-to-legalize-abortion-in-november/">&nbsp;Ashcroft certified the measure for the ballot in mid-August</a>, he posted “fair ballot language” to his official website that mirrored the ballot language rejected by the courts in 2023. Cole County Circuit Judge Cotton Walker ruled the description was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/05/judge-rules-ashcrofts-abortion-amendment-unfair-misleading/">“unfair, inaccurate, insufficient and misleading.”</a>&nbsp;Ashcroft was ordered to replace his language with the court’s language.&nbsp;The final effort to keep Amendment 3 off the ballot began in late August, when a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/10/missouri-supreme-court-rules-amendment-legalizing-abortion-will-remain-on-ballot/">lawsuit filed by anti-abortion lawmakers and activists&nbsp;</a><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/09/missouri-abortion-rights-amendment-state-supreme-court/">claimed the initiative petition failed to follow a number of laws.&nbsp;</a>Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh sided with the plaintiffs, ruling the proposal failed “to include any statute or provision that will be repealed, especially when many of these statutes are apparent.”“I do think the circuit court decision is an important inflection point for the legislature to have a policy discussion in [2025] about when all of these measures are putting umpteen things into the constitution which then directly or indirectly invalidate a statute,” James said. “Should the voter clearly know that, and has it been kind of loosy-goosy?”The Supreme Court took an expedited appeal of Limbaugh’s ruling. But Ashcroft announced he was decertifying the measure, an unprecedented attempt to rescind his previous decision that the measure had met the requirements to be on the ballot.The next day, the Supreme Court judges said Ashcroft missed his statutory deadline to change his mind and they allowed the measure to stay on the ballot in a narrow 4-3 vote.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727266562572.png" alt=" Tori Schafer, an attorney with the ACLU of Missouri, speaks to media following a trial over Amendment 3 on Sept. 6 outside the Cole County Courthouse (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Tori Schafer, an attorney with the ACLU of Missouri, speaks to media following a trial over Amendment 3 on Sept. 6 outside the Cole County Courthouse (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>“The litigation, although highly charged, tends to wring out the politics of it and get down to what is legally required and how to apply that,” Wolff said, later adding: “It’s still not going to be easy to pass a constitutional amendment in the future, but I think we have some greater clarity about the process going forward.”Alice Clapman, senior counsel for voting rights at the Brennan Center for Justice — a nonpartisan nonprofit that focuses on democracy issues — said&nbsp;Ashcroft&nbsp;“acted outside the law” when he decertified the ballot initiative.It was an example of a series of “particularly brazen” attempts to stop abortion ballot initiatives that reflect a much broader pattern seen across the United States, she said.&nbsp;“In a way these tactics to block abortion rights ballot initiatives are really doubling down on the repressive nature of abortion restrictions,” Clapman said.&nbsp;Ashcroft called Clapman’s characterization of him “patently false,” saying his decision was within reason until the Supreme Court decided otherwise.“The court did not follow state statute to stop it from going to the ballot,” he said. “I stepped in and did what the court illegally failed to do.”Ashcroft added that he was “disheartened” by the rulings, but he expects if Amendment 3 passes, “some people will celebrate, and some people will act in the very same way they did in 1973 when Roe v Wade passed. They will work and act to make sure that women and children are protected.”Missouri isn’t the only state to have a fight over an abortion amendment play out in new ways.&nbsp;In Florida, state police have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-abortion-ballot-amendment-elections-police-cfd4e3479498e63e65f1116acd95f7be" target="_blank">knocked on voters’ doors to question them about signing a petition&nbsp;</a>to restore abortion rights in their state. A state health care agency also created a website denouncing the amendment, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been particularly vocal in his opposition to it.In Arkansas, the state Supreme Court upheld the secretary of state’s decision to keep an abortion amendment off the ballot, ruling that&nbsp;<a href="https://19thnews.org/2024/08/arkansas-supreme-court-abortion-ballot-measure/" target="_blank">the campaign behind the initiative did not submit the correct paperwork on time.</a>If voters approve Amendment 3, Missouri could be the first state to overturn a statewide ban by the vote of the people.&nbsp;GOP lawmakers over the last decade passed laws targeting abortion providers in order to make obtaining an abortion more difficult.&nbsp;Those laws included mandatory pelvic exams for medication abortions and 72-hour waiting period between the initial appointment and an abortion.A decade ago, more than 5,000 abortions were performed in the state, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. But by 2020, that number dropped to 167 as providers closed. Between the Supreme Court decision in June 2022 through March 2024, there were 64 abortions under the state’s emergency exemption, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.&nbsp;Meanwhile,&nbsp;<a href="https://guttmacherinstitute.github.io/provision-dashboard/" target="_blank">a recent study by the Guttmacher Institute,</a>&nbsp;a reproductive rights research group, found that in 2023, 8,710 Missourians traveled to Illinois and 2,860 Missourians went to Kansas for the procedure, which remains legal in both states.&nbsp;<h2>What’s next</h2>Polling has remained favorable for Amendment 3.&nbsp;<a href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/september-2024-missouri-poll-republican-candidates-lead-in-president-governor-senate-races/" target="_blank">An Emerson College poll</a>&nbsp;found 58% of those surveyed support Amendment 3, with 30% opposed. The most recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.slu.edu/research/research-institute/big-ideas/slu-poll/index.php" target="_blank">SLU/YouGov Poll</a>&nbsp;found that 52% supported the amendment and 34% opposed.State Sen. Tracy McCreery, a Democrat from Olivette and a long-time advocate for abortion rights, said it’s important to keep in mind Missouri’s recent past.“The legislature has a history of overturning the vote of the people,” she said.As far back as 1940, when Missourians approved&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=174544#:~:text=Under%20the%20Missouri%20Nonpartisan%20Court,Judicial%20Commission%20makes%20the%20selection." target="_blank">an initiative for a nonpartisan court plan to select appellate judges,</a>&nbsp;the legislature put a proposition on the ballot two years later hoping to repeal it. Voters rejected the attempt.&nbsp;In 2010, voters approved a new statute banning puppy mills by regulating dog breeders. The next year, legislation changed key provisions, such as removing the cap on the number of dogs allowed per breeder, undoing the citizen-led statutory change.In 2018,&nbsp;Missourians passed a citizen-led amendment that would have&nbsp;required legislative districts be drawn to ensure partisan fairness.&nbsp;This amendment, known as&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2020/11/04/voters-repeal-clean-missouri-redistricting-plan-they-enacted-in-2018/">“Clean Missouri,” was repealed two years later</a>&nbsp;through a legislature-proposed amendment.In 2020, Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion. Lawmakers refused to fund it until the Missouri Supreme Court ruled they had no choice.&nbsp;If Amendment 3 passes, McCreery predicted, Republican lawmakers will try something similar to what happened with Medicaid expansion, “but on steroids.”“I expect shenanigans moving forward,” she said.Wolff said lawmakers may also attempt to legislate around the issue. Even though parental consent is not directly mentioned in the amendment, lawmakers could try to rewrite laws requiring it.&nbsp;Wolff added that he’s never seen such a unified effort by elected officials to stop a ballot measure. Even the heavily-opposed embryonic&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/us/10stemcell.html" target="_blank">stem cell research amendment&nbsp;of 2006&nbsp;</a>didn’t face such pushback.But lawmakers limited the kinds of research that could be conducted under&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/us/10stemcell.html" target="_blank">the stem cell amendment</a>. Ultimately, those restrictions made it impossible for researchers to move forward.&nbsp;“(Amendment 3) is going to be harder to chip around about,” Wolff said. “But they’ll be creative. They’ve already been quite creative, so they will continue. That’s what a democratic republic will give you.”Coleman said if the amendment passes, it will not be the last time Missourians vote on abortion, adding that an effort similar to the one that undid Clean Missouri is likely.&nbsp;“The reason why you’ve seen such passion in the pro-life movement or from elected officials who are pro-life is because that reflects the passion of Missouri citizens who are pro-life,” Coleman said. “Which is to do anything and everything to protect the most vulnerable.”Wolff agreed that this won’t be the end.&nbsp;“There’s nothing permanent,” Wolff said, “in the people’s constitution.”

Failed GOP attempt to keep abortion off Missouri ballot could foreshadow fight to come

GRUNDY COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 9:30a.m. Tuesday in Grundy County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Freightliner dump truck driven by Jeffrey D. Hohman, 59, California, Missouri, was southbound on Route A seven miles north of Trenton.

The driver failed to negotiate a curve, traveled off the south side of the road, overturned and struck an embankment.

Grundy County EMS transported Hohman to Wright Memorial Hospital. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

GRUNDY COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 9:30a.m. Tuesday in Grundy County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Freightliner dump truck driven by Jeffrey D. Hohman, 59, California, Missouri, was southbound on Route A seven miles north of Trenton.The driver failed to negotiate a curve, traveled off the south side of the road, overturned and struck an embankment.Grundy County EMS transported Hohman to Wright Memorial Hospital. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

Missouri man injured after dump truck overturns

The 28th annual Pumpkinfest is a little more than week away and preparations are underway for the festival.  

One big task is helping prepare the pumpkins for the famous pumpkin mountain, which Pony Express Museum Executive Director Cindy Daffron says will start on Monday with gutting the 120 or so pumpkins 

"And then the carving task goes on, because we try to take businesses who have contributed to our mountain to build it and carve that pumpkin for them, so that it can light up on Friday night, October 4th," Daffron tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr.  

If you're interested in helping prepare the pumpkins, you can contact Daffron at the museum to volunteer.  Lunch will be provided.  On Tuesday and Wednesday carving will begin.  

Daffron says also on Monday help will be needed to take pumpkins to area schools.  

"And every school is like, we knew you were going to call the kids are so excited, it's a lot of fun to use your talent and then the kids get to come and see some of their work of art," Daffron says. "So, when you can come and see that mountain light up at 8'o clock both nights, right on time, it's quite a great event." 

The pumpkin mountain will be lit up at 8pm on Friday and Saturday night during the festival. The annual festival fills the area with vendors, music, and lots of family fun for everyone.  

And the best part, Daffron says, is it's entirely free. 

"We're paying to do the entertainment, we're bringing stuff on, so all you have to do is buy your food, so come and enjoy something that's a family event," Daffron explains. "I hear commonly, if I bring my family, the mother can stay with the children in the children's tent, the dad can go to listen to music and they can swap out, the kids can stay there an hour, hour and a half, while the parents are also enjoying part of what's on there." 

Pumpkinfest will run October 4th through the 6th, beginning at 5pm on the 4th and noon on the 5th and 6th.   

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697125810743.jpeg" alt="File photo" />
 <figcaption>File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post The 28th annual Pumpkinfest is a little more than week away and preparations are underway for the festival. One big task is helping prepare the pumpkins for the famous pumpkin mountain, which Pony Express Museum Executive Director Cindy Daffron says will start on Monday with gutting the 120 or so pumpkins "And then the carving task goes on, because we try to take businesses who have contributed to our mountain to build it and carve that pumpkin for them, so that it can light up on Friday night, October 4th," Daffron tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr. If you're interested in helping prepare the pumpkins, you can contact Daffron at the museum to volunteer. Lunch will be provided. On Tuesday and Wednesday carving will begin. Daffron says also on Monday help will be needed to take pumpkins to area schools. "And every school is like, we knew you were going to call the kids are so excited, it's a lot of fun to use your talent and then the kids get to come and see some of their work of art," Daffron says. "So, when you can come and see that mountain light up at 8'o clock both nights, right on time, it's quite a great event." The pumpkin mountain will be lit up at 8pm on Friday and Saturday night during the festival. The annual festival fills the area with vendors, music, and lots of family fun for everyone. And the best part, Daffron says, is it's entirely free. "We're paying to do the entertainment, we're bringing stuff on, so all you have to do is buy your food, so come and enjoy something that's a family event," Daffron explains. "I hear commonly, if I bring my family, the mother can stay with the children in the children's tent, the dad can go to listen to music and they can swap out, the kids can stay there an hour, hour and a half, while the parents are also enjoying part of what's on there." Pumpkinfest will run October 4th through the 6th, beginning at 5pm on the 4th and noon on the 5th and 6th.

Preparations underway as the 28th annual Pumpkinfest is just over a week away

Democrat Pam May of St. Joseph is taking on a big
challenge in her first political campaign.

May is running against the senior member of the
Missouri Congressional delegation:&nbsp; 6th
District Republican Sam Graves.

May says she didn’t intend to take the leap,
though she felt a woman needed to be represented on the ballot.

“I kept watching, hoping that another woman with
more experience would file to run,” May tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post in an
in-studio interview. “I just saw that was not going to be happening and so I
just decided to run.”

May says she felt a woman needed to be
represented on the ballot since Amendment Three is on the November ballot. May
favors the amendment which would loosen abortion restrictions in Missouri.

May is retired. She worked most of her
professional life as a legal secretary and para legal for Legal Aid of Western
Missouri. May says she will not be running as a typical Democratic candidate.

“I’m not out there using standard, Democratic
talking points,” May says. “I decided I wanted to not be out there being angry,
calling people names. I wanted to run a different campaign.”

May says she hopes what she says during the
campaign will resonate with residents of northern Missouri. May says she
believes the district is ready for a change. Just traveling the 6th
Congressional District can prove challenging. The district runs from the
Missouri River to the Mississippi River, a mostly rural district, that covers
the 39 counties making up the northern third of Missouri.

May says it will take more of the residents of
the district to get engaged in politics for her to pull off the upset, relating
what she heard from a speaker at a seminar who stated the biggest threat to
democracy isn’t certain candidates or even the courts.

“The biggest threat to democracy, in his opinion,
and I agree with this, is that people aren’t involved and people don’t vote.
And that’s the biggest threat to our democracy,” May states. “And so, we have
to get people engaged.”

Graves has represented the 6th
Congressional District since 2001 and has the most seniority of anyone in the
Missouri Congressional delegation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727193919700.jpeg" alt="Pam May of St. Joseph, Democrat running for the 6th Congressional District/Photo by Justin Peacock" />
 <figcaption>Pam May of St. Joseph, Democrat running for the 6th Congressional District/Photo by Justin Peacock</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostDemocrat Pam May of St. Joseph is taking on a big
challenge in her first political campaign.May is running against the senior member of the
Missouri Congressional delegation:&nbsp; 6th
District Republican Sam Graves.May says she didn’t intend to take the leap,
though she felt a woman needed to be represented on the ballot.“I kept watching, hoping that another woman with
more experience would file to run,” May tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post in an
in-studio interview. “I just saw that was not going to be happening and so I
just decided to run.”May says she felt a woman needed to be
represented on the ballot since Amendment Three is on the November ballot. May
favors the amendment which would loosen abortion restrictions in Missouri.May is retired. She worked most of her
professional life as a legal secretary and para legal for Legal Aid of Western
Missouri. May says she will not be running as a typical Democratic candidate.“I’m not out there using standard, Democratic
talking points,” May says. “I decided I wanted to not be out there being angry,
calling people names. I wanted to run a different campaign.”May says she hopes what she says during the
campaign will resonate with residents of northern Missouri. May says she
believes the district is ready for a change. Just traveling the 6th
Congressional District can prove challenging. The district runs from the
Missouri River to the Mississippi River, a mostly rural district, that covers
the 39 counties making up the northern third of Missouri.May says it will take more of the residents of
the district to get engaged in politics for her to pull off the upset, relating
what she heard from a speaker at a seminar who stated the biggest threat to
democracy isn’t certain candidates or even the courts.“The biggest threat to democracy, in his opinion,
and I agree with this, is that people aren’t involved and people don’t vote.
And that’s the biggest threat to our democracy,” May states. “And so, we have
to get people engaged.”Graves has represented the 6th
Congressional District since 2001 and has the most seniority of anyone in the
Missouri Congressional delegation.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Democrat Pam May aims high in her first run for office

A trial in a lawsuit challenging the state’s restrictions on gender-affirming care is expected to last two weeks

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

A case that will determine whether Missouri can continue restricting adolescents’&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/lawsuit-seeks-to-block-missouri-ban-on-transgender-care-for-minors/">access to gender-affirming care</a>&nbsp;began Monday in Cole County Circuit Court.

The plaintiffs — which include transgender minors, gender-affirming care providers and loved ones — will argue that medical treatments for gender dysphoria are “safe and effective,” attorney Omar Gonzalez Pagan said in opening arguments.

The state will defend the 2023 law&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-governor-signs-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-restrictions-for-trans-athletes/">restricting gender-affirming care</a>&nbsp;by looking into the risks of the treatment and highlighting those who have regretted medical transitions.

“These kids need compassionate, evidence-based medicine. But what they’ve been doing for the past 15 years isn’t evidence-based,” Solicitor General Joshua Divine said in his opening statement.

Defendants include Gov. Mike Parson, who signed the bill into law, and Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is responsible for enforcing the law.

Both parties plan to call a host of expert and fact witnesses, and attorneys have requested a week for each side to present evidence.

On the first day of the trial, which will be heard by Circuit Judge Craig Carter without a jury, attorneys argued over which experts were most qualified to speak on the efficacy and risks of gender-affirming care.

“(Plaintiffs’ experts) are the type of people that are qualified to testify as to this type of care,” Gonzalez Pagan said. “The state’s experts, with one exception, do not have this sort of experience.”

Divine said that plaintiffs’ experts benefit financially from gender-affirming care, so they have their “financial reputations” at stake. He defended his witnesses’ qualifications, calling one a “victim of cancel culture” when a journal article was retracted.

The first expert called to testify was Dr. Aron Janssen, vice chair of clinical affairs at the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. A majority of the patients in his psychiatry practice are transgender or gender-nonconforming children and adolescents, he said, and he has published approximately 24 articles in academic journals.

Jason Orr, an attorney for the plaintiffs, asked him about the state’s claims.

One claim is that gender dysphoria is a self-diagnosed condition because the symptoms are self-reported. Janssen said physicians base a diagnosis on questions to patients and loved ones, like other psychiatric conditions he treats.

“If that was a standard to base diagnosis, we wouldn’t have depression, anxiety, migraines,” he said.

The state will bring “detransitioners,” or people who began transitioning to a gender other than their sex as assigned at birth and later stopped. One received gender-affirming care in Missouri as an adult, but none received the care as a minor in Missouri, attorneys discussed in a virtual hearing last Friday.

Orr asked Janssen if there’s any scientific literature about those who stop their transition.

“The majority of patients who detransition do so because of external pressures but not because of internal pressures or regret,” Janssen said. “For some, transition is a wonderful experience… For others, it means you are kicked out of your family, lose your job.”

Patrick Sullivan, with the attorney general’s office, used several documents to challenge Janssen during cross-examination. Some were not on the list of items the defense plans to submit as evidence, but Carter allowed the exhibits for questions only.

Some of the documents were studies, including the over 400-page&nbsp;<a href="https://cass.independent-review.uk/home/publications/final-report/" target="_blank">Cass Review published earlier this year</a>. The report was a systematic review commissioned in England that concluded that there was weak evidence to support cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers for transgender youth.

Sullivan presented Janssen a document called an “evidence pyramid,” with systematic reviews at the top as the best form of scientific literature.

Janssen said the Cass Review had a key flaw: the authors are not experienced in gender-affirming care and wouldn’t know the best factors to look at.

“When we look at what is involved in creating a good systematic review, having experience in the field is important,” he said. “When none of the authors work in the area, we have to take what they’re saying with a grain of salt.”

Sullivan interrupted him as Janssen explained the review’s flaws.

“He’s answering your question,” Carter said.

Sullivan’s questioning lasted around two hours, with multiple objections from plaintiffs as new exhibits came into the courtroom. The exhibits were largely studies out of Europe and articles from The New York Times and The Free Press.

Sullivan used an opinion article to question plaintiffs’ second expert, a clinical child psychologist.

The other witness to take the stand during the trial’s premiere day was a transgender man who transitioned at a young age in Missouri.

Arguments are scheduled to conclude Oct. 4.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727182625215.png" alt="The Cole County Courthouse is hosting a trial challenging the state's restrictions on gender-affirming care, bringing in a judge from Wright County to oversee the bench trial (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>The Cole County Courthouse is hosting a trial challenging the state's restrictions on gender-affirming care, bringing in a judge from Wright County to oversee the bench trial (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A trial in a lawsuit challenging the state’s restrictions on gender-affirming care is expected to last two weeks</h2>BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW&nbsp; <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>A case that will determine whether Missouri can continue restricting adolescents’&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/lawsuit-seeks-to-block-missouri-ban-on-transgender-care-for-minors/">access to gender-affirming care</a>&nbsp;began Monday in Cole County Circuit Court.The plaintiffs — which include transgender minors, gender-affirming care providers and loved ones — will argue that medical treatments for gender dysphoria are “safe and effective,” attorney Omar Gonzalez Pagan said in opening arguments.The state will defend the 2023 law&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-governor-signs-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-restrictions-for-trans-athletes/">restricting gender-affirming care</a>&nbsp;by looking into the risks of the treatment and highlighting those who have regretted medical transitions.“These kids need compassionate, evidence-based medicine. But what they’ve been doing for the past 15 years isn’t evidence-based,” Solicitor General Joshua Divine said in his opening statement.Defendants include Gov. Mike Parson, who signed the bill into law, and Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is responsible for enforcing the law.Both parties plan to call a host of expert and fact witnesses, and attorneys have requested a week for each side to present evidence.On the first day of the trial, which will be heard by Circuit Judge Craig Carter without a jury, attorneys argued over which experts were most qualified to speak on the efficacy and risks of gender-affirming care.“(Plaintiffs’ experts) are the type of people that are qualified to testify as to this type of care,” Gonzalez Pagan said. “The state’s experts, with one exception, do not have this sort of experience.”Divine said that plaintiffs’ experts benefit financially from gender-affirming care, so they have their “financial reputations” at stake. He defended his witnesses’ qualifications, calling one a “victim of cancel culture” when a journal article was retracted.The first expert called to testify was Dr. Aron Janssen, vice chair of clinical affairs at the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. A majority of the patients in his psychiatry practice are transgender or gender-nonconforming children and adolescents, he said, and he has published approximately 24 articles in academic journals.Jason Orr, an attorney for the plaintiffs, asked him about the state’s claims.One claim is that gender dysphoria is a self-diagnosed condition because the symptoms are self-reported. Janssen said physicians base a diagnosis on questions to patients and loved ones, like other psychiatric conditions he treats.“If that was a standard to base diagnosis, we wouldn’t have depression, anxiety, migraines,” he said.The state will bring “detransitioners,” or people who began transitioning to a gender other than their sex as assigned at birth and later stopped. One received gender-affirming care in Missouri as an adult, but none received the care as a minor in Missouri, attorneys discussed in a virtual hearing last Friday.Orr asked Janssen if there’s any scientific literature about those who stop their transition.“The majority of patients who detransition do so because of external pressures but not because of internal pressures or regret,” Janssen said. “For some, transition is a wonderful experience… For others, it means you are kicked out of your family, lose your job.”Patrick Sullivan, with the attorney general’s office, used several documents to challenge Janssen during cross-examination. Some were not on the list of items the defense plans to submit as evidence, but Carter allowed the exhibits for questions only.Some of the documents were studies, including the over 400-page&nbsp;<a href="https://cass.independent-review.uk/home/publications/final-report/" target="_blank">Cass Review published earlier this year</a>. The report was a systematic review commissioned in England that concluded that there was weak evidence to support cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers for transgender youth.Sullivan presented Janssen a document called an “evidence pyramid,” with systematic reviews at the top as the best form of scientific literature.Janssen said the Cass Review had a key flaw: the authors are not experienced in gender-affirming care and wouldn’t know the best factors to look at.“When we look at what is involved in creating a good systematic review, having experience in the field is important,” he said. “When none of the authors work in the area, we have to take what they’re saying with a grain of salt.”Sullivan interrupted him as Janssen explained the review’s flaws.“He’s answering your question,” Carter said.Sullivan’s questioning lasted around two hours, with multiple objections from plaintiffs as new exhibits came into the courtroom. The exhibits were largely studies out of Europe and articles from The New York Times and The Free Press.Sullivan used an opinion article to question plaintiffs’ second expert, a clinical child psychologist.The other witness to take the stand during the trial’s premiere day was a transgender man who transitioned at a young age in Missouri.Arguments are scheduled to conclude Oct. 4.

Battling experts: Qualifications of witnesses a key in Missouri gender-affirming care case

WASHINGTON —U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Monday recognized 356 schools as the 2024 cohort of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/recognition-programs/national-blue-ribbon-schools-program">National Blue Ribbon Schools</a>. This prestigious recognition highlights schools that excel in academic performance or make significant strides in closing achievement gaps among different student groups.

The Missouri Schools named as National Blue Ribbon Schools and&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo109pu_voy_spears_jr_elementary_school.html">Voy Spears, Jr. Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Lee's Summit;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo105pu_williams_yates_elementary_school.html">Williams Yates Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Independence;&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo110pu_richland_elementary_school.html">Richland Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Essex;&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo104pu_ralph_m_captain_elementary_school.html">Ralph M. Captain Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Clayton;&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo106pu_oakwood_elementary_school.html">Oakwood Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Hannibal;&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo108pu_metro_academic_and_classical_high_school.html">Metro Academic and Classical High School</a>&nbsp;in St. Louis;&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo107pu_meramec_elementary_school.html">Meramec Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Clayton and&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo103pu_bristol_elementary_school.html">Bristol Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in St. Louis.

The Kansas schools named as National Blue Ribbon Schools are Lincoln Elementary School in Junction City;&nbsp; Herington Elementary School in Herrington;&nbsp;Sunflower Elementary School in Paola and Garfield Elementary in Augusta.

“The National Blue Ribbon Schools Award is a testament to the exceptional achievements of students and educators at each of these schools,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “The 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools are raising the bar for our nation’s students, serving as models for effective teaching and intentional collaboration in their schools and communities. As we celebrate their achievements, let us look to these schools for inspiration as we champion education as the foundation of a brighter future for every child.”

The 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools reflect the full diversity of American education and serve students from all backgrounds. While awardees represent a wide array of schools, they share common traits. National Blue Ribbon Schools are led by leaders who articulate a clear vision of instructional excellence and uphold high standards. They showcase effective teaching methods and offer robust professional development for their staff. Data-driven instruction is a hallmark, and there is a concerted effort to ensure every student succeeds. Collaboration among families, communities, and educators is a key component of their success.

A National Blue Ribbon School award flag displayed in a school’s entryway or on a flagpole is a widely recognized emblem of exceptional teaching and learning. These schools serve as models of effective and innovative practices for educators across the nation.

The Department recognizes all schools based on student performance data including assessment results, student subgroup performance and graduation rates. Schools are recognized in both or either of two performance categories:

Each nominated school submits a comprehensive application detailing its school culture, programs, assessments, instructional practices, professional development, leadership, family, and community involvement.

Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year. The Department invites nominations for the National Blue Ribbon Schools award from the top education official in all states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education. Private schools are nominated by the Council for American Private Education.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727127791652.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Monday recognized 356 schools as the 2024 cohort of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/recognition-programs/national-blue-ribbon-schools-program">National Blue Ribbon Schools</a>. This prestigious recognition highlights schools that excel in academic performance or make significant strides in closing achievement gaps among different student groups.The Missouri Schools named as National Blue Ribbon Schools and&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo109pu_voy_spears_jr_elementary_school.html">Voy Spears, Jr. Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Lee's Summit;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo105pu_williams_yates_elementary_school.html">Williams Yates Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Independence;&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo110pu_richland_elementary_school.html">Richland Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Essex;&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo104pu_ralph_m_captain_elementary_school.html">Ralph M. Captain Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Clayton;&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo106pu_oakwood_elementary_school.html">Oakwood Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Hannibal;&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo108pu_metro_academic_and_classical_high_school.html">Metro Academic and Classical High School</a>&nbsp;in St. Louis;&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo107pu_meramec_elementary_school.html">Meramec Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Clayton and&nbsp;<a href="https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/24mo103pu_bristol_elementary_school.html">Bristol Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in St. Louis.The Kansas schools named as National Blue Ribbon Schools are Lincoln Elementary School in Junction City;&nbsp; Herington Elementary School in Herrington;&nbsp;Sunflower Elementary School in Paola and Garfield Elementary in Augusta.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FED.gov%2Fvideos%2F400910632814177%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>“The National Blue Ribbon Schools Award is a testament to the exceptional achievements of students and educators at each of these schools,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “The 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools are raising the bar for our nation’s students, serving as models for effective teaching and intentional collaboration in their schools and communities. As we celebrate their achievements, let us look to these schools for inspiration as we champion education as the foundation of a brighter future for every child.”The 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools reflect the full diversity of American education and serve students from all backgrounds. While awardees represent a wide array of schools, they share common traits. National Blue Ribbon Schools are led by leaders who articulate a clear vision of instructional excellence and uphold high standards. They showcase effective teaching methods and offer robust professional development for their staff. Data-driven instruction is a hallmark, and there is a concerted effort to ensure every student succeeds. Collaboration among families, communities, and educators is a key component of their success.A National Blue Ribbon School award flag displayed in a school’s entryway or on a flagpole is a widely recognized emblem of exceptional teaching and learning. These schools serve as models of effective and innovative practices for educators across the nation.The Department recognizes all schools based on student performance data including assessment results, student subgroup performance and graduation rates. Schools are recognized in both or either of two performance categories:<ul>
 <li>Exemplary High Performing Schools:&nbsp;These schools are among the top performers in their state as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.</li><li>Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools:&nbsp;These schools excel in narrowing achievement gaps between different student groups and the overall student body.</li>
 </ul>Each nominated school submits a comprehensive application detailing its school culture, programs, assessments, instructional practices, professional development, leadership, family, and community involvement.Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year. The Department invites nominations for the National Blue Ribbon Schools award from the top education official in all states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education. Private schools are nominated by the Council for American Private Education.

8 Missouri schools honored by U.S. Department of Education

South 22nd
Street is closed to southbound traffic on the south side of the intersection at
Garfield Avenue while a water valve is being replaced.

Sprague Excavating
Co. states the closure is expected to last a couple of days, weather
permitting.

A detour sign will
be in place to direct motorists. The detour is east on Pear Street to the Belt
Highway, south on the Belt Highway to I-29, south on I-29 to I-229 North, and
North on I-229 to South 22nd Street.

Sprague asks
motorists to plan alternate routes to avoid the closure, and use caution if
driving in the area.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostSouth 22nd
Street is closed to southbound traffic on the south side of the intersection at
Garfield Avenue while a water valve is being replaced.Sprague Excavating
Co. states the closure is expected to last a couple of days, weather
permitting.A detour sign will
be in place to direct motorists. The detour is east on Pear Street to the Belt
Highway, south on the Belt Highway to I-29, south on I-29 to I-229 North, and
North on I-229 to South 22nd Street.Sprague asks
motorists to plan alternate routes to avoid the closure, and use caution if
driving in the area.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Water valve replacement closes 22nd St. at Garfield Ave.

A rash of online threats made against schools across Missouri has the St. Joseph Police Department spreading awareness.  

Police Chief Paul Luster says no matter the threat, the police department has it seriously. 

"We have to take each one of them with the same level of seriousness and it really, as the Police Chief of St. Joseph and our police department, and our partners that we work with at the school district, we have this commitment to where the safety of our students and the safety of our schools is always going to remain a top priority," Luster tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr.  

Luster says he can recall at least two instances since he arrived in St. Joseph that officers were into work at 2am to get to work on this assessment to determine if it's safe for children to go to school.  

"And that involves a tremendous amount of resources," Luster explains. "Both local resources, state resources, federal resources at times, of course our partners within the school district, other partners within the community, so we have to complete this rapid assessment." 

Luster says those assessments take resources away from other law enforcement activities. crimes in the community, and says parents need to make sure children know how much trouble they can get into for doing it. 

Luster says it's important for parents to tell their kids how these sorts of threats can affect them.  

"Obviously it's very important that we encourage parents and students and community members to report any suspicious behavior or threats, and we know that timely reporting can make a critical difference in our response and how that can prevent potential incidents," Luster says. "But it's important to talk with your kids about this is not something to joke around about, and there can be serious charges if you are found that you're just putting this hoax out there on social media." 

Luster says these sorts of threats also cause problems in the community because his department is forced to pull officers away from helping them, to assess the online threat. 

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

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post A rash of online threats made against schools across Missouri has the St. Joseph Police Department spreading awareness. Police Chief Paul Luster says no matter the threat, the police department has it seriously. "We have to take each one of them with the same level of seriousness and it really, as the Police Chief of St. Joseph and our police department, and our partners that we work with at the school district, we have this commitment to where the safety of our students and the safety of our schools is always going to remain a top priority," Luster tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. Luster says he can recall at least two instances since he arrived in St. Joseph that officers were into work at 2am to get to work on this assessment to determine if it's safe for children to go to school. "And that involves a tremendous amount of resources," Luster explains. "Both local resources, state resources, federal resources at times, of course our partners within the school district, other partners within the community, so we have to complete this rapid assessment." Luster says those assessments take resources away from other law enforcement activities. crimes in the community, and says parents need to make sure children know how much trouble they can get into for doing it. Luster says it's important for parents to tell their kids how these sorts of threats can affect them. "Obviously it's very important that we encourage parents and students and community members to report any suspicious behavior or threats, and we know that timely reporting can make a critical difference in our response and how that can prevent potential incidents," Luster says. "But it's important to talk with your kids about this is not something to joke around about, and there can be serious charges if you are found that you're just putting this hoax out there on social media." Luster says these sorts of threats also cause problems in the community because his department is forced to pull officers away from helping them, to assess the online threat. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

St. Joseph Police take all online school threats seriously 

Barge traffic on the Missouri River has gotten a boost with a
massive influx of federal funds to repair and upgrade navigation infrastructure
damaged by the 2019 flood.

TransPort 360 CEO Aaron Khouri says the Missouri River isn’t
really as notorious a waterway for barge traffic as some make it out to be.

“There’s this stigma that the Missouri River is unreliable,”
Khouri tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “It’s not unreliable, it’s just challenging
in the same way that other river segments are challenging.”

TransPort 360 operates the ports in St. Joseph and Kansas City,
as well as other transportation options in the area.

Khouri says the $340 million in repairs to Missouri River
infrastructure made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has made the river more
reliable for navigation.

Khouri says the company plans to increase its capacity for
grain shipments out of the St. Joseph port. The company would like to have storage reach approximately 75% of a full barge, which is 1,500 net tons.

“I think grain is going to be the key,” Khouri says. “It’s one
of our primary areas of focus. There’s just a tremendous amount of production;
demand on the fertilizer side in the region.”

Kouri says the company plans to increase its grain processing
storage capacity in St. Joseph to store more soybean meal and DDGs for barge
shipments.

The port also will be looking to haul bulk commodities, such
as scrap metal.

“Those are a little bit, I would say, fewer and far between
compared to the opportunities that we see on the agricultural side.”

Khouri says operating ports in both St. Joseph and Kansas City
allows TransPort 360 to shave expenses by sharing resources.

“So as we become stronger in Kansas City, we’ll be stronger in
St. Joe. Being able to, either between personnel or equipment, you name it,
both have helped us be able to grow into the organization that we are now. So,
without one or the other, you’re sort of limiting our ability,” according to
Khouri. “Separate opportunities, but the opportunities that we see in Kansas
City will help us be better at what we do in St. Joe.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727108761426.jpeg" alt="Loading grain onto a barge at the St. Joseph Post/file photo" />
 <figcaption>Loading grain onto a barge at the St. Joseph Post/file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostBarge traffic on the Missouri River has gotten a boost with a
massive influx of federal funds to repair and upgrade navigation infrastructure
damaged by the 2019 flood.TransPort 360 CEO Aaron Khouri says the Missouri River isn’t
really as notorious a waterway for barge traffic as some make it out to be.“There’s this stigma that the Missouri River is unreliable,”
Khouri tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “It’s not unreliable, it’s just challenging
in the same way that other river segments are challenging.”TransPort 360 operates the ports in St. Joseph and Kansas City,
as well as other transportation options in the area.Khouri says the $340 million in repairs to Missouri River
infrastructure made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has made the river more
reliable for navigation.Khouri says the company plans to increase its capacity for
grain shipments out of the St. Joseph port. The company would like to have storage reach approximately 75% of a full barge, which is 1,500 net tons.“I think grain is going to be the key,” Khouri says. “It’s one
of our primary areas of focus. There’s just a tremendous amount of production;
demand on the fertilizer side in the region.”Kouri says the company plans to increase its grain processing
storage capacity in St. Joseph to store more soybean meal and DDGs for barge
shipments.The port also will be looking to haul bulk commodities, such
as scrap metal.“Those are a little bit, I would say, fewer and far between
compared to the opportunities that we see on the agricultural side.”Khouri says operating ports in both St. Joseph and Kansas City
allows TransPort 360 to shave expenses by sharing resources.“So as we become stronger in Kansas City, we’ll be stronger in
St. Joe. Being able to, either between personnel or equipment, you name it,
both have helped us be able to grow into the organization that we are now. So,
without one or the other, you’re sort of limiting our ability,” according to
Khouri. “Separate opportunities, but the opportunities that we see in Kansas
City will help us be better at what we do in St. Joe.”You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

TransPort 360 sees grain shipments as the key to St. Joseph Port

ATCHISON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 11:30p.m. Sunday in Atchison.

A 2006 Honda motorcycle ridden by Caleb Cummins, 22, Atchison, was northbound in the 700 Block of North 8th Street, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.

Cummins lost control of the vehicle. It left the roadway on the west side of the street, struck a mailbox and a metal handrail. 

He was ejected from the motorcycle and came to rest in a yard of a residence.&nbsp; EMS transported him to Mosaic in St. Joseph for treatment. Charges are pending, according to Wilson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727100343410.png" alt="Photo Police Chief Mike Wilson" />
 <figcaption>Photo Police Chief Mike Wilson</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 11:30p.m. Sunday in Atchison.A 2006 Honda motorcycle ridden by Caleb Cummins, 22, Atchison, was northbound in the 700 Block of North 8th Street, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.Cummins lost control of the vehicle. It left the roadway on the west side of the street, struck a mailbox and a metal handrail. He was ejected from the motorcycle and came to rest in a yard of a residence.&nbsp; EMS transported him to Mosaic in St. Joseph for treatment. Charges are pending, according to Wilson.

Police: Motorcyclist hospitalized in St. Joe faces potential charges

Contract tied to six revoked microbusiness licenses aimed to give investor full ownership of the business, while Black disabled veteran applied for the license

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727095639041.jpeg" alt="The microbusiness program was sold to Missouri voters as a way to help victims of the war on drugs get a toehold in this burgeoning industry (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent)" />
 <figcaption>The microbusiness program was sold to Missouri voters as a way to help victims of the war on drugs get a toehold in this burgeoning industry (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Contract tied to six revoked microbusiness licenses aimed to give investor full ownership of the business, while Black disabled veteran applied for the license</h2>By REBECCA RIVAS&nbsp; <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Destiny Brown thought she had been recruited last year to own and operate a small-scale Missouri cannabis dispensary — and get paid $200,000 to do it.&nbsp;Cannabis investor Michael Halow told Brown, who is Black, that her disabled veteran status and the marijuana offense on her father’s record qualified her for a Missouri microbusiness license.&nbsp;The qualifications were designed for these licenses to end up in the hands of disadvantaged business owners, including disabled veterans, those with lower incomes and people with non-violent marijuana offenses.Brown didn’t closely read the 40-page contract she signed with Halow, but says he repeatedly told her he would help her with $2 million to get the business up and running, according to a transcript of Brown’s interview in March with the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation investigators.&nbsp;“Mike just said he had money to do that,” Brown told officials, according to the document The Independent obtained through a public records request. “He always says that. He just said, ‘I have the money. I can help.’”&nbsp;He never told Brown that the contract’s fineprint aimed to give Halow full ownership of the business while using her as the legal front of it. A felony on Halow’s record could potentially disqualify him from holding a license himself.Brown — who told state regulators she lives in Arizona and declined to be interviewed for this story — was among 16 people who&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/a-quarter-of-missouri-cannabis-microbusiness-license-winners-deemed-ineligible/">won the lottery</a>&nbsp;for Missouri microbusiness dispensary licenses last October. Six were connected to Halow, and each of those licenses has since been revoked.After Brown got the license, she hired a lawyer and separated herself from Halow and his consultants. She gave cannabis regulators agreements she signed or that Halow had sent her — including documents the state previously did not have, according to legal filings.&nbsp;The agreements stated she would not be allowed to sell any marijuana products in Missouri until ownership changed hands to Halow, or until Brown repaid the full $2 million plus interest.&nbsp;&nbsp;Halow’s hired consulting firm, Cannabis Business Advisors, was listed as the designated contact on more than 400 of the 1,048 Missouri dispensary applicants, a practice known as flooding the lottery.&nbsp;The six winners connected to Halow all had similar contracts&nbsp;— each of which are technically complicated and ensure he ends up with control of the business, according to legal filings.But Halow is not alone in this strategy.The microbusiness program was sold to Missouri voters as a way to help victims of the War on Drugs get a toehold in this burgeoning industry. But contracts obtained in recent months by The Independent reveal out-of-state companies or cannabis industry insiders have repeatedly attempted to use qualified applicants to win the licenses but then largely shut them out of the profit.Last year, The Independent revealed that a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/26/applicants-recruited-on-craigslist-competed-for-missouri-social-equity-cannabis-licenses/">Michigan-based company was recruiting people on Craigslist&nbsp;</a>to enter Missouri’s social equity license lottery using contracts forcing them to eventually relinquish all control — and profits.The two licenses connected to the company were revoked, though the company is appealing that decision.&nbsp;The Independent reported in July on&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/07/26/missouri-cannabis-leader-accused-of-using-predatory-contracts-to-win-social-equity-licenses/">Missouri cannabis leader John Payne</a>&nbsp;using agreements for some applications that would give&nbsp;him and his partners 90.1% of profits and majority control of the business.Legal experts who reviewed Payne’s contracts called them&nbsp;unfair and potentially predatory. This summer, cannabis regulators opened an investigation into one license connected to Payne that was awarded in October to verify whether they “continue to be majority owned and operated by eligible individuals.”&nbsp;The investigation is ongoing, a department spokesperson told The Independent.Joseph von Kaenel, a St. Louis corporate governance attorney who reviewed Payne’s contracts for The Independent, said the documents presented to&nbsp;Brown are just as problematic.&nbsp;“It’s really the same old story we’ve seen of unscrupulous promoters trying to find a disadvantaged person,” von Kaenel said, “and have them front the business and then take it over when they can’t pay.”The revocations of the five licenses still connected to Halow are being appealed with the legal representation of St. Louis-based law firm Armstrong Teasdale.&nbsp;It’s the same law firm Payne claimed wrote the contract that The Independent obtained for his client this spring.&nbsp;Even though the firm’s name appears in the contract, Armstrong Teasdale adamantly denies preparing or providing it to Payne.&nbsp;Halow declined to comment in a phone call with The Independent, and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment.&nbsp;&nbsp;Brown has also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25169294-ever-eco" target="_blank">appealed the state’s decision</a>&nbsp;to revoke the license with the Administrative Hearing Commission, a group of five judges who hear state licensing disputes. However, the commission found her complaint was filed after the deadline, which puts her case at risk of being dismissed.<h2>Investing in the Future</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692273868300.png" alt="(Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>(Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>According to Halow’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mikehalow_pioneeringchange-communityfirst-cannabisinnovation-activity-7175542032193441794-fCfZ?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop" target="_blank">LinkedIn page</a>, he lives in Puerto Rico and “holds numerous cannabis licenses spanning multiple states.”&nbsp;“But I’ve always had my eye on the bigger picture – championing social equity and empowerment,” he stated in a recent post. “It’s why I’m dedicated to mentoring underrepresented candidates and guiding them through the complex licensing process.”While that may be his goal, he’s also faced controversy in Arizona over his practices obtaining social-equity licenses.&nbsp;In August 2023, he was sued by a woman who said Halow recruited her to apply for the social-equity license and then&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marijuanamoment.net/arizona-marijuana-business-sues-over-unlawful-license-transfer-as-states-social-equity-program-comes-under-scrutiny/" target="_blank">took over the business</a>&nbsp;license without her knowledge or permission.Halow and his Wyoming-based companies Investing in the Future LLC and Helping Handz won the suit and he retained the license. The judge awarded him $45,000 in legal fees.&nbsp;Halow’s LinkedIn page says he studied in criminal justice and business at University of Texas at El Paso and Arizona State University.In 2003, a grand jury in El Paso indicted Halow on several counts of sexual assault of a child, along with several more for producing child pornography. The charges were dismissed as a part of a plea agreement, in which he pled guilty to a second-degree felony offense of aggravated assault. He received three years of community supervision.The constitution states that people with a “disqualifying felony” can’t work in the industry, but it doesn’t specify what types of felony offenses. It exempts marijuana offenses that are eligible for expungement. It also says that if it’s a nonviolent felony offense, employees are in the clear if it has been more than five years since the charge.&nbsp;For other felonies, “more than five years have passed since the person was released from parole or probation, and he or she has not been convicted of any subsequent felony criminal offenses,” it states.According to DHSS, a lot of their review is subjective.“What is written into law is then applied to each individual record, so it is a case-by-case analysis and can’t simply be determined by a checklist of potential offenses,” Lisa Cox, a spokeswoman for DHSS,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/04/03/missouri-sees-surge-in-cannabis-jobs-after-legalization-vote/">told The Independent</a>&nbsp;last year.<h2>The contract</h2>Brown told state regulators this spring that she filled out an “inquiry” online, stating that she’d like to run a dispensary to help veterans like herself.&nbsp;Halow’s brother, whose name Brown says she doesn’t remember, responded by calling and requesting documents, including her driver’s license and veterans disability paperwork. He asked her to sign several agreements that she thought were outlining how the business would be run and that she would be paid $200,000 to do it.&nbsp;She didn’t realize that the documents would give away ownership of the company to Halow after the license was issued.She also didn’t know about Ever Eco LLC, which is the business the microbusiness application was filed under.According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25169292-ever-eco-dhss-response-may" target="_blank">state’s response&nbsp;</a>to Brown’s April appeal of the license revocation, Ever Eco is an Arizona limited liability company formed on July 23, 2023. At the time of filing, Halow was listed as the sole member and manager of Ever Eco — yet he was not listed as an owner or designated contact in the microbusiness application.A month later, and after the application was submitted, the business’ articles of organization were amended to remove Halow as the sole owner and operator, replacing him with Brown.&nbsp;&nbsp;The license’s designated contact was Maxime Kot, with Cannabis Business Advisors. In her interview, Brown said she had never met or heard of Kot.&nbsp;On Oct. 17, the department requested that Ever Eco provide several documents, including all agreements, verbal or written.&nbsp;A couple weeks later, Kot responded to the department, saying her company was “unable to provide the requested information and documents due to a lack of response or interest by the purported owner.”However, on Nov. 15, Brown’s attorney requested that Kot be removed as designated contact. The attorney then&nbsp;provided a number of documents, including a memorandum of understanding, a consulting agreement, a promissory note and a conditional management services agreement.Each document was signed by Brown, either on behalf of herself or on behalf of the company, with a separate signature block for Halow, the response states.&nbsp;The memo of understanding and promissory gave Halow the right to convert the loan he promised to provide Brown’s LLC into 100% of the “membership interest” — or all of the profits and voting rights of the business.The state revoked the license on seven grounds, including that the application included “false or misleading information” and the licensee withheld information.Armstrong Teasdale is not representing Brown in her case. However, in the appeals of the other five licenses Halow is connected to, his attorney responded to the state’s allegation that the licensee “entered into an agreement that transferred ownership and operational control to another entity.”&nbsp;“…this contention envisions a hypothetical situation at most,” Halow’s attorney writes, “as the documents alleged to grant such ownership and operational control are expressly conditioned on DHSS approval and such rights for third parties are optional to exercise, not mandatory.”In Brown’s March 4 interview with cannabis regulators, her attorney said she wants to move forward with the license.&nbsp;“She has every intent of it,” he said. “And from everything I can see, she’s more than qualified under the program and is eager to move forward either way. So, whatever we can provide to you to allay any concerns, just let us know.”

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