By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/488VRMnPIdnN8SBYq58nY5?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

KFEQ Morning Sports

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/2DaALa1vz6MhW9xvBojswJ?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

KFEQ Morning News

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacobtukker/">Jacob Tukker</a>

On Dec. 1, Missourians will officially be able to start placing sports bets.

As the rollout has progressed, a number of sportsbooks have already been jockeying for positioning in the market and will continue to do so up to and past the launch date.

That means prospective gamblers will be able to choose between a variety of sportsbooks that offer different experiences and promotions. Currently, there are nine that have received temporary licenses to offer mobile betting:

Customers will be able to start signing up with different sportsbooks beginning Nov. 17, which is also the date the books can start hooking them up with preregistration promotions.

Despite comments from Missouri Gaming Commission chair Jan Zimmerman, Missourians living anywhere in the state can sign up for and bet with any of the nine books.

Here are some common questions you might have when choosing a sportsbook and starting the sports gambling process. To begin, we’ll discuss how we got to this point and then some common numbers and terms you’ll see when placing your first bets.

Since a law banning sports gambling in states other than Nevada was struck down in 2018, states slowly began creating policies to legalize it. Missouri was late to the party, becoming the 41st state to legalize it when Amendment 2 was passed in November 2024.

When Kansas passed a bill allowing sports gambling in 2022, it became visibly clear on what market Missouri was missing out. Since then, drivers from Missouri can be seen stopping on off ramps after crossing over the border to place bets.

Pro sports franchises were also growing impatient because they were missing out on an extra revenue stream and a valuable way to target younger demographics. So, a few sports teams, including the Cardinals, with the help of national gambling companies, were able to rally to get the measure onto the November ballot.

After a close vote, it passed. What resulted was a turbulent process of figuring out when the betting would actually begin.

At first, the Missouri Gaming Commission hoped to set up emergency rules to make sports gambling fully functional by March 4, in time for Missourians to bet on March Madness. However, the attempt was nixed by Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, who argued there wasn’t an emergency requiring hastened legalization.

That’s where we stand today. A deliberate application process has led to nine sportsbooks and various casinos gearing up for the launch … and bettors patiently waiting to bet on their favorite players and teams.

What do all of these different types of bets mean?

The most common bets to place are moneyline bets, spread bets and over/under bets.

Moneyline bets are straightforward: You are betting on which team or player will win a game or event.

When you place a moneyline bet, you will see odds that either start with a plus or minus. For example, if the Chiefs are playing the Broncos and the Chiefs are -150, that means they are favorites. In this case, a $150 bet will win you $100 (you get the original $150 back). On the other side of the bet, the Broncos would be underdogs, let’s say at +125, which means that a bet of $100 would win you $125 (plus the original bet).

For bigger or smaller wagers, payouts scale according to the odds. Going back to the Chiefs’ -150 odds, a $15 bet would win $10 and a $450 bet would win $300.

Spread bets operate a little differently. They use a point margin, where the favorite must win by more than the listed number while the underdog can lose by that many points and still cover. For example, if the Chiefs are -3.5 (- implies the favorite) versus the Broncos, KC must win by 4 or more to cash and Denver covers if it loses by 3 points or fewer or if it wins.

Usually, both sides of spread bets feature similar odds, which are normally close to -110 (again, meaning a $110 wager would win $100).

Finally, over/under bets are gambles on whether or not the combined score of a game will be higher or lower than a predetermined amount. In the Chiefs-Broncos contest, let’s say the over/under line is 50.5, and the final score is 30-27. The total would then be 57 (30+27), and the over would win. If the total ends up lower than 50.5, under bettors would rejoice.

Similar to spread bets, the odds on both over and under bets are generally similar and centered around -110.

You may also come across the term “parlay.” This is just a group of bets combined into one that must all win in order for the wager to pay out.

What are the differences between all of these sportsbooks?

Not all of the nine mobile sportsbooks are created equal. Some focus on catering to customers who are likely to place larger wagers, others feature high-value promotions designed to attract a huge user base, and a handful more are known for a fantasy-sports-driven interface.

• Circa Sports primarily markets itself as a sportsbook for the big guns and high riders. It’s known for its tight moneyline spreads and allowing experienced bettors, or “sharps,” to place large wagers.

• DraftKings and FanDuel, for most intents and purposes, are identical. These two books are by far the biggest players in the nationwide sports betting market, and both offer large promotions in hopes of getting new users to sign up. In total, these two behemoths make up almost 80% of the market, according to Reuters.

• Both books also offer tons of bet types, frequent promotions such as odds boosts and market themselves toward everyday bettors.

• Caesars and Fanatics operate on more of a loyalty platform than others. Sports Illustrated publishes sportsbook reviews and says Caesars has the best rewards program, which includes credits that can be redeemed for stays at some of its hotels. Fanatics, similarly, offers users digital FanCash with every bet, which can be turned into tickets, bonus bets and more.

• Underdog started solely as a daily fantasy sports site but has moved into the traditional sports gambling world as well. It is known for its fantasy draft games like best ball and parlay-style pick ’em.

The rest of the bunch are similar. BetMGM and Bet365 are especially known for the amount of sports that are available to bet on, so if you’re looking for a book to place a wager on Russian pingpong, those might be your best bets.

Good news! Along with the nine mobile licenses that have been approved, the Missouri Gaming Commission also granted eight brick-and-mortar casinos retail licenses to operate onsite sportsbooks.

• Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City — Partnered with Fanatics Sportsbook.

• Ameristar Casino Resort and Spa St. Charles — Fanatics Sportsbook.

• Harrah’s Kansas City — Caesars Sportsbook.

• Horseshoe St. Louis — Caesars Sportsbook.

• Hollywood Casino &amp; Hotel in St. Louis — ESPN BET.

• River City Casino &amp; Hotel in St. Louis — ESPN BET.

• Argosy Casino &amp; Hotel in Kansas City — ESPN BET.

• Century Casino &amp; Hotel in Cape Girardeau — BetMGM.

These casinos will open sportsbooks Dec. 1, the same time mobile books will be allowed to begin collecting bets.

What promotions are available, and are there any restrictions?While companies aren’t allowed to directly offer promotions to draw in Missouri customers until Nov. 17, there are sites that offer projections into what those may be when Nov. 17 comes around. Legal Sports Report is one of them, and here are the offers it thinks customers will be able to grab:

• DraftKings and FanDuel: Bet $5, get $300 in bonus bets on launch.

• Caesars: Bet $1, Double Your Money 20x.

• BetMGM: Up To $1,500 First-Bet Bonus.

• Fanatics: Up To $2,000 in No-Sweat Bets OR Choose Your Offer.

• Bet365: Bet $5 To Get $200 OR Up to $1,000 First Bet Safety Net.

• BetRivers (not yet licensed in Missouri): Second-Chance Bet Up To $500.

Since Circa Sports is geared toward those “sharp” bettors, it will likely not offer significant promotions.

What’s important to realize about all these deals is how the refunds or bonus bets are credited. They come as site credit that must be wagered again before you can withdraw. For example, with DraftKings’ offer, you’d need to place (and win) another bet with the $300 credit to cash out.

The only notable restriction is that bettors can’t place player-specific prop bets on college games involving Missouri schools. Betting on Missouri-specific team outcomes is still legal. Also, you cannot bet on high school games.

There are resources available if you are struggling with problems related to gambling. Missouri’s problem gambling helpline is 888-BETS-OFF, or 888-238-7633, and is open 24/7.

The Missouri Department of Mental Health also provides a list of certified gambling treatment counselors for those struggling or worried about someone who is. However, experts worry these counselors might not be aptly trained to deal with the fast-acting consequences that come from having access to a mobile casino at all times.

Amendment 2 also specified that per year, the greater of $5 million or up to 10% of sports betting tax revenues will go toward Missouri’s compulsive gambling fund, which intends to provide resources for troubled gamblers.

This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/sports/other_sports/missouri-sports-betting-is-a-month-away-heres-what-you-need-to-know/article_48547610-7a23-4ed5-964a-b904bbb7c96f.html" target="_blank">Columbia Missourian</a>. It can be republished in print or online.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707620687273.png" alt="Photo Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacobtukker/">Jacob Tukker</a>On Dec. 1, Missourians will officially be able to start placing sports bets.As the rollout has progressed, a number of sportsbooks have already been jockeying for positioning in the market and will continue to do so up to and past the launch date.That means prospective gamblers will be able to choose between a variety of sportsbooks that offer different experiences and promotions. Currently, there are nine that have received temporary licenses to offer mobile betting:• Circa Sports.• DraftKings.• FanDuel.• ESPN BET.• BetMGM.• Bet365.• Caesars Sportsbook.• Fanatics.• Underdog.Customers will be able to start signing up with different sportsbooks beginning Nov. 17, which is also the date the books can start hooking them up with preregistration promotions.Despite comments from Missouri Gaming Commission chair Jan Zimmerman, Missourians living anywhere in the state can sign up for and bet with any of the nine books.Here are some common questions you might have when choosing a sportsbook and starting the sports gambling process. To begin, we’ll discuss how we got to this point and then some common numbers and terms you’ll see when placing your first bets.<h2>How did we get here?</h2>Since a law banning sports gambling in states other than Nevada was struck down in 2018, states slowly began creating policies to legalize it. Missouri was late to the party, becoming the 41st state to legalize it when Amendment 2 was passed in November 2024.When Kansas passed a bill allowing sports gambling in 2022, it became visibly clear on what market Missouri was missing out. Since then, drivers from Missouri can be seen stopping on off ramps after crossing over the border to place bets.Pro sports franchises were also growing impatient because they were missing out on an extra revenue stream and a valuable way to target younger demographics. So, a few sports teams, including the Cardinals, with the help of national gambling companies, were able to rally to get the measure onto the November ballot.After a close vote, it passed. What resulted was a turbulent process of figuring out when the betting would actually begin.At first, the Missouri Gaming Commission hoped to set up emergency rules to make sports gambling fully functional by March 4, in time for Missourians to bet on March Madness. However, the attempt was nixed by Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, who argued there wasn’t an emergency requiring hastened legalization.That’s where we stand today. A deliberate application process has led to nine sportsbooks and various casinos gearing up for the launch … and bettors patiently waiting to bet on their favorite players and teams.<h2>What do all of these different types of bets mean?</h2>The most common bets to place are moneyline bets, spread bets and over/under bets.Moneyline bets are straightforward: You are betting on which team or player will win a game or event.When you place a moneyline bet, you will see odds that either start with a plus or minus. For example, if the Chiefs are playing the Broncos and the Chiefs are -150, that means they are favorites. In this case, a $150 bet will win you $100 (you get the original $150 back). On the other side of the bet, the Broncos would be underdogs, let’s say at +125, which means that a bet of $100 would win you $125 (plus the original bet).For bigger or smaller wagers, payouts scale according to the odds. Going back to the Chiefs’ -150 odds, a $15 bet would win $10 and a $450 bet would win $300.Spread bets operate a little differently. They use a point margin, where the favorite must win by more than the listed number while the underdog can lose by that many points and still cover. For example, if the Chiefs are -3.5 (- implies the favorite) versus the Broncos, KC must win by 4 or more to cash and Denver covers if it loses by 3 points or fewer or if it wins.Usually, both sides of spread bets feature similar odds, which are normally close to -110 (again, meaning a $110 wager would win $100).Finally, over/under bets are gambles on whether or not the combined score of a game will be higher or lower than a predetermined amount. In the Chiefs-Broncos contest, let’s say the over/under line is 50.5, and the final score is 30-27. The total would then be 57 (30+27), and the over would win. If the total ends up lower than 50.5, under bettors would rejoice.Similar to spread bets, the odds on both over and under bets are generally similar and centered around -110.You may also come across the term “parlay.” This is just a group of bets combined into one that must all win in order for the wager to pay out.<h2>What are the differences between all of these sportsbooks?</h2>Not all of the nine mobile sportsbooks are created equal. Some focus on catering to customers who are likely to place larger wagers, others feature high-value promotions designed to attract a huge user base, and a handful more are known for a fantasy-sports-driven interface.• Circa Sports primarily markets itself as a sportsbook for the big guns and high riders. It’s known for its tight moneyline spreads and allowing experienced bettors, or “sharps,” to place large wagers.• DraftKings and FanDuel, for most intents and purposes, are identical. These two books are by far the biggest players in the nationwide sports betting market, and both offer large promotions in hopes of getting new users to sign up. In total, these two behemoths make up almost 80% of the market, according to Reuters.• Both books also offer tons of bet types, frequent promotions such as odds boosts and market themselves toward everyday bettors.• Caesars and Fanatics operate on more of a loyalty platform than others. Sports Illustrated publishes sportsbook reviews and says Caesars has the best rewards program, which includes credits that can be redeemed for stays at some of its hotels. Fanatics, similarly, offers users digital FanCash with every bet, which can be turned into tickets, bonus bets and more.• Underdog started solely as a daily fantasy sports site but has moved into the traditional sports gambling world as well. It is known for its fantasy draft games like best ball and parlay-style pick ’em.The rest of the bunch are similar. BetMGM and Bet365 are especially known for the amount of sports that are available to bet on, so if you’re looking for a book to place a wager on Russian pingpong, those might be your best bets.<h2>What if I want to sports-bet in person?</h2>Good news! Along with the nine mobile licenses that have been approved, the Missouri Gaming Commission also granted eight brick-and-mortar casinos retail licenses to operate onsite sportsbooks.Those are:• Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City — Partnered with Fanatics Sportsbook.• Ameristar Casino Resort and Spa St. Charles — Fanatics Sportsbook.• Harrah’s Kansas City — Caesars Sportsbook.• Horseshoe St. Louis — Caesars Sportsbook.• Hollywood Casino &amp; Hotel in St. Louis — ESPN BET.• River City Casino &amp; Hotel in St. Louis — ESPN BET.• Argosy Casino &amp; Hotel in Kansas City — ESPN BET.• Century Casino &amp; Hotel in Cape Girardeau — BetMGM.These casinos will open sportsbooks Dec. 1, the same time mobile books will be allowed to begin collecting bets.What promotions are available, and are there any restrictions?While companies aren’t allowed to directly offer promotions to draw in Missouri customers until Nov. 17, there are sites that offer projections into what those may be when Nov. 17 comes around. Legal Sports Report is one of them, and here are the offers it thinks customers will be able to grab:• DraftKings and FanDuel: Bet $5, get $300 in bonus bets on launch.• Caesars: Bet $1, Double Your Money 20x.• BetMGM: Up To $1,500 First-Bet Bonus.• Fanatics: Up To $2,000 in No-Sweat Bets OR Choose Your Offer.• Bet365: Bet $5 To Get $200 OR Up to $1,000 First Bet Safety Net.• BetRivers (not yet licensed in Missouri): Second-Chance Bet Up To $500.Since Circa Sports is geared toward those “sharp” bettors, it will likely not offer significant promotions.What’s important to realize about all these deals is how the refunds or bonus bets are credited. They come as site credit that must be wagered again before you can withdraw. For example, with DraftKings’ offer, you’d need to place (and win) another bet with the $300 credit to cash out.The only notable restriction is that bettors can’t place player-specific prop bets on college games involving Missouri schools. Betting on Missouri-specific team outcomes is still legal. Also, you cannot bet on high school games.<h2>Where can I get problem gambling help?</h2>There are resources available if you are struggling with problems related to gambling. Missouri’s problem gambling helpline is 888-BETS-OFF, or 888-238-7633, and is open 24/7.The Missouri Department of Mental Health also provides a list of certified gambling treatment counselors for those struggling or worried about someone who is. However, experts worry these counselors might not be aptly trained to deal with the fast-acting consequences that come from having access to a mobile casino at all times.Amendment 2 also specified that per year, the greater of $5 million or up to 10% of sports betting tax revenues will go toward Missouri’s compulsive gambling fund, which intends to provide resources for troubled gamblers.This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/sports/other_sports/missouri-sports-betting-is-a-month-away-heres-what-you-need-to-know/article_48547610-7a23-4ed5-964a-b904bbb7c96f.html" target="_blank">Columbia Missourian</a>. It can be republished in print or online.&nbsp;

Missouri sports betting is a month away. Here’s what you need to know

ATCHISON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 10a.m. Sunday in Atchison County, Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Hyundai Ioniq driven by a 48-year-old Freeland, Washington woman was southbound on Interstate 29 five miles east of Watson. The Hyundai rear-ended a 2023 Nissan Titan driven by a 49-year-old Independence, Missouri man who merged in driving lane in front of the Hyundai as the vehicles approached exit 116.

Atchison Holt ambulance transported the Hyundai driver to Grape Community Hospital in Iowa. The Nissan driver was not injured.&nbsp; Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

ATCHISON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 10a.m. Sunday in Atchison County, Missouri.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Hyundai Ioniq driven by a 48-year-old Freeland, Washington woman was southbound on Interstate 29 five miles east of Watson. The Hyundai rear-ended a 2023 Nissan Titan driven by a 49-year-old Independence, Missouri man who merged in driving lane in front of the Hyundai as the vehicles approached exit 116.Atchison Holt ambulance transported the Hyundai driver to Grape Community Hospital in Iowa. The Nissan driver was not injured.&nbsp; Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Woman hospitalized after rear-end crash with Mo. pickup driver

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 4a.m. Saturday in Leavenworth County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Chevy Corvette driven by Jeremy Head, 41, Leavenworth, was eastbound in the 700 Block of Shawnee Street in Leavenworth.at a high rate of speed. The car went airborne, became unstable when it made contact with the roadway. The vehicle rotated and struck the curb, a tree and a building.&nbsp;

Head was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Forensic Medical. EMS transported a passenger&nbsp;Margaret Spain, 32, Leavenworth to KU Medical Center. They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 4a.m. Saturday in Leavenworth County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Chevy Corvette driven by Jeremy Head, 41, Leavenworth, was eastbound in the 700 Block of Shawnee Street in Leavenworth.at a high rate of speed. The car went airborne, became unstable when it made contact with the roadway. The vehicle rotated and struck the curb, a tree and a building.&nbsp;Head was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Forensic Medical. EMS transported a passenger&nbsp;Margaret Spain, 32, Leavenworth to KU Medical Center. They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dead, woman injured in violent crash into a building

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6JWd8kEo3larlxY2sStqZ2?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

KFEQ Week in Review

While the average premium for one carrier will decline, most consumers in the health care marketplace will pay more due to the loss of tax credits passed during the pandemic

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">Rudi Keller</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/squinn/">Steph Quinn</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

Most individual health insurance plans sold in Missouri will&nbsp;<a href="https://insurance.mo.gov/sites/insurance/files/2025-10/Public%20posting%20-%20Final%202026%20Rates.pdf" target="_blank">increase in price next year</a>&nbsp;even as customers prepare to dig deeper into their own funds to replace costs previously covered by federal tax credits.

The state Department of Commerce and Insurance on Friday released the approved rates for individual plans, most of which are sold on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/" target="_blank">health insurance marketplace</a>. One carrier, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, is lowering premiums an average of 4.1% for its plans available in 30 western Missouri counties. Some plans offered by the company will see an increase of as much as 9%.

Premiums will increase for the other eight carriers offering plans in all or part of the state. Ambetter Health plans, available off the marketplace in 109 counties, will increase an average of 1.9%, while Cox Health Plans, available in five southwest Missouri counties, will go up an average of 30.4%.

The costs for some Missourians will increase 70% or more if Congress does not extend tax credits enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal government has been&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/01/repub/protesters-at-us-capitol-back-democrats-in-shutdown-fight-over-health-care-costs/">shut down since Oct. 1</a>&nbsp;because congressional Democrats refuse to vote to fund the government until Republicans add an extension of the credits to the spending bill. Republicans argue the government should be reopened before negotiations over subsidies resume.

There are at least two companies offering health plans in&nbsp;<a href="https://insurance.mo.gov/individual-health-insurance-market-map" target="_blank">every county</a>, with a handful in the St. Louis area seeing seven vying for their business.&nbsp;

“First and foremost, Missourians need to know our state continues to have a competitive market, which means they will continue to have meaningful choices when it comes to their health coverage,” Angela Nelson, department director, said in a news release.&nbsp;

In addition to reporting the average change, the department also provided the largest change in cost for any single plan offered by the nine carriers. Those increases ranged from 6.4% for an Ambetter Health plan, to 110% for a Medica plan offered in 54 counties.&nbsp;

Open enrollment for the individual health plans begins Saturday. Consumers who purchase coverage by Dec. 15 will have it start Jan. 1. Plans may be purchased until Jan. 15, but coverage will not begin until Feb. 1, the release stated.

Missourians will start considering their choices without knowing whether enhanced subsidies enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency will be extended.

The original Affordable Care Act subsidies that took effect in 2014 tied the actual cost to consumers to a percentage of their income for people earning less than four times the federal poverty level. Consumers with poverty level income — $15,650 for 2025 for individuals, $32,150 for a family of four —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-25.pdf" target="_blank">paid 2.1% of their income as premiums</a>, sliding up to 10% for households with income between three and four times the poverty level.

The enhanced tax credits put a cap on out-of-pocket premium costs for all consumers, with the highest earners paying 8.5% of their income and those with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-23-29.pdf" target="_blank">incomes below 150%</a>&nbsp;of poverty level paying no premiums for their insurance.

“There is still a tremendous amount of uncertainty about whether Congress will extend the premium tax subsidies into 2026, and we are keeping a close eye on any developments at the federal level,” Nelson said.

Only two of the eight companies offering individual plans in Missouri through the federal marketplace will have plans available in every county or almost every county in the state. United Healthcare plans are available in every county and Ambetter from Home State Health plans can be purchased in every county except Clark, Lewis, Marion, St. Francois, Schuyler and Scotland.

The average monthly premium is about $755 for both the United Healthcare and Ambetter offerings, an increase of about 15% and 25%, respectively.&nbsp;

An individual with an income of $62,600 a year or more would have to pay the full premium if the enhanced credits are not extended. That means paying $9,060 over a year for the average Ambetter or United Healthcare plan instead of $5,321, an increase of 70%.

A panel of community members and experts hosted by the Community Health Commission of Missouri in St. Louis on Thursday underlined potential impacts of the expiring subsidies.

Sheldon Weisgrau, vice president for health and policy advocacy at the Missouri Foundation for Health, said higher premiums could lead younger, healthier people to forgo insurance, driving up prices for those who continue to purchase plans.

“When folks can’t afford to buy insurance, it doesn’t mean they won’t get sick,” Weisgrau said. When they do enter the health system, providers pick up the cost, “and again, that eventually gets passed on to everybody else.”&nbsp;

As Missourians confront higher insurance premiums, 650,000 low-income residents of the state could also be forced to cope with a loss of federal food benefits, with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, set to run out of funding on Nov. 1. Federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Friday&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/31/repub/trump-administration-blocked-from-cutting-off-snap-benefits-as-two-judges-issue-orders/">ordered</a>&nbsp;the Trump administration to use contingency funds to pay at least partial benefits, but SNAP recipients could still face delays.

Panelists on Thursday said instability across federal safety net programs means communities will have to fill in the gaps through mutual aid.

“I think the neighborhood, the village, needs to be recreated,” said Shanelle Woods, one of the community members.

“There’s someone probably on your block that has extra,” Woods said. “Maybe Miss Jones has a pot of soup and she’s willing to share with your children. But, you have to build a relationship with your neighbor first.”

Panelists said policy conversations don’t address the difficulty of accessing safety net programs even when they are not being cut or suspended.

Shellie Robinson, who went on medical leave after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, said she struggled so long to prove she was eligible to receive disability benefits that she eventually had to go back to work.

Her doctors vouched for her, but, Robinson said, “it still wasn’t enough.”

“Who has the time to wait online or wait on a call for nearly three hours to talk to someone, to get it?” Robinson asked.

Timothy McBride, a health economist at Washington University in St. Louis, said that despite a “myth” that people who buy marketplace insurance plans are “undeserving, or they’re lazy,” many working people don’t have access to affordable insurance. Older adults who don’t qualify for Medicare – for instance, due to a chronic condition – may also need marketplace plans.

“There are flaws in our insurance markets that put people in this situation,” McBride said. “That’s the truth of the matter, and you don’t hear that from Washington. It’s a blame game.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746559302789.jpg" alt="&nbsp;The price of health insurance will increase for most Missourians using the ACA marketplace as premiums increase and subsidies expire.-image Pixaby&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;The price of health insurance will increase for most Missourians using the ACA marketplace as premiums increase and subsidies expire.-image Pixaby&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>While the average premium for one carrier will decline, most consumers in the health care marketplace will pay more due to the loss of tax credits passed during the pandemic</h2>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">Rudi Keller</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/squinn/">Steph Quinn</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Most individual health insurance plans sold in Missouri will&nbsp;<a href="https://insurance.mo.gov/sites/insurance/files/2025-10/Public%20posting%20-%20Final%202026%20Rates.pdf" target="_blank">increase in price next year</a>&nbsp;even as customers prepare to dig deeper into their own funds to replace costs previously covered by federal tax credits.The state Department of Commerce and Insurance on Friday released the approved rates for individual plans, most of which are sold on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/" target="_blank">health insurance marketplace</a>. One carrier, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, is lowering premiums an average of 4.1% for its plans available in 30 western Missouri counties. Some plans offered by the company will see an increase of as much as 9%.Premiums will increase for the other eight carriers offering plans in all or part of the state. Ambetter Health plans, available off the marketplace in 109 counties, will increase an average of 1.9%, while Cox Health Plans, available in five southwest Missouri counties, will go up an average of 30.4%.The costs for some Missourians will increase 70% or more if Congress does not extend tax credits enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.The federal government has been&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/01/repub/protesters-at-us-capitol-back-democrats-in-shutdown-fight-over-health-care-costs/">shut down since Oct. 1</a>&nbsp;because congressional Democrats refuse to vote to fund the government until Republicans add an extension of the credits to the spending bill. Republicans argue the government should be reopened before negotiations over subsidies resume.Premiums will increase for the other eight carriers offering plans in all or part of the state. Ambetter Health plans, available off the marketplace in 109 counties, will increase an average of 1.9%, while Cox Health Plans, available in five southwest Missouri counties, will go up an average of 30.4%.There are at least two companies offering health plans in&nbsp;<a href="https://insurance.mo.gov/individual-health-insurance-market-map" target="_blank">every county</a>, with a handful in the St. Louis area seeing seven vying for their business.&nbsp;“First and foremost, Missourians need to know our state continues to have a competitive market, which means they will continue to have meaningful choices when it comes to their health coverage,” Angela Nelson, department director, said in a news release.&nbsp;In addition to reporting the average change, the department also provided the largest change in cost for any single plan offered by the nine carriers. Those increases ranged from 6.4% for an Ambetter Health plan, to 110% for a Medica plan offered in 54 counties.&nbsp;Open enrollment for the individual health plans begins Saturday. Consumers who purchase coverage by Dec. 15 will have it start Jan. 1. Plans may be purchased until Jan. 15, but coverage will not begin until Feb. 1, the release stated.Missourians will start considering their choices without knowing whether enhanced subsidies enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency will be extended.The original Affordable Care Act subsidies that took effect in 2014 tied the actual cost to consumers to a percentage of their income for people earning less than four times the federal poverty level. Consumers with poverty level income — $15,650 for 2025 for individuals, $32,150 for a family of four —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-25.pdf" target="_blank">paid 2.1% of their income as premiums</a>, sliding up to 10% for households with income between three and four times the poverty level.The enhanced tax credits put a cap on out-of-pocket premium costs for all consumers, with the highest earners paying 8.5% of their income and those with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-23-29.pdf" target="_blank">incomes below 150%</a>&nbsp;of poverty level paying no premiums for their insurance.“There is still a tremendous amount of uncertainty about whether Congress will extend the premium tax subsidies into 2026, and we are keeping a close eye on any developments at the federal level,” Nelson said.Only two of the eight companies offering individual plans in Missouri through the federal marketplace will have plans available in every county or almost every county in the state. United Healthcare plans are available in every county and Ambetter from Home State Health plans can be purchased in every county except Clark, Lewis, Marion, St. Francois, Schuyler and Scotland.The average monthly premium is about $755 for both the United Healthcare and Ambetter offerings, an increase of about 15% and 25%, respectively.&nbsp;An individual with an income of $62,600 a year or more would have to pay the full premium if the enhanced credits are not extended. That means paying $9,060 over a year for the average Ambetter or United Healthcare plan instead of $5,321, an increase of 70%.<h2>Cost increase impacts</h2>A panel of community members and experts hosted by the Community Health Commission of Missouri in St. Louis on Thursday underlined potential impacts of the expiring subsidies.Sheldon Weisgrau, vice president for health and policy advocacy at the Missouri Foundation for Health, said higher premiums could lead younger, healthier people to forgo insurance, driving up prices for those who continue to purchase plans.“When folks can’t afford to buy insurance, it doesn’t mean they won’t get sick,” Weisgrau said. When they do enter the health system, providers pick up the cost, “and again, that eventually gets passed on to everybody else.”&nbsp;As Missourians confront higher insurance premiums, 650,000 low-income residents of the state could also be forced to cope with a loss of federal food benefits, with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, set to run out of funding on Nov. 1. Federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Friday&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/31/repub/trump-administration-blocked-from-cutting-off-snap-benefits-as-two-judges-issue-orders/">ordered</a>&nbsp;the Trump administration to use contingency funds to pay at least partial benefits, but SNAP recipients could still face delays.Panelists on Thursday said instability across federal safety net programs means communities will have to fill in the gaps through mutual aid.“I think the neighborhood, the village, needs to be recreated,” said Shanelle Woods, one of the community members.“There’s someone probably on your block that has extra,” Woods said. “Maybe Miss Jones has a pot of soup and she’s willing to share with your children. But, you have to build a relationship with your neighbor first.”Panelists said policy conversations don’t address the difficulty of accessing safety net programs even when they are not being cut or suspended.Shellie Robinson, who went on medical leave after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, said she struggled so long to prove she was eligible to receive disability benefits that she eventually had to go back to work.Her doctors vouched for her, but, Robinson said, “it still wasn’t enough.”“Who has the time to wait online or wait on a call for nearly three hours to talk to someone, to get it?” Robinson asked.Timothy McBride, a health economist at Washington University in St. Louis, said that despite a “myth” that people who buy marketplace insurance plans are “undeserving, or they’re lazy,” many working people don’t have access to affordable insurance. Older adults who don’t qualify for Medicare – for instance, due to a chronic condition – may also need marketplace plans.“There are flaws in our insurance markets that put people in this situation,” McBride said. “That’s the truth of the matter, and you don’t hear that from Washington. It’s a blame game.”

Missouri health premiums to rise as much as 30% for 2026 amid uncertainty over subsidies

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an arrest.

On October 29, police arrested 47-year-old&nbsp;Jason E. Blakley of Atchison, on city of Horton and Atchison Municipal Court warrants for failure to appear in court, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

Blakley was also issued a notice to appear in court in the 100 block South 15th Street for driving in violation of restrictions, illegal tag, inattentive driving, limitations on backing, failure to yield to emergency vehicle, failure to provide proof of insurance and for not wearing seat belt. He met the requirement of bond and is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761924939805.png" alt="Blakley-photo Atchison County" />
 <figcaption>Blakley-photo Atchison County</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an arrest.On October 29, police arrested 47-year-old&nbsp;Jason E. Blakley of Atchison, on city of Horton and Atchison Municipal Court warrants for failure to appear in court, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.Blakley was also issued a notice to appear in court in the 100 block South 15th Street for driving in violation of restrictions, illegal tag, inattentive driving, limitations on backing, failure to yield to emergency vehicle, failure to provide proof of insurance and for not wearing seat belt. He met the requirement of bond and is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.

Kansas man continues to skip court on multiple allegations

St. Joseph School District officials are
looking to cut $8 million from the school budget in the next two years.

Assistant Superintendent of Business and
Operations, Robert Hedgecorth, says the budget reserves have fallen to just
over 10%, far short of the district goal of 20%. 

Hedgecorth says it will take time to
bring expenses down to get the reserves up.

“You can only cut so many purchase service
and supplies costs. Seventy-five percent of our expenses are staffing expenses,”
Hedgeworth tells KFEQmmunity, “because that is the bulk of our expenses. We are
in the people business. You need to look for ways to reduce that staffing without
affecting the classroom.”

Hedgecorth says the challenge is to
reduce staff through attrition while maintaining quality classroom instruction.

“So, we’re trying to make sure that we
look at that core classroom structure and when we evaluate positions, what are those
things that are furthest from the classroom?” Hedgecorth explains. “And so that
is kind of that rubric we’re looking at when someone might retire or resign to
see if we need to refill that position.”

The St. Joseph Board of Education has
approved $2.7 million in budget cuts for the current fiscal year. The total cut
of $8 million will be spread over two years, according to Hedgecorth.

Superintendent Ashly McGinnis says the
district will be looking to make staffing cuts across the board.

“And there may be some things as people
resign or retire that we can consolidate positions into one,” McGinnis says. “And
so, we are open to all of those ideas and want to brainstorm to make sure.
Overall, we just have to become more efficient as a business as an organization
and that’s our plan to do that.”

McGinnis says the district will look to
cut positions across the board, from administration to custodial.

“We also picked up quite a few positions
during COVID,” McGinnis says, stating the district attempted to use the money
on intervention during the pandemic. “But then when that money dropped off, we
picked up all of those positions locally. And so, we have increased the number
of staffing, but we would look at that across-the-board to see where we have
inefficiencies.” 

The school board reversed course and
decided to maintain the current three high school structure. Other buildings
will close, though. Bode Middle School will close as the district consolidates four
middle schools into three. Hyde Elementary School is scheduled to close as
well. Other school buildings might follow. School officials say they will try
to sell the properties, not just to make a little money off the sale, but to
keep from having to maintain buildings it no longer uses.

Through all the talk of budget tightening,
McGinnis wants to assure parents quality will be maintained as the district
implements the Plan E adopted by the Board of Education.

“Kids are going to walk into our
buildings and teachers and staff are still going to take care of kids
throughout this whole process,” McGinnis states. “We have excellent staff and
that’s our number one (priority), teaching and learning for our kids. That will
remain a priority.”

The St. Joseph School District operates
on a $182 million annual budget.

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostSt. Joseph School District officials are
looking to cut $8 million from the school budget in the next two years.Assistant Superintendent of Business and
Operations, Robert Hedgecorth, says the budget reserves have fallen to just
over 10%, far short of the district goal of 20%. Hedgecorth says it will take time to
bring expenses down to get the reserves up.“You can only cut so many purchase service
and supplies costs. Seventy-five percent of our expenses are staffing expenses,”
Hedgeworth tells KFEQmmunity, “because that is the bulk of our expenses. We are
in the people business. You need to look for ways to reduce that staffing without
affecting the classroom.”Hedgecorth says the challenge is to
reduce staff through attrition while maintaining quality classroom instruction.“So, we’re trying to make sure that we
look at that core classroom structure and when we evaluate positions, what are those
things that are furthest from the classroom?” Hedgecorth explains. “And so that
is kind of that rubric we’re looking at when someone might retire or resign to
see if we need to refill that position.”The St. Joseph Board of Education has
approved $2.7 million in budget cuts for the current fiscal year. The total cut
of $8 million will be spread over two years, according to Hedgecorth.Superintendent Ashly McGinnis says the
district will be looking to make staffing cuts across the board.“And there may be some things as people
resign or retire that we can consolidate positions into one,” McGinnis says. “And
so, we are open to all of those ideas and want to brainstorm to make sure.
Overall, we just have to become more efficient as a business as an organization
and that’s our plan to do that.”McGinnis says the district will look to
cut positions across the board, from administration to custodial.“We also picked up quite a few positions
during COVID,” McGinnis says, stating the district attempted to use the money
on intervention during the pandemic. “But then when that money dropped off, we
picked up all of those positions locally. And so, we have increased the number
of staffing, but we would look at that across-the-board to see where we have
inefficiencies.” The school board reversed course and
decided to maintain the current three high school structure. Other buildings
will close, though. Bode Middle School will close as the district consolidates four
middle schools into three. Hyde Elementary School is scheduled to close as
well. Other school buildings might follow. School officials say they will try
to sell the properties, not just to make a little money off the sale, but to
keep from having to maintain buildings it no longer uses.Through all the talk of budget tightening,
McGinnis wants to assure parents quality will be maintained as the district
implements the Plan E adopted by the Board of Education.“Kids are going to walk into our
buildings and teachers and staff are still going to take care of kids
throughout this whole process,” McGinnis states. “We have excellent staff and
that’s our number one (priority), teaching and learning for our kids. That will
remain a priority.”The St. Joseph School District operates
on a $182 million annual budget.JOURNAL<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/77Vil8zIjhP8PJx4hUz0Q2?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

St. Joseph School District aims to slash $8M from its budget

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4ivEnUPg9WpUxGdzrOolBR?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph Post<div><iframe data-testid="embed-iframe" style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/2YSkHE77TvovSBDyesPu7t?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office will be out tonight (Fri.), making sure those on the registered sex offender list are following the rules this Halloween.  

Sheriff Bill Puett says it's something his office takes very seriously, and the community does as well, so deputies will do what they need to protect children 

“So, we will verify that those offenders are where they’re supposed to be by statute, and I know that I’ve had people that say that it’s not fair, and they don’t like it and everything else,” Puett says on the KFEQmunnity show.  “You know that’s not for me to debate, my issue is as the sheriff the law is what it is and we’re going to enforce that, we’re going to keep our community as safe as we can keep it.” 

Puett says with over 300 registered sex offenders in the county, deputies will check on all of them tonight, sometimes twice, to ensure they are compliant. 

Puett says around 18 to 20 teams of officers will check on everyone on the list, with three varying situations 

"Number one they need to be checked; number two they’re at work and they have a verified work slip. If that’s the case, they can be at work and we verify that,” Puett explains.  “If they’re homeless, they’re required to come to the law enforcement center, and they have to wait in the lobby, and we check them and they have to be in the lobby until 10:30.” 

Puett says most that his officers check on through the night are compliant 

"Probably 9.8 out of 10 will greet the deputies at the door, how you doing, I mean they know the routine, they’ll have their ID, because the quicker it goes the deputy is gone and away they go and they know they have to do it,” Puett says. 

Puett does say every now and then though they will encounter someone belligerent, that after officers will leave will go on to break the law, which is why officers sometimes check twice. 

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

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe Buchanan County Sheriff's Office will be out tonight (Fri.), making sure those on the registered sex offender list are following the rules this Halloween. Sheriff Bill Puett says it's something his office takes very seriously, and the community does as well, so deputies will do what they need to protect children “So, we will verify that those offenders are where they’re supposed to be by statute, and I know that I’ve had people that say that it’s not fair, and they don’t like it and everything else,” Puett says on the KFEQmunnity show. “You know that’s not for me to debate, my issue is as the sheriff the law is what it is and we’re going to enforce that, we’re going to keep our community as safe as we can keep it.” Puett says with over 300 registered sex offenders in the county, deputies will check on all of them tonight, sometimes twice, to ensure they are compliant. Puett says around 18 to 20 teams of officers will check on everyone on the list, with three varying situations "Number one they need to be checked; number two they’re at work and they have a verified work slip. If that’s the case, they can be at work and we verify that,” Puett explains. “If they’re homeless, they’re required to come to the law enforcement center, and they have to wait in the lobby, and we check them and they have to be in the lobby until 10:30.” Puett says most that his officers check on through the night are compliant "Probably 9.8 out of 10 will greet the deputies at the door, how you doing, I mean they know the routine, they’ll have their ID, because the quicker it goes the deputy is gone and away they go and they know they have to do it,” Puett says. Puett does say every now and then though they will encounter someone belligerent, that after officers will leave will go on to break the law, which is why officers sometimes check twice. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Sheriff: Sex offenders won't be passing out candy tonight

42M Americans rely on the program now facing disruptions because of the shutdown.

By:<a href="https://stateline.org/author/khardy/">Kevin Hardy</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

There’s no way his local government can fill the void created by a disruption in the federal food stamp program, but local official Gregg Wright says his Minnesota county had to do something.

“This is pretty much a crisis for families,” said Wright, a member of the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners.

Last week, the board unanimously voted to send up to $200,000 to a local food bank to help neighbors at risk of losing food assistance because of the federal government shutdown.

Olmsted County, which has a population of about 165,000 and is home to the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, expects to lose about $1.7 million per month in benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP. It’s a predicament facing leaders across the country preparing for an unprecedented pause in the nation’s largest food assistance program as the shutdown drags on.

While attorneys general and governors from 25 states and the District of Columbia&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/10/28/repub/democratic-ags-governors-sue-trump-over-snap-benefits-as-shutdown-hits-day-28/">sued the Trump administration</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday to try to force it to pay SNAP benefits next month, the administration says it will not release funds until the congressional budget impasse is resolved.

That leaves food banks, food pantries and local governments scrambling to prepare for an onslaught of demand. States are declaring emergencies, deploying National Guard members and sending millions of taxpayer dollars to local food banks. Nonprofits are bracing for long lines, bare shelves and even panic or civic unrest as some 42 million Americans are expected to lose access to the safety net program in a matter of days.

“The enormity of this issue is almost hard to comprehend,” said Wright, who noted that his county is just one of the more than 3,000 across the country.

The local food bank estimated it could serve SNAP families for one month by spending about $400,000 on bulk food purchases. Rather than front that whole amount, the county board challenged community members to help raise another $200,000.

Wright said the county is unable to keep funding food assistance for long.

“We can’t continue to do this without raising taxes, because it isn’t in our budget,” he said. “ … Who could plan for this? Who would expect that this would come from the federal government?”

Minnesota is among 10 states where counties administer the food stamp program rather than state governments. Across the country, state and county governments have been redirecting local resources to try to fill the shutdown gap.

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has set aside&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletter/calfresh-government-shutdown/" target="_blank">$80 million</a>&nbsp;in state funds and deployed members of the National Guard to help food banks.

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/10/27/it-goes-quick-virginians-stretch-dollars-and-hope-as-snap-funding-freezes/" target="_blank">emergency</a>, saying the commonwealth would use its own funds to temporarily help SNAP recipients.

In&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2025/10/24/louisiana-prepares-to-continue-snap-benefits-with-150m-in-state-funding-monthly/" target="_blank">Louisiana</a>, state leaders are preparing to use $150 million monthly to help continue SNAP aid, while&nbsp;<a href="https://nevadacurrent.com/2025/10/28/nevada-officials-devising-snap-contingency-plan-relying-on-food-banks/" target="_blank">Nevada</a>&nbsp;plans to funnel $38.8 million toward local food banks.

Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz announced the state would divert&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/walz-directs-4-million-to-food-shelves-as-snap-cutoff-approaches/" target="_blank">$4 million</a>&nbsp;to food shelves across the state.

“This is meant to be a bridge,” Walz said during a Monday news conference. “It will not make up and backfill everything.”

Food banks across the country are already facing increased demand.

Virginia Witherspoon, executive director of Channel One Regional Food Bank in Rochester, Minnesota, said the phone was “ringing off the hook” last week. The nonprofit distributes food to partners across 14 counties and operates its own food shelf in Rochester. That pantry saw an average of about 450 families per day last month, but by last week was already averaging 550 per day, Witherspoon said.

“I don’t blame anyone who is rushing to their local food shelf and stocking up because they’re afraid they won’t be able to feed their families,” she told Stateline. “What I would say is that food shelves in Minnesota — we’re here, we’re open, we want to serve you. We’re doing our absolute best.”

Channel One and other operators, though, are concerned about the potential for panic by families scrambling for food.

Witherspoon told the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners her organization has considered asking for a police presence, but wants to be careful about what kind of message it sends to the public. She said even increasing food distribution from once to twice a week could cause people to rush in.

She said it reminds her of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she went on local television to tell people not to worry, though she was privately concerned about running out of food.

“It’s tough. On the one hand, I’m in public sounding the alarm to you, to our donors, to our government,” she told commissioners. “But on the other hand, we don’t want to make the public panic and all come shop at once. It’s really not a good situation, and we’ve never been here before.”

The predicament facing nonprofits and local governments is unprecedented: Food stamps have not been disrupted during other government shutdowns. And even the Trump administration previously offered assurance that it would tap into a multiyear contingency fund to continue paying SNAP benefits.

The administration&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/usda-wont-shuffle-funds-extend-snap-during-shutdown-about-face-earlier-plan" target="_blank">reversed</a>&nbsp;that position on Friday, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would not release funds in November and warned states they would not be reimbursed for spending their own revenues on the food program.

SNAP has about $6 billion in its contingency fund — short of the roughly $9 billion needed to cover a full month of the program.

It’s unclear what the administration’s position means for states that have already begun setting aside their own dollars.

Following Virginia’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/executive-actions/EO-54.pdf" target="_blank">emergency declaration</a>, the newly created Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance program is expected to send money to SNAP beneficiaries starting on Nov. 3.

The governor estimates that about $37.5 million will be allocated per week to Virginia’s roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dss.virginia.gov/geninfo/reports/financial_assistance/snap_participation.cgi" target="_blank">850,000</a>&nbsp;SNAP recipients, the Virginia Mercury&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/10/28/virginia-snap-substitute-to-roll-out-weekly-through-november/" target="_blank">reported</a>.

Neither the governor’s office nor the Virginia Department of Social Services responded to Stateline requests for comment.

North Dakota officials said they had enough cash on hand to cover November SNAP benefits, but are unable to load the funds onto people’s electronic payment cards, the North Dakota Monitor&nbsp;<a href="https://northdakotamonitor.com/2025/10/21/north-dakota-snap-funding-in-jeopardy-with-government-shutdown/" target="_blank">reported</a>.

State and federal lawmakers, advocates and attorneys general across the country have pushed the administration to release November SNAP funds.

Last week, the chief executive officer of the National Conference of State Legislatures asked the USDA to issue&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncsl.org/resources/details/ncsl-urges-usda-to-issue-immediate-guidance-on-snap?utm_source=act-on+software&amp;utm_term=read%20ncsl%27s%20letter%20to%20the%20usda&amp;utm_campaign=ncsl%20letters%20on%20shutdown%20resisting%20preemption%20of%20state%20ai%20laws%20snap%20updates&amp;cm_mmc=act-on%20software-_-email-_-ncsl%20letters%20on%20shutdown%20resisting%20preemption%20of%20state%20ai%20laws%20snap%20updates-_-read%20ncsl%27s%20letter%20to%20the%20usda&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=email" target="_blank">clear guidance</a>&nbsp;on states’ ability to spend and be reimbursed for ongoing administrative costs.

North Carolina Democratic Attorney General Jeff Jackson, one of the officials who sued the Trump administration Tuesday, said 1.4 million people — including nearly 600,000 children — would lose SNAP aid in his state.

“They have emergency money to help feed children during this shutdown, and they’re refusing to spend it.”

In New Hampshire, Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced a state&nbsp;<a href="https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2025/10/23/new-hampshire-announces-contingency-plan-for-snap-during-government-shutdown/" target="_blank">“contingency plan”</a>&nbsp;to help SNAP recipients. Pending approval from other state leaders, the plan would divert $2 million to the New Hampshire Food Bank to open up to 20 locations for SNAP recipients twice a week over the next five weeks.

Officials in Ayotte’s office and the state health department did not respond to Stateline requests for comment.

Elsy Cipriani, executive director of the New Hampshire Food Bank, said the organization is still working out details with the state. She said the group would likely ask to see people’s electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards — the debit cards people use to access SNAP benefits at grocery stores — to ensure the state-purchased food goes to SNAP recipients.

“While we don’t intend to replace SNAP benefits — because we can’t; there is no way that we can replace that — we are hoping to provide some relief,” she told Stateline.

In Minnesota, county leaders are working overtime in some areas to respond to questions from SNAP recipients and help find other food assistance.

That additional workload comes without any state or federal reimbursement, said Tina Schenk, the health and human services director in rural Meeker County.

“That’s just to respond to our community, because that’s our job,” she said. “But that’s very different work than we normally do.”

The reserve funds of Meeker County, home to about 23,000 people, aren’t large enough to cover even one month’s worth of SNAP benefits, Schenk said. So county staff are instead working with local nonprofits and reaching out to families who will be hardest hit by an interruption in benefits to connect them with other state grant programs.

The sole local food shelf is increasing its orders with a central food bank, Schenk said — but so is nearly every other operation in the state.

“Are they going to have enough to fulfill these orders? That’s a question that I don’t know the answer to.”

Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:khardy@stateline.org">khardy@stateline.org</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689674819900.png" alt="USDA image" />
 <figcaption>USDA image</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>42M Americans rely on the program now facing disruptions because of the shutdown.</h2>By:<a href="https://stateline.org/author/khardy/">Kevin Hardy</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>There’s no way his local government can fill the void created by a disruption in the federal food stamp program, but local official Gregg Wright says his Minnesota county had to do something.“This is pretty much a crisis for families,” said Wright, a member of the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners.Last week, the board unanimously voted to send up to $200,000 to a local food bank to help neighbors at risk of losing food assistance because of the federal government shutdown.Olmsted County, which has a population of about 165,000 and is home to the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, expects to lose about $1.7 million per month in benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP. It’s a predicament facing leaders across the country preparing for an unprecedented pause in the nation’s largest food assistance program as the shutdown drags on.While attorneys general and governors from 25 states and the District of Columbia&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/10/28/repub/democratic-ags-governors-sue-trump-over-snap-benefits-as-shutdown-hits-day-28/">sued the Trump administration</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday to try to force it to pay SNAP benefits next month, the administration says it will not release funds until the congressional budget impasse is resolved.That leaves food banks, food pantries and local governments scrambling to prepare for an onslaught of demand. States are declaring emergencies, deploying National Guard members and sending millions of taxpayer dollars to local food banks. Nonprofits are bracing for long lines, bare shelves and even panic or civic unrest as some 42 million Americans are expected to lose access to the safety net program in a matter of days.“The enormity of this issue is almost hard to comprehend,” said Wright, who noted that his county is just one of the more than 3,000 across the country.The local food bank estimated it could serve SNAP families for one month by spending about $400,000 on bulk food purchases. Rather than front that whole amount, the county board challenged community members to help raise another $200,000.Wright said the county is unable to keep funding food assistance for long.“We can’t continue to do this without raising taxes, because it isn’t in our budget,” he said. “ … Who could plan for this? Who would expect that this would come from the federal government?”Minnesota is among 10 states where counties administer the food stamp program rather than state governments. Across the country, state and county governments have been redirecting local resources to try to fill the shutdown gap.California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has set aside&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletter/calfresh-government-shutdown/" target="_blank">$80 million</a>&nbsp;in state funds and deployed members of the National Guard to help food banks.Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/10/27/it-goes-quick-virginians-stretch-dollars-and-hope-as-snap-funding-freezes/" target="_blank">emergency</a>, saying the commonwealth would use its own funds to temporarily help SNAP recipients.In&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2025/10/24/louisiana-prepares-to-continue-snap-benefits-with-150m-in-state-funding-monthly/" target="_blank">Louisiana</a>, state leaders are preparing to use $150 million monthly to help continue SNAP aid, while&nbsp;<a href="https://nevadacurrent.com/2025/10/28/nevada-officials-devising-snap-contingency-plan-relying-on-food-banks/" target="_blank">Nevada</a>&nbsp;plans to funnel $38.8 million toward local food banks.Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz announced the state would divert&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/walz-directs-4-million-to-food-shelves-as-snap-cutoff-approaches/" target="_blank">$4 million</a>&nbsp;to food shelves across the state.“This is meant to be a bridge,” Walz said during a Monday news conference. “It will not make up and backfill everything.”Food banks across the country are already facing increased demand.Virginia Witherspoon, executive director of Channel One Regional Food Bank in Rochester, Minnesota, said the phone was “ringing off the hook” last week. The nonprofit distributes food to partners across 14 counties and operates its own food shelf in Rochester. That pantry saw an average of about 450 families per day last month, but by last week was already averaging 550 per day, Witherspoon said.“I don’t blame anyone who is rushing to their local food shelf and stocking up because they’re afraid they won’t be able to feed their families,” she told Stateline. “What I would say is that food shelves in Minnesota — we’re here, we’re open, we want to serve you. We’re doing our absolute best.”Channel One and other operators, though, are concerned about the potential for panic by families scrambling for food.Witherspoon told the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners her organization has considered asking for a police presence, but wants to be careful about what kind of message it sends to the public. She said even increasing food distribution from once to twice a week could cause people to rush in.She said it reminds her of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she went on local television to tell people not to worry, though she was privately concerned about running out of food.“It’s tough. On the one hand, I’m in public sounding the alarm to you, to our donors, to our government,” she told commissioners. “But on the other hand, we don’t want to make the public panic and all come shop at once. It’s really not a good situation, and we’ve never been here before.”<h2>Debate over federal funds</h2>The predicament facing nonprofits and local governments is unprecedented: Food stamps have not been disrupted during other government shutdowns. And even the Trump administration previously offered assurance that it would tap into a multiyear contingency fund to continue paying SNAP benefits.The administration&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/usda-wont-shuffle-funds-extend-snap-during-shutdown-about-face-earlier-plan" target="_blank">reversed</a>&nbsp;that position on Friday, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would not release funds in November and warned states they would not be reimbursed for spending their own revenues on the food program.SNAP has about $6 billion in its contingency fund — short of the roughly $9 billion needed to cover a full month of the program.It’s unclear what the administration’s position means for states that have already begun setting aside their own dollars.Following Virginia’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/executive-actions/EO-54.pdf" target="_blank">emergency declaration</a>, the newly created Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance program is expected to send money to SNAP beneficiaries starting on Nov. 3.The governor estimates that about $37.5 million will be allocated per week to Virginia’s roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dss.virginia.gov/geninfo/reports/financial_assistance/snap_participation.cgi" target="_blank">850,000</a>&nbsp;SNAP recipients, the Virginia Mercury&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/10/28/virginia-snap-substitute-to-roll-out-weekly-through-november/" target="_blank">reported</a>.Neither the governor’s office nor the Virginia Department of Social Services responded to Stateline requests for comment.North Dakota officials said they had enough cash on hand to cover November SNAP benefits, but are unable to load the funds onto people’s electronic payment cards, the North Dakota Monitor&nbsp;<a href="https://northdakotamonitor.com/2025/10/21/north-dakota-snap-funding-in-jeopardy-with-government-shutdown/" target="_blank">reported</a>.State and federal lawmakers, advocates and attorneys general across the country have pushed the administration to release November SNAP funds.Last week, the chief executive officer of the National Conference of State Legislatures asked the USDA to issue&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncsl.org/resources/details/ncsl-urges-usda-to-issue-immediate-guidance-on-snap?utm_source=act-on+software&amp;utm_term=read%20ncsl%27s%20letter%20to%20the%20usda&amp;utm_campaign=ncsl%20letters%20on%20shutdown%20resisting%20preemption%20of%20state%20ai%20laws%20snap%20updates&amp;cm_mmc=act-on%20software-_-email-_-ncsl%20letters%20on%20shutdown%20resisting%20preemption%20of%20state%20ai%20laws%20snap%20updates-_-read%20ncsl%27s%20letter%20to%20the%20usda&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=email" target="_blank">clear guidance</a>&nbsp;on states’ ability to spend and be reimbursed for ongoing administrative costs.North Carolina Democratic Attorney General Jeff Jackson, one of the officials who sued the Trump administration Tuesday, said 1.4 million people — including nearly 600,000 children — would lose SNAP aid in his state.“They have emergency money to help feed children during this shutdown, and they’re refusing to spend it.”<h2>Contingency plans</h2>In New Hampshire, Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced a state&nbsp;<a href="https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2025/10/23/new-hampshire-announces-contingency-plan-for-snap-during-government-shutdown/" target="_blank">“contingency plan”</a>&nbsp;to help SNAP recipients. Pending approval from other state leaders, the plan would divert $2 million to the New Hampshire Food Bank to open up to 20 locations for SNAP recipients twice a week over the next five weeks.Officials in Ayotte’s office and the state health department did not respond to Stateline requests for comment.Elsy Cipriani, executive director of the New Hampshire Food Bank, said the organization is still working out details with the state. She said the group would likely ask to see people’s electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards — the debit cards people use to access SNAP benefits at grocery stores — to ensure the state-purchased food goes to SNAP recipients.“While we don’t intend to replace SNAP benefits — because we can’t; there is no way that we can replace that — we are hoping to provide some relief,” she told Stateline.In Minnesota, county leaders are working overtime in some areas to respond to questions from SNAP recipients and help find other food assistance.That additional workload comes without any state or federal reimbursement, said Tina Schenk, the health and human services director in rural Meeker County.“That’s just to respond to our community, because that’s our job,” she said. “But that’s very different work than we normally do.”The reserve funds of Meeker County, home to about 23,000 people, aren’t large enough to cover even one month’s worth of SNAP benefits, Schenk said. So county staff are instead working with local nonprofits and reaching out to families who will be hardest hit by an interruption in benefits to connect them with other state grant programs.The sole local food shelf is increasing its orders with a central food bank, Schenk said — but so is nearly every other operation in the state.“Are they going to have enough to fulfill these orders? That’s a question that I don’t know the answer to.”Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:khardy@stateline.org">khardy@stateline.org</a>.

Local leaders rush to help, but can’t fill massive SNAP void

Northern Missouri
Congressman Sam Graves lays the blame for the extended federal government
shutdown directly on Senate Democrats.

“It’s a dangerous
game that they’re playing,” Graves tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.&nbsp; “They’re playing chicken with people’s benefits,
with people’s paychecks, they’re livelihoods, national security, you name it.
You know, it’s funny, that Sen. Schumer voted 13 times for a clean CR, continuing
resolution, under the Biden administration, now all of the sudden he’s decided
he doesn’t want to.”

Graves, a Republican,
is especially harsh on the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer of New
York, for refusing to vote for an extension of current spending. Senate
Democrats want Republicans to extend additional Affordable Care Act tax credits
before agreeing to reopen the government. The shutdown soon will enter its
second month.

Graves insists
Democrats need to reopen the government for negotiations on the issue to begin.
And Graves claims Democrats are being disingenuous when they insist ACA tax
credits must be extended first.

“They had every
opportunity when they had the majority and the presidency; they had every
opportunity to make those permanent at the time and they didn’t do it. And now,
all of the sudden, they want to do it,” Graves says. “But the bottom line is we
need to pass a clean CR, get the government open, then we can negotiate these
things.”

Some federal
workers will not get paid; food stamps won’t be extended if the shutdown
continues much longer.

Graves asserts negotiations
over that main sticking point, extension of ACA tax credits, cannot begin until
the government shutdown ends.

“I mean, this is
so easy and it’s so ridiculous,” Graves says. “That’s what we do is negotiate spending
bills. We have to get to the table to be able to do that and the only way to
get to the table to do that is to keep the government open.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761854316412.jpeg" alt="Congressman Sam Graves/file photo" />
 <figcaption>Congressman Sam Graves/file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINNorthern Missouri
Congressman Sam Graves lays the blame for the extended federal government
shutdown directly on Senate Democrats.“It’s a dangerous
game that they’re playing,” Graves tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.&nbsp; “They’re playing chicken with people’s benefits,
with people’s paychecks, they’re livelihoods, national security, you name it.
You know, it’s funny, that Sen. Schumer voted 13 times for a clean CR, continuing
resolution, under the Biden administration, now all of the sudden he’s decided
he doesn’t want to.”Graves, a Republican,
is especially harsh on the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer of New
York, for refusing to vote for an extension of current spending. Senate
Democrats want Republicans to extend additional Affordable Care Act tax credits
before agreeing to reopen the government. The shutdown soon will enter its
second month.Graves insists
Democrats need to reopen the government for negotiations on the issue to begin.
And Graves claims Democrats are being disingenuous when they insist ACA tax
credits must be extended first.“They had every
opportunity when they had the majority and the presidency; they had every
opportunity to make those permanent at the time and they didn’t do it. And now,
all of the sudden, they want to do it,” Graves says. “But the bottom line is we
need to pass a clean CR, get the government open, then we can negotiate these
things.”Some federal
workers will not get paid; food stamps won’t be extended if the shutdown
continues much longer.Graves asserts negotiations
over that main sticking point, extension of ACA tax credits, cannot begin until
the government shutdown ends.“I mean, this is
so easy and it’s so ridiculous,” Graves says. “That’s what we do is negotiate spending
bills. We have to get to the table to be able to do that and the only way to
get to the table to do that is to keep the government open.”You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ