Week 5 of high school football in Missouri and Week 4 in Kansas are now here! Below is a list of all of the games being played in the KFEQ/St. Joseph Post area!

Tune into KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3, 680kfeq.com) for Friday Night Lights with Matt Pike every Friday night of the regular season from 10- midnight. for scores and interviews with area coaches!

University Academy Charter vs Pembroke Hill

Lafayette vs Summit Christian Academy- Fri @7pm

Dekalb vs Stewartsville- Osborn- Fri @7pm

St. Joseph Christian vs Worth County- Fri @7pm

Riverside @ Atchison-Maur Hill-Mount Academy

Week 5 of high school football in Missouri and Week 4 in Kansas are now here! Below is a list of all of the games being played in the KFEQ/St. Joseph Post area!Tune into KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3, 680kfeq.com) for Friday Night Lights with Matt Pike every Friday night of the regular season from 10- midnight. for scores and interviews with area coaches!MECCameron vs Maryville- Fri @7pmChillicothe @ St. Pius- Fri 7pmBenton vs Savannah- Fri @7pmUniversity Academy Charter vs Pembroke HillLafayette vs Summit Christian Academy- Fri @7pmBishop Leblond vs Archie KCIEast Buchanan vs Lathrop= Fri @7pmNorth Platte vs Hamilton-Fri @7pmLawson vs Mid-Buchanan- Fri @7pmWest Platte vs Father Tolton- Fri @7pmPlattsburg vs Kansas City East- Fri @6pmGRC 11-man (East Division)Trenton vs South Harrison-Fri @7pmGallatin vs Westran= Fri @7pmMaysville vs Marceline- Fri @7pmPutnam County vs Brookfield GRC 8-man (West Division)King City vs Pattonsburg= Fri @7pmPrinceton vs Stanberry- Fri @7pmEast Atchison vs Platte Valley- Thu @7pmDekalb vs Stewartsville- Osborn- Fri @7pmMound City @ Nodaway Valley- Fri @7pmNorth Andrew @ Albany- Fri @7pmSt. Joseph Christian vs Worth County- Fri @7pmSouth Holt vs Rock Port- Thu @7pm275 ConferenceDekalb vs Stewartsville- Osborn- Fri @7pmGreater KC SuburbanCentral vs Liberty - Fri @7pmNortheast KansasAtchison vs Kansas City-FL Schlagle HSHiawatha vs Meriden-Jefferson West HSTroy @ Horton HSRiverside @ Atchison-Maur Hill-Mount Academy

KFEQ/St. Joseph Post High School Football schedule for Sept 26th-27th

The arts in the St. Joseph School District gets
some badly needed upgrades.

The St. Joseph Board of Education has approved
spending $3.2 million for improvements to the fine and performing arts, money
funded through the $20 million bond issue approved by voters in April.

St. Joseph Superintendent Gabe Edgar says it all
is long overdue.

“So, a lot of those were internal. A lot of those
were replacement of instruments and those types of things and then, the rest of
it was upgrades to the facilities,” Edgar tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ
Hotline. “So I do know that they’re going to upgrade the stages at the high
schools, for instances. So, all the stages are going to be brand new at
Central, Lafayette, and Benton.”

Edgar says many of the instruments used by band
members date back to the 1990s, even 1980s. The Fine Arts and Performing Arts
programs have suffered from a lack of funding for years, according to Edgar.

As part of the expenditures, the St. Joseph Board
of Education has approved a $1.5 million contract with Lawhon Construction of
St. Joseph to make improvement to the stages at Central, Lafayette, and Benton
High Schools. Improvements will not only include replacing the stages, but also
installing modern lighting and sound systems. 
Even such miscellaneous aspects, such as curtains, will be replaced.

Edgar is hopeful these improvements will prove
long lasting.

“I’ll be honest with you, it was just stuff that
needed to be taken care of and I think as long as we take a proactive approach
of staying ahead of the game moving forward, then the Fine Arts Department
won’t be in that position again,” Edgar says.

School Board Vice President Mike Moore says the
board heard from students during a recent St. Joseph School District Foundation
breakfast.

“The student talked about trying to sing, perform
chorally with a rather inexpensive electronic keyboard and compare that to what
he’s got now with the grand piano and he said it’s an unbelievable difference,”
Moore tells Birr during his KFEQ Hotline appearance alongside Edgar. “Kids are
excited and that’s what it’s all about.”

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

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostThe arts in the St. Joseph School District gets
some badly needed upgrades.The St. Joseph Board of Education has approved
spending $3.2 million for improvements to the fine and performing arts, money
funded through the $20 million bond issue approved by voters in April.St. Joseph Superintendent Gabe Edgar says it all
is long overdue.“So, a lot of those were internal. A lot of those
were replacement of instruments and those types of things and then, the rest of
it was upgrades to the facilities,” Edgar tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ
Hotline. “So I do know that they’re going to upgrade the stages at the high
schools, for instances. So, all the stages are going to be brand new at
Central, Lafayette, and Benton.”Edgar says many of the instruments used by band
members date back to the 1990s, even 1980s. The Fine Arts and Performing Arts
programs have suffered from a lack of funding for years, according to Edgar.As part of the expenditures, the St. Joseph Board
of Education has approved a $1.5 million contract with Lawhon Construction of
St. Joseph to make improvement to the stages at Central, Lafayette, and Benton
High Schools. Improvements will not only include replacing the stages, but also
installing modern lighting and sound systems. 
Even such miscellaneous aspects, such as curtains, will be replaced.Edgar is hopeful these improvements will prove
long lasting.“I’ll be honest with you, it was just stuff that
needed to be taken care of and I think as long as we take a proactive approach
of staying ahead of the game moving forward, then the Fine Arts Department
won’t be in that position again,” Edgar says.It is already making an impact.School Board Vice President Mike Moore says the
board heard from students during a recent St. Joseph School District Foundation
breakfast.“The student talked about trying to sing, perform
chorally with a rather inexpensive electronic keyboard and compare that to what
he’s got now with the grand piano and he said it’s an unbelievable difference,”
Moore tells Birr during his KFEQ Hotline appearance alongside Edgar. “Kids are
excited and that’s what it’s all about.”You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Arts in St. Joseph public schools getting $3.2M boost

BeLeaf Medical is arguing the post-harvest employees at its Sinse facility in St. Louis don’t have the right to unionize because they’re considered agricultural workers

By REBECCA RIVAS &nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

It’s been more than seven months since employees of St. Louis-based Beleaf Medical cannabis company&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/13/company-continues-to-argue-missouri-cannabis-workers-cant-unionize/">held an election</a>&nbsp;to unionize.

The majority of the ballots — 11 of the 16 — have remained closed.

“It’s been quite a while,” said&nbsp;Will Braddum, a post-harvest technician at the&nbsp;company’s Sinse facility in St. Louis. “We’re just like, what is happening? Why is this happening? We’re just kind of in the dark waiting.”

The reason behind the delay is likely that Braddum and his fellow “post-harvest” team members exist in a gray area in national labor law — which could change if their union drive is successful.&nbsp;

Not long after Braddum and other employees&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/04/cannabis-workers-across-missouri-begin-push-to-unionize-dispensaries/">filed their union petition last September</a>, the company argued before the National Labor Relations Board that the employees aren’t manufacturer workers — they’re agricultural workers.&nbsp;

And agricultural workers don’t have the right to unionize under the country’s labor laws.

But Braddum and his fellow employees — along with&nbsp;<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24494135/ptl-dec-chal.pdf" target="_blank">the regional director of the NLRB</a>&nbsp;— believe they’re more like workers at tobacco processing plants, who courts repeatedly have found aren’t agricultural workers.&nbsp;

“I’ve never touched a living plant at work,”&nbsp;Braddum said, who is organizing with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 655.&nbsp;

The company has taken this fight all the way up to the national five-member board, asking them to set a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/04/union-drive-at-st-louis-cannabis-company-could-have-major-impact-on-national-labor-law/">national precedent</a>&nbsp;on whether employees who process the dried marijuana plants have the right to unionize.&nbsp;

And that’s likely why it’s taken so long for the regional director of the NLRB – who twice sided with the employees — to open the ballots, said St. Louis labor attorney George Suggs.

“If this is a unique situation, there’s no reason for [the regional director] to get out front by opening those ballots,” Suggs said. “Ultimately, the board will resolve it.”

But that doesn’t mean the fight would be over, Suggs said.&nbsp;

If the national board sides with the employees, then the company will likely refuse to bargain in order to land the decision in a federal court.&nbsp;

“Employers have this ability to string out the results of a campaign,” especially among businesses where there’s lots of employee turnover, Suggs said.

By the time there’s a resolution a couple years down the road, he said, union support has eroded.&nbsp;

“That’s the tactic,” Suggs said. “That’s what employers have been doing over the 40-plus years that I’ve been practicing labor law.”

Over the seven months of waiting, employees have noticed changes in their job descriptions that likely improve the company’s position in the case.

“It just seems like they’re trying to push our jobs more and more in the direction of quote unquote farmers,” said Ahmad “Jxggy” Haynes, a post-harvest technician at BeLeaf Medical’s Sinse facility.&nbsp;

He said the company has hired temp workers to do the manufacturing work, including packaging, that he and other the union members were doing before.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The company began hiring temps right after the employees filed a petition to form a union in September 2023, according to a recording of a recent staff meeting led by a company human resources representative and obtained by The Independent .

At the meeting, the HR representative said Beleaf has “burned through” 150 temporary employees since October. He told the temps they shouldn’t expect to be hired on full time anytime soon, but they should still feel part of the team.&nbsp;

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/st-louis-area-cannabis-workers-win-the-right-to-review-ballots-in-union-election/">Twice so far this year</a>, NLRB Regional Director Andrea Wilkes – who oversees a swath of six states in the Midwest —&nbsp; has ruled that post-harvest employees’ work is similar to that of employees in a tobacco processing plant.&nbsp;

“Removing the veins from tobacco leaves and fermenting the leaves has been held to be outside the definition of agriculture,” under federal labor law, Wilkes wrote in her&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24413165-decision-and-direction-of-election-beleaf-medical-llc" target="_blank">Jan. 25 ruling</a>.

The company’s response to her decision indicates that union employees likely have a long fight ahead of them.

According to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25174384-20240213-beleaf-medical-14-rc-325871-position-statement" target="_blank">Feb. 13 letter</a>&nbsp;from Beleaf’s attorney to Wilkes, the company plans on fighting their employees’ unionization efforts all the way to federal court.&nbsp;

“Although we understand and respect the Board’s recent decision on this issue, we are preserving this issue for presentation to the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit,” the letter states.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The company can get into court by refusing to bargain with the union, creating “a technical violation,” Suggs said.&nbsp;

That will lead to filing a petition for review in a federal court, Suggs said, so they can challenge the underlying issue in this case — whether these are agricultural workers — “in front of a bunch of federal judges.”

“That’s become a bigger problem, particularly in the Eighth Circuit,” Suggs said, “because you’ve got a number of very conservative judges who are kind of hostile to the labor movement generally.”

Sean&nbsp;Shannon, lead organizer with UFCW Local 655, said it’s obvious this has been the company’s plan all along.

“They clearly stated their intention to bring this as far as the 8th Circuit Court – which is several steps into the fight – in their original statement,” Shannon said of the company’s February letter. “I feel nothing but clear intent to obstruct this union at all costs, which ironically proves just how much these folks need a union.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727349987721.png" alt="Post-harvest employees at BeLeaf Medical’s Sinse facility await union election results on Feb. 6 at the St. Louis Public Library Barr branch (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Post-harvest employees at BeLeaf Medical’s Sinse facility await union election results on Feb. 6 at the St. Louis Public Library Barr branch (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>BeLeaf Medical is arguing the post-harvest employees at its Sinse facility in St. Louis don’t have the right to unionize because they’re considered agricultural workers</h2>By REBECCA RIVAS &nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>It’s been more than seven months since employees of St. Louis-based Beleaf Medical cannabis company&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/13/company-continues-to-argue-missouri-cannabis-workers-cant-unionize/">held an election</a>&nbsp;to unionize.The majority of the ballots — 11 of the 16 — have remained closed.“It’s been quite a while,” said&nbsp;Will Braddum, a post-harvest technician at the&nbsp;company’s Sinse facility in St. Louis. “We’re just like, what is happening? Why is this happening? We’re just kind of in the dark waiting.”The reason behind the delay is likely that Braddum and his fellow “post-harvest” team members exist in a gray area in national labor law — which could change if their union drive is successful.&nbsp;Not long after Braddum and other employees&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/04/cannabis-workers-across-missouri-begin-push-to-unionize-dispensaries/">filed their union petition last September</a>, the company argued before the National Labor Relations Board that the employees aren’t manufacturer workers — they’re agricultural workers.&nbsp;And agricultural workers don’t have the right to unionize under the country’s labor laws.But Braddum and his fellow employees — along with&nbsp;<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24494135/ptl-dec-chal.pdf" target="_blank">the regional director of the NLRB</a>&nbsp;— believe they’re more like workers at tobacco processing plants, who courts repeatedly have found aren’t agricultural workers.&nbsp;“I’ve never touched a living plant at work,”&nbsp;Braddum said, who is organizing with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 655.&nbsp;The company has taken this fight all the way up to the national five-member board, asking them to set a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/04/union-drive-at-st-louis-cannabis-company-could-have-major-impact-on-national-labor-law/">national precedent</a>&nbsp;on whether employees who process the dried marijuana plants have the right to unionize.&nbsp;And that’s likely why it’s taken so long for the regional director of the NLRB – who twice sided with the employees — to open the ballots, said St. Louis labor attorney George Suggs.“If this is a unique situation, there’s no reason for [the regional director] to get out front by opening those ballots,” Suggs said. “Ultimately, the board will resolve it.”But that doesn’t mean the fight would be over, Suggs said.&nbsp;If the national board sides with the employees, then the company will likely refuse to bargain in order to land the decision in a federal court.&nbsp;“Employers have this ability to string out the results of a campaign,” especially among businesses where there’s lots of employee turnover, Suggs said.By the time there’s a resolution a couple years down the road, he said, union support has eroded.&nbsp;“That’s the tactic,” Suggs said. “That’s what employers have been doing over the 40-plus years that I’ve been practicing labor law.”A long fight aheadOver the seven months of waiting, employees have noticed changes in their job descriptions that likely improve the company’s position in the case.“It just seems like they’re trying to push our jobs more and more in the direction of quote unquote farmers,” said Ahmad “Jxggy” Haynes, a post-harvest technician at BeLeaf Medical’s Sinse facility.&nbsp;He said the company has hired temp workers to do the manufacturing work, including packaging, that he and other the union members were doing before.&nbsp;&nbsp;The company began hiring temps right after the employees filed a petition to form a union in September 2023, according to a recording of a recent staff meeting led by a company human resources representative and obtained by The Independent .At the meeting, the HR representative said Beleaf has “burned through” 150 temporary employees since October. He told the temps they shouldn’t expect to be hired on full time anytime soon, but they should still feel part of the team.&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/st-louis-area-cannabis-workers-win-the-right-to-review-ballots-in-union-election/">Twice so far this year</a>, NLRB Regional Director Andrea Wilkes – who oversees a swath of six states in the Midwest —&nbsp; has ruled that post-harvest employees’ work is similar to that of employees in a tobacco processing plant.&nbsp;“Removing the veins from tobacco leaves and fermenting the leaves has been held to be outside the definition of agriculture,” under federal labor law, Wilkes wrote in her&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24413165-decision-and-direction-of-election-beleaf-medical-llc" target="_blank">Jan. 25 ruling</a>.The company’s response to her decision indicates that union employees likely have a long fight ahead of them.According to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25174384-20240213-beleaf-medical-14-rc-325871-position-statement" target="_blank">Feb. 13 letter</a>&nbsp;from Beleaf’s attorney to Wilkes, the company plans on fighting their employees’ unionization efforts all the way to federal court.&nbsp;“Although we understand and respect the Board’s recent decision on this issue, we are preserving this issue for presentation to the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit,” the letter states.&nbsp;&nbsp;The company can get into court by refusing to bargain with the union, creating “a technical violation,” Suggs said.&nbsp;That will lead to filing a petition for review in a federal court, Suggs said, so they can challenge the underlying issue in this case — whether these are agricultural workers — “in front of a bunch of federal judges.”“That’s become a bigger problem, particularly in the Eighth Circuit,” Suggs said, “because you’ve got a number of very conservative judges who are kind of hostile to the labor movement generally.”Sean&nbsp;Shannon, lead organizer with UFCW Local 655, said it’s obvious this has been the company’s plan all along.“They clearly stated their intention to bring this as far as the 8th Circuit Court – which is several steps into the fight – in their original statement,” Shannon said of the company’s February letter. “I feel nothing but clear intent to obstruct this union at all costs, which ironically proves just how much these folks need a union.”

Cannabis union drive stalls as company attempts to set national legal precedent

LIVINGSTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 9a.m. Wednesday in Livingston County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Freightliner semi driven by Jose A. Ayalya&nbsp; Sarvaia, 52, Fairburn, Georgia, was westbound on U.S. 36 five miles east of Chillicothe.

The vehicle traveled off the south side of the road. The semi returned to the road, traveled into the driving lane, off the south side of the road again and overturned.

Livingston County ambulance transported Sarvaia to Hedrick Medical Center. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

LIVINGSTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 9a.m. Wednesday in Livingston County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Freightliner semi driven by Jose A. Ayalya&nbsp; Sarvaia, 52, Fairburn, Georgia, was westbound on U.S. 36 five miles east of Chillicothe.The vehicle traveled off the south side of the road. The semi returned to the road, traveled into the driving lane, off the south side of the road again and overturned.Livingston County ambulance transported Sarvaia to Hedrick Medical Center. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

Driver injured after after semi overturns

The 7th annual 'Over the Edge' fundraiser in coming up in St. Joseph on October 12th to benefit the Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center.

The event features dozens of participants who have signed up to rappel fourteen stories off the Corby Building in Downtown St. Joseph. 

Executive Director of Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center, Melissa Birdsell, says volunteers are still needed to help with setup, "If it's something that someone is interested in, we can always use more volunteer help. Maybe they're afraid to rappel, but they still want to volunteer."

Birdsell says in order to rappel, individuals who signup to participate need to raise at least $1,000. She notes people can also form teams in order to raise the money. 

Voices of Courage has a fundraising goal of $75,000, and participants can signup until the day of the event.

Given that the event involves such a tall structure, Birdsell stresses the event is completely safe, "There are professionals who come to town to rig the building to get it ready and make it nice and safe."

Birdsell says the event is just as much fun for the spectators as it is for the participants. "Its not something you see everyday. Its not like a regular event where you walk through and look at things." Birdsell adds that its a great opportunity for people to learn more about Voices of Courage, a nonprofit organization.

The theme this year is "Heroes for Kids." All participants are encouraged to dress up as their favorite superhero. Birdsell emphasizes for the third year in a row a special type of hero will be participating, "A lot of people's favorite superheroes right now are Kansas City Chiefs and K.C. Wolf will be rappelling for us. The kids love it. He is immediately out there talking with them, hugging them and taking pictures with them."

The Mission for Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center is, "Responding to child abuse through a team approach to prevent further trauma to children by providing a safe environment for them to disclose abuse and through public education to achieve a better community in which children can thrive."

The 'Over the Edge' event begins at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, October 12.

For more information about Voices of Courage and to register for the event, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://voicescac.org/">voicescac.org</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727297144561.jpeg" alt="Corby Building, St. Joseph" />
 <figcaption>Corby Building, St. Joseph</figcaption>
 </figure>By RYAN SKAITHSt. Joseph PostThe 7th annual 'Over the Edge' fundraiser in coming up in St. Joseph on October 12th to benefit the Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center.The event features dozens of participants who have signed up to rappel fourteen stories off the Corby Building in Downtown St. Joseph. Executive Director of Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center, Melissa Birdsell, says volunteers are still needed to help with setup, "If it's something that someone is interested in, we can always use more volunteer help. Maybe they're afraid to rappel, but they still want to volunteer."Birdsell says in order to rappel, individuals who signup to participate need to raise at least $1,000. She notes people can also form teams in order to raise the money. Voices of Courage has a fundraising goal of $75,000, and participants can signup until the day of the event.Given that the event involves such a tall structure, Birdsell stresses the event is completely safe, "There are professionals who come to town to rig the building to get it ready and make it nice and safe."Birdsell says the event is just as much fun for the spectators as it is for the participants. "Its not something you see everyday. Its not like a regular event where you walk through and look at things." Birdsell adds that its a great opportunity for people to learn more about Voices of Courage, a nonprofit organization.The theme this year is "Heroes for Kids." All participants are encouraged to dress up as their favorite superhero. Birdsell emphasizes for the third year in a row a special type of hero will be participating, "A lot of people's favorite superheroes right now are Kansas City Chiefs and K.C. Wolf will be rappelling for us. The kids love it. He is immediately out there talking with them, hugging them and taking pictures with them."The Mission for Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center is, "Responding to child abuse through a team approach to prevent further trauma to children by providing a safe environment for them to disclose abuse and through public education to achieve a better community in which children can thrive."The 'Over the Edge' event begins at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, October 12.For more information about Voices of Courage and to register for the event, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://voicescac.org/">voicescac.org</a>.

'Over the Edge' event to benefit Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center

The search for the next superintendent in the St. Joseph School District is moving into the next phase as the school board seeks input from the community.   

With a search firm hired, the St. Joseph School District put out an online survey earlier this month to get input from community members on the next superintendent.  

And now with that survey complete, officials will seek additional input during community input sessions next week.  

School board President LaTonya Williams says these input sessions will go over the results of the community survey. 

"So, it's not like a blind meeting where you go out and you say these are our ideas, because in all honesty the time to do that was at the surveys," Williams tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post 

Williams calls these input sessions step number two of the process, to review and expand upon the results of the online survey.  

Williams says during these sessions she hopes to hear the ideas of community members, and not just on the credentials, but on the person 

"Because a lot of times, school districts or organizations will just choose their new leader among their board, but this is a unique opportunity to where everyone in the community is able to be as involved as they would like to be," Williams explains.  

The idea of gathering input from the community was built off of the successful Vision Forward campaign.  

&nbsp;Williams says citizens should have a say in what qualities they would like to see in who is leading their school district 

"And the Vision Forward process was an extremely good model in order to be able to try out the different ideas about community engagement and the methods," Williams says. 

On Wednesday October 2nd, input sessions will be held at Spring Garden Middle School from 4 to 5pm, Bode Middle School from 5:30 to 6:30pm, and at Robidoux Middle School from 7 to 8pm. 

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post The search for the next superintendent in the St. Joseph School District is moving into the next phase as the school board seeks input from the community. With a search firm hired, the St. Joseph School District put out an online survey earlier this month to get input from community members on the next superintendent. And now with that survey complete, officials will seek additional input during community input sessions next week. School board President LaTonya Williams says these input sessions will go over the results of the community survey. "So, it's not like a blind meeting where you go out and you say these are our ideas, because in all honesty the time to do that was at the surveys," Williams tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post Williams calls these input sessions step number two of the process, to review and expand upon the results of the online survey. Williams says during these sessions she hopes to hear the ideas of community members, and not just on the credentials, but on the person "Because a lot of times, school districts or organizations will just choose their new leader among their board, but this is a unique opportunity to where everyone in the community is able to be as involved as they would like to be," Williams explains. The idea of gathering input from the community was built off of the successful Vision Forward campaign. &nbsp;Williams says citizens should have a say in what qualities they would like to see in who is leading their school district "And the Vision Forward process was an extremely good model in order to be able to try out the different ideas about community engagement and the methods," Williams says. On Wednesday October 2nd, input sessions will be held at Spring Garden Middle School from 4 to 5pm, Bode Middle School from 5:30 to 6:30pm, and at Robidoux Middle School from 7 to 8pm.

St. Joseph School District seeks community input on next superintendent

CLINTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 3:30a.m. Wednesday in Clinton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2019 International Box Truck driven by Mohamed Marukic, 66, Lawrence, Kentucky was southbound on Interstate 35 three miles south of Cameron.

The truck traveled into the median, overturned and came to rest on its top.

Clinton County ambulance transported Marukic to Liberty Hospital. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

CLINTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 3:30a.m. Wednesday in Clinton County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2019 International Box Truck driven by Mohamed Marukic, 66, Lawrence, Kentucky was southbound on Interstate 35 three miles south of Cameron.The truck traveled into the median, overturned and came to rest on its top.Clinton County ambulance transported Marukic to Liberty Hospital. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

Driver hospitalized after truck overturns in NW Missouri

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.

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.