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

Missouri cannabis regulators may revoke 11 of the 48 social-equity cannabis licenses issued in October after finding they didn’t meet eligibility requirements.&nbsp;

Nine were dispensaries and two were wholesale facilities.

Among those who could face license revocation is Canna Zoned, a Michigan company that secured two of the 16 dispensary cannabis licenses — in Columbia and Arnold.&nbsp;

Both of Cana Zoned’s licenses have been deemed ineligible, according to information the state provided to The Independent Friday evening.

State records show Canna Zoned was connected to 104 out of the 1,048 applications that were entered into a lottery selection for the dispensary licenses. An investigation by The Independent in October found&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/26/applicants-recruited-on-craigslist-competed-for-missouri-social-equity-cannabis-licenses/">applicants thought they were partnering with the Michigan investor</a>&nbsp;but in reality signed agreements requiring them to relinquish all control and profits of the business.&nbsp;

Some applicants were recruited through Craigslist ads from around the country.&nbsp;

Another company that used the strategy of flooding Missouri’s lottery with applications was an Arizona-based consulting firm called Cannabis Business Advisors. It was connected to more than 400 dispensary applicants, including six winners.&nbsp;

The state couldn’t certify the eligibility for all six of the licenses connected to the firm’s clients.

A Missouri firm, Amendment 2 Consultants, is connected to more than 80 dispensary applicants and two winners. One of the group’s dispensary applicants was deemed ineligible.

Abigail Vivas, who oversees the microbusiness program under the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services as chief equity officer, said in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://health.mo.gov/safety/cannabis/pdf/ceo-eligibility-review-results121523.pdf">report released Friday</a>&nbsp;that the ineligibility issues included “failure to provide documentation that the facility would be operated by eligible individuals.”

The microbusiness program is meant to boost opportunities in the industry for businesses in disadvantaged communities, and it was part of the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=XIV%20%20%202&amp;constit=y">constitutional amendment</a>&nbsp;to legalize recreational marijuana that voters passed in November.&nbsp;

Following The Independent’s October report,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/30/missouri-lawmaker-calls-for-investigation-into-fraudulent-activity-in-cannabis-program/">state Sen. Karla May, a St. Louis Democrat, demanded&nbsp;</a>the state investigate what she called an “egregious exploitation” of social-equity cannabis licenses.

The other eligibility issues cited in the report included failure to provide adequate documentation to verify the majority owner met the eligibility criteria and for a disqualifying felony offense.

The constitution mandates the chief equity officer conduct an eligibility review within 60 days of the microbusiness licenses being issued and make the results available to the public.&nbsp;

The review was completed Dec. 1, according to a department press release Friday.

Licenses that are not certified may be revoked, and notices of pending revocation provide a 30-day response period, according to state marijuana rules.

During that 30-day window, licensees can submit records or information demonstrating why they are eligible and should not have their license revoked. All revoked licenses will be added to the available licenses awarded in the next application timeframe, the press release states.

The department will issue a minimum of 96 additional microbusiness licenses in two separate lotteries conducted by the Missouri Lottery. Applications for the second of three total rounds are tentatively scheduled to begin in March 2024 with licenses to be issued in July.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702729352500.png" alt=" Chief Equity Officer Abigail Vivas, who oversees the microbusiness program under the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said in a report released Friday that the ineligibility issues included “failure to provide documentation that the facility would be operated by eligible individuals" (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Chief Equity Officer Abigail Vivas, who oversees the microbusiness program under the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said in a report released Friday that the ineligibility issues included “failure to provide documentation that the facility would be operated by eligible individuals" (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>By REBECCA RIVAS,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri cannabis regulators may revoke 11 of the 48 social-equity cannabis licenses issued in October after finding they didn’t meet eligibility requirements.&nbsp;Nine were dispensaries and two were wholesale facilities.Among those who could face license revocation is Canna Zoned, a Michigan company that secured two of the 16 dispensary cannabis licenses — in Columbia and Arnold.&nbsp;Both of Cana Zoned’s licenses have been deemed ineligible, according to information the state provided to The Independent Friday evening.State records show Canna Zoned was connected to 104 out of the 1,048 applications that were entered into a lottery selection for the dispensary licenses. An investigation by The Independent in October found&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/26/applicants-recruited-on-craigslist-competed-for-missouri-social-equity-cannabis-licenses/">applicants thought they were partnering with the Michigan investor</a>&nbsp;but in reality signed agreements requiring them to relinquish all control and profits of the business.&nbsp;Some applicants were recruited through Craigslist ads from around the country.&nbsp;Another company that used the strategy of flooding Missouri’s lottery with applications was an Arizona-based consulting firm called Cannabis Business Advisors. It was connected to more than 400 dispensary applicants, including six winners.&nbsp;The state couldn’t certify the eligibility for all six of the licenses connected to the firm’s clients.A Missouri firm, Amendment 2 Consultants, is connected to more than 80 dispensary applicants and two winners. One of the group’s dispensary applicants was deemed ineligible.Abigail Vivas, who oversees the microbusiness program under the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services as chief equity officer, said in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://health.mo.gov/safety/cannabis/pdf/ceo-eligibility-review-results121523.pdf">report released Friday</a>&nbsp;that the ineligibility issues included “failure to provide documentation that the facility would be operated by eligible individuals.”The microbusiness program is meant to boost opportunities in the industry for businesses in disadvantaged communities, and it was part of the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=XIV%20%20%202&amp;constit=y">constitutional amendment</a>&nbsp;to legalize recreational marijuana that voters passed in November.&nbsp;Following The Independent’s October report,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/30/missouri-lawmaker-calls-for-investigation-into-fraudulent-activity-in-cannabis-program/">state Sen. Karla May, a St. Louis Democrat, demanded&nbsp;</a>the state investigate what she called an “egregious exploitation” of social-equity cannabis licenses.The other eligibility issues cited in the report included failure to provide adequate documentation to verify the majority owner met the eligibility criteria and for a disqualifying felony offense.The constitution mandates the chief equity officer conduct an eligibility review within 60 days of the microbusiness licenses being issued and make the results available to the public.&nbsp;The review was completed Dec. 1, according to a department press release Friday.Licenses that are not certified may be revoked, and notices of pending revocation provide a 30-day response period, according to state marijuana rules.During that 30-day window, licensees can submit records or information demonstrating why they are eligible and should not have their license revoked. All revoked licenses will be added to the available licenses awarded in the next application timeframe, the press release states.The department will issue a minimum of 96 additional microbusiness licenses in two separate lotteries conducted by the Missouri Lottery. Applications for the second of three total rounds are tentatively scheduled to begin in March 2024 with licenses to be issued in July.

A quarter of Mo. cannabis microbusiness license winners deemed ineligible

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for an allege domestic incident.

Shortly before 9p.m. on Thursday officers responded to an alleged domestic disturbance in the 300 block East P Street, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson. An investigation determined that a domestic battery had occurred against a 38-year-old victim and during the disturbance a firearm was used in a threatening manner. 

Police located the 30 year old suspect identified as Anthony C. Simon of Atchison a short time later and arrested him on requested charges that include&nbsp;&nbsp;aggravated assault and domestic battery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702655947506.png" alt="Simon-photo Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>Simon-photo Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for an allege domestic incident.Shortly before 9p.m. on Thursday officers responded to an alleged domestic disturbance in the 300 block East P Street, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson. An investigation determined that a domestic battery had occurred against a 38-year-old victim and during the disturbance a firearm was used in a threatening manner. Police located the 30 year old suspect identified as Anthony C. Simon of Atchison a short time later and arrested him on requested charges that include&nbsp;&nbsp;aggravated assault and domestic battery.

Police: Suspect used a gun in domestic violence attack

LIVINGSTON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Friday in Livingston County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 2007 Dodge Ram driven by Lucas A. Sykes, 38, Dawn, was northbound on Route F two miles south of Dawn.

The pickup rear-ended a 2022 GMC Terrain driven by Teresa A. Sykes, 59, Dawn, that struck a deer and was disabled in the road. Livingston County EMS transported Teresa Sykes to Hedrick Medical Center. Lucas Sykes was not injured despite not wearing a seat belt, according to the. MSHP.

LIVINGSTON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Friday in Livingston County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 2007 Dodge Ram driven by Lucas A. Sykes, 38, Dawn, was northbound on Route F two miles south of Dawn.The pickup rear-ended a 2022 GMC Terrain driven by Teresa A. Sykes, 59, Dawn, that struck a deer and was disabled in the road. Livingston County EMS transported Teresa Sykes to Hedrick Medical Center. Lucas Sykes was not injured despite not wearing a seat belt, according to the. MSHP.

Mo. woman injured in rear-end crash after SUV strikes deer

ATCHISON — The Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is in the final stretch of online voting as one of 16 new museums across the United States nominated for the “Best New Museum” by USA Today's Reader’s Choice Travel Awards for 2024, according to a media release from the museum.

<a href="https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-new-museum-2024/amelia-earhart-hangar-museum-atchison-kansas/?fbclid=IwAR0QphtjAkRrQnuTxuG2LyY2t1eusqa7HtNd8IkSCTILLAHD1TbLz65OhYs">Click here to vote</a>

Voting continues for the public to vote online every day until 12 Noon ET on December 25. 

  “With thousands of Amelia Earhart fans and admirers casting their vote for us — every day —  until Christmas Day — we think the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum can soar to the top spot,” said Mindi Love Pendergraft, the museum’s executive director. 

  Celebrating Earhart’s aviation legacy in aviator’s Atchison, Kansas, hometown, the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is the only museum in the Midwest among the 16 new museums nominated across United States. 

As of December 14, the Museum is ranking at #4 on USA Leaderboard for Best New Museum. Other nominated museums include The Punk Rock Museum in Los Vegas, NV; the Museum of Broadway in New York, NY; the Gettysburg Beyond Battle Museum in Gettsyburg, PA; the Buffalo AKG Art Museum in Buffalo, NY; and The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art &amp; Culture in Riverside, Calif. 

 “This special honor will not only shine a bright spotlight on our state-of-the-art museum in Amelia’s hometown, but also heighten the nation’s interest in exploring the many stellar museums and tourism attractions across Kansas and the Midwest,” added Love Pendergraft. 

 Named by Smithsonian Magazine as one of The Most Anticipated Museum Openings of 2023, the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum has been captivating visitors since its April grand opening with Earhart’s inspiring aviation legacy in the aviator’s Atchison, Kansas hometown. The Museum’s centerpiece, “Muriel,” is the world's last remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E. Named after Earhart's younger sister, "Muriel" is identical to the plane Earhart flew on her final flight around the world. The state-of-the-art museum blends highly&nbsp;&nbsp;interactive STEM and historical storytelling to take visitors through Earhart's life as a trailblazing aviator who defied the odds to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. 

 The winner will be announced on Friday, January 5 at noon ET. USA Today 10Best provides original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.  

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681315373041.jpeg" alt="photo Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum" />
 <figcaption>photo Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON — The Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is in the final stretch of online voting as one of 16 new museums across the United States nominated for the “Best New Museum” by USA Today's Reader’s Choice Travel Awards for 2024, according to a media release from the museum.<a href="https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-new-museum-2024/amelia-earhart-hangar-museum-atchison-kansas/?fbclid=IwAR0QphtjAkRrQnuTxuG2LyY2t1eusqa7HtNd8IkSCTILLAHD1TbLz65OhYs">Click here to vote</a>Voting continues for the public to vote online every day until 12 Noon ET on December 25. “With thousands of Amelia Earhart fans and admirers casting their vote for us — every day — until Christmas Day — we think the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum can soar to the top spot,” said Mindi Love Pendergraft, the museum’s executive director. Celebrating Earhart’s aviation legacy in aviator’s Atchison, Kansas, hometown, the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is the only museum in the Midwest among the 16 new museums nominated across United States. As of December 14, the Museum is ranking at #4 on USA Leaderboard for Best New Museum. Other nominated museums include The Punk Rock Museum in Los Vegas, NV; the Museum of Broadway in New York, NY; the Gettysburg Beyond Battle Museum in Gettsyburg, PA; the Buffalo AKG Art Museum in Buffalo, NY; and The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art &amp; Culture in Riverside, Calif. “This special honor will not only shine a bright spotlight on our state-of-the-art museum in Amelia’s hometown, but also heighten the nation’s interest in exploring the many stellar museums and tourism attractions across Kansas and the Midwest,” added Love Pendergraft. Named by Smithsonian Magazine as one of The Most Anticipated Museum Openings of 2023, the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum has been captivating visitors since its April grand opening with Earhart’s inspiring aviation legacy in the aviator’s Atchison, Kansas hometown. The Museum’s centerpiece, “Muriel,” is the world's last remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E. Named after Earhart's younger sister, "Muriel" is identical to the plane Earhart flew on her final flight around the world. The state-of-the-art museum blends highly&nbsp;&nbsp;interactive STEM and historical storytelling to take visitors through Earhart's life as a trailblazing aviator who defied the odds to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. The winner will be announced on Friday, January 5 at noon ET. USA Today 10Best provides original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.

Vote: Earhart Hangar Museum in running for top new museum in U.S.

Graduation ceremonies are set for tonight at the Law
Enforcement Academy on the Missouri Western State University campus in St.
Joseph.

Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett says it appears all 19
graduates have jobs, six of whom will be sworn in after the ceremonies to serve
on his staff. 

“So, we’re going to be rolling out a lot of new officers and
that’s going to be really helpful,” Puett tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ
Hotline. “But staffing is still really, really in need. I know that everybody’s
struggling trying to get good candidates in. We keep, hopefully, moving in the right
direction.”

Puett says three of the graduates will go to the St. Joseph
Police Department. One graduate is trying to decide whether to take a position
with law enforcement or return to the military.

Puett says all three of the law enforcement agencies in St.
Joseph lend a hand in instruction at the academy even as they search for
quality candidates to fill roster needs.

“I’m still involved out there and try to help where I can,”
Puett says, adding that he has staff members who help with instruction. The St.
Joseph Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol also have staff
members who teach some classes or help with instruction in some way.

Puett says once the six going to work from him are sworn in
after the graduation ceremony, they will immediately begin training as Buchanan
County Sheriff Department officers.

“We’ll have six more to get in-the-field training,” Puett says.

Puett says he needs personnel for several various positions in
his department, including as deputies, investigators, and jailers.

The St. Joseph Police Department also will have vacancies even
after hiring graduates from the academy.

You can follow Brent on X (formerly Twitter) @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostGraduation ceremonies are set for tonight at the Law
Enforcement Academy on the Missouri Western State University campus in St.
Joseph.Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett says it appears all 19
graduates have jobs, six of whom will be sworn in after the ceremonies to serve
on his staff. “So, we’re going to be rolling out a lot of new officers and
that’s going to be really helpful,” Puett tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ
Hotline. “But staffing is still really, really in need. I know that everybody’s
struggling trying to get good candidates in. We keep, hopefully, moving in the right
direction.”Puett says three of the graduates will go to the St. Joseph
Police Department. One graduate is trying to decide whether to take a position
with law enforcement or return to the military.Puett says all three of the law enforcement agencies in St.
Joseph lend a hand in instruction at the academy even as they search for
quality candidates to fill roster needs.“I’m still involved out there and try to help where I can,”
Puett says, adding that he has staff members who help with instruction. The St.
Joseph Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol also have staff
members who teach some classes or help with instruction in some way.Puett says once the six going to work from him are sworn in
after the graduation ceremony, they will immediately begin training as Buchanan
County Sheriff Department officers.“We’ll have six more to get in-the-field training,” Puett says.Puett says he needs personnel for several various positions in
his department, including as deputies, investigators, and jailers.The St. Joseph Police Department also will have vacancies even
after hiring graduates from the academy.<div><iframe src="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/Law-enforcement-academy-graduation-helps-fill-open-job-positions-e2d9rl8" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>You can follow Brent on X (formerly Twitter) @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

All Law Enforcement Academy graduates tonight have jobs waiting for them

Bus ridership has fallen over the past decade. Officials see microtransit as a possible solution, but how best to use it is still up for debate

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/megcunningham/">MEG CUNNINGHAM</a>&nbsp;

For about as long as passengers have stepped onto buses, public transportation in most of Missouri has meant fixed routes and schedules. The idea of on-demand, point-to-point service as a&nbsp;public&nbsp;amenity was unheard of.

Today, those rides are being offered in Kansas City and St. Louis. Smaller Missouri cities are mulling whether microtransit — think publicly funded Uber-like service — could fill some of their public transportation needs.

And rural communities are touting microtransit as a powerful tool for getting people to work and essential appointments.

The growing interest in microtransit comes partly in response to anemic bus ridership. The decline started before the pandemic and accelerated after it hit.

Transit services responded by cutting routes, which meant ever fewer riders. Now communities are exploring whether more Uber-style on-demand rides could meet the needs of their riders — and their budgets.

Reviews of the experiments so far are mixed.

“We’re not in love with how it’s evolved,” said Jessica Gershman, the assistant executive director of planning at Metro Transit St. Louis.

She pointed to the city’s use of the on-demand program as partial fill-in for buses throughout the pandemic. Now, with recruitment of drivers back up, the city is looking at ways to make microtransit fulfill its original purpose: connecting riders to existing routes.

Using a mix of tax dollars and grants to hire private ride services, microtransit touts a low-cost method for extending the reach of public transportation. That could look like pickup service in a suburb to connect riders to the nearest bus line. Or providing cost-effective rides around service zones where a bus may not run frequently enough to meet someone’s needs.

But questions remain about the best way to move people around in cities, especially in less densely populated areas that can’t regularly fill a 35-foot city bus.

Transit systems and solutions differ from one city to the next. The federal government has yet to fully grasp the possibilities and hasn’t issued guidance to communities on how to use integrated systems.

But many people running microtransit programs in Missouri see it as the future. They say there is room for growth, especially in rural areas.

How Missouri uses microtransit as public transportation

In Kansas City and St. Louis, microtransit mostly complements bus routes. Columbia announced in late November that it’s exploring the idea.

“We want it to extend the reach of that bus or rail system,” said Gershman, the St. Louis official. “We’re not looking for a wholesale replacement.”

Microtransit launched in St. Louis in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.metrostlouis.org/news-release/metro-transit-and-via-launching-new-on-demand-transit-service-in-the-st-louis-region/">June 2020</a>, shortly after a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.apta.com/kcata-and-microtransit/#:~:text=KCATA's%20first%20microtransit%20pilot%20launched,after%20providing%201%2C480%20total%20rides.">second&nbsp;</a>version of the program rolled out in Kansas City. Some of the service zones provide rides to bus routes and train lines. In other zones, the public ride hailing gives overnight service for shift workers who can’t get where they need to go solely by bus or light rail.

Even before the pandemic, St. Louis saw<a target="_blank" href="https://www.onestl.org/indicators/connected/metric/transit-ridership">&nbsp;ridership drop</a>. From 2014 to 2019, ridership fell 24%. From 2020 to 2021, ridership fell another 42.7%, the largest year-over-year change the Metro system had ever seen.

The city contracts with Via to provide a fleet of minivans, some of which have been retrofitted for wheelchairs. Across the border in Illinois,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.metrostlouis.org/via/st-clair-county-transit-district-on-demand/">St. Clair County</a>&nbsp;uses the same contractor to provide continuous microtransit service.

Riders can book on an app, similar to Uber or Lyft, and an algorithm will create a carpool with others who are moving in the same direction. Some rides, like those that connect to other transportation hubs, are free. Others come with a small fee. When moving inside a service zone in Kansas City’s microtransit system, for example, riders pay $3 for a ride.

Kansas City’s newest microtransit program, IRIS, was introduced in the Northland just months before the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2023/08/30/iris-kansas-city/">announced it would suspend service</a>&nbsp;in Gladstone. The cost of Gladstone’s bus service had nearly quadrupled, an increase that the city’s budget couldn’t handle.

Instead, Gladstone opted to pay KCATA $7,000 a month for a trial of IRIS. After launching in the Northland, IRIS was expanded to parts of Hickman Mills and south Kansas City.

In a tweet, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said the city was stepping back when it came to covering the cost of transit for nearby cities.

“Kansas City taxpayers have subsidized service for years for a number of surrounding communities and is declining to do so further,” Lucas&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/QuintonLucasKC/status/1675308358675361792?s=20">said</a>.

Kansas City’s microtransit program,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ridekc.org/rider-guide/iris">IRIS,&nbsp;</a>launched in March. On average, it costs the city about $29 a trip. Kansas City is seeing much of its demand for microtransit come from those traveling into the city from the Northland or Martin City. For the KCATA system as a whole, the cost per passenger in October was $1.88.

Ridership trends often show services peaking about six months after launch, said Tyler Means, the chief mobility and strategy officer at the KCATA. In Kansas City, demand for microtransit is still growing month-over-month.

“Microtransit is expensive per rider, yes,” said Art Guzzetti, the vice president of policy and mobility at the American Public Transit Association. “But it’s happening in places where the alternative is the fixed-route system. That is even more costly when you’re operating a big bus on a scheduled basis.”

But some reports have shown microtransit to be less efficient than running a fixed-route bus system.

According to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://transitcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Microtransit-1-1.pdf">Transit Center</a>, a group working toward modernized and sustainable public transit solutions, ridership on Los Angeles’ microtransit service was maxing out at about 1,675 rides per week. The city was spending $14.50 per microtransit trip, twice what it spends on the average bus trip.

In Kansas City, the program served about 17,300 rides&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ridekc.org/assets/uploads/documents/October_2023_System_Wide_Report_1.pdf">in October,</a>&nbsp;compared to nearly 1.1 million bus rides.

In both Kansas City and St. Louis, demand for microtransit is still rising.

“It has grown exponentially,” Gershman said. “Every time we’ve increased our service hours or tweaked one of the zones to cover more ground, we’ve seen that demand filled.”

Gershman said the city is using data from microtransit rides to determine where bus routes may need to go as the city rebuilds some of its coverage areas, like in its North coverage zone.

“We see the demand pattern and know that if it increases enough, it should tip back over to mass transit,” Gershman said.

How could microtransit thrive as public transportation in Missouri?

A 2019&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://mopublictransit.org/app/uploads/2019/10/Transit-Economic-Impact-Report-MO-FINAL-Corrected-min.pdf">economic impact study</a>&nbsp;from the Missouri Public Transit Association found that for every dollar spent on public transit, the investment generated $40 in economic activity.&nbsp; In Kansas City and St. Louis, every dollar spent generated $33 and $41, respectively.

A soon-to-be published survey from the MPTA found that public transit in 2022 had 47 million rides. Still, a study in 2022 found that available public transit across Missouri falls short of the need in communities by 39 million rides, Kimberly Cella, the group’s executive director, said.

The state hasn’t historically invested heavily in bolstering transit, although a budget surplus let Missouri boost its investment over the past two years.

“We can’t really rely on the state for a lot of transit support,” Gershman said.

Missouri has to think creatively about how to connect rural and urban communities, KCATA’s Means said.

Rural communities “are going to shrink and age, and they’re going to need more services in areas that have just kind of been forgotten about,” he said. “So they need solutions like this to allow them to gain access to the resources they need.”

That’s part of what Kelly Ast, the executive director of New Growth Transit, is hoping to do in 14 rural counties in Missouri. Most are south of Kansas City and two are just outside of St. Louis.

Ast launched a network of volunteer drivers that offers rides to areas across the state. The program, hosted by the West Central Missouri Community Action Agency, began out of a need for rides to medical appointments. Those rides aim to improve access to health care and boost local economies.

What started as an effort to invest in community health prompted Ast to realize that rural Missourians first need better ways to get around.

“I just got really frustrated that it didn’t matter what we offered,” Ast said. “People just couldn’t get there.”

New Growth Transit uses volunteer drivers, often retirees looking for a fulfilling way to spend their time. And they can at least knock 65 cents a mile they drive off of their federal tax bill.

The group started exploring the program in 2019. Ast quickly realized that there was a need to get people to and from work and school. So services expanded. Now, riders just need to call 48 hours in advance to book a ride.

Public transit service times vary in rural areas, but most run from 7 or 8 a.m. to midafternoon, outside the hours of shift work that often dominates rural economies.

“We’re not even close to meeting that demand,” Ast said. “A lot of times, employment transportation is temporary for individuals that do work shift work. They have a vehicle down, they need to save some money to fix the vehicle, so microtransit really is a solution.”

Ast has seen the power microtransit can have as employers move into rural parts of the state or consolidate facilities. Employers are launching similar programs, called vanpools, to help their employees get to and from work.

She pointed to poultry industry employers in Cassville, which sits southwest of Branson near the border of Arkansas, who are tapping the services.

“The attendance is up for those individuals,” Ast said of employers using the service. “There’s just a lot of incentives. They can save money on the commute.”

A&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.modot.org/sites/default/files/documents/Draft%203%20Supply%20Chain%20Task%20Force%20Report.pdf">report</a>&nbsp;from the state’s supply chain task force recommended the state work with employers to establish dedicated microtransit commuting programs for workers.

The Missouri Department of Transportation is researching best practices for transit systems and employers on microtransit.

Meanwhile, transportation officials want to work more closely with employers on where they set up shop to better tie in with public transit.

“That’s the broader picture, right? We need to look at where we’re developing” worksites, said Cella at the MPTA. “And does that area have access to public transit? Because it’s critical, whether it’s for jobs or education or health care.”

This&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2023/12/12/missouri-public-transportation-microtransit-connectivity/">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/">The Beacon</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702645761716.png" alt=" Booking a ride on the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority microtransit app, IRIS. Ridership on public transportation has fallen over the past decade. Officials see microtransit as a potential solution (Meg Cunningham/The Beacon)." />
 <figcaption> Booking a ride on the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority microtransit app, IRIS. Ridership on public transportation has fallen over the past decade. Officials see microtransit as a potential solution (Meg Cunningham/The Beacon).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Bus ridership has fallen over the past decade. Officials see microtransit as a possible solution, but how best to use it is still up for debate</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/megcunningham/">MEG CUNNINGHAM</a>&nbsp;For about as long as passengers have stepped onto buses, public transportation in most of Missouri has meant fixed routes and schedules. The idea of on-demand, point-to-point service as a&nbsp;public&nbsp;amenity was unheard of.Today, those rides are being offered in Kansas City and St. Louis. Smaller Missouri cities are mulling whether microtransit — think publicly funded Uber-like service — could fill some of their public transportation needs.And rural communities are touting microtransit as a powerful tool for getting people to work and essential appointments.The growing interest in microtransit comes partly in response to anemic bus ridership. The decline started before the pandemic and accelerated after it hit.Transit services responded by cutting routes, which meant ever fewer riders. Now communities are exploring whether more Uber-style on-demand rides could meet the needs of their riders — and their budgets.Reviews of the experiments so far are mixed.“We’re not in love with how it’s evolved,” said Jessica Gershman, the assistant executive director of planning at Metro Transit St. Louis.She pointed to the city’s use of the on-demand program as partial fill-in for buses throughout the pandemic. Now, with recruitment of drivers back up, the city is looking at ways to make microtransit fulfill its original purpose: connecting riders to existing routes.Using a mix of tax dollars and grants to hire private ride services, microtransit touts a low-cost method for extending the reach of public transportation. That could look like pickup service in a suburb to connect riders to the nearest bus line. Or providing cost-effective rides around service zones where a bus may not run frequently enough to meet someone’s needs.But questions remain about the best way to move people around in cities, especially in less densely populated areas that can’t regularly fill a 35-foot city bus.Transit systems and solutions differ from one city to the next. The federal government has yet to fully grasp the possibilities and hasn’t issued guidance to communities on how to use integrated systems.But many people running microtransit programs in Missouri see it as the future. They say there is room for growth, especially in rural areas.<h2>How Missouri uses microtransit as public transportation</h2>In Kansas City and St. Louis, microtransit mostly complements bus routes. Columbia announced in late November that it’s exploring the idea.“We want it to extend the reach of that bus or rail system,” said Gershman, the St. Louis official. “We’re not looking for a wholesale replacement.”Microtransit launched in St. Louis in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.metrostlouis.org/news-release/metro-transit-and-via-launching-new-on-demand-transit-service-in-the-st-louis-region/">June 2020</a>, shortly after a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.apta.com/kcata-and-microtransit/#:~:text=KCATA's%20first%20microtransit%20pilot%20launched,after%20providing%201%2C480%20total%20rides.">second&nbsp;</a>version of the program rolled out in Kansas City. Some of the service zones provide rides to bus routes and train lines. In other zones, the public ride hailing gives overnight service for shift workers who can’t get where they need to go solely by bus or light rail.Even before the pandemic, St. Louis saw<a target="_blank" href="https://www.onestl.org/indicators/connected/metric/transit-ridership">&nbsp;ridership drop</a>. From 2014 to 2019, ridership fell 24%. From 2020 to 2021, ridership fell another 42.7%, the largest year-over-year change the Metro system had ever seen.The city contracts with Via to provide a fleet of minivans, some of which have been retrofitted for wheelchairs. Across the border in Illinois,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.metrostlouis.org/via/st-clair-county-transit-district-on-demand/">St. Clair County</a>&nbsp;uses the same contractor to provide continuous microtransit service.Riders can book on an app, similar to Uber or Lyft, and an algorithm will create a carpool with others who are moving in the same direction. Some rides, like those that connect to other transportation hubs, are free. Others come with a small fee. When moving inside a service zone in Kansas City’s microtransit system, for example, riders pay $3 for a ride.Kansas City’s newest microtransit program, IRIS, was introduced in the Northland just months before the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2023/08/30/iris-kansas-city/">announced it would suspend service</a>&nbsp;in Gladstone. The cost of Gladstone’s bus service had nearly quadrupled, an increase that the city’s budget couldn’t handle.Instead, Gladstone opted to pay KCATA $7,000 a month for a trial of IRIS. After launching in the Northland, IRIS was expanded to parts of Hickman Mills and south Kansas City.In a tweet, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said the city was stepping back when it came to covering the cost of transit for nearby cities.“Kansas City taxpayers have subsidized service for years for a number of surrounding communities and is declining to do so further,” Lucas&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/QuintonLucasKC/status/1675308358675361792?s=20">said</a>.<h2>How efficient can microtransit be?</h2>Kansas City’s microtransit program,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ridekc.org/rider-guide/iris">IRIS,&nbsp;</a>launched in March. On average, it costs the city about $29 a trip. Kansas City is seeing much of its demand for microtransit come from those traveling into the city from the Northland or Martin City. For the KCATA system as a whole, the cost per passenger in October was $1.88.Ridership trends often show services peaking about six months after launch, said Tyler Means, the chief mobility and strategy officer at the KCATA. In Kansas City, demand for microtransit is still growing month-over-month.“Microtransit is expensive per rider, yes,” said Art Guzzetti, the vice president of policy and mobility at the American Public Transit Association. “But it’s happening in places where the alternative is the fixed-route system. That is even more costly when you’re operating a big bus on a scheduled basis.”But some reports have shown microtransit to be less efficient than running a fixed-route bus system.According to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://transitcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Microtransit-1-1.pdf">Transit Center</a>, a group working toward modernized and sustainable public transit solutions, ridership on Los Angeles’ microtransit service was maxing out at about 1,675 rides per week. The city was spending $14.50 per microtransit trip, twice what it spends on the average bus trip.In Kansas City, the program served about 17,300 rides&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ridekc.org/assets/uploads/documents/October_2023_System_Wide_Report_1.pdf">in October,</a>&nbsp;compared to nearly 1.1 million bus rides.In both Kansas City and St. Louis, demand for microtransit is still rising.“It has grown exponentially,” Gershman said. “Every time we’ve increased our service hours or tweaked one of the zones to cover more ground, we’ve seen that demand filled.”Gershman said the city is using data from microtransit rides to determine where bus routes may need to go as the city rebuilds some of its coverage areas, like in its North coverage zone.“We see the demand pattern and know that if it increases enough, it should tip back over to mass transit,” Gershman said.<h2>How could microtransit thrive as public transportation in Missouri?</h2>A 2019&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://mopublictransit.org/app/uploads/2019/10/Transit-Economic-Impact-Report-MO-FINAL-Corrected-min.pdf">economic impact study</a>&nbsp;from the Missouri Public Transit Association found that for every dollar spent on public transit, the investment generated $40 in economic activity.&nbsp; In Kansas City and St. Louis, every dollar spent generated $33 and $41, respectively.A soon-to-be published survey from the MPTA found that public transit in 2022 had 47 million rides. Still, a study in 2022 found that available public transit across Missouri falls short of the need in communities by 39 million rides, Kimberly Cella, the group’s executive director, said.The state hasn’t historically invested heavily in bolstering transit, although a budget surplus let Missouri boost its investment over the past two years.“We can’t really rely on the state for a lot of transit support,” Gershman said.Missouri has to think creatively about how to connect rural and urban communities, KCATA’s Means said.Rural communities “are going to shrink and age, and they’re going to need more services in areas that have just kind of been forgotten about,” he said. “So they need solutions like this to allow them to gain access to the resources they need.”That’s part of what Kelly Ast, the executive director of New Growth Transit, is hoping to do in 14 rural counties in Missouri. Most are south of Kansas City and two are just outside of St. Louis.Ast launched a network of volunteer drivers that offers rides to areas across the state. The program, hosted by the West Central Missouri Community Action Agency, began out of a need for rides to medical appointments. Those rides aim to improve access to health care and boost local economies.What started as an effort to invest in community health prompted Ast to realize that rural Missourians first need better ways to get around.“I just got really frustrated that it didn’t matter what we offered,” Ast said. “People just couldn’t get there.”New Growth Transit uses volunteer drivers, often retirees looking for a fulfilling way to spend their time. And they can at least knock 65 cents a mile they drive off of their federal tax bill.The group started exploring the program in 2019. Ast quickly realized that there was a need to get people to and from work and school. So services expanded. Now, riders just need to call 48 hours in advance to book a ride.Public transit service times vary in rural areas, but most run from 7 or 8 a.m. to midafternoon, outside the hours of shift work that often dominates rural economies.“We’re not even close to meeting that demand,” Ast said. “A lot of times, employment transportation is temporary for individuals that do work shift work. They have a vehicle down, they need to save some money to fix the vehicle, so microtransit really is a solution.”Ast has seen the power microtransit can have as employers move into rural parts of the state or consolidate facilities. Employers are launching similar programs, called vanpools, to help their employees get to and from work.She pointed to poultry industry employers in Cassville, which sits southwest of Branson near the border of Arkansas, who are tapping the services.“The attendance is up for those individuals,” Ast said of employers using the service. “There’s just a lot of incentives. They can save money on the commute.”<h2>Missouri’s investment</h2>A&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.modot.org/sites/default/files/documents/Draft%203%20Supply%20Chain%20Task%20Force%20Report.pdf">report</a>&nbsp;from the state’s supply chain task force recommended the state work with employers to establish dedicated microtransit commuting programs for workers.The Missouri Department of Transportation is researching best practices for transit systems and employers on microtransit.Meanwhile, transportation officials want to work more closely with employers on where they set up shop to better tie in with public transit.“That’s the broader picture, right? We need to look at where we’re developing” worksites, said Cella at the MPTA. “And does that area have access to public transit? Because it’s critical, whether it’s for jobs or education or health care.”This&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2023/12/12/missouri-public-transportation-microtransit-connectivity/">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/">The Beacon</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<figure>
 <img src="https://kcbeacon.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=17671" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Uber-style rides seen as a tool for public transit in rural and urban Missouri

With two weeks until Christmas, officials with the St. Joseph Salvation Army report donations are dragging during this years Red Kettle Drive.  

Major Ron Key says it's unusual to see donations falling short this far into the drive. 

"I think a lot of it's just based on the economy is not a help right now, we all would probably agree with that, so I think that's the biggest thing," Key tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "And we do have some people who are regular donors that haven't given yet, and sometimes that doesn't happen until after Christmas or right at Christmas." 

Key reminds potential donors that every dollar donated to the fundraising drive directly helps St. Joseph residents.  

"To help people that come in our doors that need clothes, food, housing, just the basic necessities of life, so that money is not restricted let's say," Key explains. "So, the more we have the more people we can help, so it'll either be either help the same amount of people with less money, or with less money you help less people." 

With two weeks until Christmas officials with the Salvation Army say they are just about halfway to their goal of raising $358,000. 

Red Kettles are out at shops until Christmas Eve, but Major Ron Key says they'll take donations as long as people want to give them.  

"Even if people are gone for Christmas and they forgot and they come back in January, they can donate year-round and it will still be counted for Christmas up until I think January 10th, it still counts towards our Christmas goal," Key says. 

By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post With two weeks until Christmas, officials with the St. Joseph Salvation Army report donations are dragging during this years Red Kettle Drive. Major Ron Key says it's unusual to see donations falling short this far into the drive. "I think a lot of it's just based on the economy is not a help right now, we all would probably agree with that, so I think that's the biggest thing," Key tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "And we do have some people who are regular donors that haven't given yet, and sometimes that doesn't happen until after Christmas or right at Christmas." Key reminds potential donors that every dollar donated to the fundraising drive directly helps St. Joseph residents. "To help people that come in our doors that need clothes, food, housing, just the basic necessities of life, so that money is not restricted let's say," Key explains. "So, the more we have the more people we can help, so it'll either be either help the same amount of people with less money, or with less money you help less people." With two weeks until Christmas officials with the Salvation Army say they are just about halfway to their goal of raising $358,000. Red Kettles are out at shops until Christmas Eve, but Major Ron Key says they'll take donations as long as people want to give them. "Even if people are gone for Christmas and they forgot and they come back in January, they can donate year-round and it will still be counted for Christmas up until I think January 10th, it still counts towards our Christmas goal," Key says.

Donations lagging with two weeks left in Salvation Army Red Kettle drive

MoDOT Director McKenna tells lawmakers their views will be considered ‘with a high degree of seriousness’ if budget bills don’t authorize pay raises, new hires

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

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has authority to add workers, increase pay and ignore appropriation bill limits if no changes are made to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/01/judge-approves-pay-raise-plan-for-missouri-transportation-agency-workers/">court ruling issued in October</a>, Department of Transportation director Patrick McKenna told lawmakers on Wednesday.

Facing&nbsp; pointed questioning during a hearing of a House appropriations subcommittee, McKenna said the commission would listen to lawmakers but not necessarily abide by their directives.

“If the General Assembly felt strongly about an issue, and, through the process that we go through, came back and said, ‘we don’t agree with what the commission is doing here,’ I believe the commission would take that with a high degree of seriousness before authorizing the department to do anything different,” McKenna said.

In 2021, the commission adopted a plan to raise pay for most of its employees in an attempt to stem massive turnover within the transportation department. The $60 million “market adjustment” was designed to put 65% of department employees are at or above the midpoint in the pay range for their job.

The legislature controls pay rates for state government employees, and since it hadn’t approved the plan the Office of Administration refused to reflect the increases on transportation employee paychecks, leading the commission to file a lawsuit.&nbsp;

On Oct. 31, Cole County Circuit Judge Cotton Walker ruled the Office of Administration must approve the paychecks, citing a provision of the Missouri Constitution that says money in the state road fund shall&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=IV++++30(b)&amp;bid=31847&amp;constit=y">“stand appropriated without legislative action.”</a>&nbsp;

On Monday, Walker will hear arguments on a motion to reconsider that decision. No MoDOT employees have received the increased paychecks because the request to amend the judgment, filed on Nov. 30, means the ruling is not final. It also delayed the date when a decision must be made on whether to appeal the judgment.

In the motion asking Walker to reconsider, Assistant Attorney General Emily Dodge argued that the judgment did not follow the precedent set in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://casetext.com/case/state-ex-inf-danforth-v-merrell">1975 Missouri Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;that determined only the legislature can set spending amounts for state agencies.

“It also misreads the plain language of the Missouri Constitution,” Dodge wrote.

The “stands appropriated” language applies to only two things – current payments on bond debt and holding enough cash to make payments due within 12 months, Dodge wrote.

She also wrote that “no funds automatically ‘stand appropriated’ for the purpose of paying workers, so the commission can do so only through an actual appropriation.”

Any appeal after Walker rules on the motion to amend his judgment will push a final decision in the case well into next year, with the possibility that it won’t be resolved before lawmakers must finish work on budget bills in May.

McKenna weathered an initial storm of legislative anger, including&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/02/03/missouri-transportation-chief-under-fire-for-bucking-lawmakers-on-pay-raise-plan/">calls for him to be fired</a>, after the lawsuit was filed. A bill to revise the “stand appropriated” language&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/03/02/missouri-house-advances-plan-for-lawmakers-to-take-control-of-modot-funding/">passed the House last year</a>&nbsp;but stalled in the Senate.&nbsp;

Two bills have been filed for the upcoming session to give lawmakers veto power over MoDOT spending plans.&nbsp;

During his Wednesday testimony, McKenna said the department has started rebuilding its workforce, hiring more new employees than departed in the past year. There are still 500 full-time slots open in its workforce authorized to employ about 5,600.

“Once again MODOT will start this winter several hundred employees short to fight a statewide storm lasting more than one shift,” McKenna said. “That means in a 24-hour winter storm, we’ll have trucks parked at buildings with no staff to operate them for the second shift of the day.”

The department wants to add 350 more full-time slots to its authorized strength, 250 to improve daily road maintenance and 100 to supervise an expanding construction program, McKenna said.

The staffing shortage means emergency responses take longer, McKenna said.&nbsp;

“Other services such as litter removal along the roadways, sign replacements, mowing and animal carcass removal are not completed timely, and they fail to meet the public’s expectations,” he said.

MoDOT has more money than it has ever had to spend on road projects, thanks to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/10/02/motorists-give-mixed-reaction-to-refund-plan-for-missouri-fuel-tax-hike/">state fuel tax increase passed in 2021</a>&nbsp;and increased federal aid. Over the next five years, the plan for major improvements anticipates spending $14 billion on more than 1,500 projects, McKenna said.

After questioning whether MoDOT could fill all those open jobs, state Rep. Don Mayhew, R-Crocker, asked McKenna about the Oct. 31 ruling. He wanted to know if the commission would authorize hiring employees the legislature doesn’t include in the budget.

“The ruling isn’t final at this point,” McKenna said. “And so we assume we’re running it through the normal process.”

Mayhew had to ask his question in three different ways to get the definitive answer.

“In your opinion, the commission has the ability to do it without legislative approval, anyway, because I think that’s what the judge was telling us, right?” Mayhew asked finally.

“Potentially, yes,” McKenna answered.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702606140777.png" alt=" Patrick McKenna, executive director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, testifies in February before the legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight. (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)" />
 <figcaption> Patrick McKenna, executive director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, testifies in February before the legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight. (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>MoDOT Director McKenna tells lawmakers their views will be considered ‘with a high degree of seriousness’ if budget bills don’t authorize pay raises, new hires</h2>By RUDI KELLER,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has authority to add workers, increase pay and ignore appropriation bill limits if no changes are made to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/01/judge-approves-pay-raise-plan-for-missouri-transportation-agency-workers/">court ruling issued in October</a>, Department of Transportation director Patrick McKenna told lawmakers on Wednesday.Facing&nbsp; pointed questioning during a hearing of a House appropriations subcommittee, McKenna said the commission would listen to lawmakers but not necessarily abide by their directives.“If the General Assembly felt strongly about an issue, and, through the process that we go through, came back and said, ‘we don’t agree with what the commission is doing here,’ I believe the commission would take that with a high degree of seriousness before authorizing the department to do anything different,” McKenna said.In 2021, the commission adopted a plan to raise pay for most of its employees in an attempt to stem massive turnover within the transportation department. The $60 million “market adjustment” was designed to put 65% of department employees are at or above the midpoint in the pay range for their job.The legislature controls pay rates for state government employees, and since it hadn’t approved the plan the Office of Administration refused to reflect the increases on transportation employee paychecks, leading the commission to file a lawsuit.&nbsp;On Oct. 31, Cole County Circuit Judge Cotton Walker ruled the Office of Administration must approve the paychecks, citing a provision of the Missouri Constitution that says money in the state road fund shall&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=IV++++30(b)&amp;bid=31847&amp;constit=y">“stand appropriated without legislative action.”</a>&nbsp;On Monday, Walker will hear arguments on a motion to reconsider that decision. No MoDOT employees have received the increased paychecks because the request to amend the judgment, filed on Nov. 30, means the ruling is not final. It also delayed the date when a decision must be made on whether to appeal the judgment.In the motion asking Walker to reconsider, Assistant Attorney General Emily Dodge argued that the judgment did not follow the precedent set in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://casetext.com/case/state-ex-inf-danforth-v-merrell">1975 Missouri Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;that determined only the legislature can set spending amounts for state agencies.“It also misreads the plain language of the Missouri Constitution,” Dodge wrote.The “stands appropriated” language applies to only two things – current payments on bond debt and holding enough cash to make payments due within 12 months, Dodge wrote.She also wrote that “no funds automatically ‘stand appropriated’ for the purpose of paying workers, so the commission can do so only through an actual appropriation.”Any appeal after Walker rules on the motion to amend his judgment will push a final decision in the case well into next year, with the possibility that it won’t be resolved before lawmakers must finish work on budget bills in May.McKenna weathered an initial storm of legislative anger, including&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/02/03/missouri-transportation-chief-under-fire-for-bucking-lawmakers-on-pay-raise-plan/">calls for him to be fired</a>, after the lawsuit was filed. A bill to revise the “stand appropriated” language&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/03/02/missouri-house-advances-plan-for-lawmakers-to-take-control-of-modot-funding/">passed the House last year</a>&nbsp;but stalled in the Senate.&nbsp;Two bills have been filed for the upcoming session to give lawmakers veto power over MoDOT spending plans.&nbsp;During his Wednesday testimony, McKenna said the department has started rebuilding its workforce, hiring more new employees than departed in the past year. There are still 500 full-time slots open in its workforce authorized to employ about 5,600.“Once again MODOT will start this winter several hundred employees short to fight a statewide storm lasting more than one shift,” McKenna said. “That means in a 24-hour winter storm, we’ll have trucks parked at buildings with no staff to operate them for the second shift of the day.”The department wants to add 350 more full-time slots to its authorized strength, 250 to improve daily road maintenance and 100 to supervise an expanding construction program, McKenna said.The staffing shortage means emergency responses take longer, McKenna said.&nbsp;“Other services such as litter removal along the roadways, sign replacements, mowing and animal carcass removal are not completed timely, and they fail to meet the public’s expectations,” he said.MoDOT has more money than it has ever had to spend on road projects, thanks to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/10/02/motorists-give-mixed-reaction-to-refund-plan-for-missouri-fuel-tax-hike/">state fuel tax increase passed in 2021</a>&nbsp;and increased federal aid. Over the next five years, the plan for major improvements anticipates spending $14 billion on more than 1,500 projects, McKenna said.After questioning whether MoDOT could fill all those open jobs, state Rep. Don Mayhew, R-Crocker, asked McKenna about the Oct. 31 ruling. He wanted to know if the commission would authorize hiring employees the legislature doesn’t include in the budget.“The ruling isn’t final at this point,” McKenna said. “And so we assume we’re running it through the normal process.”Mayhew had to ask his question in three different ways to get the definitive answer.“In your opinion, the commission has the ability to do it without legislative approval, anyway, because I think that’s what the judge was telling us, right?” Mayhew asked finally.“Potentially, yes,” McKenna answered.

State asks judge to reverse decision on Mo. highways commission pay raise plan

Max’s Law will return for a third time in the Missouri
legislature.

The proposal, named for St. Joseph’s K-9 Max, passed last
legislative session only to fall victim to a gubernatorial veto on an unrelated
subject.

State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, a Republican from Parkville who
represents Platte and Buchanan Counties in the Senate, has pre-filed his bill
to increase the penalty for killing a police dog in the line of duty.

“It’s really any working police animal,” Luetkemeyer tells
KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “So, if you had a horse, mounted police officer, and somebody
shot and killed a horse in the line of duty, that too would be covered under
Max’s Law, not just limited to canines, although typically those are the
animals that are unfortunately killed whenever they’re out on the streets
helping our police officers.”

The measure is named for K-9 Max, the St. Joseph police dog,
shot and killed while chasing a suspect in June of 2021.

Two years ago, Luetkemeyer ran out of time. This past
legislation session, Luetkemeyer ran into a veto by Gov. Mike Parson. Max’s Law
was attached to a large anti-crime measure sponsored by Luetkemeyer which won legislative
approval. Parson objected to a provision in the bill that provided compensation
to those wrongly incarcerated, arguing it encumbered the state while holding harmless
local jurisdictions in which the wrongful conviction took place. The governor vetoed the bill.

Luetkemeyer says he opposed the veto even while understanding
the governor’s stance.

Under current Missouri law, the killing of a police dog is a
misdemeanor. Testimony during the legislative session this year pointed out to
lawmakers that smashing the windshield of a patrol car was considered a more serious
offense under state law than killing a police animal.

Luetkemeyer began working on the legislation after talking
with St. Joseph Police Officer Lucas Winder, K-9 Max’s handler.

“It was actually from that conversation with Officer Winder
that led me to file Max’s Law two years ago,” Luetkemeyer says. “It is
absolutely to honor the life and sacrifices of not only Max, but all police
canines in the state of Missouri that lose their life in the line of duty and make
sure that we are protecting these animals.”

Luetkemeyer says Max’s Law likely will once again be tucked
inside a larger anti-crime measure.

“That just typically is how legislation passes in the Senate,”
according to Luetkemeyer. “I know what some of the governor’s objections were
to some of the other provisions in the bill last year. So, we’ll just be on
guard to make sure none of those provisions gets attached to Max’s Law this
year.”

The Missouri General Assembly begins a new session next month.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702578598781.jpeg" alt="K9 Max /file photo" />
 <figcaption>K9 Max /file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostMax’s Law will return for a third time in the Missouri
legislature.The proposal, named for St. Joseph’s K-9 Max, passed last
legislative session only to fall victim to a gubernatorial veto on an unrelated
subject.State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, a Republican from Parkville who
represents Platte and Buchanan Counties in the Senate, has pre-filed his bill
to increase the penalty for killing a police dog in the line of duty.“It’s really any working police animal,” Luetkemeyer tells
KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “So, if you had a horse, mounted police officer, and somebody
shot and killed a horse in the line of duty, that too would be covered under
Max’s Law, not just limited to canines, although typically those are the
animals that are unfortunately killed whenever they’re out on the streets
helping our police officers.”The measure is named for K-9 Max, the St. Joseph police dog,
shot and killed while chasing a suspect in June of 2021.Two years ago, Luetkemeyer ran out of time. This past
legislation session, Luetkemeyer ran into a veto by Gov. Mike Parson. Max’s Law
was attached to a large anti-crime measure sponsored by Luetkemeyer which won legislative
approval. Parson objected to a provision in the bill that provided compensation
to those wrongly incarcerated, arguing it encumbered the state while holding harmless
local jurisdictions in which the wrongful conviction took place. The governor vetoed the bill.Luetkemeyer says he opposed the veto even while understanding
the governor’s stance.Under current Missouri law, the killing of a police dog is a
misdemeanor. Testimony during the legislative session this year pointed out to
lawmakers that smashing the windshield of a patrol car was considered a more serious
offense under state law than killing a police animal.Luetkemeyer began working on the legislation after talking
with St. Joseph Police Officer Lucas Winder, K-9 Max’s handler.“It was actually from that conversation with Officer Winder
that led me to file Max’s Law two years ago,” Luetkemeyer says. “It is
absolutely to honor the life and sacrifices of not only Max, but all police
canines in the state of Missouri that lose their life in the line of duty and make
sure that we are protecting these animals.”Luetkemeyer says Max’s Law likely will once again be tucked
inside a larger anti-crime measure.“That just typically is how legislation passes in the Senate,”
according to Luetkemeyer. “I know what some of the governor’s objections were
to some of the other provisions in the bill last year. So, we’ll just be on
guard to make sure none of those provisions gets attached to Max’s Law this
year.”The Missouri General Assembly begins a new session next month.<div><iframe src="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kfeq-news/embed/episodes/Maxs-Law-heading-back-to-the-Legislative-Session-e2d8o65" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>

Max's Law returns for a 3rd try in the Missouri state legislature

Tri States Wrestling returns to the Bethany Community Gym for its second annual Christmas show, the Rumble for the Rescue Dogs.  

Shows will be held on Friday and Saturday. 

Promoter John Rockhold says Friday's event will feature an event familiar to wrestling fans, a Royal Rumble.  

"Two people start in the ring, every 90 seconds a person joins them, you have to be thrown over the top rope and both feet hit the floor," Rockhold explains to KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "The winner of that match gets a title match that night against the Iceman who's our US Highway champion right now." 

The main event on Friday will have current TSW champion Franco Varga in a title match.   

On Saturday, the winner of those two title matches will face off, in a winner take all Christmas Street Fight 

"Which is our special match, last year we had somebody go through a Christmas tree and a table, and there was cookie sheets and a trash can, and a bowling ball involved, so it was pretty awesome," Rockhold says. 

Rockhold says Santa Claus will also be at the show, giving photo opportunities after the doors open, but he'll also be doing something else. 

"He'll also be wrestling, and in Santa matches presents are legal, so in the matches Santa is wrestling this weekend it's not no disqualification, it's just if a present gets involved, that's legal," Rockhold says. "So any brass boxes are allowed or wrapped gift bags are allowed, but you know they can't use a chair or anything, unless they wrap it in a box, I guess then it would be legal." 

Doors open at 6pm both nights with the show starting at 7pm.   

Proceeds from the event will go towards the All Odds Animal Shelter in Hamilton, a cause that Rockhold has been passionate about since starting his own wrestling promotions. 

"Everybody loves dogs, everybody cares about animals, and it's just a nice thing that if somebody wants to go to a wrestling show they have that little added incentive, well I want to go a wrestling show and I can help the dogs 

Several adoptable dogs will also be featured at the event.   

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702574660177.jpeg" alt="The Rumble for the Rescue Dogs takes place in Bethany, MO on Friday and Saturday at the Bethany Community Gym/ Photo courtesy of Tri States Wrestling" />
 <figcaption>The Rumble for the Rescue Dogs takes place in Bethany, MO on Friday and Saturday at the Bethany Community Gym/ Photo courtesy of Tri States Wrestling</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Tri States Wrestling returns to the Bethany Community Gym for its second annual Christmas show, the Rumble for the Rescue Dogs. Shows will be held on Friday and Saturday. Promoter John Rockhold says Friday's event will feature an event familiar to wrestling fans, a Royal Rumble. "Two people start in the ring, every 90 seconds a person joins them, you have to be thrown over the top rope and both feet hit the floor," Rockhold explains to KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "The winner of that match gets a title match that night against the Iceman who's our US Highway champion right now." The main event on Friday will have current TSW champion Franco Varga in a title match. On Saturday, the winner of those two title matches will face off, in a winner take all Christmas Street Fight "Which is our special match, last year we had somebody go through a Christmas tree and a table, and there was cookie sheets and a trash can, and a bowling ball involved, so it was pretty awesome," Rockhold says. Rockhold says Santa Claus will also be at the show, giving photo opportunities after the doors open, but he'll also be doing something else. "He'll also be wrestling, and in Santa matches presents are legal, so in the matches Santa is wrestling this weekend it's not no disqualification, it's just if a present gets involved, that's legal," Rockhold says. "So any brass boxes are allowed or wrapped gift bags are allowed, but you know they can't use a chair or anything, unless they wrap it in a box, I guess then it would be legal." Doors open at 6pm both nights with the show starting at 7pm. Proceeds from the event will go towards the All Odds Animal Shelter in Hamilton, a cause that Rockhold has been passionate about since starting his own wrestling promotions. "Everybody loves dogs, everybody cares about animals, and it's just a nice thing that if somebody wants to go to a wrestling show they have that little added incentive, well I want to go a wrestling show and I can help the dogs Several adoptable dogs will also be featured at the event.

Christmas-themed wrestling show in Bethany helps out local rescue dogs

ATCHISON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 1:30p.m. Wednesday in Atchison.

&nbsp;A Ford Escape driven by Elisabeth Vincent, 64, Leavenworth, was westbound on Raven Hill Road at U.S. 73, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.

The SUV&nbsp; collided with a northbound Volkswagen Jetta driven by Elizabeth Johnson, 27, Overland Park.

EMS transported Johnson to Amberwell Hospital for examination. Vincent was cited for failure to yield, according to Wilson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702564409308.png" alt="Photo Police Chief Mike Wilson" />
 <figcaption>Photo Police Chief Mike Wilson</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 1:30p.m. Wednesday in Atchison.&nbsp;A Ford Escape driven by Elisabeth Vincent, 64, Leavenworth, was westbound on Raven Hill Road at U.S. 73, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.The SUV&nbsp; collided with a northbound Volkswagen Jetta driven by Elizabeth Johnson, 27, Overland Park.EMS transported Johnson to Amberwell Hospital for examination. Vincent was cited for failure to yield, according to Wilson.

Kansas woman injured after SUV, car crash

CLINTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 6:30p.m. Wednesday in Clinton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Mercury Sable driven by Steven R. Green, 61, Moberly, was southbound on U.S. 169 one mile north of Gower.

The driver fell asleep. The car crossed the center of the road and struck the towed unit of a northbound 1995 Peterbilt semi driven by Christian. A. Coffey, 58, Adrian.&nbsp;

After impact, the car traveled off the road, struck a fence and came to rest on its top in a creek.

Tri-County EMS transported Green to Mosaic in St. Joseph. Coffey was not injured.&nbsp; Green was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

CLINTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 6:30p.m. Wednesday in Clinton County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Mercury Sable driven by Steven R. Green, 61, Moberly, was southbound on U.S. 169 one mile north of Gower.The driver fell asleep. The car crossed the center of the road and struck the towed unit of a northbound 1995 Peterbilt semi driven by Christian. A. Coffey, 58, Adrian.&nbsp;After impact, the car traveled off the road, struck a fence and came to rest on its top in a creek.Tri-County EMS transported Green to Mosaic in St. Joseph. Coffey was not injured.&nbsp; Green was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

Mo. driver falls asleep, car overturns in a creek

CLINTON COUNTY —A first responder was injured in an accident while responding to an emergency call just after 6p.m. Wednesday in Clinton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2020 Dodge Durango driven by Jacob I. Hutton, 25, Lathrop, and a 2023 Ford Interceptor police SUV driven by Jace T. Hickman, 23, Plattsburg, were southbound on MO 33 four miles south of Lathrop responding to an emergency call.

The Ford slowed to make a left turn and the Dodge swerved to avoid a collision. The Dodge struck the Ford in the driver's side. After impact both vehicle traveled off the road and the Dodge struck a fence.

Holt Fire and EMS transported Hickman to Liberty Hospital. Hutton was not injured. Both were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

CLINTON COUNTY —A first responder was injured in an accident while responding to an emergency call just after 6p.m. Wednesday in Clinton County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2020 Dodge Durango driven by Jacob I. Hutton, 25, Lathrop, and a 2023 Ford Interceptor police SUV driven by Jace T. Hickman, 23, Plattsburg, were southbound on MO 33 four miles south of Lathrop responding to an emergency call.The Ford slowed to make a left turn and the Dodge swerved to avoid a collision. The Dodge struck the Ford in the driver's side. After impact both vehicle traveled off the road and the Dodge struck a fence.Holt Fire and EMS transported Hickman to Liberty Hospital. Hutton was not injured. Both were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

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