By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">Ashley Murray</a>

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans were in a holding pattern Tuesday morning, as party leaders struggled to find the votes needed to pass their “big, beautiful bill” following more than 24 hours of continuous debate.

Whether the tax break and spending cuts package can move forward in its current form will likely come down to Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, neither of whom has said publicly how they’ll vote.

Kentucky’s Rand Paul and North Carolina’s Thom Tillis have already said they won’t approve the legislation, and with a narrow 53-seat majority, GOP leaders cannot afford both Collins and Murkowski to oppose the bill.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, walks into the Senate chamber on July 1, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

Murkowski and Majority Whip John Barrasso, of Wyoming, left the chamber to catch an elevator together just after 9:30 a.m. Eastern.

Asked if the bill was in the hands of the parliamentarian, Murkowski quipped, “I think it’s in the hands of the people that operate the coffee machine.”

Barrasso said “Yes” when asked if it would pass this morning.

Vice President JD Vance, who arrived at the Capitol building shortly after sunrise, can, if needed, break a 50-50 tie in favor of sending the measure to the House for final approval.&nbsp;

If all four Republican senators vote no, leadership would have to go back to the drawing board on various policy changes in the bill. But any alterations directed at getting their votes could alienate other Republican senators, potentially further changing the whip count.

Failing to pass the package sometime Tuesday or even Wednesday would likely lead to Republicans missing their self-imposed Fourth of July deadline for having the legislation to President Donald Trump for his signature.

Trump told reporters on Tuesday morning before leaving for a Florida visit to the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention site that “it’s very complicated stuff” when asked about Senate Republicans’ debate over spending cuts.

“We’re going to have to see the final version. I don’t want to go too crazy with cuts. I don’t like cuts. There are certain things that have been cut, which is good. I think we’re doing well,” Trump said. “We’re going to have to see, it’s some very complicated stuff. Great enthusiasm as you know. And I think in the end we’re going to have it.”

The heart of the nearly 1,000-page legislation extends and expands the 2017 tax law to keep individual income tax rates at the same level and makes permanent some tax breaks on business investments and research and development costs.

The bill would also put in motion some of Trump’s campaign promises, including no tax on qualifying tips, overtime or car loan interest, but only for a few years.

And it slashes spending on the Medicaid program for low-income people and some people with disabilities as well as&nbsp;shifting significant costs of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to states for the first time.

Once the Senate passes the measure, it will have to go back to the House for a final vote, and even if that happens, approval is far from guaranteed.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only lose four Republicans if all lawmakers in that chamber attend the vote. Several GOP members have voiced frustration with how the Senate has reworked the legislation, signaling an uphill climb for the bill.

House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith said as he left the Senate cloakroom just after 9:20 a.m. Eastern that lawmakers are “getting closer to a bill signing on July Fourth.”

“If you followed this journey over the last six months, over and over, people said that we could not accomplish a budget (reconciliation bill). We did. They said we would never pass it out of the House. We did. The Senate is going to pass it. The House is going to pass it, and the president’s going to sign it into law,” the Missouri Republican said.

The Senate had adopted three amendments to the bill following an all-night amendment voting session, known as a vote-a-rama.

Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn was able to remove language from the package that would have blocked state and local governments from regulating artificial intelligence for five years if they wanted access to a $500 million fund. That&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00363.htm" target="_blank">vote was 99-1</a>&nbsp;with only North Carolina’s Tillis voting to keep the language in the package.

Blackburn said the change was necessary because lawmakers in Congress have “proven that they cannot legislate on emerging technology.”

Senators approved an amendment from Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst by voice vote that would disqualify “anyone making a million dollars or more from being eligible for unemployment income support.”

Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy was able to get an amendment adopted by a voice vote that would move up the date when Medicaid administrators must begin checking the Social Security Administration’s death master file to determine if a new enrollee is alive before adding them to the health program. It was set to begin on Jan. 1, 2028, but will now begin one year earlier.

Senators rejected dozens of amendments offered by both Democrats and Republicans, some of which deadlocked on 50-50 votes. Maine’s Collins and Alaska’s Murkowski broke with their party several times to vote with Democrats.

Safety funding for Virginia airport across from DC

Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner tried to add language to the bill that would have increased safety funding for airports near Washington, D.C., and established a memorial for the victims who died in a crash this January. The vote failed on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00367.htm" target="_blank">a tied 50-50 vote</a>, with Collins, Kansas GOP Sen. Jerry Moran and Murkowski voting with Democrats in support.

“Colleagues, we all know that on January 29 of this year, 67 individuals lost their lives when a military helicopter and a passenger jet collided near Reagan National Airport. This tragedy underscores the need for more safety improvements at National Airport,” Warner said. “The reconciliation bill increases, actually doubles, the amount of rent that National and Dulles pay the government but doesn’t use any of that money to make those airports and the people who use them any safer.”

He argued there was “no good rationale for increasing those rents and not using them for aviation safety.”

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz spoke against Warner’s amendment, saying the rents for the two airports in Virginia near the nation’s capital haven’t been updated in decades.

“The federal government originally calculated the rent in 1987 at $7.5 million dollars, massively below market rates,” Cruz said. “This bill increases that to $15 million, still dramatically below market rates.”

Cruz — chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation — said the legislation includes $12.5 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration to “transform the air traffic control system” and said his panel is looking into the collision in order to prevent something similar from happening again.&nbsp;

Trump budget director’s office targeted

Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen also got within one vote of having an amendment adopted when he tried to remove a section from the bill that would increase funding for the White House budget office by $100 million.

“This is at a time when (Federal Emergency Management Agency) grants to many of our states have been canceled, grants for law enforcement have been frozen, grants for victims of crimes are on hold,” Van Hollen said. “That is not efficiency. That is creating chaos and uncertainty. And I ask my colleagues, why in the world would we want to send another $100 million to OMB?”

Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson opposed the efforts, saying “the Office of Management and Budget needs to identify budgeting and accounting efficiencies in the executive branch. They need the resources to do it.”

The amendment was not added to the bill following another&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00368.htm" target="_blank">tied 50-50 vote</a>&nbsp;with Collins, Murkowski and Paul voting with Democrats in favor.

Had GOP leadership wanted either of those proposals added to the package, they could have had Vance break the tie, but they did not.

Collins loses vote on rural hospital fund

Maine’s Collins tried to get an amendment added to the legislation that would have increased “funding for the rural health care provider fund to $50 billion dollars and expand the list of eligible providers to include not only rural hospitals but also community health centers, nursing homes, ambulance services, skilled nursing facilities and others.”

Collins said the additional $25 billion in funding for the fund would be paid for by “a modest increase in the top marginal tax rate, equal to the pre-2017 rate for individuals with income above $25 million and married couples with income above $50 million.”

Collins’ amendment was subject to a Senate procedural limit known as a budget point of order. She was unable to get the votes needed to waive that on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00355.htm" target="_blank">22-78 vote</a>.

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against Collins’ proposal, calling it “flawed,” and introduced the budget point of order against her amendment.

“The danger Senate Republicans are causing for rural hospitals is so great, Republicans have had to create a rural hospital relief fund so they can look like they are fixing the problem they are causing,” Wyden said. “It is a Band-Aid on an amputation. It provides just a tiny fraction of the nearly $1 trillion in cuts the bill makes to Medicaid. It would be much more logical to simply not cut $1 trillion from Medicaid in the first place.”

Collins received a mix of support from Republicans, including West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito, Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy, Utah’s John Curtis, Nebraska’s Deb Fischer, South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, Missouri’s Josh Hawley, Ohio’s Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno, Mississippi’s Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker, Louisiana’s Kennedy, Kansans Roger Marshall and Moran, Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, Alaskans Dan Sullivan and Murkowski and Indiana’s Todd Young.

Also voting to waive the point of order and move forward with the amendment were Georgia’s Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock and Virginia’s Warner, all Democrats, and independent Maine Sen. Angus King.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1751335096376.png" alt="&nbsp;Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (Center) is standing directly behind North Carolina Senator Thom Thillis waving at the camera covering the all-night battle in the Senate. On Sunday, Tillis said he won't seek re-election after opposting Trump's bill.-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (Center) is standing directly behind North Carolina Senator Thom Thillis waving at the camera covering the all-night battle in the Senate. On Sunday, Tillis said he won't seek re-election after opposting Trump's bill.-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">Ashley Murray</a>WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans were in a holding pattern Tuesday morning, as party leaders struggled to find the votes needed to pass their “big, beautiful bill” following more than 24 hours of continuous debate.Whether the tax break and spending cuts package can move forward in its current form will likely come down to Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, neither of whom has said publicly how they’ll vote.Kentucky’s Rand Paul and North Carolina’s Thom Tillis have already said they won’t approve the legislation, and with a narrow 53-seat majority, GOP leaders cannot afford both Collins and Murkowski to oppose the bill.U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, walks into the Senate chamber on July 1, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)Murkowski and Majority Whip John Barrasso, of Wyoming, left the chamber to catch an elevator together just after 9:30 a.m. Eastern.Asked if the bill was in the hands of the parliamentarian, Murkowski quipped, “I think it’s in the hands of the people that operate the coffee machine.”Barrasso said “Yes” when asked if it would pass this morning.Vice President JD Vance, who arrived at the Capitol building shortly after sunrise, can, if needed, break a 50-50 tie in favor of sending the measure to the House for final approval.&nbsp;If all four Republican senators vote no, leadership would have to go back to the drawing board on various policy changes in the bill. But any alterations directed at getting their votes could alienate other Republican senators, potentially further changing the whip count.Failing to pass the package sometime Tuesday or even Wednesday would likely lead to Republicans missing their self-imposed Fourth of July deadline for having the legislation to President Donald Trump for his signature.<h2>Trump weighs in</h2>Trump told reporters on Tuesday morning before leaving for a Florida visit to the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention site that “it’s very complicated stuff” when asked about Senate Republicans’ debate over spending cuts.“We’re going to have to see the final version. I don’t want to go too crazy with cuts. I don’t like cuts. There are certain things that have been cut, which is good. I think we’re doing well,” Trump said. “We’re going to have to see, it’s some very complicated stuff. Great enthusiasm as you know. And I think in the end we’re going to have it.”The heart of the nearly 1,000-page legislation extends and expands the 2017 tax law to keep individual income tax rates at the same level and makes permanent some tax breaks on business investments and research and development costs.The bill would also put in motion some of Trump’s campaign promises, including no tax on qualifying tips, overtime or car loan interest, but only for a few years.And it slashes spending on the Medicaid program for low-income people and some people with disabilities as well as&nbsp;shifting significant costs of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to states for the first time.Once the Senate passes the measure, it will have to go back to the House for a final vote, and even if that happens, approval is far from guaranteed.Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only lose four Republicans if all lawmakers in that chamber attend the vote. Several GOP members have voiced frustration with how the Senate has reworked the legislation, signaling an uphill climb for the bill.House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith said as he left the Senate cloakroom just after 9:20 a.m. Eastern that lawmakers are “getting closer to a bill signing on July Fourth.”“If you followed this journey over the last six months, over and over, people said that we could not accomplish a budget (reconciliation bill). We did. They said we would never pass it out of the House. We did. The Senate is going to pass it. The House is going to pass it, and the president’s going to sign it into law,” the Missouri Republican said.<h2>Three amendments succeed</h2>The Senate had adopted three amendments to the bill following an all-night amendment voting session, known as a vote-a-rama.Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn was able to remove language from the package that would have blocked state and local governments from regulating artificial intelligence for five years if they wanted access to a $500 million fund. That&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00363.htm" target="_blank">vote was 99-1</a>&nbsp;with only North Carolina’s Tillis voting to keep the language in the package.Blackburn said the change was necessary because lawmakers in Congress have “proven that they cannot legislate on emerging technology.”Senators approved an amendment from Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst by voice vote that would disqualify “anyone making a million dollars or more from being eligible for unemployment income support.”Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy was able to get an amendment adopted by a voice vote that would move up the date when Medicaid administrators must begin checking the Social Security Administration’s death master file to determine if a new enrollee is alive before adding them to the health program. It was set to begin on Jan. 1, 2028, but will now begin one year earlier.Senators rejected dozens of amendments offered by both Democrats and Republicans, some of which deadlocked on 50-50 votes. Maine’s Collins and Alaska’s Murkowski broke with their party several times to vote with Democrats.<h2>Safety funding for Virginia airport across from DC</h2>Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner tried to add language to the bill that would have increased safety funding for airports near Washington, D.C., and established a memorial for the victims who died in a crash this January. The vote failed on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00367.htm" target="_blank">a tied 50-50 vote</a>, with Collins, Kansas GOP Sen. Jerry Moran and Murkowski voting with Democrats in support.“Colleagues, we all know that on January 29 of this year, 67 individuals lost their lives when a military helicopter and a passenger jet collided near Reagan National Airport. This tragedy underscores the need for more safety improvements at National Airport,” Warner said. “The reconciliation bill increases, actually doubles, the amount of rent that National and Dulles pay the government but doesn’t use any of that money to make those airports and the people who use them any safer.”He argued there was “no good rationale for increasing those rents and not using them for aviation safety.”Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz spoke against Warner’s amendment, saying the rents for the two airports in Virginia near the nation’s capital haven’t been updated in decades.“The federal government originally calculated the rent in 1987 at $7.5 million dollars, massively below market rates,” Cruz said. “This bill increases that to $15 million, still dramatically below market rates.”Cruz — chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation — said the legislation includes $12.5 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration to “transform the air traffic control system” and said his panel is looking into the collision in order to prevent something similar from happening again.&nbsp;<h2>Trump budget director’s office targeted</h2>Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen also got within one vote of having an amendment adopted when he tried to remove a section from the bill that would increase funding for the White House budget office by $100 million.“This is at a time when (Federal Emergency Management Agency) grants to many of our states have been canceled, grants for law enforcement have been frozen, grants for victims of crimes are on hold,” Van Hollen said. “That is not efficiency. That is creating chaos and uncertainty. And I ask my colleagues, why in the world would we want to send another $100 million to OMB?”Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson opposed the efforts, saying “the Office of Management and Budget needs to identify budgeting and accounting efficiencies in the executive branch. They need the resources to do it.”The amendment was not added to the bill following another&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00368.htm" target="_blank">tied 50-50 vote</a>&nbsp;with Collins, Murkowski and Paul voting with Democrats in favor.Had GOP leadership wanted either of those proposals added to the package, they could have had Vance break the tie, but they did not.<h2>Collins loses vote on rural hospital fund</h2>Maine’s Collins tried to get an amendment added to the legislation that would have increased “funding for the rural health care provider fund to $50 billion dollars and expand the list of eligible providers to include not only rural hospitals but also community health centers, nursing homes, ambulance services, skilled nursing facilities and others.”Collins said the additional $25 billion in funding for the fund would be paid for by “a modest increase in the top marginal tax rate, equal to the pre-2017 rate for individuals with income above $25 million and married couples with income above $50 million.”Collins’ amendment was subject to a Senate procedural limit known as a budget point of order. She was unable to get the votes needed to waive that on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00355.htm" target="_blank">22-78 vote</a>.Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against Collins’ proposal, calling it “flawed,” and introduced the budget point of order against her amendment.“The danger Senate Republicans are causing for rural hospitals is so great, Republicans have had to create a rural hospital relief fund so they can look like they are fixing the problem they are causing,” Wyden said. “It is a Band-Aid on an amputation. It provides just a tiny fraction of the nearly $1 trillion in cuts the bill makes to Medicaid. It would be much more logical to simply not cut $1 trillion from Medicaid in the first place.”Collins received a mix of support from Republicans, including West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito, Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy, Utah’s John Curtis, Nebraska’s Deb Fischer, South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, Missouri’s Josh Hawley, Ohio’s Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno, Mississippi’s Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker, Louisiana’s Kennedy, Kansans Roger Marshall and Moran, Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, Alaskans Dan Sullivan and Murkowski and Indiana’s Todd Young.Also voting to waive the point of order and move forward with the amendment were Georgia’s Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock and Virginia’s Warner, all Democrats, and independent Maine Sen. Angus King.&nbsp;

US Senate after overnight debate unable to gain enough votes yet to pass GOP megabill

WOODSON COUNTY – The Yates Center Police Department reported to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) that Tammara Isaacs was located safely. The statewide Purple Alert is canceled.

A Purple Alert is used to assist in the location of missing adults suffering from a mental or cognitive disability.

WOODSON COUNTY&nbsp;– The Yates Center Police Department requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Purple Alert for a missing Yates Center woman.&nbsp; A Purple Alert is&nbsp;used to assist in the location of missing adults suffering from a mental or cognitive disability.

The whereabouts of 58-year-old Tammara Isaacs are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate her.

Isaacs was last seen Tuesday afternoon around 3 p.m. at her residence in Yates Center. On Wednesday morning, her car was missing from her residence and she was not there. She is believed to be driving a 2006 dark blue Chevy Malibu.

Isaacs is described as a white female who is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs around 120 pounds. She has blue eyes and blonde, medium length hair.

Isaacs was recently diagnosed with psychosis.

If you see Tammara Isaacs, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about her whereabouts, please call the Woodson County Dispatch at (620) 625-8640.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750266032096.png" alt=" Isaacs photo Yates Center police" />
 <figcaption> Isaacs photo Yates Center police</figcaption>
 </figure>WOODSON COUNTY – The Yates Center Police Department reported to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) that Tammara Isaacs was located safely. The statewide Purple Alert is canceled.A Purple Alert is used to assist in the location of missing adults suffering from a mental or cognitive disability.-----------WOODSON COUNTY&nbsp;– The Yates Center Police Department requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Purple Alert for a missing Yates Center woman.&nbsp; A Purple Alert is&nbsp;used to assist in the location of missing adults suffering from a mental or cognitive disability.The whereabouts of 58-year-old Tammara Isaacs are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate her.Isaacs was last seen Tuesday afternoon around 3 p.m. at her residence in Yates Center. On Wednesday morning, her car was missing from her residence and she was not there. She is believed to be driving a 2006 dark blue Chevy Malibu.Isaacs is described as a white female who is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs around 120 pounds. She has blue eyes and blonde, medium length hair.Isaacs was recently diagnosed with psychosis.If you see Tammara Isaacs, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about her whereabouts, please call the Woodson County Dispatch at (620) 625-8640.

KBI: Purple Alert for missing Kansas woman canceled

ELLIS COUNTY —The suspect was captured at a motel in Ellis, Kansas on Tuesday.

KANSAS CITY, Kan.&nbsp;– A reward is now being offered in the search for a suspect who shot and critically injured a Kansas City area police officer on Sunday night.

You MUST submit your tip info through our program to be eligible to receive the Up To $10K Cash Reward for any info that leads to his arrest. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kcmetrocrime?__cft__[0]=AZXCAvmwh91WktF7Ispkq5kKVW3Hto-MVUDhBQD1kSBSAou-NOOReUt4P-0NJRrVx0JEhqGA-XOkfVESV0ZTlywtwmGWZ5llm8r22dOyxcTFj9jShlfZKFNaZ75EBPdIYTG5V3don8U6Ld8kH2sShPBI&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/kcpolice?__cft__[0]=AZXCAvmwh91WktF7Ispkq5kKVW3Hto-MVUDhBQD1kSBSAou-NOOReUt4P-0NJRrVx0JEhqGA-XOkfVESV0ZTlywtwmGWZ5llm8r22dOyxcTFj9jShlfZKFNaZ75EBPdIYTG5V3don8U6Ld8kH2sShPBI&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Kansas City Missouri Police Department</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LSPolice?__cft__[0]=AZXCAvmwh91WktF7Ispkq5kKVW3Hto-MVUDhBQD1kSBSAou-NOOReUt4P-0NJRrVx0JEhqGA-XOkfVESV0ZTlywtwmGWZ5llm8r22dOyxcTFj9jShlfZKFNaZ75EBPdIYTG5V3don8U6Ld8kH2sShPBI&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Lee's Summit Missouri Police Department</a>

The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) issued the blue alert Monday morning trying to locate a suspect wanted in related to the shooting. The alert was later extended into Kansas.

Authorities are looking for Thomas Eugene Tolbert, 27. Tolbert is a black male, around 240 pounds, and is 6 foot 2 inches tall with brown eyes and black hair. At the time he was last seen, he was wearing a black top with a hood, and black shorts.

He is armed with a handgun and considered dangerous.

Around 11 p.m, Sunday, June 1, law enforcement responded to a domestic disturbance at 3560 SW Hollywood Drive in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. After a short foot pursuit between Tolbert and officers, Tolbert shot a Lee’s Summit police officer, seriously injuring him.

Tolbert left the scene in a vehicle that has since been recovered in Grandview, Missouri, but Tolbert remains on the loose.

A wireless emergency alert was issued in several Kansas City metro counties on the Kansas side.

Anyone who sees Tolbert should immediately call 911. Any other information about his whereabouts should be reported at 1-800-KS-CRIME.

JACKSON COUNTY—A police officer was injured in a shooting while investigating a domestic disturbance and the search for the suspect identified as 27-year-old Thomas Tolbert continues.

Just after 11:00 p.m. Sunday, police&nbsp; were dispatched to the 3500 block of SW Hollywood Drive in Lee's Summit on the report of a domestic disturbance, according to a media release from police.

 As the first officer arrived on scene in the apartment complex; and while waiting for his assisting officer, the officer observed a male subject running from the scene. 

 The officer chased the suspect on foot and quickly advised via the radio that shots had been fired.  No shots were fired by the officer. The officer was struck multiple times. 

 Investigators are working with area law enforcement partners to track Tolbert.

There is no perceived danger in the area of the original crime scene. Multiple witnesses gave a statement that the suspect fled the area in a vehicle.  The officer was transported to an area trauma center with serious injuries.

ELLIS COUNTY —The suspect was captured at a motel in Ellis, Kansas on Tuesday.----------KANSAS CITY, Kan.&nbsp;– A reward is now being offered in the search for a suspect who shot and critically injured a Kansas City area police officer on Sunday night.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1748945531441.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>You MUST submit your tip info through our program to be eligible to receive the Up To $10K Cash Reward for any info that leads to his arrest. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kcmetrocrime?__cft__[0]=AZXCAvmwh91WktF7Ispkq5kKVW3Hto-MVUDhBQD1kSBSAou-NOOReUt4P-0NJRrVx0JEhqGA-XOkfVESV0ZTlywtwmGWZ5llm8r22dOyxcTFj9jShlfZKFNaZ75EBPdIYTG5V3don8U6Ld8kH2sShPBI&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/kcpolice?__cft__[0]=AZXCAvmwh91WktF7Ispkq5kKVW3Hto-MVUDhBQD1kSBSAou-NOOReUt4P-0NJRrVx0JEhqGA-XOkfVESV0ZTlywtwmGWZ5llm8r22dOyxcTFj9jShlfZKFNaZ75EBPdIYTG5V3don8U6Ld8kH2sShPBI&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Kansas City Missouri Police Department</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LSPolice?__cft__[0]=AZXCAvmwh91WktF7Ispkq5kKVW3Hto-MVUDhBQD1kSBSAou-NOOReUt4P-0NJRrVx0JEhqGA-XOkfVESV0ZTlywtwmGWZ5llm8r22dOyxcTFj9jShlfZKFNaZ75EBPdIYTG5V3don8U6Ld8kH2sShPBI&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Lee's Summit Missouri Police Department</a>The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) issued the blue alert Monday morning trying to locate a suspect wanted in related to the shooting. The alert was later extended into Kansas.Authorities are looking for Thomas Eugene Tolbert, 27. Tolbert is a black male, around 240 pounds, and is 6 foot 2 inches tall with brown eyes and black hair. At the time he was last seen, he was wearing a black top with a hood, and black shorts.He is armed with a handgun and considered dangerous.Around 11 p.m, Sunday, June 1, law enforcement responded to a domestic disturbance at 3560 SW Hollywood Drive in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. After a short foot pursuit between Tolbert and officers, Tolbert shot a Lee’s Summit police officer, seriously injuring him.Tolbert left the scene in a vehicle that has since been recovered in Grandview, Missouri, but Tolbert remains on the loose.A wireless emergency alert was issued in several Kansas City metro counties on the Kansas side.Anyone who sees Tolbert should immediately call 911. Any other information about his whereabouts should be reported at 1-800-KS-CRIME.------------JACKSON COUNTY—A police officer was injured in a shooting while investigating a domestic disturbance and the search for the suspect identified as 27-year-old Thomas Tolbert continues.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1748872142987.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 11:00 p.m. Sunday, police&nbsp; were dispatched to the 3500 block of SW Hollywood Drive in Lee's Summit on the report of a domestic disturbance, according to a media release from police. As the first officer arrived on scene in the apartment complex; and while waiting for his assisting officer, the officer observed a male subject running from the scene. The officer chased the suspect on foot and quickly advised via the radio that shots had been fired. No shots were fired by the officer. The officer was struck multiple times. Investigators are working with area law enforcement partners to track Tolbert.There is no perceived danger in the area of the original crime scene. Multiple witnesses gave a statement that the suspect fled the area in a vehicle. The officer was transported to an area trauma center with serious injuries.

Reward offered for suspect who shot KC area officer multiple times

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement officers protect and serve in many ways that often go without any recognition.

On Tuesday, the Kansas City Police Department shared a photo of Rookie Officer Harrison, reading to a child at Metro Patrol Division.

According to the KCPD report, "the child’s parent was arrested for a domestic violence issue. While officers worked to find a safe place for the child, Harrison stayed with him, showing care. Eventually, a relative picked up the child."&nbsp; "Our officers are grateful for the opportunity to serve."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1748980177493.png" alt="Photo Kansas City Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas City Police</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement officers protect and serve in many ways that often go without any recognition.On Tuesday, the Kansas City Police Department shared a photo of Rookie Officer Harrison, reading to a child at Metro Patrol Division.According to the KCPD report, "the child’s parent was arrested for a domestic violence issue. While officers worked to find a safe place for the child, Harrison stayed with him, showing care. Eventually, a relative picked up the child."&nbsp; "Our officers are grateful for the opportunity to serve."

KCPD: Officers do far more than we ever see

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Topeka.

Just after 11:45p.m Thursday, police responded to investigate a call for of a domestic disturbance at a home in the 1500 block of SW 24th Street in Topeka, according to police spokesman Daniel Garrett.

Just before 1a.m. Friday, police attempted to make contact with the suspect. Officers announced their presence, and the individual reportedly began shooting from the home. The officers then discharged their weapons in response. The suspect, an adult male, then surrendered to officers at the scene, and was taken into custody. The suspect was not injured, and a firearm was found at the scene.&nbsp;

TPD requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) to investigate the incident.&nbsp; Per policy, the involved Topeka officers have been placed on administrative leave. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747995528776.png" alt="Police near the scene of the officer-involved shooting -photo by Eric Ives courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police near the scene of the officer-involved shooting -photo by Eric Ives courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Topeka.Just after 11:45p.m Thursday, police responded to investigate a call for of a domestic disturbance at a home in the 1500 block of SW 24th Street in Topeka, according to police spokesman Daniel Garrett.Just before 1a.m. Friday, police attempted to make contact with the suspect. Officers announced their presence, and the individual reportedly began shooting from the home. The officers then discharged their weapons in response. The suspect, an adult male, then surrendered to officers at the scene, and was taken into custody. The suspect was not injured, and a firearm was found at the scene.&nbsp;TPD requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) to investigate the incident.&nbsp; Per policy, the involved Topeka officers have been placed on administrative leave.

Suspect in custody after gun fight with police at Kansas home

By:&nbsp;NICOLAS FIERRO Salina Post

SALINE COUNTY —Authorities from several different agencies responded to a crime scene at the Bridgeport exit, south of Salina along Kansas 4 near Interstate 135, according to the Saline County Sheriff's Office.

&nbsp;The roadway where the crime scene happened is currently closed as authorities investigate.

The investigation of the crime scene has been turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.&nbsp; Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747158037978.jpeg" alt="View of the investigation Photo Salina Post" />
 <figcaption>View of the investigation Photo Salina Post</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;NICOLAS FIERRO Salina PostSALINE COUNTY —Authorities from several different agencies responded to a crime scene at the Bridgeport exit, south of Salina along Kansas 4 near Interstate 135, according to the Saline County Sheriff's Office.&nbsp;The roadway where the crime scene happened is currently closed as authorities investigate.The investigation of the crime scene has been turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.&nbsp; Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

FBI investigating after chase ends in central Kansas

JOHNSON COUNTY — A missing 71-year-old Kansas woman has been found and is safe, according to the Olathe Police Department. The Silver Alert is canceled.

On Sunday night, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation issued a Silver Alert for Gayl Stockman. Gayl is five foot two, approximately 180 pounds, with grey hair and brown eyes. She was last seen leaving the 15800 block of West 150th&nbsp;Terrace on March 30th, 2025, at approximately 9:30 a.m.&nbsp; Gayl was last seen wearing a thin black long sleeve shirt, blue and white striped shorts, white socks, and white tennis shoes.

Gayl is believed to be operating a red, 2012, Lincoln MKZ displaying a Kansas license plate, 171 PGD. She is also believed to be in the area of Cowgill, Missouri and has a large Bernese Mountain dog with her.

This case remains under investigation by the Olathe Police Department.&nbsp; Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the Olathe Police Department at (913) 971-6363 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1743414775407.png" alt="Stockman" />
 <figcaption>Stockman</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY — A missing 71-year-old Kansas woman has been found and is safe, according to the Olathe Police Department. The Silver Alert is canceled.--------On Sunday night, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation issued a Silver Alert for Gayl Stockman. Gayl is five foot two, approximately 180 pounds, with grey hair and brown eyes. She was last seen leaving the 15800 block of West 150th&nbsp;Terrace on March 30th, 2025, at approximately 9:30 a.m.&nbsp; Gayl was last seen wearing a thin black long sleeve shirt, blue and white striped shorts, white socks, and white tennis shoes.Gayl is believed to be operating a red, 2012, Lincoln MKZ displaying a Kansas license plate, 171 PGD. She is also believed to be in the area of Cowgill, Missouri and has a large Bernese Mountain dog with her.This case remains under investigation by the Olathe Police Department.&nbsp; Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the Olathe Police Department at (913) 971-6363 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.&nbsp;

Police: Silver Alert canceled, missing Kansas woman is safe

SHERIDAN COUNTY –&nbsp;The Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office reported to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) that 88-year-old Duane E. Wente was located and is now safe.

SHERIDAN COUNTY&nbsp;– The Sheridan County Sheriff’s office requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Sheridan County man , according to a media release from the agency.

The whereabouts of 88-year-old Duane E. Wente are unknown and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate him.

Wente was last seen on March 10, around 3 a.m. He is driving a gold 2011 Chrysler Town and Country bearing Kansas tag ANN37, traveling in an unknown direction.

Wente is a white male who is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 200 pounds. He is possibly wearing glasses, blue jeans, a brown plaid shirt, and a gray windbreaker. Wente has dementia.

If you see Duane E. Wente, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about his whereabouts, call the Sheridan County Dispatch at (785) 675-3481.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741621582867.png" alt="Photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>Photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>SHERIDAN COUNTY –&nbsp;The Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office reported to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) that 88-year-old Duane E. Wente was located and is now safe.The Silver Alert is canceled.---------SHERIDAN COUNTY&nbsp;– The Sheridan County Sheriff’s office requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Sheridan County man , according to a media release from the agency.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741621504119.png" alt="Wente photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>Wente photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>The whereabouts of 88-year-old Duane E. Wente are unknown and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate him.Wente was last seen on March 10, around 3 a.m. He is driving a gold 2011 Chrysler Town and Country bearing Kansas tag ANN37, traveling in an unknown direction.Wente is a white male who is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 200 pounds. He is possibly wearing glasses, blue jeans, a brown plaid shirt, and a gray windbreaker. Wente has dementia.If you see Duane E. Wente, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about his whereabouts, call the Sheridan County Dispatch at (785) 675-3481.

Statewide Silver Alert canceled: Missing Kansas man is safe

Charges have been dropped against Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy. The District Attorney refused to file charges in the case.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas —&nbsp; Sheriff's deputies in Texas arrested Kansas City Chiefs standout wide receiver Xavier Worthy on Friday.

The 21-year-old was booked into the&nbsp;&nbsp;Williamson County Jail on requested charges of&nbsp; assaulting a family/house member by impeding their breathing or circulation, according to online jail records.&nbsp;

The charge is a third-degree felony in Texas, with a possible punishment of two to 10 years in prison.&nbsp;

Williamson County is just north of Austin where Worthy played college football at the University of Texas.&nbsp; Police have released no additional details on the arrest.

The Chiefs selected Worthy with their first pick in the 2024 NFL draft. He scored two touchdowns in the Chiefs'&nbsp;Super Bowl loss&nbsp;to Philadelphia.&nbsp;Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741449455694.png" alt="Worthy photo Williamson County Texas Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Worthy photo Williamson County Texas Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741483775149.png" alt="Court listing for Xavier Worthy has been updated to “dismissed/declined”" />
 <figcaption>Court listing for Xavier Worthy has been updated to “dismissed/declined”</figcaption>
 </figure>Charges have been dropped against Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy. The District Attorney refused to file charges in the case.------------WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas —&nbsp; Sheriff's deputies in Texas arrested Kansas City Chiefs standout wide receiver Xavier Worthy on Friday.The 21-year-old was booked into the&nbsp;&nbsp;Williamson County Jail on requested charges of&nbsp; assaulting a family/house member by impeding their breathing or circulation, according to online jail records.&nbsp;The charge is a third-degree felony in Texas, with a possible punishment of two to 10 years in prison.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741449585493.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Williamson County is just north of Austin where Worthy played college football at the University of Texas.&nbsp; Police have released no additional details on the arrest.The Chiefs selected Worthy with their first pick in the 2024 NFL draft. He scored two touchdowns in the Chiefs'&nbsp;Super Bowl loss&nbsp;to Philadelphia.&nbsp;Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Texas DA refused to charge Chiefs star receiver after arrest

PLATTE COUNTY —The Missouri State Highway Patrol canceled the Amber Alert just before 7a.m. Friday. The victim was located and is safe. The suspect is still at large and possibly driving a stolen blue 2013 Hyundai Accent with Kansas license 3939ABK.&nbsp; He is considered armed and dangerous, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

PLATTE COUNTY —The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert in Platte County for 43-year-old George Manning

The victim is 5-year-old Giuliana Manning. She was last seen wearing a pink Hello Kitty Shirt and answers to the nickname Kachis. The suspect is armed and on foot with the victim.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740747986245.png" alt="Manning photo MSHP" />
 <figcaption>Manning photo MSHP</figcaption>
 </figure>PLATTE COUNTY —The Missouri State Highway Patrol canceled the Amber Alert just before 7a.m. Friday. The victim was located and is safe. The suspect is still at large and possibly driving a stolen blue 2013 Hyundai Accent with Kansas license 3939ABK.&nbsp; He is considered armed and dangerous, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.-------------------PLATTE COUNTY —The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert in Platte County for 43-year-old George ManningThe victim is 5-year-old Giuliana Manning. She was last seen wearing a pink Hello Kitty Shirt and answers to the nickname Kachis. The suspect is armed and on foot with the victim.

Amber Alert canceled: 5-year-old girl is safe, suspect still at large

ANDREW COUNTY — A woman injured in an accident just before 10:30a.m. Saturday in Andrew County has died.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Chevy Impala driven by a 20-year-old Savannah woman was southbound on U.S. 71 at County Road 58 three miles north of Savannah.

The car rear-ended a 2019 Chevy Silverado pulling a gooseneck horse tailer driven by a 31-year-old Savannah man.&nbsp; Andrew County EMS transported the woman to Mosaic Life Care where she died. She was&nbsp; not wearing a seat belt, according to the patrol.&nbsp;The pickup driver was not injured.

The Patrol no longer releases the identity of accident victims.

ANDREW COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 10:30a.m. Saturday in Andrew County.

The car rear-ended a 2019 Chevy Silverado pulling a gooseneck horse tailer driven by a 31-year-old Savannah man.&nbsp; Andrew County EMS transported the woman to Mosaic Life Care. The pickup driver was not injured. The Savannah woman was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.&nbsp; 

ANDREW COUNTY — A woman injured in an accident just before 10:30a.m. Saturday in Andrew County has died.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Chevy Impala driven by a 20-year-old Savannah woman was southbound on U.S. 71 at County Road 58 three miles north of Savannah.The car rear-ended a 2019 Chevy Silverado pulling a gooseneck horse tailer driven by a 31-year-old Savannah man.&nbsp; Andrew County EMS transported the woman to Mosaic Life Care where she died. She was&nbsp; not wearing a seat belt, according to the patrol.&nbsp;The pickup driver was not injured.The Patrol no longer releases the identity of accident victims.----------------ANDREW COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 10:30a.m. Saturday in Andrew County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Chevy Impala driven by a 20-year-old Savannah woman was southbound on U.S. 71 at County Road 58 three miles north of Savannah.The car rear-ended a 2019 Chevy Silverado pulling a gooseneck horse tailer driven by a 31-year-old Savannah man.&nbsp; Andrew County EMS transported the woman to Mosaic Life Care. The pickup driver was not injured. The Savannah woman was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.&nbsp; The Patrol no longer releases the identity of accident victims.

Mo. woman hospitalized after car rear-ends horse trailer

Eagle Communications Inc, St. Joseph is a 100% Employee-Owned entertainment and media company providing a quality listening, news, and advertising experience.&nbsp;

Eagle Communications Inc., St. Joseph&nbsp; 4104 Country Lane&nbsp; St. Joseph, MO 64506&nbsp; 816-233-8881&nbsp;

General Manager: Liby Waltemath&nbsp; Operations Manager: Travis Dodge&nbsp; Digital Manager: Scott McDowell&nbsp; News Director: Brent Martin&nbsp;

Billing: <a href="mailto:stjoap@eaglemedia.com">stjoap@eaglemedia.com</a>&nbsp; News: <a href="mailto:stjosephpost@eagleradio.net" target="_blank">stjosephpost@eagleradio.net</a>&nbsp; Obituaries: <a href="mailto:stjoeobits@eagleradio.net">stjoeobits@eagleradio.net&nbsp;</a> Advertising: <a href="mailto:stjoesales@eagleradio.net" target="_blank">stjoesales@eagleradio.net</a>&nbsp; Big Deals: <a href="mailto:St.JoeBigDeals@eagleradio.net">St.JoeBigDeals@eagleradio.net&nbsp;</a>

Do you want to be part of creating a better experience where you live, work, and play? Why not grow with a company where you are not just an employee, but where you can be an owner? Yep, we are 100% employee-owned.

Our company history: Founded in 1948, Eagle Communications is a Kansas-based media company. The company operates radio stations in Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri.&nbsp;

In addition to radio, Eagle offers online solutions, web development, video production, and creative services — all for the purpose of supporting the communities we serve to grow and remain vibrant. &nbsp;

We believe in Main Street because we are Main Street.&nbsp;

If you would like to learn about career opportunities with Eagle Communications, you can learn more here.&nbsp; 

<a href="https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=7c09ab04-f576-4f5a-bdb8-f914cdd1f344&amp;ccId=19000101_000001&amp;lang=en_US&amp;source=CC4&amp;selectedMenuKey=CurrentOpenings">Learn more or apply today.</a>

Eagle Communications Inc is an EEO employer.

We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address email address or telephone number) about your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.networkadvertising.org/" target="_blank">click here</a>.

Eagle Communications Inc, St. Joseph is a 100% Employee-Owned entertainment and media company providing a quality listening, news, and advertising experience.&nbsp;Eagle Communications Inc., St. Joseph&nbsp; 4104 Country Lane&nbsp; St. Joseph, MO 64506&nbsp; 816-233-8881&nbsp;General Manager: Liby Waltemath&nbsp; Operations Manager: Travis Dodge&nbsp; Digital Manager: Scott McDowell&nbsp; News Director: Brent Martin&nbsp;<h2>Contact Us</h2>Billing: <a href="mailto:stjoap@eaglemedia.com">stjoap@eaglemedia.com</a>&nbsp; News: <a href="mailto:stjosephpost@eagleradio.net" target="_blank">stjosephpost@eagleradio.net</a>&nbsp; Obituaries: <a href="mailto:stjoeobits@eagleradio.net">stjoeobits@eagleradio.net&nbsp;</a> Advertising: <a href="mailto:stjoesales@eagleradio.net" target="_blank">stjoesales@eagleradio.net</a>&nbsp; Big Deals: <a href="mailto:St.JoeBigDeals@eagleradio.net">St.JoeBigDeals@eagleradio.net&nbsp;</a><h2>Careers</h2>Do you want to be part of creating a better experience where you live, work, and play? Why not grow with a company where you are not just an employee, but where you can be an owner? Yep, we are 100% employee-owned.Our company history: Founded in 1948, Eagle Communications is a Kansas-based media company. The company operates radio stations in Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri.&nbsp;In addition to radio, Eagle offers online solutions, web development, video production, and creative services — all for the purpose of supporting the communities we serve to grow and remain vibrant. &nbsp;We believe in Main Street because we are Main Street.&nbsp;If you would like to learn about career opportunities with Eagle Communications, you can learn more here.&nbsp; <a href="https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=7c09ab04-f576-4f5a-bdb8-f914cdd1f344&amp;ccId=19000101_000001&amp;lang=en_US&amp;source=CC4&amp;selectedMenuKey=CurrentOpenings">Learn more or apply today.</a>Eagle Communications Inc is an EEO employer.<h2>Privacy policy</h2>We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address email address or telephone number) about your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.networkadvertising.org/" target="_blank">click here</a>.

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Crew members aboard the International Space Station celebrate the holiday season in a unique way while living and working at the orbiting laboratory. Each crew member, including the current Expedition 72, spends time enjoying the view of Earth from the space station, privately communicating with their friends and families, and sharing a joint meal with their expedition crewmates, while continuing experiments and station maintenance.

As the first crew to spend Christmas in space and leave Earth orbit, Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders, celebrated while circling the Moon in December 1968. The crew commemorated Christmas Eve by reading opening verses from the Bible’s Book of Genesis as they broadcast scenes of the lunar surface below. An estimated one billion people across 64 countries tuned in to the crew’s broadcast.

In 1973, Skylab 4 astronauts Gerald Carr, Edward Gibson, and William Pogue celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s in space, as the first crew to spend the harvest festival and ring in the new year while in orbit. The crew built a homemade tree from leftover food containers, used colored decals as decorations, and topped it with a cardboard cutout in the shape of a comet. Carr and Pogue conducted a seven-hour spacewalk to change out film canisters and observe the passing Comet Kohoutek on Dec. 15, 1973. Once back inside the space station, the crew enjoyed a holiday dinner complete with fruitcake, communicated with their families, and opened presents.

After NASA launched the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope into Earth’s orbit in 1990, NASA sent a space shuttle crew on a mission, STS-61, to service the telescope. In 1993, NASA astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman celebrated Hanukkah after completing the third spacewalk of the servicing mission. Hoffman celebrated with a traveling menorah and dreidel.

As NASA continued to support another Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, the STS-103 crew celebrated the first space shuttle Christmas aboard Discovery in 1999. NASA astronauts Curtis Brown, Scott Kelly, Steven Smith, John Grunsfeld, and Michael Foale, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronauts Jean-François Clervoy and Claude Nicollier enjoyed duck foie gras on Mexican tortillas, cassoulet, and salted pork with lentils. Smith and Grunsfeld completed repairs on the telescope during a spacewalk on Dec. 24, 1999, and at least one American astronaut has celebrated Christmas in space every year since.

In November 2000, the arrival of Expedition 1 crew members, NASA astronaut William Shepherd and Roscosmos cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, aboard the International Space Station, marked the beginning of a continuous presence in space. As the first crew to celebrate the holiday season at the laboratorial outpost, they began the tradition of reading a goodwill message to those back on Earth. Shepherd honored a naval tradition of writing a poem as the first entry of the new year in the ship’s log.

For more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the International Space Station, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time. As NASA supports missions to and from the station, crew members have continued to celebrate the holidays in space.

Expedition 70 flight engineer NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli’s husband and daughters made a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AstroJaws/videos/3198100310494925/">felt menorah</a>&nbsp;for her to celebrate Hanukkah during her mission. Since astronauts can’t light real candles aboard the space station, Moghbeli pinned felt “lights” for each night of the eight-day holiday. A dreidel spun in weightlessness will continue spinning until it comes in contact with another object but can’t land on any of its four faces. Expedition 70 crew members recorded a holiday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUYcQ_ehArw">message for those back on Earth.</a>

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. The orbiting laboratory is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including missions to the Moon under the Artemis campaign and, ultimately, human exploration of Mars.

For more holiday memories aboard the International Space Station, visit:

<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/gallery/holidays-on-the-space-station/">https://www.nasa.gov/gallery/holidays-on-the-space-station/</a>

To learn more about the International Space Station, its research, and its crew, at:

<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/station">https://www.nasa.gov/station</a>

NASACrew members aboard the International Space Station celebrate the holiday season in a unique way while living and working at the orbiting laboratory. Each crew member, including the current Expedition 72, spends time enjoying the view of Earth from the space station, privately communicating with their friends and families, and sharing a joint meal with their expedition crewmates, while continuing experiments and station maintenance.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">To everyone on Earth, Merry Christmas from our <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA_Astronauts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA_Astronauts</a> aboard the International <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a>. <a href="https://t.co/GoOZjXJYLP">pic.twitter.com/GoOZjXJYLP</a>&mdash; NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1871298123777101835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>As the first crew to spend Christmas in space and leave Earth orbit, Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders, celebrated while circling the Moon in December 1968. The crew commemorated Christmas Eve by reading opening verses from the Bible’s Book of Genesis as they broadcast scenes of the lunar surface below. An estimated one billion people across 64 countries tuned in to the crew’s broadcast.In 1973, Skylab 4 astronauts Gerald Carr, Edward Gibson, and William Pogue celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s in space, as the first crew to spend the harvest festival and ring in the new year while in orbit. The crew built a homemade tree from leftover food containers, used colored decals as decorations, and topped it with a cardboard cutout in the shape of a comet. Carr and Pogue conducted a seven-hour spacewalk to change out film canisters and observe the passing Comet Kohoutek on Dec. 15, 1973. Once back inside the space station, the crew enjoyed a holiday dinner complete with fruitcake, communicated with their families, and opened presents.After NASA launched the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope into Earth’s orbit in 1990, NASA sent a space shuttle crew on a mission, STS-61, to service the telescope. In 1993, NASA astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman celebrated Hanukkah after completing the third spacewalk of the servicing mission. Hoffman celebrated with a traveling menorah and dreidel.As NASA continued to support another Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, the STS-103 crew celebrated the first space shuttle Christmas aboard Discovery in 1999. NASA astronauts Curtis Brown, Scott Kelly, Steven Smith, John Grunsfeld, and Michael Foale, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronauts Jean-François Clervoy and Claude Nicollier enjoyed duck foie gras on Mexican tortillas, cassoulet, and salted pork with lentils. Smith and Grunsfeld completed repairs on the telescope during a spacewalk on Dec. 24, 1999, and at least one American astronaut has celebrated Christmas in space every year since.In November 2000, the arrival of Expedition 1 crew members, NASA astronaut William Shepherd and Roscosmos cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, aboard the International Space Station, marked the beginning of a continuous presence in space. As the first crew to celebrate the holiday season at the laboratorial outpost, they began the tradition of reading a goodwill message to those back on Earth. Shepherd honored a naval tradition of writing a poem as the first entry of the new year in the ship’s log.For more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the International Space Station, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time. As NASA supports missions to and from the station, crew members have continued to celebrate the holidays in space.Expedition 70 flight engineer NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli’s husband and daughters made a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AstroJaws/videos/3198100310494925/">felt menorah</a>&nbsp;for her to celebrate Hanukkah during her mission. Since astronauts can’t light real candles aboard the space station, Moghbeli pinned felt “lights” for each night of the eight-day holiday. A dreidel spun in weightlessness will continue spinning until it comes in contact with another object but can’t land on any of its four faces. Expedition 70 crew members recorded a holiday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUYcQ_ehArw">message for those back on Earth.</a>The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. The orbiting laboratory is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including missions to the Moon under the Artemis campaign and, ultimately, human exploration of Mars.For more holiday memories aboard the International Space Station, visit:<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/gallery/holidays-on-the-space-station/">https://www.nasa.gov/gallery/holidays-on-the-space-station/</a>To learn more about the International Space Station, its research, and its crew, at:<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/station">https://www.nasa.gov/station</a>

Christmas Aboard the International Space Station

BARBER COUNTY —The Silver Alert issued August 3, for 73-year-old David Reese remains active, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

On November 10, the Barber County Sheriff’s Office was notified that a white Chevrolet pickup truck was located in a creek bed in rural Barber County near Little Mule and Hardtner Shortcut, according to a media release.

Deputies with the Barber County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the vehicle is owned by David Reese.

The Barber County Sheriff’s Office contacted Great Plains Search and Rescue K9 and they plan search of the area.&nbsp;

On October 4, the Harper Police Department reported that Reese’s chocolate lab, that had accompanied him when he disappeared, was found in good health. She was returned to his family. The dog was found not far from the last sighting of Reese near Little Mule and Hardtner Shortcut in Barber County. Police searched over 50 square miles again but still did not locate him.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728310557814.png" alt="The missing pickup -photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>The missing pickup -photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>BARBER COUNTY —The Silver Alert issued August 3, for 73-year-old David Reese remains active, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728310404447.png" alt="David Reese courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>David Reese courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>On November 10, the Barber County Sheriff’s Office was notified that a white Chevrolet pickup truck was located in a creek bed in rural Barber County near Little Mule and Hardtner Shortcut, according to a media release.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722706150273.png" alt="David Reese courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>David Reese courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies with the Barber County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the vehicle is owned by David Reese.The Barber County Sheriff’s Office contacted Great Plains Search and Rescue K9 and they plan search of the area.&nbsp;On October 4, the Harper Police Department reported that Reese’s chocolate lab, that had accompanied him when he disappeared, was found in good health. She was returned to his family. The dog was found not far from the last sighting of Reese near Little Mule and Hardtner Shortcut in Barber County. Police searched over 50 square miles again but still did not locate him.

Silver Alert continues: Kansas man’s pickup found in creek bed

Tim Walz&nbsp;and&nbsp;JD Vance faced each other in a vice presidential debate on Tuesday night.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?538521-1/simulcast-cbs-news-vice-presidential-debate">Click here to watch </a>a replay via CSPAN courtesy CBS&nbsp;

The debate in New York hosted by CBS News gave Vance, a Republican freshman senator from Ohio, and Walz, a two-term Democratic governor of Minnesota, the chance to introduce themselves, make the case for their running mates, and go on the attack against the opposing ticket.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1727831426274.png" alt="Image courtesy CBS via CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy CBS via CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Tim Walz&nbsp;and&nbsp;JD Vance faced each other in a vice presidential debate on Tuesday night.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?538521-1/simulcast-cbs-news-vice-presidential-debate">Click here to watch </a>a replay via CSPAN courtesy CBS&nbsp;The debate in New York hosted by CBS News gave Vance, a Republican freshman senator from Ohio, and Walz, a two-term Democratic governor of Minnesota, the chance to introduce themselves, make the case for their running mates, and go on the attack against the opposing ticket.

🎥Walz and Vance face to face: CBS News Vice Presidential debate

&nbsp;Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump will meet for the first time Tuesday night&nbsp;at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for perhaps their only debate.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?538053-1/simulcast-abc-news-presidential-debate">Click here to watch a&nbsp;</a>replay of the simulcast of the debate courtesy ABC and CSPAN&nbsp;

It’s the first presidential debate since President Joe Biden bowed out of the race following his own disastrous debate performance in late June against Trump.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726016863083.png" alt="Image courtesy ABC via CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy ABC via CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump will meet for the first time Tuesday night&nbsp;at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for perhaps their only debate.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?538053-1/simulcast-abc-news-presidential-debate">Click here to watch a&nbsp;</a>replay of the simulcast of the debate courtesy ABC and CSPAN&nbsp;It’s the first presidential debate since President Joe Biden bowed out of the race following his own disastrous debate performance in late June against Trump.&nbsp;

🎥 Harris and Trump face to face: ABC News Presidential Debate 

The court must decide whether the campaign behind Amendment 3, which would legalize abortion up until the point of fetal viability and protect other reproductive rights, failed to comply with state law

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>

The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday morning over whether to allow an abortion-rights amendment to remain on the Nov. 5 ballot.&nbsp;

The court will decide whether the campaign behind Amendment 3, which would legalize abortion up until the point of fetal viability and protect other reproductive rights, failed to comply with state law when drafting its initiative petition, the text circulated among registered voters.&nbsp;

They are expected to rule quickly, since the deadline to remove a question from the ballot is 5 p.m.&nbsp;

A group of anti-abortion lawmakers and activists filed a lawsuit late last month asking the court to take the measure off the ballot, saying the initiative petition failed to list what specific existing laws would be repealed if the amendment passed.&nbsp;

Missouri law requires that initiative petitions&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=116.050#:~:text=116.050.,pages%20of%20a%20uniform%20size." target="_blank">“include all sections of existing law or of the constitution which would be repealed by the measure.”&nbsp;</a>

Hours after a bench trial in circuit court on Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/06/missouri-judge-rules-abortion-amendment-vioalates-state-requirements/">Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh ruled in favor of the plaintiffs,&nbsp;</a>recommending that the measure be taken off the ballot because the citizen-led ballot measure failed to meet the sufficiency requirement through a “failure to include any statute or provision that will be repealed, especially when many of these statutes are apparent.” But he left the ultimate authority up to a higher court.

In their briefing to the Supreme Court, the attorneys representing the anti-abortion group wrote that no comparable case has been brought before the court in the past.&nbsp;

“That is because proposed Amendment 3 is novel in its attempt to attach unlimited other subjects to a single, enormous issue that is so controversial that it eclipses all others in the minds of voters, the media and even the secretary of state,” they wrote.&nbsp;

Chuck Hatfield, an attorney representing Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign behind the amendment, argued to the Supreme Court Tuesday that the opposition’s briefs were “light on legal arguments but weighty with political argument.”

He chalked the lawsuit — filed by state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, state Rep. Hannah Kelly, anti-abortion activist Kathy Forck and shelter operator Marguerite Forrest — up to politics.&nbsp;

“The fact that [abortion] is controversial does not mean that the courts and state officials should cast aside the fundamental right to have that vote,” he said.&nbsp;

He maintained that because the amendment would not literally repeal any part of the law on its own, the campaign did not err. He added that constitutional amendments never repeal state statutes from the books. Instead, courts can render other statues invalid as a result of further legal action.&nbsp;

Mary Catherine Martin, an attorney with the Thomas More Society arguing the case Tuesday on behalf of the plaintiffs, reiterated her contention that the initiative petition illegally included more than one subject, pointing to language protecting “a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom” and saying such a phrase encompasses “infinite subjects.”&nbsp;

Attorneys for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom said the single subject is “reproductive freedom.”&nbsp;

While Limbaugh did not rule on this single subject claim, the Supreme Court has the opportunity to.

After the hearing, both sides agreed on one point: the case is novel.&nbsp;

Martin called the amendment novel in all that it encompasses.

Tori Schafer, an attorney with the ACLU of Missouri, which is part of the coalition behind the amendment, said the same of the plaintiffs’ procedural arguments.

Schafer said while an amendment hasn’t been ordered off the Missouri ballot in several decades, Limbaugh’s ruling “threatens to grind our system of constitutional initiative petition to a halt at the last minute, leaving in its wake the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of voters …”

Martin said they are not trying to “undermine” voters, but rather “protect” them.

“We’ve worked for 50 years for the right to vote on abortion and I would desperately like, along with all Missouri voters, the opportunity to actually do so,” she said. “And not to have to vote on all of these issues at the same time.”

<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">Amendment 3&nbsp;</a>would establish the constitutional right to an abortion up until fetal viability and grant constitutional protections to other reproductive health care, including in-vitro fertilization and birth control. It would also protect those who assist in an abortion from prosecution.&nbsp;

Abortion is illegal in Missouri, with limited exceptions for medical emergencies.

Since the Supreme Court decision in June 2022 through March 2024, there were 64 abortions performed in Missouri under the state’s emergency exemption, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725989236561.png" alt=" Chuck Hatfield, an attorney for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, argues before the Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024 in Jefferson City as the court hears a case questioning whether an amendment to overturn the state’s abortion ban should remain on the November ballot (Pool photo by Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch)." />
 <figcaption> Chuck Hatfield, an attorney for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, argues before the Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024 in Jefferson City as the court hears a case questioning whether an amendment to overturn the state’s abortion ban should remain on the November ballot (Pool photo by Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The court must decide whether the campaign behind Amendment 3, which would legalize abortion up until the point of fetal viability and protect other reproductive rights, failed to comply with state law</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>The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday morning over whether to allow an abortion-rights amendment to remain on the Nov. 5 ballot.&nbsp;The court will decide whether the campaign behind Amendment 3, which would legalize abortion up until the point of fetal viability and protect other reproductive rights, failed to comply with state law when drafting its initiative petition, the text circulated among registered voters.&nbsp;They are expected to rule quickly, since the deadline to remove a question from the ballot is 5 p.m.&nbsp;A group of anti-abortion lawmakers and activists filed a lawsuit late last month asking the court to take the measure off the ballot, saying the initiative petition failed to list what specific existing laws would be repealed if the amendment passed.&nbsp;Missouri law requires that initiative petitions&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=116.050#:~:text=116.050.,pages%20of%20a%20uniform%20size." target="_blank">“include all sections of existing law or of the constitution which would be repealed by the measure.”&nbsp;</a>Hours after a bench trial in circuit court on Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/06/missouri-judge-rules-abortion-amendment-vioalates-state-requirements/">Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh ruled in favor of the plaintiffs,&nbsp;</a>recommending that the measure be taken off the ballot because the citizen-led ballot measure failed to meet the sufficiency requirement through a “failure to include any statute or provision that will be repealed, especially when many of these statutes are apparent.” But he left the ultimate authority up to a higher court.In their briefing to the Supreme Court, the attorneys representing the anti-abortion group wrote that no comparable case has been brought before the court in the past.&nbsp;“That is because proposed Amendment 3 is novel in its attempt to attach unlimited other subjects to a single, enormous issue that is so controversial that it eclipses all others in the minds of voters, the media and even the secretary of state,” they wrote.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725989310270.png" alt=" Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, anti-abortion activist Kathy Forck, Thomas More Society attorney Mary Catherine Martin and state Rep. Hannah Kelly stand on the steps of the Missouri Supreme Court following oral arguments in a case involving the abortion-rights amendment on Tuesday (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, anti-abortion activist Kathy Forck, Thomas More Society attorney Mary Catherine Martin and state Rep. Hannah Kelly stand on the steps of the Missouri Supreme Court following oral arguments in a case involving the abortion-rights amendment on Tuesday (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>Chuck Hatfield, an attorney representing Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign behind the amendment, argued to the Supreme Court Tuesday that the opposition’s briefs were “light on legal arguments but weighty with political argument.”He chalked the lawsuit — filed by state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, state Rep. Hannah Kelly, anti-abortion activist Kathy Forck and shelter operator Marguerite Forrest — up to politics.&nbsp;“The fact that [abortion] is controversial does not mean that the courts and state officials should cast aside the fundamental right to have that vote,” he said.&nbsp;He maintained that because the amendment would not literally repeal any part of the law on its own, the campaign did not err. He added that constitutional amendments never repeal state statutes from the books. Instead, courts can render other statues invalid as a result of further legal action.&nbsp;Mary Catherine Martin, an attorney with the Thomas More Society arguing the case Tuesday on behalf of the plaintiffs, reiterated her contention that the initiative petition illegally included more than one subject, pointing to language protecting “a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom” and saying such a phrase encompasses “infinite subjects.”&nbsp;Attorneys for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom said the single subject is “reproductive freedom.”&nbsp;While Limbaugh did not rule on this single subject claim, the Supreme Court has the opportunity to.After the hearing, both sides agreed on one point: the case is novel.&nbsp;Martin called the amendment novel in all that it encompasses.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725989344877.png" alt="Tori Schafer, an attorney with the ACLU of Missouri, spoke to reporters about Amendment 3 following oral arguments in the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. “Let us be very clear, this case is about whether the people’s right to engage in direct democracy will be protected,” she said. “Or if this is just a right in name only” (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Tori Schafer, an attorney with the ACLU of Missouri, spoke to reporters about Amendment 3 following oral arguments in the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. “Let us be very clear, this case is about whether the people’s right to engage in direct democracy will be protected,” she said. “Or if this is just a right in name only” (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>Tori Schafer, an attorney with the ACLU of Missouri, which is part of the coalition behind the amendment, said the same of the plaintiffs’ procedural arguments.Schafer said while an amendment hasn’t been ordered off the Missouri ballot in several decades, Limbaugh’s ruling “threatens to grind our system of constitutional initiative petition to a halt at the last minute, leaving in its wake the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of voters …”Martin said they are not trying to “undermine” voters, but rather “protect” them.“We’ve worked for 50 years for the right to vote on abortion and I would desperately like, along with all Missouri voters, the opportunity to actually do so,” she said. “And not to have to vote on all of these issues at the same time.”<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">Amendment 3&nbsp;</a>would establish the constitutional right to an abortion up until fetal viability and grant constitutional protections to other reproductive health care, including in-vitro fertilization and birth control. It would also protect those who assist in an abortion from prosecution.&nbsp;Abortion is illegal in Missouri, with limited exceptions for medical emergencies.Since the Supreme Court decision in June 2022 through March 2024, there were 64 abortions performed in Missouri under the state’s emergency exemption, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.&nbsp;Meanwhile, thousands of Missourians have crossed state lines for the procedure. Last year, about 2,860 Missourians traveled to Kansas and 8,710 traveled to Illinois for abortions,&nbsp;<a href="https://guttmacherinstitute.github.io/provision-dashboard/" target="_blank">according to the Guttmacher Institute,</a>&nbsp;a reproductive rights research group that closely tracks abortion data.<h2>Ashcroft decertifies measure ahead of ruling</h2>On the eve of the Supreme Court hearing,<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Brief%20of%20Respondent%20Secretary%20of%20State%20John%20R.%20Ashcroft.PDF?courtCode=SC&amp;di=201733" target="_blank">&nbsp;Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft decertified</a>&nbsp;the ballot measure, a potentially unprecedented attempt to rescind his previous decision in an attempt to block the measure from the ballot.As of Tuesday morning, Amendment 3 remained absent from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/petitions/2024BallotMeasures" target="_blank">secretary of state’s website listing measures to appear on the November ballot.</a><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/13/missouri-voters-will-decide-whether-to-legalize-abortion-in-november/">Ashcroft said he</a>’<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/13/missouri-voters-will-decide-whether-to-legalize-abortion-in-november/">d mistakenly</a>&nbsp;certified<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;Amendment 3</a>.&nbsp;Attorneys representing Ashcroft in Cole County Court on Friday defended his decision. But on Monday, they said he’d realized his error“This court should simply dismiss this appeal because the appeal has now become moot,” an attorney for Ashcroft told the Supreme Court on Tuesday, adding that Ashcroft believes he has the authority to decertify any measure up until eight weeks before the election.Attorneys for the Missourians for Constitutional Freedom in a filing Monday evening asked that Ashcroft be held in contempt of court, adding that his decision went against the court’s stay order filed Monday morning that kept the amendment on the ballot until the highest court’s decision was made.Hatfield told the judges Tuesday that his team filed a motion asking the court to stay the lower court’s order and keep the amendment on the ballot until they made a decision because “the secretary of state is going to be up to shenanigans and we need a stay” to prevent a “crisis in the system.”&nbsp;&nbsp;He recognized the contempt request was “highly unusual” and put the court in a “predicament.”“It’s open contempt from your authority, It’s open contempt from the rule of law,” Hatfield said of Ashcroft. “It’s open contempt from the proper administration of justice to tell the public that he’s going to take it off the ballot even though we’re here this morning having this discussion.”

Misc