JOHNSON COUNTY —A man accused in connection with a crash that left a 9-year-old Kansas boy dead has entered a plea in the case.

On Friday, 25-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;Matthew Jacobo, 25,&nbsp; Kansas City, Kansas, pleaded guilty to reckless second degree murder and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

He was originally charged with second degree murder, leaving the scene of an accident and possession of a firearm while driving under the influence, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

Just before 7p.m. on December 1, 2023, police responded to a crash involving a white truck and a black sedan near Johnson Drive and Bell Road in Shawnee, Kansas, according to a media release.&nbsp; EMS transported nine-year-old Nolan Davidson of Lenexa to Children's Mercy in critical condition. He died December 7, according to a GoFundMe page for the family.

The driver of the truck later identified as Jacobo left the scene.&nbsp; Police tracked him down and made an arrest the night of the crash.

Nolan and his family were on their way from one basketball game to another when they were involved in the crash. The collision, impacted the rear passenger side where Nolan was seated.

Jacobo is scheduled for sentencing on January 7, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702397009027.png" alt="Jacobo-photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Jacobo-photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —A man accused in connection with a crash that left a 9-year-old Kansas boy dead has entered a plea in the case.On Friday, 25-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;Matthew Jacobo, 25,&nbsp; Kansas City, Kansas, pleaded guilty to reckless second degree murder and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.He was originally charged with second degree murder, leaving the scene of an accident and possession of a firearm while driving under the influence, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702398123562.png" alt="Davidson photo GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>Davidson photo GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 7p.m. on December 1, 2023, police responded to a crash involving a white truck and a black sedan near Johnson Drive and Bell Road in Shawnee, Kansas, according to a media release.&nbsp; EMS transported nine-year-old Nolan Davidson of Lenexa to Children's Mercy in critical condition. He died December 7, according to a GoFundMe page for the family.The driver of the truck later identified as Jacobo left the scene.&nbsp; Police tracked him down and made an arrest the night of the crash.Nolan and his family were on their way from one basketball game to another when they were involved in the crash. The collision, impacted the rear passenger side where Nolan was seated.Jacobo is scheduled for sentencing on January 7, according to the district attorney's office.

Man enters plea in crash that killed 9-year-old Kansas boy

OSAGE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect from Texas on drug allegations.

Just after 3:30p.m. November 17, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on U.S. 75 Highway for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.

During the stop, a narcotics detecting K-9 was deployed and illegal narcotics were located. Maria D.L. Vidal Cruz, 51, of Mount Pleasant, TX was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732118411121.png" alt="Cruz photo Osage Co." />
 <figcaption>Cruz photo Osage Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect from Texas on drug allegations.Just after 3:30p.m. November 17, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on U.S. 75 Highway for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.During the stop, a narcotics detecting K-9 was deployed and illegal narcotics were located. Maria D.L. Vidal Cruz, 51, of Mount Pleasant, TX was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine

Sheriff: Texas woman was transporting meth in Kansas 

The emergency shelter shuttered unexpectedly in September after providing thousands of children with a temporary home over nearly four decades

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/anniegoldman/">ANNIE GOLDMAN</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspidel/">ANNA SPIDEL</a>

As the community grapples with the closure of the Rainbow House Children’s Emergency Shelter, questions remain about what led to the shutdown of the only shelter of its kind in mid-Missouri.

Allegations of misuse of funds have been raised by both community members and Rainbow House’s board of directors, and much of the blame has been placed on the organization’s former executive director, Melissa Faurot. But Faurot, who confirmed that she was terminated in August, said they’ve got it all wrong.

The emergency shelter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/rainbow-house-closes-its-doors-community-reacts/article_33ce2644-7c53-11ef-81bd-a7b2863dd272.html" target="_blank">shuttered its doors</a>&nbsp;unexpectedly in September after providing thousands of children with a temporary home over nearly four decades, Rainbow House founder Kathy Hughes said.

In a matter of months, the nonprofit organization went from asking for millions of dollars for a significant renovation to being the subject of a state investigation.

“It was a complete shock to me,” Hughes said. She has not been significantly involved in Rainbow House’s operations for the past several years.

Rainbow House’s nearly 1.5-acre property in north Columbia is also pending a sale, hindering hopes that operations can return to normal.

As the community wrestles with the disappearance of what advocates considered a valuable resource to children and families in 11 Missouri counties, questions persist: What happened to Rainbow House?

And, what happened to the $1.2 million raised for the facility’s planned expansion, $1.1 million of which came from the Veterans United Foundation?

In the past few months, Melissa Faurot’s name has consistently been included in online chatter about Rainbow House’s collapse.

Faurot, an attorney who was previously a board member and was part of the organization for over a decade, was the executive director of Rainbow House from August 2021 to August 2024.

“I’ve been silent for many months, and I’ve had the mud thrown at me … I’m not really interested in sitting back and being quiet anymore,” she said.

Faurot was terminated unexpectedly on Aug. 14 by the board of directors, she said. Faurot said she was not given a reason as to why she was terminated, but she speculates it had to do with disagreement between her and the board on how to handle the ongoing renovation, and the subsequent issues of fundraising.

She alleged that Rainbow House’s board of directors is misleading the community about who authorized the construction’s commencement, what happened to the money, why the emergency shelter was shut down and how the property ended up in the hands of the contracted construction company.

“I saw the writing on the wall. I knew that the blame was going to be placed on me because, well, somebody wanted a scapegoat,” she said.

Faurot also confirmed that the ongoing state investigation of Rainbow House is being facilitated by the Missouri Department of Social Services.

Kathy Hughes founded Rainbow House in 1986. As an experienced foster parent and pediatric nurse, Hughes saw the need to provide children in short-term foster care with more stability.

Her family was fostering one child in particular who had been placed in emergency foster care and was being moved from house to house. After the child had been placed in her fifth school in three weeks, Hughes realized that the system was not serving children in the way that it should have upon initial intake.

“The system (was) doing her more harm than her father beating her did,” Hughes said. “The bruises were starting to heal, but we were making her feel like it was her fault and that she was being punished.”

Hughes started dreaming of a place where children who had experienced abuse or neglect could stay more permanently until the legal system reached a verdict on their futures, whether that’s returning home or being placed into long-term foster care.

She consulted different local government entities but settled on the reality that her vision of a physical home-like space devoted to this mission had to be established independently. Hughes found a “big old farmhouse” in Columbia with the capacity for up to 12 children, and with a loan, she purchased the property.

After nine months of renovations and preparation, Hughes was ready to open the doors of the emergency shelter. But when she was preparing to finally welcome children to the farmhouse on Oakland Gravel Road, she couldn’t decide on a name to give it — until she watched a storm pass and give way to a rainbow.

“We never see rainbows, except when we’ve just had a storm,” she said. “It all just kind of clicked. Here’s a place where children come after a storm, and we’re giving them a rainbow.”

From that day forward, the shelter was to be called Rainbow House.

Before it even had the proper licensing from the state, Rainbow House had eight kids to care for. The staff members at Rainbow House were issued a temporary license so they could take the children the very night law enforcement picked them up from an emergency situation.

“We hit the ground running,” Hughes said.

Hughes quit her job as a school nurse and became the emergency shelter’s executive director. She hired a handful of house parents, live-in staff members and recruited volunteers to fulfill the rest of the operation’s needs.

In the early years, Hughes led with the goal of having every child at Rainbow House remain in the school they were already enrolled in. The shelter’s staff drove the children to school in a donated van every morning. Rainbow House had immediate support from local schools and community members, Hughes said.

Hughes remained as Rainbow House’s executive director for three years. However, she said she has not had a hands-on relationship with the organization in the past few years, partly because “things seem to have been going quite smoothly, until very recently.”

She heard about the emergency shelter shutting down when a friend called to ask her about it and sent her a news article detailing the event.

“I’m as curious as everybody else as to what the heck happened,” Hughes said.

Rainbow House has historically had two arms: The Rainbow House Children’s Emergency Shelter and the Rainbow House Regional Child Advocacy Center. Until its closure, the emergency shelter temporarily housed children in foster care or facing homelessness and assisted parents who requested placement for their children during crisis, according to the organization’s website. The child advocacy center provides forensic interviewing, advocacy and therapy for children who have been sexually or severely physically abused.

Although the shelter was Hughes’ first priority, the advocacy center was always part of the blueprint, she said. The center was built under one of Hughes’ successors across the street from the original emergency shelter.

“(The child advocacy center meant) that kids did not have to go to the emergency room to get forensic exams. They didn’t have to go to the police station to tell their story. They came to some place that felt much safer,” Hughes said.

In the new space, the advocacy center’s interviewing capabilities became more advanced. Hughes said the organization was able to videotape interviews with children, meaning questions that would have been asked to them in court could be asked in a more comfortable space, and then presented in court. This limited children having to testify in-person, which Hughes said was “huge.”

The advocacy center and the emergency shelter have always been housed under the same umbrella organization, Rainbow House. Hughes said that this decision was in the best interest of the children Rainbow House served.

Both the emergency shelter and the advocacy center moved to a joint facility on Towne Drive in 2004.

In addition to fundraising, Rainbow House has also benefitted from state funding for its emergency shelter through the state’s crisis care and foster care programs. Additionally, the child advocacy center is funded with federal money, from the Victims of Crime Act, and state money.

Rainbow House’s operations come to an endAt the time of the shelter’s shutdown this fall, Rainbow House was in the middle of a multimillion-dollar expansion. The organization was in the process of completing a new wing that would double the emergency shelter’s capacity.

While renovations were underway, the shelter’s operations were moved to a temporary location. Tyler Willy, president of Rainbow House’s board of directors, estimated that the shelter was serving five to seven children on any given day in its last few weeks of operation.

During this time, however, Rainbow House was only doing daytime services in a holding location, so there were no children spending the night and therefore none displaced, Willy said.

The shelter’s last day of accepting children was Sept. 27. The organization’s advocacy center has remained open, also in a temporary location while its permanent facility was being renovated, but a new partnership has stepped in to fill the void left by Rainbow House’s reduction of child advocacy center services.

Though it seemed like Rainbow House initially planned to keep its Regional Child Advocacy Center open, a new one will replace it. Missouri Network Against Child Abuse, a state agency representing all of Missouri’s child advocacy centers, has contracted with Partner for Better, a company that helps grow nonprofits and foundations, to open a new child advocacy center in Columbia.

Rainbow House’s Regional Child Advocacy Center will remain open until the new center, which will be called the Child Advocacy Center of Central Missouri, is established. The Boone County Commission approved the new center’s contract last week.

Having a child advocacy center in Boone County is statutorily mandated, and once the transition to the new center is complete, state and federal funds already allocated to Rainbow House will be transferred to the new organization.

This process is expected to take nine months to a year to complete, and no location for the new center has been set.

In 2022, Rainbow House launched a capital campaign in efforts to raise money for an expansion to its Towne Drive facility, despite staffing shortages.

The “Rebuild Our Rainbow” campaign had a fundraising goal of $2.6 million — the price of the slated renovations. Rainbow House received a $1.1 million contribution from the Veterans United Foundation in November 2021. The nonprofit was hoping to raise another $1.5 million.

However, Rainbow House never raised half of the total amount needed for the renovations.

The capital campaign has raised a total of $1,214,000, according to Rainbow House’s website — just 46% of the initial goal. When disregarding the Veterans United Foundation contribution, this leaves a total of just over $100,000 raised by outside sources.

The planned expansion to Rainbow House’s shelter was significant. It included adding a new wing that would double the shelter’s capacity from 18 children to 36, and it would allow the shelter to have separate living facilities for boys and girls, among other improvements. The advocacy center portion of the facility was also set to receive renovations.

Doubling the shelter’s capacity may have been a lofty goal for Rainbow House, as the facility reported staffing shortages in early 2022, just weeks before announcing the capital campaign, according to previous Missourian reporting. Because the shelter was required to maintain a specific ratio of youth specialists to children, the shelter had to limit the number of children it served at the time.

The shelter didn’t have enough staff to provide for every child in need, Faurot told the Missourian at the time. Nonetheless, plans to double the capacity of the shelter, and consequently the number of staff members needed, commenced.

Rainbow House may have jumped the gun on actually starting the renovations too. Renovations began in October 2023, according to Rainbow House’s website. Yet the funding goal had not been achieved at the time.

Dan Reynolds — president and owner of Holmes, Radford and Reynolds, a firm that specializes in capital campaign management — said nonprofits that embark on capital campaigns should ensure they have most of the funding needed before commencing construction.

“I think it’s best practice to secure upwards of 75-80% of those commitments and pledges before embarking on construction activities,” Reynolds said.

Rainbow House authorized construction with less than half of the money needed to complete construction. But there are conflicting accounts of who actually authorized this construction, which ultimately may have led to the shutdown of the shelter.

When Rainbow House announced the closure of its emergency shelter on Sept. 25, it simultaneously announced that the organization was signing over the shelter property to Little Dixie Construction, the company that had been working on the expansion. This decision was made to help alleviate “financial distress,” according to a news release.

John States, a managing partner at Little Dixie Construction, formed a new company, Towne Drive Investments LLC, on Aug. 22, according to Missouri secretary of state records. This new company then took ownership of the Rainbow House facility on Aug. 30.

The property would soon be put up for sale for over $3.5 million.

States did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Upon closure of the emergency shelter, Rainbow House said that it was “placed in a financially unsustainable position” after “high-level decisions” were made outside of guidelines approved by its board of directors, according to previous Missourian reporting. The nature of these “high-level decisions” remains unknown.

In late September, Willy, the board president, said the state launched an investigation into Rainbow House for “internal misallocation of funds.” He said that he could not speak on whether the state investigation is focused on the advocacy center, the emergency shelter or both.

Willy said the only person with access to the funds under investigation was terminated from Rainbow House in August. Willy was presumably referring to Faurot, and Faurot said “everybody knows he was making the assumption it was me.”

Faurot referred to Willy’s claims as inaccurate.

“For him to say out loud … that I was the only one that had access to the funds shows how little he knows about the organization,” she said.

Any expenditure over $5,000 had to be approved by Rainbow House’s board of directors, Faurot said, meaning that she did not have the power to authorize the start of the expansion project, and therefore could not have been responsible for the financial wrongdoing that the board has been claiming.

Willy said that when he joined the board of directors, the construction had already been authorized. All other current board members also joined after the expansion was already authorized, he said.

“None of us voted on the construction,” he said, referring to the board of directors.

Faurot said the board approved the start of construction for the expansion, and the construction company broke ground in October 2023. By late spring of 2024, funding for the project was dwindling, she said.

When the financial situation reached a dire point, the board of directors discussed signing the building over to Little Dixie Construction, Faurot said, which she was adamantly opposed to. The construction was only halfway completed, and Rainbow House owed money to Little Dixie Construction to finish the project, yet the capital campaign money had run out, Faurot said.

“I told (the board), in my opinion, if they chose to do that, that it would be the end of Rainbow House,” she said.

Faurot was then terminated by the board of directors shortly before the plans for transferring ownership of the building were finalized, she said.

Richie Vanskike, Rainbow House’s director of development from 2019 to 2022, said part of the capital campaign was his responsibility. When the plans for the renovations were drawn, the goal was to expand the facility but avoid walking away in debt, he said.

The start of construction was authorized with the hope that the rest of the money needed would come in, but the outreach efforts weren’t there, Vanskike said, though he had left the organization prior to this time. He said the staff positions related to marketing and reaching out to the community to raise funds were not filled at the time, so the additional money was never secured.

Vanskike added that toward the end of the shelter’s run, he doubts there were any volunteers working at the facility, as there “wasn’t anyone to facilitate that.” The volunteer coordinator position, which Rainbow House had in the past to facilitate background checks and organize volunteering, wasn’t filled or didn’t exist anymore, he said.

“I don’t know what happened to (the volunteer coordinator position). To tell you the truth, it is kind of like all the positions there,” he said. “Those positions … they seem to have been just kind of done away with.”

Several sources concurred that Rainbow House was facing staffing shortages at various points.

What was formerly Rainbow House’s facility on Towne Drive has been put up for sale for over $3.5 million, according to several real estate websites. The building’s identifying “Rainbow House” sign has been stripped from above its door, and the sale of the facility is currently pending.

While the state-supervised Child Advocacy Center of Central Missouri may see a revival under Partner For Better’s leadership, the future of children’s emergency shelters in mid-Missouri remains up in the air.

Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries is an organization that aims to provide safe homes for children in foster care in mid-Missouri. It has tried to partner with Rainbow House in the past to bridge the gap between emergency care and long-term foster care for children, said Kari Hopkins, Coyote Hill’s chief operating officer. A lot of the children that were served by Rainbow House could potentially have ended up in a Coyote Hill home for more long-term care, Hopkins said.

But Rainbow House was not interested in the partnership when discussions were had prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hopkins said, and the organization cited that it wanted to remain focused on existing services.

She said the community is devastated by the emergency shelter’s closure, and Coyote Hill is currently in early conversations with the state regarding how the organization could help fill the void of emergency placement and temporary care for children, in hopes of keeping families together and preventing children from needing foster care in the first place.

“The people who hurt the most are our kids, and that is not easy for us in this world of foster care,” Hopkins said.

Willy told the Missourian that Rainbow House’s board of directors also plans to open a new emergency shelter, and they have identified a group that would run its operations.

He said the board will soon be asking for funding to help the new shelter get off the ground. The shelter will not be located at Rainbow House’s former location, Willy added.

Hughes hopes that the community will rally together to address the ongoing need for emergency services for children.

“Child abuse continues,” Hughes said. “Child neglect continues. Family crisis continues.”

This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/what-went-wrong-at-rainbow-house-the-now-closed-childrens-emergency-shelter/article_a8100bb8-8463-11ef-bdb7-5766a3cb6cbb.html#tncms-source=Top%20Story" target="_blank">Columbia Missourian.</a>&nbsp;It can be republished in print or online.&nbsp;

Closure of children’s emergency shelter in Columbia under investigation by Missouri regulators

JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas robbery and have released details on a suspect.

Just before 8p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to the 1200 block of East Santa Fe Street in reference to a robbery that just occurred, according to&nbsp;Police Sergeant John Moncayo.

It was reported that an unknown suspect entered the business, obtained money from the register, then ran from the scene. A thorough neighborhood search was conducted with negative contact with the suspect.

The suspect was described as an adult white male with blue eyes, wearing a grey hoodie, black mask, black puffy coat, jeans and dark shoes. The suspect left with an undisclosed amount of cash and merchandise. No weapon was seen during this incident and no reported injuries.

JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas robbery and have released details on a suspect.Just before 8p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to the 1200 block of East Santa Fe Street in reference to a robbery that just occurred, according to&nbsp;Police Sergeant John Moncayo.It was reported that an unknown suspect entered the business, obtained money from the register, then ran from the scene. A thorough neighborhood search was conducted with negative contact with the suspect.The suspect was described as an adult white male with blue eyes, wearing a grey hoodie, black mask, black puffy coat, jeans and dark shoes. The suspect left with an undisclosed amount of cash and merchandise. No weapon was seen during this incident and no reported injuries.

Police: Man in a mask took cash from register at Kan. business 

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>

WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina led a charge Monday to try to ban transgender women from using women’s restrooms in the U.S. Capitol and House office buildings, following the election of a transgender lawmaker.

The move, which the House Democratic leader characterized as attempting to “bully” another member, came as Democrat Sarah McBride of Delaware will soon be sworn in as the&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2024/08/21/transgender-congress/" target="_blank">first openly transgender member&nbsp;</a>of Congress. Republicans also have undertaken broader efforts to bar transgender people from using restrooms that align with their gender identity.

“Biological men do not belong in private women’s spaces,” Mace wrote in a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/RepNancyMace/status/1858659671910817924" target="_blank">post on X</a>&nbsp;alongside the resolution she is pushing. “Period. Full stop. End of story.”

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/118/bills/hres1579/BILLS-118hres1579ih.pdf" target="_blank">resolution would prohibit</a>&nbsp;members of Congress, officers and employees of the House from using “single-sex facilities” other than those corresponding to their “biological sex.”

It reads: “A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House may not use a single-sex facility (including a restroom, changing&nbsp; room, or locker room) in the Capitol or House Office Buildings, other than those corresponding to the biological sex of such individual.”

The House sergeant-at-arms would be tasked with enforcement, according to the resolution, so it appears it would apply only to bathrooms on the House side of the Capitol and not the Senate.

Mace told the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/1403136/exclusive-rep-nancy-mace-on-why-she-supports-lgbt-rights-religious-liberty-compromise-legislation/" target="_blank">Washington Examiner</a>&nbsp;in 2021 that she strongly supports LGBTQ rights and equality and said “no one should be discriminated against.”

The South Carolina Republican co-sponsored a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1440/text" target="_blank">Republican alternative</a>&nbsp;to the&nbsp; Democratic-backed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5/cosponsors" target="_blank">Equality Act</a>&nbsp;in 2021. The GOP effort sought to “prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity; and to protect the free exercise of religion.”&nbsp;

In a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SarahEMcBride/status/1858671704718868652" target="_blank">post on X</a>&nbsp;Monday appearing to respond to Mace’s push, McBride said “every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness.”

“This is a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing,” McBride added.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Mace’s resolution “doesn’t go far enough” and “we need something more binding” while speaking to reporters Tuesday.

The Georgia Republican, who referred to McBride as a “biological man,” said “America’s fed up with the trans ideology being shoved into our face.”

Greene said she asked U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson at the House GOP conference meeting Tuesday “what the men in our leadership are going to do about this, because this has to be stopped.”

According to Greene, the Louisiana Republican committed to her that McBride “will not be using our restrooms.”

However, at a Tuesday press conference following that GOP meeting, Johnson would not specify how he would respond to Mace’s resolution.

“This is an issue that Congress has never had to address before,” Johnson said, while also noting that “it’s a command that we treat all persons with dignity and respect.”

“We’ll provide appropriate accommodation for every member of Congress,” he added.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries questioned House Republicans’ priorities Tuesday regarding Mace’s effort.

“This is your priority — that you want to bully a member of Congress as opposed to welcoming her to join this body so that all of us can work together to get things done and deliver real results for the American people?” said the New York Democrat at a Tuesday news conference.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732047919198.png" alt="Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Delaware will become the first openly transgender member of Congress-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Delaware will become the first openly transgender member of Congress-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina led a charge Monday to try to ban transgender women from using women’s restrooms in the U.S. Capitol and House office buildings, following the election of a transgender lawmaker.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I never thought we would need a sign for this, but women&#39;s restrooms are for BIOLOGICAL women. Not men. <a href="https://t.co/42lOMhqHFT">pic.twitter.com/42lOMhqHFT</a>&mdash; Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepNancyMace/status/1858997448418496978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The move, which the House Democratic leader characterized as attempting to “bully” another member, came as Democrat Sarah McBride of Delaware will soon be sworn in as the&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2024/08/21/transgender-congress/" target="_blank">first openly transgender member&nbsp;</a>of Congress. Republicans also have undertaken broader efforts to bar transgender people from using restrooms that align with their gender identity.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Biological men do not belong in private women’s spaces. Period. Full stop. End of story. <a href="https://t.co/IhR7kExkBU">pic.twitter.com/IhR7kExkBU</a>&mdash; Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepNancyMace/status/1858659671910817924?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Biological men do not belong in private women’s spaces,” Mace wrote in a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/RepNancyMace/status/1858659671910817924" target="_blank">post on X</a>&nbsp;alongside the resolution she is pushing. “Period. Full stop. End of story.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Q: &quot;Is freshman-elect Sarah McBride a man or a woman?&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a>: &quot;Look, I’m not going to get into this...We treat all persons with dignity and respect. We will. I&#39;m not going to engage is silly debates about this. There&#39;s a concern about uses of restroom facilities...&quot; <a href="https://t.co/fMtlV3hYxW">pic.twitter.com/fMtlV3hYxW</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1858904341718958328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/118/bills/hres1579/BILLS-118hres1579ih.pdf" target="_blank">resolution would prohibit</a>&nbsp;members of Congress, officers and employees of the House from using “single-sex facilities” other than those corresponding to their “biological sex.”It reads: “A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House may not use a single-sex facility (including a restroom, changing&nbsp; room, or locker room) in the Capitol or House Office Buildings, other than those corresponding to the biological sex of such individual.”The House sergeant-at-arms would be tasked with enforcement, according to the resolution, so it appears it would apply only to bathrooms on the House side of the Capitol and not the Senate.Mace told the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/1403136/exclusive-rep-nancy-mace-on-why-she-supports-lgbt-rights-religious-liberty-compromise-legislation/" target="_blank">Washington Examiner</a>&nbsp;in 2021 that she strongly supports LGBTQ rights and equality and said “no one should be discriminated against.”The South Carolina Republican co-sponsored a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1440/text" target="_blank">Republican alternative</a>&nbsp;to the&nbsp; Democratic-backed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5/cosponsors" target="_blank">Equality Act</a>&nbsp;in 2021. The GOP effort sought to “prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity; and to protect the free exercise of religion.”&nbsp;In a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SarahEMcBride/status/1858671704718868652" target="_blank">post on X</a>&nbsp;Monday appearing to respond to Mace’s push, McBride said “every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness.”“This is a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing,” McBride added.Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Mace’s resolution “doesn’t go far enough” and “we need something more binding” while speaking to reporters Tuesday.The Georgia Republican, who referred to McBride as a “biological man,” said “America’s fed up with the trans ideology being shoved into our face.”Greene said she asked U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson at the House GOP conference meeting Tuesday “what the men in our leadership are going to do about this, because this has to be stopped.”According to Greene, the Louisiana Republican committed to her that McBride “will not be using our restrooms.”However, at a Tuesday press conference following that GOP meeting, Johnson would not specify how he would respond to Mace’s resolution.“This is an issue that Congress has never had to address before,” Johnson said, while also noting that “it’s a command that we treat all persons with dignity and respect.”“We’ll provide appropriate accommodation for every member of Congress,” he added.House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries questioned House Republicans’ priorities Tuesday regarding Mace’s effort.“This is your priority — that you want to bully a member of Congress as opposed to welcoming her to join this body so that all of us can work together to get things done and deliver real results for the American people?” said the New York Democrat at a Tuesday news conference.&nbsp;

U.S. House GOP urged to bar transgender women from using women’s bathrooms at the Capitol

KANSAS CITY —One person died in a hit-and-run accident just before 9:30p.m. Tuesday in Kansas City.

A silver Chevrolet Cruz was southbound on 71 Highway at a high rate of speed, according to KCPD&nbsp;&nbsp;Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

The Chevrolet rear-ended a Chrysler 200 that was stopped for the red traffic control signal at 59th and 71 Highway. 

The unrestrained driver of the Chrysler was pronounced deceased at the scene. The unrestrained front seat passenger of the Chevrolet was transported to a local hospital with critical injuries and was reported in critical condition, according to DiMartino. 

The driver and rear seat passenger of the Chevrolet ran from the crash the scene. 

This is fatality #83 compared to #89 at this time last year in KCMO, according to DiMartino. Police have not released the names of those involved or additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732114105245.png" alt="First responders near the crash scene" />
 <figcaption>First responders near the crash scene</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —One person died in a hit-and-run accident just before 9:30p.m. Tuesday in Kansas City.A silver Chevrolet Cruz was southbound on 71 Highway at a high rate of speed, according to KCPD&nbsp;&nbsp;Sergeant Phil DiMartino.The Chevrolet rear-ended a Chrysler 200 that was stopped for the red traffic control signal at 59th and 71 Highway. The unrestrained driver of the Chrysler was pronounced deceased at the scene. The unrestrained front seat passenger of the Chevrolet was transported to a local hospital with critical injuries and was reported in critical condition, according to DiMartino. The driver and rear seat passenger of the Chevrolet ran from the crash the scene. This is fatality #83 compared to #89 at this time last year in KCMO, according to DiMartino. Police have not released the names of those involved or additional details.

KCPD: Driver, passenger ran from fatal rear-end crash

JACKSON COUNTY— A child waiting for a school bus was injured in an accident on Tuesday in the Jackson County community of Grain Valley.

The accident occurred early Tuesday on Woodbury Road, west of Buckner Tarsney when a vehicle left the roadway and struck the juvenile pedestrian, according to a social media report from Grain Valley Police.

EMS transported the child&nbsp; to an area hospital for evaluation and treatment. The driver remained on scene and was cooperating with the investigation.

Police are working closely with the Grain Valley School District to "investigate the accident, ensure the family is receiving support, and taking care of the students who may have found themselves navigating their emotions."

Police encouraged families to utilize the resources put in place within the school district should your students have questions or need additional support.

JACKSON COUNTY— A child waiting for a school bus was injured in an accident on Tuesday in the Jackson County community of Grain Valley.The accident occurred early Tuesday on Woodbury Road, west of Buckner Tarsney when a vehicle left the roadway and struck the juvenile pedestrian, according to a social media report from Grain Valley Police.EMS transported the child&nbsp; to an area hospital for evaluation and treatment. The driver remained on scene and was cooperating with the investigation.Police are working closely with the Grain Valley School District to "investigate the accident, ensure the family is receiving support, and taking care of the students who may have found themselves navigating their emotions."Police encouraged families to utilize the resources put in place within the school district should your students have questions or need additional support.

Police: Vehicle struck child waiting for school bus in Grain Valley

KANSAS CITY —A Jackson County judge last week sentenced a Kansas City man to 23 years in prison for his actions in a March 2013 fatal shooting of Abdullahi Yussuf in a vehicle driven by the defendant, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Ibrahim Abdikarim Sharif Ahmed, 39, was sentenced to 18 years after he pleaded guilty to Murder in the 2nd Degree and 5 years after he pleaded guilty to Armed Criminal Action. The judge on Friday set the sentences to run consecutively for a total of 23 years in prison. The defendant entered an Alford plea due to his intoxication at the time of the crime.

According to court records, Kansas City Police Department officers were dispatched late on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, to the area of Independence and Garfield avenues in Kansas City, where witnesses told police that a Dodge Challenger or Charger had driven down Independence Avenue when the driver shoved someone out of the vehicle in motion. 

The victim was Abdullahi Yussuf who was pronounced deceased at an area hospital. KCPD analysts matched the Dodge vehicle's license plate to the defendant. Officers took defendant into custody. A witness told police she was in the vehicle during the shooting. She heard shots from inside the car and observed the victim with blood on his face. While driving the defendant told the witness to get the victim out of the vehicle. The witness later notified police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1679153467691.png" alt="Ahmed photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Ahmed photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Jackson County judge last week sentenced a Kansas City man to 23 years in prison for his actions in a March 2013 fatal shooting of Abdullahi Yussuf in a vehicle driven by the defendant, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Ibrahim Abdikarim Sharif Ahmed, 39, was sentenced to 18 years after he pleaded guilty to Murder in the 2nd Degree and 5 years after he pleaded guilty to Armed Criminal Action. The judge on Friday set the sentences to run consecutively for a total of 23 years in prison. The defendant entered an Alford plea due to his intoxication at the time of the crime.According to court records, Kansas City Police Department officers were dispatched late on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, to the area of Independence and Garfield avenues in Kansas City, where witnesses told police that a Dodge Challenger or Charger had driven down Independence Avenue when the driver shoved someone out of the vehicle in motion. The victim was Abdullahi Yussuf who was pronounced deceased at an area hospital. KCPD analysts matched the Dodge vehicle's license plate to the defendant. Officers took defendant into custody. A witness told police she was in the vehicle during the shooting. She heard shots from inside the car and observed the victim with blood on his face. While driving the defendant told the witness to get the victim out of the vehicle. The witness later notified police.

Witness: Kansas City man shot, pushed victim out of moving car

Lawsuit alleges Kanakuk Ministries and ACE American Insurance Company lied to conceal former director’s abuse

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

OZARK — Attorneys argued about culpability in Christian County Circuit Court Monday morning in a lawsuit involving a Branson-area Christian summer camp accused of conspiring with its insurer to trick a family into signing a non-disclosure agreement by concealing prior knowledge of sexual misconduct.

Logan Yandell, a survivor of sexual abuse by Kanakuk Ministries’ former camp director,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/11/22/former-camper-suing-missouri-based-kanakuk-kamps-claiming-fraudulent-abuse-settlement/">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in 2022 alleging misstatements by the camp’s CEO led his parents to sign a settlement and non-disclosure agreement for $250,000 that they otherwise would have continued to fight.

Yandell’s attorney, Reed Martens, told Judge Raymond Gross on Monday that his client’s parents signed a release in December of 2010 under pressure from Kanakuk CEO Joe White, who was their family friend.

During a call in September of 2009, Martens said, the Yandell family asked White if he knew of other abuse allegations involving former Kanakuk camp director Peter Newman. He allegedly said “nothing has been on (the camp’s) radar with (Newman),” but an<a href="https://factsaboutkanakuk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Yandell-Petition.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;affidavit</a>&nbsp;by Newman’s former supervisor disclosed that the camp had been aware of misconduct as early as 1999.

The lawsuit also names ACE American Insurance Company as a defendant, arguing it influenced the camp’s decision to conceal information.

Gross asked if there was “correspondence of any kind” between the camp and ACE prior to White’s phone call with the Yandells.

David Mayer, who is also representing Yandell, said the insurance company was aware of abuse allegations “in March or April” prior to the call.

White testified that he did not speak to ACE before the alleged misstatement, said Manuel Mungia, an attorney for ACE, and the company wasn’t even notified of the statement.

“There is no evidence that ACE was aware of a fraudulent statement,” he said.

Yandell’s attorneys provided evidence of the company attempting to influence White months later when the camp drafted a letter to send to 8,000 families outlining what it knew about Newman.

ACE, in response, “strongly recommended not to send the letter” and sent a reservation of rights letter, which could exempt the company from covering related legal matters, Martens said.

So the email remained unreleased. This lawsuit has unearthed the draft and ACE’s response to the camp, Martens said, and it “gives rise to the concealment and conspiracy.”

Another matter Gross will have to consider is whether media reports of Newman’s arrest could nullify the case under the statute of limitations for fraud.

In Missouri, claims must be brought within five years of discovering the fraud, and victims have 10 years for discovery.

Bryan Wade, an attorney for Kanakuk, said there were court cases and news articles published over five years ago that the Yandell family had access to. Access to the information, he argued, is the same as knowledge, according to other cases.

Yandell’s parents didn’t have the responsibility to seek out the other court cases or media reports, Marten said, because of their close personal relationship with White. He said because their friend had “superior knowledge of the facts,” they were exempt from ordinary standards of diligence.

Another survivor of Newman’s abuse, in a deposition, told attorneys that he, White and Yandell discussed Newman’s misconduct years ago, Wade said. Importantly, Yandell is the case’s plaintiff — not his parents.

But Yandell’s parents told attorneys their discovery of the allegations of abuse was in 2021, when a<a href="https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/frenchpress/they-arent-who-you-think-they-are/" target="_blank">&nbsp;national news article</a>&nbsp;labeled Kanakuk’s situation the “worst Christian sex abuse scandal.”

If Gross accepts that 2021 is the year of discovery, the case is still within the statute of limitations.

He told attorneys his goal is to submit his judgment “by the end of the year,” though he had a large workload.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732026482190.png" alt=" Attorneys representing Kanakuk Ministries and a survivor of abuse by the Christian summer camp's former director argued for summary judgment in a fraud case at Christian County Justice Center Monday morning (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Attorneys representing Kanakuk Ministries and a survivor of abuse by the Christian summer camp's former director argued for summary judgment in a fraud case at Christian County Justice Center Monday morning (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Lawsuit alleges Kanakuk Ministries and ACE American Insurance Company lied to conceal former director’s abuse</h2>BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>OZARK — Attorneys argued about culpability in Christian County Circuit Court Monday morning in a lawsuit involving a Branson-area Christian summer camp accused of conspiring with its insurer to trick a family into signing a non-disclosure agreement by concealing prior knowledge of sexual misconduct.Logan Yandell, a survivor of sexual abuse by Kanakuk Ministries’ former camp director,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/11/22/former-camper-suing-missouri-based-kanakuk-kamps-claiming-fraudulent-abuse-settlement/">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in 2022 alleging misstatements by the camp’s CEO led his parents to sign a settlement and non-disclosure agreement for $250,000 that they otherwise would have continued to fight.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732026447363.png" alt="Logan Yandell in 2003, the year he began attending Kanakuk summer camp (photo submitted)." />
 <figcaption>Logan Yandell in 2003, the year he began attending Kanakuk summer camp (photo submitted).</figcaption>
 </figure>Yandell’s attorney, Reed Martens, told Judge Raymond Gross on Monday that his client’s parents signed a release in December of 2010 under pressure from Kanakuk CEO Joe White, who was their family friend.During a call in September of 2009, Martens said, the Yandell family asked White if he knew of other abuse allegations involving former Kanakuk camp director Peter Newman. He allegedly said “nothing has been on (the camp’s) radar with (Newman),” but an<a href="https://factsaboutkanakuk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Yandell-Petition.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;affidavit</a>&nbsp;by Newman’s former supervisor disclosed that the camp had been aware of misconduct as early as 1999.The lawsuit also names ACE American Insurance Company as a defendant, arguing it influenced the camp’s decision to conceal information.Gross asked if there was “correspondence of any kind” between the camp and ACE prior to White’s phone call with the Yandells.David Mayer, who is also representing Yandell, said the insurance company was aware of abuse allegations “in March or April” prior to the call.White testified that he did not speak to ACE before the alleged misstatement, said Manuel Mungia, an attorney for ACE, and the company wasn’t even notified of the statement.“There is no evidence that ACE was aware of a fraudulent statement,” he said.Yandell’s attorneys provided evidence of the company attempting to influence White months later when the camp drafted a letter to send to 8,000 families outlining what it knew about Newman.ACE, in response, “strongly recommended not to send the letter” and sent a reservation of rights letter, which could exempt the company from covering related legal matters, Martens said.So the email remained unreleased. This lawsuit has unearthed the draft and ACE’s response to the camp, Martens said, and it “gives rise to the concealment and conspiracy.”Another matter Gross will have to consider is whether media reports of Newman’s arrest could nullify the case under the statute of limitations for fraud.In Missouri, claims must be brought within five years of discovering the fraud, and victims have 10 years for discovery.Bryan Wade, an attorney for Kanakuk, said there were court cases and news articles published over five years ago that the Yandell family had access to. Access to the information, he argued, is the same as knowledge, according to other cases.Yandell’s parents didn’t have the responsibility to seek out the other court cases or media reports, Marten said, because of their close personal relationship with White. He said because their friend had “superior knowledge of the facts,” they were exempt from ordinary standards of diligence.Another survivor of Newman’s abuse, in a deposition, told attorneys that he, White and Yandell discussed Newman’s misconduct years ago, Wade said. Importantly, Yandell is the case’s plaintiff — not his parents.But Yandell’s parents told attorneys their discovery of the allegations of abuse was in 2021, when a<a href="https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/frenchpress/they-arent-who-you-think-they-are/" target="_blank">&nbsp;national news article</a>&nbsp;labeled Kanakuk’s situation the “worst Christian sex abuse scandal.”If Gross accepts that 2021 is the year of discovery, the case is still within the statute of limitations.He told attorneys his goal is to submit his judgment “by the end of the year,” though he had a large workload.The case is set for trial in July 2025.

Judge weighs whether Missouri-based Kanakuk defrauded abuse survivor’s family

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are seeking information about a sexual assault and theft that occurred Tuesday morning.

The incident occurred&nbsp; just after 2:30a.m. in a home near W. 97th Street and Reeder in Overland Park, according to Overland Park Police Officer John Lacy.

The victim did not know the suspect but was able to provide a description. The suspect is stocky build, clean-shaven, late twenties to early thirties man. He was last seen wearing a black jacket with a black beanie-style cap. 

EMS transported the victim to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. If you have any information to assist with this investigation, please contact the Overland Park Police Department at 913-890-1413.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732041800750.png" alt="Photo Overland Park Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Overland Park Police</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are seeking information about a sexual assault and theft that occurred Tuesday morning.The incident occurred&nbsp; just after 2:30a.m. in a home near W. 97th Street and Reeder in Overland Park, according to Overland Park Police Officer John Lacy.The victim did not know the suspect but was able to provide a description. The suspect is stocky build, clean-shaven, late twenties to early thirties man. He was last seen wearing a black jacket with a black beanie-style cap. EMS transported the victim to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. If you have any information to assist with this investigation, please contact the Overland Park Police Department at 913-890-1413.&nbsp;

Police investigating sex assault, theft at Kansas home

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

President-elect Donald Trump tapped two Missouri members of the legal team for jobs in the new administration, naming D. John Sauer solicitor general and Will Scharf assistant to the president and White House staff secretary.

Sauer, who lives in the St. Louis suburb of Town and Country, was Missouri solicitor general from 2017 through 2022 under Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt. In that job, he led Missouri’s unsuccessful effort alongside other GOP attorneys general to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/subscriber/messenger-who-provided-the-legal-fuel-for-the-insurrection-missouri-attorney-general-eric-schmitt/article_8d4280f8-95cf-5c6e-a328-4265a70669f7.html" target="_blank">keep Trump in power by challenging the 2020 election results</a>.&nbsp;

More recently, Sauer successfully represented Trump at the U.S. Supreme Court in his bid for immunity from being criminally charged for trying to overturn the 2020 election. The justices voted 6-3 along ideological lines in July to give Trump immunity from some official acts he took as president.

As solicitor general, Sauer will be responsible for litigating the federal government’s positions at the U.S. Supreme Court.

“He is a legit genius, an incredible lawyer and I’m thrilled for him and his family,” Schmitt&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1857203172831384019" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>.&nbsp;

Scharf, who ran&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/07/19/trumps-lawyer-will-scharf-pegs-bid-for-missouri-ag-on-alleged-jeff-city-corruption/">unsuccessfully against Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey</a>&nbsp;in the GOP primary, briefly served in the administration of former Gov. Eric Greitens before moving to Washington, D.C., to work for the advocacy organization Judicial Crisis Network, focused on judicial confirmations and nominations, most notably Justice Brett Kavanaugh.&nbsp;

In 2020, he returned to Missouri to work as an assistant U.S. attorney in St. Louis. Alongside Sauer, Scharf was part of the team advising and defending Trump in his myriad criminal trials over the last year.&nbsp;

In his new job, Scharf will decide which memos, briefings and reports will go to the president and who should weigh in on issues and speeches.

“Will is a highly skilled attorney who will be a crucial part of my White House team,” Trump said in announcing Scharf’s appointment, later adding: “Will is going to make us proud as we Make America Great Again.”

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>President-elect Donald Trump tapped two Missouri members of the legal team for jobs in the new administration, naming D. John Sauer solicitor general and Will Scharf assistant to the president and White House staff secretary.Sauer, who lives in the St. Louis suburb of Town and Country, was Missouri solicitor general from 2017 through 2022 under Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt. In that job, he led Missouri’s unsuccessful effort alongside other GOP attorneys general to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/subscriber/messenger-who-provided-the-legal-fuel-for-the-insurrection-missouri-attorney-general-eric-schmitt/article_8d4280f8-95cf-5c6e-a328-4265a70669f7.html" target="_blank">keep Trump in power by challenging the 2020 election results</a>.&nbsp;More recently, Sauer successfully represented Trump at the U.S. Supreme Court in his bid for immunity from being criminally charged for trying to overturn the 2020 election. The justices voted 6-3 along ideological lines in July to give Trump immunity from some official acts he took as president.As solicitor general, Sauer will be responsible for litigating the federal government’s positions at the U.S. Supreme Court.“He is a legit genius, an incredible lawyer and I’m thrilled for him and his family,” Schmitt&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1857203172831384019" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>.&nbsp;Scharf, who ran&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/07/19/trumps-lawyer-will-scharf-pegs-bid-for-missouri-ag-on-alleged-jeff-city-corruption/">unsuccessfully against Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey</a>&nbsp;in the GOP primary, briefly served in the administration of former Gov. Eric Greitens before moving to Washington, D.C., to work for the advocacy organization Judicial Crisis Network, focused on judicial confirmations and nominations, most notably Justice Brett Kavanaugh.&nbsp;In 2020, he returned to Missouri to work as an assistant U.S. attorney in St. Louis. Alongside Sauer, Scharf was part of the team advising and defending Trump in his myriad criminal trials over the last year.&nbsp;In his new job, Scharf will decide which memos, briefings and reports will go to the president and who should weigh in on issues and speeches.“Will is a highly skilled attorney who will be a crucial part of my White House team,” Trump said in announcing Scharf’s appointment, later adding: “Will is going to make us proud as we Make America Great Again.”

Missouri members of Trump legal team score high profile jobs in administration

Washington, D.C.-&nbsp; Kansas&nbsp;U.S. Senator Roger Marshall and other members of the Senate Ag committee are not happy with Democrat Senate Agriculture Chairman Debbie&nbsp;Stabenow. According to Marshall, she blindsided the Republicans on the bipartisan Ag committee dropping a 1,400-page Farm Bill with no advance notice or cooperation."

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/rural_prosperity_and_food_security_act_of_2024.pdf">here to read&nbsp; the full text of the bill</a>&nbsp;or <a href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/summary_of_the_rural_prosperity_and_food_security_act.pdf">here to read the summary</a>

“This morning, Chairwoman Stabenow released her Farm Bill text—a 1,400-page document that no Republican committee member has reviewed or had the opportunity to collaborate on. This is not a sincere or transparent effort to address the urgent needs of Rural America. Instead, it is a last-minute power play in the final hours- manipulating her majority power in the Senate Ag Committee before losing the gavel. Today's move shows that Senate Democrats have walked away from meaningful bipartisan negotiations that are a tradition in this committee and have opted to play politics with the livelihoods of hard-working farmers and ranchers at a time when Rural America needs real solutions.”&nbsp;

Senator Marshall continued, “Thoughtful negotiation and bipartisan cooperation are essential to delivering a&nbsp;Farmers First&nbsp;Farm Bill that Kansans deserves. Despite Stabenow's attempt to upend the process, as a member of the Senate Ag Committee representing Kansas agriculture, I remain committed to reviewing this bill and advocating for the needs of our farmers and ranchers. With farmers facing record decreases in net farm income, we must put&nbsp;FARM back in the Farm Bill&nbsp;by increasing crop insurance coverage and reference prices for the American farmer.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731969781719.png" alt="Senate Ag Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow of Michigan- courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Senate Ag Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow of Michigan- courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Washington, D.C.-&nbsp; Kansas&nbsp;U.S. Senator Roger Marshall and other members of the Senate Ag committee are not happy with Democrat Senate Agriculture Chairman Debbie&nbsp;Stabenow. According to Marshall, she blindsided the Republicans on the bipartisan Ag committee dropping a 1,400-page Farm Bill with no advance notice or cooperation."Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/rural_prosperity_and_food_security_act_of_2024.pdf">here to read&nbsp; the full text of the bill</a>&nbsp;or <a href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/summary_of_the_rural_prosperity_and_food_security_act.pdf">here to read the summary</a>“This morning, Chairwoman Stabenow released her Farm Bill text—a 1,400-page document that no Republican committee member has reviewed or had the opportunity to collaborate on. This is not a sincere or transparent effort to address the urgent needs of Rural America. Instead, it is a last-minute power play in the final hours- manipulating her majority power in the Senate Ag Committee before losing the gavel. Today's move shows that Senate Democrats have walked away from meaningful bipartisan negotiations that are a tradition in this committee and have opted to play politics with the livelihoods of hard-working farmers and ranchers at a time when Rural America needs real solutions.”&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Disappointed Congress is unable to deliver certainty to Kansas farmers &amp; ranchers by passing a new Farm Bill. Chairwoman Stabenow’s legislation is over a year late and missed the opportunity for bipartisan outcomes. We now focus fully on the Senate Appropriations Committee to…&mdash; Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran/status/1858882846242251086?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Senator Marshall continued, “Thoughtful negotiation and bipartisan cooperation are essential to delivering a&nbsp;Farmers First&nbsp;Farm Bill that Kansans deserves. Despite Stabenow's attempt to upend the process, as a member of the Senate Ag Committee representing Kansas agriculture, I remain committed to reviewing this bill and advocating for the needs of our farmers and ranchers. With farmers facing record decreases in net farm income, we must put&nbsp;FARM back in the Farm Bill&nbsp;by increasing crop insurance coverage and reference prices for the American farmer.”