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.”

Read the latest Farm Bill proposal that has Kan. U.S. Senators unhappy

RAY COUNTY —Law enforcement&nbsp; conducting an officer-involved shooting and a death investigation surrounding a domestic disturbance in Lawson, Missouri have identified the man who died as 26-year-old Brett Yager of Lawson, Missouri and the the child who died wasa 3-year-old boy, according to a media release from he Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Just after 7:30p.m. Sunday, police responded to report of a domestic disturbance at a home in the 200 Block of Montgomery Street in Lawson.

Lawson Police requested assistance from the Ray County sheriff's office. An officer and sheriff's deputy arrived at the scene and were informed a man had been assaulting woman inside the residence. They also learned a child was inside the residence. The male suspect, later identified as Yager, presented a firearm and fired at the officers, striking the Ray County deputy. Officers returned fire and retreated outside the home.&nbsp;

Multiple law enforcement agencies from surrounding jurisdictions responded to assist, including the Clay County Sheriff's Office STAR team.&nbsp; With information that additional gunfire had been heard from inside the home and a child may be held hostage, the Clay County STAR team entered the residence just after 9p.m.&nbsp; Deputies found Yager and the 3-year-old deceased.&nbsp;

EMS transported the deputy to the&nbsp; hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp; The deputy was treated and released&nbsp; Police also found the woman victim from the original call and she was safe.&nbsp; Lawson is located approximately 35 miles north and east of Kansas City, Missouri.

RAY COUNTY —Law enforcement&nbsp; conducting an officer-involved shooting and a death investigation surrounding a domestic disturbance in Lawson, Missouri have identified the man who died as 26-year-old Brett Yager of Lawson, Missouri and the the child who died wasa 3-year-old boy, according to a media release from he Missouri State Highway Patrol.Just after 7:30p.m. Sunday, police responded to report of a domestic disturbance at a home in the 200 Block of Montgomery Street in Lawson.Lawson Police requested assistance from the Ray County sheriff's office. An officer and sheriff's deputy arrived at the scene and were informed a man had been assaulting woman inside the residence. They also learned a child was inside the residence. The male suspect, later identified as Yager, presented a firearm and fired at the officers, striking the Ray County deputy. Officers returned fire and retreated outside the home.&nbsp;Multiple law enforcement agencies from surrounding jurisdictions responded to assist, including the Clay County Sheriff's Office STAR team.&nbsp; With information that additional gunfire had been heard from inside the home and a child may be held hostage, the Clay County STAR team entered the residence just after 9p.m.&nbsp; Deputies found Yager and the 3-year-old deceased.&nbsp;EMS transported the deputy to the&nbsp; hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp; The deputy was treated and released&nbsp; Police also found the woman victim from the original call and she was safe.&nbsp; Lawson is located approximately 35 miles north and east of Kansas City, Missouri.

Patrol confirms 3-year-old Mo. boy died in domestic incident

ALLEN COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 8p.m. Monday in Allen County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Toyota pickup driven by Melany June&nbsp;Felt, 54, Blue Mound, was southbound on U..S. 169 five miles south of U.S. 54.

The pickup crossed the center, crossed the northbound lane of traffic and struck a northbound 2014 Freightliner semi driven by Christopher Lee&nbsp;Keathley, 53, Parsons, on the right shoulder of the highway.

Felt was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Country Side Funeral Home.&nbsp;Keathley was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

ALLEN COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 8p.m. Monday in Allen County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Toyota pickup driven by Melany June&nbsp;Felt, 54, Blue Mound, was southbound on U..S. 169 five miles south of U.S. 54.The pickup crossed the center, crossed the northbound lane of traffic and struck a northbound 2014 Freightliner semi driven by Christopher Lee&nbsp;Keathley, 53, Parsons, on the right shoulder of the highway.Felt was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Country Side Funeral Home.&nbsp;Keathley was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Kansas woman dies after pickup, semi crash

KANSAS CITY —A jury Nov. 15 convicted a Kansas City man of multiple felony charges in connection with the July 23, 2024, fatal shooting of a woman, DL O'Hara, inside an East Side Kansas City residence, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

The jury convicted 70-year-old Juan Maiden of Murder in the 2nd Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon and two counts of Armed Criminal Action. The jury recommended a life sentence on the murder conviction and 15 years on the other convictions. The defendant will be sentenced at an upcoming hearing.

According to court records, Kansas City police officers were dispatched to the residence and found the victim's sister outside, with a neighbor. They informed officers that a shooting victim was inside with the defendant. 

Officers entered the house through a window, knowing the victim was inside suffering from gunshot. Officers found the victim and got her out of the residence through the window. She was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced deceased. A witness told police she was talking to the victim when the defendant shot the victim. Officers eventually located the defendant in the basement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722171295792.png" alt="Maiden photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Maiden photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A jury Nov. 15 convicted a Kansas City man of multiple felony charges in connection with the July 23, 2024, fatal shooting of a woman, DL O'Hara, inside an East Side Kansas City residence, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.The jury convicted 70-year-old Juan Maiden of Murder in the 2nd Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon and two counts of Armed Criminal Action. The jury recommended a life sentence on the murder conviction and 15 years on the other convictions. The defendant will be sentenced at an upcoming hearing.According to court records, Kansas City police officers were dispatched to the residence and found the victim's sister outside, with a neighbor. They informed officers that a shooting victim was inside with the defendant. Officers entered the house through a window, knowing the victim was inside suffering from gunshot. Officers found the victim and got her out of the residence through the window. She was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced deceased. A witness told police she was talking to the victim when the defendant shot the victim. Officers eventually located the defendant in the basement.

70-year-old guilty of shooting woman in Kansas City home

Nun warns of impact mass deportation on child welfare system

BY: BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ghills/">GRACE HILLS</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

Sherry Lesher stood before lawmakers Thursday holding a photo of her son — who died seven years ago in state custody — pleading for reform.

In 2017, Lesher’s 17-year-old son, A.J. Iverson, died by drug overdose. The day before he died, Lesher begged Saint Francis Ministries, one of the state’s foster care contractors, to take Iverson to a psychiatric residential treatment facility. Saint Francis sent a therapist to his home, but when Iverson, a teenager who struggled with substance abuse, impulsive decision making and who had an autism diagnosis, promised he wouldn’t do drugs again, the contractor refused to intervene. Iverson died in his sleep that night.

Lesher and Iverson’s sister, Ashley Crego, have spent years calling for reform. Last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/06/30/parents-plead-for-accountability-and-support-from-kansas-foster-care-system/">Lesher held her son’s ashes up to lawmakers asking for change</a>.&nbsp;

On Thursday, as&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/11/14/kansas-foster-care-compliance-report-raises-concern-with-sleep-only-placement-of-children/">part of two days of hearings</a>&nbsp;aimed at evaluating the state’s progress on child welfare, Lesher continued the fight.&nbsp;

“I don’t want to keep doing this,” Lesher said. “I want to grieve my son, without having Saint Francis attached to it, but I’m still waiting for the state to do the right thing by us in every way possible. These kids — we are losing them.”

The hearings before the joint committee on child welfare system oversight offered a public comment section Thursday. Sister Therese Bangert, social justice coordinator for the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth shared a wide range of concerns for the child welfare system.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

With President-elect Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/inside-trumps-plan-mass-deportations-who-wants-stop-him-2024-11-06/" target="_blank">promises of mass deportations</a>, Sister Therese brought forward concerns for vulnerable children who are citizens but whose parents are not.&nbsp;

“I want to lift up some of the children that are on my heart these days,” Bangert said. “If the mass deportations are carried through, we will have citizen children in Kansas who will lose a mother or father, sister or brother and more. I believe we will have families losing the person who financially supports them. Please be mindful of the needs of these children and their extended families and how we will address these needs.”

She encouraged committee members to consider the words of Republican Senate President Ty Masterson, who said children don’t care if someone is a Republican or Democrat.

A 2018 class-action lawsuit against the state that challenged the state’s poor treatment of foster children led to a settlement that agreed on deadlines for making gradual improvements to the foster care system. At Wednesday’s committee meeting, court-appointed monitor for the improvements Judith Meltzer said&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/11/14/kansas-foster-care-compliance-report-raises-concern-with-sleep-only-placement-of-children/">the state failed to meet the majority of the targets</a>.&nbsp;

Meltzer found that there was a decline in delivery of behavioral and mental health services. Those were the services Lesher requested back in 2017 for her son.&nbsp;

Laura Howard, secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families, acknowledged the deficiencies, but pointed to the lowering number of children in foster care — 7,600 in June 2019 compared to 5,800 in June 2024.&nbsp;

When some parents, like Lesher, aren’t provided the help they need for their children, some children are relinquished to the foster care system or end up at psychiatric residential treatment facilities. In 2023,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-03-14/some-kansas-families-say-even-foster-care-isnt-equipped-for-their-high-needs-kids" target="_blank">the state removed 57 children with special needs</a>&nbsp;from their homes because their families could not meet their level of care.

When Iverson was 4, Lesher applied for the intellectual and developmental disability waiver but never received help. The current waitlist to access these services is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.drckansas.org/resource-center/hcbs/endthewait#:~:text=Currently%2C%20the%20waitlist%20to%20access,and%20tailored%20to%20the%20individual." target="_blank">about nine years</a>, meaning children often age out before they can access them. Democratic&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/03/15/state-budget-blueprint-leaves-out-kansans-who-need-state-disability-services/">Gov. Laura Kelly proposed $23 million</a>&nbsp;to assist the families waiting on disability waivers, which Republicans opposed.&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/10/24/kansas-disability-waitlists-see-major-progress-after-legislative-action/">Republicans invested $17.8 million in the waivers</a>, and have successfully reduced the waitlists.&nbsp;

Iverson was placed in family preservation services, meaning he stayed with his family but was given a foster care caseworker. Lesher said she spent Iverson’s entire life fighting for him to get support he never received.&nbsp;

Iverson’s sister, Ashley Crego, stood by Lesher at the 2023 committee meeting. This year, note the disillusionment she feels, she provided a written statement instead of appearing in-person.

“This is going to keep happening to other families in a multitude of ways,” Crego wrote. “This is what we were trying to prevent. Agencies will change their names and pass any accountability onto the next and leave a trail of dead kids, or kids that ‘fell through the cracks’ in their path and if it turns a profit, no one will bat an eye.

“You will all go home to your families and mine will go home to A.J.’s urn. These meetings in the last two years have made me lose every bit of faith in any regulatory system or oversight committee and that has been the most discouraging thing of all.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731965940288.png" alt=" Sherry Lesher, a mother whose son died in state custody, holds a photo of her son during a Nov. 14, 2024, meeting of the child welfare oversight committee, begging lawmakers for reform. To the left is Sister Therese Bangert, social justice coordinator for the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature video)" />
 <figcaption> Sherry Lesher, a mother whose son died in state custody, holds a photo of her son during a Nov. 14, 2024, meeting of the child welfare oversight committee, begging lawmakers for reform. To the left is Sister Therese Bangert, social justice coordinator for the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature video)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Nun warns of impact mass deportation on child welfare system</h2>BY: BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ghills/">GRACE HILLS</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>Sherry Lesher stood before lawmakers Thursday holding a photo of her son — who died seven years ago in state custody — pleading for reform.In 2017, Lesher’s 17-year-old son, A.J. Iverson, died by drug overdose. The day before he died, Lesher begged Saint Francis Ministries, one of the state’s foster care contractors, to take Iverson to a psychiatric residential treatment facility. Saint Francis sent a therapist to his home, but when Iverson, a teenager who struggled with substance abuse, impulsive decision making and who had an autism diagnosis, promised he wouldn’t do drugs again, the contractor refused to intervene. Iverson died in his sleep that night.Lesher and Iverson’s sister, Ashley Crego, have spent years calling for reform. Last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/06/30/parents-plead-for-accountability-and-support-from-kansas-foster-care-system/">Lesher held her son’s ashes up to lawmakers asking for change</a>.&nbsp;On Thursday, as&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/11/14/kansas-foster-care-compliance-report-raises-concern-with-sleep-only-placement-of-children/">part of two days of hearings</a>&nbsp;aimed at evaluating the state’s progress on child welfare, Lesher continued the fight.&nbsp;“I don’t want to keep doing this,” Lesher said. “I want to grieve my son, without having Saint Francis attached to it, but I’m still waiting for the state to do the right thing by us in every way possible. These kids — we are losing them.”The hearings before the joint committee on child welfare system oversight offered a public comment section Thursday. Sister Therese Bangert, social justice coordinator for the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth shared a wide range of concerns for the child welfare system.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With President-elect Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/inside-trumps-plan-mass-deportations-who-wants-stop-him-2024-11-06/" target="_blank">promises of mass deportations</a>, Sister Therese brought forward concerns for vulnerable children who are citizens but whose parents are not.&nbsp;“I want to lift up some of the children that are on my heart these days,” Bangert said. “If the mass deportations are carried through, we will have citizen children in Kansas who will lose a mother or father, sister or brother and more. I believe we will have families losing the person who financially supports them. Please be mindful of the needs of these children and their extended families and how we will address these needs.”She encouraged committee members to consider the words of Republican Senate President Ty Masterson, who said children don’t care if someone is a Republican or Democrat.A 2018 class-action lawsuit against the state that challenged the state’s poor treatment of foster children led to a settlement that agreed on deadlines for making gradual improvements to the foster care system. At Wednesday’s committee meeting, court-appointed monitor for the improvements Judith Meltzer said&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/11/14/kansas-foster-care-compliance-report-raises-concern-with-sleep-only-placement-of-children/">the state failed to meet the majority of the targets</a>.&nbsp;Meltzer found that there was a decline in delivery of behavioral and mental health services. Those were the services Lesher requested back in 2017 for her son.&nbsp;Laura Howard, secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families, acknowledged the deficiencies, but pointed to the lowering number of children in foster care — 7,600 in June 2019 compared to 5,800 in June 2024.&nbsp;When some parents, like Lesher, aren’t provided the help they need for their children, some children are relinquished to the foster care system or end up at psychiatric residential treatment facilities. In 2023,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-03-14/some-kansas-families-say-even-foster-care-isnt-equipped-for-their-high-needs-kids" target="_blank">the state removed 57 children with special needs</a>&nbsp;from their homes because their families could not meet their level of care.When Iverson was 4, Lesher applied for the intellectual and developmental disability waiver but never received help. The current waitlist to access these services is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.drckansas.org/resource-center/hcbs/endthewait#:~:text=Currently%2C%20the%20waitlist%20to%20access,and%20tailored%20to%20the%20individual." target="_blank">about nine years</a>, meaning children often age out before they can access them. Democratic&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/03/15/state-budget-blueprint-leaves-out-kansans-who-need-state-disability-services/">Gov. Laura Kelly proposed $23 million</a>&nbsp;to assist the families waiting on disability waivers, which Republicans opposed.&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/10/24/kansas-disability-waitlists-see-major-progress-after-legislative-action/">Republicans invested $17.8 million in the waivers</a>, and have successfully reduced the waitlists.&nbsp;Iverson was placed in family preservation services, meaning he stayed with his family but was given a foster care caseworker. Lesher said she spent Iverson’s entire life fighting for him to get support he never received.&nbsp;Iverson’s sister, Ashley Crego, stood by Lesher at the 2023 committee meeting. This year, note the disillusionment she feels, she provided a written statement instead of appearing in-person.“This is going to keep happening to other families in a multitude of ways,” Crego wrote. “This is what we were trying to prevent. Agencies will change their names and pass any accountability onto the next and leave a trail of dead kids, or kids that ‘fell through the cracks’ in their path and if it turns a profit, no one will bat an eye.“You will all go home to your families and mine will go home to A.J.’s urn. These meetings in the last two years have made me lose every bit of faith in any regulatory system or oversight committee and that has been the most discouraging thing of all.”

Mother returns to Kansas Statehouse with photo of boy who died in foster care, pleading for change

ALLEN COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 4:30a.m. Monday in Allen County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Dodge Dakota driven by Eric Leon&nbsp;Guenther, 57, Humboldt, was northbound on 800th Road&nbsp; just north of Delaware Road and one mile west of Humboldt.

The Dodge went into a spin and struck a southbound 2003 Ford Ranger driven by Steven&nbsp;Yost, 53, Humboldt, head-on.&nbsp;

EMS transported Guenther to&nbsp;Allen County Regional Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.&nbsp; EMS transported Yost to Neosho Memorial Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

ALLEN COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 4:30a.m. Monday in Allen County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Dodge Dakota driven by Eric Leon&nbsp;Guenther, 57, Humboldt, was northbound on 800th Road&nbsp; just north of Delaware Road and one mile west of Humboldt.The Dodge went into a spin and struck a southbound 2003 Ford Ranger driven by Steven&nbsp;Yost, 53, Humboldt, head-on.&nbsp;EMS transported Guenther to&nbsp;Allen County Regional Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.&nbsp; EMS transported Yost to Neosho Memorial Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Kansas driver dead, another injured after head-on pickup crash

Almost 10,000 votes not reported on Election Day in Christian County go heavily against Amendment 2, while small changes elsewhere in the state add to majority.

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

A late report adding nearly 10,000 votes to Christian County’s election results has narrowed the margin&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/06/missouri-voters-narrowly-approve-sports-betting-amendment/">for Missouri’s sports betting amendment</a>&nbsp;and put it in range for a possible recount.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://ccmoelections.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/OFFICIAL_Election_Summary.pdf" target="_blank">official results</a>&nbsp;from Christian County, certified last week, increased the county’s vote total on Amendment 2 by 9,653, with a margin of 3,995 votes against sports betting among the additional ballots. Added to the statewide tally maintained by the Secretary of State’s office, just that change would shrink the statewide margin from a 4,363-vote majority on Election Day to a mere 368 votes as of Monday out of nearly 3 million votes cast.

But other changes will be made as the 116 election jurisdictions around the state certify their results, a process that must be completed by Tuesday. The Independent checked websites for the 50 counties with the highest number of votes on Amendment 2, finding official results in 25.

In most of those jurisdictions, a few dozen, or at most, a few hundred additional votes were reported in the final tallies. With those votes included, the majority for Amendment 2 stood at 720 votes.

That would be well within the 0.5% margin for a recount if it is requested. A recount would not be automatic.

None of the eight largest voting jurisdictions, representing half the total statewide vote, have certified final results. All eight passed Amendment 2 by strong majorities.

Final state certification of the results must occur by Dec. 10. Any recount would take place after that certification.

Jack Cardetti, spokesman for Winning for Missouri Education, which backed Amendment 2, said the campaign is confident the margin will hold up. The counties that have certified the Nov. 5 results include many where the majority went against the amendment but the additional votes reported favor the proposal.

“The fact that even the provisional ballots are coming in on the net side for us is good, so you can imagine what St. Louis and Kansas City will show,” Cardetti said.

The campaign is monitoring the final certifications, he said.

“We’re gonna watch them very carefully today and tomorrow as they come in,” he said.

The reason Christian County reported 40,622 ballots for Amendment 2 on election night and 50,275 in the official results is because of the huge volume of early votes received and limitations imposed by the ballot counting equipment, said Eryn Flood, deputy clerk and director of elections.

County clerks must accept ballots from overseas military voters that arrive by the Friday after an election as well as tallying any provisional ballots determined to be valid, Flood said.

“With us having such a high volume of absentees, we were running out of machines, and so we had to keep three machines open to ensure that we had enough room for Friday,” Flood said.

This was the first presidential election where Missourians had two weeks of “<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/10/30/increasing-every-day-voters-line-up-across-missouri-for-chance-to-cast-ballot-early/">no excuse absentee voting</a>” to cast ballots before Election Day. Hundreds of thousands of voters took advantage of the law.

“We might have to look into, for presidential elections at least, having more machines,” Flood said. “I don’t think the entire state of Missouri was ready for the amount of people coming in their offices to vote.”

Of the counties that have certified their results, the largest number of additional votes for Amendment 2 were reported in Boone County, where an additional 243 “yes” votes were reported against 115 additional “no” votes.

If the margin remains at about 700 votes, that would be a majority of 0.03% of the statewide vote, well within the 0.5% margin that would&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=115.601&amp;bid=6240&amp;hl=" target="_blank">qualify it for a recount</a>. JoDonn Chaney, spokesman for Secretary of State Jay Aschcroft, said Monday that the recount must be requested by someone representing the campaign against the amendment.

“Only certain groups, not anybody, can request it,” Chaney said.

In an email, Chaney said Ashcroft and previous secretaries have interpreted the law to mean only people with a direct interest in the issue can request a recount.

“As we are not an adjudicatory body, any change in this interpretation would need to come from the courts,” Chaney said.

Winning for Missouri Education raised the most money in Missouri history for a ballot measure, spending nearly $40 million to get on the ballot and advertise during the fall campaign. The opposition, Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment, raised $15 million to defeat it but&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/opponents-of-missouri-sports-betting-amendment-pull-tv-ads-in-campaigns-homestretch/">pulled its ads</a>&nbsp;three weeks before the election.

“We have no plans to request a recount at this time,” Brooke Foster, spokeswoman for the opponents, said Monday.

The language in state law, however, doesn’t limit recount requests to groups formally organized to oppose a ballot measure. The last statewide recount of a ballot measure was in 2014, when Amendment 1, known as the Right to Farm amendment, passed by 2,490 votes during the Aug. 5, 2014, primary.

Wes Shoemyer, a former state lawmaker, was the treasurer for Missouri’s Food for America, which opposed the Right to Farm amendment. He&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/ElectionResultsStatistics/RecountRequest.pdf" target="_blank">requested a recount</a>, but it was based on his status as a voter who opposed the measure, not his position with the opposition campaign.

“The voter has more rights than the treasurer,” Shoemyer said. “Anybody who wants to come out and say they voted no can ask for it.”

Recounts rarely change the outcome of an election but it was important to make sure, Shoemyer said. On the Right to Farm amendment, the majority&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/ElectionResultsStatistics/RecountCertification.pdf" target="_blank">narrowed to 2,375 votes</a>.

“You might get lucky, man,” Shoemyer said. “We were less than one quarter of 1%, and things have been counted wrong. You know, mistakes have been made.”

The backers of Amendment 2 are confident they will prevail in the official tallies and any recount&nbsp;

“We’re watching the votes come in extremely carefully here, but we feel really good about where we’re at,” Cardetti said. “We’re going to win this election when every last vote comes in.”

<h2>Almost 10,000 votes not reported on Election Day in Christian County go heavily against Amendment 2, while small changes elsewhere in the state add to majority.</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>A late report adding nearly 10,000 votes to Christian County’s election results has narrowed the margin&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/06/missouri-voters-narrowly-approve-sports-betting-amendment/">for Missouri’s sports betting amendment</a>&nbsp;and put it in range for a possible recount.The&nbsp;<a href="https://ccmoelections.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/OFFICIAL_Election_Summary.pdf" target="_blank">official results</a>&nbsp;from Christian County, certified last week, increased the county’s vote total on Amendment 2 by 9,653, with a margin of 3,995 votes against sports betting among the additional ballots. Added to the statewide tally maintained by the Secretary of State’s office, just that change would shrink the statewide margin from a 4,363-vote majority on Election Day to a mere 368 votes as of Monday out of nearly 3 million votes cast.But other changes will be made as the 116 election jurisdictions around the state certify their results, a process that must be completed by Tuesday. The Independent checked websites for the 50 counties with the highest number of votes on Amendment 2, finding official results in 25.In most of those jurisdictions, a few dozen, or at most, a few hundred additional votes were reported in the final tallies. With those votes included, the majority for Amendment 2 stood at 720 votes.That would be well within the 0.5% margin for a recount if it is requested. A recount would not be automatic.None of the eight largest voting jurisdictions, representing half the total statewide vote, have certified final results. All eight passed Amendment 2 by strong majorities.Final state certification of the results must occur by Dec. 10. Any recount would take place after that certification.Jack Cardetti, spokesman for Winning for Missouri Education, which backed Amendment 2, said the campaign is confident the margin will hold up. The counties that have certified the Nov. 5 results include many where the majority went against the amendment but the additional votes reported favor the proposal.“The fact that even the provisional ballots are coming in on the net side for us is good, so you can imagine what St. Louis and Kansas City will show,” Cardetti said.The campaign is monitoring the final certifications, he said.“We’re gonna watch them very carefully today and tomorrow as they come in,” he said.The reason Christian County reported 40,622 ballots for Amendment 2 on election night and 50,275 in the official results is because of the huge volume of early votes received and limitations imposed by the ballot counting equipment, said Eryn Flood, deputy clerk and director of elections.County clerks must accept ballots from overseas military voters that arrive by the Friday after an election as well as tallying any provisional ballots determined to be valid, Flood said.“With us having such a high volume of absentees, we were running out of machines, and so we had to keep three machines open to ensure that we had enough room for Friday,” Flood said.This was the first presidential election where Missourians had two weeks of “<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/10/30/increasing-every-day-voters-line-up-across-missouri-for-chance-to-cast-ballot-early/">no excuse absentee voting</a>” to cast ballots before Election Day. Hundreds of thousands of voters took advantage of the law.“We might have to look into, for presidential elections at least, having more machines,” Flood said. “I don’t think the entire state of Missouri was ready for the amount of people coming in their offices to vote.”Of the counties that have certified their results, the largest number of additional votes for Amendment 2 were reported in Boone County, where an additional 243 “yes” votes were reported against 115 additional “no” votes.If the margin remains at about 700 votes, that would be a majority of 0.03% of the statewide vote, well within the 0.5% margin that would&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=115.601&amp;bid=6240&amp;hl=" target="_blank">qualify it for a recount</a>. JoDonn Chaney, spokesman for Secretary of State Jay Aschcroft, said Monday that the recount must be requested by someone representing the campaign against the amendment.“Only certain groups, not anybody, can request it,” Chaney said.In an email, Chaney said Ashcroft and previous secretaries have interpreted the law to mean only people with a direct interest in the issue can request a recount.“As we are not an adjudicatory body, any change in this interpretation would need to come from the courts,” Chaney said.Winning for Missouri Education raised the most money in Missouri history for a ballot measure, spending nearly $40 million to get on the ballot and advertise during the fall campaign. The opposition, Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment, raised $15 million to defeat it but&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/opponents-of-missouri-sports-betting-amendment-pull-tv-ads-in-campaigns-homestretch/">pulled its ads</a>&nbsp;three weeks before the election.“We have no plans to request a recount at this time,” Brooke Foster, spokeswoman for the opponents, said Monday.The language in state law, however, doesn’t limit recount requests to groups formally organized to oppose a ballot measure. The last statewide recount of a ballot measure was in 2014, when Amendment 1, known as the Right to Farm amendment, passed by 2,490 votes during the Aug. 5, 2014, primary.Wes Shoemyer, a former state lawmaker, was the treasurer for Missouri’s Food for America, which opposed the Right to Farm amendment. He&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/ElectionResultsStatistics/RecountRequest.pdf" target="_blank">requested a recount</a>, but it was based on his status as a voter who opposed the measure, not his position with the opposition campaign.“The voter has more rights than the treasurer,” Shoemyer said. “Anybody who wants to come out and say they voted no can ask for it.”Recounts rarely change the outcome of an election but it was important to make sure, Shoemyer said. On the Right to Farm amendment, the majority&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/ElectionResultsStatistics/RecountCertification.pdf" target="_blank">narrowed to 2,375 votes</a>.“You might get lucky, man,” Shoemyer said. “We were less than one quarter of 1%, and things have been counted wrong. You know, mistakes have been made.”The backers of Amendment 2 are confident they will prevail in the official tallies and any recount&nbsp;“We’re watching the votes come in extremely carefully here, but we feel really good about where we’re at,” Cardetti said. “We’re going to win this election when every last vote comes in.”

Margin on Missouri sports betting amendment narrows as counties tally official results

RAY COUNTY&nbsp;—Law enforcement are conducting an officer-involved shooting and a death investigation surrounding a domestic disturbance in Lawson, Missouri, according to a media release from he Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Lawson Police requested assistance from the Ray County sheriff's office. An officer and sheriff's deputy arrived at the scene and were informed a man had been assaulting woman inside the residence. They also learned a child was inside the residence. The male suspect presented a firearm and fired at the officers, striking the Ray County deputy. Officers returned fire and retreated outside the home.&nbsp;

Multiple law enforcement agencies from surrounding jurisdictions responded to assist including the Clay County Sheriff's office STAR team.&nbsp; With information that additional gunfire had been heard from inside the home and a child may be held hostage, the Clay County STAR team entered the residence just after 9p.m.&nbsp; Deputies found the man and a juvenile deceased.&nbsp;

EMS transported the deputy to the&nbsp; hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp; The deputy was treated and released&nbsp; Police also found the woman victim from the original call and she was safe.

RAY COUNTY&nbsp;—Law enforcement are conducting an officer-involved shooting and a death investigation surrounding a domestic disturbance in Lawson, Missouri, according to a media release from he Missouri State Highway Patrol.Just after 7:30p.m. Sunday, police responded to report of a domestic disturbance at a home in the 200 Block of Montgomery Street in Lawson.Lawson Police requested assistance from the Ray County sheriff's office. An officer and sheriff's deputy arrived at the scene and were informed a man had been assaulting woman inside the residence. They also learned a child was inside the residence. The male suspect presented a firearm and fired at the officers, striking the Ray County deputy. Officers returned fire and retreated outside the home.&nbsp;Multiple law enforcement agencies from surrounding jurisdictions responded to assist including the Clay County Sheriff's office STAR team.&nbsp; With information that additional gunfire had been heard from inside the home and a child may be held hostage, the Clay County STAR team entered the residence just after 9p.m.&nbsp; Deputies found the man and a juvenile deceased.&nbsp;EMS transported the deputy to the&nbsp; hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp; The deputy was treated and released&nbsp; Police also found the woman victim from the original call and she was safe.

Child and man dead, Mo. deputy wounded after assault led to police shooting 

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a weekend shooting have made an arrest.

Just after 2 a.m. Saturday, police&nbsp;responded to a reported shooting in the 400 block of SW Lincoln in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Edwrd Stanley.

First responders found an individual who had life-threatening injuries and they were transported to a local hospital.

Just after 5:30 p.m. Saturday, police took 21-year-old William E. A. Hill of Topeka into custody on requested charges of Aggravated Battery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731882145533.png" alt="Hill photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Hill photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a weekend shooting have made an arrest.Just after 2 a.m. Saturday, police&nbsp;responded to a reported shooting in the 400 block of SW Lincoln in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Edwrd Stanley.First responders found an individual who had life-threatening injuries and they were transported to a local hospital.Just after 5:30 p.m. Saturday, police took 21-year-old William E. A. Hill of Topeka into custody on requested charges of Aggravated Battery.

Kan. shooting sent victim to the hospital with critical injuries

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas is expected to take in about $72 million less in tax revenue next year than initial estimates projected, officials said.

The revised state revenue estimate announced Friday is the first since Gov. Laura Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/21/gov-kelly-signs-tax-reduction-bill-passed-with-bipartisan-majorities-in-special-session/">signed a major bipartisan tax cut bill</a>&nbsp;in June, which is expected to slash state taxes by $1.2 billion in the next two and a half years.

The new estimate contained updated projections for state general fund revenue for fiscal year 2025, which ends in June.&nbsp;

Officials estimated the state government will take in about $9.73 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2025, which is a 4%, or $400 million, decrease from 2024 total receipts. While tax revenues are expected to decrease in 2025, estimates for other revenue sources increased by more than $12 million.

The revised estimate is crafted through a consensus process with state officials and three consulting economists from state universities. Kelly and the Legislature will use the revised estimate to inform the annual budget process.&nbsp;

Officials also presented their first estimates for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 2025, and they predicted $9.85 billion in revenue, an increase from the revised fiscal year 2025 estimate.

In the spring, when officials last updated the state’s revenue estimates, the state’s revenue and economy were deemed “stable,” said Shirley Morrow, director of the Kansas Legislative Research Department, at a Friday press conference.&nbsp;

“That is relatively the same,” Morrow said.

However, some risks still exist, she said. Among them are persistent inflation, high interest rates, potential global geopolitical impacts on commodities, and price declines in the agricultural sector that began in 2023.

Over the past year, overall “farm financial conditions have deteriorated,” she said.

“We still have worries over drought conditions, which seem to have gotten a little worse over most of the state,” she said.

Following officials’ spring estimate, the number of open jobs and the number of available employees have moved closer together, and Kansas jobs have grown by 20,500, Morrow said. But job openings continue to outpace the number of unemployed individuals.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664035042806.png" alt="A new state revenue estimate shows the state collecting $72 million less than expected in the current fiscal year, and $400 million less than the previous year." />
 <figcaption>A new state revenue estimate shows the state collecting $72 million less than expected in the current fiscal year, and $400 million less than the previous year.</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansas is expected to take in about $72 million less in tax revenue next year than initial estimates projected, officials said.The revised state revenue estimate announced Friday is the first since Gov. Laura Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/21/gov-kelly-signs-tax-reduction-bill-passed-with-bipartisan-majorities-in-special-session/">signed a major bipartisan tax cut bill</a>&nbsp;in June, which is expected to slash state taxes by $1.2 billion in the next two and a half years.The new estimate contained updated projections for state general fund revenue for fiscal year 2025, which ends in June.&nbsp;Officials estimated the state government will take in about $9.73 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2025, which is a 4%, or $400 million, decrease from 2024 total receipts. While tax revenues are expected to decrease in 2025, estimates for other revenue sources increased by more than $12 million.The revised estimate is crafted through a consensus process with state officials and three consulting economists from state universities. Kelly and the Legislature will use the revised estimate to inform the annual budget process.&nbsp;Officials also presented their first estimates for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 2025, and they predicted $9.85 billion in revenue, an increase from the revised fiscal year 2025 estimate.In the spring, when officials last updated the state’s revenue estimates, the state’s revenue and economy were deemed “stable,” said Shirley Morrow, director of the Kansas Legislative Research Department, at a Friday press conference.&nbsp;“That is relatively the same,” Morrow said.However, some risks still exist, she said. Among them are persistent inflation, high interest rates, potential global geopolitical impacts on commodities, and price declines in the agricultural sector that began in 2023.Over the past year, overall “farm financial conditions have deteriorated,” she said.“We still have worries over drought conditions, which seem to have gotten a little worse over most of the state,” she said.Following officials’ spring estimate, the number of open jobs and the number of available employees have moved closer together, and Kansas jobs have grown by 20,500, Morrow said. But job openings continue to outpace the number of unemployed individuals.

Kansas tax revenue projected to decline by $72M after tax cut bill

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating deadly shooting in a Kansas City area restaurant parking lot.

Just before 11p.m. Saturday, police responded to a shooting in the parking lot of Twin Peaks,&nbsp;19821 E Jackson Drive in Independence, according to a media release from police.

First responders found a man with a gunshot wound lying in the parking lot. EMS transported him to a local hospital where he were pronounced deceased. Police took a person of interest into custody at the scene.

Anyone with information on this case can call the Crimestoppers TIPS Hotline to leave a tip. The number is 816-474-8477.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731895216611.png" alt="First responders on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KMBC" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KMBC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating deadly shooting in a Kansas City area restaurant parking lot.Just before 11p.m. Saturday, police responded to a shooting in the parking lot of Twin Peaks,&nbsp;19821 E Jackson Drive in Independence, according to a media release from police.First responders found a man with a gunshot wound lying in the parking lot. EMS transported him to a local hospital where he were pronounced deceased. Police took a person of interest into custody at the scene.Anyone with information on this case can call the Crimestoppers TIPS Hotline to leave a tip. The number is 816-474-8477.

Police: Fatal shooting in KC area restaurant parking lot

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A California man was sentenced to 240 months in prison after soliciting and receiving child pornography.

According to court documents, Timothy Vigil, 38, of Lemore, California pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.

In 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Jordan Escobar, 18, of Kansas City, Kansas. Escobar admitted to recording child sexual abuse material then distributing it on an online platform.&nbsp; After reviewing Escobar’s electronic devices and a subsequent investigation, agents identified Timothy Vigil as the owner of an account to which Escobar sent the images. 

Vigil direct messaged Escobar specifically requesting materials containing child pornography.

Between December 2023 and January 2024, Vigil also distributed 29 MEGA links to other platform users that contained child sexual abuse material, including more than 3,000 videos.

Escobar pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography and is awaiting sentencing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731440111988.png" alt="Escobar photo Wyandotte County" />
 <figcaption>Escobar photo Wyandotte County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A California man was sentenced to 240 months in prison after soliciting and receiving child pornography.According to court documents, Timothy Vigil, 38, of Lemore, California pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.In 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Jordan Escobar, 18, of Kansas City, Kansas. Escobar admitted to recording child sexual abuse material then distributing it on an online platform.&nbsp; After reviewing Escobar’s electronic devices and a subsequent investigation, agents identified Timothy Vigil as the owner of an account to which Escobar sent the images. Vigil direct messaged Escobar specifically requesting materials containing child pornography.Between December 2023 and January 2024, Vigil also distributed 29 MEGA links to other platform users that contained child sexual abuse material, including more than 3,000 videos.Escobar pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography and is awaiting sentencing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case.

Kansas teen recorded child sex abuse, sent it to California man

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating an officer-involved shooting that sent one person to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a media release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control.

Just before 12:30a.m. Sunday, a trooper initiated a traffic stop for speeding on northbound Interstate 35 just south of Missouri 210 Highway in Clay County.

The driver failed to yield and accelerated north before exiting the highway and traveling back southbound on Interstate 35 into Jackson County.&nbsp;

A helicopter from the Kansas Highway Patrol was monitoring the pursuit on a regional communications channel and arrived overhead. Missouri Troopers on the ground discontinued the pursuit, remained in the area and followed updates from the KHP helicopter. The KHP helicopter was eventually requited to return to Kansas on another call.

MSHP Troopers proceeded to the last known location of the suspect vehicle and at 12:40a.m. relocated it. The suspect vehicle came to a stop at Linwood Boulevard and Van Brunt Avenue. Troopers attempted to prevent the suspect from fleeing a second time by placing vehicles in front and behind the suspect vehicle.

As troopers exited their patrol vehicles, the driver reversed, struck one of the patrol vehicles and began traveling forward in the path of a trooper standing outside of his patrol vehicle. The trooper fired his duty weapon at the suspect vehicle. The suspect continued to drive away, traveling onto westbound Interstate 70 before exiting at Prospect Avenue.&nbsp; The vehicle came to a stop at Prospect and 13th Street after becoming disabled.

The driver ran from the vehicle but was taken into custody. Troopers also detained two passengers from the vehicle. One had a gunshot wounds.&nbsp; Troopers provided medical attention until EMS arrived and transported the passenger to a local hospital for treatment. No troopers were injured.&nbsp;

The Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control and the KCMO Police Department are investigating the incident and collecting evidence. Police have not released the names of those involved or possible charges.

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating an officer-involved shooting that sent one person to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a media release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control.Just before 12:30a.m. Sunday, a trooper initiated a traffic stop for speeding on northbound Interstate 35 just south of Missouri 210 Highway in Clay County.The driver failed to yield and accelerated north before exiting the highway and traveling back southbound on Interstate 35 into Jackson County.&nbsp;A helicopter from the Kansas Highway Patrol was monitoring the pursuit on a regional communications channel and arrived overhead. Missouri Troopers on the ground discontinued the pursuit, remained in the area and followed updates from the KHP helicopter. The KHP helicopter was eventually requited to return to Kansas on another call.MSHP Troopers proceeded to the last known location of the suspect vehicle and at 12:40a.m. relocated it. The suspect vehicle came to a stop at Linwood Boulevard and Van Brunt Avenue. Troopers attempted to prevent the suspect from fleeing a second time by placing vehicles in front and behind the suspect vehicle.As troopers exited their patrol vehicles, the driver reversed, struck one of the patrol vehicles and began traveling forward in the path of a trooper standing outside of his patrol vehicle. The trooper fired his duty weapon at the suspect vehicle. The suspect continued to drive away, traveling onto westbound Interstate 70 before exiting at Prospect Avenue.&nbsp; The vehicle came to a stop at Prospect and 13th Street after becoming disabled.The driver ran from the vehicle but was taken into custody. Troopers also detained two passengers from the vehicle. One had a gunshot wounds.&nbsp; Troopers provided medical attention until EMS arrived and transported the passenger to a local hospital for treatment. No troopers were injured.&nbsp;The Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control and the KCMO Police Department are investigating the incident and collecting evidence. Police have not released the names of those involved or possible charges.