COWLEY COUNTY —The search for a missing Kansas woman who was last seen on May 14 continues, according to Cowley County Sheriff Dave Faletti.

On May 20,&nbsp; Cowley County Sheriff’s Deputies were alerted to the discovery of a vehicle linked to a Silver Alert for 81-year-old Jerry McConnell issued in Overland Park, Kansas. The vehicle was located on private property in a remote area near the 4000 block of 327th Road.

Surveillance from a Flock safety camera showed the vehicle traveling west on US Highway 160 entering Cowley County on the evening of May 15 at approximately 5:20 p.m. Upon discovery of the vehicle, a multi-agency search effort was launched. Responding units included the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office, Blue Line Trackers, Cowley County CERT volunteers, Kansas Highway Patrol, and other local partners. The initial search was suspended at nightfall and resumed the following morning, May 21, with the aid of two different Kansas Search and Rescue, who brought in specialized canine teams.

Since that time, additional search efforts have been conducted each day this week. Despite extensive ground and air searches, along with search and rescue dive teams from Augusta Fire and Rescue, no new leads have been discovered regarding Mrs. McConnell’s whereabouts.

“We are extremely grateful for the tireless efforts of all those who participated in the search,” said Sheriff David Falletti. “The collaboration among law enforcement, volunteers, and community members has been outstanding.”

An Everbridge alert has been sent out to all residents and property owners in the area to check outbuildings, wells and wooded areas for any sign of our missing person.

At this time, the search for Mrs. McConnell remains ongoing. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747502608195.png" alt="Photos Overland Park Police" />
 <figcaption>Photos Overland Park Police</figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY —The search for a missing Kansas woman who was last seen on May 14 continues, according to Cowley County Sheriff Dave Faletti.On May 20,&nbsp; Cowley County Sheriff’s Deputies were alerted to the discovery of a vehicle linked to a Silver Alert for 81-year-old Jerry McConnell issued in Overland Park, Kansas. The vehicle was located on private property in a remote area near the 4000 block of 327th Road.Surveillance from a Flock safety camera showed the vehicle traveling west on US Highway 160 entering Cowley County on the evening of May 15 at approximately 5:20 p.m. Upon discovery of the vehicle, a multi-agency search effort was launched. Responding units included the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office, Blue Line Trackers, Cowley County CERT volunteers, Kansas Highway Patrol, and other local partners. The initial search was suspended at nightfall and resumed the following morning, May 21, with the aid of two different Kansas Search and Rescue, who brought in specialized canine teams.Since that time, additional search efforts have been conducted each day this week. Despite extensive ground and air searches, along with search and rescue dive teams from Augusta Fire and Rescue, no new leads have been discovered regarding Mrs. McConnell’s whereabouts.“We are extremely grateful for the tireless efforts of all those who participated in the search,” said Sheriff David Falletti. “The collaboration among law enforcement, volunteers, and community members has been outstanding.”An Everbridge alert has been sent out to all residents and property owners in the area to check outbuildings, wells and wooded areas for any sign of our missing person.At this time, the search for Mrs. McConnell remains ongoing.

Sheriff: Search continues for subject of Kan. Silver Alert

OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.

Just after 11:30p.m. May 27, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop at milepost 157 on Interstate 35 in Osage County for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.&nbsp; During the stop, illegal narcotics and a weapon were located. Two subjects were taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility.

Jon B. Reed, 38, of Lyndon was booked on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Driving while suspended, No Vehicle liability insurance, Operate vehicle without registration or w/ expired tag and Vehicles; Display of license plates.

Seth A. Landie, 44, of Lyndon was booked on requested charges of&nbsp; Criminal possession of weapon by felon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748478941799.png" alt="Landie photo Osage Co." />
 <figcaption>Landie photo Osage Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.Just after 11:30p.m. May 27, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop at milepost 157 on Interstate 35 in Osage County for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.&nbsp; During the stop, illegal narcotics and a weapon were located. Two subjects were taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748478907800.png" alt="Reed photo Osage Co." />
 <figcaption>Reed photo Osage Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Jon B. Reed, 38, of Lyndon was booked on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Driving while suspended, No Vehicle liability insurance, Operate vehicle without registration or w/ expired tag and Vehicles; Display of license plates.Seth A. Landie, 44, of Lyndon was booked on requested charges of&nbsp; Criminal possession of weapon by felon.

Sheriff: 2 Kansas men caught with meth and a weapon

A company that owned 50% of Delta Extraction when it had its license revoked over a massive produce recall was approved by the state last year to own a larger marijuana facility

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

When the company at the center of a massive cannabis product recall&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/20/delta-extraction-loses-appeal-of-its-revoked-license-following-missouri-cannabis-recall/">lost the appeal</a>&nbsp;of its revoked business license in February, Missouri regulators moved quickly to ensure those involved would no longer be permitted access to a marijuana facility without supervision.&nbsp;

But that punishment doesn’t mean those involved with Robertsville-manufacturer Delta Extraction are out of the Missouri marijuana industry.&nbsp;

In fact, long after the state initially stripped Delta Extraction of its license in&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/16/cannabis-regulators-to-revoke-license-of-missouri-company-at-center-of-recall/">November 2023</a>, regulators approved one of the company’s co-owners — AJO LLC — to take over a cultivation and manufacturing facility in Waynesville in May 2024. It’s a far bigger operation than Delta Extraction, and it also involves several dispensaries as well.

AJO LLC says it was only a passive investor in Delta Extraction, where it owns 50%. The company claims it bought 50% of the Waynesville facility in 2022 and has been running it while awaiting approval of the license transfer last year.

But now Delta’s license revocation is the center of a lawsuit playing out in St. Louis courts between a complex web of shareholders seeking to snatch back ownership of the Waynesville facility from AJO.

They argue the state shouldn’t have given its final approval for the ownership change because of AJO’s involvement in a company that had a marijuana license revoked.&nbsp;

Lisa Cox, spokeswoman for the department that oversees the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation, said the&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=XIV%20%20%202&amp;constit=y" target="_blank">constitution</a>&nbsp;does allow regulators “to deny approval for ownership changes if approval is not ‘unreasonably withheld.’”&nbsp;

However, in May 2024, Cox said Delta’s appeal of its license revocation was still pending. The final verdict didn’t come down until nine months later.&nbsp;

“The totality of the circumstances at the time, including the nature of the ownership change, was not sufficient cause to deny the change,” Cox said.

Cox also said the state’s administrative rules – which the division drafts to interpret the constitution’s intent and that take months to pass – currently do not prohibit individuals who have had a license revoked from acquiring another license.&nbsp;

The division, Cox said, is “reviewing its rules to add further detail to this authority.”&nbsp;

A scathing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25540171-delta-extraction-decision/" target="_blank">137-page decision</a>&nbsp;issued in February by the Administrative Hearing Commission denying Delta’s appeal of its revoked license&nbsp;concluded the company had a “corporate culture of lax compliance with regulatory requirements.”

Regulators are permitted to revoke agent ID cards for individuals who violate the rules. No one without an agent ID can access a marijuana facility without supervision of someone with a card, though you don’t need one to own or run facilities.&nbsp;

Within weeks of the Administrative Hearing Commission’s February decision, Cox said the state “revoked several agent IDs for involvement in rule violations associated with Delta Extraction.”&nbsp;

In March, cannabis regulators issued AJO principal Josh Corson a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25949001-joshua-corson-agt022952-31225/" target="_blank">notice of pending revocation</a>&nbsp;of his agent ID card, according to documents The Independent obtained through Missouri’s Sunshine Law.&nbsp;

The notice stated that as an owner and manager of Delta Extraction, he was responsible for 17 cited rule violations, including “manufacturing and selling bulk distillate in a false or misleading manner due to the failure to disclose that the distillate contained large quantities of unregulated cannabis.”&nbsp;

Corson&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25949000-corson-voluntary-surrender-copy-r/" target="_blank">surrendered his agent ID license</a>&nbsp;shortly after receiving the notice, and the other two AJO owners — Ryan Rich and Josh Ferguson — have let their agent IDs expire, Cox said.&nbsp;

Cannabis regulators revoked the agent ID cards of four of Delta’s contractors as well.&nbsp;

AJO has been helping run the Waynesville operation since 2022 with Hi-Rise LLC, which is the other 50% owner. Hi-Rise has no ownership interest in Delta Extraction.&nbsp;

Peter Barden, a spokesman for AJO and Hi-Rise, said the companies “provided complete information” about the owners to the state for the license transfer.

In response to Corson’s agent ID revocation, Barden said AJO “was not managing the Delta Extraction facility. It was a passive investor, and no action of AJO has ever been the basis of any revocation.”

Yet pages of evidence in the Delta Extraction case – including emails, depositions and testimonies from high-level employees – appear to demonstrate AJO was fully involved in Delta’s operations and even initiated the arrangement that led to their revocation.

Barden said AJO “certainly monitors its investments but has not actively managed any manufacturing or cultivation license.”&nbsp;

Charles Pullium stood before a St. Louis judge in February in an emergency hearing, anxious to share what he believed would be a smoking-gun update in his lawsuit.

It was just days after Delta Extraction had lost its appeal seeking to get its license to manufacture marijuana products reinstated.&nbsp;

Pullium is an attorney representing a group hoping to wrestle the Waynesville manufacturing and cultivation license away from AJO and Hi-Rise.&nbsp;

If Delta Extraction violated state law to the point where its license was revoked, Pullium argued, its leadership shouldn’t have won state approval to operate a different cannabis facility.

“It’s a huge case because it involves the revocation of a license,” Pullium told St. Louis Judge Joan Moriarty at the February hearing. “And why it’s important in this case is because when people apply for a new change of ownership… they have to answer, ‘Have any of you or your owners or anyone had a license revoked or suspended?’”

Pullium argued the Delta revocation was key to settling a three-year legal ownership battle, which ended up in St. Louis court in 2023 when AJO and Hi-Rise filed a lawsuit.&nbsp;

On one side of the legal battle are AJO and Hi-Rise.

On the other side are 19 named individuals and marijuana companies connected to the deal, including St. Louis-based marijuana company Heya, former Missouri House Speaker Carl Bearden and Delphi Management LLC. They argue the 2022 sale to AJO and Hi-Rise was invalid.

<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25952828-order42825/" target="_blank">Moriarty disagreed</a>&nbsp;the new information was worth holding an emergency hearing for and made Pullium’s client pay&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25949003-bill-of-costs-of-plaintiffs/" target="_blank">$3,037.50</a>&nbsp;in attorney fees for AJO and Hi-Rise, which are represented by Dowd Bennett law firm.&nbsp;

In January, Scott Sterling, who is involved in the tangled ownership web, filed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25950401-compliance-complaint-form-cul000025-1/" target="_blank">two</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25950400-compliance-complaint-form-man000037-1/" target="_blank">complaints</a>&nbsp;with the Division of Cannabis Regulation, alleging that AJO did not provide all the information necessary for the transfer.&nbsp;

One crucial detail left out, Sterling contends, is that he never signed off on any sale as a 40% owner.

The division has opened an investigation into Sterling’s complaint, Cox said, and it is ongoing.&nbsp;

Barden said the Waynesville location is legally owned by AJO and Hi-Rise and “current ownership has never had a license revoked.”&nbsp;

One of Pullium’s motions in January returned the spotlight to Jason Sparks, one of Delta Extraction’s contractors.

“The facts underlying the Delta scandal read like a made for T.V. drama,” the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25950424-delphi-entity-defendants-amended-motion-for-leave-to-file-amended-affirmative-defenses-counterclaims-and-third-party-claims/" target="_blank">motion</a>&nbsp;states, “a prior felon… buys out-of-state products from a nameless and unknown ‘network’… which he then illegally turns into uncertified product which he then sells to a complicit Delta, who then illegally sells to unsuspecting dispensaries…”

<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25935064-jason-sparks-agt016165-nopr/" target="_blank">Sparks</a>&nbsp;was among the four contractors that had their agent IDs revoked in March, and he has a disqualifying felony on his record that was overlooked by the state when he obtained that ID.&nbsp;However, Sparks directs the blame largely at Corson in legal filings in his company&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/07/11/company-at-center-of-missouri-marijuana-recall-faces-20-million-lawsuit/">SND Leasing’s lawsuit&nbsp;</a>against Delta Extraction.&nbsp;

In the spring of 2023, the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/16/state-faces-pushback-from-missouri-marijuana-industry-over-product-recall/">supply for marijuana distillate was low</a>&nbsp;across the state and Delta hired Sparks to make large amounts of distillate that Delta sold to about 100 other Missouri manufacturers. Those manufacturers went on to produce gummies and vapes for their brands, which is why the product recall was so widespread.

At issue was what’s in the distillate.&nbsp;

Sparks extracted a small amount of THC from Missouri-grown marijuana, which the state heavily regulates. Then he added a large amount of THC oil that was extracted from hemp, a product that is completely unregulated.

Regulators pulled 60,000 products off the shelves in August 2023, arguing the use of out-of-state, unregulated THC oil violated state law and posed a public health risk.&nbsp;

Corson was “the person who found the supply for the distillate,” a January&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25948998-defendant-slcc-llcs-motion-to-dismiss/" target="_blank">motion</a>&nbsp;in Sparks’ lawsuit states, and he was the one who signed the contracts.&nbsp;

In his lawsuit, Sparks points to the testimony from Delta’s COO Rachel Herndon Dunn during an Administrative Hearing Commission hearing in March 2024. Dunn testified that Corson reached out to a large cannabinoid-producing facility in Florida to obtain the hemp-derived THC oil needed to make their recalled distillate.

“Corson went down to tour their labs in Ft. Lauderdale…” Dunn said during the hearing.&nbsp;

Sparks claims Delta leadership reassured him that cannabis regulators signed off on the extraction process.&nbsp;

“The reality is that (the state) never gave assurances of regulatory compliance,” the suit states.&nbsp;

Delta argued hemp is not a federally controlled substance and the state has no authority to regulate hemp-derived THC products — an argument they lost in their appeal. Also, the products went through a final round of testing before they hit the shelves, Delta noted, so they didn’t pose a health risk.

Despite the ownership connection to Delta, state regulators told The Independent they’ve found no evidence of similar practices taking place at the Waynesville facility.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692273868300.png" alt="&nbsp;Delta Extraction’s license revocation is the center of a lawsuit playing out in St. Louis courts between a complex web of shareholders seeking to snatch back ownership of a Waynesville facility (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Delta Extraction’s license revocation is the center of a lawsuit playing out in St. Louis courts between a complex web of shareholders seeking to snatch back ownership of a Waynesville facility (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A company that owned 50% of Delta Extraction when it had its license revoked over a massive produce recall was approved by the state last year to own a larger marijuana facility</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rebecca-rivas/">REBECCA RIVAS</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>When the company at the center of a massive cannabis product recall&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/20/delta-extraction-loses-appeal-of-its-revoked-license-following-missouri-cannabis-recall/">lost the appeal</a>&nbsp;of its revoked business license in February, Missouri regulators moved quickly to ensure those involved would no longer be permitted access to a marijuana facility without supervision.&nbsp;But that punishment doesn’t mean those involved with Robertsville-manufacturer Delta Extraction are out of the Missouri marijuana industry.&nbsp;In fact, long after the state initially stripped Delta Extraction of its license in&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/16/cannabis-regulators-to-revoke-license-of-missouri-company-at-center-of-recall/">November 2023</a>, regulators approved one of the company’s co-owners — AJO LLC — to take over a cultivation and manufacturing facility in Waynesville in May 2024. It’s a far bigger operation than Delta Extraction, and it also involves several dispensaries as well.AJO LLC says it was only a passive investor in Delta Extraction, where it owns 50%. The company claims it bought 50% of the Waynesville facility in 2022 and has been running it while awaiting approval of the license transfer last year.But now Delta’s license revocation is the center of a lawsuit playing out in St. Louis courts between a complex web of shareholders seeking to snatch back ownership of the Waynesville facility from AJO.They argue the state shouldn’t have given its final approval for the ownership change because of AJO’s involvement in a company that had a marijuana license revoked.&nbsp;Lisa Cox, spokeswoman for the department that oversees the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation, said the&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=XIV%20%20%202&amp;constit=y" target="_blank">constitution</a>&nbsp;does allow regulators “to deny approval for ownership changes if approval is not ‘unreasonably withheld.’”&nbsp;However, in May 2024, Cox said Delta’s appeal of its license revocation was still pending. The final verdict didn’t come down until nine months later.&nbsp;“The totality of the circumstances at the time, including the nature of the ownership change, was not sufficient cause to deny the change,” Cox said.Cox also said the state’s administrative rules – which the division drafts to interpret the constitution’s intent and that take months to pass – currently do not prohibit individuals who have had a license revoked from acquiring another license.&nbsp;The division, Cox said, is “reviewing its rules to add further detail to this authority.”&nbsp;<h2>Agent ID revocations</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698531124512.png" alt="(Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>(Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>A scathing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25540171-delta-extraction-decision/" target="_blank">137-page decision</a>&nbsp;issued in February by the Administrative Hearing Commission denying Delta’s appeal of its revoked license&nbsp;concluded the company had a “corporate culture of lax compliance with regulatory requirements.”Regulators are permitted to revoke agent ID cards for individuals who violate the rules. No one without an agent ID can access a marijuana facility without supervision of someone with a card, though you don’t need one to own or run facilities.&nbsp;Within weeks of the Administrative Hearing Commission’s February decision, Cox said the state “revoked several agent IDs for involvement in rule violations associated with Delta Extraction.”&nbsp;In March, cannabis regulators issued AJO principal Josh Corson a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25949001-joshua-corson-agt022952-31225/" target="_blank">notice of pending revocation</a>&nbsp;of his agent ID card, according to documents The Independent obtained through Missouri’s Sunshine Law.&nbsp;The notice stated that as an owner and manager of Delta Extraction, he was responsible for 17 cited rule violations, including “manufacturing and selling bulk distillate in a false or misleading manner due to the failure to disclose that the distillate contained large quantities of unregulated cannabis.”&nbsp;Corson&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25949000-corson-voluntary-surrender-copy-r/" target="_blank">surrendered his agent ID license</a>&nbsp;shortly after receiving the notice, and the other two AJO owners — Ryan Rich and Josh Ferguson — have let their agent IDs expire, Cox said.&nbsp;Cannabis regulators revoked the agent ID cards of four of Delta’s contractors as well.&nbsp;AJO has been helping run the Waynesville operation since 2022 with Hi-Rise LLC, which is the other 50% owner. Hi-Rise has no ownership interest in Delta Extraction.&nbsp;Peter Barden, a spokesman for AJO and Hi-Rise, said the companies “provided complete information” about the owners to the state for the license transfer.In response to Corson’s agent ID revocation, Barden said AJO “was not managing the Delta Extraction facility. It was a passive investor, and no action of AJO has ever been the basis of any revocation.”Yet pages of evidence in the Delta Extraction case – including emails, depositions and testimonies from high-level employees – appear to demonstrate AJO was fully involved in Delta’s operations and even initiated the arrangement that led to their revocation.Barden said AJO “certainly monitors its investments but has not actively managed any manufacturing or cultivation license.”&nbsp;<h2>AJO’s lawsuit</h2>Charles Pullium stood before a St. Louis judge in February in an emergency hearing, anxious to share what he believed would be a smoking-gun update in his lawsuit.It was just days after Delta Extraction had lost its appeal seeking to get its license to manufacture marijuana products reinstated.&nbsp;Pullium is an attorney representing a group hoping to wrestle the Waynesville manufacturing and cultivation license away from AJO and Hi-Rise.&nbsp;If Delta Extraction violated state law to the point where its license was revoked, Pullium argued, its leadership shouldn’t have won state approval to operate a different cannabis facility.“It’s a huge case because it involves the revocation of a license,” Pullium told St. Louis Judge Joan Moriarty at the February hearing. “And why it’s important in this case is because when people apply for a new change of ownership… they have to answer, ‘Have any of you or your owners or anyone had a license revoked or suspended?’”Pullium argued the Delta revocation was key to settling a three-year legal ownership battle, which ended up in St. Louis court in 2023 when AJO and Hi-Rise filed a lawsuit.&nbsp;On one side of the legal battle are AJO and Hi-Rise.On the other side are 19 named individuals and marijuana companies connected to the deal, including St. Louis-based marijuana company Heya, former Missouri House Speaker Carl Bearden and Delphi Management LLC. They argue the 2022 sale to AJO and Hi-Rise was invalid.<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25952828-order42825/" target="_blank">Moriarty disagreed</a>&nbsp;the new information was worth holding an emergency hearing for and made Pullium’s client pay&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25949003-bill-of-costs-of-plaintiffs/" target="_blank">$3,037.50</a>&nbsp;in attorney fees for AJO and Hi-Rise, which are represented by Dowd Bennett law firm.&nbsp;The lawsuit is ongoing.In January, Scott Sterling, who is involved in the tangled ownership web, filed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25950401-compliance-complaint-form-cul000025-1/" target="_blank">two</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25950400-compliance-complaint-form-man000037-1/" target="_blank">complaints</a>&nbsp;with the Division of Cannabis Regulation, alleging that AJO did not provide all the information necessary for the transfer.&nbsp;One crucial detail left out, Sterling contends, is that he never signed off on any sale as a 40% owner.The division has opened an investigation into Sterling’s complaint, Cox said, and it is ongoing.&nbsp;Barden said the Waynesville location is legally owned by AJO and Hi-Rise and “current ownership has never had a license revoked.”&nbsp;<h2>‘…a made for T.V. drama’</h2>One of Pullium’s motions in January returned the spotlight to Jason Sparks, one of Delta Extraction’s contractors.“The facts underlying the Delta scandal read like a made for T.V. drama,” the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25950424-delphi-entity-defendants-amended-motion-for-leave-to-file-amended-affirmative-defenses-counterclaims-and-third-party-claims/" target="_blank">motion</a>&nbsp;states, “a prior felon… buys out-of-state products from a nameless and unknown ‘network’… which he then illegally turns into uncertified product which he then sells to a complicit Delta, who then illegally sells to unsuspecting dispensaries…”<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25935064-jason-sparks-agt016165-nopr/" target="_blank">Sparks</a>&nbsp;was among the four contractors that had their agent IDs revoked in March, and he has a disqualifying felony on his record that was overlooked by the state when he obtained that ID.&nbsp;However, Sparks directs the blame largely at Corson in legal filings in his company&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/07/11/company-at-center-of-missouri-marijuana-recall-faces-20-million-lawsuit/">SND Leasing’s lawsuit&nbsp;</a>against Delta Extraction.&nbsp;In the spring of 2023, the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/16/state-faces-pushback-from-missouri-marijuana-industry-over-product-recall/">supply for marijuana distillate was low</a>&nbsp;across the state and Delta hired Sparks to make large amounts of distillate that Delta sold to about 100 other Missouri manufacturers. Those manufacturers went on to produce gummies and vapes for their brands, which is why the product recall was so widespread.At issue was what’s in the distillate.&nbsp;Sparks extracted a small amount of THC from Missouri-grown marijuana, which the state heavily regulates. Then he added a large amount of THC oil that was extracted from hemp, a product that is completely unregulated.Regulators pulled 60,000 products off the shelves in August 2023, arguing the use of out-of-state, unregulated THC oil violated state law and posed a public health risk.&nbsp;Corson was “the person who found the supply for the distillate,” a January&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25948998-defendant-slcc-llcs-motion-to-dismiss/" target="_blank">motion</a>&nbsp;in Sparks’ lawsuit states, and he was the one who signed the contracts.&nbsp;In his lawsuit, Sparks points to the testimony from Delta’s COO Rachel Herndon Dunn during an Administrative Hearing Commission hearing in March 2024. Dunn testified that Corson reached out to a large cannabinoid-producing facility in Florida to obtain the hemp-derived THC oil needed to make their recalled distillate.“Corson went down to tour their labs in Ft. Lauderdale…” Dunn said during the hearing.&nbsp;Sparks claims Delta leadership reassured him that cannabis regulators signed off on the extraction process.&nbsp;“The reality is that (the state) never gave assurances of regulatory compliance,” the suit states.&nbsp;Delta argued hemp is not a federally controlled substance and the state has no authority to regulate hemp-derived THC products — an argument they lost in their appeal. Also, the products went through a final round of testing before they hit the shelves, Delta noted, so they didn’t pose a health risk.Despite the ownership connection to Delta, state regulators told The Independent they’ve found no evidence of similar practices taking place at the Waynesville facility.

Co-owners of Missouri company at center of marijuana recall got greenlight for another license

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Members of the Kansas satanist group appear to be off the hook for criminal charges that stemmed from a highly anticipated, hotly criticized black mass demonstration at the Statehouse that resulted in&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/03/28/loud-boisterous-rival-protests-of-religious-freedom-among-catholics-and-satanists-turn-violent/">clashes</a>&nbsp;with Catholics and, ultimately, their arrests.

Shawnee County prosecutors decided Wednesday not to pursue charges against Michael Stewart, leader of the Satanic Grotto, and two other group members. After the court hearing, Stewart returned to the Statehouse to discuss the details of his next protest with law enforcement.

Attracting nationwide attention, Stewart’s satanic protest in March drew ire from elected and religious officials. Hundreds gathered at the Statehouse in Topeka&nbsp;on March 28, some in support of the satanic organization, which is a nonprofit not affiliated with the Church of Satan, and others in vehement opposition.

About 11:30 a.m., following speeches, prayers, chants and sign-waving on the lawn of the Statehouse in Topeka, Stewart entered the building to perform a satanic ceremony, called the black mass, which can involve desecrating a host. Across the street,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/03/28/kansas-city-archbishop-preaches-against-satanism-atheism-in-prayerful-ceremonies/">a Catholic mass and prayer service</a>&nbsp;took place, where archbishop of Kansas City Joseph Naumann lambasted nonbelievers. Naumann also&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/03/18/kansas-legislators-archbishop-take-action-against-satanists-and-their-planned-black-mass/">tried to sue</a>&nbsp;Stewart before the protests, falsely accusing him of stealing a consecrated host.&nbsp;

Stewart had a permit to demonstrate outside on Statehouse grounds and was warned as he entered the building that any protest would violate that permit.

He walked to the first-floor rotunda, accompanied by supporters, reporters and watchful counter-protestors and began a dedication to Satan.

A man and woman with young children interrupted him, physically intervening. Stewart turned away, and then a counter-protestor, Marcus Schroeder, attempted twice to grab papers from Stewart’s hands. On Schroeder’s second reach, Stewart punched him twice in the face before a law enforcement officer took his legs out from underneath him.

Stewart and two supporters were booked in jail and charged with unlawful gathering. Stewart faced an additional charge of disorderly conduct.

At a hearing Wednesday, county prosecutors said they don’t plan to pursue charges at this time, Stewart told Kansas Reflector. However, the statute of limitations lasts five years.

A call to the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office seeking confirmation of the charges was not immediately returned Wednesday.

After the hearing, Stewart traveled a few blocks to the Capitol building, where he talked about plans for a nighttime protest in August with a law enforcement officer to preemptively soothe any concerns.

Planned for early August, Stewart envisions the “Witches Hour Protest” taking place from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on the Statehouse’s south lawn.

He plans to extend the invitation to Wiccans, pagans and “any kind of witchy inclined hippie we can find.”

“We’re happy that we’re able to get back at it,” Stewart said.

He added the members of the grotto have been “restless,” as they awaited their fate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1743299018628.png" alt="Law enforcement officers inside the Kansas Capitol rotunda tackle and detain Michael Stewart, president of the Satanic Grotto organization, for violating a permit that limited protests to the exterior of the building. Hundreds of Catholics conducted a counter-protest in opposition of Satanic Grotto’s presence in Topeka. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Law enforcement officers inside the Kansas Capitol rotunda tackle and detain Michael Stewart, president of the Satanic Grotto organization, for violating a permit that limited protests to the exterior of the building. Hundreds of Catholics conducted a counter-protest in opposition of Satanic Grotto’s presence in Topeka. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Members of the Kansas satanist group appear to be off the hook for criminal charges that stemmed from a highly anticipated, hotly criticized black mass demonstration at the Statehouse that resulted in&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/03/28/loud-boisterous-rival-protests-of-religious-freedom-among-catholics-and-satanists-turn-violent/">clashes</a>&nbsp;with Catholics and, ultimately, their arrests.Shawnee County prosecutors decided Wednesday not to pursue charges against Michael Stewart, leader of the Satanic Grotto, and two other group members. After the court hearing, Stewart returned to the Statehouse to discuss the details of his next protest with law enforcement.Attracting nationwide attention, Stewart’s satanic protest in March drew ire from elected and religious officials. Hundreds gathered at the Statehouse in Topeka&nbsp;on March 28, some in support of the satanic organization, which is a nonprofit not affiliated with the Church of Satan, and others in vehement opposition.About 11:30 a.m., following speeches, prayers, chants and sign-waving on the lawn of the Statehouse in Topeka, Stewart entered the building to perform a satanic ceremony, called the black mass, which can involve desecrating a host. Across the street,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/03/28/kansas-city-archbishop-preaches-against-satanism-atheism-in-prayerful-ceremonies/">a Catholic mass and prayer service</a>&nbsp;took place, where archbishop of Kansas City Joseph Naumann lambasted nonbelievers. Naumann also&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/03/18/kansas-legislators-archbishop-take-action-against-satanists-and-their-planned-black-mass/">tried to sue</a>&nbsp;Stewart before the protests, falsely accusing him of stealing a consecrated host.&nbsp;Stewart had a permit to demonstrate outside on Statehouse grounds and was warned as he entered the building that any protest would violate that permit.He walked to the first-floor rotunda, accompanied by supporters, reporters and watchful counter-protestors and began a dedication to Satan.A man and woman with young children interrupted him, physically intervening. Stewart turned away, and then a counter-protestor, Marcus Schroeder, attempted twice to grab papers from Stewart’s hands. On Schroeder’s second reach, Stewart punched him twice in the face before a law enforcement officer took his legs out from underneath him.Stewart and two supporters were booked in jail and charged with unlawful gathering. Stewart faced an additional charge of disorderly conduct.At a hearing Wednesday, county prosecutors said they don’t plan to pursue charges at this time, Stewart told Kansas Reflector. However, the statute of limitations lasts five years.A call to the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office seeking confirmation of the charges was not immediately returned Wednesday.After the hearing, Stewart traveled a few blocks to the Capitol building, where he talked about plans for a nighttime protest in August with a law enforcement officer to preemptively soothe any concerns.Planned for early August, Stewart envisions the “Witches Hour Protest” taking place from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on the Statehouse’s south lawn.He plans to extend the invitation to Wiccans, pagans and “any kind of witchy inclined hippie we can find.”“We’re happy that we’re able to get back at it,” Stewart said.He added the members of the grotto have been “restless,” as they awaited their fate.

Kansas satanists plan new protest, won’t face charges in Catholic clash at Statehouse

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Detectives working to determine who stabbed an elderly woman in her home in Lawrence now say they do not believe this incident was criminal in nature. No suspect is being sought, and there is no known threat to the public related to this investigation.

Just after 1p.m. Thursday, officers were dispatched to the 700 block of Beatnik Court in Lawrence and found the woman inside the home with life-threatening injuries, according to a social media report. Police did not know when the&nbsp; attack occurred.

The woman was alone and not able to provide significant details to first responders.&nbsp;&nbsp;Detectives were able to speak briefly with her before she was taken into surgery.

 Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical medics transported her to an area trauma center, accompanied by an officer.

Check the Post for more information as it becomes available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746787609141.png" alt="File photo&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>File photo&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —Detectives working to determine who stabbed an elderly woman in her home in Lawrence now say they do not believe this incident was criminal in nature. No suspect is being sought, and there is no known threat to the public related to this investigation.Just after 1p.m. Thursday, officers were dispatched to the 700 block of Beatnik Court in Lawrence and found the woman inside the home with life-threatening injuries, according to a social media report. Police did not know when the&nbsp; attack occurred.The woman was alone and not able to provide significant details to first responders.&nbsp;&nbsp;Detectives were able to speak briefly with her before she was taken into surgery. Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical medics transported her to an area trauma center, accompanied by an officer.Check the Post for more information as it becomes available.

Police update details of knife attack on elderly Kan. woman in her home

NEW CENTURY, Kansas. –&nbsp;Kansas Department of Corrections resident Anthony Mansfield has been placed on escape status at approximately 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday after not returning to the Johnson County Department of Corrections (JCDOC) Adult Residential Center (ARC) or reporting to his job Wednesday, according to a media release from the KDOC.

Mansfield, a 36-year old white male, is considered dangerous. He was reported missing when the resident could not be located at the minimum-security unit. This walkaway does not impact the security or operations of the medium-maximum secure compound.

Mansfield is 5-feet, 8-inches tall, and weighs 185 pounds with an average build. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a&nbsp;white t-shirt with black designs, long black sleeve undershirt, brown boots, brown baseball hat and stonewashed jeans .

Mansfield was convicted in Johnson County for eight-months of incarceration for criminal damage to property convictions. He is serving that sentence at the JCDOC-ARC from which he walked away. Under an agreement between the KDOC and JCDOC, residents who have release plans that are appropriate to Johnson County are housed at the ARC.

Anyone with information on Mansfield can call EAI at 816-266-2102, JCDOC at 913-715-6539, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (800) 572-7463 or local law enforcement at 911.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1745669722214.jpeg" alt="Image from an earlier arrest in Missouri" />
 <figcaption>Image from an earlier arrest in Missouri</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW CENTURY, Kansas. –&nbsp;Kansas Department of Corrections resident Anthony Mansfield has been placed on escape status at approximately 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday after not returning to the Johnson County Department of Corrections (JCDOC) Adult Residential Center (ARC) or reporting to his job Wednesday, according to a media release from the KDOC.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748524255503.png" alt="Mansfield photo Johnson County" />
 <figcaption>Mansfield photo Johnson County</figcaption>
 </figure>Mansfield, a 36-year old white male, is considered dangerous. He was reported missing when the resident could not be located at the minimum-security unit. This walkaway does not impact the security or operations of the medium-maximum secure compound.Mansfield is 5-feet, 8-inches tall, and weighs 185 pounds with an average build. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a&nbsp;white t-shirt with black designs, long black sleeve undershirt, brown boots, brown baseball hat and stonewashed jeans .Mansfield was convicted in Johnson County for eight-months of incarceration for criminal damage to property convictions. He is serving that sentence at the JCDOC-ARC from which he walked away. Under an agreement between the KDOC and JCDOC, residents who have release plans that are appropriate to Johnson County are housed at the ARC.Anyone with information on Mansfield can call EAI at 816-266-2102, JCDOC at 913-715-6539, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (800) 572-7463 or local law enforcement at 911.

Dangerous inmate still missing from Kan. work release facility

WEBSTER COUNTY —Two teens died in an accident just after 9:30p.m. Thursday in Webster County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Mercury Mariner driven by a 17-year-old Rogersville girl was northbound on the median crossover of U.S. 60 toward Porter Crossing Road just east of Rogersville.

 A westbound Kenworth semi struck the Mercury as the SUV began crossing westbound lanes of U.S. 60. After impact the SUV rolled and traveled off the road.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Two passengers identified as a 15-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy both of Rogersville were pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported the SUV driver to Cox South Hospital in Springfield.&nbsp; The semi 78-year-old semi driver from Monticello, Kentucky, was not injured.&nbsp; All four were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

WEBSTER COUNTY —Two teens died in an accident just after 9:30p.m. Thursday in Webster County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Mercury Mariner driven by a 17-year-old Rogersville girl was northbound on the median crossover of U.S. 60 toward Porter Crossing Road just east of Rogersville. A westbound Kenworth semi struck the Mercury as the SUV began crossing westbound lanes of U.S. 60. After impact the SUV rolled and traveled off the road.&nbsp;&nbsp;Two passengers identified as a 15-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy both of Rogersville were pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported the SUV driver to Cox South Hospital in Springfield.&nbsp; The semi 78-year-old semi driver from Monticello, Kentucky, was not injured.&nbsp; All four were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Two Missouri teens killed after semi, SUV crash

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of Grant Matthew Hardin.

FBI Little Rock is assisting the USMS, DOC, &amp; ASP with the search for and apprehension of this individual.

Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at&nbsp;<a href="https://tips.fbi.gov/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExV2NxckREenhxSk9iMWZoZwEepqRynVjsKOr_ysoogmvZ_poYxgEFDunn2yRiI7W7X25WFtfGYFXE0UmQ7Ys_aem_v42mnv0xMoHz6XoHe9QlIA" target="_blank">tips.fbi.gov</a>

On Sunday, May 25, at approximately 2:55 p.m., inmate Grant Hardin, ADC #168541, escaped from the North Central Unit. This has been updated since the original reported time of 3:40 p.m. following review of the surveillance footage.

Anyone with information about inmate Hardin’s whereabouts should contact local law enforcement immediately.

The Division of Correction and the Division of Community Correction are working with local, state and federal law enforcement to follow leads.

Hardin has been at the North Central Unit since 2017, serving a 30-year sentence for first degree murder, as well as an additional sentence for rape. Hardin was the former police chief for the city of Gateway with a background in law enforcement.

UPDATE:&nbsp;As of 11:30 PM on Sunday, May 25, the search for inmate Grant Hardin, ADC # 168541, is ongoing. The search is a joint effort including the Department of Corrections, Arkansas State Police, and local and state law enforcement offices.

It has been determined that Hardin was wearing a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement when he escaped the facility. He was not wearing a Department of Corrections uniform, and all DOC-issued equipment has been accounted for.

Officials continue to utilize a variety of means to track Hardin, as well as investigating the events that led up to his escape. Further updates will be provided as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748562682920.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of Grant Matthew Hardin.FBI Little Rock is assisting the USMS, DOC, &amp; ASP with the search for and apprehension of this individual.Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at&nbsp;<a href="https://tips.fbi.gov/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExV2NxckREenhxSk9iMWZoZwEepqRynVjsKOr_ysoogmvZ_poYxgEFDunn2yRiI7W7X25WFtfGYFXE0UmQ7Ys_aem_v42mnv0xMoHz6XoHe9QlIA" target="_blank">tips.fbi.gov</a>----------------------On Sunday, May 25, at approximately 2:55 p.m., inmate Grant Hardin, ADC #168541, escaped from the North Central Unit. This has been updated since the original reported time of 3:40 p.m. following review of the surveillance footage.Anyone with information about inmate Hardin’s whereabouts should contact local law enforcement immediately.The Division of Correction and the Division of Community Correction are working with local, state and federal law enforcement to follow leads.Hardin has been at the North Central Unit since 2017, serving a 30-year sentence for first degree murder, as well as an additional sentence for rape. Hardin was the former police chief for the city of Gateway with a background in law enforcement.UPDATE:&nbsp;As of 11:30 PM on Sunday, May 25, the search for inmate Grant Hardin, ADC # 168541, is ongoing. The search is a joint effort including the Department of Corrections, Arkansas State Police, and local and state law enforcement offices.It has been determined that Hardin was wearing a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement when he escaped the facility. He was not wearing a Department of Corrections uniform, and all DOC-issued equipment has been accounted for.Officials continue to utilize a variety of means to track Hardin, as well as investigating the events that led up to his escape. Further updates will be provided as they become available.

FBI: Reward offered for 'Devil in the Ozarks' prison escapee

WASHINGTON— Hormel Foods Corporation, a Tucker, Ga. establishment, is recalling approximately 256,185 pounds of canned beef stew product that may be contaminated with foreign material, specifically wood, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced this week, according to a media release.

The canned beef stew item was produced on February 4, 2025. The following product is subject to recall [<a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/food_label_pdf/2025-05/recall-018-2025-labels.pdf">view labels</a>]:

The product subject to recall bears establishment number “EST 199G” printed on the can. These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide.

The problem was discovered after the establishment notified FSIS that they had received three consumer complaints reporting pieces of wood in the beef stew product.

There have been no confirmed reports of injury due to consumption of this product. Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a healthcare provider.&nbsp;&nbsp;

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ pantries. Consumers who have purchased this product are urged not to consume it. This product should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at&nbsp;www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

Consumers and members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Hormel Foods Corporation at 800-523-4635 or media@hormel.com.

Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov. For consumers that need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748601779129.png" alt="USDA courtesy image" />
 <figcaption>USDA courtesy image</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON— Hormel Foods Corporation, a Tucker, Ga. establishment, is recalling approximately 256,185 pounds of canned beef stew product that may be contaminated with foreign material, specifically wood, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced this week, according to a media release.The canned beef stew item was produced on February 4, 2025. The following product is subject to recall [<a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/food_label_pdf/2025-05/recall-018-2025-labels.pdf">view labels</a>]:<ul>
 <li>20-oz. metal cans containing “Dinty Moore BEEF STEW” with “BEST BY FEB 2028” and lot code “T02045” printed on the can. The lot code may have an additional number at the end.</li>
 </ul>The product subject to recall bears establishment number “EST 199G” printed on the can. These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide.The problem was discovered after the establishment notified FSIS that they had received three consumer complaints reporting pieces of wood in the beef stew product.There have been no confirmed reports of injury due to consumption of this product. Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a healthcare provider.&nbsp;&nbsp;FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ pantries. Consumers who have purchased this product are urged not to consume it. This product should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at&nbsp;www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.Consumers and members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Hormel Foods Corporation at 800-523-4635 or media@hormel.com.Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov. For consumers that need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.

USDA recalls 256,000 pounds of Dinty Moore beef stew 

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man faces charges for a fatal shooting that occurred earlier this month.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2630/R-Turner-Complaint-redacted">Rasheed M. Turner</a>, 25, faces one count of 2nd Degree Murder and one count of Armed Criminal Action, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor's office.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2631/RTurnerPC-Statement-Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched to W. 37th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue on May 13 and located a deceased female victim in the street suffering from multiple gunshot wounds near a parked Chevrolet Malibu.

Witnesses reported they heard gunshots and a woman screaming. Some reported seeing a male exit from the side of the Malibu and run to the driver side of a blue Ford Mustang.&nbsp;

Detectives were able to identify the defendant based on city cameras capturing his Ford Mustang near the scene, text messages exchanged with the victim, and social media.

The victim had a temporary order of protection against the defendant at the time of the shooting.&nbsp;

The defendant is being held without bond.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748465620281.png" alt="Turner photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Turner photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man faces charges for a fatal shooting that occurred earlier this month.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2630/R-Turner-Complaint-redacted">Rasheed M. Turner</a>, 25, faces one count of 2nd Degree Murder and one count of Armed Criminal Action, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor's office.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2631/RTurnerPC-Statement-Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched to W. 37th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue on May 13 and located a deceased female victim in the street suffering from multiple gunshot wounds near a parked Chevrolet Malibu.Witnesses reported they heard gunshots and a woman screaming. Some reported seeing a male exit from the side of the Malibu and run to the driver side of a blue Ford Mustang.&nbsp;Detectives were able to identify the defendant based on city cameras capturing his Ford Mustang near the scene, text messages exchanged with the victim, and social media.The victim had a temporary order of protection against the defendant at the time of the shooting.&nbsp;The defendant is being held without bond.&nbsp;

Text messages helped police ID Kansas City homicide suspect 

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

Just after 3p.m.&nbsp;May 27, an Osage County Sheriff’s Office Investigator conducted a traffic stop at K-31 Highway and Lewelling Road for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. 

During the stop, illegal narcotics were located. Emily T. Hurla, 34, of Osage City was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Interference with law enforcement, No liability insurance, and Illegal registration.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748428518605.png" alt="Hurla-photo Osage County" />
 <figcaption>Hurla-photo Osage County</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.Just after 3p.m.&nbsp;May 27, an Osage County Sheriff’s Office Investigator conducted a traffic stop at K-31 Highway and Lewelling Road for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. During the stop, illegal narcotics were located. Emily T. Hurla, 34, of Osage City was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Interference with law enforcement, No liability insurance, and Illegal registration.

Kansas woman accused of transporting meth

The vehicle stops report issued for 2023 did not include a ‘disparity index’ showing whether police stopped drivers in minority groups more frequently than white drivers&nbsp;

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 new lawsuit filed by the Missouri NAACP accuses Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey of failing to follow state law last year when the&nbsp;<a href="https://ago.mo.gov/get-help/vehicle-stops-report/" target="_blank">annual vehicle stops report</a>&nbsp;omitted data that shows whether minority motorists are being stopped more frequently than white drivers.

Filed Tuesday in Cole County, the lawsuit also accuses Bailey and the University of Missouri of violating the state Sunshine Law by withholding documents showing why the information called a disparity index was left out of the report on stops during 2023 and whether it was calculated at all.

The lawsuit was filed just days before the report for stops in 2024 is due on Sunday.

The disparity index is a ratio of stops among an identifiable group compared to their share of the population of driving age. If the ratio is one, it means that traffic stops in that particular group align with their share of the whole.

Bailey “has an absolute, statutory and ministerial duty, pursuant to (state law), to include a ‘disparity index,’ that is a comparison of the percentage of stopped motor vehicles driven by each minority group and the percentage of the state’s population that each minority group comprises, in his annual report,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Petition%20for%20Writ%20of%20Mandamus,%20Declaratory%20Judgment,%20Injunction%20and%20Judicial%20Enforcement%20of%20Public%20Records%20Law.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3571338" target="_blank">the lawsuit states</a>.

In the&nbsp;<a href="https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/VSR-2023.pdf" target="_blank">executive summary</a>&nbsp;of the report issued June 1, 2024, the omission was explained as a decision to stop using a data point of questionable value and sometimes incorrect interpretation.

A disparity index of two for any minority group, the summary states, means very different things in a community where 10% of the population are members of that group compared to a community where 50% of the population are members of that group.

“The (vehicle stops report) already provides detailed information on traffic stops and rates relative to subgroup population, so no new objective information is provided by calculating the index,” the summary states.

But Rod Chapel, president of the Missouri NAACP and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said questions about the usefulness of a data point are not enough to excuse ignoring the law that requires it.

“The requirements of the statute are clear, there shall be a disparity index that is produced by the attorney general,” he said. “Last year, Attorney General Bailey recognized that, I think, in his summary, and chose not to do it.”

For the state as a whole, the&nbsp;<a href="https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/VSRstatereport2023.pdf" target="_blank">report for 2023 shows</a>, 538 police agencies made almost 1.4 million traffic stops, issued almost 570,000 citations and made 57,713 arrests. White motorists accounted for 77% of the stops, another 17.3% of the motorists were Black and 3.1% were Hispanic.

The Independent calculated a disparity index that showed the index for white drivers was 0.97 while the index for black drivers was 1.59. For Hispanic drivers, the disparity index was 0.8, indicating stops in smaller numbers than their portion of the population. Those figures are&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/06/03/report-shows-black-drivers-in-missouri-ticketed-arrested-at-much-higher-numbers-than-whites/">similar to what past reports showed</a>.&nbsp;

In the lawsuit, the NAACP is asking for an order directing Bailey to publish the disparity index calculations for the state as a whole and for the 538 police agencies that submitted reports on their traffic stops. The lawsuit also asks for an order stating he has a statutory obligation to include it in future reports and to turn over records requested last year regarding the decision to omit the index.

The Sunshine Law violations alleged in the lawsuit state that the last communication from the attorney general’s office regarding a Nov. 13 request for records was Feb. 26. Bailey’s office said records would be ready in a week but has not delivered them, the lawsuit states.

The University of Missouri performed calculations presented in the report, and the NAACP sought records regarding those calculations and the decision not to include the index. On May 16, the university, after taking six months, delivered 443,000 documents. But it also said, according to the lawsuit, that “many of the records identified in response to your search criteria have been withheld” under Sunshine Law provisions allowing records to be closed.&nbsp;

One of the exemptions cited is that the withheld records were related to legal actions or litigation or confidential or privileged communications with attorneys. In the court filing, the NAACP says that claim is a ruse because, other than the lawsuit filed Tuesday, the University of Missouri is “not involved in legal actions, causes of action or litigation involving the requested documents.”

Bailey’s office said it would not comment on the lawsuit.&nbsp;

University of Missouri spokesman Christopher Ave, in an email, said “we deny liability for the violation alleged in this case and plan to present our defenses in court.”

The vehicle stops report has been published since 2000 under a law intended to detect and prevent racial profiling of motorists. The data reported has been refined over the years, including the disparity index.

The most recent version of the disparity index, before it was discontinued, was calculated based on total stops within a jurisdiction and for stops of motorists who reside within that jurisdiction.

That is an improvement in the data, Chapel said, because it shows whether minority visitors to tourist areas are being stopped in greater numbers than the resident population. The NAACP&nbsp;<a href="https://www.monaacp.org/travel-advisory" target="_blank">travel advisory for Missouri</a>&nbsp;issued in 2017 used data from the vehicle stops reports to state that “African Americans are 75 per cent more likely to be stopped and searched based on skin color than Caucasians.”

The allegation is supported by data on stops that result in discovery of contraband, Chapel said.

“If you look at most of the data, it says that black and brown people get stopped more than anybody else, but the rate at which they’re found with contraband is lower,” Chapel said. “So that would say that we are misusing community resources in a way that is not effective.”

In 2023, 25.5% of white drivers stopped had contraband, compared to 20.5% for Black drivers and 16.3% for Hispanic drivers. Black and Hispanic drivers were, however, much more likely to receive a citation after the stop, with 38.2% of white drivers stopped receiving a ticket, compared to 55.2% for Black drivers and 50.4% for Hispanic drivers.

Don Love of Columbia, who has been&nbsp;<a href="https://sites.google.com/view/lovemissourivehiclestopsreport/home?authuser=0" target="_blank">analyzing the annual vehicle stops reports</a>&nbsp;for more than a decade, said that he dislikes the disparity index because it is an imprecise measure of officer motives for a stop.

He’s argued for a new method to replace it.

“What they did wasn’t replace it, but just to leave it out entirely,” Love said. “It wasn’t good, but it’s illegal for them not to have it in there.”

The use of ratios to analyze the data should be expanded, he said, to cover other data in the report, including the number of drivers searched, the contraband found and the arrests made, as well as whether drivers get a citation or just a warning.

Breaking the stop data into resident and non-resident stops added a new dimension to the data, Love said.

“If you look at what happens for Black drivers when they leave their home jurisdictions and go someplace else, there’s something more than two times the white rate,” he said.

Omitting the disparity index was not done without thought, Chapel said. The lawsuit is intended to discover the motive and prove that the law requires it as part of the report, he added.

“There’s any number of things that the attorney general is supposed to do,” Chapel said, “and if he’s just making the decision not to do it, we deserve to know.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748540931000.png" alt=" Missouri NAACP President Nimrod Chapel Jr. speaks during a May 15 rally on the Missouri Capitol steps (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Missouri NAACP President Nimrod Chapel Jr. speaks during a May 15 rally on the Missouri Capitol steps (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The vehicle stops report issued for 2023 did not include a ‘disparity index’ showing whether police stopped drivers in minority groups more frequently than white drivers&nbsp;</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 new lawsuit filed by the Missouri NAACP accuses Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey of failing to follow state law last year when the&nbsp;<a href="https://ago.mo.gov/get-help/vehicle-stops-report/" target="_blank">annual vehicle stops report</a>&nbsp;omitted data that shows whether minority motorists are being stopped more frequently than white drivers.Filed Tuesday in Cole County, the lawsuit also accuses Bailey and the University of Missouri of violating the state Sunshine Law by withholding documents showing why the information called a disparity index was left out of the report on stops during 2023 and whether it was calculated at all.The lawsuit was filed just days before the report for stops in 2024 is due on Sunday.The disparity index is a ratio of stops among an identifiable group compared to their share of the population of driving age. If the ratio is one, it means that traffic stops in that particular group align with their share of the whole.Bailey “has an absolute, statutory and ministerial duty, pursuant to (state law), to include a ‘disparity index,’ that is a comparison of the percentage of stopped motor vehicles driven by each minority group and the percentage of the state’s population that each minority group comprises, in his annual report,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Petition%20for%20Writ%20of%20Mandamus,%20Declaratory%20Judgment,%20Injunction%20and%20Judicial%20Enforcement%20of%20Public%20Records%20Law.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3571338" target="_blank">the lawsuit states</a>.In the&nbsp;<a href="https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/VSR-2023.pdf" target="_blank">executive summary</a>&nbsp;of the report issued June 1, 2024, the omission was explained as a decision to stop using a data point of questionable value and sometimes incorrect interpretation.A disparity index of two for any minority group, the summary states, means very different things in a community where 10% of the population are members of that group compared to a community where 50% of the population are members of that group.“The (vehicle stops report) already provides detailed information on traffic stops and rates relative to subgroup population, so no new objective information is provided by calculating the index,” the summary states.But Rod Chapel, president of the Missouri NAACP and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said questions about the usefulness of a data point are not enough to excuse ignoring the law that requires it.“The requirements of the statute are clear, there shall be a disparity index that is produced by the attorney general,” he said. “Last year, Attorney General Bailey recognized that, I think, in his summary, and chose not to do it.”For the state as a whole, the&nbsp;<a href="https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/VSRstatereport2023.pdf" target="_blank">report for 2023 shows</a>, 538 police agencies made almost 1.4 million traffic stops, issued almost 570,000 citations and made 57,713 arrests. White motorists accounted for 77% of the stops, another 17.3% of the motorists were Black and 3.1% were Hispanic.The Independent calculated a disparity index that showed the index for white drivers was 0.97 while the index for black drivers was 1.59. For Hispanic drivers, the disparity index was 0.8, indicating stops in smaller numbers than their portion of the population. Those figures are&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/06/03/report-shows-black-drivers-in-missouri-ticketed-arrested-at-much-higher-numbers-than-whites/">similar to what past reports showed</a>.&nbsp;In the lawsuit, the NAACP is asking for an order directing Bailey to publish the disparity index calculations for the state as a whole and for the 538 police agencies that submitted reports on their traffic stops. The lawsuit also asks for an order stating he has a statutory obligation to include it in future reports and to turn over records requested last year regarding the decision to omit the index.The Sunshine Law violations alleged in the lawsuit state that the last communication from the attorney general’s office regarding a Nov. 13 request for records was Feb. 26. Bailey’s office said records would be ready in a week but has not delivered them, the lawsuit states.The University of Missouri performed calculations presented in the report, and the NAACP sought records regarding those calculations and the decision not to include the index. On May 16, the university, after taking six months, delivered 443,000 documents. But it also said, according to the lawsuit, that “many of the records identified in response to your search criteria have been withheld” under Sunshine Law provisions allowing records to be closed.&nbsp;One of the exemptions cited is that the withheld records were related to legal actions or litigation or confidential or privileged communications with attorneys. In the court filing, the NAACP says that claim is a ruse because, other than the lawsuit filed Tuesday, the University of Missouri is “not involved in legal actions, causes of action or litigation involving the requested documents.”Bailey’s office said it would not comment on the lawsuit.&nbsp;University of Missouri spokesman Christopher Ave, in an email, said “we deny liability for the violation alleged in this case and plan to present our defenses in court.”The vehicle stops report has been published since 2000 under a law intended to detect and prevent racial profiling of motorists. The data reported has been refined over the years, including the disparity index.The most recent version of the disparity index, before it was discontinued, was calculated based on total stops within a jurisdiction and for stops of motorists who reside within that jurisdiction.That is an improvement in the data, Chapel said, because it shows whether minority visitors to tourist areas are being stopped in greater numbers than the resident population. The NAACP&nbsp;<a href="https://www.monaacp.org/travel-advisory" target="_blank">travel advisory for Missouri</a>&nbsp;issued in 2017 used data from the vehicle stops reports to state that “African Americans are 75 per cent more likely to be stopped and searched based on skin color than Caucasians.”The allegation is supported by data on stops that result in discovery of contraband, Chapel said.“If you look at most of the data, it says that black and brown people get stopped more than anybody else, but the rate at which they’re found with contraband is lower,” Chapel said. “So that would say that we are misusing community resources in a way that is not effective.”In 2023, 25.5% of white drivers stopped had contraband, compared to 20.5% for Black drivers and 16.3% for Hispanic drivers. Black and Hispanic drivers were, however, much more likely to receive a citation after the stop, with 38.2% of white drivers stopped receiving a ticket, compared to 55.2% for Black drivers and 50.4% for Hispanic drivers.Don Love of Columbia, who has been&nbsp;<a href="https://sites.google.com/view/lovemissourivehiclestopsreport/home?authuser=0" target="_blank">analyzing the annual vehicle stops reports</a>&nbsp;for more than a decade, said that he dislikes the disparity index because it is an imprecise measure of officer motives for a stop.He’s argued for a new method to replace it.“What they did wasn’t replace it, but just to leave it out entirely,” Love said. “It wasn’t good, but it’s illegal for them not to have it in there.”The use of ratios to analyze the data should be expanded, he said, to cover other data in the report, including the number of drivers searched, the contraband found and the arrests made, as well as whether drivers get a citation or just a warning.Breaking the stop data into resident and non-resident stops added a new dimension to the data, Love said.“If you look at what happens for Black drivers when they leave their home jurisdictions and go someplace else, there’s something more than two times the white rate,” he said.Omitting the disparity index was not done without thought, Chapel said. The lawsuit is intended to discover the motive and prove that the law requires it as part of the report, he added.“There’s any number of things that the attorney general is supposed to do,” Chapel said, “and if he’s just making the decision not to do it, we deserve to know.”

NAACP lawsuit accuses Missouri AG of illegally withholding info on police vehicle stops

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748524255503.png" alt="Mansfield photo Johnson County" />
 <figcaption>Mansfield photo Johnson County</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW CENTURY, Kansas. –&nbsp;Kansas Department of Corrections resident Anthony Mansfield has been placed on escape status at approximately 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday after not returning to the Johnson County Department of Corrections (JCDOC) Adult Residential Center (ARC) or reporting to his job Wednesday, according to a media release from the KDOC.Mansfield, a 36-year old white male, is considered dangerous. He was reported missing when the resident could not be located at the minimum-security unit. This walkaway does not impact the security or operations of the medium-maximum secure compound.Mansfield is 5-feet, 8-inches tall, and weighs 185 pounds with an average build. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a&nbsp;white t-shirt with black designs, long black sleeve undershirt, brown boots, brown baseball hat and stonewashed jeans .Mansfield was convicted in Johnson County for eight-months of incarceration for criminal damage to property convictions. He is serving that sentence at the JCDOC-ARC from which he walked away. Under an agreement between the KDOC and JCDOC, residents who have release plans that are appropriate to Johnson County are housed at the ARC.Anyone with information on Mansfield can call EAI at 816-266-2102, JCDOC at 913-715-6539, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (800) 572-7463 or local law enforcement at 911.

KDOC: Dangerous inmate escaped Kan. work release facility

TOPEKA — A total abortion ban is back in Missouri, and for Kansas clinics, that could mean added strain on a system that already serves as a regional safe haven.

Two recent rulings from a lower court judge allowed Missourians to receive abortion care in major cities, blocking years of restrictions implemented by state lawmakers. Those rulings came after voter approval of a constitutional amendment in November enshrining reproductive freedom in the state constitution.

All of that was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/27/missouri-supreme-court-reinstates-abortion-restrictions-imposing-de-facto-ban/" target="_blank">undone</a>&nbsp;in a two-page&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/SC101026%20-%20Peremptory%20Writ_FINAL.pdf?courtCode=SC&amp;di=209055" target="_blank">ruling</a>&nbsp;Tuesday from Chief Justice Mary Russell of the Missouri Supreme Court, which ordered Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Jerri Zhang to vacate the December and February decisions and reevaluate the case, restoring a ban on abortions and facility licensing restrictions.

Missourians have a constitutional right to reproductive freedom in name only, said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Great Plains. She called the Tuesday ruling surprising but added that the organization is accustomed to having to pivot because of court cases and politics.

Planned Parenthood Great Plains has clinics on both sides of the state line, so the impacts of the court’s ruling are widespread for the organization. On the Missouri side, appointment times are being canceled, and care will become scarcer if the ruling remains in place, Wales said. On the Kansas side, the ruling means adding more appointment times and stretching providers to offer care to an entire region.&nbsp;

Trust Women, an independent abortion clinic in Wichita, is actively expanding the number of patients it can take, CEO and president Kathryn Boyd said in a statement.

Boyd called the ban in Missouri “devastating” and a “setback for women’s health, safety, and reproductive rights.” But it’s nothing new, she said.

“We have been providing essential care to people in the face of oppressive policies and threats of violence for a long time,” she said.

Boyd added: “Like in Kansas, Missourians went to the ballot and voted in favor of protecting abortion rights, and now their political leaders are violating the will of the people.”

Kansas abortion clinics serve&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-abortion-clinics-saw-sizable-majority-of-clients-from-out-of-state-in-2024/">mostly out-of-state patients</a>, which has been attributed to its strong reproductive freedoms and its proximity to Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, where residents must seek care away from home.

“Having so few providers to support an entire region is not a sustainable system,” Wales said.

The ruling is a continuation of notoriously difficult-to-access care in Missouri, said Isabel Guarnieri, communications director for the Guttmacher Institute, a health policy research and advocacy organization.

“As of now, the total ban is back in effect, along with other restrictions that force patients to wait and receive counseling before obtaining an abortion and (targeted regulation of abortion providers) laws that make it difficult for clinics to operate,” Guarnieri said in a Wednesday press release.

In 2023, with Missouri’s ban in effect, almost 3,000 Missourians traveled to Kansas for an abortion. More than 8,700 traveled to Illinois. Wales said Planned Parenthood had been hopeful that Missouri’s restoration of access to abortion could have offered Kansas clinics breathing room.

“We know that the demand for the region outpaces what we can provide,” she said.

And that only applies to those who can access care. Without local abortion access, Wales said, people without the ability to travel for care will be left behind.

Missouri lawmakers intend to put another ballot measure before voters, likely in the 2026 general election, that would overturn the November amendment establishing reproductive freedom in the state constitution.

Kansas Republicans have taken a more roundabout approach in presenting to voters an August 2026 referendum on the state Supreme Court justice selection process. Electing state Supreme Court justices by popular vote could give the majority a conservative tilt, paving the way for the reversal of decisions that protect abortion, public school funding and legislative districts, among others.

Attorneys general from Kansas, Missouri and Idaho are involved in a federal lawsuit seeking to rewrite federal prescribing guidelines for medication abortions. The Trump administration has asked the court to&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/05/05/repub/trump-administration-asks-to-dismiss-suit-by-3-gop-states-trying-to-limit-abortion-pill/">dismiss</a>&nbsp;the suit.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740446896339.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A total abortion ban is back in Missouri, and for Kansas clinics, that could mean added strain on a system that already serves as a regional safe haven.Two recent rulings from a lower court judge allowed Missourians to receive abortion care in major cities, blocking years of restrictions implemented by state lawmakers. Those rulings came after voter approval of a constitutional amendment in November enshrining reproductive freedom in the state constitution.All of that was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/27/missouri-supreme-court-reinstates-abortion-restrictions-imposing-de-facto-ban/" target="_blank">undone</a>&nbsp;in a two-page&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/SC101026%20-%20Peremptory%20Writ_FINAL.pdf?courtCode=SC&amp;di=209055" target="_blank">ruling</a>&nbsp;Tuesday from Chief Justice Mary Russell of the Missouri Supreme Court, which ordered Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Jerri Zhang to vacate the December and February decisions and reevaluate the case, restoring a ban on abortions and facility licensing restrictions.Missourians have a constitutional right to reproductive freedom in name only, said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Great Plains. She called the Tuesday ruling surprising but added that the organization is accustomed to having to pivot because of court cases and politics.Planned Parenthood Great Plains has clinics on both sides of the state line, so the impacts of the court’s ruling are widespread for the organization. On the Missouri side, appointment times are being canceled, and care will become scarcer if the ruling remains in place, Wales said. On the Kansas side, the ruling means adding more appointment times and stretching providers to offer care to an entire region.&nbsp;Trust Women, an independent abortion clinic in Wichita, is actively expanding the number of patients it can take, CEO and president Kathryn Boyd said in a statement.Boyd called the ban in Missouri “devastating” and a “setback for women’s health, safety, and reproductive rights.” But it’s nothing new, she said.“We have been providing essential care to people in the face of oppressive policies and threats of violence for a long time,” she said.Boyd added: “Like in Kansas, Missourians went to the ballot and voted in favor of protecting abortion rights, and now their political leaders are violating the will of the people.”Kansas abortion clinics serve&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-abortion-clinics-saw-sizable-majority-of-clients-from-out-of-state-in-2024/">mostly out-of-state patients</a>, which has been attributed to its strong reproductive freedoms and its proximity to Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, where residents must seek care away from home.“Having so few providers to support an entire region is not a sustainable system,” Wales said.The ruling is a continuation of notoriously difficult-to-access care in Missouri, said Isabel Guarnieri, communications director for the Guttmacher Institute, a health policy research and advocacy organization.“As of now, the total ban is back in effect, along with other restrictions that force patients to wait and receive counseling before obtaining an abortion and (targeted regulation of abortion providers) laws that make it difficult for clinics to operate,” Guarnieri said in a Wednesday press release.In 2023, with Missouri’s ban in effect, almost 3,000 Missourians traveled to Kansas for an abortion. More than 8,700 traveled to Illinois. Wales said Planned Parenthood had been hopeful that Missouri’s restoration of access to abortion could have offered Kansas clinics breathing room.“We know that the demand for the region outpaces what we can provide,” she said.And that only applies to those who can access care. Without local abortion access, Wales said, people without the ability to travel for care will be left behind.Missouri lawmakers intend to put another ballot measure before voters, likely in the 2026 general election, that would overturn the November amendment establishing reproductive freedom in the state constitution.Kansas Republicans have taken a more roundabout approach in presenting to voters an August 2026 referendum on the state Supreme Court justice selection process. Electing state Supreme Court justices by popular vote could give the majority a conservative tilt, paving the way for the reversal of decisions that protect abortion, public school funding and legislative districts, among others.Attorneys general from Kansas, Missouri and Idaho are involved in a federal lawsuit seeking to rewrite federal prescribing guidelines for medication abortions. The Trump administration has asked the court to&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/05/05/repub/trump-administration-asks-to-dismiss-suit-by-3-gop-states-trying-to-limit-abortion-pill/">dismiss</a>&nbsp;the suit.