Hardy wreaks havoc as Tigers top&nbsp; Louisiana on steamy Saturday

Ahmad Hardy rushed for 250 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 25 Missouri pounded Louisiana-Lafayette 52-10 on a hot Saturday at Faurot Field in Columbia.

Hardy opened the scoring as Mizzou scored on four consecutive possessions.&nbsp; Hardy capped a 10 play drive with a seven yard touchdown run.&nbsp; On the next offensive drive, Beau Pribula found Marquis Johnson through the air for an 11 yard touchdown pass, and then after a third straight Louisiana three and out, Pribula scored on the ground with a 14 yard touchdown run..

The Tigers continued pouring on the scoring, Pribula throwing out of a sack, and finding Jamal Roberts for a 39 yard touchdown pass putting up 28 unanswered points for Mizzou, before Louisiana finally got on the scoreboard after intercepting Pribula, a 34 yard field goal from Tony Sterner being the first points for the Ragin' Cajuns.&nbsp;

It took just two plays for Missouri to respond, Hardy breaking a 71 yard touchdown run.&nbsp; But Louisiana got a long touchdown run of their own in just one play after back to back punts, Zylan Perry going up the middle for an 84 yard rushing score, adding the final points of the game for the Ragin' Cajuns.&nbsp; Robert Meyer hit a 22 yard field goal with no time left in the clock, putting the Tigers up 38-10 at the halftime break.&nbsp;

Missouri pulled most of its starters in the third quarter after building a 45-10 lead on Hardy's third rushing touchdown, a seven yard score.&nbsp; Marquise Davis finished a 17 play drive in the fourth quarter with the final score for the Tigers, a two yard rushing touchdown.

The Tigers finished with 427 yards rushing on 62 carries. Davis had 113 yards and a touchdown on the ground.&nbsp; Hardy, who transferred to Missouri from Louisiana-Monroe in the offseason, posted a career high in rushing yards and broke the 200-yard barrier for the third time in his college career.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Quarterback Pribula was 15-for-22 passing for 174 yards and two TDs and one rushing touchdown.&nbsp; Kevin Coleman Jr had eight catches for 84 yards.

Next,&nbsp;Missouri (3-0) kicks off SEC play, hosting No. 11 South Carolina on Saturday.&nbsp; Kickoff will be at either 6pm or 6:30pm, with the game airing on either ABC or ESPN.&nbsp; The game will NOT air on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM) due to Royals baseball.

MoWest dominates home opener against Missouri S&amp;T for first win

The Missouri Western State University Griffons dominated the first half and played strong defense throughout in a 27-10 home opening win over Missouri S&amp;T&nbsp; at Spratt Stadium.

The Griffons opened the scoring midway through the first quarter, scoring the only points of the opening frame, as quarterback Kane Donovan capped a 10 play drive with a 22 yard touchdown pass, finding Isaac&nbsp;Khattab in the endzone.&nbsp;

 MoWest ended the first half with four consecutive scoring drives on way to a shutout in the first half, with Donovan throwing two more touchdown passes, the first coming early in the second quarter connecting with Bryce Page for a two yard score on a 4th and 2 play.&nbsp; On the Griffons next possession Donovan found his third different receiver for a score, a nine play drive ending with a 24 yard touchdown score to Damir Abdullah.

A 19 yard field goal from Spencer Sprenger extended the Griffons lead late in the half and MoWest went to the halftime break leading 24-0, limiting the Miners to just 66 total offensive yards through the first two quarters of action.

After no scoring in the third quarter, the Griffons added to to their total in the fourth, with their final points of the game coming on a 37-yard field goal from Sprenger. Missouri S&amp;T fought hard late, scoring all of their points in the last 4:15 of the matchup, first getting a five yard touchdown pass from Jake Farrell to Sheldon Butler-Lawson with 4:08 left on the clock, and in the dying seconds of the game knocking through a 36 yard field goal by Layne Ryals.

&nbsp;Donovan completed 20-of-33 passes for a career-high 233 yards and a career-high three touchdown passes. He also rushed for 24 yards.Bryce Marcus III had a team-best four grabs for 54 yards. Abdullah had a team-high 57 yards on three total catches.&nbsp;Marrell Fountain led the team in rushing for the second straight week, going 65 yards on five carries.

MoWest (1-1) stays at home on Saturday to open MIAA play against Central Missouri (0-2). Kickoff in that game is set for 6 p.m.&nbsp;

Bearcat offense explodes in home opener victory over&nbsp;Javelinas

The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats rolled up 646 yards of total offense, scoring a 49-20 non-conference win over Texas A&amp;M-Kingsville at Bearcat Stadium in their home opener.

Northwest held a 28-7 lead midway through the third quarter, before TAMUK rallied with 13 straight points to cut the Bearcat lead to 28-20. However, Northwest tacked on 21 fourth-quarter points to race away for the 29-point victory.

Luke Mathews caught a pair of first-half touchdown receptions from Chris Ruhnke, passes of four yards and five yards respectively, and Zechariah Owens rushed for another with a three yard touchdown as Northwest built a 21-7 halftime lead.&nbsp; The lone score from the Javelinas did have the game tied at the end of the first quarter at seven a piece as Andre Branch rushed in from one yard out.

Owens found the endzone again in the third quarter as he raced in for a 16-yard rushing score for his team-leading third on the ground touchdown this year.&nbsp; The Javelinas&nbsp;battled back though with a touchdown, a one yard rushing score by Raymond Hudson, and a pair of field goals, 35 yards and 42 yards by Daniel Gauana, to slice the lead to eight with 13:19 to play in the game.

The Bearcats answered almost immediately with a four-play, 75-yard drive that included a 28-yard pass play to Erwin Nash and 33 rushing yards for Quincy Torry. The Bearcats used some razzle-dazzle with a reverse flea-flicker that resulted in a 16-yard touchdown strike from Ruhnke to tight end Andrew Waltlke.&nbsp; After the Bearcat defense forced a three-and-out and the Northwest offense kept churning.

Northwest marched 66 yards in four plays, and Ruhnke capped the drive with his fourth touchdown pass of the day – a 12-yard toss to Nash for a 42-20 lead.&nbsp; The Bearcats later went 50 yards in four plays to score their final touchdown with a 40-yard touchdown run by Myers.

Ruhnke went 16-of-20 passing for 229 yards and four touchdowns. Owens went 6-of-9 passing for 112 yards. Nash latched on to a team-high five catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.&nbsp; Myers and Torry each topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time in their Bearcat careers. Myers toted the ball 10 times for 152 yards and a score. Torry rushed 15 times for 117 yards.&nbsp;

Northwest (2-1) will be on the road Saturday taking on the Missouri Southern Lions in Joplin, Mo. The Bearcats and Lions will kick at 4 p.m.

Ravens crush Graceland bouncing back big after Grandview loss

Benedictine picked up a big home win Saturday afternoon.&nbsp; The #4 Ravens defeated the Graceland Yellowjackets, 52-29 at Larry Wilcox Stadium, bouncing back from a conference opening loss to Grandview last week.

Jackson Dooley threw touchdowns on back to back drives opening up the scoring for the Ravens.&nbsp; Dooley connected with&nbsp; Brayden Fucuals for a 14 yard touchdown pass.&nbsp; Then, after&nbsp;Isaiah Hasten ended a Graceland drive by picking off quarterback&nbsp;CJ Brooks, Dooley found&nbsp;Joseph Lagafuaina for a 16 yard touchdown pass to build a 14-0 lead.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Graceland cut into the lead on a two yard pass from Brooks to Gerald Monroe, but the Ravens extended their lead on the next offensive drive to end the first quarter up 21-7,&nbsp;Xiomar Hernandez scoring on a two yard rushing touchdown.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Benedictine had things under control early in the first half, leading the Yellowjackets 28-7 after a Xavier Ugorji six yard rushing touchdown with 13 minutes to play in the second quarter. However, Graceland was able to score two touchdowns on consecutive drives late, a 17 yard rushing score by Tael Jean and a three yard pass from Brooks to Monroe, with a two point conversion run by Jason Wagoner, to cut the Ravens lead to 28-22 with 1:19 left to play in the second quarter.&nbsp;&nbsp;

That's when the Ravens offense went into quick mode as Dooley led a 69-yard scoring drive in just over a minute, capping it off with a touchdown pass to Tanner Zimmerman to give the Ravens a 35-22 lead at the halftime break.

Benedictine dominated the third quarter to put the game away, scoring three times. Ugorji scored early in the third on a 30-yard run, then JJ Jackson rushed in from 16 yards out. Christian Klobe scored the final Ravens points of the afternoon with a booming 52-yard field goal to put the Ravens up 52-22.

The Ravens defense nearly held the Yellowjackets off the board for the entire second half, but Graceland scored with two seconds left on the clock, Brooks connecting with Monroe for a third time on a 35 yard passing touchdown.

Dooley finished the game with 269 passing yards and three touchdowns going 18-for-32 through the air with an interception. Lagafuaina caught four passes for 80 yards, Zimmerman also had four catches for 38 yards, and Titan Osburn caught three passes for 65 yards. Ugorji led the rushing attack with 57 yards on 10 attempts.

Benedictine (2-1) will hit the road for their next contest, a 1 p.m. Saturday at Clarke University.

K State offense struggles in non conference clash with Arizona

 Ismail Mahdi ran for 189 yards, Noah Fifita had two touchdown runs and Arizona overcame a shaky start to the second half for a 23-17 win over Kansas State on Friday night in Tucson, Arizona.

Arizona faced its first big test of the year after beating two smaller-conference teams by a combined score of 88-9. The Wildcats led by 14 at halftime, but let Kansas State back in it with a series of mistakes. They sealed the win with a turnover on downs, opening 3-0 for the first time since 2015.

Arizona led 17-3 at halftime on touchdown runs of 15 and two yards by Fifita.&nbsp; The Wildcats also got a 31 yard field goa from MIchael Salgado-Medina in the half, while Kansas State's lone score started the scoring, a 51 yard field goal by Luis Rodriguez Jr.&nbsp; The Wildcats from Manhattan needed one play to get back in it after the halftime break.

Taking a direct snap, wide receiver Jayce Brown weaved through a blockade of tacklers on the right side and raced past the rest of the defense for a 75-yard touchdown run — the first touchdown Arizona's defense has allowed this season.&nbsp; Then, after a three-and-out, Salgado-Medina fumbled a snap and had his kick blocked, setting up Kansas State at Arizona's 13. Avery Johnson scored four plays later on a one yard run to tie the game up.

Salgado-Medina kicked field goals of 31 and 41 yards to put Arizona up 23-17 before hitting the upright on a 46-yard attempt with 1:55 left.&nbsp; Kansas State would turn the ball over on downs, Johnson's pass attempt to Brown falling incomplete on 4th and 7, allowing Arizona to kneel out the final minute of the game.

Coming off a home loss to Army, Kansas State struggled offensively for much of the nonconference matchup between future Big 12 foes — a game scheduled before Arizona joined the league. Kansas State had 193 total yards and Johnson was limited to 88 yards and no touchdowns on 13 of 29 passing.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dylan Edwards returned for the first time since spraining his ankle early in the season opener against No. 14 Iowa State.&nbsp; Edwards had four carries for 13 yards.&nbsp; Brown had six catches for 68 yards to be the leading receiver.

Up next,&nbsp;Kansas State (1-3) opens Big 12 play against UCF on&nbsp; September 27th.&nbsp; The Wildcats get a much deserved bye week this week.

Nebraska rests starters in second half during rout of Houston Christian

 Dylan Raiola threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, Emmett Johnson ran for two scores and Nebraska hammered Houston Christian 59-7 Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.

The Cornhuskers, wearing all-red uniforms for the first time since 1986, scored on their first eight full possessions against the Huskies of the Football Championship Subdivision.&nbsp; Raiola, Johnson and most of the other starters didn't play in the second half as Nebraska improved to 16-0 against FCS opponents.

The Huskers led 38-0 after rolling up 320 yards and holding Houston Christian to 52 total yards in the first half. They finished with 554 yards of offense.

The Huskers also got their first fumble return for a touchdown since 2020 early in the second quarter when former Missouri Tiger and Lees Summit North defensive end William Nwaneri picked up Jake Weir's fumble on a sack and ran 29 yards for a score.

Houston Christian ended Nebraska's bid for a second straight shutout though in the middle of the third quarter. Xai'Shaun Edwards took a handoff, shook off Jaylen George's tackle attempt and went around the left side for a 45-yard touchdown.

TJ Lateef relieved Raiola to start the second half and was 5 of 5 for 126 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown to Cortez Mills Jr.&nbsp; Dane Key caught four passes for 104 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown, and Kwinten Ives ran for 72 of his 85 yards in the second half. Johnson added 78 yards on the ground.

Up next,&nbsp;Nebraska (3-0) opens Big Ten play at home against No. 23 Michigan on Saturday.&nbsp; The game kicks off at 2:30pm and will air on CBS and Paramount+.

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.

CFB Roundup: Hardy wreaks havoc, Griffons air raid attack, Ravens thrash Yellowjackets

BUCHANAN COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 4p.m. Saturday in Buchanan County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2025 International Straight Truck driven by a 38-year-old Westport, Washington man was northbound on Interstate 29 one mile south of Faucett. The truck crossed the center line, traveled off the west side of the road, returned to the road, crossed the center line again, traveled off the east side of the road, started to skid and overturned.

Buchanan County EMS transported the driver to Mosaic Life Care. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Driver hospitalized in St. Joe after truck overturns

With more than 6,000 open food service job listings and no coordinated plan to address staffing, Kansas City restaurant leaders worry they won’t be ready for the massive influx of World Cup visitors in 2026

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/thomaswhite/">Thomas White</a>

It’s a good idea to make dinner reservations for parties of more than six people. It allows the restaurant to be staffed and prepared for larger-than-usual groups.

Well, FIFA has made a reservation for up to 650,000 visitors to Kansas City for the six World Cup matches played at Arrowhead Stadium in 2026.

As&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/sports/2025-09-09/kansas-city-world-cup-tickets-sale-buy-fifa-kc-2026-soccer-football" target="_blank">ticket sales begin</a>&nbsp;— including four group-stage matches, one round of 32 match and one quarterfinal match hosted in KC — some restaurant leaders are nervous that the area’s hospitality industry isn’t ready for the flood of guests that the World Cup will bring.

“I fear for Kansas City a year from now,” said Jenn Tosatto, beverage director for Penny’s Restaurant Group. “We’ve worked really hard to show that we aren’t just a flyover city and that we have things to offer in our food and beverage scene. But we’re not at our strongest right now.”

Chef Shanita McAfee-Bryant, founder of The Prospect KC, a hospitality workforce development nonprofit, also is worried. She points to the job listing site Indeed, which currently shows more than 6,000&nbsp;<a href="https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=food+service&amp;l=Kansas+City%2C+MO&amp;radius=25&amp;from=searchOnDesktopSerp&amp;vjk=efb4275ee2ca79da" target="_blank">food service job openings</a>, as a cause for concern.

“We have a shortage of 6,000 jobs,” said McAfee-Bryant with the first World Cup match less than a year away. “So how prepared do you think that is? Not prepared at all.”

According to the Mid-America Regional Council, the area’s food service industry employment never fully recovered from COVID. The area is still roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marc.org/economy-housing/workforce-development/regional-occupation-report" target="_blank">1,100 jobs short</a>&nbsp;of the pre-pandemic employment level. Bureau of Labor Statistics data also shows that the larger hospitality and leisure sector in the KC area has&nbsp;<a href="https://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet" target="_blank">shed thousands of jobs</a>&nbsp;each month this year when compared to 2024.

McAfee-Bryant said those numbers mean that if the World Cup started today, Kansas City would be caught short-staffed.

“I know that the city is going to see a surge in demand for hospitality talent,” said McAfee-Bryant. “So what’s the plan to make sure that Kansas Citians reap the benefit of that surge?”

Despite&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/06/19/is-kansas-city-world-cup-ready-2026/" target="_blank">regional cooperation</a>&nbsp;to address transportation, infrastructure, public safety and small-business readiness ahead of the World Cup, there’s currently no formal citywide or regional plan to address a potential boom in demand for hospitality workers.

“I really worry that we’re not going to put our best face forward when the entire world is watching, and that’s scary,” Tosatto said.

The World Cup dwarfs every major event Kansas City has hosted.

The 2026 World Cup is expected to be the largest sporting event in history with an expanded field of 48 countries playing 104 matches in 16 host cities sprinkled across North America. Each match captures Super Bowl-level television ratings worldwide.

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-establishes-white-house-task-force-on-the-fifa-world-cup-2026/" target="_blank">The White House said</a>&nbsp;that each of the 16 host cities will see an influx of at least 450,000 visitors and a net potential economic impact of $480 million on average.

A spokesman for&nbsp;<a href="https://kansascityfwc26.com/" target="_blank">KC2026</a>, the regional nonprofit group in charge of area World Cup preparations, said that 650,000 visitors are expected across Kansas and Missouri with a projected economic impact of $650 million.

For comparison, the Big 12 Basketball Tournament brings roughly 100,000 ticketholders to downtown for two weeks and generates $23 million to $33.5 million annually.

Using KC2026’s figures, hosting the World Cup is like having nearly seven Big 12 tournaments at once — and it lasts nearly three times as long.

The closest example in Kansas City is the 2023 NFL Draft, which brought an estimated 302,000 visitors to a concentrated area of the city over three days. The World Cup matches are expected to bring more than twice that amount to the region over the tournament’s 39 days.

The 2023 NFL Draft was viewed by some in the local restaurant scene&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article274923706.html" target="_blank">as a dud</a>&nbsp;that failed to live up to expectations for their businesses. Some fear that restaurant owners will hear the World Cup hype and dismiss it, anticipating a repeat of the draft experience.

“We were very — very times a thousand — very, disappointed in our city and how the draft was communicated and marketed to our restaurants,” said Trey Meyers, director of marketing and communications with the Missouri Restaurant Association. “They were lied to, and we were very upset, disappointed, and we raised hell about that.”

He said that restaurants and vendors within the draft’s enclosed physical perimeters and immediate surrounding area saw a substantial boost in sales, but that not all the restaurants in the area saw the increased business that they were promised.

“We’re not going to have that same problem with the World Cup,” said Meyers.

Meyers said his trade group, which represents 12,000 restaurants in the region, has been in communication with City Council members, tourism bureaus and the sports commission. A KC2026 spokesman referred questions around hospitality readiness to the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Missouri Restaurant Association and Meyers. A spokesman for Kansas City, Missouri, did not respond for comment.

Meyers said a softening labor market may help resolve the staffing issue heading into the World Cup. He has observed staff reductions and an abundance of applications. Anecdotally, he said that one recently opened restaurant in Olathe, Kansas, saw 92 applications for their staff positions.

“I’d say we aren’t in a hospitality worker shortage,” Meyers said. “I’d say quite the opposite.”

He doesn’t dispute the government statistics or Indeed numbers but offers a different perspective. He said that due to high staff turnover rates in the industry, many employers don’t remove job listings because they are always looking for workers. He also said that the restaurant industry may never fully recover from pandemic job losses. He blames recent staff layoffs on a litany of issues including crime, inflation, third-party delivery charges and other increased operating costs.

“We’ve been having a massive staff overage because of all the layoffs from other industries,”&nbsp; Meyers said. “Everyone defaults to the hospitality industry just to make ends meet and we’ve always seen ourselves as an industry of opportunity.”

The job market here and across the country is beginning to soften. The Kansas City area unemployment rate, which was just 2.5% in May 2022, crept up to 4% in July 2025. In the same month, the number of job seekers outnumbered job listings nationwide for the first time since April 2021.

Restaurateurs who are worried about the World Cup staffing are fretting about the quality, not just the quantity of workers.

“I am getting a huge percentage of applications coming in from people who have never worked in the industry before at all,” Tosatto said. “We don’t just need to get a body in the building, we need someone with skills, ready to go, that can come in and get going. Those people just really aren’t out there right now.”

Demand for workers will rise no matter what

Regardless of whether area restaurants are over- or understaffed today,&nbsp; demand for service industry workers will increase ahead of the World Cup.

Missouri passed legislation allowing businesses to serve alcohol nearly 24/7 during the tournament. Extended hours mean extended staffing needs. Further, Kansas City’s population is 506,032, meaning that if projections are correct, more than a second city full of visitors will swarm the area for more than a month.

Meyers said the exact number of visitors can’t really be estimated until we figure out who’s coming to town when the World Cup draws matchups at random in December.

“It really depends on who’s coming here and who we are catering to,” said Meyers. “If we land a group of major soccer nations like England, Brazil, France and the Netherlands, we’re probably looking at close to a million people here over the 40 days.”

McAfee-Bryant said the situation may seem intimidating but it also presents an opportunity. She sees the World Cup as Kansas City’s chance to lift vulnerable residents out of poverty permanently.

“This is an opportunity for Kansas City to intentionally build a more diverse hospitality workforce,” she said. “There’s a lot of people who could really use this uptick in commerce and additional funds in their pocket to get on the path towards economic mobility.”

Her organization, The Prospect KC, runs a 16-week training program combining food service skills with wraparound support services to bring people in the urban core out of chronic poverty and into a more stable hospitality career. The nonprofit operates a community kitchen at 750 The Paseo and a coffee shop in Kansas City’s Central Library that offer on-the-job training.

McAfee-Bryant wants to see community-based recruitment in neighborhoods with high unemployment, taking opportunities directly to residents most affected by unemployment and poverty.

“The city has used the World Cup to attract funding for a lot of other things in the city,” said McAfee-Bryant. “So why can’t we use the same World Cup to attract funding and support to help the city strengthen its workforce development pipeline?”

McAfee-Bryant said her organization has limited space and could only train 100 people at a time. She envisions a group of nonprofits, governments, hotels, restaurants, large employers and hiring managers that come together to coordinate a plan to get at least 1,000 workers trained, ready and secure in a new career.

“It’s not something that one organization could take on all alone,” she said. “Everyone is going to have to come to the table to figure it out.”

While larger hotel and restaurant chains can bring in workers from other cities, McAfee-Bryant and Tosatto would like to see local long-term skilled hospitality workers come out of the World Cup.

Mike Burris, the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association’s executive director, tends to agree. He acknowledges World Cup staffing concerns but emphasizes quality over quantity of hospitality jobs going forward.

“I want to make sure that when we put people into the industry that we’re not looking for temporary help, but we’re looking for long-term help,” said Burris. “That’s always been an issue in the restaurant business.”

Boosters say the World Cup represents Kansas City’s chance to cement its status as a destination for more international events. The city has invested heavily in preparations like infrastructure and logistics.

But McAfee-Bryant said if the area doesn’t address the supply of hospitality workers, the World Cup in Kansas City will be like a beautiful wedding that has slow service and gross food.

“Poor hospitality is the thing that will ruin this experience for everybody,” McAfee-Bryant said.

The clock is ticking. Kansas City has less than a year to prepare for the biggest food service industry challenge in its history. The reservation for 650,000 is confirmed.

The world will be watching next summer. Visitors to the area will talk about their experience for years. Their reviews could influence Kansas City’s reputation — and its future as a host city — for decades to come.

“What do you think all the people are going to talk about?” McAfee-Bryant asks.

This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/09/10/kansas-citys-hospitality-industry-braces-for-world-cup/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Kansas City</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.

Reservation for 650,000: KC's hospitality industry braces for World Cup workforce scramble

A former St. Joseph health executive is giving St. Joseph students membership to the InspireU Children's Discovery Center.  

Lowell Kruse, the former CEO of Heartland Health, and his wife Leslie are helping to give over 700 families throughout the St. Joseph School District a yearlong membership to the museum in downtown St. Joseph.  

Kruse says education is the foundation of everything we do, so providing this opportunity to students was a no brainer 

"We've now been in St. Joseph about 40 years, and what's clear is that our kids deserve every chance they can get to do well in life," Kruse tells reporters.  "And the schools are great at helping them along the way, but all of us have to do something, InspireU was designed to give kids an additional experience that helps in brain development, all those things are important from my perspective in how healthy they are long term." 

Mosaic LIfe Care Foundation President Julie Gaddie says it really is a special time. 

"To see Lowell and Leslie Kruse come forward in our community to say that the children of this community are so important that they were willing to help over 700 families, kindergarten families in the school district, be able to the InspireU campus for an entire year with their whole family free of charge," Gaddie says.  "It really is something that is a moment in time that we won't soon forget." 

Kruse says with the success that the discovery center has seen so far, and the support it received from the community, and says this is one of those times when it's a good thing to pile on 

"We need to pile on, be inspired by InspireU with what they're trying to do with kids, partner with the school system, partner with the parents, whatever we can do in addition to InspireU, in addition to what we're doing, anything we can do to help kids have a good successful life," Kruse explains. 

Kruse says what he learned along the way in his career is that 90% of our brain development happens within the first four to five years of our lives 

"90% of our brain development, and so this is a crucial time, and we just can't invest enough in our kids," Kruse says. 

The membership will give district kindergartners membership starting today, through September 14th of next year.   

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Former St. Joseph health executive gifts free admission to InspireU to students

KFEQ Week in Review

The third annual St. Joseph Marathon is two weeks away.   

St. Joseph Sports Commission Executive Director Brett Esely says registration for the marathon has been fast and furious once again 

"You know in our first two years we have always had runners in our field from 20 plus states,” Esely says on the KFEQmunnity show.  “A lot of people don’t look at these events that way, but I always say runners are a different breed, they’re crazy.”  

Esely says this marathon has attracted three different demographics, national runners who want to run a marathon in different states, runners from the area 

"The third demographic, and I’ve said this a lot, I said this when we started this event, this event has given motivation to people that have always said I want to run a full marathon someday,” Esely explains. 

Esely says those are not running to win or qualify for the Boston marathon which this will help qualify for but running to solely take that from their bucket list. 

 Esely tells people to not let the word marathon scare you off from registering, because there are other options aside from the full marathon 

"We have a half marathon, so that’s your 13.1-mile race, and that year after year continues to be our most popular race, you know you have folks that want to run a half marathon, you have folks that maybe are running a half marathon that are building up to a full marathon, but that continues to be our most popular race distance,” Esely says.  “We obviously have your traditional 5k, 3.1 miles, we also feature a 10k which is 6.2 miles.” 

Runners can also register to run the marathon as a relay in a five-person team, with the route broken up into five segments.   

Registration is still open on the St. Joseph Sports Commission’s website.

Third annual St. Joseph Marathon just two weeks away

DAVIESS COUNTY—Six. people were injured in an accident just before 2:30p.m. Friday in Daviess County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2018 GMC Sierra driven by a 45-year-old Gallatin man was stopped at the stop sign on Route CC at MO 6 two miles west of Gallatin. The driver pulled the pickup into the path of an eastbound 2014 Ford Fusion driven by a 24-year-old Kansas City, Mo. man. The car struck the drivers side of the pickup.

Life Flight transported the pickup driver to Truman Medical Center and one woman and in the pickup and one in the car to Liberty Hospital.

Davies County EMS transported a 21-year-old female passenger in the pickup and two 1-year-old children from the car to Liberty Hospital. The driver of the car was not injured.&nbsp; All were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

4 adults and 2 children injured in car, pickup crash

CLINTON COUNTY —The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control (DDCC) announce the arrest of Robert C. Cox, 55, of Lathrop, Missouri, for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, according to a media release. 

Cox’s arrest was the result of a narcotics investigation conducted by members of DDCC’s Narcotics/Vice Unit. The Patrol was assisted by the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office and the Northwest Missouri Drug Taskforce.

On September 10, 2025 Troopers and Deputies executed a search warrant at Cox’s home, in Lathrop. Once inside the residence, officers searched the premises and located evidence related to drug activity, including a white powdery substance and a loaded handgun. 

A presumptive test of the powdery substances was conducted, identifying the drugs as methamphetamine. Cox was arrested prior to executing the search warrant and placed on an investigative hold.

On September 11, 2025, the Clinton County Prosecuting Attorney formally charged Cox with one count of felony Possession of a Controlled Substance and one count of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. 

He is being held at the Clinton County Jail without bond.

Suspect jailed after drug bust at Missouri home

Saturday will be a chance for the dogs to get into the pool in Savannah, all benefitting a new aquatics facility.&nbsp;

The Andrew County Aquatics Initiative is partnering with Fantastic Fido to host Dog Day at the Pool tomorrow from 10AM until Noon at the Savannah Aquatic Center.&nbsp; Following the success of their Splash Bash last weekend, this second fundraiser for ACAI will give dogs s a chance for a dip in the pool before the permanent closure of the facility at the end of this summer.

Each dog must be accompanied by at least one handler. This is a dog-only swim, no people will be allowed in the pool. Thirty-minute sessions are available and space is limited to 15 dogs per session. A minimum donation of $10 per dog is requested. 

The public is invited to the event. All donations are in support of building a new pool in Andrew County with a mission to preserve and reimagine a vital aquatic amenity for future generations.

You can register for the event by visiting the Andrew County Aquatics Initiative Facebook page.&nbsp;&nbsp;

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dog day at the Savannah pool benefits new Andrew County aquatics facility 

Mizzou Tiger Football is in action against UMASS Saturday September 27th in Columbia, MO. Enter to win a pair of tickets to the game before Wednesday September 24th at 11:59 pm. If you are planning on sports betting in Missouri soon. Check out the special offer – Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app now to grab $300 in bonus bets with just a five dollar bet when it goes live December 1st.  Gambling problem? Call one eight hundred GAMBLER. Twenty one plus. Physically present in Missouri. Eligibility restrictions apply. Bonus bets expire seven days after issuance. Excludes customers who redeem prelaunch sign-up offer. Terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos.

Enter To Win A Pair Of Tickets To MU vs. UMASS

Missouri Western
State University hosts its Family Day this weekend, culminating with the
Griffon football game at Spratt Stadium against Missouri S&amp;T Saturday
night.

Missouri Western
President, Elizabeth Kennedy, says the Center for Service will lead a charity
project Saturday as its Griffs Give Back Day of Service.

“We are teaming up
with the group, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, as part of their Bunks Across America
campaign,” Kennedy tells KFEQmmunity. “We did this last year.” 

Students will be
using the new Houlne Center for Convergent Technology to build beds.

“We’re going to
have students in the Houlne Center building bunk beds; two different shifts,”
Kennedy says. “They’re going to be building these beds and delivering them to
families in St. Joseph that need them. It’s a wonderful project.”

Missouri Western
will hold an open house at its newly renovated library. Kennedy says the
university was able to finance an overhaul with money authorized for the Houlne
Center, but not needed.

“I approached the
state and said, I have a library that hasn’t been renovated since 1988. How about
if we create spaces for students so that have study places, they have
collaboration places? There’s even a model classroom and there’s a 24/7 room
that’s open that students have access to,” Kennedy says.

Several activities
are planned on the St. Joseph campus Saturday, beginning a 10am with check in
at the Blum Union. There will be a Family Legacy Coffee, tours of the renovated
library, a walking tour of the St. Joseph campus, and an open house of Scanlon
Hall where the Chiefs stay during training camp.

Missouri Western hosts Family Day Saturday

December corn closed up 10 1/4 cents and March corn was up 10 cents. November soybeans closed up 12 3/4 cents and January soybeans were up 12 3/4 cents. December KC wheat closed up 4 3/4 cents, December Chicago wheat was up 2 cents, December Minneapolis wheat was up 1/4 cents.

December corn closed up 12 cents and March corn was up 10 3/4 cents. November soybeans closed up 19 1/4 cents and January soybeans were up 19 3/4 cents. December KC wheat closed up 5 1/4 cents, December Chicago wheat was up 2 cents and December Minneapolis wheat was up 5 3/4 cents.

The feature of Friday's session was the release of USDA's September WASDE and Crop Production reports, offering their estimates of how fall crops in the U.S. will turn out as well as a look into world grain supplies and usage. For the most part, I would classify the report as neutral, as in a way it didn't offer traders a whole lot that wasn't already expected or known. As is the case with many crop reports, there were bearish and bullish aspects that could be found within the fine details of Friday's numbers, some of which are discussed in more detail below. As for outside markets, it was mostly a quiet session with little news, but a weak consumer confidence reading from the University of Michigan weighed on investors' minds. Meanwhile, energy markets were higher into the weekend, but well off their daily highs with a mixed tone overall.

The live cattle contracts were back to trading lower as the market did not to see the support it needs to continue to drive prices higher. But with cash prices trending lower this week, and boxed beef prices seasonally softening as well, it's not bewildering to see the markets weaker again. It will be interesting to see if traders are able to keep the spot October contract above the market's 40-day moving average. If the market happens to close below that price point, more downward pressure could come.

Friday's WASDE report shared mixed news for the cattle and beef markets for 2025. Beef production for 2025 is expected to decline by 100 million pounds as both fed and non-fed slaughter speeds are expected to continue to decline through the year's end. The projected quarterly steer prices were bullish for the market as steers in the third quarter of 2025 are expected to average $240 ($2.00 higher from last month), steers in the fourth quarter of 2025 are expected to average $244 (up $4.00), steers in the first quarter of 2026 are expected to average $246 (up $5.00 from last month) and steers in the second quarter of 2026 are expected to average $248 (up $5.00 from last month). Beef imports for 2025 increased by 90 million pounds as the demand for lean processing beef is still high, but beef exports for 2025 decreased by 40 million pounds amid thin supplies and historically high prices.

The feeder cattle complex was again trading lower as the market struggles to find stable support in the futures complex. Not helping matters either is the fact that fed cash cattle prices are trading lower and boxed beef prices are softer, which has put a lower waning attitude across all of the marketplace.

The lean hog complex struggled to find upward momentum, as the market ran past resistance on Thursday but didn't finding enough support in the market's sphere today to push any higher. One may point to the uptick in pork cutout values on today's midday report as a reason why the hog contracts should be higher, but traders seem to find the technical resistance as more of a limiting factor.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/09/12145521/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Commodity markets daily recap

The Bureau of Land Management has begun the process of rolling back the Biden Administration’s rule allowing conservation leases on its land. The agency on Wednesday released a proposal to rescind the 2024 Public Lands Rule, which aimed to put conservation uses of land on equal footing with grazing, energy production, mining, and recreation. 

Bureau of Land Management plans to scrap conservation leasing rule

Farm Equipment manufacturers say they are struggling under the high tariffs set by President Trump. Case IH’s Kurt Coffey, who serves as the company's vice president of its North America division, says the executive team he is on meets daily to unpack global trade developments. Case IH is in a good position overall, he says, with 80% to 90% of its machines produced in one of four U.S. production facilities, and 95% of its machinery base material, steel, is sourced domestically. 

We’ve continued to focus on how we make sure our customers have what they need as they’re going to harvest. German-based manufacturer Claas is a different story. Eighty percent of its row crop machinery portfolio is built in Europe and shipped to dealer lots in the U.S. Eric Raby, senior vice president of Claas, says, “We’ve absorbed a lot, as well. We’re not passing all of it to the customer.”

What farm equipment manufacturers are saying about 50% steel and aluminum tariffs

December corn closed up 2 3/4 cents and March corn was up 2 3/4 cents. November soybeans closed up 8 1/4 cents and January soybeans were up 7 3/4 cents. December KC wheat closed up 3 cents, December Chicago wheat was up 6 1/2 cents, December Minneapolis wheat was up 2 cents.

Grain markets traded higher on Thursday as traders continue to keep corn and soybean prices within their weekly ranges ahead of USDA's September WASDE report due out Friday at 11 a.m. CDT. The soybean market in particular led the charge higher on Thursday, erasing the results of the previous two lower sessions. Outside markets on Thursday were mixed with softer energy markets, but equities surging to new records. Consumer Price Index data for August painted a picture of much more concerning inflation as compared to the PPI released on Wednesday. Meanwhile, jobless claims were a four-year high on Thursday, which could potentially set up a dichotomy when the Federal Reserve meets next week to decide on interest rates. I'd also like to point out in Wednesday's comment, I mistakenly pointed to the PPI data as the Fed's "preferred inflation gauge," which is actually the Personal Consumption data due out later this month, not the PPI data as I had mistakenly alluded to.

Again today, the live cattle complex stepped forward and traded higher as traders seem to agree that the market has seen enough downward pressure for the time being. Thankfully, again today we see that trades moved the contracts away from the market's 40-day moving average, which thankfully is happening because a close below that threshold would likely signal more downward pressure. Although there are again bids beginning to renew in the countryside, no new trade has developed. So far this week Northern dressed cattle have traded from $375 to $378, which is $5.00 to $8.00 lower than last week's weighted average. Asking prices for cattle left to trade remain firm at $243 in the South and $378 plus in the North.

Thankfully, the feeder cattle complex has now also found support as all of its contracts traded well over $1.00 higher. It's the market's nearby contracts that traded above $2.00 higher, while most of the deferred contracts are just trading $1.00 to $1.70 higher into Thursday's closing bell, but luckily, the gloomy pressure that rested above the market on Tuesday and Wednesday has seemed to fade away.

It's been noteworthy day for the lean hog complex as the market has found enough support to gingerly break above its resistance at $97.00 in the spot October contract. But surprisingly, this seems to be a move being made by traders alone, as the market isn't lending much fundamental support, the day's export report wasn't that fruitful and midday pork cutout values were lower.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/09/11144407/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

The USDA’s Economic Research Service says net cash farm income, defined as gross cash income minus cash expenses, is forecast to increase by $36.5 billion, or 25 percent, from 2024 to $180.7 billion in 2025 inflation-adjusted dollars. U.S. net farm income is forecast to increase by $48.8 billion, or 37 percent, to $179.8 billion in 2025. Net farm income is a broader measure of farm sector profitability that incorporates non-cash items like changes in inventories, economic depreciation, and gross imputed rental income. 

Most of the projected increase in 2025 corresponds with higher direct government payments to farmers, projected to increase from $10.4 billion in 2024 to $40.5 billion in 2025. The increase is expected largely because of supplemental and ad hoc disaster assistance for farmers and ranchers from the American Relief Act of 2025, which authorized economic assistance payments to producers and payments for losses in 2023 and 2024. 

USDA says farm sector profits to grow in 2025

As farmers prepare to harvest what may be a record-large soybean crop, their largest export customer has yet to make a buy. Without a deal with China, North Dakota farmers may not get a bid for their soybeans. According to North Dakota Soybean Council Chair Jim Thompson, the local cash market is pushing growers to store their beans. 

North Dakota Soybean Growers Association President Justin Sherlock says the trade dispute with China needs to end. “Maybe it’s getting an interim trade deal with a country like China so we have somewhere to just physically move and sell those soybeans,” said Sherlock. He said farmers want the export markets restored first. “We just need to get rid of the crop right now, then we can figure out where we’re at financially as we go into the winter months and loan renewal season.”

Soybean leaders see export window narrowing with China

December corn closed down 2 3/4 cents and March corn was down 3 cents. November soybeans closed down 6 cents and January soybeans were down 5 3/4 cents. December KC wheat closed down 3 1/4 cents, December Chicago wheat was down 5 1/4 cents, December Minneapolis wheat was down 4 1/2 cents.

Ag futures and row crops specifically were generally on the lower side on Wednesday, but still within their recent trading ranges as traders aren't really looking to commit to big position swings ahead of USDA insight into the markets on Friday. Outside markets were mixed with energy futures higher after a fresh wave of geopolitical uncertainty after Poland reportedly shot down Russian drones in their airspace Tuesday night. Meanwhile, stock indices were mixed with the S&amp;P 500 surging to a new record amid a cool reading of the PPI Index on Wednesday, the Federal Reserve's favorite inflation gauge for guiding rate decisions, leaving less doubt in investors' minds that the Fed will cut rates in their meeting next week.

The live cattle complex&nbsp;traded softly higher into Wednesday's closing bell as the market is recovering some position lost from Tuesday's meltdown. The spot October contract continues to trade slightly above the market's 40-day moving average ($229.74), which will be a threshold to continue to monitor. If traders let the contracts fall below that point, a downward trend will likely continue. A few bids are currently on the table at $236 in Kansas and $235 live and $375 dressed in Nebraska, but no new sales have been reported following Tuesday's business. On Tuesday afternoon, there was a thin movement in the North at $378, which is $5.00 lower than the previous week's weighted average, but there weren't enough cattle traded to say that an accurate trend has been set for the week. Asking prices in the South are firm at $243 and in the North at $380.

The feeder cattle complex&nbsp;did not recover as much as the live cattle contracts, as only its nearby contracts traded higher while the deferred months continued to trade moderately lower. It seems as though Tuesday's sharp descent took the air out of the feeder cattle contracts, which is why they were slower to recover today.

The lean hog complex was chopping merely sideways as the market traders want to support the complex, but neither do they believe that they possess enough support to really push the contracts beyond the market's resistance. It is helpful that again this morning, the carcass price was higher, which is mainly because of the ham's $3.45 jump, and the belly's $2.71 gain.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/09/10150329/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

The U.S. agricultural trade deficit widened further in July, highlighting the challenge facing President Donald Trump as he vows to reverse the trend. Agricultural exports lagged imports by $4.97 billion in July, a gap 9% wider than a year earlier and the largest on record for the month. According to data released Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture That pushed the sector’s deficit to an unprecedented $33.6 billion for the first seven months of the year. 

The widening farm trade gap this year has been mostly driven by a jump in imports, just as Trump slapped tariffs on other countries in a push to shrink the overall deficit. That further cements a shift that has been building since the president’s first term, with a sector that has long run major trade surpluses becoming a consistent net importer. 

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