Tomorrow Northwest Missouri State University will honor lives lost in the tragic events of 9/11  

The university will host a stair climb at Bearcat Stadium, to give students and community members the opportunity to honor the lives lost on that day.  

Coordinator for the Disaster and Emergency Management program at Northwest Travis Surprise says events like this are important to not only remember, but to help teach younger students  

"This is what happened and this is a really bad day inside of our lives that we lived through and then faced the consequences, not with just losing the firefighters and the first responders, but just also the chaos that ensued afterwards with 20 years of the global war on terrorism and all the other stuff that came along with it and the changes to our policy,” Surprise tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  “Basically, everything that’s happened now and in your life is somehow affected by what happened on that tragic day in 2001.” 

Additionally, Missouri Western State University is doing a stair climb at Spratt Stadium tomorrow  as well, challenging participants to climb the equivalent of the 110 flights of stairs found in the World Trade Centers, to honor the 3,000  lives lost on that tragic day.

Angie Osborn with the MoWest Military and Veteran's Office says it’s not only important to remember the event for its history, but also for the way Americans responded by coming together 

"There’s a lot of emotion that went into planning this event and trying to make sure that we’re honoring obviously all of the victims, but also all of the heroes that were there that day and continue to work on that site for months to come,” Osborn explains. 

During the stair climb, both universities will do special thing to pay tribute to the lives lost during the attacks on September 11th, 2001.  

Surprise says as students walk, the news ceremony from the day of the attack will play on the scoreboard at Bearcat Stadium. 

"And it’s really sombering to watch some of these kids who have never seen this before, and even some adults who have forgot, to watch and be like oh man those feelings I felt were real and I remember exactly what I was doing and how I felt that day,” Surprise says. 

Additionally, bells will toll from the center of campus at the four times planes crashed on that day.  

Osborn says climbers at Spratt Stadium will carry a picture of one of the people lost in the attacks 

"There’s a photo and it tells a little bit, a little clip about that person, and their age when they passed away,” Osborn says.  “And then we play some music as they climb.” 

Osborn says they will also pause at the time of each significant moment to talk about how America was feeling.  

MoWest's stair climb will begin with check in at 8am, the climb starting at 8:46 when the first plane struck.  Northwest's will go from 6 to 8pm.  Both are free to attend. 

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

Annual stair climb events to honor victims of 9/11 attacks

President Donald Trump spoke to GOP state senators during a caucus meeting and later in the day they moved to shut down debate over new rules intended to make it easier to pass a new congressional map

BY:&nbsp;&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>

Just hours after hearing from President Donald Trump during a caucus meeting, Republicans in the Missouri Senate showed they are&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/25/trump-white-house-pressing-missouri-republicans-to-redraw-congressional-map/">ready to please him</a>&nbsp;by shoving a new congressional district map to passage over opposition from Democrats.

The General Assembly is meeting in special session to revise the state’s eight congressional districts so Republicans are likely to win seven instead of the six they currently hold. The Missouri House has&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/09/missouri-house-passes-gerrymandered-congressional-map-limits-on-initiative-petitions/">already approved the map</a>&nbsp;sought by Trump, who on Tuesday demanded on social media that the Senate do the same.

“The Missouri Senate must pass this Map now, AS IS, to deliver a gigantic Victory for Republicans in the ‘Show Me State,’ and across the Country,” Trump wrote.

To push the bill to final passage by Friday, Republicans had to get the two bills passed in the House into position for committee hearings on Thursday. But before that could take place, the chamber had to vote on rules for the session and Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin rolled out revisions intended to make House bills the Senate’s top priority.

And to get those revisions passed, they voted to shut off debate — using a once-rare motion known as the previous question. This year saw a major break from tradition, when Republicans used the motion to slam through partisan priorities at the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/missouri-republicans-shut-down-senate-debate-to-pass-abortion-ban-repeal-sick-leave-law/">end of the regular session</a>&nbsp;in May.

It was the first time since 2017 when the previous question was used during a regular session.

The proposed rule changes triggered a Democratic-led debate that consumed two hours before Republicans forced a vote.

For about two hours, Democrats accused the Republicans of cheating by substituting the new rules instead of using the rules used&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/webPDFs/RuleBook.pdf" target="_blank">during this year’s regular session</a>&nbsp;— and for the veto session that took place just minutes before the chamber convened for the special session.

“For those of you that are going to be here for a few years, why would you give away your power just to make today a little bit easier?” said state Sen. Stephen Webber, a Democrat from Columbia. “That doesn’t make any sense, and it really saddens me, because I don’t know where it stops.”

The new rules were not distributed before the session convened and many Republicans were not informed in advance the changes were coming.

State Sen. Joe Nicola, a Republican from Independence, said he was given the new rules and the bill on congressional maps&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/09/missouri-house-passes-gerrymandered-congressional-map-limits-on-initiative-petitions/">approved in the Missouri House</a>&nbsp;with the expectation he would be an automatic vote in favor of both. But Webber’s point was valid, he said, and he’s not ready to go along.

“I’m nobody’s puppet. I will never be anybody’s puppet,” Nicola said. “I’m not going to come down here and be expected to rubber stamp anything. That is not what I was elected to do.”

But when the chamber voted on the previous question, Nicola went along.

The previous question motion is used commonly in the Missouri House, but until this year it was considered a last resort in the Senate. When the votes were held, Democrats started calling the presiding officer of the Senate “Speaker” instead of “President.”

“There are no speakers in the Missouri Senate,” said state Sen. Jason Bean of Holcomb, who was presiding at the time.

Following the vote, the House bills were read and the Senate will meet at 9 a.m. Thursday to move them to committees for hearings later in the day.

The Republicans’ target is the 5th Congressional District, currently held by U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City, a Democrat who has been in office since 2005. The map being considered would split the district into pieces, putting portions in the 4th and 6th districts and adding enough Republican votes to what remains to flip the district to the GOP.

Gov. Mike Kehoe also wants lawmakers to pass a state constitutional amendment&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/08/missouri-house-advances-bill-to-make-it-harder-for-voters-to-amend-state-constitution/">raising the majority requirement</a>&nbsp;for passing constitutional amendments proposed by initiative petition.&nbsp;

Instead of a statewide majority deciding the questions, initiative proposals would have to win majorities statewide and in every congressional district. That would allow&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/04/as-few-as-5-of-voters-could-defeat-initiative-petitions-under-missouri-gop-legislation/">as few as 5% of voters</a>&nbsp;to decide the question.

But it is Trump’s insistence on a new congressional map to shore up the GOP’s shaky majority in the U.S. House that is the main focus of the special session.

During a caucus of the Republican senators Wednesday, Trump called Kehoe and spoke to the members through the governor’s phone.

State Sen. Nick Schroer, a Republican from Defiance, insisted in an interview that the special session was not called just because Trump wanted it. The proposed new map puts all of Schroer’s county into the 3rd Congressional District — it is now split between the 3rd and the 2nd districts — and he said that will keep a community together in the same district.

But when asked whether Kansas City, which is almost entirely in the 5th District but would have its population split among three in the proposed map, deserved the same consideration, Schroer said it did not.

“Donald Trump is encouraging Republicans to grow a spine, and stop bending the knee to the Democrats to avoid filibusters like we did in 2022,” Schroer said. “It’s really helped and it’s binding the Republican Party back together.”

After hearing from Trump, Missouri GOP muscle gerrymandered map forward in state Senate

Missouri Western
State University’s nursing program has received a prestigious honor.

<a href="https://www.registerednursing.org/state/missouri/">Registerednursing.org</a>
has ranked it the best nursing school in the state.

“Missouri Western
being ranked number one in Missouri and we obviously have some pretty tough competition
out here in Missouri. So, we’re super proud that we are considered number one,”
Chelsea Norton, Nursing and Health Professions Admissions and Advisement
Director at Missouri Western, tells KFEQmmunity, adding MoWest’s small class
sizes and remarkable performance on the licensure tests propelled the program
to the top.

Assistant
Professor, Laura Nold, points out 98.8% of Missouri Western nursing graduates
pass the national licensure test the first time.

“We strive for
100% pass rates and we have been successful in that several times, which is not
a very common thing for programs to achieve that,” Nold says during her joint
appearance with Norton on KFEQmmunity.

Norton says that
high a rate in passing the NCLEX-RN test on the first try just isn’t common. 

“So, the national average
on pass rates (is) typically high 80s, low 90s percent,” according to Norton. “So,
to have so many cohorts that every single student who graduated passed, 100%,
on that first try is huge.”

Nold says the
program emphasizes hands-on learning in which students practice on mannequins
before moving into clinical experience.

“So, we give them
that opportunity before going and interacting with real patients and then they
learn from that,” Nold says. “And I have students frequently tell me, hey, I
really messed this up, but I learned so much when we debriefed. And debriefing
is very important process in that learning. We are able to talk through what
went wrong, what went well, and how do we fix it next time.”

Norton says the
ranking will help as Missouri Western recruit students to its nursing program.

“We have something
really special here that not a lot of people know about,” Norton says. “So, to
finally have that recognition and it to be official and it’s out there, it
feels like we’re finally being recognized for the amazing program that we are.”

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

MoWest gets big honor:  nursing program ranked #1 in Missouri

A 10-year-old
child suffered a gunshot wound while sleeping when gunmen opened fire in the
900 block of South 18th Street, hitting a duplex.

The St. Joseph
Police Department reports dispatchers received multiple shots fired reports at
approximately 3:20am Wednesday. Officers responded to the duplex on South 18th
and discovered it had been hit by gunfire. Officers located the 10-year-old,
who had been shot in the left thigh while asleep in an upstairs bedroom. First
aid was administered at the scene. Emergency crews transported the child to Mosaic
Life Care who is reported to be awake and in stable condition.

Officers recovered
more than 40 shell casings, from both a handgun and a rifle, across the street
southeast of the duplex. Gunfire also struck two vehicles parked on South 18th
Street.

Anyone with
information about this incident is encouraged to contact the St. Joseph Police
Department at (816) 271-4777 or submit an anonymous tip through the TIPS
Hotline at (816) 238-TIPS (8477) and receive up to a $1000 reward. 

St. Joseph 10-year-old shot and wounded while asleep in bedroom (UPDATE)

Applications are
being accepted for the Cotillion for Achievement.

The Cotillion is entering
its 39th year, offering scholarships, enrichment opportunities, and
leadership training for high school seniors pursuing college or other post-secondary
education.

Scholarship
applications approved by the state are being distributed to public and private
high schools throughout the area.

A student can
receive an application from their school counselor. Information can also be
obtained by visiting the Cotillion for Achievement website:
<a href="https://www.cotillionforachievement.org/">https://cotillionforachievement.org/</a>. Applications are due Friday, October 17th
5pm. Applications postmarked on that date will be accepted as well.

Applications will
be scored on each student’s scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities,
community involvement, plus a written essay.&nbsp;
A panel of five community leaders will review the applications. Finalists
are eligible for a $1,000 scholarship. They will be recognized at a reception
on December 7th.

Finalists will
participate in three Adventure in Achievement seminars during January 2026, promoting
leadership skills, self-image, communication abilities, and community
engagement.

Applications being accepted for Cotillion for Achievement

KFEQ Morning Sports

KFEQ Morning News

St. Joseph Mayor
John Josendale will run for a second term.

Josendale, along
with St. Joseph city councilmembers, Madison Davis, Marty Novak, and Randy Schultz,
have picked up petitions at city hall, signaling their intent to run for
re-election during municipal elections next year.

Both Novak and
Schultz are at-large members on the St. Joseph City Council. Davis represents
District One.

Newcomer, Collin
Clibon, has picked up a petition to run for an at-large seat.

Tuesday was the
first day candidates for mayor, city council, and municipal judge could pick up
petitions to start the process of running for office.

Petitions can be
filed with the city clerk between October 7th and October 28th.

St. Joseph mayor, councilmembers make 1st step toward re-election bid

Click <a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/4fd3ae1f-7384-4ecd-ad3c-b173af227c8c">HERE</a> for an update to this story.

A St. Joseph juvenile
has been struck and wounded after shots were fired into a house in the 900
block of South 18th early Wednesday morning.

St. Joseph police
report the shooting took place around three o’clock this morning. The wound,
according to police, does not appear to be life-threatening. &nbsp;An investigation is underway. 

Police report
several shots were fired into the house. The juvenile was the only person
harmed.

St. Joseph juvenile wounded in early morning shooting

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>

The effort would repeal the 41-page constitutional amendment that legalized recreational marijuana in 2022.

A coalition of Missouri hemp business leaders and advocates formally filed four initiative petitions Tuesday that would ask voters to allow marijuana and intoxicating hemp products to be sold in the same stores as alcohol and tobacco.

The goal of the effort, led by Kansas-City-based hemp business American Shaman, is to repeal the 41-page constitutional amendment that legalized recreational marijuana in 2022.&nbsp;

Each version of the proposed initiative petition would replace the marijuana legalization amendment with language that instructs Missouri lawmakers to create regulations that are “no more burdensome than what we already have for alcohol and tobacco,” said Eapen Thampy, a longtime hemp lobbyist.

“Marijuana and hemp are one plant,” Thampy said in an interview Tuesday. “They should be regulated in the same way. It should be a free, fair and regulated market.”

The effort is being organized under a new political action committee called&nbsp;<a href="https://mec.mo.gov/MEC/Campaign_Finance/CommInfo.aspx?MECID=C253534#gsc.tab=0" target="_blank">Missourians for a Single Market</a>.

The four petitions differ slightly, but they each would take out criminal offenses for possessing too much marijuana. They’d also retain the current taxes on the products for at least the next 10 years, and allow businesses to obtain licenses to sell the products through a similar process as they do with alcohol and tobacco products.&nbsp;

Currently marijuana facility licenses are limited and highly regulated, but businesses don’t need a license to sell intoxicating hemp products — despite numerous legislative attempts to outright ban them.&nbsp;

“Legislative efforts to ban hemp products allow the illegal market to flourish,” said Gary Wiegert, a retired St. Louis City police sergeant, in the group’s Tuesday press release announcing the initiative petition campaign. “Regulating these products and preserving legal access to the market ensures public safety by allowing business owners to serve the consumer market instead.”

In many ways, it’s the latest showdown between the marijuana industry, which has operated legally in Missouri since 2018 but is still outlawed federally,&nbsp; and the hemp industry, whose products were legalized by the 2018 Farm Bill.

At the end of the day, what’s the difference between intoxicating hemp products and intoxicating marijuana products?

Hemp and marijuana are essentially terms the government uses to distinguish between the part of the cannabis plant that has high amounts of THC, or their psychoactive component.

Any part of the plant containing 0.3% or less THC by dry weight is defined as hemp. And that’s why in 2018 Congress removed hemp and hemp seeds from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s schedule of controlled substances as part of the Farm Bill.

Cannabis buds – or what the industry calls “flower” – must be smoked or heated to release Delta-9 THC that produces a high.&nbsp;

So eating most raw cannabis flower shouldn’t get someone high.

There is a growing legal argument that marijuana sold in dispensaries that doesn’t contain .3% Delta-9 THC before it’s smoked or heated is actually hemp.

Currently, a number of Missouri cannabis events – where people are selling weed outside of dispensaries – are operating under this interpretation of the federal definition.

The initiative petitions filed Tuesday support this interpretation.&nbsp;

The effort also aims to regulate products, such as edibles, beverages and vapes, that are currently being sold in gas stations and stores without any testing or tracking requirements. The lack of state regulation has led some&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/14/war-between-intoxicating-hemp-and-marijuana-industries-resumes-in-st-louis/">municipal governments</a>&nbsp;to try and find a way to regulate them through city health departments.&nbsp;

“Our position is that marijuana legalization has always been not about getting ‘high’ but to end prohibition against one of the most beneficial plants on earth,” said Tim Gilio, founder of the Missouri Marijuana Legalization Movement. “Our goal is to open up a free and open market to all and prevent a monopoly from encroaching on any benefits of the cannabis plant.”

However, Andrew Mullins, executive director for the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, told The Independent in June that the idea is a “bait and switch.”&nbsp;

The state’s regulated marijuana industry, he said, generated $241 million in state and local tax revenues last year alone and is regarded as one of the most successful marijuana programs in the country, citing a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/missouri-cannabis-market-business-34dd47ad?mod=e2tw&amp;gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAi6PE3BQERvbb-fuJyCT3TUHPqzyDmZaOBA7z2p4IrJNE448pqQQlOJuYZuLnI%3D&amp;gaa_sig=589hKhzJJ83VibbJThKqws5L0tFMC4cfGLVI7iP9s6rCqnTgzMAFY3xKdfW3eaoC4-voDJHOVTTiObvrNWiHgw%3D%3D&amp;gaa_ts=68507e7e" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal article</a>. At a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/05/missouri-cannabis-sales-remain-steady-as-new-products-emerge/">marijuana industry conference&nbsp;</a>last week, company leaders agreed that limited licenses for dispensaries and grow facilities was key to Missouri’s success.&nbsp;

Voters have twice voted for cannabis regulation, Mullins said in June, and any effort to roll back those constitutional protections would be a “spectacular failure.”

“Missourians aren’t about to take hundreds of millions away from local communities, veterans and our justice system, all in hopes that politicians will eventually replace it with something down the road,” Mullins said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Thampy said that tax revenue wouldn’t go away. The taxable market would increase by about a third, he said, “meaning tens of millions in new revenue for public defenders, substance abuse prevention, and the Missouri Veterans Commission.”

The petitions were filed with the Missouri Secretary of State on Tuesday afternoon. The group aims to get enough signatures by May to appear on the November 2026 ballot.&nbsp;

New initiative petition would regulate Missouri marijuana, hemp products the same as alcohol

Both bills now head to the Missouri Senate, where Democrats are expected to use the filibuster and other procedural maneuvers to gum up legislative business as much as possible

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">Jason Hancock</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

Bills creating a gerrymandered congressional map and making it virtually impossible to change the state constitution through the initiative petition process are on their way to the Missouri Senate.

The Missouri House gave final approval to both proposals Tuesday after two days of contentious debate.&nbsp;

Gov. Mike Kehoe called the legislature back into session after&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/25/trump-white-house-pressing-missouri-republicans-to-redraw-congressional-map/">weeks of pressure from the President Donald Trump&nbsp;</a>for GOP-run states to redraw congressional districts to ensure more Republican seats before next year’s midterm elections.&nbsp;

In Missouri, the effort targeted the 5th District, currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City, by carving it up and dispersing its voters into three districts that give Republicans an electoral advantage in seven of the state’s eight congressional districts.&nbsp;

“This is a superior map,” said state Rep. Dirk Deaton, a Noel Republican sponsoring the proposed new congressional map. “It better represents the state of Missouri.”

In addition to the gerrymandered map, Republicans also took aim at the citizen initiative petition process. The House approved a plan Tuesday that would require constitutional amendments put on the ballot by Missouri voters to attain both a simple majority statewide and a majority in all eight congressional districts in order to pass.&nbsp;

Based on last year’s election results, that change would mean&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/04/as-few-as-5-of-voters-could-defeat-initiative-petitions-under-missouri-gop-legislation/">as few as 5% of voters could defeat any ballot measure</a>. The proposal would also ban foreign contributions to initiative petition campaigns, something that is already illegal.&nbsp;

If it passes the Senate, the issue would go on the statewide ballot in 2026 and require a simple majority to approve.&nbsp;

State Rep. Ed Lewis, a Moberly Republican, said amending the state constitution has become too easy and has been dominated by out-of-state interests. His proposal, he said, would address both of those issues.&nbsp;

“There should be a broad consensus across the state to amend the constitution,” he said.&nbsp;

Democrats denounced both of the proposals as a power grab by the Republican supermajority and a&nbsp;Trump-inspired assault on democracy.&nbsp;

“The Missouri GOP is aiding and abetting the systematic destruction of our democracy by an authoritarian regime led by geriatric conman who knows the only way he can win is to cheat,” said House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat.

GOP state Rep. Bryant Wolfin of Ste. Genevieve was one of the few Republicans who voted against both measures, saying this week’s special session proves that the only thing that matters in the Missouri Capitol is “political power.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not ethics,” he said. “It’s not morality. It’s definitely not liberty. It’s just political power.”

If Democrats were in charge, Wolfin, said, he’s sure they would do the same thing. But that doesn’t justify what Republicans are doing.

“There’s certainly nothing conservative about ignoring the moral implications of our actions,” he said. “Morality is not defined by what is legal. Morality is not defined by what you can get away with.”

Revising congressional district lines occurs every 10 years, after the allocation of seats following the federal census. The Missouri Constitution mandates it but is silent on whether lawmakers have the power to do so at other times.&nbsp;

Democrats argue it is unconstitutional to draw another map before the next census is complete.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2025-09-04/naacp-sues-missouri-republicans-unconstitutional-gerrymander-kansas-city" target="_blank">Missouri NAACP filed a lawsuit last week</a>&nbsp;in Cole County arguing the governor’s decision to call a special session was unconstitutional. Cleaver has also&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/rep-emanuel-cleaver-promises-lawsuit-if-missouri-republicans-gerrymander-his-district/">promised to go to court</a>&nbsp;to challenge any gerrymandered map lawmakers approve.

But Republicans say critics are misreading the constitution and are confident the new map would survive a legal challenge.&nbsp;

“The constitution is clear that we can alter districts as we desire at any point at any point,” Deaton said.&nbsp;

Legislators were elected to represent the people, Deaton said, and if a majority of legislators vote in support of the map “that’s representative democracy.”

The new map does not include an emergency clause that would have made it go into effect upon Kehoe’s signature. That means opponents of the map will have 90s days after it is signed into law to collect signatures to force a statewide vote.&nbsp;

St. Louis Public Radio reported Monday that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2025-09-08/missouri-redistricting-opponents-referendum" target="_blank">the Missouri AFL-CIO is considering whether to launch a petition drive</a>&nbsp;to force a referendum vote. If enough signatures are gathered before the law takes effect, it would be held in abeyance until after the vote.

That strategy was last deployed in 2018, when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/07/politics/missouri-right-to-work-vote" target="_blank">labor unions collected more than 300,000 signatures in 90 days</a>&nbsp;— more than three times the amount needed — to put a question on the statewide ballot repealing a GOP-backed right-to-work law.&nbsp;

The repeal push was ultimately successful, with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/08/08/636568530/missouri-blocks-right-to-work-law" target="_blank">67% of voters rejecting the right-to-work law</a>.&nbsp;

In fact, of the 27 times a referendum has been placed on the ballot, voters have rejected actions by the General Assembly all but twice.

Missouri is<a href="https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/initiative-and-referendum-processes" target="_blank">&nbsp;one of 24 states</a>&nbsp;that allows citizen initiative petitions. They can be used to either amend the constitution or change state law, though the path to successfully doing so is often&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/05/missouri-abortion-2024-initiative-petition-ballot/">arduous and expensive</a>, requiring tens of thousands of signatures to even land on the ballot.&nbsp;

Missourians in recent years have used the initiative petition process to legalize abortion and recreational marijuana use, as well expand Medicaid eligibility.&nbsp;

In November, the abortion-rights amendment passed with just shy of 52% of the vote driven by large support from the state’s urban, more-populated areas. Voters in all but eight of Missouri’s 115 counties opposed the amendment.

Lewis argued Tuesday that the process is dominated by liberal, out-of-state organizations who are pushing partisan amendments that would be impossible to pass through the Republican-dominated legislature.&nbsp;

“Do you want partisan things going into the constitution,” Lewis said, “or do we want something that a broad consensus of all Missourians could support.”

State Rep. Martin Jacobs, a Democrat from Liberty, questioned why the process should be changed to allow a fraction of voters to sink an initiative petition, arguing it violates the principle of one person, one vote.&nbsp;

“Voters in one district can override voters of every other district,” Jacobs said.&nbsp;

Based on last year’s general election, where 2,960,266 votes were cast for governor and only 311,915 in the 1st District, under the proposed change only 156,000 voters could defeat ballot question — or just shy of 5.3% of the statewide vote.

The GOP-backed legislation “rigs the system,” said Democratic state Rep. Kathey Steinhoof of Columbia, “and I assure you all Missourians on both sides of the aisle are tired of the system being rigged.”

Both bills now head to the Missouri Senate, where Democrats are expected to use the filibuster and other procedural maneuvers to gum up legislative business as much as possible.&nbsp;

In order to overcome the gridlock, Senate Republicans may once again have to break a filibuster and force a vote by turning to a rule that was previously rarely-used but got deployed twice during the regular legislative session in May.&nbsp;

Doing so would create even more bad blood in a legislative chamber already teetering on the edge of full on partisan collapse. It could also upend the 2026 session before it even gets started.&nbsp;

Republican leaders in the Senate are determined to push both measures across the finish line.&nbsp;

“The map and the initiative petition reform measures will strike a huge blow to progressives and their efforts to turn Missouri into California,” Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/cindy.olaughlin/posts/pfbid037UKuVtbBEUmy8c1NQ8FPzChj5zeVoFpxBfC9DonvRBiZChHTzgYdQkiG9JdDRJcZl" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>. “We are not California. We are not progressives.”

Missouri House passes GOP-friendly congressional map, limits on initiative petitions

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>

Commodity markets daily recap

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. 

Ag trade deficit hit another record high in July

China imported a record volume of soybeans for August to build a buffer against possible shortages as a protracted trade war with the U.S. — its second-largest supplier — drags on. Reports show that China, the world’s biggest soybean importer, purchased 12.3 million metric tons in August, the highest ever recorded for the month, shoring up local availability before U.S. supplies begin to dominate the global market. China has traditionally sourced a large share of its soybean imports from the US, but ongoing trade tensions have pushed it to favor Brazil. 

The recent purchases reflect a strategic move to reduce reliance on US shipments ahead of the export season that is expected to peak in the coming months. Abundant imports, mainly from Brazil, have left Chinese crushers better prepared for a winter possibly without US soybeans. China’s stockpiles of imported soybeans totaled about 6.8 million tons as of last Friday, nearly the highest amount since March.

China soybean imports at record high in August, but not from U.S.

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

Row crop futures were lower for the most part across the board on Tuesday, correcting from Monday's positive action as traders are really just sitting on their hands currently, waiting for USDA clues on Friday in terms of what to expect for the impending U.S. corn and soy harvests. Corn and soybean conditions fell again week over week, but it is somewhat normal to see some degree of decline ahead of harvest, and the cuts were not as large as some were expecting, which dampened bullish motivation somewhat for Tuesday. Outside markets on Tuesday were mixed and mostly quiet as well, with most of the attention going to the revisions lower in U.S. job creation stretching back to April 2024 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which in turn has investors waiting to see how the Federal Reserve will react in their meeting next week.

Tuesday was quite the tumultuous ride for the live cattle complex. At the day's initial start, the market was trading slightly lower, but as the morning progressed, traders exacerbated the day's decline to be one that was sharp and painful to watch, as most of the live cattle contracts traded $4.00 to $6.00 lower. And why, you ask? More than anything, today's move seemed to be triggered by technical nervousness, as traders continue to worry about the market's position and know that fundamental support could be slightly weaker for the next little while, as cash prices could be lower and seasonally boxed beef prices could decline as well. No developments have surfaced in the fed cash cattle market and aren't expected to until Wednesday or later this week.

Did you think Monday afternoon that come Tuesday, the feeder cattle complex would be trading limit lower in most of its contracts? I hate to speculate, but I think it's safe to say that most of us didn't foresee the cattle complex toppling down so aggressively, given that from a fundamental perspective, feeder cattle demand is incredible -- the CME feeder cattle index closed at $367.03 Monday afternoon. But what's important to keep in perspective here is that even though it's frustrating, and even though so many factors say that today's actions simply shouldn't be, traders don't have to obey sound logic, and not every move aligns with the reality of the countryside's fundamentals.

While the cattle complex fell flat on its face, the lean hog complex saw most of its contracts drift slightly lower, but not to the severe degree in which the cattle contracts were trading. More than anything, the slight pullback in the hog sector seems to be because traders are noting resistance pressure, and midday pork cutout values were lower, too.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/09/09140923/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

The California Legislature has approved a bill to authorize the immediate sale of E15, a gasoline blend with 15% ethanol, but the measure still needs the signature of Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose administration signaled strong opposition to advancing E15 ahead of a California Air Resources Board regulatory review. In testimony at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing last month on Assembly Bill 30, California Department of Finance officials labeled the bill as duplicative and unnecessary. 

A budget official pointed to the $2.3 million and 10 positions the Legislature approved this year for CARB to implement the new E15 standards, resources that will not be available until the agency completes its review. The administration’s opposition to AB 30 centers on new costs to the California Department of Food and Agriculture for enforcing petroleum product quality standards. Increasing fuel fees would run counter to the administration’s priority to lower gas prices.

California E15 fate now in hands of Newsom, who opposed bill

On Monday the U.S. House passed a five-year reauthorization of USDA’s grain inspection program. The bipartisan United States Grain Standards Reauthorization Act includes some updates to the existing law, which expires September 30th, that are aimed in part at promoting new technology.

 The bill would require USDA to prioritize the adoption of improved grain grading technology to enable the efficient, accurate, and consistent grading of grain, and the legislation would exempt equipment and technology costs from a 30% cap on administrative and supervisory expenses that may be incurred under the law. The cap is intended to limit the overall cost of the program. The president and CEO of the National Grain and Feed Association, Mike Seyfert, calls the legislation “a must-pass bill for the entire grain value chain.”

House passes grain inspection extension

Hundreds of struggling Arkansas farmers are pleading with the federal government to provide emergency funding amid a farm economy crisis. Almost everything that could go wrong for Arkansas farmers went wrong this year. A dismal global market and plunging commodity prices mean there’s little hope of breaking even, even as input costs soar because of inflation and tariffs—on top of bad weather earlier in the year. Inputs costs have gone up, fertilizer has gone up, commodity prices have gotten worse. 

“After a horrible year last year where most farmers in Arkansas lost money, this year is going to be worse,” said Derek Haigwood, a farmer from Independence and Jackson County. The “Big, Beautiful Bill” provided a much-needed update to safety net subsidies for farmers, they won’t see those federal dollars until late next year. By then, some have projected that as many as one-fourth—or even one-third—of Arkansas farmers could face bankruptcy or be forced out of business.

Arkansas Farmers Seeking Emergency Aid

California lawmakers voted Wednesday to allow the sale of a higher-ethanol gasoline blend that could help bring down fuel prices in the largest U.S. auto market. The sale of E15, a blend containing 15% ethanol, would be allowed immediately once the bill is signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. California had been the only U.S. state that did not allow sales of the fuel. The move likely will benefit biofuel producers and corn farmers, as it will expand the market for their products to the most populous U.S. state. 

California’s state Senate passed the bill, AB 30, in a unanimous 39-0 vote. The measure passed the state Assembly in June. California has been grappling with how to rein in skyrocketing pump prices while maintaining its ambitious environmental goals. California consumers cannot wait any longer,’ California Senator Laura Richardson said on the Senate floor while introducing the bill. She pointed to a University of California study that estimated that the fuel’s availability could lower gas prices in the state by 20 cents per gallon.

California Assembly Votes to Allow E15 Sales

American farmers are good at producing two crops: corn and soybeans. One of the largest crops in history in the coming weeks, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The harvest follows several years of bumper crops for farmers, fueling a glut that is driving down commodity prices. Weaker prices are crimping profits and farmers’ ability to stay afloat. Technological advancements from the world’s largest seed and pesticide companies are expected to increase harvests in the coming years. 

The current market dynamic is years in the making. American farmers have been encouraged for decades to plant more acres and boost their harvests for a growing global population. The expectation was that new export destinations would emerge, according to industry officials. Finding partners beyond China has been difficult. Shifting trade policies and tariffs have complicated that equation further, leaving more crops in U.S. grain bins and countryside elevators. We need markets fast for this supply, said Kenneth Hartman Jr., an Illinois farmer and president of the National Corn Growers Association.

Corn and Soybean “Overproduction” is Becoming a Concern

December corn closed up 3 3/4 cents and March corn was up 3 cents. November soybeans closed up 6 3/4 cents and January soybeans were up 7 1/4 cents. December KC wheat closed up 12 cents, December Chicago wheat was up 4 1/2 cents, December MIAX Minneapolis wheat was up 10 3/4 cents.

Ag futures markets were out of the gate Monday with a mixed overall tone, with corn and soy markets trading both sides of even before managing to climb moderately higher by the close. Meanwhile, wheat markets attracted some buying attention amid long-term lows. This week may begin to see traders' position ahead of the September WASDE report due out from USDA on Friday, which is expected to potentially show cuts to USDA yield estimates following a shift to more difficult growing conditions in the Midwest through August.&nbsp;

The weakness in cattle futures last week has resurrected the idea that maybe a top has been established in the market. It is too early to tell whether that is the case or not. We have seen price retracements many times, only to see futures moving to new highs. However, some cash weakness with Northern dressed cattle trading $2.00 lower may put further pressure on the market. The weakness of cash in the North may offset Southern live cattle trading $1.00 higher.&nbsp;

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🎥President Trump's message on the assassination of Charlie Kirk

By:<a href="https://utahnewsdispatch.com/author/katie-mckellar/">Katie McKellar</a> <a href="https://utahnewsdispatch.com/">Utah News Dispatch</a>

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk has died after he was shot at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced.&nbsp;

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115181934991844419" target="_blank">wrote on Truth Social</a>. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”

Videos circulating on social media show students scattering after a popping sound is heard, Kirk appears to be impacted by something, and begins bleeding from his neck. Witnesses say he was answering a question about gang violence and shootings in the moment he was shot.&nbsp;

In a statement, Utah Valley University confirmed Kirk had been shot at about 12:20 p.m. while speaking to the crowd.

Police are investigating and the campus has been closed for the rest of the day.

Adelaide Condie, an 18-year-old Utah Valley University student, was standing on a trash can trying to see Kirk as he answered a question about gun violence when he was hit.

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