Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to North Daviess R-III School on Saturday night for a report of a loud noise and damage. Upon arrival, they found that the roof of the gymnasium had collapsed. 

At approximately 9:45 pm on August 30, Jameson Fire District, Gallatin Fire District, Pattonsburg Fire District, Daviess County Ambulance District, Daviess County Sheriff's Office, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol arrived at the school.

The release from the Daviess County Sheriff's office stated that the call was made by a school worker who was in the building at the time of the loud noise. The teacher was in the main school building near the gym at the time of the collapse. She says it sounded like someone “messing with lockers in the hallway.” 

The roof of the school had reportedly collapsed, falling inside the gym and causing the east wall of the gym to collapse onto the exterior of the school.&nbsp; First responders stated that there was no fire or explosion after the incident, although multiple stress cracks were located in the building. 

Due to the damage and other signs of possible structural compromise, unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter the school building until a structural engineer conducts an inspection.

Superintendent&nbsp;John Rockhold says students will use AMI days while the building is assessed, and the school is planning to distribute chromebooks and other materials to ensure learning isn't lost due to the situation.

According to North Daviess R-III School District, classes for students not in their VoTech program on Tuesday September 2nd are cancelled. 

VoTech classes are still in session as scheduled.

Gym collapse at North Daviess R-III over holiday weekend

HARRISON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 11a.m. Tuesday in Harrison County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Honda Gold Wing driven by a 71-year=old Stover man was eastbound on Route MM at 290th Street six miles north of Gilman City. The driver saw animals in the road.&nbsp; The motorcycle traveled off the south side of the road and the driver was partially ejected.&nbsp;

Lifenet transported the driver to Mosaic Life Care. He was wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Mo. man hospitalized after motorcycle accident

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas felon on new allegations after a weekend altercation in Atchison.

Shortly after 8p.m. on Saturday officers began an investigation that focused on an incident that had occurred between two people in the 800 block South 5th Street in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

Neither person were at the scene when police arrived.&nbsp; Officers soon learned that a 31-year-old woman was at Amberwell Hospital being treated for a stab wound to the leg. 

It was determined that an argument had occurred between two women who were known to each other and had been in a vehicle together when the two exited the vehicle in the 800 block South 5th Street where a disturbance occurred and the 31-year-old victim was stabbed in the leg. 

She was taken to the hospital by a family member. She was treated and released.&nbsp; The 29-year-old suspect was not immediately located. 

Shortly after 9p.m. on Sunday, officers located the suspect, Allison Blakely, in the 400 block South 10th Street and she was taken into custody. At the time of her arrest she was found to be in possession of fentanyl, drug paraphernalia, and marijuana. She is being held on requested charges of aggravated battery, possession of fentanyl, drug paraphernalia, and marijuana, according to Wilson.

Blakley has previous convictions for aggravated arson, interference with law enforcement, criminal damage to property and for drugs, according to the KDOC.

Kan. felon accused of knife attack on another woman

As the kids go
back to school, don’t forget the pets.

Melaine Barnes
with Friends of the Animal Shelter reminds residents that back-to-school can be
a big adjustment for everyone, including the pets.

“Pets get used to
routines and what their comfort level is with those routines,” Barnes tells
KFEQmmunity.&nbsp; “And that includes the routines
of their people, and their owners, and their loved ones.”

Barnes says a
shift from an unstructured summer to the structure of school can be jarring to
a pet.

“So, if you’ve had
two, three months of no routine or routine of you being home all the time or maybe
kids being home all the time then all of the sudden going back to school,” Barnes
says, adding, “obviously the dogs and cats don’t understand what’s going on and
so then all of the sudden one day, it’s different. Why is it different?”

Barnes suggests
pet owners take intentional steps to help with the transition.

“So, just give
them a little bit of time to adjust,” Barnes says. “It’s a big change for them.
So, make sure that you’re monitoring them in a way that they’re getting
satisfied still. That could be going for a walk after school or taking them
outside to the yard to play fetch.”

Barnes says every
family is different, every household routine is different, and every pet is
different.

“Not all pets are
affectionate. Some are very satisfied being just on their own, hanging out. But
if you have an affectionate pet and now you’ve gone from being home all day to
going to work for eight or nine or ten hours a day, they’re going to miss you. &nbsp;You are their world,” Barnes says. “So, when
you come home, you need to make sure they’re getting a little bit of extra love
and attention to help adapt to your absence.”

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

Back to school can be hard on the household pet, too

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.&nbsp;

At&nbsp; noon on Sunday an officer on patrol observed&nbsp; 37-year-old James Myers of Warrensburg, Missouri, walking in the 300 block South 4th Street in Atchison and took him into custody on a Municipal Court warrant, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.

&nbsp;Myers is being held on requested charges for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia and on a Municipal Court warrant for failure to appear in court.&nbsp;

Missouri man accused of skipping court, meth possession

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

At 5:20p.m. on Friday an officer on patrol observed 21-year-old Jeremiah Mullins on foot in the area of 9th and Unity Street in the city. of Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson. The officer took him into custody on a Municipal Court warrant for failure to appear in court. Mullins was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Taken to County Jail.

Police: Kan. man who skipped court caught with meth

‘Imagine the need for sanitary products being called a luxury,’ state Rep. Raychel Proudie said while advocating for the new tax law

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

Diapers and menstrual hygiene products such as tampons and pads will now be taxed at a lower rate in Missouri stores.&nbsp;

The new law, which went into effect last week, eliminates what’s commonly known as the “luxury” state sales tax rate of 4.225% on these products and reduces it to 1.225%, the same rate at which necessities such as groceries are taxed.&nbsp;

After&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/05/missouri-abortion-legislative-session/">years of bipartisan support for eliminating this luxury tax&nbsp;</a>in Missouri, the new law finally got across the finish line in May as part of a larger bill that&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-becomes-first-state-to-repeal-capital-gains-tax-at-an-estimated-625m-cost/">repealed the state’s capital gains tax.&nbsp;</a>

Incontinence products for babies, children and adults are included in the exemption, as are products used during menstruation, including period “cups” and period underwear.

Heading into the 2025 legislative session,&nbsp;<a href="https://nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org/diaper-tax/" target="_blank">Missouri was one of about two dozen states with the inflated tax on diapers still in place</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://allianceforperiodsupplies.org/tampon-tax/" target="_blank">one of 19 states with a luxury tax on period products.</a>&nbsp;This year it joined Alabama in eliminating both.

“Imagine the need for sanitary products being called a luxury,” state Rep. Raychel Proudie, a Democrat from Ferguson, said during a House committee hearing this spring. “Any of us who has experienced such a luxury once a month would argue strongly against that being the case.”&nbsp;

Advocates for the elimination of this tax on diapers and period products often cite the exclusion of products such as Viagra, which treats erectile dysfunction, from the luxury tax.

<a href="https://dor.mo.gov/news/newsitem/uuid/835b25b8-02f4-4f63-87b9-fb20c6ecc08b" target="_blank">Trish Vincent,</a>&nbsp;director of the Missouri Department of Revenue, said in a statement that the change “provides meaningful relief for Missouri families.”

This year, Missouri had the greatest number of state legislators working to eliminate the diaper tax, with 17 pieces of legislation proposed, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org/legislation-tracker/" target="_blank">National Diaper Bank Network’s legislation tracker.&nbsp;</a>

In 2024, nearly half of U.S. families with children younger than 4 who were wearing diapers reported experiencing diaper insecurity, according to a study published in May&nbsp;<a href="https://nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org/the-ndbn-diaper-check-2024/" target="_blank">by the&nbsp;National Diaper Bank Network and the marketing research group YouGov.&nbsp;</a>

Of those experiencing diaper insecurity, 79% of mothers surveyed said they felt stressed or anxious about potentially being unable to afford diapers, which also contributed to feelings of loneliness and fears about the future.

The St. Louis Area Diaper Bank called the new law a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19xonuHejm/?mibextid=wwXIfr" target="_blank">“monumental win for families across Missouri.”</a>

An estimated one in four parents experiencing diaper insecurity reported missing an average of five days of school or work a month because they didn’t have enough diapers and therefore couldn’t drop their child off at day care, where parents are typically required to provide their own diapers,&nbsp;<a href="https://nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/Missouri.pdf" target="_blank">according to the network.</a>

Lack of access to period products also contributes to missed school and work for countless American girls and women every year.&nbsp;<a href="https://allianceforperiodsupplies.org/period-poverty/" target="_blank">The Alliance for Period Supplies&nbsp;</a>estimates two in five people struggle to afford period supplies.&nbsp;

State Sen. Barbara Washington, a Kansas City Democrat and a proponent of eliminating the diaper and period product taxes, also filed legislation aimed at&nbsp;<a href="https://govwatch.net/bill/2025-sb342" target="_blank">requiring public schools to provide free period products</a>&nbsp;to students beginning in fourth grade. The bill never got a hearing.

Missouri joins dozens of states in eliminating ‘luxury’ tax on diapers, period products

HARRISON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 4:30a.m. Sunday in Harrison County.

&nbsp;The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2024 Peterbilt semi driven by a 55-year-old Lafayette, Louisiana, man was southbound on Interstate 35 six miles north of Bethany. The vehicle traveled off the east side of the road, struck a concrete culvert, crossed over the northbound lane of the Interstate and traveled off the east side of the road.

EMS transported the driver to Harrison County Community Hospital. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Driver hospitalized after semi accident

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

Two initiative petition campaigns seeking constitutional protections for public education are suing Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins alleging he crafted “deceptive and prejudicial” summaries that will appear on the ballot.

One campaign, called “the Missouri Right to Education Initiative,” hopes to amend the state constitution to declare education a “fundamental right.”

The other, filed by an attorney with the public education law firm EdCounsel, would amend the constitution to prohibit public funding of nonpublic schools except for when it benefits disabled students. It also would label new charter schools as nonpublic.

Both believe Hoskins’ summaries were written to deceive voters and sink their chances on the ballot next year.

“It is so far away from what we proposed that it really seems like they went to great lengths to try to bring something into the conversation that is not part of this amendment,” Spencer Toder, treasurer of the&nbsp;<a href="https://moeducation.org/" target="_blank">Missouri Right to Education Initiative</a>, told The Independent.

Hoskins’ office did not respond to a request for comment.

In addition to declaring education a “fundamental right,” Toder’s&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Exhibit%20A.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3646146" target="_blank">proposed amendment</a>&nbsp;would require state lawmakers to maintain “adequate, thorough and uniform high quality free public schools.”

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Exhibit%20B.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3646147" target="_blank">summary from the Secretary of State’s Office</a>&nbsp;describes the initiative as an attempt to dismantle the state’s private-school voucher program. It specifically says the initiative petition would “eliminate existing state scholarship programs that provide direct aid to students with disabilities and low-income families” and “prevent the State from supporting educational choices other than free public schools.”

Toder says the petition doesn’t touch the state’s private school scholarship program, MOScholars.

“Our intent is not to get involved in the voucher dialog. It is to ensure that no matter if vouchers exist, it doesn’t come at the expense of public school students’ quality of education,” he said. “All (the amendment) says is that the students have a guaranteed right to a quality public education.”

The second&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Ex.%20A%20-%202026-071%201.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3650864" target="_blank">initiative petition</a>&nbsp;does train its sights on MOScholars.

“We’re watching the statewide elected officials from Missouri slowly dismantle public schools, this public school system that Missourians have built,” Duane Martin, a public education attorney who filed the initiative petition, told The Independent.

<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Ex.%20B%20-%202026-071%20Cert%20Packet.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3650865" target="_blank">Hoskins’ summary</a>&nbsp;describes the proposed amendment as “eliminating existing programs that provide direct aid to students with special education needs.”&nbsp;

“It did not look to me like they had carefully read the initiative petition because some of what they summarized is the exact opposite of the language of the initiative petition itself,” Martin said.

Both campaigns are hoping to get on the ballot in 2026 and are in the early stages of organizing.

“I’m optimistic that a judge will look at this and see that some of the false statements that are made by the Secretary of State’s office can be corrected pretty readily,” Martin said.

Both Martin and Toder said they have not had contact with the Secretary of State’s Office other than receiving their petitions’ certification letters and serving the office with the lawsuit.

Lawsuits challenge ‘deceptive’ summaries for Missouri public education ballot measures

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BUCHANAN COUNTY, Mo. — Nine people on a church bus were injured in an accident just 3:30p.m. Friday in Buchanan County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Ford F550 owned by&nbsp;Olivet Baptist Church of Westwood and driven by a 61-year-old Merriam, Kansas, man was northbound on Interstate 29 one half mile south of Faucett.&nbsp; The front passenger side tire blew out.&nbsp; The vehicle began to skid and then the back passenger side tire blew out. The vehicle traveled off the east side of the road, struck a ditch and overturned.

EMS transported 9 passengers including two 14-year-old girls, a 14-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl all from Kansas City, Kansas and a 16-year-old Lee's Summit boy to North Kansas City Hospital; a 15-year-old Merriam, Kansas girl, a 16-year-old Shawnee, Kansas boy; a 14-year-old&nbsp; Kansas City, Kansas girl and a 44-year-old Shawnee, Kansas, woman to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph.&nbsp; The driver was not injured, according to the patrol.&nbsp;

There were 30 people on the bus at the time of the accident.&nbsp;Interstate 29 was closed for several hours but reopened while first responders worked the scene. The highway was&nbsp; open again just after 7 p.m. Friday.&nbsp; &nbsp;The MSHP no longer releases the names of accident victims.

8 students injured in church bus crash on Interstate 29 

From disease to drought, the 2025 crop has been thrown a curveball late in the season. It’s also pushing the crop to maturity quicker. And with USDA currently projecting a record yield and crop, many analysts say the U.S. crop is likely going backwards in terms of yield, but that doesn’t necessarily mean USDA will cut yield projections next month. USDA’s August crop production report showed a record-high 2025/26 U.S. corn yield projection of 188.8 bushels per acre and a record-high soybean yield estimate at 53.6 bushels per acre.

 But southern rust could take a big bite out of the U.S. corn crop this year. The disease is causing turmoil for farmers who have a large crop in the making. In some cases, a Hail Mary fungicide application at R4 up to early dent (R5) might make sense this season, say agronomists. But in severe cases, the disease can wipe out 45% of the yield potential in a field, according to the Crop Protection Network.

Is the U.S. corn and soybean crop getting smaller?

There's continued evidence that we may once again experience some low water conditions on the lower Mississippi River this fall. The prospects for restricted barge transportation this fall may come as a surprise for many given the healthy amounts of rainfall throughout much of the Midwest this spring and summer. However, the spigot has mostly been turned off throughout August – particularly in states that feed into the Ohio River, which feeds the Mississippi. 

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 60% of the water volume on the Mississippi River south of Cairo, Illinois (where the Ohio River merges into the Mississippi River), is provided by the Ohio River.  As a result, low water volumes on the Ohio River will often translate to low water volumes on the lower Mississippi River.  The higher water levels at St. Louis reflect the amount of precipitation in the adjacent regions throughout the spring and summer, which was most beneficial.  

Concerns over Mississippi River levels as harvest approaches

December corn closed up 10 1/4 cents and March corn was up 10 1/4 cents. November soybeans closed up 6 1/2 cents and January soybeans were up 5 3/4 cents. December KC wheat closed up 4 cents, December Chicago wheat was up 5 1/4 cents, December Minneapolis wheat was up 2 3/4 cents.

December corn closed up 8 3/4 cents and March corn was up 9 cents. November soybeans closed down 4 cents and January soybeans were down 4 1/2 cents. December KC wheat closed down 5 1/4 cents, December Chicago wheat was up 13 1/4 cents and December Minneapolis wheat was down 7 3/4 cents.

Friday's trade featured month-end position-squaring as short-side traders raced to book profits while also avoiding the beginning of the delivery period for September futures contracts next week. The firm corn market offered support to soybean and wheat futures, both recovering from a sluggish start Friday to finish higher heading into the long weekend. In outside markets, equity markets relaxed into month end following three straight sessions higher. Energy markets were lower in a continuation of mixed trade overall through this week. Treasury yields were mostly lower as well as Personal Consumption Expenditure data on Friday morning showed that consumers in July remained avid spenders despite generally higher prices. The key inflation metric fell within expectations and the Federal Reserve is likely to have all the supporting features in place to cut its target rate by a quarter point in next month's meeting.

The live cattle complex got back to trading higher as traders are again finding support in the market's slightly higher cash cattle trade. It's unlikely that traders will challenge the market's resistance at $240 unless something wild and dramatic develops in the fed cash cattle market. But at this point, it's looking like some more trade could develop, but prices may hold steady with the week's trend. So far this week Southern live cattle have traded at mostly $242, which is $2.00 higher than last week's weighted average and Northern dressed cattle have traded at mostly $385, which is $1.00 lower than last week's weighted average.

Following Thursday's lower close, the feeder cattle complex also got back to trading higher as traders are no longer up against immediate resistance levels. Demand in the countryside remains incredibly strong, so today's recovery in the futures sector is a move based upon continued support of the market's fundamentals and because the contracts are no longer teetering at resistance levels.

If the lean hog complex rounded out the day higher, and an incredible week for the market, as the contracts closed higher every day this week. And although pork cutout values were higher this morning, demand has been softer than usual, so this week's momentum in the marketplace has largely been driven by traders. The big change in the carcass price came because of the $14.23 jump in the belly and because of the $11.60 jump in the picnic.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/08/29151210/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Commodity markets daily recap

Cases of New World screwworm infections in Mexico have climbed by more than 50 percent since July. As of August 17, reports show, Mexico has documented 5,086 cases of the flesh-eating screwworm in animals, a 53 percent rise from July, according to numbers released by the Mexican government. The updated numbers previously unavailable to the public show 649 currently active cases of screwworm infections. 

“That’s incredibly concerning,” said Neal Wilkins. He told reporters that a fifty percent increase in the number of cases from July to August, particularly in extreme heat, means that Mexico hasn’t gotten the parasite under control. An NCBA spokesman said the increase in the number of NWS cases shows that the New World screwworm is a very present and real threat. Reports say the increase in the number of reported cases likely comes from Mexican cattle producers more closely inspecting their cattle and reporting any suspicious wounds or pests.

Over 50 percent rise in NWS cases in Mexico

For the sixth time this year, the overall Rural Mainstreet Index sank below growth neutral. That’s according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a ten-state region dependent on agriculture or energy. The overall reading for August dropped to 48.1 after rising above growth-neutral to 50.6 in July and 51.9 in June. The index ranges between 0 and 100, with a reading of 50.0 representing neutral growth. 

Dr. Ernie Goss of Creighton University says “Weak agriculture commodity prices for grain producers continue to dampen economic activity in the ten-state region,” and “Bank CEOs and chief loan officers expect almost one-fifth, or 20 percent, of grain farmers to experience negative cash flow for 2025.” As current prices for corn and soybeans are still below break-even, the majority of the state’s producers will struggle to show operational profitability.

Rural Mainstreet Index falls below growth neutral

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

Ag markets appeared to be on their way to a continuation of Wednesday's lower drift before buying interest picked up late in the session. Traders are displaying a bit of uncertainty on where to send prices next given on one hand the large supplies that appear to be coming this fall, but on the other hand a dry August which may very well have trimmed the top end off yield potential for the southern and eastern Grain Belt. Outside markets for Thursday were very quiet with equities moving cautiously higher, with the S&amp;P500 extending Wednesday's record move. Energy markets also reversed higher off a softer tone early Thursday in what has been an overall sideways week in that sector.

Following Wednesday's higher close, the live cattle complex traded lower at the closing bell as traders seem to be keeping the market on hold, waiting to see what else surfaces from a fundamental sense before they push the contracts any higher. Packer interest could improve at any moment, but for the time being, not a single bid is on the table. Asking prices are noted in the South at $245, but are still not established in the North. It's assumed that prices will trade steady if not a bit higher again this week as feedlot managers sit with enough leverage to simply roll their showlists over into next week if prices aren't what they want.

The live cattle contracts trading lower, had the feeder cattle complex change its direction as the market watched support erode and send the contracts tumbling. Feeder cattle demand remains utterly incredible, and with buyers showing no clear signs of slowing down, traders feel comfortable allowing the contracts to continue to trade as they will and follow the live cattle market into the red.

The lean hog complex is keeping with its upward trek and not seeming too phased by the market's resistance at $94.00. What's pretty incredible about traders' recent move is that they're doing it with little to no fundamental support. Although pork cutout values were a tick higher this morning, demand has been weaker this week, and it's looking like packers are mostly done buying the cash market, as prices couldn't be posted this morning because of confidentiality.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/08/28145929/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

The National Corn Growers Association issued a report saying corn prices have dropped about 50 percent since hitting a peak in 2022. However, the cost of production has declined only modestly, making the production of corn unprofitable. The group said despite the plunging prices, the cost of growing an acre of corn this year is down only 3.3 percent from when prices topped out in 2022. 

“This is particularly problematic for farmers trying to cash flow high production costs while the corn price has tanked,” NCGA said in the report. Production of the grain is set to reach 16.742 billion bushels on a yield of 188.8 bushels per acre in the 2025-2026 marketing year. The average cost to grow a bushel of corn this year is projected at approximately $4.75 a bushel, and USDA expects farmers to receive about $3.90 per bushel, resulting in an 85-cent per bushel loss. 

NCGA: Corn is unprofitable at current price levels

The Maryland Department of Health said the patient with the first human infection of a travel-associated New World screwworm in the U.S. has recovered from the flesh-eating parasite. There was also no sign of transmission to other people or animals. The Health and Human Services Department said the disease was confirmed on August 4 in a person who traveled to El Salvador. The CDC then reported it on August 24 after a three-week delay.

R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard indicated that neither the CDC nor the USDA had disclosed the NWS detection to the public. Instead, one or both agencies had selectively notified only certain industry participants of the detection, thereby giving them insider information regarding an issue with potentially severe ramifications. Bullard says, “Independent U.S. livestock producers rely exclusively on the USDA to protect the health and safety of their livestock herds against the introduction of foreign pests.”

Why the delay in reporting the screwworm?

December corn closed down 3 1/2 cents, March corn was down 3 1/4 cents. November soybeans closed down 2 cents and January soybeans were down 2 1/2 cents. December KC wheat closed down 4 3/4 cents, December Chicago wheat was down 7 1/2 cents, December Minneapolis wheat was down 13 cents.

Corn and wheat markets slipped lower again Wednesday, with wheat breaking back toward calendar year lows for most active futures after a disappointing technical close Tuesday, adding pressure to the corn market as well. Soybeans in the meanwhile were cautiously higher for most of the morning after a dry August for the southern and eastern reaches of the Belt seemingly supported attempted selloffs. But eventually general weakness across ag markets, specifically in soybean oil and soybean meal, was ultimately too much for soybeans to trade counter to. Meanwhile, energy markets got a boost Wednesday as a result of the 50% U.S. tariff on India going into effect in response to India's purchasing of Russian oil. Wednesday morning's EIA Petroleum Status Report also showed a weekly drawdown in U.S. crude, gasoline, and diesel stocks. U.S. equity markets have climbed at midweek ahead of key earnings results.

Almost seeming to double down and show all its power and might, the live cattle complex jolted higher through Wednesday's early trade. The market sold off and came right back in a matter of minutes to finish higher on the session. Wednesday's move comes somewhat as a surprise because midday boxed beef prices were lower, and the fed cash cattle market hasn't seen any cattle trade just yet. So, while I'd typically point to the market fundamentals for reason, today's powerful move is seeming to be a decision made solely based upon the market's technical position as traders continue to respect the long-term bullishness of the cattle complex. A single bid is currently on the table in Nebraska at $245, but still no cattle have traded. Southern asking prices are firm at $243 but are still not established in the North. Trade will likely be delayed until Thursday or Friday.

The feeder cattle complex took on the same rallying mannerisms of the live cattle market as traders continue to show respect and give credence to the market's unwavering, long-term fundamental position. I do think it's worth noting that again today the contracts that are seeing the biggest gains are the deferred months as traders are realizing that supplies aren't going to become greater any time soon.

Keeping with the same gusto it possessed Tuesday, the lean hog complex was thriving as the market neared Wednesday's closing bell. And again today, the market can't point to its fundamentals as support as both cash prices and pork cutout values were lower; so instead, today's energy is solely being driven by eager traders who see an opportunity.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/08/27141453/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

When retail prices for any product reach record-high levels, the demand usually plummets quickly. U.S. beef appears to be the exception to the basic rule of economics. Retail grocery store prices for beef skyrocketed and show no signs of descending. But demand hasn’t softened. A new report from CoBank says the allure of beef, even at high prices, is likely the result of several factors currently shaping consumer buying behaviors. 

The all-fresh retail beef prices surged by nine percent, hitting $8.90 per pound. CoBank says improvements in beef quality and the increased availability of premium-grade cuts at retail have played a big role in driving demand. The U.S. beef industry is producing a much higher quality of product today than it did 30 years ago. Brian Earnst, lead animal protein analyst, says access to high-quality beef has never been better, and American consumers have developed a taste for it. 

Consumers shrug off high beef prices

KANSAS CITY —Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson last week announced the office secured a seven-year sentence for a man involved in a drug trafficking case.

In May,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2715/BYRON-D-KITCHEN-2416-CR00381-01-Judgment_Redacted_FINAL">Byron D. Kitchen</a>, 46,&nbsp;pleaded guilty to 2nd Degree Trafficking Drugs and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2716/Redacted-Probable-Cause-1">According to court records</a>, the Jackson County Drug Task Force began investigating Kitchen in September 2023 after receiving intelligence that he was selling fentanyl pills. Following about five months of the Task Force’s surveillance, the Blue Springs Police Department executed a search warrant, seizing two firearms, ammunition, about 90 fentanyl pills, and other controlled substances.&nbsp;

The Jackson County Drug Task Force brings together detectives from multiple county police departments and sheriff’s offices with federal, state, and local agencies to target drug dealers across the metro. Their outstanding work has earned national recognition:

Prison for selling fentanyl pills in Kansas City area

WASHINGTON—Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released 33,295 pages of Epstein-related records that were provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. 

<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/98fthv8otekjk28lcrnc5/AIn3egnE58MYe4Bn4fliVBw?rlkey=m7p8e9omml96fgxl13kr2nuyt&amp;e=2&amp;st=0xvm0p08&amp;dl=0">Click here to view the files</a>

On August 5, Chairman Comer issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/chairman-comer-subpoenas-bill-and-hillary-clinton-former-u-s-attorneys-general-and-fbi-directors-and-records-related-to-jeffrey-epstein/">subpoena</a>&nbsp;for records related to Mr. Jeffrey Epstein, and the Department of Justice has indicated it will continue producing those records while ensuring the redaction of victim identities and any child sexual abuse material.

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TrGxDGQLDLZu1vvvZDBAh-e7wN3y6Hoz?usp=sharing">here</a>&nbsp;to read Epstein-related documents&nbsp;

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/98fthv8otekjk28lcrnc5/AIn3egnE58MYe4Bn4fliVBw?rlkey=m7p8e9omml96fgxl13kr2nuyt&amp;st=0xvm0p08&amp;dl=0">here</a>. for back up access to the files.

How President Trump found out over the weekend he was dead

Comanche County school board leaders, principal strive to blunt public outrage

By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>

COLDWATER — After the father of a small-town, southwest Kansas high school junior reported his daughter was the victim of sexual harassment and unwanted touching by her golf coach, he met with the coach and principal to lay out the teenager’s concerns and disgust.

By the end of that meeting in May, the father said, the three men seemed to have an understanding that the coach violated policy — if not the law — when he made a stunning comment to the girl during golf practice: He told her to grip a club like it was a penis.

At the meeting, the coach signed a document affirming he directed lurid comments at the girl, according to a copy of the document obtained by Kansas Reflector. The student confirmed the accusations in a report with law enforcement and in an interview with Kansas Reflector.

The document said the coach on multiple occasions grabbed the student’s hips, waist and shoulders while standing behind her. She also said that he held the back of her thigh, purportedly to improve her golf posture.

Ty Theurer eventually resigned as the South Central High School golf coach, which was his part-time assignment in the Comanche County School District. He didn’t surrender a much more influential position in the district: Superintendent.

Kansas Reflector interviews with students, parents, educators and elected officials tied to Comanche County schools revealed a concerted effort by insiders to shield the district’s top administrator, despite ongoing law enforcement and Title IX investigations. People with knowledge of Theurer’s past said the golf practice incident wasn’t the only example of inappropriate behavior by the superintendent, who for years personally controlled how the district responded to alleged sexual harassment.

Kansas Reflector reporting shows the Comanche County school board president and vice president along with the high school principal collaborated to minimize disciplinary action against Theurer. It indicated the president sought to tamp down scrutiny of the superintendent as word of the student’s allegation made its way through the sparsely populated district.

In a brief interview with Kansas Reflector, Theurer declined to respond to questions about the complaint.

“I’m not going to answer any of those questions,” he said. “I am under investigation. I’m not allowed to speak about it.”

The student who Theurer made the salacious comments to said she had been standing near him at a the Coldwater golf course during practice this spring, according to a Comanche County Sheriff’s Office report and an interview with Kansas Reflector. The student said Theurer approached her and said, “OK, now I’m going to be a little bold.”

She said he moved closer to her and whispered details of how he expected her to hold golf clubs. She quoted him: “I want you to imagine you have a penis.”

When the student responded with alarm to Theurer’s remark, she said, the superintendent cupped his hands around his groin, saying, “Just like this.”

Her description for law enforcement and Kansas Reflector also said the superintendent “ran his hand against the back of my neck and slowly moved me forward to help me with my putting position.” The summary said Theurer grabbed the back of her thigh as he urged her to bend her knees.

The student’s parents requested anonymity in this story to protect the privacy of their teenage daughter. Kansas Reflector and its parent organization, States Newsroom, do not identify survivors of sexual abuse.

In May, the student’s father reported the behavior to Andy Uhl, the Comanche County school board’s vice president. Uhl apparently passed the dad’s complaint up the chain of command. That resulted in the father’s meeting with Theurer and South Central High School principal Bud Valerius.

But instead of all seven members of the school board assuming a role in a personnel issue involving the person hired by the board to serve as superintendent, Valerius dealt with the student’s complaint as if it were a clash between coach and athlete, emails show. Valerius took that approach despite conflicts of interest, including his job as a direct subordinate of Theurer, his assignment as assistant golf coach and his friendship with Theurer.

School board president Kelly Herd said in an email to other board members that in her opinion, “There was nothing in the complaint that would warrant administrative leave” for superintendent Theurer. Instead, she told board members, coach Theurer had been given a “warning” to not offend again.

The school board replaced the superintendent as the district’s Title IX coordinator with oversight of sexual harassment or sex discrimination complaints because it would be improper for Theurer to investigate himself. Those duties were passed several months ago to the district’s elementary school principal, who would be expected initiate an investigation of the superintendent.

Dean Yoder is another member of the Comanche County school board, which governs the education of the 300 students near the Oklahoma boarder. Besides Coldwater, the district draws students from communities including Protection, Wilmore and Buttermilk. The district extends into Kiowa and Clark counties.

A majority of the school board was excluded at the outset from the process of dealing with the leadership crisis, Yoder said.

The school board president ordered him to “stand down,” Yoder said, and she argued the controversy involving Theurer had to be resolved quietly.

“Nothing has been handled right,” Yoder said.

Bill Faflick, executive director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association, said he wasn’t aware of the controversy in Comanche County schools before being contacted by Kansas Reflector.

He said the student who made the complaint should know she could have done nothing to warrant harassment by a school administrator. Assuming the complaint was proven, he said, the incident would make “every dad shudder.”

“If true, certainly that’s inappropriate. It’s wrong as wrong can be. There’s no place for that in school sports,” said Faflick, who worked for 30 years in administrative roles in Wichita public schools.

Herd, the school board president, appeared to shield information about the case from the full school board. In a video obtained by Kansas Reflector, Herd abruptly adjourned a June board meeting to circumvent discussion of Theurer’s conduct. She ordered her colleagues to stop speaking with community members about the controversy.

Herd resisted pleas, including from the golf athlete’s parents, to convene a special meeting so the board could learn more about the allegations and investigatory process, and weigh potential disciplinary options.

Since May, the board president sent a series of emails about the Theurer controversy to fellow board members. In that correspondence, Herd said she and the board’s vice president, in conjunction with the high school principal, dealt effectively with the sexual harassment complaint. Herd said “normal procedure” was followed.

Herd, who didn’t respond to Kansas Reflector requests for comment, said in an email to the board that the complaint ought to be viewed as a teachable moment for a coach rather than a leadership disaster centered on a district superintendent.

“As with any other HS coach, Bud (Valerius, high school principal) is the one to handle these issues. All coaches are given a warning and this will be considered (Theurer’s),” Herd’s email to board members said. “Bud called me and Andy (Uhl) to update us. We both agreed it has been addressed and handled. I assure you this was not taken lightly and it was not brushed aside.”

In another email, the board president instructed her elected peers to cooperate with her goal of limiting public knowledge of Theurer’s plight.

“This conversation regarding Ty has gotten far out of control in our community. We as board members must be careful to not continue to fuel the fire,” Herd wrote. “He has been written up and it is in his personnel file. He did not deny nor make excuses.”

The student’s parents, frustrated school board leadership hadn’t moved to guarantee student safety, filed a report with local law enforcement. Comanche County authorities referred the case of alleged battery to the Ford County Sheriff’s Office.

The school board’s president and the student’s parents said the sexual harassment complaint presented to the school district was forwarded to the Kansas Association of School Boards, which advises school boards on compliance with federal Title IX law. A representative of KASB has interviewed students and others associated within the school district regarding Theurer.

School board members expect to be briefed in executive session on the report, the school board president said.

Eventually, the school board association’s draft report must be shared with the superintendent and complainant. A “decision-maker,” potentially an independent hearing officer, would examine evidence and make a determination about whether harassment occurred. Both sides could appeal.

In a recent email to board members, Herd recommended board members fend off any reporter asking questions about Theurer by explaining they were unable to comment.

“I am not keeping secrets. Nor am I acting on my own,” the school board president said.

South Central High School graduate Isabel Hackney said in an interview with Kansas Reflector that Theurer’s objectionable pronouncements to students extended beyond the golf course.

Hackney said she accidentally collided with a male friend at the school in October 2024, and it was caught on security video. She and some other students decided to watch the footage in the high school’s administration office.

While they were watching, she said, the superintendent emerged from his office. Theurer asked to repeatedly watch the clip, Hackney said.

“Then he said, ‘Izzy, you just got teabagged,’ ” Hackney said, repeating slang for putting a scrotum near a face. “From then on, I felt honestly scared to be around Mr. Theurer.”

Emily Hackney, Isabel’s mother, subsequently confronted Theurer outside the high school about his remark. She told the superintendent it was wrong to speak to her daughter that way.

“He was trying to ignore me,” Emily Hackney said. “He tried to deny it.”

Klete Hackney, Isabel’s father, said his daughter feared retaliation if the family complained to anyone involved with the school district. Instead, Isabel refused to shake the superintendent’s hand at graduation this spring.

“She did it for herself and she did it for all the kids,” Klete Hackney said.

An attempt could be made during the school board’s meeting Wednesday evening at South Central High School to compel a vote by the seven-member board on a motion to place Theurer on administrative leave.

“If you don’t know anything about it, it’s because that’s the plan — sweep it under the rug and nobody will ever know,” said Zach Ellis, who has two children at the high school.

Ellis said he signed up to speak at the next school board meeting, but he’s not certain the board would allow him to say what he wanted to say. On social media, Ellis encouraged people with ties to the school district to join him at the meeting.

He said the school board by now should have adopted new policies or procedures designed to deter sexual harassment. It was “absolutely ridiculous” the school board allowed a superintendent under investigation for sexual harassment and battery to run the district, he said.

“I’ve got a daughter who is a junior. I’m all about making sure that her safety is protected,” Ellis said. “She avoids him. Her words not mine: ‘He creeps me out, so I avoid him.’ ”

The father of the former golf team member said that during the May meeting with the principal and superintendent the principal read aloud a one-page document that summarized the daughter’s allegations against the superintendent. Theurer and Valerius agreed the signing confirmed they discussed the memo. The superintendent didn’t challenge the student’s recollections at the time, the father said.

“I said, ‘I’m not leaving this office without some documentation that this conversation happened,'” the father said. “That’s when the principal said, ‘Hey, we can all sign it here. He can sign it to admit his guilt.’ ”

In an interview, the student said that when she joined the high school’s golf team, other girls warned her to “be careful, Ty’s a little weird.”

“My first day we were in a line,” she said. “He came up behind me and placed his hands on my hips. I wasn’t asked if that was OK. Whenever I asked the golf girls … ‘Hey, does he do this a lot?’ And they’re, like, ‘Yeah, you’ll get used to it.’ ”

She quit the team after the superintendent made the penis remark.

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