Northwest Missouri State University welcomes students back to its campus this month as the 2025-26 academic year begins with move-in day, information sessions and a variety of activities to help them connect with the University, its resources and the community.

Students will begin moving into campus residence halls on Thursday, Aug. 21. The day also marks the kickoff of Advantage at Northwest, an annual orientation program designed to help first-year students get acquainted with other Northwest students, learn about the campus and enjoy some entertainment before fall classes begin on Monday August 25th.

Northwest will clos some parking lots and reroute traffic during move-in times to allow students and their guests to better navigate the campus while fostering a safe move-in process. Community members also should expect an increase in traffic volume.

The following lot closures and traffic restrictions apply during move-in times:

Parking lots 10 (behind Hudson and Perrin halls), 39 (between Dieterich and Millikan halls), 42 (from Towers Suites east to College Park Drive), 41 between Millikan Hall and the Wellness Center and 57 (at the Student Union). All vehicles within these lots will be towed after 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20.

Lot 44 between Franken and Dieterich halls, as well as College Park Drive from the intersection of Northwest Drive to Franken Hall, will be blocked during move-in hours on Thursday.

Lot 57 will allow parking along the north row of the sidewalk and ADA parking with a valid permit. 

Lots 39, 42 and 57 will be monitored throughout the day, due to increased foot traffic and late arrivals. Restrictions may be implemented for safety reasons with little to no notice.

Additionally, University Police will direct traffic as follows, beginning at about 7 a.m. Aug. 21. All traffic within move-in zones will be stopped to engage with arrivals and reduce confusion. 

Traffic on College Park Drive will be restricted between Dietrich Hall and Memorial Drive as well as from Memorial Drive to Lot 57.

Eastbound traffic on Northwest Drive will be restricted between Millikan Hall and College Park Drive.

In case of severe weather during move-in when lightning strikes within eight miles of the Northwest campus, all move-in day activities will be suspended for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Northwest will communicate the suspension of move-in day activities through Bearcat Alert, Northwest social media and Residential Life social media.&nbsp; Students and parents on the campus will shelter in their assigned buildings or the nearest accessible University building.

All incoming students and parents will be instructed to delay their arrival in accordance with procedure and best practices for safety.&nbsp; Move-in day activities will resume at the direction of University Police or the University’s emergency management coordinator.

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

NWMSU ready for move in day, announces some parking restrictions

HARRISON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 2:30p.m. Tuesday in Harrison County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Peterbilt semi driven by a 66-year-old Amazonia man was westbound on U.S. 136 at Route EE in New Hampton. The semi attempted to pass a 2015 Chevy Malibu driven by a 45-year-old Bethany woman that had slowed to make a left turn.

The right front of the semi struck the left front of the car.

Grand River Ambulance transported the Bethany woman to Mosaic in Albany. The semi driver was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri woman injured after semi, car crash

In the Kansas City area, all but one carrier have asked Kansas and Missouri regulators for the right to bump up premiums — in one case by 40%

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/suzanneking/">Suzanne King</a>

If you are one of the 617,000 people in Missouri or Kansas buying health insurance on&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://healthcare.gov/" target="_blank">healthcare.gov</a>, expect sticker shock when next year’s premiums are announced.

With few exceptions, insurance companies selling health coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace plan to increase rates in 2026. In the Kansas City area, all but one carrier have asked Kansas and Missouri regulators for the right to bump up premiums — in one case by 40%.

Only Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City proposed a decrease.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/how-much-and-why-aca-marketplace-premiums-are-going-up-in-2026/#Distribution%20of%20proposed%202026%20rate%20changes%20among%20312%20ACA%20Marketplace%20insurers" target="_blank">survey</a>&nbsp;of proposed rates by KFF and the Peterson Center on Healthcare found a median planned increase of 18% among the 312 insurers participating in ACA marketplaces nationwide. That is 11 percentage points higher than last year and the steepest increase request since 2018.

Only four insurers nationwide said they would decrease rates.

According to the KFF report, insurance companies cited numerous reasons for the increases, including inflation, increasing labor costs and the high price of specialty drugs like GLP-1 weight loss medications.

But health policy experts said much of the blame should fall on new Trump administration laws and policies that will increase the cost of marketplace coverage, drive healthy people to drop out and leave behind patients who cost the most.

The first policy that will drive up prices is that enhanced tax credits are expected to expire.

Since 2021 those tax credits have offset the cost of health plans for more than 90% of people enrolled in the ACA marketplaces and made coverage more widely available. The tax credits, which helped double marketplace enrollment between 2021 and 2025, expire at the end of the year if Congress doesn’t renew them.

The second policy driving up prices involves a new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cms.gov/files/document/cms-9884-f-2025-pi-rule-master-5cr-062025.pdf" target="_blank">Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule</a>&nbsp;that overhauls how the marketplace operates.

Some changes will make it harder for people to enroll and keep coverage, such as shortening the enrollment period, eliminating automatic reenrollment and adding stricter eligibility checks. Other changes upend how insurance payments are formulated, which could drive up premiums and force people to pay more for deductibles and copays.

“The bottom line is that out-of-pocket premiums will go up,” said Gideon Lukens, senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, who co-authored a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/administrations-aca-marketplace-rule-will-raise-health-care-costs-for-millions-of" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;about the changes. “People will pay higher deductibles and copays, and the maximum out-of-pocket limits will also go up. … And then a lot of people lose coverage as a result.”

The ACA marketplace reached more than 24 million enrollees nationally in 2025, including&nbsp;<a href="https://interactives.commonwealthfund.org/2025/marketplace-fact-sheets/Missouri.pdf" target="_blank">417,000 in Missouri</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://interactives.commonwealthfund.org/2025/marketplace-fact-sheets/Kansas.pdf" target="_blank">200,050 in Kansas</a>. That was a record, and double the enrollment in 2021 when enhanced tax subsidies first went into effect. During that same period, Missouri’s enrollment also doubled, while Kansas’ climbed 133%.

But those enrollment highs are widely expected to plummet next year as premiums increase. In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.khi.org/articles/marketplace-enrollment-peaks-before-expected-decline/" target="_blank">recent report</a>, the Kansas Health Institute predicted that Kansas ACA enrollment could immediately return to 2021 levels and uninsured rates could “greatly increase.”

Anything that makes insurance harder to get — and especially more expensive — leads to fewer people being covered, experts said.

And next year’s potential insurance premium increases come as the Congressional Budget Office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-08/61367-Distributional-Effects.pdf" target="_blank">predicts</a>&nbsp;that policy changes from the Trump administration will lead to an annual decline in overall resources for the country’s poorest households between 2026 and 2034. The CBO said poor households will lose an average of $1,200 annually during the period, while top-income households can expect to gain $13,600.

Lukens said increased health insurance premiums caused by the expiration of enhanced tax credits and CMS rule changes could effectively lead the country back to a time before the ACA was adopted, when many people couldn’t afford insurance and found it difficult to access health care.

“It’s not a repeal of the ACA, but the size of the impact is comparable,” he said. “The way it’s done is more of a death-by-a-thousand-cuts way — a lot of changes that will just generally add a lot of red tape and make it harder for people to keep coverage, to enroll in coverage, and will raise costs. But the overall impact of it will be to increase the number of people without coverage by getting close to where we were before the ACA.”

Once the dust settles, an estimated 8 million people are expected to lose coverage through the ACA marketplace. On top of that, 9 million could lose Medicaid under federal legislation passed in July, which cuts federal spending on the program by close to $1 trillion and adds new obstacles to keep coverage, like work requirements and&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/07/25/missouri-work-requirements-medicaid-mo-healthnet/" target="_blank">documenting hours worked</a>.

“The worst case scenario here is bad,” said Caitlin Donovan, a spokesperson for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.patientadvocate.org/" target="_blank">Patient Advocate Foundation</a>, which helps people around the country with chronic and life-threatening illnesses find care. “It’s really bad.”

Ultimately, she said, when people lose health coverage they’re less likely to seek care and more likely to get sicker before getting help. That makes care cost more, puts more strain on hospitals and other health care providers and, ultimately, continues the cycle of insurance rates climbing.

“There is going to be a sicker population that’s in a much worse situation,” Donovan said.

When people who are young and healthy don’t participate in the insurance market, leaving behind people who are more expensive to cover, it can trigger a cycle of increasing premiums, said Christopher Garmon, assistant professor of health administration at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

“Anything that makes healthy people less likely to enroll is going to increase costs and cause premiums to go up, and make healthy people less likely to enroll,” he said. “And that is a vicious cycle.”

ACA premium&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/06/18/affordable-care-act-health-coverage-at-risk-unless-congress-acts/" target="_blank">changes will vary</a>&nbsp;based on where a person lives, their age and income. KFF has a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/interactive/how-much-more-would-people-pay-in-premiums-if-the-acas-enhanced-subsidies-expired/" target="_blank">calculator</a>&nbsp;that can help people know how much they may see rates increase come January.

The Commonwealth Fund&nbsp;<a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/maps-and-interactives/2025/aug/what-aca-marketplaces-do-your-state" target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;that people in Missouri who receive tax credits will see a $720 jump in annual premiums, while the same group in Kansas will see a $590 annual increase.

Most of the insurance companies in the Kansas and Missouri marketplaces have requested premium increases next year.

In Kansas, Celtic Insurance Co. proposed a 40% increase, the highest jump. But Medica Insurance Co. said its rates need to go up 29.3% in Kansas. In Missouri, Medica proposed an increase of 29.2%, while Celtic proposed a jump of 24.4%.

Medica provided a written statement, saying the company’s rate request “reflects the trend toward increased use of medical services as well as the expiration of enhanced subsidies for those who depend on the Affordable Care Act marketplace for coverage.”

“We urge the Congress to promptly extend assistance that promotes stability in this vital market serving millions of Americans,” the Medica statement said.

Other carriers in the Kansas City market proposing rate increases include Oscar Insurance Co., which is asking for a 14.4% increase in Kansas and an 11.7% increase in Missouri, and United Healthcare Insurance Co., which wants a 10.1% bump in Kansas and a 10.7% increase in Missouri.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is the only carrier in the market — and one of just four in the country — planning to lower rates next year.

The company said it would drop rates 6.1% in Kansas and 4.4% in Missouri.

In a written statement, Rachel Arnett, Blue Cross vice president of sales, said the company had “evaluated our product offerings, gathered feedback from our customers, and developed a variety of options on the ACA Marketplace for health insurance in 2026.”

Those include “a new focused provider network,” which it said would bring lower premiums and predictable cost, and plans to offer its primary care model,&nbsp;<a href="https://spiracare.com/about/" target="_blank">Spira Care Access</a>, through nine area centers.

A spokesperson for the carrier declined to answer questions about the rate reduction and did not provide other details about the scope of the coverage.

Proposed rates must be approved by state insurance regulators before they are officially listed in the marketplace.

That should happen this fall in time for the ACA marketplaces’ open enrollment period, which begins Nov. 1. This year, people will have until Jan. 15 to complete enrollment. But next year that window will shorten to Nov. 1 through Dec. 15.

But many people may not realize how much the ACA will be changing next year or understand what options they may have for coverage. That’s because earlier this year the Trump administration cut funding for navigators who help people find health insurance through the ACA marketplace or, if they qualify, Medicaid.

Funding for public information campaigns about ACA coverage and the open enrollment period has also been cut, meaning some enrollees could miss deadlines or forget to reenroll, which could also add to the number of uninsured.

Justin Gust, vice president of community engagement with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.elcentroinc.com/" target="_blank">El Centro Inc.</a>, said he’s seen this play out before. The last time Trump was in the White House virtually all of the funding for public information campaigns was eliminated. And the consequences were not good.

“There was a huge reduction in people enrolling,” he said.

This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/08/18/brace-for-sticker-shock-if-youre-buying-health-insurance-on-the-aca-marketplace/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Kansas City</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.

Missourians buying health insurance on ACA marketplace face highest rate hikes since 2018

ATCHISON COUNTY—A Kansas felon is back in jail on new allegations.

On Sunday, police arrested 31-year-old&nbsp;Kasandra O. Alexander of Atchison on a Jackson County Kansas District Court warrant for failure to appear in court, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

She remains jailed. She has two previous drug convictions in Doniphan and Atchison County, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Police: Kansas felon back in jail for skipping court

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>

Only state Sens. Nick Schroer and Adam Schnelting remain in a group whose quarrels with GOP leadership defined years of Missouri Senate gridlock

Just as the Missouri Freedom Caucus appears on the cusp of its biggest legislative victories, half of its members in the Senate have quit.&nbsp;

Missouri lawmakers are poised to return to Jefferson City next month to redraw the state’s eight congressional districts in order to gerrymander the Kansas City-based seat of Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. They’re also considering changes to the initiative petition process to make it harder for Missourians to change the state constitution.&nbsp;

Both have been longtime priorities of the Freedom Caucus, a group of hard-right GOP state lawmakers whose quarrels with party leaders led to years of Missouri Senate gridlock.

Yet after years of holding outsize sway in Missouri politics, the Senate Freedom Caucus is down to only two members.&nbsp;

State Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican and former caucus chairman, quit in June following a break with the group over&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/09/missouri-freedom-caucus-royals-chiefs-stadium/">a $1.5 billion incentive package to finance stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals</a>.&nbsp;

State Sen. Brad Hudson of Cape Fair, who also voted in favor of the stadium bill, soon joined him. He told The Independent last week that his differences with the caucus focused on tactics, not policy.&nbsp;

“I’ve got nothing but respect for my friends in the Freedom Caucus,” Hudson said.

The departures mean only two state senators from St. Charles County — Nick Schroer and Adam Schnelting — are still aligned with the Freedom Caucus.&nbsp;

Schroer, who took over as caucus chairman after Brattin stepped down, insists the group is “stronger than ever” despite the loss of half its Senate membership.&nbsp;

There are 11 members of the caucus in the House, Schroer said, and numerous candidates likely to join the group who are running in GOP primaries for open Senate seats next year. Not to mention, he said, Missouri’s secretary of state and two congressmen are Freedom Caucus alums.&nbsp;

“I’m not concerned whatsoever that at this moment we only have two very strong senators,” he said. “And I think those numbers are going to grow. But just like in years past, there are going to be senators who may not be wearing the Freedom Caucus insignia, but they are going to be with us on 99.9% of issues.”

But the caucus’ dwindling numbers in the Senate, where its influence was always most acutely felt, has some wondering if its days in the center of the Missouri political spotlight are drawing to a close.&nbsp;

It began in 2018, when a group of GOP senators formed what they called the conservative caucus.&nbsp;

The group’s formation set off an escalating war with Republican leadership that culminated four years later when acrimony became so bad that the Senate adjourned a day early for the first time since a fixed adjournment date was set in the state constitution in 1952.

Soon after, the conservative caucus announced it was disbanding.&nbsp;

A year later, six Republican senators — most of whom were part of the conservative caucus — announced the formation of the Missouri Freedom Caucus.&nbsp;&nbsp;

And the Republican civil war resumed almost immediately.&nbsp;

The 2023 legislative session saw Freedom Caucus members using near-daily procedural maneuvers to gum up the Senate. Republican leadership responded by&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/23/missouri-freedom-caucus-leaders-ousted-from-senate-chairmanships-over-stall-tactics/">stripping caucus members of committee assignments</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/25/missouri-senate-gop-warfare-escalates-with-suggestion-of-expelling-freedom-caucus-leader/">musing about their expulsion</a>.&nbsp;

The 2024 session saw no improvement, resulting in fewer bills passed than any year in living memory, including the COVID-shortened session in 2020.&nbsp;

Throughout the turmoil, the group kept losing members.&nbsp;

State Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican, quit in 2021, telling The Independent at the time that&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/01/09/she-doesnt-have-a-tribe-cindy-olaughlins-new-role-tests-ability-to-bridge-factions/">she grew tired of the group’s disruptive tactics</a>. She went on to become majority leader and president pro tem of the Senate, routinely squabbling with her former caucus colleagues.&nbsp;

GOP state Sen. Jill Carter of Granby left the group last year, saying she could no longer in good conscience be a part of “<a href="https://www.missourinet.com/2024/05/08/missouri-senator-further-explains-decision-to-leave-freedom-caucus/" target="_blank">actions behind the scenes that defame grassroots and violate the needs of my constituents</a>.”

Tensions in the Senate cooled this year, with&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/27/dysfunction-derailed-the-missouri-senate-for-years-so-far-2025-has-been-quiet/">term limits pushing key figures on both sides of the fight out of the chamber</a>. The detente led to a much more productive session, marked more by partisan squabbling than GOP infighting.&nbsp;

That changed after Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe called lawmakers back into special session in June to pass incentives aimed at keeping the Chiefs and Royals from moving to Kansas.&nbsp;

The Freedom Caucus vowed to oppose the funding scheme, which it decried as a “handout to billionaire sports team owners.” But Brattin and Hudson voted in support of the plan after a provision was added making changes to local property tax bills.

Both were accused of betraying the caucus’ principles, with the group’s longtime political adviser publicly calling for the Freedom Caucus to “disband and join the uniparty that runs Jefferson City.”

Brattin quit soon after, saying he opposed the stadium funding but voted in favor after the property tax provisions were added that he believed would benefit his constituents.&nbsp;

“I agree with the caucus probably on 95% of the issues,” Hudson said, “and I intend to continue to be allies with them and work with them on issues that we agree on. There have been some times where tactically, there may have been some disagreements where I may have wanted to go a different direction.”

Schroer said the fact that the legislature is poised to debate a congressional map that seeks to eliminate the Democratic-leaning seat in Kansas City shows the Freedom Caucus is anything but dead.&nbsp;

“Back in 2022, the Freedom Caucus pushed for a 7-1 map and couldn’t get enough Republicans to help us,” he said. “Now we’re going to do it.”

The overarching goal, he said, is that the Freedom Caucus will pull the party to the right so the caucus will no longer need to exist at all.&nbsp;

“When we’ve got enough of these strong-willed conservatives that are able to stand up to the establishment and stand up to special interest groups, hopefully at that point we’ll have a majority of the majority,” he said, “ and there will be no need for the Freedom Caucus.”

Missouri Freedom Caucus left with only two Senate members after summer of defections

Missouri had a total teacher turnover rate of 14.6% during the 2023-24 school year, more than double the national average

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/juliannamejia/">JULIANNA MEJIA</a>

Summertime may almost be over, but for teachers like Audra Day, the work has been nonstop.

Day is a kindergarten teacher at Hillsboro Primary School during the academic year, but has spent her break as a summer school teacher and mentor while also preparing for the upcoming school year.

She said one of the misconceptions about being a teacher is that they have the entire summer off. In reality, Day doesn’t have the opportunity to take much of a break outside of the weeks that bookend summer school activities.

“That’s only for four weeks off, which is what most people get off for vacation,” Day said.

Though she loves her job, Day said it can be frustrating.

Missouri had a total teacher turnover rate of 14.6% during the 2023-24 school year, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.primecenter.org/education-reports-database/teacher-turnover" target="_blank">a May 2025 report</a>&nbsp;led by Cameron Anglum, a researcher affiliated with St. Louis University’s PRiME Center. That’s more than double the national average of 7% during the same school year,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA956-29.html" target="_blank">according to research organization RAND</a>.

Anglum defines total teacher turnover as teachers switching districts within Missouri and teachers leaving Missouri public education altogether. He said both the pandemic and the years following were rough for teachers as online accommodations were limited and the ensuing global inflation made teacher salaries even more dismal by comparison.

“You mix all of those things together, and it was an enormously difficult two- or three-year period for teachers,” Anglum said. “Teaching in general is an enormously difficult profession, but over the pandemic, working conditions worsened pretty significantly.”

The National Education Association&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nea.org/resource-library/educator-pay-and-student-spending-how-does-your-state-rank" target="_blank">ranks Missouri</a>&nbsp;as the 49th state in the nation in both average teacher starting salary and average educator salary, as of the 2023-24 school year. As teacher turnover rates remain high, Anglum said the pressure of filling in the gaps weighs on educators and school districts.

“When schools see an increase in teachers leaving, that places a much larger burden on recruiting new teachers, and we often don’t have the supply of new teachers to fill those vacant positions,” Anglum said.

As issues with teacher retention and recruitment continue, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the state legislature have implemented policies to improve teacher pay before classes begin next month.

During the 2024 legislative session, lawmakers passed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=244" target="_blank">Senate Bill 727</a>, which requires the minimum salary for teachers to increase from $25,000 to $40,000 for the 2025-26 school year, with a minimum salary of $46,000 for educators with master’s degrees and at least ten years of experience.

“This hopefully will be part of one of several strategies that will help us get more qualified teachers into the field and keep the ones that we have,” said Kari Monsees, former deputy commissioner of the Division of Administrative and Financial Services at DESE, who retired in June.

To facilitate this, lawmakers created and have provided funding for an initiative known as the Teacher Baseline Salary Grant Program. While these grants existed before, the same legislation that implemented higher minimum teacher salaries also created the formal program that will provide school districts paying wages below the minimum with funding to comply with the new state policy.

While the intent is good, some experts said the grant program could cause uncertainty for continued funding in future school years.

Caitlin Whaley is the senior director of advocacy and governmental relations for the Missouri School Boards’ Association. Whaley said that because the grant is subject to annual state appropriations that are not mandated by law, it may not be a reliable funding stream.

“We certainly appreciate that the legislature is willing to put their money where their mouth is and fund that program, but it’s just hard to rely on it year over year, when you don’t know when that funding could potentially not be renewed,” she said.

Rebeka McIntosh, president of the Missouri National Education Association and a former educator, said that increasing the teacher salary and funding certain aspects of education like transportation and the foundation formula is a good first step, but it’s the bare minimum. She said the state also made several cuts and withholdings for educational programs recently.

“Those have direct impact on our public school classrooms, and that is of great concern,” she said. “To say we need to recruit, retain, and then to cut the legs off from underneath … that will then fall again onto districts to find some sort of avenue to have to Scotch tape it together again, and our students deserve better.”

Even more, Todd Fuller, spokesperson for Missouri State Teachers Association, said the increase in minimum salary still leaves Missouri behind its neighboring states, which have also been increasing the minimum salaries for their educators.

“It’s felt like a battle to try to get us to a point where teachers are adequately compensated and we’ve finally gotten to a starting salary of $40,000, [but] the frustrating part of that is when you look at us and all the states bordering Missouri, we’re still last,” Fuller said. “Just as soon as we increase that salary, everybody else has increased their salary, and it keeps us still toward the bottom of starting salaries.”

While organizations like MSTA have been advocating for an increase in the minimum salary, Fuller said the results of&nbsp;<a href="https://msta.org/news-and-media/2025-member-survey" target="_blank">an annual survey</a>&nbsp;from the group show that the reason for high teacher turnover rates is not entirely because of pay, though it is a contributing factor for some.

“Salary is not the number one reason that teachers are leaving,” Fuller said. “Teachers are leaving because of discipline issues. They’re leaving because of unrealistic expectations for classroom management, especially when they don’t have backing from the administration.”

As an educator for 30 years, Aimee Epley, a kindergarten teacher at Hillsboro Primary School, feels that those outside of education may not realize the challenges that teachers face in their profession.

“I think they think that we’re glorified babysitters, so they don’t feel that pay is low because they don’t have an understanding of what we actually do,” Epley said. “Once you have somebody come in and observe, people are in awe of how a classroom is handled and ran.”

As rewarding as her career has been, Epley was relieved when her daughter didn’t pursue work in education despite being interested in that vocation.

“I knew she had the heart of a teacher. I was afraid of that, because I didn’t want her to be a teacher, because I didn’t want her to struggle financially in ways I have had to struggle,” Epley said.

Still, Epley remains hopeful for the future of education.

“I think we’re going to be on a struggle bus for a while, and then I think it’ll eventually swing back,” Epley said. “I don’t think there’s a point where we’re not appreciated for the job we do. I [just] don’t think we’re fiscally supported for the job that we do.”

This story originally appeared in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.missouribusinessalert.com/government/on-a-struggle-bus-educators-await-increase-in-starting-teacher-pay-amid-high-turnover-rates/article_8bb8e10d-1a94-49ef-826a-c224e7f3208b.html" target="_blank">Missouri Business Alert</a>, a digital newsroom covering businessand the economy in Missouri.

Missouri educators await increase in starting teacher pay amid high turnover rates

ATCHISON COUNTY —A St. Joseph couple are in custody after a police investigation in Atchison.

On Thursday, police arrested 35-year-old&nbsp;Christopher C. Cash and 43-year-old Crystal L. Cash both of St. Joseph in the 11000 block U.S.59. He was booked into jail in connection with a Nodaway County Missouri warrant for stealing, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.&nbsp;

She was jailed on a Nodaway County Missouri warrant for stealing and a Doniphan County Ks warrant for failure to appear in court.&nbsp;&nbsp;

St. Joseph couple jailed for alleged theft in Kansas

The Maryville City Council has a new member, filling the open seat vacated by Tye Parsons, the city announced following a special meeting on Monday.&nbsp;

According to a news release from the City of Maryville, the City Council&nbsp;voted to appoint Erin Allen. Allen's term will begin Aug. 25, and she will aid in the ongoing work to address community needs, support city services and guide the future growth and development of Maryville.

"We are confident that Erin will bring valuable insight and dedication to the Council," Mayor Dannen Merrill said in the news release. "We look forward to working with her to serve our community.

Allen will serve in the role until April 2026 in the next municipal election.

Maryville City Council fills open seat

GRUNDY COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 8:30p.m. Wednesday in Grundy County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Ranger side-by-side driven by a 15-year-old Galt boy was northbound on NE 2nd Street at NE 10th Street one mile east of Galt. The driver lost control of the vehicle. The driver overcorrected, the vehicle overturned and he was ejected.

Mizzou Health transported the boy to MU in Columbia. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

15-year-old hospitalized after UTV accident

As "Closing Time" blared from the speakers, the traditional final song of Training Camp, the Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up their time in St. Joseph. 

Head Coach Andy Reid thanked everyone at Missouri Western State University for another successful camp on the St. Joseph campus

"The people up here have been phenomenal," Reid tells reporters following practice.  "They feed us, they house us, they baby us, they keep this field looking groomed like they do, and the facility cleaned up, and so we appreciate that."

Reid says the team really attacked this camp with the right frame of mind

"I mentioned it to them last night that there wasn't one of those days where we had a hiccup day, where everything was just not right, the biorhythms were down, we didn't have one of those," Reid explains.

While coming to St. Joseph might not be for some on the team, Patrick Mahomes says he actually likes coming here for camp

"It's like the best practice fields that you can possibly have and the weather kind of held off pretty well, except for like one day, it was pretty good weather all camp long," Mahomes says.  "Even though the dorms, I could do without the dorms, but everything else like I have fun out here and I'm excited now to get home and see my kids. but at the same time you kind of get away and you focus just on football and it kind of locks you in for whenever you go back you're in football season and you're not in that offseason."

Mahomes spent much of the final practice in St. Joseph during Chiefs Training Camp with the scout team, and not in his usual spot with the starters. 

Early indication from Reid is that Mahomes, along with some other starters, may not play in Friday's game against the Seattle Seahawks. 

Mahomes says he always wants to play, but at the end of the day he trusts Reid

"He has a reason for everything that he does, I'll be ready to play this week and if I get to play I'll be ready to go and if I don't, I'll be ready to go again the next week, and if I'm not I'll be just as energized on the sideline as I would be if I was playing in the game," Mahomes says.  "And so, I trust in Coach Reid fully, and so whatever his decision is I'll be ready to go out there and get the most I can out of it."

The Chiefs and Seahawks kick off at 9pm on Friday, pregame will air at 8 on Q Country 92.7.  Following the game, the Chiefs will return to their facility in Kansas City for the remainder of the preseason.

Kansas City Chiefs say goodbye to St. Joseph as Training Camp ends

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>

Twelve state schools serving students with disabilities will close next year as part of a plan approved Tuesday afternoon by the Missouri State Board of Education.&nbsp;

There was little discussion Tuesday about the plan to consolidate the Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled, or MSSD. Board members delved into the plan more thoroughly during a May meeting and a retreat last month.

“The State Board of Education believes this is the first step in providing more opportunities and strengthening education for all students enrolled in Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled,” Board President Mary Schrag said in a news release. “This decision is not taken lightly but will result in a more efficient program that enriches quality resources provided to students and their families.”

The following schools will be required to close by the end of June 2026: Briarwood in Harrisonville, Citadel in Potosi, College View in Joplin, Crowley Ridge in Dexter, Delmar Cobble in Columbia, Dogwood Hills in Eldon, Gateway/Hubert Wheeler in St. Louis, Lakeview Woods in Lee’s Summit, Lillian Schaper in Bowling Green, Ozark Hills in Salem, Prairie View in Marshall and Rolling Meadow in Higginsville.

Six of the schools were already under “temporary emergency closure” because of staffing issues, impacting 61 students. The other six buildings set to close have a combined enrollment of 64 students and were at risk of emergency closure, Mark Wheatley, the department’s assistant commissioner of special education, told the board.

The change comes as MSSD struggles with declining enrollment, with 36% fewer students over the past 16 years, and $50 million in deferred maintenance between 34 school buildings.

A consultant hired by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/missouri-unveils-plan-to-transform-program-for-students-with-disabilities/">called the current program “unsustainable.”</a>

Over the past two years, a&nbsp;<a href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/lrpac-member-list-101824" target="_blank">committee</a>&nbsp;has worked with consultants to give the program a direction. Their&nbsp;<a href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/long-range-planning-advisory-committee-recommendations" target="_blank">recommendation</a>&nbsp;is to consolidate the schools, closing 24 existing buildings and constructing two new ones to condense the program to 12 locations.

Missouri is the only state that operates separate day schools for special education, though the practice was once commonplace nationwide.

Despite a nationwide push to better integrate students with learning disabilities, some parents say Missouri’s model works for their students. When consultants polled parents about their satisfaction,&nbsp;<a href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/pcg-final-report-and-appendices" target="_blank">85% said they felt that MSSD met their child’s needs</a>&nbsp;better than previous schools.

Missouri State Board of Education votes to close 12 schools for disabled students

December corn closed down 3 1/4 cents at $4.20 3/4 and March corn was down 3 1/2 cents at $4.03 1/4. November soybeans closed down 7 1/2 cents at $10.33 3/4 and January soybeans were down 6 3/4 cents at $10.53 1/2. December KC wheat closed down 6 1/2 cents at $5.21 3/4, September Chicago wheat was down 4 1/4 cents at $4.98 1/2 and December Minneapolis wheat was up 0.01 cents at $5.87.

It was generally a bright red day on ag commodity quote boards as all three wheat markets again printed new lows; corn, soybeans and bean oil fell, with the latter two down hard. Steady crop ratings in corn and soy and the ongoing crop tour reflecting the record yield potential that USDA saw, along with the accelerating southern harvests, combined to weigh on prices throughout the session.

Tuesday presented itself as another opportunity to rally in the live cattle complex, and traders didn't let the chance to again push the contracts higher slip by.It's obviously helping that boxed beef prices continue to trek higher despite the already incredibly high price point at which the market is trading, but resistance pressure could at any time pressure the live cattle contracts and cause traders some anxiety. In the spot October contract, resistance pressure looms around $232, and the contract was just roughly $0.50 away from that threshold for the bulk of the session. Asking prices are noted in the South at $240 plus, but are still not established in the North.

The feeder cattle complex continues to flex its power and strength, as currently, many of the nearby contracts have already reached new contract highs for the day. More than anything, the surge in the feeder cattle complex seems to be stemming from the fact that demand in the countryside remains utterly incredible, and that the live cattle complex is seeing plenty of support, which all bodes well with traders.

Following yesterday's higher close in the lean hog complex, the market seemed to question its move, trying to determine if it has enough support to justify the move made yesterday and finished modestly lower. The biggest deterrent to the morning's carcass price was the loin's $2.24 decline.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/08/19142439/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Commodity markets daily recap

Recent beef checkoff-funded research adds to a growing body of evidence reinforcing the important role fresh beef plays in a healthy, sustainable diet. Animal-sourced foods like red meat are often associated with obesity risk. However, Texas Tech University researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of available research on the relationship between unprocessed red meat intake and obesity, finding no significant effect of such intake on weight gain or related metabolic issues in adults. 

The researchers found that beef contains high-quality protein and other essential nutrients, and people enjoy it as a key source of nourishment, but they’re often discouraged from consuming red meat based on recommendations primarily driven by observational evidence. The Texas Tech study is the first to fully review the totality of causative evidence, which shows no protective or adverse effect of unprocessed red meat intake on obesity. The NCBA and the Texas Beef Council funded the research. 

New study on red meat and obesity shows no link

One of the most important independent measurements of American crop production is well underway this week amid several challenges which are making it harder than ever to predict yield, one of the crucial statistics driving the Corn Belt’s economy. The 33rd annual Pro Farmer Crop Tour runs through August 21, and will send scouts to fields in seven states to measure corn and soybean potential. 

Lane Aakre (acre), Pro Farmer economist and eastern tour leader, says they’re eager to get out into the fields. “USDA is forecasting some huge numbers in states like Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, and South Dakota, based on satellite imagery and feedback from farmer surveys,” Aakre said. USDA no longer collects objective yield samples in August, so the Crop Tour is the first to broadly measure ear populations and pod counts from actual fields in the Corn Belt. They’ll pull more than 1,600 corn and 1,600 soybean samples.

Pro Farmer Crop Tour this week is counting down to harvest

Click <a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/08/18144852/30001-closing-markets.wav">HERE</a> to listen to the closing markets

December corn closed up 1 1/4 cents per bushel at $4.06 1/2 and March corn was up 1 3/4 cents at $4.24 1/4. November soybeans closed down 1 1/4 cents at $10.41 1/4 and January soybeans were down 1 1/2 cents at $10.60. September KC wheat closed down 3/4 cent at $5.06 1/4, September Chicago wheat was down 3 3/4 cents at $5.02 3/4 and MIAX December Minneapolis wheat was down 0.01 cents at $5.8825.

The September U.S. Dollar Index is trading up 0.263 at 97.975. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 44.33 points at 44,901.79. December gold is down $3.60 at $3,379.00, September silver is up $0.08 at $38.06 and September copper is down $0.0125 at $4.4800. September crude oil is up $0.58 at $63.38, September heating oil is up $0.0140, September RBOB is up $0.0243 and September natural gas is down $0.027.

December corn futures, in two-sided trade, finished slightly better on Monday. Early pressure was coming from not only the continued favorable weather with the primary Corn Belt slated to get more rain amid a cooling trend, but also from thoughts that a major annual crop tour which began on Monday was likely to find more reasons to be bearish corn. After the recent August WASDE had pegged the corn crop at a record 188.8 bushels per acre (bpa) yield with record production of over 16.7 billion bushels (bb), some even believed NASS could ultimately raise yield again in future reports. Talk centered on corn at least having a yield of 186 bpa with some private estimates even inching up to and above the 190-bpa mark. Also adding pressure is the expanding southern corn harvest with Louisiana likely to reach more than 60% harvested with Arkansas moving close to 20%, pressuring cash values. So far, Delta corn yields are reported to be running well above a year ago. On Monday morning another new corn sale was announced -- 4.9 mb sold to unknown destinations. Demand remains solid on the export front along with corn used for ethanol. Weekend rain fell in the Northern Plains, Upper Midwest, with more rain early Monday for parts of Nebraska, Iowa and into Minnesota and Wisconsin. Funds remain net-short the corn market. DTN's National Corn Index is $3.65 and 19 cents under the September futures.

The soy market was quiet to start the new week with soybeans trading to a slight loss late, while bean oil was slightly higher in two-sided trade and soymeal fell for the third consecutive day. Weather continues to be very favorable into the first half of September. Weekend rain in the Northern Plains, Upper Midwest and primary Corn Belt will be followed by a cooler and wetter pattern beyond Tuesday. The trade is awaiting news from the ongoing Pro Farmer tour which will conclude Thursday with a yield and production estimate. The calendar spread in beans is suggesting we could see another bump in soy yield in coming reports. Export business in the new-crop slot continues to be anemic with zero China soy purchases on the books so far. At a time when U.S. soy exporters usually find strong China buying interest, due to the tariff fight, it seems China has loaded up on more expensive South American beans. Domestically, soybean crush continues to be the bright spot with the July NOPA report showing a record large grind of 195.6 million bushels (mb). A recent farm advisory private tour of Iowa and Illinois revealed record large pod counts, and the DTN Digital Tour results from those two states would likely concur with call for record yields. The southern soybean harvest will likely begin just after the Labor Day weekend, with the large corn and soy crops expected to strain the storage system. Funds begin the new week with a modest bean short and bean oil long and a large soymeal net short of 109,000 contracts. DTN's National Soybean Index is $9.78 and 65 under the November futures.

A draft of the upcoming MAHA report, reportedly will not propose direct restrictions on ultra-processed foods and pesticides that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., called “major threats.” If it is adopted, the report on the health of America’s children will be good news for the food and agriculture industries, which feared much more restrictive proposals than the ones currently outlined in the draft. 

Kennedy, the Health and Human Services Secretary, has sought to change the nation’s diet by pushing the industries to make major changes through his “Make America Healthy Again” movement. The New York Times said industry regulators will work with ag stakeholders to make sure the public is aware of and confident in existing pesticide review procedures. However, it also said the administration will back research on technologies to help farmers reduce pesticide use and on the health impacts on the public.

Draft MAHA report shows no pesticide restrictions

U.S. wheat exports for 2025-2026 are forecast to increase by 25 million bushels this month, the highest since 2020, based on a strong pace of export sales and competitive pricing. Hard Red Winter Wheat exports are forecast to rise by 300 million bushels, with total commitments almost double from a year ago. That’s based on information from the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service Export Sales Database. 

With competitive pricing compared to other exporters, HRW sales have expanded to a wide variety of markets, most notably to Nigeria, Mexico, Venezuela, and Bangladesh. 

Export sales of Soft Red Winter Wheat and Durum are running slightly ahead of last year, and total exports of those classes are forecast to increase during the marketing year. Conversely, sales of Hard Red Spring and White currently lag behind last year’s pace and are forecast to be lower year to year. Total 2025-2026 wheat production is forecast at 1.93 billion bushels.

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