KANSAS CITY —A tree trimmer injured in accident just after 1p.m. Wednesday in Kansas City, Missouri, remains hospitalized in critical condition, according to KCPD Sergeant Jake Becchina.

The Kansas City Fire Department&nbsp;responded to the reported high-angle rescue and possible electrocution in the 2400 block of Brighton, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. On arrival crews encountered a tree trimmer who had come in to contact with an overhead power line.

The patient was unconscious and suspended by his safety rope. The patient was lowered to the ground and transported to a local hospital in critical condition. Kansas City police responded to the scene as part of protocol and is now investigating the incident due to the casualty, which is significant to the individual not by criminal means, according to Becchina.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759954466260.png" alt="photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A tree trimmer injured in accident just after 1p.m. Wednesday in Kansas City, Missouri, remains hospitalized in critical condition, according to KCPD Sergeant Jake Becchina.The Kansas City Fire Department&nbsp;responded to the reported high-angle rescue and possible electrocution in the 2400 block of Brighton, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. On arrival crews encountered a tree trimmer who had come in to contact with an overhead power line.The patient was unconscious and suspended by his safety rope. The patient was lowered to the ground and transported to a local hospital in critical condition. Kansas City police responded to the scene as part of protocol and is now investigating the incident due to the casualty, which is significant to the individual not by criminal means, according to Becchina.&nbsp;

Tree trimmer remains in KC hospital after contact with power line

Nate's Fine Foods, Roseville, California,&nbsp;announced a recall of nearly 245,000 pounds of pre-cooked pasta linked to a&nbsp;deadly listeria outbreak&nbsp;and potential contamination of dozens of products sold at grocery stores nationwide, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760060042421.png" alt="Image FDA" />
 <figcaption>Image FDA</figcaption>
 </figure>Nate's Fine Foods, Roseville, California,&nbsp;announced a recall of nearly 245,000 pounds of pre-cooked pasta linked to a&nbsp;deadly listeria outbreak&nbsp;and potential contamination of dozens of products sold at grocery stores nationwide, according to the Food and Drug Administration.The recall also includes&nbsp;<ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/freshrealm-recalls-chicken-fettuccine-alfredo-products-due-possible-listeria" target="_blank">FreshRealm’s Home Chef Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo</a>&nbsp;12.5-oz (sold at Kroger and Walmart)</li><li><a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/freshrealm-recalls-chicken-fettuccine-alfredo-products-due-possible-listeria" target="_blank">FreshRealm’s Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine</a>&nbsp;12.3-oz and 32.8-oz (sold at Kroger and Walmart)</li><li><a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/fsis-issues-public-health-alert-ready-eat-meals-containing-pasta-may-be-contaminated" target="_blank">FreshRealm’s Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs &amp; Marinara Sauce</a>&nbsp;12-oz. (sold at Walmart)</li><li><a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/update-albertsons-companies-voluntarily-recalls-select-store-made-deli-items-containing-bowtie-pasta" target="_blank">Albertsons Companies store-made deli pasta salads</a>&nbsp;(sold under multiple brand names including Albertsons, Safeway and Vons)</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/fsis-issues-public-health-alert-ready-eat-meals-containing-pasta-may-be-contaminated" target="_blank">Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettucine Alfredo</a>&nbsp;16-oz plastic tray packages</li><li><a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/demers-food-group-voluntarily-recalls-select-scott-jons-shrimp-scampi-linguini-bowls-due-ingredient" target="_blank">Demer Food Group’s</a>&nbsp;Scott &amp; Jon’s Shrimp Scampi with Linguini Bowls 9.6-oz</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/kroger-voluntarily-recalls-two-varieties-deli-pasta-salads-because-possible-health-risk" target="_blank">Kroger deli bowtie and penne pasta salads</a></li><li><a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/giant-eagle-recalls-smoked-mozzarella-pasta-salad-due-potential-listeria-monocytogenes-contamination" target="_blank">Giant Eagle smoked mozzarella pasta salad</a></li>
 </ul>

Listeria outbreak: Company recalls nearly 245,000 pounds of pasta

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Loyola University Chicago is greatly saddened to confirm the death of Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM. This is a tremendous loss of someone who touched the lives of so many people. We appreciate everyone’s thoughts &amp; prayers during this difficult time. Details to follow. <a href="https://t.co/zPiMY1MsIu">pic.twitter.com/zPiMY1MsIu</a>&mdash; Loyola University Chicago (@LoyolaChicago) <a href="https://twitter.com/LoyolaChicago/status/1976495097702162781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Beloved March Madness icon Sister Jean dies at 106

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating an alleged romance scam involving a man in the Kansas City metro area.

Last week, deputies took a report of a man who has lost an estimated $120,000 since March in a romance scam, according to a statement from the Clay County, Missouri Sheriff.

A woman who said her name was Lisa sent him a message on TikTok, and they began conversing. She eventually asked him to move the conversation to the Telegram messaging app. (Scammers commonly ask you to move to an encrypted app for messaging, where it's harder for law enforcement to get access to the conversations and track down the perpetrators.)

After she'd built a relationship, "Lisa" kept having "emergencies," such as needing car repairs and gas money. The victim sent her money via CashApp and then at Bitcoin machines in Kearney and Excelsior Springs. 

Finally, "Lisa" said she needed help paying back taxes on her mother's house so she could sell it. She said she would pay the victim back when it sold. When the victim told a family member about what was happening, she recognized it was a scam.

Victims of these scams are typically very secretive because they are emotionally invested in the relationship and don't want to lose that connection. Loved ones should keep an eye out for strange and excessive expenditures. "Never send money to someone you haven't met in person, even if it feels like you know them. With crypto-currency, it's almost impossible to get that money back."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670097767255.png" alt="Post photo" />
 <figcaption>Post photo</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating an alleged romance scam involving a man in the Kansas City metro area.Last week, deputies took a report of a man who has lost an estimated $120,000 since March in a romance scam, according to a statement from the Clay County, Missouri Sheriff.A woman who said her name was Lisa sent him a message on TikTok, and they began conversing. She eventually asked him to move the conversation to the Telegram messaging app. (Scammers commonly ask you to move to an encrypted app for messaging, where it's harder for law enforcement to get access to the conversations and track down the perpetrators.)After she'd built a relationship, "Lisa" kept having "emergencies," such as needing car repairs and gas money. The victim sent her money via CashApp and then at Bitcoin machines in Kearney and Excelsior Springs. Finally, "Lisa" said she needed help paying back taxes on her mother's house so she could sell it. She said she would pay the victim back when it sold. When the victim told a family member about what was happening, she recognized it was a scam.Victims of these scams are typically very secretive because they are emotionally invested in the relationship and don't want to lose that connection. Loved ones should keep an eye out for strange and excessive expenditures. "Never send money to someone you haven't met in person, even if it feels like you know them. With crypto-currency, it's almost impossible to get that money back."

Sheriff: Man lost $120,000 in romance scam

A Kansas City woman and man remain in custody after they fled from police and fired at officers during a high-speed chase in late August.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2719/LandersSavannah---Signed-Complaint-Packet-redacted">Savannah Landers</a>, 19, is charged with Aggravated Fleeing a Stop or Detention, 1st Degree Assault, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, Unlawful Use of Weapon, and Possession of a Controlled Substance, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson today.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2720/BrewerCyvauodis---Signed-Afterhours-Complaint-Packet-Redacted">Cyvauodis D. Brewer</a>, 36, is charged with 1st Degree Assault, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Aggravated Fleeing a Stop of Detention, Possession of a Controlled Substance. *

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2718/PC-Statement-Landers-Brewer-Redacted">According to court records</a>, an Independence, Mo. police officer attempted to stop a white Ford Escape for speeding in the area of Sterling Avenue and Lexington Avenue in Sugar Creek. The vehicle fled, reaching speeds up to 97 miles per hour and driving into oncoming traffic on Truman Road. During the chase, the passenger of the vehicle fired shots from the vehicle toward the pursuing officer. &nbsp;

The pursuit ended when the suspect vehicle struck a curb, disabling the vehicle. Landers attempted to flee but was quickly taken into custody. Officers recovered two handguns and methamphetamine from the vehicle.

During an interview with detectives, Brewer admitted to firing shots into the air, however, investigators found multiple bullet strikes on the back of the Ford Escape. &nbsp;

The driver of the vehicle was later identified as Landers and the passenger as Brewer.&nbsp; He is being held on a $500,000 bond and she is being held on a&nbsp;250000.00 bond, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759960450283.png" alt="Brewer photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Brewer photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>A Kansas City woman and man remain in custody after they fled from police and fired at officers during a high-speed chase in late August.<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2719/LandersSavannah---Signed-Complaint-Packet-redacted">Savannah Landers</a>, 19, is charged with Aggravated Fleeing a Stop or Detention, 1st Degree Assault, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, Unlawful Use of Weapon, and Possession of a Controlled Substance, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson today.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759960209483.png" alt="Landers photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Landers photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2720/BrewerCyvauodis---Signed-Afterhours-Complaint-Packet-Redacted">Cyvauodis D. Brewer</a>, 36, is charged with 1st Degree Assault, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Aggravated Fleeing a Stop of Detention, Possession of a Controlled Substance. *<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2718/PC-Statement-Landers-Brewer-Redacted">According to court records</a>, an Independence, Mo. police officer attempted to stop a white Ford Escape for speeding in the area of Sterling Avenue and Lexington Avenue in Sugar Creek. The vehicle fled, reaching speeds up to 97 miles per hour and driving into oncoming traffic on Truman Road. During the chase, the passenger of the vehicle fired shots from the vehicle toward the pursuing officer. &nbsp;The pursuit ended when the suspect vehicle struck a curb, disabling the vehicle. Landers attempted to flee but was quickly taken into custody. Officers recovered two handguns and methamphetamine from the vehicle.During an interview with detectives, Brewer admitted to firing shots into the air, however, investigators found multiple bullet strikes on the back of the Ford Escape. &nbsp;The driver of the vehicle was later identified as Landers and the passenger as Brewer.&nbsp; He is being held on a $500,000 bond and she is being held on a&nbsp;250000.00 bond, according to online jail records.

KC woman drove 97mph while passenger fired shots at police

The state’s highest court refused to review a ruling that found the herbicide causes cancer

BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

German chemical giant Bayer must pay a $600 million Missouri court judgment that found its herbicide Roundup causes cancer, a ruling the company says could hasten a decision to stop making the popular product.

The Missouri Supreme Court on Sept. 30 refused to hear an appeal in the Cole County lawsuit that initially awarded four plaintiffs $1.56 billion. The October 2023 jury award was reduced to $611 million by Circuit Judge Daniel Green, a decision&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/28/missouri-appeals-court-upholds-611m-judgment-in-roundup-liability-case/">upheld in May</a>&nbsp;by the Western District Court of Appeals.&nbsp;

In a statement to The Independent not attributed to any individual, Bayer said it was considering whether there were further appeals that could be filed.

“We continue to believe that significant and reversible errors were committed during trial and the appellate phase and warrant review by a higher court,” the company stated.

Matthew Clement, a Jefferson City attorney who worked on the case, said there are no appeals left except for an unlikely review by the U.S. Supreme Court. There is another Missouri case seeking an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court but justices&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/case-files/monsanto-company-v-durnell/" target="_blank">have not decided</a>&nbsp;whether to accept it.

“That’s rarely successful in state cases,” Clement said, “but they can certainly ask them to do that.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

The case is one of the few out of thousands filed in Cole County that has become final. As it fights in court, Bayer has also lobbied heavily for legislation to protect it from lawsuits at both the state and federal level.

The company has failed for two years to win passage of a bill intended to shield it from litigation in Missouri. The bill narrowly passed the Missouri House earlier this year but lobbying missteps, including a campaign targeting&nbsp;some of the most conservative members&nbsp;of the state Senate, doomed it. The company did win passage of similar legislation in North Dakota and in Georgia

Bayer has also sought protection from Congress. The spending bill to fund the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department&nbsp;<a href="https://investigatemidwest.org/2025/10/01/congress-just-say-no-to-bayer-on-pesticide-legislation/" target="_blank">would add protections</a>&nbsp;intended to block state lawsuits. Similar language is being considered for&nbsp;<a href="https://civileats.com/2024/05/29/pesticide-industry-could-win-big-in-latest-farm-bill-proposal/" target="_blank">inclusion in a new Farm Bill</a>.&nbsp;

Bayer has faced an avalanche of litigation that claims glyphosate, the product patented by Missouri-based Monsanto in 1971, causes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma — and that the label fails to warn users of the risk.&nbsp;

Bayer acquired Monsanto in 2018 and operates its facilities under the name Bayer Crop Science.

Bayer has paid out about $11 billion to settle almost 100,000 lawsuits with approximately 61,000 pending, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lawsuit-information-center.com/roundup-lawsuit.html" target="_blank">website that tracks the litigation</a>&nbsp;involving Roundup. The company has already stopped making Roundup with glyphosate for home use and, in September, announced it was seeking regulatory approval for a new herbicide to replace Roundup for agricultural and commercial use in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-07/bayer-announces-plans-for-australian-rollout-of-new-weed-killer/105847166" target="_blank">U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia and Brazil</a>.

In the statement about the lawsuit, the company pointed to an April article in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/farmers-favorite-weedkiller-nears-its-end-bayer-warns-324da1e6?" target="_blank">the Wall Street Journal</a>&nbsp;about the future of Roundup.

“We’re pretty much reaching the end of the road,” Bayer chief executive Bill Anderson told the newspaper. “We’re talking months, not years.”

In the case that is now final, a jury found that Jimmy Draeger of Eldon was due $5.6 million in compensatory damages and his wife, Brenda Draeger, was due $100,000 for loss of companionship as a result of his illness.

Draeger used Roundup to manage weeds on his property in Miller County.

The litigation also included Daniel Anderson of Lemon Grove, California, who was 32 when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after regularly using Roundup to manage weeds on his father’s property. He was awarded $38 million in compensatory damages.&nbsp;

Valorie Gunther, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after nearly 40 years of using Roundup to prevent and kill weeds on various properties she owned in New York, was awarded $17.5 million as part of the Cole County lawsuit.

The jury also awarded each plaintiff $500 million in punitive damages. Those awards were reduced by Green to $50.4 million for Jimmy Draeger, $342 million for Anderson and $157.5 million for Gunther.

The awards have been increasing at 9% interest until paid and the total is now in excess of $700 million.

The decision from the jury went beyond a claim that Monsanto — and later, Bayer — failed to warn users of potential risks to their health, Clement said. The jury also found that the company was liable for a design defect in its product and was negligent in taking action to protect consumers.

In its statement to The Independent, Monsanto said the courts didn’t recognize that it had already paid punitive damages in other cases and the compensatory awards should have been limited to actual medical expenses paid by the plaintiffs.

“The appellate court also failed to recognize that federal law preempts (the) plaintiff’s state-based failure to warn theory,” the statement read.

The company tried to win in court on those points, Clement said.

“Monsanto has made these arguments in front of numerous courts, and numerous judges and the courts have consistently found that Monsanto’s position is wrong,” he said.

Under&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=537.675&amp;bid=28550&amp;hl=" target="_blank">state law</a>, the plaintiffs and their attorneys won’t be the only beneficiaries of the award. Half of the punitive damages award will be deposited in the state’s Tort Victims Compensation Fund, which makes grants of up to $300,000 to people who prevail in lawsuits where the limits of insurance or other sources to pay the judgment are inadequate for the injuries.&nbsp;

About one-quarter of the money deposited in the Tort Victims Compensation Fund will go to a fund supporting legal services for the indigent plaintiffs through four legal service organizations: Legal Aid of Western Missouri, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Legal Services of Southern Missouri and Mid-Missouri Legal Services

On Jan. 4, the day Missouri lawmakers return to Jefferson City for their annual session, a trial is scheduled to open&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/cases/newHeader.do?inputVO.caseNumber=23AC-CC07906&amp;inputVO.courtId=SMPDB0004_CT19#header" target="_blank">in another case</a>&nbsp;with four plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs are James Greco of Feasterville Trevose, Pennsylvania, who used Roundup for 30 years around his home and those of his family and while working for his father’s landscaping business; Thomas Rainwater of Earlington, Kentucky, who used Roundup while doing building reclamation work and at his home; Gary Roth of Marlboro, New Jersey who used Roundup from 1984 to 2003 while at work and at his home, as well as the home of his mother and his mother’s friends; and Jordan Harrison of Kingston, North Carolina, who worked in tobacco fields sprayed with Roundup and used it around his home.

All four plaintiffs were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma while in their 40s.

During this year’s legislative session, Bayer, a group called the the Modern Ag Alliance and the Protecting America Initiative, listed as an “electioneering communication” organization by the Federal Election Commission, spent heavily on radio and television ads, as well as flyers targeting individual lawmakers, in pursuit of the bill to protect Bayer from liability.

The ads present glyphosate as a benign, beneficial chemical essential to modern agriculture.&nbsp;

Among the company’s political allies, preaching the benefits of Roundup and decrying the litigation targeting its use, are Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and newly-appointed Attorney General Catherine Hanaway.&nbsp;

Clement, who is among the lawyers preparing for the January trial, has been trying to&nbsp;pry loose company records&nbsp;on how much it has spent to influence legislators, the public and potential jurors.

A motion to make public relations documents public has been pending since March. Clement said he will push the court for a ruling before lawmakers return for the 2026 session.

The lawsuits, taken as a whole, have two goals, Clement said.

“The first would be to warn people about what this product really does, and allow them to make their own decisions about whether they want to use it,” he said.

The second goal is for Bayer to offer a safer alternative. The notices about Bayer seeking regulatory approval for a new product is an encouraging sign, he said.

“If they have the technology and the means to make a safer product,” Clement said, “that’s what we encourage them to do.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593022262288.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The state’s highest court refused to review a ruling that found the herbicide causes cancer</h2>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>German chemical giant Bayer must pay a $600 million Missouri court judgment that found its herbicide Roundup causes cancer, a ruling the company says could hasten a decision to stop making the popular product.The Missouri Supreme Court on Sept. 30 refused to hear an appeal in the Cole County lawsuit that initially awarded four plaintiffs $1.56 billion. The October 2023 jury award was reduced to $611 million by Circuit Judge Daniel Green, a decision&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/28/missouri-appeals-court-upholds-611m-judgment-in-roundup-liability-case/">upheld in May</a>&nbsp;by the Western District Court of Appeals.&nbsp;In a statement to The Independent not attributed to any individual, Bayer said it was considering whether there were further appeals that could be filed.“We continue to believe that significant and reversible errors were committed during trial and the appellate phase and warrant review by a higher court,” the company stated.Matthew Clement, a Jefferson City attorney who worked on the case, said there are no appeals left except for an unlikely review by the U.S. Supreme Court. There is another Missouri case seeking an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court but justices&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/case-files/monsanto-company-v-durnell/" target="_blank">have not decided</a>&nbsp;whether to accept it.“That’s rarely successful in state cases,” Clement said, “but they can certainly ask them to do that.”&nbsp;&nbsp;The case is one of the few out of thousands filed in Cole County that has become final. As it fights in court, Bayer has also lobbied heavily for legislation to protect it from lawsuits at both the state and federal level.The company has failed for two years to win passage of a bill intended to shield it from litigation in Missouri. The bill narrowly passed the Missouri House earlier this year but lobbying missteps, including a campaign targeting&nbsp;some of the most conservative members&nbsp;of the state Senate, doomed it. The company did win passage of similar legislation in North Dakota and in GeorgiaBayer has also sought protection from Congress. The spending bill to fund the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department&nbsp;<a href="https://investigatemidwest.org/2025/10/01/congress-just-say-no-to-bayer-on-pesticide-legislation/" target="_blank">would add protections</a>&nbsp;intended to block state lawsuits. Similar language is being considered for&nbsp;<a href="https://civileats.com/2024/05/29/pesticide-industry-could-win-big-in-latest-farm-bill-proposal/" target="_blank">inclusion in a new Farm Bill</a>.&nbsp;Bayer has faced an avalanche of litigation that claims glyphosate, the product patented by Missouri-based Monsanto in 1971, causes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma — and that the label fails to warn users of the risk.&nbsp;Bayer acquired Monsanto in 2018 and operates its facilities under the name Bayer Crop Science.Bayer has paid out about $11 billion to settle almost 100,000 lawsuits with approximately 61,000 pending, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lawsuit-information-center.com/roundup-lawsuit.html" target="_blank">website that tracks the litigation</a>&nbsp;involving Roundup. The company has already stopped making Roundup with glyphosate for home use and, in September, announced it was seeking regulatory approval for a new herbicide to replace Roundup for agricultural and commercial use in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-07/bayer-announces-plans-for-australian-rollout-of-new-weed-killer/105847166" target="_blank">U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia and Brazil</a>.In the statement about the lawsuit, the company pointed to an April article in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/farmers-favorite-weedkiller-nears-its-end-bayer-warns-324da1e6?" target="_blank">the Wall Street Journal</a>&nbsp;about the future of Roundup.“We’re pretty much reaching the end of the road,” Bayer chief executive Bill Anderson told the newspaper. “We’re talking months, not years.”<h2>Plaintiffs and the award</h2>In the case that is now final, a jury found that Jimmy Draeger of Eldon was due $5.6 million in compensatory damages and his wife, Brenda Draeger, was due $100,000 for loss of companionship as a result of his illness.Draeger used Roundup to manage weeds on his property in Miller County.The litigation also included Daniel Anderson of Lemon Grove, California, who was 32 when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after regularly using Roundup to manage weeds on his father’s property. He was awarded $38 million in compensatory damages.&nbsp;Valorie Gunther, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after nearly 40 years of using Roundup to prevent and kill weeds on various properties she owned in New York, was awarded $17.5 million as part of the Cole County lawsuit.The jury also awarded each plaintiff $500 million in punitive damages. Those awards were reduced by Green to $50.4 million for Jimmy Draeger, $342 million for Anderson and $157.5 million for Gunther.The awards have been increasing at 9% interest until paid and the total is now in excess of $700 million.The decision from the jury went beyond a claim that Monsanto — and later, Bayer — failed to warn users of potential risks to their health, Clement said. The jury also found that the company was liable for a design defect in its product and was negligent in taking action to protect consumers.In its statement to The Independent, Monsanto said the courts didn’t recognize that it had already paid punitive damages in other cases and the compensatory awards should have been limited to actual medical expenses paid by the plaintiffs.“The appellate court also failed to recognize that federal law preempts (the) plaintiff’s state-based failure to warn theory,” the statement read.The company tried to win in court on those points, Clement said.“Monsanto has made these arguments in front of numerous courts, and numerous judges and the courts have consistently found that Monsanto’s position is wrong,” he said.Under&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=537.675&amp;bid=28550&amp;hl=" target="_blank">state law</a>, the plaintiffs and their attorneys won’t be the only beneficiaries of the award. Half of the punitive damages award will be deposited in the state’s Tort Victims Compensation Fund, which makes grants of up to $300,000 to people who prevail in lawsuits where the limits of insurance or other sources to pay the judgment are inadequate for the injuries.&nbsp;About one-quarter of the money deposited in the Tort Victims Compensation Fund will go to a fund supporting legal services for the indigent plaintiffs through four legal service organizations: Legal Aid of Western Missouri, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Legal Services of Southern Missouri and Mid-Missouri Legal Services<h2>The next fights</h2>On Jan. 4, the day Missouri lawmakers return to Jefferson City for their annual session, a trial is scheduled to open&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/cases/newHeader.do?inputVO.caseNumber=23AC-CC07906&amp;inputVO.courtId=SMPDB0004_CT19#header" target="_blank">in another case</a>&nbsp;with four plaintiffs.The plaintiffs are James Greco of Feasterville Trevose, Pennsylvania, who used Roundup for 30 years around his home and those of his family and while working for his father’s landscaping business; Thomas Rainwater of Earlington, Kentucky, who used Roundup while doing building reclamation work and at his home; Gary Roth of Marlboro, New Jersey who used Roundup from 1984 to 2003 while at work and at his home, as well as the home of his mother and his mother’s friends; and Jordan Harrison of Kingston, North Carolina, who worked in tobacco fields sprayed with Roundup and used it around his home.All four plaintiffs were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma while in their 40s.During this year’s legislative session, Bayer, a group called the the Modern Ag Alliance and the Protecting America Initiative, listed as an “electioneering communication” organization by the Federal Election Commission, spent heavily on radio and television ads, as well as flyers targeting individual lawmakers, in pursuit of the bill to protect Bayer from liability.The ads present glyphosate as a benign, beneficial chemical essential to modern agriculture.&nbsp;Among the company’s political allies, preaching the benefits of Roundup and decrying the litigation targeting its use, are Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and newly-appointed Attorney General Catherine Hanaway.&nbsp;Clement, who is among the lawyers preparing for the January trial, has been trying to&nbsp;pry loose company records&nbsp;on how much it has spent to influence legislators, the public and potential jurors.A motion to make public relations documents public has been pending since March. Clement said he will push the court for a ruling before lawmakers return for the 2026 session.The lawsuits, taken as a whole, have two goals, Clement said.“The first would be to warn people about what this product really does, and allow them to make their own decisions about whether they want to use it,” he said.The second goal is for Bayer to offer a safer alternative. The notices about Bayer seeking regulatory approval for a new product is an encouraging sign, he said.“If they have the technology and the means to make a safer product,” Clement said, “that’s what we encourage them to do.”

Missouri Supreme Court refuses to review $600 million judgement in Roundup cancer lawsuit

KANSAS CITY —Police have identified the man who died in a pedestrian accident just before 4p.m. Tuesday in Kansas City as 67-year-old&nbsp;Stewart Edward Jr., according to KCPD Sergeant Jake Becchina.

A gold Ford F150 was eastbound on 31st Street&nbsp; Just east of Mersington Street, Edward ran into the roadway from the grassy area located next to the parking lot of the Family Dollar Store.

The pickup struck him and he was thrown to the pavement. The driver of the pickup stopped immediately, remained at the scene, cooperated fully with the investigation, and was not impaired. 

KCFD EMS transported Edward to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. He was subsequently pronounced deceased by hospital staff shortly after arrival. This is fatality #52 compared to #73 at this time last year, according to Becchina.

KANSAS CITY —Police have identified the man who died in a pedestrian accident just before 4p.m. Tuesday in Kansas City as 67-year-old&nbsp;Stewart Edward Jr., according to KCPD Sergeant Jake Becchina.A gold Ford F150 was eastbound on 31st Street&nbsp; Just east of Mersington Street, Edward ran into the roadway from the grassy area located next to the parking lot of the Family Dollar Store.The pickup struck him and he was thrown to the pavement. The driver of the pickup stopped immediately, remained at the scene, cooperated fully with the investigation, and was not impaired. KCFD EMS transported Edward to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. He was subsequently pronounced deceased by hospital staff shortly after arrival. This is fatality #52 compared to #73 at this time last year, according to Becchina.

Police ID man killed running into street from KC store parking area

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">American farmers deserve fair global markets!🇺🇸 Joe Biden failed to enforce President Trump&#39;s over $50 BILLION trade deal with China, and failed to sign ANY new trade deals. This harmed our Farmers greatly. Thanks to leadership from <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>, we are fixing that. These markets… <a href="https://t.co/wHy952sOh2">https://t.co/wHy952sOh2</a>&mdash; Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecRollins/status/1976341155890544683?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Ag secretary says aid for farmers is coming but delayed by shutdown

By&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">Ariana Figueroa</a>

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate&nbsp;failed to advance Wednesday night a resolution designed to curb the president’s power regarding military actions abroad after the Trump administration ordered four strikes on boats in the Caribbean.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/83/text" target="_blank">resolution</a>&nbsp;failed to advance 48-51.&nbsp;Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff of California and Tim Kaine of Virginia forced a procedural vote on the measure, which would have blocked the Trump administration from engaging in hostilities abroad without congressional approval.&nbsp;

Two Republicans, Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined nearly all Democrats voting in favor. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to vote against advancing the measure.

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 is a tool for Congress to check the balances of power of the executive branch by limiting the president’s ability to initiate or escalate military actions abroad.&nbsp;

Since September, President Donald Trump has approved four known military strikes in the Caribbean that have killed 21 so far, and, without offering evidence, said the boats were used by drug cartel members.&nbsp;

“We call them water drugs,” Trump said about the most recent known boat strike on Oct. 3. “The drugs that come in through the water.”

The White House has released few details of the strikes.&nbsp;

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, also without providing any evidence,<a href="https://x.com/SecWar/status/1974150886084485503" target="_blank">&nbsp;said on social media</a>&nbsp;that the boats contained narcotics heading for the U.S.

“Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route,” Hegseth wrote. “These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!”

Those attacks have taken place in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, Hegseth added.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro,&nbsp;<a href="https://presidencia.gob.ve/Site/Web/Principal/paginas/classMostrarEvento3.php?id_evento=30847" target="_blank">in a statement</a>, condemned the attacks as an “illegal incursion of combat aircraft from the United States.”

It’s illegal for the U.S. military to intentionally kill civilians who are not actively taking part in hostilities against the U.S.&nbsp;

Senate Democrats and some Republicans have expressed skepticism about claims from the Trump administration that the boats were affiliated with drug cartels and have pushed the White House for more information on the boat strikes.&nbsp;

Kaine said it’s possible that more people have died in the boat strikes, but they are seeking that information. He added that the strikes circumvent Congress’ authority to declare war.&nbsp;

“We are vested with the power of declaring war. We ask basic questions,”&nbsp; Kaine, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said. “Give us the intel about these particular boats, that they’re actually carrying narcotics.”

The Trump administration has argued that the strikes on the boats don’t warrant notification to Congress because they don’t rise to the level of war, and that the attacks are in self-defense. Kaine said he rejects those arguments.

“That’s just an invented rationale,” he said. “Self-defense has always been understood (as) imminent attack, imminent invasion of the United States. It is not within the norm of self-defense to define a drugrunner’s operation.”&nbsp;

Paul said he is working on getting a briefing from the White House about the strikes and was skeptical that in the most recent strike, the four people killed were affiliated with drug cartels.

“If they’re members of a gang and you know them to be terrorists, and you’re convinced enough to kill them, why shouldn’t you know their names?” Paul said.&nbsp;

Schiff said that since the first U.S. military attack near Venezuela in early September, the White House has not answered his and other lawmakers’ questions on those missions.&nbsp;

“We just have little or no information about who was on board these ships, or what intelligence was used, or what the rationale was, and how certain we can be that everyone on that ship deserved to die,” he said.&nbsp;

Congress passed the War Powers Resolution in 1973 to limit the president’s authority to wage war overseas after the Nixon administration secretly bombed Vietnam and Cambodia,&nbsp;<a href="https://gsp.yale.edu/sites/default/files/walrus_cambodiabombing_oct06.pdf" target="_blank">killing hundreds of thousands of people.</a>&nbsp;Then-President Richard Nixon vetoed the resolution, but Congress overrode the veto.&nbsp;

By&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">Ariana Figueroa</a>WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate&nbsp;failed to advance Wednesday night a resolution designed to curb the president’s power regarding military actions abroad after the Trump administration ordered four strikes on boats in the Caribbean.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Earlier this morning, on President Trump&#39;s orders, I directed a lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the… <a href="https://t.co/QpNPljFcGn">pic.twitter.com/QpNPljFcGn</a>&mdash; Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar/status/1974150886084485503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">🚨 BREAKING: US Senate REJECTS advancing a measure to stop President Trump and Pete Hegseth from unilaterally striking narco-terrorist boats coming through the Caribbean to poison and kill Americans, 48-51 JOHN FETTERMAN (D) votes NAY. Republicans RAND PAUL and LISA MURKOWSKI… <a href="https://t.co/MEGTdQECXn">pic.twitter.com/MEGTdQECXn</a>&mdash; Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1976080295368523866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/83/text" target="_blank">resolution</a>&nbsp;failed to advance 48-51.&nbsp;Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff of California and Tim Kaine of Virginia forced a procedural vote on the measure, which would have blocked the Trump administration from engaging in hostilities abroad without congressional approval.&nbsp;Two Republicans, Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined nearly all Democrats voting in favor. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to vote against advancing the measure.The War Powers Resolution of 1973 is a tool for Congress to check the balances of power of the executive branch by limiting the president’s ability to initiate or escalate military actions abroad.&nbsp;Since September, President Donald Trump has approved four known military strikes in the Caribbean that have killed 21 so far, and, without offering evidence, said the boats were used by drug cartel members.&nbsp;“We call them water drugs,” Trump said about the most recent known boat strike on Oct. 3. “The drugs that come in through the water.”The White House has released few details of the strikes.&nbsp;Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, also without providing any evidence,<a href="https://x.com/SecWar/status/1974150886084485503" target="_blank">&nbsp;said on social media</a>&nbsp;that the boats contained narcotics heading for the U.S.“Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route,” Hegseth wrote. “These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!”Those attacks have taken place in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, Hegseth added.Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro,&nbsp;<a href="https://presidencia.gob.ve/Site/Web/Principal/paginas/classMostrarEvento3.php?id_evento=30847" target="_blank">in a statement</a>, condemned the attacks as an “illegal incursion of combat aircraft from the United States.”<h2>Use of military</h2>It’s illegal for the U.S. military to intentionally kill civilians who are not actively taking part in hostilities against the U.S.&nbsp;Senate Democrats and some Republicans have expressed skepticism about claims from the Trump administration that the boats were affiliated with drug cartels and have pushed the White House for more information on the boat strikes.&nbsp;Kaine said it’s possible that more people have died in the boat strikes, but they are seeking that information. He added that the strikes circumvent Congress’ authority to declare war.&nbsp;“We are vested with the power of declaring war. We ask basic questions,”&nbsp; Kaine, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said. “Give us the intel about these particular boats, that they’re actually carrying narcotics.”The Trump administration has argued that the strikes on the boats don’t warrant notification to Congress because they don’t rise to the level of war, and that the attacks are in self-defense. Kaine said he rejects those arguments.“That’s just an invented rationale,” he said. “Self-defense has always been understood (as) imminent attack, imminent invasion of the United States. It is not within the norm of self-defense to define a drugrunner’s operation.”&nbsp;Paul said he is working on getting a briefing from the White House about the strikes and was skeptical that in the most recent strike, the four people killed were affiliated with drug cartels.“If they’re members of a gang and you know them to be terrorists, and you’re convinced enough to kill them, why shouldn’t you know their names?” Paul said.&nbsp;Schiff said that since the first U.S. military attack near Venezuela in early September, the White House has not answered his and other lawmakers’ questions on those missions.&nbsp;“We just have little or no information about who was on board these ships, or what intelligence was used, or what the rationale was, and how certain we can be that everyone on that ship deserved to die,” he said.&nbsp;Congress passed the War Powers Resolution in 1973 to limit the president’s authority to wage war overseas after the Nixon administration secretly bombed Vietnam and Cambodia,&nbsp;<a href="https://gsp.yale.edu/sites/default/files/walrus_cambodiabombing_oct06.pdf" target="_blank">killing hundreds of thousands of people.</a>&nbsp;Then-President Richard Nixon vetoed the resolution, but Congress overrode the veto.&nbsp;

US Senate rejects restriction of military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean

DOUGLAS COUNTY—A man found a concerning device behind some drywall as he was remodeling a house in Lawrence.

Just before 1:30p.m. Wednesday, he called dispatchers from the 900 block of Iowa with the grenade in his truck, according to a statement from Lawrence Police.

Officers responded to the area about and took appropriate precautions by clearing the area around the truck and standing by until bomb experts arrived.  It appears to be a grenade that expels gas and rubber balls. The Leavenworth bomb squad took possession of the device to properly dispose of it.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760006554368.png" alt="Photo Lawrence police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Lawrence police</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY—A man found a concerning device behind some drywall as he was remodeling a house in Lawrence.Just before 1:30p.m. Wednesday, he called dispatchers from the 900 block of Iowa with the grenade in his truck, according to a statement from Lawrence Police.Officers responded to the area about and took appropriate precautions by clearing the area around the truck and standing by until bomb experts arrived. It appears to be a grenade that expels gas and rubber balls. The Leavenworth bomb squad took possession of the device to properly dispose of it.

Man found grenade behind drywall in Kansas home

KANSAS CITY — The Missouri State Highway Patrol released additional details on a crash that injured a State Trooper just after 11:30a.m. Tuesday in Clay County.

According to the Patrol, the crash occurred as a 2023 Dodge Charge driven by the 30-year-old Trooper from Lees Summit was eastbound on MO 21- just east of Route EE. The vehicle crossed the center line and struck the trailer of a westbound 2024 Kenworth semi driven by a 61-year-old Marissa, Illinois man.&nbsp;&nbsp;

EMS transported the Trooper to North Kansas City Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The semi driver was not injured.&nbsp; The Patrol released no additional details.

KANSAS CITY —A Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper was injured in an accident that occurred just after 11:30a.m. Tuesday in Clay County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported the Trooper was eastbound on MO 210 near Stillhouse Road. The&nbsp; Trooper's vehicle crossed the center line and collided with the trailer of a westbound semi.&nbsp;

EMS transported the Trooper to an area hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The semi driver was not injured.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Major Crash Investigation Unit is investigating in charge of the investigation.&nbsp; Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759886123534.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY — The Missouri State Highway Patrol released additional details on a crash that injured a State Trooper just after 11:30a.m. Tuesday in Clay County.According to the Patrol, the crash occurred as a 2023 Dodge Charge driven by the 30-year-old Trooper from Lees Summit was eastbound on MO 21- just east of Route EE. The vehicle crossed the center line and struck the trailer of a westbound 2024 Kenworth semi driven by a 61-year-old Marissa, Illinois man.&nbsp;&nbsp;EMS transported the Trooper to North Kansas City Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The semi driver was not injured.&nbsp; The Patrol released no additional details.------------------------&nbsp;KANSAS CITY —A Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper was injured in an accident that occurred just after 11:30a.m. Tuesday in Clay County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported the Trooper was eastbound on MO 210 near Stillhouse Road. The&nbsp; Trooper's vehicle crossed the center line and collided with the trailer of a westbound semi.&nbsp;EMS transported the Trooper to an area hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The semi driver was not injured.The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Major Crash Investigation Unit is investigating in charge of the investigation.&nbsp; Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Patrol releases new details in State Trooper crash with a semi

PETTIS COUNTY—Two people died in an accident just before 4:30p.m. Wednesday in Pettis County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Toyota Camry driven by a 50-year-old Sedalia man was southbound on U.S. 50 at MO MM. The car entered the intersection on a green light. A westbound&nbsp; 2004 Mack Dump Truck driven by a 36-year-old Shelbina man struck the Toyota.

A 48-year-old female passenger in the car was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; The Toyota driver was airlifted to Bothwell Regional Hospital where he died. The truck driver was not injured.&nbsp; The occupants of the car were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

PETTIS COUNTY—Two people died in an accident just before 4:30p.m. Wednesday in Pettis County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Toyota Camry driven by a 50-year-old Sedalia man was southbound on U.S. 50 at MO MM. The car entered the intersection on a green light. A westbound&nbsp; 2004 Mack Dump Truck driven by a 36-year-old Shelbina man struck the Toyota.A 48-year-old female passenger in the car was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; The Toyota driver was airlifted to Bothwell Regional Hospital where he died. The truck driver was not injured.&nbsp; The occupants of the car were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Mo. man and woman killed after dump truck, car crash

KANSAS CITY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a house fire in Kansas City.

Just before 6a.m. Wednesday, crews responded to a reported house fire in the 3500 block of E. 26th Street in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

 Crews reported heavy fire through the roof of a two-story occupied home .&nbsp; Searches of the structure came back all clear. The occupants of the home were able to escape. The fire was placed under control at 5:53 am. Red Cross was ordered for two adults and animal control was ordered to care for multiple dogs. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759926945992.png" alt="Photo KC Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photo KC Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a house fire in Kansas City.Just before 6a.m. Wednesday, crews responded to a reported house fire in the 3500 block of E. 26th Street in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. Crews reported heavy fire through the roof of a two-story occupied home .&nbsp; Searches of the structure came back all clear. The occupants of the home were able to escape. The fire was placed under control at 5:53 am. Red Cross was ordered for two adults and animal control was ordered to care for multiple dogs.

Animal control responds for multiple dogs after KC house fire

The Jackson County judge didn’t draw any conclusions about whether the current parental consent law is unconstitutional under the reproductive rights amendment

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>

A&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/30/abortion-advocacy-group-sues-missouri-parental-consent-laws/">lawsuit</a>&nbsp;seeking to strike down Missouri laws that restrict access to abortion for minors was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/2516-CV13783-%20%20Omnibus%20Order_FINAL.pdf?courtCode=16&amp;di=29109222" target="_blank">thrown out Tuesday on technical grounds.&nbsp;</a>

Jackson County Circuit Judge Sarah Castle determined that the nonprofit that filed the litigation, Right By You, did not have the standing to sue. The lawsuit targeted a requirement that minors get parental consent before an abortion and a ban on anyone aiding or assisting minors who are seeking an abortion.&nbsp;

Castle didn’t draw any conclusions in her Tuesday decision about whether the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/05/missouri-voters-overturn-states-near-total-abortion-ban/">reproductive rights amendment approved by voters last year&nbsp;</a>renders either law unconstitutional.&nbsp;

<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=188.028" target="_blank">Missouri’s parental consent law</a>&nbsp;requires a minor attempting to access abortion receive at least one parent’s consent. The other parent must also be notified. If that’s not possible, they can also ask a judge to bypass the requirement.

“Today’s victory ensures that Missouri’s parental consent laws will continue to safeguard young girls, hold abortion providers accountable and uphold the values of Missouri families for generations to come,”&nbsp;Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a statement Wednesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Right By You is a nonprofit that helps young people navigate pregnancy decisions, including by increasing access to and awareness around contraceptives, prenatal care, abortion, parenting and adoption. In its lawsuit, the nonprofit also asked the court to allow the group to begin funding and arranging logistics for minors seeking abortions, including transportation, hotel and child care costs.&nbsp;

But Castle on Tuesday determined Right By You, which has one employee in Illinois and some volunteers who live in Missouri,&nbsp; didn’t have the ability to sue because it’s “fiscally sponsored” by a nonprofit incorporated in California. She dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, leaving the door open for the suit to be filed again.

“Young Missourians will continue to be coerced, isolated, and stigmatized for simply choosing to end a pregnancy until the abortion restrictions targeting them are lifted,” Stephanie Kraft Sheley, Right By You’s founder and director, said in a statement Wednesday. “Missouri’s youth deserve better than being left on their own just to access basic health care.”

Kraft Sheley said attorneys may re-file the lawsuit. In the meantime, she said, Right By You will continue providing young people with information on abortion and contraception through the nonprofit’s text line.

Castle heard arguments in early September after the attorney general’s office asked the court to dismiss the case.

Peter Donohue, an assistant attorney general involved in the lawsuit, told Castle that the judicial bypass measures in place are sufficient.&nbsp;

“It’s kind of wild the plaintiffs think that in cases where judicial bypass is insufficient, that they want basically no circumstance in which parents would be notified of their minor children having an abortion, essentially,” Donohue said.

Allison Zimmer, with the Lawyering Project, argued on behalf of Right By You that the lawsuit was part of a larger effort to broadly protect reproductive rights.&nbsp;

“Just to go back to what is at stake here again, this is about the threat to the right to reproductive freedom,” Zimmer said. “A constitutional right for people in Missouri after the November election … “

Thirty-eight states, including Missouri, require at least some parental involvement for minors seeking abortions, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/minors-access-abortion-care" target="_blank">the Guttmacher Institute,&nbsp;</a>a reproductive rights research group.&nbsp;

“It makes sense that folks that are in healthy relationships with their children have this instinct that they would want their children to come to them, but a law that forces that to happen in every case is not the solution to that problem,” Kraft Sheley previously told The Independent. “Because it’s not possible for a law to legislate a healthy family dynamic.”

Kraft Sheley is also a co-founder of What’s Next, a reproductive justice group made up of organizers and activists who previously called for a constitutional amendment to appear on the Missouri ballot with no restrictions on abortion.&nbsp;

Last year, the coalition called on the state’s major reproductive rights groups<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/25/reproductive-justice-whats-next-abortion-amendment-3-missouri/">&nbsp;to challenge Missouri’s parental consent law</a>.&nbsp;

After getting no response, Kraft Sheley filed her own lawsuit, noting that current policy does not clearly state how or if minors in state custody or in the foster care system can access abortion through the current parental consent law.

An answer to the question of constitutionality may instead come from a separate lawsuit filed in February 2024 in Cole County by the attorney general’s office alleging Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which oversees clinics in Kansas City and Columbia, illegally transported minors out of state for abortions.&nbsp;

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/29/missouri-attorney-general-andrew-bailey-lawsuit-planned-parenthood-project-veritas/">The lawsuit relied on a staged video&nbsp;filmed and edited by Project Veritas</a>, a conservative news organization. In the footage, a man working with Project Veritas goes to a Kansas City area Planned Parenthood and pretends to have a 13-year-old niece who he says needs an abortion. The employee tells the man that Planned Parenthood can help the girl get an abortion in Kansas.

Planned Parenthood has said the lawsuit should be dropped because the video was based on a hypothetical situation and because abortion is now legal.&nbsp;

“I find that the right to reproductive freedom initiative does not address the issue of parental consent,”&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/29/attorney-general-andrew-bailey-demands-records-from-missouri-abortion-nonprofit/">Boone County Judge J. Hasbrouck Jacobs said in April.</a>&nbsp;“And because of that, I’m going to deny the motion to dismiss.”

The next hearing date has not yet been set.

Missourians in November narrowly voted to enshrine the right to reproductive health care in the state constitution.<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;This amendment&nbsp;</a>includes a provision that prohibits the government from discriminating “against persons providing or obtaining reproductive health care or assisting another person in doing so.”&nbsp;

The amendment does allow the government to legislate abortion access if compelling governmental interest exists.&nbsp;

A new amendment proposed by the Republican legislature is set to appear on the November 2026 ballot. If passed, it will<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/07/missouri-abortion-ban-amendment-ballot-language-2026/">&nbsp;repeal the reproductive rights amendment and ban nearly all abortions,&nbsp;</a>with limited exceptions for survivors and for medical emergencies.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759971319122.png" alt=" An exam room inside the Planned Parenthood in Meridian, Idaho (Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho Capital Sun)." />
 <figcaption> An exam room inside the Planned Parenthood in Meridian, Idaho (Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho Capital Sun).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The Jackson County judge didn’t draw any conclusions about whether the current parental consent law is unconstitutional under the reproductive rights amendment</h2>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>A&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/30/abortion-advocacy-group-sues-missouri-parental-consent-laws/">lawsuit</a>&nbsp;seeking to strike down Missouri laws that restrict access to abortion for minors was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/2516-CV13783-%20%20Omnibus%20Order_FINAL.pdf?courtCode=16&amp;di=29109222" target="_blank">thrown out Tuesday on technical grounds.&nbsp;</a>Jackson County Circuit Judge Sarah Castle determined that the nonprofit that filed the litigation, Right By You, did not have the standing to sue. The lawsuit targeted a requirement that minors get parental consent before an abortion and a ban on anyone aiding or assisting minors who are seeking an abortion.&nbsp;Castle didn’t draw any conclusions in her Tuesday decision about whether the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/05/missouri-voters-overturn-states-near-total-abortion-ban/">reproductive rights amendment approved by voters last year&nbsp;</a>renders either law unconstitutional.&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=188.028" target="_blank">Missouri’s parental consent law</a>&nbsp;requires a minor attempting to access abortion receive at least one parent’s consent. The other parent must also be notified. If that’s not possible, they can also ask a judge to bypass the requirement.“Today’s victory ensures that Missouri’s parental consent laws will continue to safeguard young girls, hold abortion providers accountable and uphold the values of Missouri families for generations to come,”&nbsp;Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a statement Wednesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;Right By You is a nonprofit that helps young people navigate pregnancy decisions, including by increasing access to and awareness around contraceptives, prenatal care, abortion, parenting and adoption. In its lawsuit, the nonprofit also asked the court to allow the group to begin funding and arranging logistics for minors seeking abortions, including transportation, hotel and child care costs.&nbsp;But Castle on Tuesday determined Right By You, which has one employee in Illinois and some volunteers who live in Missouri,&nbsp; didn’t have the ability to sue because it’s “fiscally sponsored” by a nonprofit incorporated in California. She dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, leaving the door open for the suit to be filed again.“Young Missourians will continue to be coerced, isolated, and stigmatized for simply choosing to end a pregnancy until the abortion restrictions targeting them are lifted,” Stephanie Kraft Sheley, Right By You’s founder and director, said in a statement Wednesday. “Missouri’s youth deserve better than being left on their own just to access basic health care.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759971271708.png" alt="Stephanie Kraft Sheley, founder and director of Right By You, poses for a portrait in April (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Stephanie Kraft Sheley, founder and director of Right By You, poses for a portrait in April (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>Kraft Sheley said attorneys may re-file the lawsuit. In the meantime, she said, Right By You will continue providing young people with information on abortion and contraception through the nonprofit’s text line.Castle heard arguments in early September after the attorney general’s office asked the court to dismiss the case.Peter Donohue, an assistant attorney general involved in the lawsuit, told Castle that the judicial bypass measures in place are sufficient.&nbsp;“It’s kind of wild the plaintiffs think that in cases where judicial bypass is insufficient, that they want basically no circumstance in which parents would be notified of their minor children having an abortion, essentially,” Donohue said.Allison Zimmer, with the Lawyering Project, argued on behalf of Right By You that the lawsuit was part of a larger effort to broadly protect reproductive rights.&nbsp;“Just to go back to what is at stake here again, this is about the threat to the right to reproductive freedom,” Zimmer said. “A constitutional right for people in Missouri after the November election … “Thirty-eight states, including Missouri, require at least some parental involvement for minors seeking abortions, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/minors-access-abortion-care" target="_blank">the Guttmacher Institute,&nbsp;</a>a reproductive rights research group.&nbsp;“It makes sense that folks that are in healthy relationships with their children have this instinct that they would want their children to come to them, but a law that forces that to happen in every case is not the solution to that problem,” Kraft Sheley previously told The Independent. “Because it’s not possible for a law to legislate a healthy family dynamic.”Kraft Sheley is also a co-founder of What’s Next, a reproductive justice group made up of organizers and activists who previously called for a constitutional amendment to appear on the Missouri ballot with no restrictions on abortion.&nbsp;Last year, the coalition called on the state’s major reproductive rights groups<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/25/reproductive-justice-whats-next-abortion-amendment-3-missouri/">&nbsp;to challenge Missouri’s parental consent law</a>.&nbsp;After getting no response, Kraft Sheley filed her own lawsuit, noting that current policy does not clearly state how or if minors in state custody or in the foster care system can access abortion through the current parental consent law.An answer to the question of constitutionality may instead come from a separate lawsuit filed in February 2024 in Cole County by the attorney general’s office alleging Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which oversees clinics in Kansas City and Columbia, illegally transported minors out of state for abortions.&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/29/missouri-attorney-general-andrew-bailey-lawsuit-planned-parenthood-project-veritas/">The lawsuit relied on a staged video&nbsp;filmed and edited by Project Veritas</a>, a conservative news organization. In the footage, a man working with Project Veritas goes to a Kansas City area Planned Parenthood and pretends to have a 13-year-old niece who he says needs an abortion. The employee tells the man that Planned Parenthood can help the girl get an abortion in Kansas.Planned Parenthood has said the lawsuit should be dropped because the video was based on a hypothetical situation and because abortion is now legal.&nbsp;“I find that the right to reproductive freedom initiative does not address the issue of parental consent,”&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/29/attorney-general-andrew-bailey-demands-records-from-missouri-abortion-nonprofit/">Boone County Judge J. Hasbrouck Jacobs said in April.</a>&nbsp;“And because of that, I’m going to deny the motion to dismiss.”The next hearing date has not yet been set.Missourians in November narrowly voted to enshrine the right to reproductive health care in the state constitution.<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;This amendment&nbsp;</a>includes a provision that prohibits the government from discriminating “against persons providing or obtaining reproductive health care or assisting another person in doing so.”&nbsp;The amendment does allow the government to legislate abortion access if compelling governmental interest exists.&nbsp;A new amendment proposed by the Republican legislature is set to appear on the November 2026 ballot. If passed, it will<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/07/missouri-abortion-ban-amendment-ballot-language-2026/">&nbsp;repeal the reproductive rights amendment and ban nearly all abortions,&nbsp;</a>with limited exceptions for survivors and for medical emergencies.

Judge throws out lawsuit challenging Missouri’s parental consent abortion law for minors

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨🚨🚨 <a href="https://t.co/14iLLYKxVY">pic.twitter.com/14iLLYKxVY</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1976058170251399241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨🚨🚨 <a href="https://t.co/14iLLYKxVY">pic.twitter.com/14iLLYKxVY</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1976058170251399241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨 <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying that we&#39;re very close to a deal in the Middle East.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/EGn45SgLfm">pic.twitter.com/EGn45SgLfm</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1976031749022142872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Iconic <a href="https://t.co/4VutKfZJWT">https://t.co/4VutKfZJWT</a> <a href="https://t.co/m6AFDXKyT0">pic.twitter.com/m6AFDXKyT0</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1976032423633953106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Middle East Peace deal: Trump has good news 

KANSAS CITY —A tree trimmer was critically injured in an accident just after 1p.m. Wednesday in Kansas City.

The Kansas City Fire Department&nbsp;responded to the reported high-angle rescue and possible electrocution in the 2400 block of Brighton, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. On arrival crews encountered a tree trimmer who had come in to contact with an overhead power line. 

The patient was unconscious and suspended by his safety rope. The patient was lowered to the ground and transported to a local hospital in critical condition. Kansas City police responded to the scene as part of protocol and is now investigating the incident. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759954466260.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A tree trimmer was critically injured in an accident just after 1p.m. Wednesday in Kansas City.The Kansas City Fire Department&nbsp;responded to the reported high-angle rescue and possible electrocution in the 2400 block of Brighton, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. On arrival crews encountered a tree trimmer who had come in to contact with an overhead power line. The patient was unconscious and suspended by his safety rope. The patient was lowered to the ground and transported to a local hospital in critical condition. Kansas City police responded to the scene as part of protocol and is now investigating the incident.

Tree trimmer in KC hospital after making contact with power line

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Staff at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center are mourning the loss of a beloved elephant.

Cora, the Zoo’s 67-year-old Asian elephant was humanely euthanized following a recent and more rapid decline in her health, according to a statement from the zoo.

Her caregivers made this difficult but compassionate decision out of love and respect for her well-being. Cora passed peacefully, surrounded by her devoted zoo family. Cora was one of the oldest Asian elephants in human care in the United States, living far beyond the average life expectancy for her species. 

 Cora’s story is one of both extraordinary longevity and cultural legacy. Before calling Topeka home, Cora enjoyed a brush with Hollywood fame, starring as “Charlotte” in the 1980 hit film Smokey and the Bandit II, which became the eighth highest-grossing movie of that year. 

Her gentle personality and intelligence made her a natural performer, and she remained a fan favorite for decades. After her film career and traveling lifestyle, Cora joined the Topeka Zoo family in 2016, where she retired from the entertainment business and became an ambassador for her species and a cherished part of the community. 

“Cora will be deeply missed,” said Fawn Moser, Chief Operating Officer of the Topeka Zoo. “She lived a long and beautiful life, and her impact on everyone who knew her—keepers, guests, and fans around the world—will never be forgotten. Her story reminds us of the deep bonds we share with the animals in our care.”

Throughout the process, African elephant Tembo has remained at the forefront of the Zoo’s focus. Elephants form bonds &amp; can sometimes show signs of grieving. To allow her to process, Tembo was given time to view Cora after she had passed. While she has not shown any major change in behavior, we will closely monitor Tembo to ensure she has the support she needs now and in the future. 

At 55 years old, Tembo is geriatric and has been at the Topeka Zoo since the 70s, arriving when she was a 6-year-old juvenile. "Every day we have with her is a gift."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759932378597.png" alt="Cora -photo courtesy Topeka Zoo" />
 <figcaption>Cora -photo courtesy Topeka Zoo</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Staff at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center are mourning the loss of a beloved elephant.Cora, the Zoo’s 67-year-old Asian elephant was humanely euthanized following a recent and more rapid decline in her health, according to a statement from the zoo.Her caregivers made this difficult but compassionate decision out of love and respect for her well-being. Cora passed peacefully, surrounded by her devoted zoo family. Cora was one of the oldest Asian elephants in human care in the United States, living far beyond the average life expectancy for her species. Cora’s story is one of both extraordinary longevity and cultural legacy. Before calling Topeka home, Cora enjoyed a brush with Hollywood fame, starring as “Charlotte” in the 1980 hit film Smokey and the Bandit II, which became the eighth highest-grossing movie of that year. Her gentle personality and intelligence made her a natural performer, and she remained a fan favorite for decades. After her film career and traveling lifestyle, Cora joined the Topeka Zoo family in 2016, where she retired from the entertainment business and became an ambassador for her species and a cherished part of the community. “Cora will be deeply missed,” said Fawn Moser, Chief Operating Officer of the Topeka Zoo. “She lived a long and beautiful life, and her impact on everyone who knew her—keepers, guests, and fans around the world—will never be forgotten. Her story reminds us of the deep bonds we share with the animals in our care.”Throughout the process, African elephant Tembo has remained at the forefront of the Zoo’s focus. Elephants form bonds &amp; can sometimes show signs of grieving. To allow her to process, Tembo was given time to view Cora after she had passed. While she has not shown any major change in behavior, we will closely monitor Tembo to ensure she has the support she needs now and in the future. At 55 years old, Tembo is geriatric and has been at the Topeka Zoo since the 70s, arriving when she was a 6-year-old juvenile. "Every day we have with her is a gift."

Kansas zoo elephant, with Hollywood career, has died at 67

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty to two felony charges Wednesday in federal court in Virginia, in response to an indictment that followed an extraordinary pressure campaign from President Donald Trump.

A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia,&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.1.0_3.pdf" target="_blank">indicted</a>&nbsp;Comey&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/former-fbi-director-comey-indicted-2-federal-charges-after-trump-urged-prosecution" target="_blank">in September</a>&nbsp;on one charge of making false statements to Congress during testimony in 2020 and another of obstructing a proceeding of Congress. Prosecutors had sought an additional charge of making false statements, but the grand jury&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.3.0.pdf" target="_blank">returned</a>&nbsp;only the two charges.&nbsp;

Comey faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each charge.

<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/comey-says-hes-standing-donald-trump-while-trump-calls-more-retribution" target="_blank">The indictment</a>&nbsp;came just days before the statute of limitations ran out.

A trial is set for early January.&nbsp;Comey’s lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, said he plans to file two batches of motions this month, including one alleging vindictive and selective prosecution.&nbsp;

“Our view is this prosecution was brought by President Trump,” Fitzgerald said.

Trump told his AG: ‘We can’t delay any longer’

Trump has long targeted Comey for his role leading the FBI during an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump fired him after pressuring him to end the investigation and failing.&nbsp;

Trump and Comey have publicly sparred since his dismissal. Comey has denied wrongdoing.

Trump in September&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115239044548033727" target="_blank">posted</a>&nbsp;on social media urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and other political enemies, demanding retribution for his own prosecutions.

“Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, ‘same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done,’” Trump wrote. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! President DJT.”

The president then forced out the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia when he declined to pursue charges against Comey. Trump replaced the office’s top prosecutor with former personal lawyer Lindsey Halligan, who swiftly obtained an indictment.

Comey’s legal team plans to fight Halligan’s appointment as unlawful.

Classified information expected to be included

U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff for the Eastern District of Virginia agreed to Comey’s request for a trial in January, after there were no objections from the government to schedule the proceeding beyond the Dec. 17 speedy trial deadline.

Fitzgerald’s challenge to Halligan’s appointment will be heard by a judge outside the Eastern District of Virginia according to standard protocol, Nachmanoff said, adding the separate track will have no bearing on Comey’s case schedule.

Nachmanoff, who was nominated by former President Joe Biden, ordered the parties to swiftly agree on obtaining security clearances for Comey and Fitzgerald, as the government contends some of the evidence may be classified.

“We haven’t seen a single piece of discovery to date,” Fitzgerald told Nachmanoff, adding he had not received communication from government prosecutors until Tuesday.

Government prosecutor Nathaniel Lemons said he expects a “large amount” of discovery will be classified. Discovery is the process of exchanging information about witnesses and evidence in a legal case.

“We’re just getting our hands around the discovery as well,” Lemons said.

Nachmanoff responded he is “a little skeptical.”

“This does not appear to be a particularly complex case,” Nachmanoff said during the roughly 30-minute arraignment.

Fitzgerald told the judge the defense is “a bit confused” about the government’s slow movement on producing discovery.

“Frankly, we feel in this case the cart has been put before the horse,” Fitzgerald said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759946542778.png" alt="Protesters demonstrated outside the Eastern District of Virginia federal courthouse in Alexandria ahead of the arraignment of former FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)" />
 <figcaption>Protesters demonstrated outside the Eastern District of Virginia federal courthouse in Alexandria ahead of the arraignment of former FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty to two felony charges Wednesday in federal court in Virginia, in response to an indictment that followed an extraordinary pressure campaign from President Donald Trump.A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia,&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.1.0_3.pdf" target="_blank">indicted</a>&nbsp;Comey&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/former-fbi-director-comey-indicted-2-federal-charges-after-trump-urged-prosecution" target="_blank">in September</a>&nbsp;on one charge of making false statements to Congress during testimony in 2020 and another of obstructing a proceeding of Congress. Prosecutors had sought an additional charge of making false statements, but the grand jury&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.3.0.pdf" target="_blank">returned</a>&nbsp;only the two charges.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758848907803.png" alt="Comey from his Instagram message responding to the indictment" />
 <figcaption>Comey from his Instagram message responding to the indictment</figcaption>
 </figure>Comey faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each charge.<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/comey-says-hes-standing-donald-trump-while-trump-calls-more-retribution" target="_blank">The indictment</a>&nbsp;came just days before the statute of limitations ran out.A trial is set for early January.&nbsp;Comey’s lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, said he plans to file two batches of motions this month, including one alleging vindictive and selective prosecution.&nbsp;“Our view is this prosecution was brought by President Trump,” Fitzgerald said.<h2>Trump told his AG: ‘We can’t delay any longer’</h2>Trump has long targeted Comey for his role leading the FBI during an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.Trump fired him after pressuring him to end the investigation and failing.&nbsp;Trump and Comey have publicly sparred since his dismissal. Comey has denied wrongdoing.Trump in September&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115239044548033727" target="_blank">posted</a>&nbsp;on social media urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and other political enemies, demanding retribution for his own prosecutions.“Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, ‘same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done,’” Trump wrote. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! President DJT.”The president then forced out the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia when he declined to pursue charges against Comey. Trump replaced the office’s top prosecutor with former personal lawyer Lindsey Halligan, who swiftly obtained an indictment.Comey’s legal team plans to fight Halligan’s appointment as unlawful.<h2>Classified information expected to be included</h2>U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff for the Eastern District of Virginia agreed to Comey’s request for a trial in January, after there were no objections from the government to schedule the proceeding beyond the Dec. 17 speedy trial deadline.Fitzgerald’s challenge to Halligan’s appointment will be heard by a judge outside the Eastern District of Virginia according to standard protocol, Nachmanoff said, adding the separate track will have no bearing on Comey’s case schedule.Nachmanoff, who was nominated by former President Joe Biden, ordered the parties to swiftly agree on obtaining security clearances for Comey and Fitzgerald, as the government contends some of the evidence may be classified.“We haven’t seen a single piece of discovery to date,” Fitzgerald told Nachmanoff, adding he had not received communication from government prosecutors until Tuesday.Government prosecutor Nathaniel Lemons said he expects a “large amount” of discovery will be classified. Discovery is the process of exchanging information about witnesses and evidence in a legal case.“We’re just getting our hands around the discovery as well,” Lemons said.Nachmanoff responded he is “a little skeptical.”“This does not appear to be a particularly complex case,” Nachmanoff said during the roughly 30-minute arraignment.Fitzgerald told the judge the defense is “a bit confused” about the government’s slow movement on producing discovery.“Frankly, we feel in this case the cart has been put before the horse,” Fitzgerald said.Nachmanoff ordered the parties to come to a discovery agreement by week’s end, or risk the court setting one for them.“I want to get this resolved promptly. … There should be no reason this case gets off track because of the existence of classified information,” he said.<h2>Comey’s family accompanies him</h2>Fitzgerald, who served as the U.S. attorney in Chicago for over a decade during the George W. Bush administration, is known for his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/archive/osc/documents/2005_10_28_fitzgerald_press_conference.pdf" target="_blank">role</a>&nbsp;as Special Counsel in 2005 during the CIA leak case against Lewis “Scooter” Libby.Fitzgerald told Nachmanoff that representing Comey is “the honor of my life.”Several of Comey’s family members attended the arraignment at the Eastern District’s Albert V. Bryan Courthouse, including his daughter, Maureen Comey, who was fired earlier this year from her role as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan.&nbsp;Comey’s son-in-law, Troy Edwards Jr., was also in attendance. Edwards resigned from his position as prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia immediately after Comey was indicted last month.&nbsp;Oral arguments are set for Nov. 19 and Dec. 9. A trial is set for Jan. 5.Fitzgerald initially argued for a Jan. 12 trial date, but Nachmanoff denied the request.