Missouri Democrats gain ground in polls, but congressional races remain uphill battles

By Rudi Keller 

Missouri Independent

Missouri Republicans’ advantage among voters has narrowed sharply this year, but that shift may do little to change the state’s congressional delegation on Nov. 3. 

An August St. Louis University/YouGov survey showed Missourians were just about evenly split between Republicans and Democrats on a generic congressional ballot, a major gain for Democrats from a poll in February. 

But Democratic voters are mainly concentrated in the 1st and 5th districts. Republicans won the other six by comfortable margins in 2024 and there’s only one race that has attracted significant broadcast advertising: The 2nd District in eastern Missouri.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner raised $562,000 from mid-July through Sept. 30 and spent $2.4 million in that period defending her seat. She has spent $1.2 million on broadcast ads so far, according to tracking by The Independent. Her Democratic opponent, Fred Wellman, outraised Wagner in the period by more than $200,000 but was outspent by an almost 6-to-1 margin.

Wellman  has spent only $271,000 on broadcast advertising.

Wagner, a longtime figure in Missouri Republican politics, is seeking her eighth term. Wellman, a retired military officer, is making his first bid for office.

Interviews with voters in the district revealed sharply different views of national politics. Kay Wiese of Ballwin told The Independent she believes suburban swing voters are souring on Republicans. 

“There’s not a lot of thoughtful input from a lot of the folks that we have on the Republican side,” she said. “I feel like they are mostly puppets in that party. It’s just like they are not standing up for the middle class, the more common people.”

But Pat Compton of Winchester said she sees no reason to change her support for Republicans. While many voters are angry over high gas prices, she is not.

“I’m for the war in Iran,” Compton said. “Once that gets settled, the prices will change.”

The 2nd District is the most competitive congressional race in Missouri, according to Cook Political Report. It is rated as “Likely Republican” while the other seven districts are rated as “solid” for the incumbent party.

On the west side of Missouri, intense battles for seats in Congress are playing out on television — but the ads are for races in Kansas. 

Republicans did try to make another Missouri congressional district competitive this year, but not through campaign advertising.

Last year, Republican lawmakers redrew six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts in an effort to flip the Democratic-held 5th District in Kansas City. But a referendum campaign put the 2025 map on the Nov. 3 ballot, and the courts blocked its use in this year’s election.

It took a ruling from the Missouri Supreme Court on Sept. 3, affirmed three times by the U.S. Supreme Court, to end the GOP’s effort to use the 2025 map in November alongside the referendum.

The Republican nominee in the district — state Sen. Rick Brattin — struggled to raise money in September, when the redistricting plan was in dispute in state and federal courts. 

A campaign disclosure report filed this week shows Brattin raised only $900 in the five days after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Sept. 25 decision. His last significant promotional expense was $2,855 for yard signs on the day of the Missouri Supreme Court ruling.

Uncertain congressional map hangs over Missouri’s crowded 5th District GOP primary

The court decisions severely diminished the value of the Republican nomination.

If the 2025 boundaries had been used in November, the district would have been rated as solidly Republican. President Donald Trump won the votes in those boundaries by 18%, according to Cook Political Report. The incumbent, Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, won his 2024 re-election in the boundaries that will be used in November with 60% of the vote.

In the aftermath, Brattin lashed out.

“The responsibility for this chaos rests first and foremost with the Missouri Supreme Court,” Brattin wrote on social media.

Cleaver, as expected, praised the courts.

“For more than a year, state officials have spent precious time, energy, and resources on an effort to silence the voices of Missouri voters and steal a congressional seat,” Cleaver said on social media. 

Instead of a potentially competitive, multimillion-dollar campaign, Brattin now finds himself in the same position as most challengers to Missouri incumbents this year: short on money and facing long odds.

He reported having $17,503 on hand on Sept. 30.

There is little in the way of campaign activity in any other district that would suggest Missouri will not return incumbents — or the incumbent party nominee — to Washington. Incumbents and nominees of the incumbent party have raised 89% of the money for this year’s contests and had 94% of the funds available on Oct. 1.

The ballot lineups in Missouri’s six remaining congressional races are:

• 1st District, St. Louis and St. Louis County: U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell won renomination for a second term in a primary rematch with former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, whom he unseated in 2024. Paul Berry III is on the Republican ticket and has not formed a campaign committee.
• 3rd District, Central Missouri to St. Charles and Jefferson counties: U.S. Rep. Bob Onder of Lake Saint Louis, a Republican seeking his second term against Democratic nominee Bethany Mann. Onder had $568,000 on hand and Mann had about $10,000 on hand in the most recent reports.
• 4th District, Central Missouri to the Kansas border, including Whiteman Air Force Base and Fort Leonard Wood. U.S. Rep. Mark Alford is a Republican seeking his third term, with Democratic nominee Jordan Herrera and Libertarian Thomas Holbrook on the ballot. Alford had $773,000 on hand and Holbrook had $3,125 at the most recent report.
• 6th District, north Missouri from St. Joseph to Hannibal. Chris Stigall won the Republican nomination to replace U.S. Rep. Sam Graves. His Democratic opponent, Josh Smead, is doing better than some rural district Democrats in fundraising — he made a small broadcast ad buy — but Stigall had $212,000 on hand at the last report compared to $32,156 for Smead.
• 7th District, southwest Missouri including Springfield, Joplin and Branson. U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison is seeking his third term in office in the district that has been Republican the longest in Missouri. His Democratic opponent, Missi Hesketh, had $33,543 on hand at the latest report while Burlison reported $961,193. Libertarian Kevin Craig has not reported raising any money.
• 8th District, southeast Missouri from Rolla and Jefferson County to the Bootheel. U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, is seeking his sixth full term. The Republican won a special election in 2013. He had almost  $5.5 million on hand on Sept. 30, while Democratic challenger Chris Reichard had $12,563. Libertarian Rebecca Sharpe Lombard has not formed a campaign committee.

Democrats are hoping to link Republicans to unpopular state policies and the SLU/YouGov poll offered a potential sign of weakness for the GOP in northwest Missouri. Voters in the region favored Democrats 46% to 35% on a generic congressional ballot, though the regional sample of just 52 respondents makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions.

The region, which includes St. Joseph, showed an 11-point preference for Democrats on a generic ballot.

Just to the south, Platte County is a battleground for Missouri House seats. Voter Eric Munch said he backs the redistricting plan and Republicans.

Platte County is in the 6th District and the 2025 map did not change that.

“I don’t have any problem with it,” Munch told The Independent. “The state voted in a Republican Legislature, and if they want to go after redistricting, I say go for it.”

The last Democrat representing a largely rural congressional district, the late U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton of Lexington, lost his office in 2010 after 17 terms. For Democrats to translate their statewide gains into congressional victories, they will have to win back some of the rural voters who abandoned the party over the past two decades.

The lack of money doesn’t keep most underdog candidates from working crowds and visiting the events that matter in communities in their district. Smead walked in the Brunswick Pecan Festival Parade in Chariton County on Oct. 3 while Stigall stayed away.

As he waited for the parade, James Ostermann, a Chariton County farmer, blamed high diesel prices on a lack of refining capacity and faulted Democrats’ environmental policies for limiting development.

“I used to be Democrat straight through, but they put so much pressure on the middle class and everybody that they’ve just taken my vote away,” Ostermann said.

That attitude may be softening, said Grace Fortner of Keytesville. 

She said she returned to her home county about 10 years ago to raise her family.

“I don’t think that’s true, simply because I’m looking around my county and my district lately, and it’s the first year I feel hope for our district actually,” Fortner said. “This is the best I’ve ever seen Democrats’ signs out and around in the last 10 years, especially the last eight years.”

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.

Neosho man charged with supplying fentanyl to six Joplin city prisoners

A Neosho man pleaded not guilty to six charges of delivering a controlled substance during his arraignment this afternoon1 in Jasper County Circuit Court.

James Evan Johnny, 49, who was being held on a municipal stealing charge, allegedly provided fentanyl to six other prisoners. He is being held on a $30,000 cash or surety bond. A bond hearing is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. October 27 in Carthage.

(From the probable cause statement)

On 10/13/2026, emergency personnel responded to the Joplin City Jail to attend to multiple
unresponsive inmates in Dorm A. A total of seven (7) inmates including James Johnny were
administered Narcan and transported by ambulance to local hospitals, where they were treated for
suspected fentanyl overdoses. 

The inmates treated were Derick Cartwright, Richard Cannon, Loren Checkley, Kore Thomasen, Samuel Lane, and Daniel Rendon. 

During a search of Dorm A, a baggie with white residue which field-tested positive for fentanyl was located in the vicinity of the dorm where the inmates were found unresponsive.

Surveillance video from Dorm A showed inmate James Johnny displaying a white item in his left hand
to another inmate. Johnny and the other inmate went to a corner of the dorm. Several other inmates
gathered in the same corner over the next fifteen minutes until inmates began showing signs of overdoses.

Under Miranda, James Johnny admitted to obtaining what he knew to be narcotics from another inmate
and then distributing those narcotics to other inmates.

Eric Parker named City of Joplin's director of information technology

 (From the City of Joplin)

The City of Joplin has selected Eric Parker as its next Director of Information Technology, City Manager Nick Edwards announced today.

Parker, a longtime Joplin-area IT professional, served for 26 years at TAMKO Building Products in IT. Prior to his career with TAMKO, Parker also held IT roles at NPC International and Leggett & Platt.

“This was a competitive national search, and when we had the opportunity to meet Eric, it was clear that his broad level of experience would be a very good fit for the City,” said Joplin City Manager Nick Edwards. “He has a tremendous level of experience in managing enterprise systems and programs, and he stood out amongst other candidates due to his depth and breadth of IT expertise. This is a very important role, and I’m thrilled to be welcoming Eric to our team.”

Parker, a graduate of Missouri Southern State University, earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science with a double major in mathematics and computer information systems. Over the course of his career, he has gained experience with ERP systems, cybersecurity, and the management of hardware and software lifecycles.

He steps into a critical position for the City of Joplin. The Director of IT is responsible for serving as the technology architect for city government – evaluating, onboarding and maintaining dozens of systems that support and connect the City’s 15 departments and approximately 600 employees working in multiple locations throughout Joplin. The director ensures the IT department delivers on the City’s technological priorities, serves as guardian of the City’s data, and is a key liaison to external partners in terms of technology initiatives.

Parker will be the City’s second Director of IT – he follows Mark Morris, who retired last month after 25 years of service.

"I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to serve as the City of Joplin's new IT Director. I look forward to working alongside City leadership and staff to support technology needs, strengthen IT services, and help ensure our systems continue to meet the needs of our employees and community,” he said. “I can't wait to build relationships, contribute to the City's success and embrace the opportunities ahead."

Parker will begin his new position on Monday, October 26.

Lawsuit demands end to redacting Highway Patrol crash reports

(From the Missouri Press Association)

The Missouri Press Association (MPA) and the Missouri Broadcasters Association (MBA) have filed a petition in Cole County Circuit Court against the Missouri State Highway Patrol, saying the agency is illegally blacking out basic information in crash reports that Missourians have been able to see for decades. The two associations are joined by Gray Local Media, Inc., Warden Publishing Company, and managing editor Roxie Murphy.

For nearly 30 years, the Patrol posted traffic and boating crash reports online without redactions, and its own website once told the public that “all information on crash reports is considered an ‘open record’ and cannot be withheld from the public.”

Sometime in 2024, that changed. The Patrol began redacting names and other details — even the names of people killed in crashes — both in its online database and in responses to records requests. Under the Missouri Sunshine Law, the state’s open records law, these incident reports “shall be open records.”

Crash reports help communities learn who was hurt or killed, let families and neighbors get accurate information, and help the public spot dangerous roads and intersections. Journalists have long used unredacted reports to verify the identities of people who died on Missouri roads and to report on public safety and vehicle safety. Without them, it is far harder to hold public agencies accountable or to tell Missourians what is happening in their own communities.

The petition asks the court to order the Patrol to provide full, unredacted crash reports and to restore complete public online access, and it seeks civil penalties and attorney’s fees.

“Missourians have had the right to see these records for decades, and that right did not expire when the MSHP unilaterally changed its policy,” said Chad Stebbins, Executive Director of the Missouri Press Association. “We are standing up for all Missourians who deserve to know and understand the safety issues surrounding roads they travel every day. When the government blacks out the name of someone killed on a public road, it is the whole community that is kept in the dark.”

“People have been calling our member stations upset that they didn’t know that their neighbors or prominent community members were in a crash,” said Chad Mahoney, President and CEO of the Missouri Broadcasters Association. “Our stations serve people who deserve accurate, timely information about what happens on Missouri roads and waterways. We are asking the court to restore the access Missourians have always had.”

About the Missouri Press Association

The Missouri Press Association is a nonprofit organization that works to promote, strengthen and enhance the journalism profession and Missouri’s newspapers. Learn more at www.mopress.com.

About the Missouri Broadcasters Association

The Missouri Broadcasters Association is a nonprofit organization that promotes the interests and welfare of Missouri’s radio and television broadcasters, many of which engage in news reporting. Learn more at www.missouribroadcasters.org.

About Gray Local Media, Inc.

Gray Local Media, Inc. owns and operates television stations in 117 markets in the United States, including 5 stations that serve residents of Missouri: KMOV in St. Louis; KCTV in Kansas City, KS; KYTV in Springfield; KFVS in Cape Girardeau; and KPOB in Poplar Bluff. Learn more at www.graymedia.com.

About Warden Publishing Company

Warden Publishing Company owns and publishes six local newspapers throughout Missouri, including The Gasconade County Republican, The Maries County Advocate, The Osage County Unterrified Democrat, The Cuba Free Press, Steelville Star-Crawford Mirror and the Saint James Press. Roxie Murphy is an award-winning journalist who works as a managing editor for Warden Publishing Company. Learn more at https://www.gasconadecountyrepublican.com/.

Jason Smith: I'll keep fighting for rural health care

(From Eighth District Congressman Jason Smith)

Every family in America struggles with the cost of health care, which has been growing at an unsustainable rate. But in Missouri, families know that the bigger issue is access to care. My mom worked at Briggs & Stratton just so my family could have health insurance, so I understand what a challenge access to care is. We’ve seen 12 hospitals in rural Missouri communities closed in recent years. Every hospital closure makes it so that health care is further away from many rural Missourians than ever before. When someone is having a heart attack, a stroke, or a baby is coming early, that extra hour can be the difference between life and death.

That’s why I made fighting for rural health care a priority when I wrote the Working Families Tax Cuts, also known as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill. The RHTP is a $50 billion investment in rural health care nationwide — the largest single investment in rural health care in American history — and Missouri was awarded more than $216 million of it. 

After passage of the fund, I haven’t let my foot of the gas. I have pressed Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Oz since the bill passed, as well as Governor Kehoe, to make sure that money reaches the communities it was written for — particularly those in southeast and south central Missouri. Now, Missourians are on the cusp of seeing new resources coming into our rural health facilities.

Just this week, the Trump Administration announced more than $2.3 million of RHTP funding will go toward supporting health care workers and expanding access to maternal care in rural communities across the Show-Me State. This announcement builds on last month’s good news, when the Administration announced more than $45 million for rural Missouri hospitals. About $35 million is slated for 20 hospital projects, including building upgrades, new diagnostic equipment, and renovated critical care space. Another $6.4 million will connect rural providers with behavioral and maternal health specialists, and $4.2 million will train more EMTs and paramedics.

Thanks to the program I fought for, it was recently announced that Salem Memorial Hospital will receive about $1.7 million for a new roof, new windows, and air conditioning in patient rooms so it can stay open and operating for the families who depend on it. On top of that, Texas County Memorial Hospital in Houston will receive roughly $580,000 for heating and cooling upgrades and a new water filtration system for its surgical suite.

The $2.3 million announced this week will help with staffing, a problem every rural hospital faces, by making it easier to keep the health care workers we already have and train new ones right here at home. More than $1.4 million will expand a childcare program where the state, rural employers, and families split the cost, so nurses know their kids are cared for while they care for patients. Another $879,000 will establish Missouri’s first-ever certified nurse midwife training program. A rural mom shouldn’t have to drive an hour or more to find someone to deliver her baby, and training midwives here is how we shorten that drive.

I will keep fighting for rural health care until every dollar announced reaches the hospital it was meant for. Our rural communities have waited a long time for their share of affordable, accessible health care, and I’ll continue working to ensure they get it.

Nightmare on 7th Street: MoDOT Offers update on Route 66 Improvement Project

(From MoDOT)

Progress Update for Route 66 Improvement Project for Week of Oct. 19

A project to make pavement, sidewalk, traffic and safety improvements along Missouri Route 66 (7th Street) in Joplin is underway. Here is an update of the work scheduled for the week of October 19.

Drivers are reminded that access to all businesses along Route 66 (7thStreet) will be maintained during hours of operation.

Work scheduled

Contractor installing new storm sewer on the north side of Route 66 (7th Street) between Highland Avenue and Patterson Avenue

Florida Avenue currently CLOSED on both sides of Route 66 (7thStreet) for pavement replacement, installation of new traffic signal infrastructure and to accommodate temporary traffic shift

Contractor removing pavement on south side of Route 66 (7thStreet) between Florida Avenue and Ozark Avenue

Contractor coordinating with utility companies to complete traffic signal installation at Florida Avenue

Preparing for future closure of St. Louis Avenue pending completion of work at Florida Avenue

Liberty Electric relocating light poles on north side of Route 66 (7thStreet) between School Avenue and St. Louis Avenue

Liberty Electric coordinating relocation of light poles with other utilities between Main Street and Virginia Avenue

Missouri American Water relocating water line at Schifferdecker Avenue

Missouri American Water working between Wall Avenue and Main Street

Missouri American Water coordinating with other utilities between Pennsylvania Avenue and Kentucky Avenue

Spire crews working on gas line relocation on north side of Route 66 (7th Street) at Schifferdecker Avenue

City of Joplin working on sanitary sewer relocation on Kentucky Avenue north of Route 66 (7th Street)

City of Joplin preparing additional work for pipe crossing under Route 66 (7th Street) at Kentucky Avenue

City of Joplin preparing for sidewalk replacement east of Ozark Avenue

AT&T preparing for relocation work at alley way between Pearl Avenue and Wall Avenue

Bluebird Fiber coordinating with other contractors for fiber relocation work

Sparklight coordinating with other contractors for fiber relocation work

Traffic Impacts

At least one lane of Route 66 (7th Street) OPEN in both directions

Access to all business will be maintained during hours of operation

Signs and message boards will alert drivers approaching the work zone

No signed detours

Check MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map for road closings/traffic impacts

Weather and/or scheduling conflicts could alter the work schedule.

Project Details:

The project will make improvements along the Route 66 (7th Street) corridor in Joplin between Jasper County Route P (Schifferdecker Avenue) and Loop 49 (Range Line Road).

As part of this project, the contractor will rebuild the pavement, bring sidewalks up to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, and upgrade and replace several traffic signals along the corridor.

This contract also includes a project to rehabilitate the Oak Street bridge over I-49 in Carthage. That project is likely to start in 2027.

Project Information

Prime Contractor: D&E Plumbing & Heating LLC, Nixa
Construction Cost: $61.6 million
Contract Completion Date: December 1, 2028

Nancy Hughes: How to handle a mean girl

“For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.” I Peter 2:19 (NIV)

“This is pretty healthy to eat, right?” the cashier asked me as I went through her checkout line last week. I nodded that it was, and she replied, “My husband and I have just started eating healthier and working out.”

“Well, you always look great, but good for you,” I told her, but she immediately shook her head “no” and glanced away. “Well, not according to one of my friends when she went through my line today. She told me my face looked round, and when I asked her what she meant, she told me my face was fat.”

I couldn’t contain my reaction. “What? Are you kidding me?” She continued: “Oh, she added ‘just kidding’ right after she said that. But I knew she meant it.”

Mean girls. They are everywhere. And they hide. They hide in a group, and they hide behind smiles and “just kidding” comments, but they are mean. Sometimes they even masquerade as a friend or – perhaps even worse – a Christian friend. And if that isn’t bad enough, it often seems that they get away with being mean.

So what can we do when a mean girl verbally attacks? I can immediately tell you what the unchristian side of me says: “Get even! Say something right back that is even more hurtful! Share what she said so that everyone around me knows and sides with me.” Sound familiar?

And then we read I Peter 2:19 (NIV) “For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.” What in the world does that mean? Are we just supposed to meekly sit by and “take it” as we are attacked verbally by a mean girl?

First of all, “because he is conscious of God” refers to you. In other words, because you know the will of God, you have a duty to do what He says, and that is to be Jesus to the mean girl. Jesus understands. Look through the New Testament at all the horrible comments hurled at Him like missiles, and yet He was kind and forgiving. He is encouraging you in I Peter 2:19 to be obedient to His command.

Jesus also showed compassion. Is that tough for us sometimes? It is! My heart is hurting when I’m being attacked, and it’s extremely hard for me to consider why the person feels the need to “get” me with her comments. But being compassionate toward the one hurting me will help me to heal from the wounds she is trying to inflict on my heart.

If we truly want to do the will of God, we will forgive the person who is being mean. If we do not forgive and we hold a grudge against someone, it’s like drinking poison and thinking the other person will get hurt. But, hear me on this, while you must forgive, it does not mean that you have to “have lunch” with that person. Does that make sense? Let me explain.

For the mean girl at school? The one who seems to truly enjoy putting you down, and no matter what you do or say, continues being mean? Forgive her – yes. But you are under no obligation to hang out with her or to sit with her at a ball game. Pray for guidance. It is not your job to change her heart; that belongs to the Lord. You must be obedient to His word and forgive, yes. I guarantee you that she is watching, waiting to see how you respond to her. Be Jesus.

And the woman at work? The one who makes continual digs at your job performance and how you dress, and maybe even your family, and does it with a sweet smile? Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Allow the God of the Universe to work on her heart of stone. Just remind yourself that you do not need to take your break when she takes hers, so that she can continue the attack. Just be Jesus.

Are there situations when we must talk to a principal or teacher at school or a boss at work about verbal attacks? Absolutely. But we will never win if we try to fight a mean girl by being a meaner girl. The only way to win is by being Jesus and by forgiving and allowing Him to work in the life of a mean girl.

Father, it is so hard for me to forgive a mean girl – especially if it is a Christian friend. Please help me to see the person through your eyes and to forgive them. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

Think of a time when you were targeted by a mean girl.

What was the outcome of your heart? To get even or to forgive?

Apply

When a mean girl attacks, first look at her through the eyes of Jesus.

Forgive – even if you do not want to – and pray for her heart to be changed by the Lord.

Power

I Peter 2:19 (NIV) “For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.”

Psalm 37:7 (NIV) “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

Exodus 14:14 (NIV) “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

(For more of Nancy Hughes' writing, check out her blog, Encouragement from the War Room.)

Four restaurants fail Joplin Health Department inspections

Four restaurants failed Joplin Health Department inspections this week, according to information posted on the department's website. 

Those receiving failing grades were Tiger's Taqueria, 1515 W. 10th Street; Manuela's Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, 2412 S. Main Street; IHOP, 2117 S. Range Line Road; and Sonic Drive-In, 1030 E. 7th Street.

Tiger's Taqueria

Tiger's Taqueria had three priority violations and two core violations. The priority violations were for having employee food and drinks stored above food in the walk-in, having food stored in non-food grade bags in the chest freezer and for having cut tomatoes in the walk-in cooler with missing or improper marking.

The core violations can be found at this link.

Manuela's Mexican Restaurant and Cantina

Manuela's Mexican Restaurant and Cantina received three priority violations and six core violations.

Priority violations were recorded for the following:

-Damaged packages of canned tomato sauce were found in the back storage area.

-A container of creamer was stored in the ice machine.

-Working containers of chemicals in the bar and server areas were not labeled as to their contents.

The core violations can be found at this link.

IHOP

IHOP received a priority violation for having sour cream, ranch dressing and tartar sauce being cold held above 41 degrees.

Six core violations were noted and can be found at this link.

Sonic Drive-In

Sonic Drive-In received priority violations for having the quatenary ammonium sanitizer concentration in the three-compartment sink testing at greater than 500 ppm and for having in the area near the fountain drink dispenser.

Information about the three core violations can be found at this link.

***

Establishments that passed their inspections are listed below:

Stop N Shop, 1631 E. 4th Street

Wendy's @ Pilot, 4500 S. 43 Highway

Snak-Atak, 4302 S. Main Street

Gateway School, 1823 W. 20th Street

Taqueria La Heradura (mobile) 2330 S. Range Line Road

Las Brasas, 1202 S. Range Line Road

Pop It Like It's Hot (mobile)

SalTea Sloth (mobile) 1710 E. 32nd Street

Fresh Way Food Mart, 2002 S. Bird Avenue (re-inspection)

Buffalo Wild Wings, 1525 S. Range Line Road

Royal Heights Elementary School, 2100 Rolla Street

Downstream Q Store, 4777 W. Downstream Boulevard

Braum's 2410 S. Range Line

Casa Montez, 4224 S. Main Street

Casey's General Store, 2604 N. Range Line Road

The Human Bean, 2608 S. Main Street

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, 3120 E. Hammons Boulevard (re-inspection)

Joplin, Webb City teens killed in southeast Kansas crash

Two people were killed in a one-vehicle accident 5:45 p.m. Thursday on SE 110th Street, three miles north of Galena, Kansas.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol report, a 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis driven by Cameron G. Witham, 19, Webb City, struck the right side of the Spring River Bridge, entered into a skid, left the roadway and struck a tree.

Withham and a passenger, Audrey N. Witham, 18, Joplin, were killed in the accident.

Former Riverton teacher charged with unlawful sexual relations with student, intimidating a victim

The Cherokee County District Attorney's Office filed two felony charges and a misdemeanor against a former teacher and coach, who was fired earlier this month by the Riverton Board of Education.

The first hearing for Justin Wayne McKee, 30, Webb City, who is charged with unlawful sexual relations- teacher with student and aggravated intimidation of a witness/victim, both felonies, and contributing to a child's misconduct, a misdemeanor, is scheduled for 1 p p.m,. November 30, in Cherokee County District Court.

McKee, who formerly taught in the Carthage R-9 and Neosho R-5 school districts and substituted in the Joplin R-8 School District, is free after posting a $15,000 surety bond.