Agenda posted for Carthage City Council meeting

 

15-year-old Joplin girl killed in ATV crash

A Joplin teen was killed in a one-vehicle crash 11:13 a.m. today six miles north of Greenfield.

According to the Highway Patrol report, a Yamaha 350 ATV driven by a 15-year-old Joplin girl traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree.

Dade County Coroner Gary Banta pronounced the girl dead at the scene at 12:01 p.m.

The fatality was the 50th this year for Highway Patrol Troop D.  

Stotts City Council members fail to show for meeting

(From Stotts City Mayor Tracy Knight)

On the evening of May 22, 2026, more than 25 residents attended the scheduled Stotts City Council meeting seeking answers regarding the recently released audit findings, city financial concerns, infrastructure issues, and other matters affecting the community.

Due to the absence of all the Board of Aldermen, the City Collector/Clerk, and the Water/Sewer Chief Operator, the City was unable to establish a quorum necessary to conduct an official Board of Aldermen meeting.

As a result, residents were unable to directly address questions and concerns to several city officials expected to be present.

Mayor Tracy Knight remained present throughout the gathering to hear resident concerns, discuss information currently available to the administration, and reaffirm the City’s commitment to improving transparency and accountability moving forward.

“The residents of Stotts City showed up tonight expecting answers and accountability from their local government,” said Mayor Knight. “I understand the frustration expressed by many members of the community. Citizens deserve officials who are willing to engage openly with the public regarding serious matters affecting the City.”

Mayor Knight further stated that while Missouri law limits the unilateral authority of the Mayor in matters requiring Board action, the administration will continue pursuing corrective action efforts related to the audit findings and advocating for greater transparency in city operations.

“The concerns raised by residents are legitimate and deserve to be addressed publicly and professionally,” Mayor Knight stated. “Avoiding difficult conversations only damages public trust further. My commitment remains to the people of Stotts City, and I will continue showing up, listening, and working toward solutions.”

The Mayor’s Office announced that ongoing efforts will continue in the following areas:

• Development of corrective action measures related to audit findings
• Increased transparency regarding city financial matters
• Improved public communication and access to information
• Strengthened oversight and accountability efforts
• Continued engagement with residents regarding city concerns

Mayor Knight thanked the residents who attended and encouraged continued public participation in local government processes.

“The future of Stotts City depends on an informed and engaged community,” Mayor Knight said. “The voices of our residents matter, and they will continue to be heard.”

Kehoe places tax overhaul, initiative petition limits on August ballot

By Jason Hancock

Missouri Independent

Gov. Mike Kehoe will ask Missouri voters in August to decide whether lawmakers should have new power to expand sales taxes to replace the income tax and whether citizen-led constitutional amendments should face a higher bar for passage.

Kehoe moved four proposed constitutional amendments to the Aug. 4 primary ballot: Amendment 1, renewing a sales tax for state parks and soil conservation; Amendment 2, requiring direct election of county assessors; Amendment 4, changing the threshold for constitutional amendments proposed by initiative petition; and Amendment 5, authorizing lawmakers to expand sales taxes as part of an effort to eliminate the state income tax.

In a statement Friday, Kehoe defended the August timing on Amendment 5 by pointing to the work lawmakers would face if it passes.

“Modernizing Missouri’s outdated tax code, specifically, will be a momentous task for the Missouri General Assembly, and placing the measure to phase out Missouri’s income tax on the August ballot gives lawmakers additional time to prepare for the next phase of implementation,” Kehoe said.

The governor did not address why Amendment 4, the initiative petition measure, was also placed on the August ballot rather than November.

The decision places two of the year’s most consequential measures before a smaller, historically more Republican-leaning electorate than the November general election.

Major ballot measures have historically driven up Missouri primary turnout, particularly among voters taking Democratic ballots. But the August electorate still skews more conservative than November’s, and Kehoe’s choice keeps Amendment 4 and Amendment 5 off a fall ballot already expected to include fights over abortion rights and Missouri’s congressional map.

Scott Charton, who speaks for the campaign committees opposing both Amendment 4 and Amendment 5, called the August placement of the two measures “the most brazen power grab from our citizens on a single ballot in Missouri history.”

“The common thread between the amendments is luring Missouri citizens to surrender long-held constitutional power and freedom, and giving that power to politicians to use unchecked,” said Charton, whose groups are funded by the Missouri Association of Realtors.

Amendment 5 was Kehoe’s top priority during this year’s legislative session. If approved, it would allow lawmakers to apply sales taxes to transactions not currently taxed, with any new sales-tax revenue tied to cuts in the top state income tax rate, currently 4.7%. Lawmakers would have five years to redefine what is subject to sales tax.

Supporters argue the proposal would make Missouri more economically competitive by moving the state away from income taxes. Opponents warn it gives lawmakers broad authority to tax services and consumer purchases that are not currently subject to sales taxes, shifting more of the state’s tax burden onto working families.

Charton said the proposal is too vague for voters to know what they are being asked to approve. He also pointed to the state auditor’s fiscal note, which says the General Assembly already has the power to reduce the state’s income tax by statute.

“The real agenda behind Amendment 5 is to trick voters into giving politicians a license to ignore current constitutional taxpayer protections approved by the people,” Charton said.

Amendment 5 would also allow lawmakers to override three prior voter-approved laws, Charton said, pointing to a 2010 amendment banning real estate transfer taxes, a 2016 amendment prohibiting new sales taxes on services and the 1980 Hancock Amendment, which requires significant tax increases to be approved by voters.

A lawsuit filed in Cole County argues Amendment 5 should be removed from the ballot because it contains too many subjects and because the ballot language written by lawmakers is misleading. If the measure remains on the August ballot, the legal fight could continue on a compressed timeline as election officials prepare ballots for military and overseas voters by the June 19 mailing deadline.

Amendment 4 would change how constitutional amendments proposed by initiative petition are approved.

Instead of requiring a simple majority of votes cast statewide, citizen-sponsored constitutional amendments would need to win a majority in every congressional district. That means voters in one congressional district could defeat an amendment even if it wins statewide.

The proposal has been a priority for Republican lawmakers after Missouri voters used the initiative process in recent years to legalize marijuana, expand Medicaid eligibility, raise the minimum wage and protect abortion rights. Initiative campaigns have increasingly proposed constitutional amendments rather than state laws to make it harder for lawmakers to revise or repeal voter-approved measures.

Amendment 4 would apply only to constitutional amendments proposed by initiative petition. Constitutional amendments placed on the ballot by lawmakers would continue to require a statewide majority for passage. The measure would also add prohibitions on foreign donations to ballot campaigns and signature fraud to the Missouri Constitution, though both are already addressed in state law.

“Amendment 4 effectively kills the IP process for citizens, while empowering the Legislature, which can still propose amendments for the ballot with simple majority votes in each chamber,” Charton said.

A legislative proposal that would repeal Missouri’s 2024 abortion rights amendment will remain on the November ballot. That measure would ban abortion except in medical emergencies and in cases of rape or incest during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. It would also place Missouri’s ban on gender-affirming treatments for minors in the state Constitution.

A possible referendum on the gerrymandered congressional map passed by lawmakers last year is also expected to appear in November if Secretary of State Denny Hoskins certifies that supporters collected enough valid signatures and that the referendum is legal. The map was drawn to help Republicans flip the 5th Congressional District, held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City, and give the GOP seven of Missouri’s eight U.S. House seats.

The August ballot will also include Amendment 1, a 10-year extension of the one-tenth of 1% sales tax split between state parks and soil and water conservation programs. The tax raised about $140 million in fiscal 2025 and has been renewed by voters three times since it was first approved in 1984.

Amendment 2 would require every Missouri county to directly elect its assessor. Jackson County is currently the only county without an elected assessor.

The four measures Kehoe moved to August will appear in an election where the highest-profile candidate races are competitive Republican primaries in the 5th and 6th Congressional Districts and several state Senate districts.

The only statewide candidate race this year is for state auditor. Republican incumbent Scott Fitzpatrick is expected to easily win renomination in August before facing a Democratic challenger in November.

Stotts City mayor presenting formal action to plan to deal with state audit recommendations

(From Stotts City Tracy Knight)

Mayor Tracy Knight announced today that a formal Corrective Action Plan will be submitted to the Stotts City Board of Aldermen in direct response to the recent audit issued by the Missouri State Auditor's Office.

The plan outlines immediate and long-term actions intended to address deficiencies identified in the audit, strengthen financial accountability, improve operational oversight, and restore public confidence in city government.

“The findings identified in the audit are serious and demand immediate attention,” said Mayor Knight. “The residents of Stotts City deserve a government that is transparent, accountable, financially responsible, and fully compliant with the law. This corrective action plan is intended to establish real oversight, measurable reforms, and clear expectations moving forward.”

According to Mayor Knight, the corrective action plan includes:

Implementation of formal financial oversight and reporting procedures;

Increased scrutiny and documentation of city expenditures;

Verification and review of required public official bonds;

Development of written internal control and procurement policies;

Enhanced transparency measures for residents;

Standardized procedures for meeting records and public documentation;

Improved compliance with Missouri Sunshine Law requirements;

Ongoing public reporting regarding corrective action progress.

The Mayor stated that the plan is designed not only to address audit findings, but also to establish stronger systems of accountability to help prevent future deficiencies.

“For too long, residents have raised concerns regarding transparency, financial reporting, and oversight,” Knight stated. “This administration is committed to confronting those issues directly. Accountability cannot simply be discussed — it must be documented, implemented, monitored, and enforced.”

Mayor Knight also indicated that progress on corrective actions should be reviewed regularly in open session so residents can monitor implementation efforts and the status of outstanding audit concerns.

“This process must remain transparent to the public,” Knight added. “The community deserves to see both the problems identified and the steps being taken to correct them.”

The corrective action plan will be presented to the Board of Aldermen for formal review and discussion during the upcoming council meeting on May 22, 2026.

Residents are encouraged to remain actively engaged in the process as the City works toward strengthening governance, financial management, and public trust.

Stolen trailer recovered in Sam's Club parking lot, Miami man arrested

(From the Jasper County Sheriff's Office)

On May 20, 2026, at approximately 1433 hours, deputies with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a stolen trailer at the Interstate 249 and Newman Road interchange in Jasper County, Missouri.

Through investigative efforts conducted by Detectives with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, and with assistance from the Joplin Police Department, the suspects were located in a parking lot at Sam's Club in Joplin, MO. The stolen trailer was recovered.

Ben Woodman, 54, of Miami Oklahoma, was placed under arrest for felony stealing and transported to the Jasper County Detention Center. Charges have been sent to the Jasper County Prosecutor for review.

This investigation remains active and ongoing.

Jill Carter: Addressing the State Tax Commission problem

(From Sen. Jill Carter, R-Granby)

The pressure started with the State Tax Commission. County assessors like Newton County Assessor Cheryle Perkins, resisted mandated hikes from the State Tax Commission, and they responded back with threats and penalties.

Senators like me petitioned the Governor to expand the call to address the property tax issue during the special session he called last fall. He agreed to make it part of a bigger conversation about the KC Chiefs being able to use a portion of their sales to refurbish the stadium owned by Jackson County.

Late one evening during special session, each senator was called and asked which of the three they wanted for their district: A property tax freeze, cap, or leave property taxes alone.

Door #1: Allow the State Tax Commission to continue.

Door #2: A freeze. The Newton County Assessor had been the tip of the spear on pushback against the State Tax Commission.

There will not be time to amend or change on the floor.

I could not get assurance that there was language to allow bonds to go to a vote.

That meant potentially no new growth for my senate district's future.Local property taxes fund community essentials — schools, roads, libraries, fire protection, and developmental disability services. Without assurance of a bonding capacity, I had the potential to decimate our community's future.

At 10:30 p.m., I stated making calls. Local commissioners and others including some of our House Reps-where we debated what the best decision would be. Not being able to read the language was a major concern for everyone. No future growth. No new library. No fire district. That was a big gamble.

Door #3: We all agreed a cap would build a wall of protection against the State Tax Commission and buy us time for meaningful reform.

SB 3 dropped at 3 a.m., with no time to amend or discuss it.

• 22 counties received the full freeze, chosen by a handful of senators.

• 75 counties received the 5% cap. Chosen by a majority of Republicans, for the same reason I did.

• Roughly 17 counties (mostly Democratic areas) chose to do nothing.

SB 3 is being challenged in court. The intention was to put the Comission on notice and bring some relief, but rarely does good policy happen in the late hours with no time to read language.

Right after special session, an interim committee was established to work on a broad sweeping solution to address fundamental deficits in SB 3 and the State Tax Commission. We worked hard to come up with meaningful reform. A Bill advanced through both chambers but died the last day in House Fiscal.
The session had lots of successes. But this one failure, though it passed the Senate, weighs heavily on me.

I'm grateful to have brought some relief, but Missourians deserve predictability; local governments need stability. Getting both right is the real test of true policy reform.
Given the situation, which door would you have chosen?

Branson restaurant owner pleads guilty to encouraging, inducing illegals to live in U. S.

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Turkish National pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly encouraging and inducing illegal aliens to reside within the U.S. illegally.

Berk Balgic, 26, pleaded guilty today before Federal Magistrate Judge David P. Rush for knowingly encouraging and inducing illegal aliens to reside illegally within the United States. Mr. Balgic, who owned both Flaming Margaritas – Mexican Kitchen and Flaming Margaritas – American Kitchen in Branson, Mo., knowingly hired individuals who were within the United States either illegally or in conflict with their stated visas, to enter and remain in this country. 

Mr. Balgic, either himself or through others, directed these individuals to obtain false and fraudulent documents that appeared to support that they were in compliance with United States immigration laws, when in fact, they were not. Mr. Balgic received a material economic benefit from his illegal hirings by paying these works less than those who were either citizens of the United States or legally within this country.

On Aug. 20, 2025, agents with Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO), along with other federal agencies, executed search warrants at the residence and restaurants of Mr. Balgic. This coordinated law enforcement action successfully located evidence and identified at least 13 individuals that Mr. Balgic knowingly and illegally employed at his two restaurants. During the investigation, HSI agents determined that Mr. Balgic had been knowingly hiring illegal immigrants to work at his restaurants starting at least in August of 2024, and continuing until Aug. 20, 2025, when law enforcement executed warrants.

Within the plea agreement between the United States and Mr. Balgic, he admitted his criminal conduct and agreed to consent to a request for judicial removal from the United State at the time of his sentencing. Immediately after being sentenced by the district court, Mr. Balgic will be taken into custody and then processed through an expedited deportation process that will return him to his native country of Turkey.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs, Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Baxter Springs man arrested for criminal sodomy of a minor

(From the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)

Arrest for Criminal Sodomy of a minor

On May 18, 2026, members of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office arrested David Plummer, age 40 of Baxter Springs, Kansas for four counts of Aggravated Criminal Sodomy. 

Plummer’s arrest was the result of an on-going investigation conducted by the Cherokee County Detective Bureau. 

Plummer was transported to the Cherokee County Jail where he is currently being held.

This investigation is ongoing, and anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office at (620) 429-3992.

Lamar man sentenced to 15 years for child endangerment that led to death

Judge David Munton sentenced Jeremy R. Vanmeter (DOB 1990), Lamar, to 15 years in prison May 14 for first-degree endangering the welfare of a child- death of a child.

Vanmeter pleaded guilty March 12 in Barton County Circuit Court to the crime, which occurred March 31, 2021 at 900 E. 17th Street, Lamar.

The crime was described in a March 12 news release from the Barton County Prosecuting Attorney's Office:

Vanmeter was watching his 16-month-old child, and the child was placed in a pack n play. The top of the pack n play was covered with a side rail from a crib, and a computer tower was placed on top of the side rail for weight to keep the child from climbing out of the pack n play. 

Approximately 4 hours after placing the child in the pack n play, Vanmeter checked on the child and found the child’s neck was caught between the top of the pack n play and the crib rail and the child was not breathing. 

The child was transported to Cox Barton County hospital where the child was pronounced dead. 

Cassville man sentenced to 8 years for child molestation

(From the Barry County Sheriff's Office)

On September 10, 2024, Anthony Sizemore from Cassville, MO, was charged with Child Molestation 3d Degree with a $25,000 cash only bond. 

On September 12, 2024, Anthony Sizemore was granted a bond reduction by Judge Robert Foulke. Sizemore turned himself in and posted the bond. 

On March 12, 2026, following a two-day bench trial, Circuit Court Judge Alan Blankenship found Anthony Sizemore GUILTY of Child Molestation 3d Degree. Barry County Prosecutor Amy Boxx and Assistant Prosecutor John Young presented the case. Sizemore was scheduled

for sentencing on May 15, 2026. On May 15, 2026, Sizemore was sentenced to eight years in the Missouri Department of Corrections by Circuit Court Judge Alan Blankenship. Sizemore was also granted an appellate bond of $10,000 C/S pending the appeal. Sizemore was taken into custody and bonded on the appellate bond. Sizemore has filed a Notice of Appeal with the Court of Appeals, Southern District.

Greenfield men arrested on burglary, assault charges

(From the Dade County Sheriff's Office)

On May 19, 2026, deputies with the Dade County Sheriff’s Office, working jointly with the Greenfield Police Department, executed two no‑bond felony arrest warrants related to an ongoing criminal investigation.

Arrest 1: 

Austin Rust of Greenfield Missouri
Taken into custody on the following issued arrest warrants:

• Conspiracy to Commit Burglary 1st Degree —
• Conspiracy to Commit Assault 2nd Degree — 

Arrest 2: 

River Stephens of Greenfield Missouri
Arrested on the following issued arrest warrants:

• Burglary 1st Degree —
• Assault 2nd Degree —
• Armed Criminal Action — 

Both individuals were transported to Cedar County Jail and are being held on no bond pending formal court proceedings.

All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Julie Jasper named Joplin R-8 director of special education

(From Joplin Schools)

We're thrilled to announce that our own Julie Jasper has been approved by the Board of Education to serve as the district's next Director of Special Education starting on July 1!

Julie currently serves as the Assistant Director of Special Education and has previously served as a Special Education Process Coordinator as well as a substitute administrator at South Middle School. She has spent time as a Special Education teacher at South Middle School, a principal at St. Pius X Catholic School, and a Special Education teacher and process coordinator at Moberly Middle School. She has also volunteered in many district and community organizations during her tenure in Joplin.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Avila University in 1999, Julie earned a Masters in Counseling Psychology in 2001, also from Avila. She earned a teaching certificate from Central Methodist University in 2008 and an Education Specialist degree from William Woods University in 2011.

 
“Over the past eleven years in Joplin, I have seen a strong commitment to both student success and continuous professional learning across the district,” said Jasper. “I am grateful for the progress we have made, proud of the accomplishments along the way, and eager to build on that momentum as we continue pursuing our mission.”

Max McCoy: I'm sitting out America's birthday party until everyone is welcome (Opinion)

By Max McCoy

For the Missouri Independent

(Note: Max McCoy was formerly an investigative reporter for the Joplin Globe.)

Today the Trump administration is hosting an all-day prayer festival on the National Mall, partially funded with millions in taxpayer dollars, to “rededicate” America to God — and to promote Christian nationalism.

It’s all part of America’s 250th birthday celebration, which has been co-opted by the current administration and its minions to convey an overtly partisan message. That message seeks to fabricate an American founding that never was in order to justify an imperial presidency that was never intended.

“It will feature mostly evangelical Protestant leaders and members of the Trump administration,” reported the Washington Post, “many of whom have embraced the message that America’s founders wanted the country to be explicitly Christian.”

The event — called a “jubilee” by organizers — marks the collapse of what remained of the Constitutional firewall between church and state, a concept first articulated by the most famous of founders, Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, ratified July 4, 1776. It is America’s founding document and includes the immortal line, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Jefferson’s thinking was influenced by British philosopher John Locke, who argued for government by consent of the governed. His writing was informed by George Mason of Virginia, who earlier advanced similar ideas about equality, but without Jefferson’s literary power.

The separation of church and state was formalized by the establishment clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution, which is just 45 words long but enumerates our rights concerning religion, speech, assembly and the press, and our right to petition for a redress of grievances.

In an 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut, Jefferson described a “wall of separation” between matters of government and those of religion. This separation was codified over generations of American jurists to prohibit the government from either promoting or inhibiting a religion. But that longstanding separation of church and state is being dismantled by the Supreme Court of Chief Justice John Roberts, resulting in events like today’s celebration of Christian nationalism.

The event features MAGA acolytes such as U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Hegseth, the architect of the Iran war, has portrayed the conflict in religious terms and has prayed for God’s blessing to kill “the enemies of righteousness.” Johnson, an evangelical Louisiana Republican, has marshalled Congressional cover for Trump’s misdeeds, including the destruction of the East Wing of the White House to build a $1 billion, likely public-funded ballroom with a Hitlerian bunker beneath.

Paula White-Cain, a senior faith adviser to the White House, said in an April webinar that today’s jubilee would focus on a Christian community of believers and would not include individuals “praying to all these different Gods.”

Or, presumably, praying to no gods.

Atheists, agnostics and tree-huggers need not apply.

In Trump’s America, on the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, the message is, be our type of evangelical political Christian or get out of the way. That message might have grated on Jefferson, who treated his religion as a private matter and who once used a razor blade to cut the words of Jesus from the New Testament and arranged them into a new book, free of the miraculous or the supernatural. In his time, Jefferson was accused of being both an atheist and an agnostic.

But what Jefferson was — despite being a hypocrite for his advocacy of freedom and his status as an enslaver — was a child of the Enlightenment. The American experiment in democracy might be a miracle, wrought not by God but by the power of the rational in service to the good. As miracles go it was an imperfect one, as embodied by Jefferson’s own duality, and incarnated in Abraham Lincoln and passed on to us.

The notion that some of us, by accident of birth or choice or rejection of religion, are somehow lesser Americans is a great regressive lie that threatens the fabric of our democracy. The descendants of slaves must have as much power at the ballot box as the progeny of the enslavers, or we perpetuate America’s original sin. Children born here to Somali immigrants who sought refuge from civil war must be recognized as American, just as are the sons and daughters of our neighbors across the street, or we deny the promise of the great nation we might one day become.

In “Our Ancient Faith,” a 2024 book by historian Allen C. Guelzo on Lincoln and the American experiment, the author cites three tools by which democracies defend themselves.

“The first is to understand all the legal participants in a state as citizens,” Guelzo writes, “possessing equal standing and access to political life — the right to vote, to hold office, to hold leaders accountable, to form political associations that shape policies, to be represented.”

The second tool is elections, in which every office holder knows that accountability is inevitable. The third are forums for discussion and association, with the press being the leading example.

“Democracies that use their tools well accomplish many great things,” according to Guelzo. But the deft handling of these tools relies on something, he said, the ancients called “virtue,” the agreed-upon rules and norms that shape a society and keep it from sliding into chaos.

All three tools of democracy are being blunted by the Trump administration. He has attacked birthright citizenship, has fomented distrust of elections and has consistently described the press as the “enemies of the people.” The idea of any kind of civic virtue in this administration has gone the way of decorum at the White House, where a UFC cage match is scheduled for June 14 on the South Lawn as part of the “Freedom 250”celebration. The date is also Trump’s 80th birthday.

As we have spiraled deeper into a national nightmare of senseless war, wealth inequality and stunning corruption, I have been searching our history like Jefferson did with the New Testament, attempting to razor virtue from chaos. What I’ve been after is an accounting of the civic soul of America, something I’ve sometimes glimpsed, on a rainy afternoon in a federal courtroom in Wichita or at the oldest working courthouse in Kansas.

Today’s “jubilee” on the National Mall is the kind of chaotic dreck that endangers democracy. Because the dreck is going to get deeper the nearer we get to July 4 — and I’m using the word “dreck” here because the actual word I’m thinking is unsuitable for publication — I’ve resolved to avoid all the administration-approved 250th anniversary celebrations.

I’ll celebrate when there is an actual reason to celebrate.

And when everybody is invited to the party.

Meanwhile, I’m going to keep looking for civic virtue in the corners accessible to me. Another way of saying it is that I’m seeking virtue in my own backyard, and my backyard is Kansas.

Kansas is not a populous state (we rank 35th, with nearly three million residents) but you can’t sling a metaphor without hitting something of interest. My interests have ranged broadly, as documented in more than 200 of these pieces for Kansas Reflector, but those that linger in my memory are those about people trying to make Kansas a better place for us all. It’s the story of a Coffeyville newspaper exposing the Ku Klux Klan in 1922 or Topeka residents gathering in 2025 for a candlelight vigil after the murder of a 5-year-old girl.

What we fight for defines us.

As Independence Day approaches, my thoughts increasingly turn to Jefferson and his chief rival, John Adams. Both were among the 56 signers of the Declaration, and both became presidents of the United States, Adams in 1797 and Jefferson in 1801.

Adams helped Jefferson draft the Constitution and became its chief advocate in the continental congress. Unlike Jefferson, who was a Virginia planter, Adams was a Massachusetts lawyer and activist and had never owned slaves. While Jefferson was over 6 feet in height and possessed an almost preternatural charm, Adams was short and neurotic, and he relied on his wife, Abigail, as his closest adviser.

The friendship of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams unraveled over differences about an undeclared war, immigration and naturalization, and the role of the federal government. They faced off in the presidential election of 1800. Adams was the incumbent, but lost to Jefferson. The election was nasty, polarizing, and a crisis of the first order, taking the House of Representatives 36 votes to break an electoral tie over whether Jefferson or his running mate, Aaron Burr, would be vice-president.

The men did not reconcile until the death of Abigail Adams in 1804, when Jefferson wrote his old-friend a heartfelt letter of condolence. By coincidence or by providence, both men died on July 4, 1826. Jefferson was 83 and Adams, 90.

As recounted by historian David McCullough in his 2001 biography of John Adams, the old rival Jefferson was true to his character to the last. Not long before his death he composed a letter to the mayor of Washington, D.C., declining because of health an invitation to attend a July 4th celebration of the nation’s founding, 50 years earlier.

McCullough describes it as a “farewell public offering and one of his most eloquent,” and it was reprinted across the country.

“May it be to the world, what I believe it will be (to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all),” Jefferson wrote of the celebration, “the signal to arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government.”

All eyes had been opened to the rights of man, Jefferson continued.

“The mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs,” he wrote, “nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them, by the grace of god, these are the grounds for the hope for others; for ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh the recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them.”

Even in his final thoughts, McCullough notes, Jefferson was borrowing, because the reference to saddles came from a 17th Century British soldier about to be hanged for treason. That Jefferson made no mention of the individuals born enslaved is another example of his peculiar moral blindness.

While July 4th is celebrated as the founding of the country, the date is a “pleasant fiction” that has becomes enshrined in national memory, according to “Signing Their Lives Away,”a 2009 book about the men who signed the Declaration. The authors, Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese, point out that only the names of congress president John Hancock and his secretary, Charles Thomson, appear on the first printing of the Declaration. It wasn’t until Aug. 2 that most signers affixed their signatures, but July 4th is recognized because that’s the date on the document, and many of the founders, including Benjamin Franklin, did not accurately remember when they signed it.

Even then we had forgotten that the signing of the Declaration was not the work of a single day, but that of a month. The Revolutionary War that followed spanned eight hard years. The U.S. Constitution wasn’t ratified until 1788, and the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments from which our civil liberties flow, was not adopted until 1791.

The work of liberty is not accomplished overnight.

As we approach July 4th, let us celebrate not the glory of a single man, but the promise of the Declaration that might yet be made true. The past is as dead as Adams and Jefferson, the chaotic dreck of the present is mind-numbing, but the future is just now being born in the hearts and minds of a new generation of Americans.

To them we must pass the civic virtues to make America anew — and fulfill the promise of equality in our founding.

Max McCoy is an award-winning author and journalist. A native Kansan, he started his career at the Pittsburg Morning Sun and was soon writing for national magazines. His investigative stories on unsolved murders, serial killers and hate groups earned him first-place awards from the Associated Press Managing Editors and other organizations. McCoy has also written more than twenty books, the most recent of which is "Elevations: A Personal Exploration of the Arkansas River," named a Kansas Notable Book by the state library. "Elevations" also won the National Outdoor Book Award, in the history/biography category. Max teaches journalism at Emporia State University.

Missouri schools could hire armed ‘rangers’ under bill sent to governor

By Annelise Hanshaw

Missouri Independent

A bill to create a new faction of school protection officers with “physical fitness superior to a U.S. Marine” got final approval from Missouri lawmakers in the final days of the legislative session.

The legislation seeks to allow schools to hire volunteer or paid guards called “Missouri Rangers” who could carry a gun on school grounds.

The bill’s sponsor, Republican state Sen. David Gregory of Chesterfield, told senators he wanted to give schools “a choice to have a higher trained armed guard.”

He compared current protection-officer requirements to that of a “Walmart guard with a gun.” Currently, schools can appoint teachers and administrators as school protection officers, allowing them to carry a gun or “self-defense spray device” with training and a concealed carry permit.

School protection officers must undergo a minimum of 112 hours of training, according to a Department of Public Safety rule. The state also has school resource officers, which are law enforcement officers with an additional 40+ hours of training related to school safety.

Gregory’s legislation proposes a maximum of 160 hours of training, specifying that the program must include lessons on “close quarter combat,” bomb and arson training, de-escalation among others.

Prior to training, rangers must pass a physical fitness test. For those 35 and younger, they must “complete a minimum of 40 pushups in less than one minute” and be able to run one and a half miles in less than 12 and a half minutes. The legislation asks the state’s Peace Office Standards and Training Commission to identify lower standards for older applicants.

The bill’s first pass through the Senate brought little opposition, garnering the support of groups like the St. Louis County Police Association in its first committee hearing. In early April, just two senators voted against the proposal, but Senate Democrats unanimously voted against it when it returned to the chamber last week with less than a day before session adjourned for the year.

House Democrats unanimously rejected the proposal, uncomfortable with the proposition of having more firearms in schools.

“The answer to guns in schools is not more guns in schools,” said state Rep. Elizabeth Fuchs, a St. Louis Democrat, advocating instead for mental health support for students.

Their arguments did not sway House Republicans, who unanimously voted in support of the bill.

State Rep. Burt Whaley, a Republican from Clever, has experience training school staff on what to do in case of a shooting. The key benefit of having a ranger, he said, was being able to quickly respond to threats.

In one school he trained, the local law enforcement estimated that it could take up to 45 minutes for them to arrive.

“It is typically another person with a gun that knows how to use it, that’s trained how to use it… they’re usually the ones that are able to subdue (a threat),” he said.

The bill follows other proposals passed last year addressing security concerns, like laws directing schools to share emergency operations plans with local law enforcement and report school safety incidents to the state’s education department.

Some of the provisions passed in last year’s legislation have yet to be implemented because of a lack of funding, such as a requirement to equip schools with bleeding control kits and train staff on how to apply a tourniquet.

Gov. Mike Kehoe has until mid-July to sign or veto bills before they become law.

Missouri Department of Revenue issues more than $1 billion in tax refunds

(From the Missouri Department of Revenue)

In the 2026 tax filing season, the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) has processed more than three million tax returns, issuing over 1.8 million refunds totaling more than one billion dollars.

“Tax time is always a busy season for the department,” Director of Revenue Trish Vincent said. “During this time, we run two shifts to handle the millions of returns. About 58% of filers are due a refund, and we want to get that money back into Missourians’ hands as quickly as possible.”

By statute, the department has 45 days from the date of mailing to process and issue the individual refund before interest is due. Currently, 93% of taxpayers file electronically, which significantly reduces refund turnaround time. Returns sent by mail can take up to six weeks to process, while electronically filed returns typically take about six days.

Tax filers who have not received their expected refund within these timeframes are encouraged to check the status of their refund through DOR’s Missouri Return Tracker. This is a secure and convenient method to track the processing of individual returns. 

While most refunds are successfully issued via direct deposit or paper check, some mailed checks are returned to the department due to delivery issues - including incorrect or outdated addresses. If a taxpayer suspects their refund has been returned back to DOR, returned checks can be verified through the MyTax Missouri Portal.

Additional information regarding returned checks, including how to request reissuance to a correct address, is available on the Individual Income Tax page.

 

Two charged following armed robbery at Carthage Aldi's

 

The Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's office filed felony charges against a Joplin man and a Sarcoxie woman following an armed robbery at Aldi's in Carthage Monday.

Marvin Earl Ward (DOB 1987), Joplin, was charged with five felonies- first-degree robbery, armed criminal action, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon, tampering with evidence- and one misdemeanor charge- possession of a defaced weapon.

Betty Lou Plopper (DOB 2001), Sarcoxie, was charged with being an accessory to a robbery, conspiracy to commit a felony, hindering prosecution of a felony, all felonies and a misdemeanor charge of making a false report.

Ward's bond is set at $100,000 cash only, while Plopper's is set at $75,000 cash only

From Ward's probable cause statement:

On 05/18/2026 at approximately 1952 hours, the Carthage Police Department was contacted in
reference to an armed robbery that had just occurred at 2442 S. Grand Avenue. The reporting party
advised that a black male had just brandished a firearm and stole cash from a till inside of the
business prior to leaving on foot. Aldi's employees advised that the black male had taken
approximately $2,100.00 dollars from the till.

During a subsequent investigation, it was later discovered that approximately 13 minutes after the
robbery a black male and a white female had purchased a hotel room at the Carthage Inn (2244 S.
Grand Ave.) 2 blocks north of Aldi's (the same direction the suspect was seen fleeing on security
footage) using cash. Officers responded and contacted the female who was later identified as Betty
Plopper. 

Plopper was wearing black scandal slides when she was contacted by officers and identified the male as Marvin Ward. Plopper stated that Ward was in room 211 with a firearm. Plopper then gave consent to go through her cell phone, and it was determined that she had made a bogus 911 phone call a few minutes prior to the actual robbery that occurred. 

Plopper stated that she did this so Ward wouldn't get in trouble while he committed the robbery.

A search warrant for the hotel room was obtained, and prior to executing the warrant, Ward stepped
out of the hotel room and complied with officer commands and was detained for questioning.

Ward was advised of his Rights per Miranda, to which he stated that he understood and agreed to
speak with me. Ward stated that he entered Aldi's with a firearm, and forcibly took the cash from the

speak with me. Ward stated that he entered Aldi’s with a firearm, and forcibly took the cash from the
till and fled the scene on foot. Ward then discarded the clothing that he wore during the robbery as he
was fleeing northbound at a laundromat on the north end of the strip mall where Aldi's is located.

During a search of the hotel room, a silver Ruger P89 9mm handgun was located (it had 6 Hornady
9mm rounds in the magazine). The handgun did not have a serial number due to being defaced. Ward
had stated that the handgun was his, and was inside of the hotel room. Law enforcement was able to
recover $501.00 dollars in cash from Ward, Plopper, and inside of the hotel room.

After reviewing Ward’s criminal history, he has been convicted of Robbery 2nd Degree on 06/22/2007, Domestic Assault 2nd Degree on 09/08/2010, Felony Stealing on 01/13/2020, and Possession of a Controlled Substance on 12/20/2022.

 From Plopper's probable cause statement:

On May 18, 2026, officers with the Carthage Police Department responded to an armed robbery at ALDI, 2442 S. Grand Ave., Carthage, Jasper County, Missouri. During the investigation, officers learned a false 911 call had been placed reporting a robbery at a bank on the opposite side of the city, occurring at the same time as the Aldi robbery.

Investigators believed the false report was intentionally made to divert law enforcement resources away from the actual robbery scene.

Investigators identified Betty Plopper as being associated with robbery suspect Marvin Ward. I, Det. McMain, contacted Plopper at the Carthage Inn, 2244 S. Grand Ave., Carthage, Jasper County, Missouri. 

During the contact, Plopper voluntarily allowed me to access her cellular phone. I placed a test call to 911 using the device and later confirmed with dispatch that the number used to make the false emergency call matched the number assigned to Plopper’s phone.

Plopper admitted Ward told her he was going to “get some money from a guy” shortly before leaving the area near Aldi. Plopper further admitted she knowingly placed the false 911 call reporting a robbery at a bank in another area of the city in order to draw officers away from the Aldi area and keep Ward out of trouble while the robbery was occurring.

Through the course of the investigation, investigators determined Ward committed a forcible stealing at Aldi while displaying what appeared to be a firearm. Plopper’s intentional placement of the false emergency report during the robbery diverted responding officers away from the scene and aided Ward in committing the offense and avoiding immediate apprehension.

Neosho man charged with fifth DWI

The Newton County Prosecuting Attorney's office filed a felony driving while intoxicated charge against Vurl Eugene Brock III (DOB 1979), Neosho, who was arrested earlier today by the Neosho Police Department.

Bond has been set at $7,500 cash or surety with a condition that he not drive.

The DWI charge is the fifth against Brock who pleaded guilty to drunk driving in 2001 and to three arrests in a six-month period in 2013, including two in three days.

From the probable cause statement:

On May 19, 2026, I, Sgt. Kuhlman, observed a red Dodge Caravan traveling eastbound on Highway 60. A records check of the license plate returned to Vurl Brock III, whose driving privileges were suspended.

I conducted a traffic stop and confirmed the driver was Vurl Brock III. While speaking with him, I observed bloodshot, glassy eyes and detected a strong odor of intoxicants coming from the vehicle and his breath. 

Mr. Brock provided a Missouri driver's license. The vehicle he was driving was not equipped with an
ignition interlock device.

Mr. Brock exited the vehicle, and the odor of intoxicants was strong on his breath. He refused to perform standardized field sobriety tests and refused a portable breath test. Based on his operation of a motor vehicle, physical indicators of intoxication, and refusal to test, I determined he was impaired.

A search of the vehicle revealed a 1.5-liter bottle of Sea Ice vodka (40% alcohol by volume, 80 proof) that was approximately three-quarters consumed, along with two empty shooter bottles.

Joplin man bound over for trial on endangering the welfare of a child charges

Mathew John Uitts (DOB 1988), Joplin, was bound over for trial on two charges of endangering the welfare of a child after waiving his preliminary hearing in Newton County Circuit Court Monday.

Uitts' arraignment in Division 2 is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. June 24.

The charges were filed against Uitts in November 2024, according to online court records.

The allegations against Uitts are detailed in the probable cause statement:

Officers on scene stated that while walking through the home they noticed the carpet was sticking to their shoes. They noticed the carpet was completely moldy and stained. They noticed there was old food scattered everywhere. 

The sink was full of old moldy dishes with old food in them. There were also old dishes with food scattered throughout the home. 

Matthew Uitts took me back to where his room was. They noticed there were multiple propane torches and marijuana wax in the room. 

While we were in Uitts' room, they noticed his son Vl was sitting on the bed playing with a phone. They noticed there were open marijuana wax containers on the desk and night stands. 

Matthew Uitts then walked me to Vl 's room. They walked into the room and noticed there was a large knife on the wall. They also noticed the room was dirty and there was trash and dirty toys around the room. 

Matthew Uitts then showed them the bathroom. The bathroom was between Vl and Allyonna Dunn's room. They walked into the bathroom and could not stay inside the room very long due to the overwhelming smell. 

I noticed the toilet was dry of water and it was half-full of human feces. Officers then knocked on Allyona Dunn's bedroom door and asked her if they could come into the room; she stated yes. They noticed Dunn's child V2 was standing up in a pack and play in the corner of the room. 

I noticed there was a wall outlet sticking out of the wall next to the playpen. They noticed there was exposed wires at the outlet and there was a pile of clothes next to it. The entire event was audio and video recorded on officer body cam.