Category: Missouri taxation

Missouri State needed to stand out in the fourth quarter for their second straight win and they did.

The No.18 from Missouri State (2-1, 1-0) made the necessary adjustments at halftime and played the clutch late to claim a 31-23 victory over South Dakota ( 2-2, 0-1) Saturday. night at Plaster Stadium.

The Bears edged South Dakota 17-0 in the second half to claim the victory. MSU starting quarterback Jason Shelley threw a touchdown pass and ran for a in the fourth quarter to gain the advantage. Cornerback Montrae Braswell walked away with the interception that sealed the game in the end zone with less than a minute to start the celebration.

Following:It’s not always pretty, but there’s no denying how fun Missouri state football gets

Following:Missouri state football: 4 takeaways from Bears’ thrilling victory over South Dakota

Here’s what happened on Saturday night and what it means for the future:

Frustrating first half for the Bears

For perhaps the first time under head coach Bobby Petrino, the Bears have had a truly frustrating football half.

It started early when the Bears forced a South Dakota punt on their first possession. On the punt, Hunter Wood fell back as he attempted to catch the ball inside the 10. The ball bounced off his chest and was picked up by South Dakota as he scored. a game later.

In Missouri State’s first practice, Shelley stepped back to pass the third down and was hit on the blind side. A backpack turned into a South Dakota ball at MSU 21. Once again, South Dakota scored in their first game after the turnover and took a 14-0 lead.

The Bears appeared to be awake as they walked 75 yards on the field on their next haul. Shelley played with his legs, including the 26-yard touchdown run to put the Bears on the board.

After trading three punts apiece, South Dakota rolled inside the Bears’ five and looked to have a chance to take a two-point lead.

South Dakota scored a second and one goal at MSU 1 with a chance to take a two TD lead in the second quarter.

After stuffing the Coyotes on the second down, Coyotes quarterback Carson Camp appeared to have a clear run to the end zone, but MSU linebacker Tyler Lovelace chased him unsuccessfully.

The Coyotes went there on fourth and on goal and couldn’t get through the plane as a defensive front led by Ikenna Ahumibe denied a touchdown to the USD and returned the ball to the Bears.

Missouri State couldn’t capitalize, but South Dakota missed the first play of their next possession. The Bears responded with a quick one-play practice with a 46-yard touchdown from Shelley to receiver Tyrone Scott.

The good times didn’t last long as South Dakota kick returner Wesley Elidor took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards from home to take a 20-14 lead.

The Bears followed up with a four-game practice before needing to kick with just over a minute to go. South Dakota went from 24 to MSU 10 before scoring a 27-yard field goal at halftime to take a nine-point lead.

Defense intensifies, Bears take the lead

Missouri state defense made adjustments in the third quarter, but the offense continued to get in its way.

In the Bears’ first practice of the third, they reduced the ball to $ 27 before Shelley was sacked for an eight-yard loss on the first down. They couldn’t catch up as practice stalled and Jose Pizano kicked a 42-yard field goal to reduce the Coyotes’ lead to six.

After getting a save, Missouri State looked to have another promising practice when Tobias Little broke some tackles for a 21-yard rush. At the end of the race, he was stripped of the tackle as the USD gained the upper hand deep in its own territory.

South Dakota couldn’t do anything in the third quarter while Missouri State did after the quarterback. The Coyotes totaled less than seven yards in the quarter.

Missouri State took their first lead of the game on a methodical practice that started on their own 26. The ride began with a 27-yard connection from Shelley to Jordan Murray into enemy territory.

Shelley took a nine-yard sack on the first down, but then hit Scott for a 21-yard gain on the second down to recover the first. On a third and a 6 later, Shelley rushed for 14 to move inside the $ 10.

Three games later, Kevon Latulas was left wide open in the end zone for a three-yard connection as MSU took a 24-23 lead with 13:02 remaining.

Bears extend their lead

In the third and eighth minutes about six-and-a-half to go, the South Dakota side stepped back to pass and attempted a pitch over the middle. The ball was knocked back into the air and caught by linebacker Ferrin Manuleleua – who returned the ball to South Dakota 26.

It didn’t take long for Missouri State to find the end zone as Shelley rushed for 12 yards on the fourth game of practice. Petrino chose to score the extra point to take the Bears’ lead to 31-23 with 4:42 remaining.

It can never be easier for the state of Missouri

On South Dakota’s next drive, MSU safety Kyriq McDonald attempted to skip a pass for what could have been a game-sealing interception. Instead, he missed the ball, the wide receiver. USD Carter Bell caught him and ran 65 yards before being tackled by Titus Wall at MSU 9.

After winning three on the first down, South Dakota attempted three assists in the end zone with all falls incomplete. Wall disrupted the fourth down pitch to give the ball back to the Bears.

The drama didn’t end there as Little appeared to be groping the ball deep in MSU territory. The referees decided that the forward progression had been stopped and that MSU held the ball.

On the next play, the Bears looked to have a big win in Coyotes territory on a 41-yard pass to Isaac Smith. At the end of the game, he was stripped and USD collected. A 15-yard penalty to Missouri State for a sideline violation gave the ball to USD at MSU 49.

USD pullback Nate Thomas came off for a nine-and-30 run to move the ball inside the Missouri State 10 with 52 seconds left.

On second and on goal, Camp attempted a back shoulder throw to the end zone, but it was intercepted by Braswell to secure the victory.

Great performances

State of missouri

• QB Jason Shelley – 19 of 29, 281 yards, two touchdowns. 17 carries, 62 yards, two touchdowns.
• WR Tyrone Scott – Seven catches for 111 yards and one touchdown
• RB Tobias Little – 14 carries, 62 yards
• S Titus Wall – 10 tackles, five solo, one pass break
• DE Kevin Ellis – Nine tackles, three sacks
• LB Ferrin Manuleleua – Five tackles, one solo, one interception
• DB Montrae Braswell – Two solo tackles, one interception, one pass break

South Dakota

• QB Carson Camp – 12 of 29, 231 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions
• RB Nate Thomas – Four rushes, 60 yards
• WR Bell Carter – Three catches, 102 yards
• LB Jack Cochrane – 10 solo tackles, one for loss, one pass break
• DL Nick Gaes – Four solo tackles, two sacks

Mark parts

• 1Q 12:19 – USD RB Travis Theis eight-meter race. 7-0 USD.
• 1Q 9:28 – USD QB Carson Camp passes 21 yards to WR Kody Case. 14-0 USD.
• 1Q 5:38 – MSU QB Jason Shelley running from 26 yards. 14-7 USD.
• 2T 1:52 – MSU QB Jason Shelley passes 46 yards to WR Tyrone Scott. 14-14.
• 2T 1:38 – USD KR Wesley Eliodor Kick return from 99 yards. PAT blocked. 20-14 USD.
• 2Q 0:00 – USD K Mason Lorber hits a 27-yard field goal. 23-14 USD.
• 3Q 10:21 – MSU K Jose Pizano hits a basket from 42 yards. 23-17 USD.
• 4Q 13:02 – MSU QB Jason Shelley passes three yards to RB Kevon Latulas. MSU 24-23.
• 4Q 4:42 – MSU QB Jason Shelley 12 yard run. MSU 31-23.

What this victory means

In a rare season, Missouri State entered with playoff expectations, the Bears did exactly what they were supposed to do on Saturday.

South Dakota is one of those mid-level teams that teams with playoff hopes must win. The Bears qualified and started the MVFC game on the right foot.

One look at the Bears schedule and they probably need to win their next three games due to the strength of the schedules they play and a tough four game streak that will follow.

Road trips to the state of Illinois and the state of Youngstown are on the bridge with an appointment with the state of Indiana right after. Next, the bears face the challenge of the state of North Dakota, North Dakota, southern Illinois, and northern Iowa.

If the Bears are fighting for a general offer, winning the next three games and at least one against the top four FCS teams on their schedule is a must.

Following…

Missouri State hits the road for the first time since its 23-16 loss to Oklahoma State on September 4 when the Bears play at Illinois State this Saturday at 1 p.m. in Normal, In. Illinois.

Illinois State hasn’t been too impressive to start the year as they’re 2-2, 0-1 while coming off a 35-17 defeat Saturday afternoon against No. 7 South Illinois (3-1, 1-0).

The Redbirds’ victories were unimpressive with their first victory over Butler 49-7 – a Pioneer League FCS schedule – and a 31-24 victory over Eastern Illinois.

It will be interesting to see if the bad blood of spring carries over into this game.

Missouri State was supposed to open its spring against Illinois State, but the Bears were forced to postpone the game due to unprecedented winter conditions that swept through the region. Illinois State Head Coach Brock Spack called on MSU following the decision.

Illinois State later in the spring decided to cancel the remainder of their season after a slow start and issues with the depth of their roster. After the Redbirds canceled the season, Petrino called Spack and told him he should apologize to MSU.

Add to that? When Missouri State played its last game of the regular season at Plaster Stadium, all of the Missouri Valley Football Conference team flags flew in the south end zone – except for the Illinois State. .

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist for the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at [email protected] or Twitter on @WyattWheeler_NL. He is also the co-host of Sports Talk on Jock Radio weekdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – There is a friendly hum outside the alumni stadium, although it doesn’t quite sound like a football game. There are tents set up along a large field of grass. Music plays, and people eat and drink, but it’s not the typical college football sea of ​​humanity.

In the shadow of the buildings of the old traditional Boston College campus, it feels like New England, as if that doesn’t mean more.

Sean Jones is still impressed, to some extent. Coming from the SEC country, his expectations were low for the atmosphere at Boston College, and the Eagles emptied his bar.

“It’s more than I expected,” he says.

Jones and his friends usually take one trip a year for whatever away game they find most appealing. Two years ago it was Wyoming. The six made it a vacation by going to Yellowstone National Park. They have a similar route this time, having gone to Newport, Rhode Island, earlier in the week. They booked Sundays for “Boston things” like the Freedom Trail.

Sometimes the game is the only event.

“In Alabama, you don’t go for the city,” he said.

The intrigue of a town that wasn’t typically on the Missouri calendar was a common thread among Tiger fans who made the trip east. Ted Farner doesn’t often go to away games. The last Missouri game he attended that was not in Colombia was the 2018 Liberty Bowl in Memphis. But he has family in New England, attended when Missouri played Connecticut in 2017, and jumped at the chance to take out two things at once. A graduate of a Missouri journalism school who worked for the Missourian “a long time ago,” he attended an Alumni Association event the day before at a bar near the TD Garden.

Alice and Jimmy Stark have also come to Boston for other sporting events. They went to the Red Sox-Yankees game at Fenway Park the day before. They are in awe of the atmosphere – and none of Jones’ warnings.

“Boston being a city of beer, I shouldn’t be surprised that they know how to party,” Jimmy said.

Missouri (2-1) at Boston College (3-0)

11 a.m. CDT Saturday (ESPN2)

Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

0 Previous football games have been played between Missouri and Boston College.

0 First-half points have been scored against Boston College this season. Missouri have scored 69 points in the first half this season.

2 Players nationwide have at least 300 rushing yards and 140 receiving yards this season, including Missouri RB Tyler Badie. Badie ran for 345 yards and three touchdowns on 48 carries and caught 15 passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns.

4 The teams are ranked in the top 20 nationally in both offensive and defensive scoring, including Boston College. The Eagles have averaged 41.3 points per game, which ranks them 19th in the country, and have averaged 10.3 points per game, which ranks them fifth in the country. The other teams in the top 20 in both categories are Auburn, Baylor and Cincinnati.

5 Touchdowns of at least 45 yards were scored by Missouri in their 59-28 victory over Southeast Missouri last week. It was the biggest in school history, eclipsing the Tigers’ four of more than 45 touchdowns in a 45-6 win over Iowa State on Oct. 24, 1942. Last week, Missouri recorded 49 and 55 yard passes and touchdowns. of 46, 52 and 65 yards.

SEC FOOTBALL IN FIGURES: TOP 10 FOR WEEK 4

5 A 32 third down snaps have been converted to first downs against Boston College this season. Defeating Colgate 51-0, Massachusetts 45-28 and Temple 28-3 this season, the Eagles have allowed a 15.6% conversion rate, the best in the country. Missouri have converted 51.2 percent of their 41 shots at third baseman this season.

5 Wins and four losses for Missouri against ACC opponents. The Tigers recently faced an opponent from the ACC in the Independence Bowl on December 26, 2011, when they beat North Carolina 41-24. All of Missouri’s other games against ACC opponents have been regular season games, most recently a 62-9 loss to Clemson on September 9, 2000.

34 Years since the last time an SEC team visited Boston College. The Eagles beat Tennessee 20-18 in a home game on October 31, 1987. Boston College recently faced an SEC opponent on December 31, 2008, when the Eagles lost to Vanderbilt 16-14 at Music City. Bowl. Boston College is 7-8 against SEC opponents – 5-5 in the regular season and 2-3 in Bowls.

39 RB Tyler Badie needs receiving yards to become Missouri’s first player with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards. Badie ran for 1,481 yards and 12 touchdowns on 293 carries and caught 87 passes for 961 yards and 10 touchdowns in Missouri.

520 Passing yards for Boston College QB Dennis Grosel against Virginia in his only start to the 2020 season, a number that matches Doug Flutie’s school record for passing yards in a game. Grosel is back in the starting lineup after Phil Jurkovec suffered a hand injury that could end the season on September 11 against Massachusetts. Grosel had 59 yards in last week’s 28-3 win over Temple.

SEC FOOTBALL IN FIGURES: TOP 10 OF WEEK 3

FOR MORE THAN AL.COMSEC COVERAGE, GO TO OUR SEC PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

Riley Tanner and Ashlynn Serepca had been causing Missouri backline issues all night. The Alabama forwards linked in the 85th minute to defeat the Tigers with a quick combination play. A touch from Tanner to Serepca, which brought him back to an unmarked Tanner in the box.

Missouri backup goaltender McKenna Sheehan had only been in the game for a few minutes and she couldn’t reach Tanner’s shot in time. His goal saw the Crimson Tide lead 2-1, winning the game for the hosts.

It was the second time in as many games that the Tigers had lost on a goal in the 85th minute or later.

After a scorching and dull first half, the two teams went out in search of the opening goal. It’s a Kate Henderson volley on Gessica Skorka’s cross from the right. Just 14 seconds later, Macy Trujillo found Jadyn Easley to tie the game.

Neither team looked to score in the first half. Each team landed three shots, but only one was on goal – a controlled effort and an easy save for Missouri goaltender Sophia Worth.

Worth fell in pain during the second half as he hugged his leg. It wasn’t clear exactly what had happened, but she was treated in the field for several minutes.

The Tigers were defending a corner when the ball was partially cleared. There appeared to be minimal contact when Worth suffered the injury, but his status remains uncertain. Sheehan began to warm up shortly after Missouri No.1 fell in front of a suddenly silent crowd.

Worth was carried on a stretcher in an ambulance after being treated in her six-meter box.

Missouri fell to 0-2 in the SEC game. The Tigers host Tennessee on Sunday for Seniors Day.

A&W returns to Arnold, Missouri. With plans to open by mid-October, the new location will be owned by Jim Sprick and Jim Sill. The pair previously reintroduced St. Charles, Missouri to the brand in 2019 and will add another restaurant in Belleville, Illinois next spring, according to a press release.

“We plan to grow with the brand and would like to open additional stand-alone models. Once upon a time, the St. Louis market had 13 locations and we have two additional locations under development in the market,” Sill said in the statement. “A&W, which is over 100 years old, is enjoying a period of renaissance. We are finding that the brand is particularly popular in historic cities, where A&W existed 30 or 40 years ago but closed. This is a big reason for which we have chosen to open this location to Arnold. “

“We have continued to seek franchise opportunities with A&W due to the corporate infrastructure and business model. We are able to easily communicate with A&W decision makers like CEO Kevin Bazner,” said Sprick in the press release. “The company team is approachable and we feel we get along when we have an idea. We feel comfortable communicating and collaborating with the team to discuss how we want to design a restaurant. . “

The franchise expects to reach 20 units in markets across the country by the end of 2021. Other major markets to develop include the upper Midwest including Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, ‘Iowa and Wisconsin.

A&W has 500 branches across the country, including 300 stand-alone restaurants.

Phil Shapard lives in Winfield and is the great-great-grandson of Pvt. Henry Shapard of the 29th Illinois Infantry Volunteers. His family has been present in Massac and Pope counties for over 160 years. He can be contacted at [email protected]

(The Center Square) – Two years before Texas lawmakers passed a law banning six-week abortions, the Missouri General Assembly passed a bill criminalizing eight-week abortions.

While Texas law includes civil liability for those who participate in abortions after six weeks, the Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act of 2019 prohibits abortions requested after eight weeks solely because of diagnosis, testing, or prenatal screening, doctors who do facing 15 years in prison.

The Texas law was challenged in the United States Supreme Court, which allowed it to come into force before upholding it. Missouri’s eight-week abortion ban, however, became mired in court challenges and was never implemented.

But that could change after the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard the state’s second appeal on Tuesday challenging a federal judge’s injunction against the passage of Bill 126 while a lawsuit against him continues.

Before HB 126, sponsored by Representative Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, could be enacted, in June 2019, the Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis area, the only abortion provider in the State, have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the law. .

The following month, Judge Howard Sachs of the Western District of Missouri granted Planned Parenthood’s injunction, preventing the law from being enacted. Similar laws have been repealed in North Dakota and Iowa, he noted.

The state appealed Sach’s decision. On June 9, a three-judge panel from the 8th Circuit rejected the state’s argument and upheld the injunction. In July, the U.S. 8th Circuit announced that the 18 appellate judges would review the panel’s decision, indicating an interest in probation of HB 126 on abortions solely due to a diagnosis of Down syndrome.

Missouri Solicitor General John Sauer addressed the topic in court on Tuesday, saying that in some countries abortion rates are over 90% for fetuses diagnosed with Down syndrome.

“The community of people with Down syndrome is only a generation away from complete elimination due to the practice of eugenic abortion,” he said. “It is the crisis that Missouri enacted its Down syndrome provision against that is in court today.”

Sauer reiterated earlier arguments that HB 126 does not prohibit but regulates abortions. Opponents “are really trying to put this under the category of ‘ban’ when it is clearly a regulation,” he said.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America lawyer Susan Lambiase said HB 126 is a “blunt instrument to ban abortions based on a person’s personal reasons,” which “is not permitted by the Constitution”.

The court’s deliberations come as a Senate committee created to work with pro-life activists meets for the third time Thursday in Jefferson City.

The 10-member Interim Senate Medicaid Accountability and Taxpayer Protection Committee was established by Senate Speaker Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, and Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Carthage, after adjourning the Senate in late June from a special session without considering a House-passed Bill funding Medicaid providers who, directly or through affiliates, provide abortion services .

This measure, HB 2, reportedly funded Planned Parenthood, which is affiliated with Reproductive Health Services in St. Louis.

The committee was created after the special session to appease pro-life conservatives with the stated purpose of “taking definitive action” by advancing the proposals outlined in HB 2.

In July, President Senator Bill White R-Joplin said a 2016 federal memo from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) allows states to “take certain action” against a supplier whose ability to provide services is questionable in a “safe and legal environment.” and ethics.

In August, St. Louis-area Planned Parenthood president Linda Raclin told the panel that lawmakers lack the power to reimburse claimants for political reasons without risking billions of dollars in federal benefits. health care.

(Jefferson City, MO) – The first results of Missouri’s standardized tests from last school year show that the pandemic has contributed to the loss of learning in public schools from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Thousands of students have some catching up to do. About 45% of students in Missouri reached grade level in English, 35% in math, and 37% in science. Canton RV School District in Northeast Missouri discusses whether to use COVID-19 relief funding to provide more after-school learning and tutoring to bring children to the level they are at need. Teachers work there to determine which students need help the most and in which subjects they need improvement the most.

(Glenaire, MO) – An investigation reveals that three people found in a Clay County home two months ago have died of natural causes. According to MPs, Roger Wilfong, 66, his sister Mary, 67, and their mother Virginia King, 99, were all found sitting in the living room of the house. Investigators say the two women had serious health problems and could not get around without Roger Wilfong’s help. They believe he died from choking on food in June and that the women were unable to access food, water or their medicine.

(St. Louis, MO) – International climate change protests are scheduled for Friday, including in Missouri. Young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and other protesters plan to rally for protests in cities around the world. The Missouri protest will be held in St. Louis on Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in front of City Hall.

(Centerville, IA) – Authorities in southeast Iowa have arrested a Missouri man on suspicion of rape. Joshua Davis Pearson, 39, of Kirksville, was arrested shortly after 12:15 a.m. in rural Appanoose County on Tuesday. He had led law enforcement in a chase that spanned two counties before jumping from his van into a bean field and being arrested after a short foot chase. The pursuit began when Monroe County MPs attempted to conduct a traffic stop for an offense. Kirksville Police said Pearson sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl. He is being held in the Appanoose County Jail.

(Kansas City, MO) – Kansas City public schools are receiving outside help to deal with a severe shortage of bus drivers. Ride-KC is providing the district with the use of eight of its vans to help sports teams with their games and students with other activities. There is no special license required to drive the vans, so any parent, teacher or coach can bring students to their events. A spokesperson for the company said it was an “extraordinary time” and “we have to build on each other.”

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Image credit above: Long-distance kayaker Graham Jordison is paddling along the 2,341-mile Missouri River. His effort is designed to draw attention to the coal-fired power plants operating along the river. (Clarence Dennis | Flatland)

Both passion and protest, Graham Jordison paddles alone the 2,341 miles of the Missouri River with his kayak.

On Monday morning, Jordison pulled his orange boat over the rocks at Kaw Point in Kansas City, Kansas, a few hundred yards from the last stretch of the “Big Muddy” of the state of Missouri.

Jordison’s trip, which departed July 18 from Three Forks, MT, is about a week from the finish line in St. Louis, where the Missouri River empties into the Mississippi River. The long distance paddler travels at an average of 35 miles per day, more or less.

Reflecting on the possibility of storms in the area, Jordison stopped briefly to reflect on his journey on North America’s longest river and his mission. He was standing on the same shore as Lewis and Clark at the start of their 1804 expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase.

In a way, Jordison’s journey began when he was a boy, learning to love the water on the banks of the Little Sioux River in Iowa.

Freshly moved from his birthplace in arid Arizona, Jordison’s father bought a boat.

“It was my first experience with a river and I grew up loving and appreciating them, fishing and swimming in them,” Jordison said. “Then when I grew up and learned about the environmental impacts and filth of some of these rivers I’ve spent my life in, I had to do something to change that. “

Today, Jordison is an organizer of Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign, a local effort dedicated to replacing coal and gas with renewable energies. This summer, he took a sabbatical to embark on the 2,000-mile journey, meant to inspire communities along the river.

“I hope my trip helps make the connection between the energy choices we make and their impact on the land, air, water and people along the Missouri River and beyond,” said Jordison.

Wind, Waves, Forest fires

The Missouri River is not Jordison’s first long ride in the name of healing planet Earth.

In 2014, he took his kayak down the Mississippi River to bring attention to fracking and obsolete coal-fired power plants in the area. The quest for the Mississippi River fueled Jordison, who always dreamed of traveling the entire distance of the Missouri River.

And it’s been quite a journey so far.

“The wind is not my friend, unless it is behind me. Waves, animals – I saw a grizzly bear the first day along the shore, ”Jordison said, referring to some of the challenges presented on his solo mission.

He was stuck in chest-deep mud, battered by huge barge wakes, and rushed to find a place to sleep in parks or on sandbars at night.

The first few weeks of Jordison’s trip were marked by a stark reminder of the “why” of the personal effort.

Even before the possibility of documenting 10 coal-fired power plants along the Missouri River route, views of distant mountain ranges and the sky above were obscured by smoke and ash. The Montana summer forest fires were a reminder of the consequences of climate change.

Jordison’s kayak continued down the river.

Coal around KC

The 2,341-mile ride will take Jordison past 10 coal-fired power plants in five states, owned by seven different utility companies.

Based on data from Coal toll, the plants combined contribute to 328 premature deaths and the release of 50,551,915 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the air each year. A byproduct of coal combustion, the greenhouse gas that absorbs and radiates heat is one of the main contributors to climate change.

Locally, Jordison paddled past the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities’ Nearman Coal Plant in Kansas City, Kansas, upstream of the Missouri River in the northwest. On the Missouri side, Jordison got a river view of Evergy Hawthorn Coal Plant, not far from the East Bottoms.

Each year, factories in Kansas City emit 1,402,793 and 2,973,081 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, respectively. In a state-by-state breakdown, Toll From Coal estimates an at-risk population of 29,062 people (8,552 children) within a three-mile radius of Nearman and 35,296 (10,764 children) within the same radius around the Hawthorn factory. .

Data shows that people of color live within each three-mile radius at 46% and 44%, compared to state averages of 21% and 18%, respectively.

According to US Energy Information Agency, in addition to CO2, emissions from burning coal include sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which cause acid rain and smog, and can cause respiratory illness and disease pulmonary in humans. Neurological and developmental health problems can occur from the heavy metals released during the combustion of coal.

“These 10 power plants are expected to operate until 2040 and that’s not acceptable,” Jordison said, adding that many locals might not even be aware of the area’s plants and harmful pollutants.

“You don’t really recognize how big and massive and vast these plants are and how many there are until you are on the river in this little boat passing them.”

“Everything that touches you”

“What can we do? This is all we can. All that touches you,” said Billy Davies, conservation program coordinator for the Sierra Club Missouri chapter, who hosted Jordison in Kansas City, as well. as the representative of the Kansas Sierra Club, Ty Gorman.

The two local Sierra Club activists joined a network of environmentalists who met Jordison along his journey.

While the kayaker has set up a Fundraising Go Fund Me, hoping to raise a dollar per mile for the Sierra Club during his trip, Jordison said it’s the conversations with community members who want to learn more to protect the natural world that can have a lasting impact.

In Kansas City, Davies and Gorman paid particular attention to the development of the Climate protection and resilience plan.

Adopted in May 2020, the plan lists a goal of reducing city-wide greenhouse gas emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2025 and 50% by 2030, with a target to be climate neutral by 2040. The target calls for a 100% reduction in emissions. related to electricity consumption by 2030.

A multi-pronged approach, another key objective of the Climate Protection and Resilience Plan is to develop plans to address climate change in a “transparent and inclusive process of stakeholders”.

It is this key goal that encourages activists like Davies and his counterpart at Sierra Club Gorman. They see Jordison’s story and his journey as a beautiful and simple stand against the consumption of energy that is harmful to the environment.

“The city wants people to speak out and hear their stories,” Davies said.

“We encourage people to express themselves, or if you want to be creative to get attention, every piece is important and that’s what got us here. “

A federal appeals court will consider Tuesday whether Missouri can implement sweeping law to limit abortions.

The law passed in 2019 would ban abortions in or around the eighth week of pregnancy. It would also ban abortions based on a diagnosis of Down’s syndrome.

The 8th U.S. Court of Appeals in St. Louis is not expected to rule for several weeks.

In June, a panel of three judges for the 8th Circuit upheld an injunction from U.S. District Judge Howard Sachs barring Missouri from enforcing the provisions. Most discussions during the panel hearing focused on the provision banning abortions because the fetus is diagnosed with Down syndrome.

But the full court then decided to hear the case, a decision that Yamelsie Rodríguez, president and CEO of Reproductive Health Services at Planned Parenthood in the St. Louis area, called “another disturbing signal. in a long line of threats to our reproductive freedom. “

The Missouri attorney general’s office defends the law.

Sachs said in his 2020 ruling that he believes Planned Parenthood and the ACLU would likely succeed in their lawsuit challenging the law as unconstitutional. Similar laws have been repealed in North Dakota and Iowa.

Lawmakers who helped draft the Missouri law said it was supposed to withstand legal challenges. It included a provision that if the eight-week ban were lifted, a series of less restrictive abortion limits would come into effect at 14, 18 or 20 weeks. But the courts have blocked the application of all these limits so far.

Attorney General Eric Schmitt wants the US Supreme Court to decide the case. In a July court filing, Schmitt, a Republican, said the Supreme Court should consider whether the Missouri restrictions are “reasonable abortion regulations.”

Schmitt also said the High Court should use the case to decide whether to overturn its Roe v. Wade from 1973, which established a national abortion right any time before a fetus can survive outside the womb, which is roughly week 24.

The Missouri Law Appeals Court case comes weeks after the United States Supreme Court authorized a texan law which prohibits abortions once healthcare professionals can detect heart activity, which is usually around six weeks after the onset of a pregnancy.

The Supreme Court also agreed to consider authorizing the execution of a Mississippi Law which would ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which could significantly change nearly 50 years of legal precedents on abortion rights.

Missouri is one of several conservative states that have passed restrictions on abortion in hopes that the increasingly conservative Supreme Court will eventually overturn Roe v. Wade.