Missouri

Missouri bill would require reporting, tracking of alpha-gal syndrome

Published

4 days ago

February 24, 2026

Missouri bill would require reporting, tracking of alpha-gal syndrome

When Josh Hammann started having severe breathing problems in the spring of 2023, emergency room doctors were convinced he was having panic attacks.

They gave him medication to treat anxiety, but his wife, Megan, said that only made him sicker.

“Of course, that medication had alpha-gal in it,” she told The Independent.

Hammann, of Cole County, and other Missourians whose lives have been upended by alpha-gal syndrome, urged state lawmakers this week to advance a bill that would require the state to track cases and report them to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The potentially life-threatening tick-borne allergy causes people to have an immune response to mammal products — including red meat, dairy and a form of lactose in the anxiety pills Josh was prescribed. Symptoms vary from breathing problems to skin irritation and abdominal distress. And like Josh, many people with the emerging condition struggle to get a diagnosis.

The bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Matthew Overcast, would mandate diagnostic testing labs to report cases of the condition to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services within seven days of receiving a positive test. The department would be required to follow up on a random sample of cases and submit data to the federal government.

Republican state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman is sponsoring an identical bill in the Senate.

Overcast, who presented a similar bill in 2025, emphasized to members of the House Health and Mental Health Committee that alpha-gal syndrome is “a public health crisis.”

“The last time I spoke to this committee, I only had three children [who] have it,” Overcast said. “Now my wife has it, and my aunt has it, and there are so many people, even in my church, that have it.”

Rep. Matthew Overcast, a Republican from Ava, presents legislation bill in the House House in February 2025 (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications).

Supporters of the bill said participating in national efforts to gather this data will help scientists study the disease and develop public health recommendations that could prevent its spread.

Ryan DeBoef, a lobbyist for the Alpha-Gal Alliance Action Fund, said that collecting data will help Missouri get federal funding to improve patient care and public awareness of alpha-gal syndrome.

The Centers for Disease Control is expected to open applications for grants of up to $1 million later this month to encourage knowledge-sharing among researchers and public health agencies, improve case tracking and educate health care providers about the condition.

“So it’s important that the states with a lot of alpha-gal are able to demonstrate that they have a lot of alpha-gal to receive that funding,” DeBoef said.

A 2023 report from the Centers for Disease Control indicated that more than 110,000 suspected cases of alpha-gal syndrome were identified between 2010 and 2022 — and that Missouri was in the center of the swath of the U.S. with the highest concentration of those cases.

Republican state Rep. Kent Haden of Mexico said alpha-gal is a “huge” problem and asked about the accuracy of diagnostic tests for the condition, questioning whether the bill “may be asking something that [the department] can’t do.”

Benjamin Casterline, a dermatologist and immunologist at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, cited data from Virginia that found the diagnostic tests to have 2% false negatives and 8% false positives.

“That’s a pretty good test,” Casterline said.

Overcast said the department has concerns about “the impact of this [bill] on their manpower.” The department estimated that they would need to hire four new staff, including two epidemiologists, to meet case tracking and reporting requirements, according to the fiscal note for the bill.

Lawmakers signaled support for the bill, which has 13 co-sponsors. Republican State Rep. Carolyn Caton of Blue Springs, one of the co-sponsors, suggested adding language to the bill that would include patients in case tracking only if they opt in.

Republican state Rep. Tony Harbison of Arcadia said collecting data on the condition’s prevalence in Missouri is “a no-brainer.”

“I see the spread of this, and this gets the conversation started toward a solution or prevention,” Harbison said.

Witnesses in support of the bill shared how alpha-gal syndrome disrupted their families’ routines and peace of mind, often requiring them to take on the burden of researching how to manage the condition.

Megan Hammann was diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome in 2025. She found a tick on her back after a four-wheeling trip.

“We weren’t even off the four-wheelers, so [the tick] was falling from the trees,” she said.

Within a month, she started developing hives.

Hammann said she’s worried her two kids will develop the condition.

“It’s like, how can you tell your kids not to go outside?” she said. “You want them to go outside. You want them to enjoy their childhood, but then you’re terrified. Something needs to be done, and I’m hoping that this is the start of it.”

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Missouri

Missouri Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 winning numbers for Feb. 27, 2026

Published

9 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Feb. 27, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

11-18-39-43-67, Mega Ball: 23

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

Midday: 3-5-8

Midday Wild: 6

Evening: 4-3-8

Evening Wild: 3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

Midday: 8-0-1-0

Midday Wild: 4

Evening: 2-6-8-2

Evening Wild: 3

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

Early Bird: 02

Morning: 14

Matinee: 09

Prime Time: 09

Night Owl: 12

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from Feb. 27 drawing

06-14-25-26-38

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.

To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:

Ticket Redemption

Missouri Lottery

P.O. Box 7777

Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777

For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.

When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Missouri

See how much new unemployment claims in Missouri fell last week

Published

21 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

See how much new unemployment claims in Missouri fell last week

Staff reports
| USA TODAY Network

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Missouri dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 2,182 in the week ending February 21, down from 2,462 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims rose to 212,000 last week, up 4,000 claims from 208,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Rhode Island saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 132.0%. Michigan, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 49.9%.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly unemployment insurance claims report.

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Missouri

Missouri Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 winning numbers for Feb. 26, 2026

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Feb. 26, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

Midday: 9-4-0

Midday Wild: 0

Evening: 5-3-9

Evening Wild: 1

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

Midday: 9-7-1-7

Midday Wild: 5

Evening: 4-8-6-3

Evening Wild: 8

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

Early Bird: 10

Morning: 10

Matinee: 14

Prime Time: 10

Night Owl: 12

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

05-20-24-28-33

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Ticket Redemption

Missouri Lottery

P.O. Box 7777

Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.

When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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