Missouri

A Missouri fifth grader raised enough money to pay off his entire school’s meal debt

Published

2 years ago

May 26, 2024

A Missouri fifth grader raised enough money to pay off his entire school’s meal debt

(CNN) — Kids can now eat without breaking the piggy bank – at least, at Thomas Ultican Elementary School – thanks to fifth grader Daken Kramer.

Daken paid off the entire meal debt and then some, for his elementary school in Blue Springs, Missouri, after turning in a check for more than $7,300. Daken’s original goal was $3,500, which was just over the total of the school’s debt, according to Daken’s mother, Vanessa Kramer. The remaining amount was given to Blue Springs High School, another school in the district.

“Children in elementary school should not have debt tied to their name. We have found out that there are high schools that keep seniors from attending prom or walking at graduation if they have stuff like student lunch debt,” Kramer said. “Some families can’t help it. They can’t pay it off.”

In a video shared to his mom’s Facebook, Daken had challenged “friends, family and local businesses to donate what they can to this cause.”

Upon Daken’s request, Kramer reached out to Blue Springs School District to get information about the school’s meal debt. Soon, the fundraiser was spreading to states like Texas, Florida and New Jersey. Within a matter of two weeks, Daken’s fundraiser more than doubled his goal.

As of Daken’s fifth grade graduation on Tuesday, the Daken Kramer Legacy Award will now be an annual honor for fifth graders striving to make their own mark.

“Your selfless actions will impact dozens of students throughout the district,” Kristi Haley, Daken’s teacher, said as she announced the award in his name. “It’s not the amount of money you raised, although that was absolutely incredible. It’s your heart, your drive, your determination and your grit to help others that inspires us.”

Daken said the award took him aback.

“It was definitely a surprise. I had no idea that they were going to do that,” he said. “And I definitely started to feel a lot of emotions.”

A lunch for an elementary schooler in the Blue Springs School District is $2.55 – with the reduced price being 40 cents for students in need, according to the district.

About 29% of the roughly 15,000 students enrolled in the Blue Springs School District are eligible for a free or reduced lunch, district spokesperson Katie Woolf told CNN Thursday.

While Daken’s fundraiser cleared his school’s meal debt, the Blue Springs School District meal debt totals to more than $235,000, according to Woolf. The district includes 20 schools at varying levels.

The School Nutrition Association reported among the school districts represented by their members – about one-fifth of US school districts nationwide – meal debt ranged from $10 to approximately $1 million, according to the school nutrition directors who are members of their organization and who responded to the association’s 2024 survey. The association collected this data as a part of their lobbying effort to try to get more funding for school meal programs.

In November 2023, the median reported district meal debt was about $5,495 among districts represented by members who responded to the survey, which was up from about $5,164 in the survey a year prior, according to the association.

Hoping to bring wider attention to the issue of school meal debt, Kramer says she and Daken are now working with a Missouri state representative to see if they can take their efforts to the next level.

Seeing the droves of people who reached out with support showed Kramer how one person can make a difference, she said.

“Even though this is something that kids don’t need to worry about and don’t have any responsibility (for), I’m very, very proud as his mom that he is mature enough to see that there is an issue and if the people who have the power to make a change won’t change anything, then he will step up and make a change,” she said.

Daken, whose favorite school lunch is an orange chicken and rice bowl, says kids don’t have to do extraordinary things to be the next recipient of the Daken Kramer Legacy Award.

“They don’t really need to do anything big to get the award,” Daken said. “It’s only if they really care about it and they are really, really compassionate about helping the school.”

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Missouri

It’s All Madsen In Missouri High Limit Tilt – SPEED SPORT

Published

8 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

It’s All Madsen In Missouri High Limit Tilt – SPEED SPORT

WHEATLAND, Mo. — It was all Kerry Madsen on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Speedway as the 54-year-old native of Australia, who’s now based in Knoxville, Iowa, picked up his first Interstate Batteries High Limit Sprint racing victory.

Madsen led all 30 laps to earn the $12,000 prize. He outdistanced runner-up Sue Lynch by 2.79 seconds with Tanner Holmes finishing third.

“The car’s been super quick every time we’ve hit the track,” Madsen said, noting several competitive runs in the early portion of the High Limit schedule. “The car’s been quick every night, which gives you a lot of confidence.

“We haven’t drawn well in dashes and had some little stuff going on. We drew a good one (tonight) and the car was good and we got the job done. I’m pretty happy.”

That changed this time as Madsen beat Holmes in the dash, to claim the pole position for the feature.

Madsen said his young crew chief Ty Wolfgang has “done a great job” getting in sync with him. Communication has been a big key.

“I know it sounds weird, but just hanging out together,” Madsen said of the driver-crew chief chemistry. “Dinner and a beer and just talk about racing. You do that and it might be a Wednesday night, but something clicks. He’s been real receptive with that stuff and that’s great.”

Madsen, a former Knoxville Nationals 360 winner, paced the early going after starting from the pole, with Holmes in close pursuit. Action slowed on lap six with Chase Randall and Danny Samms III tangling in turn two for the first and only yellow of the event.

Lynch moved into second on the restart as Madsen opened a 1.5-second lead by lap nine as Holmes dropped to third. Madsen’s margin swelled to nearly two seconds by lap 11 – but Lynch tracked down the leader and cut the deficit to a half-second at the halfway mark on lap 15.

As the race continued until green-flag conditions, Madsen settled into a one-second advantage as Lynch and Holmes tried to keep pace. Madsen poured it on in the late stages, cruising to the checkers by nearly three seconds over Lynch.

“Hopefully we can keep rolling like this all year. Obviously, you can’t win every night, but being quick and running well is going to be awesome,” Madsen said.

Lynch, 28 from Cowansville, Pa., said the team found some steering issues and gave him a fast car. It just was not fast enough to stay with Madsen on Saturday night.

“We were battling steering issue in the dash and it was pretty obvious,” Lynch said. “We just didn’t have time to change it and we just tried to make it the best we could. Really the car was super good. The guys busted their butt all night. It’s a testament to the team. We’re working hard and hopefully one spot better real soon.”

Holmes, a 22-year-old from Jacksonville, Oregon, came home third with Daison Pursley fourth, Hank Davis fifth and Rico Abreu charging from 11th to sixth.

“Our best night of the year,” Holmes said. “We’ve got to race a little bit during a break with High Limit these last few weeks. Some of those nights when we got our teeth kicked in taught us a lot.”

Fast overall qualifier was Sye Lynch at 13.342 seconds out of Group A. Aaron Reutzel led Group B with a lap of 13.469 seconds. Both were well off the track record for 410 Sprints held by Rico Abreu at 12.829 seconds on June 29, 2024.

The finish:

Feature: 1. 55-Kerry Madsen[1]; 2. 42-Sye Lynch[3]; 3. 13-Tanner Holmes[2]; 4. 9-Daison Pursley[4]; 5. 17GP-Hank Davis[5]; 6. 24-Rico Abreu[11]; 7. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[12]; 8. 77-Giovanni Scelzi[6]; 9. 19-Brent Marks[9]; 10. 26-Justin Peck[10]; 11. 88-Tanner Thorson[15]; 12. 21-Brian Brown[14]; 13. 28-Jace Park[23]; 14. 87-Aaron Reutzel[7]; 15. 19JR-Joel Myers Jr[20]; 16. 45X-Rees Moran[21]; 17. 5-Brenham Crouch[19]; 18. 44-Chris Martin[8]; 19. 19H-Kaleb Johnson[22]; 20. 87X-Logan Seavey[17]; 21. 36-Jason Martin[16]; 22. 9R-Chase Randall[18]; 23. 24D-Danny Sams III[13]; 24. 2-Miles Paulus[24]

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Missouri

Missouri Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 winning numbers for April 18, 2026

Published

20 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

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

Here’s a look at April 18, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from April 18 drawing

24-25-39-46-61, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 5

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 18 drawing

Midday: 5-8-2

Midday Wild: 3

Evening: 3-8-5

Evening Wild: 1

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 18 drawing

Midday: 0-1-6-1

Midday Wild: 2

Evening: 4-7-6-9

Evening Wild: 5

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from April 18 drawing

Early Bird: 08

Morning: 01

Matinee: 05

Prime Time: 04

Night Owl: 05

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from April 18 drawing

07-10-21-27-33

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from April 18 drawing

02-38-45-53-63, Powerball: 21

Check Powerball Double Play 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

Missouri Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 winning numbers for April 17, 2026

Published

2 days ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

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

Here’s a look at April 17, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from April 17 drawing

38-43-44-49-62, Mega Ball: 08

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 17 drawing

Midday: 4-8-6

Midday Wild: 2

Evening: 8-8-2

Evening Wild: 1

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 17 drawing

Midday: 3-9-4-2

Midday Wild: 4

Evening: 7-3-7-7

Evening Wild: 7

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from April 17 drawing

Early Bird: 07

Morning: 06

Matinee: 08

Prime Time: 05

Night Owl: 07

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from April 17 drawing

04-06-25-37-39

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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