Missouri

Dean Plocher delayed ethics investigation he publicly complained dragged on too long • Missouri Independent

Published

2 years ago

April 17, 2024

Dean Plocher delayed ethics investigation he publicly complained dragged on too long • Missouri Independent

Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher and his allies complained for weeks that the ethics investigation into his alleged misconduct was dragging out unnecessarily.

As it turns out, the biggest reason for the delay may have been Dean Plocher himself.

The Republican from Des Peres for three months allegedly refused to speak to an attorney hired by the House to collect evidence for the investigation, only agreeing to testify to the ethics committee in mid-March.

His office three times over the course of March and early April refused to sign off on subpoenas requested by the committee to compel hesitant witnesses to come forward.

While all this was taking place behind the scenes and out of the public view, Plocher was arguing to colleagues and the media that the committee was taking too long. The delays became evidence to his supporters that the investigation was political and illegitimate.

“Not soon enough,” Plocher said, when asked last month about when the committee might finish its work.

On Monday, after a draft report was released documenting the ethics committee’s findings, Plocher told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he was disappointed in how long the committee took to complete its work.

Yet the report in question lays out myriad ways Plocher’s actions in private were allegedly causing the delays he was publicly decrying.

“Never did I imagine the biggest impediment to this process would be the speaker’s office,” Republican state Rep. Hannah Kelly, the chair of the ethics committee who Plocher appointed to the job in 2023, posted on social media Tuesday.

Plocher, who is running for secretary of state, has yet to publicly comment on the contents of the ethics committee’s draft report.

Speaker Dean Plocher accused of ‘absolute obstruction’ in House ethics investigation

The committee began looking into Plocher in October, after an ethics complaint filed by Republican state Rep. Chris Sander of Lone Jack that focused on the speaker’s advocacy for the House to enter into a six-figure software contract with a private company, his firing of a former staffer and his years of false expense reimbursement reports.

The committee retained an outside attorney named Beth Boggs on Dec. 6 to investigate the allegations and provide a written report to the committee.

Boggs attempted to speak to Plocher for months, she wrote in a March 1 letter to the committee. But each of her requests were ignored. Additionally, Boggs wrote that numerous witnesses refused to cooperate out of fear of retaliation from the speaker’s office.

Those roadblocks, Boggs wrote, delayed the committee’s efforts.

“The level of fear expressed by a number of the potential witnesses is a daunting factor in completing this investigation,” Boggs wrote.

Some witnesses who refused to willingly testify to the committee indicated they would comply with a subpoena, the report stated. Yet records included in the report show that on three occasions, Plocher’s general counsel wrote to the committee stating that the speaker’s office would not sign off on those subpoenas.

“The inability to compel witness testimony and the production of documents in a timely fashion caused unnecessary delay and has hindered the committee’s investigation,” the report stated.

The report ultimately concluded the committee lacked direct evidence of ethical misconduct by Plocher, but that his actions “substantially impair public confidence in the General Assembly.” It recommended a formal letter of disapproval for Plocher, that he hire an accounting professional to manage his expense reports moving forward and that he refrain from retaliation against any legislator or House employee who cooperated with the committee.

The report also recommended further review by the House into allegations of threats made against legislative employees during the course of the investigation.

But after Kelly refused to allow the committee to go into closed session to debate the report, which she said was the result of hours of debate last week, four Democrats and two Republicans voted to reject it.

Only Kelly and the committee’s vice chair, Democratic state Rep. Robert Sauls of Independence, voted in support.

“Unfortunately, because of the efforts by the speaker to threaten witnesses, block our investigation and prevent this process from reaching its natural conclusion, there is nothing more that can be done,” Kelly posted on social media Tuesday. “The report speaks for itself, as do the votes of the committee members.”

One member of the committee, Republican state Rep. Cyndi Buchheit-Courtway of Festus, voted “present” on Monday.

The next day, she posted on social media arguing that the report “did not accurately reflect the record of the committee investigation.”

She voted “present” out of respect for Kelly, Buchheit-Courtway wrote, but wanted more debate before a report was released to the public. The committee majority, she argues, should write, debate and adopt a final report before a public release.

“This process has gone on too long,” she wrote, “and needs to come to an end.”

Buchheit-Courtway may get her wish for an end to the investigation.

Kelly adjourned Monday’s hearing immediately after the committee rejected the report. Two other hearings scheduled for this week have been canceled. There is no indication of whether the committee’s work might resume.

The legislative session ends May 17 at 6 p.m.

“It breaks my heart,” Kelly wrote, “to think our institution could be a place where victims will be harassed rather than protected, where whistleblowers will be vilified and where the truth will be something that is locked in the darkness rather than brought into the light of day.”

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Missouri

Missouri Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 winning numbers for Jan. 7, 2026

Published

3 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 7, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

15-28-57-58-63, Powerball: 23, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

Midday: 7-2-8

Midday Wild: 2

Evening: 7-4-8

Evening Wild: 8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

Midday: 6-0-8-6

Midday Wild: 7

Evening: 7-8-2-6

Evening Wild: 6

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

01-07-30-41-56, Cash Ball: 01

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

Early Bird: 04

Morning: 08

Matinee: 13

Prime Time: 08

Night Owl: 10

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

03-05-09-10-36

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

28-41-50-61-68, Powerball: 05

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

Jaland Lowe, Jayden Quaintance to start for Kentucky vs Missouri, per report

Published

15 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Jaland Lowe, Jayden Quaintance to start for Kentucky vs Missouri, per report

Kentucky basketball fans have seemed to have finally gotten their wish. After receiving a lot of pushback for not making a change to the starting lineup, more specifically not starting Jaland Lowe since returning from injury, Mark Pope is making a change. According to KSR’s Jack Pilgrim, both Lowe and Jayden Quaintance will start in Kentucky’s game against Missouri. Pilgrim reports the two will replace Collin Chandler and Malachi Moreno as starters against Missouri, which will make the lineup Jaland Lowe, Denzel Aberdeen, Otega Oweh, Mo Dioubate and Jayden Quaintance.

It’s a long-time coming for Kentucky fans, as since Jaland Lowe has been back from injury on Dec. 5, he hasn’t started a single game. Even in the games before he wasn’t included in Kentucky’s starting lineup. That’s seven games played with zero starts to show for it, with fans constantly wondering why Lowe has continued to come into the games following the first media timeout after Kentucky has already fallen behind. He’s not the only one being included in the lineup change, with Quaintance starting as well. Quaintance made his debut against St. John’s and has since been working to get acclimated after spending nine months returning from an injury. Now, he’s getting the start, too. We haven’t seen the two on the floor together since Kentucky’s second-half surge to beat St. John’s on Dec. 20.

The chatter around the starting lineup questions has mainly centered around Lowe, as he is clearly the engine of this team. When he’s not in, Kentucky sturggles to have any flow, or identity for that matter. Now, the Wildcats have the opportunity to start the game off fresh instead of it being like the last game where Kentucky fell behind 9-5 before Lowe came in. Mark Pope hinted on his radio show Monday that this development with Lowe was coming, saying “starting is in his future” while also noting that they’re continuing to ‘nurse’ him along. Before that, though, during Kentucky’s 10-day break between the Bellarmine and Alabama games, Pope discussed the reason why Jaland Lowe had not been starting:

“We’re trying to limit his contact and exposure so much in practice that, the thinking behind that is like, let’s protect the integrity of the group that we have getting most of the reps in practice to actually be able to go perform on the court, just to give some continuity.” At the time, Pope wasn’t sure if that was the right way to go about it, but it’s something he said they would continue to be thinking about moving forward. “That might not be the right answer. We’re going to kind of explore that as we go. It also gives you a chance to maybe extend his healthy window, which we’re hoping is going to be the entire season, by not being the headline guy at the beginning of a scout.”

Well, those comments from Pope combined with the pushback from fans has now led to Jaland Lowe finally making his first start as a Kentucky Wildcat. Mark Pope now has real chance for his team to build some momentum with two players on the floor together in Lowe and Quaintance who will hopefully be staying on the floor together and consistently moving forward. This development is going to be what Kentucky fans focus on most against Missouri.

More news on the Wildcats

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Missouri

Missouri Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 winning numbers for Jan. 6, 2026

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 6, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Jan. 6 drawing

09-39-47-58-68, Mega Ball: 24

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 6 drawing

Midday: 3-4-8

Midday Wild: 8

Evening: 8-5-7

Evening Wild: 4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Jan. 6 drawing

Midday: 2-0-4-4

Midday Wild: 8

Evening: 1-5-2-7

Evening Wild: 4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from Jan. 6 drawing

23-24-32-57-58, Cash Ball: 02

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Jan. 6 drawing

Early Bird: 05

Morning: 10

Matinee: 01

Prime Time: 06

Night Owl: 05

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from Jan. 6 drawing

02-12-26-29-30

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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