Missouri
Jerry Nelson: Missouri Meanderings
Missouri is the Show Me State, so when my wife and I recently visited Kansas City we decided to see what Missouri had to show us.
We pointed our car at Springfield, the third most populous city in Missouri. Upon arriving at our hotel, we were told that our room wouldn’t be ready for several hours. All I can say about this is that my wife is the type of person who believes that if you aren’t early, you’re late.
We asked the clerk if there was anything that one could do in Springfield for a few hours, and she immediately recommended a visit to the Bass Pro Shops.
This sounded as good as anything, so we decided to give it a whirl. The Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Ultimate Fishing Boat Outlet And Super-duper Hunting Gear Emporium occupies about 80 acres. Some of that is parking lot, but a good share of it is a ginormous building.
Walking into the store, my nose was instantly drawn to a particular aroma. They had a coffee shop! It had been at least ten minutes since my last jolt of java, so my wife and I purchased some hot liquid refreshments, sat on a bench and people watched.
We spotted several Exhausted Toddler Parent roadrunners and some prime examples of Fanatic Angler kingfishers. There was also a good number of Please Honey, I Really Need This Boat warblers.
The establishment proved to be as much of a museum as a retail outlet. I viewed numerous epically large game animals that had been stuffed and mounted and placed in epic poses. This included the mythical 30-point buck that was romanticized in the classic hunting tune “Da Turdy Point Buck” by the talented ensemble Bananas At Large.
We walked past a concrete enclosure that contained a small pond and what was, allegedly, a live alligator. I say “allegedly” because the creature didn’t move at all during the several minutes that we observed it. Perhaps dealing with all those allegations had worn out the alligator.
An escalator lofted visitors up to the entrance of an aquarium that boasted penguins as its main attraction. Admission was $42 per head which, with taxes and penguin perusing surcharges, would put a big hole in a Benjamin Franklin. We decided that penguins are cute, but not $100 worth of cute.
The next day we motored southeastward toward Poplar Bluff. The Ozarks rolled past our windows, wooded hills punctuated by small towns and an occasional farmstead. The landscape would sometimes open up to reveal an idyllic emerald valley where cows grazed peacefully in their leisurely, cow-like manner. It looked like heaven on toast.
I’m a farm boy from the prairie, so I couldn’t help but wonder why the flatlands weren’t being farmed. The answer could be seen in the roadcuts, which revealed limestone bedrock covered with a thin veneer of grayish topsoil. A guy would bust his plow if he tried to plow it.
Speaking of mythical creatures, we saw several bumper stickers that featured a bigfoot silhouette. I wasn’t sure what the message might be. Was the car’s owner proud of his family’s sasquatch? Or was he an Uber driver who was open to giving rides to bigfoots?
There is certainly plenty of forest where bigfoot could hide. I personally don’t believe in sasquatches, but then again, I have never been subjected to the eerie hoots and yawps that allegedly arise from midnight Missouri woodlands.
I notched a personal “first” during our drive when I espied a deceased armadillo at the roadside. Sadly, my wife wouldn’t let me stop and claim this trophy.
After viewing the solar eclipse at Poplar Bluff – one of the most memorable parts was seeing hundreds of miniature crescent suns projected onto the ground beneath the trees – we decided to head back to Kansas City. We didn’t realize until too late that approximately a million other motorists had the same idea.
We live in a low-population area. Our version of a traffic jam is when there are two cars ahead of us at a stop sign.
After weaving our way out of town, we hit the open road. Things went swimmingly for a few miles, but then traffic ground to a halt. Probably just some minor snag up ahead. Wrong!
The view out our windshield revealed a river of vehicles that stretched as far as the eye could see. This was a “first” that I would rather have missed.
As we crept along – sometimes attaining a heady 15 MPH – I closely watched the roadside for my armadillo.
Alas, he was nowhere to be seen. Maybe a bigfoot beat me to it.
If you’d like to contact Jerry Nelson to do some public speaking, or just to register your comments, you can email him at jjpcnels@itctel.com. His book, “Dear County Agent Guy,” is available at Workman.com and at booksellers everywhere.
The date for the last matchup in the current Border War series is set.
Missouri men’s basketball will face Kansas in the Border War game on Dec. 6 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, according to a post from the Jayhawks’ official X/Twitter account Tuesday. The tipoff time and TV designation for the matchup will be released at a later date.
Kansas released its full nonconference schedule Tuesday, including the sixth and final game against Mizzou on the current competition contract.
The historic rivals have not yet signed a contract to renew the series beyond this season, according to a recent batch of competition contracts obtained by the Tribune through an open records request.
Missouri is yet to announce its nonconference schedule for the 2026-27 season, but there are three other known or reported games for this upcoming season.
Mizzou will face Howard at Mizzou Arena in the last leg of a three-game series, which will take place on a still-to-be-determined date.
The Tigers also have three more neutral-site games on their schedule. The annual Braggin’ Rights matchup against Illinois likely will fall in mid- or late- December at Enterprise Center, and Mizzou has agreed to a Nov. 15 trip to United Center in Chicago to face Marquette. Missouri also reportedly will face Saint Louis on Nov. 6 at Enterprise Center, according to Jon Rothstein at CBS Sports and College Hoops Today.
This season’s Border War matchup will include the first direct transfer between the two schools when Bryson Tiller suits up for Missouri after spending last season, his freshman year, at Kansas.
KU has won four of the five games since the series was renewed in 2021, including an 80-60 win in Kansas City last season. Missouri won the 2024-25 season matchup at Mizzou Arena, but has not beaten Kansas outside of Columbia since 2003.
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The Missouri State Highway Patrol arrested eleven people in north Missouri between May 29, 2026, and June 1, 2026. The arrests involved a variety of alleged offenses, including driving while intoxicated, felony drug possession, resisting arrest, and outstanding felony warrants. Arrests were reported in Grundy, Clinton, Caldwell, Shelby, Marion, Ralls, Monroe, Clark, and Macon counties.
It is important to note that, while all the individuals listed below have been reported as arrested, they may not have been physically transported to a detention center. Depending on the circumstances, an individual may be issued a summons, which includes a court date. When the Missouri State Highway Patrol issues a summons with a court date, it is considered an arrest, even if the individual is not physically transported to a detention center.
Diego G. Gavilanes-Tigse, 31, of Trenton, was arrested in Grundy County at 6:36 p.m. on May 29, 2026. He was charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and failure to signal. Gavilanes-Tigse was held at the Grundy County Law Enforcement Center and was placed on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold.
Heather S. Starchman, 37, of Kansas City, was arrested in Clinton County at 7:52 p.m. on May 29, 2026. Authorities reported she was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine, felony possession of a synthetic narcotic, felony tampering with evidence, felony resisting arrest, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia with a prior offense, cutting in on an overtaken vehicle, failure to yield, failure to register a motor vehicle, no insurance, no valid driver’s license, and failure to wear a seat belt. Starchman was taken to Cameron Regional Medical Center and later released.
Alcides Blazimiro Sagastume Gonzalez, 52, of Rock Springs, Wyoming, was arrested in Shelby County at 6:50 p.m. on May 29, 2026. He was charged with driving without a valid license and driving while intoxicated. He was held in Shelby County before being released.
Ernesto J. Carames Lopez, 27, of Kansas City, was arrested in Clinton County at 4:03 a.m. on May 30, 2026. Troopers reported he was wanted on a Clarke County, Iowa, felony warrant for larceny and was also charged with careless and imprudent driving resulting in an accident. He was held in Clinton County and was listed as bondable.
Mariah R. Vandervelden, 31, of Fairview Heights, Illinois, was arrested in Marion County at 2:56 p.m. on May 30, 2026. She was charged with driving while intoxicated and was held in the Marion County Jail before being released.
Chad A. Woolfolk, 46, of Hannibal, was arrested in Marion County at 3:50 p.m. on May 30, 2026. He was charged with driving while intoxicated, driving while revoked, and no insurance. Woolfolk was held in the Marion County Jail and later released.
Jo A. Kennedy, 62, of Louisiana, Missouri, was arrested in Ralls County at 5:35 p.m. on May 30, 2026. Troopers charged her with driving while intoxicated involving alcohol and failure to drive on the right half of the roadway. Kennedy was held by the Ralls County Sheriff’s Office before being released.
Ethan Z. White, 25, of Huntsville, was arrested in Monroe County at 5:40 p.m. on May 30, 2026. He was charged with felony resisting arrest, two counts of speeding 26 mph or more over the limit, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, driving on the left side of the roadway when the view was obstructed, driving while intoxicated involving alcohol, and consumption of alcohol while driving. White was taken to the Randolph County Jail and placed on a 24-hour hold.
Brian D. Brooks, 66, of Keokuk, Iowa, was arrested in Clark County at 9:53 p.m. on May 30, 2026. He was charged with felony driving while intoxicated as an aggravated offender, no valid license, and failure to comply with ignition interlock requirements. Brooks was held by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office on a 12-hour hold.
Justus Garway, 30, of Altoona, Iowa, was arrested in Macon County at 11:30 a.m. on May 31, 2026. He was charged with felony driving while intoxicated as an aggravated offender, failure to comply with an ignition interlock system, failure to secure a child younger than 8 years old, and speeding. Garway was held in the Macon County Jail on a 24-hour hold.
Justin L. Bittiker, 44, of Independence, was arrested in Caldwell County at 8:22 a.m. on June 1, 2026. Troopers charged him with felony possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor unlawful use of drug paraphernalia, and turning from a direct course when unsafe. Bittiker was held at the Caldwell County Detention Center on a 24-hour hold.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department is investigating a homicide that occurred Monday evening.
The incident happened near 12th Street and Askew Avenue just after 6:40 p.m.
No word on what led to the violence.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
—
If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
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