Missouri
Leader of Missouri social services agency stepping down for new job in Poplar Bluff • Missouri Independent
The director of Missouri’s Department of Social Services will resign next month, allowing Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe to choose a new leader for the embattled agency.
Robert Knodell’s last day as director of the department — which oversees foster care, Medicaid, other public assistance programs and services for delinquent youth — will be Jan. 13. He accepted a job to be the city manager of Poplar Bluff, his hometown, on Tuesday.
Knodell has been director since Oct. 2021.
Previously, he worked in Gov. Mike Parson’s office as deputy chief of staff and then acting director for the Department of Health and Senior Services.
In an interview last week, Knodell said his biggest accomplishments leading the agency included helping push for staff pay raises, modernizing technology and putting the child welfare system on a more “positive trajectory” by emphasizing prevention.
“We have to continue to try to do everything as a full continuum to make sure that family needs and children’s needs are being addressed and that safety can be assured,” he said, “to prevent children from having to go into the foster system. And the prevention focus is new for the department.”
During his tenure, the department faced criticism over its administration of public benefits.
A federal judge earlier this year ruled Missourians were illegally denied food aid by the state due to hourslong call center wait times for participants to receive a required interview.
The most recent monthly data the state submitted in the lawsuit says the average wait time to get through for its general call line was 43 minutes as of November. The wait time for the interview line for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, was 23 minutes.
The department in its budget request to the state legislature is asking for $11 million to hire 220 new staff in the Family Support Division to help ensure the agency complies with federal and state rules on timely processing, and “maintains a reasonable wait time in the call centers,” the budget request states.
The state has also struggled to meet federal guidelines for its processing of Medicaid applications.
Over the summer, the federal Medicaid agency announced it was intervening to help bring the state back into compliance. According to the most recent federal data, 27% of low-income Missouri Medicaid applications were processed in excess of the 45-day limit in July, which is down from 72% in February.
The department also faced scrutiny for its handling of missing foster kids.
A federal report in 2022 found that there were 1,780 instances of foster kids going missing in Missouri over a two-and-a-half year period that spanned July 2018 to December 2020. The agency last year said it has increased efforts to find missing foster kids. As of the most recent public data, from October, there were 72 foster children categorized as runaways.
That data doesn’t distinguish between missing kids and those whose locations are known but unauthorized, though the department says it collects that data now.
Knodell said one of the challenges has been balancing the desires of those who want as robust a safety net as possible with those who want to control costs.
“We try to build as strong a safety net as we can, being as responsible a steward of the resources that we have as possible,” he said. “But there is a push and a pull, and there are limits to what the government can do, but certainly we want to do the things that we’ve been tasked as efficiently and effectively as possible. “
Knodell said the social services system in Missouri has “ been underinvested in for so long. But you know, hopefully, we’re pointed in the right direction.”
Parson in a press release Tuesday said “I remain ever grateful that, regardless of the challenges, Robert answered the call to serve in leadership within both DSS and the Department of Health and Senior Services.”
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council voted Thursday to begin an effort to restore the once-grand Federal Reserve building on Grand Avenue in the city’s downtown.
Courtesy of Alicia M Brady, Urban Alicia Photography
The council approved an ordinance that directs KCMO City Manager Mario Vasquez to begin the receivership process “for the vacant nuisance property known as the former Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.”
The building closed in 2008 and neglect followed the closure, according to a docket memo to the city council that lays out problems with the building.
You can read the docket memo below.
“The site’s vacancy and nuisance conditions directly and increasingly depreciate the value of nearby properties and depress regional commercial activity; and residents and property owners near the site lament the nearly two decades of inactivity and decomposition, citing both aesthetic and security concerns involving the site’s crumbling exterior, graffiti covering the interior, broken glass and refuse strewn throughout, exposed ceilings with materials left dangling, an unsecured elevator shaft, and the site’s serving as a haven for squatting, fires, and other chronic nuisance activities; and the city has received multiple reports of property violations at the site over time, including falling debris and people entering through unsecured entrances, and the current developer’s failure to prevent and remediate these nuisances violates Code of Ordinances Sections 48-31 and 48-46(c), among other provisions.”
A developer bought the site in 2013, and the city approved a financial incentive deal in 2016 for the developer to build a 284-room hotel, a 450-space parking garage and a 40,000-square-foot family entertainment center.
The cost of the development was estimated at $182 million, but after investing $42 million in asbestos removal and interior demolition by April 2021, no other progress has been made on the project.
In 2022, the current developer got a temporary restraining order to avoid foreclosure after a default notice “alleging failure to maintain property insurance, unpaid property taxes, and outstanding mechanic’s liens,” according to a docket memo.
KSHB 41 News reached out to Alicia Brady, an Iowa-based photographer whose work includes photographs of the building’s decay.
Courtesy of Alicia M Brady, Urban Alicia Photography
“I was thrilled to learn that the mayor came across my post and photographs and that they helped spark action toward getting the former Federal Reserve building back on track for rehabilitation,” Brady said in an email to KSHB 41 News. “As someone who has been documenting abandoned and historic buildings since I was 15 years old, it’s incredibly rewarding to know that my work may have played a small part in preserving such an important piece of Kansas City’s history.”
KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas posted on LinkedIn about Thursday’s council action.
“Since 2008, the old Federal Reserve Bank building has sat empty, left open to the elements, vandals, fires, neglect and decay,” Mayor Lucas said. “ No more. We’re taking action to ensure accountability from property owners and new life in this tower in the heart of our downtown.”
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Missouri
Missouri Partners With Trump Administration To Speed Nuclear, Infrastructure Projects – Missourinet
Missouri is taking another step toward expanding nuclear energy and other major infrastructure projects through a new partnership with the federal government.
Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday with the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council at Ameren Missouri’s Callaway Energy Center near Steedman. The agreement is designed to better coordinate state and federal reviews, reduce permitting delays and increase transparency for major projects.
Kehoe said the partnership supports Missouri’s efforts to move quickly on future energy development, particularly nuclear energy.
“Missouri is proud to join four other states in signing the MOU, and we appreciate the Trump administration for helping us out to get to this goal, which, if you’ve been around me at all, you understand we don’t work at bureaucratic speed. We like business speed,” Kehoe said.
Under the agreement, Missouri will work with the Permitting Council to identify priority infrastructure projects and align state and federal review timelines. Federal officials say the partnership will help streamline project approvals while avoiding duplication between agencies.
The agreement comes as Missouri leaders continue exploring the future of nuclear energy. In May, Kehoe created a nuclear energy task force to examine how nuclear power can support the state’s long-term energy reliability and economic growth.
Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Kurt Schaefer said the state is well-positioned to take advantage of the opportunity.
“We’re right at this culmination of having the right people in the state of Missouri and having the right people in Washington, D.C. to really try and bring not only Missouri, but the country really up to speed on everything from energy development, particularly nuclear, to critical mineral development that really have been kind of languishing for a lot of years,” Schaefer said.
Schaefer said the agreement could help remove delays that have slowed major projects in the past.
“With the Department of Natural Resources, the speed of business gets T-boned by the speed of the federal government. So, this couldn’t have come at a better time to get these reports out of how we can advance both nuclear energy and critical minerals and then work with the federal government to make sure that we don’t have any bureaucratic slowdowns on that end,” he said.
The Trump administration is using the agreement process to work directly with states on critical infrastructure projects. Missouri is the fifth state to sign an agreement with the Permitting Council, joining Alaska, Idaho, Tennessee and Utah.
Copyright © 2026 · Missourinet
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 1, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 1 drawing
02-06-26-39-68, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 1 drawing
Midday: 1-3-3
Midday Wild: 9
Evening: 3-8-0
Evening Wild: 5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 1 drawing
Midday: 0-5-9-5
Midday Wild: 1
Evening: 5-4-4-8
Evening Wild: 5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from July 1 drawing
Early Bird: 12
Morning: 03
Matinee: 01
Prime Time: 07
Night Owl: 02
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from July 1 drawing
05-07-18-25-33
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 1 drawing
10-20-30-60-64, Powerball: 07
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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