Missouri
Legislative interns help Missouri school districts claim over $1 million in federal funds • Missouri Independent
In March, the phone in state Rep. Deb Lavender’s office in Jefferson City started ringing constantly, but the calls weren’t for her.
They were for her interns, Santino Bono and Alanna Nguyen.
The interns, along with Dylan Powers Cody, who was interning for state Rep. Peter Merideth, had spent months cross-checking spreadsheets to pinpoint school districts who had not yet claimed pandemic-era federal funds for homeless students.
Those federal dollars are part of the American Rescue Plan and must be budgeted by September. A large part of the interns’ project was calling districts to notify them that they had money that could expire if they didn’t act quickly.
The office got so many calls back from schools about the interns’ project that Lavender’s legislative assistant needed to create a voicemail folder just for them.
So far, they helped districts claim $1.15 million in funds in four months that can be used for a range of services for homeless students — from buying washers and dryers to temporary hotel stays and transit cards.
“We had multiple school districts call back and say, ‘We have twenty grand in the bank that we can use to help homeless students? No one really told us,’” Bono said in an interview with The Independent.
Most of the districts the interns reached had no idea they had funding available, Nguyen said.
“Then, they wanted more information on it,” she said. “Once they got the information on it, they were able to kind of kickstart it up and get things moving along.”
Bono expected the internship might be more menial, including the “intern trope of having to get coffee for people,” he said.
“To know that I could have potentially a much bigger impact on actual students, as a student myself, I’m really proud of that,” Bono said.
Missouri received an infusion of $9.6 million in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for students experiencing homelessness, and schools were able to start using it in 2022.
But many of those schools had never received federal dollars to support homeless students before.
Tera Bock, director of homeless education for Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said the agency alerted school districts to the funding but that several challenges emerged.
“It is not funding that most districts are used to having, so they usually are supporting their students experiencing homelessness without any funding specific to that,” she said. “The extra funding creates the need for a shift in mindset as far as what they provide for those students.”
School districts have until the end of September to budget the remaining $6.1 million or lose out on it.
Most schools received a few thousands dollars in federal aid for homeless students. The largest allocation, based on its homeless student population, went to St. Louis City which received $850,000.
The funding is best used for one-time costs, Bock said, like a vehicle to transport students with housing insecurity or to meet emergency needs.
“The district should really consider how they can use it in a way that is not going to create a financial burden in the future whenever they don’t have the funds anymore,” Bock said.
She said rural districts with a smaller population of students experiencing homelessness are the most likely to struggle to spend the money.
Bock has been in her role for a couple months, and the position was vacant briefly.
Part of her job is to contact each district’s homeless liaison, a position every district is federally required to have. But sometimes, the liaisons have multiple positions in schools, and Bock doesn’t hear back from them.
“Especially in the districts where they don’t typically see a large population of homeless students, they get multiple roles, and it just gets lost in the shuffle,” she said.
“We don’t have very many (districts) here in Missouri where that person is completely designated as their entire job for the most part,” she said. “They are wearing lots of different hats.”
Bock said she sends “lots of communication,” so “they should be aware” of the funds but wonders if liaisons are properly connected to district administration to get the money budgeted.
With more communication and activities planned, Bock is not concerned about being able to get more money claimed by districts.
“This is definitely a big piece of what I’m working on right now,” she said. “And our sights are set on Sept. 30.”
Bock said the interns were “super helpful” in the process.
“There has been good communication whenever they need some backup information to support questions that are coming up,” she said. “So they’ve been great to work with.”
The interns are hopeful schools will continue allocating the funds.
“There’s still a lot to be done by September and session’s ending,” Bono said. “I’m going off to law school. I can’t keep calling school districts. So we’re just hoping that more awareness can be given to school districts to kind of get them to keep working towards this.”
Lavender said the funds might look modest in terms of the state’s overall budget but the impact on students is large. In Webster Groves, she said, the schools “got another $8,000 that I don’t think they knew was sitting there.”
Lavender’s legislative assistant Dustin Bax chimed in: “And $8,000 of backpacks, non-perishable foods, fuel cards — that goes a long way.”
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Missouri
Thousands show up to protest current administration at ‘No Kings’ rally in Kansas City, Missouri
KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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Thousands showed up to Mill Creek Park on Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri, in a wave of protests across the country criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration.
Thousands show up to protest current administration at KCMO ‘No Kings’ rally
Multiple protesters told KSHB 41 News they participated in the protest because they feel like it is the only way their voices can be heard.
Chris Morrison/KSHB
“Congress is not working for us,” said Sharon, a protester at Mill Creek Park. “I have called my Congress people numerous times.”
It was the third wave of ‘No Kings’ protests across the country since June 2025.
“I’ve been here for each of the ‘No Kings,’ and I’ll admit that I’m frustrated that I have to be back here again,” protester Carter Taylor said.
Taylor is a teacher for Kansas City Public Schools with AFT Local 691, and she said she showed up to represent her students.
“I hope that everyone here doesn’t just stay here today — that they donate to food banks, that they check in on their public schools,” Taylor said.
Will Shaw/KSHB
Protesters held signs critiquing the current administration’s stances on tariffs, ongoing wars and immigration enforcement, among other things.
Chris Morrison/KSHB
“It means that people care,” protester Lonnie Beattle said. “People care about what’s going on in this country, and people are not happy with what’s going on in the country.”
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The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 27, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 27 drawing
13-27-28-41-62, Mega Ball: 16
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 27 drawing
Midday: 1-2-5
Midday Wild: 5
Evening: 1-5-9
Evening Wild: 6
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 27 drawing
Midday: 4-9-8-1
Midday Wild: 7
Evening: 6-7-3-3
Evening Wild: 6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from March 27 drawing
Early Bird: 10
Morning: 10
Matinee: 03
Prime Time: 15
Night Owl: 09
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from March 27 drawing
08-15-18-25-29
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.
Missouri
Boone Health files lawsuit against Missouri Heart Center, alleging contract breaches, data misuse
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Boone Health is suing a Columbia-based cardiology group, alleging breaches of contract, misuse of confidential information and plans to engage in unlawful competition.
The lawsuit, filed in Boone County Circuit Court, targets Missouri Cardiovascular Specialists LLP, also known as the Missouri Heart Center or MO Heart, which has provided cardiology services to Boone Health for more than a decade. According to court documents, a renewed agreement was signed in 2021 covering professional services and management of Boone Health’s cardiology operations.
Boone Health alleges it paid the cardiology group millions of dollars under those agreements for staffing, administrative oversight and revenue cycle management, which included access to sensitive financial and patient-related data. In return, MO Heart and its physicians agreed to noncompete and confidentiality provisions designed to protect Boone Health’s business interests.
The health system claims MO Heart violated those agreements by preparing to launch a competing cardiology practice in the Columbia area, potentially as soon as the contracts expire on May 6, 2026. The lawsuit alleges the new venture would fall within a restricted geographic area and time frame outlined in the noncompete clause, which Boone Health argues is enforceable under Missouri law.
Boone Health also accuses MO Heart of disclosing or misusing confidential information, including billing rates, reimbursement data and strategic business details during its transition to new partnerships with outside organizations. Boone Health alleges in the lawsuit those actions could cause “severe and irreparable injury.”
In addition, Boone Health claims MO Heart obstructed access to critical systems and data. The lawsuit alleges the cardiology group cut off Boone Health’s access to a key billing and patient information platform and stopped sharing necessary data, raising concerns about continuity of patient care.
Boone Health alleged that MO Heart indicated that it intends to operate independently and has taken the position that the noncompete provisions are unenforceable, according to the filing.
Boone Health is asking a judge to rule the noncompete agreements that MO Heart signed are valid, as well as having MO Heart return or destroy confidential information, and delay starting a competing practice until May 2027.
A jury trial has been requested.
A spokesperson for Boone Health told ABC 17 News that it would provide additional details early next week.
Dr. James T. Elliott of MO Heart disagreed with allegations in the lawsuit through a written statement.
“For months, we have tried to meet with leadership team at Boone Health to work constructively towards a new, collaborative arrangement that would preserve access to and expand high‑quality care for our patients and for the entire community. Unfortunately, Boone refused to engage with us in any meaningful way. Instead, we have been met with a series of escalating legal threats, culminating in today’s filing,” the statement reads.
“Earlier today Boone Health filed a lawsuit against Missouri Heart Center. We disagree with the lawsuit’s allegations and believe those claims are both legally and factually incorrect. This litigation does not change our commitment to caring for patients.”
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