Pay attention to what Missouri Attorney General candidates are telling us
Three Missouri Attorney General candidates participated in a Springfield town hall on May 21.
Andrew Bailey began serving as Attorney General in January 2023 upon appointment by Governor Parson. He comes across as a pugnacious fellow whose approach to problem solving features a lot of fighting and winning.
As an attorney representing Donald Trump, Will Scharf seems to be auditioning for a role in the Trump administration.
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Elad Gross is a civil rights attorney who believes in small government, stressing enforcement of existing laws over making government larger and more intrusive in people’s lives. Gross is the only candidate who has published comprehensive plans for the Attorney General’s office.
Focusing on some of the town hall questions, Missouri voters care about campaign financing, gun safety, and elections.
On campaign contributions, the phrasing of the question allowed Scharf to state he wouldn’t take money from lobbyists, but to avoid mentioning that his campaign accepts contributions from PACs. Bailey’s Liberty and Justice PAC has received large contributions from billionaire donors. Gross takes no money from corporate PACs or lobbyists.
Concerning responsible gun safety measures, Bailey and Scharf chose to answer the question by proclaiming their support for the Second Amendment. Gross stated the Attorney General’s office has a role in prosecuting those responsible for gun violence using existing laws and preventing violence before it happens.
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Scharf and Bailey proclaimed the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Bailey opined that elections in Iraq during his service there were freer and fairer than those run by local election officials in this country. What an insult to local election officials! Gross answered the question with a monosyllabic “no.”
Do the people of Missouri want an elected spreader of disinformation as Attorney General?
Carol Elliott, Columbia
Empowering older adults in the fight against elder abuse
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, observed on June 15, signifies our collective struggle against the mistreatment of older adults. Elder abuse is not only an individual problem; it’s a community and societal issue that reminds us to promote respect and dignity for older adults.
Elder abuse refers to intentional or neglectful acts by a caregiver or a trusted individual that cause harm to an older adult. It can come in the form of physical, emotional, neglect, and financial mistreatment – the latter being the most prevalent and easily executed through scams or fraud targeted at older adults. It’s a critical public health issue that can cause significant physical and psychological harm to older adults. A significant step towards preventing this abuse is equipping older adults and their caregivers with knowledge and resources to help prevent abuse.
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The National Council on Aging estimates that approximately 5 million older adults are abused every year in the United States. This figure is both alarming and disheartening, considering it is said that only one in 14 cases is reported. Research findings estimate that older victims of financial fraud lose roughly $30 billion a year.
For older adults, defending against such abuse begins with awareness. Identifying potential frauds and cons such as lottery scams, identity theft, or email phishing schemes is crucial. Older people should be wary of unsolicited calls and emails, particularly those requesting personal information, money transfers, or unusual payment methods such as gift cards and any of these requests that are communicated with extreme urgency. Awareness training programs about these fraud methods can significantly enhance older adults’ ability to discern genuine transactions from scams.
The use of technology can also help people safeguard their financial assets. Enabling bank alerts for large transactions, using apps with real-time tracking of account activity, and setting up direct deposits for checks can minimize potential abuse. Equally pivotal is safeguarding essential documents and updating estate planning documents regularly.
The role of strong social networks in helping to prevent elder abuse can’t be overstated. Staying connected with family, friends, and community can deter potential abusers. However, social isolation became a growing issue for many older adults, especially during the pandemic. It’s crucial for all people across our lifespan to leverage technology to maintain relationships and stay active within our communities, reducing the risk of exploitation significantly.
Further, older adults must also feel informed and supported to report any instance of potential abuse. Fear or embarrassment can often deter individuals from reporting abuse. Support from community, family, and authorities is key to reassuring older adults that they’re not alone and that reporting is indeed a step towards prevention.
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To report elder abuse, older adults or individuals concerned about them can reach out to the following resources:
Adult Protective Services (APS): APS agencies serve as the primary agency responsible for receiving and investigating reports of elder abuse. You can locate your local APS office through the National Adult Protective Services Association’s website.
Local Law Enforcement: In situations where an older adult is in immediate danger, contacting local law enforcement such as police or sheriff’s department is vital.
National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA): This is a resource for information on elder abuse prevention. They can provide contacts and resources, including state reporting numbers, to assist.
ElderCare Locator: A public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging, the ElderCare Locator connects you to services for older adults and their families. They can be reached at 1-800-677-1116.
Long-Term Care Ombudsman: These are advocates for residents of nursing homes, board, and care homes, assisted living facilities, etc. They can provide information about how to find a facility and services and what to do to get quality care and support.
It is important to know that one can remain anonymous when reporting abuse, and most of the mentioned agencies are equipped to provide help even when the abuse has occurred in the past.
With a collaborative strategy in place, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield works in tandem with healthcare providers to detect early signs of elder abuse. We have taken great strides to implement caregiver education programs, because in many cases, the caregivers are the first line of defense in recognizing indicators of abuse. We are not just advocating prevention, but actively invested in providing solutions to help prevent elder abuse.
Our health plans are designed to support older adults by addressing the social drivers that can impact health, including social isolation – a significant risk factor for elder abuse. Our community members benefit from the resources and support services beyond traditional healthcare services that our plans can provide, including, for example, access to nutritious meals, safe and stable housing, and transportation. We continue to partner with organizations, nonprofits, and government agencies, aiming to create a safer, more supportive society where older adults are valued and included, and their rights are protected.
Older adults are valuable members of our society, and it is important we help ensure their safety, security, and wellness. As we observe World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, let us commit not only to raise awareness but also to actively work towards prevention strategies. Providing older adults with the essential knowledge and resources to help prevent abuse is a significant first step in this direction. Every step taken to protect citizens from abuse is a step towards a more caring and compassionate society.
Eugene Hsu, MD, MBA, is Senior Medicare Clinical Officer for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Photo courtesy of the Missouri State Highway Patrol
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The Missouri State Highway Patrol says three people died during the Christmas holiday travel period, which ended just before midnight on Wednesday.
All three deaths were from one crash that happened Christmas Eve in St. Francois County. A 28-year-old woman and two boys, ages six and four, died after the car they were in left the road and struck a tree east of Farmington. The Highway Patrol no longer releases the identities of traffic victims.
During this year’s shorter 30-hour holiday period, state troopers investigated 65 traffic crashes and made 17 arrests for driving while intoxicated. Three people died during last year’s Christmas enforcement period, which lasted 78 hours because it fell on a weekend.
Meanwhile, a 37-year-old man from southwest Missouri is dead following a fatal DWI crash in the town of Fidelity east of Joplin. It happened Tuesday afternoon before the start of the Christmas travel holiday period.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said a 43-year-old woman from Oklahoma was attempting to pass another car and hit the male driver head-on and killed him. The woman suffered serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital but was also arrested and charged with felony DWI death of another. A third person crashed while trying to avoid the wreck but was not injured.
We’ve gone through signing day, a Christmas break and most of portal season, but it’s time to get back to getting ready for the final football game of the season.
The Missouri Tigers (9-3) take on the Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4) in the Music City Bowl at 1:30 p.m. Monday (ESPN).
The Tigers enter on a two-game winning streak and looking for their second-consecutive 10-win season as they face Iowa in a rematch of the 2020 Music City Bowl that never came to be.
Iowa enters on a two-game winning streak and is playing in its 11th bowl game (and 12th bid) in the past 12 years. Iowa is 4-6 in the 10 bowl games it has played since 2014.
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Missouri opened as a four-point favorite according to Circa sports but is now a 2.5-point favorite.
Here’s a glance at Iowa and what Missouri will face in the Music City Bowl.
When: 1:30 p.m., CT, Monday
Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
TV: ESPN
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Radio: Tiger Radio Network
The Tigers and Hawkeyes have faced off 13 times, but only once in the past 100 years.
The teams faced off every year from 1892-1896, then again in 1902 and 1903 before a series from 1906-1910.
After that, it took 100 years to match up on the gridiron again with the teams facing off in the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Arizona, in 2010.
Missouri holds a 7-6 lead in the all-time series, but Iowa won 27-24 in 2010.
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Scoring offense: 28.0 (No. 69)
Scoring defense: 17.1 (No. 9)
Rushing offense: 199.8 (No. 20)
Rushing defense: 117.5 (No. 27)
Passing offense: 131.7 (No. 130)
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Passing defense: 196.1 (No. 36)
Brendan Sullivan, QB
With regular starter Cade McNamara still in the transfer portal, the Hawkeyes are set to turn to junior Brendan Sullivan (6-foot-4, 220 pounds), who is returning from an ankle injury that forced sophomore Jackson Stratton (6-4, 193) into the final two games of the regular season after McNamara missed the final four games with a concussion.
Sullivan played in nine games this season, starting two and completing 24-of-35 passes for 344 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
In the three games he attempted more than five passes, Sullivan completed 22-of-33 passes for 330 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions, while rushing for 108 yards and two touchdowns on 26 attempts.
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His best performance yards wise came against UCLA, the game he injured his ankle, when he completed 6-of-9 passes for 157 yards, but threw both of his interceptions.
While leading the Hawkeyes to a win against Northwestern, he completed 9-of-14 passes for 80 yards, while rushing for 40 yards and a score on eight tries. Then in a win against Wisconsin, he completed 7-of-10 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 58 yards and a touchdown on nine attempts.
Kamari Moulton, Jaziun Patterson, RBs
With starting running back Kaleb Johnson missing the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft, the Hawkeyes will turn to redshirt freshman Kamari Moulton (5-11, 206) and sophomore Jaziun Patterson (5-10, 195) to power the rushing attack that led the Hawkeyes to most of their wins this year.
Johnson took the vast majority of the carries and created the vast majority of the production this season, running for 1,537 of the team’s 2,398 rushing yards this season on 240 of the teams 463 attempts.
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Moulton was next on the team with 70 attempts for 377 yards and two touchdowns, while Patterson had 54 carries for 235 yards and two touchdowns.
Moulton produced a 114-yard performance on 12 carries against Maryland, breaking a 68-yard touchdown run in the process. He also had 74 yards on nine attempts against Wisconsin and had 65 yards on 19 attempts against Illinois State.
Otherwise, he did not reach 50 yards in any of his other eight games and rushed for -4 yards on three attempts against Nebraska his last time out.
Patterson had 72 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts against Troy and 66 yards on 18 tries against Minnesota. He also rushed for 56 yards and a score on 10 tries against Wisconsin.
Otherwise, his game-high was 11 yards in his other six games, including one rush for no yards against Nebraska last time out.
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Jacob Gill, WR
Gill, a 6-0, 185-pound junior, was the team’s leading receiver at 382 yards and 32 catches to go with two touchdowns.
His best performance, by far, was six catches for 138 yards against UCLA, otherwise he didn’t reach 50 yards in a game.
His other touchdown came against Illinois State when he had three catches for 46 yards. He also added four catches for 47 yards against Iowa State and five catches for 44 yards against Troy. Then his high for a game drops to 29 against Maryland.
DEFENSE
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Jay Higgins, LB
Fifth-year linebacker Jay Higgins (6-2, 232) was the most productive member of the Hawkeye defense with 118 tackles, including 2.5 for loss and one sack. He also batted five passes, intercepted four more and forced two fumbles.
His interceptions came against Iowa State, Minnesota, Northwestern and Maryland. His sack came against Ohio State.
He had a run of three consecutive games, Ohio State, Washington and Michigan State, where he recorded 14 tackles in each performance, while adding 11 against Iowa State and 10 against Wisconsin.
Ethan Hurkett, DL
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The 6-3, 260-pound defensive lineman led Iowa with 6.5 sacks to go with 11.5 tackles for loss.
He recorded 55 total tackles and had three tackles for loss and two sacks against both Maryland and Nebraska to end the season.
He also forced three fumbles, one against Nebraska and two against Troy.
Nick Jackson, LB
With defensive back Jermari Harris not playing as he prepares for the draft, graduate linebacker Nick Jackson (6-0, 235) leads the Hawkeye defense with seven passes batted.
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He also recorded 83 tackles, including five for loss and 2.5 sacks. He intercepted one pass against Wisconsin and produced 12 tackles against UCLA and 11 each against Washington and Michigan State.
Nate Noel and Marcus Carrol vs. Iowa’s run defense
When taking Johnson leaving into consideration, the Hawkeye run defense is its best unit on the field.
The Tigers should be able to throw a bit with a more healthy Brady Cook for the first time in a handful of games, but Missouri has based its offense off the run during the final few games of the regular season and it worked very well.
To do that again, it will be strength on strength with the Iowa defense.
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Mizzou’s run defense vs. Iowa’s offensive line
I don’t know how much to expect from the pair of Iowa running backs we’re likely to see, but the offensive line is still stacked and third-string running backs can look great if the offensive line gets them 4 yards before contact.
The Tiger defense that has struggled against the run this season is going to need to force Iowa to throw.
If it can, the Tigers will be in about the best position they can be.
As we head into the holidays, there are tons of tournaments in the state with many teams in the Top 25 taking part in them. The Visitation Academy Tournament started before Christmas and will pick up after the holiday. Meanwhile, the 16-team Pink & White Classic in Springfield will feature plenty of top teams in the state.
The second Top 25 Missouri Girls High School Rankings saw a lot of shakeup as the initial poll debuted after the first week of the season. Now, almost a month into games we have a clearer picture and teams are starting to pull away from one another.
Incarnate Word keeps on doing what they do and the St. Louis powerhouse are nearing 140 wins in a row. There are five new teams in the poll this week
Previous ranking: 1
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After a nine-day layoff, the Red Knights are still winning. In the 86-37 win over Nerinx Hall on Dec. 21, four players scored in double figures, led by Nevaeh Lucious scoring 18.
Previous ranking: 5
Jordan Spiesier (26 points) and Kennedy Stowers (14) paced the Cougars in a close 60-58 win over Hickman on Dec. 17. The only loss has been to Incarnate Word.
Previous rankings: 20
The Lady Panthers are idle until Jan. 4, when they play Blue Valley (Kansas) in the 810 Varsity Showcase. In a win against state-ranked St. Joseph Benton, Addison Bjorn had 26 in the 78-66 win.
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Previous ranking: 3
The Lady Bruins rolled in their Central Missouri Activities Conference opener against Sedalia Smith-Cotton, winning 77-23. Rock Bridge led 37-9 after the first quarter in the Dec. 16 game. Rock Bridge plays in the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational Dec. 27-30.
Previous ranking: 16
The Lady Lions opened the Visitation Christmas Tournament with a win over Cape Girardeau Notre Dame on Dec. 21. When the tournament resumes on Dec. 26, the St. Louis school will play Hickman. Nyla Scales had 16 points in the win against Notre Dame.
Previous ranking: 10
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The Trojans won the 37th Annual Troy Buchanan Pepsi-Cola Invitationalin early December and are back in the Visitation Academy Tournament this week. The tournament started on Dec. 21 with a 63-42 win over Father Tolton Regional Catholic.
Previous ranking: 21
For the second straight year, the Lady Vikings are off to a torrid start. After starting last year 11-0, Francis Howell is at 7-0 heading into a game on Dec. 27 against Farmington. Six players average at least 6 ppg so far.
Previous ranking: 8
The Lady Falcons won the Liberty North Tournament and won six in a row before losing to Farmington, Ark., on Dec. 21.
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Previous ranking: NR
The Longhorns are off to their best start since 2007-08. Parkway West beat Highland in the first round of the Visitation Academy Tournament on Dec. 21 behind 25 points from Jordan Bircher. A big test looms in the semifinals against Lift For Life.
Previous ranking: 7
The Chargers opened the year with 7 wins in a row before losing to Edwardsville, Ill., on Dec. 21 in the Visitation Academy Tournament. Lauren Ortwerth is averaging 18.1 points per game.
Previous ranking: 9
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The Jaguars showed balance in a 68-31 win against Clayton on Dec. 20 with four players scoring in double figures. Heidi Pickett had a season-high 25 in the win.
Previous ranking: 4
The Lady Hawks are 5-0 vs. Missouri teams. In the last game before the break, Lift for Life won 100-20 against Visitation in the Visitation Tournament on Dec. 21. Zha Harris scored 22, one of three with 20 points.
Previous ranking: 2
The Lady Chiefs have gone 2-1 in two tournaments and will play its third when they compete in the Pink & White Classic on Dec. 27 in Springfield.
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Previous ranking: 11
The Rebels host the 69th Annual Bob Sechrest, Jr. Central Christmas Tournament and is the No. 1 seed in the field. Central has won 5 in a row since losing the opener to St. Vincent.
Previous ranking: 15
A winning streak to start the season ended with a loss to Link Academy on Dec. 20 in Springfield. Dasia Scott (18.3 ppg) and Loganne Love (12.6) are pacing the offense.
Previous ranking: NR
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The first part of the season is over for the Titans and they are perfect so far but will get test playing Staley on Jan. 2. After a slow start, Dareion Hunt has posted back-to-back double-digit scoring games.
Previous ranking: 6
The Class 5 state champions lost to Civic Memorial (Ill.) on Dec. 7 but bounced back with a win against Parkway South. The Bombers will be in the Midwest Invitational from Dec. 28-30.
Previous ranking: NR
The Lady Hornets open the Pink & White Classic on Dec. 27 facing Sarcoxie, a 6-1 squad. According to MSHSAA records dating back to the 2008-09 season, this is the best start in that span.
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Previous ranking: 22
The Class 3 state champions have lost twice but they were against Class 6 Rock Bridge and Park Hill South. Fair Grove opens play in the Pink & White Classic on Dec. 27 in Springfield.
Previous ranking: 18
The Tigers are seeded third in the Pink bracket at the Pink & White Classic in Springfield. Skyline has given up more than 24 points in a game this year.
Previous ranking: 13
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Nixa went to Florida before Christmas and went 2-1 in the KSA Tournament. Next up is the Pink & White Classic starting on Dec. 27 in Springfield.
Previous ranking: 14
Like about every other team in Southwest Missouri, the Lady Blue Jays will be in the Pink & White Classic this week. Marshfield enters on a 5-game winning streak. Quinn Aldridge was the MVP in a win over Parkway South in the Bill Rowe Queen City Shootout on Dec. 21.
Previous ranking: 24
The Angels closed out the first part of the season with a win over the top-ranked team in Class 4 — Ursuline Academy. Piper Mooney led the way with 16 points in the win. St. Joseph’s plays Parkway South on Dec. 28 in the SJA/Principia Tournament.
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Previous ranking: NR
In five of six games, the Lady Eagles have scored 60 or more points. Grain Valley draws Hazelwood East on Dec. 26 in the Rolla Holiday Tournament.
Previous ranking: NR
A perfect start to the season ended with a loss to St. Vincent in the First State Community Bank Holiday Classic on Dec. 20. However. the Lady Indians defense has allowed 30 or fewer points in four games this year.
Dropped out: Eureka, Smithville, Helias Catholic, El Dorado Springs, Chillicothe
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Also considered: Ursuline Academy, St. Teresa’s Academy, Parkway North, Hannibal, Hillsboro, Branson, Rolla, Dophian, St. Joseph Bent
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