Missouri

Missouri GOP snubs state convention results in new presidential delegate selections • Missouri Independent

Published

2 years ago

July 6, 2024

Missouri GOP snubs state convention results in new presidential delegate selections • Missouri Independent

All of Missouri’s votes at the Republican National Convention are pledged to the nomination of former President Donald Trump, but the fight over who will cast those votes is putting new rips in the fabric of the state GOP.

On Wednesday, the executive committee of the Missouri Republican Party chose 27 at-large delegates and 26 alternates to replace the delegation elected at the May 4 state convention and discarded June 28 by the convention’s contests committee after a complaint about the selection process.

The contests committee ruled that “alarming irregularities” plagued the election at the Republican state convention in Springfield. It focused on a five-hour credentialing process that it said undermined confidence that the delegates on hand were those selected to attend the convention at county mass meetings.

The list of new delegates, obtained by The Independent, is heavily weighted toward the slate that was prepared for the convention, but never nominated, by state party Chairman Nick Myers.

Missouri presidential delegates rejected by Republican National Convention committee

The executive committee could have resubmitted the discarded list. But only five people selected at the convention – two delegates and three alternates – were selected for the replacement delegation. And two of those delegates told The Independent they didn’t agree to be included.

Carla Grewe of St. Louis, elected as an alternate at the state convention and in the new list, said she and her husband Gary Grewe – like her, elected both at the convention and on Wednesday list – never agreed to be split off from their slate.

“We think what the party has done is horribly corrupt,” Grewe said in a text to The Independent. “Nick should re-submit the ‘Truly Grassroots for Trump’ slate.”

Of the 27 newly chosen delegates, 20 were a delegate or alternate on the party leadership list. Of the 26 newly chosen alternates, 10 were on the party leadership slates.

The original delegation included two of the party’s three leading candidates for governor, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and state Sen. Bill Eigel, and they were not in the new delegation.

“I wouldn’t be a part of any slate other than the one duly elected by the GOP State Convention,” Eigel said in a text to The Independent. “Anyone participating in this new ‘Swamp Slate’ – from the GOP executive committee to the delegates themselves accepting a role in this sham – is part of the problem.”

Ashcroft declined to comment.

Recognizable names in the new delegation include former U.S. Rep. Billy Long, state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, a candidate for secretary of state, and Missouri Right to Life Executive Director Susan Klein.

The move to reject the state convention-elected delegation is causing rumblings of discontent in the GOP.

“The state party was responsible for the disorganization at the state convention and now in charge of hand-picking new delegates and alternates to attend the national convention, less than two weeks away,” read a statement from Mark Schneider, chair of the 6th Congressional District Republican Central Committee posted to several social media accounts. “Hotel rooms, flights and other arrangements have been made. This is an absolute disgrace to the process, our party and the grassroots movement that took their time to participate at the county and state level.”

Schneider said the solution is to resubmit the names elected at the convention.

“The in-fighting in our party must stop and it starts with state leadership recognizing the results of the state convention and allowing those duly elected delegates and alternates to attend the national convention,” he wrote.

While the deadline for submitting the new delegation was 4 p.m. Friday, the deadline for appealing the contests committee decision is Saturday. Coby Cullins, a member of the convention-elected delegation, is preparing the appeal, he wrote in an email to The Independent.

Cullins said he believes the contests committee was a “tainted jury” influenced by Missouri Republican National Committee member Carrie Almond.

The appeal will present evidence that the state convention result should be accepted.

“We have the facts on our side, including hours of video proof and almost 300 notarized affidavits.”

If the contests committee doesn’t reverse itself, there is a final appeal to the convention’s credentials committee.

“We hope that this completely different committee will allow us to speak and if that happens we are confident the truth will prevail,” Cullins said. “The grassroots of Missouri are tired of being told to ‘get in line.’ We are fighting back in an attempt to take our Republican Party back from the establishment swamp.”

Missouri Republican Party spokeswoman Erica Choinka did not return telephone and text messages seeking comment.

Dan O’Sullivan, one of two candidates for delegate who filed the complaint, said he doesn’t see how an appeal can succeed.

“I can’t imagine how some would appeal our decision without being able to produce a list of people that were credentialed at the convention,” O’Sullivan said.

O’Sullivan said he was told there were offers made to include more of the delegates and alternates elected at the convention but they were refused.

O’Sullivan and Derrick Good of Jefferson County, who also filed a complaint, were selected as delegates on Wednesday.
The May 4 convention was a chaotic affair, and the contests committee report states that the evidence shows many delegates arrived without their credentials, only to find a party staff using incorrect lists and distributing newly minted credentials without verifying who was receiving them.

It took five hours to get the convention seated, followed by a fight over the chairmanship that elected Sophia Shore, manager of Eigel’s campaign for governor, over Eddie Justice, the party leadership choice.

Under the convention rules, delegations were elected by slates that had to have all the slots filled. Before slates were nominated, there was a fight over what Shore’s backers considered an inconsistency in the rules.

One portion of the rules said the slates had to have 27 delegates and 27 alternates, while another said that 16 delegates and 16 alternates were to be nominated at congressional district conventions and offered by Myers at the state convention.

Missouri can send 54 delegates and 54 alternates to the Republican National Convention scheduled to start July 15 in Milwaukee. Of that number, there are three each from the state’s eight congressional districts, 27 at-large and three slots reserved for party leaders.

Once the convention agreed to the change that removed the allowance for 16 delegates and 16 alternates offered by Myers, the Truly Grassroots for Trump slate was the only complete slate that met the nomination rules.

The fight over the rules was cited in the complaints filed by O’Sullivan and Good but the contests committee found that the credentialing process was so badly flawed that it did not need to consider that portion of the complaint.

“The committee reserves the right to reconsider any of the remaining issues, should there be an appeal,” the report stated.

O’Sullivan said he filed the complaint because the convention was so poorly run, not because he was upset he wasn’t chosen as a delegate. He said the party leadership is to blame for the poorly organized start to the convention and it was so bad the meeting shouldn’t count.

“They didn’t do the credentialing correctly,” O’Sullivan said. “There was no conspiracy to screw it up. It was incompetence. That’s embarrassing for everybody.”

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Missouri

Missouri lawmakers advance ‘A’ through ‘F’ school grading bill

Published

4 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Missouri lawmakers advance ‘A’ through ‘F’ school grading bill

Annelise Hanshaw
| Missouri Independent

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s request to grade public schools on an “A” through “F” scale is pushing House lawmakers to approve legislation some think isn’t quite ready.

With approval and dissent on both sides of the aisle, the House voted a bill to create a new school accountability system through to the Senate 96-53 Thursday despite concerns the letter grades could be a “scarlet letter” for underperforming schools.

“Will this labeling system actually improve schools or will it mostly brand communities, destabilize staffing and incentivize gaming rather than learning?” asked state Rep. Kem Smith, a Democrat from Florissant, during House debate Tuesday morning, March 3.

She said the key metrics that determine the grade, performance and growth, are volatile.

“The label itself can become a self-fulfilling prophecy,” she said. “The bill doubles down on high stakes metrics that are known to be unstable.”

The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Dane Diehl, a Republican from Butler, told lawmakers that a performance-based school report card with “A” through “F” grades is inevitable. The details, though, are negotiable.

“The governor’s executive order, it is going to happen either way,” he said. “I think we tried to make that process a little better for school districts.”

Kehoe’s order directs the state’s education department to draw up a plan for the report cards and present it to the State Board of Education. The board could reject the idea, but with a board with primarily new members appointed by Kehoe, lawmakers have accepted the system as fate.

State Rep. Ed Lewis, a Republican from Moberly and chair of the House’s education committee, told the committee in January that he prioritized the bill as a way to give lawmakers influence over the final outcome. He is happy with the edits the committee made, which gives the education department more leeway to determine grade thresholds and removes a provision that would raise expectations once 65% of schools achieve “A” or “B” grades.

The House also approved an amendment March 3 that would grade schools’ environment. This would be based on the rates of student suspension, seclusion and restraint incident rates and satisfaction surveys given to students, parents and teachers.

The Senate’s version, which passed out of its education committee last week, does not include those changes.

“I think (the House bill) is the best product we have in the Capitol right now,” Lewis said. “I am not saying it’s complete, but it is the best we have right now.”

The changes have softened some skeptics of the legislation, like state Rep. Brad Pollitt.

Pollitt, a Sedalia Republican, said he didn’t support the legislation “for a number of years.” But with the edits, he sees potential for the legislation to usher in changes to the way the state accredits public schools.

The current process, he said, “nobody seems to like,” pointing to widespread concerns with the state’s standardized test.

Some of these changes are already happening quietly. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education received a grant from the federal government to develop a state assessment based on through-year testing, which would measure student growth throughout the school year, instead of a single summative assessment.

The department is poised to pilot the new test in 14 classrooms this spring, hoping to eventually offer it statewide within a few years. But the estimated startup cost of $2 million is one of many department requests cut from the governor’s proposed budget as the state grapples with declining revenue.

Creating the “A” through “F” report cards is estimated to cost a similar amount, if not more, according to the state’s fiscal note. The expense is largely frontloaded, going to the programming and technology support required to create the grade cards’ interface.

When The Independent asked Kehoe’s office about the fiscal note, the governor’s communications director Gabby Picard said he would work with “associated agencies” to determine appropriate funding “while remaining mindful of the current budget constraints and maintaining fiscal responsibility.”

The House’s version of the legislation includes an incentive program for high-performing schools, giving bonuses to go toward teacher recruitment and retention, if the legislature appropriates funding for the program.

The bill originally proposed incentives of $50-100 per student to subsidize teacher pay. This had large fiscal implications, and Lewis surmised that it would violate a section of the State Constitution prohibiting bonuses for public employees.

Making the funding optional and directing it to the school’s teacher recruitment and retention fund remedied those concerns. The Senate Education Committee removed the incentive program in its version of the legislation.

The House’s approval Thursday does not stop discussion and possible amendments. Next, the bill will go to the Senate for consideration, and if any changes are made, it will return to the House for more discussion.

This story was first published at missouriindependent.com.

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Missouri

Car chase ends in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, at intersection of 19th, Main

Published

16 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Car chase ends in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, at intersection of 19th, Main

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A car chase ended Sunday in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, according to police.

Around 2:15 p.m., people downtown reported a large police presence at 19th and Main streets.

Police said a car chase ended at the intersection after the suspect struck other vehicles.

Ryan Gamboa/KSHB 41

19th and Main

The suspect was taken into custody, per KCPD.

Due to the incident blocking the intersection, KC Streetcar service between Union Station and the River Market was temporarily suspended.

Streetcar service to downtown riders was restored before 4 p.m.

A KC Streetcar Authority spokesperson confirmed the streetcar was not involved in the KCPD incident.

This is a developing news story and may be updated.

—

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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Missouri

Missouri Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 winning numbers for March 7, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 7, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 7 drawing

17-18-30-50-68, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 7 drawing

Midday: 3-3-7

Midday Wild: 4

Evening: 0-8-8

Evening Wild: 5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 7 drawing

Midday: 0-2-7-4

Midday Wild: 2

Evening: 3-4-2-0

Evening Wild: 5

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from March 7 drawing

Early Bird: 03

Morning: 10

Matinee: 15

Prime Time: 14

Night Owl: 08

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from March 7 drawing

05-06-21-23-28

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 7 drawing

21-34-46-53-56, Powerball: 23

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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