Missouri
Missouri lawmakers propose a major change in overseeing child abuse claims
Missouri lawmakers are proposing a significant change to the state’s child welfare system, moving oversight of juvenile officers from judges to the state attorney general’s office.
Supporters of the move say it would remove what they see as a conflict of interest for those who make critical decisions about abuse and neglect claims. Juvenile officers strongly oppose it.
In Missouri, the state’s Children’s Division is responsible for investigating abuse and neglect claims made through the state’s hotline. If Children’s Division investigators believe abuse or neglect occurred, they provide a written referral to juvenile officers.
The juvenile officer then determines whether the report supports a petition alleging abuse and neglect. If so, a petition will be filed and the child likely will come under state care.
Currently, judges oversee juvenile officers — though their direct supervisors are not judges who hear child custody cases. Some legal and political leaders have been critical of this arrangement, contending it violates the principle around separation of powers. Josh Gupta-Kagan, a professor at Columbia Law School, wrote in 2014 that having judges oversee juvenile officers “differs from the American norm of executive branch agencies and lawyers filing and prosecuting civil and criminal cases on behalf of the government.”
“By granting juvenile officers, who are subject to judges’ supervision, exclusive power to file child abuse and neglect and juvenile delinquency cases, Missouri law concentrates power into the hands of one branch of government,” Gupta-Kagan wrote. “Missouri law thus empowers individual judges to set child welfare and juvenile justice policy by managerial decree. Subordinate judicial branch officials face pressure to file and litigate cases to please their boss, the judge, who hired them, supervises them, and has power to fire them.”
Tim Bommel
/
Missouri House of Representatives
Sen. Travis Fitzwater, R-Callaway County, filed legislation in December that would have the state’s attorney general office oversee juvenile officers by mid-2027. It’s part of a multifaceted bill that also seeks to expand guardian ad litem coverage for children.
“Once I got into the Senate, I started getting calls from constituents dealing with foster care issues, and the judicial system, and judicial officers and guardian ad litems,” Fitzwater said. “And it just kind of feels like the system is failing kids.”
Fitzwater said having the attorney general oversee juvenile officers could give the officials more leeway to make difficult decisions.
“I hold that there is an inherent conflict of interest, because … obviously they have an interest in their own job and being on the side of the judges,” Fitzwater said. “That’s why on the bill, we’re putting juvenile officers in under the attorney general’s office and they can have oversight.”
One of the people who has been pushing for years to have an agency other than judges oversee juvenile officers is Children’s Division director Darrell Missey. He’s quoted in Gupta-Kagan’s paper describing some of the problems with the arrangement. A spokeswoman for the Department of Social Services said that Missey is not taking an active role in pushing for Fitzwater’s bill.
“We have way too many kids in the system, we need to do better, like a lot better, to fight for these kids,” Fitzwater said. “And I just think that’s one change that probably is monumental, especially to the juvenile officers.”
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Pushback from officers
Some juvenile officers, including Bill Prince, have taken a dim view of Fitzwater’s legislation.
Prince, the chief juvenile officer for Greene County, said that making juvenile officers state employees will be expensive — especially since some juvenile officers get paid from a mixture of county and state funds. He also disputed the idea that juvenile officers lack the ability to make independent decisions since they’re overseen by judges.
“I kind of firmly believe that one of the beauties of the juvenile system as it exists in Missouri is that it is very localized, and that each local juvenile office can kind of adapt its programs and services to the unique needs of the community and the youth that live in that community,” Prince said. “We are not part of a large centralized state bureaucracy. And I think most people would agree that making bureaucracies bigger seldom results in better performance outcomes.”
The Children’s Division is struggling to recruit and retain investigators, especially in the St. Louis region. That’s led to a sizable backlog in cases and a push from a bipartisan group of lawmakers to try to raise pay in the Children’s Division to recruit more people and prevent turnover.
“I feel for the Children’s Division and those investigators, because that is an extremely tough job,” Prince said. “The way that gets solved is more people and more pay so that they can do their job appropriately.”
Fitzwater said he’s aware that some juvenile officers aren’t thrilled with his proposal but added that it’s an important component of a longer conversation about transforming Missouri’s approach to vulnerable children.
“It’s worth the discussion, and maybe we get some momentum on it,” Fitzwater said. “At a minimum, we ought to be giving these kids the right to counsel and then adding maybe some other pieces to it.”
Copyright 2024 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.
Reinforcing the offensive line has been a priority for the New Orleans Saints, who opened free agency by signing former Buffalo Bills left guard David Edwards to a four-year, $61 million contract. Even though the franchise has allocated plenty of resources to its offensive line, the free agency addition won’t stop them from seeking more offensive line talent.
The franchise is focused on protecting second-year quarterback Tyler Shough. If a starting offensive lineman is injured, someone must step up. Currently, Asim Richards is the only reliable backup for left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. or right tackle Taliese Fuaga. On the interior, Dillon Radunz would make sense as a reliable replacement if someone were to go down between Edwards, center Erik McCoy, and right guard Cesar Ruiz.
Drafting a promising offensive lineman in 2026 makes sense, as the Saints hold five Day 3 picks. It’s unlikely general manager Mickey Loomis will spend early draft capital on a tackle, but a late pick is logical. Missouri’s Keagen Trost, projected for Day 3, could fit this need.
Trost, 25, recently worked out privately with the Saints, a source told Saints Wire. The Missouri standout earned a 92.4 Pro Football Focus grade in 13 games last season, ranking No. 1 among 632 eligible collegiate tackles. He also allowed just one sack in 834 total snaps.
Trost’s high grades project him in the fifth round, and he offers versatility, including potential to move inside. At his pro day, he measured 6-foot-4 and 313 pounds. The main issue is his 32 3/8-inch arms, which are shorter than teams prefer for starting tackles. He has extensive SEC experience and strong college production to back it up.
Picks No. 150 and 172 in the fifth round are logical choices for New Orleans to consider selecting Trost. Multiple teams have shown interest in him; he had five pre-draft visits and recently held virtual meetings with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, and Atlanta Falcons, according to a source. While there are many highly regarded offensive linemen in this class, Trost’s versatility appears to set him apart from the others.
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 19, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 19 drawing
Midday: 4-7-3
Midday Wild: 7
Evening: 8-8-3
Evening Wild: 5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 19 drawing
Midday: 9-0-8-0
Midday Wild: 9
Evening: 1-8-4-8
Evening Wild: 9
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from April 19 drawing
Early Bird: 15
Morning: 15
Matinee: 07
Prime Time: 10
Night Owl: 06
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from April 19 drawing
08-14-24-27-28
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.
WHEATLAND, Mo. — It was all Kerry Madsen on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Speedway as the 54-year-old native of Australia, who’s now based in Knoxville, Iowa, picked up his first Interstate Batteries High Limit Sprint racing victory.
Madsen led all 30 laps to earn the $12,000 prize. He outdistanced runner-up Sue Lynch by 2.79 seconds with Tanner Holmes finishing third.
“The car’s been super quick every time we’ve hit the track,” Madsen said, noting several competitive runs in the early portion of the High Limit schedule. “The car’s been quick every night, which gives you a lot of confidence.
“We haven’t drawn well in dashes and had some little stuff going on. We drew a good one (tonight) and the car was good and we got the job done. I’m pretty happy.”
That changed this time as Madsen beat Holmes in the dash, to claim the pole position for the feature.
Madsen said his young crew chief Ty Wolfgang has “done a great job” getting in sync with him. Communication has been a big key.
“I know it sounds weird, but just hanging out together,” Madsen said of the driver-crew chief chemistry. “Dinner and a beer and just talk about racing. You do that and it might be a Wednesday night, but something clicks. He’s been real receptive with that stuff and that’s great.”
Madsen, a former Knoxville Nationals 360 winner, paced the early going after starting from the pole, with Holmes in close pursuit. Action slowed on lap six with Chase Randall and Danny Samms III tangling in turn two for the first and only yellow of the event.
Lynch moved into second on the restart as Madsen opened a 1.5-second lead by lap nine as Holmes dropped to third. Madsen’s margin swelled to nearly two seconds by lap 11 – but Lynch tracked down the leader and cut the deficit to a half-second at the halfway mark on lap 15.
As the race continued until green-flag conditions, Madsen settled into a one-second advantage as Lynch and Holmes tried to keep pace. Madsen poured it on in the late stages, cruising to the checkers by nearly three seconds over Lynch.
“Hopefully we can keep rolling like this all year. Obviously, you can’t win every night, but being quick and running well is going to be awesome,” Madsen said.
Lynch, 28 from Cowansville, Pa., said the team found some steering issues and gave him a fast car. It just was not fast enough to stay with Madsen on Saturday night.
“We were battling steering issue in the dash and it was pretty obvious,” Lynch said. “We just didn’t have time to change it and we just tried to make it the best we could. Really the car was super good. The guys busted their butt all night. It’s a testament to the team. We’re working hard and hopefully one spot better real soon.”
Holmes, a 22-year-old from Jacksonville, Oregon, came home third with Daison Pursley fourth, Hank Davis fifth and Rico Abreu charging from 11th to sixth.
“Our best night of the year,” Holmes said. “We’ve got to race a little bit during a break with High Limit these last few weeks. Some of those nights when we got our teeth kicked in taught us a lot.”
Fast overall qualifier was Sye Lynch at 13.342 seconds out of Group A. Aaron Reutzel led Group B with a lap of 13.469 seconds. Both were well off the track record for 410 Sprints held by Rico Abreu at 12.829 seconds on June 29, 2024.
The finish:
Feature: 1. 55-Kerry Madsen[1]; 2. 42-Sye Lynch[3]; 3. 13-Tanner Holmes[2]; 4. 9-Daison Pursley[4]; 5. 17GP-Hank Davis[5]; 6. 24-Rico Abreu[11]; 7. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[12]; 8. 77-Giovanni Scelzi[6]; 9. 19-Brent Marks[9]; 10. 26-Justin Peck[10]; 11. 88-Tanner Thorson[15]; 12. 21-Brian Brown[14]; 13. 28-Jace Park[23]; 14. 87-Aaron Reutzel[7]; 15. 19JR-Joel Myers Jr[20]; 16. 45X-Rees Moran[21]; 17. 5-Brenham Crouch[19]; 18. 44-Chris Martin[8]; 19. 19H-Kaleb Johnson[22]; 20. 87X-Logan Seavey[17]; 21. 36-Jason Martin[16]; 22. 9R-Chase Randall[18]; 23. 24D-Danny Sams III[13]; 24. 2-Miles Paulus[24]
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