Missouri
Missouri veterans homes struggle year after year without consistent funding
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) — Missouri is constantly on the brink of losing a veterans home because funding can vary from year to year.
One lawmaker is sounding the alarm on funding for Missouri’s veterans homes, saying the taxes the states rely on for these specialized care facilities are not dependable. The Missouri Veterans Commission relies on marijuana tax revenue and casino admission fees but has no set line in the state budget if these two avenues falter.
Before he represented Jefferson City in the Missouri House, Dave Griffith was a Green Beret.
Now he’s fighting a different battle: to keep Missouri’s veterans homes open and operational.
“These are veterans that we made a promise to,” Griffith said. “When we raise our hands as veterans, we make a pledge to our country to protect and serve. At the same time, the country made a pledge to us. That when you get to this point in your life, when you need skilled nursing services, we’re going to be there for you. And we’re failing them.”
Missouri’s seven veterans homes are currently serving 848 veterans, and almost all of them have waitlists. They offer specialized services, from haircuts to physical therapy, at a partially subsidized rate for veterans who can no longer care for themselves.
“Age is not a determining factor, we have everything from 40s up to, we’ve got a veteran who was in the Battle of the Bulge, so I think he’s 103 years old right now,” said Missouri Veterans Commissioner Director Ret. Col. Paul Kirchhoff.
It’s a fight every year to ensure funding since there is no permanent line item in the state budget for veterans homes. Kirchhoff said before the funds were secured this year, the commission had been deferring critical maintenance on some of the homes and even discussing which one they could afford to close.
“A lot of businesses have a 5-year plan, 10-year plan, I can’t do it because I don’t know what kind of funding I’m going to get year to year,” Kirchhoff said.
A portion of the tax revenue from both medical and recreational marijuana goes to the Missouri Veterans Commission. Missouri Cannabis Trade Association Spokesperson Erin Schrimpf said marijuana has been selling at three times the rate expected before legalization. She said the industry expects it will continue to thrive and provide the state with ample sales tax.
“Missouri’s regulated market is thriving and has a lot of support,” Schrimpf said.
The Veterans Commission received nearly $34 million from marijuana taxes this fiscal year, but that’s not the bonus people thought it would be. It’s just enough to maintain veterans homes.
“A lot of people think that with the marijuana funding that there could be additional programs that we could start, that’s just not the case,” Kirchhoff said.
The amount veterans homes receive from casino admissions has been decreasing steadily, from $30 million in 2013, to $11 million in 2023, which is the last full fiscal year the Missouri Gaming Commission has reported. Although casinos in Missouri are reporting increased revenue, they’re getting less foot traffic and the admissions fees stay the same.
Griffith wants to get a new line item in the budget, $50 million in general revenue for veterans homes. He only has one year left in office, but expects his colleagues to carry on the battle after he’s gone.
“It’s a battle that I’m not afraid to fight, and I will continue that battle until I have to walk out of this building,” Griffith said.
Copyright 2025 KMOV. All rights reserved.
Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri Police investigating fatal shooting
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri Police are investigating a fatal shooting in the area of 58th and Wabash just after 11 p.m. Monday night.
Police say they were on patrol at 55th and Prospect when they heard gunshots to the south and 911 received calls for sound of shots near 58th and Wabash.
Officers arrived and found a man unresponsive with gunshot wounds in front a residence there.
Police say he died on the scene.
Police say their preliminary investigation indicates the victim was in front of the residence with one or more people when they heard gunshots and realized the victim was struck.
There is no information on a suspect and no one is currently in custody.
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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.
Missouri
‘I was on that plane last weekend’: Topeka skydiver reacts to fatal Missouri plane crash
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Topeka man Chris Phelps knew the passengers killed in Sunday’s Butler, MO., plane crash well.
“I was on that plane last weekend, on that specific plane,” he said.
Phelps has been skydiving 318 times, including several jumps with the late passengers.
“I’ve got friends of mine not only that passed away in the drop zone, but I got friends of mine that were at the drop zone that witnessed it, and they couldn’t do anything,” he said. “From what I understand, the fuel was too hot, and they had to sit there and watch their friends perish.”
He says the friends he’s made skydiving are like family.
“It’s been very rough, you know,” Phelps said. “The skydiving community is a family. We’re a bunch of, I call it, to the people I describe to my friends and family, we’re a bunch of misfits that found a place to fit in.”
And he’s relying on the skydiving community as he grieves Sunday’s incident.
“We’ve been talking to people on the phone, calling or texting and through Facebook, things like that,” Phelps said. “Just kind of be there and support each other, tell stories about each other, everybody that we know.”
Phelps said he could have actually been on the plane with them if not for other plans this weekend.
“My prayers go out to them, for sure,” he said.
Phelps says he plans to continue skydiving, as he calls the crash a plane incident, rather than a skydiving incident.
Copyright 2026 WIBW. All rights reserved.
Missouri
Aviation attorney provides insight on deadly Butler plane crash
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A plane crash on Sunday morning in Butler, Missouri left twelve people dead. However, with multiple local and federal agencies looking into and investigating the crash, questions remain.
Later Sunday afternoon, FOX4 spoke with aviation attorney Pablo Rojas about what could have happened or led to the crash.
Rojas says that while the aircraft that crashed, a Pacific Aerospace PAC750XL, is a common aircraft used for skydiving operations, the pending investigations could provide final details on what occurred.
“There are certainly larger aircraft out in the market that can be used for 20, 30 passengers. So, this sounds kind of close to the limit. I don’t want to speak too rashly that it is, but that’s certainly one thing investigators are going to look at– both the number of occupants as well as just the size and weight. An aircraft isn’t just concerned with the number of people on board; it has to take off with a certain amount of weight, and that’s another detail that investigators will surely be looking at.”
However, Rojas went on to emphasize the tragic nature of the crash and what others should look for if they plan on taking part in a similar activity or experience.
“It’s one of the tragic aspects of this event– that, obviously, 11 people, which is not to minimize the loss of the pilot too, but 11 people left their homes or left where they work looking for a fun, recreational activity, and obviously it tragically ended in a huge loss of life,” he said. “I think any time people undertake any remotely dangerous or thrilling activity, it’s good to take a close look at the waiver provisions and understand that in the worst scenario, which obviously you don’t hope to happen anytime you go on one of these activities, that you’re preserving your rights as much as you can.”
Another importance in the context of Sunday’s events is the difference between commercial flights and private operations. As Rojas deals with litigation surrounding flights of all kinds, he offered his insight.
For example, large commercial flights have many more checks and balances when it comes to taking off. A private flight, like a skydiving operation, may have minimal time in between takeoffs.
“You know, recently almost every flight that I board is delayed for one reason or another, and probably half the time it’s some double or triple checking of maintenance. That is way beyond what happens in private and small aircraft settings,” Rojas said.
Reports show that Sunday’s flight that crashed went down sometime around 11:30 a.m.
According to flight radar, a Pacific Aerospace 750XL took off from the airport Sunday morning, and reached an altitude of about 13,400 feet before descending for about two minutes at a rapid speed of 227 mph.
The aircraft is capable of holding up to 17 passengers and serves as a common plane for large skydiving parties.
The same type of plane took off earlier Sunday morning for a separate flight. Flight Aware shows the aircraft leaving the airport at 9:20 a.m. and returning about 22 minutes later. It then went back up in the air about an hour later.
For more information on attorney Pablo Rojas, his firm and aviation law, click here.
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