JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. –Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on drug allegations.

Just before 8p.m. on July 18, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop near 150th Road on U.S. Hwy 75 for a traffic infraction, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

A Jackson County Sheriff’s K-9 alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics. The driver, 41-year-old Kelly Jospeh Hall and 51-year-old Jeffery Wade Romines, both of Sabetha were both arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753115401426.png" alt="Romines photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Romines photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. –Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on drug allegations.Just before 8p.m. on July 18, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop near 150th Road on U.S. Hwy 75 for a traffic infraction, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753115382110.png" alt="Hall photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Hall photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>A Jackson County Sheriff’s K-9 alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics. The driver, 41-year-old Kelly Jospeh Hall and 51-year-old Jeffery Wade Romines, both of Sabetha were both arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Two Kansas suspects caught transporting meth

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;rehashed longstanding grievances over the Russia investigation that shadowed much of his first term, lashing out Tuesday following a new report from his intelligence director aimed at casting doubt on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-politics-russia-48f9d5132d7a4e2d823edad8fc407979">long-established findings about Moscow's interference</a>&nbsp;in the 2016 election.

“It’s time to go after people,” Trump said from the Oval Office as he repeated a baseless claim that former President Barack Obama and other officials had engaged in treason.

Trump was not making his claims for the first time, but he delivered them when administration officials are harnessing the machinery of the federal government to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-russia-fbi-new-investigation-comey-brennan-33f52dec786e45b019d7d021e6d99c02">investigate the targets of Trump’s derision</a>, including key officials responsible for scrutinizing Russia's attempts to intervene on Trump's behalf in 2016.

The backward-looking inquiries are taking place even as the Republican administration's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-director-christopher-wray-threats-minneapolis-8633ed78ee3eb333e76a54792976327a">national security agencies are confronting global threats</a>. But they have served as a rallying cry for Trump, who is trying to unify a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-jeffrey-epstein-trump-f2a03eca247268b14a9e38858338eded">political base at odds over the Jeffrey Epstein case</a>, with some allies pushing to disclose more information despite the president's push to turn the page.

Trump's attack prompted a rare response from Obama's post-presidential office.

“Our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,” said Patrick Rodenbush, an Obama spokesman. “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”

Gabbard's new report on the Russia investigation

Trump's tirade, a detour from his official business as he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marcos-trump-philippines-china-tariffs-3138d1d7f8368c022ab9242bebb4a2e2">hosted the leader of the Philippines</a>, unfolded against the backdrop of a new report from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tulsi-gabbard">Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard</a>&nbsp;that represented his administration's latest attempt to rewrite the history of the Russia investigation, which has infuriated him for years.

The report, released Friday, downplayed the extent of Russian interference in the 2016 election by highlighting Obama administration emails showing officials had concluded before and after the presidential race that Moscow had not hacked state election systems to manipulate votes in Trump’s favor.

But Obama's Democratic administration never suggested otherwise, even as it exposed other means by which Russia interfered in the election, including through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1ddb174446a34785becd670275fedcbf">a massive hack-and-leak operation</a>&nbsp;of Democratic emails by intelligence operatives working with WikiLeaks. Also,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cf0e079a1a184ffe82d2de41f0452eb7">a covert foreign influence campaign</a>&nbsp;aimed at swaying public opinion and sowing discord through fake social media posts.

Gabbard’s report appears to suggest the absence of manipulation of state election systems is a basis to call into question more general Russian interference.

Democrats swiftly decried the report as factually flawed and politically motivated.

“It is sadly not surprising that DNI Gabbard, who promised to depoliticize the intelligence community, is once again weaponizing her position to amplify the president’s election conspiracy theories,” wrote Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Several investigations found Russian interference in 2016

Russia’s broad interference in 2016 has been established through a series of investigations, including special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, which concluded that the Trump campaign welcomed the Kremlin’s help but also found insufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy. A House Intelligence Committee report also documented Russia’s meddling, as did the Senate Intelligence Committee,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-international-news-elections-politics-campaigns-5e833a62e9492f6a66624b7920cc846a">which concluded its work</a>&nbsp;at a time when the panel was led by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who’s now Trump’s secretary of state.

A different special counsel appointed by the Trump Justice Department to hunt for problems in the origins of the Russia investigation, John Durham,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/durham-report-fbi-trump-clinton-2016-campaign-f3039e651eeb35a09091c363419e6766">did find flaws,</a>&nbsp;but not related to what Gabbard sought to highlight in her report.

“Few episodes in our nation’s history have been investigated as thoroughly as the Intelligence Community’s warning in 2016 that Russia was interfering in the election,” said Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.

He added that every legitimate investigation, including the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee probe, “found no evidence of politicization and endorsed the findings of the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment.”

Gabbard's document was released weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-putin-trump-cia-2016-obama-cbb79bc0e957f1d8178a70e0b40b96c0">a CIA report</a>&nbsp;that reexamined a 2017 intelligence community assessment on Russian interference. That new review, ordered by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, did not dispute Russia had interfered but suggested officials were rushed in the intelligence assessment they produced.

Seeking investigations of former officials

Ratcliffe has since referred former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey to the Justice Department for investigation. The department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-russia-fbi-new-investigation-comey-brennan-33f52dec786e45b019d7d021e6d99c02">appeared to acknowledge an open investigation</a>&nbsp;into both former officials in an unusual statement earlier this month, but the status or contours of such inquiries are unclear.

Besides Obama, Trump on Tuesday rattled off a list of people he accused of acting criminally “at the highest level,” including Comey, his 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton and former national intelligence director James Clapper.

He accused Obama, without evidence, of being the “ringleader” of a conspiracy to get him. Obama has never been accused of any wrongdoing as part of the Russia investigation, and, in any event, a landmark Supreme Court opinion from last year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/elections/2024/supreme-court-rules-ex-presidents-have-broad-immunity-dimming-chance-of-a-pre-election-trump-trial/">shields former presidents from prosecution</a>&nbsp;for official acts conducted in office.

Trump launched his tirade when asked about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-maxwell-justice-department-interview-c0131616f9d3c1f56a14bb7b9e863741">the Justice Department’s effort to speak with Ghislaine Maxwell</a>, the former girlfriend of Epstein, who was convicted of helping the financier sexually abuse underage girls.

“I don’t really follow that too much,” he said. “It’s sort of a witch hunt, a continuation of the witch hunt.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-conspiracy-theories-bondi-bongino-fbi-a143076353acbc1193cb9697e7fc4a90">Trump is under pressure</a>&nbsp;from conspiracy-minded segments of his political base to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-bondi-91f911d2d7a909f78259cdca7b55d9a6">release more about the Epstein case</a>. Democrats say Trump is resisting because of his past association with Epstein. Trump has denied knowledge of or involvement with Epstein’s crimes and said he ended their friendship years ago.

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;rehashed longstanding grievances over the Russia investigation that shadowed much of his first term, lashing out Tuesday following a new report from his intelligence director aimed at casting doubt on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-politics-russia-48f9d5132d7a4e2d823edad8fc407979">long-established findings about Moscow's interference</a>&nbsp;in the 2016 election.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump on DNI report on 2016 Russian interference claims: &quot;The leader of the gang was President Obama. Barack Hussein Obama, have you heard of him?...He&#39;s guilty. It&#39;s not a question. You know, I like to say let&#39;s give it time. It&#39;s there. He&#39;s guilty. This was treason.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/fNd0LGTq1N">pic.twitter.com/fNd0LGTq1N</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1947694125316252067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“It’s time to go after people,” Trump said from the Oval Office as he repeated a baseless claim that former President Barack Obama and other officials had engaged in treason.Trump was not making his claims for the first time, but he delivered them when administration officials are harnessing the machinery of the federal government to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-russia-fbi-new-investigation-comey-brennan-33f52dec786e45b019d7d021e6d99c02">investigate the targets of Trump’s derision</a>, including key officials responsible for scrutinizing Russia's attempts to intervene on Trump's behalf in 2016.The backward-looking inquiries are taking place even as the Republican administration's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-director-christopher-wray-threats-minneapolis-8633ed78ee3eb333e76a54792976327a">national security agencies are confronting global threats</a>. But they have served as a rallying cry for Trump, who is trying to unify a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-jeffrey-epstein-trump-f2a03eca247268b14a9e38858338eded">political base at odds over the Jeffrey Epstein case</a>, with some allies pushing to disclose more information despite the president's push to turn the page.Trump's attack prompted a rare response from Obama's post-presidential office.“Our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,” said Patrick Rodenbush, an Obama spokesman. “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”<h2>Gabbard's new report on the Russia investigation</h2>Trump's tirade, a detour from his official business as he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marcos-trump-philippines-china-tariffs-3138d1d7f8368c022ab9242bebb4a2e2">hosted the leader of the Philippines</a>, unfolded against the backdrop of a new report from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tulsi-gabbard">Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard</a>&nbsp;that represented his administration's latest attempt to rewrite the history of the Russia investigation, which has infuriated him for years.The report, released Friday, downplayed the extent of Russian interference in the 2016 election by highlighting Obama administration emails showing officials had concluded before and after the presidential race that Moscow had not hacked state election systems to manipulate votes in Trump’s favor.But Obama's Democratic administration never suggested otherwise, even as it exposed other means by which Russia interfered in the election, including through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1ddb174446a34785becd670275fedcbf">a massive hack-and-leak operation</a>&nbsp;of Democratic emails by intelligence operatives working with WikiLeaks. Also,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cf0e079a1a184ffe82d2de41f0452eb7">a covert foreign influence campaign</a>&nbsp;aimed at swaying public opinion and sowing discord through fake social media posts.Gabbard’s report appears to suggest the absence of manipulation of state election systems is a basis to call into question more general Russian interference.Democrats swiftly decried the report as factually flawed and politically motivated.“It is sadly not surprising that DNI Gabbard, who promised to depoliticize the intelligence community, is once again weaponizing her position to amplify the president’s election conspiracy theories,” wrote Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.<h2>Several investigations found Russian interference in 2016</h2>Russia’s broad interference in 2016 has been established through a series of investigations, including special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, which concluded that the Trump campaign welcomed the Kremlin’s help but also found insufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy. A House Intelligence Committee report also documented Russia’s meddling, as did the Senate Intelligence Committee,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-international-news-elections-politics-campaigns-5e833a62e9492f6a66624b7920cc846a">which concluded its work</a>&nbsp;at a time when the panel was led by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who’s now Trump’s secretary of state.A different special counsel appointed by the Trump Justice Department to hunt for problems in the origins of the Russia investigation, John Durham,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/durham-report-fbi-trump-clinton-2016-campaign-f3039e651eeb35a09091c363419e6766">did find flaws,</a>&nbsp;but not related to what Gabbard sought to highlight in her report.“Few episodes in our nation’s history have been investigated as thoroughly as the Intelligence Community’s warning in 2016 that Russia was interfering in the election,” said Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.He added that every legitimate investigation, including the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee probe, “found no evidence of politicization and endorsed the findings of the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment.”Gabbard's document was released weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-putin-trump-cia-2016-obama-cbb79bc0e957f1d8178a70e0b40b96c0">a CIA report</a>&nbsp;that reexamined a 2017 intelligence community assessment on Russian interference. That new review, ordered by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, did not dispute Russia had interfered but suggested officials were rushed in the intelligence assessment they produced.<h2>Seeking investigations of former officials</h2>Ratcliffe has since referred former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey to the Justice Department for investigation. The department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-russia-fbi-new-investigation-comey-brennan-33f52dec786e45b019d7d021e6d99c02">appeared to acknowledge an open investigation</a>&nbsp;into both former officials in an unusual statement earlier this month, but the status or contours of such inquiries are unclear.Besides Obama, Trump on Tuesday rattled off a list of people he accused of acting criminally “at the highest level,” including Comey, his 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton and former national intelligence director James Clapper.He accused Obama, without evidence, of being the “ringleader” of a conspiracy to get him. Obama has never been accused of any wrongdoing as part of the Russia investigation, and, in any event, a landmark Supreme Court opinion from last year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/elections/2024/supreme-court-rules-ex-presidents-have-broad-immunity-dimming-chance-of-a-pre-election-trump-trial/">shields former presidents from prosecution</a>&nbsp;for official acts conducted in office.Trump launched his tirade when asked about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-maxwell-justice-department-interview-c0131616f9d3c1f56a14bb7b9e863741">the Justice Department’s effort to speak with Ghislaine Maxwell</a>, the former girlfriend of Epstein, who was convicted of helping the financier sexually abuse underage girls.“I don’t really follow that too much,” he said. “It’s sort of a witch hunt, a continuation of the witch hunt.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-conspiracy-theories-bondi-bongino-fbi-a143076353acbc1193cb9697e7fc4a90">Trump is under pressure</a>&nbsp;from conspiracy-minded segments of his political base to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-bondi-91f911d2d7a909f78259cdca7b55d9a6">release more about the Epstein case</a>. Democrats say Trump is resisting because of his past association with Epstein. Trump has denied knowledge of or involvement with Epstein’s crimes and said he ended their friendship years ago.

🎥Trump on Russia investigation: It's time to go after people

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs are making progress in stadium negotiations with lawmakers on both sides of the Kansas-Missouri state line, though it remains unclear whether the team will stay at Arrowhead Stadium or ultimately move elsewhere.

The Chiefs recently were granted an extension to an end-of-June deadline for a financing package from the state of Kansas, an indication that the NFL franchise’s potential move from its longtime home in Missouri is a legitimate possibility.

Missouri has countered with a funding package signed by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe following a special session of the state legislature.

“We've had more meetings, more discussions,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan said Tuesday. “At this point it's literally — you're taking an agreement this long and whittling it down to this paragraph and this line, and we need an agreement on this, and we're doing this on both sides. You're in that process where you're not sure which way it will go.”

The Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals have played for more than five decades at the Truman Sports Complex on the east side of Kansas City, Missouri, where Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium share parking facilities. But leases with Jackson County are due to expire in January 2031, and the two franchises have been trying to plot a course forward for years.

Last year, Jackson County voters&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-royals-kansas-city-stadiums-e9605296b85e91699441e4ba10e83212">defeated a sales tax extension</a>&nbsp;that would have helped to finance an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead Stadium — the home of the Chiefs — and a $2 billion ballpark district for the Royals in downtown Kansas City.

Now, the franchises are pursuing their own paths in landing a stadium deal.

In the case of Missouri, legislation has authorized bonds covering up to 50% of the cost of new or renovated stadiums in the state, plus up to $50 million of tax credits for each stadium and unspecified aid from local governments.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-royals-new-stadiums-3441b3084c8efab00057f593f4d9b95e">Lawmakers in Kansas</a>&nbsp;have authorized up to 70% of the cost of new stadiums to be built in their state.

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt has acknowledged a deep sentimental attachment to Arrowhead Stadium, which was built by his father and team founder Lamar Hunt when he moved the franchise from Dallas.

But the most visible face of the Chiefs ownership family also is an astute businessman, and he understands the importance of revenue streams generated by a new facility. So while a comprehensive renovation of Arrowhead remains a possibility, so does an enclosed stadium that could fulfill Hunt's desire to one day host the Super Bowl, Final Four and other big events.

The Royals, meanwhile, have made it clear that renovations to Kauffman Stadium are not going to happen.

Principal owner John Sherman has expressed a desire for downtown baseball, and options there still exist. But news surfaced about a month ago that an affiliate of the Royals purchased the mortgage on a large property in the southern Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, Kansas, raising the possibility of building a new stadium and ballpark district there.

“Our job, and the team around me, is to get the two best possible partnerships figured out down to the detail,” Donovan said, shortly before the Chiefs took the field for their first full-squad workout on training camp at Missouri Western. “At that point we go to the Hunt family and say, ‘Here are the options. What do you want to do?’

“It’s the detail of those deals. What deal makes the most sense from a business perspective, a future perspective? What makes the most sense for our fans and the next generation? There are a lot of strong arguments on both sides.”

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports WriterST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs are making progress in stadium negotiations with lawmakers on both sides of the Kansas-Missouri state line, though it remains unclear whether the team will stay at Arrowhead Stadium or ultimately move elsewhere.The Chiefs recently were granted an extension to an end-of-June deadline for a financing package from the state of Kansas, an indication that the NFL franchise’s potential move from its longtime home in Missouri is a legitimate possibility.Missouri has countered with a funding package signed by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe following a special session of the state legislature.“We've had more meetings, more discussions,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan said Tuesday. “At this point it's literally — you're taking an agreement this long and whittling it down to this paragraph and this line, and we need an agreement on this, and we're doing this on both sides. You're in that process where you're not sure which way it will go.”The Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals have played for more than five decades at the Truman Sports Complex on the east side of Kansas City, Missouri, where Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium share parking facilities. But leases with Jackson County are due to expire in January 2031, and the two franchises have been trying to plot a course forward for years.Last year, Jackson County voters&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-royals-kansas-city-stadiums-e9605296b85e91699441e4ba10e83212">defeated a sales tax extension</a>&nbsp;that would have helped to finance an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead Stadium — the home of the Chiefs — and a $2 billion ballpark district for the Royals in downtown Kansas City.Now, the franchises are pursuing their own paths in landing a stadium deal.In the case of Missouri, legislation has authorized bonds covering up to 50% of the cost of new or renovated stadiums in the state, plus up to $50 million of tax credits for each stadium and unspecified aid from local governments.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-royals-new-stadiums-3441b3084c8efab00057f593f4d9b95e">Lawmakers in Kansas</a>&nbsp;have authorized up to 70% of the cost of new stadiums to be built in their state.Chiefs owner Clark Hunt has acknowledged a deep sentimental attachment to Arrowhead Stadium, which was built by his father and team founder Lamar Hunt when he moved the franchise from Dallas.But the most visible face of the Chiefs ownership family also is an astute businessman, and he understands the importance of revenue streams generated by a new facility. So while a comprehensive renovation of Arrowhead remains a possibility, so does an enclosed stadium that could fulfill Hunt's desire to one day host the Super Bowl, Final Four and other big events.The Royals, meanwhile, have made it clear that renovations to Kauffman Stadium are not going to happen.Principal owner John Sherman has expressed a desire for downtown baseball, and options there still exist. But news surfaced about a month ago that an affiliate of the Royals purchased the mortgage on a large property in the southern Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, Kansas, raising the possibility of building a new stadium and ballpark district there.“Our job, and the team around me, is to get the two best possible partnerships figured out down to the detail,” Donovan said, shortly before the Chiefs took the field for their first full-squad workout on training camp at Missouri Western. “At that point we go to the Hunt family and say, ‘Here are the options. What do you want to do?’“It’s the detail of those deals. What deal makes the most sense from a business perspective, a future perspective? What makes the most sense for our fans and the next generation? There are a lot of strong arguments on both sides.”

Chiefs press on with stadium negotiations on both sides of the Kan.-Mo. state line

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement investigating another homicide in Kansas City have identified the victim as 18-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;Aaron Williams,&nbsp;according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

Just before 6a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to the 1300 block of E 89th on a reported Sound of Shots call, according to Gonzalez.

While officers were enroute an additional call for a shooting was reported at an apartment complex. When officers arrived to the area they were summoned to an apartment where an individual on scene stated a man, later identified as Williams, had been shot. 

Officers entered the apartment and located Williams suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. They immediately began rendering medical aid until EMS arrived and transported him to an area hospital with life threatening injuries. Williams was declared deceased at the hospital as a result of his injuries. 

&nbsp;It does appear the incident occurred outside in the roadway and did not occur inside of an apartment residence, according to&nbsp;Officer Gonzalez.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753199591836.png" alt="Photo by Nathan Brennan courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Nathan Brennan courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement investigating another homicide in Kansas City have identified the victim as 18-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;Aaron Williams,&nbsp;according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.Just before 6a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to the 1300 block of E 89th on a reported Sound of Shots call, according to Gonzalez.While officers were enroute an additional call for a shooting was reported at an apartment complex. When officers arrived to the area they were summoned to an apartment where an individual on scene stated a man, later identified as Williams, had been shot. Officers entered the apartment and located Williams suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. They immediately began rendering medical aid until EMS arrived and transported him to an area hospital with life threatening injuries. Williams was declared deceased at the hospital as a result of his injuries. &nbsp;It does appear the incident occurred outside in the roadway and did not occur inside of an apartment residence, according to&nbsp;Officer Gonzalez.

Teen identified as victim in Kansas City killing

NEW YORK (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/job-corps-centers-lawsuit-labor-department-a9acc1464ad180a066317fd086865464">U.S. Department of Labor</a>&nbsp;is aiming to rewrite or repeal more than 60 “obsolete” workplace regulations, ranging from minimum wage requirements&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/supreme-court-of-the-united-states-united-states-government-f466bbf865c94bd8a95da9f44de1ab8b">for home health care workers</a>&nbsp;and people with disabilities to standards governing exposure to harmful substances.

If approved, the wide-ranging changes unveiled this month also would affect working conditions at constructions sites and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mine-safety-office-closure-msha-doge-trump-43fd355260d7c2373f48a25e35455f5b">in mines</a>, and limit the government's ability to penalize employers if workers are injured or killed while engaging in inherently risky activities such as movie stunts or animal training.

The Labor Department says the goal is to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-coal-epa-clean-air-exemption-mercury-7b800db8d6cf6fffbee28039f42d2daf">reduce costly, burdensome rules</a>&nbsp;imposed under previous administrations, and to deliver on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-congress-compliant-ceding-power-republicans-4508b5e6f893da17e9064426e6fefc6c">President Donald Trump's commitment</a>&nbsp;to restore American prosperity through deregulation.

“The Department of Labor is proud to lead the way by eliminating unnecessary regulations that stifle growth and limit opportunity,” Secretary of Labor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-labor-secretary-chavezderemer-senate-confirmation-5e9e4ad82ee88f28ba70334089daaf40">Lori Chavez-DeRemer</a>&nbsp;said in a statement, which boasted the “most ambitious proposal to slash red tape of any department across the federal government.”

Critics say the proposals would put workers at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-unions-collective-bargaining-end-national-security-deabc796751dc038a8500774fe174a99">greater risk of harm</a>, with women and members of minority groups bearing a disproportionate impact.

"People are at very great risk of dying on the job already,” Rebecca Reindel, the AFL-CIO union's occupational safety and health director, said. “This is something that is only going to make the problem worse.”

The proposed changes have several stages to get through before they can take effect, including a public comment period for each one.

Here's a look at some of the rollbacks under consideration:

No minimum wage for home health care workers

Home health care workers help elderly or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nhl-entertainment-health-sports-b0748da3b4273d15300cd39cb970e56a">medically fragile people</a>&nbsp;by preparing meals, administering medications, assisting with toilet use, accompanying clients to doctor appointments and performing other tasks. Under one of the Labor Department's proposals, an estimated 3.7 million workers employed by home care agencies could be paid below the federal minimum wage — currently $7.25 per hour — and made ineligible for overtime pay if they aren't covered by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-health-care-minimum-wage-delay-ba84849b7c0a8e96ed9d7da0c126395d">corresponding state laws</a>.

The proposed rule would reverse changes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-e18c34a0b3294156973b133326bda338">made in 2013</a>&nbsp;under former President Barack Obama and revert to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nannies-housekeeper-domestic-worker-rights-laws-labor-women-f927e08838e5fe19cded4f163eee74d3">a regulatory framework</a>&nbsp;from 1975. The Labor Department says that by lowering labor and compliance costs, its revisions might expand the home care market and help keep frail individuals in their homes for longer.

Judy Conti, director of government affairs at the National Employment Law Project, said her organization plans to work hard to defeat the proposal. Home health workers are subject to injuries from lifting clients, and "before those (2013) regulations, it was very common for home care workers to work 50, 60 and maybe even more hours a week, without getting any overtime pay,” Conti said.

Others endorse the proposal, including the Independent Women’s Forum, a conservative nonprofit based in Virginia. Women often bear the brunt of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-home-health-care-sandwhich-generation-098a7ed48dfd94d11fb0efcd5d63b42b">family caregiving responsibilities</a>, so making home care more affordable would help women balance work and personal responsibilities, the group's president, Carrie Lukas, said.

“We’re pleased to see the Trump administration moving forward on rolling back some of what we saw as counterproductive micromanaging of relationships that were making it hard for people to get the care they need,” Lukas said.

Samantha Sanders, director of government affairs and advocacy at the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute, said the repeal would not constitute a win for women.

“Saying we actually don’t think they need those protections would be pretty devastating to a workforce that performs really essential work and is very heavily dominated by women, and women of color in particular,” Sanders said.

Last year, the Labor Department finalized rules that provided protections to migrant farmworkers who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-conditions-contract-workers-agricultural-census-0ac08d0baa1a855319b93c82c04f9450">held H-2A visas</a>. The current administration says most of those rules placed unnecessary and costly requirements on employers.

Under the new proposal, the Labor Department would rescind a requirement for most&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-12972fcee30e4e87aeff144026d4faea">employer-provided transportation</a>&nbsp;to have seat belts for those agriculture workers.

The department is also proposing to reverse a 2024 rule that protected migrant farmworkers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-labor-immigration-9ba53616562f50b7f9a75aa20dc4f3fe">from retaliation</a>&nbsp;for activities such as filing a complaint, testifying or participating in an investigation, hearing or proceeding.

“There’s a long history of retaliation against workers who speak up against abuses in farm work. And with H-2A it’s even worse because the employer can just not renew your visa,” said Lori Johnson, senior attorney at Farmworker Justice.

Michael Marsh, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, applauded the deregulation efforts, saying farmers were hit with thousands of pages of regulations pertaining to migrant farmworkers in recent years.

“Can you imagine a farmer and his or her spouse trying to navigate 3,000 new pages of regulation in 18 months and then be liable for every one of them?" he asked.

Adequate lighting for construction spaces

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/occupational-safety-and-health-administration">Occupational Safety and Health Administration</a>, part of the Labor Department, wants to rescind a requirement for employers to provide adequate lighting at construction sites, saying the regulation doesn't substantially reduce a significant risk.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-henry-mcmaster-f33acd986ad5045e48088a832c6f9903">OSHA</a>&nbsp;said if employers fail to correct lighting deficiencies at construction worksites, the agency can issue citations under its “general duty clause.” The clause requires employers to provide a place of employment free from recognized hazards which are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.

Worker advocates think getting rid of a specific construction site requirement is a bad idea. “There have been many fatalities where workers fall through a hole in the floor, where there’s not adequate lighting,” Reindel said. “It’s a very obvious thing that employers should address, but unfortunately it’s one of those things where we need a standard, and it’s violated all the time.”

Several proposals could impact safety procedures for mines. For example, employers have to submit plans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/msha-twin-state-mining-death-3899e1731c1e4dff3fe8589dbcc4488d">for ventilation</a>&nbsp;and preventing roof collapses in coal mines for review by the Labor Department's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/msha-office-closings-things-to-know-9396b25075130e6ba9c8fb415b5d2c58">Mine Safety and Health Administration</a>. Currently, MSHA district managers can require mine operators to take additional steps to improve those plans.

The Labor Department wants to end that authority, saying the current regulations give the district manager the ability to draft and create laws without soliciting comments or action by Congress.

Similarly, the department is proposing to strip district managers of their ability to require changes to mine health and safety training programs.

The general duty clause allows OSHA to punish employers for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/workplace-safety">unsafe working conditions</a>&nbsp;when there's no specific standard in place to cover a situation.

An OSHA proposal would exclude the agency from applying the clause to prohibit, restrict or penalize employers for “inherently risky professional activities that are intrinsic to professional, athletic, or entertainment occupations.”

A preliminary analysis identified athletes, actors, dancers, musicians, other entertainers and journalists as among the types of workers the limitation would apply to.

“It is simply not plausible to assert that Congress, when passing the Occupational Safety and Health Act, silently intended to authorize the Department of Labor to eliminate familiar sports and entertainment practices, such as punt returns in the NFL, speeding in NASCAR, or the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-c8dab1bbbf9c44a9a95ed74d10d2802f">whale show at SeaWorld</a>,” the proposed rule reads.

Debbie Berkowitz, who served as OSHA chief of staff during the Obama administration, said she thinks limiting the agency's enforcement authority would be a mistake.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753206503133.png" alt="Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer " />
 <figcaption>Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer </figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/job-corps-centers-lawsuit-labor-department-a9acc1464ad180a066317fd086865464">U.S. Department of Labor</a>&nbsp;is aiming to rewrite or repeal more than 60 “obsolete” workplace regulations, ranging from minimum wage requirements&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/supreme-court-of-the-united-states-united-states-government-f466bbf865c94bd8a95da9f44de1ab8b">for home health care workers</a>&nbsp;and people with disabilities to standards governing exposure to harmful substances.If approved, the wide-ranging changes unveiled this month also would affect working conditions at constructions sites and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mine-safety-office-closure-msha-doge-trump-43fd355260d7c2373f48a25e35455f5b">in mines</a>, and limit the government's ability to penalize employers if workers are injured or killed while engaging in inherently risky activities such as movie stunts or animal training.The Labor Department says the goal is to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-coal-epa-clean-air-exemption-mercury-7b800db8d6cf6fffbee28039f42d2daf">reduce costly, burdensome rules</a>&nbsp;imposed under previous administrations, and to deliver on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-congress-compliant-ceding-power-republicans-4508b5e6f893da17e9064426e6fefc6c">President Donald Trump's commitment</a>&nbsp;to restore American prosperity through deregulation.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741655381640.png" alt="Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall and then Labor Secretary nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer during a January meeting-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall and then Labor Secretary nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer during a January meeting-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>“The Department of Labor is proud to lead the way by eliminating unnecessary regulations that stifle growth and limit opportunity,” Secretary of Labor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-labor-secretary-chavezderemer-senate-confirmation-5e9e4ad82ee88f28ba70334089daaf40">Lori Chavez-DeRemer</a>&nbsp;said in a statement, which boasted the “most ambitious proposal to slash red tape of any department across the federal government.”Critics say the proposals would put workers at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-unions-collective-bargaining-end-national-security-deabc796751dc038a8500774fe174a99">greater risk of harm</a>, with women and members of minority groups bearing a disproportionate impact."People are at very great risk of dying on the job already,” Rebecca Reindel, the AFL-CIO union's occupational safety and health director, said. “This is something that is only going to make the problem worse.”The proposed changes have several stages to get through before they can take effect, including a public comment period for each one.Here's a look at some of the rollbacks under consideration:<h2>No minimum wage for home health care workers</h2>Home health care workers help elderly or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nhl-entertainment-health-sports-b0748da3b4273d15300cd39cb970e56a">medically fragile people</a>&nbsp;by preparing meals, administering medications, assisting with toilet use, accompanying clients to doctor appointments and performing other tasks. Under one of the Labor Department's proposals, an estimated 3.7 million workers employed by home care agencies could be paid below the federal minimum wage — currently $7.25 per hour — and made ineligible for overtime pay if they aren't covered by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-health-care-minimum-wage-delay-ba84849b7c0a8e96ed9d7da0c126395d">corresponding state laws</a>.The proposed rule would reverse changes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-e18c34a0b3294156973b133326bda338">made in 2013</a>&nbsp;under former President Barack Obama and revert to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nannies-housekeeper-domestic-worker-rights-laws-labor-women-f927e08838e5fe19cded4f163eee74d3">a regulatory framework</a>&nbsp;from 1975. The Labor Department says that by lowering labor and compliance costs, its revisions might expand the home care market and help keep frail individuals in their homes for longer.Judy Conti, director of government affairs at the National Employment Law Project, said her organization plans to work hard to defeat the proposal. Home health workers are subject to injuries from lifting clients, and "before those (2013) regulations, it was very common for home care workers to work 50, 60 and maybe even more hours a week, without getting any overtime pay,” Conti said.Others endorse the proposal, including the Independent Women’s Forum, a conservative nonprofit based in Virginia. Women often bear the brunt of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-home-health-care-sandwhich-generation-098a7ed48dfd94d11fb0efcd5d63b42b">family caregiving responsibilities</a>, so making home care more affordable would help women balance work and personal responsibilities, the group's president, Carrie Lukas, said.“We’re pleased to see the Trump administration moving forward on rolling back some of what we saw as counterproductive micromanaging of relationships that were making it hard for people to get the care they need,” Lukas said.Samantha Sanders, director of government affairs and advocacy at the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute, said the repeal would not constitute a win for women.“Saying we actually don’t think they need those protections would be pretty devastating to a workforce that performs really essential work and is very heavily dominated by women, and women of color in particular,” Sanders said.<h2>Protections for migrant farm workers</h2>Last year, the Labor Department finalized rules that provided protections to migrant farmworkers who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-conditions-contract-workers-agricultural-census-0ac08d0baa1a855319b93c82c04f9450">held H-2A visas</a>. The current administration says most of those rules placed unnecessary and costly requirements on employers.Under the new proposal, the Labor Department would rescind a requirement for most&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-12972fcee30e4e87aeff144026d4faea">employer-provided transportation</a>&nbsp;to have seat belts for those agriculture workers.The department is also proposing to reverse a 2024 rule that protected migrant farmworkers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-labor-immigration-9ba53616562f50b7f9a75aa20dc4f3fe">from retaliation</a>&nbsp;for activities such as filing a complaint, testifying or participating in an investigation, hearing or proceeding.“There’s a long history of retaliation against workers who speak up against abuses in farm work. And with H-2A it’s even worse because the employer can just not renew your visa,” said Lori Johnson, senior attorney at Farmworker Justice.Michael Marsh, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, applauded the deregulation efforts, saying farmers were hit with thousands of pages of regulations pertaining to migrant farmworkers in recent years.“Can you imagine a farmer and his or her spouse trying to navigate 3,000 new pages of regulation in 18 months and then be liable for every one of them?" he asked.<h2>Adequate lighting for construction spaces</h2>The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/occupational-safety-and-health-administration">Occupational Safety and Health Administration</a>, part of the Labor Department, wants to rescind a requirement for employers to provide adequate lighting at construction sites, saying the regulation doesn't substantially reduce a significant risk.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-henry-mcmaster-f33acd986ad5045e48088a832c6f9903">OSHA</a>&nbsp;said if employers fail to correct lighting deficiencies at construction worksites, the agency can issue citations under its “general duty clause.” The clause requires employers to provide a place of employment free from recognized hazards which are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.Worker advocates think getting rid of a specific construction site requirement is a bad idea. “There have been many fatalities where workers fall through a hole in the floor, where there’s not adequate lighting,” Reindel said. “It’s a very obvious thing that employers should address, but unfortunately it’s one of those things where we need a standard, and it’s violated all the time.”<h2>Mine safety</h2>Several proposals could impact safety procedures for mines. For example, employers have to submit plans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/msha-twin-state-mining-death-3899e1731c1e4dff3fe8589dbcc4488d">for ventilation</a>&nbsp;and preventing roof collapses in coal mines for review by the Labor Department's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/msha-office-closings-things-to-know-9396b25075130e6ba9c8fb415b5d2c58">Mine Safety and Health Administration</a>. Currently, MSHA district managers can require mine operators to take additional steps to improve those plans.The Labor Department wants to end that authority, saying the current regulations give the district manager the ability to draft and create laws without soliciting comments or action by Congress.Similarly, the department is proposing to strip district managers of their ability to require changes to mine health and safety training programs.<h2>Limiting OSHA’s reach</h2>The general duty clause allows OSHA to punish employers for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/workplace-safety">unsafe working conditions</a>&nbsp;when there's no specific standard in place to cover a situation.An OSHA proposal would exclude the agency from applying the clause to prohibit, restrict or penalize employers for “inherently risky professional activities that are intrinsic to professional, athletic, or entertainment occupations.”A preliminary analysis identified athletes, actors, dancers, musicians, other entertainers and journalists as among the types of workers the limitation would apply to.“It is simply not plausible to assert that Congress, when passing the Occupational Safety and Health Act, silently intended to authorize the Department of Labor to eliminate familiar sports and entertainment practices, such as punt returns in the NFL, speeding in NASCAR, or the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-c8dab1bbbf9c44a9a95ed74d10d2802f">whale show at SeaWorld</a>,” the proposed rule reads.Debbie Berkowitz, who served as OSHA chief of staff during the Obama administration, said she thinks limiting the agency's enforcement authority would be a mistake.

Labor Dept. looks to lighten workplace regs with sweeping rules changes 

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ozzy-osbourne">Ozzy Osbourne,</a>&nbsp;the gloomy, demon-invoking lead singer of the pioneering band Black Sabbath who became the throaty, growling voice — and drug-and-alcohol ravaged id — of heavy metal, died Tuesday, just weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ozzy-osbourne-black-sabbath-farewell-concert-5ad32c2e2457e5862d8f3eef646f5711">his farewell show.</a>&nbsp;He was 76.

“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,” a family statement from Birmingham, England, said. In 2020, he revealed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3225d3202dadb846cbae0a21fe62ba04">he had Parkinson’s disease</a>&nbsp;after suffering a fall.

Either clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents’ groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat. Later, he would reveal himself to be a doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show “The Osbournes.”

Black Sabbath’s 1969 self-titled debut LP has been likened to the Big Bang of heavy metal. It came during the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/the-vietnam-war-what-to-watch-read-and-hear">height of the Vietnam War</a>&nbsp;and crashed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vietnam-war-50-protest-songs-228cfe1d83613d3b56bd21ca0e7df2c4">hippie party,</a>&nbsp;dripping menace and foreboding. The cover of the record was of a spooky figure against a stark landscape. The music was loud, dense and angry, and marked a shift in rock ’n’ roll.

The band’s second album, “Paranoid,” included such classic metal tunes as “War Pigs,” “Iron Man” and “Fairies Wear Boots.” The song “Paranoid” only reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 but became in many ways the band’s signature song. Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine.

“Black Sabbath are the Beatles of heavy metal. Anybody who’s serious about metal will tell you it all comes down to Sabbath,” Dave Navarro of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/janes-addiction-fight-lawsuits-farrell-navarro-4f5bfd68078b85ad29055e149580f508">the band Jane’s Addiction</a>&nbsp;wrote in a 2010 tribute in Rolling Stone. “There’s a direct line you can draw back from today’s metal, through Eighties bands like Iron Maiden, back to Sabbath.”

Sabbath fired Osbourne in 1979 for his legendary excesses, like showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs. “We knew we didn’t really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control. But we were all very down about the situation,” wrote bassist Terry “Geezer” Butler in his memoir, “Into the Void.”

Osbourne reemerged the next year as a solo artist with “Blizzard of Ozz” and the following year’s “Diary of a Madman,” both hard rock classics that went multiplatinum and spawned enduring favorites such as “Crazy Train,” “Goodbye to Romance,” “Flying High Again” and “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll.” Osbourne was twice inducted to the Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame — once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo artist.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/black-sabbath-heavy-metal-ozzy-osbourne-birmingham-e46239b93d954e5d464d44554d6cff64">original Sabbath lineup reunited</a>&nbsp;for the first time in 20 years in July for what Osbourne said would be his final concert. “Let the madness begin!” he told 42,000 fans in Birmingham.

Metallica, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Rival Sons and Mastodon all did sets. Tom Morello, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Billy Corgan, Ronnie Wood, Travis Barker, Sammy Hagar and more made appearances. Actor Jason Momoa was the host for the festivities.

“Black Sabbath: we’d all be different people without them, that’s the truth,” said Pantera singer Phil Anselmo. “I know I wouldn’t be up here with a microphone in my hand without Black Sabbath.”

Osbourne embodied the excesses of metal. His outlandish exploits included relieving himself on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/peewee-herman-movie-bike-alamo-basement-8b4e8caa1417d20ce6c4076314d99d0d">the Alamo,</a>&nbsp;snorting a line of ants off a sidewalk and, most memorably, biting the head off the live bat that a fan threw onstage during a 1981 concert. (He said he thought it was rubber.)

Osbourne was sued in 1987 by parents of a 19-year-old teen who died by suicide while listening to his song “Suicide Solution.” The lawsuit was dismissed. Osbourne said the song was really about the dangers of alcohol, which caused the death of his friend Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarrick-anonymous-letters-vatican-aaaf35410f25b909893addd004cc09e3">Then-Cardinal John J. O’Connor of New York</a>&nbsp;claimed in 1990 that Osbourne’s songs led to demonic possession and even suicide. “You are ignorant about the true meaning of my songs,” the singer wrote back. “You have also insulted the intelligence of rock fans all over the world.”

Audiences at Osbourne shows could be mooned or spit on by the singer. They would often be hectored to scream along with the song, but the Satan-invoking Osbourne would usually send the crowds home with their ears ringing and a hearty “God bless!”

He started an annual tour — Ozzfest — in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what was then the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/book-review-lollapalooza-alternative-rock-3bdff0edc503031aa39876948bcd45b6">top touring music festival, Lollapalooza.</a>&nbsp;Ozzfest has gone on to host such bands as Slipknot, Tool, Megadeth, Rob Zombie, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park.

Osbourne’s look changed little over his life. He wore his long hair flat, heavy black eye makeup and round glasses, often wearing a cross around his neck. In 2013, he reunited with Black Sabbath for the dour, raw “13,” which reached No. 1 on the U.K. Albums Chart and peaked at No. 86 on the U.S. Billboard 200. In 2019, he had a Top 10 hit when featured on Post Malone’s “Take What You Want,” Osbourne’s first song in the Top 10 since 1989.

In 2020, he released the album “Ordinary Man,” which had as its title song a duet with Elton John. “I’ve been a bad guy, been higher than the blue sky/And the truth is I don’t wanna die an ordinary man,” he sang. In 2022, he landed his first career back-to-back No. 1 rock radio singles from his album&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-movies-guillermo-del-toro-f18f7917834afb78533a38d67c2f934a">“Patient Number 9,”</a>&nbsp;which featured collaborations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeff-beck-dies-6fafc82a3f8fe8e27d6f6e39a215e28d">with Jeff Beck,</a>&nbsp;Eric Clapton, Mike McCready, Chad Smith, Robert Trujillo and Duff McKagan. It earned four Grammy nominations, winning two. (Osbourne won five Grammys over his lifetime.)

At the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rock-roll-hall-fame-2024-ceremony-631f31bd3ef6d72bd58c532ed380c031">Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2024,</a>&nbsp;Jack Black called him “greatest frontman in the history of rock 'n' roll” and “the Jack Nicholson of rock.” Osbourne thanked his fans, his guitarist Randy Rhoads and his longtime wife, Sharon.

John Michael Osbourne was raised in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-music-ab369c7227c644939afaae383444a13c">the gritty city of Birmingham.</a>&nbsp;Kids in school nicknamed him Ozzy, short for his surname. As a boy, he loved the Four Seasons, Chuck Berry and Little Richard. The Beatles made a huge impression.

“They came from Liverpool, which was approximately 60 miles north of where I come from,” he told Billboard. “So all of a sudden it was in my grasp, but I never thought it would be as successful as it became.”

In the late 1960s, Osbourne had teamed up with Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward as the Polka Tulk Blues Band. They decided to rename the band Earth, but found to their dismay there was another band with that name. So they changed the name to the American title of the classic Italian horror movie “I Tre Volti Della Paura,” starring Boris Karloff: Black Sabbath.

Once they found their sludgy, ominous groove, the band was productive, putting out their self-titled debut and “Paranoid” in 1970, “Master of Reality” in 1971, “Vol. 4” in 1972 and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” in 1973.

The music was all about industrial guitar riffs and disorienting changes in time signatures, along with lyrics that spoke of alienation and doom. “People think I’m insane because I am frowning all the time,” Osbourne sang in one song. “All day long I think of things but nothing seems to satisfy/Think I’ll lose my mind if I don’t find something to pacify.”

The Guardian newspaper in 2009 said the band “introduced working-class anger, stoner sludge grooves and witchy horror-rock to flower power. Black Sabbath confronted the empty platitudes of the 1960s and, along with Altamont and Charles Manson, almost certainly helped kill off the hippy counterculture.”

After Sabbath, Osbourne had an uncanny knack for calling some of the most creative young guitarists to his side. When he went solo, he hired the brilliant innovator Rhoads, who played on two of Osbourne’s finest solo albums, “Blizzard of Ozz” and “Diary of a Madman.” Rhoads was killed in a freak plane accident in 1982; Osbourne released the live album “Tribute” in 1987 in his memory.

Osbourne then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jake-e-lee-shooting-las-vegas-0b8693b456dd36cef956c652012b471e">signed Jake E. Lee,</a>&nbsp;who lent his talents to the platinum albums “Bark at the Moon” and “The Ultimate Sin.” Hotshot Zakk Wylde joined Osbourne’s band for “No Rest for the Wicked” and the multiplatinum “No More Tears.”

“They come along, they sprout wings, they blossom, and they fly off,” Osbourne said of his players in 1995 to The Associated Press. “But I have to move on. To get a new player now and again boosts me on.”

Courting controversy — and wholesomeness

Whomever he was playing with, Osbourne wasn’t likely to back down from controversy. He had the last laugh when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-swaggart-dies-obituary-ae4b9f551dc141cc820437ab7c194766">the TV evangelist the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart</a>&nbsp;in 1986 lambasted various rock groups and rock magazines as “the new pornography,” prompting some retailers to pull Osbourne’s album.

When Swaggart later was caught with a sex worker in 1988, Osbourne put out the song “Miracle Man” about his foe: “Miracle man got busted/miracle man got busted,” he sang. “Today I saw a Miracle Man, on TV cryin’/Such a hypocritical man, born again, dying.”

Much later, a whole new Osbourne would be revealed when “The Osbournes,” which ran on MTV from 2002-2005, showed this one-time self-proclaimed madman drinking Diet Cokes as he struggled to find the History Channel on his new satellite television or warning his kids not to smoke or drink before they embarked on a night on the town.

Later, he and his son Jack toured America on the travel show “Ozzy &amp; Jack’s World Detour,” where the pair visited such places as Mount Rushmore and the Space Center Houston. Osbourne was honored in 2014 with the naming of a bat frog found in the Amazon that makes high-pitched, batlike calls. It was dubbed Dendropsophus ozzyi.

He also met&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-timeline-c907149c5aba3565883da93bdc841b1f">Queen Elizabeth II during her Golden Jubilee weekend.</a>&nbsp;He was standing next to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-travel-london-parades-3d7f71614d527034fb1957989505daff">singer-actor Cliff Richard.</a>&nbsp;“She took one look at the two of us, said ‘Oh, so this is what they call variety, is it?’ then cracked up laughing. I honestly thought that Sharon had slipped some acid into my cornflakes that morning,” he wrote in “I Am Ozzy.”

Thelma Riley and Osbourne married in 1971; Osbourne adopted her son Elliot Kingsley, and they had two more children, Jessica and Louis. Osbourne later met Sharon, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sharon-osbourne-leaves-the-talk-racism-51c097c3f134120ce69fe87bc6dc7c3e">became her own celebrity persona,</a>&nbsp;when she was running her father’s Los Angeles office. Her father was Don Arden, a top concert promoter and artist manager. She went to Osbourne’s hotel in Los Angeles to collect money, which Osbourne had spent on drugs.

“She says she’ll come back in three days and I’d better have it. I’d always fancied her and I thought, ‘Ah, she’s coming back! Maybe I have a chance.’ I had pizza hanging from my hair, cigarette ashes on my shirt,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 2000. They married in 1982, had three children —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kelly-osbourne-health-coronavirus-pandemic-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-70bc37f513e36feecae628fc1327815a">Kelly</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-ozzy-osbourne-sharon-los-angeles-hollywood-041826e6758140be8cc1bfa49fa7afea">Aimee</a>&nbsp;and Jack — and endured&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/television-general-news-f807252eaa2148b0a05bbd1486319a1a">periodic separations</a>&nbsp;and reconciliations.

He is survived by Sharon, and his children.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753208493937.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ozzy-osbourne">Ozzy Osbourne,</a>&nbsp;the gloomy, demon-invoking lead singer of the pioneering band Black Sabbath who became the throaty, growling voice — and drug-and-alcohol ravaged id — of heavy metal, died Tuesday, just weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ozzy-osbourne-black-sabbath-farewell-concert-5ad32c2e2457e5862d8f3eef646f5711">his farewell show.</a>&nbsp;He was 76.“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,” a family statement from Birmingham, England, said. In 2020, he revealed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3225d3202dadb846cbae0a21fe62ba04">he had Parkinson’s disease</a>&nbsp;after suffering a fall.Either clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents’ groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat. Later, he would reveal himself to be a doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show “The Osbournes.”<h2>The Big Bang of heavy metal</h2>Black Sabbath’s 1969 self-titled debut LP has been likened to the Big Bang of heavy metal. It came during the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/the-vietnam-war-what-to-watch-read-and-hear">height of the Vietnam War</a>&nbsp;and crashed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vietnam-war-50-protest-songs-228cfe1d83613d3b56bd21ca0e7df2c4">hippie party,</a>&nbsp;dripping menace and foreboding. The cover of the record was of a spooky figure against a stark landscape. The music was loud, dense and angry, and marked a shift in rock ’n’ roll.The band’s second album, “Paranoid,” included such classic metal tunes as “War Pigs,” “Iron Man” and “Fairies Wear Boots.” The song “Paranoid” only reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 but became in many ways the band’s signature song. Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine.“Black Sabbath are the Beatles of heavy metal. Anybody who’s serious about metal will tell you it all comes down to Sabbath,” Dave Navarro of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/janes-addiction-fight-lawsuits-farrell-navarro-4f5bfd68078b85ad29055e149580f508">the band Jane’s Addiction</a>&nbsp;wrote in a 2010 tribute in Rolling Stone. “There’s a direct line you can draw back from today’s metal, through Eighties bands like Iron Maiden, back to Sabbath.”Sabbath fired Osbourne in 1979 for his legendary excesses, like showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs. “We knew we didn’t really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control. But we were all very down about the situation,” wrote bassist Terry “Geezer” Butler in his memoir, “Into the Void.”Osbourne reemerged the next year as a solo artist with “Blizzard of Ozz” and the following year’s “Diary of a Madman,” both hard rock classics that went multiplatinum and spawned enduring favorites such as “Crazy Train,” “Goodbye to Romance,” “Flying High Again” and “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll.” Osbourne was twice inducted to the Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame — once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo artist.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/black-sabbath-heavy-metal-ozzy-osbourne-birmingham-e46239b93d954e5d464d44554d6cff64">original Sabbath lineup reunited</a>&nbsp;for the first time in 20 years in July for what Osbourne said would be his final concert. “Let the madness begin!” he told 42,000 fans in Birmingham.Metallica, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Rival Sons and Mastodon all did sets. Tom Morello, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Billy Corgan, Ronnie Wood, Travis Barker, Sammy Hagar and more made appearances. Actor Jason Momoa was the host for the festivities.“Black Sabbath: we’d all be different people without them, that’s the truth,” said Pantera singer Phil Anselmo. “I know I wouldn’t be up here with a microphone in my hand without Black Sabbath.”<h2>Outlandish exploits and a classic look</h2>Osbourne embodied the excesses of metal. His outlandish exploits included relieving himself on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/peewee-herman-movie-bike-alamo-basement-8b4e8caa1417d20ce6c4076314d99d0d">the Alamo,</a>&nbsp;snorting a line of ants off a sidewalk and, most memorably, biting the head off the live bat that a fan threw onstage during a 1981 concert. (He said he thought it was rubber.)Osbourne was sued in 1987 by parents of a 19-year-old teen who died by suicide while listening to his song “Suicide Solution.” The lawsuit was dismissed. Osbourne said the song was really about the dangers of alcohol, which caused the death of his friend Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarrick-anonymous-letters-vatican-aaaf35410f25b909893addd004cc09e3">Then-Cardinal John J. O’Connor of New York</a>&nbsp;claimed in 1990 that Osbourne’s songs led to demonic possession and even suicide. “You are ignorant about the true meaning of my songs,” the singer wrote back. “You have also insulted the intelligence of rock fans all over the world.”Audiences at Osbourne shows could be mooned or spit on by the singer. They would often be hectored to scream along with the song, but the Satan-invoking Osbourne would usually send the crowds home with their ears ringing and a hearty “God bless!”He started an annual tour — Ozzfest — in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what was then the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/book-review-lollapalooza-alternative-rock-3bdff0edc503031aa39876948bcd45b6">top touring music festival, Lollapalooza.</a>&nbsp;Ozzfest has gone on to host such bands as Slipknot, Tool, Megadeth, Rob Zombie, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park.Osbourne’s look changed little over his life. He wore his long hair flat, heavy black eye makeup and round glasses, often wearing a cross around his neck. In 2013, he reunited with Black Sabbath for the dour, raw “13,” which reached No. 1 on the U.K. Albums Chart and peaked at No. 86 on the U.S. Billboard 200. In 2019, he had a Top 10 hit when featured on Post Malone’s “Take What You Want,” Osbourne’s first song in the Top 10 since 1989.In 2020, he released the album “Ordinary Man,” which had as its title song a duet with Elton John. “I’ve been a bad guy, been higher than the blue sky/And the truth is I don’t wanna die an ordinary man,” he sang. In 2022, he landed his first career back-to-back No. 1 rock radio singles from his album&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-movies-guillermo-del-toro-f18f7917834afb78533a38d67c2f934a">“Patient Number 9,”</a>&nbsp;which featured collaborations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeff-beck-dies-6fafc82a3f8fe8e27d6f6e39a215e28d">with Jeff Beck,</a>&nbsp;Eric Clapton, Mike McCready, Chad Smith, Robert Trujillo and Duff McKagan. It earned four Grammy nominations, winning two. (Osbourne won five Grammys over his lifetime.)At the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rock-roll-hall-fame-2024-ceremony-631f31bd3ef6d72bd58c532ed380c031">Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2024,</a>&nbsp;Jack Black called him “greatest frontman in the history of rock 'n' roll” and “the Jack Nicholson of rock.” Osbourne thanked his fans, his guitarist Randy Rhoads and his longtime wife, Sharon.<h2>The beginnings of Black Sabbath</h2>John Michael Osbourne was raised in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-music-ab369c7227c644939afaae383444a13c">the gritty city of Birmingham.</a>&nbsp;Kids in school nicknamed him Ozzy, short for his surname. As a boy, he loved the Four Seasons, Chuck Berry and Little Richard. The Beatles made a huge impression.“They came from Liverpool, which was approximately 60 miles north of where I come from,” he told Billboard. “So all of a sudden it was in my grasp, but I never thought it would be as successful as it became.”In the late 1960s, Osbourne had teamed up with Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward as the Polka Tulk Blues Band. They decided to rename the band Earth, but found to their dismay there was another band with that name. So they changed the name to the American title of the classic Italian horror movie “I Tre Volti Della Paura,” starring Boris Karloff: Black Sabbath.Once they found their sludgy, ominous groove, the band was productive, putting out their self-titled debut and “Paranoid” in 1970, “Master of Reality” in 1971, “Vol. 4” in 1972 and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” in 1973.The music was all about industrial guitar riffs and disorienting changes in time signatures, along with lyrics that spoke of alienation and doom. “People think I’m insane because I am frowning all the time,” Osbourne sang in one song. “All day long I think of things but nothing seems to satisfy/Think I’ll lose my mind if I don’t find something to pacify.”The Guardian newspaper in 2009 said the band “introduced working-class anger, stoner sludge grooves and witchy horror-rock to flower power. Black Sabbath confronted the empty platitudes of the 1960s and, along with Altamont and Charles Manson, almost certainly helped kill off the hippy counterculture.”After Sabbath, Osbourne had an uncanny knack for calling some of the most creative young guitarists to his side. When he went solo, he hired the brilliant innovator Rhoads, who played on two of Osbourne’s finest solo albums, “Blizzard of Ozz” and “Diary of a Madman.” Rhoads was killed in a freak plane accident in 1982; Osbourne released the live album “Tribute” in 1987 in his memory.Osbourne then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jake-e-lee-shooting-las-vegas-0b8693b456dd36cef956c652012b471e">signed Jake E. Lee,</a>&nbsp;who lent his talents to the platinum albums “Bark at the Moon” and “The Ultimate Sin.” Hotshot Zakk Wylde joined Osbourne’s band for “No Rest for the Wicked” and the multiplatinum “No More Tears.”“They come along, they sprout wings, they blossom, and they fly off,” Osbourne said of his players in 1995 to The Associated Press. “But I have to move on. To get a new player now and again boosts me on.”<h2>Courting controversy — and wholesomeness</h2>Whomever he was playing with, Osbourne wasn’t likely to back down from controversy. He had the last laugh when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-swaggart-dies-obituary-ae4b9f551dc141cc820437ab7c194766">the TV evangelist the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart</a>&nbsp;in 1986 lambasted various rock groups and rock magazines as “the new pornography,” prompting some retailers to pull Osbourne’s album.When Swaggart later was caught with a sex worker in 1988, Osbourne put out the song “Miracle Man” about his foe: “Miracle man got busted/miracle man got busted,” he sang. “Today I saw a Miracle Man, on TV cryin’/Such a hypocritical man, born again, dying.”Much later, a whole new Osbourne would be revealed when “The Osbournes,” which ran on MTV from 2002-2005, showed this one-time self-proclaimed madman drinking Diet Cokes as he struggled to find the History Channel on his new satellite television or warning his kids not to smoke or drink before they embarked on a night on the town.Later, he and his son Jack toured America on the travel show “Ozzy &amp; Jack’s World Detour,” where the pair visited such places as Mount Rushmore and the Space Center Houston. Osbourne was honored in 2014 with the naming of a bat frog found in the Amazon that makes high-pitched, batlike calls. It was dubbed Dendropsophus ozzyi.He also met&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-timeline-c907149c5aba3565883da93bdc841b1f">Queen Elizabeth II during her Golden Jubilee weekend.</a>&nbsp;He was standing next to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-travel-london-parades-3d7f71614d527034fb1957989505daff">singer-actor Cliff Richard.</a>&nbsp;“She took one look at the two of us, said ‘Oh, so this is what they call variety, is it?’ then cracked up laughing. I honestly thought that Sharon had slipped some acid into my cornflakes that morning,” he wrote in “I Am Ozzy.”Thelma Riley and Osbourne married in 1971; Osbourne adopted her son Elliot Kingsley, and they had two more children, Jessica and Louis. Osbourne later met Sharon, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sharon-osbourne-leaves-the-talk-racism-51c097c3f134120ce69fe87bc6dc7c3e">became her own celebrity persona,</a>&nbsp;when she was running her father’s Los Angeles office. Her father was Don Arden, a top concert promoter and artist manager. She went to Osbourne’s hotel in Los Angeles to collect money, which Osbourne had spent on drugs.“She says she’ll come back in three days and I’d better have it. I’d always fancied her and I thought, ‘Ah, she’s coming back! Maybe I have a chance.’ I had pizza hanging from my hair, cigarette ashes on my shirt,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 2000. They married in 1982, had three children —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kelly-osbourne-health-coronavirus-pandemic-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-70bc37f513e36feecae628fc1327815a">Kelly</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-ozzy-osbourne-sharon-los-angeles-hollywood-041826e6758140be8cc1bfa49fa7afea">Aimee</a>&nbsp;and Jack — and endured&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/television-general-news-f807252eaa2148b0a05bbd1486319a1a">periodic separations</a>&nbsp;and reconciliations.He is survived by Sharon, and his children.-------------

Heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne dead at 76

The Missouri Supreme Court is questioning whether it should be the tribunal to hear the appeal of a Jackson County decision blocking enforcement of most Missouri abortion laws and regulations

BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

The Missouri Supreme Court isn’t as ready to hear the appeal of a ruling that allowed abortions to resume in the state as Attorney General Andrew Bailey&nbsp;is to argue it&nbsp;in front of the seven judges.

In filings for an appeal of Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/03/missouri-abortion-rights-amendment-trumps-most-restrictions-judge-rules/">July 3 preliminary injunction</a>, Bailey’s office asked for an expedited schedule and a hearing the week of Aug. 11. The two Planned Parenthood organizations suing to block enforcement of laws regulating abortion, represented by the ACLU of Missouri, agreed there should be an expedited schedule but suggested arguments the week of Aug. 18 would be better.

But instead of setting a schedule, the court has directed the attorneys to explain why it should hear arguments at all. The two sides&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/SC101176show%20cause%20order.PDF?courtCode=SC&amp;di=210465" target="_blank">have until Friday</a>&nbsp;“to show cause as to why this court has exclusive appellate jurisdiction over this appeal” under&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=V++++3&amp;bid=31898&amp;constit=y" target="_blank">the Missouri Constitution</a>.

“It means somebody’s questioning whether they’ve got the authority, the jurisdictional authority, to hear this case,” said Heidi Vollet, an attorney fromJefferson City who clerked for then-U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist in 2001 and teaches appellate law to other practicing attorneys for continuing legal education.&nbsp;

“That doesn’t mean they’ve decided one way or the other, that they do or do not,” she said. “So show cause means that they’re concerned enough about it that there’s a question and they want to hear from the parties on that subject.”

Zhang’s July 3 ruling allowed surgical abortions to resume, and Planned Parenthood clinics are providing appointments for women in St. Louis, Columbia and Kansas City. The clinics cannot offer medication abortions because the ruling did not block enforcement of a law requiring clinics to have complication plans for women who experience issues after taking the drugs. The state has thus far not signed off on a complication plan submitted earlier this year.

The order blocked the regulation describing what must be in the complication plan, such as access to a physician at all hours, but not the law itself requiring the plans.

Vollet said the Supreme Court has a limited number of cases where the law bypasses the three district appellate courts, usually the first stop in the appeals process. One set of cases involve the validity “of a statute or provision of the constitution of this state…”

If the type of case isn’t listed with the categories where the Supreme Court has exclusive jurisdiction, an appeal must generally be filed first with the court of appeals.

The show-cause order’s reference to the court’s exclusive jurisdiction is not a question the court had to ask, said former Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Wolff.

“The Supreme Court has the authority to bypass the court of appeals and take an appeal directly,” Wolff said.

It will be up to Bailey’s office to show the court it has exclusive jurisdiction, or for Planned Parenthood to admit that having a statute declared invalid is their goal, for the court to agree to hear the case, Wolff said.

Bailey’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The ACLU said the court made the right move by issuing the show-cause order.

“The Missouri Supreme Court is correct to seek the parties’ positions to the question of jurisdiction,” said spokesman Tom Bastian. “This is the first time we have seen a direct appeal on a circuit court ordered preliminary injunction to the Missouri Supreme Court, whose authority is set by the Constitution.”

In the appeal, Bailey’s office is asking the court to decide that the case should not be before Zhang at all, but in Cole County. The appeal also asks the court to declare that Zhang used the wrong legal standard when issuing the preliminary injunction.

Because the ruling from Zhang is a preliminary injunction, it is not final. That means she has not yet decided whether the state laws her orders block violate the terms of the abortion rights amendment approved by voters in November. Instead, her decision is based on the likelihood the Planned Parenthood plaintiffs will prevail at trial and which side is damaged more, the plaintiffs if the laws are enforced or the state that will see its laws go unenforced.

The show-cause order doesn’t necessarily alter the timeline either party requested for an expedited hearing, Vollet said.

“They absolutely are interested to know about jurisdiction,” she said. “And they’re looking at that presumably before they order a certain time frame.”

This is the second time the question of whether Zhang had grounds to block enforcement of state abortion laws and regulations has come before the court. In May, the court issued a writ ordering Zhang to withdraw&nbsp;two previous preliminary injunctions&nbsp;issued by Zhang.

It is the first time Bailey’s office has used a power&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/14/missouri-lawmakers-approve-bill-targeting-pending-abortion-lawsuit/">newly granted by the legislature</a>&nbsp;to appeal a preliminary injunction that blocks enforcement of any provision of the constitution, state law or regulation.

The law was an attack on abortion rights, Bastian said, because it was passed only because of the case being heard by Zhang.

“The law allows the state, and only the state, to appeal interlocutory preliminary injunctions that temporarily block the enforcement of laws that likely violate the constitution,” Bastian said.

But the new law, which took effect April 24 with Gov. Mike Kehoe’s signature, does not assign jurisdiction over those appeals to a particular court.&nbsp;

“For very good reason, if this doesn’t belong in the Supreme Court, they’re much better off,” Wolff said. “This is my personal view of it, but by letting the Court of Appeals decide this in the first instance, and then they can take it, take transfer or not take transfer, depending on how badly the court of appeals screwed it up, or not at all.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753206867141.png" alt=" The Missouri Supreme Court issued a show-cause order last week asking why it should hear the appeal of a preliminary injunction that made abortion legally available in the state. The judges, shown in a Sept. 10, 2024, photo, are, from left, Kelly Broniec, Robin Ransom, W. Brent Powell, Chief Justice Mary Russell, Zel Fischer, Paul Wilson and Ginger Gooch. (Pool photo by Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch)." />
 <figcaption> The Missouri Supreme Court issued a show-cause order last week asking why it should hear the appeal of a preliminary injunction that made abortion legally available in the state. The judges, shown in a Sept. 10, 2024, photo, are, from left, Kelly Broniec, Robin Ransom, W. Brent Powell, Chief Justice Mary Russell, Zel Fischer, Paul Wilson and Ginger Gooch. (Pool photo by Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The Missouri Supreme Court is questioning whether it should be the tribunal to hear the appeal of a Jackson County decision blocking enforcement of most Missouri abortion laws and regulations</h2>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>The Missouri Supreme Court isn’t as ready to hear the appeal of a ruling that allowed abortions to resume in the state as Attorney General Andrew Bailey&nbsp;is to argue it&nbsp;in front of the seven judges.In filings for an appeal of Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/03/missouri-abortion-rights-amendment-trumps-most-restrictions-judge-rules/">July 3 preliminary injunction</a>, Bailey’s office asked for an expedited schedule and a hearing the week of Aug. 11. The two Planned Parenthood organizations suing to block enforcement of laws regulating abortion, represented by the ACLU of Missouri, agreed there should be an expedited schedule but suggested arguments the week of Aug. 18 would be better.But instead of setting a schedule, the court has directed the attorneys to explain why it should hear arguments at all. The two sides&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/SC101176show%20cause%20order.PDF?courtCode=SC&amp;di=210465" target="_blank">have until Friday</a>&nbsp;“to show cause as to why this court has exclusive appellate jurisdiction over this appeal” under&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=V++++3&amp;bid=31898&amp;constit=y" target="_blank">the Missouri Constitution</a>.“It means somebody’s questioning whether they’ve got the authority, the jurisdictional authority, to hear this case,” said Heidi Vollet, an attorney fromJefferson City who clerked for then-U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist in 2001 and teaches appellate law to other practicing attorneys for continuing legal education.&nbsp;“That doesn’t mean they’ve decided one way or the other, that they do or do not,” she said. “So show cause means that they’re concerned enough about it that there’s a question and they want to hear from the parties on that subject.”Zhang’s July 3 ruling allowed surgical abortions to resume, and Planned Parenthood clinics are providing appointments for women in St. Louis, Columbia and Kansas City. The clinics cannot offer medication abortions because the ruling did not block enforcement of a law requiring clinics to have complication plans for women who experience issues after taking the drugs. The state has thus far not signed off on a complication plan submitted earlier this year.The order blocked the regulation describing what must be in the complication plan, such as access to a physician at all hours, but not the law itself requiring the plans.Vollet said the Supreme Court has a limited number of cases where the law bypasses the three district appellate courts, usually the first stop in the appeals process. One set of cases involve the validity “of a statute or provision of the constitution of this state…”If the type of case isn’t listed with the categories where the Supreme Court has exclusive jurisdiction, an appeal must generally be filed first with the court of appeals.The show-cause order’s reference to the court’s exclusive jurisdiction is not a question the court had to ask, said former Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Wolff.“The Supreme Court has the authority to bypass the court of appeals and take an appeal directly,” Wolff said.It will be up to Bailey’s office to show the court it has exclusive jurisdiction, or for Planned Parenthood to admit that having a statute declared invalid is their goal, for the court to agree to hear the case, Wolff said.Bailey’s office did not respond to a request for comment.The ACLU said the court made the right move by issuing the show-cause order.“The Missouri Supreme Court is correct to seek the parties’ positions to the question of jurisdiction,” said spokesman Tom Bastian. “This is the first time we have seen a direct appeal on a circuit court ordered preliminary injunction to the Missouri Supreme Court, whose authority is set by the Constitution.”In the appeal, Bailey’s office is asking the court to decide that the case should not be before Zhang at all, but in Cole County. The appeal also asks the court to declare that Zhang used the wrong legal standard when issuing the preliminary injunction.Because the ruling from Zhang is a preliminary injunction, it is not final. That means she has not yet decided whether the state laws her orders block violate the terms of the abortion rights amendment approved by voters in November. Instead, her decision is based on the likelihood the Planned Parenthood plaintiffs will prevail at trial and which side is damaged more, the plaintiffs if the laws are enforced or the state that will see its laws go unenforced.The show-cause order doesn’t necessarily alter the timeline either party requested for an expedited hearing, Vollet said.“They absolutely are interested to know about jurisdiction,” she said. “And they’re looking at that presumably before they order a certain time frame.”This is the second time the question of whether Zhang had grounds to block enforcement of state abortion laws and regulations has come before the court. In May, the court issued a writ ordering Zhang to withdraw&nbsp;two previous preliminary injunctions&nbsp;issued by Zhang.It is the first time Bailey’s office has used a power&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/14/missouri-lawmakers-approve-bill-targeting-pending-abortion-lawsuit/">newly granted by the legislature</a>&nbsp;to appeal a preliminary injunction that blocks enforcement of any provision of the constitution, state law or regulation.The law was an attack on abortion rights, Bastian said, because it was passed only because of the case being heard by Zhang.“The law allows the state, and only the state, to appeal interlocutory preliminary injunctions that temporarily block the enforcement of laws that likely violate the constitution,” Bastian said.But the new law, which took effect April 24 with Gov. Mike Kehoe’s signature, does not assign jurisdiction over those appeals to a particular court.&nbsp;“For very good reason, if this doesn’t belong in the Supreme Court, they’re much better off,” Wolff said. “This is my personal view of it, but by letting the Court of Appeals decide this in the first instance, and then they can take it, take transfer or not take transfer, depending on how badly the court of appeals screwed it up, or not at all.”

Jurisdiction issues emerge in AG’s appeal of ruling legalizing abortion in Missouri

Zabe and the suspect were located in Mantoon, Illinois at 12:25 p.m. and are in custody by local authorities. The child is now safe.

SHAWNEE COUNTY– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has issued an Amber Alert for 2-year-old Zabe Mendez, who was reportedly abducted from Topeka on July 21.

Zabe Mendez was forcibly taken from his mother by an unknown suspect.  Zabe is in imminent danger.  His mother’s white four-door Lexus with unknown Kansas tag is also missing.

Zabe Mendez is a Hispanic male, around 2 feet 5 inches tall, who weighs around 40 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.

Call 911 immediately if you have seen the missing child or the suspect’s vehicle. If you have other information call 1-800-KS-CRIME.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753203309827.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Zabe and the suspect were located in Mantoon, Illinois at 12:25 p.m. and are in custody by local authorities. The child is now safe.-----SHAWNEE COUNTY– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has issued an Amber Alert for 2-year-old Zabe Mendez, who was reportedly abducted from Topeka on July 21.Zabe Mendez was forcibly taken from his mother by an unknown suspect. Zabe is in imminent danger. His mother’s white four-door Lexus with unknown Kansas tag is also missing.Zabe Mendez is a Hispanic male, around 2 feet 5 inches tall, who weighs around 40 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.Call 911 immediately if you have seen the missing child or the suspect’s vehicle. If you have other information call 1-800-KS-CRIME.<figure>
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KBI: Amber Alert for Kansas boy canceled, suspect in custody

WASHINGTON (AP) —Coca-Cola said Tuesday it will add a cane-sugar version of its trademark cola to its U.S. lineup this fall, confirming a recent announcement by President Donald Trump.

Trump said in a social media post last week that Coca-Cola had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-coca-cola-real-sugar-corn-syrup-be3111be856dcffea8c5e004259c37c8">agreed to use real cane sugar</a>&nbsp;in its flagship product in the U.S., which has been sweetened with high fructose corn syrup since the 1980s. Coke didn't immediately confirm the change, but promised new offerings soon.

On Tuesday, Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey said Coke will expand its product range “to reflect consumer interest in differentiated experiences.”

“We appreciate the president’s enthusiasm for our Coca-Cola brand,” Quincey said in a conference call with investors Tuesday. “We are definitely looking to use the whole tool kit of available sweetening options."

Quincey noted that Coke uses cane sugar in some other U.S. drinks, like its Simply brand lemonade and Honest Tea. Coke has also sold&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-c074fc0b315e4625bdd7810112215bb7">Mexican Coke</a>, which is made with cane sugar, in the U.S. since 2005.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to innovate and see whether there’s an intersection of new ideas and where consumer preferences are evolving,” Quincey said. “It’s a good sign that the industry, including ourselves, are trying lots of different things.”

Rivals PepsiCo and Dr Pepper have been selling versions of their trademark colas sweetened with cane sugar in the U.S. since 2009.

Asked if Coke would also consider introducing a prebiotic version of its trademark cola — as PepsiCo did this week — Quincey said the company is currently selling a Coke with added fiber in Japan and is studying consumer response to it.

Quincey said consumer demand for its products improved in the second quarter in many markets, including China, Europe, Africa and North America.

“I would I would say overall that the global economy and the global consumer remains resilient,” Quincey said.

But early monsoons and conflict hurt demand in India, and Quincey said demand in Thailand and Indonesia was also weaker than expected. Quincey also said lower-income consumers in the U.S. and elsewhere have also pulled back on spending.

Global case volumes of Coca-Cola fell 1%. Juice, dairy and plant-based beverages fell 4%, Coke said. Sports drink case volumes were down 3%, as higher demand in North America was offset by declines in Latin America.

One bright spot was Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, which saw case volumes grow 14%. Traditional Coca-Cola still&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cocacola-making-coke-cane-sugar-0404b23518e65e2e6cd3487381411d7f">far outsells the zero-sugar variety</a>, but consumer demand for zero-sugar versions is growing much more quickly.

In North America, case volumes fell 1%, but that was an improvement from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cocacola-profit-tariffs-earnings-2fc769ce037319481ff365caf6933b77">first quarter</a>, when they were down 3%.

Quincey said Hispanic sales in the U.S. returned to normal levels by the end of June. They had plummeted starting in February, when a social media video began circulating that claimed Coke was reporting its own workers to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

Quincey said the claim was false. The company has been trying to win back Hispanic consumers with targeted deals and ads touting the company’s local economic impact.

“It was still a headwind in the second quarter but the issue is now largely resolved,” Quincey said Tuesday.

Coca-Cola reported better-than-expected earnings in the second quarter as higher prices offset the weaker volumes. Coke said pricing rose 6% globally.

Revenue for the Atlanta company rose 1% to $12.5 billion. Adjusted for one-time items, quarterly revenue was $12.6 billion. That was in line with Wall Street’s forecast, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

Net income jumped 58% to $3.8 billion. Coke's adjusted net income was 87 cents, which was higher than the 83 cents Wall Street forecast.

Coke said it now expects full-year adjusted earnings to grow 8%. At the start of the year, Coke had expected earnings to grow 8% to 10%, but in April it lowered that range to 7% to 9%. Coke earned $2.88 per share in 2024.

Shares of Coca-Cola Co. were down 1% in early trading Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) —Coca-Cola said Tuesday it will add a cane-sugar version of its trademark cola to its U.S. lineup this fall, confirming a recent announcement by President Donald Trump.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">&quot;I have been speaking to <a href="https://twitter.com/CocaCola?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CocaCola</a> about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so. I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!&quot; –President Donald J. Trump <a href="https://t.co/9L27oxlYUj">pic.twitter.com/9L27oxlYUj</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1945588887847375341?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump said in a social media post last week that Coca-Cola had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-coca-cola-real-sugar-corn-syrup-be3111be856dcffea8c5e004259c37c8">agreed to use real cane sugar</a>&nbsp;in its flagship product in the U.S., which has been sweetened with high fructose corn syrup since the 1980s. Coke didn't immediately confirm the change, but promised new offerings soon.On Tuesday, Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey said Coke will expand its product range “to reflect consumer interest in differentiated experiences.”“We appreciate the president’s enthusiasm for our Coca-Cola brand,” Quincey said in a conference call with investors Tuesday. “We are definitely looking to use the whole tool kit of available sweetening options."Quincey noted that Coke uses cane sugar in some other U.S. drinks, like its Simply brand lemonade and Honest Tea. Coke has also sold&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-c074fc0b315e4625bdd7810112215bb7">Mexican Coke</a>, which is made with cane sugar, in the U.S. since 2005.“We’re always looking for opportunities to innovate and see whether there’s an intersection of new ideas and where consumer preferences are evolving,” Quincey said. “It’s a good sign that the industry, including ourselves, are trying lots of different things.”Rivals PepsiCo and Dr Pepper have been selling versions of their trademark colas sweetened with cane sugar in the U.S. since 2009.Asked if Coke would also consider introducing a prebiotic version of its trademark cola — as PepsiCo did this week — Quincey said the company is currently selling a Coke with added fiber in Japan and is studying consumer response to it.Quincey said consumer demand for its products improved in the second quarter in many markets, including China, Europe, Africa and North America.“I would I would say overall that the global economy and the global consumer remains resilient,” Quincey said.But early monsoons and conflict hurt demand in India, and Quincey said demand in Thailand and Indonesia was also weaker than expected. Quincey also said lower-income consumers in the U.S. and elsewhere have also pulled back on spending.Global case volumes of Coca-Cola fell 1%. Juice, dairy and plant-based beverages fell 4%, Coke said. Sports drink case volumes were down 3%, as higher demand in North America was offset by declines in Latin America.One bright spot was Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, which saw case volumes grow 14%. Traditional Coca-Cola still&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cocacola-making-coke-cane-sugar-0404b23518e65e2e6cd3487381411d7f">far outsells the zero-sugar variety</a>, but consumer demand for zero-sugar versions is growing much more quickly.In North America, case volumes fell 1%, but that was an improvement from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cocacola-profit-tariffs-earnings-2fc769ce037319481ff365caf6933b77">first quarter</a>, when they were down 3%.Quincey said Hispanic sales in the U.S. returned to normal levels by the end of June. They had plummeted starting in February, when a social media video began circulating that claimed Coke was reporting its own workers to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.Quincey said the claim was false. The company has been trying to win back Hispanic consumers with targeted deals and ads touting the company’s local economic impact.“It was still a headwind in the second quarter but the issue is now largely resolved,” Quincey said Tuesday.Coca-Cola reported better-than-expected earnings in the second quarter as higher prices offset the weaker volumes. Coke said pricing rose 6% globally.Revenue for the Atlanta company rose 1% to $12.5 billion. Adjusted for one-time items, quarterly revenue was $12.6 billion. That was in line with Wall Street’s forecast, according to analysts polled by FactSet.Net income jumped 58% to $3.8 billion. Coke's adjusted net income was 87 cents, which was higher than the 83 cents Wall Street forecast.Coke said it now expects full-year adjusted earnings to grow 8%. At the start of the year, Coke had expected earnings to grow 8% to 10%, but in April it lowered that range to 7% to 9%. Coke earned $2.88 per share in 2024.Shares of Coca-Cola Co. were down 1% in early trading Tuesday.

Coca-Cola to add new drink made with cane sugar after Trump's request

JOHNSON COUNTY —First responders found the body of a missing woman in a Johnson County creek on Monday.

Just after 9:30a.m. Monday, police responded to report of a missing person in the area of W 155th Terrace and Nall Avenue in Overland Park, according to Overland Park Police officer John Lacy.&nbsp; A family member reported the missing person identified as 62-year-old Anupama Vaidya of Overland Park&nbsp; frequently walked a nearby trail west of Nall Avenue.

Officers went to the trail and found Mrs. Vaidya in a nearby creek.&nbsp; Due to the heavy rain, the creek was overflowing above the banks at the time the police were notified of the missing person.&nbsp; Overland Park&nbsp; Department Fire Rescue assisted in recovery of the body. The incident remains under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753180987400.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —First responders found the body of a missing woman in a Johnson County creek on Monday.Just after 9:30a.m. Monday, police responded to report of a missing person in the area of W 155th Terrace and Nall Avenue in Overland Park, according to Overland Park Police officer John Lacy.&nbsp; A family member reported the missing person identified as 62-year-old Anupama Vaidya of Overland Park&nbsp; frequently walked a nearby trail west of Nall Avenue.Officers went to the trail and found Mrs. Vaidya in a nearby creek.&nbsp; Due to the heavy rain, the creek was overflowing above the banks at the time the police were notified of the missing person.&nbsp; Overland Park&nbsp; Department Fire Rescue assisted in recovery of the body. The incident remains under investigation.

Police: Kan. woman on walk swept away in flash flooding

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Anyone firing up the grill this summer already knows hamburger patties and steaks are expensive, but the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-trump-fed-powell-prices-8842d6ebca9d1870983e678e578d2091">latest numbers</a>&nbsp;show prices have climbed to record highs.

And experts say consumers shouldn't expect much relief soon either.

The average price of a pound of ground beef rose to $6.12 in June, up nearly 12% from a year ago, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-price-index-average-price-data.htm">U.S. government data</a>. The average price of all uncooked beef steaks rose 8% to $11.49 per pound.

But this is not a recent phenomenon. Beef prices have been steadily rising over the past 20 years because the supply of cattle remains tight while beef remains popular.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692124742533.jpg" alt="Image Pixaby" />
 <figcaption>Image Pixaby</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Anyone firing up the grill this summer already knows hamburger patties and steaks are expensive, but the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-trump-fed-powell-prices-8842d6ebca9d1870983e678e578d2091">latest numbers</a>&nbsp;show prices have climbed to record highs.And experts say consumers shouldn't expect much relief soon either.The average price of a pound of ground beef rose to $6.12 in June, up nearly 12% from a year ago, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-price-index-average-price-data.htm">U.S. government data</a>. The average price of all uncooked beef steaks rose 8% to $11.49 per pound.But this is not a recent phenomenon. Beef prices have been steadily rising over the past 20 years because the supply of cattle remains tight while beef remains popular.In fact, the U.S. cattle herd has been steadily shrinking for decades. As of Jan. 1, the U.S. had 86.7 million cattle and calves, down 8% from the most recent peak in 2019. That is the lowest number of cattle since 1951, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Many factors including drought and cattle prices have contributed to that decline. And now the emergence of a pesky parasite in Mexico and the prospect of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-africa-caribbean-c0307a66f3fbab26c0ece454d78e48cb">widespread tariffs</a>&nbsp;may further reduce supply and raise prices.Here's a look at what's causing the price of beef to rise.<h2>Smaller herd</h2>The American beef industry has gotten better at breeding larger animals, so ranchers can provide the same amount of beef with fewer cattle, said David Anderson, a livestock economist at Texas A&amp;M.Then in 2020, a three-year drought began that dried out pastures and raised the cost of feed for cattle, according to the American Farm Bureau. Drought has continued to be a problem across the West since then, and the price of feed has put more pressure on ranchers who already operate on slim profit margins.In response, many farmers slaughtered more female cattle than usual, which helped beef supplies in the short term but lowered the size of future herds. Lower cattle supplies has raised prices.In recent years cattle prices have soared, so that now animals are selling for thousands of dollars apiece. Recent prices show cattle selling for more than $230 per hundredweight, or hundred pounds.Those higher prices give ranchers more incentive to sell cows now to capture profits instead of hanging onto them for breeding given that prices in the years ahead may decrease, Anderson said.“For them, the balance is, ‘Do I sell that animal now and take this record high check?’ Or ‘do I keep her to realize her returns over her productive life when she’s having calves?’” Anderson said. “And so it’s this balancing act and so far the side that’s been winning is to sell her and get the check.”<h2>Disease dilemma</h2>The emergence of a flesh-eating pest in cattle herds in Mexico has put extra pressure on supply because officials cut off all imports of cattle from south of the border last year. Some 4% of the cattle the U.S. feeds to slaughter for beef comes from Mexico.The pest is the New World screwworm fly, and female flies lay eggs in wounds on warm-blooded animals. The larvae that hatch are unusual among flies for feeding on live flesh and fluids instead of dead material. American officials worry that if the fly reaches Texas, its flesh-eating maggots could cause large economic losses as they did decades ago before the U.S. eradicated the pest.Agricultural economist Bernt Nelson with the Farm Bureau said the loss of that many cattle is putting additional pressure on supply that is helping drive prices higher.<h2>Tariff trouble</h2>President Donald Trump's tariffs have yet to have a major impact on beef prices but they could be another factor that drives prices higher because the U.S. imports more than 4 billion pounds of beef every year.Much of what is imported is lean beef trimmings that meatpackers mix with fattier beef produced in the U.S. to produce the varieties of ground beef that domestic consumers want. Much of that lean beef comes from Australia and New Zealand that have only seen a 10% tariff, but some of it comes from Brazil where Trump has threatened tariffs as high as 50%.If the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/beef-tariffs-cattle-rancher-prices-china-exports-55330afb6276c51015ef4e312686cba1">tariffs remain in place long-term</a>, meat processors will have to pay higher prices on imported lean beef. It wouldn't be easy for U.S. producers to replace because the country's system is geared toward producing fattier beef known for marbled steaks.<h2>Prices will likely stay high</h2>It's the height of grilling season and demand in the U.S. for beef remains strong, which Kansas State agricultural economist Glynn Tonsor said will help keep prices higher.If prices remain this high, shoppers will likely start to buy more hamburger meat and fewer steaks, but that doesn't appear to be happening broadly yet — and people also don't seem to be buying chicken or pork instead of beef.Nelson said that recently the drought has eased — allowing pasture conditions to improve — and grain prices are down thanks to the drop in export demand for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/president-donald-trump-tariffs-agriculture-china-d5674c21e240acdc72cde76e474f172a">corn because of the tariffs</a>. Those factors, combined with the high cattle prices might persuade more ranchers to keep their cows and breed them to expand the size of their herds.Even if ranchers decided to raise more cattle to help replace those imports, it would take at least two years to breed and raise them. And it wouldn't be clear if that is happening until later this fall when ranchers typically make those decisions.“We’ve still got a lot of barriers in the way to grow this herd,” Nelson said. Just consider that a young farmer who wants to add 25 bred heifers to his herd has to be prepared to spend more than $100,000 at auction at a time when borrowing costs remain high.There is typically a seasonal decline in beef prices as grilling season slows down into the fall, but those price declines are likely to be modest.___