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Tag: Missouri

  • Snowy footprints lead police to alleged vape thief

    Fresh snow in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, helped police officers find a suspect in a business break-in and theft over the weekend. Police responded to a business alarm in the 1300 block of Southwest Market Street early Sunday. When they arrived, they discovered the front door was shattered. Officers checked the building and learned a “large quantity” of nicotine vapes were stolen. Outside the business, the suspect left behind a major clue: a trail of footprints in the snow. Police used a thermal-imaging drone, plus the assistance of K-9 officer Roy, to track the footprints back to a nearby home. Officers made contact with the residents inside, and a juvenile reportedly admitted to the burglary and showed officers the stolen vapes. “Thanks to a quick response, teamwork, and some helpful snowy conditions, the suspect was taken into custody, and the stolen property was returned to the business,” police said on social media. Charges are pending, police said. The suspect’s age was not specified, but the case was submitted to juvenile court.

    LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. —

    Fresh snow in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, helped police officers find a suspect in a business break-in and theft over the weekend.

    Police responded to a business alarm in the 1300 block of Southwest Market Street early Sunday. When they arrived, they discovered the front door was shattered. Officers checked the building and learned a “large quantity” of nicotine vapes were stolen.

    Outside the business, the suspect left behind a major clue: a trail of footprints in the snow.

    Lee’s Summit Police Department

    Police used a thermal-imaging drone, plus the assistance of K-9 officer Roy, to track the footprints back to a nearby home.

    Officers made contact with the residents inside, and a juvenile reportedly admitted to the burglary and showed officers the stolen vapes.

    “Thanks to a quick response, teamwork, and some helpful snowy conditions, the suspect was taken into custody, and the stolen property was returned to the business,” police said on social media.

    Charges are pending, police said. The suspect’s age was not specified, but the case was submitted to juvenile court.

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  • WATCH: More than 1,000 bald eagles converge at wildlife refuge

    WATCH: More than 1,000 bald eagles converge at wildlife refuge north of Kansas City

    There gonna be any birds here today? We’re at Les Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge. Oh my gosh, that is so good. On New Year’s Eve I think it was I saw where they had *** record number of eagles. Made about *** 7 hour drive up here and try to get that moon just to the side. I’ve never been here before, but I had some friends that had. The eagles we came here to photograph the eagles and when I pulled into the refuge, I just, I couldn’t, I had to catch my breath. I couldn’t believe how many eagles I was seeing. Oh it’s, it’s awesome. There’s no other place you get to see this many eagles. It’s really neat to be able to see this. The state of Missouri itself is known as one of the most well known states for wintering eagles, and we’ve been seeing an increase in eagles now for years. Our previous record was set on January 3, I believe, 2022, and we had 833 bald eagles in the refuge. Just this past week, we set *** new bald eagle record of 1,012 bald eagles here in the refuge. I’ve never seen this many eagles in one place. All the ones that we’re seeing, uh, that don’t have any white on them are immature bald eagles. As they start to get into that 3 to 44 to 5, you start to see, um, white coloration start to show through on tail feathers and the heads. By the time they’re 5 years old, they usually have *** full white head, white tail, and they’re of breeding age. I’m just blown away by it. Uh, they’re used to people, I suppose they don’t seem to mind us at all, just like right here, those are extremely close. Uh, with my big lens, I can basically just see his head. Uh, they’re, they’re calm, they’re, they’re enjoying their life. I would just encourage folks to come visit. I mean this is *** phenomenal resource for the public. Um, I’m honored to be able to manage, uh, this resource. You can’t beat stepping out here in the refuge and seeing 1000 eagles and uh and what nature has to offer here in northwest Missouri. There’s not *** better place right now that I know of anywhere around here to to see eagles.

    WATCH: More than 1,000 bald eagles converge at wildlife refuge north of Kansas City

    Updated: 6:32 AM EST Jan 10, 2026

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Less than 100 miles north of Kansas City is a yearly spectacle — the annual bald eagle migration at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge.”We’ve been seeing an increase in eagles now for years,” said William Kutosky, wildlife refuge manager. Missouri is one of the best-known states for wintering eagles, and 2025-2026 is proving no exception. Loess Bluffs celebrated a new bald eagle record at the refuge just last week. “Our previous record was set on January 3, 2022, and we had 833 bald eagles here,” Kutosky said. “This past week, we set a new bald eagle record.”On Dec. 30, wildlife experts observed 1,012 bald eagles at Loess Bluffs. “I’ve never seen this many eagles in one place,” said Jim Belote.Belote drove in from Conway, Arkansas, to see the migration. “I would just encourage folks to come visit,” Kutosky said. “This is a phenomenal resource for the public.”

    Less than 100 miles north of Kansas City is a yearly spectacle — the annual bald eagle migration at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge.

    “We’ve been seeing an increase in eagles now for years,” said William Kutosky, wildlife refuge manager.

    Missouri is one of the best-known states for wintering eagles, and 2025-2026 is proving no exception. Loess Bluffs celebrated a new bald eagle record at the refuge just last week.

    “Our previous record was set on January 3, 2022, and we had 833 bald eagles here,” Kutosky said. “This past week, we set a new bald eagle record.”

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    On Dec. 30, wildlife experts observed 1,012 bald eagles at Loess Bluffs.

    “I’ve never seen this many eagles in one place,” said Jim Belote.

    Belote drove in from Conway, Arkansas, to see the migration.

    “I would just encourage folks to come visit,” Kutosky said. “This is a phenomenal resource for the public.”

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  • Keeler: CU Buffs transfers wonder what 2025 under Deion Sanders would’ve looked like if they stayed: ‘They missed out’

    Noah Fenske had his luggage with him Saturday. It wasn’t Louis.

    “Just Under Armour,” the former CU Buffs offensive lineman texted me from his vacation in Nashville.

    While on the road with his fiancée, Fenske’s also been keeping an eye on an old CU teammate, Alex Harkey. Oregon’s starting right tackle? Yeah, he used to be a Buff.

    Harkey, a 6-foot-6, 327-pound redshirt senior, is prepping for a Friday night showdown with Indiana — and another former CU player, the Hoosiers’ Kahlil Benson — in one College Football Playoff semifinal. The Ducks’ bruiser helped Oregon put up 245 passing yards and convert four fourth-down conversions on The Best Defense Money Can Buy, blanking Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl.

    He’d transferred into CU as a 305-pounder out of Tyler (Texas) Junior College, a 3-star who was weighing offers from Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion. After appearing in 12 games, largely as a reserve guard, Harkey was one of the kids from CU’s 2022 recruiting class swept out in the great Deion Sanders roster purge during the spring of 2023.

    Fenske, who played in seven games with the Buffs in ’22, was Harkey’s roommate at CU. He got swept away, too. Under Armour was out, Louis Vuitton luggage was in.

    “(Harkey has) done incredible, man,” Fenske gushed. “Because when he first came in (to CU), he wasn’t what he is now. And just seeing his transformation from being a (backup) guard on a 1-11 team to being a first-round or second-round (NFL) draft pick …”

    Big Alex could play. So could wideout Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State). And cornerback Simeon Harris (Fresno State). And quarterback Owen McCown, once he’d had some more brisket. McCown, who played as a wafer-thin true freshman at CU in ’22, threw for 30 touchdowns at UTSA this past fall — including three in a 57-20 win over Florida International in the First Responder Bowl.

    “We just stay connected, support each other’s success,” Harris, who still belongs to a group chat of former Buffs, told me over the weekend. “You’ve got to expect the unexpected. That (purge) hit us all in the mouth.”

    CU fans talk a lot — a lot — about 1-11 in 2022. About rock bottom. About Coach Prime lighting the candle for the climb out of obscurity.

    Sean Keeler

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  • How some of Santa’s little reindeer relate to the weather

    We all know that Santa travels the world on Christmas Eve on a sleigh pulled by eight… no, nine, reindeer! But are you aware of the weather tie-ins with Santa and his reindeer?

    What You Need To Know

    • Two reindeer are named after weather phenomena

    • Rudolph saved the day one Christmas Eve when fog covered most of the Earth

    • Santa uses forecasts from local meteorologists to plan his Christmas Eve flight

    (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

    We’ve all heard the tale of Rudolph, and we’ll cover that part of the story in a moment, but first, let’s start with two of Santa’s original reindeer.

    The original eight

    You know Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, and Donner and Blitzen, but did you know that two of the reindeer are named after weather phenomena?

    But which ones?

    If you guessed Donner and Blitzen, you are correct!

    Donner, also sometimes called Donder or Dunder, is named after thunder. The name comes from the Dutch word for thunder.

    Blitzen, also spelled Blixen and Blixem, is named after lightning. The name also comes from a Dutch word meaning lightning.

    Santa’s reindeer were never officially named until the 1823 release of the poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” also known as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” by Clement C. Moore.

    (AP Photo/Malin Moberg)

    Here’s an interesting reindeer fact.

    In the story “The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus” by L. Frank Baum, the author listed ten reindeer. Flossie and Glossie are Santa’s lead reindeer, while Racer and Pacer, Fearless and Peerless, Ready and Steady, and Feckless and Speckless are the rest of the team. 

    None of these names are weather-related terms.

    No offense to L. Frank Baum, but I’m glad we stuck with Clement C. Moore’s names for Santa’s reindeer.

    Rudolph leads the way

    I think we all know the story of Rudolph.

    This iconic reindeer showed up in 1939. Looked upon as a misfit (aren’t we all in some way), the other reindeer rejected Rudolph and made fun of him because of his red, glowing nose. Though that “little” abnormality came in handy “one foggy Christmas Eve.”

    In an unprecedented weather event, one never seen before or seen since, an “outbreak” of fog blanketed most of the planet, and it became impossible for Santa to make his flight on Christmas Eve around the world. 

    All was lost until Santa realized that Rudolph and his incredible nose could lead the way.

    This was Rudolph’s time to shine. (Pun intended.)

    (File Photo)

    And the rest is history. From that time on, Rudolph has been Santa’s lead reindeer.

    Santa’s Christmas Eve forecast

    Something you may not know is Santa Claus has a weather forecasting team at the North Pole.

    Some elves specialize in forecasting the weather around the world. These meteorologists give Santa an overview of the weather around the globe on Christmas Eve, but Santa depends on local National Weather Service and TV meteorologists to provide him forecasts for cities along his flight path.

    My daughter found out about this during a visit with Santa when she was about six years old.

    I had taken her and her younger brother to see Santa a few days before Christmas. As we were next in line, Santa saw us, stood up, walked over to me and asked, “Gary, what kind of weather am I looking at on Christmas Eve?”

    I gave him a quick forecast, he thanked me, walked back over to his chair and sat down as the next child climbed on his lap.

    The expression on my daughter’s face was priceless.

    “Santa knows you?” she asked as she looked up at me with a look of shock, confusion and pride. “Well, of course he does. Who do you think he gets his forecast from for this area? I’m a pilot, and he’s a pilot. I’m the perfect person to give him a ‘flight weather briefing.’”

    Talk about a priceless memory that I will always remember.

    (Gary Stephenson)

    In the Christmas Eve sky

    So on Christmas Eve night, if your skies are clear, look to the sky. You might see a red light moving across the sky. More than likely, it’s the beacon on an airplane, but it might, just might, be the glow of Rudolph’s red nose.

    And if the weather is not so clear, rest well knowing that Santa’s got a well-trained team of reindeer pulling the sleigh and an accurate forecast so he can safely complete his Christmas Eve journey around the Earth.

    I’ll finish my story with these final words.

    My wish for all of you is to have a safe and Merry Christmas. And to Santa and the reindeer, have a good flight!

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

    Chief Meteorologist Gary Stephenson

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  • How some of Santa’s little reindeer relate to the weather

    We all know that Santa travels the world on Christmas Eve on a sleigh pulled by eight… no, nine, reindeer! But are you aware of the weather tie-ins with Santa and his reindeer?

    What You Need To Know

    • Two reindeer are named after weather phenomena

    • Rudolph saved the day one Christmas Eve when fog covered most of the Earth

    • Santa uses forecasts from local meteorologists to plan his Christmas Eve flight

    (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

    We’ve all heard the tale of Rudolph, and we’ll cover that part of the story in a moment, but first, let’s start with two of Santa’s original reindeer.

    The original eight

    You know Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, and Donner and Blitzen, but did you know that two of the reindeer are named after weather phenomena?

    But which ones?

    If you guessed Donner and Blitzen, you are correct!

    Donner, also sometimes called Donder or Dunder, is named after thunder. The name comes from the Dutch word for thunder.

    Blitzen, also spelled Blixen and Blixem, is named after lightning. The name also comes from a Dutch word meaning lightning.

    Santa’s reindeer were never officially named until the 1823 release of the poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” also known as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” by Clement C. Moore.

    (AP Photo/Malin Moberg)

    Here’s an interesting reindeer fact.

    In the story “The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus” by L. Frank Baum, the author listed ten reindeer. Flossie and Glossie are Santa’s lead reindeer, while Racer and Pacer, Fearless and Peerless, Ready and Steady, and Feckless and Speckless are the rest of the team. 

    None of these names are weather-related terms.

    No offense to L. Frank Baum, but I’m glad we stuck with Clement C. Moore’s names for Santa’s reindeer.

    Rudolph leads the way

    I think we all know the story of Rudolph.

    This iconic reindeer showed up in 1939. Looked upon as a misfit (aren’t we all in some way), the other reindeer rejected Rudolph and made fun of him because of his red, glowing nose. Though that “little” abnormality came in handy “one foggy Christmas Eve.”

    In an unprecedented weather event, one never seen before or seen since, an “outbreak” of fog blanketed most of the planet, and it became impossible for Santa to make his flight on Christmas Eve around the world. 

    All was lost until Santa realized that Rudolph and his incredible nose could lead the way.

    This was Rudolph’s time to shine. (Pun intended.)

    (File Photo)

    And the rest is history. From that time on, Rudolph has been Santa’s lead reindeer.

    Santa’s Christmas Eve forecast

    Something you may not know is Santa Claus has a weather forecasting team at the North Pole.

    Some elves specialize in forecasting the weather around the world. These meteorologists give Santa an overview of the weather around the globe on Christmas Eve, but Santa depends on local National Weather Service and TV meteorologists to provide him forecasts for cities along his flight path.

    My daughter found out about this during a visit with Santa when she was about six years old.

    I had taken her and her younger brother to see Santa a few days before Christmas. As we were next in line, Santa saw us, stood up, walked over to me and asked, “Gary, what kind of weather am I looking at on Christmas Eve?”

    I gave him a quick forecast, he thanked me, walked back over to his chair and sat down as the next child climbed on his lap.

    The expression on my daughter’s face was priceless.

    “Santa knows you?” she asked as she looked up at me with a look of shock, confusion and pride. “Well, of course he does. Who do you think he gets his forecast from for this area? I’m a pilot, and he’s a pilot. I’m the perfect person to give him a ‘flight weather briefing.’”

    Talk about a priceless memory that I will always remember.

    (Gary Stephenson)

    In the Christmas Eve sky

    So on Christmas Eve night, if your skies are clear, look to the sky. You might see a red light moving across the sky. More than likely, it’s the beacon on an airplane, but it might, just might, be the glow of Rudolph’s red nose.

    And if the weather is not so clear, rest well knowing that Santa’s got a well-trained team of reindeer pulling the sleigh and an accurate forecast so he can safely complete his Christmas Eve journey around the Earth.

    I’ll finish my story with these final words.

    My wish for all of you is to have a safe and Merry Christmas. And to Santa and the reindeer, have a good flight!

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

    Chief Meteorologist Gary Stephenson

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  • The Ursid meteor shower arrives, the last of 2025

    The last meteor shower of 2025, the Ursid meteor shower, arrives each year around the winter solstice. While it isn’t as impressive as the recent Geminid shower, it’s still worth seeing.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Ursid meteor shower peaks in the pre-dawn hours of Dec. 22

    • The average number of meteors per hour is 5-10. On rare occasions, there have been bursts near 100

    • The Ursid meteor shower originates from the debris trail of Comet 8P/Tuttle

    What causes most meteor showers?

    Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through debris left over from a comet or asteroid. This debris material is usually no bigger than a large grain of sand. When these particles enter the Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up, leaving bright, sometimes colorful streaks of light in the night sky.

    In the case of the Ursids, the debris trail is left over from Comet 8P/Tuttle. This comet was first discovered in 1790 by Pierre Mechain from Paris, France. Later, in 1858, Horace Tuttle of Harvard University rediscovered the comet when its orbit took it back through the solar system.

    When and where to meet watch

    The Ursids range from Dec. 13 to 24. The peak arrives on the evening of December 21st through dawn. Make sure you dress warmly and find a dark location, away from lights. A country area is ideal. Allow your eyes to adjust to the night sky, which takes up to 30 minutes. The best time to watch the sky is from around 1 a.m. EST until dawn.

    All annual meteor showers have a radiant point from which they originate. With the Ursids, they radiate from the area of the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. (Big Dipper & Little Dipper). More specifically, from the star Kochab in the Little Dipper constellation. Look for the Big Dipper and the star Kochab well to the north-northeast.

    Keep in mind, you don’t need to look directly at the radiant point (near the star Kochab in the Little Dipper); looking about 30 to 40 degrees away often yields longer, more impressive meteor trails across the sky.

    Here is the cloud forecast across the nation during the peak viewing time:

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

    Meteorologist Scott Dean

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  • The Ursid meteor shower arrives, the last of 2025

    The last meteor shower of 2025, the Ursid meteor shower, arrives each year around the winter solstice. While it isn’t as impressive as the recent Geminid shower, it’s still worth seeing.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Ursid meteor shower peaks in the pre-dawn hours of Dec. 22

    • The average number of meteors per hour is 5-10. On rare occasions, there have been bursts near 100

    • The Ursid meteor shower originates from the debris trail of Comet 8P/Tuttle

    What causes most meteor showers?

    Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through debris left over from a comet or asteroid. This debris material is usually no bigger than a large grain of sand. When these particles enter the Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up, leaving bright, sometimes colorful streaks of light in the night sky.

    In the case of the Ursids, the debris trail is left over from Comet 8P/Tuttle. This comet was first discovered in 1790 by Pierre Mechain from Paris, France. Later, in 1858, Horace Tuttle of Harvard University rediscovered the comet when its orbit took it back through the solar system.

    When and where to meet watch

    The Ursids range from Dec. 13 to 24. The peak arrives on the evening of December 21st through dawn. Make sure you dress warmly and find a dark location, away from lights. A country area is ideal. Allow your eyes to adjust to the night sky, which takes up to 30 minutes. The best time to watch the sky is from around 1 a.m. EST until dawn.

    All annual meteor showers have a radiant point from which they originate. With the Ursids, they radiate from the area of the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. (Big Dipper & Little Dipper). More specifically, from the star Kochab in the Little Dipper constellation. Look for the Big Dipper and the star Kochab well to the north-northeast.

    Keep in mind, you don’t need to look directly at the radiant point (near the star Kochab in the Little Dipper); looking about 30 to 40 degrees away often yields longer, more impressive meteor trails across the sky.

    Here is the cloud forecast across the nation during the peak viewing time:

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

    Meteorologist Scott Dean

    Source link

  • Powerball jackpot jumps to second highest this year after no winners Monday night

    The Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $1.25 billion after no one matched all six numbers for the 43rd drawing in a row Monday night, game officials announced.

    Wednesday’s jackpot will be the second-largest Powerball prize this year, behind the $1.787-billion prize won in Missouri and Texas on Sept. 6, according to a Powerball news release. Wednesday’s jackpot has an estimated cash value of $572.1 million.

    This is also the second time the game has produced back-to-back billion-dollar jackpots.

    “Powerball has only seen back-to-back to billion-dollar jackpots twice, and this one has arrived just in time for the holidays,” Matt Strawn, Iowa Lottery chief executive and Powerball Product Group chair, said in the release.

    Two tickets were last sold in Missouri and Texas a few months ago that split the previous $1.787-billion prize.

    On Monday, two tickets were sold in Arizona and California that matched all five white balls to win $1-million prizes, according to the release. Neither, however, matched the red Powerball number. There were also 43 tickets that won $50,000 prizes and 14 tickets that won $200,000 prizes.

    If someone wins Wednesday’s jackpot, they can choose between an annuitized prize of about $1.25 billion or a lump sum payment estimated at $572.1 million before taxes, according to the release. If the winner picks the annuity option, they will get one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that go up by 5% every year.

    Summer Lin

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  • Prescott’s Cowboys overcome Mahomes’ fourth-down magic in 31-28 Thanksgiving win over Chiefs

    ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys still face long odds in trying to rally for a spot in the playoffs.

    They won’t be short on confidence with a win over last season’s Super Bowl runner-up just four days after beating the defending champs.

    Prescott threw for two touchdowns, Malik Davis sprinted 43 yards for a score and the Cowboys overcame two fourth down TD throws from Patrick Mahomes in a 31-28 Thanksgiving Day victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday.

    CeeDee Lamb scored the first Dallas touchdown and finished with 112 yards on seven catches after drops plagued the star receiver in a 24-21 victory over reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.

    The Cowboys (6-5-1) have won three straight and dropped the defending AFC champion Chiefs (6-6) back to .500 in a matchup of playoff-chasing teams.

    Dallas is 3-0 since 24-year-old defensive end Marshawn Kneeland was found dead of an apparent suicide during the club’s open week. The Cowboys came back from the emotion-filled break with a 33-16 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

    “On top of where we put ourselves right before these games and just the place that we’re in, having to get these wins against two elite teams,” Prescott said. “I mean, two teams that played in the Super Bowl last year. Last year’s last year, but you’re talking about two organizations that obviously know how to win and we just beat them both in two great games.

    “On top of everything that we’ve been through.”

    Mahomes had four touchdown passes in his first professional game at the home of the Cowboys, where he played three times for Texas Tech not far from his East Texas roots.

    “They’re the same desperation that we are and they play better over four quarters than we did,” said Mahomes, who threw for 261 yards and was sacked three times, twice by Jadeveon Clowney. “So even though we have good plays here and there, we have be more consistent at the end of the day.”

    Travis Kelce caught Mahomes’ first fourth-down TD toss on a 2-yarder, and Rashee Rice’s second scoring catch came on fourth-and-3 early in the fourth quarter.

    Kansas City was down 10 when Mahomes was almost tripped in the backfield by Quinnen Williams but kept his feet and found Xavier Worthy wide-open down the field for 42 yards, setting up a 10-yard scoring toss to Hollywood Brown with 3:27 remaining.

    Prescott and company didn’t give Mahomes another chance.

    After two pass interference penalties gave Dallas first downs, Prescott hit George Pickens for 13 yards and a clinching first down at the two-minute warning. Prescott knelt three times after that.

    The Chiefs had five pass interference penalties, one that was declined, and another defensive holding that gave Dallas a first down. Kansas City finished with 10 penalties for 119 yards.

    “Bottom line is we’re having too many penalties, and we have to make sure to take care of that,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “No excuses with it. We’re going to clean it up.”

    Rice had eight catches for 92 yards, his first score coming on a 27-yard catch-and-run on the sideline two plays after Prescott was intercepted by Jaylen Watson on the first Dallas possession.

    Davis had just three carries, but his long run gave Dallas its first lead at 17-14 late in the second quarter. Lead running back Javonte Williams scored on a 3-yard catch early in the fourth quarter, and Pickens’ catch on a 2-point conversion put Dallas back in front 28-21.

    The Cowboys were 10th in the NFC entering the game, same as the Chiefs in the AFC coming off nine consecutive AFC West titles. The schedule doesn’t get much easier, although two of the next four opponents — all playoff teams from a year ago — aren’t in the postseason picture at the moment.

    “We’ve got to continue with the same mentality,” Lamb said. “Obviously it’s been a short week. Now we get a little time to rest, a regular week so to speak. We get our bodies back, relax, build, grow, get better and on to next week.”

    Injuries

    Chiefs: The Chiefs lost two offensive linemen to injuries after beginning the game without RG Trey Smith, who was inactive because of an ankle injury. RT Jawaan Taylor injured an elbow, and rookie LT Josh Simmons went out with a wrist injury. … S Bryan Cook injured an ankle in the first half.

    Cowboys: CB Caelen Carson, who had started the previous two games, was inactive after being listed as questionable. He was added to the injury report during the week. … CB DaRon Bland injured a foot in the second half.

    Up next

    Chiefs: Play host to Houston in prime time on Dec. 7.

    Cowboys: Visit Detroit next Thursday night.

    ___

    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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  • Robert Dear, shooter in Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood attack, dies in federal custody

    The man accused of killing three people and wounding nine others at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs a decade ago died in custody over the weekend, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

    Robert Dear, 67, died at 6:30 a.m. Saturday in the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, Bureau of Prisons spokesperson Randilee Giamusso said. His death was “preliminarily linked to natural causes,” Giamusso said Tuesday, and prison officials followed advanced medical orders before he died.

    Dear’s death ends a decade-long — and ultimately unsuccessful — effort to convict him of crimes connected to the mass shooting. Although Dear had been in state or federal custody since the 2015 attack and confessed to carrying out the mass shooting, he was never convicted because he was always considered to be too mentally ill to go through the court process — that is, he was consistently found incompetent to stand trial.

    Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen said in a statement Tuesday that the victims of the shooting were denied justice in the “evil attack.”

    “All three victims and this community deserved the full measure of justice in this case, but they are now denied that possibility,” Allen said. “Their family members and loved ones have endured this horror for far too long.”

    The Bureau of Prisons declined to provide any additional information about Dear’s death and officials with the Greene County Medical Examiner’s Office did not immediately return requests for more information.

    Dear’s attorneys did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

    Dear was accused of attacking the Planned Parenthood clinic on Nov. 27, 2015. Authorities believe he intended to wage “war” on the clinic because the staff performed abortions. He arrived armed with four SKS rifles, five handguns, two more rifles, a shotgun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

    Twenty-seven people who were inside the clinic at the time hid until they could be rescued by law enforcement, according to prosecutors. Dear fired 198 rounds in the attack and tried to blow up propane tanks to take out law enforcement vehicles during a five-hour standoff.

    Those killed were Ke’Arre Stewart, 29, Jennifer Markovsky, 36, and Garrett Swasey, 44, a campus police officer who responded to the clinic after hearing there was an active shooter. Another four police officers were wounded.

    The issue of Dear’s competency stalled the state’s murder case against him in 2016. Federal prosecutors brought their own case alleging firearm and civil rights violations in 2019; those proceedings also stalled due to Dear’s compromised mental state.

    A competency evaluation considers whether a criminal defendant is mentally ill or developmentally disabled, and whether that mental illness impedes the defendant’s ability to understand the court process. Rooted in the constitutional rights to due process and a fair trial, competency centers on two prongs — whether defendants have a factual and rational understanding of the proceedings, and whether defendants are able to consult with their attorneys and assist in their own defenses.

    Experts previously testified that Dear understood the facts and circumstances of his case but was still incompetent to proceed because he could not assist in his own defense.

    Dear was known for frequent outbursts in court. During a 2019 hearing, he declared himself to be a “religious zealot” who was being prosecuted in a “political kangaroo court.” In 2021, he insisted in federal court that he was competent to stand trial, shouting, “I’m not crazy.”

    In September, a federal judge started the process for Dear to be committed long-term to the mental health facility in Missouri after finding he was unlikely to be restored to competency.

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  • How trading wild turkeys for other animals became a conservation success story

    CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — No one wants a weasel on their Thanksgiving table, but swapping turkeys for other animals was once surprisingly common.

    Trading turkeys – for wildlife management, not dinner – was a key part of one of North America’s biggest conservation success stories. After dwindling to a few thousand birds in the late 1880s, the wild turkey population has grown to about 7 million birds in 49 states, plus more in Canada and Mexico, according to the National Wild Turkey Federation.

    In many cases, restoration relied on trades. The exchange rates varied, but Oklahoma once swapped walleye and prairie chickens for turkeys from Arkansas and Missouri. Colorado traded mountain goats for turkeys from Idaho. The Canadian province of Ontario ended up with 274 turkeys from New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Michigan, Missouri and Iowa in exchange for moose, river otters, and partridge.

    “Wildlife biologists don’t suffer from a lack of creativity,” said Patt Dorsey, director of conservation for the National Wild Turkey Federation’s western region.

    West Virginia in particular appears to have had an abundance of turkeys to share. In 1969, it sent 26 turkeys to New Hampshire in exchange for 25 fishers, a member of the weasel family once prized for its pelt. Later trades involved otters and bobwhite quail.

    “They were like our currency for all our wildlife that we restored,” said Holly Morris, furbearer and small game project leader at the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. “It’s just a way to help out other agencies. We’re all in the same mission.”

    Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel.


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    Wild turkeys were abundant across the U.S. until the mid-1800s, when the clearing of forestland and unregulated hunting led the population to plummet. Early restoration efforts in the 1940s and 50s involved raising turkeys on farms, but that didn’t work well, Dorsey said.

    “Turkeys that had been raised in a pen didn’t do very well in the wild,” she said. “That’s when we started capturing them out of the wild and moving them around to other places to restore their population, and they really took off.”

    In New Hampshire, wild turkeys hadn’t been seen for more than 100 years when the state got the West Virginia flock. Though those birds quickly succumbed to a harsh winter, another flock sent from New York in 1975 fared better. With careful management that included moving birds around the state dozens of times over the ensuing decades, the population has grown to roughly 40,000 birds, said Dan Ellingwood, a biologist with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. That’s likely well beyond the expectations at the time of reintroduction, he said.

    “Turkeys are incredibly adaptive,” he said. “Winter severity has changed, the landscape has changed, and yet the population really took off.”

    Turkeys play an important role in a healthy ecosystem as both predator and prey, he said, and are a popular draw for hunters. But the restoration effort also is important just for the sake of ensuring native species continue to persist, he said.

    Dorsey, at the National Wild Turkey Federation agreed, noting that turkey restoration projects also helped states revive their populations of other species.

    “A lot of good work gets done on the back of the wild turkey,” she said.

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  • Missouri Locks in Eli Drinkwitz With Six-Year, $10.75 Million Annual Contract Through 2031 Season

    Missouri and Eli Drinkwitz have agreed to a six-year contract that will push the football coach’s average compensation to $10.75 million annually and likely end any speculation that he could leave for one of the high-profile job openings elsewhere.

    The new contract was announced Thursday, one day after the University of Missouri Board of Curators held a meeting in which they voted unanimously to approve the deal. It would keep Drinkwitz leading the Tigers through the 2031 season.

    “My family and I believe deeply in the vision and leadership from our administration and are incredibly happy to continue calling Columbia our home,” Drinkwitz said. “I’m grateful for the unwavering support of President Mun Choi, the Board of Curators, led by chair Todd Graves and incoming vice chair Bob Blitz, along with our athletics director, Laird Veatch.

    “We’re also incredibly thankful for the support of our generous donors and NIL partners,” Drinkwitz added in a statement released by the school. “I’m committed to continuing our work to build Mizzou into a championship program.”

    Drinkwitz was hired by Missouri in December 2019 after a single season at Appalachian State, where he went 12-1 and finished the year ranked in the top 20. The Tigers had fallen on hard times, but Drinkwitz steadily built them into a contender in the Southeastern Conference, reaching a bowl game in each of his first five seasons with a record of 45–28 heading into Saturday’s game against Arkansas.

    That success, which included an 11-2 record and Cotton Bowl victory two years ago, made Drinkwitz a hot commodity on the coaching carousel. Missouri has acted aggressively to keep him, and the deal given to him this week is the second in the last four months.

    Missouri officials were no doubt worried about losing Drinkwitz amid a hot coaching market. SEC rivals LSU, Florida, Arkansas and Auburn have openings, while power programs such as Penn State, UCLA and Stanford also are looking for new coaches.

    “Under his vision and leadership, Coach Drinkwitz has transformed the standard for Mizzou football and united our entire program and fan base behind a clear pursuit of excellence,” Veatch said. “We’re thrilled he will continue leading our team into the future.”

    Missouri has invested heavily in its football program, building a robust NIL program and undertaking massive renovations to Memorial Stadium. That includes a $250 million rebuild of the north end zone that is expected to be completed for the 2026 season.

    The Tigers have sold out 20 consecutive home games, breaking the school record set in 1978.

    “It’s critically important that we continue providing Coach Drinkwitz with the resources necessary to build and develop championship rosters in the Southeastern Conference,” Veatch said. “This new contract reflects our commitment to further strengthening and enhancing those resources. Our will to win is clear. We’re fully aligned behind Coach Drinkwitz and eager to keep building with him as he leads this program forward in the pursuit of championships.”

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Nov. 2025

    Associated Press

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  • How Trading Wild Turkeys for Other Animals Became a Conservation Success Story

    CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — No one wants a weasel on their Thanksgiving table, but swapping turkeys for other animals was once surprisingly common.

    Trading turkeys – for wildlife management, not dinner – was a key part of one of North America’s biggest conservation success stories. After dwindling to a few thousand birds in the late 1880s, the wild turkey population has grown to about 7 million birds in 49 states, plus more in Canada and Mexico, according to the National Wild Turkey Federation.

    In many cases, restoration relied on trades. The exchange rates varied, but Oklahoma once swapped walleye and prairie chickens for turkeys from Arkansas and Missouri. Colorado traded mountain goats for turkeys from Idaho. The Canadian province of Ontario ended up with 274 turkeys from New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Michigan, Missouri and Iowa in exchange for moose, river otters, and partridge.

    “Wildlife biologists don’t suffer from a lack of creativity,” said Patt Dorsey, director of conservation for the National Wild Turkey Federation’s western region.

    West Virginia in particular appears to have had an abundance of turkeys to share. In 1969, it sent 26 turkeys to New Hampshire in exchange for 25 fishers, a member of the weasel family once prized for its pelt. Later trades involved otters and bobwhite quail.

    “They were like our currency for all our wildlife that we restored,” said Holly Morris, furbearer and small game project leader at the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. “It’s just a way to help out other agencies. We’re all in the same mission.”

    Wild turkeys were abundant across the U.S. until the mid-1800s, when the clearing of forestland and unregulated hunting led the population to plummet. Early restoration efforts in the 1940s and 50s involved raising turkeys on farms, but that didn’t work well, Dorsey said.

    “Turkeys that had been raised in a pen didn’t do very well in the wild,” she said. “That’s when we started capturing them out of the wild and moving them around to other places to restore their population, and they really took off.”

    In New Hampshire, wild turkeys hadn’t been seen for more than 100 years when the state got the West Virginia flock. Though those birds quickly succumbed to a harsh winter, another flock sent from New York in 1975 fared better. With careful management that included moving birds around the state dozens of times over the ensuing decades, the population has grown to roughly 40,000 birds, said Dan Ellingwood, a biologist with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. That’s likely well beyond the expectations at the time of reintroduction, he said.

    “Turkeys are incredibly adaptive,” he said. “Winter severity has changed, the landscape has changed, and yet the population really took off.”

    Turkeys play an important role in a healthy ecosystem as both predator and prey, he said, and are a popular draw for hunters. But the restoration effort also is important just for the sake of ensuring native species continue to persist, he said.

    Dorsey, at the National Wild Turkey Federation agreed, noting that turkey restoration projects also helped states revive their populations of other species.

    “A lot of good work gets done on the back of the wild turkey,” she said.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Nov. 2025

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  • Photos of a cafeteria worker preparing a Thanksgiving meal to feed hundreds

    REEDS SPRING, Mo. (AP) — The first year Shirley Mease cooked up a free Thanksgiving feast in the Reeds Spring High School cafeteria, icy weather kept most people away. But when her family knocked on doors to offer the meals, the gratefulness they found confirmed the need in her Missouri community.

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease shops for supplies needed to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, talks with her daughter Kristal Porter, center, and granddaughter Teagan Porter, left, as they shop for supplies needed to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, talks with her daughter Kristal Porter, center, and granddaughter Teagan Porter, left, as they shop for supplies needed to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    Kristal Porter places caned goods in a cart as a shopping list is seen nearby while shopping for supplies to make 700 Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    Kristal Porter places caned goods in a cart as a shopping list is seen nearby while shopping for supplies to make 700 Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, and son-in-law Rick Porter load up a car after shopping for supplies needed to make 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Springfield, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, and son-in-law Rick Porter load up a car after shopping for supplies needed to make 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Springfield, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, left, pauses to pray with family members as they break for lunch while shopping for supplies needed to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Springfield, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, left, pauses to pray with family members as they break for lunch while shopping for supplies needed to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Springfield, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    “When you work with the school system you know the families that are in need because there are a lot of babies that come to school and that’s the only meal they get,” says Mease, who is semi-retired from her job in the cafeteria.

    That first year, 2009, Mease and her volunteer crew provided 100 meals. This holiday, they expect to serve 700, drawing on donations. That’s up from about 625 last year, to account for food insecurity in many households that count on SNAP food aid benefits suspended during the federal government’s recent shutdown.

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease wheels a cart in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School while preparing 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease wheels a cart in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School while preparing 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    Larry Mease works to peel 240 pounds of sweet potatoes as he helps his wife, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    Larry Mease works to peel 240 pounds of sweet potatoes as he helps his wife, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    Kooper Keeland, 2, watches as his great-grandmother, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    Kooper Keeland, 2, watches as his great-grandmother, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the sink in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, while preparing 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the sink in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, while preparing 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    Kristal Porter, right, helps her mother, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, load turkeys into the oven in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School as they prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    Kristal Porter, right, helps her mother, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, load turkeys into the oven in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School as they prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    All are welcome, no questions asked.

    The 73-year-old Mease, her children and grandchildren have been preparing for weeks, loading shopping carts and picking up donations. When she and volunteers arrived at the school cafeteria Wednesday to begin cooking, at least 44 turkeys and 225 pounds (102 kilograms) of sweet potatoes awaited.

    “I know (SNAP) is back in working order, but it will take time for that to really help people out,” she says. “Especially in this area, the food banks are being hit very hard, so I just feel like this is a time to step it up a little bit.”

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, stops to hug her granddaughter Teagan Porter as they shop for supplies to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, stops to hug her granddaughter Teagan Porter as they shop for supplies to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    ___

    This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

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  • AP Photos: A Cafeteria Worker Prepares a Thanksgiving Meal to Feed Hundreds

    REEDS SPRING, Mo. (AP) — The first year Shirley Mease cooked up a free Thanksgiving feast in the Reeds Spring High School cafeteria, icy weather kept most people away. But when her family knocked on doors to offer the meals, the gratefulness they found confirmed the need in her Missouri community.

    “When you work with the school system you know the families that are in need because there are a lot of babies that come to school and that’s the only meal they get,” says Mease, who is semi-retired from her job in the cafeteria.

    That first year, 2009, Mease and her volunteer crew provided 100 meals. This holiday, they expect to serve 700, drawing on donations. That’s up from about 625 last year, to account for food insecurity in many households that count on SNAP food aid benefits suspended during the federal government’s recent shutdown.

    All are welcome, no questions asked.

    The 73-year-old Mease, her children and grandchildren have been preparing for weeks, loading shopping carts and picking up donations. When she and volunteers arrived at the school cafeteria Wednesday to begin cooking, at least 44 turkeys and 225 pounds (102 kilograms) of sweet potatoes awaited.

    “I know (SNAP) is back in working order, but it will take time for that to really help people out,” she says. “Especially in this area, the food banks are being hit very hard, so I just feel like this is a time to step it up a little bit.”

    This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Nov. 2025

    Associated Press

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  • Gratitude and Doubt: the Effects of the Shutdown Linger as Families Prepare for Thanksgiving

    She had it figured down to the last dollar. The looming insurance payment, balanced against the hard-earned paycheck. The cost of keeping her children fed, covered mostly with government SNAP assistance. And when Shelby Williams reviewed the family budget for November, she told herself that this month would truly be one for giving thanks.

    After living with her parents for more than two years, Williams and her two children were finally moving into an apartment of their own in her hometown of Reeds Spring, Missouri. They would celebrate with a Thanksgiving meal made by the kids, the grandparents joining them at the table.

    The funds for the needed groceries were all lined up — until the federal government shut down on Oct. 1.

    Now Washington is running again. But as Americans prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, the relieved gratitude of families in Williams’ community, and the many others still recovering from the suspension of government paychecks and food assistance during the 43-day shutdown, is tempered by lingering stress and economic insecurity.

    “I’m thankful for my children and my job, and I’m thankful for SNAP because it supplies food,” said Williams, 32, who works as a paraprofessional in an elementary school. “But … with the way the world is, with the financial strain, it is hard to be thankful.”

    The anxiety stirred by the shutdown persists in the lines at food pantries in this southwestern Missouri county and echoes through households nationwide.


    Dealing with the shutdown’s fallout

    In South Florida, Darlene Castillo is still struggling to prop up her family’s fragile finances after working without pay for seven weeks at the U.S. Customs Service.

    To get by, she lined up at a mobile food bank, a first for her. She held off paying bills and canceled subscriptions. Family members sent money, and when one extended an invitation for Thanksgiving, she and her husband gratefully accepted, knowing that they’d be hard-pressed to host the holiday meal.

    “It’s a thankful time,” Castillo said last week. “I’ll bring a dish because hopefully this week we’ll get paid. And then we’ll worry about Jan. 30.”

    That’s when the funds just approved by Congress to reopen the government are set to run out, threatening yet another shutdown.

    During the shutdown, McNeil said he got by on the modest stipend he receives as a trainee in a culinary program run by the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. But attending classes meant missing the hours food pantries were open. His wife, who is disabled and counts on him to bring home SNAP-funded groceries, grew distraught.

    “If it was any longer, I don’t know what I would’ve done,” said McNeil, whose relief is compounded by news that after months of radiation treatment, his prostate cancer is in remission. “I got a lot to be thankful for right now.”


    Community support for stretched resources

    In Williams’ Missouri community, a haven for retirees on modest fixed incomes, the lapse in SNAP funds has added to the pressures on families who stretch to buy daily necessities.

    In early November, a startling 428 families lined up at a drive-through food pantry run by Carrie Padilla and church volunteers, in a county with about 32,000 residents. About 12% of households in the county rely on SNAP benefits, but it is closer to 17% in rural areas.

    Though SNAP has been restored, many families registering for a Christmas toy drive run by Padilla’s nonprofit indicate that they are entering the holiday season without enough food.

    “Almost everybody is antsy,” Padilla said. “Just because the government reopened, it doesn’t mean that somebody has waved a wand and suddenly everything’s all hunky-dory.”

    That uncertainty has figured into Shirley Mease’s planning, as she prepares to host a free Thanksgiving feast at Reeds Spring High School. Mease and her family anticipate serving and delivering 700 meals, up from about 625 last year, to account for food insecurity worsened by the shutdown.

    “I know (SNAP) is back in working order, but it will take time for that to really help people out,” said Mease, 73, a semi-retired school cafeteria worker who has been providing the feast since 2009, drawing on community donations and volunteers.

    “Especially in this area, the food banks are being hit very hard, so I just feel like this is a time to step it up a little bit,” she said.


    Feeling the pressure without SNAP

    The pressure of trying to get through November without SNAP weighed on Williams in the weeks leading up to the holiday.

    She had planned the move to the new apartment for months, carefully balancing income and expenses to account for the $600 rent. The math worked thanks in no small part to $450 in monthly benefits her family receives from SNAP. That covers their food bill after the two free meals served each school day.

    As the shutdown stretched on, the Trump administration announced it would suspend November SNAP payments, despite judges’ orders to use available emergency funds. With her move days away, Williams started November with just $25 left in her SNAP account.

    She used the funds to buy bread, peanut butter, jelly and milk, and a friend with chickens gave her eggs. The fixings lasted through four nights of sandwich dinners. Then her parents stepped in to help.

    Williams tried to keep her stress hidden from her 11-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter. But it was hard to avoid tearing up or getting angry.

    “What bills do I not pay so I can feed my children, because that’s the priority,” she said.


    Faced with a difficult choice

    There were other factors to consider, too. Williams said she loves her job, working with students in a special education classroom. In her off-hours she is studying to become a teacher, a pursuit that required taking out a student loan.

    The suspension of SNAP confronted her with a difficult choice. She knew she could earn more at Walmart than doing the classroom job she treasures.

    “But then I’m giving up a part of my dream,” she said.

    It never came to that. Three days after the shutdown ended, Missouri officials sent $217 to Williams’ SNAP account, just under half what she receives in an ordinary month.

    That helped refill her family’s refrigerator, but it was not enough to afford the luxury of a Thanksgiving celebration. Williams held off paying a bill for car insurance, due at month’s end, reserving the money in case it was needed for food.

    Then, last Friday morning, the remainder of the SNAP funds for November showed up in Williams’ account. Finally, she could exhale. She paid the insurance bill. Then she treated her children to ice cream.

    The anxiety that had weighed on Williams for weeks lingered. But it was still November and her family had so much to be thankful for.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Nov. 2025

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  • Ex-NFL star talks appetite for team in St Louis as Missouri gets ready for sports betting

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    Former NFL star Trent Green will be leading the charge as Missouri welcomes sports betting into the state on Dec. 1.

    Green, a former quarterback with the St. Louis Rams who was on the team when the team won a Super Bowl during the 1999 season, partnered with Caesars Sportsbook to promote the launches of in-person sportsbooks at two casinos in the state and the mobile sports betting app.

    CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

    Trent Green #10 of the St. Louis Rams moves with the ball as teammate Ryan Tucker #50 looks on from the ground during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Oct. 22, 2000. (Brian Bahr/Allsport)

    He will be doing a road trip to visit Harrah’s Kansas City, Horseshoe St. Louis and Isle of Capri Booneville. Despite no NFL team in St. Louis, Green told Fox News Digital in an interview on Monday he hoped that one day the league will decide to try again.

    “I certainly hope so. You know, when I was in St. Louis, I was there when the football Cardinals left. I remember as a kid that was hard and I remember when I was in the NFL and the Rams decided to move to St. Louis and I remember all my high school buddies, my parents and all their friends, everybody was fired up about it. They got their (personal seat licenses), they got their season tickets, they got their plans for tailgating,” he said. “It was exciting to get it back.

    “So, I know there’s a fan base there. I know that they’re willing to support sports. Obviously, the Blues and the Cardinals have had a lot of success there and I hope they get a team back. I don’t know if the NFL will give them a third try but I definitely think it’s a great city for sports and it would be nice to see them back in St. Louis.”

    For Green, the partnership with Caesars was a natural fit. He played high school football in Missouri and played for both the Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs during his career.

    Trent Green with the Chiefs

    Kansas City Chiefs quarterback (10) Trent Green smiles before the game at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California, on Dec. 23, 2006. (Kyle Terada/USA TODAY)

    2025 NFL PLAYOFF PICTURE, BRACKET, SCHEDULE AFTER WEEK 12

    “Sports betting is finally coming to the state of Missouri,” he told Fox News Digital. “It’s a natural tie in with me. I grew up in St. Louis. I played for the Rams a couple of different times, played for the Chiefs for six years. So, I’ve been all over the state most of my life. And the fact that sports betting is finally here, it seemed like a natural fit for us.”

    He said he will start his journey by placing a bet on the Indiana Hoosiers – his collegiate alma mater.

    Indiana is ranked No. 2 in the country behind Ohio State. The Hoosiers wrap the regular season on Friday on the road against Purdue.

    Missouri sports fans will also get to partake in Caesars’ “Party Like a Caesar Super Bowl Promotion.” Any new user who places a bet of $5 or more on the app in the state before Jan. 4 will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win an epic Super Bowl trip to Las Vegas.

    The winner and a guest will receive two first-class, round-trip flights to Las Vegas, private car service from the airport, dinner for two at Peter Luger Steakhouse, a two-night stay at the VIP suite at Caesars Palace, two reserved seats at Caesars Sportsbook at Caesars Palace to watch Super Bowl LX and two gift bags.

    A Caesars Sportsbook promo

    Caesars is running a promo for Missouri residents as sports betting opens up in the state on Dec. 1, 2025. (Caesars Sportsbook)

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    This year’s Super Bowl will take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

    Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

    Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

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  • Former Black Panther Leader H. Rap Brown Dies in Prison Hospital at 82

    BUTNER, N.C. (AP) — H. Rap Brown, one of the most vocal leaders of the Black Power movement, has died in a prison hospital while serving a life sentence for the killing of a Georgia sheriff’s deputy. He was 82.

    Brown died Sunday at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina, his widow Karima Al-Amin said Monday.

    A cause of death was not immediately available, but Karima Al-Amin told The Associated Press that her husband had been suffering from cancer and had been transferred to the medical facility in 2014 from a federal prison in Colorado.

    Like other more militant Black leaders and organizers during the racial upheaval of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Brown decried heavy-handed policing in Black communities. He once stated that violence was “as American as cherry pie.”

    “Violence is a part of America’s culture,” Brown said during a 1967 news conference. “… America taught the black people to be violent. We will use that violence to rid ourselves of oppression, if necessary. We will be free by any means necessary.”

    Brown was chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a powerful civil rights group, and in 1968 was named minister of justice for the Black Panther Party.

    Three years later, he was arrested for a robbery that ended in a shootout with New York police.

    While serving a five-year prison sentence for the robbery, Brown converted to the Dar-ul Islam movement and changed his name to Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin. Upon his release, he moved to Atlanta in 1976, opened a grocery and health food store and became an Imam, a spiritual leader for local Muslims.

    “I’m not dissatisfied with what I did,” Al-Amin told an audience in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1998. “But Islam has allowed things to be clearer. … We have to be concerned about the welfare of ourselves and those around us, and that comes through submission to God and the raising of one’s consciousness.”

    On March 16, 2000, Fulton County Deputy Sheriff Ricky Kinchen and deputy Aldranon English were shot after encountering Al-Amin outside his Atlanta home. The deputies were there to serve a warrant for failure to appear in court on charges of driving a stolen car and impersonating a police officer during a traffic stop the previous year.

    English testified at trial that Al-Amin fired a high-powered assault rifle when the deputies tried to arrest him. Then, prosecutors said, he used a handgun to fire three shots into Kinchen’s groin as the wounded deputy lay in the street. Kinchen would die from his wounds.

    Prosecutors portrayed Al-Amin as a deliberate killer, while his lawyers painted him as a peaceful community and religious leader who helped revitalize poverty-stricken areas. They suggested he was framed as part of a government conspiracy dating from his militant days.

    Al-Amin maintained his innocence but was convicted in 2002 and sentenced to life.

    “For decades, questions have surrounded the fairness of his trial,” Al-Amin’s family said Monday in a statement. “Newly uncovered evidence — including previously unseen FBI surveillance files, inconsistencies in eyewitness accounts, and third-party confessions — raised serious concerns that Imam Al-Amin did not receive the fair trial guaranteed under the Constitution.”

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Lavelle’s Goal Leads Gotham Over Spirit 1-0 for NWSL Championship

    SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Rose Lavelle scored in the 80th minute and the eighth-seeded Gotham FC beat the Washington Spirit 1-0 on Saturday night to win their second National Women’s Soccer League championship.

    Second-half substitute Bruninha drove into the box on the left wing and sent the ball across to Lavelle, whose left-footed shot sailed past Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury into the bottom corner of the net.

    It is the first NWSL championship title for Lavelle, who had scored in the 2023 final when she was playing for the Seattle Reign against Gotham in a 2-1 loss.

    After a strong opening 10 minutes of the match for Gotham, with three shots from Jaedyn Shaw, the final began to mature into a tense affair.

    There were few chances and the best of the first half came when Spirit midfielder Hal Hershfelt perfectly timed a slide tackle and cleaned out Midge Purce with the follow through.

    Not long after the half, Trinity Rodman was brought off the Spirit bench for Sofia Cantore, bringing the crowd to its feet. The U.S. women’s national team star was on limited minutes after suffering a knee sprain in October.

    Even with the introduction of Rodman, the Spirit continued to struggle to create chances. They had marginally more control of the ball, 53%, but were outshot by Gotham 12-6 and finished the game without a single shot on target. Rodman had zero shots and zero chances created.

    The Spirit reached this year’s final by overcoming Racing Louisville 3-1 in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals and then beating the Portland Thorns 2-0 in the semifinals.

    Gotham (11-8-9) had defied the odds to make the final, going on the road twice to defeat the top-seeded Kansas City Current 2-1 in the quarterfinal and the defending champions the Pride, 1-0.

    Gotham are the first eighth-seed to win the NWSL Championship. In 2023, when there were only six playoff spots, Gotham became the first sixth seed to lift the trophy.

    Head coach Juan Carlos Amoros has seven NWSL playoff wins in his career and two championships.

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  • Chiefs assistant Dave Toub: President Trump ‘doesn’t even know what he’s looking at’ on NFL kickoffs

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub doesn’t care a whole lot about what President Donald Trump thinks of new kickoff rules that were implemented by the NFL in an attempt to make the play safer and more exciting.

    Trump became the first sitting president to attend a regular-season NFL game since Jimmy Carter in 1978 when he attended a game between the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions earlier this month.

    Two days later, Trump appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” and torched the league’s dynamic kickoff rule, which owners voted to make permanent this year. Under the rule, the ball is kicked from the 35-yard line, but every player on the kicking team must wait at the 40 until the ball hits the ground or is touched by a returner inside the 20-yard line.

    There are also rules for if a ball does not reach the landing zone, hits the landing zone without being caught or lands in the end zone.

    “I think it’s so terrible. I think it’s so demeaning, and I think it hurts the game. It hurts the pageantry,” Trump said. “I’ve told that to (NFL Commissioner) Roger Goodell, and I don’t think it’s any safer. I mean, you still have guys crashing into each other.”

    The league has maintained the dynamic kickoff system is safer while producing more kickoff returns. And Toub, who has spent more than two decades coaching special teams in Chicago and Kansas City, didn’t hold back Thursday when he was asked what he thought of the president’s pointed criticism of the kickoff rules.

    “He doesn’t even know what he’s looking at. He has no idea what’s going on with the kickoff rule,” said the normally reserved Toub, his voice rising. “So take that for what it’s worth. And I hope he hears it.”

    ___

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