Kehoe planning special session for Chiefs, Royals stadium incentives

KMIZ on May 16, 2025

Erika McGuire

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe says he’s considering calling a special session to discuss incentives the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to renovate or build new stadiums.

In a email Kehoe’s office said, “a special session is under consideration. It has not yet been called, so that is why dates and subjects of the potential special session are being talked about more broadly,”

The bill is aimed at keeping the two sports teams from moving to Kansas after lawmakers failed to pass a plan during their regular, annual session.

“This a huge economic development package, the Chiefs and Royals packages, and this has been very public about remodeling on the Arrowhead Stadium and potential new baseball stadium are somewhere between $2.5 and $3 billion,” Kehoe told reporters during a Friday morning news conference. “I would consider that significant economic development.

“We will be looking at a way to get that back before the general assembly as well.”

Both teams have publicly expressed interest in moving from Missouri to Kansas after Jackson County voters rejected a proposal last year to extend a sales tax to help finance a downtown baseball stadium and upgrades to Arrowhead Stadium.

The proposal would give the state’s professional sports teams access to state funding for stadium projects through new bonds, but only if certain requirements are met.

The project must cost at least $500 million and involve stadiums with more than 30,000 seats. The state could cover up to 50% of the total cost and eligible teams could also access a tax credit worth up to 10% of their investment.

Kehoe said the idea of a special session is good for a large economic package, especially for big ones like this.

“My intention has always been if we come to a package that works that we think is buyable, it would likely require a special session anyway, just because of what I outlined earlier. Most of our largest if not all our largest recent economic proposals have required a special session,” Kehoe said.

During Friday’s news conference, Kehoe also touched on House Joint Resolution 73. The Senate ended its session early after Republicans forced a vote to approve a ballot measure to send abortion rights back to the voters. GOP leaders said Missourians were confused by the Amendment 3 language during the November election.

“If nothing happens, I believe it happens in November 2026, we’ll look at the what the options are and what’s good for Missourains, ” Kehoe said.

The Senate also repealed a voter-approved requirement that employers provide workers with paid sick leave.

The measure now goes to the governor’s desk for his signature.

“I do not think we should allow in this case a very liberal group from the east coast of our country come in and spend millions of dollars to put a question on the ballot that has nothing to do with the input with individually, privately owned businesses and I am not a big fan of mandates,” Kehoe said.

Kehoe said when it comes to providing paid sick leave, the decision should be up to the employers.

“I think the markets should set what employees should get paid and the compensation are and I know business are very competitive in doing that they’re always going to try to take care of their employees the best they can so they don’t lose them to the business down the street thats something individual business owners should decided,” Kehoe said.

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35-year-old dies in Business Loop 70 crash on Friday morning

KMIZ on May 16, 2025

Gabrielle Teiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia police confirmed one person died after a crash on W. Business Loop 70 that shut down the road for more than an hour. The road reopened just before 8:40 a.m.

A police officer at the scene told ABC 17 News that the accident involved two vehicles and one person died from the crash.

A motorcycle was seen on the ground on Business Loop 70 just past the Interstate 70 and Creasy Springs Road roundabout. A grey car was also seen with damage to its side.

Police later shared in a press release that a 35-year-old Columbia resident died in the crash. Other identifying information was not immediately available. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.

The release says a vehicle driven by a 48-year-old Columbia resident turned left into a business parking, but failed to yield to the motorcycle heading in the opposite direction.

A Boone County Joint Communications alert sent just after 7 a.m. states, “W Business Loop between Creasy Springs and Schwabe Ln. closed due to motor vehicle collision. Choose alternate route.”

Four Columbia Police Department vehicles were at the scene. The roadway was completely blocked by police vehicles.

Check back later for updates, as this story is developing.

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5K race against human trafficking, survivor to join

KVIA on May 16, 2025

Nicole Ardila

A local nonprofit will be hosting a 5K run race against human trafficking and joining them is an El Paso resident who’s a survivor of sex trafficking.

This Sunday, Chong Kim is joining Plant-a-Seed for their event starting at the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino, to spread awareness of an issue that she says is close to home.

Kim, a Korean American woman originally from Oklahoma where she was trafficked at 19 years old, is now advocate to putting an end to human trafficking.

“And I remember I would hear the whisper saying, ‘Everything’s going to be okay.’ And in that moment, to me, I felt like God was giving me a direction, and that meant I had to be like the traffickers, so that way I could find a way to escape,” said Kim, sharing her experience when she was trafficked back in the 1994.

Kim was trafficked by the man she was dating and it wasn’t until years later when she was able to escape — almost 30 years ago, she says.

Plant-a-Seed’s mission is to help Latinos and underserved communities, empower them, and help them grow.

“As a mother, as a sister and as a friend, you know, when you hear that 1 in 6 children reported missing were likely sex trafficked, you can’t unhear it,” explains Wendy Gamillo, president and founder of Plant-a-Seed. “You can’t look the other way, especially because this isn’t happening far away. This is happening right here in El Paso.”

Gamillo says the 5K race was created not just for running, but to educate, build awareness and to “stand up against this heinous crime.”

Kim is now a speaker, author, advocate and movie producer, spreading her story around the world and in films, like Eden.

They’re raising funds for Paso Del Norte Center of Hope, who are dedicated to helping victims and survivors of human trafficking.

It’s a family friendly event starting at 8 a.m. but the race kicks off at 8:30 a.m.

The event is free and open to the community with music, vendors, and more activities.

You can still register all the way through Sunday, runners are currently charged a fee of $35, more details on the event can be found on their website, here.

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University of Missouri spring commencement ceremonies to begin Friday

KMIZ on May 16, 2025

Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri will begin the first day of commencement ceremonies on Friday, celebrating the class of 2025.

There will be commencement ceremonies throughout the weekend for 5,954 graduates, leaving the chance for heavy traffic around downtown Columbia.

Free parking will be available on campus for commencement guests from Friday, May 16, through Sunday, May 18.

For ceremonies at Mizzou Arena, guests can park in the Hearnes Center parking lots as well as the lots to the south and east of the arena. Jesse Auditorium ceremonies, parking is available in the Turner Avenue garage, south of Jesse Hall.

For ceremonies at the Hearnes Center, the majority of the guest parking is located east of the building. The university recommends entering from Stadium Boulevard to Champions Drive. There is also parking available on the west side of the Hearnes Center at Memorial Stadium, using the Mick Deaver Memorial Drive entrance.

The university has a clear bag policy for all events at Mizzou Arena and the Hearnes Center, however, Jesse Hall has specific policies that can be found here.

Below are items that are not allowed at any graduation ceremonies:

Air horns and other artificial noisemakers

Animals (except for assistive purposes)

Banners/signs larger than 2’x3′

Cans and glass bottles

Coolers (hard- or soft-sided)

Firearms and weapons

Laser lights

Strollers

Balloons

Glitter

Confetti

The University of Missouri Friday commencement schedule is below:

Mizzou Arena at 1 p.m. Master’s and Education Specialist Degrees

Jesse Auditorium 2 p.m. Honors College

Mizzou Arena 4 p.m. Doctoral Degrees

Jesse Auditorium 6 p.m. Sinclair School of Nursing

Mizzou Arena 7 p.m. Trulaske College of Business

The University of Missouri commencement schedule for the remainder of the weekend can be found here.

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QUESTION OF THE DAY: Should the governor call Missouri lawmakers back for a special session?

KMIZ on May 16, 2025

Matthew Sanders

The dust has settled on the 2025 legislative session, and there were some casualties.

One of them was a bill that included incentives to help finance stadiums for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Royals. The stadium bill and another that included money for several Mid-Missouri construction projects were left hanging when the Senate decided to call an early end to the session on Wednesday.

The House followed the next day.

Now supporters of those efforts want to see Gov. Mike Kehoe call lawmakers back to Jefferson City for a special session. Do you think he should?

Let us know what you think by voting in the poll.

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Gene Autry back open after three-day closure in Palm Springs

KESQ on May 16, 2025

Jesus Reyes

Update 5/15/25

Gene Autry is back open.

Original Report 5/12/25

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Gene Autry has once again closed at the Whitewater Wash in Palm Springs.

The roadway typically closes during windy days due to low visibility and sand buildup.

There’s no word on whether Indian Canyon or Vista Chino will also close.

According to the News Channel 3 First Alert Weather Team, the Coachella Valley is currently under a Windblown Dust Advisory due to gusty winds. Wind speeds are expected to max out Tuesday afternoon and evening then start to ease into Wednesday afternoon.

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Banning man who repeatedly sexually abused disabled woman sentenced

KESQ on May 16, 2025

City News Service

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A Banning man who sexually assaulted a developmentally disabled woman over a five-year span was sentenced today to eight years in state prison.

Rene Leonel Robles Cerna, 39, pleaded guilty last month to sexual penetration by force under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admission, prosecutors dropped six related counts against Cerna.  

During a hearing at the Banning Justice Center Thursday, Superior Court Judge Jorge Hernandez certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.

According to the Banning Police Department, detectives were initially contacted about the offenses in the first half of 2020, culminating in an investigation that required extensive vetting because of the victim’s limitations.   

Court documents said the defendant first abused the woman in the winter of 2015, and following that time, he perpetrated additional offenses, ending in the winter of 2020.

The circumstances behind the acts and the way in which Cerna knew the victim were not disclosed.

Authorities also didn’t reveal who ultimately reported the crimes.   

An arrest warrant was obtained and served on the defendant on April 20, 2021, and he was taken into custody without incident at a residence on West Ramsey Street.

According to court records, Cerna had a prior misdemeanor conviction for driving the under the influence.

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Prosecutor: Former deputy was reckless in deadly arrest of girlfriend’s ex-lover

KESQ on May 16, 2025

City News Service

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – An ex-Riverside County sheriff’s deputy accused of gunning down a man with whom he was at odds because the victim had been involved with the lawman’s then-girlfriend defied all professional boundaries when trying to take the man into custody on a warrant, prosecutors said today, while the defense argued the shooting stemmed from the deputy’s belief his life was in peril.   

Oscar Rodriguez, 44, is charged with first-degree murder and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations for the 2014 slaying of 39-year-old Luis Carlos Morin of Coachella.   

At the time, Rodriguez was romantically involved with Diana Perez, the mother of Morin’s two children.

Diana Perez

She and the then-deputy originally met in the winter of 2013 when he and other deputies responded to 911 calls from her complaining about Morin, whom she didn’t want around her home. Morin had active warrants for his arrest.

“Things went from professional to unprofessional,” Deputy District Attorney Jacob Silva told jurors in his opening statement at the Larson Justice Center Thursday.

The prosecutor recalled how Rodriguez dated Perez throughout 2013, taking a personal interest in her ongoing conflicts with Morin. On Aug. 2, 2013, a text exchange between the deputy and Perez confirmed where Morin was staying. Silva said Perez was known to law enforcement as a runner, routinely trying to elude capture.   

Without telling his partner or supervisor how he had come by the information, the defendant advised them where they could find Morin that summer day, culminating in a chase that led to Morin’s capture atop a roof where he attempted to hide from his pursuers, according to the prosecution.

Morin bailed out of jail and went back to communicating with Perez.

Additional warrants were issued for his arrest, stemming from unspecified felony offenses, and Perez kept Rodriguez apprised of the wanted man’s activities, Silva said.  

He alleged Rodriguez decided to act independently, ignoring law enforcement protocols, in apprehending Morin. On the night of Jan. 27, 2014, the defendant learned that the suspect had joined family members for a birthday celebration in Palm Desert and would be returning to his mother’s home in the 48-800 block of Camino Real in Coachella. Silva alleged Rodriguez went to the neighborhood alone in a patrol unit, parking out of sight and placing Maria Gomez’s house under surveillance.

“He refused to follow the laws and procedures put in place,” the prosecutor told jurors. “He ignored all of his training. He consciously disregarded all those procedures and directives.”

At 9:40 p.m., Morin and his mother arrived at the residence, and the suspect got out of the car to direct Gomez as she backed her car into a tight parking space. Silva said Rodriguez stealthily approached Morin, but the suspect was alerted and tried to bolt, at which point the deputy swept the man’s legs to stop him, causing both of them to fall down, Rodriguez landing on his back.

Gomez was heard shouting, “Don’t do it!” according to the defense.   

Rodriguez’s attorney, Mark Frederick, told jurors his client inferred the statement signaled Morin was about to attack him, and he opened fire in fear of his life.

Morin, who was not armed, was fatally wounded in the left side of his chest and died at the scene. Rodriguez suffered a bruise on his back, but otherwise wasn’t injured.

Frederick characterized his client as “shaken and … scared” by the encounter, which was not captured on video because not all deputies had been issued body-worn cameras at the time.

The attorney said Morin, whom he referred to as a “career criminal who always ran from the police,” was angry about the relationship between his ex-girlfriend and Rodriguez. Frederick said several months before the deadly shooting, Perez received a message from Morin, stating, “Cop lover … Tell him to bring his A-game, because no matter what he does, he’s going to lose.”   

The investigation that ensued following Morin’s death stretched several years, culminating in a grand jury indictment in 2017.   

Frederick sought to have transcripts of the proceedings suppressed, expressing concerns about the potential for his client to face adverse publicity, making a fair trial impossible. He complained in 2018 about statements by District Attorney Mike Hestrin, saying the county’s top prosecutor had “convicted Mr. Rodriguez in the press” by painting him as a “rogue deputy … taking care of personal things” on the night of the shooting.

Morin’s family sued the sheriff’s department and county for wrongful death, netting a $7 million payout.

Perez was indicted along with Rodriguez, charged as being an accessory to a felony. However, the charge was dismissed in April.

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LA judge rules against decision not to protect the Joshua Tree

KESQ on May 16, 2025

City News Service

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – A Los Angeles federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision not to provide Endangered Species Act protections for the imperiled Joshua tree is unlawful, according to court papers obtained today.

U.S. District Judge Wesley L. Hsu ruled Monday that the USFWS decision to not provide ESA protections for the Joshua tree is illegal and sidesteps climate science.

WildEarth Guardians sued the USFWS twice in Los Angeles to secure federal projections for the Joshua tree after initially petitioning to list the Joshua tree as “threatened” in 2015. The two species of Joshua tree, Yucca brevifolia and Yucca jaegeriana, face severe climate impacts that will cause the desert icon to become functionally extinct by the end of the century without immediate and robust action, according to the environmental organization.

“The agency’s decision, for a second time, reflected a massive disconnect from what the best available science shows — that climate change and wildfire will prevent Joshua trees from successfully recruiting new generations over the coming years,” Jennifer Schwartz, managing attorney for WildEarth Guardians, said in a statement. “I feel hopeful that a federal court recognizes the need to actually assess these risks to the Joshua tree’s survival. Now it’s up to the service to actually follow the court’s order.”

Hsu agreed with conservationists on all claims, determining “that the service has not provided a rational explanation as to why climate change alone does not threaten the species to become threatened or endangered.”   

WildEarth Guardians said the USFWS’ analysis failed to adequately take into account climate change modeling that clearly shows Joshua trees run the risk of extinction due to increasing temperature, drought and wildfire.   

The court order states that the USFWS “provides no explanation as to why it did not use current trends and standards regarding greenhouse gas emissions as a basis for its decision, when this data currently is available.”  

WildEarth Guardians has been fighting for federal protections for the Joshua tree since the organization’s initial petition to list the species as “threatened” under the ESA in September 2015, citing the severe impacts of climate change on the native succulent.

In August 2019, the USFWS first denied listing protection for what it clarified were actually two distinct species of Joshua tree — eastern Joshua tree (Yucca jaegeriana) and western Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) — because it believed neither species was likely to face a danger of extinction in the next 80 years, according to WildEarth Guardians.

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Five local JROTC students receive Military Officers Association of America scholarships

KESQ on May 16, 2025

Cynthia White

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Five local students received scholarships from the Palm Springs Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America Leadership and Scholarship Luncheon Thursday.

This year the organization gave out five $2,500 scholarships including the Hunter Lopez Scholarship.

Herman and Alicia Lopez, parents of fallen local Marine Corporal Hunter Lopez, presented the scholarship named in honor and memory of their son. Lopez was one of 13 U.S. service members killed in a 2021 terrorist attack in Afghanistan.

Desert Hot Springs High School JROTC presented the Colors, and La Quinta High School JROTC did the Missing Man Table Ceremony, better known as the POW-MIA Table.

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