Aging Best steps up its help during government shutdown

KMIZ on November 1, 2025

Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Military veteran Joseph Gray was approved to receive disability pension, but that — and his Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits — were put on pause once the federal government shut down.

Now, he’s struggling to eat a meal every day.

“Usually, I eat OK and have never needed any help before, but I’ve never been in this position either, where the government took away everything they promised me,” Gray said.

He got his first set of seven meals on Friday from Aging Best, a nonprofit that provides homebound seniors with free, frozen meals.

Gov. Mike Kehoe announced Wednesday that $10.6 million is being transferred from the Senior Services Growth and Development Fund to Missouri Area Agencies on Aging. Columbia’s Aging Best will receive a little more than $1.2 million.

“It’s all going towards programming and feeding people,” said Patty Wickham, a spokesperson from Aging Best.

Wickham said the funds Aging Best is receiving are an increase in funding from previous years, but the nonprofit would have gotten the funding later. Kehoe simply made that money available earlier.

Wickham said that since the government shutdown, more people who have lost their SNAP benefits have been calling and trying to receive free meals. However, only home-bound seniors are eligible for the program.

“We’ve had to turn some people away, and direct them more towards their local food pantries and food banks,” she said. “There’s definitely been a strain that you can feel through the panicked voices on the calls.”

If you or someone you know is facing food insecurity as a home-bound senior, you can visit the Aging Best website. You can also visit the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri’s “food finder” website.

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Local soccer team raising funds to play in tournament in Madrid, Spain

KESQ on November 1, 2025

Jesus Reyes

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – A local soccer team has its sights set on Spain.

“Natives FA”  is a team made up of high school seniors who live in different parts of the Coachella Valley.

The teams have been invited to play in a tournament in Madrid, Spain, called the Met Cup next summer.

The team has set up a GoFundMe me, hoping to raise the funds for this trip of a lifetime.

“We have players from all of the Coachella Valley, from Coachella to Palm Springs. We are looking to make this dream come true for the boys,” said coach Alexis Gutierrez.

The team is hoping to raise $60,000.

The tournament is set for June 15 through June 25.

Click here if you would like to help

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Yuma Rotary hosts 24th Annual USA-Mexico Friendship Conference and Global Grants Exchange

KYMA on November 1, 2025

Joaquin Hight

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A conference was held at the Four Points Sheraton and featured plenty of projects from all around the states and Mexico.

The projects were carefully observed to be selected for a grant to fund the project.

The conference is described as the perfect way for a club to get involved in the Rotary Foundation Global Grant and is open to all Rotary clubs and districts.

In addition, the conference continues Saturday for a Day of the Dead celebration, and Sunday, when selections for the grant will be revealed.

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Migrant advocates in Juárez open new medical clinic to assist migrants

KVIA on November 1, 2025

Heriberto Perez Lara

JUÁREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) — ‘San Columbanos’ church and migrant advocacy group in Juárez recently opened a new medical clinic aimed at helping migrants settling south of the border.

Dr. Leticia Chavarría, the clinic’s coordinator, explains they handle cases ranging from someone hit by a car to someone who was assaulted after leaving their home country.

The clinic is located at the Juárez Cathedral, where a food pantry was also opened about three years ago by coordinator Cristina Coronado.

“It’s for people who have had a lot of trouble getting care. We provide them with a consultation, we give them medications, we pay for lab tests, among other things,” said Dr. Chavarría.

“The issue of health is not just about giving a consultation, it’s not just about consulting the person and telling them to go this way, no, we accompany them because they are people who have no way to move,” Dr. Chavarría added.

Both coordinators said they want to continue providing comprehensive support to migrants, including mental health assistance and aid.

Coordinator Coronado says that if anyone is interested in helping, collaborating, or donating to the food bank or the medical clinic for migrants in Juárez, they can go to the Juárez Cathedral between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and ask for her.

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Oregon appeals court overturns Ian Cranston’s manslaughter conviction in Bend shooting death of Barry Washington Jr.

KTVZ on November 1, 2025

Barney Lerten

(Update: Adding video)

BEND, Ore. KTVZ) — The Oregon Court of Appeals has reversed and remanded the manslaughter conviction of Ian Cranston in the September 2021 shooting death of Barry Washington Jr. in downtown Bend, due to a special instruction related to self-defense that was not given to the jury.

Cranston was sentenced to 10 years in prison after the jury reached its verdict in the fall of 2022.

He is currently incarcerated at the Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario, his defense attorney, Kevin Sali of Portland, told KTVZ News.

The key issue in the court’s 11-page ruling filed Wednesday on Cranston’s appeal was a special jury instruction that his defense attorneys had sought, but which was not given to the jury by Deschutes County Circuit Judge Beth Bagley.

“Defendant argues that the trial court erred when it refused to use his special jury instruction regarding the absence of a duty to retreat under Oregon self-defense law. We agree with defendant that, on this record, the trial court erred by not instructing the jury to that effect. Because the error was not harmless, we reverse and remand” the case to Deschutes County.

The court said the instruction “reads: ‘Oregon law does not impose a duty to retreat before a person can use deadly force in self-defense or in defense of another person.’ That is an accurate statement of the law. … There are no ‘additional requirement[s],’ such as a duty to retreat, before using deadly force in self-defense or defense of others; there are only the requirements imposed by the plain text of the self-defense statutes.”

“In the end, we look to the state’s arguments, evidence, and jury instructions as a whole—in the light most favorable to defendant—and conclude that the special instruction was required as a matter of law,” the court said.

Defense attorney Sali provided this statement to KTVZ News Friday, in reaction to the court ruling:

“We have always believed that a jury given correct instructions about the law of self-defense would find that Ian’s actions were fully lawful and justified. We are grateful to the Court of Appeals for recognizing that the jury in the first trial was not instructed properly, and we expect that in the second trial there will be no doubt about Ian’s innocence.”

District Attorney Steve Gunnels also spoke with us about where things stand and what happens from here.

“Currently, the Oregon Department of Justice is considering whether to petition the Oregon Supreme Court to review the Court of Appeals decision,” Gunnels said. “We should know that within the next month.”

 After a two-week trial and more than six hours of deliberation, a jury acquitted Cranston on a second-degree murder charge, but found him guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter for firing the fatal shot — an act he testified was in self-defense, after being punched by Washington. He chose not to speak at his sentencing.

The Court of Appeals ruling came just days after a permanent memorial was unveiled in Washington’s honor on the downtown Bend street where the fatal shooting occurred.

Oregon Court of Appeals rulingDownload

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Supporters gear up for upcoming Ramsingh immigration hearing

KMIZ on November 1, 2025

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Supporters of Columbia resident Owen Ramsingh, a citizen of the Netherlands who is being held in an El Paso, Texas, immigration detention center, rallied Friday night ahead of his detention hearing next week.

Ramsingh was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Chicago O’Hare Airport in September as he returned from a visit to his native country. He is a legal permanent resident of the United States, where he has lived since childhood, but the federal government has cited past drug possession charges for detaining him.

“A green card is a privilege, not a right, and under our nation’s laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken and abused,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement about the case.

People rallied for Ramsingh’s cause at the Columbia Elks lodge Friday night ahead of his Nov. 6 hearing. It’s one of nine fundraisers family and friends have held to help Ramsingh’s family and pay legal bills.

“I’m pretty sure the judge is going to grant him release, and it’s just, I hope ICE doesn’t hold him for a full 30 days,” said Robert Olsen, Ramsingh’s best friend and the man who went with him on his latest trip. “You know, we can get him back before Thanksgiving.” 

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Living Healthy Expo this Saturday offers wellness activities, interactive experiences, entertainment

KESQ on November 1, 2025

Peter Daut

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – The Living Healthy Expo is the premier health and wellness resource in the valley, uniting business and community partners to educate and serve the public.

This free event is taking place on Saturday, November 1st, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater located at 68526 Avenida Lalo Guerrero.

The Expo is through a partnership with News Channel 3 and Desert Oasis Healthcare, and will feature a variety of wellness activities, interactive experiences, and entertainment. There will also be complimentary health screenings, vaccinations, and demonstrations.

Desert Oasis Healthcare Director of Marketing Rob Banchich says, “I think it’s a great opportunity for a lot of the medical groups within the Coachella Valley to get together and show solidarity and just let the community know we’re there to support them.”

News Channel 3’s Peter Daut spoke with Banchich on Friday to get more on the event.

For more information, visit kesq.com/living-healthy-expo/ or mydohc.com/about/living-healthy-expo-2025/.

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All Hallows Eve Festival brings fun and supports the community

News-Press NOW on November 1, 2025

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Hallows Eve Festival took place at the Good Times Event Center, inviting trick or treaters to see a haunted house, trunk or treat stands and Halloween games.

The event also gave back to the community, with admission for the event for adults being free if they donated baby formula, while kids got in free if a hygiene product was donated.

“My goal, like l’ve always said, is to help out the community and give them something fun and safe to do,” Event Coordinator Cheyenne Tuttle said. “The fact that I get to see kids with smiles on their face just makes it all worthwhile.” 

Anyone who donated will be also be entered into a raffle with winners announced at the end of the night.

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Donations Sought for Coachella Valley `Stuff the Bus’ Youth Drive

KESQ on November 1, 2025

Jesus Reyes

COACHELLA VALLEY (CNS) – SafeHouse of the Desert, in partnership with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, will host its annual “Stuff the Bus” donation drive tomorrow at several locations across the Coachella Valley to benefit local youth in need.

Donations will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside the following stores:   — 83053 Avenue 48, Coachella (Walmart);   — 79295 Highway 111, La Quinta (Walmart);   — 78953 Highway 111, La Quinta (Target) 

Donations may include household items such as twin-size bedding, towels, paper goods, soap, foil, kitchen supplies and cleaning products such as trash bags, disinfecting wipes, laundry detergent, mops and dish soap. Personal items such as sweatpants, socks, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant and lip balm are also accepted, along with nonperishable food, bottled water, juice and grocery store gift cards. 

SafeHouse of the Desert provides emergency shelter, intervention and outreach services for runaway, homeless and at-risk youth ages 11 to 24, officials said.

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SportsZone Football Friday highlights and scores: Week 10

KMIZ on November 1, 2025

ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Week 10 of the Missouri high school football season is tonight.

Scores from Mid-Missouri teams will be posted below.

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