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Missouri judge orders revised ballot language for proposed abortion restrictions

A Cole County judge has ruled that Missouri’s proposed abortion amendment will need to be revised before it appears on Missouri ballots in the 2026 general election.

Judge Daniel Green ordered that the proposed ballot language is misleading because it does not make clear to voters that the measure would overturn abortion rights that were added to the Missouri Constitution last year. 

The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, a nonprofit group, filed the lawsuit in July, arguing the ballot wording was “inaccurate” and “misleading”.

The Missouri Secretary of State now has until Friday to submit revised ballot language.

 

UCM celebrates 63 years of the Elliott Student Union

The University of Central Missouri will celebrate 63 years of the Elliott Student union on Wednesday, Sept. 24. The celebration runs from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m and will include free T-shirts and food for attendees. 

 

Plain White T’s to perform during UCM Family Weekend 

Alternative rock band Plain White T’s will headline the University of Central Missouri’s Family Weekend  concert Sept. 27 in Selmo Park. Indie-pop artist Noah Richardson will open. Gates will open at 5 p.m. with music set to begin at 5:30 p.m. 

 

UCM to host annual Family Weekend 

The University of Central Missouri’s annual Family Weekend will take place Sept. 26-28. Festivities include the annual Family Weekend Breakfast, Color Run, Family Bingo Night, Family Festival and a concert featuring Plain White T’s with Noah Richardson following the Mules Football home game against Missouri Southern. 

 

Moonlight Market wraps up 2025 Warrensburg Farmers’ Market Season

The Moonlight Marker will close out the 2025 Warrensburg Farmers’ Market season Sept. 27 at 4:30 p.m. The event will feature vendors, food trucks and live music from “Luehrman, Shaffer, and Check” around the Johnson County Courthouse.

 

Warrensburg IAFF to host Run for Old Drum 5k and 10k

The Warrensburg International Association of Firefighters will host the Run for Old Drum 5k and 10k to raise funds for Old Drum Animal Shelter. The fundraiser begins at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 27 at the Warrensburg Amtrak Station. Additional donations such as blankets, dog treats and laundry detergent are also requested.

 

Great American Kites to host “Flight Over Holden” 

Great American Kites will host the “Flight Over Holden” Kite Festival at Holden City Lake on Saturday, Sept 27. The event begins at 11 a.m. and will feature the national award-winning kites of the Great American Kites collection. 

 

Knob Noster Parks and Recreation hosts Movie in the Park

Knob Noster Parks and Recreation will host a Movie in the Park at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 27 at Mitch Franklin Park. The 1993 film The Sandlot will be screened, with free food available for guests. The event is free and open to the public. 

 

Downtown Warrensburg Beautification scheduled for Sept. 26–27

Volunteers will gather Sept. 26–27 for Warrensburg’s Downtown Beautification event hosted by Warrensburg Mainstreet Inc. Participants will  plant flowers, remove weeds, pick up trash and hang suncatchers to prepare the downtown area for fall and winter. 

 

 

SPORTS UPDATE

Jennies cruise past Tigers

By Aaron Bax

Sept. 19, 2025

WARRENSBURG, Mo. — The University of Central Missouri (2-2-1) defeated Ouachita Baptist University (1-2-1), 5-0, in their home opener. The Jennies scored four goals in the opening 20 minutes.

UCM scored early with a headed corner kick goal by Ryann Clark in the fifth minute. The Jennies followed it up with a second headed goal by Izzy Joyce. UCM continued with a 14th minute goal from Coryn Jesperson. The Jennies finished off their first half scoring with a Mikayla Ernst penalty kick. Ernst would add the fifth Jennies goal in the 58th minute. Head coach Lewis Theobald said, “I think the idea tonight was [that] it’s our first home game, and we take pride in playing at home. So we wanted to be on the front foot, and we wanted to pressure them high up as close to their goal as we could.”

For the Tigers the best opportunity came in the 70th minute when the referee awarded a penalty to OBU. However, Kristen Wright came up big for the hosts to save the penalty. 

Overall the Jennies led across the board, outshooting OBU 27-4 while putting 14 shots on target to OBU’s two.. The Jennies also played a cleaner game with only four fouls to the Tigers’ nine.

Clark, Joyce and Jesperson all scored their first goals of the season in the home opener while Ernst led the Jennies offensively with two goals and an assist on the night. Ernst, who Theobald described as a “true goalscoring threat,” improved to four goals and two assists on the season. Ernst was proud of the team effort tonight. “Honestly, even just scoring goals, it’s not independent, just on me. I can’t do it without having my teammates put me in good situations,” Ernst said.  

UP NEXT: The Jennies host Harding on Sept. 21. The Jennies begin MIAA play on Sept. 26 at Northeastern State. 

Crest Ridge football holds off late Cole Camp rally

Sept. 19, 2025

CENTERVIEW, Mo. — The Crest Ridge Cougars (2-2) defeated the Cole Camp Bluebirds (2-2), 34-24, in their final game in Centerview this season. The Cougars’ one remaining home game, scheduled for Oct. 17, will be played at Warrensburg High School due to construction at the Crest Ridge football field.

Crest Ridge held a commanding lead throughout the contest. Defensive highlights for the Cougars included two interceptions — one by Wesley Taylor and another by Jace Trobough. Offensively, Taylor found Trobough for a 40-plus-yard connection in the first half. He also connected with Kegan Walsh for a 20-plus-yard touchdown in the contest. Carsen Hursh excelled at running back for the Cougars, finishing with multiple carries and contributing several points in the win.

Late-game drama began when Crest Ridge led by 18 points in the fourth quarter and took over possession at its own 1-yard line. A handoff to Hursh was stopped in the backfield, resulting in a safety. With the Bluebirds down by two scores, the ensuing kick from Crest Ridge gave Cole Camp excellent field position in Cougar territory. From there, the Bluebirds scored quickly to make it a 10-point game. However, a failed two-point conversion resulted in the final score of 34-24 in favor of Crest Ridge.

UP NEXT: Crest Ridge travels to Midway on Sept. 26 for a Class 1 District 5 showdown. The game will air live on 100.3 KMUL, with the pregame show set for 6:50 p.m. and kickoff at 7 p.m.

Mules Drop Heartbreaker To #13 ThunderWolves

By Aaron Bax

September 12, 2025

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Jack Pospisil and Hogan Wasson combined for 380 receiving yards, but it was not enough for the University of Central Missouri Mules on Thursday night. The Colorado State University Pueblo ThunderWolves defeated the Mules 29-24 at Audrey J. Walton Stadium at Vernon Kennedy Field in Warrensburg.

CSU Pueblo (2-1) was the first team to find the end zone. Taylor-Akins made a Roman Fuller pass with one

hand and took it 65 yards to the house with 8:31 remaining in the first quarter.

The Mules (0-2) found the end zone with a Keyon Butler 4-yard touchdown run in the end of the first quarter after a muffed punt set them up with excellent field position.

Both teams also contributed field goals in the first quarter to make the score 10-all heading into the second quarter. Mules kicker Will Peacock converted from 41 yard out, and ThunderWolves kicker Jackson Smith hit from 30.

Defense reigned supreme in the second quarter. The Mules scored the only points of the quarter with 23 seconds left as quarterback Donovyn Omolo ran in from the 2-yard line to give the Mules a 17-10 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, things went south for UCM. The ThunderWolves turned to the run game. A nine play, 89-yard drive culminated in a touchdown to tie the game, and another nine play, 64-yard drive that ended in a field goal gave CSU-Pueblo a 20-10 lead. The ThunderWolves tacked on another three as Smith converted a 42-yard attempt.

The Mules made a change at quarterback, bringing in Jordan Pachot in the fourth quarter. That decision paid immediately dividends. The Mules went on an 11-play, 75-yard drive that took 3:05 and ended in a 3-yard touchdown pass to Pospisil to make the score 24-23.

However, it would not last as a Kiahn Martinez 1-yard touchdown run put the ThunderWolves back up 29-24 after a failed two-point conversion attempt.

Pachot and the Mules got one last chance with 1:45 on the clock and no timeouts starting at their own 18-yard line. A 66-yard strike to Pospisil took the Mules to the 3-yard line and the ThunderWolves were forced to take a timeout with 41 seconds remaining. On first and goal, a Mules pass attempt fell incomplete. On second and goal, the Mules were called an illegal chop block. The 15-yard penalty was followed-up by a 9-yard sack. An incompletion on third and goal from the 27-yard line saw CSU-Pueblo take their final timeout with eight seconds to play. An incomplete pass on fourth and goal sealed the game for the visiting ThunderWolves.

Dedrik Taylor-Akins was a key player offensively for the ThunderWolves. The wide receiver had seven receptions for 170 yards and one touchdown in the contest. Peyton Shaw was pivotal defensively for the ThunderWolves, intercepting two passes for the Pack.

UP NEXT: The Mules face MIAA-rival Missouri Western on the road. Kickoff is set for Saturday, Sept. 20 at 6:00 p.m.

JUST SO YOU KNOW…

Connect to UCMO.edu, ucmo.edu/textcaster

Any modifications to university operations will be announced through official UCM channels, including the UCM website, email, social media feeds and the TextCaster text messaging service. If you haven’t signed up for Textcaster, please visit ucmo.edu/textcaster. Notifications will be made to local and Kansas City area media, but the best source of information is always UCM’s official channels.

Students for Political Action

Students for Political Action or SPA is a bipartisan organization whose goal is to develop an interest in politics among students at UCM. If you want to learn more, you can contact Annie at aja64940@ucmo.edu

Aerial Arts Class

The Student Rec and Wellness Center has added an Aerial Arts class for the Spring semester. The class will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5 p.m. in room 165. The class is designed for all levels, so no experience is needed. Check in at the Rec Center desk for more info! 

Student Government Association

For those who want to use your voice to make changes around you, but are not sure where to start, UCM student government may be just what you need. In order to file for candidacy, you must be a full time student at UCM and must have a GPA above 2.5. If you would like more info, you can contact the Student Government Association at sga@ucmo.edu or by calling 660-543-4094.

Title X (Title 10) Student Advisory Committee

Are you interested in improving sexual and reproductive health education at UCM? If so, you can join the Title X Student Advisory Committee! They’re seeking students from diverse backgrounds and majors to provide feedback on Title X materials designed to support our campus community. This is a great opportunity to gain leadership experience, contribute to health initiatives, and earn a UCM Experience Transcript notation. The time commitment is minimal—about 6 hours per semester—focused on reviewing materials via email. Sign up for e-mail notifications here! 

UCM Scholarship Finder

It’s scholarship season! Log in to UCM Scholarship Finder to complete your general application and explore available scholarships. Click here for the UCM Scholarship Finder!  

Campus Cupboard

The Campus Cupboard is a volunteer-based charity dedicated to alleviating hunger and financial burdens in the UCM community. They have food and personal care items and it’s all free for you. Campus Cupboard is located in the lower level of the Student Rec and they are open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 3:00-5:30 pm. You can also volunteer there, if you would like to help out. Click here to get more info! 

Student Recreation and Wellness Center

Who’s trying to get healthy or stay healthy in 2025? If that’s you, don’t sleep on the Rec!! The Student Rec and Wellness Center is here for all your physical fitness needs. They have group classes and personal training or tons of cardio equipment and weights that you can use on your own. You can visit ucmo.edu/rec or check in at the front desk for more info!

Central Speaks

Have you heard of Central Speaks? Central Speaks is a UCM podcast that puts the spotlight on the dedicated individuals who propel the University forward. Each episode highlights stories of those who embody UCM’s spirit of innovation and service, showcasing the transformative work that redefines what’s possible on our campus and beyond. Central Speaks is all about hearing directly from UCM’s changemakers as they share how they push boundaries and inspire colleagues and students—redefining what’s possible, every day.

Subscribe to Central Speaks on your favorite podcast app, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

You can check it out at www.ucmo.edu/news/central-speaks/

UCM Crisis Support Line

The UCM Counseling Center (part of Campus Community Health) has a 24-hour Crisis and Counseling Support Line (660-543-8008) for students. Crisis line support is available for students who are in a crisis and want to talk with a trained professional any time of day or night (24/7/365). Students may also want to call if they are not in a crisis but want to talk to a professional after hours, on weekends, or during breaks. The UCM Crisis Support Line is an addition to the Counseling Center and Campus Community Health’s existing services.

The Crisis Support Line phone number does not replace the Counseling Center’s phone number, which is answered during business hours (660-543-4060). For more information, visit counselingcenter@ucmo.edu