On Saturday Lafayette County Democrats held their annual fundraising dinner and pie auction in Higginsville. It’s a fun event, with a reputation in Democratic Party circles across the state for good food, great speakers, and expensive pies.
People show up. And as with the many Democratic Party events across the state this large circle of like-minded friends and familiar faces is a tribute to their sustained activism and solidarity. You always make new friends at party events, large and small.
Saturday evening Lafayette County Democrats held their annual fundraising dinner and pie auction in Higginsville. Democratic Party office holders and party officials spoke at the event.
Will Westmoreland:….There’s a cloud brewing out there. And the cloud brewing over rural America is the darkest cloud out there right now. You know, Will Rogers used to say, it’s one of my favorite quotes, and some of you have heard it before, when they asked Will Rogers, ‘How do people learn in rural America?’ He said, ‘Well, some learn by reading, some learn by observing, and the rest of them just have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.’ [laughter] And there’s a lot of peeing on the electric fence going on in rural America right now. [laughter] But we can change that….
….We only need three percent of rural America to vote Democrat and we can win the presidency, the House, and the Senate. Well by golly, I’m a rural American and I kind of want a school board that doesn’t ban books. [applause] I want a county clerk that believes in free and fair elections. [cheers, applause] I want a health department that doesn’t think vaccines were sent up from the bowels of hell by the Devil himself. [laughter, applause]….
….I don’t give a damn about what every pundit in this country says, 33% in rural America didn’t vote for this dumbass [cheers, applause]….
Will Westmoreland: ….Everything that this administration does is a grift, but when it comes to privatization, when it comes to taking money out of our rural schools and sending it to private schools where 75% of the kids that get that money are already enrolled, it’s not just about the grift, it’s about indoctrination and you can count on that. [applause]….
….Did you ever see a president when he looks at rural ag policy he looks like a cow looking at a new gate? [laughter] Some of you get that. [laughter] This guy has absolutely pulled out the rug from under American farmers and this country….
….Every time I hear somebody say there’s not a difference between the two parties in this country I tell ’em, ‘bullshit.’ [applause] When my dad died when I was five years old and we didn’t have a place to live, and the republican party said, ‘you’re a burden to this country,’ it was the Democratic Party that made sure we had a roof over our head in the form of public housing. [applause] When the cupboards in our kitchen were bare, and the republicans said, ‘go to your church or go find a family member,’ it was the Democratic Party that gave us that funny money [applause] that we could take down to the grocery store and but food to feed our family. When my mother stepped up to the plate and went back to college to earn herself a degree to support her family and the republicans said, ‘we’re not gonna pay for it,’ it was the Democrats that gave her a Pell grant to go back and get that degree [applause]….
Saturday evening Lafayette County Democrats held their annual fundraising dinner and pie auction in Higginsville. Democratic Party office holders and party officials spoke at the event.
Russ Carnahan (D): ….they’re [republicans] are on the wrong side of history and they’re on the wrong side of voters.
Now, the latest overreach, Trump is telling states they’ve got to further gerrymander their congressional districts because they are scared. They have to rig the system to hide their unpopular agenda and they are desperate. They are desperate to stop investigations into their corruption and the Epstein scandal. [voices: “Yeah.”] They are desperate.
So we are gonna fight that tooth and nail….
Russ Carnahan (D): ….This mid-decade gerrymander that can likely happen in the middle of September when the legislature is back. Listen. We’re gonna fight that in the courts, you all are gonna fight that in the legislature, citizens are gonna have your back to do a referendum if needed. But the biggest goal is we’ve got to take this to the people with an initiative petition to take this power away from the republican power grab and create citizens’ commissions to draw our districts fairly. That’s the fight….
Yvonne Reeves Chong, Vice-Chair and Russ Carnahan, Chair – Missouri Democratic Party
Yesterday evening Lafayette County Democrats held their annual fundraising dinner and pie auction in Higginsville. Democratic Party office holders and party officials spoke at the event.
Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern (D): ….It has been a very tough year for Missouri Democrats. But here’s the deal, this is not new to us. And if we’ve learned one thing, it’s how we stand up, fight back, and get organized. This, Missouri Democrats have a long tradition of standing up against the republican bullies. And we’re not gonna stop now.
When republicans tried to strip power from labor unions by forcing down our throats ‘right to work for less,’ What did we do? We stood up, we band together, and we defeated Prop. A. [applause] When republicans refused to give Missourians access to life saving health care through Medicaid expansion Missouri Democrats banded together, passed Medicaid expansion, and you know what? Gave these rural hospitals the lifeline they needed to stay afloat and save lives. [applause] When Missouri republicans took away the right to our very bodily autonomy we gathered together, gathered thousands of signatures all across this state, and we passed Amendment 3 to reclaim our rights. [applause] But the headlines aren’t new to you and they’re not new to me.
We know that here in the Missouri General Assembly that they continue to try and erase you. To erase your voice and your vote….
Yesterday evening Lafayette County Democrats held their annual fundraising dinner and pie auction in Higginsville. Democratic Party office holders and party officials spoke at the event.
Missouri House Minority Floor Leader, Representative Ashley Aune (D):
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Rep. Ashley Aune: ….the challenge this year has truly been the republicans’ insistence on overturning the will of the voters at every single turn. Whether it’s abortion rights, or workers’ rights, uh, you know when I came in it was Medicaid expansion they were trying to undo. And every single session that I’ve been down there it’s been something else. Uh, one other way, uh, to thwart the voters to say, ‘I know better than you.’ Um, and this year it has been the most egregious we’ve ever seen.
On top of that, as you heard, we are being threatened with this [Congressional] redistricting plan. Uh, and I have, every indication that I’ve seen is that it’s happening. Uh, and, of course, as super, as a super-minority we have very few levers to challenge that….
….We can not show up for work as Democrats and the republicans can do their work, no problem. In fact, they’d probably prefer it that way….
Rep. Ashley Aune: ….In order the break the [republican] super-majority we need to flip two seats in the Senate and three seats in the House. That is absolutely doable in 2026 you guys. We have, not only do we have incredible candidates lining up to run in some of the most important races across the state, but we have people Like Keri Ingle, who’s digging in to Eastern Jackson County [applause] and making sure that that senate district, it doesn’t stay red. We have people like Betsy Fogle down in Springfield who are running to put that put that senate seat as well….
….While Missourians continue to elect republicans, they’re also voting for progressive priorities like Medicaid expansion, legalizing marijuana, making sure that we put abortion rights in our Constitution, and improving workers’ rights across the state. Missourians believe in progressive values. We need to make them believe in progressive candidates….
Yesterday evening Lafayette County Democrats held their annual fundraising dinner and pie auction in Higginsville. Democratic Party office holders and party officials spoke at the event.
Rep. David Tyson-Smith.
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Rep. David Tyson-Smith (D): ….the people that are around [Trump] right now have no backbone. They have no backbone and they’re cowards. And, and not only they are not standing up to him, they’re, they’re going along with his bidding, right. So, uh, for example Congressman [Mark] Alford (r), okay, so he had a town hall recently, you know I met with him, and I talked with him. You need to have a town hall. You need to go out and meet the people. A public town hall. Right, not just a private thing, a public thing. And so he shows up and he says, ‘Um, you know everyone’s, you know, basically, people don’t like these, uh, ICE agents with masks.’ And he says, ‘You know, you guys liked masks with COVID. But now you don’t like masks with ICE agents?’ [voices: “No.”] Can you believe he said that? Can you believe that? I mean, the, you’re groaning, they were groaning at that town hall. It’s gross.
You’ve got Josh Hawley (r) who voted for the big ugly bill, right, right [voices: “Boo!”] The big ugly bill which is going to kill rural hospitals, isn’t it? And then he tries to fool you and says, ‘Oh, you know what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna file my own bill to help rural hospitals.’ What are you talking about, Josh? Your bill is not gonna pass. No. Are his republican friends gonna vote for his bill? No. He just says that so you think he’s on your side. He’s not on your side. He’s voting against you….
Rep. David Tyson-Smith (D): ….What I’m gonna tell you is the truth. This is, I promise you, this is not an exaggeration. A thousand years from now people are going to look back at this moment and they’re going to look to see what happened. Did he roll over the country, keep the House illegally, stay an extra term, another term, smash everything that’s sacred to all of us? Or did we stand up and fight?….
….Well I say, maximum resistance everywhere all the time. We have to fight them everywhere. [cheers, applause] Everywhere. The library. The beaches. The stores. The rallies.
Yesterday evening Lafayette County Democrats held their annual fundraisng dinner and pie auction in Higginsville.
One of the auctioned desserts.
The evening started with a social hour.
Yvonne Reeves Chong, Vice-Chair and Russ Carnahan, Chair – Missouri Democratic Party
Sadly, Mark Alford (r) was not present to interact with his 4th Congressional District constituents. Certainly he’ll have that opportunity across the district later in the month.
There was music.
They were all excellent.
Some of the Democratic Party office holders and officials in attendance:
Grace before dinner – Dennis Hisek.
And, the pie auction took place in segments, between speakers.
Henry Grubb, auctioneer.
There were approximately 50 pies in the auction. The pies went for between $600 and $125. That’s quite a fundraiser.
Democrats from across the state attended and also brought pies for the auction:
Elad Gross.
Some who actively cheered the bidding on their pies.
The Trails Regional Library is a public library consortium for Johnson and Lafayette Counties in Missouri. Over the past month there has been discussion on a social media platform in a community forum dedicated to Warrensburg about unhoused/homeless individuals at the Warrensburg library branch.
There are shelters in the Warrensburg area, but for the most part there are no daytime shelters. For an unhoused/homeless person this can be an even greater challenge in hot, cold, or inclement weather. The public library is a public library – it’s open to all, there is air conditioning or heat appropriate to the season, there is access to the Internet, and it’s a safe space.
Individual(s) brought their concerns to the Trails Regional Library Board of Trustees. The board met on Wednesday night at the Holden, Missouri branch with the concern(s) on the agenda.
We are kind.
We treat each other and those we serve with empathy and compassion. We see every day as an opportunity to inspire new ideas and make someone smile.
We are inclusive.
The library is for everyone, and everyone is welcome here. We recognize and value diversity and intellectual freedom and believe it makes us stronger. Though we may be different, we always begin each interaction with the belief that others’ intentions are good.
We are open.
We cultivate a space where we can share differing opinions without judgment. We stay committed to each other by trusting, communicating, working through conflict, and being open to feedback. Each interaction is an opportunity to learn, even when it doesn’t go the way we hope.
Advocates and activists for unhoused/homeless individuals attended the meeting. Several signed in to speak at the public comment portion at the beginning of the meeting.
From the public comment portion of the meeting:
“…And in the mean time you’ll make them feel like productive members of society and not outcasts. We want to be welcoming to our housing displaced and provide additional support…”
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. “…Librairies are for everyone…”
. “I run the homeless shelter in Warrensburg, one of them. And I am here to defend them all…They are displaced people. But displaced people are not bad people…”
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The speaker on the meeting agenda – on the subject of unhoused/homeless individuals utilizing the library:
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A response from an individual in the audience:
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The lack of sufficient resources in Warrensburg impacts the library branch which by all accounts – to the credit of its staff – tries to meet the challenges with compassion, service, and professionalism.
JOHNSON, LAFAYETTE & SALINE COUNTIES: COVID-19 cases in Johnson (299), Lafayette (256) and Saline (165) have increased in the past 14 days.
Hospitals in the region are seeing resource strain from dramatically increased numbers of COVID-19 patients and hospitalizations. As a result, several hospitals in the region are at or near capacity. Continued disease spread into Northwest Missouri is expected.
The Delta variant, which spreads more easily and poses higher risk of hospitalization than prior variants, is believed to be contributing to the increase. Vaccination continues to be our best tool to move past this pandemic.
Vaccination rates:
– Johnson County: 23.4%
– Lafayette County: 34.5%
– Saline County: 35.8%
Experts say at least 70% – 80% of people need immunity to minimize spread within a community.
COVID-19 Resources
– Vaccines: MOStopsCovid.com
– At Home & Community Testing: Health.Mo.Gov/CommunityTest
Those who choose not to get vaccinated should continue these important public health steps:
– Maintain at least six feet distance from others;
– Wear a mask when appropriate;
– Avoid others that appear to be sick;
– Avoid others if you have COVID symptoms;
– Cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue; and
– Wash your hands.
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