By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/caleigh-wells">CALEIGH WELLS</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/aya-diab">AYA DIAB</a> Associated Press

The holiday season will soon come to a close, but the busiest time of the year for product returns is just beginning.

The National Retail Federation estimates&nbsp;<a href="https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf" target="_blank">17% of holiday purchases will be sent back</a>&nbsp;this year. More retailers are reporting extended return windows and increased holiday staff to handle the rush this year.

A major driver for returns is uncertainty. When we buy for other people, finding what they want is a bit of a guessing game. Online purchases have higher return rates because finding the right size and color is tough when you’re just staring at images on screens.

“Clothing and footwear, as you can imagine, because fit is such an important criteria, they have higher rates of returns,” said Saskia van Gendt, chief sustainability officer at Blue Yonder, which sells software designed to improve companies’ supply chain management.

Returns come with an environmental cost, but there’s a lot consumers and companies are doing to minimize it.

If a company sells a thing, it’s probably packaged in plastic. Plastic is made from oil, and oil production releases&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-negotiations-agreement-paris-brazil-warming-harms-d56626cd6f7f1f8e5c1a9afbde9d5198">emissions that warm the planet</a>. If that thing is bought online, it’s put on a plane or a train or a truck that usually uses oil-based fuel.

If you buy a thing and return it, it goes through most or all of that all over again.

And once those products are back with the retailer, they may be sent along to a refurbisher, liquidator, recycler or landfill. All these steps require more travel, packaging and energy, ultimately translating to more emissions. Joseph Sarkis, who teaches supply chain management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, estimates that returning an item increases its impact on the planet by 25% to 30%.

Roughly a third of the time, those returns&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921344924004051#:~:text=Highlights,the%20environmental%20impacts%20of%20returns." target="_blank">don’t make</a>&nbsp;their way to another consumer. Because frequently, it’s not worth reselling.

If, for example, you get a phone, but you send it back because you don’t like the color, the seller has to pay for the fuel and equipment to get the phone back, and then has to pay for the labor to assess whether it has been damaged since leaving the facility.

“It can be quite expensive,” said Sarkis. “And if you send it out to a new customer and the phone is bad, imagine the reputational hit you’ll get. You’ll get another return and you’ll lose a customer who’s unhappy with the product or material. So the companies are hesitant to take that chance.”

Something as expensive as a phone might get sold to a secondary or refurbishment market. But that $6 silicone spatula you got off Amazon? Probably not worth it. Plus, some stuff — think a bathing suit or a bra — is less attractive to customers if there’s a chance it’s been resold. The companies know that.

And that’s where the costs of returns are more than just environmental — and consumers wind up paying. Even free returns aren’t really free.

“Refurbishment, inspection, repackaging, all of these things get factored into the retail price,” said Christopher Faires, assistant professor of logistics and supply chain management at Georgia Southern University.

If you want to reduce the impact of your returns, the first move is to increase their chances of resale. Be careful not to damage it, and reuse the packaging to send it back, said Cardiff University logistics and operations management lecturer Danni Zhang.

If you have to return something, do it quickly. That ugly Christmas sweater you got at the white elephant office party has a much better chance of selling on Dec. 20 than it does on Jan. 5. Zhang said it’s not worth the cost to the company to store that sweater once it’s gone out of season.

Another tip: in-person shopping is better than online because purchases get returned less often, and in-person returns are better, too — because those items get resold more often. Zhang said it reduces landfill waste. Sarkis said it reduces emissions because companies with brick-and-mortar locations spread out across the country and closer to consumers thus move restocked goods shorter distances.

“If I can return in-store, then I definitely will,” Zhang said. “The managers can put that stuff back to the market as soon as possible.”

Obviously the best thing consumers can do is minimize returns. Many shoppers engage in “bracketing behavior,” or buying multiple sizes of the same item, keeping what fits, and returning the rest.

“This behavior of bringing the dressing room to our homes is not sustainable,” said Faires.

If you’re buying for someone else, you can also consider taking the guesswork out of the equation and going for a gift card.

“I know we do really want to pick up something really nice to express our love for our friends or our family. But if we are more sustainable, probably the gift card will be much better than just purchasing the product,” Zhang said.

Sarkis wants to see companies provide more information in product descriptions about the environmental impact of returning an item, or how much of the purchase price factors in return costs.

“But I don’t know if they want to send a negative message,” he said. “If you’re telling someone to stop something because of negative results, that’s not going to sell.”

Sarkis and Zhang both say charging for returns would help. Already Amazon is requiring customers pay in certain situations.

On the tech side, Blue Yonder’s recent acquisition of Optoro, a company that provides a return management system for retailers and brands, uses a software to quickly assess the condition of returned products and route them to stores that are most likely to resell them.

“Having that process be more digitized, you can quickly assess the condition and put it back into inventory,” said van Gendt. “So that’s a big way to just avoid landfill and also all of the carbon emissions that are associated with that.”

Clothing is returned most often. Many sizes do not reflect specific measurements, like women’s dresses, so they vary a lot between brands. Zhang said better sizing could help reduce the need for returns. On top of that, Sarkis said more 3D imaging and virtual reality programs could help customers be more accurate with their purchases, saving some returns.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/about/standards-for-working-with-outside-groups/" target="_blank">standards</a>&nbsp;for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/discover/Supporting-AP" target="_blank">AP.org</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766929977394.jpg" alt="Image Pixaby" />
 <figcaption>Image Pixaby</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/caleigh-wells">CALEIGH WELLS</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/aya-diab">AYA DIAB</a> Associated PressThe holiday season will soon come to a close, but the busiest time of the year for product returns is just beginning.The National Retail Federation estimates&nbsp;<a href="https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf" target="_blank">17% of holiday purchases will be sent back</a>&nbsp;this year. More retailers are reporting extended return windows and increased holiday staff to handle the rush this year.A major driver for returns is uncertainty. When we buy for other people, finding what they want is a bit of a guessing game. Online purchases have higher return rates because finding the right size and color is tough when you’re just staring at images on screens.“Clothing and footwear, as you can imagine, because fit is such an important criteria, they have higher rates of returns,” said Saskia van Gendt, chief sustainability officer at Blue Yonder, which sells software designed to improve companies’ supply chain management.Returns come with an environmental cost, but there’s a lot consumers and companies are doing to minimize it.<h2>The impact of returns</h2>If a company sells a thing, it’s probably packaged in plastic. Plastic is made from oil, and oil production releases&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-negotiations-agreement-paris-brazil-warming-harms-d56626cd6f7f1f8e5c1a9afbde9d5198">emissions that warm the planet</a>. If that thing is bought online, it’s put on a plane or a train or a truck that usually uses oil-based fuel.If you buy a thing and return it, it goes through most or all of that all over again.And once those products are back with the retailer, they may be sent along to a refurbisher, liquidator, recycler or landfill. All these steps require more travel, packaging and energy, ultimately translating to more emissions. Joseph Sarkis, who teaches supply chain management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, estimates that returning an item increases its impact on the planet by 25% to 30%.Roughly a third of the time, those returns&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921344924004051#:~:text=Highlights,the%20environmental%20impacts%20of%20returns." target="_blank">don’t make</a>&nbsp;their way to another consumer. Because frequently, it’s not worth reselling.If, for example, you get a phone, but you send it back because you don’t like the color, the seller has to pay for the fuel and equipment to get the phone back, and then has to pay for the labor to assess whether it has been damaged since leaving the facility.“It can be quite expensive,” said Sarkis. “And if you send it out to a new customer and the phone is bad, imagine the reputational hit you’ll get. You’ll get another return and you’ll lose a customer who’s unhappy with the product or material. So the companies are hesitant to take that chance.”Something as expensive as a phone might get sold to a secondary or refurbishment market. But that $6 silicone spatula you got off Amazon? Probably not worth it. Plus, some stuff — think a bathing suit or a bra — is less attractive to customers if there’s a chance it’s been resold. The companies know that.And that’s where the costs of returns are more than just environmental — and consumers wind up paying. Even free returns aren’t really free.“Refurbishment, inspection, repackaging, all of these things get factored into the retail price,” said Christopher Faires, assistant professor of logistics and supply chain management at Georgia Southern University.<h2>What consumers can do about it</h2>If you want to reduce the impact of your returns, the first move is to increase their chances of resale. Be careful not to damage it, and reuse the packaging to send it back, said Cardiff University logistics and operations management lecturer Danni Zhang.If you have to return something, do it quickly. That ugly Christmas sweater you got at the white elephant office party has a much better chance of selling on Dec. 20 than it does on Jan. 5. Zhang said it’s not worth the cost to the company to store that sweater once it’s gone out of season.Another tip: in-person shopping is better than online because purchases get returned less often, and in-person returns are better, too — because those items get resold more often. Zhang said it reduces landfill waste. Sarkis said it reduces emissions because companies with brick-and-mortar locations spread out across the country and closer to consumers thus move restocked goods shorter distances.“If I can return in-store, then I definitely will,” Zhang said. “The managers can put that stuff back to the market as soon as possible.”Obviously the best thing consumers can do is minimize returns. Many shoppers engage in “bracketing behavior,” or buying multiple sizes of the same item, keeping what fits, and returning the rest.“This behavior of bringing the dressing room to our homes is not sustainable,” said Faires.If you’re buying for someone else, you can also consider taking the guesswork out of the equation and going for a gift card.“I know we do really want to pick up something really nice to express our love for our friends or our family. But if we are more sustainable, probably the gift card will be much better than just purchasing the product,” Zhang said.<h2>What businesses can do about it</h2>Sarkis wants to see companies provide more information in product descriptions about the environmental impact of returning an item, or how much of the purchase price factors in return costs.“But I don’t know if they want to send a negative message,” he said. “If you’re telling someone to stop something because of negative results, that’s not going to sell.”Sarkis and Zhang both say charging for returns would help. Already Amazon is requiring customers pay in certain situations.On the tech side, Blue Yonder’s recent acquisition of Optoro, a company that provides a return management system for retailers and brands, uses a software to quickly assess the condition of returned products and route them to stores that are most likely to resell them.“Having that process be more digitized, you can quickly assess the condition and put it back into inventory,” said van Gendt. “So that’s a big way to just avoid landfill and also all of the carbon emissions that are associated with that.”Clothing is returned most often. Many sizes do not reflect specific measurements, like women’s dresses, so they vary a lot between brands. Zhang said better sizing could help reduce the need for returns. On top of that, Sarkis said more 3D imaging and virtual reality programs could help customers be more accurate with their purchases, saving some returns.___The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/about/standards-for-working-with-outside-groups/" target="_blank">standards</a>&nbsp;for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/discover/Supporting-AP" target="_blank">AP.org</a>.

Why your holiday gift returns might go to a landfill and what you can do about it

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/masoud-pezeshkian">Masoud Pezeshkian</a>&nbsp;said Saturday his country is in a full-scale war with the U.S., Israel and Europe ahead of Israeli Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/benjamin-netanyahu">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>&nbsp;’s meeting Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Pezeshkian said in an interview published on the website of the country’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ali-khamenei">Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei</a>&nbsp;on Saturday that the war is worse than Iran’s deadly war with Iraq in the 1980s.

“We are in a full-scale war with the U.S., Israel and Europe; they don’t want our country to remain stable,” he said.

Pezeshkian said the West’s war against Iran is “more complicated and more difficult” compared to the 1980-1988 war with Iraq that left more than 1 million casualties on both sides.

The remarks came two days before a planned meeting between Trump and Netanyahu during Netanyahu’s visit to the U.S. Iran is expected to be a key topic in the talks.

Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran that came during a 12-day air war in June killed nearly 1,100 Iranians including senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. Retaliatory missile barrages by Iran killed 28 in Israel.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730601000960.png" alt="FIle In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian&nbsp; Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)" />
 <figcaption>FIle In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian&nbsp; Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/masoud-pezeshkian">Masoud Pezeshkian</a>&nbsp;said Saturday his country is in a full-scale war with the U.S., Israel and Europe ahead of Israeli Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/benjamin-netanyahu">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>&nbsp;’s meeting Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump.Pezeshkian said in an interview published on the website of the country’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ali-khamenei">Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei</a>&nbsp;on Saturday that the war is worse than Iran’s deadly war with Iraq in the 1980s.“We are in a full-scale war with the U.S., Israel and Europe; they don’t want our country to remain stable,” he said.Pezeshkian said the West’s war against Iran is “more complicated and more difficult” compared to the 1980-1988 war with Iraq that left more than 1 million casualties on both sides.The remarks came two days before a planned meeting between Trump and Netanyahu during Netanyahu’s visit to the U.S. Iran is expected to be a key topic in the talks.Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran that came during a 12-day air war in June killed nearly 1,100 Iranians including senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. Retaliatory missile barrages by Iran killed 28 in Israel.

Iran in a full-scale war with the U.S., Israel and Europe

PHILLIPS COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an arrest following a police pursuit in northwest Kansas.

Just before 3p.m. Saturday, the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office assisted in a vehicle pursuit that began in Smith County, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.

 The pursuit continued into Rooks County, where a Rooks County Sheriff’s Deputy successfully deployed spike strips, bringing the vehicle to a controlled stop.

With the vehicle disabled, the male driver—identified as being from Pennsylvania—was given clear commands and taken into custody without incident. No injuries were reported. Area agencies maintained communication throughout the incident, and the Kansas Highway Patrol, Smith County Sheriff’s Office, Rooks County Sheriff’s Office, and Phillips County Sheriff’s Office coordinated to ensure the pursuit was resolved safely and efficiently.

PHILLIPS COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an arrest following a police pursuit in northwest Kansas.Just before 3p.m. Saturday, the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office assisted in a vehicle pursuit that began in Smith County, according to a statement from the sheriff's office. The pursuit continued into Rooks County, where a Rooks County Sheriff’s Deputy successfully deployed spike strips, bringing the vehicle to a controlled stop.With the vehicle disabled, the male driver—identified as being from Pennsylvania—was given clear commands and taken into custody without incident. No injuries were reported. Area agencies maintained communication throughout the incident, and the Kansas Highway Patrol, Smith County Sheriff’s Office, Rooks County Sheriff’s Office, and Phillips County Sheriff’s Office coordinated to ensure the pursuit was resolved safely and efficiently.

Suspect arrested after northwest Kansas police chase

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement investigating another homicide in Kansas City have identified the victims as 17-year-old Damon L. Gully and 24-year-old RIckey T. Young.

Just after 9a.m. Friday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 7400 block of Chestnut in Kansas City, Missouri on a reported disturbance, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino. While en route the call was upgraded to a shooting.&nbsp;

As officers arrived they located Gully and Young in the street, suffering from gunshot wounds. KCFD EMS arrived simultaneously and performed life saving measures. Both victims were pronounced deceased on scene.&nbsp;

This is being investigated as a homicide. The preliminary investigation has revealed that there was a dispute over property, just prior to shots being fired and the victims being struck. Detectives have located several witnesses and continue to canvass the area for additional witnesses or surveillance footage. Crime scene personnel are processing the scene for any available physical evidence.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766776797448.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement investigating another homicide in Kansas City have identified the victims as 17-year-old Damon L. Gully and 24-year-old RIckey T. Young.Just after 9a.m. Friday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 7400 block of Chestnut in Kansas City, Missouri on a reported disturbance, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino. While en route the call was upgraded to a shooting.&nbsp;As officers arrived they located Gully and Young in the street, suffering from gunshot wounds. KCFD EMS arrived simultaneously and performed life saving measures. Both victims were pronounced deceased on scene.&nbsp;This is being investigated as a homicide. The preliminary investigation has revealed that there was a dispute over property, just prior to shots being fired and the victims being struck. Detectives have located several witnesses and continue to canvass the area for additional witnesses or surveillance footage. Crime scene personnel are processing the scene for any available physical evidence.&nbsp;

17-year-old among victims in deadly Kansas City gun fight

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/bernard-j-wolfson-kff-health-news/">Bernard J. Wolfson, &nbsp;KFF Health News</a>-

As Congress debates whether to extend the temporary federal subsidies that have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/aca-marketplace-premium-payments-would-more-than-double-on-average-next-year-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire/" target="_blank">helped millions</a>&nbsp;of Americans buy health coverage, a crucial underlying reality is sometimes overlooked: Those subsidies are merely a band-aid covering the often unaffordable cost of health care.

California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milbank.org/publications/beyond-public-reporting-strengthening-accountability-to-states-cost-growth-targets-and-leveraging-targets-in-health-care-oversight/" target="_blank">five other states</a>&nbsp;have set caps on health care spending in a bid to rein in the intense financial pressure felt by many families, individuals and employers who every year face increases in premiums, deductibles and other health-related expenses.

Hospitals and other health care providers are citing Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump in July, as one more reason to challenge those limits.

The law is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/medicaid-enrollment-spending-growth-fy-2025-2026/" target="_blank">more than $900 billion</a>&nbsp;over a decade, which mathematically should help the overall health care system meet the caps. But the law is also expected to increase the number of uninsured Americans, mostly Medicaid beneficiaries, by an estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/uninsured/how-will-the-2025-reconciliation-law-affect-the-uninsured-rate-in-each-state/" target="_blank">10 million people</a>. Health care analysts predict hospitals and other providers will raise prices to cover the double whammy of lost Medicaid revenue and the cost of caring for an influx of newly uninsured patients.

Whether regulators in some states will allow providers to justify higher prices and exceed the spending caps is unclear. Only&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milbank.org/publications/beyond-public-reporting-strengthening-accountability-to-states-cost-growth-targets-and-leveraging-targets-in-health-care-oversight/" target="_blank">California and Oregon</a>&nbsp;can penalize providers financially if they fail to meet targets.

“Are we going to say, ‘That’s OK’? Or are we going to say, ‘Well, you exceeded the target. We’re still going to penalize you for that’?” said Richard Pan, a former state lawmaker and a member of the California Office of Health Care Affordability’s board. “That has not yet been decided.”

The California Hospital Association, the industry’s main state lobbying group,&nbsp;<a href="https://calhospital.org/file/ohca-petition-for-writ-of-mandate/?_cldee=A8GhrcOY_cTuDPfqPGEYnuTgoZXm3szCgl31GFGm7Rb9gSK_2LWVhcwpQwK8EuuJ&amp;recipientid=contact-e10e51f96e20eb11a813000d3a375a4d-5668c9ec73c54063bd98803095e124ac&amp;esid=7bd201ea-8aa4-f011-bbd3-6045bd03d69a" target="_blank">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in October asking a state court to strike down the spending caps, which it argued fail to account for all the cost pressures hospitals face. Those pressures, it said, include an aging, sicker population; the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Health-Care-Worker-Minimum-Wage-FAQ.htm" target="_blank">rising cost</a>&nbsp;of labor; expensive advances in medical technology; large capital outlays on required seismic retrofitting; and changes in federal policy, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The hospital group’s lawsuit also asserted that the state affordability office, by hastily imposing ill-considered cost-cutting targets, was undermining its other key mission of improving health care access, quality and equity.

California’s affordability office last year set a&nbsp;<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/health-brief-california-annual-health-spending-caps/" target="_blank">five-year target</a>&nbsp;to cap statewide spending growth, starting at 3.5% in 2025 and declining to 3% by 2029. The annual caps apply to a wide range of health care entities, including hospitals, medical groups, insurers and other payers.

Earlier this year, it imposed much lower spending growth caps — starting at 1.8% in 2026 and declining to 1.6% by 2029 — for&nbsp;<a href="https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Update-to-Draft-Motions-Presented-April-2025.pdf" target="_blank">seven “high-cost” hospitals</a>.

“The spending caps set by politically appointed bureaucrats could force cuts that result in many Californians traveling farther for care, facing longer emergency room wait times, experiencing more overcrowding and losing access to critical services,” Carmela Coyle, the hospital association’s president and CEO, said in an October press release.

The California attorney general’s office, which will represent the affordability agency, has not yet filed a response to the hospital group’s complaint and did not respond to a request for comment.

California is not the only state taking a close look at hospital prices, which are widely considered a&nbsp;<a href="https://tobin.yale.edu/research/who-pays-rising-health-care-prices-evidence-hospital-mergers" target="_blank">primary driver</a>&nbsp;of health care costs.

“States, armed with information that points to payments to hospitals as a driver of what is way beyond affordable commercial premiums, have begun to take increasingly targeted actions focused on commercial hospital prices,” said Michael Bailit, founder of the Needham, Massachusetts-based consultancy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bailit-health.com/team/michael-bailit.php" target="_blank">Bailit Health</a>, which has advised multiple states, including California, on ways to tame health care spending. “It is not surprising that the hospital industry is going to oppose such state actions.”

In its lawsuit, the California Hospital Association said the affordability office’s own report showed that pharmaceutical and insurance companies are largely responsible for high costs.

Hospitals in some states with cost growth limits, including&nbsp;<a href="https://cthosp.org/advocacy/healthcare-legislation-and-policy/healthcare-cost-growth-benchmarking/" target="_blank">Connecticut</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mhalink.org/mondayreport/is-benchmark-good-too-weak-or-irrelevant/" target="_blank">Massachusetts</a>, have expressed objections similar to the ones raised in the California lawsuit. They could follow their counterparts in California if their lawsuit succeeds, said Peter Lee, who led California’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, Covered California, for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coveredca.com/newsroom/news-releases/2021/09/16/peter-v-lee-to-leave-as-executive-director-of-covered-california-after-10-years-leading-the-nations-largest-state-based-marketplace/" target="_blank">over a decade</a>&nbsp;and is now a&nbsp;<a href="https://med.stanford.edu/cerc/about/affiliates-advisors.html" target="_blank">senior scholar</a>&nbsp;at Stanford Medicine’s Clinical Excellence Research Center.

Lee said the work of California’s affordability office and similar agencies in other states is just about the only systemwide effort being made to cut health care costs. They are basically saying, “‘Look, health care is taking money away from education, it is taking money away from the environment, it is taking money away from everything in the public sector, and in the private sector it is taking money away from wages,’” he said. “‘We don’t know how you, the health system, are going to do it, but it is your job not just to provide quality but to lower costs. Here’s the target.’”

To be sure, achieving the cost savings that California and those other states are seeking is no easy lift. It will ultimately require persuading large, financially powerful players that compete fiercely for health care dollars to adopt a different mindset and begin cooperating to reduce costs instead. And that, in many cases, will mean lower revenue.

But the status quo, as many people know all too well, means continued financial pain for millions.

In early 2020, Estevan Rodriguez, a bartender at California’s Monterey Beach Hotel, had surgery for a staph infection in his leg. The bill came to nearly $168,000. His insurance paid most of it, but he still owed $5,665, which took him two years to pay, more than $200 every month. “It may not be a lot to some people, but it was a lot to me,” Rodriguez said.

He said he dropped his Hulu subscription, switched to a lower-cost cellphone, and got cheaper car insurance. He started going to food banks rather than the grocery store, he said, and had a lot less time with his kids, because he was constantly working to pay off the hospital bill.

<a href="https://www.montagehealth.org/locations/profile/community-hospital-monterey-peninsula/" target="_blank">Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula</a>, where Rodriguez had his surgery, is one of the seven hospitals identified by California’s affordability office as high-cost. A&nbsp;<a href="https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/OHCA-Investigative-Study-of-Hospital-Market-Competition-in-Monterey-County-1.pdf" target="_blank">study by the office</a>&nbsp;attributed high hospital prices in Monterey County to a lack of market competition “rather than higher operating costs or superior quality of care.”

The Monterey hospital referred a request for comment about its “high-cost” designation to the California Hospital Association. CHA spokesperson Jan Emerson-Shea declined to comment beyond the language of the lawsuit and Coyle’s press release statement.

Health care analysts worry the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will reduce market competition even further by stressing already weak hospitals, leading some to shut services, merge with larger health systems, or close. One study estimates&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2838483" target="_blank">338 rural hospitals</a>&nbsp;are at risk of closing nationwide.

Less competition, in addition to fewer Medicaid dollars and an increase in uninsured patients, will only strengthen the incentive of health systems with the requisite market clout to raise their commercial prices, increasing premiums for employers and individuals.

“We think commercial prices will continue to increase as health care providers, and hospitals in particular, will seek to preserve or increase their revenue,” said Rachel Block, a program officer at the Milbank Memorial Fund, a foundation that focuses on health equity.

That in turn could pose a challenge to state affordability regulators tasked with overseeing compliance with growth targets for health care spending.

California’s affordability office is required to consider mitigating factors, including changes in federal and state laws. But some of its board members have expressed skepticism about letting hospitals offset Medicaid losses with higher commercial prices.

“There’s a lot of talk about using HR 1 and other federal policies as an excuse to raise prices on commercial payers,” Ian Lewis, an affordability office board member and policy director for UNITE HERE Local 2, a hospitality workers union in the Bay Area, said at the agency’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEKO4RfH2Y4" target="_blank">July board meeting</a>, referring to the One Big Beautiful Bill. “There’s no more blood to be squeezed from this stone.”

<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us" target="_blank">KFF Health News</a>&nbsp;is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — an independent source of health policy research, polling and journalism. Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us" target="_blank">KFF</a>.

This story was originally produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/12/26/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-complicates-state-health-care-affordability-efforts/" target="_blank">Stateline</a>, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Nebraska Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766884539415.jpg" alt="Pixaby" />
 <figcaption>Pixaby</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/bernard-j-wolfson-kff-health-news/">Bernard J. Wolfson, &nbsp;KFF Health News</a>-As Congress debates whether to extend the temporary federal subsidies that have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/aca-marketplace-premium-payments-would-more-than-double-on-average-next-year-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire/" target="_blank">helped millions</a>&nbsp;of Americans buy health coverage, a crucial underlying reality is sometimes overlooked: Those subsidies are merely a band-aid covering the often unaffordable cost of health care.California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milbank.org/publications/beyond-public-reporting-strengthening-accountability-to-states-cost-growth-targets-and-leveraging-targets-in-health-care-oversight/" target="_blank">five other states</a>&nbsp;have set caps on health care spending in a bid to rein in the intense financial pressure felt by many families, individuals and employers who every year face increases in premiums, deductibles and other health-related expenses.Hospitals and other health care providers are citing Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump in July, as one more reason to challenge those limits.The law is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/medicaid-enrollment-spending-growth-fy-2025-2026/" target="_blank">more than $900 billion</a>&nbsp;over a decade, which mathematically should help the overall health care system meet the caps. But the law is also expected to increase the number of uninsured Americans, mostly Medicaid beneficiaries, by an estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/uninsured/how-will-the-2025-reconciliation-law-affect-the-uninsured-rate-in-each-state/" target="_blank">10 million people</a>. Health care analysts predict hospitals and other providers will raise prices to cover the double whammy of lost Medicaid revenue and the cost of caring for an influx of newly uninsured patients.Whether regulators in some states will allow providers to justify higher prices and exceed the spending caps is unclear. Only&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milbank.org/publications/beyond-public-reporting-strengthening-accountability-to-states-cost-growth-targets-and-leveraging-targets-in-health-care-oversight/" target="_blank">California and Oregon</a>&nbsp;can penalize providers financially if they fail to meet targets.“Are we going to say, ‘That’s OK’? Or are we going to say, ‘Well, you exceeded the target. We’re still going to penalize you for that’?” said Richard Pan, a former state lawmaker and a member of the California Office of Health Care Affordability’s board. “That has not yet been decided.”The California Hospital Association, the industry’s main state lobbying group,&nbsp;<a href="https://calhospital.org/file/ohca-petition-for-writ-of-mandate/?_cldee=A8GhrcOY_cTuDPfqPGEYnuTgoZXm3szCgl31GFGm7Rb9gSK_2LWVhcwpQwK8EuuJ&amp;recipientid=contact-e10e51f96e20eb11a813000d3a375a4d-5668c9ec73c54063bd98803095e124ac&amp;esid=7bd201ea-8aa4-f011-bbd3-6045bd03d69a" target="_blank">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in October asking a state court to strike down the spending caps, which it argued fail to account for all the cost pressures hospitals face. Those pressures, it said, include an aging, sicker population; the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Health-Care-Worker-Minimum-Wage-FAQ.htm" target="_blank">rising cost</a>&nbsp;of labor; expensive advances in medical technology; large capital outlays on required seismic retrofitting; and changes in federal policy, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The hospital group’s lawsuit also asserted that the state affordability office, by hastily imposing ill-considered cost-cutting targets, was undermining its other key mission of improving health care access, quality and equity.California’s affordability office last year set a&nbsp;<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/health-brief-california-annual-health-spending-caps/" target="_blank">five-year target</a>&nbsp;to cap statewide spending growth, starting at 3.5% in 2025 and declining to 3% by 2029. The annual caps apply to a wide range of health care entities, including hospitals, medical groups, insurers and other payers.Earlier this year, it imposed much lower spending growth caps — starting at 1.8% in 2026 and declining to 1.6% by 2029 — for&nbsp;<a href="https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Update-to-Draft-Motions-Presented-April-2025.pdf" target="_blank">seven “high-cost” hospitals</a>.“The spending caps set by politically appointed bureaucrats could force cuts that result in many Californians traveling farther for care, facing longer emergency room wait times, experiencing more overcrowding and losing access to critical services,” Carmela Coyle, the hospital association’s president and CEO, said in an October press release.The California attorney general’s office, which will represent the affordability agency, has not yet filed a response to the hospital group’s complaint and did not respond to a request for comment.<h2>Hospitals’ pushback</h2>California is not the only state taking a close look at hospital prices, which are widely considered a&nbsp;<a href="https://tobin.yale.edu/research/who-pays-rising-health-care-prices-evidence-hospital-mergers" target="_blank">primary driver</a>&nbsp;of health care costs.“States, armed with information that points to payments to hospitals as a driver of what is way beyond affordable commercial premiums, have begun to take increasingly targeted actions focused on commercial hospital prices,” said Michael Bailit, founder of the Needham, Massachusetts-based consultancy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bailit-health.com/team/michael-bailit.php" target="_blank">Bailit Health</a>, which has advised multiple states, including California, on ways to tame health care spending. “It is not surprising that the hospital industry is going to oppose such state actions.”In its lawsuit, the California Hospital Association said the affordability office’s own report showed that pharmaceutical and insurance companies are largely responsible for high costs.Hospitals in some states with cost growth limits, including&nbsp;<a href="https://cthosp.org/advocacy/healthcare-legislation-and-policy/healthcare-cost-growth-benchmarking/" target="_blank">Connecticut</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mhalink.org/mondayreport/is-benchmark-good-too-weak-or-irrelevant/" target="_blank">Massachusetts</a>, have expressed objections similar to the ones raised in the California lawsuit. They could follow their counterparts in California if their lawsuit succeeds, said Peter Lee, who led California’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, Covered California, for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coveredca.com/newsroom/news-releases/2021/09/16/peter-v-lee-to-leave-as-executive-director-of-covered-california-after-10-years-leading-the-nations-largest-state-based-marketplace/" target="_blank">over a decade</a>&nbsp;and is now a&nbsp;<a href="https://med.stanford.edu/cerc/about/affiliates-advisors.html" target="_blank">senior scholar</a>&nbsp;at Stanford Medicine’s Clinical Excellence Research Center.Lee said the work of California’s affordability office and similar agencies in other states is just about the only systemwide effort being made to cut health care costs. They are basically saying, “‘Look, health care is taking money away from education, it is taking money away from the environment, it is taking money away from everything in the public sector, and in the private sector it is taking money away from wages,’” he said. “‘We don’t know how you, the health system, are going to do it, but it is your job not just to provide quality but to lower costs. Here’s the target.’”To be sure, achieving the cost savings that California and those other states are seeking is no easy lift. It will ultimately require persuading large, financially powerful players that compete fiercely for health care dollars to adopt a different mindset and begin cooperating to reduce costs instead. And that, in many cases, will mean lower revenue.But the status quo, as many people know all too well, means continued financial pain for millions.In early 2020, Estevan Rodriguez, a bartender at California’s Monterey Beach Hotel, had surgery for a staph infection in his leg. The bill came to nearly $168,000. His insurance paid most of it, but he still owed $5,665, which took him two years to pay, more than $200 every month. “It may not be a lot to some people, but it was a lot to me,” Rodriguez said.He said he dropped his Hulu subscription, switched to a lower-cost cellphone, and got cheaper car insurance. He started going to food banks rather than the grocery store, he said, and had a lot less time with his kids, because he was constantly working to pay off the hospital bill.<a href="https://www.montagehealth.org/locations/profile/community-hospital-monterey-peninsula/" target="_blank">Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula</a>, where Rodriguez had his surgery, is one of the seven hospitals identified by California’s affordability office as high-cost. A&nbsp;<a href="https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/OHCA-Investigative-Study-of-Hospital-Market-Competition-in-Monterey-County-1.pdf" target="_blank">study by the office</a>&nbsp;attributed high hospital prices in Monterey County to a lack of market competition “rather than higher operating costs or superior quality of care.”The Monterey hospital referred a request for comment about its “high-cost” designation to the California Hospital Association. CHA spokesperson Jan Emerson-Shea declined to comment beyond the language of the lawsuit and Coyle’s press release statement.<h2>Reduced competition</h2>Health care analysts worry the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will reduce market competition even further by stressing already weak hospitals, leading some to shut services, merge with larger health systems, or close. One study estimates&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2838483" target="_blank">338 rural hospitals</a>&nbsp;are at risk of closing nationwide.Less competition, in addition to fewer Medicaid dollars and an increase in uninsured patients, will only strengthen the incentive of health systems with the requisite market clout to raise their commercial prices, increasing premiums for employers and individuals.“We think commercial prices will continue to increase as health care providers, and hospitals in particular, will seek to preserve or increase their revenue,” said Rachel Block, a program officer at the Milbank Memorial Fund, a foundation that focuses on health equity.That in turn could pose a challenge to state affordability regulators tasked with overseeing compliance with growth targets for health care spending.California’s affordability office is required to consider mitigating factors, including changes in federal and state laws. But some of its board members have expressed skepticism about letting hospitals offset Medicaid losses with higher commercial prices.“There’s a lot of talk about using HR 1 and other federal policies as an excuse to raise prices on commercial payers,” Ian Lewis, an affordability office board member and policy director for UNITE HERE Local 2, a hospitality workers union in the Bay Area, said at the agency’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEKO4RfH2Y4" target="_blank">July board meeting</a>, referring to the One Big Beautiful Bill. “There’s no more blood to be squeezed from this stone.”<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us" target="_blank">KFF Health News</a>&nbsp;is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — an independent source of health policy research, polling and journalism. Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us" target="_blank">KFF</a>.This story was originally produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/12/26/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-complicates-state-health-care-affordability-efforts/" target="_blank">Stateline</a>, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Nebraska Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

State health care affordability pushes complicated by One Big Beautiful Bill

PARIS (AP) — Brigitte Bardot, the French 1960s sex symbol who became one of the greatest screen sirens of the 20th century and later a militant animal rights activist and far-right supporter, has died. She was 91.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brigitte-bardot-obit-life-1477b4fd9ed3a03ca8db01f5bd5d2f7b">Bardot died Sunday</a>&nbsp;at her home in southern France, according to Bruno Jacquelin, of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals. Speaking to The Associated Press, he gave no cause of death, and said no arrangements have yet been made for funeral or memorial services. She had been hospitalized last month.

<a href="https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/france-bardot-obit-6f2ab342faa2dd1bf87b510532c04aa9">Bardot became an international celebrity</a>&nbsp;as a sexualized teen bride in the 1956 movie “And God Created Woman.” Directed by her then-husband, Roger Vadim, it triggered a scandal with scenes of the long-legged beauty dancing on tables naked.

At the height of a cinema career that spanned some 28 films and three marriages, Bardot came to symbolize a nation bursting out of bourgeois respectability. Her tousled, blond hair, voluptuous figure and pouty irreverence made her one of France’s best-known stars.

Such was her widespread appeal that in 1969 her features were chosen to be the model for “Marianne,” the national emblem of France and the official Gallic seal. Bardot’s face appeared on statues, postage stamps and even on coins.

‘’We are mourning a legend,'' French President Emmanuel Macron wrote Sunday on X.

Bardot’s second career as an animal rights activist was equally sensational. She traveled to the Arctic to blow the whistle on the slaughter of baby seals; she condemned the use of animals in laboratory experiments; and she opposed Muslim slaughter rituals.

“Man is an insatiable predator,” Bardot told The Associated Press on her 73rd birthday, in 2007. “I don’t care about my past glory. That means nothing in the face of an animal that suffers, since it has no power, no words to defend itself.”

Her activism earned her compatriots’ respect and, in 1985, she was awarded the Legion of Honor, the nation’s highest recognition.

Later, however, she fell from public grace as her animal protection diatribes took on a decidedly extremist tone. She frequently decried the influx of immigrants into France, especially Muslims.

She was convicted and fined five times in French courts of inciting racial hatred, in incidents inspired by her opposition to the Muslim practice of slaughtering sheep during annual religious holidays.

Bardot’s 1992 marriage to fourth husband Bernard d’Ormale, a onetime adviser to National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, contributed to her political shift. She described Le Pen, an outspoken nationalist with multiple racism convictions of his own, as a “lovely, intelligent man.”

In 2012, she wrote a letter in support of the presidential bid of Marine Le Pen, who now leads her father's renamed National Rally party. Le Pen paid homage Sunday to an “exceptional woman” who was “incredibly French.”

In 2018, at the height of the #MeToo movement,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/99bc10dfab2047dbb824671f4a9602bf">Bardot said in an interview</a>&nbsp;that most actors protesting sexual harassment in the film industry were “hypocritical” and “ridiculous” because many played “the teases” with producers to land parts.

She said she had never had been a victim of sexual harassment and found it “charming to be told that I was beautiful or that I had a nice little ass.”

A privileged, but ‘difficult’ upbringing

Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot was born Sept. 28, 1934, to a wealthy industrialist. A shy, secretive child, she studied classical ballet and was discovered by a family friend who put her on the cover of Elle magazine at age 14.

Bardot once described her childhood as “difficult” and said her father was a strict disciplinarian who would sometimes punish her with a horse whip.

But it was French movie producer Vadim, whom she married in 1952, who saw her potential and wrote “And God Created Woman” to showcase her provocative sensuality, an explosive cocktail of childlike innocence and raw sexuality.

The film, which portrayed Bardot as a bored newlywed who beds her brother-in-law, had a decisive influence on New Wave directors Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut, and came to embody the hedonism and sexual freedom of the 1960s.

The film was a box-office hit, and it made Bardot a superstar. Her girlish pout, tiny waist and generous bust were often more appreciated than her talent.

“It’s an embarrassment to have acted so badly,” Bardot said of her early films. “I suffered a lot in the beginning. I was really treated like someone less than nothing.”

Bardot’s unabashed, off-screen love affair with co-star Jean-Louis Trintignant further shocked the nation. It eradicated the boundaries between her public and private life and turned her into a hot prize for paparazzi.

Bardot never adjusted to the limelight. She blamed the constant press attention for the suicide attempt that followed 10 months after the birth of her only child, Nicolas. Photographers had broken into her house two weeks before she gave birth to snap a picture of her pregnant.

Nicolas’ father was Jacques Charrier, a French actor whom she married in 1959 but who never felt comfortable in his role as Monsieur Bardot. Bardot soon gave up her son to his father, and later said she had been chronically depressed and unready for the duties of being a mother.

“I was looking for roots then,” she said in an interview. “I had none to offer.”

In her 1996 autobiography “Initiales B.B.,” she likened her pregnancy to “a tumor growing inside me,” and described Charrier as “temperamental and abusive.”

Bardot married her third husband, West German millionaire playboy Gunther Sachs, in 1966, but the relationship again ended in divorce three years later.

Among her films were “A Parisian” (1957); “In Case of Misfortune,” in which she starred in 1958 with screen legend Jean Gabin; “The Truth” (1960); “Private Life” (1962); “A Ravishing Idiot” (1964); “Shalako” (1968); “Women” (1969); “The Bear And The Doll” (1970); “Rum Boulevard” (1971); and “Don Juan” (1973).

With the exception of 1963’s critically acclaimed “Contempt,” directed by Godard, Bardot’s films were rarely complicated by plots. Often they were vehicles to display Bardot in scanty dresses or frolicking nude in the sun.

“It was never a great passion of mine,” she said of filmmaking. “And it can be deadly sometimes. Marilyn (Monroe) perished because of it.”

Bardot retired to her Riviera villa in St. Tropez at the age of 39 in 1973 after “The Woman Grabber.”

She emerged a decade later with a new persona: An animal rights lobbyist, her face was wrinkled and her voice was deep following years of heavy smoking. She abandoned her jet-set life and sold off movie memorabilia and jewelry to create a foundation devoted exclusively to the prevention of animal cruelty.

Her activism knew no borders. She urged South Korea to ban the sale of dog meat and once wrote to U.S. President Bill Clinton asking why the U.S. Navy recaptured two dolphins it had released into the wild.

She attacked centuries-old French and Italian sporting traditions including the Palio, a free-for-all horse race, and campaigned on behalf of wolves, rabbits, kittens and turtle doves.

“It’s true that sometimes I get carried away, but when I see how slowly things move forward ... my distress takes over,” Bardot told the AP when asked about her racial hatred convictions and opposition to Muslim ritual slaughter,

In 1997, several towns removed Bardot-inspired statues of Marianne after the actress voiced anti-immigrant sentiment. Also that year, she received death threats after calling for a ban on the sale of horse meat.

Bardot once said that she identified with the animals that she was trying to save.

“I can understand hunted animals because of the way I was treated,” Bardot said. “What happened to me was inhuman. I was constantly surrounded by the world press.”

Ganley contributed to this story before her retirement. Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766927588985.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>PARIS (AP) — Brigitte Bardot, the French 1960s sex symbol who became one of the greatest screen sirens of the 20th century and later a militant animal rights activist and far-right supporter, has died. She was 91.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brigitte-bardot-obit-life-1477b4fd9ed3a03ca8db01f5bd5d2f7b">Bardot died Sunday</a>&nbsp;at her home in southern France, according to Bruno Jacquelin, of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals. Speaking to The Associated Press, he gave no cause of death, and said no arrangements have yet been made for funeral or memorial services. She had been hospitalized last month.<a href="https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/france-bardot-obit-6f2ab342faa2dd1bf87b510532c04aa9">Bardot became an international celebrity</a>&nbsp;as a sexualized teen bride in the 1956 movie “And God Created Woman.” Directed by her then-husband, Roger Vadim, it triggered a scandal with scenes of the long-legged beauty dancing on tables naked.At the height of a cinema career that spanned some 28 films and three marriages, Bardot came to symbolize a nation bursting out of bourgeois respectability. Her tousled, blond hair, voluptuous figure and pouty irreverence made her one of France’s best-known stars.Such was her widespread appeal that in 1969 her features were chosen to be the model for “Marianne,” the national emblem of France and the official Gallic seal. Bardot’s face appeared on statues, postage stamps and even on coins.‘’We are mourning a legend,'' French President Emmanuel Macron wrote Sunday on X.Bardot’s second career as an animal rights activist was equally sensational. She traveled to the Arctic to blow the whistle on the slaughter of baby seals; she condemned the use of animals in laboratory experiments; and she opposed Muslim slaughter rituals.“Man is an insatiable predator,” Bardot told The Associated Press on her 73rd birthday, in 2007. “I don’t care about my past glory. That means nothing in the face of an animal that suffers, since it has no power, no words to defend itself.”Her activism earned her compatriots’ respect and, in 1985, she was awarded the Legion of Honor, the nation’s highest recognition.<h2>A turn to the far right</h2>Later, however, she fell from public grace as her animal protection diatribes took on a decidedly extremist tone. She frequently decried the influx of immigrants into France, especially Muslims.She was convicted and fined five times in French courts of inciting racial hatred, in incidents inspired by her opposition to the Muslim practice of slaughtering sheep during annual religious holidays.Bardot’s 1992 marriage to fourth husband Bernard d’Ormale, a onetime adviser to National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, contributed to her political shift. She described Le Pen, an outspoken nationalist with multiple racism convictions of his own, as a “lovely, intelligent man.”In 2012, she wrote a letter in support of the presidential bid of Marine Le Pen, who now leads her father's renamed National Rally party. Le Pen paid homage Sunday to an “exceptional woman” who was “incredibly French.”In 2018, at the height of the #MeToo movement,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/99bc10dfab2047dbb824671f4a9602bf">Bardot said in an interview</a>&nbsp;that most actors protesting sexual harassment in the film industry were “hypocritical” and “ridiculous” because many played “the teases” with producers to land parts.She said she had never had been a victim of sexual harassment and found it “charming to be told that I was beautiful or that I had a nice little ass.”<h2>A privileged, but ‘difficult’ upbringing</h2>Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot was born Sept. 28, 1934, to a wealthy industrialist. A shy, secretive child, she studied classical ballet and was discovered by a family friend who put her on the cover of Elle magazine at age 14.Bardot once described her childhood as “difficult” and said her father was a strict disciplinarian who would sometimes punish her with a horse whip.But it was French movie producer Vadim, whom she married in 1952, who saw her potential and wrote “And God Created Woman” to showcase her provocative sensuality, an explosive cocktail of childlike innocence and raw sexuality.The film, which portrayed Bardot as a bored newlywed who beds her brother-in-law, had a decisive influence on New Wave directors Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut, and came to embody the hedonism and sexual freedom of the 1960s.The film was a box-office hit, and it made Bardot a superstar. Her girlish pout, tiny waist and generous bust were often more appreciated than her talent.“It’s an embarrassment to have acted so badly,” Bardot said of her early films. “I suffered a lot in the beginning. I was really treated like someone less than nothing.”Bardot’s unabashed, off-screen love affair with co-star Jean-Louis Trintignant further shocked the nation. It eradicated the boundaries between her public and private life and turned her into a hot prize for paparazzi.Bardot never adjusted to the limelight. She blamed the constant press attention for the suicide attempt that followed 10 months after the birth of her only child, Nicolas. Photographers had broken into her house two weeks before she gave birth to snap a picture of her pregnant.Nicolas’ father was Jacques Charrier, a French actor whom she married in 1959 but who never felt comfortable in his role as Monsieur Bardot. Bardot soon gave up her son to his father, and later said she had been chronically depressed and unready for the duties of being a mother.“I was looking for roots then,” she said in an interview. “I had none to offer.”In her 1996 autobiography “Initiales B.B.,” she likened her pregnancy to “a tumor growing inside me,” and described Charrier as “temperamental and abusive.”Bardot married her third husband, West German millionaire playboy Gunther Sachs, in 1966, but the relationship again ended in divorce three years later.Among her films were “A Parisian” (1957); “In Case of Misfortune,” in which she starred in 1958 with screen legend Jean Gabin; “The Truth” (1960); “Private Life” (1962); “A Ravishing Idiot” (1964); “Shalako” (1968); “Women” (1969); “The Bear And The Doll” (1970); “Rum Boulevard” (1971); and “Don Juan” (1973).With the exception of 1963’s critically acclaimed “Contempt,” directed by Godard, Bardot’s films were rarely complicated by plots. Often they were vehicles to display Bardot in scanty dresses or frolicking nude in the sun.“It was never a great passion of mine,” she said of filmmaking. “And it can be deadly sometimes. Marilyn (Monroe) perished because of it.”Bardot retired to her Riviera villa in St. Tropez at the age of 39 in 1973 after “The Woman Grabber.”<h2>Reinventing herself in middle age</h2>She emerged a decade later with a new persona: An animal rights lobbyist, her face was wrinkled and her voice was deep following years of heavy smoking. She abandoned her jet-set life and sold off movie memorabilia and jewelry to create a foundation devoted exclusively to the prevention of animal cruelty.Her activism knew no borders. She urged South Korea to ban the sale of dog meat and once wrote to U.S. President Bill Clinton asking why the U.S. Navy recaptured two dolphins it had released into the wild.She attacked centuries-old French and Italian sporting traditions including the Palio, a free-for-all horse race, and campaigned on behalf of wolves, rabbits, kittens and turtle doves.“It’s true that sometimes I get carried away, but when I see how slowly things move forward ... my distress takes over,” Bardot told the AP when asked about her racial hatred convictions and opposition to Muslim ritual slaughter,In 1997, several towns removed Bardot-inspired statues of Marianne after the actress voiced anti-immigrant sentiment. Also that year, she received death threats after calling for a ban on the sale of horse meat.Bardot once said that she identified with the animals that she was trying to save.“I can understand hunted animals because of the way I was treated,” Bardot said. “What happened to me was inhuman. I was constantly surrounded by the world press.”___Ganley contributed to this story before her retirement. Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.

Brigitte Bardot, 1960s sex symbol turned militant animal rights activist has died

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson announced murder and assault charges against a Blue Springs man in connection with three shootings&nbsp; that left two people dead and one injured.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2784/Kur-Bak---Charging-Packet-">Kur B. Bak</a>, 28, faces two counts of 1st Degree Murder, three counts of Armed Criminal Action, one count of 1st Degree Assault, and two counts of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.

According to court records, Kansas City police responded to a shooting on Dec. 3 near Hardesty Avenue and East 26th Street, where they found the victim lying on the sidewalk suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was confirmed deceased on the scene.

Surveillance footage showed the victim walking when an individual, later identified as&nbsp; Bak, approached him. After a brief exchange, the victim continued walking, but the defendant followed and shot him. Bak then fired at the victim seven more times as he lay on the ground. Bak dropped a fully loaded handgun magazine at the crime scene as he fled.&nbsp;

Twenty-five minutes later, police responded to another shooting near Park Avenue and 8th Street. The victim was suffering from gunshot wounds and transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.&nbsp;

Surveillance video showed Bak exiting a vehicle and running toward the victim. The shooting occurred off camera. A short time later, Bak is captured returning to the vehicle.

Detectives found shell casings from the same firearm at both scenes. The same vehicle appeared in surveillance footage from both locations, and the Bak’s DNA was found on the magazine dropped at the first scene.&nbsp;

On Dec. 21, police responded to a shooting near Admiral Boulevard and Paseo Boulevard, where they found a victim dead in the street from gunshot trauma to the face.

Surveillance footage captured the victim walking when a vehicle pulled into a nearby parking lot. Bak, wearing a red hooded sweatshirt with yellow writing, exited and followed the victim’s same route. Minutes later, Bak was captured on video running back to his vehicle, where he removed the red sweatshirt and placed it in the passenger seat.&nbsp;

During a search of the defendant’s bedroom, detectives recovered the firearm used in all three shootings and the red hooded sweatshirt seen in surveillance footage from the third shooting.

Bak attended a SAVE KC call-in earlier this year but did not follow up for services.&nbsp;

A Jackson County judge set the defendant’s bond at $500,000 cash-only. &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766597285753.png" alt="Bak photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Bak photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson announced murder and assault charges against a Blue Springs man in connection with three shootings&nbsp; that left two people dead and one injured.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2784/Kur-Bak---Charging-Packet-">Kur B. Bak</a>, 28, faces two counts of 1st Degree Murder, three counts of Armed Criminal Action, one count of 1st Degree Assault, and two counts of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.According to court records, Kansas City police responded to a shooting on Dec. 3 near Hardesty Avenue and East 26th Street, where they found the victim lying on the sidewalk suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was confirmed deceased on the scene.Surveillance footage showed the victim walking when an individual, later identified as&nbsp; Bak, approached him. After a brief exchange, the victim continued walking, but the defendant followed and shot him. Bak then fired at the victim seven more times as he lay on the ground. Bak dropped a fully loaded handgun magazine at the crime scene as he fled.&nbsp;Twenty-five minutes later, police responded to another shooting near Park Avenue and 8th Street. The victim was suffering from gunshot wounds and transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.&nbsp;Surveillance video showed Bak exiting a vehicle and running toward the victim. The shooting occurred off camera. A short time later, Bak is captured returning to the vehicle.Detectives found shell casings from the same firearm at both scenes. The same vehicle appeared in surveillance footage from both locations, and the Bak’s DNA was found on the magazine dropped at the first scene.&nbsp;On Dec. 21, police responded to a shooting near Admiral Boulevard and Paseo Boulevard, where they found a victim dead in the street from gunshot trauma to the face.Surveillance footage captured the victim walking when a vehicle pulled into a nearby parking lot. Bak, wearing a red hooded sweatshirt with yellow writing, exited and followed the victim’s same route. Minutes later, Bak was captured on video running back to his vehicle, where he removed the red sweatshirt and placed it in the passenger seat.&nbsp;During a search of the defendant’s bedroom, detectives recovered the firearm used in all three shootings and the red hooded sweatshirt seen in surveillance footage from the third shooting.Bak attended a SAVE KC call-in earlier this year but did not follow up for services.&nbsp;A Jackson County judge set the defendant’s bond at $500,000 cash-only. &nbsp;

Surveillance video show suspect in deadly crime spree

MITCHELL COUNTY—Law enforcement have a kidnapping suspect in custody after a high-speed chase in north central Kansas.

On Friday, the Mitchell County Sheriff's office asked the public to be on the lookout for a black 2014 Mustang with a silver grille. "Proceed with caution, do not approach and contact law enforcement immediately."

The car and driver were involved in a kidnapping incident on US Highway 24 west of Beloit in Mitchell County, according to the sheriff's office. The victim escaped with injuries and was hospitalized with suspected serious injuries. 

The suspect and stolen Mustang left the scene and were later pursued in Osborne County.&nbsp;The suspect is believed to have been possibly involved in an incident in Jewell County prior to the Mitchell County incident.&nbsp;

The Kansas Highway Patrol and Osborne county authorities took the suspect into custody.&nbsp; The name of the suspect and possible charges have not been released.

MITCHELL COUNTY—Law enforcement have a kidnapping suspect in custody after a high-speed chase in north central Kansas.On Friday, the Mitchell County Sheriff's office asked the public to be on the lookout for a black 2014 Mustang with a silver grille. "Proceed with caution, do not approach and contact law enforcement immediately."The car and driver were involved in a kidnapping incident on US Highway 24 west of Beloit in Mitchell County, according to the sheriff's office. The victim escaped with injuries and was hospitalized with suspected serious injuries. The suspect and stolen Mustang left the scene and were later pursued in Osborne County.&nbsp;The suspect is believed to have been possibly involved in an incident in Jewell County prior to the Mitchell County incident.&nbsp;The Kansas Highway Patrol and Osborne county authorities took the suspect into custody.&nbsp; The name of the suspect and possible charges have not been released.

Sheriff: Suspect in alleged Kan. kidnapping is in custody

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man allegedly living illegally in Kansas is now going to prison for a deadly fight that left a man dead.

Earlier this month, Judge Chrystal Krier sentenced 23-year-old Armando Y. Martinez-Rodriguez to 34 months in prison and 24-months of post release supervision in the death of&nbsp; left 30-year-old Marco Gonzales-Arias, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Just after midnight October 12, 2024, police responded to the Emery Gardens apartment complex in the the 4200 block of S. Hydraulic in Wichita, according to a media release.

First responders found&nbsp; Gonzales-Arias suffering from a gunshot wound. EMS transported him to a local hospital and he was pronounced deceased.&nbsp;

Martinez suffered stab wound and fled the scene. Police located him, took him to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuried and booked him into the Sedgwick County Jail where he was listed as a hold for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Martinez is also required to register as a violent offender for 15 years.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1729268421103.png" alt="Martinez-Rodriguez Photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Martinez-Rodriguez Photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man allegedly living illegally in Kansas is now going to prison for a deadly fight that left a man dead.Earlier this month, Judge Chrystal Krier sentenced 23-year-old Armando Y. Martinez-Rodriguez to 34 months in prison and 24-months of post release supervision in the death of&nbsp; left 30-year-old Marco Gonzales-Arias, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; &nbsp;Just after midnight October 12, 2024, police responded to the Emery Gardens apartment complex in the the 4200 block of S. Hydraulic in Wichita, according to a media release.First responders found&nbsp; Gonzales-Arias suffering from a gunshot wound. EMS transported him to a local hospital and he was pronounced deceased.&nbsp;Martinez suffered stab wound and fled the scene. Police located him, took him to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuried and booked him into the Sedgwick County Jail where he was listed as a hold for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.Martinez is also required to register as a violent offender for 15 years.

Kan. man stabbed in deadly gunfight is going to prison

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Two people died in an accident just after 11p.m. Friday in Sedgwick County.

According to Sedgwick County Deputy Branden Stitt, a Chevy SS driven by Joseph Perry Davidson, 48, Wichita, was. northbound in the 5100 Block of South West Street near 47th Street South.&nbsp;The driver failed to negotiate a curve. The car left the road and rolled multiple times.&nbsp;Davidson&nbsp; was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene, according to Stitt.

A passenger, 48-year-old Joshua Blick of Wichita, was also ejected. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and later died.

Another passenger, a 44-year-old Wichita man, was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.

Investigators believe speed and alcohol were contributing factors, according to Stitt. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Team continues to investigate.

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Two people died in an accident just after 11p.m. Friday in Sedgwick County.According to Sedgwick County Deputy Branden Stitt, a Chevy SS driven by Joseph Perry Davidson, 48, Wichita, was. northbound in the 5100 Block of South West Street near 47th Street South.&nbsp;The driver failed to negotiate a curve. The car left the road and rolled multiple times.&nbsp;Davidson&nbsp; was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene, according to Stitt.A passenger, 48-year-old Joshua Blick of Wichita, was also ejected. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and later died.Another passenger, a 44-year-old Wichita man, was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.Investigators believe speed and alcohol were contributing factors, according to Stitt. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Team continues to investigate.

Sheriff: Alcohol, speed factors in crash that killed 2 Kansas men

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire at a home in Kansas City.

Just before 10:30a.m. Friday, Kansas City Missouri Fire Dept. companies were dispatched to a reported fire in the 2800 block of East 6th Street, according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan.

 On arrival, the first company on scene reported smoke showing from a 2-story carriage house. Crews initiated an offensive interior attack, using 2 hose lines to extinguish the fire. The fire was brought under control at 10:36 a.m. Searches throughout the structure were performed and came back all clear.&nbsp;The cause of the fire is under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766781110710.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire at a home in Kansas City.Just before 10:30a.m. Friday, Kansas City Missouri Fire Dept. companies were dispatched to a reported fire in the 2800 block of East 6th Street, according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan. On arrival, the first company on scene reported smoke showing from a 2-story carriage house. Crews initiated an offensive interior attack, using 2 hose lines to extinguish the fire. The fire was brought under control at 10:36 a.m. Searches throughout the structure were performed and came back all clear.&nbsp;The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Fire damages 2-story carriage house in Kansas City

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday it was replacing its longstanding lottery system for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/h1b-visa-trump-immigration-explainer-7d5dae2c65b2fa27a7730be3c6833d32">H-1B work visas</a>&nbsp;with a new approach that prioritizes skilled, higher-paid foreign workers.

The change follows a series of actions by the Trump administration aimed at reshaping a visa program that critics say has become a pipeline for overseas workers willing to work for lower pay, but supporters say drives innovation.

“The existing random selection process of H-1B registrations was exploited and abused by U.S. employers who were primarily seeking to import foreign workers at lower wages than they would pay American workers,” said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Matthew Tragesser.

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/h1b-visa-trump-immigration-8d39699d0b2de3d90936f8076357254e">signed a proclamation</a>&nbsp;imposing a $100,000 annual H-1B visa fee on highly skilled workers, which is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-h1b-visa-trump-8afc10165ce911d43a4cd47ade4268e1">being challenged</a>&nbsp;in court. The president also rolled out a $1 million “gold card” visa as a pathway to U.S. citizenship for wealthy individuals.

A press release announcing the new rule says it is “in line with other key changes the administration has made, such as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/restriction-on-entry-of-certain-nonimmigrant-workers/" target="_blank">Presidential Proclamation</a>&nbsp;that requires employers to pay an additional $100,000 per visa as a condition of eligibility.”

Historically, H-1B visas have been awarded through a lottery system. This year, Amazon was by far the top recipient, with more than 10,000 visas approved, followed by Tata Consultancy Services, Microsoft, Apple and Google. California has the highest concentration of H-1B workers.

The new system will “implement a weighted selection process that will increase the probability that H-1B visas are allocated to higher-skilled and higher-paid” foreign workers, according to Tuesday’s press release. It will go into effect Feb. 27, 2026, and will apply to the upcoming H-1B cap registration season.

Supporters of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-visa-h1b-rural-doctors-teachers-3a63095d603e405d08c496eb264d6100">H-1B program</a>&nbsp;say it is an important pathway to hiring healthcare workers and educators. They say it drives innovation and economic growth in the U.S. and allows employers to fill jobs in specialized fields.

Critics argue that the visas often go to entry-level positions rather than senior roles requiring specialized skills. While the program is intended to prevent wage suppression or the displacement of U.S. workers, critics say companies can pay lower wages by classifying jobs at the lowest skill levels, even when the workers hired have more experience.

The number of new visas issued annually is capped at 65,000, plus an additional 20,000 for people with a master’s degree or higher.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766612679989.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday it was replacing its longstanding lottery system for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/h1b-visa-trump-immigration-explainer-7d5dae2c65b2fa27a7730be3c6833d32">H-1B work visas</a>&nbsp;with a new approach that prioritizes skilled, higher-paid foreign workers.The change follows a series of actions by the Trump administration aimed at reshaping a visa program that critics say has become a pipeline for overseas workers willing to work for lower pay, but supporters say drives innovation.“The existing random selection process of H-1B registrations was exploited and abused by U.S. employers who were primarily seeking to import foreign workers at lower wages than they would pay American workers,” said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Matthew Tragesser.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1735479833691.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Earlier this year, President Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/h1b-visa-trump-immigration-8d39699d0b2de3d90936f8076357254e">signed a proclamation</a>&nbsp;imposing a $100,000 annual H-1B visa fee on highly skilled workers, which is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-h1b-visa-trump-8afc10165ce911d43a4cd47ade4268e1">being challenged</a>&nbsp;in court. The president also rolled out a $1 million “gold card” visa as a pathway to U.S. citizenship for wealthy individuals.A press release announcing the new rule says it is “in line with other key changes the administration has made, such as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/restriction-on-entry-of-certain-nonimmigrant-workers/" target="_blank">Presidential Proclamation</a>&nbsp;that requires employers to pay an additional $100,000 per visa as a condition of eligibility.”Historically, H-1B visas have been awarded through a lottery system. This year, Amazon was by far the top recipient, with more than 10,000 visas approved, followed by Tata Consultancy Services, Microsoft, Apple and Google. California has the highest concentration of H-1B workers.The new system will “implement a weighted selection process that will increase the probability that H-1B visas are allocated to higher-skilled and higher-paid” foreign workers, according to Tuesday’s press release. It will go into effect Feb. 27, 2026, and will apply to the upcoming H-1B cap registration season.Supporters of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-visa-h1b-rural-doctors-teachers-3a63095d603e405d08c496eb264d6100">H-1B program</a>&nbsp;say it is an important pathway to hiring healthcare workers and educators. They say it drives innovation and economic growth in the U.S. and allows employers to fill jobs in specialized fields.Critics argue that the visas often go to entry-level positions rather than senior roles requiring specialized skills. While the program is intended to prevent wage suppression or the displacement of U.S. workers, critics say companies can pay lower wages by classifying jobs at the lowest skill levels, even when the workers hired have more experience.The number of new visas issued annually is capped at 65,000, plus an additional 20,000 for people with a master’s degree or higher.

DHS: H-1B visa lottery system being replaced

Luke Karg is the only Missouri student to qualify for the high school national bass fishing championship five times, including as an incoming freshman

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rebecca-rivas/">REBECCA RIVAS</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/"></a>The water on Truman Lake was colder and muddier than normal this April, making for some tough fishing conditions.&nbsp;

Luke Karg, of House Springs, had one last shot before graduating to win the Missouri TBF High School Trail Super Tournament for bass fishing – which he and his then 16-year-old fishing partner, A.J. Massa, had won the year before.

It’s the last tournament of the season for the Missouri student program of The Bass Federation, and it’s also the final opportunity to earn enough points to be named Team of the Year — the top-scoring duo in the state.

“The tournament itself meant a lot to us, with it being our last state tournament together,” Karg said. “It was very tough. There was, at most, two inches of visibility in the water, but a lot of fishing is just adapting to the changes.”

Karg and Massa headed out on the water for two days for eight hours each. At the end of each day, they weighed their top five fish.&nbsp;

“The first day, they caught almost enough bass to win the tournament,” said Gary Foree, Karg’s mentor and family friend, who is a former professional fisherman. “They had almost 19 pounds, which is insane. There hasn’t been a tournament in three years over 17 pounds on Truman Lake.”

They brought in 16 pounds on the second day, which would have brought their total up to nearly 35 pounds. But unfortunately it didn’t count. Their boat malfunctioned, making them miss the weigh in.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“It was pretty heart-wrenching,” Karg said. “It was one of our best bags as a team on one of the most difficult days.”

Karg and Massa ended up taking second place at Truman Lake with one day’s worth of fish, and they still had enough points to be named Team of the Year, just as they were last year.

Karg has been part of the Team of the Year five years in a row, including as an incoming high-school freshman.&nbsp;

That title also sent the team to the TBF Student Angler Federation High School National Championship, which was held at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in June.&nbsp;

Only the top two high-school teams from each state can compete, and Karg is the only person in Missouri to have qualified for that opportunity five years in a row, according to officials for the national championship.

“To be one of the top two teams in Missouri for five consecutive years is pretty freaking amazing,” said Karl Buck, who previously led the federation’s high school program in Missouri and was also Karg’s team leader. “I’m just so proud it’s unbelievable. I mean, I can’t believe that I was involved in his upcoming as a fisherman.”

Karg began competitive fishing when he was 12 and participated in dozens of individual and team tournaments as a teen. Through it all, he struggled with an autoimmune illness that made him miss numerous days from school, he said, but he’s proud he still managed to graduate on time in May and continue fishing.

While it was grueling standing on a boat for hours under the hot sun, Karg said the national championship was exhilarating because some of the world’s top fishermen were watching.&nbsp;

“It’s the biggest tourn of the year, and a lot of people only get to go to it once, if even,” Karg said. “It really could be the biggest tournament of your life.”

Karg has loved to fish ever since he could hold a rod, said his father Rick Karg. Even as early as 5, he said Karg could catch fish when the adults around him were coming up empty.&nbsp;

“There’s a magic,” Rick said. “My scientific brain says, ‘Is there like a vibration from his heartbeat that travels down the line because he’s got his finger touching it, that the fish like?’”&nbsp;

Foree met Karg because of a life-changing promise he made to Karg’s mother, Becky Rumley.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766854627766.png" alt=" Luke Karg and his mentor Gary Foree fish together at Peaceful Valley Lake in Owensville in 2021 (Photo submitted)." />
 <figcaption> Luke Karg and his mentor Gary Foree fish together at Peaceful Valley Lake in Owensville in 2021 (Photo submitted).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Luke Karg is the only Missouri student to qualify for the high school national bass fishing championship five times, including as an incoming freshman</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rebecca-rivas/">REBECCA RIVAS</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/"></a>The water on Truman Lake was colder and muddier than normal this April, making for some tough fishing conditions.&nbsp;Luke Karg, of House Springs, had one last shot before graduating to win the Missouri TBF High School Trail Super Tournament for bass fishing – which he and his then 16-year-old fishing partner, A.J. Massa, had won the year before.It’s the last tournament of the season for the Missouri student program of The Bass Federation, and it’s also the final opportunity to earn enough points to be named Team of the Year — the top-scoring duo in the state.“The tournament itself meant a lot to us, with it being our last state tournament together,” Karg said. “It was very tough. There was, at most, two inches of visibility in the water, but a lot of fishing is just adapting to the changes.”Karg and Massa headed out on the water for two days for eight hours each. At the end of each day, they weighed their top five fish.&nbsp;“The first day, they caught almost enough bass to win the tournament,” said Gary Foree, Karg’s mentor and family friend, who is a former professional fisherman. “They had almost 19 pounds, which is insane. There hasn’t been a tournament in three years over 17 pounds on Truman Lake.”They brought in 16 pounds on the second day, which would have brought their total up to nearly 35 pounds. But unfortunately it didn’t count. Their boat malfunctioned, making them miss the weigh in.&nbsp;&nbsp;“It was pretty heart-wrenching,” Karg said. “It was one of our best bags as a team on one of the most difficult days.”But it wasn’t all lost.&nbsp;Karg and Massa ended up taking second place at Truman Lake with one day’s worth of fish, and they still had enough points to be named Team of the Year, just as they were last year.Karg has been part of the Team of the Year five years in a row, including as an incoming high-school freshman.&nbsp;That title also sent the team to the TBF Student Angler Federation High School National Championship, which was held at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in June.&nbsp;Only the top two high-school teams from each state can compete, and Karg is the only person in Missouri to have qualified for that opportunity five years in a row, according to officials for the national championship.“To be one of the top two teams in Missouri for five consecutive years is pretty freaking amazing,” said Karl Buck, who previously led the federation’s high school program in Missouri and was also Karg’s team leader. “I’m just so proud it’s unbelievable. I mean, I can’t believe that I was involved in his upcoming as a fisherman.”Karg began competitive fishing when he was 12 and participated in dozens of individual and team tournaments as a teen. Through it all, he struggled with an autoimmune illness that made him miss numerous days from school, he said, but he’s proud he still managed to graduate on time in May and continue fishing.While it was grueling standing on a boat for hours under the hot sun, Karg said the national championship was exhilarating because some of the world’s top fishermen were watching.&nbsp;“It’s the biggest tourn of the year, and a lot of people only get to go to it once, if even,” Karg said. “It really could be the biggest tournament of your life.”<h2>A promise</h2>Karg has loved to fish ever since he could hold a rod, said his father Rick Karg. Even as early as 5, he said Karg could catch fish when the adults around him were coming up empty.&nbsp;“There’s a magic,” Rick said. “My scientific brain says, ‘Is there like a vibration from his heartbeat that travels down the line because he’s got his finger touching it, that the fish like?’”&nbsp;Foree met Karg because of a life-changing promise he made to Karg’s mother, Becky Rumley.Rumley was the nurse administering Foree’s chemotherapy treatment at St. Claire Hospital, and one day, she told him how much her nine-year-old son loved to fish. At the time, Foree thought he only had a few months to live.“I ended up telling her that if I survive this, I’ll take him to Lake of the Ozarks and get him a five pounder because I used to be a [fishing] guide on the lake,” he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766854595349.png" alt="Luke Karg stands with a paddlefish he caught in Owensville (Photo submitted)." />
 <figcaption>Luke Karg stands with a paddlefish he caught in Owensville (Photo submitted).</figcaption>
 </figure>Foree did pull through, and when they went out fishing, Karg didn’t just catch one five-pound bass.&nbsp;“I caught three five-pound bass and two six pounders, and like a bunch of big fish,” Karg said. “It is probably the best day of fishing in my life. And ever since then, he’s just dedicated a huge part of his life to help teach me and my partner.”Foree was equally amazed after Karg pulled out nearly 40 pounds of fish that day.&nbsp;“He just had the best day of fishing anybody could have,” Foree said. “That’s how I got him hooked on fishing.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Over the years, Foree taught him about tracking fish through the different seasons and how to read the water and the banks. He also helped him get his first boat.Now, Foree said, Karg’s instincts are his fishing superpower.&nbsp;“So many times they won a tournament when the fishing was really tough, and Luke said, ‘Let’s try over here. That bank looks good,’” Foree said. “And they’ll go over, and they’ll catch enough fish on that bank to win the tournament.”Karg believes his instincts have developed with the dozens of tournaments and countless hours of fishing.&nbsp;“Over time, it’s become more of an instinct, than having to think about, ‘Oh, I should make a change,’” he said. “It just naturally comes.”For instance, at both the Truman Lake and national championship, Karg said he was painting his own custom lures while he was on the boat.At Truman, he made the decision to color a half-inch chartreuse line on his spinner bait, he said, and he ended up catching much bigger fish, but less fish. If his lure had a straight tail, the catch was better as well, he said.“It’s all about how the bait works in the water,” he said. “The smallest little detail that can just trigger the fish to eat. That’s where a lot of the fun comes into it for me, is all the difficulties and fun little changes you can make. You can go from catching no fish for hours on end to catching your limit in a minute.”<h2>‘Find five’</h2>Karl Buck remembers meeting Karg when he was about 12 on a dock at the Peaceful Valley Lake in Owensville, where Karg’s grandparents have a lake house. Buck used to run a student program called the Owensville Anglers, and they were finishing up a tournament that day.“When we were doing our weigh-in down at the dam, they came down to the boat ramp to inquire,” Buck said. “He’ll probably hate this, but he was the most bashful young man, super quiet and reserved.”&nbsp;The Owensville Anglers is how Karg got his start with tournament fishing, which Buck says is much different than regular fishing.&nbsp;In a tournament, Buck said the first rule is “find five.”&nbsp;“You’re fishing for five fish,” Buck said. “Doesn’t matter what they weigh, they just got to be keepers,” meaning they are big enough to keep.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766854558899.png" alt="Luke Karg, left, and A.J. Massa hold up their top three fish at the TBF Student Angler Federation High School National Championship, which was held at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in June (photo submitted)." />
 <figcaption>Luke Karg, left, and A.J. Massa hold up their top three fish at the TBF Student Angler Federation High School National Championship, which was held at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in June (photo submitted).</figcaption>
 </figure>The fish go in the box where they’re kept alive and healthy, which is a standard conservation practice in the high-school tournaments.&nbsp;“After you have five, then you’re going to change your game,” he said. “It’s now no longer about just catching fish. You’re looking to upgrade the fish that you already have. Big fish get big for a reason. They’re hard to catch.”Big fish know how to hide, and that’s where casting skills come into play, Foree said. He called Karg’s casting skills “insane.”&nbsp;“He can skip jigs and lures and put them in places nobody else can,” Foree said. “That’s why he’s so good.”But he wasn’t always that good, Buck remembers, which is why Karg earned the nickname “Oops” after fishing with Buck and his son one day.“Luke throws this cast — I believe it was a spinner bait — and it winds up on the roof of this dock, stuck,” Buck said. “So we go up and we get it. A little while later, he makes another cast and it gets stuck on somebody’s dock.”After each time, Karg would just say, “Oops” and the nickname was born. Buck said when they fished together this past summer, he was blown away at his talent.&nbsp;Karg and Massa ended up placing 56th out of more than 200 teams in the national championship in Oklahoma.&nbsp;“We lost three three-pounders that came off the boat,” Karg said after the tournament finished. “That would have gotten us up to nine or 10 pounds. We would have been around 12th place probably.”Karg said he’s proud of his accomplishment over this high school career, and he couldn’t have done it without his fishing partners Massa and previously Kyle Kannawurf, along with their boat captains.“No one gives credit enough to our boat captains, which were both of our dads,” he said, “just giving the time to drive all the way out there and standing with us out the boat for eight hours straight a day.”As boat captain, Rick said he was in “constant amazement” at his son’s skill.“I’d just sit there and watch and think, ‘How in the world are you doing this?’” Rick said. “You’re like a super sharp shooter.”Rick said he’s watched Karg fish for seven hours without catching anything, but he’d still have the focus and creativity change his strategy and get a big catch at the last minute. Karg’s humility and attitude are among the most impressive things about him, said Foree and Buck, particularly his ability to bounce back from setbacks.“He never got rattled,” Foree said. “Oh, he’d get upset if he lost a big fish, but he’d just say, ‘Okay, I learned something from that,’ and go on to the next one. His ability to focus and stay focused in times of turmoil when he loses fish or the weather changes is very, very important in professional bass fishing.”Karg&nbsp;has his own&nbsp;<a href="https://lukesboatservices.com/about-us" target="_blank">boat detail business</a>, and there are several career paths he’s interested in taking, including a professional fisherman.&nbsp;“But for that, I would have to be away from home around 200 days of the year,” he said. “So the one I’m probably gonna go with is a natural environmentalist studying fresh water fish.”