Afternoon Newscast for August 11, 2026

From the KBIA newsroom in Colombia, I'm Yuzn-Rayan. The American Red Cross has declared its second-ever national blood supply crisis after a four-year summer low. KBIA's Najifah Fahad reports on what's driving the shortage. The organization says it now has less than a one-day national supply of O positive blood, the most commonly transfused blood type. The Red Cross says the last time it declared a national blood crisis was in January 2022. This year, it has already issued two emergency appeals, including one in June. Courtney Lawrence, Divisional Chief Medical Officer for the American Red Cross, says extreme heat, poor air quality and widespread football illnesses have contributed to lower donor turnout during the summer. When there aren't enough blood units on the shelf, doctors have to make the difficult decisions about who is going to receive the blood now and who might have to wait. The organization is urging eligible donors to make an appointment to give blood as soon as possible. For KBI News, I'm Najeefa Farhad. And the Better Business Bureau is warning Missourians about a new scam involving gas and grocery vouchers. KOMU8 reports the scam comes in the form of postcards promising hundreds of dollars in free gas, groceries, rebates, or shopping rewards that recipients can claim by paying a processing fee, after which their payment information is stolen. The BBB warns consumers not to provide banking or card information to claim a supposedly free reward. And Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe says he is undeterred by the overwhelming majority of voters voting against two Republican amendments to the Constitution on last week's primary ballot. Jonathan All reports from Rala on how Mike Kehoe is responding. About 80% of voters said no last week to initiatives making it harder for the public to amend the Constitution and starting the process of eliminating the income tax. Speaking after an event in Rala last night, Mike Kehoe says he's going to continue the conversation and look for other avenues to achieve the same goals. It is what it is. It turned out a lot worse than what we thought, but it doesn't change the mission. The mission is to kit Missourians more money in their pocket so they can keep what they earn. Mike Kehoe attributes the losses to special interest money, even though both sides spent significantly on the election. In Rala, I'm Jonathan All. And the Missouri Supreme Court wants a county judge to come to a quick resolution on a lawsuit that could decide if voters will see a congressional redistricting referendum on the November ballot.

The Missouri Independent Report's state chief justice William Brent Jerome Powell wrote to Cole County Judge Daniel Green that state law requires the case to be heard and decided as quickly as possible. Missouri law doesn't allow the courts to add anything to the general election ballot after September 8th. I'm Yazim Rayan, KBIA News, Colombia.