By JEFF ROBERSON

REEDS SPRING, Mo. (AP) — The first year Shirley Mease cooked up a free Thanksgiving feast in the Reeds Spring High School cafeteria, icy weather kept most people away. But when her family knocked on doors to offer the meals, the gratefulness they found confirmed the need in her Missouri community.

“When you work with the school system you know the families that are in need because there are a lot of babies that come to school and that’s the only meal they get,” says Mease, who is semi-retired from her job in the cafeteria.

That first year, 2009, Mease and her volunteer crew provided 100 meals. This holiday, they expect to serve 700, drawing on donations. That’s up from about 625 last year, to account for food insecurity in many households that count on SNAP food aid benefits suspended during the federal government’s recent shutdown.

All are welcome, no questions asked.

The 73-year-old Mease, her children and grandchildren have been preparing for weeks, loading shopping carts and picking up donations. When she and volunteers arrived at the school cafeteria Wednesday to begin cooking, at least 44 turkeys and 225 pounds of sweet potatoes awaited.

“I know (SNAP) is back in working order, but it will take time for that to really help people out,” she says. “Especially in this area, the food banks are being hit very hard, so I just feel like this is a time to step it up a little bit.”

High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, shops for supplies with her granddaughter Teagan Porter before preparing 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Springfield, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, stops to hug her granddaughter Teagan Porter as they shop for supplies to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Kristal Porter, right, helps her mother, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, load turkeys into the oven in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School as they prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the sink in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, while preparing 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Larry Mease works to peel 240 pounds of sweet potatoes as he helps his wife, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease wheels a cart in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School while preparing 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, left, pauses to pray with family members as they break for lunch while shopping for supplies needed to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Springfield, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, and son-in-law Rick Porter load up a car after shopping for supplies needed to make 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Springfield, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Kristal Porter places caned goods in a cart as a shopping list is seen nearby while shopping for supplies to make 700 Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, talks with her daughter Kristal Porter, center, and granddaughter Teagan Porter, left, as they shop for supplies needed to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease shops for supplies needed to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

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The St. Paul City Council on Wednesday called for the city’s Police Civilian Internal Affairs Review Commission to conduct a “thorough investigation” of St. Paul officers’ use-of-force during Tuesday’s federal immigration enforcement operation in St. Paul.

All seven city council members, Mayor Melvin Carter and Mayor-elect Kaohly Her, and community members have raised concerns about St. Paul officers deploying chemical irritants and projectiles, along with questions about the presence of the city’s officers when ICE agents were in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood Tuesday.

The city council will also be asking the PCIARC to examine the police department’s adherence to the city’s separation ordinance and seeking an audit of the public cost incurred. A resolution is planned for next Wednesday’s council meeting.

St. Paul’s separation ordinance says city employees are not authorized to enforce federal immigration policies, and Police Chief Axel Henry said Tuesday the city’s officers had not violated it. He said officers were not doing immigration enforcement, “but we do have a responsibility to make sure that laws aren’t broken in our city.”

Federal authorities arrested two

Federal authorities arrested two men on Tuesday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said one was previously removed from the U.S. and illegally re-entered. Another man is charged with assaulting a federal officer during Tuesday’s operation, accused of striking an ICE officer’s vehicle with his own vehicle.

The Department of Homeland Security said a large number of people, who a spokesperson referred to as “rioters,” arrived and they called in back-up “to help secure the scene.”

DHS said in its statement that people on the scene “continued to ignore law enforcement commands and aggressively advanced on law enforcement. ICE used their training and deployed crowd control measures for the safety of the public and law enforcement.”

But on Wednesday, City Council Member Cheniqua Johnson said “no matter the explanations offered or the intentions behind yesterday’s events, the impact remains the same: trust between our community, our St. Paul Police Department, and the city has been broken.”

“I support the residents’ demands and the council in getting the answers we need to make sure yesterday never happens again on the East Side or in the city of St. Paul,” she said in a statement.

At least 3 journalists injured

Also on Wednesday, the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists said at least three local photojournalists were injured by less-lethal munitions deployed by St. Paul police officers while covering the story.

“The three journalists hit by munitions shared with MNSPJ that they believe they were targeted by law enforcement for doing their jobs,” the society said in a statement. “Photojournalists are on the frontlines of documenting history and it is imperative that they are kept safe and their First Amendment rights are protected.”

Mayor Carter said the injuries to journalists are troubling.

“The conduct we saw yesterday was jarring,” he said in a statement. “I have directed a thorough review of all St. Paul police body-worn camera footage be done in a timely manner to understand exactly what happened and ensure full transparency and accountability.”

Police union: Officers were assaulted

Henry said Wednesday that a “full review of the department’s response to the incident on Nov. 25, 2025, is under review. This includes our response to resistance and aggression (RRA) and other related policies or practices.”

The review includes viewing hundreds of hours of body camera footage and footage shared by community members.

“We are also actively seeking to arrange meetings with local law enforcement leaders and federal law enforcement to create sustainable prevention strategies for our city and the rest of the state,” Henry said in a statement.

The St. Paul Police Federation said officers were responding to federal agents’ call for help.

“We responded only to protect lives and restore order — nothing more,” said a Wednesday statement from the police union. “We do not do immigration enforcement. Never have, never will.”

The federation said there was a “core of professional agitators” who “refused every order, attacked officers with frozen bottles and rocks, damaged patrol cars, and shouted, ‘Don’t let them leave.’

“Our officers, while being assaulted, used the absolute minimum force necessary to end the threat and get everyone home safe,” the statement continued. “Not one rioter was seriously injured. Several officers were struck by projectiles, yet every one of them showed extraordinary discipline and courage.”

PCIARC chairperson: Officers were safe in vehicles

Sarah Florman, Police Civilian Internal Affairs Review Commission chairperson, wrote to Chief Henry Tuesday that she was at the scene during the aftermath of the ICE action when St. Paul officers remained in unmarked vehicles.

“They were engaging the protesters and I personally witnessed both pepper balls and two types of aerosol gas … deployed on peaceful protesters,” she wrote. “While a few protesters were blocking vehicles, many … were standing on sidewalks.”

Florman wrote that she saw objects thrown at police vehicles as they were being driven away, but didn’t see anyone throwing items at officers “or anyone impeding their departure.”

“Instead of driving away from the crowd, one car of SPPD officers stopped and opened the doors of their vehicles to deploy so much gas it created a white-out,” she wrote. “The officers were leaving the scene and stopped to deploy these agents even though they were safe inside their vehicles.”

During this time, Kerem Yücel of Minnesota Public Radio News was hit by a less-lethal munition in the shoulder. The senior visual journalist was taken to the hospital by an ambulance and has since been released.

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By COLLEEN SLEVIN

DENVER (AP) — Colorado doesn’t plan to transfer from state prison to federal custody a former county clerk who has become a hero to election conspiracy theorists following a request from the Trump administration, state officials said Wednesday.

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The Colorado Department of Corrections said it is not seeking a transfer of Tina Peters, who was convicted last year of orchestrating a scheme in Mesa County to breach voting machine data driven by false claims of fraud in the 2020 election.

“Transferring an individual is an action initiated by the Colorado Department of Corrections, not an outside entity,” department spokesperson Alondra Gonzalez-Garcia said in an email.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to comment.

Peters, 70, is serving a nine-year sentence at a state prison in Pueblo.

The Bureau of Prisons requested on Nov. 12 that the state corrections department transfer her to federal custody to serve her sentence. The reason isn’t known.

A copy of the request released by the state corrections department was heavily redacted. The department said releasing that information was “contrary to the public interest.”

Peters’ release has become a cause celebre in the election conspiracy movement. On Sunday, President Donald Trump renewed his call for her to be set free. One of Peters’ lawyers, Peter Ticktin, suggested on Trump ally Steve Bannon’s podcast this week that the military be used to free Peters from prison.

County clerks in Colorado of various political affiliations blame Peters for making their jobs more dangerous by fueling distrust in the voting system. They have been urging Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, to definitively reject the federal transfer request.

In a statement Tuesday, a Polis spokesperson praised the integrity of the state’s election system and said the governor welcomes a chance to meet with the clerks about the federal transfer request but did not directly address it.

“Governor Polis takes his responsibilities seriously and has been clear that he will take threats from the federal government head-on – especially when they undermine our democracy – which is why we have vigorously defended Colorado’s values during this turbulent time,” Polis spokesperson Shelby Wieman said.

Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, said the state corrections department is ultimately under Polis’ control and will do what he directs it to.

“The open-ended statement from the Department of Corrections does not alleviate our concerns,” he said.

Veteran Minnesota United midfielder Hassani Dotson will leave the club this offseason.

The Loons’ end-of-season roster decisions Wednesday shared how Dotson and his 2019 MLS draft peer Dayne St. Clair are officially out of contract with the club after the 1-0 loss to San Diego in the Western Conference semifinal on Monday. MNUFC added it was entering contract negotiations with St. Clair but not Dotson.

“It’s been a pleasure,” Dotson wrote on Instagram.

Dotson played in 149 regular-season games, behind only Michael Boxall and Robin Lod in club history. Dotson, who earned $682,500 in 2025, demanded a trade in preseason, but MNUFC retained him and offered him a new deal, but his side declined.

United said it was turning down contract options for Lod, Loic Mesanvi, Sam Shashoua and Kipp Keller. MNUFC also shared it wants to negotiate deals new contracts with Lod and Mesanvi.

MNUFC exercised contract options for 2026 with five players: defenders Morris Duggan, Devin Padelford and D.J. Taylor, as well as goalkeepers Alec Smir and Wessel Speel.

The following players have guaranteed contracts for next season:

— Defenders: Michael Boxall, Anthony Markanich, Nicolás Romero, Carlos Harvey, Joseph Rosales, Jefferson Diaz, Julian Gressel, Kieran Chandler.

— Midfielders: Joaquín Pereyra, Nectarios Triantis, Wil Trapp, Dominik Fitz, Owen Gene, Hoyeon Jung, Mattus Kmet, Kenyel Michel and Alexis Fariña.

— Forwards: Kelvin Yeboah, Mamadou Dieng, Darius Randell and Jordan Adebayo-Smith.

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