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Missouri Senate President Pro Tem focused on aging I-70 Rocheport bridge (AUDIO)

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Missouri’s governor has signed a $29.7 billion state operating budget, which takes effect on Monday. It includes $301 million in bridge bonding funding, contingent upon the awarding of a federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant.

A crew member inspects the aging I-70 Rocheport bridge in mid-Missouri (2018 file photo courtesy of MoDOT’s Sally Oxenhandler)

The bridge bonding measure is a top priority for Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, who sponsored the legislation. He tells Missourinet that U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) is now working to obtain federal grant funding for a new I-70 bridge in mid-Missouri’s Rocheport.

“The effects it’s going to have on commerce and traffic and people and the ancillary roads that are going to be affected by the traffic that goes to them, it’s extremely important,” Schatz says.

State Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Director Patrick McKenna has warned that rehabilitation of the bridge will cause three to eight-hour backups, including 25-mile backups to Kingdom City “on a bad day.”

“Now it’s up to Senator Blunt to go to work for us, go to bat for Missouri and try to bring home some of that grant funding that will help us get that Rocheport bridge done,” says Schatz.

MoDOT says it would cost about $200 million to replace the bridge, which was built in 1960. The bridge is more than 3,000 feet long.

Columbia Chamber of Commerce President Matt McCormick has described I-70 as a focal point of business, as well as moving goods and services across the nation.

Meantime, Pro Tem Schatz is disappointed lawmakers didn’t approve prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation this year. He’s already looking ahead to 2020.

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) visits the House chamber on May 17, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

“But I will tell you that we will come back next year and I have three more years in this chamber (Missouri Senate). And I will work every year until we get that thing accomplished,” Schatz says.

Missouri is the only state in the nation without a PDMP, which is an electronic database that collects data on controlled substance prescriptions within a state.

The House approved PDMP legislation from State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, by a 103-53 vote in February but the bill died in the Senate, primarily because of opposition from the Senate Conservative Caucus.

Senator Blunt has also called on lawmakers to pass PDMP, saying drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in Missouri and the nation.

Blunt addressed the Missouri House in Jefferson City in April, noting that firefighters in the St. Louis suburb of Maryland Heights tell him they’re ten times as likely to respond to a drug overdose as a fire.

Overall, Schatz says the 2019 session was successful, also citing passage of anti-abortion legislation and a bill aimed at attracting a $1 billion expansion at the sprawling General Motors (GM) plant in eastern Missouri’s Wentzville.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full three-minute interview with Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, which was recorded on May 17, 2019 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

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Missouri House Minority Whip to be sworn-in as Kansas City Councilman August 1 (AUDIO)

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One of the top Democrats in the Missouri House will be leaving the chamber this summer, shortly before he’s sworn-in as a Kansas City Council member.

Missouri House Minority Whip Brandon Ellington, D-Kansas City, addresses Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on January 28, 2019, as House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, looks on (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Minority Whip Brandon Ellington, D-Kansas City, is a senior House member in Jefferson City. He was first elected in 2011.

“I would just like to thank the people of the state of Missouri for allowing me to serve as a State Rep. and I would like to thank the citizens of Kansas City for bringing me home to actually engage the constituency on a whole different level,” Ellington says.

Ellington, who will be sworn-in to the Kansas City Council on August 1, says his Council win last week against Pastor Wallace Hartsfield was a tough race and one of the closest in his career.

Ellington tells Missourinet his biggest House accomplishment involves protection of crime victims.

“Removal of the statute of limitations for victims of child abuse and sexual molestation,” says Ellington. “That was a piece of legislation that was given to me in 2011 by a constituent.”

Ellington says he worked closely with former State Rep. Kevin Corlew, R-Kansas City, to pass the bill, which is now law.

Ellington also carried a bill in 2019 which would have allowed a victim or witness of a crime to be granted an automatic full order of protection, if the victim or witness was fearful of his or her safety.

Representative Ellington says his biggest House disappointment is criminal justice reform. He says while it’s talked about a lot, the Missouri Legislature hasn’t shown the will to pass significant reform across-the-board.

The Legislature did approve three criminal justice reforms in 2019, but Ellington wanted lawmakers to go further.

While he’s a progressive, Whip Ellington has worked closely with House Republicans on several key issues over the years, including crime victim protection and jobs issues. Ellington says that bipartisan cooperation helped him win last week’s Council race.

“I did fairly good, not fairly I won Platte and Clay counties, and I think that’s due to a lot of the work that I do across the aisle,” Ellington says.

During GOP Governor Mike Parson’s January State of the State Address, State Reps. Bruce Franks, D-St. Louis, and Ellington were the first lawmakers to stand up and applaud the governor when he said he’s not interested in building more prisons.

Governor Parson received a standing ovation from both sides when he said that in January. Ellington was also a vocal supporter of the governor’s plan to close the maximum-security Crossroads Correctional Center in northwest Missouri’s Cameron and consolidate it with Western Missouri Correctional Center, which is also in Cameron.

Ellington and State Reps. Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City, and Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, heard testimony from family members of Crossroads inmates during the September veto session. Those family members alleged inhumane treatment.

Ellington will be sworn-in to the Council on August 1, the same day Kansas City Mayor-Elect Quinton Lucas will be sworn-in.

Click here to listen to the full five-minute interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and House Minority Whip Brandon Ellington, D-Kansas City, which was recorded on June 24, 2019:

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Battleship USS Missouri crew members from 1945 being sought (AUDIO)

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The presiding commissioner in mid-Missouri’s Cole County is searching for living crew members of the battleship USS Missouri, who were on the ship during the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay in September 1945.

This is a first day of issuance (FDOI) cancellation envelope being held on the deck of the USS Missouri in Hawaii on June 11, 2019 (photo courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service)

Commissioner Sam Bushman tells Missourinet a major event is planned for September 2020 at Pearl Harbor, to celebrate the surrender’s 75th anniversary.

“If we can find them, we would like to take them to Pearl Harbor as our guests,” Bushman says. “Everything would be (covered), airfare, hotel and everything.”

Mr. Bushman is involved with the USS Missouri Memorial Association, which is helping to organize the event.

He’s asking anyone who knows of living veterans who were on the ship for the surrender to contact him at the Cole County Courthouse. His phone number is (573) 634-9113.

“There were thousands of sailors present in Tokyo Bay on September 2 (1945). They weren’t necessarily on the battleship Missouri,” says Bushman.

Bushman tells Missourinet that U.S. Senators Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley are both expected to attend next September’s Pearl Harbor event.

General Douglas MacArthur was on the battleship Missouri during the September 1945 surrender. At the ceremony’s conclusion, General MacArthur delivered a radio address to the American people.

“Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won. The skies no longer rain death — the seas only commerce men everywhere walk upright in the sunlight. The entire world is quietly at peace. The holy mission has been completed,” MacArthur’s speech began.

Commissioner Bushman is praising the U.S. Postal Service’s new stamp, which commemorates the 75th anniversary of the battleship Missouri’s commissioning.

Mr. Bushman helped organize last week’s Statehouse ceremony in Jefferson City to unveil the stamp. He watched as veterans wiped tears away, during the ceremony.

“I mean this is our ship, you know it’s the battleship Missouri, it’s part of our state,” Bushman says.

There were two ceremonies on Tuesday to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the commissioning and the new stamp: one in Jefferson City and the other at Pearl Harbor.

Retired U.S. Navy Captain David Durbin says the stamp has already been very popular in Jefferson City, with the Post Office re-ordering additional stamps due to demand.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Cole County Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman, which was recorded on June 11, 2019 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

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Missouri Farm Bureau praises USDA’s Kansas City relocation proposal (AUDIO)

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The head of Missouri’s largest general farm organization is praising the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed relocation of two major USDA facilities to the Kansas City region.

Image courtesy of the Missouri Farm Bureau

Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst says the move will improve USDA’s customer service, by having our public servants living where their customers are.

“You know within a day’s drive of their new headquarters (in the greater Kansas City area) will be most of the corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, cotton, I mean you think about the crops, pork, beef,” Hurst says.

Hurst describes Kansas City as the heart of our farm economy.

“The Kansas City area is home to what we call the animal science corridor, just very close to some of the best plant science researchers in the world,” says Hurst.

The Kansas City Area Development Council says the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor is home to more than 300 animal health companies, representing the world’s largest concentration.

The Council says the corridor is anchored by Columbia and Manhattan, Kansas, which is where Kansas State University is located.

There is opposition to the relocation from U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, who vows to explore all options to reverse USDA’s decision.

Leader Hoyer has issued a statement, which says the proposed relocation would disrupt the work done by USDA and would hurt the morale of federal employees.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, says more than 550 jobs are involved, with average wages between $80,000 and $100,000.

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, tells Missourinet the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) will conduct a search for a site, emphasizing that nothing has been decided yet on the site.

Hurst agrees and says whether it’s located in Missouri or eastern Kansas, the Kansas City area and Missouri will benefit. He’s hoping it will be in Missouri.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst, which was recorded on June 13, 2019:

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Missouri Congressman Graves optimistic about USDA moving to Kansas City region (AUDIO)

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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it’s selected the greater Kansas City area for the relocation of two major facilities: its Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agricultural Policy.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, says the decision will draw more than 550 jobs to the Kansas City region, with average wages between $80,000 and $100,000.

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, tours the MFA Rail facility near northwest Missouri’s Hamilton on October 8, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Graves’ office)

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, who represents 36 northern Missouri counties, says it makes sense to move the USDA agencies from Washington to what he describes as “the heart of farm country.”

“This is going to take those agencies right out to the very places that they’re doing research for and trying to help and the industry they’re trying to help,” Graves says.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) says the Kansas City area is closer to USDA’s farmer-constituent base. Congressman Graves, who farms in northwest Missouri, agrees. He says the move gets USDA closer to the people they serve.

“And what’s more, it gets them closer to FAPRI, the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute there at the University of Missouri which does a lot of the work, the research work for these two agencies,” says Graves.

FAPRI was started in 1984. Its website notes it provides objective analysis of markets and policies. One of its primary purposes is to provide decision makers with information about how policy changes or market conditions impact the agricultural sector.

While there will be efforts to block it, Graves is optimistic about USDA’s proposal to relocate to the Kansas City region. He says it underscores the quality of life in the greater Kansas City area.

“We’ve got good schools and we got good communities and safe communities and that’s what is important when it comes to attracting folks to take these positions,” Graves says.

Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst agrees, saying Kansas City “is the heart of our farm economy” and is the right choice for USDA.

U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, is blasting the move, calling it the “wrong decision.” Leader Hoyer has issued a statement, saying he’ll continue to explore all options to reverse USDA’s decision.

Cleaver expects a fight from the Maryland and Virginia congressional delegations.

Congressman Graves says the move will save tax dollars. The “Kansas City Star” reports Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says the relocation will save USDA about $300 million over 15 years.

Graves tells Missourinet the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) will conduct a search for a site, emphasizing that nothing has been decided yet on the site.

Graves also emphasizes that it’s been a bipartisan effort in Missouri to land the jobs, crediting both Congressman Cleaver and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, which was recorded on June 13, 2019:

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Governor Parson says Missouri and Kansas have both spent more than $100 million on border war

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Legislation aimed at ending the economic “border war” between Missouri and Kansas has been signed into law this week by Governor Mike Parson (R) in Kansas City.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson signs SB 182 into law on June 11, 2019 at Kansas City’s Union Station (photo courtesy of Governor Parson’s office)

The Bolivar Republican notes the legislation, which is Senate bill 182, will only take effect if the Sunflower State passes a reciprocal agreement.

“I’m very positive, very optimistic right now that we’re going to come to some sort of an agreement between Missouri and Kansas on this,” Parson says.

Governor Parson signed the bill this week at Kansas City’s historic Union Station, telling reporters he has a good working relationship with Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D) and that additional meetings will take place. He says he’s met with Kelly and has also spoken to her on the phone.

Parson tells reporters that incentivizing companies to move a few miles does not result in new jobs for Missouri or Kansas.

“We’re spending a lot of taxpayer money to do initiatives for businesses on the border of Kansas and Missouri and sometimes we’re not getting very much gain for that,” says Parson.

The legislation, which is sponsored by State Sen. Mike Cierpiot, R-Lee’s Summit, impacts companies moving between Johnson, Miami and Wyandotte counties in eastern Kansas and Missouri’s Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte counties.

The Kansas City-based Hall Family Foundation says more than 10,000 jobs moved between Missouri and Kansas during the past decade, with an incentive cost of $330 million. The jobs all moved in the Kansas City region.

“I think Missouri has spent well over $100 million on this, Kansas has spent well over $100 million,” Parson says. “There’s no reason we can’t be using that money for a lot better purposes than just jumping from one side of the state (line) to the other.”

Governor Parson tells reporters he’s optimistic he’ll reach an agreement with Kansas Governor Laura Kelly on this.

As for Governor Kelly, she’s issued a statement echoing Governor Parson’s comments about the irresponsible spending by both states, “with little actual job growth for either state.”

Kelly also emphasizes that the two states must work together to attract business and jobs.

“We’re encouraged by the renewed spirit of cooperation and collaboration between the two states. The recent joint proposal to attract United States Department of Agriculture operations to the Kansas City metro area is a prime example of progress on that front,” Kelly’s statement reads, in part.

This issue has been debated for years in the Missouri Legislature, with former House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, and former State Rep. Kevin McManus, D-Kansas City, leading an unsuccessful effort in 2014.

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Battleship Missouri is being honored with forever stamp (AUDIO)

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The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is honoring the battleship USS Missouri with a forever stamp, in honor of the 75th anniversary of her commissioning.

This is the U.S. Postal Service’s commemorative stamp in honor of the 75th anniversary of the commissioning of the USS Missouri (photo courtesy of USPS in Washington D.C.)

There were two ceremonies on Tuesday to celebrate the 75th anniversary: one at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and the other at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, where Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft presented a proclamation.

“The USS Missouri I think exemplifies everything when we think about our young men and women that fight to protect the liberty and freedom not only of our country and other countries, the Battleship Missouri, the Mighty Mo, that exemplifies it,” Ashcroft tells Missourinet.

The Missouri was the scene of the formal Japanese surrender in World War II in September 1945, with General Douglas MacArthur on the battleship.

A group of veterans and mid-Missouri community leaders organized Tuesday’s ceremony at the Statehouse, to raise awareness about the new stamp. Secretary Ashcroft spoke at the event, and praises the United States Navy.

“In all the wars that this great country has fought for freedom and liberation of other individuals, they’ve done it with the support and on the backs of the Navy,” Ashcroft tells the audience. “Because when you want to move materials to far parts of the world, it’s the Navy that does it.”

You’re now able to purchase the stamps at the post office. Retired Navy Captain David Durbin also spoke at the Jefferson City ceremony, where he noted that USPS was also holding a ceremony near Honolulu.

“Where about the same time, there’s a ceremony going on in Pearl Harbor Hawaii, where the official first day of the stamp is being conducted,” Captain Durbin says.

Secretary Ashcroft read a proclamation from Missouri Governor Mike Parson during the Capitol ceremony, as some veterans wiped tears away while listening.

One of the veterans who attended the Jefferson City ceremony was Charlie Guthrie, who lives in west-central Missouri’s Saline County. Mr. Guthrie, who served on the battleship Missouri, attended the ceremony with former State Rep. Joe Aull, D-Marshall.

Cole County Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman tells Missourinet a major event is planned for September 2020 at Pearl Harbor, for the surrender’s 75th anniversary.

He says airfare and hotel costs will be covered for any veterans who were present on the Missouri, during the surrender. He’s asking anyone who knows of living veterans who were on the ship for the surrender to contact him at the Cole County Courthouse. His phone number is (573) 634-9113.

Mr. Bushman tells Missourinet that U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley are both expected to attend the Pearl Harbor event next September.

The Missouri was the last U.S. battleship to be commissioned. It was the scene of the formal 1945 Japanese surrender and later served in 1991’s Operation Desert Storm, launching Tomahawk cruise missiles at Iraqi targets in occupied Kuwait.

It was built by shipyard workers at Brooklyn’s New York Navy Yard.

Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin also attended Tuesday’s Capitol ceremony.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, which was recorded at the Statehouse in Jefferson City on June 11, 2019:

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Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Chair praises passage of criminal justice bills (AUDIO)

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The GOP Missouri House Speaker is praising the Legislature for approving three different major criminal justice reforms. Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, agrees, noting criminal justice reform has also been a top priority for House Democrats and the Black Caucus.

State Rep. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, speaks to the Capitol Press Corps on February 11, 2019 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Ben Peters at House Communications)

“We had legislation expanding diversion courts, legislation that revises our mandatory minimums, especially for non-violent offenses,” Roberts says. “As well as an expansion of our expungements.”

House bill 192 is the legislation revising mandatory minimums. It has support across the political spectrum, from the ACLU to Americans for Prosperity.

It requires Missouri’s Probation and Parole Board to evaluate those serving mandatory minimums and decide if they should be released. Supporters say about 48 percent of Missouri’s prison population is serving time for drug offenses and other nonviolent crime.

Empower Missouri, the ACLU and Americans for Prosperity say that if the bill becomes law, about 200 prisoners will be released in the first ten months.

Chairman Roberts is also pleased with the Missouri General Assembly’s passage of legislation that expands expungements for certain non-violent crimes. He says expungement helps citizens succeed at re-entry, after they complete their sentence.

“And so allowing people who really are trying to get that second chance the opportunity to do so,” says Roberts.

Expungement is a court-ordered process, where the legal record of a criminal conviction is essentially sealed.

State Sen. Kiki Curls, D-Kansas City, sponsors the the expungement bill, which is Senate bill 1. It allows expungement for several non-violent crimes, including stealing, first degree property damage and fraudulent use of a credit device.

The diversion court bill is another bipartisan piece of legislation. House bill 547 from State Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City, requires each judicial circuit to establish a veterans’ treatment court.

Griffith’s bill states that it is Missouri’s public policy to encourage and provide an alternate method for the disposal of cases for military veterans and current military members who have substance abuse disorders or mental health disorders.

The bill allows prosecutors to divert criminal cases to a prosecution diversion program.

Roberts emphasizes the importance of bipartisanship on the criminal justice reform issue. He tells Missourinet that House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, met regularly with the Black Caucus in 2019.

“He’s been genuine and I appreciate him stepping up and meeting with us on a monthly basis,” Roberts says.

Speaker Haahr told Capitol reporters on the session’s final day in May that the 2019 session is the most successful policy one he’s seen in his seven years in the Legislature.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, which was recorded on May 17, 2019 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

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Missouri farm groups and Rural Crisis Center view agriculture bill differently

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Missouri’s governor traveled to Sedalia this weekend for a ceremonial signing of legislation that supporters say will benefit agriculture.

State Rep. Chuck Basye (left) was among numerous lawmakers who joined Missouri Governor Mike Parson at the Cattlemen’s steak dinner in Sedalia on June 8, 2019 (photo courtesy of Representative Basye’s Twitter page)

About 700 people attended Saturday evening’s Missouri Cattlemen’s steak dinner at the state fairgrounds in Sedalia.

Governor Mike Parson (R) held a ceremonial signing of Senate Bill 391, which prevents counties from imposing regulations on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that are stricter than state regulations. House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, House Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, R-O’Fallon, and State Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, were among the many lawmakers at Saturday’s event.

Governor Parson praises lawmakers for approving the bill, saying it signals that Missouri supports the next generation of agriculture.

“We’ve now opened the doors that will allow Missouri to lead the way in meeting a growing world food demand and ensure we keep more agriculture production in our state, strengthening Missouri’s number one industry,” Parson says.

The governor notes Missouri agriculture is an $88 billion industry, and remains the state’s top economic driver.

Critics of the legislation say this will prevent counties from protecting water and air.

The Missouri Rural Crisis Center’s Tim Gibbons spoke to our sister network Brownfield in May, saying lawmakers should be standing up for Missouri’s 100,000 family farms, not the approximately 500 concentrated animal feeding operations, known as CAFOs.

“We know that DNR (the state Department of Natural Resources) cannot and will not protect us from these absentee controlled operations,” Gibbons told Brownfield in May. “So local control is one way that farmers and people in rural counties have been able to put safeguards on these type of operations to protect the property rights, the property values, the water and air, the livability of our communities from industrial livestock operations.”

State Rep. Doug Clemens, D-St. Ann, who voted against the bill, told lawmakers in May that the CAFO operations are managed by owners who aren’t from the area.

“This isn’t about our family farms,” Representative Clemens said during House floor debate in May. “This is about corporate controlled industry, half of which is foreign-owned.”

The bill sponsors see it differently. State Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, and State Rep. Mike Haffner, R-Pleasant Hill, say it’s important to have a statewide policy, instead of various different restrictions at the county level.

The Missouri Corn Growers Association also praises the bill, saying it will bring positive market growth in Missouri for years to come. The Missouri Farm Bureau also backs the measure, and Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst attended Saturday’s bill-signing.

Under current Missouri law, the notice of intent to file an application for an operating permit for a new or expanded facility is sent to property owners within 1.5 times the buffer distances for CAFOs. The new law requires that the notice be given to property owners located within three times of the buffer distances, and the notices must now be sent by certified mail.

SB 391 also establishes the Joint Committee on Agriculture, which will study the economic impact of Missouri’s agricultural industry and will study ways to create incentives to encourage farmers to adopt best practices to scientifically address the state’s carbon footprint.

The new law is scheduled to take effect on August 28.

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Normal operations may not resume at tornado-damaged Jefferson City car dealership until November

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(news director John Marsh at Jefferson City affiliate KWOS Radio contributed to this story)

The Riley Toyota and Riley Chevrolet dealerships in Jefferson City remain closed until further notice, due to the recent EF-3 tornado.

Ameren Missouri utility trucks lined the road near Best Western and the Riley Toyota and Chevrolet Buick GMC dealerships in Jefferson City on May 23, 2019, the day after an EF-3 tornado (Brian Hauswirth photo)

Owner Kevin Riley tells Missourinet Jefferson City affiliate KWOS (AM 950) that the tornado damaged or destroyed about 800 of the dealerships’ cars and trucks.

“We will become operational, our sales will become operational soon,” Riley tells KWOS. “We are looking at different parts of the city, we are looking at staying there. We’re just trying to put the pieces to the pie together.”

KWOS notes Riley Auto Group has been a fixture in the Capital City since the 1930s.

Mr. Riley hopes to have the Toyota dealership back to normal operation in six months or less. He says the Riley Chevrolet Buick GMC dealership will likely take longer, because the tornado destroyed their service center.

“The GM store, man, it (the May 22 tornado) just took it all,” says Riley.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis says the tornado’s estimated peak wind was 160 miles per hour.

The Riley Family has posted a message on its website, saying they “are thankful for no loss of life in Jefferson City.” The message also says they intend to repair and rebuild, and that they are strengthened by the community’s support.

The same tornado that impacted the Riley dealerships also struck the nearby Special Olympics Training for Life campus, blowing off part of the roof and blowing out numerous windows. The track was also damaged.

Special Olympics has suspended all building operations, because of the damage.

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