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Top Stories: Two homicides last year have been linked to a large-scale Methamphetamine trafficking ring based in Kansas City in which a dozen people are charged. One victim was found in the trunk of a car while the other was found shot to death. And two homicides last year have been linked to a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking ring based in Kansas City in which a dozen people are charged. One victim was found in the trunk of a car while the other was found shot to death.
The Missouri Supreme Court in Jefferson City is considering two cases brought by a citizen activist who’s challenging the validity of legislation signed into law in 2016 that he says was too broadly crafted to include too many subjects and purposes.
Missouri Supreme Court – Image courtesy of Missouri Courts
Ron Calzone of south-central Missouri’s Dixon is the executive director of a group called “Missouri First” and is a familiar fixture at the state Capitol who testifies at committee meetings.
He’s appealing a decision in Cole County Circuit Court which rejected his lawsuit that claims the legislature used unconstitutional procedures to pass an education bill. He’s also appealing the same court’s decision against his lawsuit challenging an agriculture bill under the same grounds.
The lower bench also dismissed a count in both suits, saying they were not recognized claims in Missouri law.
Calzone claims both bills violate the original purpose and single subject clauses of the state constitution. He also claims changes made to each bill’s title are unconstitutional.
Senate Bill Number 638 was introduced during the 2016 legislative session under a title to repeal one section of the law and replace it with two new sections “relating to civics education.”
Both the state Senate and the House of Representatives made certain amendments to the bill before passing it. Further amendments were made to the measure during a conference committee appointed to reconcile the differences in the versions from each chamber. As enacted, the bill’s final title was to repeal 20 sections of the law and replace them with 29 new sections “relating to elementary and secondary education.”
Calzone claims the controlling subject and purpose of Senate Bill 638 is teaching “civics education”. He contends the various amendment added which deal with topics ranging from school board vacancies to charter schools to the pledge of allegiance in schools are changes that should not be permitted.
The state claims a bill’s original purpose is not bound by words in its initial title, in this case, “civics education”, and contends all provisions in the bill that passed fall under the purpose of “promoting and regulating elementary and secondary education.” The state further claims the measure doesn’t break the single-subject requirement because all its provisions relate to elementary and secondary education in Missouri.
In court briefs written by Assistant Attorney General Jason Lewis, the state noted that the Supreme Court has previously determined that education is an acceptable subject for legislation. He also mentioned cases in which the Supreme Court had upheld the constitutionality of bills similar to Senate Bill 638 against original purpose attacks.
Calzone, who is not an attorney, claims the bill is unconstitutional because legislators changed its title rather than remaining true to its original wording which referred to “civics education”.
The state argues that the Supreme Court has often determined that changing a bill’s title is an ordinary and proper act of the General Assembly done to reflect amendments added to a bill. The state also says that the high bench has properly determined that a bill’s title is not part of the bill.
During Tuesday’s hearings, Calzone countered that the Supreme Court in previous cases had said the original purpose of a bill is established by the bill’s earliest title and language at the time the bill is introduced, and the controlling subject of a bill is determined by the introduced version of the bill.
Assistant Attorney General Justin Smith handles the state’s arguments over the agriculture bill being challenged by Calzone. He said the high bench has consistently presumed that the legislature enacted a constitutional bill and has shown a great deal of deference towards the legislative process. “As long as it’s naturally connected, if it’s the same general subject matter, this court substantially defers to the legislature unless there’s a clear constitutional violation,” said Smith.
In seeking to preserve the bills if the Supreme Court decides in favor of any of Calzone’s claims, the state contends the judges should sever only the portions of the bills that are determined to violate the constitution. Calzone contends the bills should be struck down entirely if any provisions are found to be unconstitutional because there’s no evidence that the legislature would have passed it without those provisions. “Not a single shred of evidence has been presented in either of these two cases that these bills would have passed absent any single clause,” said Calzone before the judges.
After hearing the cases involving the education and agriculture bills Tuesday, the Supreme Court is considering the arguments and could issue its decision at any time.
An appeals court has upheld a lower court’s decision calling on a local prosecutor to release records and pay a fine.
The Missouri Western District Appeals Court in Kansas City Tuesday affirmed a lower bench decision ordering former Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson to pay a $12,100 civil penalty to Aaron Malin, a plaintiff who filed a lawsuit in 2015 after making Sunshine Law requests.
The Cole County Circuit Court in 2017 levied the fine and ordered Richardson to produce records he had argued were not open to the public.
The lower bench determined that Richardson “knowingly” and “purposefully” violated the Sunshine Law after only partially responding to requests from Malin and his attorney for correspondence between Richardson and a drug task force, and for records of indictments by Richardson relating to narcotic sales in public housing.
The court later ordered Richardson to pay $24,070 to cover Mailin’s attorney.
The appeals court Tuesday denied Richardson’s request that his civil fine be limited to $5,000. It also determined that Malin had not requested information that would have endangered the personal safety of officers and undermined their investigations, as Richardson had contended.
Richardson, a Republican, was defeated in the primary contest while seeking reelection as Cole County Prosecutor last year.
Top Stories: Many school districts in mid-Missouri have canceled classes today as they continue to recover from the weekend winter storm. Columbia is on a two-hour delayed start as the city tries to make all roads passable this morning. And a man has been charged following the discovery of a body in a garage behind a north St. Louis County home on Sunday afternoon. 53-year-old Jeffrey Tod is in custody after 68-year-old Kenneth Linzie was found shot to death.
A publication claims the National Rifle Association may have improperly coordinated political advertising with Republican Josh Hawley’s campaign for the U.S. Senate
The Trace, a division of the left-leaning Mother Jones magazine, says Federal Communications Commission records show NRA ads in favor of Hawley were placed by the same consultant group that secured ads for Hawley’s campaign.
The publication says National Media, operating under the name Red Eagle Media, bought ads on behalf of the NRA backing Hawley while simultaneously purchasing ads for the Hawley campaign under a separate operation called American Media & Advocacy Group. The Trace contends FCC records show that both the NRA and the Hawley campaign ad buys were authorized by National Media’s chief financial officer, Jon Ferrell.
Independent groups and campaigns are allowed to use the same ad buyers, but campaign finance laws forbid outside groups from sharing any election-related information with the candidates they back.
The Trace quoted Larry Noble, the general counsel of the Federal Election Commission from 1987 to 2000, as being convinced that collaboration took place between the NRA and Hawley and two other Republican Senate campaigns.
“All evidence points to coordination,” said Noble. “It’s hard to understand how you’d have the same person authorizing placements for the NRA and the candidate and it not be coordination.”
The publication provided links to records showing National Media’s Ferrell signed off on two ad buys on KOAM-TV, which serves the Joplin market. One placement appears to be on behalf of the NRA while the other lists Josh Hawley for Senate.
Hawley, Missouri’s former Attorney General, unseated Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill in November’s election.
The Trace and Mother Jones in December reported on a similar pattern of coordination between the NRA and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
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The U.S. Postal Service is asking customers to help with the safe delivery of mail after the weekend winter storm that left substantial snowfall in Missouri. Statements have been released from the agency’s Mid America District office in Kansas City and Great Lakes District office in St. Louis requesting that residents and businesses keep their walkways and sidewalks clear from snow and ice.
Image courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service
Kansas City, MO Postmaster Eddie Morgan, Jr. said the Postal Service wants to serve the public while maintaining the welfare of its workers. “No one wants to inconvenience the customer,” said Morgan, Jr. “However, we must ensure the safety of our employees.”
Gateway District Manager Charles A. Sciurba said clearing a path for delivery personnel will help them complete their tasks. “Snow and ice make delivery dangerous and slow,” said Sciurba. “Maintaining a clear path to the mailbox including steps, porches, walkways and street approach – will help letter carriers maintain consistent delivery service, and help them get the mail delivered.”
Customers receiving door delivery are advised to make sure their sidewalks, steps, and porches are clear. Those receiving curbside delivery are asked to remove snow piles left by plows to keep access to their mailboxes clear for letter carriers.
Kim Caldwell-Harvey with the Postal Services Great Lakes office in St. Louis says mail carriers are being especially careful when trying to deliver large packages. “They will make an attempt to deliver the package,” said Caldwell-Harvey. “But if they can’t get up there safely they are taking the packages back to the office and leaving notices for customers to pick up.” She notes carriers may not be able to leave a notice if the mailbox is not accessible.
Stacy St. John with the Mid America District office in Kansas City says the public is being asked to assist in making sure mail is delivered in a timely manner. “We don’t want to inconvenience any of our postal customers,” said St. John. “However, we would like them to work with us so that we can safely make their deliveries without any interruption in their mail service.”
The Postal Service says blue collection boxes must also be kept clear for customers to deposit mail, and for workers to collect the mail for delivery. Residents and businesses with collection boxes near their property are being asked to keep them clear of snow and ice.
The Mid America District office in Kansas City oversees processing and delivery centers in Kansas City, Springfield and Cape Girardeau and further handles delivery in Joplin and St. Joseph. St. John said the snowstorm had not impacted ground transfer of mail by semi-tractor-trailers. “I have not heard of any significant interruptions in that transportation, so we are business as usual this Monday,” St. John said.
The Great Lakes office in St. Louis handles mail distribution in St. Louis, Columbia, Jefferson City, Hannibal, and Sedalia, cities that were hit with mostly hit with double-digit snowfall totals. It operates two centers in the St. Louis area, including one in Hazelwood that sorts priority and commercial mail. The other center in St. Louis city handles first class mail and large envelopes. The Great Lakes district also has distribution outlets in Champaign and Springfield, Illinois.
Caldwell-Harvey with the Great Lakes office said she was not aware of any delays in tractor-trailer transportation of mail in her region due to the winter storm.
The Postal Service is asking customers to help keep their letter carriers safe after the winter storm through the following actions:
Top Stories: The winter storm that started Friday afternoon and ended Sunday left some of the largest snowfall amounts on record in central and eastern Missouri. Ben Herzog with the National Weather Service in St. Louis says the state was fortunate that freezing drizzle and icing of roads predicted for Sunday never materialized. And the Missouri State Highway Patrol says it responded to at least FOUR fatalities involving about 900 crashes during this weekend’s blizzard. The St. Louis region received about 11 inches of snowfall. Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) spokesman Joe Moore says the timing of Friday’s storm in St. Louis made it worse.
The winter storm from Friday afternoon through Sunday left some of the largest snowfall amounts on record in central and eastern Missouri. Columbia received its third highest dumping of snow ever, 16.9 inches. The city was hit with 19.7 inches on January 20, 1995, and 18 inches on February 3, 2011.
Meteorologist Ben Herzog with the National Weather Service in St. Louis said members of the public observed some higher snowfall totals over the weekend than the official recording at the Columbia Airport. “The highest we had was 20.3 inches, and that was at the University of Missouri (in Columbia),” said Herzog. “There was another 20 inches in Montgomery City, 19 inches in Mexico, 17 in Fulton. Jefferson City had 15 inches.”
The University of Missouri flagship campus in Columbia, which was shut down Friday, continues to be closed Monday because of the storm. UM system offices are also closed, but all MU hospitals are open as is the Veterinary Health Center for emergencies. MU vice chancellor Gary Ward calls the weather event one of the worst storms the school has experienced.
KSSZ radio reports the highway patrol worked hundreds of crashes in mid-Missouri, but there were no reported deaths. More than nine thousand customers lost power in the city of Columbia alone at point. Many schools in mid-Missouri canceled classes Monday.
Here is a storm summary through 9 pm Sunday. The map is an estimate based on reports that we have received. #stlwx #midmowx #mowx #ilwx pic.twitter.com/3eY0McMohD
— NWS St. Louis (@NWSStLouis) January 14, 2019
St. Louis received national media attention for being the westernmost large city in the storm that formed over Missouri and moved eastward leaving double-digit snowfall totals in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and numerous Atlantic coast states. Total accumulation of snow in St. Louis from the weekend storm was 11.4 inches, well below the city’s high of 15.6 inches recorded on February 21, 1912.
The ongoing #winter storm in the Mid-Atlantic brought heavy #snow from Colorado to Delaware, with over 20 inches of snow recorded in Missouri. Find the latest storm summary from WPC here: https://t.co/2iFgBJVxfa pic.twitter.com/XEB6BvP8Gz
— NWS WPC (@NWSWPC) January 14, 2019
Road incidents Friday night on I-44 in southern St. Louis County led to gridlock as the eastbound backup was 6-8 hours. Herzog said some travelers spent the night on the highway. Lighter weekend traffic allowed Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) crews to catch up in plowing away most snow. The agency was also able to treat roadways.
Herzog said the state was fortunate that freezing drizzle and icing of roads predicted for Sunday never materialized. “The drizzle that formed that we were worried might freeze managed to not freeze as it hit the ground,” Herzog said. “It mainly froze on elevated surfaces or plants or things like that.”
He said recent warm weather approaching 70 degrees in eastern and central Missouri helped to keep the ground and roads from freezing. “That really helps keep that ground temperature pretty warm, and so going into events like this, that’s going to help melt a lot of the snow,” said Herzog. “It’s going to help mitigate some of the impacts on roads, things like that.”
A line from Clinton in the west extending eastward through Lake Of The Ozarks over to Farmington south of St. Louis was the southern cutoff point for heavy snow. Cities moving south from there received comparatively smaller snow totals. A foot of snow was recorded as far west as Sedalia.
Meteorologist Scott Blair with the National Weather Service in Kansas City said the snowfall total at Kansas City International Airport was only 4.6 inches although there were heavier pockets in the metro area. “There was a pretty good spread across the city,” said Blair. “Most of the city saw between 5-11 inches.” Kansas City’s heaviest snow total for a two-day event was 25 inches recorded in 1912.
KMBC-TV reports more than 50,000 customers remained without power in the Kansas City area last night because of branches and trees that fell during the weekend storm. Many Kansas City area schools canceled classes Monday.
Kirksville in northern Missouri received eight inches of snow, well short of its record of 13 inches in 1967.
Another winter storm is expected to drop snow in Missouri Friday night and Saturday.
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The winter storm warning for much of central and eastern Missouri has expired. A light wintry mix of snow and freezing drizzle is likely today. Additional snow accumulations of around a half inch or less are expected along with a light glaze of ice, mainly on elevated surfaces such as overpasses.
Snow removal in St. Louis (Photo courtesy of UPI)
The heaviest snowfall occurred in mid-Missouri where close to 16 inches fell Friday through early Sunday. Locally heavier snowfall reached 20 inches in some areas. Highway and arterial road conditions have improved. Early Sunday, I-70 was in fair condition while I-44 was in good condition. Power was being restored to several thousand customers in Columbia Sunday morning who lost electricity.
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The winter storm in Missouri is leaving substantial snowfall across the state, and ice could accumulate by Sunday morning. Meteorologist Ben Herzog with the National Weather Service in St. Louis says the system will have an extensive reach. “We’re looking at a pretty wide swath of snow, the heaviest of which is going to run, more or less along I-70, where we could see probably 8-12 inches of snow right now,” said Herzog.
The winter storm warning has been extended because snow and freezing drizzle is expected to last about 6 hours longer than previously forecast. Up to a tenth of an inch of ice could build up across the area by midday Sunday
The National Weather Service says there’ll be additional snowfall in the storm warning area through Sunday morning. Up to six inches could fall in areas in and around Hannibal and Bowling Green in Northeast Missouri. Up to five inches are expected in Columbia and Jefferson City in the central portion of the state. An additional four inches could fall in St. Louis and Union in eastern Missouri, as well as one inch in Farmington and Centerville to the south.
Accumulations are expected to increase from west to east. A total of up to 12 inches could fall inside the large warning area. The storm was predicted to leave 1-2 inches of snow in southern Missouri and roughly six inches in the northwestern part of the states. 3-5 inches was expected in the Kansas City area.
Meteorologist Scott Blair with the National Weather Service in Kansas City says the level of snow will depend on where you are in the state. “Any travelers from Springfield to St. Louis would see a rapid increase in the expected snowfall amounts,” said Blair.
According to Blair, the snow system is starting in Missouri because a rain system from the southwest is meeting with cold air over the state. “That’s what’s going to give these high snowfall totals across a large portion of Missouri,” Blair said.
The cutoff for snowfall to the south is along the Missouri-Arkansas border.
The National Weather Service calls the current storm “memorable, but not record-breaking”. St. Louis experienced 10.8 inches of snow on January5th, 2014. The current storm would qualify as the biggest two-day snow event since 2014. The heaviest January single day snowfall in St. Louis was 11.2 inches on January 31, 1958. The biggest two-day snow event in St. Louis brought 15.6 inches in February of 1912.
The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is urging drivers to be on the lookout for slippery roads during the current storm and afterward. The agency is also warning of possible traffic delays in the Kansas City area with the Chiefs divisional playoff game scheduled to start at 3:35 p.m. Saturday. MoDOT is also advising that many students will be returning to college campuses after the winter break, which means more vehicles on the road.
The University of Missouri flagship campus in Columbia closed because of the winter storm. The campus and UM system offices were shut down. The Student Health Center and all MU Health Care hospitals remain open.
Top Stories: A major winter storm is expected to leave snow across most of Missouri today through tomorrow afternoon. Predicted accumulations range from 5 inches in Kansas City to up to 9 inches in St. Louis. And Police continue to look for a man who went missing from St. Robert in south-central Missouri. An Endangered Silver Advisory Alert was issued for 69-year-old Robert Mason, who was last seen Monday. Mason could be driving a Dodge Stratus.
Early applications for medical marijuana facilities in Missouri are rolling in fast.
The state has received 250 applications and more than $2 million in fees in the first four days of pre-filing that began January 5. The Department of Health and Human Services is now formulating rules to regulate the cultivation, manufacture, and sale of marijuana for medical use.
Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment for medical marijuana in November, joining 32 other states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico.
The application fee for cultivation is $10,000. Those applying to manufacture or sell the product must pay a $6,000 fee. The state is in the process of establishing provisions for the licensing of marijuana facilities and the registration of qualified users and their caregivers.
Once in place, medical marijuana sales will be taxed at 4%. The projected collection of $18 million annually will be used to care for military veterans and pay for the licensing and regulation of the businesses. The estimated operating cost to the state is $7 million annually.
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