Missourinet

Your source for Missouri News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for Missourinet Contributor

Dog survives squabble with bobcat in northern Missouri

By

Bobcat photo courtesy of Missouri Department of Conservation

A dog is recovering from getting into a scuffle this week with a bobcat near northern Missouri’s Mexico. According to Audrain County Conservation Agent Norman Steelman, bobcats don’t typically come that close to homes.

Steelman tells Missourinet affiliate KXEO in Mexico that bobcat reports are becoming more common in the area and encourages Missourians to leave them alone if they see one. There are currently no known diseases involving bobcats in Audrain County.

The big cat did not survive. Its remains are being sent to the Missouri Department of Conservation Resource Science Division.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Missouri soldier wounded by explosive in Afghanistan

By

Sgt. Ian Ives (Photo courtesy of Missouri Military Academy’s Facebook page)

A southern Missouri soldier has been injured in Afghanistan. Missourinet affiliate KXEO in Mexico reports Sgt. Ian Ives of Cuba stepped on an improvised explosive device on Saturday. According to the Missouri Military Academy’s Facebook page, Ives will likely lose an arm, part of his face and be partially blind.

While he was being transported to Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, Ives was detained in Germany for emergency surgery.

Ives is also a 2011 graduate of the Missouri Military Academy in northern Missouri’s Mexico.

By Aimee Higgins of KXEO in Mexico

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Fatality rate on rural American roads is double that of urban roads, Chao tells St. Louis audience

By

(This story is written by Missourinet St. Louis contributor Jill Enders)

ST. LOUIS- The U.S. Transportation Secretary traveled to St. Louis on Tuesday to unveil a new initiative aimed at addressing disparities in transportation infrastructure in rural America.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao speaks to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation officials in St. Louis on October 8, 2019 (Jill Enders photo)

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao delivered the keynote address at the annual American Association of State Highway and Transportation officials meeting, which is taking place at the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel. She emphasizes that the fatality rate on rural America roads is twice that of urban roads.

Chao has announced a new program called the Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success initiative, which is known as R.O.U.T.E.S.

“Rural America, which has a disproportionately high rate of fatalities and is historically neglected, needs to have its transportation needs addressed,” Chao tells the audience.

“We will bring together leaders and staff in key infrastructure modes – highways, aviation, transit and railroads, to examine grant programs’ potential to better support the nation’s critical rural transportation infrastructure,” Chao adds.

The main focus of her address was the high rate of traffic fatalities in rural America. Secretary Chao cites numerous transportation safety statistics.

“Rural communities and their transportation networks are vital to our nation. 69 percent of the nation’s lane miles are in rural areas. Two-thirds of rail freight originates in rural areas. But rural transportation infrastructure is challenged by disparities. The disproportionate rate of crash fatalities in rural areas is especially alarming. 19 percent of Americans live in rural areas. Yet, 72 percent of large truck occupant fatalities, 67 percent of pickup occupant fatalities and 58 percent of SUV occupant fatalities occur in rural areas. The fatality rate on rural roads is twice that on urban roads,” Secretary Chao tells the audience.

She’s also announced the formation of a rural transportation infrastructure council to lead this initiative. It will be called the ROUTES Council.

This new internal deliberative body at the Department will identify critical rural transportation concerns and will coordinate efforts among DOT’s different modal administrations. The Council will also create a rural resources handbook and will hold its first meeting in November.

Elaine Chao served as the U.S. Labor Secretary from 2001-2009 under President George W. Bush, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s website notes she is the first Asian-American woman to be appointed to the President’s cabinet in American history.

The U.S. Transportation Department was established by Congress in October 1966.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

FEMA aid approved for 82 counties and St. Louis after this year’s massive flooding

By

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) granted Missouri’s request to expand its federal major disaster declaration to include assistance for local governments and nonprofit agencies in 14 additional counties and the City of St. Louis. This FEMA approval means help for 82 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis to reimburse emergency response costs and repairs to roads, bridges, and infrastructure damaged in this year’s massive floods

FEMA’s action means more counties are now designated in the April 29 to July 5 disaster for the Public Assistance Program than in any other disaster in Missouri since the Great Flood of 1993.

The additional counties are Benton, Boone, Callaway, Clay, Cooper, Dunklin, Gasconade, Howard, Lafayette, Lincoln, Pulaski, Scott, St. Charles, and St. Clair.

On August 5, residents in six more counties became eligible for individual assistance: Callaway, Jefferson, Lewis, McDonald, Newton, and Saline. The deadline for homeowners and residents to register for assistance was September 9. Those approved for individual assistance have received more than $7,000,000

Missouri ag group head: “Corn growers on level playing field with Japan deal”

By

Mark Scott of Missouri Corn Growers Association

The president of the Missouri Corn Growers Association says a U.S deal with Japan will put corn farmers on a level playing field. Mark Scott was on the recent trip to Japan with the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

“U.S. corn fed beef and pork, that was at a 12% disadvantage. So, it’ll increase meat exports to Japan. In turn, it’ll increase need for corn here,” Scott says.

According to the Missouri Agriculture Department, Japan is the third highest export market, accounting for $209 million. Scott says Japanese people love U.S. pork and beef and especially the marbling in the beef.

“They have big displays of American beef. You know, they’re pushing the American beef product over there,” he says.

Scott says with all the things going on in Washington, D.C., Missouri Corn is concerned about the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement not coming up for a vote.

By Julie Harker of Brownfield Ag News

Sexual assault reports on the rise at Missouri State University

By

Missouri State University in Springfield (Photo courtesy of the school)

Missouri State University in southwest Missouri’s Springfield is experiencing an uptick in reports of sexual assault. Since July, there have been five cases compared to nine in 2018.

University officials say they are encouraging students to come forward if something happens. Sexual assault includes a range of accusations from rape to inappropriate touching.

Not all cases have been investigated, but the University title IX coordinator, Jill Patterson, says the number is “alarming.” She adds that in 80 to 90 percent of cases, sexual assault occurs as an abuse of trust, and not from a stranger in the dark.

By Nathaniel Polley of Missourinet affiliate KSGF in Springfield

Missouri county slowly moves toward wind farm regulations

By

Buchanan County commissioners in northwest Missouri are working toward enacting regulations for wind energy, which has become a controversial issue for county residents.

Wind Turbines

No wind farm has located in Buchanan County, but some companies have shown interest.

Presiding Commissioner Lee Sawyer sees a need for regulations.

“Here’s what we’re trying to do. As it stands now, we have absolutely no regulations whatsoever for any type of wind energy,” Sawyer says. “So, what we’re trying to do, and we’ve hired an outside firm who does this all over the country, to help us put together an ordinance and regulations for wind energy.”

The commission is working with Kansas City engineering firm Black and Veatch. Sawyer says a draft proposal is modeled on regulations Black and Veatch helped draft in Michigan.

Sawyer says, at present, there are no rules on the books.

“Frankly, any landowner in Buchanan County does not have any protections regarding what would be considered kind of typical or normal regulations for that type of energy,” according to Sawyer.

He says wind farms have created additional tax revenue for some counties.

“We know, in other counties that it has significantly helped out school districts and significantly helped out fire districts and significantly helped out other situations through additional tax revenue,” Sawyer says. “So, we want to keep that into consideration, too, because, in a sense, it creates an economic development boon in some ways.”

Sawyer says the commissioners also know many oppose wind energy, especially the wind turbines and don’t want them going up in the county.

He says the county will hold public hearings before adopting any final regulations of wind farms.

By Brent Martin of Missourinet affiliate KFEQ in St. Joseph

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Southeast Missouri county makes region Agri-Ready

By

Southeast Missouri county makes region Agri-Ready

Pemiscot County, in southeast Missouri, is the latest Agri-Ready county designated by the Missouri Farmers Care Coalition. That makes southeast Missouri the first Agri-Ready region with every county there on board.

A Pemiscot county commissioner says they do everything possible to promote agriculture because it’s the county’s number-one business – where farmers grow soybeans, cotton, rice and wheat.

Counties partner with the Missouri Farmers Care Coalition in the Agri-Ready program to advance local ag enterprise, promote their counties as prime locations for business expansion and workforce readiness for ag careers.

By Julie Harker of Brownfield Ag News

GM workers speak from the picket line at Wentzville plant (AUDIO)

By

The United Auto Workers (UAW) strike is in its second day, sidelining thousands of GM employees at the sprawling Wentzville plant in eastern Missouri.  Negotiations continue between the national union and the automaker. General Motors released this video statement on YouTube Monday.

Autoworker David French of St. Peters has been with GM for 41 years, and tells Missourinet he wants to see temporary workers in Wentzville get a better deal:

French and other autoworkers are getting $250 a week in strike pay from the union, for strike pay. GM’s Wentzville plant has about 4,600 employees, who produce vehicles such as the GMC Canyon and the Chevrolet Colorado.

Glenn Kage, president of UAW Local 2250 in Wentzville, says taxpayers revived GM in the past recession.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson says GM has 178 suppliers across Missouri, with the plant supporting 12,000 jobs statewide. The state of Missouri has been in talks with GM about expanding this plant. A month ago, the Department of Economic Development told Missourinet they are confident about the planned $1 billion capital investment in the plant, which would be bolstered by $5 million in Missouri tax credits signed into law this year.

 

Attacks on Saudi oil fields expected to make gas prices spike soon in Missouri

By

Gas prices are expected to sour nationwide and in Missouri soon. Geoff Cooper of the Renewable Fuels Association in Washington, D.C. says the fuel price spikes after the attacks over the weekend on Saudi Arabia oil fields show the U.S. cannot “frack its way to energy independence”.

Attacks on Saudi oil fields expected to make gas prices spike soon in Missouri

“We are calling on the (Trump) administration, in the wake of this crisis, to do more to unleash the power and the potential of renewable fuels like ethanol in our domestic fuel supply,” Cooper says.

He says the drone attacks are exactly why the U.S. has the Renewable Fuels Standard.

“We have to diversify our liquid fuel supply in order to protect ourselves and insulate ourselves from these sorts of price shocks and price spikes that come from these sorts of geopolitical events,” he says.

Cooper says gas prices will continue to rise in the coming weeks.

He says the Trump administration must fully enforce the Renewable Fuels Standard and remove regulatory barriers to higher blends of ethanol. Cooper says that means restoring the lost gallons from improper Renewable Fuels Standard waivers.

The U.S. imports about 45% of its oil supply that is processed into gasoline.

By Julie Harker of Brownfield Ag News

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet