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Missouri’s proposed gas tax increase receives support from business and labor (AUDIO)

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Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe told business leaders in Columbia on Tuesday that a proposed gasoline tax increase is receiving bipartisan support.

Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe addresses the Columbia Chamber of Commerce about Proposition D on October 16, 2018 (Brian Hauswirth photo)

Missourians will be casting ballots in November on Proposition D, which is a ten-cent gasoline tax increase.

Kehoe delivered a presentation to the Columbia Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, noting the measure has support from groups ranging from the Teamsters Union to the Missouri Chamber of Commerce. He says roads are not a Democratic or Republican issue.

“Trying to keep our roads safe and trying to make sure our bridges are intact for our school buses and families to drive over, that’s a non-partisan issue,” Kehoe says.

Governor Mike Parson, a Republican and U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill, D, and Roy Blunt, R, are among leaders in both parties supporting Proposition D.

If approved, the tax increase would be phased in over four years, at 2.5 cents annually. Kehoe says Proposition D would mean more than $2 billion in new state funding for roads and bridges.

He says there’s a contractor in southwest Missouri’s Joplin who goes to Texas and Arkansas to work because there aren’t enough projects in the Show-Me State.

“The estimate is after full funding in ten years it puts about an additional 20,000 Missourians to work,” says Kehoe. “And those are the people you go to church with, those are the people you see in the grocery store.”

Missouri’s 17-cent gasoline tax has remained the same since 1996. Proposition D supporters say that because of inflation, the 17-cent gasoline tax is worth just seven cents of the value it had 22 years ago.

Proposition D would also establish an “emergency state freight bottleneck fund”. Columbia Chamber of Commerce President Matt McCormick notes the bottleneck fund would address locations like heavily-congested I-70 and Highway 63 in Columbia.

“It is a massive bottleneck in our community and it’s probably one of the worst, I would say it’s probably one of the worst on I-70 right now,” McCormick says.

Traffic is especially heavy on I-70 and Highway 63 during morning and afternoon rush-hour traffic and during Mizzou football Saturdays.

Kehoe tells the audience there’s also a major bottleneck at Interstates 70 and 64, near Wentzville.

Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Director Patrick McKenna says Proposition D is crucial for Missouri, adding that MoDOT has about $8 billion in unfunded needs.

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Proposition D.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe, which was recorded on October 16, 2018 at the Drury Plaza Hotel Columbia East:

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Missouri’s governor hopes to see more young people get involved in agriculture

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Governor Mike Parson proclaimed October as Missouri Pork Month during a Monday ceremony in Jefferson City, to recognize the commitment of the state’s pork producers.

The Pork Place restaurant at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia (2017 file photo courtesy of the Missouri Pork Association)

Parson presented the proclamation at the state Department of Agriculture (MDA) headquarters in Jefferson City. Missouri Pork Association (MPA) Executive Vice President Don Nikodim says the state’s pork industry contributes $1 billion annually to the state’s economy.

“Agriculture we know is the backbone of the state when you think about who the economic driver is,” Nikodim says. “And the pork industry is a big part of that. We rank seventh nationally in pork production here in Missouri.”

Nikodim praises Parson, saying he understands what happens in rural Missouri. MDA Director Chris Chinn and Missouri Pork Association President Francis Forst of Lamar joined Parson and Nikodim for Monday’s ceremony.

MDA says the average age of a Missouri farmer is 58.

Governor Parson hopes to see more young people get involved in agriculture. The Bolivar Republican tells Missourinet this ties-in with his workforce development efforts.

“Ag (agriculture) is going to play a role in that, and how do we make sure that we’ve got young men and women in school and high school for example, that understand agriculture and what all those jobs are out there,” says Parson.

The governor notes Missouri pork producers raise more than 3.4 million hogs in the state, and tells MDA employees that agriculture has changed for the better.

“The reality of it is today we can’t farm like we used to, we just can’t,” Parson says. “And do you what’s going to be the new thing to all of us that’s going to have a little hard time accepting that, but technology is going to play a huge role.”

Agriculture Director Chinn says high-speed internet is crucial to attract next-generation farmers, adding that they want to come home and use it on the farm and ranch.

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) addressed the Missouri House in April in Jefferson City, telling them that 51 percent of rural Missourians don’t have access to broadband.

Chinn also notes this is the first time her staff can remember a governor personally coming for the October proclamation. Nikodim tells Missourinet he believes Governor John Ashcroft was the last governor to do it.

Parson says it’s important for him to support the state’s top industry.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

MoDOT Director: Nets used on I-270 to keep bridge pieces from falling on cars and people (AUDIO)

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The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) director says the agency is using nets on heavily-traveled I-270 in St. Louis County, to keep pieces of bridges from falling and hitting people and vehicles below. MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna made the announcement about the nets during last week’s meeting with planning partners in Jefferson City.

This is a photo of the nets being used by MoDOT at I-270 and Florissant Road, to keep pieces of bridges from falling off (photo courtesy of the Missouri Department of Transportation)

“It’s one of the oldest segments of our interstate system,” McKenna says. “It’s in desperate need of repair. We need to be working on that. We need to be working on it soon.”

I-270 loops around St. Louis, and connects with I-70, I-64, I-44 and I-55. McKenna describes I-270 as an “incredibly important aspect” to the region, Missouri and the nation. He says about $700 billion in products are moved on that highway annually.

“The age and condition of that infrastructure, on a given day we can have 140, 150,000 vehicles a day on that, and probably 25, 30% of that is commercial vehicles,” says McKenna.

He says passage of a ten-cent gasoline tax on the November ballot is crucial. Missouri’s gasoline tax hasn’t been increased since 1996. Missourians will cast ballots on Proposition D on November 6.

Missouri’s 21st century transportation system task force submitted a report to the Legislature in January, and recommended improvements on 270.

Click here to listen to Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Director Patrick McKenna’s full interview with Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and KY-3 reporter Andrew Havranek, which was recorded on October 9, 2018 at Jefferson City’s McClung Park:

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Lieutenant Governor’s program showcases Missouri-made items to buy

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During this first annual Buy Missouri Week underway, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe wants the public to “support our own backyard folks” and purchase Missouri-made goods the state has to offer. He says the Buy Missouri program, which includes about 150 companies both large and small, aims to boost the state’s economy and businesses. They are promoted for free on the website Kehoe’s office runs – BuyMissouri.net – with the hope of getting many more.

Buy Missouri Week is underway

“It’s very exciting. All across Missouri, there’s somebody down some road that nobody even knew about maybe in the community that says ‘Hey did you know they make whatever down that road? They make pontoon boats, they make sausage.’ It’s fascinating to find all those places out,” Kehoe says. “When you buy Missouri-made products, you’re likely helping somebody that you go to church with, that’s on the soccer field with you or the parents of somebody that your kids go to school with.”

It’s not even Halloween yet, but some Missourians are already thinking about the holidays. Kehoe, a Republican from Jefferson City, says the website is a good place to go shopping and find gifts.

“If you want a consumable, outdoor equipment, building supplies, or whatever it is you’re looking for, you can look and find a company that manufactures one of those products and then you might want to consider that as you go out and shop,” Kehoe says.

The list of goods goes on and on. BuyMissouri.net promotes all sorts of items, like automobiles, clothing, tool boxes, food and beauty products, agriculture goods, adult beverages, windows, and various candies.

“Missouri products are everything from GM cars and trucks built in Wentzville, Ford cars and trucks in Kansas City, Quaker windows in Freeburg, which is one of the nation’s largest window manufacturers, all the way down to someone who manufactures charcoal,” he says.

Kehoe says the most unique product he’s encountered is Cherry Mash – a popular sweet treat made for the past 100 years in northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph.

“Most people are familiar with it, have seen it on the shelves, have eaten it, have bought it,” Kehoe chuckles.

Gov. Mike Parson, R, pioneered the Buy Missouri Initiative as lieutenant governor. Kehoe sponsored Senate Bill 891 establishing Buy Missouri Week. It was signed into law having received overwhelming bi-partisan support in both legislative chambers.

To sign up for the program or browse the different products, click here.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Missouri line workers in Florida use chain saws, just to clear roads (AUDIO)

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Missouri line workers from the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC) who’ve been sent to the Sunshine State to help Floridians impacted by Hurricane Michael are encountering brutal conditions.

Florida’s governor says Hurricane Michael is the worst storm to ever hit the Panhandle (October 2018 photo courtesy of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives)

AMEC spokesman Jim McCarty tells Missourinet the 123 Missouri line workers who are in Quincy, Florida had to use their chain saws for more than three hours Friday, just to clear roads to get to Talquin Electric headquarters near Tallahassee.

Florida Governor Rick Scott says it’s the worst storm to ever hit the Panhandle, and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson tells CNN it’s the “worst destruction that the Panhandle has seen for however long that I’ve been living. It’s akin to Hurricane Andrew in 1992 where everything was leveled.”

McCarty notes the Talquin Electric Cooperative was near the center of the massive storm.

He notes Talquin sustained severe damage to its distribution and transmission lines, which are complicating power restoration efforts.

“At the height of the outages, 98 percent of Talquin members were without power. Talquin’s infrastructure has sustained comprehensive damage – approximately 1,000 broken poles and numerous downed wires – throughout the entire service territory, that will lead to extended restoration times,” Talquin Electric wrote on its Facebook page.

McCarty also notes that the Quincy area has numerous trees, which were tossed into lines by Hurricane Michael. He says photos from the scene “show a tangle of wire, broken poles and trees that will have to be cleared before lines can be replaced.”

The 123 linemen represent 23 Missouri cooperatives. Linemen from as far away as Osage Valley Electric Cooperative in western Missouri’s Butler and Tri-County Electric Cooperative in northeast Missouri’s Lancaster are in Florida.

McCarty is still requesting prayers for the workers, noting they are seeing damage that is much more extensive than South Carolina in September. He also notes crews are on the lookout for alligators.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Company to build massive manufacturing facility in rural Missouri town (AUDIO)

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The Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) says a leader in the window and door industry plans to build a $65 million plant in the mid-Missouri town of Eldon. Freeburg-based Quaker Windows and Doors plans to purchase more than 100 acres in Eldon to construct a new 200,000 square foot manufacturing facility. DED says the decision will create 300 new full-time jobs in Eldon, which is about 30 miles south of Jefferson City.

Quaker Windows and Doors plans to start construction in Eldon by December, and expects to begin manufacturing at the new facility next fall.

Company to build massive manufacturing facility in rural Missouri town

Eldon Mayor Larry Henderson is thrilled.

“Well I think it’s a very positive thing for all people involved,” Henderson says. “For Quaker Windows and for our community and for the people that live here and things of that nature.”

Henderson is pleased that Quaker, which has two large campuses in Freeburg, will partner with the Eldon Career Center to offer apprenticeships for high school juniors and seniors.

“Well I think that would be a very good opportunity for children who want to come out of high school and go right into work in a technical atmosphere,” says Henderson. “I think that’s very positive.”

DED notes there are about 1,900 students in the Eldon School District, and 1,100 of them qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Mayor Henderson tells Missourinet he agrees with Eldon School Superintendent Matt Davis, who says their vision is to create a community that kids want to come back home to.

“If we have opportunities here for our children, they will continue to make this area their home, and that’s what we’d really like to do,” Henderson says.

The company began operations in 1949, and was started by Marge and Bud Knoll. The Knoll family was well known across central Missouri.

Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe (R) praises Quaker Windows and says they’re “at the top of their industry, in terms of both quality and customer service.”

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Eldon Mayor Larry Henderson, which was recorded on October 11, 2018:

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Missouri electric cooperative crews heading to Florida (AUDIO)

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CNN reports Hurricane Michael is the strongest storm to make landfall in the continental United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Linemen from Webster Electric Cooperative in Marshfield pray before their deployment to Florida on October 10, 2018 (photo courtesy of Paul Newton and the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives)

The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC) has sent 123 linemen from 23 cooperatives to Alabama to stage, in a safe place. AMEC spokesman Jim McCarty tells Missourinet those linemen will be heading to the Florida Panhandle community of Quincy, which is near Tallahassee.

“Just as soon as it’s safe for them (Missouri line workers) to travel, they’ll be heading down to Florida,” McCarty says. “Just as soon as those trucks roll in and they can get a safety briefing, they’ll get out and start turning on the lights again.”

Linemen from as far away as United Electric Cooperative in northwest Missouri’s Maryville and Tri-County Electric Cooperative in northeast Missouri’s Lancaster are heading to Florida.

McCarty expects the Missouri line workers to arrive in Florida by Friday.

Florida Governor Rick Scott describes Hurricane Michael as “the worst storm that the Florida Panhandle has ever seen.” McCarty says the Missouri line workers will work in swampy conditions in the Quincy area, adding that it will be difficult to get trucks into the impacted areas.

“Likely they’ll see poles that are snapped off, they’ll be quite a few of those. A lot of trees will fly into the lines. Sometimes the biggest challenge is just untangling the mess,” says McCarty.

McCarty is requesting prayers for the workers, saying they’ll see damage that’s much more extensive than South Carolina last month. He notes Missouri crews also responded to Florida after 2017’s Hurricane Irma.

October 2018 map courtesy of Jim McCarty at the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives

“And those Florida crews what they saw a lot of were spiders, great big spiders and they were everywhere,” McCarty says. “And they’ll (Missouri crews) always probably have somebody watching for alligators.”

AMEC also sent 165 line workers to South Carolina in September, after Hurricane Florence.

 

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Jim McCarty:

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

MoDOT director says key I-70 bridge in mid-Missouri should be replaced

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The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) director hopes to see the I-70 bridge in mid-Missouri’s Rocheport replaced using bonding. MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna discussed the bridge during a Tuesday meeting with mid-Missouri planning partners in Jefferson City.

Missouri Department of Transportation Director Patrick McKenna addresses mid-Missouri planning partners at Jefferson City’s McClung Park on October 9, 2018 (Brian Hauswirth photo)

The 58-year-old bridge crosses the Missouri River. McKenna says it’s currently scheduled to get a fourth rehabilitation in about 2020, which he says would close a lane in each direction and would cause three-hour backups to Columbia “on a good day” and eight-hour backups on other days.

“The notion that any plan that comes into, you know, in each and every week over a nine-month period a three to eight-hour delay, that’s going to be unacceptable,” McKenna says. “And honestly would cost the public more in that traffic delay than funding the bridge itself.”

McKenna tells Missourinet that the bridge, which was built in 1960, should be replaced.

“We’ll want to use the existing facility for its useful life and put something beside it so that we can not have those traffic impacts,” says McKenna.

But McKenna notes replacing the bridge would cost about $200 million, and MoDOT would probably have to use bonding money to do the project.

He says a planned $15 million rehabilitation would cause eight-hour backups to Kingdom City at times. Kingdom City is located in Callaway County, east of Rocheport.

McKenna says the agency continually monitors and assesses the condition of the I-70 bridge in Rocheport. He tells reporters MoDOT takes the structure’s safety seriously and gives details about a repair made 18 months ago.

“We had our local company DeLong’s (based in Jefferson City) fabricated, after hours, came in and fabricated two 14-foot long finger joints and our crews installed them at night during a hail storm,” McKenna says.

Missouri’s 21st century transportation system task force submitted an 87-page report to the Legislature in January, and recommended replacement of the Rocheport bridge. The task force also recommended a ten-cent gasoline tax increase. Missourians will cast ballots in November on Proposition D, which would phase in a ten-cent gasoline tax increase over four years, at 2.5 cents annually.

McKenna tells reporters Proposition D is crucial for Missouri, adding that MoDOT has about $8 billion in unfunded needs.

Missouri’s gasoline tax hasn’t been increased since 1996.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Backers and critics of “Clean Missouri” view Amendment One differently

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Supporters of a November ballot measure they call “Clean Missouri” say it would increase transparency and accountability, while opponents say it would mean more regulation.

Attorney Chuck Hatfield (standing at right), who represents intervenor Clean Missouri Incorporated, addresses Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green on August 31, 2018 in Jefferson City(file photo from Mark Wilson/News Tribune)

You’ll be voting next month on Amendment One, which has five main components. The most controversial provision would require a state demographer to draw state legislative maps.

Missouri Chamber of Commerce President Dan Mehan tells Missourinet that Amendment One should be defeated.

“This really should be called ‘Fleece Missouri’ because they’re (supporters) trying to confuse the voters with five or so different categories on the same measure,” Mehan says.

Amendment One would also ban gifts worth more than five dollars from lobbyists to lawmakers and would lower the current campaign contribution limits for state legislative candidates.

Former State Sen. Bob Johnson, R-Lee’s Summit, who also served in the Missouri House, supports Amendment One, particularly the requirement of a state demographer.

“I think they (districts) should be compact, contiguous and competitive,” says Johnson. “No longer do we want to see a group of voters on one side, three blocks separating for a mile or so and pick up another group of voters. No, we want them squares and rectangles and that kind of thing.”

Amendment One backers say a citizen commission would review the legislative maps drawn by the state demographer.

Opponents include the Missouri Farm Bureau, which says Amendment One “would mandate extensive gerrymandering” in an attempt to balance each district with an equal number of Democratic and Republican voters.

In September, the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City reversed Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green’s decision to remove Amendment One from the November ballot.

Judge Green issued a 13-page ruling in early September that the measure violates the Missouri Constitution’s “single subject” requirement.

The Appeals Court reversed that on September 21.

Attorney Chuck Hatfield, who represented intervenor Clean Missouri Incorporated, argued the measure doesn’t violate the single subject clause because every provision mentions and involves the Legislature.

Mehan and Johnson spoke to Missourinet separately after a recent court hearing at the Cole County Courthouse in Jefferson City.

While supporters of Amendment One say it would take power back from special interests, critics say it would ensure that political parties and consultants gain even more power.

“This is something that really should be defeated,” Mehan says. “And we don’t have a problem. This is a solution searching for a problem.”

But former Senator Johnson disagrees, telling Missourinet that Amendment One would eliminate most lobbyist gifts to lawmakers.

“I think folks back home in the districts, and I don’t represent a legislative district any longer, are tired of $900,000 a year being expended on gifts and ballgames and other social activities. They (Missouri lawmakers) ought to spend a little more time representing folks back home,” says Johnson.

Amendment One would also require state lawmakers to wait two years before becoming lobbyists. It’s currently one year.

Election Day is November 6.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Hartzler and congressional committee work on differences to replace expired farm bill

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The 2014 Farm Bill has expired, however the bulk of the programs authorized by that bill continue. The Farm Bill is a five-year reauthorization of agriculture programs, conservation, nutrition, trade, credit, and other programs important to rural America. West-central Missouri Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler, a Republican serving as a farm bill conference committee member, says the primary disagreement is the food stamp benefit work requirements favored by House Republicans.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler

“We should be investing in individuals who are work-capable, who are currently receiving food assistance, so that they can get the job skills needed to help fill part of the 6.9 million open jobs right now in this country,” Hartzler tells Brownfield Ag News.

Some lawmakers, both Republican and Democrat, oppose the worker requirements.

Hartzler says there are also differences between House and Senate versions of the Conservation Reserve Program. In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive plants and land from production to improve environmental health.

“The House expanded the number of acres to 29 million acres for CRP, but lowered the rental rates,” says Hartzler. “The Senate did not increase the number of acres by that amount.”

Hartzler a Republican serving on the committee, says Democrats are stalling.

“They may be viewing that they may have the opportunity to be a majority party in either the House or the Senate next year and re-write the Farm Bill according to their wishes,” Hartzler says.

She says conference committee members agree about the importance of crop insurance.

Tom Steever of Brownfield Ag News contributed to this story.