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Kansas City mayor says bipartisanship is critical in battling crime (AUDIO)

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Kansas City’s mayor says the hardest part of the job is dealing with the increasing violence in his city.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (right) visits with
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Springfield Mayor Ken McClure, Columbia Mayor Brian Treece and their four respective police chiefs on November 25, 2019 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of the governor’s office)

Kansas City saw at least three homicides in 24 hours this weekend, bringing the total number of homicides there this year to 141. That’s up from 120 in 2018, with a full month to go.

Mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted this weekend that “we can never accept the violence”, describing it as senseless. He says each victim’s life was important.

Meantime, Mayor Lucas is optimistic about the four meetings that have taken place between Governor Mike Parson and the mayors of Missouri’s four largest cities.

Lucas, a Democrat, met with GOP Governor Parson and the three other mayors last week at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City.

Missourinet asked Lucas about a tweet sent to him, questioning why he would meet with the Republican governor. Lucas emphasizes this is a bipartisan issue.

“Nobody wants me to sit around and be a proud Democrat and four years from now we still have 140 homicides every year in Kansas City,” Lucas says. “And so, I’ll meet with the governor everyday of the week if we can get this problem solved.”

Lucas says the crime priorities outlined last week in Jefferson City by Governor Parson and the mayors are reasonable ideas. St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, Springfield Mayor Ken McClure and Columbia Mayor Brian Treece also spoke at the press conference.

“What we’re saying is we’re going to make the community safer by making sure that children aren’t walking around with handguns,” Lucas tells Capitol reporters. “That domestic abusers can’t walk around with guns and threaten their past victims and survivors of domestic violence.”

Other priorities for the governor and mayors include witness protection and relocation and mental health treatment.

Click here to listen to the full press conference involving Governor Mike Parson (R) and Springfield Mayor Ken McClure, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, Columbia Mayor Brian Treece and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, which took place at the Statehouse in Jefferson City on November 25, 2019:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Missouri lawmaker says surprise billing legislation is critical (AUDIO)

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A Missouri lawmaker who serves on the House health committee is calling on the U.S. Senate to approve bipartisan “surprise billing” legislation.

State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, speaks on the Missouri House floor on May 17, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, says he had to visit the emergency room this spring when he cut his eye, and received bills months later because the emergency room used some out-of-network providers.

He tells Missourinet that insured patients shouldn’t have to worry about unexpected bills after receiving care.

“Surprise billing occurs when you go receive treatment of any kind and you believe that you’re in-network facility using in-network providers, but as you find out after the fact, whether it was a physician, a lab, a technician, one of those were outside of your insurer’s network,” Schroer says.

Schroer, a member of the Missouri House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee, says it’s a nationwide issue.

“I guarantee you there are thousands upon thousands of not only Missourians but Americans out there that are seeing this occur,” says Schroer.

He’s calling on U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) of Missouri to support legislation called the “STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act.”

The bill has at least three Democratic and three GOP co-sponsors, and has support from more than 20 U.S. senators in both parties.

U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, says four in ten Americans receive medical bills that they didn’t plan for. He says the surprise bills can run more than $100,000, adding that “no American should have to file bankruptcy or face financial difficulty” for a serious ailment or an emergency room visit.

The “STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act” also includes dispute resolution, requiring providers and insurers to come to the negotiating table when there is a difference of opinion over pricing. U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, another co-sponsor, says patients deserve to know how much they’re paying for health care services at the point of care.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, which was recorded on November 14, 2019:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Missouri retailers could be in store for a boost in holiday sales

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Missouri retailers could be in for a nice holiday gift. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss expects shoppers to make it an extra special retail season this year.

Missouri retailers could be in store for a boost in holiday sales

“Based upon our surveys, in these two surveys of manufacturers and bank CEO’s in ten states, the overall numbers are pointing to a positive Christmas holiday buying season — up three to four percent,” Goss says.

He says with low unemployment, low gas prices and a good overall economy, there is plenty to spend on gifts.

Consumers are pretty flush with at least confidence and with some spending power. Although, consumer debt is at record levels — particularly for millennials and those who have college debt,” Goss says.

He says college debt could affect how much millennials will spend. As shoppers buy their gifts, Goss says they could see the impact of an expected worker shortage.

“You’re going to maybe in some cases spend more time standing in line to pay for your gift item than you did finding your gift. So, it is a challenge for a lot of retailers out there,” Goss says. “And also, retailers have been through a tough couple of years and they’ve been through a lot of cost cutting. So, they’ve been cutting back on manpower as well.”

As for online sales, retailers should have a bang up season.

“Online buying by consumers is going to be up 14 to 15 percent, so much better on online buying,” Goss says. “So much better on online buying. Some of what is limiting it is finding qualified workers to fill those retail positions.”

Goss says the growth in holiday sales comes as the economic growth is down from last year, signaling slower economic progress and somewhat higher unemployment levels in the weeks and months ahead.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Winter weather advisory issued for far northwest Missouri on Thanksgiving night (AUDIO)

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The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill has issued a winter weather advisory for far northwest Missouri for Thanksgiving evening, through Friday morning at 9.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for northwest Missouri’s Atchison, Holt, Nodaway, Andrew, Worth, Gentry and Harrison counties (November 28, 2019 map courtesy of NWS Pleasant Hill Twitter)

NWS meteorologist Scott Blair says towns like Maryville, Rockport and Bethany will likely see a wintry mix and small ice pellets today, before the advisory kicks in at 6 pm.

“The real concern for northwest Missouri is going to come after dark, and during the overnight hours that’s when we’re going to look at temperatures kind of cool back down to about anywhere from 30, 31 degrees,” Blair says.

The winter weather advisory covers seven counties: Atchison, Holt, Nodaway, Andrew, Worth, Gentry and Harrison. It includes towns like Tarkio, Mound City, Savannah and Grant City.

Blair is urging Thanksgiving Day travelers using I-29 to be cautious, as well as drivers across those seven rural counties.

“What we’re concerned about up there is just the potential for at least some slick spots, secondary roadways potentially having a light glaze of ice,” says Blair.

The NWS warns that untreated roads will become hazardous, and Blair recommends taking it slow, if you have to drive in that area.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Scott Blair, which was recorded on November 28, 2019:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Missouri lawmaker unhappy with MoDOT response to winter storm this month

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A state lawmaker from eastern Missouri is criticizing what he calls the state Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT’s) incompetence, for its handling of the Veterans Day winter storm.

State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, speaks on the Missouri House floor on May 17, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, says his vehicle struck black ice in St. Charles County during the storm and that he had to use his emergency brake to stop.

Schroer says he almost crashed and saw another vehicle flip over on I-70 in Lake St. Louis.

He wants MoDOT to examine how other states handle snow, including the chemicals they’re using. Schroer says the agency wasn’t ready for the storm.

“Is what we (Missouri) are doing to prepare in these types of situations, in these snowstorms, these ice storms, is that adequate,” Schroer asks. “Is that enough? Look to other states, see what they’re doing.”

Schroer says it took him more than 90 minutes to get home that evening, a trip that normally takes 15 minutes.

“It’s just ridiculous to me because now I have two young girls that I had to go get (that evening) and slid in the black ice and I’m trying to get them home,” says Schroer.

There were hundreds of crashes across the state during the Veterans Day winter storm. One woman who was stuck by a vehicle in St. Charles County, after the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” reports her car had problems in the weather. And state troopers say a 61-year-old man from Chilhowee died when he lost control of his vehicle on an ice-covered road and overturned near western Missouri’s Centerview.

As for MoDOT, they tell Missourinet that although forecasts said it would end midday on Veterans Day, an additional wave of snow came through that afternoon after the first snow melted and washed off the salt. They say their trucks were treating roads all day. They also note their trucks were blocked by significant crashes that day on I-70 in Schroer’s St. Charles County district.

MoDOT also says safety is their top priority and that they have hundreds of dedicated employees who work hard to keep St. Louis-area roads safe during winter storms.

Schroer, who serves as the vice chairman of the House Special Committee on Government Oversight, tells Missourinet that if the scenario happens again, he’ll want MoDOT to testify before the committee.

MoDOT helds its annual winter operations drill on November 7, four days before the storm. They reacted to a simulated forecast of significant snow for the entire state and inspected every piece of equipment.

The agency spent more than $64 million on winter operations last year and used more than 180,000 tons of salt, 100,000 gallons of liquid calcium chloride and about 700,000 gallons of beet juice. MoDOT says that during an average winter, its employees plow about six million miles of snow and ice.

Here is the full statement from MoDOT’s St. Louis District office, in response to the Missourinet interview with Representative Schroer:

Thank you for reaching out to MoDOT following your interview with State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, during which shared concerns with MoDOT’s response to last week’s winter storm.

Safety is our number 1 priority. MoDOT has hundreds of dedicated employees in St. Louis working hard to keep roads safe and passable. State employees were out all day Monday, November 11th, working the winter event including plowing and spreading salt. It is difficult to use salt in an effective way when storms start as rain/sleet and strike during times of heavy traffic volumes. The November 11th event had warm enough ground temperatures to melt all the snow that fell, washing off the salt that was applied early in the day. Although the weather forecasts said it would end midday, an additional wave of snow came around 2 p.m. after the first snow had melted and washed off the salt. When the winds brought a significant drop in temperature, all routes across St. Louis started freezing at the same time which coincided with the start of evening rush hour.

MoDOT’s trucks were treating roads all day. Winter events like Monday can present extreme challenges, especially when you have winter precipitation during rush hour. Specific to Representative Schroer’s area in St. Charles County, there were a couple significant crashes on I-70 and Rte 364 that MoDOT trucks were caught in. When MoDOT trucks are stuck in traffic, it limits our ability to continue treating roads and getting to all the state owned roads.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Bipartisan efforts: Clay and Blunt celebrate NGA groundbreaking (AUDIO)

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Construction is officially underway on a new national geo-intelligence facility in north St. Louis. The $1.7 billion project, known as N2W relocates the National Geospatial-Intelligence agency from west of downtown St. Louis.

Missouri First District Congressman Lacy Clay welcomed the crowd of national, state and local dignitaries at the Nov. 11 groundbreaking:

“Welcome to a historic day at the corner of Jefferson and Cass!” he exclaimed, alluding to a blighted area of town that will be the hub of this headquarters.

In this speech, Clay thanked “his good friend Sen. Roy Blunt…thank you so much for your friendship and your leadership.”

Clay told what he calls “the amazing story of how St. Louis won the competition for the new NGA West headquarters, which will be the largest single federal government investment in St. Louis history.”

Listen to Lacy Clay speech (8:17)

Sen. Blunt also spoke of working closely with city leaders and former Mayor Francis Slay  as he enthusiastically listed the immediate economic benefits to an area that was, according to a local ward leader, “going more and more downhill.”

Listen to Blunt’s speech (6:27)

Blunt says he can envision the area 10 years from now, as support businesses move in and retail grows to meet the demands of thousands of employees and visitors.

“This is a good day to capture in your mind where we are today and where I fully believe we’ll be then. It’s a great day for the intelligence, defense, the geospatial, the overhead architecture defense of the country but its a great day for St. Louis, a great day for jobs, it’s a great day for this community,” he said at the groundbreaking.

 

The City of St. Louis officially transferred the 97 acres of land for the new NGA campus to the U.S. Air Force in December 2018, displacing residents. There have been dissenters, but city and neighborhood leaders welcome the facility as an economic boost to a blighted area. (photo Ashley Byrd)

NGA sign and site in background

 

New state report details health issues facing rural Missourians

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The Department of Health and Senior Services says accessing basic health care is becoming increasingly challenging due to hospital closures and fewer available hospital beds in rural Missouri. Since the last published Health in Rural Missouri report in 2017, four rural, general acute care hospitals have closed – bringing the number of rural counties without a hospital to 55.

New state report details health issues facing rural Missourians

The latest report says rural Missourians die at significantly higher rates than urban residents. For every 100,000 people living in rural areas during 2007-2017, there were nearly 869 deaths, compared to 785 in urban areas.

According to the report, heart disease tops the list for the leading cause of death for rural and urban Missourians, followed by cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases. A citizen in a rural Missouri county during the same ten-year period is 20% more likely to die of heart disease than one living in an urban county.

Between 2007 and 2017, the report says pregnancy related deaths were 47% higher for rural communities than for urban ones. In Missouri, more than 1,500 cases of maternal morbidity or mortality were reported in 2016-2017. The ten counties with the highest rates of maternal morbidity statewide are all rural.

Death rates from opioid overdose are increasing in rural areas, although less quickly than in urban areas. Similarly to urban areas, the state data shows opioid overdose death rates are highest in the eastern part of the state.

According to the report, the health status of rural Missouri boils down to unhealthy behaviors, inadequate access to health care and an older, poorer population.

Poverty is much more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas, with a 29% lower per capita income. Rural Missouri also has much higher percentages of children and elderly living in poverty.

To view the full report, click here.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Missouri Thanksgiving travelers expected to pay less in fuel

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Fuel prices are expected to drop, but not by much for Thanksgiving drivers. Gasbuddy projects unleaded gas to decline by roughly five-cents. Tristan Wheelan tells WGEM-TV in Quincy that he won’t complain.

Missouri Thanksgiving travelers expected to pay less in fuel

“You know everybody’s gotta buy gas and if I’m traveling around, I gotta buy it anyway, so might as well get it while it’s cheap,” says Wheelan.”

Samantha Walker says every little bit helps this time of year.

“Who knows, I might be able to buy a few more presents,” she says.

Gasbuddy’s projected national average is $2.56 a gallon. The average is about five-cents less than a few weeks ago but is the most Thanksgiving travelers have paid for in five years. In Missouri, the average price is $2.27 per gallon.

Triple-A Auto Club predicts nearly 50 million people will be driving more than 50 miles for Thanksgiving, with the most drivers out on the roads on Wednesday.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Parson: Missouri Highway Patrol’s surge on St. Louis interstates has led to 300 arrests

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The mayors of Missouri’s four largest cities and Governor Mike Parson outlined their top priorities for battling violent crime in Jefferson City on Monday.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson visits with
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Springfield Mayor Ken McClure, Columbia Mayor Brian Treece and their four respective police chiefs on November 25, 2019 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of the governor’s office)

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Springfield Mayor Ken McClure, Columbia Mayor Brian Treece and their four respective police chiefs met with Governor Parson behind closed doors at the Statehouse.

The governor and mayors briefed the Capitol Press Corps after the meeting, inside the governor’s office.

Springfield Mayor McClure says their top three priorities are witness protection and relocation, mental health treatment and keeping guns out of the hands of those under 18. Krewson says protecting witnesses is key to solving more crimes and obtaining more convictions.

Governor Parson also says the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s “surge” on St. Louis interstates is taking criminals and guns off the streets. In response to a question from Missourinet, the governor says the Patrol has made about 300 arrests since the operation began a month ago.

“So the important thing to take out of that (300 arrests), we are getting people off the streets,” Parson says. “And that’s just counting what we (state troopers) did, that’s still not counting what the cities are doing everyday up there. But all of that helps.”

The arrests announced by the governor also don’t include this month’s massive federal special operation called “Operation Triple Beam”, where 69 alleged St. Louis-area gang members were arrested. 16 of those arrests were for murder-related warrants.

Mayor Krewson tells Missourinet she “begged” the governor to send troopers to St. Louis, and praises his response.

“I drive on Highway 70 regularly and I always see one, two maybe three Highway Patrol officers out there, trying to make a difference on our highways,” says Krewson.

She says the operation has been successful, adding that some of the 300 arrests during the surge involve guns and drugs.

The governor also discussed the importance of education and workforce development during the meeting, along with battling poverty.

Parson also says he’s open to the idea of Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s (R) call for lawmakers to approve a statewide carjacking statute.

Schmitt told reporters last week that there have been 305 carjacking incidents in the St. Louis metro area this year. Schmitt notes there is currently no uniform charge for carjacking, adding that the new statute would bring clarity to charging and sentencing carjackings.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Parson to discuss violence with large city mayors and police chiefs at Missouri Capitol

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The mayors and police chiefs of Missouri’s four largest cities will be in Jefferson City Monday morning to meet with Governor Mike Parson (R). They’ll be discussing crime and other issues.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (center) meets with Columbia Mayor Brian Treece, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and Springfield Mayor Ken McClure on October 18, 2019 in Springfield (file photo courtesy of KSGF’s Bailey Strohl)

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Springfield Mayor Ken McClure, Columbia Mayor Brian Treece and their four respective police chiefs will travel to the Missouri Capitol to meet with the governor behind closed doors.

Crime and violence will be a main topic, but they’re also expected to discuss issues like jobs as well. Governor Parson will hold a 12:15 p.m. Statehouse press briefing with Capitol reporters, and will be joined by the mayors and chiefs.

U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison has noted that St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield are three of the top 15 most violent cities in the nation. Governor Parson met with the four mayors in October in Springfield, and reiterated that the violent crime issue will take a coordinated effort among federal, state and community leaders.

Governor Parson has sent state troopers to St. Louis to patrol interstates, and supports working with churches to help prevent violence. He’s traveled to several churches in St. Louis, to meet with pastors.

The governor has also met with members of Missouri’s Legislative Black Caucus, which supports legislation allowing cities with high gun violence to approve their own gun control legislation.

State Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, D-Kansas City, has told Missourinet that gun violence is ravaging the streets, noting that Kansas City and St. Louis have consistently ranked in the top ten deadliest cities for at least a decade.

Kansas City Police say there have been 131 homicides there in 2019, up from 120 last year. State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, notes that at least 13 children have been killed in St. Louis city shootings in 2019.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet