Entertainment Archives

Missouri’s health director doesn’t want to see a repeat of Memorial Day weekend at Lake of the Ozarks

July 3, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s health director is urging you to wear a mask if needed, if you’re traveling to the popular Lake of the Ozarks this Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on July 2, 2020, as the governor looks on (photo courtesy of Governor Mike Parson’s Flickr page)

State Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams doesn’t want to see a repeat of Memorial Day weekend, where videos of people at packed Lake-area swimming pools made national news.

“If you’re a young person or anyone and you’re going out, as the governor just said, it is so important to still use hand sanitizer, to social distance and to wear a mask if you need to,” Williams says.

Dr. Williams addressed Capitol reporters Thursday afternoon, during a Jefferson City media briefing. He was joined by Governor Mike Parson.

DHSS posted Friday on its website that Missouri has now seen 22,830 confirmed COVID-19 cases. That is up 547 from Thursday’s number of 22,283. There have now been 1,026 deaths in Missouri from coronavirus.

Thousands of people from across the Midwest are celebrating the Fourth of July weekend at the Lake of the Ozarks. With Friday being a state holiday, some are celebrating a three-day weekend.

“That a situation like we had (during Memorial Day weekend) at Lake of the Ozarks where people are literally right next to each other, even though they’re outside. We really don’t want to duplicate that. We don’t want to lose ground, we’ve worked so hard to get to where we are,” says Williams.

The governor’s next media briefing is set for Monday afternoon at 3 in Jefferson City.

Historic rural Missouri municipal band recognized by Missouri lawmakers

June 27, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A municipal band in southwest Missouri’s El Dorado Springs has been honored by the Missouri House, as the longest continuously performing municipal band in the state.

State Rep. Warren Love, R-Osceola, presents a Missouri House resolution to the El Dorado Springs Municipal Band in June 2020 (photo courtesy of Representative Love’s office)

State Rep. Warren Love, R-Osceola, presented the resolution to the band earlier this month, noting they’re also one of the oldest municipal bands west of the Mississippi River.

“It’s unbelievable that a small town like El Dorado has that much talent and they said they’re 135 years old,” Love says. “But they play every weekend, during the summer months, there in that beautiful (city) park.”

El Dorado Springs, which is in Cedar County, has about 3,500 residents. It is located near Highway 54. The town Chamber of Commerce website notes the band plays during the summer months on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 and on Sunday afternoons at 2.

“The night I presented the resolution, I would estimate there were at least 40 members in the band that was all seated in the bandstand,” says Love.

Representative Love says the band plays many historic songs. His district includes Cedar County. The House resolution describes the band as a symbol of the town itself and “the treasured crown jewel of the of the El Dorado Springs community.”

El Dorado Springs began concerts in 1885, and the House resolution notes the band participated in the first train to arrive in El Dorado Springs in 1898. The band also escorted the first automobile through the town in 1908.

The Chamber website notes there was a large celebration in the park, at the end of World War I in 1918. The band performed a concert on Main Street, and the band’s drum corps marched up and down city streets. The website says church bells were ringing during the celebration, and that there were also shotgun blasts until the town’s hardware stores ran out of ammunition.

Lake of the Ozarks company gets big sales boost since state reopened, crowded pool parties on the news

June 22, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The largest vacation rental company at the Lake of the Ozarks was facing potential layoffs around April 30 due to coronavirus restrictions. Since the state reopened in May, the business has done an about face. Russell Burdette with Your Lake Vacation tells Missourinet the phones have been ringing off the hook.

Lake of the Ozarks company gets big sales boost since state reopened, crowded pool parties on the news

“Traditionally, June is not a very busy month compared to July because kids are still getting out of school,” he says. “So usually Memorial Day weekend, we usually fill up maybe 50-60% max. This is the first Memorial Day weekend that we’ve ever sold out in 35 years. And normally this time of year, we would have, out of 100 properties, we’d have at least 20 or 30 sitting there empty.”

The local population is about 5,000. Burdette says over Memorial Day weekend, that figure swelled to about 500,000 people.

He says the company’s customers have been tired of being stuck at home during the pandemic.

“The big three things that we heard that were going to benefit us was that people weren’t going to fly like they did before, they were looking for a drive to destination, they wanted a private home or condominium where they could stay apart from other people and then they wanted a place where they could do things outdoors. We heard that right at the end of April,” he says. “We said ‘Wow. When our state opens up, we are primed to succeed.’”

The company has also experienced a boost in business since international news showing crowded area pool parties over the Memorial Day weekend. Burdette says some people now know the vacation spot exists.

“Even if they don’t come now, they’ve probably marked that they’re going to look at us in the future. Because they’re like ‘Oh, we didn’t know there was a lake that was 100 miles long right smack dab in the middle of the United States and that you can actually rent a home or condo right on the water,’” he says.

Weekends in July are booked but you might be able to snatch up a good deal on a Monday through Thursday rental. August still has some openings.

He expects to blow 2019 sales out of the water within the next month.

Visitors and campers flock to Missouri State Parks during COVID-19

June 19, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri’s 91 state parks have had a spike in visitor traffic during the coronavirus era. David Kelly, Deputy Director of Missouri State Parks, says workers and volunteers are keeping busy.

A scenic overlook at Ha Ha Tonka State Park near Camdenton, MO at the Lake of the Ozarks.

“What I’ve heard from some staff is like almost every weekend is like a holiday weekend,” he says. “So we’re seeing a lot more people. So far, the staff are holding up real well. We’ve got lots of good volunteers – our campground hosts. We couldn’t do it without our campground hosts and other volunteers.”

Ha Ha Tonka State Park in mid-Missouri’s Camdenton is a heavily-visited place, along with Meramec State Park near eastern Missouri’s Sullivan and the Current River State Park near southern Missouri’s Salem.

Kelly says camping reservations are also climbing as residents stay closer to home. Beginning July 1, all state campgrounds will be fully reopened. During the height of the coronavirus, the state restricted camping use and also closed four state parks.

Kelly says Missouri’s beaches are experiencing high-than-normal traffic.

“There are other swimming pools and other water activities in cities that are not open,” he says. “And so we’re seeing increased traffic at our beaches.”

Popular beaches include Stockton Lake in southwest Missouri, Lake of the Ozarks in mid-Missouri and Mark Twain Lake in northeast Missouri.

Missouri board considers helping some struggling Convention and Visitors Bureaus

June 19, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The Missouri Development Finance Board is debating about whether to come up with ways to help some local Convention and Visitors Bureaus taking a financial hit by the coronavirus. Executive Director Bob Miserez says the St. Louis and Kansas City bureaus have contacted the board about their struggles.

“Most of them are dependent upon hotel/motel sales tax. Hotel/motels have not had any people staying there to pay sales tax. So those budgeted revenues are pretty much gone. Hopefully, they’re starting to come back but it may be a while,” he says.

Due to coronavirus fears and restrictions, fewer visitors have been coming from out of state to visit Missouri’s many tourist attractions. The state has been missing out on all those visitors that would normally drive through or come through its airports, spend money to hitch a ride to various places, crash at a hotel, shop, eat, and party.

Several major college and high school sporting events were called off or limited the number of fans allowed earlier this spring – slapping Missouri cities set to host the games with a serious financial burden. The state of Missouri’s professional sports has also hurt communities. The plug was pulled on the St. Louis Blues hockey season. The St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals teams are still sitting on the sidelines.

Miserez says the board is in early discussions and is working to get financial information from some of the tourism bureaus.

“We need to review all those – what their actual sources of revenue are – and see if we can come up with something that will then help tide them through this situation,” he says.

Miserez says the bureaus are very important to state tourism marketing. They share the cost of tourism promotion with the state.

Two casinos to cut nearly 800 St. Louis area jobs

June 15, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

About 784 St. Louis area casino workers are permanently losing their jobs. STL Gaming Ventures has notified the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development that Hollywood Casino in Maryland Heights is getting rid of 455 the positions beginning in mid-August. PNK River City says it plans to lay off 329 workers at River City Casino in St. Louis beginning around August 15.

The companies say the cutbacks are due to the unforeseen circumstances of the coronavirus.

“These significant drags on our business will likely continue for the foreseeable future. Finally, we could not have anticipated when our properties would be allowed to reopen and how restrictive the new operating conditions would be, and the negative impact this would have on business volumes. As a result of all of these unfortunate circumstances, we are notifying you of this decision as soon as we practically could, taking into account the great difficulties our entire industry faces in projecting future staffing needs under these unprecedented circumstances,” says STL Gaming Ventures in a letter to the state.

All 13 Missouri casinos were closed in mid-March to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. They were allowed to reopen on June 1.

Another coronavirus case pops up from Lake of the Ozarks holiday partying

June 12, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

A Kansas woman who partied at the Lake of the Ozarks over the Memorial Day holiday weekend has tested positive for the coronavirus. The Kansas City Star reports the resident lives in Johnson County in the Kansas City region.

Videos and photos of congested pools and bars at the Lake over Memorial Day surfaced on state and national news to show how partiers were not using social distance during the ongoing spread of COVID-19. The popular summertime destination draws lake lovers from all over the Midwest region and beyond – prompting St. Louis and Kansas City area leaders to urge residents who were there to self-quarantine for two weeks.

One other known person has come down with the coronavirus after spending the weekend there – someone from mid-Missouri’s Boone County.

The Lake of the Ozarks busy tourist season usually lasts through Labor Day weekend in September.

Nearly 1,000 St. Louis area hotel workers losing their jobs next week

June 5, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

LMS Services Corporation has notified the state that it is putting about 979 St. Louis area hotel workers out of jobs on June 12. In a letter to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, the company says it is permanently reducing its workforce due to the unforeseen consequences of the coronavirus.

Nearly 1,000 St. Louis area hotel workers losing their jobs next week

Workers affected include ones who work at:

Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis Airport – 19 jobs
Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis – Chesterfield – 16 jobs
Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis – O’Fallon – 14 jobs
Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark and 360 Rooftop Bar – 300 jobs
Hilton St. Louis Airport Hotel – 130 jobs
Doubletree St. Louis at Westport in Maryland Heights – 60 jobs
Doubletree Hotel & Conference Center – Chesterfield – 80 jobs
Embassy Suites St. Louis Airport in Bridgeton – 33 jobs
Homewood Suites St. Louis Westport in Maryland Heights – 20 jobs
Sheraton Westport Hotel in Maryland Heights – 190 jobs
The Cheshire – 23 jobs
St. Louis Union Station Hotel – 300 jobs

Many of the types of hotel jobs impacted are unknown.

National Weather Service urges Missourians to drink plenty of water on Saturday (AUDIO)

June 5, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) says the Lake of the Ozarks and southwest Missouri will see the state’s hottest temperatures on Saturday, with heat index values reaching about 100 to 105 degrees.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield says heat index values will reach 100 in Osage Beach on Saturday June 6, 2020 (map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter page)

NWS Springfield meteorologist Eric Wise says it will be hot and humid across the Ozarks.

“We’re going to see highs probably in the low to maybe even the mid 90’s and with the humidity, the heat index or the feel-like temperature is probably going to approach 100 to 105 degrees in spots,” Wise says.

The NWS Springfield office says heat index values on Saturday will reach 100 in Osage Beach, and 105 in Warsaw.

“Take frequent breaks, if you have to be outside, get in the shade,” says Wise. “Air conditioning would be good, and check on people, the elderly and especially people without air conditioning.”

Wise also urges you to drink plenty of water and to avoid alcohol and caffeine tomorrow.

Saturday’s heat index will also make it feel like 105 degrees in Joplin, Springfield, Rolla and Salem.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with National Weather Service (NWS) Springfield meteorologist Eric Wise, which was recorded on June 5, 2020:

Missouri’s Hawley: It’s time for the Coast Guard to act on duck boats (AUDIO/VIDEO)

May 28, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s junior senator says the deadly 2018 duck boat tragedy which killed 17 victims on southwest Missouri’s Table Rock Lake should never have occurred.

Missouri State Highway Patrol crews assist the U.S. Coast Guard during the duck boat recovery efforts on July 23, 2018 (file photo courtesy of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Twitter page)

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R) tells Missourinet that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made several recommendations to the U.S. Coast Guard after a similar 1999 tragedy in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

“If the Coast Guard had implemented the NTSB’s recommendations from the late 1990’s, almost 20 years ago now, 20 years from the time of the accident, then this (Table Rock Lake incident) would not have happened,” Hawley says.

The 1999 Arkansas incident killed 13 of the 21 passengers on board.

Senator Hawley has filed legislation that would require amphibious passenger vessels to be equipped to stay afloat, in the event of flooding. His bill would also require additional life preservers, and would require duck boats to remove canopies. It also requires additional ways to pump water out.

Hawley, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, says it’s time for the Coast Guard to act on the issue of duck boats. He says it’s critical to keeping Missourians and others safe.

“Over a year ago, I introduced legislation that would write these requirements and these protections into law,” says Hawley. “It is time for the Senate to act on that legislation, and I hope that they will.”

Hawley’s legislation is similar to one filed by former U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D). Hawley unseated McCaskill in Missouri’s 2018 Senate election.

Hawley’s letter to Coast Guard Admiral Karl Schultz reads, in part: “It is in your power to ensure ‘duck boat’ is not synonymous with ‘floating metal death trap.’

17 victims died in the Table Rock Lake incident, including nine from one family. The victims drowned when the vessel sank quickly, during a storm.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Brian Hauswirth and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, which was recorded on May 21, 2020: