Entertainment Archives

First Lady invites Missourians to candlelight tours of Mansion on Saturday (AUDIO)

December 6, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s First Lady is inviting you to tour the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City on Saturday morning from 10 to noon.

The 30-foot white pine Christmas tree at the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City was lit on December 6, 2019 (photo courtesy of Governor Parson’s Twitter page)

Governor Mike and First Lady Teresa Parson lit the Mansion Christmas tree Friday evening, in conjunction with the Living Windows event in downtown Jefferson City.

The First Lady tells Missourinet they only had five days to decorate the tree.

“There’s been a lot of help, a lot of workers there at the Mansion over this last week, and a lot of hours spent,” Mrs. Parson says. “We’ve been there many evenings late.”

The 30-foot white pine tree was donated by Mike and Ellen Hedgcoth of southern Missouri’s Salem.

There’s also a “Christmas Village” set up on the Mansion lawn, which includes a general store, Santa’s workshop and Santa’s candy cane lane house.

Several thousand people turned out for Living Windows, and hundreds more are expected to take the additional candlelight tours Saturday at the mansion. First Lady Parson, who’s championed Jobs for American Graduates (JAG) for at-risk high school students, says special ornaments will be on display inside the mansion.

“Each of the JAG schools across our state, classes, 82 of them, have presented and designed their own JAG ornament,” says the First Lady.

Student choirs from Weaubleau R-3, Versailles, Sacred Heart Sedalia and School of the Osage High Schools will be singing Christmas carols Saturday morning, on the Mansion lawn.

The tours, which go from 10 to noon, are free and open to the public.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and First Lady Teresa Parson, which was recorded on December 6, 2019 outside the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City:

Sports betting and alleged illegal slots addressed in Missouri House committee report

December 3, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation legalizing sports wagering has the backing of a bipartisan Missouri House gaming committee.

State Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on May 17, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gaming held five hearings between late August and November, and completed its 15-page report on Monday. Committee Chairman State Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, tells Missourinet it’s now being circulated for signatures.

The committee report views the legalization of sports betting as a “legitimate opportunity to increase state revenues” for education and other programs. By 2020, 18 states will have implemented sports wagering. The report concludes that Missouri would likely lose revenue if it doesn’t remain competitive with other states.

The report also says the state should focus on preserving and growing both the Missouri Lottery and casino gaming, in order to increase revenue for education.

The state has 13 licensed riverboat casinos.

Chairman Shaul describes the report as a status report, to the full House.

“We want to give the General Assembly a set of facts, a set of baseline of where we’re at, and what some problems are out there,” Shaul says.

The report says age restrictions are important and should be used to prevent minors from gambling. The report also says the bulk of sports wagering revenues should be directed to fund education.

Major League Baseball (MLB) representative Jeremy Kudon traveled to Jefferson City in November to testify before the committee. He testifies that Missourians are expected to wager $5.5 billion annually on sports, if it’s legalized. Kudon predicts that casino operators would make about $376 million a year from that, and that Missouri would receive $37 million annually in taxes.

The report also addresses alleged illegal slot machines, which dominated discussion for hours at most of the five hearings.

The report presents facts and recaps testimony about the slot machines, and does not make a formal recommendation. Chairman Shaul told Missourinet after the final hearing in November that the issue is a concern, adding that people want to play these machines.

“So what do we do going forward, how do we thread the needle of good legislation that, one, protects Missouri businesses, protects Missouri consumers and allows people to do what they want at the same time,” Shaul said in November.

The report describes the alleged illegal slot machines as “grey machines”, noting Missouri likely has more than 14,000 of them.

Alleged illegal slots can be found in locations like bars, restaurants, gas stations and convenience stores. There is one pending criminal case in western Missouri’s Platte County, in the Kansas City area. The report says any judicial resolution “is unlikely prior to late 2021.”

Shaul has predicted at several hearings that the Platte County case will likely end up at the Missouri Supreme Court.

While there is no formal recommendation, the committee’s final report says “it may be desirable to act to regulate such machines immediately to resolve uncertainty and prevent further loss of revenue that could be used for educational purposes.” The report also says the problem of illegal gambling is not likely to resolve itself.

The report says the Missouri Lottery and the Missouri Gaming Commission have offered to provide assistance with regulation, enforcement and drafting of legislation to address the issue.

The report will go to House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, and the full House. Missouri lawmakers return to Jefferson City for the 2020 session on January 8.

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

November 29, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

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.

Meteor storm could be seen tonight in the Missouri sky

November 21, 2019 By Missourinet Contributor

You may be able to see meteors in the eastern skies tonight if you have clear weather. Astronomy expert Todd Young says a brief meteor storm will take place beginning at 10:30 p.m. where you can see quite a sky show.

Photo courtesy of NASA

“The rate would be upwards of 400 per hour. Quite a dramatic jump from a shower — which is usually somewhere around ten to maybe 30 per hour,” Young says.

Meteors are debris left behind by comets and Young says this storm is from an unknown comet that probably has not been seen for over 500 years. It is suspected to be the debris of a long period comet from the Oort Cloud that surrounds the solar system.

And the Oort Cloud is actually a spherical distribution of chunks of ice and rocks that are much farther away than people realize,” Young says. “And the Oort cloud is usually not typically depicted as being part of the solar system because it is so far from the sun — yet still part of it.”

Young says the meteor storm will be visible low to the horizon, so viewers will want to be up high and away from city lights. He says you should go out and scout out a good view of the eastern horizon on a hill by 10:30.

“You’ll see these streaks of light. They’ll look like they’ll be coming right over the horizon,” says Young.

The meteor storm is expected to be short lived, lasting only 15 to 45 minutes.

By Dar Danielson of Radio Iowa

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem to file slot machine legislation for 2020

November 14, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Senate leader will file legislation in December in Jefferson City to increase penalties for alleged illegal slot machines, setting the slot machine issue up as a major one for the 2020 legislative session.

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) visits the House chamber on May 17, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, told Missourinet on Wednesday that his legislation will enhance the penalties for the alleged illegal slot machines, which are also known as video lottery terminals (VLTs).

They can be found in bars, restaurants, gas stations and convenience stores.

Missouri’s first criminal case involving the alleged illegal slots will go to trial in December in western Missouri’s Platte County.

Pro Tem Schatz says the Missouri Gaming Commission has received multiple reports of sites that have these machines. The Missouri State Highway Patrol testified in October that the number of complaints it’s received about illegal gambling has increased from 39 in 2018 to at least 145 this year.

Most of those complaints are about alleged illegal slots.

A Missouri House gaming committee has held five hearings since August, and the slot machine issue has dominated discussion at three of them. House Special Interim Committee on Gaming Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, predicts the slot machine issue will end up at the Missouri Supreme Court. He told the audience during an October hearing that whichever side loses the Platte County case will appeal.

Schatz’s proposal will likely face some opposition. During a committee hearing last week in Jefferson City, representatives from convenience stories and restaurants testified they support legislation to allow the machines in their establishments.

The company that operates 74 Break Time convenience stores in Missouri says video lottery terminals have saved convenience stores in other states.

MFA Oil Company vice president James Greer of Columbia tells state lawmakers that Break Time would probably use the terminals in 25 of their 74 stores, if Missouri lawmakers approve legislation to do so.

“We are open to a separate room. We are open to a cordoned-off area, we will live with whatever rule comes out of that,” Greer testifies.

The co-owner of six St. Louis-area restaurants also wants Missouri lawmakers to allow the VLTs in establishments like his, saying it will help restaurants attract new customers and keep up with minimum wage increases. Webster Groves resident Chris Marshall, who co-owns Llywelyn’s Pub, testified last week before the House gaming committee, saying the machines can also help managers invest money in restaurant renovations.

“In documents I have seen, the average restaurant in Illinois that has five video game machines can average additional revenue of approximately $5,000 per month,” Marshall testifies.

He tells lawmakers he’s had to close a restaurant and diversify. Llywelyn’s Pub has six St. Louis locations: Soulard, Webster Groves, St. Peters, St. Charles, O’Fallon and Wildwood.

But opponents say the machines are illegal and are hurting public education.

The Missouri Gaming Association, which represents the state’s 13 casinos, opposes legalizing the VLTs, saying they are illegal and bypass Missouri voters.

And the Missouri Lottery has testified that alleged illegal slot machines are hurting public education in the Show-Me State. Lottery executive director May Scheve Reardon testified in September, telling lawmakers there’s a major issue with the alleged illegal slots along the I-44 corridor, from St. James to Lebanon.

MLB: Missourians expected to wager $5.5 billion on sports, if it’s legalized

November 7, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A representative from Major League Baseball (MLB) predicts Missourians will spend billions of dollars annually to bet on sports, if it’s legalized.

Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gaming Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, speaks during a hearing on August 22, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Jeremy Kudon traveled to Jefferson City to testify Thursday before the Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gaming.

“According to the AGA’s Oxford report, Missouri bettors are expected to wager over $5.5 billion on sports, that’s about where New Jersey is right now,” Kudon testifies.

The AGA is the American Gaming Association. Kudon predicts casino operators would make about $376 million a year from that, and that Missouri would receive approximately $37 million annually in taxes.

Kudon also expresses some concerns, noting that MLB opposes allowing betting on spring training games.

“Where the Cardinals may have a plan for (pitcher) Adam Wainwright to throw curve balls the entire first inning, that’s a real-life thing,” Kudon tells lawmakers.

Kudon says he wants to see a bill that creates the best possible legal sports betting framework for Missouri. Kudon also represents the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the PGA Golf Tour.

The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” has reported that at least 18 other states and the District of Columbia allow residents 21 and older to bet on collegiate and professional sports.

State Reps. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, and Cody Smith, R-Carthage, filed sports wagering bills in 2019, but the bills died because of a lack of consensus in the Legislature. Ross, who serves on the interim committee, tells Missourinet he plans to file a similar but improved bill for 2020.

The National Football League (NFL) Players Association and the National Hockey League (NHL) Players Association also testified before the committee on Thursday.

The NFL Players Association is calling on Missouri to establish a hotline for players to call, if the state legalizes sports wagering. Players Association counsel Joe Briggs expressed some security concerns for players, during his testimony.

“So if I’m sitting at home and someone tries to drop a bag of cash on my doorstep to try to make sure that I play a certain way or not next week, who do I pick up the phone and call.” Briggs testified.

Briggs tells state lawmakers the hotline could be run by Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office, the Missouri State Highway Patrol or the Gaming Commission.

While the bulk of Thursday’s hearing involved sports wagering, the committee also heard some testimony about alleged illegal slot machines. That’s been a major issue at previous hearings.

Committee Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, tells Missourinet the committee plans to submit a report to House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, by December 1.

Major League Baseball to testify Thursday at Missouri Capitol (AUDIO)

November 6, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A representative from Major League Baseball will testify Thursday before a Missouri House gaming committee in Jefferson City about sports wagering legislation.

State Rep. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, speaks during an August 22, 2019 hearing of the Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gaming (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Jeremy Kudon of Major League Baseball is traveling from New York to Jefferson City to testify before the House Special Interim Committee on Gaming. Committee Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, tells Missourinet that he expects an informative presentation.

“MLB will be here (the Missouri Capitol) on November 7th and they’ll talk about their role in sports betting, and what they’d like to see and what they’ve done in other states,” Shaul says.

Gaming executive Chris Krafcik of San Francisco-based Eilers and Krejcik Gaming testified before the committee in October that legalizing sports betting at Missouri casinos and via mobile devices would generate about $289 million annually in revenue.

Multiple gaming executives testified in October that they want to make sure that legalized sports betting in Missouri is easy to use, secure and is fair for the consumer.

State Reps. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, and Cody Smith, R-Carthage, filed sports wagering bills in 2019, but the bills died because of a lack of consensus in the Legislature. Representative Ross, who serves on the interim committee, tells Missourinet he plans to file a similar but improved bill for 2020.

The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” has reported that at least 18 other states and the District of Columbia allow residents 21 and older to bet on collegiate and professional sports.

Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming, which operates the Ameristar Kansas City and St. Charles casinos, testified last month for legislation to legalize sports betting in Missouri. Boyd Gaming’s Ryan Soultz tells lawmakers Missouri is losing tax revenue to other states, citing customers in the Kansas City area.

“We’ve heard from some customers that are making the drive up to Iowa for football Saturdays and football Sundays because we don’t have a sports book here,” Soultz testifies.

The House Special Interim Committee on Gaming meets Thursday at noon. This is the committee’s final hearing. They plan to submit a report to the full House by December 1.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and House Special Interim Committee on Gaming Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, which was recorded on October 24, 2019 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

Tornado-damaged Missouri prison gets 4,000 tourists in October

November 6, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri State Penitentiary was once the largest prison in the state, with more than 5,300 inmates in the 1930s. (Photo courtesy: Missouri Division of Tourism)

The Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau says about 3,900 people toured the old Missouri State Penitentiary in the Capital City last month. In 2018, nearly 4,100 people toured the prison during October.

Tours were put on hold for about four months because of a tornado in May damaging parts of the prison. October was the opening month of ghost and history tours since the break and can be a popular time for Halloween fans to visit.

Modified tours are being offered since the EF-3 tornado struck parts of the prison. They include access to housing units one and three and the old gas chamber, where 40 Missouri inmates were executed between 1937 and 1989. MSP, which was known as the “Bloodiest 47 Acres in the United States”, housed high-profile inmates like James Earl Ray and boxer Sonny Liston.

Brittney Mormann with the Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau tells Missourinet the CVB has lost $308,000 in revenue during the time that tours were not offered.

Gaming industry predicts sports betting will generate millions of dollars in Missouri

October 24, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Gaming executives from across the nation traveled to Jefferson City to testify Thursday afternoon before a Missouri House committee about sports wagering.

Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gaming Chairman Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, speaks during an August 22, 2019 hearing in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Executive Chris Krafcik of San Francisco-based Eilers and Krejcik Gaming tells the House Special Interim Committee on Gaming that if Missouri allows sports betting only at land-based facilities like casinos, it would generate about $95 million annually in revenue.

“The second assumes that Missouri allows sports betting at both land-based facilities and via mobile devices from anywhere within the state’s borders,” Krafcik testifies. “And in this scenario, Missouri’s legal sports betting industry would generate approximately $289 million in revenue.”

Executives from Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming also testified on Thursday, for legislation to legalize sports betting in Missouri. Boyd employs about 2,500 Missourians at its Ameristar Kansas City and St. Charles casinos, combined.

Boyd Gaming’s Ryan Soultz tells lawmakers that legalizing sports betting in other states has boosted foot traffic in casinos and has produced additional jobs.

“Now you have a new crowd coming in that wants to watch football, and they want to bet on football and hang out in the sports book all day,” says Soultz. “And while they’re there, they are buying food and beverage.”

Fantasy sports provider “Fan Duel” also testified, saying they’re excited about the possibility of legalized sports betting in Missouri. An executive from Boston-based fantasy sports provider DraftKings also testified.

The House Special Interim Committee on Gaming heard about three hours of testimony, primarily from gaming executives. Committee Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, tells Missourinet the executives were “in lockstep” in what they want in legalized sports betting here.

“They want to make sure that it’s easy to use, secure, fair for the consumer,” Shaul says.

The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” has reported that at least 18 other states and the District of Columbia allow residents 21 and older to bet on collegiate and professional sports.

Major League Baseball executives will travel to Jefferson City to testify before the committee on November 7, about sports wagering. The committee will submit its report to the full House by December, ahead of the 2020 session.

Thursday was the committee’s fourth hearing.

State Reps. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, and Cody Smith, R-Carthage, filed sports wagering bills in 2019, but they died because of a lack of consensus in the Legislature. Representative Ross tells Missourinet he plans to file a similar but improved bill for 2020.

For the fifth time, Missouri man breaks state record for heaviest pumpkin

October 24, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

A southwest Missouri man who has been growing pumpkins for about 25 years has shattered the state record for heaviest pumpkin. Richard Bottorf of Republic, near Springfield, grew a 1,798-pound pumpkin and the second heaviest weighing in at 1,677 pounds.

Photo courtesy of Republic Pumpkin Daze Facebook page

“This is my fifth time to break the state record,” he says. “I’m kind of competitive. So what I usually do, if I’ve got a good pumpkin, I treat it like it should be treated – probably spend more time there than I do with my family. But if I’ve got one that is only going to be 500 pounds, I go play golf.”

Bottorf tells Missourinet he takes his hobby pretty seriously when he knows he has a good thing going on.

“When I’m on vacation, I usually have what I call pumpkin sitters,” Bottorf says. “So, I call my friends who have done it before and I always tell them this is the most stressing week – you really have to watch it this week. They don’t like it when I do that but I’m kind of kidding them because each week is about the same.”

He says growing his giant pumpkins has been a lot of trial and error.

“My son was playing basketball down in Dallas, Texas years ago. When I came back, it was huge,” Bottorf says. “I thought, well I’m just going to add fertilizer to that. So I added a bunch of fertilizer and I came out the next day – it had grown so fast that it had split down the middle of it. So, you can overfertilize.”

He has quite the method to his madness. Bottorf says the secret to creating his giant record pumpkins is good genetics and, of course, aged cattle manure. He buys his seeds from auctions.

“Those good genetics can cost anywhere from $100 to several hundred dollars for good genetic seeds that have the ability to produce a large pumpkin,” Bottorf says.

He measures his pumpkins in three different directions to get an idea on weight.

“During the growing season, you want the pumpkin not to exceed 40 pounds a day,” he says. “My goal is to keep it in the low 30s. If I know it’s growing in that type of range, I haven’t over-fertilizered it over-watered it.”

Since fruit matures in the sun, Bottorf keeps the pumpkins out of the light by putting tents over them. He plays music on a boombox to keep the animals away from his prized orange fruit.

Bottorf says the inside is not tasty and he will not be making a bunch of pumpkin pie.

“You wouldn’t want to eat it. It’s kind of like having a large cucumber,” he says. “Cucumbers are good when they’re small. When they get large, they’re not going to be edible. That’s kind of the way these pumpkins are. They’re really grown for ornamental and for display.”

His family carved the smaller pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern and placed it in his front yard for passerbys to enjoy. It took them about two hours to make their design.