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Missouri Governor’s ham breakfast on Thursday is sold out

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The popular Governor’s ham breakfast at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia is now a sellout, with 1,000 tickets sold.

The Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia (2018 file photo courtesy of State Fair)

Thursday morning’s breakfast begins at 8 o’clock, at the director’s tent on the state fairgrounds.

The event is popular because of its food but also because it’s an opportunity for voters to meet the governor and many lawmakers.

Governor Mike Parson (R) will be at the breakfast, along with most of the statewide elected officials, several members of the state’s congressional delegation, and a number of state lawmakers from both parties.

U.S. Reps. Billy Long, R-Springfield, and Jason Smith, R-Salem, will be among those attending the breakfast, which takes place under a large tent.

“It’s a popular event for sure,” State Fair Director Mark Wolfe tells Missourinet. “A chance for folks if they want to have a chance to meet the governor face-to-face and meet their legislators face-to-face, that’s a great opportunity over there.”

The breakfast also attracts candidates from both parties and judges.

The State Fair is Missouri’s largest agricultural expo. The 2019 fair ends on Sunday August 18.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Three Sears stores to close in Missouri

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Three Sears stores to close in Missouri

Sears is pulling the plug on three of its Missouri stores. The company plans to close its locations in southeast Missouri’s Cape Girardeau, eastern Missouri’s St. Peters and western Missouri’s Independence.

The company is closing more than two dozen Sears and Kmart stores, as it continues to struggle after emerging from bankruptcy.

Liquidation sales are expected to begin around August 15. The stores are anticipated to call it quits in later October.

Sears says eligible workers will be offered severance pay.

117th annual Missouri State Fair begins today

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Photo courtesy of Missouri State Fair

Thousands of people are expected to turn out for opening day of the State Fair in west-central Missouri’s Sedalia. An opening day ceremony kicks off at 11 a.m. with special guests Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe and Second Lady Claudia Kehoe, Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn and state legislators.

A parade begins at 6 p.m. and includes antique and classic cars, the Sedalia Smith-Cotton Marching Band and the Budweiser Clydesdales.

Country singer Dwight Yoakum performs tonight at 7:30, along with fireworks.

The event runs through August 18.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

$8 million in upgrades planned at Missouri State Fairgrounds; 2019 fair opens Thursday (AUDIO)

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The 2019 State Fair opens Thursday morning in west-central Missouri’s Sedalia. It’s Missouri’s largest agricultural expo.

The Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia (2018 file photo courtesy of Missouri State Fair)

State Fair Director Mark Wolfe says the fair commission is waiving late fees for entries this year, because farmers have endured hardships from flooding and tornadoes.

“We decided to waive our late fees, and so we did it across-the-board for everything not just our livestock but for entries for everything that we did. As a whole, we decided let’s just waive that,” Wolfe says.

The opening ceremony is Thursday morning at 11, and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe is expected to keynote. Wolfe says about 350,000 people attended last year’s fair.

Thousands of Missourians are expected to make the trip to Sedalia for Thursday’s opening day.

Another big day will be August 15, which is the Governor’s ham breakfast. That begins at 8 a.m. The event normally draws more than 1,000 people to one large tent.

“It’s a popular event for sure,” says Wolfe. “A chance for folks if they want to have a chance to meet the governor face-to-face and meet their legislators face-to-face, that’s a great opportunity over there.”

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt and representatives from U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley are expected to attend the breakfast, along with other members of Missouri’s congressional delegation. The breakfast also attracts state lawmakers in both parties along with candidates and judges.

Meantime, more than $8 million in new upgrades and repairs to the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia have been approved by state lawmakers. Director Wolfe is thanking legislators for approving Governor Mike Parson’s recommendation, saying the improvements are needed.

“It’s a complete electrical upgrade to the swine barn, complete renovation to the old sheep pavilion out here,” Wolfe says. “Gosh, we got some more campground upgrades. A new campground, 150-site campground will be developed just for exhibitors only.”

Wolfe tells Missourinet he’s hopeful all of those improvements will be done by the 2020 State Fair.

Some rural lawmakers, including State Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, have called for additional funding for the fair in previous years. Senator Libla has said that investing more money in facilities will pay dividends in the future.

2019 facility improvements and upgrades include a new ticket booth at the Centennial entrance and the remodeling of the Charolais barn.

This year’s fair ends on August 18.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri State Fair Director Mark Wolfe, which was recorded on July 26, 2019:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Missouri fireworks retailers are all fired up

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Missouri fireworks retailers are all fired up

Plenty of snaps, crackles and pops will sound during this July 4th. According to the Missouri Department of Public Safety, the state has issued more than 1,200 permits for retailers to sell fireworks this year – roughly the same figure as in 2018.

Missourians are reminded to check local ordinances before lighting off fireworks.

Keep in mind that July 4th is the busiest day of the year for fires, with many being started by fireworks.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Missouri congressman to present medals to late veteran’s family on Fourth of July (AUDIO)

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The family of a deceased southern Missouri veteran will be presented with his military service medals during a Fourth of July event in Salem.

Missouri Congressman Jason Smith visits the non-profit Parkland Hope Center in Park Hills in February 2019 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Smith’s office)

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, will be presenting the medals to Deck Hall’s family members. Smith says the family contacted his office, seeking assistance.

“Well it’s a great honor whenever we are able to track down the medals and awards for our veterans who never received them or they may have lost them,” Smith says.

Congressman Smith tells Missourinet the late Deck Hall earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and the Combat Infantry Badge.

Tonight’s presentation will take place at the Dent County Courthouse, just before the Fourth of July fireworks display.

The Salem event is one of several celebrations Congressman Smith will be attending today across his sprawling district, which contains 30 counties in southeast and south-central Missouri.

One of the most popular Fourth of July celebrations in southeast Missouri takes place in the small town of Oran, which is south of Cape Girardeau.

Today’s 108th Oran picnic includes music and fireworks. Congressman Smith will be attending the event, meeting with constituents about various issues. He says he frequently receives questions from constituents about Social Security issues and veterans benefits.

“You know southeast Missouri is all about God, country and family, and the Oran picnic is a prime example,” says Smith.

The event includes a buffet-style dinner at the Guardian Angel Knights of Columbus Hall. Fr. Randy, the church pastor, tells Missourinet they expect to feed about 1,000 people at today’s dinner, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Congressman Smith agrees with the late Congressman Bill Emerson: the Oran Fourth of July picnic has the best fried chicken anywhere in the world. He says the event is fun for all ages.

“This is the 108th annual Oran picnic. You can find horseshoe tournaments, cornhole, music, fireworks, wagon rides,” Smith says.

The dinner also includes roast beef and numerous desserts.

Congressman Smith will also travel to Poplar Bluff today and to the small town of Ellington, which is in Reynolds County. Smith will recognize the Ellington Whippet baseball team for that school’s first state championship in any sport.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, which was recorded on July 2, 2019:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Kansas City business leaders hopeful about end to “border war” between Missouri and Kansas

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The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce president is praising Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) for signing legislation into law that’s aimed at ending the economic “border war” between Missouri and Kansas.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson signs SB 182 into law on June 11, 2019 at Kansas City’s Union Station (photo courtesy of Governor Parson’s office)

Joe Reardon hopes it will lead to additional regional cooperation.

“And an end to the destructive back and forth of luring of companies from one side of the state line to the other, with no creation of net new jobs,” Reardon says.

The bill impacts companies moving between three Kansas counties and Missouri’s Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte counties. The Missouri law will only take effect if the Sunflower State passes a reciprocal agreement.

Reardon, who spoke at Governor Parson’s bill-signing ceremony at Union Station this month, says resolving the border war has been a top priority for the Chamber and for business leaders in the region.

“We believe our true competition is not between us or across the line that’s not far from outside this door (Union Station), but it’s with other regions like Dallas, Denver, Nashville,” says Reardon.

The Hall Family Foundation says more than 10,000 jobs moved between Missouri and Kansas during the past decade, with an incentive cost of $330 million.

The jobs all moved in the Kansas City region.

Mr. Reardon notes cooperation has happened before, noting that voters on both sides of the state line backed a 1996 tax increase to restore Union Station, which was crumbling at the time. Reardon says fast forward to 2015 at Union Station, after the Kansas City Royals won the World Series.

“This became the gathering spot for almost 800,000 Kansas Citians from all over, both sides of the state line,” Reardon says.

The renovated Union Station includes an Amtrak depot, a permanent rail exhibit known as the KC Rail Experience, a planetarium and a science city.

Governor Parson says Missouri and Kansas have both spent “well over $100 million” in the border war, telling reporters after the bill-signing that “there’s no reason we can’t be using that money for a lot better purposes than just jumping from one side of the state (line) to the other.”

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D) has issued a statement echoing Governor Parson’s comments about the irresponsible spending by both states, “with little actual job growth for either state.”

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Is flooding a problem for a potential Hyperloop in Missouri?

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A state group continues to search for ways to speed up the building of a proposed Hyperloop route. Massive flooding has led to major roadblocks in Missouri’s transportation network this year – ruining several roads and closing some bridges. Andrew Smith, the vice chair of the group, says flooding should not be a big issue for an ultra-fast tube transportation network, like a Hyperloop.

Photo courtesy of Hyperloop

“You’re talking about elevating it 10, 20, 30 feet. It’s not as if it’s just sitting a couple of feet above ground. It’s built on pylons. It’s not really affecting the watershed in a way that high-speed rail would or even a highway,” he says. “The other thing is, it’s enclosed. You are creating your own atmosphere inside this tube and it won’t be raining.”

He says a study completed by Kansas City engineering firm Black & Veatch takes into account the impact of various climate zones.

The Hyperloop could lug travelers from St. Louis to Kansas City in 28 minutes with a stop halfway in Columbia. A study says building a 240-mile Hyperloop track along I-70 from St. Louis to Kansas City would cost about $10 billion.

Smith says a Hyperloop track would largely be funded through private donations and federal funding.

“The cost to build the Hyperloop is about 40% less than high-speed rail, and it’s three times faster,” Smith says. “The operating costs of this system, because it’s so energy efficient, is about five cents per passenger mile – lower than any other existing form of transportation.”

So how much would a ticket price be for a trip from Kansas City to St. Louis? He says less than a tank of gas.

“We’re looking at a ticket price between $30 and $40,” says Smith.

The group, chosen by Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, plans to have its recommendations ready in September.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Columbia woman crowned Miss Missouri

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A new Miss Missouri has been crowned. During Saturday night’s ceremony at the Missouri Military Academy in Mexico, Simone Esters of Columbia won the title.

Miss Missouri Simone Esters

Her talent was baton twirling and her platform works to boost the quality and quantity of youth mentors.

This was her second year competing in the pageant. Esters, 20, has been awarded a $14,000 scholarship to continue her journalism education at the University of Missouri.

She moves on to the Miss America pageant at a future date.

Twenty-seven candidates competed in the 50th annual competition.

Story courtesy of Missourinet affiliate KXEO in Mexico

Judge orders closure of popular Missouri swimming hole

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Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt says a judge has ordered the popular swimming hole called “Offsets” to close until further safety measures are taken. “Offsets” is a lead mine turned swimming hole in Southeast Missouri’s Fredericktown.

Judge orders closure of popular Missouri swimming hole

“It was incredibly important to me to ensure that swimmers were kept off the water at The Offsets for Memorial Day until proper safety measures are implemented,” Schmitt said in a press release. “It’s my hope that The Offsets will implement the necessary safety features and ensure that their patrons are able to safely enjoy themselves.”

Since its opening in the early 1980’s, at least 9 people have died from drowning or falling off of the bluffs and countless other injuries have occurred

Then-Attorney General Josh Hawley filed a lawsuit against The Offsets in July of 2018, seeking to compel the entity to remedy the dangerous conditions their property poses to swimmers and patrons. In the final judgement, Judge Wendy Horn bars the owners of “The Offsets,” Gary and Rebecca Henson, from re-opening the swimming hole until extensive safety measures are met.

Some of the safety measures include requiring an emergency response plan to be prepared and frequent staff trainings to be held, stipulating specific areas where jumping is allowed and stationing trained lifeguards in those areas, requiring an additional lifeguard to be stationed in a boat in the water to be more readily available to rescue swimmers, requiring all patrons who are jumping into the water to wear U.S. Coast Guard approved life vests, and more.