History Archives - Missourinet

Cierpiot files Missouri Korean War Memorial legislation

January 1, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation that would designate a memorial in Kansas City as the state’s official Korean War Veterans Memorial has been filed by a western Missouri lawmaker.

The Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial is located in Washington Square Park in Kansas City (file photo courtesy of Kansas City Parks Department website)

State Sen. Mike Cierpiot, R-Lee’s Summit, has filed the legislation, which designates the Missouri Korean War Veterans Memorial in Kansas City for that status.

The Korean War took place between 1950 and 1953.

The memorial, which was dedicated in 2011, is located at Pershing and Main in Kansas City, in Washington Square Park.

The Kansas City Parks Department notes about 37,000 American soldiers died during the Korean War, including more than 900 Missourians. More than 100 of them lived in the Kansas City region.

Cierpiot’s legislation is Senate Bill 656. Missouri’s 2020 legislative session begins on January 8 in Jefferson City.

Toll roads are “dead on arrival” with key Missouri lawmaker in 2020 (AUDIO)

December 29, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

(This is the second story in Brian Hauswirth’s two-part series about Missouri transportation)

The chairman of Missouri’s Senate Transportation Committee says toll roads are “dead on arrival” with him and are a non-starter. The opposition from State Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, is significant because any toll road legislation would have to go before his committee.

State Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, speaks on the Missouri Senate floor in Jefferson City on January 10, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Senate photographer Harrison Sweazea)

Libla has looked at states that have tolls.

“You know people talk about how good Oklahoma’s roads are and the fact that they have 17-cents a gallon (state gasoline tax), which is the same as ours,” Libla says. “But what everybody leaves out, just about everywhere you drive (in Oklahoma) you have to drive on a toll road. So you still have to buy gas and pay tolls.”

Missouri voters rejected toll roads at the ballot box in 1970 and again in 1992. Chairman Libla says it’s too late to try to toll aging I-70 across Missouri.

“Interstate 70, we have lost our exemption now to toll that road from the federal government, so we can’t toll it anyway. Now you can build a new toll road.”

But Libla opposes that, saying the state owns its transportation assets. He instead has filed legislation to raise Missouri’s gas tax from 17 to 19-cents per gallon. He tells Missourinet state lawmakers can raise it on their own, adding they have a fiduciary duty to do it on their own.

His proposal, which is Senate Bill 539, would also increase the tax on diesel fuel from 17 to 23-cents per gallon. Libla’s legislation would also adjust the taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel annually for inflation.

He predicts his proposal would raise about $144 million annually for transportation. Libla also says we’ve funded roads and bridges for 95 years in Missouri with a gas tax.

While Missouri has the nation’s seventh-largest highway system with 34,000 miles of roadway, it ranks 49th in funding. Missouri’s gas tax has remained the same since 1996. It was part of a bipartisan 1992 agreement between former Governor John Ashcroft (R) and former House Speaker Bob Griffin, D-Cameron.

Missouri voters rejected a proposed ten-cent gas tax increase in November 2018. Libla says the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is dipping into reserves for federal matching funds. He praises the work MoDOT has done, with the resources they are given.

MoDOT has said that congestion in St. Louis and Kansas City and along Interstates 44 and 70 in Missouri is causing an annual economic loss of $575 million.

Click here to read the first story in Brian Hauswirth’s transportation series.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee Chairman Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, which was recorded on December 10, 2019:

Funeral services set for former Missouri lawmaker Phil Tate

December 26, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday morning in northwest Missouri’s Gallatin for a former prominent state lawmaker who passed away Sunday at his home.

Former State Rep. Phil Tate, D-Gallatin (file photo courtesy of the Trenton Republican-Times)

Former State Rep. Phil Tate, D-Gallatin, was elected to six terms in the Missouri House, serving from 1987-1997. Tate, 73, was best known for championing economic development in northern Missouri and for his efforts to bring flooding relief to the region after the Great Flood of 1993. The flood destroyed towns in his district, including Pattonsburg.

Gallatin, a town of about 1,700, is northwest of Chillicothe.

Tate resigned from the Legislature in 1997, when he became the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s (DED) Director of Business Expansion and Attraction.

Former State Rep. and former State DED Director Joe Driskill, D-Doniphan, says Tate engineered the establishment of regional teams of state economic developers, the first in the state’s history. He notes that in 2019, DED reconstituted the model.

“Phil was a good and caring man, a dedicated public servant, and my friend. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to Nancy and family,” Driskill tweeted at Missourinet.

Tate graduated from Gallatin High School in 1964 and from the University of Missouri with a degree in Business Administration, according to Stith Family Funeral Home in Gallatin. He built and operated Tate Marine at Lake Viking and later became the owner-operator of Tate Oil Company.

Tate helped bring Premium Standard Farms (PSF) to northwest Missouri, which brought both praise and criticism in his district. Critics pointed to hog waste spills and odor issues. Despite the criticism, Tate won every election for his legislative seat.

After Tate retired from DED, he served as the economic development director in northeast Missouri’s Kirksville, as Interim Director of the North Central Missouri Development Alliance in Trenton and as Gallatin’s interim city manager.

“He was a hardworking dedicated official,” former State Rep. Katie Steele Danner, D-Kirksville, says. “We enjoyed working on northeast Missouri economic development projects after the Legislature.”

Steele Danner, former State Rep. Beth Wheeler and Tate shared Sullivan County in the Legislature.

One of the last projects Tate worked on was his successful effort to save the former Conagra plant in Trenton from closing. Nestle took over the facility in June 2018, keeping the assembly line flowing without disruptions.

“I’ve worked a lot of projects for the (state) Department of Economic Development where we went into Kansas City and announced maybe 500 new jobs or 700 new jobs,” Tate told Missourinet’s Alisa Nelson during a 2018 story about Nestle in Trenton. “I’ll tell you what, when you come into a small community like Gallatin or even one larger than Trenton and announce 150 jobs, you will get a whole lot more enthusiasm and energy than you will in Kansas City or St. Louis for the bigger numbers jobs because it make a big difference in a small community. Nestle is such an outstanding corporation and with a real community conscience. That’s the reason we were able to negotiate this kind of a favorable agreement for the community.”

Tate also served as a member of Gallatin’s volunteer fire department, and served on both the Gallatin City Council and School Board.

Stith Family Funeral Home says funeral services for former State Rep. Phil Tate will be Saturday morning at 11 at the Gallatin United Methodist Church. Visitation is Friday evening from 5-7 at the church. Tate will be buried at Hillcrest Cemetery in Gallatin.

Libla predicts gas tax increase plan would raise $144 million annually for Missouri transportation (AUDIO)

December 22, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

(This is the first story in Brian Hauswirth’s two-part series about Missouri transportation)

Legislation that would increase Missouri’s gasoline tax from 17 to 19 cents per gallon has been filed by the Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee chairman.

State Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, briefs Capitol reporters on May 10, 2018 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Missouri Senate photographer Harrison
Sweazea)

State Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, notes Missouri’s 17-cent gas tax has remained the same since 1996, and says the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is dipping into reserves for federal matching funds.

“It’s simple math,” Libla says. “You can’t purchase 2019, 2020 goods and services like asphalt, concrete, labor, steel with 1996 dollars.”

The bill would also raise the tax on diesel fuel from 17 to 23 cents per gallon.

Libla tells Missourinet lawmakers can raise the gasoline and diesel fuel taxes by this amount on their own, adding they have a fiduciary duty to do it on their own. He says his proposal is in line with the Hancock Amendment.

“We’re (state lawmakers) elected to represent our constituents and also represent the state of Missouri and to make sure that we protect the assets of the state,” says Libla.

Missouri voters rejected a proposed ten-cent gas tax increase in November 2018.

While Missouri has the nation’s seventh-largest highway system with 34,000 miles of roadway, it ranks 49th in funding.

Chairman Libla predicts his proposal to increase Missouri’s gasoline and diesel fuel taxes would raise about $144 million annually for transportation. He says cities and counties would receive about $44 million of that, while the rest would go to MoDOT for maintenance and new road and bridge construction.

Libla’s legislation would also adjust the taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel annually for inflation. Libla says we’ve funded roads and bridges in Missouri for 95 years with a gas tax.

He says there are road problems throughout the state.

“You know we have traffic congestion that’s costing hundreds of millions of dollars a year,” Libla says. “We’ve got safety issues, we’ve got families traveling, we’ve got school buses, we’ve got kids traveling everyday.”

Missouri’s 21st century transportation system task force submitted an 87-page report to the Legislature in January 2018, recommending a ten-cent gasoline tax increase and a 12-cent diesel tax increase. In that report, MoDOT said that congestion in St. Louis and Kansas City and along Interstates 44 and 70 in Missouri is causing an annual economic loss of $575 million.

“The cost of congestion in Kansas City and St. Louis have increased every year since 2013, along with the volume of traffic. The economic cost to Missouri drivers from congestion averages $43 per month per driver,” the January 2018 report read.

Libla says MoDOT has done an outstanding job, with the resources they are given.

Libla’s bill is Senate Bill 539. The 2020 legislative session begins on January 8 in Jefferson City.

Preservationist maps a path for lovers of rural Missouri

December 21, 2019 By Ashley Byrd

Over the river and through the woods might be the way to Grandma’s house this holiday– but it’s also a great way to see Missouri, says writer and preservationist Bill Hart.

The second edition of his book “Historic Missouri Roadsides” targets a certain type of traveler, someone willing to take the time to explore.

“I think a unique experience is what most travelers are looking for. They can go to an amusement park anywhere, but discovering little towns and their rich history and the historic sites that go with them are incomparable, ” says Hart.

Are these small towns looking for travelers? Hart says as some are losing population, they see their own past as a catalyst for heritage tourism, and are “capturing the past to capture dollars.”

Hart was originally hired by the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation as its first field representative as he says “to preach the gospel of historic preservation to small town Missouri.” Along the way, he kept noticing — and photographing — ramshackle and distinctive buildings.

Now, as executive director of Missouri Preservation, he continues to focus on the fate of small-town Missouri.

“When railroads leave small towns, people leave small towns. When agribusiness buys up small farms, people leave those farms in those small towns. When big-box business stores replace small retail stores, those places close,” Hart told Missourinet. “I do think that by their reinventing themselves as tourist destinations, we can again try to attract some kind of business back to our small towns.”

In this newest edition of Historic Missouri Roadsides, Hart maps out day trips.

“I first had to consider what towns I thought were really fun and interesting to people which also had nice, interconnecting landscapes and contiguous routes,” he explained.

One of those routes is “very out-of-the-way, and ends in the French-founded town of Bonnots Mill…on bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Missouri and Osage rivers.”

Another trip features the Arcadia Valley towns of Arcadia, Pilot Knob and Ironton, all within a mile of each other. The area has historic buildings, production of Pink Missouri granite and the highest bluff in the state.

Southwest Missouri lawmaker describes his concerns with Ceres statue (AUDIO)

December 11, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A southwest Missouri lawmaker who opposes returning the Ceres statue to the top of the Capitol in Jefferson City says the state should not be promoting any religion.

State Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, speaks at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on February 12, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, describes Ceres as a “false god.”

“Ceres as an agricultural goddess of Rome and I believe that represents a religion of sorts, so we shouldn’t be putting goddesses or gods of any type at the dome of the Capitol,” Moon says.

While the Office of Administration (OA) plans to return Ceres to the top of the Capitol this month, Moon has written a letter to Governor Mike Parson (R), asking him to stop it. Representative Moon tells Missourinet the statue should be placed at another location at the Capitol, but not on the dome.

“They (state officials) spent the money, they restored the exterior, you can still put her (Ceres) someplace else,” says Moon.

Moon, who’s a deacon and Sunday school teacher at High Street Baptist Church in southwest Missouri, says God “commanded the Israelites to have no gods other than him.” Ceres is the Roman goddess of agriculture and grain.

He says he hasn’t had an opportunity to speak to the governor by phone or in person, since Monday’s letter. Governor Parson’s spokeswoman, Kelli Jones, tells Missourinet the governor’s office has no response to Representative Moon’s letter, at this time.

During an interview with Missourinet at Friday’s unveiling ceremony at the Statehouse, Governor Parson indicated the statue would return to the dome.

“And she’s all dressed up, she’s pretty to go back up on top of our state Capitol and represent all of us here in the state of Missouri,” Governor Parson told Missourinet, next to the sculpture.

Moon admits he should have addressed the issue when Ceres was taken down for restoration in November 2018, saying he forgot about it until last week’s news coverage. That’s when he received a call from a constituent, asking about it.

The Ceres sculpture weighs more than 1,400 pounds. The restoration cost about $400,000, all part of a massive $50 million renovation project at the Capitol aimed at addressing deteriorating stonework on the facades, dome and drum, which was finished in 1917.

Ceres was placed on the Statehouse dome in October 1924 and remained there until November 2018, when the restoration process began.

OA says the statue was struck by lightning about 300 times during those years, mainly atop the head. Representative Moon suggests placing a lightning rod on the top of the Capitol, instead.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and State Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, which was conducted on December 10, 2019:

Southern Missouri soldier seriously injured in Afghanistan honored with flag that flew over U.S. Capitol (AUDIO)

December 10, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A southern Missouri congressman says all members of Congress should travel to war-torn countries to visit American troops.

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, presents an American flag which flew over the U.S. Capitol to family members of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ian Ives in November 2019 (photo courtesy of Congressman Smith’s office)

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, who serves as the GOP Conference Secretary, visited Afghanistan and Kuwait just before Thanksgiving with five other members of Congress.

Smith describes America’s servicemen and women as “the pinnacle of patriotism,” adding that their sacrifices ensure that we can enjoy our rights of liberty and freedom.

Before flying out from Joint Base Andrews, Smith met with U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ian Ives and his family. Sergeant Ives, who’s from Cuba, Missouri, is recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, after suffering serious injuries in Afghanistan.

Smith brought another injured veteran with him to Walter Reed, to meet Sergeant Ives.

“I brought another fellow member of Congress with me,” Smith says. “One who’s experienced and who has lied in the same bed that Staff Sergeant Ives has, and that is Representative Congressman Brian Mast from Florida.”

U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Florida, lost both of his legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan, and Smith says Mast was a great inspiration to Ives.

Sergeant Ives’ family has traveled from Crawford County to Washington to support him, and Smith thanked them for their sacrifice. Congressman Smith presented Sergeant Ives and his family with a flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol.

During his overseas trip, Smith also met in Afghanistan with a soldier who farms in southeast Missouri’s Jackson. Smith tells Missourinet he met with U.S. Army soldier Spencer Knowlan in the war-torn nation. They also met during the congressman’s August farm tour across southern Missouri.

“He’s a fine young man who serves his country, he serves his community and he is definitely representing us well in Afghanistan,” says Smith.

Smith says Knowlan’s parents and his wife are operating the family farm in Cape Girardeau County, while he’s serving in Afghanistan.

Smith praises what he describes as the relentless dedication of America’s armed forces.

Smith represents 30 counties in southeast and south-central Missouri. The sprawling district includes Cape Girardeau, Sikeston, Poplar Bluff, Cuba and Farmington.

The congressional visit to Afghanistan and Kuwait was bipartisan. U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, and Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, were among the others on the trip.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, which was recorded on December 6, 2019:

Ceres expected to return to top of Missouri Capitol next week; GOP lawmaker opposes it (AUDIO)

December 9, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Hundreds of people turned out this weekend in downtown Jefferson City to view a renovated statue that normally sits 260-feet above the ground at the Missouri Capitol.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (right) and Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe unveil the renovated Ceres sculpture on December 6, 2019 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Governor Mike Parson (R) and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe (R) helped unveil Ceres on Friday afternoon, on the Capitol’s south side, near the media parking lot.

“And she’s all dressed up, she’s pretty to go back up on top on top of our state Capitol and represent all of us here in the state of Missouri,” Parson says.

Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and grain, represents Missouri’s agricultural industry.

The ten-foot sculpture weighs more than 1,400 pounds. It was on top of the Capitol from October 1924 to November 2018, when restoration began. Ceres was taken to the Conservation of Sculpture and Objects Studio (CSOS) for cleaning and refurbishing. The CSOS is located in Forest Park, Illinois.

The Missouri Office of Administration (OA) says the statue was struck by lightning about 300 times between 1924 and 2018, mainly atop the head.

Despite cold temperatures Friday, about 100 people turned out for the unveiling event. Governor Parson tells Missourinet he’s impressed with the crowds that turned out.

“It’s cool out here today but for Missouri in December, it’s not bad,” says Parson. “The sun is shining. It’s still a beautiful day here.”

The Ceres restoration cost about $400,000, all part of a massive $50 million renovation project at the Capitol aimed at addressing deteriorating stonework on the facades, dome and drum, which was completed in 1917.

Ceres is expected to be lifted up to the top of the Capitol again next week, but at least one Missouri lawmaker is calling on the governor to stop that from happening.

“God commanded the Israelites to ‘have no gods other than him.’ He also said, ‘Do not make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God. Governor Parson, you and I have placed our trust in the same Lord, the God of the Bible. As such, I appeal to your good judgment, as a follower of Jesus Christ, to direct the Capitol Commission to not return the false god Ceres, the Roman goddess, to the top of the Capitol dome,” State Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, writes, in part.

Representative Moon says “we serve a mighty God and we have need for no other god(s).” Moon also says that those who would oppose placing a statue of Jesus on state property would supporting placing what he calls “a false god” on the Capitol dome.

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

Kehoe: seeing restored Ceres at Missouri Capitol this weekend is “once in a lifetime gift”

December 5, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri officials are set to unveil a renovated statue that normally sits atop the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, and you’re invited to see it happen on Friday afternoon.

Attendees view the bronze statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, after she was brought down from atop the Missouri State Capitol in November 2018 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at Missouri House Communications

The Office of Administration (OA) plans to unveil Ceres Friday on the Capitol’s south side, next to the media parking lot. The ten-foot, four-inch sculpture of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and grain, was taken down from the Capitol in November 2018 for the first time since being installed in 1924.

The statue was placed in a flatbed trailer in the Capitol parking lot for public viewing last November, and a large crowd attended the event. One of those who attended was Jefferson City resident John Tandy, who described it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I doubt if I’ll get to see her restored again in another one hundred years. It’s fantastic. It’s a moment in time that you can’t miss,” Tandy told Missourinet at the November 2018 event.

Crews used a 550-ton crane secured by Chicago-based Bulley and Andrews Masonry Restoration to remove the sculpture last November. Bulley and Andrews is the main contractor performing $50 million in renovation work on the Statehouse, including the $400,000 spent to restore Ceres.

It’s all part of the Capitol’s construction project to bring the building’s structure back to serviceable condition and address deteriorating stonework on the Capitol facades, dome and drum, which was finished in 1917.

OA says Ceres will be unveiled to the Capitol Press Corps Friday afternoon at 3, and public viewing will begin at 3:30 p.m. Ceres will remain on the Capitol’s south side, near the media parking lot, until Monday morning, when she will be taken down. That location is right across the street from the Missouri Supreme Court.

State officials will be providing floodlights and staff to monitor Ceres during public viewing, which will give you an opportunity to see the statue in the evenings.

“Ceres is a treasure for the state of Missouri and the State Capitol. She represents the strength of our farmers and agricultural community. Having her back home and on display will be a once in a lifetime gift for viewers to enjoy this holiday season,” Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe said, in a written statement.

During the restoration, Ceres underwent a laser cleaning treatment to safely remove contaminants, while also preserving her natural color. OA says she will be lifted up to the top of the Capitol during the week of December 16, 260 feet in the air.