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Parson: Proposed gas tax increase would cost the average motorist $1.25 a month

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Governor Mike Parson continues his state tour to promote “Infrastructure Week,” which kicked off on Monday. During a stop in the St. Louis-area this morning to speak at the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry Workforce 2030 Conference, much of the governor’s speech centered around Proposition D, a proposed gas tax increase.

Gov. Mike Parson

“That gas tax of 2 1/2 cents for four years would cost the average motorist $1.25 a month,” he said. “If you drive 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year, that’s what it’s going to cost you – $1.25.”

Parson, a Republican, encouraged those at the conference to promote Prop D, which will be on the November ballot. The measure calls for generating at least $288 million annually to the State Road Fund. It would also help to pay for Missouri Highway Patrol enforcement efforts.

“You can tell your senior citizen friends when they say ‘I don’t want to pay anymore. I’m on a fixed income.’ Good. If you don’t drive very much, you’re not going to pay very much,” he said.

Missouri’s 17 cents per gallon fuel tax has not been hiked since 1996.

Since taking office back in June, Parson has said his workforce development and infrastructure are among his top priorities.

Parson’s next stop will be at the MODOT Planning Partner’s Meeting in Springfield on Wednesday.

By Missourinet contributor Jill Enders

Missouri prison system reaches potential record of 800 correctional officer vacancies

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The Missouri Department of Corrections is struggling with a possible record shortage of about 800 prison guards. Corrections Director Anne Precythe tells Missourinet the number of vacancies has doubled during the past year among the state’s 21 prisons. She points to a variety of things contributing to the shortfall.

Missouri Department of Corrections Director Anne Precythe

“Across the nation, Corrections is hurting, because when the economy is good, and it is and we’re thankful for that, Corrections business suffers because the pay is not where it is in the general public. I believe that if you go back and trend the economy, you will see a very similar parallel line to vacancies within the department,” Precythe says.

The primary complaints from Corrections employees are low wages and lack of higher wages for seniority members. For example, a 15-year veteran officer earns the same wages as a brand new officer.

Missouri ranks 49th among U.S. states in corrections officer hourly wages and 50th in average annual salary for state workers. The state Legislature and governor endorsed a raise this year for state workers. Corrections officers are to receive a pay bump of $1,050 – the largest in nine years. Other Corrections staff are to get a $700 raise in January.

The agency is discussing options with the Governor’s Office to further increase worker pay. Precythe says she hopes to go to the Legislature next year with ideas to boost what her employees take home.

Crossroads Correctional Center and Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron and Northeast Correctional Center in Bowling Green have the most severe worker shortages.

“In the town of Cameron itself, we wouldn’t be able to employ all the employees we need. So, we have people driving over an hour to come to work there. Plus, you have six facilities in the northwestern part of the state. That in and of itself is challenging,” she says. “There are some areas that are in desperate times, but then there are facilities that aren’t. We’ve reduced the prison population in those three facilities and closed a housing unit or two in each of those facilities, which means we’re busing that population to other prisons to fill them up completely.”

This also presents a problem for families who have to drive further to visit their loved ones behind bars.

Precythe says Ozark Correctional Center in Fordland, South Central Correctional Center in Licking and Chillicothe Correctional Center are staffed well. Leadership is studying these institutions to understand why they don’t have high turnover rates like several of the other ones.

“We want to replicate that in other locations, whatever we find to be the case is working – we want to be able to replicate that,” she says.

Precythe says the department has also released a lot of staff.

“Staff has resigned under investigation. They have resigned before being fired,” she says. “People leave state government for an assortment of reasons. It’s not always just to go to another job. Though we hate to see the really good employees go for another job, there are several employees that we turn loose and we would not take back. That’s for the betterment of our agency.”

Precythe, who took over at the helm in 2017, inherited an agency-wide scandal involving a culture of harassment, violence and intimidation. A 2016 investigation by the Pitch.com uncovered more than $10 million paid out by the state in five years to settle lawsuits against the department.

Staff shortages have led to mandatory overtime enforced on many occasions. Employees get paid time-and-a-half for working overtime. Precythe says she’s trying to figure out how they can keep the excess annual leave they’ve earned.

“We have people who are not able to take vacation time. At the end of the year when the excess of 240 hours or 330 hours rolls off, they’re going to lose that excess annual leave because they’ve worked so much comp time. They can’t even take the comp time they’ve earned. They can’t take the vacation time,” she says.

Precythe says the training process has changed by having instructors more local to the institution, instead of waiting for the next academy. The training is still the same, but it’s done by a different set of instructors and on a faster time frame.

“Because we are so understaffed, 60% of Corrections employees throughout the entire department are less than five years on the job. We are in the business of training new people,” she says.

The agency has ramped up its hiring initiatives to help recruit new employees. Some of the efforts include attending jobs fairs around the state including the State Fair, targeted text message ads to cell phones, billboards in specific areas and working with Missouri’s military offices to hire soldiers and veterans.

One full-time recruiter and one part-time recruiter have come on board in northwestern Missouri. The agency is also looking to add full-time recruiters for northeast, southeast and central Missouri.

A high school apprenticeship program is in the works with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Precythe compares it to a Reserve Officer Training Corp, or ROTC program, for high schoolers to educate students about Corrections as a potential career path. She says the effort is not unique to Missouri and Corrections is often a family business with members following in each other’s footsteps.

Precythe says her mission has not changed since the day she hit the streets of Missouri – focusing on the workers.

“Two-thirds of our strategic plan is focused on state employees. One-third of it is focused on the outcomes and the offender population we are responsible for,” she says. “If I can get my employees in a good place, then there’s no doubt we can make a positive impact on the offender population we are responsible for. I believe we’ve been doing that. I’ve got to start with my staff and get them in a really good place first.”

About 31,000 offenders live in Missouri’s prisons.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

St. Louis area Democratic officeholders slam Missouri AG’s appeal of voter ID law decision

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Some Missouri Democratic officeholders held a press conference Monday in which they sharply criticized Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley’s court filing to block a judge’s decision striking portions of Missouri’s voter ID law.  St. Louis-based U.S. Congressman William Lacy Clay joined State Senator Minority Leader Gina Walsh of Bellefontaine Neighbors, and Senator-elect Brian Williams of Ferguson at the gathering in St. Louis.

Congressman Lacy Clay (D-St. Louis)

Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan’s decision issued last Wednesday does away with the requirement for those who don’t present a photo ID at the polls to sign an affidavit.  Representative Lacy Clay told Missourinet that the ruling returns the law to its original form where voters could show a utility bill, bank statement or anything that’s verifies their address and cast a regular ballot.

He said the Republican-led state legislature failed to consider how low voter turnout is when it passed legislation aimed at making the practice more difficult.  “In presidential elections, only 50 percent of the American people show up to vote, said Lacy Clay.  “So, this is just a canard.  This is just a way to suppress people from voting.”  The eight-term Congressman thinks the law the state legislature passed was intended to prevent voter impersonation which he contends never happens, given the existing low turnout.

Attorney General Hawley quickly filed an appeal and emergency stay petition with the Missouri Supreme Court on behalf of Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.  Ashcroft based much of his 2016 election campaign on implementing the voter ID law passed earlier that year by lawmakers.  Last Thursday, the Supreme Court requested that the prevailing party in the circuit court case, Priorities USA, submit suggestions in opposition to the motion for the stay by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

In his decision striking the requirement for those without photo ID to sign the affidavit, Judge Callahan said the document, on its face, is contradictory and misleading.

The affidavit says the voter acknowledges that he or she doesn’t possess a photo ID and states that he or she is required to present approved photo ID in order to vote.  It also specifies that the person signing the document does so under penalty of perjury.

Callahan called the affidavit an “outright misstatement of law.”  He said the requirement for a voter to sign the document is a violation of a citizen’s right to vote that’s guaranteed under the Missouri Constitution.

Congressman Clay said the 2016 legislation by Missouri lawmakers is part of a concerted effort across the nation by the GOP to keep certain types of residents from voting.  “I see this as an overall attempt nationally to suppress the vote, to impede or block those voters who the Republican Party knows will probably not vote for them,” Clay said.

University of Wisconsin Political Scientist Kenneth Mayer offered expert testimony for the plaintiff, Priorities USA, in the court case.  Mayer said extensive research in the numerous states that have enacted voter ID laws since 2006 shows the statutes suppress turnout and disproportionally impact poor people, minorities and the elderly. “Vulnerable populations are less likely to possess the most common forms of ID and are in less of a position to completely understand and be able to comply with what amount to complicated administrative requirements,” Mayer said.

Congressman Clay views Attorney General Hawley’s court filing is a misuse of public funds in an 11th-hour effort to suppress voter turnout.  “Josh Hawley is choosing to use your tax dollars to file this ridiculous appeal in a last-minute effort to disenfranchise thousands of Missouri voters,” Clay said.

Hawley is also locked in a tight race for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Claire McCaskill.

His office representing his position as Attorney General didn’t directly respond to Congressman Lacy Clay’s comments, but his spokesperson, Mary Compton defended his Supreme Court filing.  She said the lower court’s decision will harm the integrity of the November election while referencing a constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2016 which enabled the law approved by the legislature to be implemented.

“We respectfully disagree with the Circuit Court’s decision and we are deeply concerned that issuing an injunction this close to an election will cause confusion and disruption in the orderly administration of election procedures,” said Compton.  “We have promptly sought a stay of the ruling and requested clarification from the Missouri Supreme Court to preserve the integrity of the upcoming election. We will continue vigorously defend the commonsense voter ID law that 63% of Missourians approved in 2016.”

In addition to doing away with the affidavit, Circuit Court Judge Callahan’s ruling places other restrictions on the Secretary of State’s office.  It also forbids the state from advertising or distributing information that photo ID’s are required to vote.  It further bars publicizing materials that tell voters they’ll be asked to show photo ID without stipulating the other forms of ID that can be used.

Lieutenant Governor’s program showcases Missouri-made items to buy

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During this first annual Buy Missouri Week underway, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe wants the public to “support our own backyard folks” and purchase Missouri-made goods the state has to offer. He says the Buy Missouri program, which includes about 150 companies both large and small, aims to boost the state’s economy and businesses. They are promoted for free on the website Kehoe’s office runs – BuyMissouri.net – with the hope of getting many more.

Buy Missouri Week is underway

“It’s very exciting. All across Missouri, there’s somebody down some road that nobody even knew about maybe in the community that says ‘Hey did you know they make whatever down that road? They make pontoon boats, they make sausage.’ It’s fascinating to find all those places out,” Kehoe says. “When you buy Missouri-made products, you’re likely helping somebody that you go to church with, that’s on the soccer field with you or the parents of somebody that your kids go to school with.”

It’s not even Halloween yet, but some Missourians are already thinking about the holidays. Kehoe, a Republican from Jefferson City, says the website is a good place to go shopping and find gifts.

“If you want a consumable, outdoor equipment, building supplies, or whatever it is you’re looking for, you can look and find a company that manufactures one of those products and then you might want to consider that as you go out and shop,” Kehoe says.

The list of goods goes on and on. BuyMissouri.net promotes all sorts of items, like automobiles, clothing, tool boxes, food and beauty products, agriculture goods, adult beverages, windows, and various candies.

“Missouri products are everything from GM cars and trucks built in Wentzville, Ford cars and trucks in Kansas City, Quaker windows in Freeburg, which is one of the nation’s largest window manufacturers, all the way down to someone who manufactures charcoal,” he says.

Kehoe says the most unique product he’s encountered is Cherry Mash – a popular sweet treat made for the past 100 years in northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph.

“Most people are familiar with it, have seen it on the shelves, have eaten it, have bought it,” Kehoe chuckles.

Gov. Mike Parson, R, pioneered the Buy Missouri Initiative as lieutenant governor. Kehoe sponsored Senate Bill 891 establishing Buy Missouri Week. It was signed into law having received overwhelming bi-partisan support in both legislative chambers.

To sign up for the program or browse the different products, click here.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

State officials look to boost pay for some Missouri veterans home workers

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Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe says the Missouri Veterans Commission is working to find ways to enhance pay for some state veterans home workers. Kehoe, a Republican, tells Missourinet commissioners are talking with the state Legislature and federal government about pay raises.

Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe

“It’s very tough to find the skilled workforce it takes to take care of folks, whether it’s a veterans home, a private home or a county-run home. The challenges it’s faced in taking care of people are similar to the industry. We just have to make sure we do the best we can to recruit and retain the best people,” Kehoe says.

Missouri’s Veterans Homes are located in metro St. Louis, St. James, Mexico, Warrensburg, Cape Girardeau, Cameron and Mt. Vernon. The homes manage a combined total of 1,350 beds.

The St. Louis Veterans Home has been investigated several times since 2017 about reports of inadequate care. New leadership took over there this year with a focus of improving care and recruiting additional nursing staff.

The troubled facility led to investigations at all of the state’s veterans homes. An independent organization visited the sites over a two-day period and found things like fear of retaliation against staff who report problems, staff opposition to mandatory overtime and lack of paperwork for infection and sanitation issues and drug dosage.

The state’s website lists current job openings for nursing staff ranging in pay from $11.35 an hour for a certified nursing assistant, $16.65 an hour for a licensed practical nurse to $1,979 on a semi-monthly basis for a registered nurse.

The Missouri Veterans Commission operates the homes. The commission is a division of the state Department of Public Safety.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Appeal and emergency stay filed as Ashcroft says judge’s decision creating “mass confusion” at polls

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Procedures at Missouri polling places are in question for next month’s election after a judge struck down key elements of the state’s voter ID law Tuesday.

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft – R (picture from Facebook)

Cole County Circuit Court Judge Richard Callahan overturned the requirement for voters who don’t present a photo ID to sign an affidavit.

The attorney general’s office has filed an appeal and emergency stay to Judge Callahan’s ruling with the Missouri Supreme Court on behalf of Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.  Ashcroft said the timing of the ruling is “unduly creating mass confusion” and called it “an action the courts historically and purposefully have not taken.”  He noted Callahan’s decision directs the state to stop using the affidavit while local election authorities enforce its requirement.

Ashcroft said it’s not clear if local poll workers are bound by the judge’s decision.  He added that many local election authorities have already trained poll workers to require voters to sign the statement.

The document says the voter acknowledges that he or she doesn’t possess a photo ID and states that he or she is required to present approved photo ID in order to vote.  It also specifies that the person signing the document does so under penalty of perjury.

Callahan called the affidavit an “outright misstatement of law” and ruled that the requirement for a voter to sign it is a violation of a citizen’s right to vote.

Ashcroft, a Republican, said the judge’s decision creates confusion for voters as well as local election authorities.  In an interview with Missourinet affiliate KSSZ, Ashcroft seemed to be more confident the affidavit requirement would stay in place, saying the requirement is not implemented by the secretary of state’s office, but by the local authority.

In addition to tossing the affidavit provision in the voter ID law, Callahan’s ruling also forbids the state from advertising or distributing information that photo ID’s are required to vote.  It further bars publicizing materials that tell voters they’ll be asked to show photo ID without stipulating the other forms of ID that can be used.

The decision came less than four weeks before November’s election, which includes a closely-watched race between Missouri’s Democratic U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill and Republican challenger Josh Hawley, which could play a pivotal role in determining which party controls the upper chamber of Congress.

The lawsuit challenging the voter ID law was filed by a group led by the left-leaning voting right organization Priorities USA.

Callahan noted evidence in the case established that 95% of likely voters already possess photo identification.  He said the focus of the lawsuit was whether the law infringes on the right to cast a ballot of the 5% of voters who don’t have photo ID.

The Missouri Supreme Court previously tossed a photo voter ID law passed by the Legislature in 2006.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

MoDOT director says key I-70 bridge in mid-Missouri should be replaced

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The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) director hopes to see the I-70 bridge in mid-Missouri’s Rocheport replaced using bonding. MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna discussed the bridge during a Tuesday meeting with mid-Missouri planning partners in Jefferson City.

Missouri Department of Transportation Director Patrick McKenna addresses mid-Missouri planning partners at Jefferson City’s McClung Park on October 9, 2018 (Brian Hauswirth photo)

The 58-year-old bridge crosses the Missouri River. McKenna says it’s currently scheduled to get a fourth rehabilitation in about 2020, which he says would close a lane in each direction and would cause three-hour backups to Columbia “on a good day” and eight-hour backups on other days.

“The notion that any plan that comes into, you know, in each and every week over a nine-month period a three to eight-hour delay, that’s going to be unacceptable,” McKenna says. “And honestly would cost the public more in that traffic delay than funding the bridge itself.”

McKenna tells Missourinet that the bridge, which was built in 1960, should be replaced.

“We’ll want to use the existing facility for its useful life and put something beside it so that we can not have those traffic impacts,” says McKenna.

But McKenna notes replacing the bridge would cost about $200 million, and MoDOT would probably have to use bonding money to do the project.

He says a planned $15 million rehabilitation would cause eight-hour backups to Kingdom City at times. Kingdom City is located in Callaway County, east of Rocheport.

McKenna says the agency continually monitors and assesses the condition of the I-70 bridge in Rocheport. He tells reporters MoDOT takes the structure’s safety seriously and gives details about a repair made 18 months ago.

“We had our local company DeLong’s (based in Jefferson City) fabricated, after hours, came in and fabricated two 14-foot long finger joints and our crews installed them at night during a hail storm,” McKenna says.

Missouri’s 21st century transportation system task force submitted an 87-page report to the Legislature in January, and recommended replacement of the Rocheport bridge. The task force also recommended a ten-cent gasoline tax increase. Missourians will cast ballots in November on Proposition D, which would phase in a ten-cent gasoline tax increase over four years, at 2.5 cents annually.

McKenna tells reporters Proposition D is crucial for Missouri, adding that MoDOT has about $8 billion in unfunded needs.

Missouri’s gasoline tax hasn’t been increased since 1996.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Backers and critics of “Clean Missouri” view Amendment One differently

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Supporters of a November ballot measure they call “Clean Missouri” say it would increase transparency and accountability, while opponents say it would mean more regulation.

Attorney Chuck Hatfield (standing at right), who represents intervenor Clean Missouri Incorporated, addresses Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green on August 31, 2018 in Jefferson City(file photo from Mark Wilson/News Tribune)

You’ll be voting next month on Amendment One, which has five main components. The most controversial provision would require a state demographer to draw state legislative maps.

Missouri Chamber of Commerce President Dan Mehan tells Missourinet that Amendment One should be defeated.

“This really should be called ‘Fleece Missouri’ because they’re (supporters) trying to confuse the voters with five or so different categories on the same measure,” Mehan says.

Amendment One would also ban gifts worth more than five dollars from lobbyists to lawmakers and would lower the current campaign contribution limits for state legislative candidates.

Former State Sen. Bob Johnson, R-Lee’s Summit, who also served in the Missouri House, supports Amendment One, particularly the requirement of a state demographer.

“I think they (districts) should be compact, contiguous and competitive,” says Johnson. “No longer do we want to see a group of voters on one side, three blocks separating for a mile or so and pick up another group of voters. No, we want them squares and rectangles and that kind of thing.”

Amendment One backers say a citizen commission would review the legislative maps drawn by the state demographer.

Opponents include the Missouri Farm Bureau, which says Amendment One “would mandate extensive gerrymandering” in an attempt to balance each district with an equal number of Democratic and Republican voters.

In September, the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City reversed Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green’s decision to remove Amendment One from the November ballot.

Judge Green issued a 13-page ruling in early September that the measure violates the Missouri Constitution’s “single subject” requirement.

The Appeals Court reversed that on September 21.

Attorney Chuck Hatfield, who represented intervenor Clean Missouri Incorporated, argued the measure doesn’t violate the single subject clause because every provision mentions and involves the Legislature.

Mehan and Johnson spoke to Missourinet separately after a recent court hearing at the Cole County Courthouse in Jefferson City.

While supporters of Amendment One say it would take power back from special interests, critics say it would ensure that political parties and consultants gain even more power.

“This is something that really should be defeated,” Mehan says. “And we don’t have a problem. This is a solution searching for a problem.”

But former Senator Johnson disagrees, telling Missourinet that Amendment One would eliminate most lobbyist gifts to lawmakers.

“I think folks back home in the districts, and I don’t represent a legislative district any longer, are tired of $900,000 a year being expended on gifts and ballgames and other social activities. They (Missouri lawmakers) ought to spend a little more time representing folks back home,” says Johnson.

Amendment One would also require state lawmakers to wait two years before becoming lobbyists. It’s currently one year.

Election Day is November 6.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Missouri’s oversight to be examined after $1 billion lawsuit alleges sexual assault at nursing home

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The chairman of the Missouri House Urban Issues Committee is waiting to find out if he’ll be able to hold a hearing to explore the state’s oversight of senior care facilities.

The family of an 84-year-old woman who suffers from dementia filed a billion-dollar lawsuit last month, claiming she was sexually assaulted repeatedly at the Christian Care Home in eastern Missouri’s Ferguson.

Democratic Representative Courtney Curtis (photo courtesy; Missouri House Communications)

Democratic State Representative Courtney Allen Curtis calls the allegations, which include the rape and sodomization of Delores Green numerous times over eight years, extremely concerning.

Curtis expects to hear within a week from Republican House Speaker Todd Richardson on whether his request for a hearing will be granted.  He says sunshine request letters have been sent out to state agencies seeking information on the approval process for senior care facilities and the number of complaints made against those operations.

The family of Delores Green became suspicious of mistreatment and arranged for her to be examined by doctors at SSM Health DePaul Hospital in Bridgeton.  After performing a rape kit on Ms. Green, physicians determined she’d been repeatedly raped and sodomized.

The state Department of Health and Senior Services’ Long-Term Care Regulation handles inspections and licensing for facilities that offer residential, assisted living and intermediate care as well as skilled nursing.  Within the agency, the Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee administers the Certificate of Need law. It decides whether to approve facilities to operate.

Curtis thinks the Facilities Review Committee could be exercising lax oversight because he was once asked to be a member.  “The individual who made that offer to me said things are pretty preordained, meaning essentially it was a rubber stamp, and I would just be there to essentially say yes,” said Curtis.  “I subsequently didn’t land on that committee.”

Since issuing a statement September 21st calling for an immediate review of Christian Care Home, Curtis received at least two calls reporting alleged abuse occurring at other senior care facilities.

Saturday, Department of Health and Senior Services Director Randall Williams will join Curtis, Democratic State Senator Maria Chappelle Nadal of University City and St. Louis County Councilwoman Hazel Erby to tour Christian Care Home.

Curtis says he wants to hear from seniors living there about any worries they might have.  “We are definitely looking to improve the situation for them if there’s still a current situation, also to establish contact to let them be able to provide us with additional information,” Curtis said.

The fact that Williams, a state agency director would join lawmakers on a weekend tour of the nursing home could indicate a high level of concern over senior care facilities.

Christian Care has been penalized in the past by the government.  The St. Louis Post Dispatch reported the nursing home was previously flagged for failure to report and investigate abuse of residents and failure to only hire people with no legal history of abuse.

The home has been fined twice in the past three years by Medicaid – $78,000 in March of 2016 and $8,453 in March of 2017.  Medicare rates Christian Care Home below average with a history of poor quality of care. Its staffing levels are considered “much” below the national average as is its health inspection results.

Representative Curtis notes his sunshine requests are in part a response to calls he has received in regard to harm done to seniors in the same and other facilities.  He says it’s important to ensure that individuals receiving senior care are safe and well taken care of.  “If people are going to have to go to a facility like this in their ladder years, we want to ensure that they don’t experience any discomfort, period,” said Curtis.

Missourinet has reached out to Christian Care Home to get a response.  No one was available to comment Friday afternoon.

Soybean plant planned for Missouri Bootheel expected to create 60 new jobs

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A state lawmaker who represents southeast Missouri says a soybean processing plant planned for the Caruthersville area will be a “real shot in the arm” to the impoverished region. Nine out of the ten poorest counties in the state are in southeast Missouri. State Rep. Don Rone, R-Portageville, says Sedes Soy Crush will build the soybean crushing/processing facility near Caruthersville, at the Pemiscot County Port. He says the facility will create about 60 new jobs.

State Rep. Don Rone speaks on the Missouri House floor on March 7, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Rone says the plant will process non-GMO specialty soybeans that focus on high proteins.

“It’s a new seed, it’s going to be processed, it’s non-GMO,” Rone says. “The oil and the meal will be non-GMO.”

Sedes Soy Crush is part of Palindromes Incorporated. The company website says Palindromes is focused on sustainable and socially-responsible access to the world’s most basic needs, such as food and water.

“It’s (the plant) going to export the meal into Arkansas into the chicken industry, and hopefully abroad to the oil business to Europe, non-GMO,” says Rone.

Rone tells Missourinet the construction and 60 new jobs will help the region.

Caruthersville is located on the Mississippi River. Its website says more than 30% of the town’s residents are living below the poverty level. Four of Missouri’s highest counties with free and reduced school lunch participation rates are located in the Bootheel. Despite high poverty rates, there has been positive economic news in southeast Missouri, in addition to the soybean plant.

Rone says the newly-reopened smelter in Marston has hired more than 400 employees, and says it is considering whether to open a third line and a rod and wire mill.

That would mean an additional 150 to 200 jobs.

And New Madrid city administrator Richard McGill says the city is still in the running for a steel mill, adding that good progress has been made in discussions with the steel mill owner.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet