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Flooding prevents popular Missouri airshow from lifting off

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Photos courtesy of Salute to Veterans website

A free event that usually draws thousands each year from across Missouri has been called off. The Salute to Veterans organization says extreme flooding has led to the cancellation of its 31st annual airshow in Jefferson City planned for this weekend.

According to Salute to Veterans website, the Jefferson City Memorial Airport has been evacuated due to flood waters cresting more than two feet above flood stage. Other events surrounding the airshow have also been canceled, including the Old Soldier’s Show, Media Day, and the Saturday Honored Guests Banquet.

Monday’s Memorial Day parade in Jefferson City is still on. The parade organizer will make a final decision by Thursday on the event’s fate.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Missouri lawmaker amends Gold Star Families monument bill in compromise (AUDIO)

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A one-word compromise has been reached in Missouri legislation involving a Gold Star Families Memorial Monument in southwest Missouri’s Point Lookout, near Branson.

This is the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout (2019 photo courtesy of College of the Ozarks)

A bill from State Rep. Jeff Justus, R-Branson, now recognizes the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument at College of the Ozarks as “an” official Gold Star Families Memorial Monument of Missouri, instead of “the”.

“There’s a lot of Gold Star monuments in Missouri and we don’t want to not have people appreciate that, so we changed to an official Gold Star monument for Missouri,” Justus says.

Gold Star families are the immediate family members of U.S. military members who have died in combat or military service.

Representative Justus’ bill stalled on the Missouri House floor in mid-March, over concerns about the term “the official”. Lawmakers in both parties who represent the region near the Jefferson Barracks memorial monument in St. Louis County expressed opposition to Justus’ original bill over that term.

Justus amended the bill to address those concerns. The Missouri House Veterans Committee has approved the compromise legislation, which is House Concurrent Resolution 9.

“The purpose (of the bill) is to get people to understand that families all suffer when they lose a service member,” says Justus. “And this is what the Gold Star Family (legislation) does. And this will be able to have it all over the state.”

State Rep. Jeff Justus, R-Branson, speaks on the Missouri House floor on March 12, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

There are also Gold Star memorial monuments in Jefferson City, in Jefferson Barracks Park and elsewhere.

Justus is hopeful his war monument legislation will receive Missouri House approval. He says the bill has been strengthened with the change.

“This is part of the process that you go through and actually, to me, this is for the better because it will expand it and be (in) other places that can have it,” Justus says.

Justus tells Missourinet he respects the concerns raised last month by State Reps. Shane Roden, R-Cedar Hill, Doug Beck, D-St. Louis County, and others.

Roden notes mothers who’ve lost sons in Iraq have worked to get a monument at Jefferson Barracks Park near St. Louis.

Representative Beck, who serves on the House Veterans Committee, tells Missourinet he’ll vote for Justus’ bill, if it comes to the House floor.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and State Rep. Jeff Justus, R-Branson, which was recorded at the Statehouse in Jefferson City on April 11, 2019:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Missourians can officially get REAL IDs

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The Missouri Department of Revenue is offering the REAL IDs to residents beginning today. The move is the final step for Missouri to satisfy requirements of a federal law intended to prevent terrorism and fraud.

Image courtesy of Missouri Department of Revenue

The agency anticipates increased foot traffic and longer wait times at license offices.

The identifications are optional, but will be required to board commercial planes, enter nuclear power plants, and access federal sites, including military bases and federal courthouses. The department says there’s no immediate need to rush to apply because the regular license and ID card will give you access like the REAL ID version will until October 2020.

The transaction and processing fees for a REAL ID version, new or renewal, will be the same as they were before today’s launch. Detailed fee information can be found on the Department of Revenue’s website.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Governor orders flags at half-staff on Thursday to honor Missouri Army Reservist killed in Kuwait

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(Reporter Hal Neisler at Missourinet Festus affiliate KJFF contributed to this story)

Missouri’s governor has ordered American and Missouri flags at all government buildings statewide to be flown at half-staff Thursday, to honor an Army Reserve Specialist killed in the line-of-duty in Kuwait.

Flags flying at half-staff (Missourinet file photo)

Governor Mike Parson has signed a proclamation honoring Army Reserve Specialist Jackson Johnson of Hillsboro, who died in Kuwait on March 5. Johnson was 20 years old.

The governor’s proclamation says Specialist Johnson was a transportation management coordinator in the 657th Transportation Company, 419th Transportation Battalion, 649th Regional Support Group, 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command.

Governor Parson’s office says Specialist Johnson was killed in the line-of-duty in northern Kuwait when the vehicle he was in collided with another vehicle.

The proclamation says Johnson enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in February 2016, and that he graduated from Hillsboro High School in May 2017. Johnson was deployed to Kuwait in October 2018 as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.

“Specialist Johnson decided at an early age that he wanted to defend the United States and was courageously serving far from home to protect our nation. We are grateful for Specialist Johnson’s service and pray for his family and friends as they mourn his loss,” Governor Parson says.

The funeral service for Specialist Johnson will be held Thursday morning at 11 at Kutis South County Chapel, which is on Lemay Ferry Road.

Specialist Johnson will be buried with honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

Missouri Gold Star Families memorial legislation stalls in House; key term is “official”

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A resolution recognizing the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument in Point Lookout as Missouri’s “Official Gold Star Families Memorial Monument” stalled this week in the Missouri House, over concerns about the term “official.”

State Rep. Shane Roden, R-Cedar Hill, speaks on the Missouri House floor on February 20, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Jeff Justus, R-Branson, the resolution sponsor, says the bill highlights the commitment that southwest Missouri’s College of the Ozarks has to veterans.

“And one of the reasons that it would be good to be in our area is that the thousands of veterans and the people and the tourists that come to our area that would be able to see it, you’d probably give it the most exposure of any other memorial in the state,” Justus says.

Bill supporters say Branson is a tourist destination and that many tourists would be able to see Missouri’s commitment to veterans.

Justus’ resolution was approved in February by the House Veterans Committee by an 11-2 vote, and no one testified against it during the committee hearing.

However, opposition surfaced during Monday evening’s House floor discussion, and included lawmakers from both parties. Opposition centers around the word “official.”

State Rep. Doug Beck, D-St. Louis County, who serves on the House Veterans Committee, spoke against the resolution on the House floor, telling colleagues there’s a Gold Star memorial at Jefferson Barracks Park near St. Louis.

“I think to name any type of memorial the official memorial of the Gold Star Families possibly slights those others that put their time and effort into any other memorial that’s across the state,” says Beck.

Beck also notes there’s a Gold Star memorial in Jefferson City, not far from the Capitol.

State Rep. Bob Burns, D-Affton, also objects to the term “official.” Burns notes the Gold Star memorial monument at Jefferson Barracks park is located in his district.

One of Justus’ GOP colleagues also spoke against the bill, during floor debate.

State Rep. Shane Roden, R-Cedar Hill, told Representative Beck he agreed with his opposition to the bill. Roden tells House colleagues his Jefferson County district includes mothers who’ve lost sons in Iraq, who have worked to get a monument at Jefferson Barracks Park.

“To know those mothers that have made sure that every single of those people in St. Louis County at Jefferson Barracks, especially at a very fitting place in Jefferson Barracks on those hollowed ground,” Roden says.

Justus’ resolution is backed by State Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, who chairs the House Veterans Committee. Chairman Basye tells House colleagues the intent of House Concurrent Resolution 9 is not to discredit any other Gold Star monuments in Missouri.

Basye says Branson does a great job for veterans, adding that they have a “wonderful veterans museum down in that area.”

Justus’ resolution has been laid over.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Hartzler discusses opioid epidemic, transportation and broadband with Missouri lawmakers (AUDIO)

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A congresswoman who represents a large portion of central and western Missouri traveled to Jefferson City this week to meet with state lawmakers from her district.

U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, meets with Missouri lawmakers on February 4, 2019 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Congresswoman Hartzler’s office)

U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, says it makes sense to join forces with state lawmakers, since they both serve the same constituents.

“And I feel so honored that so many of our state reps and senators from the Fourth District came to spend a little time discussing issues that impact both at the federal level and state levels,” Hartzler says.

More than a dozen state lawmakers from across the sprawling Fourth Congressional District met this week in Jefferson City with Congresswoman Hartzler. She says numerous topics were discussed during the “Working Together for Missouri Summit.”

“Such as the opioid crisis, the need for rural broadband, need for affordable, accessible health care, transportation, infrastructure,” says Hartzler.

Governor Mike Parson, a Republican, says about ten Missouri school districts currently lack access to high-speed broadband. The governor calls that “unacceptable.” Hartzler says broadband continues to be a big issue in rural areas.

Governor Parson has also proposed a $350 million infrastructure plan, aimed at repairing or replacing 250 bridges across the state. The state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) says more than 900 Missouri bridges are in poor condition.

Congresswoman Hartzler’s district includes Columbia, Moberly, Sedalia and Fort Leonard Wood. She represents all or parts of 24 counties. Hartzler, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, supports GOP President Donald Trump’s border wall.

“Because 90 percent of the heroin that is ending up in our districts and people are overdosing and dying, is coming across the southern border,” Hartzler says.

She tells Missourinet the overwhelming majority of her constituents favor the wall.

Hartzler says 70,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2017 and adds that Congress has approved $10 billion in funding for states to fight the opioid epidemic.

State Sen. Ed Emery, R-Lamar, and State Reps. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, Robert Ross, R-Yukon, Glen Kolkmeyer, R-Odessa and Donna Pfautsch, R-Harrisonville, were among the lawmakers who participated in Monday’s meeting.

Click here to listen to Missourinet news director Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, which was recorded on February 4, 2019 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Missouri man killed in Syrian suicide blast

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A St. Louis man is among four Americans killed this week in a suicide bombing attack in Syria. Governor Mike Parson says a Pentagon official called to inform him that Scott Wirtz died in Wednesday’s attack.

Missouri man killed in Syrian suicide blast

“Scott died bravely, serving our nation in a dangerous part of the world. For that, we are grateful,” says the Republican governor and U.S. Army veteran. “We want to thank his family for his service. We also ask all Missourians to join in prayer for the family and other brave men and women that are serving our country.”

Wirtz, 42, was serving as an operations support specialist and civilian member of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Operations support specialists manage, guide, and oversee human intelligence collection operations enabling DOD to meet national security information requirements.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of this patriot,” says DIA Director Lt. Gen. Robert P. Ashley, Jr. “This is a stark reminder of the dangerous missions we conduct for the nation and of the threats we work hard to mitigate. As President Lincoln described on the fields at Gettysburg, this officer gave the last full measure of devotion.”

The other Americans killed were two U.S. military members and a civilian contractor there to support Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. They were killed when the suicide bomber on foot detonated an explosive vest at a restaurant in the northern Syrian city of Manbij as they were having lunch after a meeting with local military officials.

Wirtz served in the U.S. Navy and as a Navy SEAL. His military awards and decorations include the SEAL Insignia, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon and Pistol Expert Medal. His DIA awards include the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism.

According to St. Louis television station KSDK, Wirtz was a 1995 graduate of DeSmet Jesuit High School in St. Louis County.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

In December, President Donald Trump announced that ISIS had been defeated in Syria and all 2,000 U.S. troops would be coming home from there.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Tennessee-based airline to begin commercial jet service from Fort Leonard Wood to St. Louis Lambert

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(Reporter Gerard Knehans at Missourinet Waynesville affiliate KJPW Radio contributed to this story)

Officials in south-central Missouri’s Waynesville and St. Robert announced on Tuesday that Contour Airlines will be launching commercial jet service from Fort Leonard Wood next month.

A Contour jet flew to the Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport (WSRA) for the January 8, 2019 press conference about commercial jet service at Fort Leonard Wood (photo courtesy of the Sustainable Ozarks Partnership)

Tennessee-based Contour will be flying daily from the Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport (WSRA) to St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Contour chief executive officer Matt Chaifetz says passengers will enjoy comfortable seating.

“Service will begin on February 12. We’ll be offering 12 weekly roundtrip flights on an ERJ-135 regional jet with 30 seats all featuring the amount of leg room that you’d get in first class on a major airline,” Chaifetz tells Missourinet Waynesville affiliate KJPW Radio.

Chaifetz says introductory fares will begin at $29 each way for tickets purchased before January 22. He says the flight from Fort Leonard Wood to Lambert will be 24 minutes.

Chaifetz and St. Robert’s mayor held a Tuesday press conference to make the announcement.

Missouri House Majority Whip Steve Lynch, R-Waynesville, also attended the event.

Chaifetz says the airline will provide safe, fast and affordable flights.

“We’ll have two daily departures (from WSRA) Monday through Friday,” says Chaifetz. “The first departure will be at 7:25 in the morning and the second departure will be at 2:45 in the afternoon, and we will have two inbound flights on Sunday through Friday.”

Contour will replace Cape Air at the Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport. Chaifetz says Cape Air handled about 8,000 flights in 2018.

“We want to make sure that we get the airport across the 8,000 passenger threshold and we think we can do that. In all of our market that we serve we’ve seen a major increase in passenger traffic as a result of our reliability, the aircraft being used and our fare structure,” Chaifetz says.

Contour serves six states, and its website emphasizes that passengers receive a complimentary first checked bag and one carry-on item.

Economic development leaders in the region say the new commercial jet service will benefit the Fort Leonard Wood area’s tourism industry.

The nonprofit organization “Sustainable Ozarks Partnership” says more than 150,000 visitors travel to the Fort Leonard Wood region annually to attend military graduations.

Fort Leonard Wood’s website says it trains about 82,600 military and civilians annually. The website notes it’s home to the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and now trains for the U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School as well as the U.S. Army Engineer School.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

SE Missouri sailor could have been one of the first to sacrifice life at Pearl Harbor

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Friday is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and people around the country and in Missouri are paying respects to those who sacrificed their lives during the surprise military strike by Japan against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

A young sailor who lost his life during the attack is being remembered during a ceremony in southeast Missouri’s Cape Girardeau.

19-year-old Lloyd Dale Clippard was the first World War II causality from the town.  He was on the USS Utah when it was bombed during Pearl Harbor.

Matt Hampton is the Senior Vice Commander at VFW Post 3838, which is founded under Clippard’s name.  He thinks the young sailor was not only the first causality from Cape Girardeau but arguably one of the very first to die in the surprise bombing.

“According to the timeline the USS Utah was one of the very first ships to be hit in Pearl Harbor,” Hampton said. “Like everybody else he had no idea what was going to happen, and it would be neat today to be able to ask his spirit what was going through his mind. I would love to know that but unfortunately, we can’t. He is still there. He is still at Pearl Harbor in the hull of that ship and will never come home.”

Even though his body was never found Hampton says the city of Cape Girardeau still held a memorial service for Clippard a few weeks after the attack at the Teacher’s College, which is now Southeast Missouri State University.

“A lot of people thought the great war World War I was over and there would never be another war like it,” said Hampton. “Well then this attack occurred and it’s stirring up old feelings, and for a lot of those veterans, those memories are starting to come back. It has a lot of impact to think here we are honoring somebody, and this just happened, and this is somebody from our hometown. This is someone who was from here, born here, raised here, went to school here. It’s not just a face on a wall, he was one of us.”

Hampton said he has a goal of honoring every single veteran from Cape Girardeau County on the anniversary of their deaths.

There’s a Friday Pearl Harbor ceremony in Cape Girardeau, an event that has taken place for more than three decades.  It’s a collaboration between the local American Legion Post, local Marine Corps. League and The Disabled American Veterans.