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State says bogus letter spreading online claims Missouri students must repeat grade

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The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) says a fake letter is circulating on Facebook. The letter claims the state agency will not allow K-12 students to move on to the next grade level for the 2020-21 school year, since the coronavirus closed schools and cancelled statewide tests. The bogus letter, dated April Fool’s Day, illegally uses the Department’s logo, alleges case law and is signed by “Candice B. Furreal”.

Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Facebook page

DESE Spokesperson Mallory McGowin says some people thought the prank was true.

“We at the Department feel like we have tried to make clear from the start that we do not want our students across the state to be negatively impacted any more than they already are because of COVID-19,” says McGowin. “We’re obviously are disappointed that someone has chosen to use their free time in this way to create the document, to use our logo illegally and ultimately and most importantly make light of what we consider a really serious situation and that is our students’ education. We feel like it’s pretty insensitive, given the current situation our students and families and educators are already facing so much anxiety and uncertainty right now.”

McGowin says Missouri is not alone.

“We’ve seen this taking place in Michigan, in California and Utah,” she says.

She says the origin of the post is not being retraced at this time.

“So many agencies right now are dealing with so many more important things,” McGowin says. “We really don’t want to give these folks more credit than they’re due or more time and energy than they’re due.”

McGowin urges educators, families and students to check the department’s website for the latest accurate information.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Group of Missouri nurses busting out their dance moves sparks viral video

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A video of a group of Missouri nurses getting their groove on has gone viral on social media. Kala Baker and her dancing nurse friends at Mercy Hospital in southwest Missouri’s Springfield are boosting morale by showing off their great dance moves. The video on social media platform TikTok caught the attention of Good Morning America.

Group of Missouri nurses busting out their dance moves sparks viral video

“Obviously it’s just been a little bit stressful around here,” Baker tells Good Morning America. “I saw a video and I thought ‘We could do that.’ And so it was a good way to just step away from our work for a second and bring some joy to the people around us and just to my co-workers.”

The video has had more than three million hits.

“Honestly, we are just still so shocked. We are honored that people even want to watch us dance because we are not dancers,” Baker chuckles.

Baker says they are happy to be serving.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Budget chair Smith backs Missouri governor’s budget withholds (AUDIO)

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Missouri’s House Budget Committee chairman supports Governor Mike Parson’s (R) decision to withhold $180 million in state spending, to ensure a balanced state budget during the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor announced the expenditure restrictions on Wednesday afternoon in Jefferson City.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, speaks on the House floor in Jefferson City on March 18, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Budget chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, notes thousands of people have lost their jobs.

“Certainly this is unprecedented, but this pandemic has been incredibly disruptive not only to everyone’s daily life and those affected directly, but also to the economy,” Smith says.

For the week ending on March 21, more than 42,000 unemployment claims were filed in Missouri, up from 4,000 filed the prior week.

The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted jobs in southwest Missouri, which is where Smith lives. Missourinet Joplin affiliate KZRG reported this week that La-Z-Boy has temporarily closed all U.S. manufacturing operations, including its large factory in Neosho. That decision has put 800 workers in southwest Missouri out of jobs, for the time being. La-Z-Boy will re-evaluate on April 13.

Governor Parson is warning that the state could see a $500 million budget shortfall between now and the end of June. Budget Chairman Smith shares the governor’s hope that millions of dollars in federal funding could help with the state’s cash-flow crunch.

“It should be noted that the governor is taking these measures in light of what we do know, that we will be receiving from the federal government, as far as the relief funds go,” says Smith.

The governor says the revenue declines could be larger than those experienced during the Great Recession.

The UM System president says the budget withholds announced by Governor Parson will total about $36 million for the University system. Dr. Mun Choi has issued a statement, saying the system “appreciates everything that our elected officials are doing during this unprecedented time.”

Chairman Smith praises Dr. Choi’s position.

“I appreciate President Choi’s words there, I hope that’s the spirit with which everyone is taking these measures that the governor has made,” Smith says.

Dr. Choi says the state is working hard to prioritize its resources, and that we must all work together to get past the crisis.

Missouri health officials say there are now 1,581 confirmed coronavirus cases in the state, along with 18 deaths. The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) released the latest numbers Wednesday afternoon.

Click here to view the full list of expenditure restrictions.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, which was recorded on April 1, 2020:

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

At least 19 people dead in Missouri from coronavirus

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At least 19 people have died from the coronavirus in Missouri. Southwest Missouri’s Greene County currently has the most – six casualties. Today, southern Missouri’s Pulaski County also announced a death there linked to the respiratory disease.

At least 19 people dead in Missouri from coronavirus

“It is with great sadness that we announce that our community had its first death due to COVID-19 last evening,” Melissa Martinez with the Pulaski County Health Department tells Missourinet affiliate KBNN in Lebanon.
No other information is available about the patient.

That death is not listed within today’s information from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. It could pop up tomorrow.

Nearly 1,600 people have tested positive for COVID-19. About 800 of the cases originate in St. Louis City and St. Louis County.

More than 17,400 people have been tested in Missouri among both public and private labs.

View the state information by clicking here.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Missouri River likely to enter minor flood stage this week

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Levels on the Missouri River could move into minor flood stage from Nebraska City to northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph this week. Chairman Tom Waters with the Missouri Levee and Drainage District Association says the area isn’t prepared for a high-than-normal runoff predicted.

The Missouri River spread out into St. Joseph in 2019/Photo by Brent Martin

“The big issue for us is soil moisture,” Waters tells Missourinet affiliate KFEQ in St. Joseph. “Normally, North and South Dakota, Montana through the summer and fall, it dries out and you go into winter dry, the soil moisture is dry and then it snows, you have your spring rains, but when the soil thaws it’s hungry and it soaks up a lot of that water. There’s not any of that water that is going to be soaked up this year. So, any snow, any rainfall we have we know today that that is going to run into the river and cause river levels to be higher.”

That makes members of the Missouri Levee and Drainage District Association nervous, according to Waters.

“Membership’s very anxious about what’s going on here,” Waters says. “We’ve seen people that had their 2018 crop in a bin that was flooded and lost, weren’t able to plant a 2019 crop and now going into 2020. If they don’t get this crop in, they may be out of business.”

Waters says the only good that could come out of the widespread damage from last year’s floods is that it could finally change attitudes about how best to manage the Missouri River.

Waters perceives a shift in attitudes after the 2019 floods which wasn’t the case after either the 1993 or the 2011 floods.

“Everybody realizes we have to do something different,” according to Waters. “We went through this in 2011. We went through it in 1993 and we didn’t do a lot different. I think we’re seeing some signs and hints it’s going to be different this time so that maybe five or ten years down the road we won’t have such a problem.”

Another wrinkle has been added. The US Army Corps of Engineers is on standby to help in whatever way it can in the battle against the coronavirus. At present, the Corps doesn’t believe that will hamper continuing efforts to rebuild the levees damaged by last year’s floods. Levees in the Omaha District of the Corps of Engineers have mostly been repaired. Several levees in the Kansas City District remain damaged, making vast areas of northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas vulnerable to flooding.

By Brent Martin of Missourinet affiliate KFEQ in St. Joseph

Parson puts the brakes on $180 million in state budget spending

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Gov. Mike Parson says the coronavirus has already been hard felt in the state’s economy – more people are staying home, business operations have been limited, many people have lost their jobs and state revenue is down. During today’s press briefing, he says he is freezing $180 million in spending during the current state budget year to handle money problems created by COVID-19. Parson says the cuts will affect the Missouri Departments of Higher Education and Workforce Development, Office of Administration, Transportation, Economic Development and Natural Resources. More than $81 million will affect higher education.

Gov. Mike Parson (Photo courtesy of Governor’s Flickr page)

“Of the $180 million being restricted, I want to assure you these restrictions are absolutely necessary and they include funding for several departments, many of which are priorities of my own administration,” says Parson. “While we still do not know the true impact of COVID-19 on the economy, we do know that we do have to act now. Between now and June 31, we’re estimating an over $500 million shortfall.”

Parson says additional budget restrictions could be ahead, depending on how big of a financial blow the coronavirus has on the state’s cashflow. The state is required by Constitution to pass a balanced budget.

“COVID-19 has had serious impacts on our anticipated economic growth,” says Parson. “Now, we are expecting significant revenue declines – some of which may be larger than those experienced during the Great Recession.”

But he says he’s hopeful that $315 million in federal money could help to offset some of the money problems.

The governor touted his $100 million emergency fund created for the current budget year, but he did not say whether he’s dipping into that account to offset some of the expenses that come with COVID-19.

State Budget Director Dan Haug (Photo courtesy of the Governor’s Flickr page)

State Budget Director Dan Haug says he expects the state’s piggy bank to deal with the respiratory disease’s fallout for a while.

“I do think that this is going to effect our state budget, not only here in FY 2020 which ends June 30, but I think it will affect our budget all of fiscal year 2021, which goes through next June 30, 2021. So we think this will be an issue we’ll be dealing with in the budget at least through FY 2021, maybe even a little bit longer than that,” says Haug.

The governor also says the judicial branch and the Secretary of State’s office have worked to find savings in their own budgets. Beth Riggert with the Missouri Supreme Court says the judiciary was asked to forego about $3.47 million from fourth-quarter general revenue transfers into two funds: $2,995,616 from the treatment courts coordinating fund and $474,559 from the judicial education training fund. The commissions that oversee each of those funds – the Treatment Courts Coordinating Commission and the Coordinating Commission for Judicial Department Education – agreed.

Missouri Secretary of State spokesperson Maura Browning says the office has found $1.35 million in withholds, including $1 million in election costs excess after finetuning anticipated reimbursements to local election authorities for the presidential primary. Another $100,000 in operating expenses and $250,000 in advertising of Missouri’s voter ID were also restricted.

To view the full list of withholds, click here.

Missouri Supreme Court extends suspension again for all state courts, now through May 1

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The Supreme Court of Missouri has further extended its statewide suspension of most in-person proceedings through Friday, May 1 and subject to
certain listed exceptions for urgent matters required under the constitution or state law or necessary to protect health or safety.

Spokesperson Beth Riggert says exceptions include “those that have a direct and immediate impact on someone’s life. For instance, there are Constitutional guarantees given to criminal defendants and juveniles facing criminal-type charges. Other cases include temporary restraining orders, emergency child protection orders, orders of protection in domestic violence cases.”

The Missouri Supreme Court

The State Supreme Court already canceled its own in-person oral arguments scheduled in April, but the cases can still be considered. The parties can decide whether they want the case submitted on the written materials, postponed or other options.

The courts can still consider or rule on any matter that does not require an in-person proceeding. The high court’s ruling does not change the deadlines required through Missouri’s electronic filing system.

Riggert says the Supreme Court has left it to local courts to conduct business abiding by CDC precautions.

Local court activities are listed here in a central website.