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Top Stories: Protesting in downtown St. Louis last night caused several traffic problems. And Richmond Heights State Rep. Stacey Newman says “police riot” tactics being used during peaceful protests in the St. Louis area are unacceptable. Newman and area faith leaders say a tactic used by some officers to surround individuals and box them into a dead end is dangerous.
Missouri’s largest utility has announced a major expansion of its renewable power generation to serve customers.
The investor owned company Monday said its dramatically increasing the amount of wind and solar generation to provide cost-effective and sustainable energy.
It plans to add 700 megawatts of wind generation by 2020 at a cost of roughly $1 billion. The utility claims even more wind generation is possible in the next few years because of improving technology and economics.
Ajay Arora, Ameren’s vice president for environmental services and generation resource planning, says higher towers and longer blades have made it possible for wind turbines to be situated in more locations. “With the new technology, we are able to access locations that had lower wind speeds that weren’t quite as affordable as they are now,” said Arora.
Ameren also says it’s adding 100 megawatts of solar generation over the next 10 years which is expected to be developed in multiple phases.
Arora says solar panels could be installed at major facilities such as a stadium, or in fields similar to wind farms. “We’ll plan for the most reliable and affordable combination of distributors and customer premises (for) solar, as well as the larger utility scale (for) solar that may be further out, similar to a wind farm.”
Earlier this year, Ameren announced plans to build a solar generation facility at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. That facility is expected to be complete in 2018.
The utility also says it’s establishing a goal of reducing its carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050 from the 2005 level. According to Arora, this will require all coal fired power plants to be retired between now and then. “So essentially half of our coal fired generation will be retired in the next 20 years, and all it by 2050.”
The Sioux Plant near West Alton is targeted to be retired by Ameren Missouri in 2034
Ameren has announced its intention to shudder two coal fired facilities – the Meramec Power Station near St. Louis in 2022, and the Sioux Power Plant near West Alton in 2034. Phasing out coal will require the use of other sources, such as future battery storage technology, to offset periods when renewables aren’t producing adequate power.
Ameren Missouri President Michael Moehn claims the reduction in carbon emissions is a trend setting move in the industry. “We are the first investor-owned utility in the state, and among the first in the country, to announce a carbon emissions goal of this magnitude,” Moehn said.
The Sierra Club, a prominent environmental group, gives Ameren’s announcement qualified approval. Andy Knott with the Sierra Club’s Missouri Chapter says it’s a positive shift toward renewable energy, but calls the rate of adoption and carbon reduction goals sluggish compared to other utilities.
“By 2020, Ameren would still be at only eight percent clean energy, while other utilities like Kansas City Power & Light are already more than double that,” said Knott. “And next year, city utilities in Springfield, Missouri will be at more than triple what Ameren in proposing.”
Ameren claims it’s bumping up its renewable power generation from five to fifteen percent. Knott notes Ameren is calculating percentages based on megawatt hours actually used, versus the Sierra Club’s assessment based on total capacity of power generation.
He says the utility’s goal simply meets the Missouri Clean Energy Act, also known as Proposition C, which was passed by voters in 2008. “They probably are at 5% now because that’s what the state renewable energy standard is. And they’ll have to get to 15% by 2021, because that’s where the state renewable energy standard is.”
Knott thinks Ameren’s own research likely indicates wind is now the cheapest form of energy production. “They’ve obviously run the models. And they even say this in their press release, that clean energy is the cheapest moving ahead.”
With 1.2 million electric customers, Ameren is well over twice the size of the state’s second largest investor owned power supplier, Kansas City Power & Light, which has roughly 590,000. Empire District in the state’s southwest corridor serves 168,000 customers.
Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI), which is the non-profit cooperatives in Missouri, generate power for 875,000 customers.
The State Highway Patrol says there were 158 traffic crashes in Missouri involving farm equipment in 2016.
Highway Patrol Captain John Hotz says three people were killed in those crashes, and that 62 more were injured.
“We know that farming is Missouri’s number one industry and we know that there will be a lot of tractors and a lot of trucks and things like that getting those crops out of the field,” Hotz says.
The Department of Agriculture says ag is an $88 billion industry in Missouri, making it the state’s top industry.
Captain Hotz is urging you to slow down and to be patient, when you drive up behind tractors or other farm machinery. He says motorists should expect heavier farm machinery traffic, as farmers harvest their crops.
Hotz also warns about distracted driving.
“A lot of times farm equipment is traveling at a slower rate of speed and so they’re (other motorists) not paying attention and they overtake and strike these vehicles very quickly,” says Hotz.
Hotz reminds farmers and ranchers to make sure any farm equipment being driven on Missouri roads is properly marked with lights.
He says many crashes happen when motorists try to pass farm vehicles on hills or curves. Hotz says collisions also frequently happen when a driver tries to pass a left-turning farm vehicle.
A group of St. Louis area faith and elected leaders is outraged by reports of individuals being injured, some body-slammed, by police during Saturday protests. Demonstrators and customers were among at least 22 arrested at the St. Louis Galleria Mall.
St. Louis area faith, elected leaders outraged by reported police brutality during Saturday protests
Ongoing demonstrations have occurred in the St. Louis region since a judge’s ruling earlier this month acquitting Jason Stockley of first-degree murder in the death of Anthony Lamar Smith. Stockley, who is white, shot to death Smith, who was African-American, during a 2011 police chase.
Galleria Mall management asked that all of the protesters be removed on Saturday. Police ordered them to leave. Those who allegedly did not follow those demands were arrested.
A photo has circulated online of one of the individuals arrested. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch photographer captured a photo of a 13-year-old boy being held down at the mall by law enforcement. Distraught family members were trying to help the boy. He was later released to his parents.
A St. Louis County Police Department officer was transported to a local hospital for a back injury.
More than 100 protesters also gathered outside America’s Center in downtown St. Louis. No one was arrested.
Among the group speaking out about the actions of officers involved in the protests include State Rep. Stacey Newman, D-Richmond Heights, St. Louis County Councilwoman Rochelle Walton Gray, D, Rev. Karen Anderson – Ward Chapel AME Church and Board Chair of Metropolitan Congregations United; Rev. Cassandra Gould – E.D. of Missouri Faith Voices and Religious Affairs Chair, Missouri NAACP; Rev. Steven Shepard – St. Peters AME Church; Rabbi Susan Talve – Central Reform Congregation.
Rep. Newman says “police riot” tactics during peaceful protests are unacceptable.
“The violence was from the police and that should alarm every single one of us,” says Newman. “That’s why we intend to investigate until we get these answers.”
The group wants investigations by the St. Louis County Councils, U.S. Department of Justice and Missouri Legislature.
“We need to be focusing on unity. We have to stand up against these extreme police tactics,” says Newman. “They need to know that this is not acceptable. This is not anti-law enforcement, but it’s holding them accountable for some of these tactics that are being used.”
Newman says some individuals were denied their medication and access to their attorneys while in jail. Some of those jailed are expected to file lawsuits.
Missourinet has requested a response from the St. Louis County police department.
The merger between Springfield-based Bass Pro Shops and Nebraska-based Cabela’s is official.
Bass Pro Shops – Image courtesy of Bass Pro Shops
The latest round of regulatory approval happened earlier this month. Bass Pro’s official filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission happened today.
Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO Johnny Morris issued a statement today about the merger, in a news release.
“We are excited to unite these iconic American brands to better serve our loyal customers and fellow outdoor enthusiasts,” Morris says. “As we move forward, we are committed to retaining everything customers love about both Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s by creating a ‘best-of-the-best’ experience that includes the superior products, outstanding customer service and exceptional value our customers have come to expect. We’re also deeply motivated by the potential to significantly advance key conservation initiatives.”
Morris just opened the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield last week. Former Presidents George W. Bush (R) and Jimmy Carter (D) and actor Kevin Costner were among those in attendance.
Johnny Morris founded Bass Pro Shops in 1972, in the back of his father’s Greene County liquor store. Cabela’s started in 1961, when Dick, Mary and Jim Cabela began a mail order service for outdoor products around their Nebraska kitchen table.
Today, Bass Pro Shops is the top national retailer of outdoor gear and apparel, with more than 100 retail and marine center locations across North America.
The Bass Pro website says the stores draw more than 120-million visitors annually.
Bass Pro Shops has six Missouri stores, including its Springfield headquarters. The other five stores are located in Springfield (near the headquarters), Branson, Columbia, Independence and St. Charles.
Cabela’s has one Missouri location, at the St. Louis Mills Mall in Hazelwood. That’s in north St. Louis County.
The Hazelwood Cabela’s has a 130,000 square foot showroom.
The Missouri Supreme Court will hear a case Tuesday in Jefferson City involving ownership of the former St. Louis Rams practice facility in Earth City.
Former fans of the St. Louis Rams football team, leave memorabilia hanging on a fence at the teams practice facility in Earth City, Missouri, one day after it was announced that the football team will relocate to Los Angeles on January 13, 2016. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
A lease agreement with the Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority allows the football team to purchase the premises for one dollar in 2024.
The Authority filed a petition asking a judge to declare the purchase option inoperable in March of last year. The following month the Rams filed an arbitration demand seeking a declaration that the option is valid, signaling an ownership interest by the team.
The Judge, Michael D. Burton of the Circuit Court of St. Louis County, denied a motion by the Authority to have the arbitration stayed. His decision was then overturned by the Court of Appeals for Eastern Missouri in St. Louis.
Before the Supreme Court, the Authority contends that an arbitration agreement in the original lease is invalid because the lease itself allows the Rams to take monetary claims to court while it prohibits the Authority from doing so.
The Authority is also arguing that if the high bench determines the arbitration agreement is valid, then it doesn’t apply to its petition to declare the purchase option inoperable. Judge Burton stands by his decision to move the issue before an arbitration panel.
The facility, previously known as Rams Park, is 300,000 square feet, It was vacated when the St. Louis Rams relocated to Los Angeles in January of 2016.
The sports authority, which also owns the Dome at America’s Center, formerly known as the Edward Jones Dome, leased the Earth City facility to the football team for $25,000 a year.
The one-dollar purchase arrangement was a bargaining chip in swaying the Rams to move to St. Louis in 1995.
The ongoing court action indicates the Rams want an ownership stake in the practice facility.
In June 2016, sports authority chairman James Shrewsbury told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch “They want it because it’s worth a lot of money. It’s a valuable asset.”
Top Stories: Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt has issued a statement after President Donald Trump targeted the NFL in a series of heated comments over the weekend. Hunt released a statement Sunday, saying he believes in honoring the American Flag – and also supporting those who made the sacrifices to protect our freedoms – including the right to a differing opinion. And health care providers in Missouri are worried about funding for several key programs as Congress closes in on a September 30th deadline to renew them. Among them are Low Volume facilities which treat small quantities of people that are highly dependent on Medicare.
Missouri health care providers are concerned about federal funding for several key programs as Congress closes in on a September 30th deadline to renew them.
Photo courtesy of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Three of them deal with reimbursements to hospitals. They include funding for Medicare dependent and low volume hospitals, as well as those that handle an especially large number of uninsured people who are unable to pay for care. Providers or also concerned about renewal of a coverage program known as the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.
All four of the programs are bipartisan in nature, but are being delayed while the U.S. Senate considers legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Providers who handle the biggest share of uninsured people receive funding from the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program. The subsidy dates to the Reagan administration in 1987.
The ACA called for the program to be downsized under the assumption the expenses would be offset by additional Medicaid coverage and participation in the health exchanges.
State such as Missouri that haven’t expanded Medicaid would take a major hit to their DSH funding. Those cuts have been delayed numerous times by Congress, but there’s no framework to stop them now.
Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City is the state’s largest provider of care for low-income uninsured people, with 25% percent of its patients having no means to pay.
President and CEO Charlie Shields says his hospital will lose a big chunk of funding if the scheduled DSH cuts are implemented. “We estimate next year that’s $14.4 million that we lose,” said Shields. “And when I say lose, it’s not the hospital losing money. It’s care that we provide for the uninsured that becomes increasingly more challenging under this scenario.”
Missouri would stand to lose $2.2 billion by 2025 if all the scheduled cuts take place without any measures to offset them. Texas is one of the other 18 states in addition to Missouri that hasn’t expanded Medicaid. Shields thinks, given the hardships brought on by Hurricane Harvey, there may be room for Texas and Missouri lawmakers to work together to secure DSH funding.
“I think we anticipate them receiving more levels of people at hospitals that lack insurance. Our hope is that states like Texas will partner with states like Missouri, and our legislative delegations will work to find a resolution on this.”
Also of concern heading up to the September 30th deadline are two sources of reimbursement that rural providers tend to rely on – the Medicare Dependent and Low Volume Hospital systems.
Low Volume facilities treat small quantities of people that are highly dependent on Medicare. Dave Dillon with the Missouri Hospital Association says those hospitals feel the squeeze because they deal with fewer people who have more medical complications.
“The patients in rural communities tend to be older, they tend to be sicker,” said Dillon. “So, Medicare as a payer is more important to rural hospitals than it is to urban hospitals, because they have a lower volume of patients, and they have Medicare as a primary payer more often.”
The Medicare Dependent Hospital program assists hospitals with a high volume of patients – more than 60% – who fall under the federal program. Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City is the biggest beneficiary this subsidy in the state.
Capitol Region spokesperson Lindsay Huhman says a sudden loss of funding would leave the hospital with a shortage of $3 million, and services would have to be cut somewhere. “If we have to look at other areas to make up those costs, that’s potentially reducing some of the care that we can provide.” 22 hospitals in Missouri receive either Medicare Dependent or Low Volume funding. Eight qualify for Medicare Dependent subsidies.
Chip Hahn of the Federation of American Hospitals says because such facilities are concentrated in rural communities, they have an outsized economic impact. “It’s one of the defining resources in the community,” Kahn said. “Obviously people depend on it for their healthcare, but it usually is the largest employer.”
The Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, enjoys strong bipartisan support. It’s thought that the other three that face an end of the month deadline could be bundled together with CHIP and renewed together. In 2015, the Medicare Dependent or Low Volume programs were extended under such an arrangement.
CHIP was created by Congress in 1997 to provide health coverage for uninsured children in moderate – to low – income working families who are not eligible for Medicaid. Dillon, with the Missouri Hospital Association, says the popular program is important to maintain for a number of reasons.
“It provides access to folks who otherwise wouldn’t have health insurance for their children – access to well care for young kids, to vaccinations and preventive care that are really important for young children.”
If the four expiring programs are not renewed by September 30th, their funding will begin to dry up within a few months.
Washington County Sheriff Zach Jacobsen hopes the state will pay the nearly $66,000 it says his county is owed so that he can address things like staffing shortages, broken doors, electrical and plumbing problems. In a letter to Missouri counties, the state Corrections Department says funding and an invoicing backlog have led to $19 million in delayed payments to counties for jailing inmates who end up going to prison.
Washington Co Jail
Missouri refunds counties a part of an inmate’s entire local jail stay if that offender goes to state prison – making Missouri unique among most or all other states.
Jacobsen, like most of his Missouri colleagues, face tight budgets, jail overcrowding, aging facilities and not enough staff. As a result, priorities have suffered. Fewer deputies are patrolling the 762 miles of roadway that his department covers.
“We’ve cut every cost we can, in order to provide the best patrols in the county that we can. But something at some point has to give,” Jacobsen said during an interview with Missourinet.
Safety hazards can be found around the building. With the right trick, some cell doors won’t lock or won’t stay locked. Some doors do the exact opposite: it takes a while to get them to open.
“When you’re literally dealing with a budget that is so thin, there’s not room for these issues,” said Jacobsen.
His 26-bed facility can often be found with about twice the number of inmates than beds, sometimes more. Jail officials do not have the ability to separate low-level offenders from violent offenders.
It also has leaky pipes and other plumbing issues that have created black mold. In a 124-year-old complex that already lacks space, the mold is so bad in some rooms that they can’t be used for their original purpose. Mold in an evidence room requires staff to enter the area with a mask on.
“I feel that the prisoners should not have to live with that,” said Jacobsen. “They’re still humans. Even if they’ve been convicted of a crime, they still deserve a clean and sanitary place to stay. If I can’t give them a safe environment, then I’m failing.”
According to Jacobsen, state statute says inmates can sue the sheriff for things like overcrowding or safety issues, not the county commission. He says he’s publicly addressed the jail’s problems many times. Jacobsen has lobbied for a tax increase to pay for a new jail, but the effort failed.
When the state pays up, Jacobsen emphasizes that the money will help but it won’t solve all of the problems he faces.
“There’s not an easy solution here. It’s not a fix all. This is not a Washington County problem,” he said. “This is a state of Missouri problem. This is a United States problem.”
The going rate for the state fiscal year’s county jail reimbursement is $22.58 per day. The figure fluctuates mildly from year to year depending on what the Missouri Legislature and governor approve.
The daily payout might make a dent but it does not cover the jails’ entire daily inmate housing costs. Taxpayers in those counties must cover the rest of the bill.
Current state law does not appear to outline a specific deadline as to when Missouri must pay its board bills by. The department says it has added two staff members to audit invoices.
Of the state’s 114 counties and the City of St. Louis, here’s a list of how much the state says it owes in jail reimbursements.
Governor Eric Greitens, R, will leave today for a trade mission to China and South Korea – his first since the outsider took office in January. The trip will include meetings with government officials, business executives, and civic and educational partners in Beijing, Shanghai, and Seoul.
First Lady Sheena Greitens, who is a Mizzou professor on East Asian security and democracy/dictatorship, will also be going on the trip.
Greitens’ prepares for first trade mission
The Governor says they have chosen Asia for their first trade mission because of the great opportunity that the state of Missouri has in the Asia-Pacific to increase trade, promote job-creating business growth, attract investment to Missouri, and create educational and cultural ties.
“Our goal is to sell more Missouri products around the world, attract more investment in Missouri’s economy, and create more quality jobs for Missouri families,” says Gov. Greitens.
China and South Korea are two of Missouri’s largest manufacturing export destinations today, and there is tremendous growth potential for Missouri in Asian markets.
