News

Missouri’s Nasheed: “SuperFly exemplifies everything that’s wrong within the African-American community” (AUDIO)

June 22, 2018 By Brian Hauswirth

A veteran Missouri state senator is calling on St. Louis-area residents to boycott a new movie called “SuperFly”, alleging it glorifies sex, murder and drug dealing.

State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed speaks at the Missouri Capitol on January 23, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Missouri Senate photographer Harrison Sweazea]

State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, the Senate Minority Caucus Whip, led a protest Friday afternoon outside the Chase Park Plaza Cinemas in St. Louis.

“The last thing we need in our city is a movie perpetuating and glorifying again, drugs, gangs and violence,” Nasheed says.

Senator Nasheed is calling on the theatre to remove the film and she’s urging young people to watch movies that will give them a sense of hope and pride.

She says people should be working to end violence in the Gateway City, not glorifying it.

“SuperFly exemplifies everything that’s wrong within the African-American community,” says Nasheed. “And so what we’re saying is enough is enough.”

Nasheed and some clergy members involved with the “Concerned Citizens Coalition” led Friday’s protest outside the theatre, which is located at Lindell and Kingshighway in the Central West End.

“When I turn on the news (in St. Louis) I hear a story about a young man or a young woman that was gunned down in the streets of the city of St. Louis, and we have a gang problem that no one’s really paying attention to,” Nasheed says.

St. Louis Police spokeswoman Schron Jackson tells Missourinet there were 205 homicides in St. Louis in 2017, and there were 188 in 2016.

The Chase Park Plaza Cinemas management team has not responded to Missourinet’s request for comment yet.

The theatre website indicates “SuperFly” is being shown five times a day at the Chase Park Plaza Cinemas.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet news director Brian Hauswirth and State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, which was recorded on June 22, 2018:

Pride to stretch far and wide this weekend in St. Louis

June 22, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

PrideFest parade

In an increasingly polarized day and age, Pride St. Louis Vice President Marty Zuniga says seeing more than 300,000 of his closest gay friends and allies in downtown St. Louis is heartwarming. The city is expected to double in population this weekend for the 39th annual PrideFest to support the LGBT community.

“I always get goose bumps at the end of each day when our big headliners take the stage and you stand there and look out over the crowd,” he says. “All you see are people dancing, hugging and sometimes there’s tears but it’s tears of joy. We’re allowing people to be who they are and celebrate themselves.”

Zuniga, who is in his eighth year of organizing the event with many other volunteers, says they expect a record turnout and a record 160 entries for Sunday’s parade.

“For someone who may not be comfortable in their own home, for someone who may not know who are struggling with coming out, knows that this is a time and place where they can come and be with 300,000 of their closest friends who won’t judge them for who they are, how they look or what they want to wear. That’s why I do this,” he says.

Photos courtesy of Pride St. Louis

PrideFest will include live music, activities for the whole family and its ever-so-popular parade at noon on Sunday. Zuniga says a $5 donation is encouraged but not required.

Donations will help the organization cover the costs of the festival and its Pride Center. The site provides services for LGBT individuals like counseling, a computer lab, a library, clothing, a food pantry and more.

“We provide scholarships throughout the year. We provide teaching seminars to the community. We are more than just a festival,” he says. “This may be our largest event of the year but Pride St. Louis carries on our mission year round.”

The event is rain or shine from 11-7 p.m. on Saturday and 11-6 p.m. on Sunday

UPDATE: Suspect information released in Kansas City teen’s disappearance

June 22, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

Based on further investigation today, Kansas City police can no longer confirm that a 15-year-old girl was abducted on Thursday. An AMBER Alert has been cancelled for Brajean Sledge of Kansas City.

Authorities continue to be very concerned about Sledge’s safety and she is still considered missing and endangered. Police continue to actively look for her.

Sledge is believed to be in the company of Anthony King. He is a person of interest in several crimes stemming from Sledge’s disappearance.

Sledge is described as a black female, age 15, hgt 5’08”, 125 lbs, with black hair and a blonde weave, brown eyes, last seen wearing a white V-neck shirt and dark pants.

King is described as a black male, 18 years old, 5’ 08” 140 pounds. He was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt. (Pictured with Sledge in attached picture).

If anyone sees the child, suspect, associate, or has information related to the incident, dial 911.

Business environmental coalition bullish on clean energy in Missouri

June 22, 2018 By Jason Taylor

A group that backs clean energy says Missouri has seen a 5% increase in green jobs over the past two years.

Business environmental coalition bullish on clean energy in Missouri

Environmental Entrepreneurs is a coalition of business owners and investors focused on the environment and the economy. Its Clean Jobs Midwest report provides a breakdown of clean energy across a 12-state region – Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Tony Wyche, the Missouri based consultant for Environmental Entrepreneurs, says the Show-Me state performs well among its peers in the Midwest.

“Missouri has actually, usually been fairly high among Midwest states for our rate of job growth,” says Wyche. “We’re actually seeing a lot of new generation and energy efficiency job that have been created in the state.”

According to the report, Missouri has 55,251 clean energy jobs. About 72.5% of those positions are in the energy efficiency sector, which includes contractors who handle heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and system technicians.

Advanced transportation is the state’s second-biggest sector for clean jobs, providing 9,806 positions, accounting for 18% of the state’s total.

The advanced transportation industry includes hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles, plus those that are powered by fuel cells or alternative fuels. Missouri’s advanced transportation sector grew faster than any other state in the Midwest.

Renewable energy generation jobs also grew quickly, increasing 14.5% in the state, although the sector accounts for only 6.7% of the clean energy positions.

Missouri is particularly dependent on coal which fueled 81% of its electricity generation in 2017. Also, more coal is consumed for electricity generation in Missouri than in all but two other states.

In addition, a massive wind energy transmission line that would run through the state, the Grain Belt Express, is tied up in litigation in the courts.

According to Wyche, the construction and maintenance of the Grain Belt project would help boost renewable energy job numbers, as would the 39 cities in the state that have committed to purchasing wind power that would be passing through. Those communities include Columbia, Rolla, and Hannibal.

Springfield is in the process of acquiring 30% of its power from wind that’s coming from wind farms in Oklahoma.

But Wyche claims clean energy generation is actually growing very rapidly in the state, particularly in rural economies.

“What we’re seeing is that 99% of all wind generation, wind energy generation, comes from rural areas,” says Wyche. “And here in Missouri, the wind farms that we have are all in rural parts of the state in northwest and northeast Missouri.”

Even with the increase in clean power generation coming from rural areas, the coop power companies that largely provide electric energy to the low population areas are still 80% dependent on coal-fired plants.

Still, according to the report from Environmental Entrepreneurs, renewable energy generation is the third largest clean energy job sector in Missouri with 3,707 jobs. And like the rest of the 11 state Midwest region, Missouri renewable energy generation jobs grew the fastest of any sector, expanding by nearly 15% between 2015 and 2016 and adding 470 jobs.

Wyche thinks rural areas stand to benefits from the expansion of clean energy and believes elected office holders will play a key role in how it unfolds.

“Policymakers in Jefferson City and Washington D.C. need to remain committed to investment in policies that benefit rural Missouri and rural America through investment in green energy technology and energy efficiency.”

Wyche says two key federal programs support the development of clean energy in rural communities – the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Energy Assistance Program and the same agency’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program.

Environmental Entrepreneurs was founded in 2000 and is a partner of the Natural Resources Defense Council, which is a non-profit international environmental advocacy group.

AMBER Alert issued for Kansas City teen

June 22, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

Brajean Sledge

A dual-state AMBER Alert has been issued in response to a reported abduction in Kansas City on Thursday of 15-year-old Brajean Sledge. The suspected kidnapping, which appears to be random, stems from a shooting reported around 5 p.m. Thursday at 2711 Elmwood.

According to police spokesman Jacob Becchina, the victim’s grandfather heard a loud noise and discovered an unknown man standing in the home on Elmwood. The grandfather told police the suspect might have been shot. Moments later, the suspect disappeared, along with Sledge and a family vehicle.

The getaway car was found abandoned this morning in south Kansas City. Detectives are actively canvassing for witnesses and Crime Scene officials are processing the vehicle for possible evidence.

Updated information has prompted law enforcement to issue the alert for both Missouri and Kansas.

Sledge is described as a black female, age 15, hgt 5’08”, 125 lbs, with black hair and a blonde weave, brown eyes, last seen wearing a white V-neck shirt and dark pants.

The possible suspect is described as a black male, hgt 5’7”, 18-20 years old, last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt. The suspect should be considered armed and dangerous.

If anyone sees the child, suspect, associate, or has information related to the Amber Alert, dial 911 to contact the nearest law enforcement agency or call the Kansas City Police Department at 816-234-5000.

Missourinet 7 a.m. News 6-22-2018

June 22, 2018 By Jason Taylor

Top Stories: KMBC-TV in Kansas City reports former Missouri Democratic Secretary of State Jason Kander is running for mayor of the city and will make it official next week. Kander is an Army veteran who served two terms in the Missouri House and narrowly lost the 2016 U.S. Senate race against Republican Roy Blunt. And University of Missouri basketball forward Michael Porter Jr. was the last selection in the lottery portion of the NBA draft last night. Porter was slated to go higher by some experts but fell to number 14 to the Denver Nuggets amid injury concerns about his back.

Missouri brick and mortar stores happy with U.S. Supreme Court decision

June 22, 2018 By Missourinet Contributor

If you shop online, you may notice something extra when you check out. The United States Supreme Court made the decision for states to be able to charge online sales tax in a 5 to 4 ruling Thursday.

U.S. Supreme Court (courtesy; Wikimedia commons)

Business owners are happy with the decision, saying it’s long overdue.

“I’m surprised this decision wouldn’t have been made a decade ago, I mean to me it’s a no-brainer,” says Joseph Gidman, co-owner of Tea and Spice Market in southwest Missouri’s Springfield.

Gidman is reacting to online retailers that have been dodging sales tax for years.

“It has been a very unfair advantage that the online community gets these breaks and so many people have gone to online then the responsibility to collect sales tax and fuel the local government has been put on the brick and mortars that are already hurting. It’s nice to have the playing field leveled,” says Gidman.

The ruling overturned a 1992 Supreme Court precedent that had barred states from requiring online businesses with no physical presence in that state to collect sales tax.

Although it’s still unclear exactly what the decision means for our local economy, Greene County Commissioner, Harold Bengsch says it could have a positive impact here in Missouri.

“We think it is a good thing because these are tax monies that were escaping from Missouri that should have been received by Missouri and that now has been addressed by the Supreme Court so in that regard, I think it’s a good thing,” says Bengsch.

Tea and Spice Market’s Gidman thinks consumers will benefit from a more level playing field.

“A lot of people may go online to order teas and spices just because it’s cheaper, but if they realize there’s not going to be a cost difference then they can come out and actually smell the spices and taste the teas,” says Gidman.

According to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Kennedy, last year e-commerce retail sales alone were estimated at $450 billion.

Missourinet media partner KOLR-TV contributed this story

UM System President emphasizes jobs, research and health care with governor (AUDIO)

June 22, 2018 By Brian Hauswirth

The UM System President says Governor Mike Parson (R) is committed to Missouri and to public higher education.

UM System President Dr. Mun Choi

System President Dr. Mun Choi accompanied Parson during the governor’s recent tour of the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Choi says he and his team had a great conversation with the governor about the value the System can provide for economic development and workforce infrastructure.

“But most importantly, how we leverage the educational research into opportunities to create new businesses right here in Columbia in areas in which we can save lives,” Dr. Choi says.

He’s referring to areas like cancer and cardiovascular disease.

President Choi has said that the UM System is working to train more doctors, dentists, engineers and pharmacists in the state.

Dr. Choi says Governor Parson reached out to his office, before last week’s tour at Mizzou.

“Which goes to show that he sees the value of our university, but we have to be now accountable, we can’t take that for granted,” says Choi. “We have to really deliver on our promises of creating excellence in everything that we do.”

Dr. Choi told the governor that the UM System and its four campuses have a $5.4 billion impact on the state, and that 61,000 people have jobs either directly or indirectly because of the university system.

Governor Parson says businesses must be involved in partnerships with colleges and universities.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and UM System President Dr. Mun Choi, which was recorded at the University of Missouri-Columbia campus on June 13, 2018:

Missouri Governor Parson meets with President Trump

June 22, 2018 By Missourinet Contributor

Governor Parson met with cabinet members on Capitol Hill yesterday, as well as President Donald Trump. The governor said building relationships is the key to success.

He addressed the opioid problem, workforce development, and infrastructure while in the nation’s capital.

“We just can’t keep kicking the can down the road as far as infrastructure goes. We really have to step up ourselves and I think that’s what we’re supposed to be doing as Missourians – to try to take care of our own problems as we can and this is an opportunity to do it. So, hopefully, the people will understand that and I hope they support it,” Parson said.

Currently, the federal government contributes roughly 80% of the cost of most road improvements in Missouri.

Parson also commented on how Missouri will continue to help with the ongoing border patrol situation, saying Missouri will continue to provide resources for the sole purpose of securing the border.

The Republican governor’s statement differs from several Democratic governors in other states who have refused to accept children separated from their parents at the southern border.

The policy of separating family members from President Trump’s administration was ended Wednesday when the President signed an executive order.

Missourinet media partner KOLR-TV supplied much of the content in this story

Southeast Missouri nail company gets hammered by Trump’s tariffs

June 22, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

President Trump’s tariff on steel imports that took effect June 1 has caused a southeast Missouri nail manufacturer to lose about 50% of its business in two weeks. Mid Continent Nail Corporation in Poplar Bluff – the remaining major nail producer in the country – has had to take drastic measures to make ends meet. The company employing 500 people earlier this month has laid off 60 temporary workers. It could slash 200 more jobs by the end of July and be out of business around Labor Day.

Photo courtesy of Mid Continent Nail Corp.

During a Finance Committee hearing this week on Capitol Hill, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, sounded the alarm about the company going downhill and fast.

Mid Continent is one of the largest employers in Butler County and the second largest manufacturer in Poplar Bluff. If push comes to shove, slicing the remaining 440 jobs that pay an average of $12.50 an hour would add to the Bootheel’s struggling reputation marked by several of the poorest counties in the state.

Mid Continent is owned by Mexico-based Deacero. The parent company produces steel and ships the material to its Poplar Bluff plant. Spokesperson Elizabeth Heaton tells Missourinet Deacero is being hit with the 25% tariff for importing steel to its own company.

The manufacturer’s existence in Missouri is riding on whether the federal government will grant a tariff exemption on the steel wire it gets from Mexico. The U.S. Commerce Department is holding the fate of several American companies in its hands. The agency is dealing with a backlog from its more than 20,000 exemption requests.

“Something would have to happen very fast, within days in order for us to know that things were going to improve. We’re hoping that this could get pushed through very quickly,” Heaton says.

The company has also requested a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Heaton says.

“There are only about 15 of these companies left and Mid Continent produces about 50% of the nails out of those 15. If you could imagine, if it were to go out of business and that is of course worse case scenario, we want to do everything that we can to make sure that does not happen, that would be a huge blow to that segment of the industry. It’s a big deal, not just for Missouri and for the economy there, but for the whole industry.”

Heaton says the company is currently focused on trying to keep the Missouri plant open and does not believe there have been discussions on whether to move the Poplar Bluff operation to Mexico.