Politics & Govt Archives

Southeast Missouri could see severe weather Saturday; snow expected in far northwest Missouri (AUDIO)

February 22, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis says strong to severe thunderstorms are possible Saturday and Saturday night across parts of southeast Missouri.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis says severe storms and isolated tornadoes are possible in southeast Missouri on February 23, 2019 (map courtesy of NWS St. Louis Twitter)

NWS meteorologist Melissa Byrd expects wind gusts of close to 40 miles per hour in places.

“As far as any kind of severe weather, we could see some isolated strong to severe storms tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon and tomorrow evening, especially over portions of southeast Missouri and southern Illinois,” Byrd says.

Towns like Cape Girardeau, Dexter, Farmington, Perryville and Sikeston could see storms Saturday, and Byrd says isolated tornadoes are possible.

She says the thunderstorms are expected to develop, when the atmosphere destabilizes ahead of a strong cold front.

“Well we got warmer air moving into the region with a lot of moisture and instability which would help to generate thunderstorms,” says Byrd.

Meantime, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill says motorists traveling in far northwest Missouri could see slick roads and some blowing snow on Saturday, northwest of I-35.

The NWS says heavier snowfall is expected in southeast Nebraska, southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri towns like Tarkio.

NWS meteorologist Jared Leighton tells Missourinet that northwest Missouri’s Atchison County is projected to receive two to five inches of snowfall on Saturday, while other parts of far northwest Missouri could receive a dusting to two inches.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service (NWS) St. Louis meteorologist Melissa Byrd, which was recorded on February 22, 2019:

NGA partnering with SLU to address issues like poverty

February 20, 2019 By Missourinet Contributor

(Story is written by Missourinet St. Louis contributor Jill Enders)

St. Louis University and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency are using technology to address poverty and crime.

NGA geographer Becky Jones and Dr. Ness Sandoval speak on February 18, 2019 (Jill Enders photo)

St. Louis University (SLU) and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s (NGA) four-part series “Geospatial 101” explores how geospatial data is used to visualize patterns of poverty, crime and unemployment.

During the second part of the series presented on Monday at Saint Louis University, experts discussed how this data is applied to combating these social challenges. Dr. Ness Sandoval, an associate professor of Sociology at SLU, was one of the experts who spoke during the presentation.

“It’s choosing technology I would say in two ways. One is to identify spacial patterns within neighborhoods or within municipalities that are important, that we should be focusing on from a policy perspective, but second is, once you identify those patterns, being able to give the data and make it transparent to everybody.” Sandoval explains.

Back in January, St. Louis University signed a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency to establish a new relationship that will allow SLU to collaborate with the NGA on geospatial research, training and innovation initiatives.

The next presentation will address mapping health and disease. It will be held on March 4 at St. Louis University’s Salus Center Auditorium.

Snow and ice heading for much of Missouri (AUDIO)

February 19, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill and the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) are warning about possible white out conditions across parts of Missouri on Tuesday evening.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill says much of Missouri will see snow and some ice (February 19, 2019 map courtesy of NWS Twitter page)

NWS meteorologist Pamela Pietrycha says the heaviest snowfall will be in northwest Missouri, where Maryville and Bethany could see six inches.

“There will be periods of some moderate to heavy snow later this evening that will impact visibility,” Pietrycha says. “It will quickly accumulate on roads.”

The Kansas City metro is projected to receive three inches of snowfall, while Columbia and Jefferson City should receive about two inches. St. Louis and parts of southeast Missouri are also expected to receive about two inches of snow.

MoDOT says snow and freezing rain will impact the commute of many Missourians this evening, into tonight. Pietrycha says the snow is moving up from the south, which means Springfield and Joplin will see the first band of snow.

“Coming up from the south, probably 4 to 6 (p.m.) south of the Kansas City I-70 corridor,” says Pietrycha.

Snow is expected to begin falling in Kansas City, Sedalia and Jefferson City between 5 and 7 p.m., and snow will begin in far northern Missouri’s Chillicothe and Kirksville after 7 o’clock.

MoDOT is urging you to slow down and to have a full tank of gasoline, before you drive.

The NWS in Pleasant Hill says a large portion of Missouri will also receive ice during the winter storm. Pietrycha says the snow is expected to begin changing to freezing rain at around midnight, into early Wednesday morning.

“As that snow moves further to the north overnight we’ll see a gradual transition to some freezing drizzle, maybe some light freezing rain,” Pietrycha says.

Kansas City, Columbia, Jefferson City and Hannibal are just some of the towns that will see ice. The freezing rain will also impact bridges and overpasses.

MoDOT encourages anyone with questions about road conditions to call their customer service center. You can call 1-888-ASK-MODOT to speak to an operator anytime 24-7.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service meteorologist Pamela Pietrycha, which was recorded on February 19, 2019:

Winter weather has been deadly in Missouri; I-70 in Concordia has reopened

February 15, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

UPDATE: The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) says westbound I-70 at Concordia has re-opened, after being closed for more than five hours.

BRIAN’S ORIGINAL STORY IS BELOW:

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield is warning travelers that Friday evening’s commute will be difficult across the Ozarks, because roads have deteriorated from snow and ice.

The National Weather Service in Springfield is urging motorists to finish their travel as soon as possible (map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter)

NWS meteorologist Mike Albano in Springfield says Branson, Monett, Neosho and West Plains are seeing ice. Some of those areas have seen almost two-tenths of an inch of ice already.

“For people traveling along and south of the U.S. 60 corridor, we’d suggest avoid any unnecessary travel,” Albano says. “Between a tenth and two-tenths of an inch of ice certainly has its problems that it could cause out there on the roadways,” Albano says.

Snow, sleet and freezing rain continue to fall across the Ozarks this afternoon, and the NWS is urging you to complete your travel as soon as possible.

“And this is a system that’s going to be around really through the evening commute, probably not pulling out of maybe the Branson, the Springfield metropolitan areas until maybe after 6 o’clock this evening,” Albano says.

The NWS says the Warsaw and Osage Beach areas could see up to three inches of snow, by Friday evening.

Numerous Missouri school districts either canceled classes today, or dismissed early. That meant some of school buses were taking children home during the snowstorm.

Meantime, the NWS in western Missouri’s Pleasant Hill, near Kansas City, says multi-vehicle crashes have caused closures on numerous highways and interstates in the Kansas City region, across the metro and beyond.

Here are some other big stories from today’s winter storm, across the state:

** Missouri state troopers in Lee’s Summit say one person has been killed in a 15-vehicle crash today on westbound I-70, near Oak Grove. Westbound I-70 at western Missouri’s Oak Grove remains closed because of the crashes.
** Snow-covered westbound I-70 in west-central Missouri’s Concordia remains closed. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) tells Missourinet at least six or seven tractor trailers crashed there, and one of them “tore open”, spilling items onto the highway.
** Snow-covered westbound Highway 54 near the Cole-Miller County line south of Jefferson City saw a pileup involving numerous vehicles today. One listener tells us about 40 vehicles were involved, while another listener says it involved hundreds of cars.

Nikodim: The future is bright for Missouri’s pork industry (AUDIO)

February 15, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The longtime Missouri Pork Association (MPA) leader says things are good in the pork industry. MPA Executive Vice President Don Nikodim spoke to Missourinet at this week’s Pork Expo in Columbia.

The Pork Place restaurant at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia (2017 file photo courtesy of the Missouri Pork Association)

He says the future is bright for Missouri’s pork industry.

“We’re in a growth mode, we’ve been adding a considerable number of sows to the Missouri herd and we have several underway right now,” Nikodim says. “Market prices aren’t as good as we’d like them.”

Nikodim is optimistic trade deals with Mexico and China will come to fruition, saying it would help bolster their markets considerably.

More than 800 people attended Tuesday’s Pork Expo lunch, and Nikodim says they had record attendance at the dinner and breakfast. He says the trade show sold out early this year.

Nikodim also notes more than 200 Missouri youth are involved in a show pig program. A Missourinet reporter interviewing Nikodim at the Expo saw several high school students wearing FFA jackets.

Hundreds of pork producers from across Missouri heard directly from Governor Mike Parson (R) at this week’s dinner banquet. Nikodim praises the governor.

“Great guy, I mean we supported Mike ever since he first ran for the (Missouri) House (in 2004),” says Nikodim. “I mean he’s just a down-to-earth solid kind of guy, and just proud to have somebody like that in the governor’s chair.”

Governor Parson still owns and operates a cow and calf operation near southwest Missouri’s Bolivar. Nikodim also notes Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe farms. Kehoe has a family farm in Phelps County, near I-44.

Meantime, the winter weather has been impacting Missouri’s pork producers. Nikodim notes pork producers dealt with last summer’s drought, and have been dealing with snow and ice in many parts of the state.

“They deal with weather, that’s part of the reality of being in the business,” Nikodim says. “We went from dry summer to wet fall, so it’s a challenge but it’s something these guys, they’re good at,” Nikodim says.

Nikodim has noted that the pork industry contributes $1 billion annually to the state’s economy. Governor Parson says Missouri pork producers raise more than 3.4 million hogs in the state.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Missouri Pork Association (MPA) Executive Vice President Don Nikodim, which was recorded on February 12, 2019 at Columbia’s Holiday Inn Executive Center:

Winter weather advisories issued for much of Missouri; Kansas City expected to receive most snow (AUDIO)

February 14, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill has issued a winter weather advisory for Friday for large portions of of western, northwest and west-central Missouri. The NWS in Springfield has issued a winter weather advisory for all of the Ozarks, for Friday morning and afternoon.

The National Weather Service in Springfield has issued a winter weather advisory for all of the Ozarks (February 14, 2019 map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter)

NWS meteorologist Chris Gitro expects a fast-moving storm and says the Kansas City metro will likely see the highest amount of snowfall Friday.

“We’re expecting accumulations on the order of four to six inches for the Kansas City metro and surrounding areas, and by late tomorrow (Friday) afternoon and into the early evening hours the system is expected to depart pretty quickly,” Gitro says.

Snow is expected to begin falling in Kansas City at about 9 Friday morning.

Meantime, the National Weather Service in Springfield has issued a winter weather advisory for all of the Ozarks, for Friday. Lebanon, Waynesville, Warsaw, Osage Beach and the Lake of the Ozarks are expected to receive three to four inches of snow.

The NWS says Springfield is projected to receive one to two inches of snow. Most of the snow will fall across the Ozarks Friday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Gitro in the NWS’ Pleasant Hill office tells Missourinet that Columbia, Jefferson City and Sedalia are expected to receive about three inches of snow.

“It’s definitely looking like they’re going to be under the gun for some accumulating snowfall tomorrow as well,” says Gitro.

Northwest Missouri’s Chillicothe and St. Joseph could also see four to six inches, while the St. Louis region is projected to receive two inches. The NWS in St. Louis is warning motorists that Friday evening commute hazards are likely in the St. Louis region.

A light glaze of ice is expected Friday in southeast Missouri towns like Farmington, Perryville and Sikeston.

The cold front is already in northwest Missouri. The NWS tweeted Thursday afternoon at 2:45 p.m. that it was 31 degrees in St. Joseph, while it was 57 degrees in Lee’s Summit, which is a Kansas City suburb.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Gitro, which was recorded on February 14, 2019:

Another government shutdown could be in store; Blunt says negotiations have stalled

February 12, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

The federal government could be closed for business again if lawmakers in Washington don’t end a deadlock by Friday about border security funding. U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, says Democrats suddenly want to restrict how many immigrants here illegally are held in detention centers.

“Surely, we are not going to shutdown the government over that,” Blunt tells Missourinet. “That would be a major difficulty, I think, for the Democrats to try to explain why detention facilities would be the problem here. The border itself continues to be a challenge.”

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at Missouri House Communications}

Democrats say the move would force immigration officials to concentrate on dangerous immigrants.

Blunt – one of the bill’s negotiators – says President Donald Trump has given Congress until Friday to make a deal. Trump, a fellow Republican, has threatened to declare a national emergency to get federal funding for his promised additional wall at the southern border.

“I think there are places the president can get additional money and other presidents have done that,” says Blunt. “I would have real concerns declaring an emergency where the president can determine that ‘The way Congress has decided to spend the money and I’ve agreed with my signature to spend the money is not how we’re going to spend the money. We’re going to spend it on something else.’”

Blunt, who chairs the Senate Republican Policy Committee, says the move would be a “real problem” for him, even though he agrees with building additional wall.

“I don’t think an emergency is something you’ve been talking about for five or six years,” he says. “If you’ve got a problem you’ve been talking about for a long time, it’s the job of the president and the Congress to resolve that the way the U.S. Constitution says it should be resolved. I do think there are other places the president can go without that emergency declaration and I’m certainly going to try to help him find those if Congress doesn’t come up with enough money to do the job at the border that needs to be done.”

Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have been at drastic odds about border security funding since roughly December – leading to a partial shutdown around Christmas. Originally, Trump called for $5.7 billion to build additional barriers at the border.

“We’re still negotiating. We’re at no particular number right now,” says Blunt. “When you look at what could happen between now and the end of this spending year, I don’t think you could spend $5.7 billion. So, the number is going to wind up being a number lower than that.”

The federal government agencies that could be closed during another potential shutdown are unknown. The last shutdown left 800,000 workers without paychecks in agencies like the IRS, NASA, Interior, Housing & Urban Development, Agriculture, among others.

Multiple winter weather advisories issued for Missouri; snow and freezing rain expected

February 9, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

All three National Weather Service (NWS) offices in Missouri have issued winter weather advisories, with snow and freezing rain on the way.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield has issued a winter weather advisory (map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter page)

The winter weather advisories begin at midnight Sunday (tomorrow) and run through Sunday at noon.

The NWS in Pleasant Hill has issued a winter weather advisory for much of western, central and northern Missouri. The NWS says a wintry mix is expected to begin late tonight in Kansas City and St. Joseph. The northern Missouri towns of Chillicothe, Trenton and Bethany are expected to receive one to three inches of snowfall by noon Sunday, while the west-central Missouri communities of Marshall and Sedalia could see up to two inches of snow.

Northern Missouri has been slammed this winter with several large snowstorms, along with freezing temperatures. News director Tom Tingerthal at Missourinet Chillicothe affiliate KCHI (AM 1010) tells us roads are currently in good shape overall in the “Home of Sliced Bread,” but notes there are still some icy spots there.

Meantime, the National Weather Service in Springfield has issued a winter weather advisory for most of the Ozarks. The NWS in Springfield says a wintry mix is expected to begin after midnight and will start as snow/sleet, before transitioning to light freezing rain.

The Branson and West Plains areas are expected to receive about 0.10″ of ice.

Slick roads are expected across the Ozarks, and the NWS expects about one inch of snow in most areas there.

The National Weather Service in St. Louis has also issued a winter weather advisory for much of eastern and northern Missouri. The NWS says the precipitation will begin as snow late tonight in cities such as Columbia, Jefferson City, Hannibal, Moberly and Warrenton.

Snow is expected to begin falling in Columbia and Jefferson City at about midnight, and the snow is expected to change to sleet and freezing rain Sunday morning. Light accumulations of snow, sleet and ice are expected.

The snow is expected to start in the St. Louis area at about 3 a.m. Sunday.

The Columbia, Sedalia, Clinton and Lake of the Ozarks areas are also expected to receive some ice.

Tune into Saturday morning to your local Missourinet affiliate for our hourly newscasts, with updated winter weather information.

National Weather Service: straight-line winds struck southwest Missouri

February 7, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

UPDATE ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON: The National Weather Service in Springfield says its survey teams have found that the damage from yesterday’s overnight storms in southwest Missouri’s Aurora and Monett were caused by straight-line winds, not tornadoes. NWS meteorologist Megan Terry tells Missourinet the storms caused barn and roof damage. The NWS in Springfield issued at least 11 tornado warnings during the storms.

ORIGINAL STORY FROM FEBRUARY 7, 2019 IS BELOW:

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield has survey teams in southwest Missouri’s Aurora and Monett Thursday afternoon, investigating possible overnight tornadoes. The NWS in Springfield issued at least 11 tornado warnings last night, into the early-morning hours.

The National Weather Service in Springfield issued at least 11 tornado warnings on February 6-7, 2019 (map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter page)

NWS meteorologist Megan Terry says there is barn and roof damage in the Aurora and Monett areas, which are southwest of Springfield.

“We had a line of strong to severe thunderstorms move across our area and sometimes we can get little spinups on those,” Terry says.

She says there are also downed trees and power lines in and near Springfield, from the storms.

The NWS in Springfield is also warning that “black ice” is possible Thursday afternoon and evening across the Ozarks. Ms. Terry says it will get cold tonight throughout southwest Missouri.

“We expect temperatures to fall into the single digits and teens tonight, so if there’s any residual water on roads it could freeze,” says Terry.

Black ice is difficult to see and is more common on bridges and overpasses.

The NWS also says the flood watch for Springfield, Branson and West Plains has expired. Terry tells Missourinet that much of the Ozarks has seen big two-day rainfall totals.

“Over in the eastern Ozarks around Montauk State Park (near Salem) 2.88 inches, near Houston, Texas County, about 2.7 inches,” Terry says.

She says there has been flooding in low lying areas, especially near creeks and streams.

Meantime, the National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill has issued a wind chill advisory for far northern Missouri, until Friday morning at 9.

The wind chill advisory will impact the entire Highway 36 corridor and everything north, including St. Joseph, Chillicothe, Macon, Kirksville and Hannibal.

The NWS says wind chill values in those communities will be as cold as -20 degrees.

The ice storm warning issued by the NWS in Pleasant Hill has expired. The ice storm warning area included a large section of northern and western Missouri, including Chillicothe, Kansas City and Sedalia.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) met with members of his emergency management team Wednesday night at the State Emergency Management Operations Center in Jefferson City. The governor is urging you to continue to pay close attention to your local forecast.

Missouri Congressman says U.S. in ‘national emergency’, colleague says illegal immigration is not a ‘security crisis’

February 7, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue to negotiate on border security funding before the President’s deadline of February 15. If they fail to meet the mark, President Donald Trump has warned of taking matters into his own hands and using his presidential power to declare a national emergency. The move would allow him pull money from the federal budget and use the funding for extra barriers.

Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) Photo courtesy of US House of Representatives

East-central Missouri Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer agrees with President Donald Trump that the U.S. must build additional wall at the southern border.

“By giving the legislature, the Congress, another three weeks, I think it proves his point that it’s a national emergency that Congress can’t address or won’t address. Therefore, he has to. If he goes to court on this, I think it will actually strengthen his hand,” Luetkemeyer says.

Trump wants $5.7 billion to add more wall along the U.S. – Mexico border. Some Democrats want money to hire more border patrol officers, additional technology like drones to monitor border activity, ways to detect contraband in automobiles entering the U.S., among other things.

Republicans and Democrats have been so far apart on what measures they want that the gridlock led to a federal government shutdown for about five weeks beginning around Christmas.

Luetkemeyer, a Republican from St. Elizabeth, tells Missourinet affiliate KWOS in Jefferson City the country is also in a humanitarian crisis.

“Between 50 and 60% of the women and children who come across the border have been molested,” he says. “They have physically been molested. This is a true, true humanitarian problem. Why do we not want to protect our people, protect our country, protect our economy, protect our citizens from all the drugs flowing across? Why would we not want to do that? I don’t understand the mindset.”

Western Missouri Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver has a different take about Trump calling the situation a national emergency.

For the 1,000,000th time:

Illegal immigration is NOT a security crisis. Illegal border crossings are down 80% since 2001. #SOTU

— Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (@repcleaver) February 6, 2019

The U.S Customs and Border Protection says fewer than 400,000 undocumented immigrants were captured after entering the country illegally in 2018, compared to 1.6 million in 2000.

Cleaver, of Kansas City, has also cited the Drug Enforcement Administration saying most drugs come through ports of entry, not the border. During an interview last month with Neil Cavuto on Fox News, Cleaver said walls would be helpful in some locations along the border, but it’s not the only tool that should be used.

He goes on to say that many landowners along the border are against the added barrier because they want to keep their land. Cleaver anticipates the farmers and ranchers, which he says are mostly Republicans, to fight potential eminent domain.