Science / Technology Archives

Southwest Missouri voters oppose tax increase to help fund hospital

August 8, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Voters in southwestern Missouri’s Cedar County have decided not to raise property taxes to help fund an area hospital.

Southwest Missouri voters oppose tax increase to help fund hospital

Missourinet affiliate KSGF in Springfield reports Cedar County Memorial Hospital in El Dorado Springs has been operating on the same $1.15 tax levy since it opened in 1960. Tuesday’s special election ballot proposal would have raised the tax levy for the average house by around 22 cents a day, or around $80 a year.

The hospital says it’s doing its best to keep things running. It ran a deficit of $1.5 million last year.

Springfield television station KYTV reports the vice president of the Cedar County Memorial Hospital board in El Dorado Springs, Carla Griffin, says the hospital “is not in IMMINENT danger of closing,” but employee cutbacks will need to be made.

The 25-bed hospital has more than 120 employees and is the second largest employer in the county. It includes a surgery center, sleep lab and wound care clinic.

Hundreds of rural health care centers have closed nationwide over the last 5 years, including seven in Missouri.

Missourians warned of genetic testing scheme

August 1, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

The State Department of Social Services warns Missourians to be alert to fraud involving marketers offering free genetic testing to Medicare and Medicaid recipients. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General says scammers are offering cheek swabs for genetic testing to get an individual’s Medicare or Medicaid information for identify theft or fraudulent billing purposes. Fraudsters are targeting victims through telemarketing, door-to-door visits and booths at public events or health fairs.

Missourians warned of genetic testing scheme

The Department of Social Services has received reports of fraudulent genetic testing marketers contacting Missouri residents throughout the state. The scam might be a game, like bingo, with prizes or food to get residents at senior housing facilities to participate. Scammers may be in scrubs or white coats to look like health care professionals or researchers and typically ask if the individual has Medicare or Medicaid coverage.

The individual may be asked to do a short family health history questionnaire and told a genetic test can determine if they have or are susceptible to a disease or if prescribed or over-the-counter medications will have a negative impact. If the individual agrees to be tested, the scammer asks for Medicare or Medicaid numbers and uses a cheek swab to take a sample.

If you or someone you know has been solicited for cheek swab for genetic testing or has already provided one, please report it to the Missouri Medicaid Audit & Compliance (MMAC) by email at MMAC.ReportFraud@dss.mo.gov or by phone at (573) 751-3285.

Follow these tips to stay safe:
• Refuse delivery or return a genetic testing kit mailed to you unless your physician ordered it. Record the sender’s name and the date returned.
• Be suspicious of free genetic testing offers and requests for your Medicare or Medicaid number. Your personal information could be used in other fraud schemes.
• Your physician should approve any requests for genetic testing.
• Always keep your Medicare and Medicaid card numbers safe and share only with your physician.
• If you believe that you’ve been a victim of a scam, please call the Missouri Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-392-8222 or submit a complaint online at http://ago.mo.gov. Additionally, claims of Medicaid fraud can be submitted to the Attorney General’s Office by calling (800) 286-3932.
• If you suspect Medicare fraud, contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General Hotline by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS or online.

Parson praises Bayer’s decision to bring 500 new jobs to Missouri

July 17, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor announced Tuesday that Bayer will be relocating its North American Crop Science Division to the St. Louis suburb of Creve Coeur, bringing hundreds of new jobs.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson makes the Bayer announcement in Jefferson City on July 16, 2019, joined by Bayer’s Lisa Safarian (left), St. Louis County Executive Sam Page (right) and DED Director Rob Dixon (Brian Hauswirth photo)

Governor Mike Parson (R) briefed Capitol reporters at the Statehouse in Jefferson City, where he was joined by Bayer executives and other leaders.

“The salaries (for the new jobs) will average $110,000 a year, with a capital investment of over $164 million,” Parson says.

Parson also says Bayer has made a commitment to retain about 4,400 current jobs in Creve Coeur and Chesterfield, which are both in St. Louis County.

Bayer completed the acquisition of Monsanto in 2018.

The jobs announcement follows the governor’s recent trade mission to Europe. Parson says the new jobs will benefit the entire state, not just Creve Coeur.

“You know what it does, it benefits some kid in rural Missouri the opportunity to go to work for Bayer, gives them the opportunity to go to St. Louis County to be productive citizens up there,” says Parson.

Parson says it’s important for all of Missouri to do well, adding that this investment will enhance the state’s already successful ag-tech industry.

It’s unclear when the jobs will move to Creve Coeur. Bayer executives tell Missourinet some of the jobs will come from North Carolina, while others will be hired in Creve Coeur.

Parson was joined at the press conference by Bayer Commercial Operations North America President Lisa Safarian, State Department of Economic Development (DED) Director Rob Dixon and St. Louis County Executive Sam Page.

Director Dixon describes Bayer’s decision as a “monumental investment” in Missouri. Dixon tells reporters the decision also signifies Bayer’s confidence in Missouri as a place to do business.

“Missouri is the global ag-tech leader, undisputed global ag-tech leader,” Dixon says. “St. Louis County is the epicenter of our ag-tech economy.”

Dixon says Missouri is using about $37 million in incentives for the project.

Page, a former Democratic State Representative from Creve Coeur, also joined the GOP Governor, highlighting bipartisanship.

“Bayer’s investment here is a testament to St. Louis County’s talented workforce and our status as the global epicenter of plant science and agriculture technology,” says Page.

Ms. Safarian tells reporters Bayer also has a manufacturing plant in Kansas City, along with the headquarters in St. Louis.

Governor Parson says Missouri’s $88 billion agricultural industry employs more than 378,000 people.

Hawley to YouTube: Stop recommending videos of kids to pedophiles

July 10, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, says video-hosting website YouTube refuses to stop automatically recommending footage of kids to pedophiles. He wants to require such companies to change their algorithms for videos of children or face fines and prison time. Hawley’s legislation follows The New York Times reporting that YouTube’s algorithm is designed to suggest videos of children to pedophiles.

Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley

“This report was sickening, but I think what was even more sickening was YouTube’s refusal to do anything about it,” he says. “YouTube admitted that they could do something about it, they could stop auto-referring these videos of minors to pedophiles, but they chose not to do so.

During Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Hawley says YouTube is prioritizing ad revenue over children’s safety.

“Their model is that 70 percent of their traffic comes from these auto-recommended videos. In other words, there is ad revenue that would be lost if they actually took some enforcement steps here, took some steps to stop this exploitation of children,” says Hawley.

YouTube says it has banned younger kids from live streaming unless they are clearly accompanied by an adult and has disabled comments on videos with children. The company says it has strongly enforced its policies on children’s content and removed more than 800,000 videos in the first quarter of 2019 for violating those policies.

Kansas City business leaders hopeful about end to “border war” between Missouri and Kansas

June 28, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce president is praising Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) for signing legislation into law that’s aimed at ending the economic “border war” between Missouri and Kansas.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson signs SB 182 into law on June 11, 2019 at Kansas City’s Union Station (photo courtesy of Governor Parson’s office)

Joe Reardon hopes it will lead to additional regional cooperation.

“And an end to the destructive back and forth of luring of companies from one side of the state line to the other, with no creation of net new jobs,” Reardon says.

The bill impacts companies moving between three Kansas counties and Missouri’s Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte counties. The Missouri law will only take effect if the Sunflower State passes a reciprocal agreement.

Reardon, who spoke at Governor Parson’s bill-signing ceremony at Union Station this month, says resolving the border war has been a top priority for the Chamber and for business leaders in the region.

“We believe our true competition is not between us or across the line that’s not far from outside this door (Union Station), but it’s with other regions like Dallas, Denver, Nashville,” says Reardon.

The Hall Family Foundation says more than 10,000 jobs moved between Missouri and Kansas during the past decade, with an incentive cost of $330 million.

The jobs all moved in the Kansas City region.

Mr. Reardon notes cooperation has happened before, noting that voters on both sides of the state line backed a 1996 tax increase to restore Union Station, which was crumbling at the time. Reardon says fast forward to 2015 at Union Station, after the Kansas City Royals won the World Series.

“This became the gathering spot for almost 800,000 Kansas Citians from all over, both sides of the state line,” Reardon says.

The renovated Union Station includes an Amtrak depot, a permanent rail exhibit known as the KC Rail Experience, a planetarium and a science city.

Governor Parson says Missouri and Kansas have both spent “well over $100 million” in the border war, telling reporters after the bill-signing that “there’s no reason we can’t be using that money for a lot better purposes than just jumping from one side of the state (line) to the other.”

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D) has issued a statement echoing Governor Parson’s comments about the irresponsible spending by both states, “with little actual job growth for either state.”

Is flooding a problem for a potential Hyperloop in Missouri?

June 25, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

A state group continues to search for ways to speed up the building of a proposed Hyperloop route. Massive flooding has led to major roadblocks in Missouri’s transportation network this year – ruining several roads and closing some bridges. Andrew Smith, the vice chair of the group, says flooding should not be a big issue for an ultra-fast tube transportation network, like a Hyperloop.

Photo courtesy of Hyperloop

“You’re talking about elevating it 10, 20, 30 feet. It’s not as if it’s just sitting a couple of feet above ground. It’s built on pylons. It’s not really affecting the watershed in a way that high-speed rail would or even a highway,” he says. “The other thing is, it’s enclosed. You are creating your own atmosphere inside this tube and it won’t be raining.”

He says a study completed by Kansas City engineering firm Black & Veatch takes into account the impact of various climate zones.

The Hyperloop could lug travelers from St. Louis to Kansas City in 28 minutes with a stop halfway in Columbia. A study says building a 240-mile Hyperloop track along I-70 from St. Louis to Kansas City would cost about $10 billion.

Smith says a Hyperloop track would largely be funded through private donations and federal funding.

“The cost to build the Hyperloop is about 40% less than high-speed rail, and it’s three times faster,” Smith says. “The operating costs of this system, because it’s so energy efficient, is about five cents per passenger mile – lower than any other existing form of transportation.”

So how much would a ticket price be for a trip from Kansas City to St. Louis? He says less than a tank of gas.

“We’re looking at a ticket price between $30 and $40,” says Smith.

The group, chosen by Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, plans to have its recommendations ready in September.

Push for Hyperloop certification track in Missouri

June 24, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

A group of Missouri elected officials and business leaders continues to study how to fast-track the construction of a potential Hyperloop route. The Hyperloop, a futuristic ultra-fast tube travel system, could carry passengers from St. Louis to Kansas City in 28 minutes with a stop halfway in Columbia. A study says building a Hyperloop track along I-70 from St. Louis to Kansas City would cost about $10 billion.

Photo courtesy of Hyperloop

Andrew Smith is the vice chair of the state group. He says building a 12 to 15-mile Hyperloop certification track in Missouri is a solid next step.

“The certification track would be built on that commercial route,” he says. “If we get the certification track, we’re going to get the route. It’s going to come through Missouri.”

Smith says a Hyperloop test track is in Las Vegas, but it’s only about one mile, goes about half as fast and is not commercial sized. He says the technology has made a couple of major leaps forward since then.

“If this is going to be a mode of transportation that is accessible to U.S. consumers and that is used to move light freight within the United States, we actually have to have a physical track that is operating at full speed and it has to be reviewed and certified by regulators,” Smith says.

The Hyperloop One track would largely be funded through private donations – similar to what is currently being done to bring the technology in India to connect the cities of Mumbai and Pune. Funding will most likely also come from federal funds.

“The cost to build the Hyperloop is about 40% less than high-speed rail, and it’s three times faster,” Smith said. “The operating costs of this system, because it’s so energy efficient, is about five cents per passenger mile – lower than any other existing form of transportation. We’re looking at a ticket price between $30 and $40 between Kansas City and St. Louis, less than a tank of gas.”

Smith said the Missouri Hyperloop Coalition he co-founded is also working to partner with universities in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky and other neighboring states that have the resources and incentives to create a multi-state system.

The group, selected by Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, plans to have its recommendations ready in September.

Two Missouri universities hacked

June 18, 2019 By Missourinet Contributor

Students and employees at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin began receiving letters this week about a data breach and the offer of two years of complimentary credit monitoring. Missourinet affiliate KZRG in Joplin reported first that the university had undergone a major cyberattack on January 8.

Missouri Southern State University in Joplin

Two other universities experienced similar attacks, according to the online publication “BleepingComputer.” Those schools were Graceland College which has campuses in western Missouri’s Independence and Lamoni, Iowa and Oregon State University in Salem, Ore.

Missouri Southern State University leaders say they responded quickly and engaged a leading forensic investigation firm to help stop the attack. The company also provided subsequent investigation services. The university notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crime Task Force ant the Missouri Attorney General’s Office about the incident.

“The University worked diligently to notify all impacted individuals once the results of its investigation had been communicated to law enforcement,” says
Al Stadler, Chief Information Officer and Security officer at Missouri Southern.

He says the information obtained about each victim potentially included name, Social Security number and date of birth. Stadler said bank account numbers were not included in the information.

Missouri Southern has about 6,000 students and hundreds of employees. The cybercriminals might have targeted not only campus employees but many Missouri Southern students and, possibly, retirees who have retained their Missouri Southern e-mail addresses.

Stadler says no criminal activity has been reported. He say he knows of no arrests or indictments that have been made at this time.

By Steve Smith of Missourinet affiliate KZRG in Joplin

St. Louis judge says state must decide on Planned Parenthood license by June 21

June 11, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

A St. Louis judge has ruled that the St. Louis Planned Parenthood can continue offering abortions for now but has ordered the state to decide about its license by June 21. On Monday, Circuit Judge Michael Stelzer granted Planned Parenthood a preliminary injunction and the order remains in effect until the court issues another ruling.

St. Louis judge says state must decide on Planned Parenthood license by June 21

Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit last month arguing the state is “weaponizing” the licensing process at its St. Louis site – the only abortion clinic in Missouri. President Leana Wen says the state “refuses to renew its license” at the St. Louis clinic by “insisting seven of its doctors be interrogated – putting their licenses on the line and potential criminal prosecution.” In an earlier decision, Stelzer blocked the state’s attempt to subpoena Planned Parenthood’s doctors to testify.

The state says it is investigating the clinic for allegedly completing failed abortions. Planned Parenthood has not responded to Missourinet’s inquiry about the state’s claim.

During a press conference today in St. Louis, Planned Parenthood Dr. David Eisenberg says the organization wants to be treated equally – not differently.

“We will not stop speaking out about the injustice that Governor Parson and Director Randall Williams from the Department of Health have intentionally created for the people of Missouri in a sick obsession to ban abortion and to not let women be equal citizens in this country,” he says.

Planned Parenthood Dr. Colleen McNicholas says the state continues to reinterpret its own rules, including about pelvic exams. She says the technique does not provide any medically-relevant information.

“That rule was put into place prior to sort of our modern way of diagnosing pregnancies,” McNicholas says. “Now we have things like ultrasounds to tell us how far along a pregnancy is. For a long time, the department agreed that the pelvic exam was not necessary.”

In a press release issued Monday from the State Department of Health and Senior Services, it says a pelvic exam has been required in Missouri since at least 1988 to detect factors that could influence the choice of the procedure, among other things. The rule was changed in 2018 but the state says it remains substantively the same.

Planned Parenthood sues Missouri, says state is ‘illegally weaponizing licensing process’

May 28, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri could become the first state in the nation since at least 1974 without a health center providing abortions. Planned Parenthood President, Dr. Leana Wen, says the organization has filed a lawsuit today against Missouri because she says the state “refuses to renew its license” that expires Friday at its St. Louis clinic. The center is the only one in Missouri offering abortions.

Planned Parenthood sues Missouri to renew license, says state is ‘illegally weaponizing the licensing process’

“If the court does not grant us a restraining order, Missouri will go dark and become the first state in the country with no health center that provides abortion care,” Wen says. “The state has illegally weaponized the licensing process. This is not a drill. This is not a warning. This is real and it is a public health crisis.”

In a media release announcing a press call earlier today, Planned Parenthood cites “recent intimidation” by the Department of Health and Senior Services and last week’s signing of wide-ranging anti-abortion legislation.

Dr. Colleen McNicholas with Planned Parenthood says the state is trying to intimidate the organization.

“In the past days, officials from the Department of Health and Senior Services have demanded me, my colleagues and, most egregiously, medical trainers to submit to interrogation with no explanation and making clear that we could be opened up to criminal proceedings or board review. Let me be clear, this is harassment – an attempted intimidation of doctors at the highest level of government in order to stop us from providing the legal, necessary and exceptional care that we have always provided our patients,” says McNicholas.

She goes on to say the licensing status is not surprising.

“This is the natural consequence of several decades worth of restriction after restriction that has eroded access to reproductive healthcare in our state,” she says. “Make no mistake – it is the poorest, the sickest and the most disadvantaged who will suffer the most. Missouri women are dying on Governor Parson’s watch.”

Missourinet has requested a response from the Department of Health and Senior Services and Governor’s Office.

A court hearing on the lawsuit is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in St. Louis.