Transportation Archives

Eerie dolls scattered around southeast Missouri could cause traffic issues

August 16, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Creepy dolls have been scattered around Jefferson County in southeast Missouri. Some are headless. Others look like crying children or babies with the hands sewn to the face with no face on it. Festus Police Captain Doug Wendel tells Missourinet affiliate KJFF in Festus the department is concerned someone might get hurt.

“Somebody thinks it’s funny. Somebody thinks it’s cute. It’s all fun and games until somebody stops thinking it’s a child in distress and gets hit trying to help out,” he says.

Crystal City Police Captain Mike Pruneau agrees.

“It’s just one of those situation where it becomes a danger is people stop and chicken neck and then getting hit,” says Pruneau.

Police want people who might see one of these mysterious dolls alongside a road to pay attention to their surroundings and watch out for oncoming traffic.

Congressman Graves: Corps’ priorities for Missouri River are backwards (AUDIO)

August 10, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A congressman who represents flood-damaged northern Missouri is blasting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, saying it’s “long past time” that flood control is the top priority for the Missouri River.

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, tours the MFA Rail facility near northwest Missouri’s Hamilton on October 8, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Graves’ office)

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, the ranking Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, visited flood-impacted Brunswick on Friday. Brunswick, a Chariton County town of about 800, sustained severe flooding from the Grand River this summer.

Graves met with Brunswick officials to discuss flood recovery efforts. He tells Missourinet he’s losing his patience.

“This is so frustrating, it’s getting old, it’s getting tiresome, it’s affecting people’s lives, it’s affecting communities,” Graves says.

He says flooding has caused devastation across north Missouri, including Brunswick. Graves describes the Corps’ management priorities on the Missouri River as “backwards.”

“And it’s so frustrating, you just literally want to pull your hair out,” says Graves. “And we continue to pound on the Corps and push the Corps and we can’t seem to get anywhere with them.”

Graves agrees with Governor Mike Parson’s call for the Corps to manage the Missouri River differently.

Parson notes that he and fellow governors from Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska have met with the Corps, urging them to give states a seat at the table. Parson says states must have a significant say in Missouri River management.

Graves represents 36 counties across north Missouri. His sprawling district, which has more square miles than nine states, spans from the Missouri to the Mississippi rivers.

Graves’ district includes Brunswick, St. Joseph and Hannibal.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, which was recorded on August 7, 2019:

FEMA denies disaster aid to residents in 19 Missouri counties

August 9, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Photos courtesy of MoDOT

The State Emergency Management Agency is asking the federal government to reconsider its decision to deny disaster aid to residents in 19 Missouri counties. The state’s appeal involves a federal disaster declaration from severe flooding and storms this year.

The counties Missouri wants included in a federal disaster declaration are: Adair, Barton, Cape Girardeau, Christian, Clark, Cooper, Dallas, Douglas, Gasconade, Grundy, Harrison, Hickory, Howard, Laclede, Macon, Marion, Polk, Ste. Genevieve, and St. Louis counties.

In the appeal sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Missouri says about 35% of families in these counties are low income and need federal help.

About 450 Missourians injured in traffic crashes involving school buses in 2018 (AUDIO)

August 7, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri state troopers are urging motorists to be careful on the road, as students prepare to begin the 2019-2020 school year.

A Missouri state trooper speaks to students about school bus safety (2019 file photo courtesy of Missouri State Highway Patrol general headquarters)

Missouri State Highway Patrol Captain John Hotz says five Missourians were killed and another 457 suffered injuries in traffic crashes involving school buses in 2018.

“And we want to make sure that anytime they’re (bus drivers) picking up or discharging students that people are stopping for them, if they’re required to stop,” Hotz says.

Captain Hotz reminds you that Missouri law requires drivers to stop when a school bus stops and displays warning signals to load or unload children, on a two-lane road.

He says pedestrian and bicycle traffic will increase near schools and wants drivers to be alert.

“We know that this time of year we’re going to start seeing school buses, we haven’t seen those for several months now,” says Hotz. “But we also see a lot of parents that take their kids to school.”

Hotz reminds children to wear a helmet and follow traffic laws, if they ride a bicycle to school.

He also says most traffic crashes involving drivers under the age of 21 happen between 3 and 4 p.m., when school typically lets out. As the new school year approaches, Hotz encourages parents to tell young people that driving is a full-time job.

“Once they’re (students) leaving school, some of them may be going to jobs, some of them may have practice or whatever, but a lot of times they’re driving around for more recreational purposes,” Hotz says.

He says using a cell phone or texting can be the distraction that leads to a crash, adding that texting while driving is against Missouri law for anyone under the age of 22.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri State Highway Patrol Captain John Hotz, which was recorded on August 6, 2019:

Residents in six more Missouri counties eligible to apply for federal aid

August 6, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Individuals in six additional Missouri counties are eligible to apply for federal help due to flooding and severe storms this year. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved Missouri’s request to expand a disaster declaration to include Callaway, Jefferson, Lewis, McDonald, Newton and Saline counties. The action makes individual support available to eligible Missourians for things like temporary housing, repairs, low-interest disaster loans, moving and storage, and the replacement of household items.

Residents in six more Missouri counties eligible to apply for federal aid

In a press release, Gov. Mike Parson says the move is welcome news for Missouri homeowners and renters who are working hard to recover and rebuild.

“FEMA assistance to individuals has sent nearly $5 million to help more than 1,000 Missouri families since the disaster was first declared on July 9. The extension of the disaster to these six additional counties means more people will receive important financial assistance. We urge eligible residents to apply for assistance now,” says Parson.

Parson and western Missouri Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver held a meeting last week in the Kansas City suburb of Blue Springs to urge FEMA to approve this request.

FEMA disaster aid to eligible individuals generally falls into these categories:

• Housing Support may be available for up to 18 months for displaced homeowners or renters whose primary residences received major damage or were destroyed. Funding also can be provided for housing repairs and replacement of damaged items to make homes habitable.

• Other Needs Assistance may be available for other disaster-related expenses, including essential household items, moving and storage, vehicles, medical and dental, child care, funeral and burial, and some clean-up items not covered by insurance and other assistance programs.

• Low-Interest Disaster Loans are available after a disaster for homeowners and renters from the U.S. Small Business Administration to cover uninsured property losses. Loans may be available for repair or replacement of homes, automobiles, clothing, or other damaged personal property. Loans are also available to businesses for property loss and economic injury.

• Other Disaster Assistance Programs include crisis counseling, disaster-related unemployment assistance, disaster case management, and legal advice and assistance including income tax, housing issues, consumer protection, Social Security, and veterans’ benefits.

Those affected by the flooding or severe storms are encouraged to continue to document losses, including photographing damage and retaining receipts. The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) is working with FEMA to identify new locations where FEMA will operate Disaster Recovery Centers to assist survivors with answers to their questions and help with registering for assistance. However, there is no need to wait to register. Disaster survivors are encouraged to register online or by calling FEMA. The deadline for most Individual Assistance programs is 60 days after the disaster has been declared by the President.

Residents can register by going to www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling FEMA’s toll-free registration number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), from 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., seven days a week. If you use a TTY, dial 1-800-462-7585.

Man jailed without bond after Springfield crash kills three; sheriff calls him “a monster”

August 5, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

(Reporter Jason Rima at Missourinet Springfield affiliate KSGF contributed to this story)

The prosecutor’s office in southwest Missouri’s Greene County has filed three counts of second degree murder against a Springfield man accused of causing Saturday night’s deadly crash which killed three.

The crash happened at Kearney at Glenstone, killing Kimberly, Jamin and Braeden Seabert. The Greene County Prosecutor’s office has charged Andrew Matthew Lynch with eight felonies, including three counts of second degree murder.

Online court records show Lynch appeared in Greene County Circuit Court on Monday, pleading not guilty. Judge J. Ronald Carrier has ordered Lynch to be jailed without bond.

Missourinet Springfield affiliate KSGF reports Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott describes Lynch as “a monster”, saying Lynch was drunk and high on drugs at the time of the crash.

“This person’s (Lynch) a monster,” Arnott told reporters. “Because he didn’t come in and kill three people in their home, he still killed three people in their car. He set out to keep driving like he did, whether there was law enforcement behind him or not. The whole pattern and all the evidence shows that. And it’s disgusting.”

Sheriff Arnott says Lynch had been wreaking havoc for about 30 minutes on Saturday night, causing multiple crashes before he was spotted by deputies. The sheriff says deputies cancelled the pursuit after a Missouri State Highway Patrol helicopter began following Lynch. The deadly crash happened about 30 seconds later.

KSGF reports Lynch’s blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit, and that toxicology results show that Lynch allegedly had meth in his system.

Missouri Amber Alert canceled; child and mother found safe in Rolla

August 1, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

(This story is updated to include the Patrol’s clarification that Frye was ruled out as a suspect)

The Missouri State Highway Patrol logo (courtesy of Patrol Lieutenant Collin Stosberg)

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has canceled an Amber Alert that was issued this afternoon in central Missouri’s Maries County.

State troopers say a suspect abducted Alison Summerford and her child at gunpoint from their Maries County residence. Highway Patrol Sergeant Scott White tells Missourinet Alison Summerford and her child have been located safe in Rolla. He says authorities are still working to determine what happened.

Troopers have described the suspect as a white or Hispanic male with black hair and a black beard, wearing a tee shirt with a dragon on it.

The child is Dominque Summerford, a boy about 10 to 11 months old. The Patrol also says Alison Summerford is five months pregnant.

Troopers originally described the suspect as Terrioun Frye. However, both the Highway Patrol and the Maries County Sheriff’s Department tell Missourinet that Frye has been ruled out as a suspect.

Parson headed to ‘Land Down Under’ for second trade mission

July 31, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Gov. Mike Parson is headed to Australia to try and find new business for Missouri. Parson, a Republican, leaves tomorrow for the trip to meet with executives there in the business world, especially in infrastructure and agriculture, and discuss investment and workforce development opportunities here.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson held numerous meetings on May 30, 2018 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Parson’s office)

According to a press release from the governor’s office, one of the primary goals is to look at the feasibility of using an infrastructure asset recycling program to raise money and strengthen Missouri’s infrastructure.

In 2014, the Australian government launched a model in which state governments are incentivized to leverage public assets in sale and lease transactions. Governments in Australia are incentivized to sell off or lease public infrastructure assets such as ports, wharves, electric grid segments, and housing developments. Revenue raised through those transactions is then reinvested into infrastructure projects.

“Since day one, we’ve been focused on building Missouri’s future by improving infrastructure and workforce development,” Parson says. “One of the ways we can do this is by looking at practices that are being successfully implemented in places like Australia, a leader in the infrastructure asset recycling industry, and bringing those best practices back to Missouri.”

The release says Australia is Missouri’s 9th largest trading partner and spent $308 million on Missouri goods in 2018.

The trip marks Parson’s second trade mission. In June, the governor and first lady visited Europe – scoring a major deal with international pharmaceutical company Bayer. The company plans to move its American Crop Science Division to the St. Louis suburb of Creve Coeur and bring hundreds of new jobs along with it.

FEMA approves Missouri’s request for disaster assistance to local agencies

July 29, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved Missouri’s request for federal assistance to local governments and nonprofits in 68 counties to help recover from severe flooding and storms this year. The approval of Missouri’s July 16 request means the federal agency will assist with the cost of repairs to damaged roads, bridges and other public infrastructure, along with emergency response costs tied to the storms and flooding.

Brunswick flooding (Photos by Spc. Christopher Saunders and Capt. Phil Fountain)

The counties approved for public assistance by FEMA are the following: Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Barry, Barton, Bates, Bollinger, Buchanan, Caldwell, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Carroll, Cedar, Chariton, Clark, Cole, Dade, Dallas, Daviess, Douglas, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Hickory, Holt, Howell, Jackson, Jasper, Knox, Laclede, Lewis, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Maries, Marion, McDonald, Mercer, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, New Madrid, Newton, Nodaway, Ozark, Pemiscot, Perry, Pike, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Ray, Ste. Genevieve, Saline, Schuyler, Scotland, Shannon, Shelby, Stoddard, Sullivan, Taney, Texas, Vernon, Wayne, Webster, and Wright.

FEMA’s decision also makes available assistance through its Hazard Mitigation Program to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property due to natural hazards.

Through today, FEMA has approved more than 910 households for individual assistance grants and provided more than $4.2 million directly to Missouri flooding and storm survivors to assist with their recovery. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved more than $1.7 million in low-interest loans for Missourians.

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program has paid more than $22 million to Missouri policyholders for flood claims filed since March. More than 1,524 claims have been filed.

In a press release, Gov. Mike Parson says the state expects to request the public assistance disaster declaration to be expanded to include additional counties as joint teams can fully assess damage in other counties. He’s meeting Tuesday with western Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat, to talk about flooding and levees.

FEMA continues to review the state’s July 16 request to expand assistance to individual residents in the 25 counties of Adair, Barton, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Christian, Clark, Cooper, Dallas, Douglas, Gasconade, Grundy, Harrison, Hickory, Howard, Jefferson, Laclede, Lewis, Macon, Marion, McDonald, Newton, Polk, Saline, St. Louis, and Ste. Genevieve.

To register for FEMA assistance, go to www.DisasterAssistance.gov or register by phone by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362). Telephone registration is available 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily.

Parson and Cleaver to meet to discuss Missouri flooding and infrastructure issues

July 29, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor is reiterating his call for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to manage the Missouri River differently. Governor Mike Parson briefed Capitol reporters last week at the Statehouse in Jefferson City.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson talks with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (left) and others in flooded Orrick in April 2019 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Cleaver’s office)

“And if it means more money through some of the states, we’ve met with other governors,” Parson says. “The governor of Nebraska, the governors of Iowa and Kansas and talked about that very same thing.”

Parson notes more than 80 Missouri levees have overtopped or breached in 2019.

“How can we maybe pool some resources together to try to help this management of the Missouri River on the Missouri side of it, similar to what we do on the Mississippi (River) side,” says Parson.

Meantime, Governor Parson (R) will be meeting with U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, and western Missouri farmers on Tuesday to discuss flooding and other agricultural issues.

Parson will travel to the state Department of Conservation’s Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs to meet with Congressman Cleaver and the Fifth District Agriculture Advisory Committee. Blue Springs is a Kansas City suburb.

The governor has signed an executive order creating a flood recovery advisory working group. Parson says Missouri “has been plagued by record-level flooding this year.” Parson says the group will provide input on Missouri’s flood recovery priorities and will also give feedback on Missouri’s current levee system.

While tomorrow’s 10 a.m. meeting is closed, Governor Parson and Congressman Cleaver will brief reporters after the Blue Springs meeting.

During an interview at the 2018 Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Cleaver praised Parson’s emphasis on infrastructure.

“And then when he (Governor Parson) told me that he was going to put a list together of things that he wanted to do, and infrastructure was one of them, I said governor you and I are going to have a partnership. You can expect all the support you need from me,” Cleaver told Missourinet at the fair.

Cleaver’s district includes Kansas City and three rural western Missouri counties: Lafayette, Ray and Saline.