Cassville Archives - Missourinet

Five tornado warnings issued Saturday across southwest Missouri; no deaths or damage reported

January 31, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Saturday’s severe storms across the Ozarks prompted the National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield to issue five tornado warnings.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield issued five tornado warnings for southwest Missouri on Saturday (January 30, 2021 graphic courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter)

January tornado warnings are rare in Missouri. NWS Springfield officials tell Missourinet there were no deaths nor serious injuries, and there’s no reports of damage at this time.

Southwest Missouri’s Joplin, Neosho, Monett, Pierce City, Goodman and Cassville were some of the communities under tornado warnings.

While there wasn’t severe weather in other parts of Missouri, Kansas City and several other cities received almost a month’s worth of rainfall on Saturday.

The NWS in Pleasant Hill says Kansas City’s normal monthly precipitation amount for January is 1.07 inches. .85 fell in Kansas City on Saturday, while one inch of rain was reported in Lee’s Summit.

Northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph saw .92, while more than an inch of rain fell in northeast Missouri’s Kirksville.

NWS Pleasant Hill meteorologist Jared Leighton says more than one inch of rain fell in both Columbia and Jefferson City. There was heavy rain all day Saturday in both mid-Missouri communities.

Missouri’s Parson and Galloway to focus on their base in final day of gubernatorial campaign

November 1, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s two main gubernatorial candidates have busy schedules on Monday, one day before election day.

Governor Mike Parson (R) spoke Saturday at a rally in St. Peters with former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. That’s in St. Charles County, which has been a Republican stronghold. It’s an area Republicans need to do well on Tuesday.

The governor campaigns Monday in Jefferson City, St. Joseph, Kirksville, Palmyra, Cape Girardeau and Cassville, continuing his focus on rural towns. U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) will join Parson at the Cassville event, in southwest Missouri.

Ann Dorn, the widow of slain St. Louis Police Captain David Dorn, will join Parson on Monday’s tour, along with former gubernatorial candidate John Brunner and the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association’s Mike Deering.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Nicole Galloway, the state auditor, attended two church services Sunday in St. Louis. She also met with Democrats in St. Louis City and St. Louis County, two jurisdictions that are crucial to Democratic success in statewide races.

Galloway will begin Monday in Columbia, where she will attend a literature drop launch with area Democrats. She also speaks at the Missouri Democratic Party’s election eve rally Monday evening in Kansas City. It will feature all of the party’s statewide candidates: Alissia Canady, Yinka Faleti, Rich Finneran and Vicki Englund.

Galloway continues to focus on hospital closings, noting ten rural Missouri hospitals have closed since 2014.

Parson is focusing on rural values and experience.

Polls will be open Tuesday statewide from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. The Secretary of State’s office says a combined total of 723,058 mail-in and absentee ballots have already been returned to Missouri election authorities. Most of those are absentee ballots.

State Rep. Mike Moon to replace term-limited Sater in southwest Missouri

August 4, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A conservative state representative who describes himself as the “most conservative, most constitutional and most pro-life legislator in Missouri” will be heading to the Missouri Senate in January, after winning a GOP Senate primary in southwest Missouri.

State Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on February 28, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office reports State Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, defeated former Missouri Republican Party chairman David Cole. In unofficial results, Moon has 17,761 votes. Cole has 16,077. All 99 precincts have reported.

No Democrats filed for the seat, which means Moon will replace term-limited State Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville. Sater was elected to the Missouri Senate in 2012 and was re-elected in 2016. Sater will leave office at the end of December.

The district includes five counties: Barry, Lawrence, McDonald, Stone and Taney.

Moon, who was elected to the Missouri House in a special election in April 2013, says he’s focused on ending abortions in Missouri.

“I believe that at the point of conception that is a result of a unique human individual with separate unique DNA, and they should be protected by law,” Moon told Missourinet in July.

Moon says the government’s primary purpose is to protect the liberty of the people and to protect their property. His priorities also include eliminating the corporate tax, and ending what he calls burdensome regulations on farmers, businesses and residents.

Abortion is a key issue in Missouri Senate GOP primary to replace Sater (AUDIO)

July 27, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Two well-known Republicans are running in the August GOP primary to replace term-limited State Sen. David Sater in southwest Missouri. No Democrats have filed, which means the GOP primary winner will be the next senator from that district.

State Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, stands on the Missouri Senate floor on January 9, 2020 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Jonathan Lorenz at Missouri Senate Communications)

State Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, is facing former Missouri Republican Party chairman David Cole of Cassville.

Moon, who was elected to the Missouri House in a special election in April 2013, says he’s focused on ending abortions in Missouri.

“I believe that at the point of conception that is a result of a unique human individual with separate unique DNA, and they should be protected by law,” Moon says.

Moon’s opponent is Cole, who served as the Missouri Republican Party chairman from 2009-2013. His priorities include education and workforce development.

“And being able to put together an environment where businesses can thrive and people can have good jobs, support their families,” Cole says.

Cole says the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact across the state. He’s focused on the economy and getting Missourians back to work.

Abortion is a major issue in the August Senate primary. During an interview with Missourinet, Representative Moon accuses the Cole campaign of “stretching the truth” in campaign mailers, including on abortion.

“I am the most conservative, most constitutional and most pro-life legislator in Missouri, and I’m the most of those three in this particular Senate race too,” says Moon.

Moon filed a proposed constitutional amendment in January 2019, regarding the right to life. He said at that time that passage of House Joint Resolution 28 “will begin the process of ensuring that all unborn children will be afforded the opportunity to live and prosper in Missouri.”

That bill did not receive a House committee hearing in 2019. He also filed legislation this year abolishing abortion in the state.

Moon says he’s running on his record, and Cole tells Missourinet that he’s running on Moon’s record as well.

“When we (the Cole campaign) make statements that Missouri Right to Life rated him (Moon) the lowest-ranked Republican in the House last year, that is not stretching the truth. Those are facts,” says Cole.

Cole also says Representative Moon is the only Republican who voted “no” on abortion legislation during a 2017 special session called by then-Governor Eric Greitens (R).

Republicans gained legislative seats while Cole served as the party chairman, including the election of Moon to the House in 2013. Moon unseated then State Rep. Charlie Dake (D). Republicans also unseated State Sens. Wes Shoemyer, D-Clarence, and Frank Barnitz, D-Lake Spring, in 2010.

The GOP primary winner will replace Sater, who was elected to the Missouri Senate in 2012 and was re-elected in 2016. Sater also served in the Missouri House from 2005 to 2012. He’ll leave office at the end of December.

The district includes five counties: Barry, Lawrence, McDonald, Stone and Taney.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, which was recorded on July 24, 2020:

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with former Missouri Republican Party chairman David Cole, which was recorded on July 24, 2020:

Grand jury in southeast Missouri indicts former priest on sodomy charges

March 11, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

(Missourinet Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS contributed to this story)

A retired Roman Catholic priest from southern Missouri has now been indicted by a grand jury in southeast Missouri’s Stoddard County, for alleged sexual abuse of minors.

Retired Roman Catholic priest Frederick Joseph Lutz is arrested on sex-related charges on February 19, 2020 in Springfield (file photo courtesy of Missourinet Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS)

The grand jury has indicted 76-year-old Frederick Joseph Lutz on two counts of forcible sodomy and two counts of deviate sexual assault. This is a superceding indictment, which replaces the original charges filed in February in Stoddard County.

The court has granted Lutz’s request for a change of venue, and the case has now been transferred to Cape Girardeau County. Lutz will be arraigned on March 23, before Judge Benjamin Lewis in Jackson.

The alleged crimes happened in 2000, when Fr. Lutz served at St. Joseph Parish in southeast Missouri’s Advance. The town of about 1,300 is southwest of Cape Girardeau.

The investigation continues.

Stoddard County Prosecutor Russell Oliver has said that Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt discovered the allegations in church documents, during the AG’s clergy abuse investigation. Schmitt’s office referred the allegations to Prosecutor Oliver on January 2.

Oliver has encouraged anyone with information about Lutz to call the Stoddard County Prosecutor’s office at (573) 568-4640.

Lutz has also served at parishes in Jackson, Springfield, Cassville and Lamar, according to Oliver.