Columbia Archives - Missourinet

Parson: Distributing COVID vaccines to as many Missouri pharmacies as possible will expand accessibility

March 5, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor announced on Thursday that pharmacies across the state will soon be receiving prioritized shipments of the COVID vaccine. Governor Mike Parson tells Capitol reporters in Jefferson City that it’s part of a new partnership with the Missouri Pharmacy Association.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson visits a vaccination clinic at Christian Hospital Northeast near Florissant on March 4, 2021 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

“Starting next week, 15 percent of our weekly state allocation will be distributed to selected pharmacies across the state,” Parson says.

The governor describes local pharmacies as a trusted health care resource for many Missourians.

“161 pharmacies have been identified in 84 counties and were selected based on ability, location and population,” says Parson.

Missouri has 114 counties, as well as St. Louis City. Pharmacy locations include St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia and Jefferson City, as well as numerous rural Missouri towns. They include Sedalia, Clinton, Warrensburg, Warrenton, Sullivan, Moberly, Mexico, Sikeston, Portageville, Malden, Kennett, Chillicothe, St. Joseph, Nevada and Joplin. You can find the entire nine-page pharmacy list here.

Governor Parson says the pharmacies have the ability to administer 200 initial doses of COVID vaccines per week.

Meantime, the governor says mass vaccination teams will soon start transitioning operations to include a larger presence in both St. Louis and Kansas City.

“Vaccine interest is often highest in the urban populations,” Parson says. “So starting next week, we will begin transitioning mass vaccination teams to accommodate more events in Region A, which is the Kansas City region, and Region C, in the St. Louis region.”

The governor envisions having the Missouri National Guard in the St. Louis and Kansas City metro areas for future two-day vaccination events, where the Guard would administer about 6,000 doses per day and 12,000 doses in two days.

Governor Parson says the St. Louis and Kansas City regions have been receiving the same share of the COVID vaccine as rural areas have. He also continues to praise the work of the Missouri National Guard at targeted vaccination clinics in the two metro areas.

The governor visited a targeted vaccination clinic Thursday at Cambridge Senior Living in St. Louis. The targeted vaccination teams serve vulnerable populations in communities with limited access to health care. He also visited a vaccination clinic held at Christian Hospital Northeast, near the St. Louis suburb of Florissant.

Governor Parson says COVID activity in the state has declined for the seventh straight week, adding that the Show-Me State is second in the nation for average daily cases. Missouri vaccinators have now administered about 1.4 million COVID vaccinations, which includes the first and second shot.

15 percent of Missouri’s population has now received at least one shot, according to the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) COVID-19 dashboard.

Missouri Senate cancels session all week due to snow and ice; winter storm warning continues in Bootheel

February 15, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The statewide winter storm hitting the Show-Me State has caused the Missouri Senate to cancel session for this week in Jefferson City.

The Senate and House had already canceled session for Monday, due to the snowstorm and the dangerously cold temperatures.

Missouri Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) speaks before Governor Parson’s State of the State Address on January 27, 2021 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, tweeted an update today that the Missouri Senate will not be in session this week.

“With additional snow and ice in the forecast for much of the state, we want to be sensitive to the safety of our staff and members. Next week’s forecast looks great – excited to get back to JC (Jefferson City) and get back to work,” Leader Rowden tweeted.

House Majority Leader Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, tells Missourinet the House will not be in session on Tuesday, due to the winter weather. All Missouri House committee hearings scheduled for Tuesday are now canceled.

For now, the Missouri House has hearings scheduled for Wednesday.

A winter storm warning remains in effect for southeast Missouri until tonight. That’s a region where residents are still trying to recover from last week’s two-day ice storm.

The National Weather Service (NWS) Paducah office says the highest snow totals are in rural Ripley County’s Oxly, which has already seen six inches of snow. Poplar Bluff and the Bootheel towns of Kennett and Malden have seen four to six inches of snow.

The winter storm warning across the southern Missouri Ozarks has expired, but travel remains difficult.

The NWS Springfield office says southwest Missouri’s Joplin has seen five inches of snow. Springfield has received four inches, while three to four have fallen in Lebanon.

In southern Missouri’s Salem, there’s been five inches of snow. Missourinet Salem affiliate KSMO reports snow drifts of about a foot are blowing against buildings. KSMO reports ice has refrozen under the snow.

The NWS Springfield office also notes more snow is expected across the Ozarks from Tuesday night through Thursday. The heaviest snow will be near the Missouri-Arkansas border, where Branson and West Plains should see four to six inches of additional snowfall.

Snow forces Missouri House and Senate to cancel Monday session; Rowden emphasizes safety

February 14, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A winter storm in Missouri that began Sunday and will continue into Monday has caused state legislative leaders in both chambers to cancel session for Monday in Jefferson City.

Missouri Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, presides over the Senate in Jefferson City on March 4, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Senate Communications)

Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, announced Sunday on Twitter that because of brutal cold weather and potential for snow accumulation, the Missouri Senate will not be in session on Monday. Rowden also says the Senate will take the rest of the week one day at a time, to keep people safe.

Snow is expected in much of Missouri, including Jefferson City, throughout the week.

Leader Rowden tells Missourinet that Senate committees will not meet on Monday either.

As for the 163-member Missouri House, Majority Floor Leader Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, tells Missourinet the House will not be in session on Monday.

All Missouri House committee hearings originally scheduled for Monday are now canceled, and will be rescheduled for sometime this week.

The National Weather Service in Paducah has issued a winter storm warning for southeast Missouri (February 14, 2021 graphic courtesy of NWS Paducah Twitter)

A winter storm warning is in effect for much of eastern and southeast Missouri.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Paducah says towns like Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, Kennett and Malden could see a total of six to 12 inches of snow, by Monday.
That region is still trying to recover from last week’s two-day ice storm, which closed schools and shut down heavily-traveled I-57 near Sikeston for a time.

The NWS in St. Louis says road conditions are still poor across a majority of the state, adding that roads have been deteriorating in Missouri from west to east.

Monday is Washington’s Birthday, which is a federal, Missouri and county holiday. While it’s a state holiday, the Legislature planned to be in session, until the snowstorm.

Most state employees will be off on Monday, which will keep several thousand cars off the road. More than 14,000 state employees work in Cole County, making state government Jefferson City’s largest employer.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol will be working on Monday, and crews from the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) will continue to treat and plow roads.

Power outages are likely in southeast Missouri, where ice storm warning takes effect at midnight

February 9, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Far southeast Missouri will be under an ice storm warning starting at midnight Wednesday. That warning goes through 6 on Thursday evening.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Paducah has issued an ice storm warning for far southeast Missouri (February 9, 2021 graphic courtesy of NWS Paducah Twitter)

Poplar Bluff, Dexter, Kennett, Caruthersville and Malden are all in the ice storm warning area. That includes heavily-traveled I-55. The Bootheel could receive more than one-third of an inch of ice. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Paducah describes this as a significant ice storm, adding that ice accumulations will likely cause scattered power outages in far southeast Missouri.

Much of the ice storm warning area was also hit by the deadly January 2009 ice storm, which brought three days of ice, sleet and snow to the region.

The Delta Center in Portageville notes the 2009 storm left about 100,000 people without power from Poplar Bluff to the Bootheel to southern Illinois. More than 100 shelters were opened across southeast Missouri, because of that ice storm.

As for Wednesday’s storm, Perryville and Marble Hill will see some ice. Those two towns are not in the warning area.

The state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is urging motorists across Missouri to get a full tank of gas tonight, noting that light snow and freezing precipitation will impact much of the state on Wednesday and Thursday. The winter storm will impact both the morning and evening commute on both days, for a number of areas.

MoDOT is urging you to prepare to double or triple your average commute time, once the precipitation starts falling. They also urge you to have extra blankets and gloves in your vehicle, as well as water and snacks. Your cellphone should also be fully charged.

In mid-Missouri, Columbia and Jefferson City will see snow again on Wednesday. Columbia could see up to three inches, while the Capital City is expected to see one to two inches.

The weather will get even colder this week. High temperatures across northern and central Missouri on Saturday and Sunday will be between zero and ten degrees. NWS Pleasant Hill meteorologist Emily Klaus tells Missourinet Columbia, Jefferson City, Moberly, Kansas City and Marshall will be impacted by the frigid temperatures.

Snow and plummeting temperatures coming to much of Missouri Saturday

February 5, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) is discouraging travel Saturday for some residents across northern and mid-Missouri. The NWS says the heaviest snowfall will be in northwest Missouri, where towns like St. Joseph and Bethany are expected to see four to five inches of snow.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill expects snow to begin falling in northwest Missouri on Saturday morning between 7 and 9 (February 5, 2021 graphic courtesy of NWS Pleasant Hill Twitter page)

The heaviest snow will include I-29 near the Missouri-Iowa border.

Northern Missouri’s Chillicothe, Marshall and Kirksville will see two to four inches, and the snow total projections have increased for central Missouri. Columbia and Jefferson City are now expected to receive two to three inches of snow, with the snow starting to fall there at about 11 am Saturday. Light snow is expected to start falling in the St. Louis area at about 2 on Saturday afternoon.

NWS Pleasant Hill meteorologist Brett Williams says visibility will be reduced in parts of northern and mid-Missouri.

Residents should consider filling up their vehicle’s gas tank tonight if possible, ahead of the winter weather.

Missourians will also need to bundle up and wear extra layers of clothing. The NWS in Kansas City says temperatures in the Kansas City metro will fall below freezing tonight and will likely stay below freezing for the next ten days.

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 governor pledges to move forward with Medicaid expansion; state employee pay raise proposed

January 27, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor delivered an unprecedented State of the State Address on Wednesday afternoon in Jefferson City, in the Missouri Senate chamber.

The Missouri Highway Patrol’s Color Guard presents the flags in the Senate chamber before Governor Parson’s January 27, 2021 State of the State Address (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Missouri House and Senate GOP leaders announced earlier in the day that the governor would deliver the speech in the Senate chamber. The speech is always delivered in the Missouri House chamber, across the Rotunda. House Speaker Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, and other legislative leaders say the speech was moved from the House chamber to ensure that attendees could meet CDC guidelines recommending six feet of social distancing.

The leaders say this temporary relocation maximized safety while still honoring the tradition of an in-person address by the governor. Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, tells Missourinet that everyone has to be flexible and that the pandemic is no respector of precedents, so they adjusted.

Governor Parson spoke from the Senate dais, for about 42 minutes. While COVID was a major theme of the address, the governor also discussed Medicaid expansion, state employee pay raises and the importance of early childhood programs.

While he campaigned against the August Medicaid expansion ballot measure, the governor pledges to move forward with its implementation, because voters approved it.

“Like I have said many times, I will always uphold the will of the voters, and we will move forward with expanding Medicaid coverage to approximately 275,000 Missourians. However, it is important to remember that the costs of this expansion will be significant- hundreds of millions of dollars, in fact,” Parson tells lawmakers.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson delivers a historic State of the State Address in the Senate chamber in Jefferson City on January 27, 2021 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Medicaid is formally called MO HealthNet. It’s a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. 53 percent of Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August. Amendment Two expands Medicaid for residents between the ages of 19 and 64 with an income level at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Medicaid expansion supporters say the measure will provide healthcare to Missourians who earn less than $18,000 annually.

Leader Rowden says Medicaid expansion will be implemented, because voters approved it. But like the governor, he says it will cost millions of dollars.

The governor also emphasized COVID during his speech, emphasizing the importance of expanding the state supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Governor Parson says Missouri has now shipped more than 22 million gowns, 18 million gloves, eight million surgical masks and one million face shields to frontline health care providers.

“We were one of the first states in the nation to submit our COVID-19 vaccine plan, and have now administered nearly 400,000 doses to Missourians,” Parson says.

The governor’s call for a two percent pay raise for state employees received bipartisan applause on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, our state workforce is one of the least competitive in terms of attracting future public servants,” the governor tells lawmakers.

Missouri has about 52,800 state employees, and more than 14,000 of them work in mid-Missouri’s Cole County. State employee pay raises are a big issues here, because state government is Jefferson City’s largest employer.

Governor Parson is also calling on lawmakers to approve his proposal to consolidate several different programs into a new Office of Childhood.

“This new office will not only help streamline the operation of several state programs, but also allow us to place a bigger focus on early childhood development – a critical component to the future success of Missourians for generations to come,” says Parson.

State Sen. Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City, appeared live on Missourinet, after the State of the State address. While she likes the emphasis on early childhood development, Senator Washington wants to learn details about the proposal.

Governor Parson has called a Thursday press conference at the Statehouse in Jefferson City to outline details of the proposed new Office of Childhood. He’ll be joined by state Department of Elementary and Secondary (DESE) Commissioner Dr. Margie Vandeven, state Department of Health and Senior Services Dr. Randall Williams and Department of Social Services Acting Director Jennifer Tidball.

Click here to read Governor Mike Parson’s full State of the State Address.

MoDOT expects influx of construction workers in central Missouri’s Rocheport, for I-70 bridge project

January 27, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

State transportation officials say construction of the $240 million project to replace the aging I-70 bridge in mid-Missouri’s Rocheport will begin late this year.

The current I-70 bridge in mid-Missouri’s Rocheport was built in 1960. It’s in poor condition, according to MoDOT (2020 file photo courtesy of MoDOT’s Lissie Wade)

Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) deputy project director Derek Lepper and other officials answered about 90 minutes of questions from residents, during a virtual open house Tuesday evening. The current bridge will be used, while the new one is built.

“Well our plan is to try and keep two lanes open in each direction (on current bridge) for the majority of the project and just utilize like single lane closures during non-peak hours to try and alleviate any congestion that we can,” Lepper says.

The new bridge is expected to be completed by December 2024. MoDOT describes the current bridge as “the lynchpin of America,” carrying more than 12 million vehicles annually. That includes 3.6 million trucks.

The current bridge, which was built in 1960, is listed in poor condition by MoDOT. The agency says the bridge connects a majority of the nation. Within 48 hours, trucks carrying goods to all 48 lower states will have crossed the Rocheport bridge, according to MoDOT.

The agency is also thanking leaders in several mid-Missouri communities for contributing to the massive Rocheport project. MoDOT Rocheport bridge project director Brandi Baldwin says local support is key.

“$4.2 million has been provided by Boone County, Cooper County, Boonville and Columbia making up those local monies,” says Baldwin. “And we would like to thank them today for helping us make this project a reality.”

Baldwin also announced during the virtual town hall that the current bridge will be demolished, once the new bridge opens.

She also says the new bridge will be required to carry six lanes of traffic, to accommodate future I-70 growth. She also says the project will bring an influx of construction workers to Rocheport, which is 16 miles west of Columbia.

Missouri has received an $81 million federal grant to replace the bridge. The federal grant was also tied-in to a related project to build 1.2 miles of truck climbing lanes on I-70 at east-central Missouri’s Mineola Hill. The Mineola Hill project, which is happening in Montgomery County, continues to progress. There are cranes on-site, along with equipment.

Missouri senators hear testimony about Second Amendment Preservation Act

January 20, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation establishing a Second Amendment Preservation Act had support from rural Missourians during a Tuesday Senate committee hearing in Jefferson City.

State Sen. Eric Burlison (R-Battlefield) represents southwest Missouri’s Greene and Christian counties

State Sen. Eric Burlison, R-Battlefield, the bill sponsor, testified before the Senate General Laws Committee, predicting that President-Elect Joe Biden’s administration will push for gun control.

“Gun bans directly, magazine bans, attacks on private gun manufacturers, red flag laws and restrictions on individual citizens from buying firearms,” Burlison testifies.

Burlison’s Senate Bill 39 declares that it’s the duty of the courts and law enforcement agencies to protect the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. Senator Burlison also emphasizes that his bill does not try to prevent the federal government from enforcing federal gun laws in Missouri.

No one testified against the bill at Tuesday’s hearing, although there was written testimony submitted against it. While some who testified for the bill share Burlison’s concern about the Biden Administration, others are more concerned about their own personal protection.

Chuck Marley of eastern Missouri’s High Ridge traveled to Jefferson City to testify for the Burlison bill, saying his son was shot to death in September 2018 while giving a ride to a man who requested one. Marley urges senators to help law-abiding citizens to protect themselves.

“Alex’s killer was a felon on parole from federal prison. He should never have had a gun,” says Marley. “It was illegal for him to have a gun but guess what, he had a gun. No amount of laws is going to keep criminals from having a gun.”

Another person who testified lives in western Missouri’s rural Benton County. She tells senators that she needs a gun to protect herself from drug dealers and motorcycle gangs there.

“I live way in the country (in Benton County). I’ve had meth heads down the road break into my place. I’ve recently got where my life is at stake, one of the head guys down there wants to take me out to join a motorcycle gang,” the woman testifies.

Burlison’s bill declares as invalid all federal laws that infringe on the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment. The sheriff of northeast Missouri’s Lewis County, David Parrish, has concern with some of the bill’s language. He testified for informational purposes only, emphasizing the importance of protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens.

Former State Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, a former judge, has read the bill and says it’s “unconstitutional on its face.”

As for Senator Burlison, he says all Missouri gun laws would remain in effect, under his bill. Burlison sponsored a similar bill in 2013, which was vetoed by then-Governor Jay Nixon (D). An override attempt that fall failed by one vote.

Burlison also testifies that Missouri shelves are almost bare now, regarding ammunition.

Senate General Laws Committee Chairman William Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, indicated Tuesday that the committee will vote on the bill at their next hearing.

UPDATE: New Year’s Day winter storm could bring half-inch of ice to portions of Missouri (AUDIO)

January 1, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) is urging most Missourians to avoid traveling most of New Year’s Day, as a major winter storm approaches from the south.

The National Weather Service (NWS) offices in Pleasant Hill and Springfield have issued winter storm warnings for large parts of Missouri (December 31, 2020 map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter)

NWS Pleasant Hill meteorologist Pamela Pietrycha says Kansas City, Columbia, Jefferson City, Chillicothe, Moberly and Marshall will be under a winter storm warning starting at midnight, January 1st.

“Generally along that Butler to Sedalia to Moberly line, including Columbia, Jefferson City and some areas south of there … could see a quarter-of-an-inch all the way up to perhaps a half-an-inch of ice accumulation,” Pietrycha says.

Mid-Missouri’s Boonville and northeast Missouri’s Hannibal are also included in the warning area.

“If you don’t need to travel, please don’t. Conditions are going to deteriorate very rapidly tomorrow (New Year’s Day) morning especially,” says Pietrycha.

Many other parts of Missouri will be under a winter weather advisory. Northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph and Trenton are in the advisory area.

“We’re looking at about one to three inches (of snow), possibly some people on the south side of St. Joe (St. Joseph), down towards the Kansas City area would see a little bit higher snowfall,” Pietrycha says.

Meantime, the NWS Springfield office says southwest Missouri’s Lebanon and Bolivar could see up to a half-inch of ice. Waynesville, which is near Fort Leonard Wood, could get a quarter-of-an-inch of ice.

Those areas are all under a winter storm warning, along with Osage Beach.

The NWS Springfield office is urging residents across the Ozarks to be prepared for the loss of power.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Pamela Pietrycha, which was recorded on December 31, 2020: