COVID pandemic Archives

Missouri’s governor releases $127 million; says state is in top ten in recovery efforts

January 7, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Citing the improving economy and Missouri’s 4.4 percent unemployment rate, Governor Mike Parson has released about $127 million in previously restricted funds.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on January 6, 2021 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

“Thanks to our Show-Me strong recovery plan, we continue to outpace our economic recovery forecast, which is why we are able to release these funds today,” Parson says.

The governor tells Capitol reporters that 67 percent of the jobs lost during the pandemic have been recovered.

The funding released by Governor Parson on Wednesday includes $26 million for the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, $8.5 million for Missouri’s Division of Tourism, $120,000 for the meat and poultry inspection program and $50,000 for the food, beverage and forest products initiative.

Click here to see the full list of the funding that’s been released.

“Right now, the revenues look good in the state,” says Parson. “We’ve been so fortunate here in this state, I mean a 4.4 (percent) unemployment rate, I think we’re in the top ten in the recovery efforts.”

In October, Governor Parson released $40 million in general revenue and also allocated $95 million in CARES Act funding for critical services. When he made that October announcement, he also noted that Missouri’s unemployment rate had improved and that state revenues had outpaced expectations.

New Missouri House Speaker focusing on education and adoption: “I will work with any member from any party”

January 7, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri House on Wednesday elected the first Speaker in state history from eastern Missouri’s Arnold. House Speaker Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, was elected Speaker on his 44th birthday, with his wife Amanda and their five children in the chamber in Jefferson City.

A law enforcement color guard presents the flags at the Missouri House in Jefferson City on January 6, 2021 (photo courtesy of Ben Peters at House Communications)

Education was a primary theme during Vescovo’s address to the House. He says he was ridiculed by other students and by some of his teachers while growing up, due to his ADHD and other learning challenges. ADHD is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Speaker Vescovo says it’s important to learn from students who struggled within the education system.

“As a student who struggled, I believe I do have valuable insight on what works and what doesn’t. I believe it is time our system of education listens to these students, including me, who have seen firsthand how the system can and should improve,” Vescovo tells the House.

He says Missouri’s teachers need the time, resources and flexibility to be able to work with children on a personal level.

Vescovo wants to provide parents with the option of sending their children to schools that will best serve their needs. He says the COVID pandemic has taught parents across Missouri an important lesson.

“Every parent wants to keep their kids safe and healthy, but we have also learned that teachers are more effective as educators in person, and that kids must be in school to learn effectively, in school,” says Vescovo.

House Republicans in the chamber stood up and applauded that call.

New Missouri House Speaker Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, shakes hands with House colleagues after being elected Speaker on January 6, 2021 (photo courtesy of Ben Peters at House Communications)

Vescovo says the Legislature must continue to examine ways to give schools the resources they need to stay open.

He’s also challenging the Legislature to make a stronger commitment to early childhood education. Vescovo says the General Assembly must support policies that focus on empowerment, rather than imprisonment.

“If we want to better serve the people of our state, we must invest in our young people on the front end, rather than pay the cost of incarceration on the backend when our system fails them,” Vescovo says.

That line received a bipartisan standing ovation from the House.

Vescovo, who was adopted, is also calling on the Legislature to expand Missouri’s adoption tax credit, so that families who want to adopt a child aren’t blocked from doing it simply because of cost.

State Rep. Rusty Black, R-Chillicothe, nominated Vescovo for House Speaker. Black says Vescovo is focused on helping others and has worked to make a difference for Missourians. Vescovo was sworn-in as House Speaker by Judge Darrell Missey of the 23rd Judicial Circuit Court in Hillsboro. Vescovo and Judge Missey both live in Jefferson County.

Vescovo takes over for Springfield Republican Elijah Haahr, who termed-out of the House after eight years.

During his address, Vescovo also emphasized that he’s committed to working with both sides of the aisle to find legislative solutions to problems.

“I hope my time in the Floor Leader’s office has made it clear that I will work with any member from any party,” says Vescovo. “That will not change when I am Speaker. My door will be open and my time will be yours if and when you need it.”

Republicans control the Missouri House this session 114-47, and they control the Senate 24-10. The GOP has supermajorities in both chambers, and Governor Mike Parson is a Republican.

Missouri’s third-largest city saw record traffic fatalities in 2020; half of victims were on motorcycles (AUDIO)

January 5, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Despite the COVID pandemic and fewer vehicles on the road, southwest Missouri’s Springfield had a record 27 traffic fatalities in 2020.

Springfield Police saw a record 27 traffic fatalities in 2020. Speed and distracted driving were the primary factors in most of them (2020 photo courtesy of Jasmine Bailey at the Springfield PD)

Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams is urging residents to slow down.

“The pandemic had a double-edged sword effect in traffic,” Williams says. “There was less traffic but people seemed to drive faster and be less interested in paying attention to what they were doing.”

The Missouri State Highway Patrol also warned about this issue several times last year.

Williams says speed and distracted driving are the primary factors in the traffic fatalities. He also tells Missourinet that Springfield Police wrote twice as many speeding tickets in 2020 as the previous year.

Chief Williams notes 13 of the 27 victims were traveling on motorcycles. He’s urging motorists to slow down, and to watch for motorcycles on both sides of their vehicle.

“We’ve created a motorcycle safety program that we kicked off internally for city employees earlier in the year, and we’re looking at rolling that out to the general public here in 2021,” says Williams.

Five of the victims were pedestrians.

“We got a grant from the state to do some pedestrian safety education and enforcement. Getting ready to kick that off,” Chief Williams says.

Springfield has about 168,000 residents.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams, which was recorded on January 4, 2021:

Christmas Eve and Christmas Catholic masses will be different this year in Missouri (AUDIO)

December 22, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The COVID pandemic has prompted the Roman Catholic Church to schedule additional Christmas Eve masses this year, and 3 p.m. Christmas Eve services will be allowed for the first time ever in Missouri.

St. Mary Parish in mid-Missouri’s Glasgow is located in the Diocese of Jefferson City (December 2020 photo courtesy of Bishop McKnight)

Diocese of Jefferson City Bishop Shawn McKnight, who was appointed by Pope Francis in 2017, says the early Christmas Eve masses are the most popular ones of the year.

“We are stepping things up in order to provide even multiple opportunities for mass perhaps even in the same parish. Having more than one mass going at the same time,” Bishop McKnight says.

The Diocese of Jefferson City has 110 parishes in 38 counties in central, west-central and northeast Missouri. The diocese includes Jefferson City, Columbia, Boonville, Hannibal, Moberly, Marshall, Rolla and Sedalia.

Columbia’s Our Lady of Lourdes church, the largest parish in the diocese, is offering two separate 3 pm and 5 pm masses on Christmas Eve.

Some of the other larger parishes in the state have similar plans. Assumption Parish in eastern Missouri’s O’Fallon plans a 4 p.m. Christmas Eve mass in the church and a 4:15 p.m. mass in the chapel.

“The more opportunities that we have available, then the greater allowances for social distancing,” says McKnight.

Bishop McKnight has asked every available priest in his diocese to celebrate a 3 p.m. Christmas Eve mass. He says it’s about safety during the pandemic.

“It was a recommendation of the priest council of the diocese to me several months ago that we move up the time period for Christmas vigil masses,” McKnight says. “Normally, it’s at 4 o’clock, the earliest mass that can take place before a holy day.”

Masks and social distancing are required at all masses in Missouri, and the bishops in all four dioceses have given Catholics dispensation from mass obligations until further notice. That’s due to the pandemic.

Bishop McKnight says divine law still requires Catholics to pray the rosary, read scripture or watch a live-streamed mass, if they’re unable to attend mass in-person.

He’ll celebrate a Christmas Eve mass at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Jefferson City.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with Diocese of Jefferson City Bishop Shawn McKnight, which was recorded on December 17, 2020:

Federal funds to help Missouri school districts dealing with COVID pandemic; lawmakers say resources are needed (AUDIO)

December 7, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

About $76 million in federal money will be heading to Missouri’s k-12 schools, once Governor Mike Parson signs the supplemental budget bill.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, speaks on the House floor in Jefferson City on November 10, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, says the $1.27 billion supplemental budget includes $75.6 million for school nutrition services.

“i.e., paying for meals in k-12 education,” Smith says. “So this is a supplement, an additional federal fund that we’re appropriating for that will go to help compensate schools for the cost of those meals.”

The $75.6 million will reimburse Missouri’s k-12 schools, for feeding students during the COVID pandemic.

Missouri lawmakers approved the supplemental budget with large bipartisan votes in both chambers. The Missouri House approved it by a 133-4 vote in November, and the Senate approved it last week on a 23-1 vote.

Chairman Smith says an additional $266,463 in federal money will also be going to Missouri’s K-12 schools. He notes state lawmakers appropriated federal grant money for the Missouri Healthy School program.

“This is to disseminate the COVID-19 guidance that comes down from the CDC, so that we can help schools administer the guidance as it is issued by the CDC,” says Smith.

The CDC is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This is good news to school superintendents across the state, who have been dealing with tight budgets because of the pandemic. Some local superintendents in northeast Missouri reached out to our Quincy affiliate WGEM on Friday, seeking information on when the money will start flowing.

Chairman Smith tells Missourinet the funding is very important to local school districts.

“We know that it’s been a tremendous challenge to try to educate our children in the face of a pandemic, and so all these resources are sorely needed across the state,” Smith says.

The largest part of the $1.27 billion supplemental budget is $764 million for the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), to help the agency respond to the ongoing pandemic. Another $23 million will go toward the community development block grant program, to support local community projects.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, which was recorded on December 4, 2020:

State releases guidance for Missouri long-term care sites to offer visits again

September 25, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri has unveiled revised guidance for long-term care places, including nursing homes and assisted living centers, to restart visits inside or outside. A press release from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says each facility gets to decide whether to adopt the guidance.

State releases guidance for Missouri long-term care sites to offer visits again

Centers without any cases of COVID-19 among staff or residents, or those that have not had a facility-acquired case in the past 14 days, can allow indoor visits for residents who do not or are not suspected of having COVID-19 (or who have been released from isolation).

Outdoor visits can occur in any site for residents who do not or are not suspected to have COVID-19 (or who have been released from isolation). The guidelines say five visitors can be designated for each resident, with two allowed to be present at a given time by appointment and with social distancing being used. Proper hand hygiene and face coverings should be used.

In accordance with updated federal guidance, the centers must allow visits by outside health care providers and the Ombudsman program.

Each resident can have one essential caregiver designated through the Essential Caregiver program. Designated by the resident (or guardian or legal representative), essential caregivers are able to provide health care services or assistance with daily activities to help maintain or improve the quality of care or quality of life. This could include assistance with bathing, dressing, eating, or emotional support. One additional essential caregiver can also be designated if the individual is a clergy member.

With all types of visits, screening of individuals should be in place along with proper PPE use and infection control measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission among facility residents.

Since March, more than 650 Missouri long-term care sites have reported at least one case of COVID-19 among staff or residents.

Missouri’s Hawley: increases in social isolation from pandemic may be contributing to surges in drug addiction

September 18, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s junior senator is urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to address the mental health needs of Americans impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R) speaks to Missourinet during an interview on March 25, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Senator Hawley’s office)

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R) has written a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, calling on the agency to deploy more of the $425 million that Congress appropriated to the agency to boost mental health and substance abuse treatment services during the pandemic.

“I’d like to see more money come to our state and local health care providers,” Hawley tells Missourinet. “I’d like to see HHS set up a system to get that money out the door.”

Senator Hawley, who serves on the U.S. Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, says the agency has distributed $14 million in CARES Act funding to Missouri certified community behavioral health clinics. He also says the agency has established an emergency grant program, targeted at suicide prevention.

But Hawley says more should be done to increase access to services. He says that for older Americans, loneliness due to social isolation and distancing has skyrocketed.

Senator Hawley also says increases in social isolation and anxiety because of the COVID pandemic may be contributing to surges in drug addiction. He says he’s seeing reports from across Missouri about significant increases in Narcan doses deployed by EMS personnel to combat drug overdoses.

“This time has been extraordinarily hard on people from all walks of life, but especially those who struggle with substance abuse, some who’ve begun to struggle during this time with substance abuse,” says Hawley.

He also says treatment facilities for drug addiction are under severe strain because of pandemic-related interruptions.

A University of Missouri professor who serves as the director of the Missouri Center for Addiction Research and Engagement says increased isolation and more daily life stressors are some of the challenges people are facing during the pandemic.

Mizzou professor Denis McCarthy says some residents have also experienced job losses and business closures, during the pandemic. Professor McCarthy says each type of stress is associated with an increased risk of alcohol and drug use.