Joplin Archives - Missourinet

Residents in southwest Missouri’s 7th congressional district to testify Thursday at Capitol in Jefferson City

April 1, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri House committee on congressional redistricting will take public testimony on Thursday morning in Jefferson City from residents who live in southwest Missouri’s Seventh Congressional District.

U.S. Rep. Billy Long (R-Springfield) speaks to frontline health care workers at Mercy Joplin on February 2, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Long’s Twitter page)

The Republican stronghold includes Springfield, Joplin, Branson, Carthage, Bolivar and the communities around Table Rock Lake.

In-person and written testimony will be accepted Thursday morning at 8. House Special Committee on Redistricting Chairman Rep. Dan Shaul (R-Imperial) says the committee wants information from residents about the district’s characteristics, including things that make it good and bad.

U.S. Rep. Billy Long (R-Springfield) has represented the district since 2011. Long is now in his sixth term on Capitol Hill.

Congressman Long faced Democratic opponent Teresa Montseny in November, winning the election with 69 percent of the vote. Long received 254,318 votes, to Montseny’s 98,111 votes.

The district hasn’t sent a Democrat to Washington since the late Congressman Charlie Brown, who served two terms from 1957-1960.

Agriculture and transportation are major issues in the district, which includes I-44. The district has also been impacted over the years by flooding and by numerous tornadoes, including the deadly Joplin tornado in 2011. The EF-5 tornado killed 162 people.

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.

Southern Missouri will see heaviest snowfall with next storm system (AUDIO)

February 16, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

While most of Missouri is still digging out from a two-day snowstorm, another winter storm is heading for the Show-Me State. The heaviest snow will fall tonight and Wednesday near the Missouri-Arkansas border, where towns like Branson and West Plains could see more than three inches of additional snow.

The National Weather Service Springfield office’s winter weather advisory goes into effect tonight for the Ozarks (February 16, 2021 graphic courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter)

A winter weather advisory takes effect tonight across the Ozarks. National Weather Service (NWS) Springfield meteorologist Kyle Perez says the I-44 corridor will see about three inches.

“Many of our roads are still partly to mostly covered, especially the secondary roads that have not had a chance to (have) been plowed yet or lay down salt,” Perez says.

This week’s snowstorm dropped about five inches of snow along southern Missouri’s I-44 corridor, and Mr. Perez expects snow to overspread the region again tonight, into Wednesday.

“That can make for dangerous travel with additional snowfall along that 44 corridor approaching anywhere from two to three and isolated four inch amounts, especially down towards the Joplin region,” says Perez.

Southwest Missouri’s Joplin, Springfield and Lebanon should see an additional three inches.

Mid-Missouri’s Jefferson City and Columbia will likely see one to two inches, while an inch of snow is expected in northern Missouri.

Perez is urging Missourians to take proper precautions at home or on the road.

“The dangerous cold has really made for dangerous travel across the Ozarks region, and we encourage everybody to have an emergency kit that they carry in their car as well as one at home,” Perez says.

The Table Rock Lake area could also see three inches of additional snowfall.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with National Weather Service (NWS) Springfield meteorologist Kyle Perez, which was recorded on February 16, 2021:

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.

Southern Missouri’s I-44 corridor to see heaviest snowfall Sunday and Monday

February 12, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

While all of Missouri is expected to see snow on Sunday evening into Monday, the National Weather Service (NWS) expects the heaviest snow to be along the heavily-traveled I-44 corridor in southern Missouri.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield expects Springfield, Joplin and Lebanon to receive three to six inches of snow Sunday into Washington’s Birthday (February 12, 2021 graphic courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter)

NWS Springfield meteorologist Eric Wise tells Missourinet they’re expecting three waves of snow, bringing a total of three to six inches in Joplin, Springfield, Lebanon, Waynesville and up to Rolla. Three to six inches of snow is also expected along the Missouri-Arkansas border, impacting towns like Branson and Thayer.

Temperatures and wind chills will remain dangerously cold in the Ozarks and across the state through next week.

Meantime, the National Weather Service in Paducah has issued a winter storm watch for most of southeast Missouri for Sunday night through Monday evening. The NWS Paducah office says Cape Girardeau, Sikeston, Poplar Bluff and Kennett are in the watch area. Four or more inches of snow is likely, and drifting is expected because of 20-mile per hour winds.

The NWS recommends that Missourians fill up their gas tanks before the winter storm.

Freezing drizzle continues near I-44 corridor; wind chill advisory takes effect at midnight across northern Missouri

February 8, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Up to one-tenth of an inch of ice is possible across the Southern Missouri Ozarks through Monday night. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield’s winter weather advisory remains in effect for the entire Ozarks region.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield warns up to one-tenth of an inch of ice is possible across the Ozarks through Monday night (February 8, 2021 graphic courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter)

Freezing drizzle continues to impact much of the I-44 corridor, including Joplin, Springfield, Marshfield and Lebanon.

Meantime, much of northwest and far northern Missouri will be under a wind chill advisory through Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill has issued the advisory, which takes effect at midnight and includes St. Joseph, Chillicothe, Bethany and Kirksville. Wind chills will make it feel like 15 below zero. The wind child advisory expires Tuesday morning at 9.

Crews from the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) have been working around the clock statewide, to clear roads of snow and ice. Those efforts are being impacted by the bitterly cold temperatures.

In Jefferson City, roads quickly deteriorated on Monday evening. Snow and frozen precipitation has been falling, and there’s also been some black ice. Missouri Boulevard, which is the Capital City’s busiest road, is snow-covered.

The Jefferson City Public Schools (JCPS) announced Monday evening there is no school on Tuesday due to the inclement weather and potentially unsafe travel conditions.

The winter weather has also impacted the ability of some Missouri lawmakers to travel to Jefferson City for session. House Education Committee Chairwoman Rep. Brenda Shields, R-St. Joseph, couldn’t make it to Jefferson City from St. Joseph, where snow and freezing rain had been falling. Committee vice chairman John Black, R-Marshfield, ran Monday’s hearing about tuition-related legislation from State Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs.

Across the Capitol building in the Missouri Senate, President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, tells Missourinet that several state senators were delayed in getting to Jefferson City, due to the winter weather. They were all able to get in, by late afternoon.

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.

New $42 million hospital opens Friday in southern Missouri; rural residents urged to support local hospitals (AUDIO)

January 21, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A ceremony is scheduled for Friday evening in southwest Missouri’s Monett for a new state-of-the-art $42 million hospital. Monett, which has about 9,000 residents, is located between Joplin and Springfield.

A drone photo above the new Cox Monett hospital in southwest Missouri (December 2020 photo courtesy of Springfield-based CoxHealth)

Springfield-based CoxHealth broke ground on the facility in 2019, and it’s taken about two years to finish. Cox Monett President Darren Bass is grateful to be part of the CoxHealth system, noting other rural Missouri hospitals have closed.

“That really affords us the ability to streamline and centralize and have a lot of the nonpatient function areas covered by a system,” Bass says.

Bass says being part of a system allows the Monett hospital to focus their revenues on infrastructure, growth and on employee retention.

The Missouri Hospital Association (MHA) says ten rural Missouri hospitals have closed, since 2014. The new 70-thousand square foot Monett hospital will replace the current facility, which opened in 1953.

Bass says patient transition to the new hospital will begin Friday at 6 p.m.

“We’ll actually open our emergency department in our new hospital at 6 pm and we will maintain the emergency department at our old hospital until the last patient is moved out,” says Bass.

COVID-19 patients will be the last to move, and Bass says they’re working closely with the local ambulance district. CoxHealth says the new facility is part of their mission to ensure that rural Missourians have access to health care, especially critical, time-sensitive situations.

Mr. Bass tells Missourinet that rural health care is critical. He’s urging rural Missourians across the state to support their local hospitals and health care providers.

“Just be thinking about what happens if you’re not using your local health care services, your neighbor probably isn’t either. And there’s only so long that that hospital or health system can manage if they don’t have the volume coming in the doors to stay afloat,” Bass says.

Friday’s ceremonies will start at about 5 p.m. There will also be a moment of silence for the current hospital.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with Cox Monett President Darren Bass, which was recorded on January 20, 2021:

Legislation appointing Missouri House and Senate marshals to be heard on Monday

January 19, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri House committee will consider legislation to appoint House and Senate Marshals, to help provide physical security and perform other duties at the State Capitol in Jefferson City.

State Rep. Lane Roberts, R-Joplin, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on February 26, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The Missouri House Crime Prevention Committee will hold a hearing next Monday on legislation from State Rep. Lane Roberts, R-Joplin. He’s a former state Department of Public Safety (DPS) director and a former Joplin police chief. Roberts also chairs the Crime Prevention Committee.

Under House Bill 784, Missouri House and Senate marshals would be able to wear a concealable firearm and make arrests based upon state law. They would have to have at least five years’ experience as a law enforcement officer and have a peace officer license.

Under the two-page bill, the House and Senate marshals would aid the sergeant-at-arms in their respective chambers. They would help oversee the physical security of the areas in the Missouri Capitol under control of the House and Senate.

Any marshals authorized under the bill would be in addition to Capitol Police officers or other law enforcement personnel.

Love: Missouri Prime Beef Packers to open beef processing plant in southwest Missouri (AUDIO)

December 24, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A veteran state lawmaker and cattleman has announced that a company will open a new beef processing plant in January in southwest Missouri’s Pleasant Hope, which is between Springfield and Bolivar.

State Rep. Warren Love, R-Osceola, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on April 11, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Warren Love, R-Osceola, praises the decision by Missouri Prime Beef Packers, saying the Show-Me State ranks second or third in beef cow numbers.

“We have the potential now for Missourians to start feeding and finishing their cattle here in this state, and that will add more value to the Missouri beef,” Love says.

He says the new plant will open at the end of January, providing great pay and benefits. He says the 100,000 square foot facility previously operated as a pork processor, and that the plant is currently undergoing extensive upgrades to accommodate both fed and non-fed beef cattle.

Representative Love, who serves on the Missouri House Agriculture Policy Committee, tells Missourinet that Pleasant Hope is a perfect location for a beef processing plant. The town has about 600 residents.

“If you draw a 60-mile circle from Joplin, which that includes the majority of southwest Missouri, part of southeast Kansas, northeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas, you’ve got a lot of cattle,” says Love.

He says the numbers are there, and that the announcement is good news for the entire state.

He and State Reps. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, and Don Rone, R-Portageville, have been emphasizing Missouri’s efforts to help the meat supply chain overcome interruptions and shutdowns that have happened because of the pandemic.

Love, Shaul and Rone announced in July that the newest modern beef processing plant built in the United States had opened in western Missouri’s Lone Jack, which is southeast of Lee’s Summit. Republic Foods, which has about 175 employees, processes about 250 head of beef cows per day.

As for the Pleasant Hope facility, Love says the plant will have the capacity to process 500 head per day, and will custom process cattle for a variety of niche programs.

“The good news is he’s (the president of Missouri Prime Beef Packers) wanting to open it up and do custom processing for outfits of what I would call labeled meat, that would be in the higher quality grades,” Love says.

He says the top priority for Missouri Prime Beef Packers is food safety. He says the company is emphasizing a connection between the consumer and the producer.

Love says the company is focusing its efforts now on hiring.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with State Rep. Warren Love, R-Osceola, which was recorded on December 22, 2020: