Kansas City Archives - Missourinet

Missouri Senate committee to tackle school bus safety on Tuesday

March 30, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A state senator from Kansas City wants to see a task force study school bus safety, including the effectiveness of seat belts.

Then-State Rep. Greg Razer (D-Kansas City) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on April 11, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Sen. Greg Razer (D-Kansas City) will testify Tuesday morning in Jefferson City before the Missouri Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee, which is chaired by State Sen. Justin Brown (R-Rolla).

Razer’s two-page Senate Bill 609 would establish the Joint Task Force on School Bus Safety to study school bus transportation safety in public schools. The task force would include two state representatives appointed by the Missouri House Speaker, two state senators appointed by the Senate President Pro Tem, Missouri’s Education Commissioner or his or her designee, the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) director or his or her designee, and the state Department of Public Safety (DPS) director or his or her designee.

If lawmakers approve Razer’s proposal, the task force would begin meeting in 2022 and would meet at least three times a year. They would examine the effectiveness of seatbelts, analyze school bus entrance and exit safety and other related topics. They would submit an annual report to the governor and to the Legislature by December 31 every year.

Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium will be mega vaccination site for two-day event

March 12, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor announced Thursday in Jefferson City that the state will be hosting a mega vaccination site at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium next Friday and Saturday, March 19 and 20th.

State Sen. Barbara Washington (D-Kansas City) briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on March 11, 2021, about the Arrowhead Stadium mega vaccinations (photo courtesy of Missouri Governor Parson’s Flickr page)

Governor Mike Parson tells Capitol reporters that his administration is working as quickly as possible to meet the higher vaccine interest in urban populations, while keeping vaccine distribution equitable across the state.

“Two (Missouri) National Guard teams will be on the grounds Friday and Saturday (March 19 and 20) from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. to vaccinate an expected total of six to 7,000 eligible Missourians,” Parson says.

The COVID vaccinations will be administered in Arrowhead Stadium’s parking lot, and not on the Chiefs football field.

“Names of the eligible Missourians will be chosen from a list of those who have previously signed up to receive the vaccine with the Jackson County health department,” says Parson.

The governor says those selected will be notified of their appointment date and time, along with further instructions.

State Sen. Barbara Washington (D-Kansas City), who joined the governor at Thursday’s Jefferson City press conference, is also helping to organize the event. She notes the Arrowhead event is just for Jackson County residents, which includes Kansas City, Raytown and Grandview.

Washington says organizers are working with the Urban League and are also reaching out to the most vulnerable. She notes you must have an appointment.

Senator Washington, who serves on the Senate Health and Pensions Committee, says tents will be set up in Arrowhead Stadium’s parking lot, and says nurses will administer some shots on buses.

Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jackson County health officials, Truman Medical Center, KCATA and state lawmakers like Washington and Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo (D-Independence) are all helping to organize the two-day event.

During the Statehouse press conference, Governor Parson also discussed COVID numbers and says we are winning the fight against COVID. The governor says the numbers continue to trend in the right direction, and he’s emphasizing the state’s balanced approach.

“Missouri is still leading the nation at second-lowest of average daily cases. Our seven-day (COVID) positivity is 4.5, and hospitalizations have dropped below 900,” Parson says.

Missouri vaccinators have now administered more than 1.6 million shots, which includes the first and second doses. That’s 17.5 percent of Missouri’s population.

The state Department of Health and Senior Services’ (DHSS) COVID dashboard says Missouri vaccinators are now administering about 33,000 doses per day.

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 has now completed 68 mass vaccination clinics

February 25, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The governor says more than 66,000 Missourians have received an initial COVID vaccine at a mass vaccination clinic.

The Missouri National Guard, the state Department of Health and Senior Services and Pettis County health officials assist residents at a mass vaccination clinic in west-central Missouri’s Sedalia on February 23, 2021 (photo courtesy of the State Emergency Management Agency)

Governor Mike Parson tells Capitol reporters that 68 mass vaccination clinics have been completed around the state. Another eight are scheduled for Friday. They will take place in Jefferson City, Springfield, in northern Missouri’s Chillicothe and Hannibal, in west-central Missouri’s Clinton, in southern Missouri’s Rolla and West Plains and in the Bootheel town of Caruthersville.

The mass vaccination clinics are operated by the Missouri National Guard, the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and by local health officials.

The governor has also announced that targeted teams in St. Louis and Kansas City have completed another 24 vaccine clinics, with more planned in the coming weeks. The targeted teams serve vulnerable populations in areas with limited access to health care.

During Thursday’s briefing in Jefferson City, Governor Parson also touted improving numbers for COVID. He says CDC data shows Missouri now ranks second lowest in the nation for average daily COVID cases per 100,000 residents, over the past week.

The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says Missouri vaccinators have now administered more than 1.1 million COVID shots, which includes first and second doses. That’s about 12 percent of Missouri’s population. DHSS says 373,082 have received both shots.

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.

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.

Open house set for $240 million I-70 bridge project in mid-Missouri’s Rocheport; bridge connects nation (AUDIO)

January 25, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

State transportation officials will hold a virtual open house Tuesday evening to outline details of the massive $240 million project to replace the aging I-70 bridge in mid-Missouri’s Rocheport.

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)

State Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Rocheport bridge project director Brandi Baldwin says the virtual presentations will take place Tuesday from 5 to 6:30, and will be repeated every 20 minutes.

“What we plan to do is share with the public a series of slides, giving an overview of the project. And we’ll play that presentation in a loop,” Baldwin says.

You can find a link to Tuesday’s virtual open house here, on the MoDOT website.

Missouri has received an $81 million federal grant to replace the bridge, which was built in 1960. The federal grant was also tied-in to a related project to build one-point-two 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.

The deteriorating I-70 bridge in Rocheport is listed in poor condition, by MoDOT. The agency describes the bridge as “the lynchpin of America,” carrying more than 12-million vehicles annually. That includes 3.6 million trucks.

Baldwin expects the project to be done by the end of 2024.

“We will be awarding the project this summer at our July (State Highway) commission meeting, so we are working towards that,” says Baldwin.

The Rocheport bridge connects Boone and Cooper counties and also connects St. Louis and Kansas City. MoDOT also notes it 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.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Rocheport bridge project director Brandi Baldwin, which was recorded on January 22, 2021:

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:

Far northwest and northern Missouri under winter storm warning until 6 am Wednesday (AUDIO)

December 29, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A winter storm warning remains in effect until 6 o’clock on Wednesday morning in northwest and far northern Missouri. Impacted towns include St. Joseph, Bethany, Maryville and Trenton, as well as numerous farming communities in that region.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill has issued a winter storm warning and a separate winter weather advisory for large parts of northern Missouri (December 29, 2020 graphic courtesy of NWS Pleasant Hill Twitter page)

National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Spencer Mell says there’s four inches of snow on the ground in Atchison County, which is on the border with Iowa and Nebraska.

“We’re seeing a lot of this transition from a snow scenario over to sleet and even some freezing rain. We did see anywhere from one to four inches (of snow) across those areas this morning,” Mell says.

The state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) says most roadways in northern Missouri are covered with snow or some ice. They’re urging north Missourians to stay at home if possible, and to use extreme caution if driving.

Our Bethany affiliate KAAN reports about an inch of snow on the ground, along with sleet this afternoon.

Meantime, a large section of western, northern and northeast Missouri remains under a winter weather advisory until 6 o’clock Tuesday evening. Impacted cities include Kansas City, Marshall and Chillicothe.

Meteorologist Mell says those communities are also seeing some ice.

“Right now we’re hovering right around freezing, so we’re still seeing a little bit of light freezing rain. Expect that to continue here through the afternoon, I think most of those areas have seen the worst of it,” says Mell.

MoDOT Kansas City crews are urging residents in the Kansas City metro and in western Missouri to stay alert, to brake carefully and to stay home, if possible. Mell notes there’s been freezing rain today near Lee’s Summit, as well as Raymore and Pleasant Hill.

“It’s really just a sheet of ice out there so fortunately, MoDOT has got out there and treated some of these roads, but some of this freezing rain came pretty quick,” Mell says.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is also urging you to slow down, in winter weather. Troopers say that during inclement weather, driving the speed limit is often too fast and not “exercising the highest degree of care.”

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Spencer Mell, which was recorded on December 29, 2020: