Kansas Archives - Missourinet

Northern Missouri food bank leader testifies before Congress about hunger needs, during pandemic

July 29, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The chief executive officer of a northwest Missouri food bank testifies the response and recovery effort from COVID-19 will be the largest relief assistance program in American history, by far.

Second Harvest Community Food Bank serves 15 northwest Missouri counties, along with four Kansas counties (2020 photo courtesy of Second Harvest’s Facebook page)

Second Harvest Community Food Bank CEO Chad Higdon testified Tuesday before a congressional subcommittee on emergency management. The food bank is headquartered in St. Joseph.

“We have seen a tremendous increase in need as a result of COVID-19,” Higdon testifies. “This past fiscal year, Second Harvest distributed 9.9 million pounds of food, up 31 percent from our record distribution the year prior.”

Higdon says that translates to about 8.25 million meals to needy families. He also says the food bank distributed about one million pounds of food in July.

“We understand that low-income families in general are vulnerable. One vehicle emergency or unexpected home repair can set a family back financially for months, and we know that low-income seniors often must choose between needed prescriptions and a nutritious meal,” Higdon says.

Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill are praising the St. Joseph food bank for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Second Harvest serves 15 northwest Missouri counties: Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Caldwell, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Livingston, Mercer, Nodaway and Worth. Towns include St. Joseph, Chillicothe, Bethany and Trenton.

It also serves four Kansas counties.

Second Harvest employs a staff of 24 full-time employees, with an annual operating budget of $3.7 million. Mr. Higdon testifies that prior to the pandemic, they were serving about 45,000 individuals. He says that number is now about 64,000, about 18 percent of the population in those counties.

He testifies about 26 percent of the children in that area are food insecure.

Higdon praises the members of the congressional subcommittee for their support of food banks. He testified at the request of U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, who says Higdon’s testimony highlights how disasters impact vulnerable populations like the elderly.

Higdon testified from Congressman Graves’ St. Joseph office, because witnesses were encouraged to participate remotely due to the pandemic. He also submitted written testimony.

Second Harvest Community Food Bank’s website says its mission “is to provide nourishment and hope to the hungry in northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas, while engaging and empowering the region in the fight to end hunger.”

Graves says northwest Missouri is still impacted from record 2019 flooding (AUDIO)

July 24, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A congressman who represents northern Missouri says it’s been about 500 days since the Flood of 2019 began, and that thousands of acres of the world’s most fertile farmland are still covered under water or silt and sand.

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, visits with officials and residents in flooded Holt County in March 2019 (file photo courtesy of the congressman’s Facebook page)

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, says two small farming towns northwest of St. Joseph have been especially impacted.

“Craig, Missouri being one of those,” Graves says. “Corning, Missouri another. Those are just two that are in Holt County.”

Holt County saw record flooding in 2019, which covered heavily-traveled Highway 159. Graves says some residents there have lost their farms and homes, multiple times.

The Missouri Farm Bureau says more than 1.4 million acres of farmland in the state went unplanted in 2019, due to flooding. One of the hardest-hit areas was in Holt County.

Graves, the ranking Republican on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is critical of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He says flood control and navigation should be the Corps’ top priority for the Missouri River.

He says 578-million tons of goods are shipped by barges annually.

Congressman Graves and Governor Mike Parson have both criticized the Corps. Parson and the governors of neighboring Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska have met with the Corps at least three times, to discuss what needs to be done differently in the future.

The governors have signed a four-state agreement to cooperate on issues relating to flood control and the Corps.

Graves tells Missourinet that some towns in his district are still behind temporarily-repaired levees.

“In many cases too, they’re building back to the exact same criteria that was there before,” says Graves.

Graves is optimistic that Congress will approve a major water resources bill before the November election. He says the bipartisan bill is aimed at helping communities impacted by repeated flooding.

“I think it will go very easily off the floor of the House. Again, it was unanimous out of committee, and then it will go over to the Senate and then we’ll work it out in conference,” Graves says.

He says the bill gives towns more help in planning and implementing flood control projects that limit the risk of future floods.

Graves, a dean in Missouri’s congressional delegation, represents 36 northern Missouri counties. He’s finishing his tenth term on Capitol Hill. His district includes Craig, St. Joseph, Chillicothe, Bethany, Macon, Kirksville and Hannibal.

Click here to listen to the full eight-minute interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, which was recorded on July 17, 2020:

Missouri governor: 250 new jobs coming to “small town pretty close to Bolivar” (AUDIO)

June 16, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor says 250 new agricultural-related jobs are coming to southwest Missouri.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on June 16, 2020 (photo courtesy of Governor Parson’s Flickr page)

Governor Mike Parson made the announcement during a briefing with Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on Tuesday. While the governor isn’t naming the town yet, he tells Missourinet that it’s a “small town pretty close to Bolivar.”

“I don’t know that I’m quite at liberty to say just exactly where that is down home, but it absolutely will be a great opportunity for people in a small town down there to do that,” Parson says.

The governor says he met this week with company executives from Oregon and Kansas, about this project. The meeting took place in Parson’s hometown of Bolivar.

Bolivar is about 30 miles northwest of Springfield.

Parson describes the 250 new jobs as a business expansion, adding that it’s good news for Missouri moving forward.

“It’s exciting news and it will have to do with agriculture, so it’s always a good thing for me when I see those new jobs coming in and especially with the situation that we’ve been in,” says Parson.

Agriculture is an $88 billion industry in Missouri, making it the state’s largest industry.

Missouri fully reopened for business on Tuesday morning and has entered phase two of its “Show Me Strong Recovery Plan.”

While there is no statewide health order during phase two, Parson emphasizes that COVID-19 is not gone. He continues to urge Missourians to practice social distancing and to continue with good hygiene.

Click here to listen to Missouri Governor Mike Parson respond to Brian Hauswirth’s question about the 250 new jobs coming to southwest Missouri. The governor spoke on June 16, 2020 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

Missouri House observes moment of silence for state lawmaker’s son, who committed suicide (AUDIO)

April 27, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri lawmaker whose son committed suicide in March is urging his House colleagues to increase funding for mental illness, saying it’s an underfunded and hidden issue.

State Rep. Bill Kidd, R-Buckner, delivered an emotional House floor speech on Monday afternoon in Jefferson City, before the budget debate started. Kidd tells the House that his son, Taylor Hancock, committed suicide on March 16.

State Rep. Bill Kidd, R-Buckner, (left), his wife Jaime and State Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Dardenne Prairie, pray during a moment of silence on the House floor in Jefferson City on April 27, 2020 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

“We don’t know what to do with a mentally ill person because we can’t see the problem, like we see a broken leg,” Kidd says. “A broken brain though is no different than a broken leg.”

Kidd says his 34-year-old son, who lived in Kansas, had battled depression and schizophrenia.

“When you are broken mentally, we don’t know what to do because treating mental illness again is an art, not a science. Each person’s brain chemistry is unique,” says Kidd.

Kidd says he and his wife Jamie worked with their son’s case and social workers in Kansas, and attended National Association of Mental Illness classes.

Kidd is urging the Legislature to appropriate more funding for mental health services. He says social workers are underpaid and have overwhelming caseloads.

After Representative Kidd’s floor speech, the Missouri House observed a moment of silence for Taylor.

Click here to listen to the Missouri House floor speech from State Rep. Bill Kidd, R-Buckner, which was delivered on April 27, 2020 in Jefferson City:

Lawmaker proposing Missouri Lottery winner legislation emphasizes safety (AUDIO)

February 17, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation that would give Missouri Lottery winners the option of not having their names published by the Lottery was heard by a House committee in Jefferson City on Monday.

The Missouri Lottery logo (courtesy of Missouri Lottery)

The bill sponsor, State Rep. Jay Mosley, D-Florissant, tells Missourinet it’s a safety issue.

“I want people to feel safe when they win,” Mosley says. “I want them to experience their winnings in the best possible fashion.”

Mosley testifies Missouri Lottery winners could be targeted by people who read about their win, or approached by family members who want money.

House Bill 1563 would give lottery winners the option of anonymity. Representative Mosley testifies that eight states already allow it, including neighboring Kansas.

“I also feel that we’ll probably keep monies here in the state as well, since Kansas is one of those (eight) anonymous states,” says Mosley.

Mosley emphasizes that winners could still have their names published under his legislation, if they choose to.

“I know there are people out there that want to disclose that information, but most people, from my knowledge, don’t,” Mosley says.

The bill applies to the Missouri Lottery Commission, the state Lottery, lottery and contract employees. Under the bill, “publish” means issuing information or material to the public in printed or electronic form.

His bill would apply to lottery winners of any amount. Under the bill, violators would be charged with a class A misdemeanor.

The House General Laws Committee did not vote on the bill on Monday. The bipartisan legislation was approved unanimously by the committee in 2019.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and State Rep. Jay Mosley, D-Florissant, which was recorded on February 17, 2020 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

Kansas City business leaders hopeful about end to “border war” between Missouri and Kansas

June 28, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce president is praising Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) for signing legislation into law that’s aimed at ending the economic “border war” between Missouri and Kansas.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson signs SB 182 into law on June 11, 2019 at Kansas City’s Union Station (photo courtesy of Governor Parson’s office)

Joe Reardon hopes it will lead to additional regional cooperation.

“And an end to the destructive back and forth of luring of companies from one side of the state line to the other, with no creation of net new jobs,” Reardon says.

The bill impacts companies moving between three Kansas counties and Missouri’s Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte counties. The Missouri law will only take effect if the Sunflower State passes a reciprocal agreement.

Reardon, who spoke at Governor Parson’s bill-signing ceremony at Union Station this month, says resolving the border war has been a top priority for the Chamber and for business leaders in the region.

“We believe our true competition is not between us or across the line that’s not far from outside this door (Union Station), but it’s with other regions like Dallas, Denver, Nashville,” says Reardon.

The Hall Family Foundation says more than 10,000 jobs moved between Missouri and Kansas during the past decade, with an incentive cost of $330 million.

The jobs all moved in the Kansas City region.

Mr. Reardon notes cooperation has happened before, noting that voters on both sides of the state line backed a 1996 tax increase to restore Union Station, which was crumbling at the time. Reardon says fast forward to 2015 at Union Station, after the Kansas City Royals won the World Series.

“This became the gathering spot for almost 800,000 Kansas Citians from all over, both sides of the state line,” Reardon says.

The renovated Union Station includes an Amtrak depot, a permanent rail exhibit known as the KC Rail Experience, a planetarium and a science city.

Governor Parson says Missouri and Kansas have both spent “well over $100 million” in the border war, telling reporters after the bill-signing that “there’s no reason we can’t be using that money for a lot better purposes than just jumping from one side of the state (line) to the other.”

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D) has issued a statement echoing Governor Parson’s comments about the irresponsible spending by both states, “with little actual job growth for either state.”

Tornado debris “rains down” on Kansas City International Airport; KCI closed for five hours (AUDIO)

May 29, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Passenger air service at Kansas City International Airport (KCI) is resuming Wednesday morning, after KCI was closed for more than five hours after storm debris “rained down” onto the airport Tuesday night. The National Weather Service classified the storm as an EF-2 tornado, six miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri.

Kansas City International (KCI) Airport was closed for more than five hours after tornado debris “rained down” onto the airport, according to KCI (May 28, 2019 photo courtesy of KCI Twitter page)

KCI spokesman Joe McBride says the airport was closed from about 7 last night until about 12:15 this morning.

“This all started at about 7 p.m. when there was a tornado that looked like it was bearing down on Kansas City International Airport and we actually evacuated the terminals and brought people (passengers and KCI employees) down to shelter in place in the tunnels,” McBride says.

KCI officials say thousands of pieces of tornado debris landed on airport property, including wall panels, pots and items from a greenhouse/nursery.

Crews were brought in to remove the debris, which KCI says is presumed to be from tornado damage about 47 miles away in Linwood, Kansas.

All of the debris had to be cleared by crews, before KCI could reopen and air service could resume. McBride tells Missourinet crews had to clear 15 million square feet of airfield.

“We had to bring crews back in and some of the stuff, it might be a large panel from a barn or something,” says McBride. “You have to pick that up, throw it in a truck and then come back with the smaller stuff using a large broom that’s used for snow removal.”

KCI officials emphasize safety’s importance, saying foreign object damage to an airplane can cause a catastrophe.

McBride says international service was also impacted by the closure.

“We even had an Iceland Air flight flying in from Iceland that was diverted to Wichita. Those folks are really wondering what’s going on,” McBride says.

The massive KCI complex covers more than 10,000 acres, and the KCI website notes the airport’s three terminals are each more than one-third of a mile long.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Kansas City International Airport (KCI) spokesman Joe McBride, which was recorded on May 28, 2019:

Kansas legislature approves health compact legislation originated in Missouri

April 7, 2014 By Mike Lear

Kansas is on the verge of banding with 8 other states including Missouri in forming an interstate health care compact, which would let states go their own way with health care rather than participate in the federal healthcare reform law.

Representative Eric Burlison (Photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

The same plan that has passed out of the Kansas legislature, and has become law in 8 states, was first proposed in Missouri. It needed two things to be ratified: passage in at least two states, and Congressional authorization.

Representative Eric Burlison (R-Springfield) sponsored the first interstate compact proposal, which was enacted in 2011. He says states in the compact would have an option other than the Affordable Care Act.

“Let states decide what’s in the best interest for their citizens and if something’s working in another state, then we can glean ideas from that state and implement them in our state,” says Burlison. “That way you are seeing innovation at work and you’re seeing creative ideas at work instead of supressing every state with a one-size-fits-all, mediocre solution.”

Oklahoma Congressman James Lankford (R) has introduced legislation that would give Congressional approval to the compact. It has been referred to a subcommittee. If it clears the Republican-controlled House it faces a tough road in a Democrat-controlled Senate, which Republicans hope to take control of in elections this year.

“It may not be this [Congress] that’s able to do it, but any future legislature could adopt the interstate compact,” says Burlison.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (R) hasn’t said whether he will sign that state’s compact legislation.

House passes proposed ceasefire in jobs ‘border war’ with Kansas

March 4, 2014 By Mike Lear

The state House has passed its version of a bill proposing a cease-fire in the so-called “Border War” over jobs with Kansas.

The proposal sponsored by House Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka) would restrict the use of certain incentive programs for businesses that move from four counties in Kansas across the border to any of four counties in Missouri. It would only be enacted if the state of Kansas adopts and maintains a similar policy regarding businesses that move from those Missouri Counties into Kansas.

The legislation is HB 1646.

Representative Kevin McManus (D-Kansas City) says this is the year for Missouri and Kansas to reach such an agreement.

“We’re winning this war but we can’t afford to keep it going at this rate and neither can Kansas,” says McManus, “and I think that latter part is even more important to recognize. With the changes that Kansas has undergone, they cannot afford to keep this going and they recognize it. So there’s leverage there. We have to use it.”

Jones says the economic development effort needs to be less about state versus state and more about the region versus the rest of the world.

“We’re holding out the olive branch and saying, ‘Let’s stop playing this economic small ball. Let’s create a business climate in the region that attracts more jobs back to the United States, back to the Midwest.”

The Senate has passed its own version of that legislation, sponsored by Senator Ryan Silvey (R-Kansas City).

Three bills, one proposal to end jobs ‘border war’ with Kansas to be heard today

February 5, 2014 By Mike Lear

Three bills will be heard in two legislative committees today that aim to end the so-called “border war” between Missouri and Kansas over jobs.

All three bills would bar the issuance of certain business incentive programs to businesses that move from specific counties along the Kansas-Missouri Border on the Kansas side, to those along the border on the Missouri side. Supporters say it would end the practice of one state “poaching” companies and jobs from one side of the state line to the other. All three would be contingent on Kansas agreeing to block the offering of state incentives that would lure businesses from Missouri across the state line.

The legislation was pre-filed in December in the Senate by Senator Ryan Silvey (R-Kansas City) (SB 635). Bills mirroring it were then introduced in the House by Representative Kevin McManus (D-Kansas City) (HB 1515) and later by House Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka) (HB 1646).

Governor Jay Nixon in November called for he and Kansas Governor Sam Brownback to put a temporary moratorium on incentives in the Kansas City region, followed by legislative action to make them permanent.

McManus’ and Jones’ bills will be heard in House Hearing Room 7 at noon. Silvey’s legislation will be heard in the Senate Lounge at 1:00.