Lebanon Archives - Missourinet

Severe storms expected across much of central and eastern Missouri this evening (AUDIO)

June 5, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis warns that severe storms are expected Wednesday afternoon and tonight across parts of northeast, central and eastern Missouri.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis outlines the time frame for today’s anticipated severe weather (June 5, 2019 map courtesy of NWS St. Louis Twitter page)

NWS meteorologist Ben Herzog tells Missourinet storms are expected to develop in northeast Missouri and west-central Illinois, and are expected to push straight south.

“Primary thing we’re anticipating with these storms are strong, straight-line winds, damaging winds although these storms will also be capable of producing large hail,” Herzog says.

Herzog says 60 to 70 mile per hour winds are possible, along with lightning. He says the severe storms are expected to begin Wednesday afternoon in Columbia, Jefferson City and Moberly around the afternoon commute time.

“The most likely time for storms in those areas looks like it’s going to be around 5, 6 o’clock, something like that,” says Herzog. “Now I should say that’s going to be the time when storms are most likely.”

The NWS says severe storms are expected to impact the St. Louis region from about 4-7 p.m., and will impact the southern Missouri towns of Lebanon, Rolla and Farmington between 7 and 10 tonight.

The NWS says the St. Louis region and northeast Missouri’s Troy and Bowling Green are now at an enhanced risk of severe weather this afternoon, which means numerous severe storms are possible.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with NWS meteorologist Ben Herzog, which was recorded on June 5, 2019:

Storm hits southern Missouri town’s only grocery store; store manager praised (AUDIO)

May 22, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield will be sending two survey teams across the Ozarks on Wednesday morning to view storm damage and try to confirm if tornadoes caused the damage.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield issued a tornado warning for the Hartville area on May 21, 2019 (map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter page)

NWS Springfield meteorologist Tom Olsen tells Missourinet they issued eight tornado warnings on Tuesday. Olsen says the survey teams will be working to determine if tornadoes caused the damage, and if so, the intensity of them.

One of the survey teams will be heading to southern Missouri’s Hartville, which is about an hour east of Springfield. State Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, says there is major damage to the town’s only grocery store.

“You’ve got to drive 45 minutes to Lebanon (to get to another grocery store), you’ve got to drive probably at least 30, 45 minutes to Mountain Grove to get to a Walmart,” Kelly says.

Representative Kelly credits the Town and Country Supermarket’s manager for saving lives.

“The manager, of course, was quick on his feet and got everybody into the freezer from what I’ve been told, and because of that, they were able to see no loss of life,” says Kelly.

No fatalities nor serious injuries have been reported.

The store manager, Josh Dugger, tells our Springfield television partner KOLR-10 that 25 employees and customers went inside the produce cooler to wait out the storm. He says the storm “popped all our ears.”

Dugger tells KOLR-10 that the supermarket’s ceiling has fallen in and that the structure needs to be boarded up. He says the store’s top priority now is removal of the debris.

Insurance adjusters and debris removal crews are expected to arrive at the store in the morning.

Meantime, the NWS Springfield survey team is also expected to visit the Wright County Courthouse in Hartville on Wednesday. Representative Kelly tells Missourinet there is damage outside the courthouse, where she says people huddled in the basement during the storm.

“There’s a lot of debris all around the courthouse from the storm and from what we presume to be a tornado,” Kelly says. “All of the fences, the construction fences are all wiped out and everything.”

Construction crews have been working to build a new jail in Hartville, which is the county seat.

Kelly says volunteer firefighters have been working to remove debris there and at the nearby supermarket.

She also says volunteers have delivered hot food, including chili and spaghetti, to Hartville first responders. Kelly is asking people to pray for those impacted by the storms.

Kelly also says the storm system destroyed about 40 trees at her aunt’s home in nearby Mansfield.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, which was recorded on May 21, 2019:

Flash flood watch in effect for much of central and southwest Missouri (AUDIO)

May 7, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a flash flood watch for parts of mid-Missouri as well as southwest Missouri. The watch remains in effect through Thursday morning.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis has issued a flash flood watch for much of mid-Missouri (map courtesy of NWS St. Louis Twitter page)

NWS Springfield meteorologist Jason Schaumann tells Missourinet the watch area covers a large geographic area.

“We’re talking from Nevada to Clinton, Sedalia, Jeff City, Osage Beach and then down towards Lebanon, Buffalo and Bolivar,” Schaumann says.

Schaumann says parts of the Ozarks have seen four to eight inches of rainfall in the last couple of weeks, adding that some areas have received ten inches. He says heavy rain will likely cause low-lying areas to flood, along with areas near streams and rivers.

Schaumann says an additional one to three inches of rainfall is expected in the watch area, where the ground is already saturated.

“You will literally see hundreds of low-water crossings that can flood across the Missouri Ozarks, the central Missouri area, and eventually then we’re going to see some rivers flood,” says Schaumann.

Schaumann says several rounds of thunderstorms are expected to move through. He also reminds you to never drive through a flooded roadway.

Meantime, the NWS in Springfield warns southwest Missouri residents that they may see severe weather again overnight. Mr. Schaumann tells Missourinet a squall line of thunderstorms is expected to push in late Tuesday night into the morning.

“That’s going to move from west to east across the region and that may carry some damaging winds with it, especially the further west you go towards the I-49 corridor,” Schaumann says.

A squall line is a band of strong winds and storms associated with a cold front.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with National Weather Service (NWS) Springfield meteorologist Jason Schaumann, which was recorded on May 7, 2019:

Attorney General’s Office: Solution for grant loss to domestic violence shelters could come next week

March 7, 2014 By Mike Lear

See the updated story from Friday afternoon

The Attorney General’s Office says it expects the Missouri Housing Development Commission staff to have a proposed solution next week for the domestic violence shelters it turned down for a grant last month.

A shelter for homeless veterans in Columbia revealed on Thursday it had also been denied for that grant.

At least 15 domestic violence shelters were told their applications for the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) had been rejected but were not told why. Missourinet has been told that the Commission has not voted on the final decisions on how the grants will be awarded this cycle.

The members of the commission include Governor Jay Nixon, Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, State Treasurer Clint Zweifel and Attorney General Chris Koster. When Missourinet reached out to their offices about the situation, Koster Press Secretary Nanci Gonder issued this statement:

“Funding is critical for our state’s domestic violence shelters. After learning of the cuts in emergency shelter grants, we discussed the issue with MHDC staff and expect they will present a proposal at next week’s meeting.”

The Commission will meet at the Stoney Creek Inn in Columbia Friday, March 14 at 9:00.

After learning about those domestic violence shelters, a shelter for homeless veterans in Columbia reached out to Missourinet to say it had also lost the ESG.

Executive Director of Welcome Home, Inc, Aneisa Sherrill-Mattox, says Welcome Home Inc. has been approved for about $18,000 each of the 8 years she has worked there. Last year the shelter was approved for $50,000.

Like the domestic violence shelters, she has not been told why Welcome Home’s ESG application was turned down and instead was told the shelter is on a list to receive its evaluations.

Sherrill-Mattox says the shelter has already cut two caseworker positions and is cutting programs. She says much of what Welcome Home used that grant for was to provide emergency motel stays for homeless female veterans and veterans with small children.

“Female veterans are one of the fastest-growing parts of the homeless population and there are virtually no services available to them,” says Sherrill-Mattox. “Our shelter, by virtue of how small we are, we couldn’t provide safe housing for them in the shelter so we had relied on the ESG for them to be placed into a motel until a more permanent housing solution could be identified.”

The Nixon Administration has also told Representative Chris Kelly (D-Columbia) and other legislators it is looking for a funding source for those shelters, perhaps using money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

The Office of Administration told Missourinet Wednesday the Administration’s office of Budget & Planning and the Department of Social Services are looking at multiple possible solutions, but have not nailed down any mechanics.

Earlier stories:

Domestic Violence Shelters still waiting for replacement of lost grant

Nixon Administration moves swiftly to back domestic violence shelters after loss of grant

Domestic Violence Shelters still waiting for replacement of lost grant

March 5, 2014 By Mike Lear

Workers at 15 domestic violence shelters are anxiously awaiting word on whether funding will be available for those shelters after learning that they had been turned down for a grant.

The Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) is in its second year of being administered by the Missouri Housing Development Commission. The Commission’s staff rejected the applications of those 15 shelters, most of them in rural parts of the state, and has not yet released explanations of the rejections. The Commission has not yet voted on the awarding of those grants.

The shelters whose applications had been rejected are in Cape Girardeau, Clinton, Harrisonville, Lebanon, Moberly, Bolivar, Doniphan, Sedalia, Sikeston, Lexington, Nevada, Parkville, Portageville and one each in St. Louis and Kansas City. A shelter in Springfield had an application for shelter funds rejected, but was approved for other ESG grant money.

When the administration of Governor Jay Nixon (D) was informed of the situation by state lawmakers whose districts included those shelters, it began looking for ways to make sure they would be funded. The Office of Administration says several options are being considered but a mechanism hasn’t been decided on.

That’s encouraging news to Kelly Pedigo, Co-Director at Safe Passage in Moberly, but it’s still a long way from a solution.

“This is far from over,” she tells Missourinet.

The ESG reimburses recipients for expenses already paid. The grant coverage cycle begins April 1. Pedigo says her shelter can’t go very long paying bills without confidence that money is coming for that reimbursement.

“Locating replacement funding is a have-to thing. There’s nowhere else in (our) budget to cut,” says Pedigo.

Safe Passage applied for more than $28,000 dollars, but like most shelters, didn’t anticipate receiving the full amount. Getting cut completely was a shock.

“When your entire annual budget is around $250,000 and you just took out $20,000 of your essential expenses, that hits pretty hard,” says Pedigo.

She says the loss of that funding at Safe Passage would cause employees to be laid off, but it could also result in the loss of matching federal funds.

“Once you start having to lay people off because you can’t afford the general revenue portion of their salary,” Pedigo says, “then you have to start turning down government funding as well, so it’s a really slippery slope.”

See our earlier story on these shelters’ loss of the ESG

Ann Gosnell with House of Hope, Inc. in Lexington says local fundraising efforts are an option, but can only go so far in rural areas.

“It becomes burdensome on our community, which is very supportive of House of Hope,” says Gosnell. “We have a lot of supporters, but … going to the same people over and over again to ask them for money to help run our program can sometimes put a barrier up between us and our community, and we absolutely don’t want that.”

She says it also puts the shelters at a disadvantage to not yet know why they lost the grant.

“It’s frustrating, then, to go into our community and say, ‘We need your help, but I can’t tell you why our funding was cut. I can’t tell you why other shelters are funded at 100-percent and we’re funded at zero.'”

Both Gosnell and Pedigo hope members of their communities will work to raise attention about the issue.

“Please go to your legislators and ask them what their plan is,” says Gosnell. “Ask what’s going on and ask what the solution is.”