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Missouri town with French colonial history becomes National Historical Park

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After about two decades in the making, St. Genevieve in southeast Missouri has officially become the state’s first ever National Historical Park.

The town – dating back to the early 1700s – was the first organized European settlement west of the Mississippi River and is the only surviving French Colonial village in America. It is known for its architecture that features unique vertical log designs.

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) and U.S. Representative Jason Smith (Mo.) at a ceremonial signing of the cooperative agreements in Ste. Genevieve, Mo., on August 31st, 2018. This marked the final statutory step needed to establish Ste. Genevieve as a national park.

Some of the historic properties include the Felix Valle House, the Shaw House, the Green Tree Tavern, the Creole House, the Bequette-Ribault House, the Zarinelli property, the Delassus-Kern House and the Zerwig property.

During a ceremony there this week to celebrate the town’s designation, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, said St. Genevieve is taking its rightful place among the nation’s most historically and culturally significant destinations.

“This is a story that is an important part of who we are. It’s an important of our state. It’s an important part of the country,” said Blunt. “These buildings each have their own stories to tell. Essentially the houses are houses that you could find the core of those houses anywhere in Normandy if you just looked hard enough.”

Blunt and Congressman Jason Smith, R-Missouri, lead efforts in Washington to make the town of about 4,500 a National Historical Park. In 2018, Congress and President Donald Trump approved the designation after a National Park Service study declared dozens of the area properties as historically significant. The action authorized the National Park Service to acquire about 13 acres of land.

“This has such potential to be one of the great historic walking parks in America,” said Blunt. “The story, in so many ways, can tell itself with just a little bit of help. And that little bit of help is what happens when the community, the state, the federal government come together.”

St. Genevieve welcomes thousands of tourists each year who want to see for themselves the rich history the town has to offer. During this week’s ceremony, Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Carol Comer was hopeful the partnership would give the community a boost.

“This new historical park is expected to have a major impact on local and state tourism as people from all over the country and the world learn about the significance of this area,” said Comer.

Ste. Genevieve’s government and the National Park System will together manage the park, the 422nd park to join the system.

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Blunt says vote on SCOTUS nominee different than 2016

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U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Friday has unleashed a political brawl on Capitol Hill ahead of the November General Election. President Donald Trump says he plans to announce a nominee this week to fill the vacancy and vows to choose a woman.

From left: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, President Donald Trump, Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, says Trump’s nominee will receive a vote. Whether the vote will happen before or after November 3 is unknown but the comments have triggered cries of hypocrisy from Democrats.

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, joined the CBS political show “Face the Nation” on Sunday to give his position on the matter. He defended his decision to begin the confirmation process.

“The Constitution is the Constitution. And, you know, it takes two things to replace a Supreme Court judge: one is the president has to nominate and two is the Senate has to determine that they want to deal with that issue at that time,” said Blunt. “And I don’t know that- even with President Obama I said not only will he nominate a replacement in this vacancy, but he probably has a constitutional obligation, just like President Trump does today, to make a nomination– President Trump will.”

Host Margaret Brennan referred to 2016 when she cited Blunt refusing to even meet with President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland.

“And you said at the time, Americans will be voting in just a few months and that election should help determine the next member of the Supreme Court. Why has your position changed? Is it simply because Republicans are in power,” asked Brennan.

Blunt referred to comments he said he made several times during the 2016 vacancy.

“Which is two things have to happen for a person to go on the Supreme Court. And in the tradition of the country, when the Senate and the president were in political agreement, no matter what was the election situation, the judges went on the Court and other courts. When they weren’t in agreement, they didn’t. And we were in a situation in 2016 where the White House was controlled by one party, the Senate by another. And the referee in that case was going to be the American people. In this case, both the- the White House and the Senate have some obligation to do what they think in the majority in the Senate is the right thing to do. And there is a Senate majority put there by voters,” said Blunt.

Should we expect the hearings to start before November 3rd?

“You know, I don’t know. That’ll be up to when we- when we get the nominee, what kind of vetting needs to be done,” he said. “If we get it this week, what kind of vetting needs to be done and then what Chairman (Lindsey) Graham, R-South Carolina, decides he can do. This should take as long as it needs to take,” said Blunt.

He has not heard whether a hearing will be held before Election Day.

“This should take as long as it needs to take, but no longer. There is plenty of time to get this done. But to get it done before Election Day, everything has to work, I think, pretty precisely. There- Ruth Bader Ginsburg was confirmed, nominated and confirmed, in 40 days. Other justices have taken longer than that. And I don’t know how this process will move forward,” he said.

The current U.S. Senate party breakdown is 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and 2 Independents who caucus with Democrats. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has said the upper chamber should note vote to confirm Ginsburg’s successor before the election. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said ahead of reports of Ginsburg’s death that she would not vote to confirm a nominee before the election. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a call with Iowa reporters in July that he would not recommend holding a hearing on a candidate.

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Missouri partners with Washington University for roll out of new COVID-19 saliva tests

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The state of Missouri is working with Washington University in St. Louis to offer its new COVID-19 saliva test statewide soon. Officials reportedly hope to launch the tests later this month or in October.

Missouri Economic Development Department Director Rob Dixon

During a press conference in St. Louis, Missouri Economic Development Department Director Rob Dixon says the state is working alongside the school to scale up and expand the production of the test’s raw materials.

“We’re also looking at, of course, if there’s any job creation, that would be created in the private sector, if there’s anything the state could do to assist on that. I would just say none of that has been committed or confirmed yet. Obviously, there are still many details yet that we are working through,” says Dixon.

Dr. Jeff Milbrandt with Washington University says the school is working to order, assemble and distribute the new testing materials.

“The Fluidigm Corporation kits, of course, are made in California where the corporation is located,” he says. “But all of the things that go into the testing besides that kit and instrument, we’re trying to make here in Missouri.”

Milbrandt says the new test will help to move away from the limited testing supply since the COVID-19 crisis began. He says the test is very accurate, cost-effective and easier than a nasal swab test. It also frees up a shortage of certain lab supplies required to process samples – ultimately saving some money.

“This will allow us to help return to school more safely, help return to work more safely and help us identify outbreaks in our most vulnerable populations at a very early stage,” he says. “We are now working with the state of Missouri to make the test more broadly available to all of our residents.”

Milbrandt says the test can also be changed to use for other viruses, such as the flu.

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports the saliva test can return results within 24 hours and labs can process about 20,000 samples daily. Missouri currently conducts about 100,000 tests weekly.

Washington University is ranked fourth nationally in federal research funding. U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, says the school is a national leader in research.

“$500 million dollars – half a billion dollars – comes to this campus every year from the federal government, matched by another $500 million from university resources, from individual gifts that make that all happen,” says Blunt.

Blunt, who chairs a U.S. Senate committee that funds health, education and labor, says five years ago, the National Institute of Health had not had a research funding increase in a decade.

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Southeast Missouri getting $3 million in CARES Act funding to expand rural broadband

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing nearly $3 million in the expansion of rural broadband internet service to southeast Missouri. During a Zoom call Wednesday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Senator Roy Blunt and Missouri Ag Director Chris Chinn announced the federal CARES Act funds are going to Big River Communications for the expansion.

Southeast Missouri getting $3 million in CARES Act funding to expand rural broadband

Chad Rupe, the USDA’s administrator for rural utilities service, says the funding will provide broadband to thousands of Missourians.

“Big River Communications is receiving a $2.9 million award to lay over 53 miles of high-speed fiber broadband to connect 4,839 people,” he says.

Perdue says the funding will help to sustain rural communities.

“We’ve got some wonderful communities out hear in which many people love to live but if they’re disadvantaged and cannot connect to the global marketplace, that’s a real disadvantage,” says Perdue.

Chinn says the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s goal is to have 90% broadband coverage in the state by 2025 and the CARES Act funding will help to speed up the timeline.

Construction is set to start next month, and the first availability of the new broadband is expected by the end of the year.

By Will Robinson of Brownfield Ag News

President signs Blunt-backed bill to help spruce up national park system

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President Donald Trump has signed into law today a landmark bill designed to give the national park system billions of dollars over five years to reduce a maintenance backlog. It provides $900 million annually in oil and gas revenues for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which protects historical and environmentally-significant sites. The measure will help the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among others.

Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt

The bipartisan plan is also reportedly expected to create an additional 100,000 direct and indirect jobs.

It has been heralded as the most significant conservation bill in a generation. U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, says the legislation, dubbed the Great American Outdoors Act, will help to make the second century of the park system different from the first century.

“The park system, as we now know it, is a little more than a hundred years old. Some of these maintenance issues are decades old, maybe 50 years old, maybe half of the life of the entire park service,” Blunt says on the U.S. Senate floor.

The package will provide permanent aid for the Land and Wildlife Conservation Fund. Blunt says the fund has benefited the Mark Twain National Forest, the Ozark National Scenic River, the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in mid Missouri’s Rocheport, and Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield near southwest Missouri’s Republic.

Blunt, who co-sponsored the plan, says the funding will help to bolster Missouri’s outdoor recreation industry.

“The Outdoor Recreation Industry Association says that we generate about almost $15 billion in our state in consumer spending, about 133,000 jobs are created in Missouri because of outdoor recreation,” says Blunt. “This is obviously not a normal year. So, anything we can do to encourage people to use these facilities in a better way is important.”

In celebration of the legislation becoming law, U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced that tomorrow will be a fee free day at national parks and other public lands. Beginning next year, fee free day will be August. 4.

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Blunt discusses U.S. Senate GOP’s $1 trillion HEALS Act

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U.S. Senate Republicans have unveiled a $1 trillion coronavirus aid package. The HEALS Act includes $200 per week in unemployment benefits, more than $100 billion for schools, more funding for the small business Paycheck Protection Program and a liability shield to protect businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits.

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri

The plan would also give another $1,200 stimulus payment with similar eligibility requirements as the last one. Qualifying individuals earning a gross adjusted income up to $75,000 per year in 2019, and couples earning $150,000, would get the full $1,200 or $2,400. Individuals would also receive $500 for each dependent, just like under the CARES Act.

During a press conference in Washington, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, says the plan would provide $16 billion to help states cover COVID-19 testing.

“Our priority to help with testing through the states is to put a priority on elementary and secondary education, on higher education, on nursing homes and childcare facilities,” says Blunt.

Blunt says the package would give $15 billion to the nation’s childcare providers.

“As people get back to work, some people don’t want to send their kids. There will be some childcare expenses of distancing and other things that have to be done, but you can’t get back to work if you can’t get back to childcare for most families. And if you’re a working parent, particularly if you’re a working single parent, your biggest single problem is being sure that that childcare situation works,” says Blunt.

Congressional Democratic leaders say the bill should include hazard pay for essential workers, provide additional funding for food stamps and address the eviction crisis, among other things. Kansas City Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver hopped on Twitter to criticize the bill.

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Hawley proposes removal of mandated renaming of U.S. military bases honoring Confederate officers

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Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley is proposing to remove a mandated renaming of U.S. military bases honoring Confederate military leaders. He tells Missourinet he wants to instead create a one-year commission to get public input first and then make recommendations.

Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

“My amendment says we will hold public hearings. We would be a commission that would hold public hearings – talk to military families, talk to veterans, talk to local communities and then make recommendations on changes to the names. I think this is a similar approach we’ve followed in the past,” says Hawley. “I think that’s the way we should move forward together to find consensus. I don’t think it should be done behind closed doors with a unilateral mandate by the Democrats – the same people who are also cheering on the tearing down of statues of George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln, for Heaven’s sake. It’s ridiculous.”

Since the death of George Floyd, objects viewed as symbols of racism are getting attention again. A Minneapolis police officer has been charged with second-degree murder in Floyd’s death.

“I’m against this cancel culture that just wants to sweep through and cancel anything that the Democrats and the woke mob now don’t approve of,” says Hawley. “That is not how we have proceeded as Americans. That is not how we show one another respect and honor. Let’s do this together.”

Fellow Missouri Republican U.S. Senator Roy Blunt has said he supports reviewing the names of the bases and renaming the installations.

The U.S. has ten bases commemorating Confederate officers.

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Blunt repeats call for U.S. Justice Department to restore federal police reviews

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U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, is calling again for the U.S. Department of Justice to restore federal reviews of police departments to help root out misconduct and make changes. Since the death of George Floyd of Minnesota, adjusting police practices has received greater attention.

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri

Blunt says he plans to co-sponsor South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott’s proposed changes to police departments. Scott’s plan would focus on police training and would withhold federal grant money if police departments do not ban the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants, among other things.

During a press conference in Washington, Blunt says the president can step in and make a difference.

“An even more speedy way to respond than the legislative process is the executive branch doing what they can, as soon as they can, to make a difference. Many of you know I think that the Justice Department has real tools to go in and give advice to departments,” says Blunt. “Sometimes asked for, sometimes the Justice Department needs to insist that they be in there giving that advice,” says Blunt. “That’s not the national government taking over police, it’s the Justice Department looking at one department with a systemic problem and deciding they’re going to help solve that problem.”

Blunt and Missouri Democratic Congressmen Lacy Clay and Emanuel Cleaver all say in the past, the federal agency has successfully used the process, including in Ferguson after Michael Brown, Jr. was killed.

Blunt’s office says U.S. Attorney General William Barr has not responded to Blunt’s request to reinstate the reviews.

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Missouri congressman introduces legislation intended to prevent police brutality

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Missouri Congressman Lacy Clay and a chorus of other lawmakers have introduced sweeping legislation today designed to crack down on police brutality problems. Clay, along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Congressional Black Caucus, want to reign in on police using deadly force and want to require an independent prosecutor for all police killings. Clay, Missouri’s senior Democratic Congressional member from St. Louis, spoke today during a press conference in Washington to roll out the “Justice in Policing Act”.

Missouri Congressman Lacy Clay

“Now I’ve seen millions in my state and around the country – in small towns in Missouri and throughout this nation – who know there is an injustice throughout this nation that we have been treated unequally,” says Clay.

In a press release, Clay goes on to say the legislation could take generations to achieve all components, but says the bill is a “powerful, bold step forward to move American society to a new normal for both race relations and policing.”

“This remarkable legislative proposal advances a long and arduous process that I have been pursuing since the Ferguson uprising to make a course correction in our democracy to finally address centuries of oppression and unequal treatment of African Americans by law enforcement,” says Clay. “I’m very proud that three of my top police reform priorities are included in this landmark bill, including: Making the use of deadly force the last resort for law enforcement; mandating an independent prosecutor in all instances of police killings; and requiring all new and existing police officers to undergo transformative training to address racial bias, cultural awareness, de-escalation tactics, and the pervasive use of excessive force with non-white subjects.”

The plan would also require the use of police body cameras nationwide, change what qualifies in court cases as police immunity, ban police from using choke holds and create a national database disclosing the names of officers with patterns of abuse.

Last week, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, told CNN he does not think a nationalized, legislative response to policing is possible.

“I don’t think you can come up with a national, enforceable response on conduct or practice, nor do I think you can come up with a national manual that really makes sense for departments,” he said.

The Memorial Day death of George Floyd, an African-American man who was mishandled by a white Minneapolis police officer, has sparked protests around the world and has reignited calls to address police brutality problems.

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Blunt among lawmakers calling for media advertising boost during coronavirus threat

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U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, has joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers urging the Office of Management and Budget to work with federal agencies to boost media advertising. In a letter, the members acknowledge how the coronavirus has taken its toll on advertising sales among newspapers, radio and television. Media organizations across the country have furloughed workers, injected pay cuts or made other cutbacks.

Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt

“Our radio and television broadcasters and rural newspapers provide local and national news, emergency alerts, educational programs and more to all corners of the United States,” the letter says. “In many rural areas, broadcast stations are the predominant or only form of local information.”

They say it is important for local newspapers, radio and television to continue providing their services during the outbreak so that Americans can stay up to date on the latest information at a time when there’s increased news.

The Senators also want federal funds to state and local governments to have flexibility so they can advertise their programs with local media outlets.

View the letter here.

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