Springfield Archives - Missourinet

Quade, Stephens have different views on performance of former Missouri health director Williams (AUDIO)

April 21, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Two key Missouri lawmakers from opposite parties view Tuesday’s resignation of state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams very differently.

Missouri House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Stephens (R-Bolivar) praises Dr. Williams, while House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) says the resignation was long overdue.

State Rep. Mike Stephens (R-Bolivar) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on April 1, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Chairman Stephens says Williams did a fine job.

“We have lived through the year from hell that everybody got thrust into falling off a cliff into a dark abyss,” Stephens says.

Stephens says Dr. Williams never intended to stay in the position permanently, adding that his understanding is that Dr. Williams’ wife never moved to Missouri from North Carolina. Stephens also says Dr. Williams was responsive to lawmakers in both parties.

“And I think Dr. Williams has done a very credible job under circumstances that nobody else ever, ever, ever had to endure,” says Stephens.

Chairman Stephens also praises acting DHSS Director Robert Knodell, saying he knows and understands the bureaucracy. Stephens admits that Knodell is a “political guy” and not a medical person, but says he doesn’t expect Knodell to be the permanent director. Stephens predicts the next DHSS director will have a bureaucratic and a medical background.

As for Leader Quade, she blasts Dr. Williams and says his resignation is long overdue.

“We have seen Dr. Williams unethically track the menstrual cycles of women, without knowledge or consent. The implementation of legalized medical marijuana was through his department and has been a giant mess, in which the House has spent many months
investigating the rollout there,” Quade says.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 30, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Leader Quade is referring to numerous hearings conducted by the bipartisan Missouri House Special Committee on Government Oversight, which focused on how licenses were approved. She has described Missouri’s medical marijuana rollout as “atrocious.”

Quade also tells Missourinet that Dr. Williams wasn’t responsive to questions from lawmakers about the vaccination rollout distribution.

“I can tell you from my office I had sent in a letter on behalf of the members of the (Missouri House) Health and Mental Health (Policy) Committee asking various questions of just how decisions were made and trying to get some answers for our constituents. And several weeks went by without any response from the office,” says Quade.

She says the lawmakers eventually received a meeting but that it took almost a month.

The top Democrat on the Missouri House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee, State Rep. LaDonna Appelbaum (D-St. Louis), is critical of Dr. Williams. Appelbaum has released a statement, which is also critical of Knodell.

“Knodell has no background in public health, and as the “czar’ of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, he shoulders much of the blame for the state’s early failures to provide vaccines to urban and suburban areas,” the statement reads, in part.

Governor Mike Parson (R) disagrees with that, saying that Knodell played an integral part in Missouri’s COVID response efforts.

“As Deputy Chief of Staff, Robert brings valuable knowledge and leadership experience to our team and the entire state of Missouri. For more than a year, he has also played a leading role in Missouri’s COVID-19 response efforts, and I am more than confident in him to take over as Acting Director of the Department of Health and Senior Services,” Governor Parson says, in a statement.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D-Springfield), which was recorded on April 20, 2021:

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee Chairman State Rep. Mike Stephens (R-Bolivar), which was recorded on April 20, 2021:

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.

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.

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.

Missouri health officials say future distribution of COVID vaccine is based on following the rules

February 5, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor announced Thursday in Jefferson City that there have been issues with the COVID vaccine distribution process, and warns that there will be consequences for vaccinators that allow people to jump the line.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams briefs Capitol reporters on February 4, 2021, as Governor Parson listens (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Governor Mike Parson briefed Capitol reporters during a Statehouse press conference, emphasizing that his administration will vaccinate the most vulnerable and those 65 and older first.

“This is part of the process that we’re going to put in place to be able to help that group that is in that tier and we’re going to maintain that. If that is not followed, then we will do other actions,” Parson says.

State Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams says future distribution of the vaccine is based on following the rules. During the press conference, Dr. Williams talked about one recent example of a vaccinator not following proper guidelines.

“It came to my attention, a pharmacist in an area called us and said look, I just know that they’re giving it to a group that’s not and so I called them,” says Dr. Williams. “I called the CEO of that institution and I said true or not true and he said true. And I said why, and he kind of went and he said I’m just going to tell you, we did it.”

Dr. Williams is not releasing the vaccinator’s name.

Governor Parson also criticized House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, for recently getting a COVID shot in Jefferson City, saying she cut in line.

Leader Quade told the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” after that event that she had asked the personnel administering the vaccine questions about the process.

“We hadn’t heard anything, of course, other than just word of mouth and then when we went there they were of course like- yes, everyone. Later to find out that wasn’t for us. And that’s, you know, a frustrating thing,” Quade told the newspaper.

The governor outlined some positive numbers, during the briefing. He says the state’s COVID-19 positivity rate is now 9.3 percent, 15 points lower than November. He describes this development as extremely encouraging.

He also says about 600,000 COVID doses have been administered to Missourians. Governor Parson says supply continues to be the limiting factor. Governor Parson says the state is committed to giving every Missourian the opportunity to eventually receive a vaccine regardless of where they live.

Mass vaccination events were conducted Thursday in three rural Missouri communities: northwest Missouri’s Chillicothe, southern Missouri’s Rolla and southeast Missouri’s Farmington. All three areas have large elderly populations. 975 doses were administered in Chillicothe, where the Missouri National Guard and health employees worked in sleet.

Governor Parson also says more than 315,000 cases of personal protective equipment (PPE) have now been shipped to Missouri health care providers, including 24 million gowns and 20 million gloves.

During the press conference, the governor was also asked about the unemployment overpayment controversy. Parson reiterates that residents who received unemployment overpayments should have to repay the money, with a payment plan.

“I don’t think if there’s a mistake made on both sides there ought to be some mutual understanding of how we make up that difference,” Parson says. “So if that means somebody paying something off over a five-year period of time or whatever the timeslots are, if they know they’ve got it and can then they should.”

The governor’s position is at odds with members of the bipartisan Missouri House Special Committee on Government Oversight, which has criticized the state Department of Labor’s position.

State Labor director Anna Hui testified this week that the state overpaid more than $150 million in unemployment benefits in 2020. About 46,000 Missourians have been impacted, and the oversight committee learned this week that a Kansas City woman is being told she must repay $23,000.

Missouri lawmaker under federal indictment is asked to resign by House Speaker

February 4, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri House Speaker is asking a fellow GOP House member to resign her seat, after she was indicted by a federal grand jury in Springfield for an alleged stem cell fraud scheme. The indictment was unsealed and made public on Monday.

U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison announces a 20-count federal indictment against Rep. Tricia Derges on February 1, 2021 in Springfield (photo courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s office)

House Speaker Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, announced Wednesday that he’s removed State Rep. Tricia Derges, R-Nixa, from all committee assignments.

“After speaking with her and with the caucus, I am asking her to resign her seat with the House. The legal process will ultimately determine her guilt or innocence, but this is clearly a time for her to spend with her family as she focuses on her legal issues, and for the people of the 140th district (in southwest Missouri’s Christian County) to move forward with selecting a replacement who can effectively advocate for their interests,” Speaker Vescovo says, in a written statement.

As for Representative Derges, she remains in the Missouri House. Missourinet contacted her office for a response to Speaker Vescovo’s statement, and she hadn’t responded by this posting.

U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison announced the 20-count federal indictment during a Monday press conference in Springfield.

“This defendant abused her privileged position to enrich herself through deception,” U.S. Attorney Garrison told reporters on Monday. He also notes the indictment alleges she lied to her patients and to federal agents.

Federal prosecutors say the investigation started “as a result of false or misleading statements” made by Derges in April 2020 to a Springfield television station, about her potential use of stem cells to treat COVID-19.

The 63-year-old Derges was elected to the House in November. Garrison says she operates three Ozark Valley Medical Clinic locations in Springfield, Ozark and Branson.

Missouri Medicaid expansion implementation discussion to begin after State of State address

January 24, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri House Budget Committee is expected to hold its first meeting of 2021 this week in Jefferson City.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chair Cody Smith, R-Carthage, speaks at the Statehouse in Jefferson City on November 9, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Majority Floor Leader Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, has released a revised House schedule. A technical session has been added on Friday, which will allow the Budget Committee to meet that day.

Missouri’s current operating budget is about $38 billion, which includes two supplemental budgets with federal money.

Governor Mike Parson (R) will deliver his State of the State Address on Wednesday afternoon at 3 in Jefferson City, before a joint session of the Legislature. The governor will outline his 2021 legislative priorities at that time, and will also unveil his proposed budget blueprint.

The implementation of Medicaid expansion is expected to be a key issue this session.

“We will wait until after the state of the state (speech) to discuss new budget items like medex (Medicaid expansion). We need to see what the department (state Department of Social Services) proposes and spend a little time unpacking it,” House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, tells Missourinet.

Medicaid is formally called MO HealthNet. It’s a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes.

About 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.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, speaks on the Missouri House floor on January 6, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Medicaid expansion implementation is a top 2021 priority for House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, and other House Democrats. She notes Medicaid expansion will extend health care coverage to more than 200,000 Missourians.

“As we head into our second year of the (COVID) pandemic, we must take the lessons learned so far about what works and what doesn’t and translate it into action,” Leader Quade said on January 6, opening day for the Legislature. “We must work together to ensure Missourians can get vaccinated as quickly as possible. And the need to expand health care access as commanded by voters has never been more critical.”

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and many labor unions endorsed Amendment Two. The Chamber frequently quoted a study from the Missouri Foundation for Health, which says Medicaid expansion will create more than 16,000 new jobs annually during its first five years. The Chamber says many of those jobs will be in rural Missouri.

However, Medicaid expansion failed in 105 of the state’s 114 counties. All 105 counties that voted against it are in rural Missouri, which is a GOP stronghold.

House Budget Committee Chairman Smith warned before the August election that Amendment Two was projected to cost $200 million in state general revenue, and $1.8 billion in federal funding each year.

While GOP Governor Parson campaigned against Medicaid expansion, he has told Capitol reporters several times that Medicaid expansion will be implemented because that was the will of the voters.