St. Charles County Archives

Missouri’s Parson and Galloway to focus on their base in final day of gubernatorial campaign

November 1, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s two main gubernatorial candidates have busy schedules on Monday, one day before election day.

Governor Mike Parson (R) spoke Saturday at a rally in St. Peters with former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. That’s in St. Charles County, which has been a Republican stronghold. It’s an area Republicans need to do well on Tuesday.

The governor campaigns Monday in Jefferson City, St. Joseph, Kirksville, Palmyra, Cape Girardeau and Cassville, continuing his focus on rural towns. U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) will join Parson at the Cassville event, in southwest Missouri.

Ann Dorn, the widow of slain St. Louis Police Captain David Dorn, will join Parson on Monday’s tour, along with former gubernatorial candidate John Brunner and the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association’s Mike Deering.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Nicole Galloway, the state auditor, attended two church services Sunday in St. Louis. She also met with Democrats in St. Louis City and St. Louis County, two jurisdictions that are crucial to Democratic success in statewide races.

Galloway will begin Monday in Columbia, where she will attend a literature drop launch with area Democrats. She also speaks at the Missouri Democratic Party’s election eve rally Monday evening in Kansas City. It will feature all of the party’s statewide candidates: Alissia Canady, Yinka Faleti, Rich Finneran and Vicki Englund.

Galloway continues to focus on hospital closings, noting ten rural Missouri hospitals have closed since 2014.

Parson is focusing on rural values and experience.

Polls will be open Tuesday statewide from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. The Secretary of State’s office says a combined total of 723,058 mail-in and absentee ballots have already been returned to Missouri election authorities. Most of those are absentee ballots.

Sponsor: Missouri House Speaker deserves credit for helping pass St. Louis Police officer bill (AUDIO)

September 24, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

An eastern Missouri state lawmaker who sponsored legislation eliminating the residency requirement for St. Louis police officers credits House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, for getting the bill passed in the recent special session.

State Rep. Ron Hicks (right) talks with State Rep. J. Eggleston, R-Maysville, at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on April 28, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Dardenne Prairie, says Haahr’s support was key.

“When I brought him the research and everything, he said we will get this done and we at one point thought we had lost it (the bill) and then it came back, and he made sure this was pushed and continued,” Hicks says.

The bill also eliminates the residency requirement for St. Louis firefighters and EMS personnel.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) signed the bill into law this week. The governor made the issue a top priority during the special session, and Hicks praises him as well.

Governor Parson says the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is currently short by about 140 officers, and says the bill can help fill that gap.

Hicks says he’s been working on the issue for years.

“Originally started this because families had reached out to me, children and wives had reached out to me,” says Hicks. “And some husbands even had reached out to me about the requirements of them having to have their children go to school there in the city and to have to live in the city and not be able to branch out into more affordable housing or better schools for that matter.”

The Missouri Senate approved the Hicks bill 25-5 and the House approved it on a 117-35 vote.

Bill opponents say St. Louis residents feel safer with police officers living in their neighborhoods. Other opponents note that Hicks doesn’t represent St. Louis City in the Legislature, and is from St. Charles County.

Hicks tells Missourinet this is not about politics, noting that he’ll be “done in two years,” referring to legislative term limits for the House. He says this is about giving back to officers who have been putting their lives on the line for citizens.

He also says St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden’s testimony put a spotlight on the issue. Chief Hayden traveled to Jefferson City during the regular and special sessions this year, to testify for the bill. Hayden says his department desperately needs more officers due to the surge in violence.

St. Louis has had 198 homicides this year.

Governor Parson canceled Wednesday’s ceremonial bill signing in St. Louis, after he and the First Lady tested positive for COVID. The event is expected to be rescheduled.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s five-minute interview with State Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Dardenne Prairie, which was recorded on September 22, 2020:

Missouri congresswoman: St. Louis County has not distributed $100 million in CARES Act funding

September 13, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri congresswoman who represents St. Louis County on Capitol Hill is calling on county officials to distribute millions of dollars in CARES Act funding.

During a Thursday hearing before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, told colleagues that the CARES Act was signed into law in late March and that St. Louis County received $173 million.

U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner visits Jefferson City on February 25, 2020 (file photo from Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth)

“Four months later, there is still over $100 million unspent federal financial aid, that desperately needs to be distributed,” Wagner says.

Congresswoman Wagner says that includes $47 million for local municipalities, adding that public safety is at risk without these funds.

“Funds are needed to prevent law enforcement layoffs, pay public safety officials and help pay for medical care, housing and other essential services for American communities and families,” says Wagner.

She says she’s spoken to Democratic St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page to express her concerns, and has “had enough.” Wagner voted for the CARES Act in March, and says the dollars are critical to support health and public safety.

Missourinet reached out to County Executive Page’s office for a response and we haven’t heard back yet. However, Page’s spokesman, Doug Moore, tells the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” that an announcement will be made soon.

“We are on track to distribute funds to support our municipalities in compliance with federal regulations and based on need. We’ll be making an announcement soon. Although frustrating to many, we must follow federal guidelines for distribution of these funds. To do otherwise we risk having to return the funds,” Moore told the newspaper.

Wagner chairs the House Suburban Caucus. While the bulk of her district is in St. Louis County, the district also includes parts of St. Charles and Jefferson counties.

Dr. Williams urges younger Missourians to wear masks and to maintain social distancing

August 19, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s health director says it’s important to target younger residents with a specific message of the importance of wearing a mask and social distancing.

White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx speaks to Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams at the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City on August 18, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

State Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams told Capitol reporters on Tuesday that he had a discussion with White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, about the issue. They also discussed the importance of testing, on Tuesday.

“We talked about the fact that last week, 45 percent of our cases in Missouri were in three counties: St. Louis, Jackson and St. Charles. So for the whole state of 6.1 million, 45 percent were in three counties,” Williams says.

Dr. Williams says it’s crucial for 20 to 30 year-olds to wear a mask and to practice social distancing. He also says staff from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have been in St. Louis and Kansas City, helping to battle the pandemic.

DHSS says Missouri has now had 70,675 confirmed COVID cases, up from about 68,000 earlier this week.

The state health director says Missouri ranks 16th in the nation for COVID-19 cases, per 100,000 people. Director Williams says Missouri ranked 14th last week.

“We are 14th in the United States for new cases per 100,000. That’s 14th out of 50 states. And we are 18th for our positivity rate over the last seven days,” says Williams.

Dr. Williams says Missouri’s COVID cases are increasing by about 1,100 per day, lower than the national average of 1,600 per day.

He continues to emphasize the importance of the “box-in” strategy for the state’s long-term care facilities. Dr. Williams says 115,000 tests have been conducted in Missouri long-term care facilities, using that strategy.

The “box-in” testing strategy involves testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine.

Missouri is one of the 20 states that Dr. Birx has visited in the past six weeks, to provide guidance on COVID-19. She participated in a roundtable discussion with Governor Mike Parson and Cabinet members in Jefferson City on Tuesday. They were joined by health, school and community leaders.

During a press conference in Jefferson City after Tuesday’s roundtable, Dr. Birx emphasized the importance of wearing a mask and social distancing. She is also suggesting that Missouri follow Texas’ model, which requires masks in counties with more than 20 cases.

Missouri insurance officials offer advice to residents impacted by major hail storm

March 30, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A major insurance company says more than 3,100 insurance claims have already been processed in Missouri, from this weekend’s hail storm and severe weather.

Jefferson City received some of the heaviest damage from the March 27, 2020 hail storm (photo courtesy of the Missouri Limestone Producers Association)

About 1,800 of those claims involve vehicles, and the other 1,250 are for homes.

State Farm Insurance says the heaviest damage is reported in mid-Missouri’s Cole County, in the Jefferson City area. Other concentrated areas of damage include eastern Missouri’s Warren, Lincoln, St. Charles and St. Louis counties.

Some residents saw baseball-sized hail, while others saw golf ball-sized hail.

State Farm spokesman Chris Pilcic tells Missourinet that a drone team should be active this week, along with an automobile tent in Jefferson City. The tent will be by appointment only.

The state Department of Commerce and Insurance is requesting that Missourians who have insurance questions or concerns call the department’s Insurance Consumer Hotline.

That number is 1-800-726-7390.

“Severe weather continues to occur, even in the midst of a pandemic. The Missouri Department of Insurance and the entire insurance industry are prepared to assist Missourians as they undertake the recovery process following these storms,” State Department of Insurance Director Chlora Lindley-Myers says, in a news release.

She advises you to make temporary repairs to prevent further damage. She also recommends not making permanent repairs until your insurance company has inspected your damage.

Director Lindley-Myers also reminds you to watch the repair contractors who inspect your property. The department says unscrupulous companies will cause damage, to increase the repair cost.

Missouri lawmaker unhappy with MoDOT response to winter storm this month

November 27, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A state lawmaker from eastern Missouri is criticizing what he calls the state Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT’s) incompetence, for its handling of the Veterans Day winter storm.

State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, speaks on the Missouri House floor on May 17, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, says his vehicle struck black ice in St. Charles County during the storm and that he had to use his emergency brake to stop.

Schroer says he almost crashed and saw another vehicle flip over on I-70 in Lake St. Louis.

He wants MoDOT to examine how other states handle snow, including the chemicals they’re using. Schroer says the agency wasn’t ready for the storm.

“Is what we (Missouri) are doing to prepare in these types of situations, in these snowstorms, these ice storms, is that adequate,” Schroer asks. “Is that enough? Look to other states, see what they’re doing.”

Schroer says it took him more than 90 minutes to get home that evening, a trip that normally takes 15 minutes.

“It’s just ridiculous to me because now I have two young girls that I had to go get (that evening) and slid in the black ice and I’m trying to get them home,” says Schroer.

There were hundreds of crashes across the state during the Veterans Day winter storm. One woman who was stuck by a vehicle in St. Charles County, after the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” reports her car had problems in the weather. And state troopers say a 61-year-old man from Chilhowee died when he lost control of his vehicle on an ice-covered road and overturned near western Missouri’s Centerview.

As for MoDOT, they tell Missourinet that although forecasts said it would end midday on Veterans Day, an additional wave of snow came through that afternoon after the first snow melted and washed off the salt. They say their trucks were treating roads all day. They also note their trucks were blocked by significant crashes that day on I-70 in Schroer’s St. Charles County district.

MoDOT also says safety is their top priority and that they have hundreds of dedicated employees who work hard to keep St. Louis-area roads safe during winter storms.

Schroer, who serves as the vice chairman of the House Special Committee on Government Oversight, tells Missourinet that if the scenario happens again, he’ll want MoDOT to testify before the committee.

MoDOT helds its annual winter operations drill on November 7, four days before the storm. They reacted to a simulated forecast of significant snow for the entire state and inspected every piece of equipment.

The agency spent more than $64 million on winter operations last year and used more than 180,000 tons of salt, 100,000 gallons of liquid calcium chloride and about 700,000 gallons of beet juice. MoDOT says that during an average winter, its employees plow about six million miles of snow and ice.

Here is the full statement from MoDOT’s St. Louis District office, in response to the Missourinet interview with Representative Schroer:

Thank you for reaching out to MoDOT following your interview with State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, during which shared concerns with MoDOT’s response to last week’s winter storm.

Safety is our number 1 priority. MoDOT has hundreds of dedicated employees in St. Louis working hard to keep roads safe and passable. State employees were out all day Monday, November 11th, working the winter event including plowing and spreading salt. It is difficult to use salt in an effective way when storms start as rain/sleet and strike during times of heavy traffic volumes. The November 11th event had warm enough ground temperatures to melt all the snow that fell, washing off the salt that was applied early in the day. Although the weather forecasts said it would end midday, an additional wave of snow came around 2 p.m. after the first snow had melted and washed off the salt. When the winds brought a significant drop in temperature, all routes across St. Louis started freezing at the same time which coincided with the start of evening rush hour.

MoDOT’s trucks were treating roads all day. Winter events like Monday can present extreme challenges, especially when you have winter precipitation during rush hour. Specific to Representative Schroer’s area in St. Charles County, there were a couple significant crashes on I-70 and Rte 364 that MoDOT trucks were caught in. When MoDOT trucks are stuck in traffic, it limits our ability to continue treating roads and getting to all the state owned roads.