St. Louis County Executive Sam Page Archives

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.

Parson extends Missouri stay-at-home order through May 3 with reopening planned in phases

April 16, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri’s stay-at-home order will continue through May 3. Gov. Mike Parson says the date has been extended to get Missourians ready to go back to work on May 4. During today’s COVID-19 briefing, Parson says the extension would give the state more time to do additional testing and recovery from the coronavirus.

Gov. Mike Parson (Photo courtesy of Governor’s Flickr page)

“We think by that time we’re going to have a lot more data to be able to go out there and justify what we’re doing and to make sure we’re protecting people every day,” says Parson. “The whole idea is to make sure we’ve got enough time to get people ready to go back into the workforce and allow people that opportunity.”

Parson’s original order was scheduled to continue through April 24.

He says his plan to reopen the state will happen in phases.

“Missouri is incredibly diverse and our reopening efforts will be careful. They will be deliberate and done in phases,” says Parson. “The timing may not look the same in every community. Our hardest hit areas like St. Louis and Kansas City may take longer to fully recover.”

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says his stay-at-home order is scheduled to continue until May 15. St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson have also extended their orders and say they will revisit their restrictions around mid-May.

Today, Missouri reports at least 152 people have died from COVID-19 and 5,111 others have tested positive for the respiratory disease.

St. Louis County stay-at-home order expected to be extended

April 15, 2020 By Missourinet Contributor

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page says he expects the regional stay at home order to be extended until May.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page (Photo courtesy of Jill Enders)

Page made that announcement Wednesday morning during the second of his three briefings this week on the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he has been in discussions with other regional leaders about the matter.

“I would expect those discussions that the stay at home order will extend into May, but I’m not prepared to give you a specific date. We know before we can ease stay at home restrictions, we need a robust testing environment.” Page said.

Page also stressed that lifting restrictions too soon could result in a rebound in cases. He said an official announcement could come later this week.

Page is also asking the County Council to approve $7 million from the health fund to be used to buy more coronavirus tests. He claims testing is needed in order to re-open the economy.

It was also announced that the St. Louis County Health Department is contracting with local hotels to house homeless people and first responders infected with the virus.

As of Wednesday, St. Louis County has over 1,800 confirmed cases, including 58 deaths. Page said north St. Louis County is the hardest hit area of the county.

By Missourinet contributor Jill Enders

Missouri has its first likely case of coronavirus

March 7, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri has its first likely case of COVID 19, known as the coronavirus. During a press conference Saturday evening at St. Louis County Executive Sam Page’s office, Gov. Mike Parson says the case involves a female in her 20s from St. Louis County, who had recently traveled to Italy.

“She is isolated at home with family members who have also been in isolation,” says Parson.

Page says the patient returned to Missouri earlier this week and tested positive for the virus today. He says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected to confirm the case the middle of next week. The woman’s parents are not showing symptoms of the disease at this time.

Page, an anesthesiologist, says the case is “highly likely” to come back confirmed as positive.

“The test that’s performed by the CDC is the exact same test that’s performed here,” he says. “So it is unlikely that it will change, but because it’s not an FDA test-approved test, the language that we will say it’s presumptive positive. Although there is no expectation that it will change, it is within the realm of possibility.”

Page says the woman will be advised to remain isolated fourteen days after her symptoms are gone.

In a press release from the Governor’s Office, it says the state has tested a total of 26 individuals for the virus, including the expected positive case announced today. Three additional tests remain in progress.

The disease has infected tens of thousands of people around the world, with more than 3,000 dead.

Missouri governor: meeting with Krewson and Page “was about boots on the ground”

September 15, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor is expected to announce details of his plan to battle violent crime within the next week or so. The plan will involve state, federal and local coordination.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters on September 13, 2019. He was joined by State Rep. Becky Ruth (left) and State Sen. Wayne Wallingford (Brian Hauswirth photo)

Governor Mike Parson (R) briefed Capitol reporters Friday afternoon in Jefferson City, saying his recent meeting with St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and the city and county police chiefs was not a summit.

“That meeting the other day (last week at City Hall) that we had in St. Louis was about boots on the ground, it was about people on the enforcement side of it,” Parson says. “That’s all it was about. We didn’t discuss prosecution, we didn’t discuss anything. We were trying to figure out how can we get more people on the ground.”

Parson plans to send state troopers to St. Louis within the next month.

The governor says he’ll be meeting soon with both St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell, who are both Democrats.

13 children have been killed in shootings in St. Louis City in 2019, and the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” reports six children in St. Louis County have died from gunshot wounds since January.

Governor Parson is expressing his condolences to the families of the children who’ve been killed by gun violence in the St. Louis region and across the state. Parson became emotional when speaking to Capitol reporters on Friday.

“My heart goes out to them (families). You know, I’ve lost an officer in the line of duty, I’ve lost a brother-in-law in the line of duty. I know what it’s like to lose somebody,” says Parson.

The governor says the issue won’t be fixed by one agency, adding that it will take a coordinated effort among federal, state and community officials.

Meantime, Governor Parson is criticizing comments made last week by House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, about the special session.

Quade told Capitol reporters on Wednesday that “it makes no sense to prioritize tax breaks for a few over the lives of Missourians who die nearly everyday due to gun violence.”

Parson tells Missourinet that Leader Quade’s comments are “political hype.”

“And I’ll be frank with the Minority Leader that made that statement,” Parson says. “I didn’t know she … what she should have done was have a press conference a month ago when children were dying in the street, but unfortunately she came here to Jefferson City when it was convenient for her to start talking about this issue.”

Quade and House Democrats asked the governor to add the gun violence issue to the special session. State Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, D-Kansas City, notes Kansas City and St. Louis have ranked in the top ten deadliest cities for at least a decade.

As for Governor Parson, he emphasizes that he’s not comparing the car sales tax issue with gun violence.

Parson praises Bayer’s decision to bring 500 new jobs to Missouri

July 17, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor announced Tuesday that Bayer will be relocating its North American Crop Science Division to the St. Louis suburb of Creve Coeur, bringing hundreds of new jobs.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson makes the Bayer announcement in Jefferson City on July 16, 2019, joined by Bayer’s Lisa Safarian (left), St. Louis County Executive Sam Page (right) and DED Director Rob Dixon (Brian Hauswirth photo)

Governor Mike Parson (R) briefed Capitol reporters at the Statehouse in Jefferson City, where he was joined by Bayer executives and other leaders.

“The salaries (for the new jobs) will average $110,000 a year, with a capital investment of over $164 million,” Parson says.

Parson also says Bayer has made a commitment to retain about 4,400 current jobs in Creve Coeur and Chesterfield, which are both in St. Louis County.

Bayer completed the acquisition of Monsanto in 2018.

The jobs announcement follows the governor’s recent trade mission to Europe. Parson says the new jobs will benefit the entire state, not just Creve Coeur.

“You know what it does, it benefits some kid in rural Missouri the opportunity to go to work for Bayer, gives them the opportunity to go to St. Louis County to be productive citizens up there,” says Parson.

Parson says it’s important for all of Missouri to do well, adding that this investment will enhance the state’s already successful ag-tech industry.

It’s unclear when the jobs will move to Creve Coeur. Bayer executives tell Missourinet some of the jobs will come from North Carolina, while others will be hired in Creve Coeur.

Parson was joined at the press conference by Bayer Commercial Operations North America President Lisa Safarian, State Department of Economic Development (DED) Director Rob Dixon and St. Louis County Executive Sam Page.

Director Dixon describes Bayer’s decision as a “monumental investment” in Missouri. Dixon tells reporters the decision also signifies Bayer’s confidence in Missouri as a place to do business.

“Missouri is the global ag-tech leader, undisputed global ag-tech leader,” Dixon says. “St. Louis County is the epicenter of our ag-tech economy.”

Dixon says Missouri is using about $37 million in incentives for the project.

Page, a former Democratic State Representative from Creve Coeur, also joined the GOP Governor, highlighting bipartisanship.

“Bayer’s investment here is a testament to St. Louis County’s talented workforce and our status as the global epicenter of plant science and agriculture technology,” says Page.

Ms. Safarian tells reporters Bayer also has a manufacturing plant in Kansas City, along with the headquarters in St. Louis.

Governor Parson says Missouri’s $88 billion agricultural industry employs more than 378,000 people.