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New Video Game Spotlights The Lake Of The Ozarks

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Lake of the Ozarks now has national notoriety because of TV shows made about the area and publicity from critical national media, but now the lake is about to get a new dimension of interest – with a video game.

“It’s come a long way” says Game designer Shawn Kober, “we flew drones over the last few years, we’re using all kinds of maps…just a combination of all kinds of technology and everything that’s out there, combining it and using that technology to make the Lake as real as we can.”

Kober tells KRMS News you’ll be able to go on missions in the game while walking along the shoreline of the lake or riding in a boat thanks to virtual reality “we’ve been using that for the last 6 years, so…it’s kinda pushing a lot of those technologies that people aren’t or haven’t really adapted to yet. We’re pushing some envelopes here, but I think it’s something people…long term…can really get behind when they play the game, or when they see what we’re really developing.”

He says there’s more plans down the road “we’re looking forward to bringing businesses into the game. It’s very interesting, with the technology that we’ve been able to come to and use to build it.”

Kober says the game has no name as of yet, but it is expected to come later this summer.

See the official launch video below.

 

Changes Coming To Driver Examination Station In Versailles

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There may be some changes coming to a driver examination station near you.

“Drivers testing exams will be the Fourth Tuesday of every month, until further notice” says Nancy Cable, manager of the Morgan County / Versailles Driver’s License Office.

She tells KRMS News it’s unclear right now if the change is permanent or temporary.

Cable says driver’s tests will be given at the Hunter Civic Center.

The Missouri Highway Patrol says there’s no change in schedules for driver’s license offices in Eldon or Camdenton.

 

****Additional Info****

EMPHASIS: Troop F Driver Examination Changes Effective May 4, 2021
Captain Corey J. Schoeneberg, commanding officer of Troop F, Jefferson City, announces the following schedule to accommodate staffing changes:

The Linn Driver Examination Station will now be open the 1st Tuesday of each month.
The Fayette Driver Examination Station will now be open the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
The Versailles Driver Examination Station will now be open the 4th Tuesday of each month.
The Owensville Driver Examination Station will now be open the 1st Wednesday of each month.
The Mexico Driver Examination Station will now be open the 2nd Wednesday of each month.
The Hermann Driver Examination Station will now be open the 4th Wednesday of each month.

The driver examination station schedule in Columbia, Jefferson City, Montgomery City, Camdenton, Eldon, Fulton, Boonville, and California will remain unchanged.

Also, the Mexico Driver Examination Station will also be closed on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. It will open again on Wednesday, May 12,2021.

Missouri 101st General Assembly Must Finish The 2022 State Budget By Friday

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State lawmakers have until Friday to turn in Missouri’s Fiscal Year 2022 operating budget.

It’s due by 6 pm to the desk of Governor Mike Parson.

“Obviously being in the Minority, we play a lot more defense, but we’re ready to work with the Majority” says Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, a Democrat from Kansas City.

In addition to the operating budget, Medicaid expansion is another topic being discussed.

But one lawmaker says money’s always going into Medicaid without the expansion.

“We’ve added a considerable amount of money to the Medicaid budget, without the expansion” says Republican State Senator Dan Hegeman.

We’re now less than two weeks away from the end of the first regular session of the 101st General Assembly.

Eight New Names Etched Onto Missouri Law Enforcement Wall Of Honor

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There are now eight new names on the Missouri Law Enforcement Wall of Honor.

“This year we’re adding the names from last year, and seven historical names” says Mike O’Connell with the Missouri Department of Public Safety, “the founders of this decided we wanted to have a state memorial, to all of those who risk their lives on a daily basis…and ultimately suffered the ultimate consequences of their service.”

He tells KRMS News one of those names added to the wall Saturday was Lebanon police officer Kendle Blackburn, who died of COVID-19 in December.

The ceremony took place on the grounds of the state Capitol.

Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt were both speakers at the event.

 

***Press Release***

At annual ceremony, Missouri law enforcement community honors state’s officers who made ultimate sacrifice
Names of 8 officers who died in the line of duty in 2020 were added to Law Enforcement Memorial, along with 7 recently confirmed historical deaths

JEFFERSON CITY – Six Missouri law enforcement officers and two corrections officers who died in the line of duty in between in 2020 were honored today during Missouri’s annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service for those who have paid the ultimate price for their service protecting their fellow Missourians.

Officers, their families and friends from across the state gathered as the service returned to the Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial on the grounds to the state Capitol, after being held virtually last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to the officers who died in 2020, the names of seven law enforcement officers whose historical line of duty deaths were recently confirmed were also added to the memorial’s Wall of Honor.

Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt each delivered remarks at the memorial service.

“The names on this wall were husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, and sons and daughters,” said Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe. “Today, we remember them. Today, we offer condolences for those for whom the grief of loss is still very raw and real. Today, we etch their names into this monument to ensure their sacrifice is never forgotten. Today, we see an earthly example of the promise of Scripture in the book of John, 15:13: ‘that no greater love hath any man than this, that he lay down his life for a friend.’”

“The brave men and women of law enforcement wake up each morning, put on their uniform, and say goodbye to their family and loved ones, not knowing if they’ll return at the end of the day,” From Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said. “Law enforcement officers face unknown risks and danger every day, and sometimes, tragically, make the ultimate sacrifice in their commitment to keeping the communities they love safe. It’s imperative that we continue to honor and remember that sacrifice.”

Each year, the families of law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty the previous year, and through the decades, participate in the ceremony by placing white carnations in a wreath in honor of Missouri’s fallen heroes.

On Friday, April 30, a candlelight vigil was held at the memorial in remembrance of all Missouri law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice. Governor Mike Parson ordered that the Capitol dome and Law Enforcement Memorial to be lighted blue on Friday night in honor of fallen law enforcement officers.

The following law enforcement officer’s names were added to the memorial wall this year:

Christopher Ryan Walsh
End of Watch: March 16, 2020
Rank: Officer
Department: Springfield Police Department
Cause: Gunshot
Age: 32
Years of Service: 3 years, 6 months

On March 16, 2020, Officer Christopher Walsh was shot and killed when he and another officer confronted an active shooter at a convenience store.

Andy Deric Clark
End of Watch: June 3, 2020
Rank: Sheriff
Department: DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office
Cause: Vehicle Crash
Age: 43
Years of Service: 22 years

Sheriff Andy Clark was killed in a vehicle crash near Osborn, Mo. while responding to assist a deputy in an emergency situation.

Tamarris L. Bohannon
End of Watch: Aug. 30, 2020
Rank: Officer
Department: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Cause: Gunshot
Age: 29
Years of Service: 3 years, 6 months

Police Officer Tamarris Bohannon passed away on Aug. 30, 2020 after succumbing to a gunshot wound he suffered the night before when he and another officer were ambushed as they responded to a shooting call in the Tower Grove South neighborhood.

Rick A. Groves
End of Watch: Oct. 16, 2020
Rank: Assistant Chief
Department: Kennett Police Department
Cause: COVID-19
Age: 69
Years of Service: 38 years

Assistant Chief Rick Groves passed away after contracting COVID-19 as a result of his law enforcement service to the Kennett Police Department.

Richard Allen Wright
End of Watch: Nov. 19, 2020
Rank: Corrections Officer
Department: Missouri Department of Corrections
Cause: COVID-19
Age: 61
Years of Service: 15 years

Corrections Officer Richard Wright died on Nov. 19, 2020 after contracting COVID-19 as a result of his service as a corrections officer. He served at the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia.

Dwight Eugene Willis
End of Watch: Nov. 22, 2020
Rank: Detention Officer
Department: Greene County Sheriff’s Office
Cause: COVID-19
Age: 56
Years of Service: 19 years

Detention Officer Dwight Willis passed away on Nov. 22, 2020 after contracting COVID-19 as a result of his service as a detention officer.

Herschel Turner Jr.
End of Watch: Dec. 5, 2020
Rank: Sergeant
Department: Moline Acres Police Department
Cause: Vehicle Crash
Age: 54
Years of Service: 22 Years

On Dec. 5, 2020, Sergeant Herschel Turner and a Bellefontaine Neighbors Police Department officer had stopped a stolen vehicle. Sergeant Turner was fatally struck by the vehicle of another officer arriving at the scene to provide assistance that swerved to avoid striking a vehicle and unintentionally struck Sergeant Turner.

Kendle Glen Blackburn
End of Watch: Dec. 28, 2020
Rank: Patrolman
Department: Lebanon Police Department
Cause: COVID-19
Age: 55
Years of Service: 21 Years

On Dec. 28, 2020, Lebanon Patrolman Kendle Blackburn died after contracting COVID-19 as a result of his law enforcement service.

Recently Confirmed Historical Line-of-Duty Deaths

Albert Kopf
End of Watch: Sept. 3, 1907
Rank: Marshal
Department: City of Pacific
Cause: Gunshot
Age: 32

City Marshal Albert Kopf, who had only been serving as acting city marshal for just 10 days, was fatally shot in the chest by a homeless man after responding to a call from a woman about a disturbance at the woman’s home. He managed to return fire and struck his assailant with one shot. Marshal Kopf succumbed to his wound three days later, on Sept. 3, 1907.

John W. Burns
End of Watch: April 21, 1922
Rank: Marshal
Department: City of Lathrop
Cause: Gunshot
Age: 55
Years of Service: 9 years

City Marshal John W. Burns was fatally shot on April 21, 1922 in a gun battle with five men who had attempted to rob him at gunpoint as he performed his duties.

William E. Griffin
End of Watch: June 10, 1923
Rank: Patrolman
Department: St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
Cause: Gunshot
Age: 24
Years of Service: 4 years

Patrolman William E. Griffin was shot several times and killed on June 10, 1923 after responding to an armed robbery at the Telegraph Inn, which was located in St. Louis County.

David W. Waymire
End of Watch: March 13, 1927
Rank: Marshal
Department: City of Crane
Cause: Gunshot
Age: 62

Marshal David W. Waymire was shot as he attempted to arrest a man wanted for automobile theft two miles west of Crane. He died as a result of his wounds days later, on March 13, 1927.

S. Dent Owen
End of Watch: Jan. 3, 1929
Rank: Marshal
Department: Monroe City
Cause: Vehicle Accident
Age: 37

On Jan. 3, 1929, Marshal S. Dent Owen died from injuries he sustained in a head-on collision on Highway 36 while driving a vehicle that had been stolen and that he had recovered during an investigation.

James E. Tines
End of Watch: Sept. 9, 1933
Rank: Special Agent
Department: St. Louis – San Francisco Railway Police
Cause: Gunshot
Age: 50

On Sept. 9, 1933, Special Agent James E. Tines was fatally shot three times after being targeted by two armed robbers while he was on duty near Springfield.

Herman E. Weirich
End of Watch: Feb. 12, 1946
Rank: Marshal
Department: City of Sullivan
Cause: Car Accident
Age: 59
Years of Service: 20 years

On Feb. 12, 1946, City of Sullivan Marshal Herman E. Weirich died, four days after the vehicle he was traveling in while on duty was struck by a train.

Former Youth Director At FLW Pleads Guilty To Child Sexual Abuse On Base

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A former Youth Director at Fort Leonard Wood is pleading guilty to sexually abusing four children over several years at the base.

The Army National Guard officer, 42-year-old David McKay of Waynesville, entered his plea before a US judge earlier this week.

He worked as the youth ministry director for the Religious Services office and officials say his victims ranged from 11 to 17 years old between 2010 and 2017.

The testimony submitted indicated the abuse took place at the base, as well as other locations in Pulaski County and on a Ski trip to Colorado.

Under federal statutes, McKay faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, and up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole.

 

***Press Release***

Former Youth Director at Fort Leonard Wood Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Abuse

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An Army National Guard officer pleaded guilty in federal court today to sexually abusing four minors over several years while he was director of the youth ministry at Fort Leonard Wood U.S. Army Base.

David J. McKay, 42, of Waynesville, Missouri, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of transporting a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and four counts of sexually abusing a minor.

McKay, an Army National Guard Major Sergeant, was the youth ministry director for the Religious Services Office at Fort Leonard Wood. By pleading guilty today, McKay admitted that he sexually abused four victims, ranging in age from 11 to 17 years old, on dozens of occasions from 2010 to 2017.

According to today’s plea agreement, the sexual abuse occurred at Fort Leonard Wood and various other locations within Pulaski County, Mo. The victims also reported being abused during the youth group’s ski trips to Colorado and on camping trips at Fort Leonard Wood.

Under federal statutes, McKay is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command at the Fort Leonard Wood Army Base, the Pulaski County, Mo., Prosecutor’s Office, and the Waynesville, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

Multi-County Drug Bust Takes Down 500 Grams Of Meth With 9 People Arrested

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A massive drug take-down has taken place in Benton and Morgan Counties.

According to the Benton County Sheriff’s office, 4 different organizations worked this multi-county take-down, which resulted in 9 arrests.

Officials say over 500 grams of Methamphetamine, 15 illegal firearms and numerous prescription narcotics were sized in the raids.

You can see the full arrest list below:

Police On The Hunt For Missing Fulton Woman Who Disappeared April 21st

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Police in Fulton are asking for your help in finding a woman missing since April 21st.

Investigators say 25-year-old Tori Taylor borrowed a car from a friend who lives in Fulton, but she was supposed to return the car the next day and she has not done that.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Taylor is not responding to phone calls or texts and she’s not active on social media.

Tori Taylor is a white female with brown hair and green eyes. She’s 5-2 and weighs around a hundred pounds.

 

***Additional Info***

Taylor, Tori - Flyer

Lake Representative Vicky Hartzler Responds To Joe Biden’s Address To Congress

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A U-S Representative from the Lake Area is responding to Joe Biden’s joint address to Congress Wednesday night.

Missouri Congresswoman Vicki Hartzler says Biden’s time in office has closed school’s for children while opening U-S borders to illegal immigration.

Hartzler also says gas prices are going up and jobs are being lost due to the cancellation of the Keystone Pipeline.

Hartzler also adds Biden is taking undue credit for COVID-19 vaccines.

 

***Press Release***

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-04) issued the following statement regarding this evening’s joint address to Congress by President Biden:

“This evening, President Biden addressed Congress regarding the first 100 days of his administration. But in his speech, he failed to understand the gravity in which his partisan proposals have been a detriment to the American people — while also taking undue credit for a coronavirus vaccine he inherited from the previous administration’s unprecedented efforts.

During his time in the White House, his administration closed our children’s schools while opening our borders to illegal immigration, raised gas prices by cancelling the Keystone Pipeline which employed thousands, proposed tax increases which would result in one million jobs lost for hardworking Americans, and attacked our institutions with plans to pack the Supreme Court.

To call this platform a disappointment would be an understatement.

America is the land of freedom and opportunity — not of big government and restrictive mandates. I implore President Biden to spend his remaining term in office working for the American people by  providing real solutions to the crisis on the border and resisting the urge to dramatically reshape and damage our nation with the socialist policies from the far-left of his party.”

Officer Blackburn Of Lebanon One Of Many To Be Added To Wall Of Honor This Weekend

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The names of eight Missouri law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2020 will be added to the Law Enforcement Wall of Honor this weekend.

One of those eight names is Kendle Blackburn, a Lebanon police officer who died of COVID-19 December 28th.

The names will be added Saturday and there’s a candlelight vigil on Friday evening for all Missouri law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty.

Governor Mike Parson has ordered the capitol dome to be lighted in blue Friday night to honor the fallen officers.

 

****Additional Details****

JEFFERSON CITY – The Department of Public Safety today announced details of two ceremonies that will be held on April 30 and May 1 at the Law Enforcement Memorial on the grounds of the State Capitol to honor Missouri law enforcement officers who paid the ultimate price for protecting their communities.

On Friday evening, April 30, a candlelight vigil will be held at the Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial in tribute to all Missouri law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. Governor Mike Parson has ordered the Capitol dome and Law Enforcement Memorial to be lighted blue on Friday night in honor of law enforcement officers.

On Saturday, May 1, the names of eight officers who died in the line of duty during 2020 will be added to the memorial’s Wall of Honor during the annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service at the memorial. The names of seven officers whose historical line-of-duty deaths have recently been confirmed will also be added to the wall.

2020 Line of Duty Deaths

*         Christopher Ryan Walsh – On March 16, 2020, Springfield Police Department Officer Christopher Ryan Walsh was shot and killed when he and another officer confronted an active shooter at a convenience store.

*         Andy Deric Clark – On June 3, 2020, DeKalb County Sheriff Andy Deric Clark was killed in a vehicle crash near Osborn, Mo. while responding to assist a deputy in an emergency situation.

*         Tamarris L. Bohannon – On Aug. 29, 2020, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Officer Tamarris L. Bohannon was mortally wounded when he and another officer were ambushed responding to a shooting calling in the Tower Grove South neighborhood. He succumbed to his wound the next day.

*         Rick A. Groves – On Oct. 16, 2020, Kennett Police Department Assistant Chief Rick A. Groves died after contracting COVID-19 as a result of his law enforcement service.

*         Richard Allen Wright – On Nov. 19, 2020, Missouri Department of Corrections Officer Richard Allen Wright died after contracting COVID-19 as a result of his service as a corrections officer.

*         Dwight Eugene Willis – On Nov. 22, 2020, Greene County Sheriff’s Office Detention Officer Dwight Eugene Willis died after contracting COVID-19 as a result of his service as a detention officer.

*         Herschel Turner Jr. – On Dec. 5, 2020, Moline Acres Police Department Sergeant Herschel Turner Jr. and another officer had stopped a stolen vehicle when Sergeant Turner was fatally struck by the vehicle of another officer arriving at the scene to provide assistance.

*         Kendle Glen Blackburn – On Dec. 28, 2020, Lebanon Police Department Patrolman Kendle Glen Blackburn died after contracting COVID-19 as a result of his law enforcement service.

Recently Confirmed Historical Line-of-Duty Deaths

*         Albert Kopf – On Sept. 3, 1907, City of Pacific Marshal Albert Kopf succumbed to his wounds after being shot three days earlier by a homeless man after Kopf had responded to a call from a woman about a disturbance at the woman’s home.

*         John W. Burns – On April 21, 1922, City of Lathrop Marshal John W. Burns died after being shot in a gun battle with five men, who had attempted to rob him at gunpoint as he performed his duties.

*         William E. Griffin – On June 10, 1923, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Patrolman William E. Griffin was shot and killed responding to an armed robbery at the Telegraph Inn, which was located in St. Louis County.

*         David W. Waymire – On March 13, 1927, City of Crane Marshal David W. Waymire died as a result of wounds suffered after being shot by a man wanted for auto theft whom he had attempted to arrest two miles west of Crane days earlier.

*         S. Dent Owen – On Jan. 3, 1929, Monroe City Marshal S. Dent Owen died from injuries suffered in a head-on collision on Highway 36 while driving a vehicle that had been stolen and that he had recovered during an investigation.

*         James E. Tines – On Sept. 9, 1933, St. Louis – San Francisco Railway Police Special Agent James E. Tines was fatally wounded in an armed robbery while on duty near Springfield.

*         Herman E. Weirich – On Feb. 12, 1946, City of Sullivan Marshal Herman E. Weirich died, four days after the vehicle he was traveling in while on duty was struck by a train.

The families of the fallen and representatives of law enforcement agencies from across Missouri will participate in Saturday’s solemn ceremony. Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Attorney General Eric Schmitt will deliver remarks at the ceremony.

Residents Across The Ozarks Are Reacting To The Possible Raise Of The Gas Tax

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Residents across the Ozarks are reacting to a bill that’s moving through Jefferson City, aiming to increase the Gas Tax for the first time in 25 years.

“It’s ridiculous!” says one woman. One man says “you can’t plan for it, you wake up and there it is” while another man says “I don’t want no taxes…but if you gotta pay them, then you gotta pay them.”

The proposal up for consideration would raise the state’s gas tax 2.5 cents per gallon, every year for the next four years.

That would generate a total of $450 million dollars for the state’s road and bridge departments, with an option to get a yearly rebate of the tax money you spend on fuel.

Speaking with our news partner KY 3 TV, Ozarks Transportation Organization Director Sara Fields says their biggest issue has been keeping up with the change in inflation “Between inflation and increased efficiency in fuel economies, we just don’t have spending power that we once did. Our big issue is that the fuel tax hasn’t kept up with the inflation. We don’t want a big money influx, we just want to keep up with what we have been able to do in the past.”

While the bill has passed a committee in the House and passed in the Missouri Senate, the legislative session only has 2 weeks left before recess and a final vote on the bill has not been scheduled as of yet.

State Senators Are Looking At Bills Related To The 2nd Amendment

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black semi automatic pistol on black textile

Photo by Thomas Def on Unsplash

State Senators in Jeff City are talking about the Second Amendment to the U-S Constitution.

Senator Eric Burlison of Battlefield brought Senate Bill 39 to the floor of the Missouri Senate, his proposal would create the Second Amendment Preservation Act “Governments too often turn to tyranny and they attack individual rights, when their Governments grow to large. This results in the loss of individual rights and lives.”

Supporters say their idea comes because of executive actions from Washington, D.C.

Senator Karla May of St. Louis mentions she does not see the need for this legislation “I think that we take an unrealistic look to the 2nd Amendment. And I really think this is a solution, in search of a problem.”

Senate Bill 39 has been laid over for future consideration.

Next up for lawmakers will be the operating budget for Missouri’s next fiscal year. By law, the budget has to be complete by 6 p.m. on Friday, May 7. Fiscal Year 2022 will start on July 1.

Man Facing Charges For Attempting To Hurt Mother’s Boyfriend Using Peanuts

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A St. Joseph man is facing charges after police say he admitted to trying to hurt his mother’s boyfriend with peanuts.

“The victim in this case has a severe peanut allergy” says Camden County Prosecutor Caleb Cunningham, “the defendant hid peanuts in a coffee can, laundry soap and an underwear drawer…with the intention of that victim coming into contact and having a reaction to those peanuts.”

Cunningham tells KRMS News 27-year-old Jacob Andes admitted to putting the peanuts in those places, and he says Andes told investigators he likes to solve problems by hurting people “my office is setting the charge for assault in the first degree, essentially the defendant attempted to cause a serious physical injuries to the reporting party, by planting those peanuts in several locations knowing the party would come in contact with it and had a severe peanut allergy. Because of those situations, we have requested no bond.”

Andes had been arrested earlier this week after police say he kicked in the back door of a neighbor’s house and went inside.

Cunningham also says if Andes is convicted, he’d have to serve at least 85-percent of his sentence, which could be up to 15 years in prison.

Andes Press Release

New Study Shows One In Ten Public School Teachers In Missouri May Quit Soon

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The Lake Area could be running low on public school teachers in the future, according to a study by Missouri State University.

The study shows one in ten public school teachers plan to quit the profession this year.

Around 62-percent of teachers in the survey say complications due to the COVID pandemic are the main reason they plan to step down.

The study also shows teachers in bigger cities and suburbs have been stressed out more than those in smaller towns.

Around 80-percent of Missouri’s public schools have been offering in-person classes during the 2020-2021 school year.

Missouri To Keep Eight Seats In US House After US Census Shows 2.8% Population Growth

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The Lake Area and Missouri can expect the same number of seats in the U-S House of Representatives after the Census Bureau released numbers Monday.

The report says the Show Me State grew in population by 2-point-eight-percent over the last decade.

That means there are now over 160-thousand more people in Missouri than there was 10 years ago.

With a total of just over 6-million people in the state, Missouri will retain its eight seats in the U-S House.

Missouri Looks To Join Over 20 States That Wish To Do Away With Daylight Savings Time

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There’s a group of states that want to stop changing the clock twice per year, and Missouri is one of them.

There’s a bill with strong support moving through the state capitol.

“The group of States would all together be on Permanent Daylight savings time, which is the time we’re on right now” says State representative Chris Sander, “there’s 23 other states and territories that want to stop time change twice a year, so instead of every state doing their own thing…there would be a group of states saying they want to stop the time change.”

Sander tells KRMS News Missouri would become the 24th state in the Daylight Savings Time pact and that supporters point to a boost in the economy with people doing more during longer days and also a savings on utilities “with more daylight in the evening, it would help the economy with more people out and about to do shopping, eat at restaurants…maybe ride a motorcycle.”

But there are some who disagree with permanent Daylight Savings Time “some opponents say they would lose minutes of daylight. Others say what about children at bus stops, since it may be darker later in the morning.”

Sander says local school districts could make changes to their scheduled start times if they wanted to.

The bill now heads to the state senate for a vote.

Residents And Tourists Have Differing Opinions On Law Enforcement

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group of police in the middle of the road

Photo by AJ Colores on Unsplash

Ozarks This Morning host Guy Wehman’s asking residents and visitors of Lake of the Ozarks their thoughts on the importance of law enforcement during this week’s ‘Sidewalk Chats.’

Wehman started with locals.

“We can’t live without them, that’s for sure. Law enforcement was made for a reason…to enforce the law and help keep us safe!” says one local. Another says “They’re extremely important to us, I think that there’s a lot people in the community that believe in it and they believe in our security.” One local resident says they are the people we depend on the most “We need to support our Troops and our First Responders. THEY are the ones we call when there’s a problem! We need to support them.” Another man says the blame is being placed on the wrong people “We depend on law and order to make things safe for all civilians, but it just seems to me like the scrutiny is being placed on just the Police Officers and not the bad guys.”

But Wehman gets a different take from people visiting the lake area from out-of-state.

“Yeah man, uh, I fully support um, all that Black Lives Matter and all that stuff like that. It’s good what’s going on.” says one visitor. Another tourist says it’s time to take a stand “I don’t know if de-funding the police is the right answer, but I think it’s important to make a movement in some sort of direction, just to show that we are making some sort of effort to help the different Black Lives Matter movement. So I don’t know if de-funding the police is the right answer, but I think we need to make some sort of movement in some sort of direction.”

Locals tell Wehman they think the difference in support is based on location and generation, “I think it’s generational. There’s a lot of separation between generations unfortunately. The young people do not get it, they’re the ones who live in the social media world and they’ve haven’t had to deal with the things that the older generations have had to deal with it.”

Wehman also finds mixed support from people visiting Lake of the Ozarks from states with more COVID restrictions,“If I am a law abiding citizen just minding my business, and they’re arresting people for not wearing a mask and it’s not actually a law….that makes me not supportive of our police, because I expect the police to support the law and the citizens, instead of just enforcing these illegal mandates.”

Some residents are extremely discouraged by what they see and they tell KRMS they fear for the summer at the Lake this season, “It’s gone. It’s gone. It’s going to be chaos soon.”

You can hear the Ozarks This Morning weekdays from 6 to 9 in the morning on News / Talk KRMS.

Show Me ID App Data Shows Over 1,700 Downloads – 900 ID’s Scanned Since Launching

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Workzone Awareness Week continues in Lake of the Ozarks through Friday, and MoDOT’s also working with the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control on a new app designed to stop underage drinking.

“This became public on April 1st and anybody can download to their phone, this app, which allows you to verify the authenticity of a driver’s license or any type of a state ID” says Mike O’Connell with the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, “everybody should be concerned, MODOT…the Highway Patrol….Local Law Enforcement, or anybody who drives…anyone who has children or anybody in our society should really be concerned about this. Studies show the most prevalent drug that’s going to lead to death, is Alcohol.”

He tells KRMS News the app was downloaded 17-hundred times and around 900 ID’s around the state had been scanned.

But some people in Missouri are skeptical about giving their ID to a retail clerk so it can be scanned into their phone “it does not store any of the information from that ID.”

O’Connell says his agency has other tools where data is stored for law enforcement purposes.

 

***Additional Info***

The Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control announces it has partnered with the MoDOT Highway Safety and Traffic Division, to launch a free app to aid retail employees and other users in verifying the authenticity of IDs simply by scanning the ID with the camera on a mobile phone or tablet. The “Show–Me ID” app became available to all Missourians today.

“Underage drinking is a danger to Missouri’s young people and others on the road, and the new Show–Me ID app makes it easier than ever for all those who sell alcohol to verify the authenticity of any state-issued identification to aid in the prevention of alcohol being sold to minors,” said Dottie Taylor, state supervisor of the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control. “While this is in no way a replacement for the physical checking of an ID and comparison to the person providing it, it is certainly another powerful tool to aid retail employees. While there are other apps available and none that are fool-proof, this is the best that we have used.”

The app can be found in the Apple App Store and Google Play. Users search for it by typing “Show–Me ID” in their search once they have opened their app store.

Taylor said Show–Me ID automatically signals the user when a scanned ID is fraudulent. The app includes a calendar feature to alert whether the bearer of a legitimate ID is of legal age to purchase alcohol or tobacco products. There is also a guide on the app that reminds the user of the proper steps for checking whether the ID is valid and the prospective purchaser is of legal age. The Show–Me ID app does not store the information from IDs it has scanned.

“Underage drinking is dangerous in and of itself, but coupled with driving it can be deadly,” said Jon Nelson, MoDOT assistant to the state highway safety and traffic engineer. “By preventing underage purchases of alcohol, we can potentially save lives not only of our youth but also other users of Missouri’s roadways.”

Alcohol is the most commonly misused substance among young people in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency says excessive drinking is responsible for more than 3,500 deaths among people under age 21 and more than 100,000 emergency room visits by persons aged 12 to 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol.

Work Zone Awareness Week Starts Monday With A New Partnership Between MODOT And MSHP

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Road construction around the Lake Area and Missouri is ramping up, and MoDOT is now in a partnership with the Missouri State Highway Patrol to make work zones safer.

“They will be enforcing the speed limits, they will be enforcing other violations….so that we can improve that safety and hopefully avoid some of these dangerous trends we are seeing” says Traffic Engineer Nicole Hood.

She tells KRMS News there’s an increase in work zone deaths and other accidents that cause injuries and damage “there are people out there working and we’re really seeing a growing concern with the work zones, specifically with speeding.”

She says drivers not wearing seatbelts are also adding to the danger “the other area is just driving sober. Unfortunately we have a lot of impaired drivers out there.”

Monday marks the beginning of Work Zone Awareness Week.

It continues through Friday.

Hood will appear as a guest Monday during the KRMS Morning Magazine.

 

***Additional Info***

MoDOT’s plea to drivers: ‘Work with us’ this construction season

Work Zone Awareness Week is April 26-30

JEFFERSON CITY – More buffer truck crashes than ever before… Dozens of work zone fatalities… This is how Missouri will remember its 2020 construction season. And that’s why the Missouri Department of Transportation is pleading with drivers to help turn the tide in 2021. Motorists are urged to make smart, safe driving choices behind the wheel as part of National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 26-30. 

In 2020, MoDOT protective vehicles with truck/trailer-mounted attenuators (TMAs) were struck an unprecedented 48 times. Jack Kirtlink, a maintenance worker in MoDOT’s Northeast District, was just one of dozens of MoDOT employees hit while driving these protective vehicles in 2020. Despite signage and flashing lights, a motorist crashed into his equipment at 70 mph, and the TMA ended up underneath the driver’s truck.

Since 2018, TMA crashes have resulted in 32 injuries and one fatality. These crashes are almost always the result of a driver not paying attention and/or driving too fast for conditions.

“We need drivers to work with us,” said State Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer Nicole Hood. “Last year, 27 lives were lost in work zone crashes. It’s on all of us to step up and make smart choices behind the wheel.”

“We’ve got a job to do, and we want everyone to be safe. Just pay attention and slow down, that’s all we’re asking,” said Kirtlink.

There are two simple actions every driver can take to help protect themselves and those working along the highways: buckle up and put the phone down. In 2020, 74% of vehicle occupant fatalities in work zones were not wearing a seat belt. Distracted driving remains a leading contributor to work zone crashes.

Speeding is also a growing concern in work zones. MoDOT is partnering with the Missouri State Highway Patrol for ‘OPERATION PROTECT’ to actively enforce speed limits in some of the state’s top work zones throughout the construction season.

To help keep workers and motorists safe, MoDOT has piloted the use of real-time digital alerts (Makeway Safety and HAAS Alert) on emergency response trucks and is expanding the installation of HAAS Alert to more than 500 vehicles, including all emergency response trucks and several mobile operation trucks. This technology enables MoDOT vehicles with emergency lights flashing to send alerts to motorists through tools such as the WAZE navigation app, giving drivers early warnings on approaching work zones.

Drivers should be aware of changing traffic conditions, observe warning signs and merge before reaching lane closures.

“You play a vital role in work zone safety,” said Hood. “Traffic can stop unexpectedly, or workers could enter the roadway. Stay alert so you know when to slow down and move over.”

To help make your travel safer, visit MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map at www.traveler.modot.org and find out what work zones you’ll encounter before you go. And do your part to save lives in those work zones. Missouri’s new strategic highway safety plan, Show-Me Zero, provides information for all Missourians to help promote four key messages: buckle up, phone down, slow down, and drive sober. The plan can be viewed at www.savemolives.com.

 

Maintenance workers to share their crash experiences after deadly 2020 construction season

 JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Department of Transportation employee Frank Shadwell recalls a time he was driving a truck-mounted attenuator (TMA) for a moving work zone when, in an instant, a vehicle sped into the back of his truck. Unfortunately, dozens of MoDOT employees share similar experiences—the department saw 33% more TMA crashes in 2020 than 2019, most often caused by speeding and distractions.

Shadwell and other work zone crash survivors will share their stories at a virtual news briefing to promote awareness for work zone safety during National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 26-30. Gov. Mike Parson will also join the discussion to stress the important role all Missourians play in making work zones a safer place to drive and work.

The briefing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Monday, April 26 on the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Facebook page.

Who:               Gov. Mike Parson

                        Patrick McKenna, Director of Missouri Department of Transportation

Col. Eric Olson, Missouri State Highway Patrol superintendent

Len Toenjes, President of Associated General Contractors of Missouri

Jack Kirtlink, MoDOT maintenance worker

Frank Shadwell, MoDOT transportation enforcement investigator

Bryce Hill and Penny Compas, Delta Companies

What:              National Work Zone Awareness Week kickoff event

When:              9 a.m. Monday, April 26

Where:            Missouri Department of Transportation Facebook page

Why:               To raise awareness for work zone safety

For more information on work zone safety, visit www.modot.org.

Caleb Cunningham Officially Set As Camden County Prosecutor

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There is now a permanent prosecutor in Camden County.

Caleb Cunningham’s getting the nod from the office of Governor Mike Parson ,“The Governor makes his decision and makes his appointments, and their team called me and let me know I was fortunate enough to win” says Cunningham, “It’s a complicated process. They have significant background check and a 200 questionnaire that you have to fill out…that they obviously follow up on and investigate you.”

Before Friday, Cunningham had been serving as the interim prosecutor for Camden County since Heather Miller left the position “I’ve been the interim since she vacated. I’ve been acting that way since the end of February, but now that I got the full time appointment, whenever the Governor’s proclamation takes affect, I’ll be the elected prosecutor until the next election.”

The Camden County Prosecutor job opened up when Heather Miller was appointed Associate Circuit Judge for the 26th Judicial Circuit.

Miller moved into that position after the election of Aaron Koeppen to Circuit Judge.

 

***Press Release***

Governor Parson Appoints James Caleb Cunningham as Camden County Prosecuting Attorney 

(JEFFERSON CITY, MO) – Today, Governor Mike Parson appointed James Caleb Cunningham as Camden County Prosecuting Attorney. He will fill the vacancy created by the appointment of Heather Miller to Associate Circuit Judge in the 26th Judicial Circuit.

Mr. Cunningham, of Camdenton, currently serves as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Camden County. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and information sciences from the University of Alabama and a Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law.

Rolla Police Launch Investigation After Car Crash Leads To Drug Bust

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Police in Rolla are investigating after a crash leads to a drug bust.

Police responded to an SUV crash Thursday and investigators say 34-year-old Garrett Wood of Salem appeared to be under the influence of drugs.

Police say they found more than two pounds of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in the SUV and they also say Wood had outstanding warrants while on probation.

Investigators say Wood hurt his leg in the crash and he was taken to University Hospital in Columbia.

Wood now faces drug trafficking charges.

Accident-Drug Trafficking Arrest

ATF Reverses Decision For Camden County – Offers To Help When Needed

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The Sheriff of Camden County is reacting to a conversation he had with the head of the ATF in Kansas City.

It turns out the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms will be helping as needed in Camden County.

“I still think they’re not going to be doing a lot of freelance work anymore” says Sheriff Tony Helms, “but anytime we need them, all we have to do is call them.”

Helms tells KRMS News it’s a reversal of the ATF’s position earlier in April when the federal office announced it would not be working with Counties in Missouri that have passed Second Amendment protection ordinances, of which Camden County is one of them “what the ordinance is, is it’s an affirmation…affirming the 2nd Amendment rights. I don’t think we were looking to change the constitution, we just wanted to make sure we were protected like the constitution says.”

Sheriff Tony Helms says that Fred Winston, the Special Agent in Charge of the ATF in KC, was worried about the ordinance and how it related to other counties in Missouri have passed similar ordinances that says ATF agents could be arrested for being in a given county “most of it went to the Newton County one, where they got a little bit extreme with threatening to arrest these people. Mr. Winston was very kind, pretty much we’re here to help you….if you need us, you call us…that’s what we are here for.”

Helms believes there appears to be path forward for cooperation between Camden County and the ATF.

Mark McCloskey Indicates A Possible Run For Roy Blunt’s US Senate Seat

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Daniel Shular/Twitter

The St. Louis attorney who gained national attention for brandishing a firearm at a group of protestors, who were illegally entering his private residence, is now considering a run for public office.

In an interview with Politico, Mark McCloskey indicated that he is considering a run for the US Senate Seat that’s being vacated by Republican Roy Blunt, who is not seeking re-election.

McCloskey says he can “confirm it’s a consideration” but he has yet to release a timetable for making his decision about running.

Several others are considering a run for the seat, including former Republican Missouri Governor Eric Greitens and Attorney General Eric Schmitt.

Knodell Takes Over As Director Of HHS After Dr. Williams Resignation

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There’s a new leader in charge of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

Governor Mike Parson says Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Knodell is now the acting director of the agency, following the resignation of Dr. Randall Williams on Tuesday.

Williams has served in this role since 2017, appointed by the previous Governor Eric Greitens.

Knodell has served Governor Parson has his Chief Of Staff since 2017 as well and took lead in handling the COVID 19 vaccine rollout and distribution across Missouri.

 

***Press Release***

Governor Parson Names Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Knodell as Acting Director of Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

(JEFFERSON CITY, MO) – Today, Governor Mike Parson named Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Knodell as Acting Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) effective immediately.

Mr. Knodell has served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Parson since 2017. Over the past year, he has played an integral part in the state’s COVID-19 response efforts and taken a leading role in vaccine rollout and distribution in Missouri.

“As Deputy Chief of Staff, Robert brings valuable knowledge and leadership experience to our team and the entire state of Missouri,” Governor Parson said. “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 accepted a letter of resignation from Dr. Randall Williams earlier today.

“Dr. Williams has been a huge asset to Missouri, especially this past year in dealing with COVID-19,” Governor Parson said. “We greatly appreciate all the work he has done for the people of our state and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

Existing COVID Mandates Continue To Drop Across The Ozarks And People Are Reacting

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COVID-19 restrictions and mandates are falling back around Missouri and the Lake Area, and Ozarks This Morning host Guy Wehman is asking residents and visitors what they think about masks no longer being required in the Camdenton R-3 School District.

One man says it’s a personal preference: “I think that they should just open it up….if you want to wear a mask, wear a mask…if you don’t, then don’t”

Another man believes the masks were hindering kids from learning: “Uh, it’s kind of a double edged sword. One, the masks? Getting rid of them well allow them (Camdenton School Children) will actually allow them to focus more on their class…rather than wearing the mask and breathing through it and everything.”

Two ladies say it’s really a personal choice, it shouldn’t be the Government’s requirement: “I think the Government doesn’t need to tell us how to take care of themselves. I think that’s what America is all about….the Government not up in everything”….”Isn’t it? I think we’re forgetting that!”

Two new members of the school board were sworn into office April 12th, those two members include new president Gail Griswold and Brian Butts.

Two Bills In Jefferson City Aim To Protect People And Police Against Violent Protestors

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Two bills some lawmakers say would protect people and police against violent protestors could pass in Missouri this month.

The two bills would expand penalties for protestors who block traffic or vandalize monuments or property.

One of the bills also stops some cities from decreasing their law enforcement budgets by more than 12-percent relative to proposed budgets in other departments, a move some see as a response to the ‘defund police’ movement in other parts of the U-S.

Both bills now wait for action in the state legislature.

Winter Weather Advisory – Freeze Warning In Effect Across The Region

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Winter is making a return to the Lake area today through tomorrow.

A Winter weather advisory and a Freeze warning are currently in effect and there is a chance for snowfall, with larger accumulations possible in the northern portions of Morgan and Benton counties.

That could cause slick conditions on area roadways and bridges.

“Probably most likely it’s going to stick on your untreated roadways, like your bridges or overpasses, your trees…your grass…your cars. Along the highways were it’s been warmer, it’s likely not going to stick but again it’s still going to be slippery out there as this is falling” says Meteorologist Megan Mulford from the Weatherology Weather Center.

She tells KRMS news if you’re unsure of the road conditions, just play it safe “act like we’re in the middle of January, that’s what I tell people, if you think it’s not slick….then that causes for havoc, so just take it slow out there.”

Mulford also recommends you bring in any potted plants or cover your garden with a tarp, as temperatures could get into the upper 20s tonight (Tuesday night) into tomorrow (Wednesday) “if it is possible to bring your little plants or something, bring those indoors. I know if you have gardens, if you can try to find tarps or something to cover them…that would be good.”

 

 

Additional information from the National Weather Service:

 

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS
MORNING TO 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Wet snow expected. Total snow accumulations of up to one
  inch, with locally up to two inches possible.

* WHERE...Portions of southeast Kansas and central, southwest
  and west central Missouri.

* WHEN...From 7 AM to 1 PM CDT Tuesday.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous
  conditions could impact the morning commute.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Warm ground temperatures and above freezing
  air temperatures are expected to quickly melt snow as it falls.
  However, moderate to briefly heavy snowfall may lead to a few
  slick spots.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Slow down and use caution while traveling.




...FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO
9 AM CDT WEDNESDAY...

* WHAT...Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 24 expected.

* WHERE...Portions of southeast Kansas and central, east
  central, south central, southwest and west central Missouri.

* WHEN...From 9 PM This Evening to 9 AM CDT Wednesday.

* IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions will kill crops, other
  sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor
  plumbing.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. To prevent
freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes they should
be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have
in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above-
ground pipes to protect them from freezing.

Mizzou Marching Band Director Speaks To KRMS News About Macy’s Parade

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It’s a first for the marching band at the University of Missouri.

Marching Mizzou’s been chosen to play at the 2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, and the director’s not surprised.

“I knew the capability of our students, and that we could get there one day” says Dr. Amy Knopps at the University of Missouri, “and I’m so proud that they’ve earned this opportunity, and that everyone who will be tuning in that morning to the broadcast can view and absorb the performances our students will bring.”

She tells KRMS News the band’s selection should get Lake Area musicians in high school interested.

The band was one of nine chosen out of more than 100 applicants.

Marching Mizzou has more than 300 members and they’ll spend the next year-and-a-half getting ready for parade.

Millions of people across the U-S, Missouri and the Lake Area will watch the parade on Thanksgiving in 2022.

Business With Roots At Lake Of The Ozarks Enters NASCAR Sponsorship

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A Local custard shop that got it’s start in the Lake of the Ozarks is now sponsoring a car in NASCAR.

Andy’s frozen custard originally started inside the King’s Plaza in Osage Beach, before moving into the Springfield market, then eventually re-opening a store here at the Lake.

The company, led by owners Andy and Dana Kuntz, is celebrating its 35th anniversary by being named the official custard facility for the Texas Motor Speedway.

They will also be sponsoring racer Austin Dillion’s #3 Cup Race Car in the coming Allstar race and other races throughout NASCAR’s season.

 

***Press Release***

 

Andy’s Frozen Custard Expands Motorsports Initiative with Multi-Year Texas Motor Speedway Partnership

Concord, NC –- April 16, 2021 –  (From left to right) Andy Kuntz, CEO & owner of Andy’s Frozen Custard; Dana Kuntz, owner of Andy’s Frozen Custard; Carol Kuntz, founder of Andy’s Frozen Custard; and Austin Dillon, two-time NASCAR champion, Daytona 500 Champion, Fall 2020 Texas Motor Speedway NASCAR Cup Series race winner and driver of the No. 3 Chevy, yesterday unveiled the paint scheme for the No. 3 Andy’s Frozen Custard Chevrolet while announcing a multi-year partnership between Andy’s and Texas Motor Speedway.

Andy’s Frozen Custard will be serving the World’s Finest Frozen Custard to hundreds of thousands of motorsports fans as the “Official Frozen Treat” of Texas Motor Speedway beginning in May. Texas Motor Speedway guests will enjoy Andy’s frozen treats in suites, Andy’s concession stands and the Andy’s Treat Truck serving made every hour frozen custard at on-property events. Texas is currently home to nearly 25 percent of all Andy‘s locations, with 21 stores and several under development.

As part of its expanded motorsports initiative, Andy’s will be sponsoring the Austin Dillon-driven No. 3 Chevrolet in this year’s NASCAR Cup Series, which will debut at the June 13 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway.  At the press conference at the Andy’s Frozen Custard store in Concord, North Carolina, Dillon also revealed the new “Three-Crete-Concrete” — vanilla frozen custard, fresh banana, peanut butter and cookie dough — available at all Andy‘s locations later this month.

COVID Vaccines Now Open To All Adults In Missouri But Fewer Than Half Have Taken Them

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Fewer than half of all Missourians have taken one of the three vaccination formulas available in the state and the U-S.

Governor Mike Parson says around one-third of Missouri’s population has taken the COVID-19 shot.

The numbers show a greater percentage of people 65 and older are getting the shots, with around 60-percent having taken a full dose and 72-percent having taken at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna shots.

This week the FDA and the CDC announced a pause on the Johnson and Johnson  vaccination after six reported cases of blood clots in people who had taken the single-dose shot.

 

***Press Release***

Missouri Reaches Milestone: One in Three Missourians Have Initiated Vaccination 

(JEFFERSON CITY, MO) – Today, Missouri’s COVID-19 vaccine dashboard reports that one-third of all Missourians have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“One-third of all Missourians have now received at least one dose of the vaccine, proving that we continue to make great progress in administering vaccines to residents across the state,” Governor Parson said. “This milestone is great news for the people of Missouri, and we will continue working hard to keep this momentum. The vaccine is safe and effective, and we encourage all eligible Missourians who have not yet received it to consider getting vaccinated.”

In total, nearly 2.1 million Missourians have initiated vaccination and almost 1.4 million Missourians have been fully vaccinated. Missouri’s dashboard shows that 33.3 percent of all Missourians have initiated vaccination, and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that nearly 42 percent of Missouri’s 18 and older population has received at least one dose.

Of Missouri’s 65 and older population – some of the most vulnerable Missourians – nearly 60 percent have been fully vaccinated and 72 percent have received at least one dose.

“We cannot thank our vaccinators enough for their efforts over these last several months, and we appreciate the millions of Missourians who are stepping up to protect themselves and others,” Governor Parson said. “Getting vaccinated is how we end this pandemic and move forward from this crisis.”

Missourians are encouraged to visit MOStopsCOVID.com for facts about the vaccine and to register for an appointment using the state’s Vaccine Navigator. Missourians can also call the to state’s COVID-19 hotline at 877-435-8411 for more information and assistance.

Lake Of The Ozarks State Park Now Has New Youth Special Use Area

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Lake of the Ozarks State Park now has a special use area for youth non-profit groups.

“We have opened a special use area, it’s a primitive campground so no water or electricity. The area offers 3 group camping sites which can accommodate up to 30 campers per site” says Lake of the Ozarks State Park Superintendent Larry Webb, “so it can be Youth Groups from Churches, from schools or the Scouts….any non-profit youth organization.”

Webb tells KRMS News the area opened April 10th and the first reservations are coming in this weekend.

 

***additional info:

 

Lake of the Ozarks State Park opens new
special-use area during April 10 ceremony

Area developed with assistance from John and Mary Ann Young and Boy Scouts of America, Great Rivers Council

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, APRIL 13, 2021 – Lake of the Ozarks State Park officially opened a new special-use area during an April 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony at the park. The ceremony was held during the ninth annual Boy Scouts of America, Great Rivers Council volunteer service event at the park.

The new special-use area was developed with assistance from volunteers John and Mary Ann Young and troops from the Great Rivers Council. The Youngs are longtime Boy Scouts supporters and donated a significant amount of time and money to help create the special-use area. Mr. Young has coordinated the park’s annual Scouts service day since it began nine years ago, and expressed appreciation for the substantial efforts by Scout leaders and Scouts that have provided their service year after year.

The special-use area offers primitive camping to not-for-profit youth organizations. Three group campsites are available and can accommodate up to 30 campers per site. The area has a vault restroom and each campsite has a fire ring, picnic tables, lantern post and open space for tents.

During 2020 and 2021, Great Rivers Council troops completed projects to prepare the park’s special-use area for opening. Projects included construction of food preparation stations, the council ring, picnic tables and bench seating, and installation of campsite fire rings.

Since 2013, Great Rivers Council Scouts have volunteered more than 3,500 hours of service to improve Lake of the Ozarks State Park. In addition to developing the special-use area, troops annually assist with preparing the park for opening each spring and complete project work to improve the park for the public. Past projects have included building split-rail fence, maintaining the playgrounds and miles of trail throughout the park, painting and staining structures, and numerous grounds maintenance projects.

“Doing service projects together is one way that Scouts keep their promise ‘…to help other people,’” said Greg Baker, development director with Boy Scouts of America, Great Rivers Council. “Scouts should do their best to help other people every day, but a group service project is a bigger way to help people. While Scouts are giving service, they’re learning to work together with others to do something that’s good for our community. By providing a service project for Scouts, we are teaching them to be good citizens. A service project is a special good turn that puts Scout spirit into action.”

“We are so excited about the new special-use area at Lake of the Ozarks State Park and we are confident our visitors will really enjoy it,” said Mike Sutherland, director of Missouri State Parks. “We are also grateful for our partnership with the Youngs and the Great Rivers Council. This project would not have been possible without their individual and collective dedication to serving others.”

For more information about Lake of the Ozarks State Park Special Use Area or to make a reservation contact the park office at (573) 348-2694.

For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Lake Representative Vicky Hartzler Is Pushing To Stop Flow Of Illegal Immigrants And Drugs At The Border

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Lake Area U-S 4th District Representative Vicky Hartzler wants to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the country.

She says so far over 55-hundred pounds of fentanyl has been seized at the border, but that surpasses all of the fentanyl captured during Fiscal Year 2020.

Hartzler says the EXIT Act will help fill tunnels along the border where she says innocent children are being exploited and drug cartels are profiting off the U-S drug epidemic.

 

***Press Release***

 

Hartzler Introduces Legislation to Combat Drug Trafficking at Border
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-04) has introduced the Eradicate Crossing of Illegal Tunnels (EXIT) Act, which expedites the approval process to fill cross-border tunnels by removing the unnecessary red tape currently preventing our U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents from addressing these critical border vulnerabilities.

“Our southern border has become overrun by human and drug traffickers who have profited off both innocent children and America’s drug epidemic,” Hartzler said. “The EXIT Act targets our border vulnerabilities and expedites a long, bureaucratic, and unnecessary process of filling these smuggling tunnels. With this legislation, our communities become better protected from the influx of harmful, illegal drugs and our border patrol agents see much-needed relief towards securing our nation.”

Specifically, the bill:

  • Grants the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to waive Federal, State, and local environmental permits and reviews necessary to remediate unlawful border tunnels. Waiting for environmental reviews of drug tunnels that have already disturbed the ground and will ultimately be filled with concrete is unnecessary and threatens our national security.
  • Allows for CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enter into indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts. The number of tunnels found in a year varies. Currently, CBP must put the contract out for bid for every single tunnel instead of utilizing an “indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity” contract that allows for contractors to be on hand in order to more quickly fill border tunnels.
  • Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify that CBP has the authority to search for and remediate all unlawful cross-border tunnels while patrolling the border.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection have already seized 5,586lbs of fentanyl in FY2021, which is more than all of FY2020. This amount would be enough to kill over 1.2 billion people.

Read the bill in its entirety here.

April 15th Tax Deadline Extended Until May 17th For All Filers

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Today is tax day, April 15th, which is usually the deadline to file your taxes, but thanks to an extension from the Federal Government and the State of Missouri, filers now have until May 17th and there’s no need to file an extension today.

Tax officials say if you have kids…you’ll get more back in the child tax credit, but it may take a while for the return to be accepted.

“They are really reviewing the children, because fraud increase over 400% in one year” says Tax Expert Romy Riddle with H&R Block in Camdenton and Osage Beach.

She tells KRMS News the fraud was out of control in 2020 “you had people filing on other people’s children, you had people filing on dead people, you had people filing on homeless people. They caught a guy in Kansas City filing on two labradors they found a lady in Florida who was filing on a cabbage patch doll!”

Riddle says you should make sure you received all of your stimulus checks and the money that would have been owed to you, as you can claim it missing on your taxes and they will send it to you if you did not get it “what if you had a baby born, and it wasn’t on the 2019 return? Then you’d get the extra $600 for the first Stimulus, and $500 for the second Stimulus for that missing child.”

She also says you may be surprised to learn that your boat, if it’s a cabin cruiser and like, could count as a second home “most of the boats on our lake are self-contained, they have a potty, so it’s considered a second home. But you can’t have a third home, so if you have a home in say St. Louis, and you have a home down here, then you’re boat isn’t going to help you any.”

One thing Riddle says did change was the ability to take deductions on any moving expenses “that’s all been done away with. The only people who can claim moving expenses now is Military. And that’s going from one deployment to another, or on their way back home.”

You can setup an appointment with Romy Riddle by contacting the Osage Beach branch of H & R Block.

Missouri House Committee On Redistricting To Hear Testimony From Lake Residents Today

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A Missouri House committee on congressional redistricting will hear public testimony today (Thursday) from Lake Area residents who live in Missouri’s Fourth Congressional District.

Both in person and written testimony will be taken from the 24-county district, which includes all of the Lake of the Ozarks as well as Fort Leonard Wood, Columbia, Sedalia and Whiteman Air Force Base.

The committee is looking for information about the district’s characteristics, both positive and negative.

Republican Congresswoman Vicky Hartlzer currently represents that district and has done so since 2011.

Dome In Jefferson City To Light Up Purple For Military Child’s Day

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The capitol dome in Jeff City will shine purple at the order of Governor Mike Parson.

Starting on Thursday when the sun goes down, Military Child’s Day is being recognized and the dome will be lit up in purple lights through Friday morning at sunrise.

Governor Parson’s office says your encouraged to wear purple on Thursday to show your support for military children around the Lake Area, the state of Missouri and the U-S.

 

***Press Release***

 

Governor Parson Orders Capitol Dome and Governor’s Mansion Lighted Purple in Recognition of Military Child Day

(JEFFERSON CITY, MO) – Governor Mike Parson has ordered the Missouri State Capitol dome and Missouri Governor’s Mansion to shine purple on Thursday, April 15, 2021, in recognition of Military Child’s Day.

“I was proud to designate April as the Month of the Military Child, and lighting the dome and Mansion is another way we can pay tribute to the military children across our state,” Governor Parson said. “When parents serve our country, their kids serve, too, and we’re happy to recognize their unique contributions to our state and country.”

The dome and Governor’s Mansion will light up at sunset on April 15 and remain lit until sunrise on April 16. The color purple represents all branches of the military – the combination of each of their respective colors combined into one.

“The physical, social, and emotional well-being of military children is essential not only to their success in the classroom but also to the success of their families who have dedicated their lives to serving our country,” Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven said. “Creating awareness throughout the month reminds us all of the importance to support military students and their families while they are here in our great state.”

Missourians are encouraged to wear purple on April 15 to show their support for military children. Businesses are also encouraged to incorporate purple into their window displays and entrances.

Pictures of the lighting will be available on Governor Parson’s Flickr page. Citizens are encouraged to share pictures of the Capitol lighting on social media using #PurpleUp.

Lake Regional Updates The Community On The Vaccine Situation

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Lake Regional Pulmonologist Harjyot “Joe” Sohal, M.D., was the first Lake Regional employee to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Lake Area’s reacting to a pause being placed on the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

The FDA and the CDC are making that call after six people were found to have blood-clotting issues after taking the shot.

“We have sequestered the Johnson and Johnson vaccines that were on hand, and any current scheduled folks we have…they have been changed over to the Moderna shot” says Mike Dow with Lake Regional Health System, “what we are learning about the six cases under review currently, is that they were women between the ages of 18 and 48, with onset of symptoms anywhere between 6 and 13 days after receiving the shot. If you received that vaccine within the last two weeks, you should reach out to your healthcare provider and discuss it with the physician.”

He tells KRMS News what side effects you should be aware of if you recently took the Johnson & Johnson single shot vaccine “severe headaches or abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath are signs and symptoms of a potential clot.”

Dow says if you took the Johnson and Johnson vaccine at that mass vaccination event in Osage Beach early last month, you are beyond the window of concern regarding actions taken right now by the CDC and the FDA.

The hotline for vaccine information in Missouri is 877-435-8411….You can also log onto http://lakeregional.com/COVID-19 for more information.

This is a developing story and we’ll pass along all other details as needed here on News /Talk KRMS.

New Alcohol App Could Curb Underage Drinking But Some Lake Residents Are Skeptical Of Privacy Issues

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There’s a new app coming to the Lake Area and the creators say one goal is to prevent underage drinking.

“It’s designed to help keep our roads safer. There is a concern out there with Fake ID’s, that especially young adults will try to use to get alcoholic beverages” says MoDOT central engineer Bob Lynch, “this app is going to help with that and help reduce the number of underage people on the roadways and of course, using alcohol unfortunately.”

Lynch tells KRMS News the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control was also involved in making the app.

Retail employees would have the app on their phone so they can scan your ID to make sure it’s not a fake, but some people in the Lake Area are concerned about privacy; “would I be scanning people’s ID’s into my personal cell phone?” says one KRMS Listener…“if I was the person giving my ID over, I wouldn’t want someone else scanning my ID.”

KRMS has reached out to the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control for more info on the app and we’ll pass along more details as they become available.

Bob Lynch was interviewed by Guy Wehman on the Ozarks This Morning.

BREAKING: FDA And CDC Call For “Temporary Pause” Of Johnson And Johnson COVID Vaccine

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The FDA and The CDC are announcing a “pause in the use” of the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine.

According to the FDA, officials are asking states to temporarily halt using the vaccine after six people in the US have developed a rare blood clotting disorder.

This vaccine is the same one that was used during the mass vaccination event at School of the Osage earlier this year.

Officials say this decision is out of an “abundance of caution”, indicating that the adverse reactions seen so far appear to be extremely rare.

This is a developing story and we’ll bring you more details as they come in.

 

*****Here is the press conference held at 9AM.

Mizzou Marching Band Selected For 2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

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It’s a first for the marching band at the University of Missouri.

Marching Mizzou’s been chosen to play at the 2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

The band was one of nine chosen out of more than 100 applicants.

Marching Mizzou has more than 300 members and they’ll spend the next year-and-a-half getting ready for parade.

Millions of people across the U-S, Missouri and the Lake Area will watch the parade on Thanksgiving in 2022.

Camden County Prosecutor Explains Issues With Federal ATF

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black semi automatic pistol on black textile

Photo by Thomas Def on Unsplash

The interim prosecutor in Camden County is aware of the ATF announcing it will not assist the county after an ordinance to preserve the 2nd Amendment was passed.

“In the past we’ve worked very closely with them. They have access to resources and specializations that we don’t have locally. Right now, they’re just not providing those resources to us and if they do, they’re very selective on what they will or will not do” says Iterim Camden County Prosecutor Caleb Cunningham.

He gives KRMS News an example of how the ATF’s decision could affect the future of Lake Area public safety “we had a very recent case where there was an IED, an improvised explosive device…it may have been a hand grenade. Usually we call the ATF with something like that, but this time we weren’t able to. This is clearly outside of our expertise to deal with and it use to be we’d rely on the ATF for that, but they’re simply not there anymore.”

Cunningham says in that case the Missouri State Highway Patrol was able to step in for assistance on that case.

He also says the coming season of tourism means lake area local law enforcement is significantly outnumbered “we’ve used our federal partners in the past for law enforcement issues, as you know with out Summer Tourism season we’re greatly outnumbered. But, until they make their decision on what they’re going to do…they’re simply not there. That’s part of the puzzle piece of law enforcement that’s missing now.”

Cunningham says ordinances passed in other parts of Missouri might be a bigger concern for the Fed than ours “all these ordinances are different and I think it’s Newton county specifically that has authorized they would be arrested for even being there, so I think that the ATF’s position was to “take a step back” and not assist ANY of these counties, until they’ve consulted with their legal team.”

Miller and Benton Counties have also passed ordinances to protect gun rights that were similar to Camden County’s.

Lake Area Representative Luetkemeyer Concerned Over Biden Gun Actions

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Executive actions taken by Joe Biden have one Lake Area U-S Representative concerned.

Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer thinks taking gun from someone because of a mental health issue has to be done through a process “to have an arbitrary individual off the street, or even a family member, to say something and cause those guns to be taken away without due process is WRONG.”

Luetkemeyer tells KRMS News he thinks Biden is trying to infringe upon your right now own a gun in the U-S “you have to have due process, that’s the secret to all of these things that these folks want to do. They just want to arbitrarily allow law enforcement, or whomever, to go in and do whatever they are trying to impose. Whether that be taking away guns or trying to institutionalize somebody.”

He also says there’s a socialist agenda going on and the U-S Constitution is an obstacle for some who support it “the crutch of the problem is the media protects these people, it empowers these people. The Media is as much to blame here as the far left, because they’re empowering the far left with what they do and what they don’t do.”

Luetkemeyer was interviewed by Christian Blood on the KRMS Morning Magazine.

 

****Additional info:

 

Luetkemeyer on President Biden’s Unlawful Executive Order to Violate Second Amendment Rights

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) released the following statement regarding President Joe Biden’s executive order to infringe on law-abiding Americans’ rights to possess firearms.

 

“Villainizing and defunding the police, completely ignoring border security, and now infringing on Americans’ ability to defend ourselves without any chance of preventing crime. This reckless agenda may satisfy the political left, but it continues to threaten the livelihoods of people in Missouri and around the country. Our Founding Fathers felt the right to bear arms was so important they made it the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Today’s announcement from the Biden Administration is yet another reminder that they view our founding principles and documents as nothing more than an inconvenience they will simply ignore when they don’t fit their narrative.”

City In Southwest Missouri Has Zero Votes During Election On Tuesday

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Thousands of votes were cast throughout the Lake Area during Tuesday city and school board elections, but in one town in southwest Missouri, nobody showed up.

“One little tiny municipality that’s got 70 registered voters in it…nobody voted…not even the candidates who were on the ballot” says Jasper County Clerk Charlie Davis, “we’ve seen people lose a race by 1 vote, because they forgot to vote themselves, we’ve seen things like that but never have I seen it where there were no votes in a little town.”

Davis says it all happened – or didn’t happen – in La Russell, a small town located between Joplin and Springfield.

Hartzler Worried About Ongoing Opioid Crisis In Show Me State

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A Lake Area elected official is concerned about the ongoing opioid crisis in Missouri.

Republican U-S Representative Vicky Hartzler points to resources created during the Trump Administration as part of the solution “we have a tremendous amount of grant money focused to going after the opioid crisis, that passed a year or two ago, and is now in the implementation stage at our own hospital here at the lake.”

Hartzler says the grant money will go toward prevention, treatment, and ongoing recovery programs throughout Missouri.

State Senators just voted in favor of a bill that would join Missouri with 49 other states in creating a database for doctors to use in trying identify possible opioid abuse.

Some Republicans in the State Capital are concerned the bill could violate patient privacy.

Hartzler was interviewed by Christian Blood on the KRMS morning Magazine.

 

Missouri Senate Joins Governor Parson In Saying No To Vaccine Passports

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Missouri Governor Mike Parson is on record saying he does not support vaccine passports, and now the state Senate sending a similar message.

On Wednesday, a bill was passed by a vote of 26-7 to ban the idea that you need a COVID-19 shot to take public transportation, shop, take a taxi or fly.

The bill now heads to the State House of Representatives for consideration.

According to the state health department, cases of COVID-19 are dropping in Missouri.

For the week of March 29th, 21-hundred cases of COVID were recorded, and that was down 3-percent from the week before.

Gardner Denied Prosecuting Job For McColskey’s Of St. Louis

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Daniel Shular/Twitter

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner will not be prosecuting one couple after they pulled guns in front of a mob last summer.

The Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling means former U-S Attorney Richard Callahan will handle the case against Mark and Patricia McColskey.

The couple was seen in a video that went viral during weeks of civil unrest in St. Louis.

The McColskey’s pulled their guns after a group of protestors broke into their gated community.

The attorney for the McCloskey’s argues that Gardner wants to use the case for political gain.

The McCloskey’s are pleading not guilty to unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering.

ATF Strikes Back Against Lake Area 2nd Amendment Ordinances

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black semi automatic pistol on black textile

Photo by Thomas Def on Unsplash

One elected official in the Lake Area says the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms will not service Camden County, and possibly others that have passed Second Amendment ordinances since President Trump left the White House.

Camden County Commissioner James Gohagan confirms the news “according to the Prosecutor (Caleb Cunningham) he’s tried to get them to work with him on certain cases, they have refused specifically citing the 2nd Amendment ordinances…they will not service Camden County.”

Commissioner Gohagan says they’re also telling Sheriff Tony Helms they will not assist the County Sheriff’s office either.

A few counties in the Lake Area, including Miller and Benton, have passed ordinances that aim to guarantee gun rights will not be infringed upon at the local, state and Federal level.

This is a developing story and we’ll pass along more details as they become available here on News / Talk KRMS.

Numerous School Board Candidates Win Their Respected Elections Tuesday

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Numerous School Board Candidates Win Their Respected Elections Tuesday

Here are their unofficial wins:

For the Camdenton R-3 District, Candidates Brian Butts and Gail Griswold won their race.

For Richland R-4, Candidates Ira Moss and and Jerry Pemberton won their race.

For Stoutland R-2, Candidates Shawn Henson and Dustin Britzman won their race.

For Crocker R-2, Candidates Joey Mendez and Joseph Ament won their race.

For Morgan County R-1, Candidates Brad Belt and William Black won their race.

For Miller R-3, Candidates Debra Rogers and Wendy Rains won their race.

For Iberia R-5, Candidates Iva Nelson and Dusty Russel won their race.

For St. Elizabeth R-4, Candidates Valarie Kesel and Alysha O’Neil won their race.

For Warsaw R-9, Candidates Amber Campbell and Michael Schockmann won their race.

For Cole Camp R-1, Candidates Darin Harms and Jordan Kyle won their race.

We’ll bring you more as they come in……

Norman Pleads Not Guilty In Laclede County Murder Case

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A man accused of killing a Marshfield man in Laclede county is pleading not guilty to first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

30-year-old Shane Patrick Norman of Eldridge appeared before a Judge on Monday.

He’s accused in the murder of 33-year-old Nathan Young, who’s dismembered body was found in a creek last November after he went missing, shortly after winning the lottery.

Norman had worked with Young prior to the incident.

Norman’s next court appearance will be April 27th.

MODOT Worried About Speeding Trends That Show Death On The Rise For Missouri Youth

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MoDOT says speeding is causing too many deaths in Missouri.

Recent numbers show 176 deaths on the state’s highways during the first quarter of 2021.

Officials say speeding was responsible for close to one-third of all traffic-related deaths recorded.

The numbers also show around 68-percent of people dying in accidents were not wearing a seatbelt.

There’s also been a 58-percent increase in the number of people under 21 dying on Missouri roads and highways.

 

****Press Release***

 

Show-Me Zero Traffic Fatalities; Speed and Lack of Seat Belt Use Remain Top Reasons for Highway Deaths in 2021

 

JEFFERSON CITY – A rise in speeding and other reckless driving behaviors continues to be a disturbing trend in 2021. During the first quarter of the year, there were 176 fatalities in Missouri as a result of traffic crashes. Though down slightly from the first quarter of 2020, officials remain concerned increases in speed observed during the early stages of the pandemic have carried over into 2021.

Preliminary reporting indicates excessive speed played a role in nearly one-third of the traffic deaths so far this year. Unfortunately, this behavior has been exhibited even in vulnerable roadway environments such as work zones. In a recent work zone, law enforcement officers issued 79 citations including several drivers traveling over 100 mph within just a few hours.

First quarter reports also show a high percentage of people killed in crashes were not using a seat belt. So far in 2021, 68% of the vehicle occupants killed in Missouri crashes were unbuckled. For pickup truck occupants killed in crashes, it’s even worse with 88% being unbuckled.

“We’ll continue to say this for as long as we must. Seat belts really are our best defense if we’re involved in a crash,” said Jon Nelson, chair of the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety. “That one simple choice to buckle up, while not necessarily preventing the crash from happening, often times makes the difference in who survives.”

Speed and a lack of seat belt use aren’t the only concerns. The number of fatalities under the age of 21 has increased by 58% during the first quarter. Likewise, 19 pedestrians have been killed so far in Missouri traffic crashes. In 2020, a record number of pedestrians (127) were killed in Missouri, with impairment and distraction being two of the most common factors in these crashes. Thus far in 2021, 20 people have been killed in impaired driving crashes while another 12 people have been killed as the result of a distracted driver.

“These are all choices we each get to make every day,” said Nelson. “It’s really not complicated. If we all choose to buckle up, put our phones down, drive sober, and drive an appropriate speed, the vast majority of these tragedies will not occur.”

With April being Distracted Driving Awareness Month, all Missourians are encouraged to take the Buckle Up Phone Down pledge. In addition, Missouri’s new strategic highway safety plan, Show-Me Zero provides information and strategies for all Missourians to help promote four key messages:  buckle up, phone down, slow down, and drive sober. The plan can be viewed in full at www.savemolives.com. In addition to the plan, users will find other helpful information including highway safety promotional materials such as the Missouri Coalition for Roadways Safety’s new video highlighting how everyone can help Show-Me Zero traffic fatalities. Visitors can also pledge to Buckle Up Phone Down by visiting the site.

For more information, call MoDOT at 888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636) or visit www.modot.org. To receive the latest statewide news and text alerts, signup for e-updates.

Follow MoDOT: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Travel And Leisure Names Lake Of The Ozarks Top 10 Destination For 2021

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The Lake of the Ozarks is getting more national attention.

Travel and Leisure Magazine is naming the lake one of the top places to visit for 2021.

Official with Travel and Leisure say it’s based on the number of searches made to Airbnb homes across the country, and Lake of the Ozarks is coming up in the top 10.

They say Americans are ready to travel to outdoors locations, specifically ones with multiple activities such as boating, kayaking and camping.

The Lake was the only destination to make the national list for the Show Me State.

Read the full article here: https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/travel-trends/spring-summer-2021-travel-destinations-airbnb

 

***Additional info:

Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri

As far as summertime fun goes few places have Lake of the Ozarks beat. The lake is a popular spot for warm-weather revelers, including swimmers, boaters, and paddle boarders. Head there for an active stay or just sit by the shoreline and soak it all in at this lake house for eight guests. (Starting at $102/night)

Weather Officials Believe 2021 Could See Record Number Tornadoes

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Weather officials say new data indicates there will be more tornadoes for the Mid-West in 2021 than previous years.

Forecasters with AccuWeather say January and February started well behind normal, however a massive uptick in March of 180 tornadoes quickly reversed that trend.

The Storm Prediction Center says we could see 1,350 to 1,500 tornadoes to touch down this year, an increase from 2020 when a total of 1,245 tornadoes were observed.

 

***Press Release***

2021 predicted to yield more tornadoes than 2020. Here’s why

Residents in the Southeast are starting to become too familiar with the sound of tornado sirens and the roar of destructive winds and flooding rain.

AccuWeather Global Weather Center – April 2, 2021 –  As the climatological peak of tornado season draws near in the United States, AccuWeather forecasters are warning that the season is just getting started. March, April and May are typically the most active in terms of tornadoes, but this year, April and May could be particularly dangerous as the ingredients come together for frequent outbursts of severe weather.

Many communities across the southeastern U.S. are still picking up the pieces from early-season storms, including in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, which were hit by back-to-back tornado outbreaks in March. This was only the second time that the National Weather Service (NWS) issued two ‘high-risk’ threats during the month of March, both of which were focused on the same region.

The preliminary tornado count through March 31 stands at 207 across the U.S., according to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), nearly half of which were reported during two outbreaks, one on March 17 and another on March 25. The second of the two outbreaks was the deadliest, claiming the lives of at least six people. The same eruption of storms spawned an EF4 tornado that tracked through the Atlanta suburb of Newnan, Georgia, in the middle of the night.

After tornadoes paced well behind normal in January and February, March’s uptick reversed that trend. The 180 tornadoes in March easily eclipsed the three-year monthly average of 82 tornadoes, according to the SPC.

Residents in the Southeast are starting to become too familiar with the sound of tornado sirens and the roar of destructive winds and flooding rain.

“It’s part of living in Alabama, I guess, but it is rough,” tornado survivor Kailee James of Brent, Alabama, told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.

A Tuscaloosa, Alabama, resident echoed those sentiments.

“It’s nerve-wracking, but for the most part, everybody knows what to deal with, what to do,” Wesley Hamner of Tuscaloosa said.

Confirmed Tornadoes March 25, 2021 (As of March 29)

The worst may be yet to come with severe weather season about to shift into high gear.

AccuWeather forecasters told Wadell they are predicting 1,350 to 1,500 tornadoes to touch down across the country this year, which is slightly above the annual average of 1,383.

That prediction is an increase from 2020 when a total of 1,245 tornadoes were observed, according to records kept by the SPC.

See the Full Story >>

Governor Parson Says No Vaccine Passports For Missouri

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Governor Mike Parson says there will be no vaccine passports in Missouri.

“We will never do that mandated. If the private sector wishes to do that, I’m fine with that, but as far as the state goes….we will never mandate it” says Governor Parson at a press briefing in Jeff City.

Some Republican lawmakers in Missouri are expressing concern over the vaccine passports as the Governor tries to convince more people to take the new COVID shots.

Parson says COVID cases around the state remain low “our seven day positivity rate remains steady at 4% and our hospitalizations have dropped below 800 for the first time since early August.”

Governor Parson also says Missouri is lowest in the nation in seven-day P-C-R case rate and eighth lowest in combined P-C-R and antigen case rate.

April 5th Starts Annual Roadway Re-striping Projects Across The Lake

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Heads up drivers.

Officials with MODOT Say starting on April 5th, they’ll begin numerous roadway striping projects across the Lake Area.

They say it will mainly be on the state’s two-lane lettered routes.

Drivers will encounter slow-moving lines of trucks laying down crisp, easy-to-see yellow and white stripes.

MoDOT says they are using a paint embedded with glass beads, which helps to reflect headlight beams back in the direction of the motorist to make the stripes more visible, especially during night, wet road or low light conditions.

The striping trains move between 8 and 12 mph and will be equipped with flashing lights, boards with flashing arrows and signs that say “Slow Vehicles” and “Wet Paint.”

 

***Press Release***

Roadway Striping to Begin in Mid-Missouri

 

JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Department of Transportation is encouraging drivers to be on the lookout for slow moving crews that will soon begin the annual process of striping roadways across mid-Missouri.

Beginning Monday, April 5 and throughout the spring, summer and fall, motorists on the state’s two-lane lettered routes may encounter slow-moving lines of trucks laying down crisp, easy-to-see yellow and white stripes designed to help keep travelers safe. MoDOT uses paint embedded with glass beads. The beads reflect headlight beams back in the direction of the motorist to make the stripes more visible, especially during night, wet road or low light conditions.

Striping crews must travel slowly as they paint roadway markings to ensure a good quality line. The striping trains move between 8 and 12 mph and will be equipped with flashing lights, boards with flashing arrows and signs that say “Slow Vehicles” and “Wet Paint.”

“Safety is our primary concern, both for our crews and for every traveler on Missouri roadways” said MoDOT Central District Engineer Machelle Watkins. “These vehicles move at slow speeds, many times on winding, hilly roads. That is why is so important for every driver to avoid distractions and pay attention to the road ahead.”

Most of the striping is done during daylight hours. However, it is not uncommon to see crews working at night on interstate highways and other high-volume divided highways.

Drivers are reminded to stay behind the last truck in the striping train, which is placed well behind the striping truck. This will give the new paint time to dry and prevent it from getting onto vehicles, being damaged by tires, and from being tracked across the roadway. Crews will pull over when it is safe to do so in order to let traffic congestion clear.

If you do drive through the wet paint, which is water-based, clean your car as quickly as possible with a high-powered water hose such as those used in car washes.

Work is weather permitting and could be delayed. For more information about this project or other transportation-related matters, please call 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/central. Follow the MoDOT Central Missouri District on Facebook or Twitter for project updates.

New App Aims To Curb Illegal Alcohol Sales In Missouri

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There’s a new app that’s supposed to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors.

Retail employees will be able to take a picture of an ID with a phone or tablet to see if it’s fake or real.

The app was created by the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control in partnership MoDOT.

Officials say information obtained with that photo of your ID will not be saved.

 

***Press Release***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2021

New app from Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control allows retail cashiers to verify authenticity of IDs with their phones

‘Show-Me ID’ app that aids retail employees checking IDs for proof of age before alcohol purchases is now available

JEFFERSON CITY – The Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control announces it has partnered with the MoDOT Highway Safety and Traffic Division, to launch a free app to aid retail employees and other users in verifying the authenticity of IDs simply by scanning the ID with the camera on a mobile phone or tablet. The “Show-Me ID” app became available to all Missourians today.

“Underage drinking is a danger to Missouri’s young people and others on the road, and the new Show-Me ID app makes it easier than ever for all those who sell alcohol to verify the authenticity of any state-issued identification to aid in the prevention of alcohol being sold to minors,” said Dottie Taylor, state supervisor of the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control. “While this is in no way a replacement for the physical checking of an ID and comparison to the person providing it, it is certainly another powerful tool to aid retail employees. While there are other apps available and none that are fool-proof, this is the best that we have used.”

The app can be found in the Apple App Store and Google Play. Users search for it by typing “Show-Me ID” in their search once they have opened their app store.

Taylor said Show-Me ID automatically signals the user when a scanned ID is fraudulent. The app includes a calendar feature to alert whether the bearer of a legitimate ID is of legal age to purchase alcohol or tobacco products. There is also a guide on the app that reminds the user of the proper steps for checking whether the ID is valid and the prospective purchaser is of legal age. The Show-Me ID app does not store the information from IDs it has scanned.

“Underage drinking is dangerous in and of itself, but coupled with driving it can be deadly,” said Jon Nelson, MoDOT assistant to the state highway safety and traffic engineer. “By preventing underage purchases of alcohol, we can potentially save lives not only of our youth but also other users of Missouri’s roadways.”

Alcohol is the most commonly used substance among young people in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency says excessive drinking is responsible for more than 3,500 deaths among people under age 21 and more than 100,000 emergency room visits by persons aged 12 to 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol.

Tax Professionals Say A Lot Has Changed For 2021

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April is usually tax season across the Lake, but thanks to an extension from the Federal Government and the State of Missouri, filers now have until May 17th.

Tax officials say if you have kids…you’ll get more back in the child tax credit, but it may take a while for the return to be accepted.

“They are really reviewing the children, because fraud increase over 400% in one year” says Tax Expert Romy Riddle with H&R Block in Camdenton and Osage Beach.

She tells KRMS News the fraud was out of control in 2020 “you had people filing on other people’s children, you had people filing on dead people, you had people filing on homeless people. They caught a guy in Kansas City filing on two labradors they found a lady in Florida who was filing on a cabbage patch doll!”

Riddle says you should make sure you received all of your stimulus checks and the money that would have been owed to you, as you can claim it missing on your taxes and they will send it to you if you did not get it “what if you had a baby born, and it wasn’t on the 2019 return? Then you’d get the extra $600 for the first Stimulus, and $500 for the second Stimulus for that missing child.”

She also says you may be surprised to learn that your boat, if it’s a cabin cruiser and like, could count as a second home “most of the boats on our lake are self-contained, they have a potty, so it’s considered a second home. But you can’t have a third home, so if you have a home in say St. Louis, and you have a home down here, then you’re boat isn’t going to help you any.”

One thing Riddle says did change was the ability to take deductions on any moving expenses “that’s all been done away with. The only people who can claim moving expenses now is Military. And that’s going from one deployment to another, or on their way back home.”

You can setup an appointment with Romy Riddle by contacting the Osage Beach branch of H & R Block.

Tick Study Asks You To Capture And Mail Ticks

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brown spider on white braille paper

Photo by Erik Karits on Unsplash

If you run across any one of three ticks found in Missouri, you’re asked to keep it and then send it in the mail.

The Missouri Department of Conservation and A.T. Still University are trying to better understand where certain ticks are found and what pathogens they might be carrying.

American dog ticks, lone star ticks and deer ticks are found in Missouri.

They’re large mites that climb on people and animals trying to find a bloody meal.

The study begins in April and it’ll continue through September of next year.

 

***Press Release***

 

MDC and A.T Still University ask Missourians to send ticks for research study

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Most people who have ventured through Missouri woods, fields, yards, and other outdoor environments have encountered ticks. These small, creepy crawlers climb on and cling to clothes and skin in search of a blood meal. Some tick species and the bacterial pathogens they carry can also cause illnesses in people.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and A.T. Still University in Kirksville are asking people to save ticks they encounter and mail them to the University. The ticks will be used for a new scientific research study to help better understand the statewide distribution of tick species and the human pathogens they carry.

Ticks are large mites that drink the blood of humans and other mammals. Ticks can also carry and spread pathogens that cause illnesses in people. Missouri is home to three common species of ticks that bite humans: lone star tick, American dog tick, and deer tick. Adult ticks are about a quarter-inch long and grow to nearly double that when engorged with blood. Learn more about ticks from the MDC online Field Guide at nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/ticks.

MDC and A.T. Still University are partnering on a two-year research study to determine the presence of tick species throughout Missouri as well as the pathogens they may harbor. The study will begin in April and conclude in September 2022. During that time, MDC and the University are asking Missourians mail ticks to A.T. Still University to be identified by species and life stage and tested for four species of bacterial pathogens.

“We need the help of many Missourians around the state,” said MDC Ecological Health Unit Science Supervisor Matt Combes. “Participation by many ‘citizen scientists’ is vital in helping us collect enough data at a scale unattainable by MDC and University scientists alone.”

To help with the research efforts, people are asked to place each live tick in a plastic zip-top bag with a piece of damp paper towel or moist cotton ball, then fold the bag and place it inside another plastic zip-top bag with a completed sample-submission form. The sample-submission form is available for printing from the University website at www.atsu.edu/missouri-ticks-and-tick-borne-pathogen-surveillance-research.

People are then asked to place the bag and completed sample-submission form in an envelope and mail it to: A.T. Still University, ATTENTION: Deb Hudman — Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology, 800 W. Jefferson St., Kirksville MO 63501.

University Senior Research Associate Deb Hudman noted the research is not intended to provide clinical diagnosis of any illness someone may have, and study information should not be interpreted as a substitute for medical testing or consultation with a physician.

“The resulting research data will be used to determine at the county level what tick species and bacterial pathogens are present for the state of Missouri. This much-needed data will be shared with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services,” said Hudman. “This data will also help guide outreach and education efforts about ticks in Missouri to help increase knowledge of tick-borne illnesses and precautions people should take when working or recreating in the outdoors.”

She added that distribution maps will be provided and updated weekly on the A.T. Still University website at www.atsu.edu/missouri-ticks-and-tick-borne-pathogen-surveillance-research so people can actively follow the progress of the study over the next two years.

Combes added there is a pressing need to increase tick surveillance in Missouri, develop statewide distribution maps of tick species and tick-borne pathogens, and educate the public on reducing their risk of contracting a tick-borne illness based on that data. In addition, this research study could also help determine previously unknown or invasive tick species that are present in Missouri.

“There are tick-borne human pathogens in the state of Missouri and yet there is no comprehensive map of where tick species occur, or of the human pathogens those ticks are carrying,”

Freeze Warning To Continue Into Friday Morning For The Ozarks

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Unusually cold temperatures are expected as a Freeze Warning continues for Lake of the Ozarks.

That means pets need to come inside … and maybe some plants “it is a somewhat late freeze, not quite a record, but certainly a rather late freeze for the region with temperatures falling back below freezing for the entire area, and doing it for several hours…which is what makes it a freeze warning” says Meteorologist Ray Miller from the Weatherology Weather Center.

He tells KRMS News the Freeze Warning expires at 9 am Thursday, however it goes back into effect at 1AM and will continue into Friday morning.

Freeze Warning Goes Into Effect Wednesday Night Into Thursday Morning

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A Freeze warning will go into effect Wednesday evening until Thursday Morning.
According to the National Weather Service, conditions of sub-freezing temperatures as low as 27 degrees will affects plants, crops and animals across the Ozarks.
Wind could also increase the chance of getting hypothermia if you’re outside with exposed skin for too long.
Officials say it’s best to cover your plants, wear extra layers of clothes and to bring in any pets who stay outside until Thursday afternoon.
***More details:
…FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM CDT THURSDAY…
Issued: 251 PM CDT Tue Mar 30 2021
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
WHAT
Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 27 expected. Colder temperatures can be expected in low terrain, valleys, and other wind protected areas.
WHERE
Portions of southeast Kansas and central, east central, south central, southwest and west central Missouri.
WHEN
From 1 AM to 9 AM CDT Thursday.
IMPACTS
Frost and freeze conditions will damage sensitive early Spring vegetation.

New Federal Boat Law Regarding Engine Cutoff Switches Starts Thursday

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If you’re boat’s 26 feet or less and has 3 horsepower or greater, it’ll need an engine cutoff switch starting April 1st.

“We’re principally talking about open console boats, where the operator is at greater risk of falling overboard” says Captain Mick Scott with the U-S Coast Guard “I think this was a long time coming. Boat manufactures have designed these engine cutoff devices in many different shapes and styles over the last few years…and many boats are already utilizing them.”

He tells KRMS News the new will be enforced at the Federal level to start with, but the first year of the new law will be more about education than punitive enforcement “the first year is really about mariner education. If the Coast Guard comes alongside a vessel, during the routine course of our safe boating operation….and we see the engine cutoff switch isn’t being utilized, it’s really and education process.”

Captain Scott says Engine Cutoff Switches often come in the form of a lanyard attached to a captain’s wrist or life jacket.

If the captain is thrown from the vessel the switch is designed to pop out, stopping the engine until a captain qualified to run the vessel returns to the helm.

IRS Warns About Phishing Scam Affected EDU E-Mail Addresses

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If you have an email address ending in .edu in the Lake Area, the IRS wants you to be aware.

The Internal Revenue Service says there’s a phishing scam going around targeting students at both public and private universities.

Officials say you might see an email that looks like it’s from the I-R-S, and the subject line might say, ‘Tax Refund Payment’ or ‘Recalculation of your tax refund payment.’

The email might ask you to click a link before a website starts asking for personal information, like a social security number.

If you get this kind of email you’re urged not to open it and to report it to the I-R-S.

Medical Marijuana Sales Continue To Rise Across The State

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cannabis leaves and stem

Photo by Drew Taylor on Unsplash

Medical Marijuana sales around the Lake Area and Missouri are on the rise.

“For two straight weeks, including Friday March 26th, we’ve seen recover cumulative medical cannabis sales (in each case) exceeding $2.4 Million dollars” says Alan Zagier with the Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade.

He tells KRMS News Missouri, to date, has seen close to 25-million dollars in medical marijuana sales, and he thinks the numbers will continue to rise “with new dispensaries opening up literally on a daily basis across the State, we have no reason to expect anything but a continued upward trajectory.”

Zagier says even the Lake area should see more Cannabis locations soon “whether it be Camdenton or Osage Beach or some of the other outlying communities, they should have access to ample facilities and ample choices.”

MO CANN TRADE says more than 90-thousand people in Missouri now have state-approved medical cannabis cards and thousands of additional applications are pending.

Voters in Missouri approved medical cannabis in 2018.

Smoke Seen Throughout The Lake Is The Result Of Two Different Fires

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That Smoke you have been seeing across the Lake area since yesterday is coming from two different fires.

According to numerous area Fire Protection Districts, the main source of the smoke is actually a controlled burn in several locations across the Missouri and Arkansas Border.

Strong winds carried the smoke north, affecting cities all across the Ozarks.

A local brush fire also broke out on the west side, officials with the Gravois Fire Protection District say no one was injured.

Mid-County Fire Chief Scott Frandsen will be joining Christian Blood on the Morning Magazine later this morning to talk about fire safety across the Lake.

This is a developing story and we’ll have more details as the day progresses.

 

****Additional info on the local fire……

 

GFPD crews responded to a 2nd Alarm, 600 acre wild land fire in the area of Cup Tree Road and Bluff Road shortly after 3:30pm Monday Afternoon. No structures were damaged, and no injuries were reported. Crews cleared the scene shortly after 9pm. Thanks to the following agencies for their assistance!
Sunrise Beach FPD
Stover FPD
Versailles Rural FPD
Mid-County FPD
Ivy Bend FD
MO Dept. of Conservation
Lake West EMS
Morgan CO 911

Area Restaurants Face Closing Due To Lack Of Workers Despite Job Openings

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man wearing white apron

Photo by fran hogan on Unsplash

A dangerous trend is emerging across Lake of the Ozarks and the State of Missouri.

Despite numerous Job Openings in the region, many business owners say people aren’t taking them.

One local restaurant, El Espolon in Camdenton, posted to Facebook that they were “closing for good” because they cannot find anyone willing to work.

Another business, The Branding Iron in Sunrise Beach says they’ve had an opening for a cook for months now, and have only received one application so far.

On social media, many are stating they want to “stay safe” from COVID 19, while others indicate they don’t feel the pay or benefits are worth their time.

New CDC Study Shows Young Adults In Missouri And Nationwide Are Suffering From Anxiety And/Or Depression

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A new CDC Study is showing that the percentage of adults with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression are growing in Missouri and Nationwide, but many aren’t getting help.

“It is very hard to find a new job, to perhaps meet a new romantic partner, to connect with friends and really launch into life, when you feel like you’re doing it alone” says Psychologist Ndiya Nkongho.

She tells KRMS News many of those suffering are young adults age 18 to 29, as well as those with less than a high school education “it’s going to take some young adults some time, to really re-calibrate and figure out what the path forward here…is going to look like for them.”

Nkongho says many young people actually feel as if where they are today, is worse off than where they were two years ago.

 

***Additional Info***

 

Symptoms of Anxiety or Depressive Disorder and Use of Mental Health Care Among Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, August 2020–February 2021

March 26, 2021 / 70

Anjel Vahratian, PhD1; Stephen J. Blumberg, PhD1; Emily P. Terlizzi, MPH1; Jeannine S. Schiller, MPH1 (View author affiliations)

The spread of disease and increase in deaths during large outbreaks of transmissible diseases is often associated with fear and grief (1). Social restrictions, limits on operating nonessential businesses, and other measures to reduce pandemic-related mortality and morbidity can lead to isolation and unemployment or underemployment, further increasing the risk for mental health problems (2). To rapidly monitor changes in mental health status and access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic, CDC partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau to conduct the Household Pulse Survey (HPS). This report describes trends in the percentage of adults with symptoms of an anxiety disorder or a depressive disorder and those who sought mental health services. During August 19, 2020–February 1, 2021, the percentage of adults with symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder during the past 7 days increased significantly (from 36.4% to 41.5%), as did the percentage reporting that they needed but did not receive mental health counseling or therapy during the past 4 weeks (from 9.2% to 11.7%). Increases were largest among adults aged 18–29 years and among those with less than a high school education. HPS data can be used in near real time to evaluate the impact of strategies that address mental health status and care of adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and to guide interventions for groups that are disproportionately affected.

HPS is a rapid-response online survey using a probability-based sample design to measure the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on U.S. households (3). This experimental data product* was developed by the U.S. Census Bureau in partnership with CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and several other federal statistical agencies. The sample is drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Master Address File.† E-mail addresses and mobile telephone numbers associated with randomly selected housing units are used to invite participants. Analytic files include self-reported data from one adult aged ≥18 years at each address. Data collection began on April 23, 2020, and is ongoing (phase 1 = April 23–July 21, 2020; phase 2 = August 19–October 26, 2020; phase 3 = October 28, 2020–present, with a break during December 22, 2020–January 5, 2021). HPS response rates averaged 2.9%, 9.3%, and 6.5% during phase 1, phase 2, and phase 3 (through February 1, 2021), respectively.

Questions on mental health symptoms were based on the validated four-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) for depression and anxiety and included how often, during the past 7 days, respondents had been bothered by 1) feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge; 2) not being able to stop or control worrying; 3) having little interest or pleasure in doing things; and 4) feeling down, depressed, or hopeless. Adults who had symptoms that generally occurred more than one half of the days or nearly every day were classified as having symptoms, consistent with published scoring recommendations§ (4). Questions about mental health care use included whether, during the past 4 weeks, respondents had 1) taken prescription medication for their mental health, 2) received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional, or 3) needed but did not receive counseling or therapy from a mental health professional (i.e., had an unmet mental health need).

Because of methodological differences between phases 1 and 2, trend analyses were limited to phases 2 and 3. Estimates** are presented for each 2-week data collection period for August 19, 2020–February 1, 2021 (unweighted sample size = 431,656 for phase 2 and 358,977 for phase 3, total = 790,633). Trends were assessed using joinpoint regression.†† In addition, changes in estimates of symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder and the two mental health care measures were compared between August 19–31, 2020, and January 20–February 1, 2021, according to selected respondent characteristics. SAS-callable SUDAAN (version 11.0; RTI International) was used to conduct these analyses. Estimates were weighted to adjust for nonresponse and number of adults in the household and to match U.S. Census Bureau estimates of the population by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and educational attainment.

During August 19–31, 2020, through December 9–21, 2020, significant increases were observed in the percentages of adults who reported experiencing symptoms of an anxiety disorder (from 31.4% to 36.9%), depressive disorder (from 24.5% to 30.2%), and at least one of these disorders (from 36.4% to 42.4%) (Figure 1). Estimates for all three mental health indicators through January 2021 were similar to those in December 2020.

During August 19–31, 2020, through November 25–December 7, 2020, a significant increase was observed in the percentage of adults who reported taking prescription medication or receiving counseling for their mental health (from 22.4% to 25.0%) (Figure 2). Similarly, during August 19–31, 2020, through December 9–21, 2020, a significant increase was observed in the percentage of adults who reported needing but not receiving counseling or therapy for their mental health (from 9.2% to 12.4%). Estimates through January 2021 were similar to those in December 2020.

During August 19–31, 2020, through January 20–February 1, 2021, symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder increased significantly from 36.4% to 41.5% (Table). Significant increases were observed for all demographic subgroups presented, except adults aged ≥80 years and non-Hispanic adults reporting races other than White, Black, or Asian. The largest increases (8.0 and 7.8 percentage points) were among those aged 18–29 years and those with less than a high school education, respectively. During this time, mental health care treatment increased significantly from 22.4% to 24.8%. Significant increases were observed for adults aged 18–29, 30–39, and 60–69 years; men and women; non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black adults; adults with at least a high school education; and adults who had not experienced symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder during the past 7 days.

Unmet mental health needs also increased significantly from 9.2% to 11.7%. Subgroups with significant increases included adults aged 18–29, 30–39, and 50–59 years; men and women; Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic Black adults; adults at all education levels; and adults regardless of whether they experienced symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder or both during the past 7 days. The largest increases in unmet mental health needs (7.2 percentage points and 4.3 percentage points) were among adults aged 18–29 years and those with less than a high school education, respectively. During January 20, 2021–February 1, 2021, 23.8% of persons with symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder had unmet mental health needs, and this percentage increased by 2.8 percentage points from August 2020 to February 2021.

Discussion

The percentage of adults who had symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder during the past 7 days and those with unmet mental health needs during the past 4 weeks increased significantly from August 2020 to February 2021, with the largest increases among those aged 18–29 years and those with less than a high school education. During January 20, 2021–February 1, 2021, more than two in five adults aged ≥18 years experienced symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder during the past 7 days. One in four adults who experienced these symptoms reported that they needed but did not receive counseling or therapy for their mental health.

These findings are consistent with results from surveys conducted early in the COVID-19 pandemic (March–June 2020) that showed an increased prevalence of mental health symptoms, especially among young adults (5–7). The more recent results indicate an increasing prevalence over time later in 2020, which remained increased in early 2021. The trends in symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder from HPS have been shown to be consistent with trends in the weekly number of reported COVID-19 cases, and it has been theorized that increases in these mental health indicators correspond with pandemic trends (8).

The findings in this report are subject to at least four limitations. First, these data are based on self-report and were not confirmed by health professionals. Questions about mental health symptoms might be predictive of but do not necessarily reflect a clinical diagnosis. In addition, the predictive validity of the scales used in this report have not been confirmed when adapted from a 2-week to a 1-week time frame. Second, HPS did not assess the cause of these symptoms; therefore, a direct association with COVID-19 events could not be determined with certainty. Third, changes in mental health symptoms from the summer to the winter months might reflect symptoms associated with seasonal affective disorder (9). However, data from the 2019 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS),§§ measured using the unmodified PHQ-4, did not demonstrate statistically significant changes from August to December 2019 for symptoms of an anxiety disorder (8.1% to 8.6%); a depressive disorder (7.0% to 6.7%); or an anxiety disorder, a depressive disorder, or both (11.0% to 11.3%) (10). Finally, these estimates are intended to represent all adults aged ≥18 years living in housing units in the United States. However, representativeness might be limited by the indirect exclusion of persons without Internet access and by low response rates. Some households were not eligible to participate because the U.S. Census Bureau was unable to match a mobile telephone number or e-mail address. The sampling weights that were applied to all analyses were likely to have reduced some of the potential bias. Nevertheless, these data might not fully meet the U.S. Census Bureau’s quality standards and as such, the bureau labeled these data as experimental.

Despite these limitations, the survey’s timeliness and relevance are strengths of HPS. The U.S. Census Bureau releases data tables to the public 9 days after the close of each data collection period.¶¶ Simultaneously, NCHS updates online visualizations of trends in key health indicators.***

Several measures have been initiated to address increased mental health risks associated with COVID-19,††† and a previous report outlines additional strategies, including expanded use of telehealth, to address mental health conditions during the pandemic (6). Continued near real-time monitoring of mental health trends by demographic characteristics is critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. These trends might be used to evaluate the impact of strategies that address mental health status and care of adults during the pandemic and to guide interventions for groups that are disproportionately affected.

Fort Leonard Wood Soldiers Address Violent Extremism In New Training From Department Of Defense

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Col. Jeff Paine, Fort Leonard Wood Garrison commander, addresses garrison Soldiers and civilians on policies regarding extremism March 17 at Lincoln Hall Auditorium. Units here — in line with a Department of Defense initiative announced in February by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin — are ensuring every Soldier and Army civilian has an understanding of their roles in eliminating extremism from the military. (Photo by Dawn Arden)

 

Soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood are getting trained in the fight against Extremism.

Officials say all this Month trainings have focused on helping Soldiers identify what extremism is, and how to object or report individuals involved in those activities.

One of the trainings specifically focuses on social media and how to identify troubling posts.

It’s all part of the Department of Defense’s new strategy in tackling extremism’s.

 

***Press Release***

Fort Leonard Wood units stand-down to address violent extremism

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (March 26, 2021) — Fort Leonard Wood service members and civilians are getting training on their roles regarding the elimination of extremism from the Department of Defense, in line with an initiative announced in February by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

“There is not a single doubt in my mind that you take seriously your oath to the Constitution; and that you serve this country with honor, dignity and character; and that you believe in, and uphold, our core values each and every day,” Austin said in a video played at the beginning of each training session. “We need your help. I’m talking, of course, about extremism and extremist ideology — views and conduct that run counter to everything that we believe in, and which can actually tear at the fabric of who we are as an institution.”

Stand-down briefings taking place in person and virtually through March 31 here are meant to remind every service member and employee of their duty to reject and report participation in extremist organizations and activities, including those that advocate — among other things — racial intolerance or discrimination; use of force to deprive individuals of their constitutional rights; and advocating or teaching the overthrow of the U.S. government.

Army Training and Doctrine Command senior leaders and staff facilitated a discussion March 10 on the Army Profession with command teams and leaders.

Maj. Gen. James Bonner, MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general, attended TRADOC’s session and stressed its importance.

“Along with our headquarters, we are re-training the entire team — military and civilian — in the values we have always held,” Bonner said. “DoD places the highest importance on treating every person with dignity and respect, in an inclusive environment, free from discrimination and extremism. Service members and civilians alike must report and reject any part of these activities. We are part of the world’s greatest profession and must hold ourselves to the highest standards of character and conduct.”

In a virtual briefing Tuesday, Col. Jeff Paine, Fort Leonard Wood Garrison commander, said it’s important for service members and employees at all levels to “be trained and educated on appropriate actions when we see indicators of extremism.”

Paine said prohibited actions in support of extremist organizations or activities include, but are not limited to, participating in a public demonstration or rally; attending a meeting or activity with knowledge that it involves an extremist cause; fundraising; and recruiting, training or organizing members of extremist organizations.

In addition to explaining policies, the briefings also included vignettes of on- and off-duty situations meant to spur discussion. Cyber activities, such as posting, liking and sharing ideas and information on social media, were also addressed in the briefings.

Paine said personnel are responsible for the content they publish on all personal and public internet domains, and participation in internet sites sponsored by extremist organizations and activities is inconsistent with the responsibilities of military service. Army personnel are urged to speak up if they notice any violations and self report if involved in extremist activities, intentionally or not.

An uptick in peaceful and legal domestic protests and demonstrations over the past several years has “provided opportunities and emboldened violent extremist groups to take a more aggressive approach in their actions,” Paine said.

“These groups are known to actively target current and former military personnel,” he added. “Based on the oath that we took and based on what we signed up to defend, even one (extremist in the DoD) is too many if it’s something that prevents us from doing our job of protecting our nation.”

Personnel should report threats, extremist behavioral indicators and other counterintelligence matters to their chain of command, law enforcement or through Army programs such as iSalute. Visit https://www.inscom.army.mil/isalute or call 1.800.225.5779 to make a report.

WTTC Report Shows Airline Travel Impacted Greatly By COVID Shutdowns

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A new report details the devastating impact the COVID 19 pandemic has had on the travel industry, specifically airlines.

The world travel and tourism council’s annual economic impact report shows a loss of nearly four point five trillion dollars last year.

The sector’s contribution to G-D-P sank almost 50 percent.

The industry was soaring in 2019….generating one in four new jobs around the world.

But when the pandemic hit, more than 62 million jobs were lost…almost 20 percent of those in the industry.

If travel resumes by June- the W-T-T-C predicts jobs would steadily return next year.

 

***Additional Info***

Economic Impact Reports

Alongside our Insights reports, WTTC produces reports on the economic and employment impact of Travel & Tourism for 185 countries and 25 geographic or economic regions in the world. These reports are a vital tool in helping us to equip public and private sector bodies with hard evidence of the huge value Travel & Tourism brings to the economy, so that their policymaking and investment decisions support our sector.

WTTC’s latest annual research, in conjunction with Oxford Economics, shows the Travel & Tourism sector experienced 3.5% growth in 2019, outpacing the global economic growth of 2.5% for the ninth consecutive year. Over the past five years, one in four new jobs were created by the sector, making Travel & Tourism the best partner for governments to generate employment.

In 2019, Travel & Tourism’s direct, indirect, and induced impact accounted for:

  • US$8.9 trillion contribution to the world’s GDP
  • 10.3% of global GDP
  • 330 million jobs, 1 in 10 jobs around the world
  • US$1.7 trillion visitor exports (6.8% of total exports, 28.3% of global services exports)
  • US$948 billion capital investment (4.3% of total investment)

Phase 2 COVID Vaccine Starts Today – State Of Emergency Extended Until August

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Phase Two for the Missouri COVID Vaccine plan is set to start today.

“Missouri is still leading the nation in 2nd lowest of average daily cases and each day more and more Missourians are receiving the COVID 19 vaccine” says Governor Mike Parson.

He says their target date for Phase 3 is Friday April 9th “Phase 3 will be open to all Missouri Adults, extending vaccine availability to an estimated 1.1 Million Missourians.”

Governor Parson also extended the state of emergency declaration over the weekend, it is now set to expire on August 31st.

Parson says that will allow the Missouri National Guard to continue working with the state in an effort to conduct vaccination events and it also allows more flexibility when it comes to providing resources, such as funding and PPE.

 

***Press Release***

 

Governor Parson Signs Executive Order 21-07 Extending State of Emergency in Missouri

State of Emergency to Assist Continued COVID-19 Recovery

(JEFFERSON CITY, MO) – Today, Governor Mike Parson signed Executive Order 21-07 extending the state of emergency in Missouri through August 31, 2021, to help accelerate COVID-19 recovery.

“For over a year now, we have worked nonstop to take a balanced approach, fight COVID-19, and keep Missourians as safe as possible,” Governor Parson said. “We have made incredible progress in a short amount of time, and we must continue doing all that we can to support Missouri citizens, business, and communities throughout the recovery process.”

The state of emergency extension will allow the state continued flexibility in providing resources and easing regulatory burdens to further assist Missouri’s COVID-19 recovery efforts. This also allows for continued utilization of the Missouri National Guard and federal funding for COVID-19 response efforts.

Governor Parson initially declared a state of emergency on March 13, 2020, with the signing of Executive Order 20-02. Since that time, nearly 600 state statutes and regulations have been waived or suspended to increase efficiency and effectiveness in responding to COVID-19.

Executive Order 21-07 keeps many of the previous measures in place, including those related to telemedicine, motor carrier limitations, the sale of unprepared foods by restaurants, and remote notary access for certain legal documents such as estate planning.

Over 200 waivers are currently in the rescission process as the state continues to recover and the need for certain waivers diminishes. However, the Governor’s Office will continue to work with state agencies to identify regulations that can be permanently eliminated or streamlined moving forward.

To view Executive Order 21-07, click here.

Phase 2 COVID Vaccine To Start Monday March 29th

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Phase Two for the Missouri COVID Vaccine is set to start on Monday March 29th.

“Missouri is still leading the nation at 2nd lowest of average daily cases and each day, more and more Missourians are receiving the vaccine” says Governor Mike Parson.

He says Phase 3 could also begin as early as Friday, April 9th “Phase 3 will be open to all Missouri Adults, extending vaccine eligibility to an estimated 1.1 million Missourians.”

He says part of the reason Missouri is moving up its COVID vaccination timeline is because the state now ranks tenth in the U-S in second dose completion of the COVID shot.

 

***Additional Details***

 

Governor Parson Announces Timeline for Activation of Phase 2 and 3 of Missouri’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan 

(JEFFERSON CITY, MO) – During today’s briefing at the State Capitol, Governor Mike Parson announced that Missouri will activate Phase 2 of the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan on Monday, March 29, 2021, and Phase 3 on Friday, April 9, 2021.

“With the progress we are currently seeing and vaccine supply expected to increase significantly in the coming weeks, we are well ahead of schedule with our vaccine plan,” Governor Parson said. “Supply projections are subject to change, but it is critical that we start preparing for this potential influx and ensure there is a consistent number of people who are eligible and interested in receiving a vaccine.”

The federal government has informed the state that COVID-19 vaccine allotments to Missouri are projected to significantly increase by the first week of April. The timeline for activating Phases 2 and 3 ensures that there is a consistent number of people who are eligible and interested in receiving a vaccine, allowing vaccinators across the state to continue vaccinating Missourians without delays due to those who are eligible but not seeking a vaccine.

Activation of Phase 2 is estimated to extend vaccine eligibility to approximately 880,000 Missourians that are essential to equitable economic recovery, including those employed in construction, critical manufacturing, higher education, and remaining food and agriculture sectors. This also includes homeless and disproportionately affected populations with an emphasis on racial and ethnic minorities, among others.

Phase 3 will be open to all Missouri adults, extending vaccine eligibility to an estimated 1.1 million Missourians who were not activated under any other tier or phase. A complete list of populations included in each phase as well as activation status is available at MOStopsCOVID.com/priority.

With all phases of Missouri’s Vaccination Plan activated, approximately 4.5 million Missourians will be eligible. The state estimates that approximately 60 percent of these Missourians are interested in getting a vaccine.

To date, one in four Missourians have initiated vaccination, and approximately 50 percent of Missouri’s 65 and older population have initiated vaccination. Vulnerable populations in currently activated phases that have not yet received a vaccine will continue to be eligible as Missouri moves into Phases 2 and 3.

“Missouri’s position is continuously improving on the COVID-19 front,” Governor Parson said. “With over 1.2 million Missourians having initiated vaccination, large increases in vaccine supply, and the activation of Phases 2 and 3, we are confident that we are winning the battle against COVID-19.”

Letter Sent To EPA From MO Republicans Asks Them To “Re-Think” Their Impaired Waterway Designations

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The battle over an EPA designation for the Lake of the Ozarks and Truman lake continues.

A number of Republican representatives, including Blaine Luektemeyer, are asking the EPA to rethink their recommendation to add both bodies of water to their “impaired waterways” designation.

In a letter sent to the EPA, Luektemeyer states that the designation is being done with “Old and unverified data” and the incorrect information could cost Lake of the Ozarks over $1 Billion dollars in revenue.

He’s calling for the EPA to update their data and work with the Department of Natural Resources before making a final decision on the waterways.

Ameren officials have told the KRMS Morning Magazine that the issue at hand is rich nutrient levels that affect the fish population, which was measured shortly after flooding had occurred, causing the levels to be higher than usual.

 

***Press Release***

 

Luetkemeyer Leads Letter to EPA Regarding Misinformed Missouri Water Listing

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) led a letter signed by the Missouri Republican Congressional delegation to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging the agency to reconsider its decision to list over forty bodies of water as “impaired,” including Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Reservoir.

“Unfortunately, the EPA used old and unverified data and failed to work with Missouri officials prior to making this decision, and we are working with them to get this corrected. Not only was this listing misinformed, but it could potentially cost our communities $1.7 billion in local revenue at a time when our economy is still recovering and small businesses are working to get back on their feet. The EPA must evaluate the updated data and work with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and local leaders to get a more accurate assessment of the situation.”

Read the full letter below:

epa_missouri_2020_303dlist_decision

Bill To Limit Local Health Department Powers During Pandemics Fails In Missouri

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Some law makers in the state capitol want to put checks on the powers some local health officials have during a pandemic.

A bill that would have done that failed Wednesday night when State Senators voted 19-11 to defeat the bill.

A number of Republicans joined the Democrat minority in voting against the bill.

Senator Dave Shatz is on record saying he thinks a compromise is still possible.

Bill To Extend PPP Introduced By Lake REP Blaine Luetkemeyer Heads To President Biden’s Desk

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A bipartisan extension of the Paycheck Protection Program was passed in the Senate on Thursday and is heading to President Biden’s desk to be signed.

The bill introduced by Lake Area Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer and three other members of congress, passed the house on Tuesday.

It provides an extension until May 31st for the existing Paycheck Protection Program which targets relief for small business owners across the country.

 

***Press Release***

 

Luetkemeyer’s Bipartisan Bill to Extend the PPP Deadline Passes the Senate

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Senate passed the bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Extension Act of 2021, sending it to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law. This bill was originally introduced by House Committee on Small Business Ranking Member Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03), Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Congresswoman Young Kim (CA-39), and Congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux (GA-07) and passed the House with bipartisan support last Tuesday. This critical legislation provides a commonsense extension to the Paycheck Protection Program and targeted relief for small businesses across the country who need it most.

 

The Paycheck Protection Program is set to expire on March 31, 2021. The bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act of 2021 extends that deadline by two months and provides an additional 30 days for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to process loans submitted prior to the new May 31, 2021 deadline.

 

“As jobless claims fall to their lowest since the beginning of the pandemic and unemployment claims dip substantially, it is clear that all states must safely reopen their economies,” said Ranking Member Luetkemeyer. “The PPP Extension Act provides small businesses who need it most with targeted assistance in order to open their doors and give their employees a paycheck once again.”

Bagnell Dam And Truman Dam Open Floodgates As Rain Continues To Swell Missouri Waterways

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The Flood Gates are open at Bagnell Dam.

Officials with Ameren say heavy spring rains have caused both the Lake of the Ozarks and Truman lake to rise in the past few days.

At this time all of the gates at Bagnell Dam are open, and all generators are running at maximum, pushing out nearly 50,000 cubic feet per second of water down the Osage River.

The Army Corps of Engineers have also opened the flood gates at Truman Dam.

With all the water flowing downstream, it’s causing the river to rise nearly four feet and officials are cautioning property owners to take appropriate action to avoid damage to life and property.

The gates are expected to remain open until Saturday.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt Announces Run For Senate Seat Held By Roy Blunt In 2022

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There may be a front-runner to replace Republican Missouri U-S Senator Roy Blunt next year.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced Wednesday he’ll be running for the U-S Senate in 2022 and the announcement comes after Blunt decided not to run for re-election.

“I am proud to announce that I am running for U.S. Senate, where I will continue the fight to preserve the conservative policies championed by President Trump that built the strongest economy in American history” said Schmitt via Twitter.

Former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens has also announced he’ll run for the U-S Senate seat held by Blunt for the last ten years.

Other high-profile Republicans, like Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe, have bowed out of the race.

Mizzou Chancellor Wants All Employees Back At The School

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All employees at the University of Missouri are expected back to work by May 17th.

Chancellor Mun Choi set the return date in an email sent this week.

Choi’s stressing the fact all Mizzou faculty and staff are eligible for the Coronavirus vaccine starting Monday.

But Choi wants everyone to continue social distancing and to keep wearing masks once they come back to campus.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced last week he was moving up the state’s vaccination to March 29th with Phase Two.

Phase Three will begin Friday, April 9th.

 

Missouri Senators Are Looking To Permanently Extend To-Go Alcohol Sales

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Missouri Senators are giving first round approval to a bill that would extend the temporary rule on to-go alcohol sales statewide.

Monday afternoon and evening saw time spent on Senate Bill 283.

Sponsor, Senator Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg, says this measure seeks to modify provisions relating to liquor sales “This bill seeks to just permanently extend the drinks to-go order that was issued by the Governor.”

Some rules regarding alcohol sales in Missouri were changed after COVID-19 safeguards began and carryout became more the rule than the exception.

During discussion, Senator Barbara Anne Washington of Kansas City joins other senators in asking for more information about this legislation “and I’m not saying this couldn’t be a good thing….it could be a good thing, I just think we need the voice of those that are most effect before we can move forward with it.”

Senate Bill 283 now has preliminary Missouri Senate approval. Another “yes” vote would send it to the Missouri House of Representatives for similar consideration.

Rolla Police Say Pit Bull Owners Likely Won’t Face Charges In Child Attack

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A 13-year-old boy attacked by a pit bull in Rolla remains in the hospital.

“At this time the young man is in stable condition, but he has a very long road to recovery due to the injuries sustained by this dog” says Rolla police chief Sean Fagan.

He tells KRMS News the attack happened Saturday as the teen was taking cupcakes to a neighbors house “There was some very serious life threatening injuries to the neck, face and the head of the young man. He was immediately flown by helicopter to Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, where he underwent emergency surgery.”

Chief Fagan says the child was attacked twice by the pit bull, the last time coming after the dog broke away from its owner and other people who were trying to stop the attack.

The pit bull was taken to a vet clinic to be put down.

Chief Fagan tells KRMS News the owners have received a summons, but nothing else because Missouri has no laws in place against dog attacks “Unfortunately we don’t have the laws on the books in the city of Rolla and the state of Missouri doesn’t have any laws for things like this.”

Fagan says the attack will create awareness in the community and time will tell whether or not the Rolla City Council recommends any action for the future.

 

13-Year-Old Boy Left Fighting For His Life Following Pit Bull Attack In Rolla

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A 13-year-old Rolla boy is fighting to stay alive after getting attacked by a Pit Bull Terrier.

Rolla police say the boy was flown to Children’s Hospital after the attack and his status is unknown.

Officers were called Saturday when the pit bull broke free from its chain and attacked the child who was taking cupcakes to a neighbor’s house.

The owners of the dog and then other adults got the dog away from the boy, but it broke free from people and attacked the child again.

Animal Control Officers arrived and subdued the dog before it was taken to a local vet and put down.

We’ll pass along more details on this developing story as they become available here on KRMS.

Pit bull attack

Kehoe – Ashcroft Not Entering Race For Blunt’s Senate Seat In 2022

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At least two top Missouri Republicans will not be running for the U-S Senate in 2022.

Current Missouri U-S Senator Roy Blunt, a Republican, has announced he will not be running for re-election next year.

But Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe has announced he will not be vying for the Republican nomination for Blunt’s Senate seat so he can focus on running for Governor of Missouri in 2024.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft took his name out of contention for the Senate seat March 10th.

Some GOP members of the U-S House who might be in the mix to replace Blunt include Representatives Jason Smith, Ann Wagner and Billy Long.

Three Democrats will be running for Blunt’s seat in 2022, and they include former State Senator Scott Sifton, activist Jason Kander and U-S Marine veteran Lucas Kunce.

Warmer Weather Brings In Spring Boaters Looking To Hit The Water

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With the warmer weather hitting the Lake over the weekend, residents and tourists alike are getting back on the water.

“We’re from up north, trying to break some of those winter blues….we’ve come down to enjoy some sunshine, do some fishing out here. We’ve got the bass boat all rigged up” says Boater John Arabi.

He tells KY 3 TV he hopes to return several times through the year.

While it’s exciting to get back on the water, boating safety officials such as Jim Pulley say it’s important to remember the rules before heading out “The night speed limit is 30 miles per hour, there is no daytime speed limit, but you’ve still got to be careful because there are a lot of boaters out there and still plenty of debris from recent floods.”

Pulley also recommends having a safety checklist for your vessel, including safety gear checks such as your portable radio, life-jackets for all riders and a flashlight.

Missouri Joins Federal Government In Extending Tax Deadlines

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Governor Mike Parson is announcing the Missouri Department of Revenue will extend the state tax filing and payment deadline from April 15 to May 17, 2021.

The extension falls in line with an extension offered by the IRS nationwide.

Filers will also have the ability to extend any payments due to the IRS until May as well.

 

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Governor Parson Announces Individual Tax Filing and Payment Deadline Extended to May 17, 2021

(JEFFERSON CITY, MO) – Today, Governor Mike Parson announced that the Missouri Department of Revenue is extending the state individual tax filing and payment deadline for the 2020 tax year from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021.

“As our state continues recovering from COVID-19, we understand that many Missourians are still feeling the effects of the past year,” Governor Parson said. “Extending the filing and payment deadline by one month will provide additional relief to Missouri families and tax professionals as they work to meet their obligations during what has already been a challenging tax season.”

This decision mirrors Wednesday’s announcement by the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that individual taxpayers would receive automatic extensions to file and pay federal income tax for the 2020 tax year. The IRS has said it will issue formal guidance in the coming days.

The Department of Revenue will automatically provide this filing and payment relief, so filers do not need to take any action to qualify.

Guidance on extension to file and pay individual income tax:

  • Filing deadline extended: The deadline to file individual income tax returns has been extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021.
  • Payment relief for individuals: The deadline to pay taxes owed on individual income tax returns with a due date of April 15, 2021, has been extended until May 17, 2021.
  • This relief applies to individual taxpayers, including those who pay self-employment tax. However, it does not apply to estimated tax payments that are due on April 15, 2021; that deadline has not changed.
  • Penalties and interest will begin to accrue on any remaining unpaid balances as of May 17, 2021. Individuals that file their return and pay their balance by May 17, 2021, will automatically avoid interest and penalties on the tax paid by May 17.
  • Customers may still ask for an extension of time to file their individual income taxes. With that extension, the return will not be due until October 15, 2021. However, any payments must still be made by May 17, 2021.

Earlier this year, the IRS announced that the nation’s 2021 electronic tax filing season would begin on February 12. On that date, the IRS began accepting and processing e-filed 2020 tax year returns. Since e-filed state returns are first sent to the IRS, the Department also began accepting and processing e-filed returns for the 2020 tax year on February 12.

“With a delayed start and recent tax code changes, this tax season is a particularly complicated one,” said Director of Revenue Ken Zellers. “For Missourians who have yet to file, we strongly encourage you to file electronically and use direct deposit, as it will result in the most accurate return and the fastest refund. We appreciate your patience as we navigate this tax season together, and we stand ready to assist you in any way we can.”

Department of Revenue online services and resources:

  • The Department’s Tax Return Status Tracker allows customers to enroll in automatic text and email alerts that are sent each time the status of their return is updated. Customers need their Social Security number, filing status, and anticipated refund or balance due to enroll and must re-enroll each year.
  • Get answers 24/7 by reviewing the Personal Tax FAQs or with the help of the Department’s chatbot, DORA, a virtual assistant programmed to respond to common taxation, motor vehicle, and driver licensing questions.
  • Email questions to income@dor.mo.gov.

Job Fair Hosted By The Department Of Workforce Development Aims To Help Missourians Get Back To Work

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Jobs in health care will be the focus of the Return Strong Virtual Job Fair, beginning April 6th.

The Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development says the goal is to get Missourians back to work after the layoffs imposed during COVID shutdowns and restrictions.

The fairs run through June 22nd.

 

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April 6 and June 22 virtual job fairs to feature openings in health care

The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD) will focus on health care opening during its Return Strong Virtual Job Fair on Tuesday, April 6.

The Return Strong Virtual Job Fairs are part of the state’s efforts to help Missourians skill up and get back to work following the economic downturn caused by layoffs from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Job seekers statewide will be able to search job listings, meet with hiring organizations, receive tips for resume writing and job interviews, and learn more about Missouri Job Center services and training opportunities.

The health care industry accounts for nearly 14 percent of Missouri’s private-sector workforce, and with an aging patient population, the industry is expected to grow in the coming years. The April 6 fair will be the third virtual job fair since December 2020 featuring health care positions. The previous fairs linked more than 1,500 job seekers to hiring employers. Because of the continued demand for health care workers, an additional Return Strong Virtual Job Fair focused on health care has been scheduled for Tuesday, June 22.

“Health care workers play a vital role in securing Missouri’s economic future and ensuring the health and safety of its citizens,” said Dr. Mardy Leather, director of workforce development. “We’ve all seen the importance of health care heroes throughout the pandemic. It’s important that we continue to connect more job seekers to those in-demand open positions.”

Including the two health care focused fairs, there are still seven virtual job fairs scheduled for spring 2021. The next virtual job fair will be held March 23, with nearly 100 manufacturing employers participating. All fairs will take place on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on the following dates:

  • March 23 (manufacturing)
  • April 6 (health care)
  • April 20
  • May 4
  • May 18 (information technology)
  • June 8 (remote & part-time work)
  • June 22 (health care)

Interested job seekers can register for the April 6 fair, and any of the other upcoming fairs at returnstrongmo.easyvirtualfair.com. Job seekers should create a profile and upload their resumes so employers can easily reach out after the event.

Employers interested in taking part in upcoming fairs can register and set up their virtual booths at returnstrongmo.getyourbooth.com. The employer deadline to register for the April 6 fair is Friday, March 26.

Learn more about employment services through the Office of Workforce Development at jobs.mo.gov.

Gas Prices Continue To Climb Across The Ozarks And Missouri

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Gas prices continue to rise across the Lake of the Ozarks as the spring season gets closer to getting underway.

“For the first time in almost a year now, we’ve seen prices now more expensive than they were this time last year” says Don Redman with Triple A, “I think once we get into May or June, we could really have a better idea of just where this market is going to go.”

Currently we’re seeing prices for regular at around $2.70 per gallon, with the lowest at $2.67 per gallon in the city of Warsaw.

Premium, which is often used for fueling many of the boats on the Lake is sitting at a whopping $3.30 per gallon.

Mo Senator Roy Blunt Worried About Bill Backed By Democrats To Give Feds More Control Over Elections

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One U-S Senator from Missouri is now speaking out against a bill backed by Democrats that he says would give the federal government too much control over elections.

Republican Senator Roy Blunt says his concerns include the expansion of ballot harvesting, which is illegal in some states “That’s a process where one person could collect and submit as many ballots as they can collect and submit. In recent elections, we’ve seen ballot harvesting as a real problem for elections and frankly one of the problems always with ballot harvesting is, maybe a person who knows voters pretty well would collect 20 and put just 18 in the mailbox or just take 18 to the vote count area and the other 2 just “somehow” don’t get there.”

But Blunt decided not to object to the certification of electoral votes after the controversial 2020 Presidential Election in November.

Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley did.

 

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, spoke on the Senate floor today to outline several of the significant problems with the massive, 800-page election legislation, S.1, Senate Democrats have just introduced. Blunt, who previously served as a state and local election official for 20 years, said the bill would impose a one-size-fits-all federal takeover of elections that would make elections more chaotic and less secure. The Rules Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the legislation next week.

 

Following Are Blunt’s Remarks:

 “I want to talk today, Mr. President, about a draft I just received, a bill we’re actually going to have a hearing on next week—S.1, the so-called For the People Act. This bill is a companion act to the Senate version of H.R.1. I actually think it’s even longer than H.R.1, which I would have thought impossible. It’s over 800 pages. I think they’ll be introducing the final version in the next day or so. And that’s a good thing, since we’re supposed to have a hearing on it in the middle of next week. It packs a lot of what I consider bad changes relating to election administration, campaign finance, redistricting, and so much more into those 800 pages. But there’s a lot of space there to pack things in. It’d take a lot more time than I’ve got today to talk about all the things in the bill that I have concerns about.

“But I’d say to start with, this idea that one-size-fits-all, this federal takeover of elections, can’t be in the interest of voters in our country. It would force a single, and I believe a partisan, view of elections and how they should be run in 10,000 different jurisdictions in the country. I don’t know how you do that. I don’t know how you take 10,000 jurisdictions and try, at the Washington, D.C. level, in legislation to determine changes like how they would register voters—every state under this bill would do it exactly the same way, which voting systems they would use, how they’d handle early voting and absentee ballots—no matter how long they’d been doing it one way that worked for voters in their state, and how they maintain their voter lists—whether you go in and verify whether people on the voter list were still there. We used to think that was a critically important protection in the election system, that you knew that the voters that had registered to vote in a jurisdiction actually were still in that jurisdiction. It was actually, in every state, a bragging point of responsible election administration. That would largely go away in this bill.

“This bill would require states to make ballot drop boxes available for 45 days prior to the federal election. Those are boxes that even designates the locations and tells the local jurisdiction how they need to handle those ballots as they come out of the boxes and would be processed. Remember, these would be not mailboxes. They would be ballot drop boxes all over the jurisdiction if you could find one.

“It would mandate unlimited ballot harvesting. That’s a process where one person could collect and submit as many ballots as they can collect and submit. You know, in recent elections, we’ve seen ballot harvesting as a real problem in these elections. Not only does one person have your ballot and get that ballot to where it should be, frankly, and one of the problems always with ballot harvesting is maybe a person who knows voters pretty well would collect 20 and put 18 in the mailbox or take 18 to the vote counting area, and the other two just somehow don’t get there. Unlimited ballot harvesting, prohibited in many states, and in fact in recent years, the Democrat House of Representatives failed to seat an elected representative in North Carolina because that person had used ballot harvesting.

“The bill would require states to allow felons to vote in federal elections. If you didn’t like that, in this case, you can have two sets of voter registration—one for federal elections and one for all other elections. And by the way, if you did that, you’d also have to have two different sets of ballots for an election day that had both local and state and federal issues on the ballot. And this bill would require, Mr. President, that all of these changes be made quickly.

“Even jurisdictions that recently have changed their processes and spent a lot of time talking to people about those changes over maybe two years or four years would suddenly be told, ‘no, you have to change them one more time.’ And maybe it’s a day here, a day there, but that makes a big difference if you’ve already got in your mind how far before an election you have to register to vote or transfer your address or things that election administrators work on all the time.

“You know, my first elected job was as the county clerk in Greene County, Springfield, Missouri, where I was the chief election authority. We had a county with about 180,000 people in it and lots of registered voters. But you had to take that very seriously. Later, I was the chief election authority in our state for eight years as the Secretary of State. And I know how much planning goes into the elections. I know how seriously local officials take it. I also know how difficult it could be if every change you made had to be cleared some way with somebody in Washington, D.C. You know, states can often take years to transition to a new ballot system or transition to a new way they do things. They also can do it very quickly if they need to, and we saw that happen in a number of states last year. I think this bill, if it did pass, really doesn’t allow the time you need for planning.

“The diversity of our election system is one of the great strengths of our system. There’s bipartisan agreement on that. I’ve quoted President Obama on this before. But he said in 2016, ‘there is no serious person out there who would suggest somehow that you can even rig America’s elections, in part because they are so decentralized in the numbers of votes involved.’ This bill would undo that decentralized strength. It would undo that local and state responsibility for having laws that voters who vote for you understand you need to apply in the fair and best way you can. The bill would make our system less diverse, less secure.

“Unfortunately, this bill doesn’t just stop at election administration. It takes the campaign finance system and changes it dramatically. You know, when the Federal Election Commission was created in the early 1970s, it was a six member commission. It was to be bipartisan. This turns it into a five member commission, with whoever is the president being able to appoint the third member on one side to always out vote, if they need to, the two members on the other side. There have been many times, obviously, in the history of the Federal Election Commission when the vote has been three to three or two to two, whatever the makeup was at the time. This would do away with that and basically turn the commission from a bipartisan commission into a prosecutorial body where one side always has the majority if they want it. I think voters should and would be very concerned about that. It would allow the chair of the FEC to make key staffing changes. It would allow judges to review cases even when the commission found no violation of the law.

“In addition, the bill would create a system of public financing for political campaigns by matching certain contributions with federal dollars. The match would be six to one. So in the matchable, low dollar—whatever you define that to be—contributions, if you raise $100,000 of those contributions, Mr. President, you’d have $700,000. $600,000 of those dollars could have been used by the federal government for other things rather than to finance politicians in a campaign. Now, I understand why politicians would like that. I’ve raised as much money as most people in this body have raised. And the idea that just the federal government would come in at some point and give me $6 for some percentage of those that I raised might be pretty appealing, but I think it would be wrong.

 

“It takes jurisdiction away from the states in how to draw congressional districts. Now, this is going to be inconvenient if it passes because the Constitution specifically says the state legislatures decide how to draw congressional districts. It doesn’t say the Congress of the United States tells the state legislatures how to draw congressional districts. But this bill would do that. The bill requires redistricting commissions. It dictates who would serve on the commissions. It sets the criteria and the procedures for how you draw the maps. It lays out how the commissions have to take public input. And if that wasn’t bad enough, it doesn’t stop there. It even determines which courts act on all redistricting cases.

“And this would be a dramatic change where again, you have a one-size-fits-all system in a country that clearly is not a one-size-fits-all country. Since very few states currently have commissions like that, it would set a lot of deadlines that we don’t currently have. Districts drawn using 2020 census data would all but be guaranteed to be drawn by federal courts just because of the time that this bill sets out. … We’ve never thought that power belonged in Washington, D.C. before, but this bill does.

 

“It’s an unprecedented power grab by the federal government at the expense of the states. I think it’s a transparent attempt to stack the elections in favor of one party. Election law should not be about a single party. If this bill were to pass, it would do nothing, in my view, to bolster public confidence in elections. In fact, I suspect most election officials around the country would begin to say, ‘I’d like to be able to do something about that problem, but we’ll have to clear that with Washington, D.C. first.’ I think the divisions in the country would be worse, not better.

“Successful election laws are passed on a bipartisan basis. We did that with the Help America Vote Act after 2000. We provided assistance and some direction with finances, but we didn’t change a single state law after 2016. We left that up to the states.

“We created bipartisan impact when we did that. We should continue to put the strength and the security of the country’s elections before party. We should continue to oppose the efforts of a single party to make sweeping partisan changes in our election system. …

 

“I encourage my colleagues to look carefully at S.1, and I think if you do, a majority in the Senate will not support this bill.”

Increase Of Vaccine Availability Leads Missouri To Move Towards Phase 3 Sooner Than Expected

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A drop in COVID-19 cases continues across the Lake Area and Missouri.

“Our economy is bouncing back strong. Missouri is still leading the nation, at 2nd lowest of average daily cases….and each day, more and more Missourians are receiving a vaccine” says Governor Mike Parson.

Parson says he’s moving up the timeline for Phase Two and Three of the COVID vaccination timeline “with progress we’re currently seeing and vaccine supply expected to increase significantly in the coming weeks, we will be opening up Phase 2 on Monday March the 29th.”

Phase Two was set to begin 45 days after Phase 1B, Tier Three started Monday, but now it’ll open on March 29th while Phase Three will begin on Friday, April 9th “Phase 3 will be open to all Missouri Adults, extending vaccine availability to an estimated 1.1 Million Missourians.”

Governor Parson says there will be a substantial increase in the amount of vaccine doses available in the coming weeks.

Governor Parson To Address The Show Me State This Thursday Afternoon

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Governor Mike Parson will have another press briefing Thursday afternoon from the State Capitol in Jefferson City.

It’ll be live-streamed on the Governor’s Facebook page and we’ll be sharing it on our KRMS News Facebook page as well, beginning at 3:30 Missouri time.

We’ll be following the conference as well here on KRMS and we’ll pass along the highlights.

Missouri Jobs Report Shows Another Decrease In Unemployment

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The Missouri Jobs report is showing another decrease in unemployment in the Show Me State.

New numbers show a February unemployment rate of 4.2-percent, which is down from 4.3-percent in January.

The February 2021 figure is point-six percent higher than what was reported in February 2020.

As the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up in April 2020, Missouri’s unemployment rate rose to 12.5-percent.

Close to 129-thousand Missourians were unemployed in February.

 

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Additional Details:

Missouri non-farm payroll employment decreased in February 2021, probably the result of deteriorating weather conditions. However, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by a tenth of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, decreased by 11,600 jobs over the month, and over-the year job losses totaled 130,500. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in February 2021, down from 4.3 percent in January 2021. The labor market still showed substantial losses over the year, but may show improvement in the coming months as vaccines for COVID-19 become available.

UNEMPLOYMENT

Missouri’s smoothed seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by a tenth of a percentage point in February 2021, dropping to 4.2 percent from the benchmarked January 2021 rate of 4.3 percent. Due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the February 2021 rate was 0.6 percentage points higher than the February 2020 rate. The rate had reached a low of 3.1 percent starting in July 2018, before gradually edging up to 3.5 percent by the end of 2019, and then to 3.7 percent in March 2020. The COVID-19 effect hit in April 2020, spiking the rate to 12.5 percent for that month. The rate decreased monthly for the rest of 2020, reaching 4.3 percent in January. Missouri’s unemployment rate remained below the national rate.

The estimated number of unemployed Missourians was 128,934 in February 2021, down by 1,615 from January’s 130,549.

The state’s not-seasonally-adjusted rate was 5.0 percent in February 2021, also down by a tenth of a percentage point from the January 2021 not-seasonally-adjusted rate of 5.1 percent. The corresponding not-seasonally-adjusted national rate for February 2021 was 6.6 percent.

A year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.6 percent, and the not-adjusted rate was 3.8 percent.

Read the full report at https://meric.mo.gov/missouri-monthly-jobs–report.

No One Injured In Maries County Water Rescue

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Two people are rescued after water rises in Maries County, trapping them in their vehicle.

According the Sheriff’s Office, numerous agencies raced to help the trapped individuals stuck on a low water crossing at Maries County Road 527.

Officials say no one was injured during the rescue.

The vehicle was pulled from the water, and after a battery change it was back up and running.

The Vichy Fire Department, the Rolla Fire and Water Rescue Team and the Highway Patrol assisted in the rescue.

Camdenton High School Student Emma Price Selected For 2021 Missouri Scholars 100

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A Camdenton High School Student is being selected for the 2021 Missouri Scholars 100.

Emma Price was selected by meeting certain criteria, including having a minimum GPA of 3.750, a minimum ACT score of 29 or a minimum SAT score of 1,600.

Other qualifications include being ranked in the upper 10% of their class, having excellent attendance and being an exemplary school citizen.

The statewide program honors 100 of Missouri’s top academic students in their respective graduating year.

The award ceremony will take place at the Holiday Inn Center in Columbia on Sunday April 25th.

COVID Numbers Continue To Drop Across The State And Across The Lake

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COVID-19 numbers continue a downward trend across the Show Me State.

“Missouri is still leading the nation, at 2nd lowest of average daily cases” says Governor Mike Parson.

The state’s seven-day positivity rate is down to 4.5-percent, and that matches the number reported in the first week of March.

New data shows that hospitalizations around Missouri also remain below 1-thousand for the second straight week.

Governor Parson says they are working hard to administer the Vaccine to all Missourians, however there are some who choose to not take it “Vaccine interest is often highest in the urban populations.”

He says they are working to add more mass vaccination events to help residents have better access to the vaccine.

An event with Morgan County Health is scheduled for next week at the Versailles High school.

Locally we are at 60 active cases, 23 of which are from Benton, 18 are from Camden, 10 are from Morgan and 9 are from Miller counties.

In total, there have been 9,833 cases since last March, of which 9,558 have recovered and 215 people have died as a result of the virus.

Bill Introduced By Lake Representative Luetkemeyer Would Help Rural Hospitals And Clinics

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Lake Area Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer is introducing legislation to help increase access to health care for rural communities.

The bill would help rural health clinics by correcting reimbursement rates, reducing the cost of care and improving access to medical services.

It would also allow for Rural health centers that are in “mid-build” or “in process” as of March 30th to be able to apply for grandfathering of their reimbursement rates..

 

***Press Release***

 

Luetkemeyer Introduces Bill to Increase Access to Rural Health Care

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) introduced legislation to increase access to health care for rural and underserved communities by correcting reimbursement rates for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs).

“Rural Health Clinics play a vital role in providing quality, accessible healthcare in rural communities across America. Missouri is actually home to the highest number of rural health clinics in the country, 26 of which are in the Third District. This bill will ensure clinics here in Missouri and nationwide are able to operate and serve as many communities as possible. As our country continues to recover from the pandemic, it is more important than ever that health care services are available to everyone who needs them, regardless of zip code.”

Background:

Congressman Luetkemeyer’s legislation will reduce the cost of care and improve access to medical services for rural Americans by allowing Rural Health Centers (RHCs) owned by small hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals that are “mid-build” or “in process” as of March 30, 2021, to be able to apply for grandfathering of their reimbursement rates through a rate setting year following their opening. This legislation will correct a drafting error in the CARES Act that set payment rates for provider based RHCs opened in 2020 lower than Congress intended. Several associations have voiced support for the Congressman’s bill.

The Missouri Rural Health Association says:

“Congressman Luetkemeyer’s bill makes an important and necessary change, allowing rural hospitals that were already in the process of establishing provider-based RHCs to complete their planning and conversions. Missouri’s rural health infrastructure depends on these clinics to provide quality healthcare to our rural constituents and we are grateful for the Congressman’s efforts on this matter.”

The Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins says:

“Ever since my great aunt and uncle founded the rural hospital we still use in Appleton City, our family has known firsthand how important rural healthcare is. It is already extremely difficult for rural providers to stay in business serving our communities. We cannot allow senseless bureaucratic rules to make it any harder on them. We applaud Congressman Luetkemeyer for recognizing a problem caused by the CARES Act and working quickly to fix it. His legislation will ensure that our rural healthcare centers are paid fairly for the critical services they provide, helping them stay strong and continue serving rural communities. I look forward to working with Congressman Luetkemeyer to stop this unfair treatment of rural healthcare providers.”

The Missouri Hospital Association says:

“The Missouri Hospital Association appreciates Congressman Luetkemeyer’s leadership in sponsoring this legislation. It will help small rural hospitals avoid being penalized by changing the federal rules in the middle of a clinic development project.”

Lake Representative Pollock Introduces Immunization Requirement Bill For Students

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A Missouri House committee is considering a bill that would relax immunization requirements for students in school.

Lake Area Republican Representative Suzie Pollock of Lebanon is sponsoring the bill that would require only public school students to have immunizations.

But some of those students would be allowed to go to public schools without a specific immunization if they can prove they’re already immune from a given disease.

Pollock says an estimated 500 people have submitted written testimony supporting the proposal.

MO Jobs Report Shows Unemployment Continuing To Drop

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New numbers show the unemployment in Missouri dropping in the month of January.

The data shows Missouri’s January unemployment rate of 4.3-percent was a tenth of a percent lower than the December unemployment rate of 4.4-percent.

In January of 2020, Missouri showed an unemployment rate of point-seven points lower than January 2021.

As the COVID-19 impact hit in April last year, Missouri’s unemployment rate spiked to 12.5 percent.

 

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(NOTE: Employment and unemployment estimates for 2020 and previous years have been revised to an updated benchmark.)

Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased in January 2021, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by a tenth of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 5,900 jobs over the month, but over-the year job losses were back above 100,000 following benchmark adjustments to 2020 estimates. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in January 2021, down from 4.4 percent in December 2020.

UNEMPLOYMENT

Missouri’s smoothed seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by a tenth of a percentage point in January 2021, dropping to 4.3 percent from a benchmarked December 2020 rate of 4.4 percent. Missouri’s unemployment rate was below the national rate of 6.3 percent in January.

Due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the January 2021 rate was 0.7 percentage points higher than the January 2020 rate. The rate had reached a low of 3.1 percent starting in July 2018, before gradually edging up to 3.5 percent by the end of 2019, and then to 3.7 percent in March 2020. The COVID-19 effect hit in April 2020, spiking the rate to 12.5 percent for that month. The rate decreased monthly for the rest of 2020, reaching 4.4 percent in December.

Benchmarking revisions caused Missouri’s unemployment rate to be a tenth of a percentage point higher than the national rate in January and February of 2020, so Missouri’s streak of seasonally adjusted unemployment rates below the comparable national rates is now 11 consecutive months.

The estimated number of unemployed Missourians was 130,822 in January 2021, down by 4,290 from December 2020’s 135,112.

The state’s not-seasonally-adjusted rate was 5.1 percent in January 2021, up by 0.5 percentage points from the December 2020 not-seasonally-adjusted rate of 4.6 percent. The corresponding not-seasonally-adjusted national rate for January 2021 was 6.8 percent.

A year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.6 percent, and the not-adjusted rate was 4.0 percent.

Read the full report at https://meric.mo.gov/missouri-monthly-jobs-report.

Missouri Bicentennial Service Challenge Offered By MO Service Commission

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woman in white t-shirt and blue denim jeans sitting on brown cardboard box

Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash

The state of Missouri is now 200 years old, and one agency is challenging you to volunteer for 200 hours this year.

The Missouri Community Service Commission is launching the Bicentennial Community Service Challenge, and you’ll get a certificate if you sign up and complete those 200 hours of volunteer work.

AmericCorps says more than 1.5 million people in Missouri volunteer for numerous projects, including tutoring and disaster relief.

You can find out more at http://ShowMeService.org.

 

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Missouri Community Service Commission announces Bicentennial Community Service Challenge

Jefferson City – Today the Missouri Community Service Commission (MCSC) announced the Bicentennial Community Service Challenge. The Challenge encourages Missourians to volunteer for 200 hours this year in honor of the state’s 200th year of statehood. Those who complete the Challenge will receive a certificate for their service during Missouri’s bicentennial year.

“Through the Bicentennial Community Service Challenge, we’re observing this historic year for our state while recognizing the many Missourians who serve,” said Scott McFarland, Executive Director of Missouri Community Service Commission. “Volunteerism has played a key role in Missouri’s rich history, and it’s also vital in building a strong and prosperous future.”

According to AmeriCorps, more than 1.5 million Missourians volunteer each year, totaling more than 130 million hours of service. These hours are estimated to be worth billions of dollars in value for Missouri communities. Service projects can range from tutoring to disaster relief and more.

“Missouri’s bicentennial is an opportunity to celebrate what makes our state great,” said Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin, Co-Chair of the Missouri Bicentennial Commission. “The Bicentennial Community Service Challenge is a productive way to mark this milestone by joining the countless Missourians who volunteer their time to improve our communities.”

Missourians who wish to take part in the Bicentennial Community Service Challenge can download a volunteer form to track their progress throughout the year. Completed forms are due by December 31, 2021, to be eligible for a certificate. Details on the challenge, including service opportunities, are available at ShowMeService.org.

Governor Parson, LT Governor Kehoe, Among Others To Be At Eldon Eggs And Issues Friday

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The 20th annual Eggs and Issues Breakfast is happening Friday in Eldon, and several familiar faces are going to be there.

“We’re very excited to announce this year that Governor Mike Parson, along with Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe will be here, along with Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer, State Senator Mike Bernskoetter, State Representatives Rudy Veit, Aaron Hailey and Lisa Thomas, along with Eldon Mayor Trevor Vernon and Miller County Presiding Commissioner Tom Wright” says Mary Oberreither, Executive Director at the Eldon Area Chamber of Commerce. “This is our 20th year hosting this event and we are excited to have so many in attendance.”

Each year, the Eldon Eggs and Issues event invites elected officials to talk about issues that affect people in Missouri.

For ticket information you can contact the Eldon Area Chamber of Commerce.