By Mike Lear (Missourinet) – The state legislature has passed a bill that would keep immigrants who aren’t legally in the U.S. from getting money from the state’s A-Plus scholarship program.
The program allows Missouri high school students to earn two years of tuition at a qualifying community college, paid by a grant from the state. It is available to students who have a “lawful presence” in the United States.
Representative Scott Fitzpatrick (R-Shell Knob) says federal changes to the definition of “lawful presence” mean a new group of students could soon become eligible for the program, unless the legislature tells the Education Department it can’t take that rule making action.
“This change is necessary or else the department will begin giving illegal immigrants A-Plus scholarships without a vote of the general assembly,” said Fitzpatrick.
Republicans say the dollars that support the scholarships are already stretched thin, and say opening it up to a new population would further reduce how much each student could receive.
“If you add another group of students on to the program, the only way that you can do that is by reducing the amount of money that you’re going to make available for the Missouri citizens, kids who are already on the scholarship program,” said Fitzpatrick.
“We’re at the point where the kids are having to pay for one credit hour,” said Representative Shawn Rhoads (R-West Plains). “I really think if this program opens up even more to non-residents or whatever, then I think we’re creating a financial burden.”
Representative Lauren Arthur (D-Kansas City) said the bill would punish students who have played by the book.
“There are a handful of students in this state who were brought here as a young child, often without any decision-making ability, and have not been granted citizenship. However, as law-abiding, contributing members of society, these students came forward with their situation to earn lawfully present status under federal guidelines,” said Arthur.
“I appreciate that A-Plus funds are limited, however this legislation does not fix the problem. The legislators’ self-created general revenue problems should not become the problems of qualified A-Plus students,” Arthur argued.
The plan has been sent to the governor. If he vetoes it, backers in the House would have to come up with at least one more vote than it received on passage, to overturn him.
JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Missouri’s investment in its roads and bridges continues to shrink, and that means fewer projects to keep them in good condition.
As it does each year, the Missouri Department of Transportation has released its draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for public review and comment. The STIP lists all transportation projects planned by state and regional agencies for a five-year period.
“This year, the draft STIP demonstrates the commitment MoDOT has made to projects that focus on primary routes and taking care of the existing highway system,” said MoDOT Interim Director Roberta Broeker. “As the construction budget gets smaller each year, projects in the STIP must reflect only the most essential transportation needs.”
The total number of projects in the STIP’s five-year highway and bridge construction schedule is 574. That’s a decrease of about 250 projects compared to last year’s final STIP. The change comes as a result of a construction budget that drops from $596 million in 2016 to $325 million in 2017 and beyond.
Several years ago, the STIP contained over $1 billion of road and bridge construction projects each year, generating jobs, boosting the economy and expanding the safe and efficient movement of people and goods across the state and the country. With diminishing fuel tax revenues and the ever-increasing cost of materials, that scenario is out of reach.
MoDOT has prepared for the dramatic funding drop by adopting “Missouri’s 325 System,” which separates Missouri’s highways into primary and supplementary routes. While existing projects remain commitments, any new projects will be limited to maintaining the 8,000 miles of primary routes in the condition they are in today. The remaining 26,000 miles will receive limited routine maintenance only.
“Despite the progress of the last 10 years, 2017 will bring the funding shortfall MoDOT has predicted for years,” said Broeker. “The ramifications of that shortfall will extend to every region of the state and the impact will be significant in terms of safety and economic growth.”
The draft 2016-2020 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program lists transportation projects planned by state and regional planning agencies for fiscal years 2016 through 2020 (July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2020). The proposed program is available for public review starting May 6, 2015. Those interested in seeing the program may review it online simply CLICK HERE or visit MoDOT district and regional offices throughout the state. Comments on the program can be submitted by mail, email or by calling MoDOT’s customer service center at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (888-275-6636). The formal comment period ends June 5, 2015.
Following the public review period, the comments will be summarized and presented to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to consider before acting on the final transportation program in July.
A Joplin, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday following a pursuit in which he rammed into a police vehicle.
Michael L. Watson, 37, of Joplin, was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo. Tuesday’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Watson on April 13, 2015, and includes additional charges.
Today’s indictment alleges that Watson was in possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute on April 10, 2015. Watson is also charged with one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Watson allegedly possessed a Ruger 9mm semi-automatic pistol on April 10, 2015. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Watson has prior felony convictions for assaulting a law enforcement officer, possession of a controlled substance, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting a lawful stop.
Watson was arrested on April 10, 2015, when a Joplin police officer contacted a vehicle that Watson was driving. The officer initially stopped a man walking out of the Sunrise Inn motel at 3600 Rangline, and the man indicated that he was with the four occupants of a Nissan Sentra that was parked nearby. One of the passengers started to get out of the car, and the officer told him to stay in the vehicle. The man closed the passenger door and Watson, the driver, allegedly fled in the vehicle at a high rate of speed.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, the officer returned to his vehicle and began to back up in order to follow the Sentra. Watson drove the Sentra straight into the patrol car at a high rate of speed. The collision with the passenger side of the vehicle caused significant damage. The officer felt his body leave the driver’s seat and fly upward, striking his head on the roof of his patrol vehicle. Watson got out of his car, fell to the ground, then fled on foot. Three passengers also fled on foot, in the opposite direction. The officer pursued Watson, who stumbled and fell to the ground after he jumped over a fence. The officer caught up with him and, while Watson was on the ground, saw the loaded firearm in a holster on Watson’s right side. The officer also found a hard case in Watson’s left front pocket that contained methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
MARYVILLE, Mo. –$250,000 in matching funds released Wednesday by the office of Gov. Jay Nixon will go towards Northwest Missouri State University to support construction of the University’s planned Agricultural Learning Center.
In total, the Governor made available nearly $67.4 million across the state for early childhood education, college scholarships, workforce training and other priority investments.
“Northwest thanks Gov. Nixon for his support of the Agricultural Learning Center and certainly higher education and other projects,” Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski said. “Sen. Dan Hegeman and Rep. Allen Andrews have also been instrumental in voicing support for our leadership and continuing growth of agriculture as a signature program at Northwest.”
Plans for the Agricultural Learning Center, which is being largely funded by donors, call for an $8.5 million facility encompassing 24,000 square feet of multi-use space that will include a lecture hall, laboratory space, meeting facilities and an exposition hall, all designed to meet the needs of the University and its students, the agriculture industry and the broader community.
The Agricultural Learning Center will be situated north of the Northwest campus on the University’s 448-acre R.T. Wright Farm, which is home to beef, swine, dairy, poultry and sheep herds as well as row, silage and hay crops.
In addition to supporting the University’s agriculture programming at the Wright Farm, the facility will support FFA and 4-H youth functions, including educational activities and contests; agricultural industry meetings, training workshops and events; equipment and product demonstrations; local, regional and national livestock shows and sales; agricultural literacy training; food processing; agricultural banquets and other events of interest to agricultural commodity groups in Missouri, Iowa and beyond.
Jasinski praised state legislators and said Northwest will encourage them to continue seeking avenues for matching funding, calling the model “an outstanding vehicle to help fund academic investment.”
“The Agricultural Learning Center and our agricultural sciences program are strategic priorities,” Jasinski said. “This matching gift helps us leverage other gifts from donors and illustrates the state’s commitment to agricultural sciences, Northwest, our students and ag-related partners. The match also will assist in moving us closer to the construction phase as we continue to be the regional leader in agricultural education, partner with ag producers and growers, and provide outreach to youth and a variety of organizations.”
About Northwest’s School of Agricultural Sciences
Northwest boasts a thriving School of Agricultural Sciences that is experiencing rapid growth. In fact, 9.2 percent of Northwest’s undergraduates are agriculture students, which amounts to more than 500 students each year who are getting hands-on, profession-based experience in the field. Additionally, nearly 99 percent of them find employment or continue their education upon graduation.
The School offers seven agricultural majors in business, education, science, agronomy, animal science, animal science-pre vet and horticulture, in addition to seven minors, a two-year farm operations certificate and three master’s programs. The School draws students from not only the four-state region, but throughout the U.S. and internationally.
(Photo courtesy Missourinet) A Hall is the oldest housing unit and a museum is being planned for it. Sonny Liston stayed here as only black inmates were housed ther duing that period.
By Kyle Loethen (Missourinet) – The Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation will consider nominating the Missouri State Penitentiary for the National Register of Historic Places.
Sometimes called the “bloodiest 47 acres in America,” the Penitentiary was once the largest prison in the United States. It opened in 1836 and before it was decommissioned in 2004, it was the oldest operating correctional facility west of the Mississippi River.
Former MSP Deputy Warden Mark Schreiber said the Penitentiary was recognized by Jefferson City as a local historic landmark in the 1990s while still in operation. Schreiber said the prison should receive National Registry status for several different reasons.
“The prison is historical because of some the infamous individuals who served time there,” said Schreiber. “Pretty Boy Floyd, James Earl Ray, Sonny Liston, Adam Richetti, General John McDonald, George Thompson the famous abolitionist from 1841, there were various individuals, including some of the Bald Knobbers from southwest Missouri served time there all well, so it’s really historical from that standpoint.”
Schreiber said the council will consider the prison for its architecture and contribution to history. Schreiber said from an architectural standpoint, the Penitentiary is unique and spans a significant amount of time.
“Housing Unit 4 A Hall, which was built circa 1865 and opened in 1868 was continuously used. Inmate labor was used to actually build the building with stone,” said Schreiber. “Warden Horace Swift was also a renowned architect and he designed the building. That in itself is unusual.”
The council will meet in Joplin May 15th to consider the prison and eight other sites in Missouri. The list below includes the other commercial, residential and institutional properties and districts to be considered for listing in the National Register.
Central Institute for the Deaf, 800 South Euclid Ave., St. Louis
Cynthia-Kinzer Historic District, 900-1000 blks. of Cynthia and Kinzer Sts., 918-924 Maud St., 838-842 Kinzer Sts., and adjacent portions of N. 9th, 10th & 11th Sts., Poplar Bluff, Butler County
Brahm-Mitchellette Motor Car Company, 3537 S. Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis, (Historic Auto-Related Resources of St. Louis, Multiple Property Documentation Form)
Prairie View Stock Farm, Hwy WW, 3.3 miles south of intersection of Hwy A and Hwy WW, Rich Hill vic., Vernon County
Dutchtown South Historic District, Roughly bounded by S. Grand Blvd. and Delor St., Alabama Ave., Liberty St., Virginia Ave., and Bingham Ave., St. Louis, (South St. Louis Historic Working- and Middle-Class Streetcar Suburbs Multiple Property Documentation Form)
The Fairfax Building, 101 W. 11th St., Kansas City, Jackson County
Interstate Bakeries Corporation Headquarters Building, 12 E. Armour Blvd., Kansas City, Jackson County
Claverach Park, Roughly bounded by Clayton Rd., Wydown Blvd., Crestwood Dr. and Ridgemoor Dr., Clayton, St. Louis County
Trails West 2015 “heART for the City” t-shirt Photo courtesy Allied Arts Council
2015 Trails West!® t-shirts are now available even with the festival itself still several months away.
The Allied Arts Council announced Tuesday that shirts for the 23rd annual event with the theme “heART for the City” are now available for pre-order at a discount.
Discounted shirts (priced $12-16) are only available through pre-order until June 15th. Beginning June 16-July 12 t-shirts go back to full price ($15-20).
The 2015 Trails West!® t-shirt can be used as a ticket to the festival which will be held at Civic Center Park August 21-23.
The festival features fine arts, folk arts, culinary arts, music, dance, and theatre.
This year’s line up includes: Starship ft. Mickey Thomas, Kelsea Ballerini, The Charlie Daniels Band and Sanctus Real.
To pre-order your limited edition t-shirt or view the design, visit www.trailswest.org.
By Mike Lear (Missourinet) – The Missouri Senate last week gave initial approval to an increase in Missouri fuel taxes, but some leaders are concerned that might be as far as the bill gets.
“I’m thinking of the Burt Reynolds movie,” Senate Leader Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles) told reporters in summing up the prospects of the bill. “It’s got a long [way] to go and a short time to get there.”
The proposal would raise Missouri’s tax on diesel fuel 3.5-cents and on other fuel 1.5-cents. If passed, Senate projections are that it would raise $54.6-million a year for transportation infrastructure, but Dempsey says language that would create a board to study tolling on I-70 could doom it.
“[I’m] hearing from some of our members that the amendment that Senator [Rob] Schaaf (R-St. Joseph) put on is problematic, so I’m not sure what’s going to happen,” said Dempsey.
If the proposal does make it out of the Senate, it could face a challenge in the House where Speaker John Diehl, Junior (R-Town and Country), had said transportation funding might have to wait until next year to be addressed. But, he told Missourinet his chamber would give it a look.
“Once they get it over to us we’ll refer it to the appropriate committee to give it a fair hearing, and see whether or not it’s something that we should pass out,” Diehl told Missourinet.
Transportation officials say the bill would generate enough to match 160-million federal transportation dollars in the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2016, but additional state money would be needed to avoid losing federal dollars in years after that.
By Alisa Nelson (Missourinet) – The state Senate has overriden Governor Jay Nixon’s (D) veto of a bill that would shorten the length of time needy parents can receive temporary welfare. The bill would change the limit 60 months to 45 in a lifetime for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
After almost four hours of discussion, Senators voted 25-9 along party lines in favor of the override.
Bill Sponsor David Sater (R-Cassville) says more parents need to meet the working requirements of the program in order for the state to not lose the federal dollars that the program distributes.
“Unless we change the way the state is doing business right now, the federal government will take away all of that money,” said Sater.
Senator Jamillah Nasheed (D-St. Louis) said she doesn’t buy that argument.
“I truly believe that’s like a spook behind the door. If we don’t do this, this is what’s going to happen,” said Nasheed. “You know, I don’t believe any of that.”
Senator Kiki Curls (D-Kansas City) said the Republican effort to get people on assistance back to work will hurt families who really need help.
“I don’t think anyone’s goal when they wake up in the morning is to say, ‘Let me figure out how I can go and get on TANF,’” said Curls.
It’s now up to the House to try to complete the veto override. House Republican leaders believe they have enough votes to overturn the veto.
WICHITA, KAN. – A Derby man pleaded guilty Monday to using Internet service at the church he attended to distribute child pornography, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Delmas E. Rich, 50, Derby, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography. In his plea, he admitted he used Internet service at his church, Temple Baptist Church in Wichita, and his work, Alarm Security Specialists in Viola, Kan., because he had no Internet service at home. On Jan. 18, 2015, a Wichita police detective downloaded child pornography from Rich’s computer over the Internet using a file-sharing service.
Sentencing is set for July 20. He faces a penalty of not less than 5 years and possibly as much as 30 years and a fine up to $250,000.
A workshop talking about the recent lack of Monarch butterflies in the area is planned this weekend in St. Joseph.
