Missouri state park workers being tested for tick-borne virus. Photo courtesy Missourinet
(Missourinet) – The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are testing for evidence of Bourbon virus in the blood of some state park workers. The testing was done as part of a follow-up investigation into a recent case of Bourbon virus associated with exposure to ticks in Missouri.
CDC’s Arboviral Disease Branch will test each blood sample for the presence of Bourbon virus antibodies; these antibodies may indicate a previous exposure to the virus. This follow-up investigation will help determine who might be at risk for Bourbon virus. It is believed to be spread by ticks, but this has not been confirmed.
Bourbon virus was first discovered to cause human illness in a Bourbon County, KS, man in 2014.
Patients diagnosed with Bourbon virus have shown signs similar to Heartland virus and ehrlichiosis (two other tick-borne illnesses found in Missouri), including fever, muscle aches, fatigue, headache, anorexia, diarrhea and rash. Like Heartland virus and ehrlichiosis, Bourbon virus can affect blood cells that help the body fight infection and prevent bleeding. There is no vaccine for Bourbon virus.
Information on ways to prevent exposure to a tick-borne disease can be found on the DHSS website: http://health.mo.gov/.
I-70 corridor in Missouri, photo courtesy of MODOT
(Missourinet) – A 23 member panel created by the state legislature this year is holding its third of six public meetings at different locations around the state on Wednesday afternoon.
The 21st Century Transportation Task Force is gathering in northeast Missouri’s Kirksville. The group’s stated mission is to assess the state road system and determine the funding source and level needed to sustain it.
Financing is currently funneled through through user fees, the motor fuel tax, the sales tax on vehicle purchases, and registration and driver’s license fees.
Missouri faces hurdles unseen in most other states because it maintains all of its lettered roads that would otherwise be handled at the county level. As a result, it has the seventh largest road system with over 33,000 miles.
But its current funding level is 47th in the country. The low ranking has been attributed to a failure to adjust the user fees for inflation over time.
The motor fuel tax was last increased 21 years ago by 6 cents, as part of a bipartisan 1992 deal agreed upon by former Governor John Ashcroft (R) and a legislature controlled by Democrats. Fees for vehicle registration and drivers’ licenses have not increased since 1984, while some other fees haven’t increased since 1969.
At least two Republican lawmakers on the task force agree on a plan to address the funding needs. Both Representative Bill Reiboldt of Neosho and Senator Dave Schatz of Sullivan think the motor fuel tax should be hiked by 10 cents a gallon.
Schatz says the increase would be enough to have an immediate impact on roads. “It would address the needs that we have going forward, probably for a length of time,” says Schatz. “It may not be the end all, do all as far as into the future, but obviously it would be very impactful right off the bat. And (we’d be) able to make sure that we’re doing more than just maintaining…treading water.”
A ten cent rise would bring Missouri into closer proximity with most of its eight surrounding states. A similar hike in Iowa brought its fuel tax up to 30 cents a gallon in 2015. The governor and legislature passed the increase there.
But under a law known within the Missouri Constitution as the Hancock Amendment, voters in the Show-Me state would have to approve any meaningful tax increase.
Recent highway funding proposals haven’t been well received by Missouri voters. In 2014, they roundly rejected a plan by lawmakers for a constitutional amendment that would have increased Missouri’s sales tax by three-quarters of a cent for 10 years.
The boost would have raised an estimated $5.4 billion over its lifetime. Several other measures in previous years also failed to generate sufficient ballot support.
Schatz thinks voters will face unfavorable consequences if they continue rejecting proposals that lawmakers place before them. “The legislature is either going to have to do something, or we’re ultimately going to be faced with a decision that some areas are going to probably have some diminished services at some point in time. And they’re not going to like that at all either.”
The first term state Senator thinks it might require a drastic event to get people to reconsider transportation funding. “When that flood occurred here this year, having the interstate shut down, people said ‘Wow, that’s a big deal’,” Schatz says.
Historical flooding in late April and early May wiped out the pavement on a section of I-44 south of Rolla. Crews had to apply a fresh coat of asphalt, which left the highway closed for several days. Flooding from the same storms closed another section of I-44 near St. Louis for numerous days.
The Missouri Department of Transportation has pegged the cost to fully finance the state’s transportation needs at an additional $825 million per year.
Broken down, those expenses include $170 million to maintain roadways, $275 million in economic development and safety projects, $300 million to reconstruct interstate highways, and $80 million to improve mobility options.
One Republican lawmaker on the task force, Senator Bill Eigel of St. Charles, is against raising any taxes to pay for transportation. “I think there is a lot of frustration out there from citizens who are tired of government officials solving problems simply by asking the taxpayer for more money,” says Eigel.
Among other things, Eigel would like to see the state stop paying for the entire 33,000 mile network it currently supports.
A Democratic member of the task force, Florissant Mayor Thomas Schneider, is frustrated with what he sees at GOP obstruction to road funding.
“That seems to be the Republican dogma right now, that we shouldn’t have any taxes for any reason, no matter what,” Schneider says. “That mentality needs to change, so that we’ll be more open minded to embrace progress. We could find intelligent ways to make the progress, rather than be obstructionist to progress.”
The Kirksville 21st Century Transportation Task Force hearing takes place at 1 p.m. on Wednesday. The topic at this meeting will be “The Future of Transportation (modern technology); beyond roads and bridges (other modes, transit, etc.).”
Representative Paul Fitzwater. Photo courtesy Missourinet.
(Missourinet) – Rep. Paul Fitzwater, R-Potosi, tells Missourinet he will resign today. Republican Governor Eric Greitens has appointed Fitzwater to serve on the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole.
Fitzwater was elected in 2010 to serve in the Missouri House of Representatives. Due to term limits, 2018 would have been his third and final term in that chamber.
Fitzwater has chaired the House’s Corrections and Public Institutions Committee. He has also served on a subcommittee studying the workplace environment and conduct in Missouri’s prisons. The latter panel’s investigation involves dozens of allegations of harassment, intimidation and abuse by corrections employees toward other staff. The culture has led to the state paying out more than $10 million during a five year period to settle such lawsuits.
Greitens’s appointment of Fitzwater comes after former board member Don Ruzicka played word games with an unnamed state worker during the parole hearings of prisoners. A report details them allegedly engaging in a game where they tried to get inmates to say certain words or song titles, and would keep score of results.
Ruzicka, a former Republican State Representative from Mt. Vernon, was appointed to the board in 2012 by former Democratic Governor Jay Nixon. He made $85,000 in his position. Board members serve six-year terms.
Zakary F. Mergy(News release) – A Platte County jury has found Zakary F. Mergy, of Kansas City, Kansas, guilty of murder in the first degree and armed criminal action for the November 2014 murder of Francisco Vargas III. The jury reached its verdict on September 19, following a seven-day jury trial.
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said, “In this case, the State never alleged the defendant fired the shots that killed the victim. Instead, we presented extensive evidence proving the defendant aided and assisted another person in planning and carrying out the murder. This was a textbook case of accomplice liability.”
Evidence at trial showed that on November 1, 2014, a family member of Vargas found him lying face down on the floor of his residence in a large pool of blood. Platte County Sheriff’s Department deputies later determined Vargas had been shot several times, finding eight .40 caliber shell casings near his body.
A neighbor reported seeing a gray vehicle at Vargas’ residence on the day he was shot. Investigators later determined that a 2008 gray Dodge Charger reportedly seen at the house was registered to a relative of Mergy.
Forensic analysis of a cell phone belonging to Mergy’s revealed deleted text messages during the time frame of the homicide. A special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team testified that Mergy’s phone was in the Northland utilizing cell towers in close proximity of Vargas’ residence at the time of murder. Mergy had earlier told investigators he was in Kansas City, Kansas at that time.
Mergy was interviewed on multiple occasions regarding Vargas’ death. He eventually admitted he knew Vargas was killed with a Springfield .40 caliber XDM handgun. He told investigators that he had been given the gun by someone following the murder and that he wrapped the gun in several plastic bags before burying it in his mother’s back yard.
Investigators recovered a Springfield .40 caliber XDM handgun from Mergy’s mother’s back yard. Forensic analysts with the Kansas City Police Department Crime Lab determined the cartridge cases and bullets recovered at the crime scene were from that gun. DNA test results on the gun, trigger and magazine showed Mergy as the major contributor.
During the execution of a search warrant at Mergy’s residence, investigators found a jar that a witness said he had seen at Vargas’ residence two days before Vargas’ murder.
Because he was convicted of first degree murder, Mergy must serve a sentence of life in prison without the eligibility of probation or parole. Jurors also recommended Mergy be sentenced to 30 years in prison for armed criminal action. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 30 at 10:00 a.m.
“This defendant might not have pulled the trigger, but he aided and encouraged the murder and deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison,” Zahnd said.
St. Joseph Innovation Stockyard has announced the first company to receive funding through its recent partnership with Digital Sandbox KC.
According to a news release, the first company in St. Joseph to receive support from the program is Toss It Curbside, founded by Aaron Brennan and Pedro Fernandez. Toss It Curbside provides professional removal service for unwanted items. Customers can place their unwanted items on the curb and the Toss It Curbside team will coordinate the item’s removal and delivery to a local donation or recycle center, leaving little for the landfill.
Digital Sandbox KC said it plans to optimize app- and web-based functions to help the company expand to new markets.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the support from St. Joseph and the funding from the Sandbox,” Brennan said. “We’re expanding rapidly. This funding will help get our business to the next step and fit the needs of our customers.”
The Sandbox program in St. Joseph, partially funded by the Missouri Technology Corporation, utilizes Digital Sandbox KC’s proof-of-concept program to target early-stage entrepreneurs in St. Joseph who have concepts that can rapidly grow a business into a significant employer. In addition to up to $15,000 in project development funds, the Innovation Stockyard, located inside the Kit Bond Incubator in St. Joseph, will offer recipients coworking space.
(News release) – The American Red Cross will train new volunteers who have applied to help with the disaster relief efforts following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
The training will be held 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21 at the Platte County Resource Center Auditorium, 11724 Northwest Plaza Circle, Kansas City, Mo.
The sessions will focus on training volunteers to work in mass care, with an emphasis on feeding and bulk distribution. Training will also help new volunteers know what to expect when deployed into a disaster zone.
Last week a similar session trained 57 new volunteers on sheltering. More than 15 of them have now been deployed to Texas, Florida and the Virgin Islands. Others will be deployed in the days and weeks ahead.
Those interested in being deployed are asked to commit to at least a 14-day assignment and be ready to travel within 48 hours of being assigned. Volunteers attending the training were required to be over 18-years-old and also to have previously registered through the Red Cross website.
Individuals interested in becoming a Red Cross volunteer are encouraged to apply at www.redcross.org/volunteer.
Northwest named Tree Campus. Photo courtesy Northwest
MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University is included on U.S. News and World Report’s list of “2018 Best Colleges,” which again ranks the institution as the top moderately selective regional university in Missouri.
U.S. News ranked Northwest at No. 21 on its list of “Top Public Schools” among regional universities in the Midwest and No. 87 overall, in a tie with five other schools, on its list of “Best Regional Universities” in the Midwest, which includes all public and private universities in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin as well as Missouri.
Northwest is ranked second among Missouri universities on both lists, trailing only Truman State University, which is classified as a highly selective university. U.S. News also ranked Northwest as the state’s top moderately selective regional university in 2015 and 2016.
“Choosing the right university is important, and these rankings help put a spotlight on the quality education and experiences Northwest Missouri State students receive,” Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski said.
To develop its rankings, U.S. News analyzes data such as freshman retention, graduation rates, class sizes, ACT and SAT scores, financial resources and alumni giving. Each indicator is assigned a weight and institutions are ranked based on their overall scores.
(Missourinet) – Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, R, says his office is investigating credit reporting agency Equifax, in conjunction with other state attorneys general. A data breach of the company has compromised the personal information of about 143 million Americans.
“My office is working aggressively to protect the interests of Missourians in light of the recent Equifax breach,” Hawley says.
Hawley and other state attorneys general have called on Equifax to stop using its own data breach as an opportunity to sell services to breach victims.
“We believe continuing to offer consumers a fee-based service in addition to Equifax’s free monitoring services will serve to only confuse consumers who are already struggling to make decisions on how to best protect themselves in the wake of this massive breach,” Hawley says. “Selling a fee-based product that competes with Equifax’s own free offer of credit monitoring services to victims of Equifax’s own data breach is unfair, particularly if consumers are not sure if their information was compromised.”
Hawley has requested information about the circumstances that led to the hacking, the reasons for the months-long delay between the compromise and the company’s public disclosure, what protections the company had in place at the time of the incident, and how the company intends to protect consumers affected by the breach.
(Missourinet) – A Missouri state trooper convicted of a misdemeanor involving the 2014 death of Brandon Ellingson at the Lake of the Ozarks has been sentenced to ten days of jail time.
Columbia television station KMIZ reports 46-year-old Anthony Piercy has also been sentenced to two years probation, and could receive 180 days in jail if he violates probation.
Piercy pleaded guilty in Morgan County Circuit Court in Versailles to a misdemeanor count of negligent operation of a vessel, and was sentenced Tuesday afternoon by Circuit Judge Roger Prokes. Prokes, who’s from northwest Missouri’s Nodaway County, was brought in to handle the case.
The maximum sentence for Piercy would have been six months in the county jail.
Trooper Piercy took the 20-year-old Ellingson into custody in May 2014, on suspicion of boating while intoxicated. Ellingson, who was from Iowa, was handcuffed and fell out of the boat on the way back to shore and drowned.
KMIZ reports Piercy admits putting Ellingson in the wrong life vest, after taking him into custody. KMIZ notes Piercy is currently on unpaid leave from the Patrol.
Missourinet reported in November 2016 that Missouri would pay a $9 million settlement to Ellingson’s family. That settlement ended a civil lawsuit that Ellingson’s family filed in federal court.
Piercy still has his peace officer license, but the Ellingson family wants to see the Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS) revoke it.
LABETTE COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Labette County Sheriff’s Office, and the Chetopa Police Department arrested a Chetopa man Monday evening for growing marijuana in a Chetopa city park.
At approximately 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 18, KBI agents, Labette County Sheriff’s deputies, and officers from the Chetopa Police Department arrested Joseph “Scott” Skibo, 54, of Chetopa, for cultivation of marijuana and criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Skibo was allegedly cultivating marijuana on an island in Elmore Park. The park is located within the city limits of Chetopa, Kan. Skibo attempted to flee law enforcement in a boat, but was arrested without further incident.
