(Missourinet) – Special Olympics Missouri (SOMO) officially broke ground on construction of their one-of-a-kind Training for Life Center.

This 34,000 square foot facility will be the headquarters for Special Olympics Missouri, as well as provide our 15,312 athletes throughout the state a place to convene, train, and further their development both on and off the playing field. It will be the first facility of its kind in the world built for the sole purpose of improving the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by having athletic training and Healthy Athletes screenings in the same place.

Construction will begin soon after the groundbreaking and is expected to be complete in the fall of 2018. The $16 million that has been raised to date is enough to construct the main building and multi-purpose outdoor sports field.

SOMO is still looking to raise $2 million to complete the remaining outdoor training fields, including tennis courts, bocce courts, a softball field, horseshoe pits, golf skills areas, donor recognition areas and a wellness trail surrounding the campus.

In addition to athletics training, the campus will provide enrichment opportunities for new and existing SOMO programs, including free health screenings in the Healthy Athletes Program, life skills training, and the Young Athletes Program for children as young as three. These programs are specifically designed to improve health, fitness and socialization among the athletes.

Click here for more on the Training for Life Center

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers have approved a budget plan that would give $3.4 billion in basic aid to public K-12 schools.

The roughly $48 million increase sent to Gov. Eric Greitens’ desk on Thursday would mean Missouri meets funding goals called for under state law.

Lawmakers face a Friday deadline to pass a budget for the next fiscal year, which begins in July.

The K-12 education budget passed by the Legislature calls for about $45 million more in basic aid for schools than what was recommended by the new Republican governor, who had asked for a slight increase but not enough to meet funding goals.

Lawmakers also spared money for school busing. Greitens wanted to cut that by about $25 million compared to this fiscal year.
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(Missourinet) – The Missouri House is expected to take the budget up on Thursday morning in Jefferson City, after a conference committee approved a state budget late Wednesday night.

A Missouri House and Senate conference committee approved a $27 billion dollar state operating budget, after a marathon six-hours of discussions and delays.

House Budget Committee Chairman Scott Fitzpatrick (R-Shell Knob) told the Capitol Press Corps there are many positive things in the budget.

“You know at this point we got a fully funded (foundation) formula. We were able to get to the best possible restoration for all the four-year and two-year higher education institutions in the state,” Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick also said they were able to pay off the biodiesel incentive fund.

Wednesday’s discussion in the Missouri House Lounge became heated, when State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed (D-St. Louis) told conference members it was a “racist move” to take out $1 million for STEM graduate programs at historically black Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis.

“It’s appalling to me that out of every university in this state, we are always being treated the worst,” Nasheed said. “It’s racist to me.”

Nasheed then blasted Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Dan Brown (R-Rolla), saying he did not fight hard enough for Harris-Stowe.

Senator Brown responded by saying lawmakers don’t have the money. Nasheed then told him that Missouri Republicans have passed too many tax breaks for corporate interests.

Nasheed then pledged to take the issue up on the Senate floor, indicating we could see a special session. She also said “Where is Kurt? I need Kurt Schaefer in here right now.”

Former State Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia), who was forced out of the Senate by term limits, is the former Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman.

After a closed-door meeting with several committee members, including Nasheed, a compromise was reached where $250,000 was inserted for the Harris-Stowe project.

Missourinet asked Fitzpatrick what was discussed during the closed-door meeting. Fitzpatrick would not discuss a private conversation but did note that Nasheed didn’t say it anymore.

Fitzpatrick also told Missourinet that Harris-Stowe receives $9,000 per student from the state, which is the highest amount in Missouri.

The state Constitution requires Missouri lawmakers to pass a balanced budget by Friday evening at six.

Chairman Fitzpatrick said the House should be able to go to the budget Thursday morning. Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard (R-Joplin) said Wednesday night that the Senate is prepared to vote on the budget on Thursday.

One budget item that received bipartisan support Wednesday was summer jobs.

State Rep. Justin Alferman (R-Hermann), the House Budget Committee vice chairman, said he is pleased the budget contains $4 million for summer jobs.

“I think this does pay tremendous dividends to a population, an at-risk population, that could potentially we’re going be paying for in other services down the road if we don’t provide a little bit of assistance in this way to them,” Alferman told House and Senate negotiators.

Freshman State Rep. Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) said she agrees with Alferman. She said the program has helped about 7,400 youth in the past two years.

Alferman and Quade successfully fought to protect the $4 million for summer jobs. Quade said the summer jobs program focuses on 16 to 24-year-olds.

It’s also been a top priority for State Rep. Bruce Franks Jr. (D-St. Louis).

The budget approved Wednesday night by the conferees also includes $150,000 for the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for a one-time equipment purchase of a sandbagging machine.

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens unveiled his proposed $27 billion state operating budget in early February.

(Missourinet) – Missouri’s U.S. Senators have responded to President Trump’s Tuesday morning tweet in which he demanded a government shutdown.

Trump was responding to a bipartisan agreement on a spending plan which will keep the government functioning through September.

The compromise reached by Republicans and Democrats calls for an increase in military spending, which has been one of Trump’s priorities.

It also includes provisions favored by Democrats, such as continued funding for health care subsidies under Obamacare as well as money for Planned Parenthood, and for Puerto Rico which is going through a budget crisis.

The spending plan does not include funds for the Mexican border wall that was a signature issue in Trump’s presidential campaign.

Trump’s tweet said the compromise had to be negotiated because Republicans don’t have the 60 votes necessary in the chamber to pass their own plan.

He called for more Republican Senators to be elected in 2018, or for the rules to be changed to 51%.  He then said the country needs a good “shutdown” in September “to fix mess.”

Missouri’s U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, a fellow Republican, said he understood Trump’s frustration with the Senate requirement for 60 votes to pass legislation, but cautioned against rushing to blow up the long standing rule.

“In the last 100 years, or the last 50 years, or the last 10 years, we (Republicans) have been in the minority more than we’ve been in the majority,” Blunt said.  “I think you’d want to be thoughtful about taking away the things that at least require the country to think really hard before you make big change. But I certainly understand the President’s frustration with the process.”

Senator Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, was more critical of Trump’s demand.

“The notion that he would consider this a failure is really troubling,” said McCaskill.  “And the notion that he thinks it would be better to shut down the government than reach a compromise on spending, a bipartisan compromise.  That does not bode well for the next four years.  Really irresponsible.”

Earlier in the current Congress, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did change the rules to allow for a simple majority for the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. At the time, he said he would not alter the rules for any other legislation.

Blunt said he thinks Trump is learning how the U.S. system is different from other parliamentary forms of government.

“In most governments in the world, in a parliamentary system, if the government doesn’t function with maximum efficiency, then the next step is you have to have elections and get a new government. Our system wasn’t designed that way. And the President more than probably anybody else now sees that, and understands that every day.”

McCaskill questioned why Trump would balk at an agreement that satisfied both sides of the aisle.

“Both sides claimed victory after this deal was struck because it was a compromise. His own White House was claiming victory. So then he turns around and says ‘Let’s shut down the whole government in September.’  I don’t think that’s responsible leadership.”

Congress is expected to vote on the compromise deal in the next couple of days.

(Missourinet) – The flooding spotlight is on St. Louis, where water levels on the Meramec River are expected to crest Wednesday.

Sandbagging efforts began to wind down Tuesday afternoon in Eureka, west of the city, where heavy flooding’s expected.

Governor Eric Greitens was on hand Monday to lend support, while the National Guard came in force Tuesday.

St. Louis County officials, public agencies and utilities are holding another briefing on flood status and response Wednesday afternoon. It’s the second consecutive day they’ve held the gathering.

Interstate 44 is still closed for 25 miles in St. Louis from Route 100 to Interstate 270.  I-55 closed late Tuesday night because of high water of the Meramec, which is expected to crest at 46 feet, just 6 inches under its record mark.

The good news is repairs to flood-damaged Interstate 44 further southwest at Hazelgreen in Laclede County are complete, and the highway is back open to traffic.

But MoDOT is still advising drivers to avoid I-44 when passing through the state because of its lengthy closure in the St. Louis area. The agency suggests taking I-49 at Joplin north to Interstate 470 in Kansas City to connect to I-70 and then east to St. Louis.

Road closures continue in central and southern Missouri because of High water. Route 50 at Mt. Sterling in Gasconade County and Route 63 at Vienna in Maries County are still under water. Both roads are not expected to reopen until later this week. Route 50 is also closed in Franklin County, while Route 47 in Warren County is expected to close.

Meanwhile, another round of rain is threatening areas which experienced record floods over the weekend. Extreme south Missouri could see one-to-three inches, while the heaviest precipitation will be along and north of I-44 from west-central Missouri though Lake of the Ozarks, into St. Louis.

Mike Griffin with the National Weather Service in Springfield said rivers that previously flooded are once again at risk.

“We’re going to be watching very closely the Osage River system from Truman Lake into the Lake of the Ozarks system,” Griffin said. “We’re also going to watch the Gasconade, the Niangua, the Big Piney, those rivers could potentially have some additional problems as we go into tonight and early tomorrow morning.”

Most of the rivers and streams in the southern and central part of the state receded earlier this week, but could quickly return to flood levels.  Two-to-four inches of rain is expected across an area along and north of I-44 from central-west Missouri through Lake of the Ozarks, and into St. Louis Wednesday and Wednesday night.

One-to-three inches are expected to fall in the southern part of the state, where the cities of West Plains and Neosho have already seen extensive damage from flooding.

The rain won’t be as intense as the storms that brought record flooding to some spots last weekend, but Meteorologist Gary Schmoker with the National Weather Service in St. Louis said more road closures are likely.

“If it hadn’t been for this additional rain, we would probably start to see slow improvement the over next few days, but with this additional rain it’s probably either status-quo or getting worse the next couple of days,” Schmoker said.  “So there will probably likely be more areas that’ll get flooded, more roads that’ll be closed.”

JEFFERSON CITY– In response to flooding and the state of emergency declared over the weekend, the Missouri Department of Transportation will allow heavier than normal truckloads of rock, sand and gravel to travel on Missouri highways. The allowance will help get flood-fighting supplies to communities and expedite needed repairs of roads, levees, railroads, etc. While the waiver is in effect, private and for-hire motor carriers may carry up to 10 percent more than their licensed weight on Missouri highways.

The waiver will remain in effect for through May 31. While the waiver is in effect, participating motor carriers are limited to:

A loaded, gross weight no greater than ten percent (10%) above the gross licensed weight of the commercial motor vehicle;
Transportation of rock, sand and gravel only within the State of Missouri;
Drivers must obey posted bridge weight limits;
When crossing a bridge, the driver must restrict the vehicle speed to no more than thirty miles per hour (30 mph);
Travel is only allowed on non-interstate highways. NO TRAVEL IS ALLOWED ON MISSOURI INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS.