(Missourinet) – Missourians gear up for annual St. Louis Mardi Gras celebration

Thousands are expected Saturday at St. Louis’s annual Mardi Gras celebration. The grand parade begins at 11 a.m. tomorrow. St. Louis Metro Police Chief Sam Dotson says police will be watching for underage drinkers, drunk drivers, and patrolling parking areas for potential car break-ins.

The same rules that have applied in past years will continue this year. There will be 23 perimeter checkpoints set up around the neighborhood.

“If you’re coming into the event, if you’re coming into the festival zone, you’re going to go through one of those 23 checkpoints. No coolers. No backpacks. No alcohol,” says Dotson. “All of the things that we’ve always said you can’t bring, you can’t bring.”

Dotson says Mardi Gras is not the place for guns.

“You’re coming to have a good time. You’re coming to celebrate just like everybody else here. People drink,” says Dotson. “People will have an opportunity to have a cocktail. Don’t bring your gun and when you park, don’t leave your gun in your car.”

Dotson asks those at the event to be respectful of the people that live in the area. He says the crowds that pour in for the celebration equal those when the St. Louis Cardinals host a World Series game.

Traffic officials are urging people to use public transportation. Shuttles to and from the celebration will be provided by the metro service — it’s $6 round trip.

(Missourinet) – St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger is treating a massive vandalism this week at a Jewish cemetery in eastern Missouri like a hate crime, even though police are not calling it one at this time. Some 200 headstones were overturned at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City.

Stenger says it was late at night when he learned of the vandalism spree. He says his first call was to County Police Chief John Belmar.

“There’s no place for this type of conduct in our community,” says Stenger. “I wanted to make sure that we were making efforts to protect any other possible and potential targets.”

Stenger says his next step was to call Karen Arreste with the Anti-Defamation League.

“I expressed to her my outrage and advised to her that Chief Belmar was going to be calling her,” says Stenger.

He is working with the community to increase law enforcement in the area and offer whatever help he can in the way of county resources.

Stenger says the cemetery owner told him he did NOT need any financial help and that he had it under control. A local Muslim group has raised more than $40,000 to help with repairs.

Families of Jewish community members buried there continue to pour into the cemetery to see if their loved one’s final resting places were desecrated. The Cemetery is also publishing lot locations of those damaged, so families who don’t live here can check online.

Governor Eric Greitens, who is Jewish, and Vice President Mike Pence helped Wednesday with cleanup efforts at the cemetery.

(Missourinet) – Vice President Mike Pence will be in the St. Louis area Wednesday afternoon, discussing Missouri jobs and the economy.

The vice president will be in Fenton to speak at Fabick Cat, a 100-year-old family-owned and family-operated business. It began in 1917 as John Fabick Tractor Company.

Governor Eric Greitens (R) will welcome Pence at Lambert Field Wednesday before heading to Fabick, which is near I-44.

Greitens spokesman Parker Briden tells Missourinet Pence and Greitens will tour the Fabick Cat facility, to highlight bringing jobs to Missouri and to the nation. Briden says it’s part of the “Made in America” tour.

Pence will also meet with Fabick employees, then will discuss what he calls America’s economic comeback. The White House says Vice President Pence will make formal remarks outdoors at about 1:30 p.m.

John Fabick Sr.’s motto from 1917 is still displayed at all 37 Fabick locations today: “To ever serve our customers better.”

(Missourinet) – State Senator Ed Emery (R-Lamar) said he wants Missouri’s public K-through-12 schools to restrict access to restrooms, locker rooms and shower areas based on biological sex.

The proposal comes as President Trump is reportedly signaling a reversal in former President Obama’s transgender bathroom policy. During a packed Senate committee hearing Tuesday, Emery said his bill would accommodate transgender students.

“We have exactly the same responsibility to every student to ensure their personal privacy and safety,” said Emery.

Samantha DeMichieli, who is a transgender child from St. Louis, became emotional as she said a change in law horrifies her.

“I’m not in the bathroom to do anything bad, to vandalize or peep in the stalls,” said DeMichieli. “I’m there to pee and wash my hands.”

Kelly Storck of eastern Missouri’s Webster Groves testified that her twelve-year-old transgender child is her pride and joy.

“My son is not confused. He is not delusional. He is not mentally ill and he is certainly not a sexual predator. My son is a child,” said Storck.

State Senator Jason Holsman (D-Kansas City) suggested that the bill makes Missouri look unwelcoming and uninviting. Emery disagreed.

“I think this, Senator, is an acknowledgement that those groups exists. It’s respecting their existence. It’s not contending,” said Emery.

Under Emery’s proposal, alternate facilities for transgender students would be required. Opponents say schools would have to acquire additional bathrooms and shower rooms, which would create a financial strain on school budgets.

A Senate committee has not voted on Emery’s bill.

(Missourinet) – A northern Missouri Republican state Representative who calls a proposed statewide expansion of charter schools “an attack on rural districts” says compromise is a possibility, as long as rural schools aren’t harmed.

State Rep. Nate Walker (R-Kirksville) says Lee’s Summit Republican state Rep. Rebecca Roeber’s legislation in its current form would impact those districts.

“Anytime you take money from the foundation formula, whether it goes to schools in the rural areas or the urban areas, it lessens the impact,” Walker said. “I think the rural schools always get hurt the most.”

Roeber also says compromise is possible, but contends that rural schools would not be harmed under her proposal. She says about 500 students would be required in order to launch a charter school.

“Nobody is wanting to end rural schools. We all know how important they are to rural communities,” Roeber said. “I’m a public school educator. I taught for 18 years. My grandson lives with us and is in a public school. I don’t have anything against public schools. It’s just not every public school is working well and not every kid fits in a square peg.”

She says not every charter school has been successful and those schools have been closed. According to Roeber, charter schools operate on a five year contract with certain benchmarks that must be met in order to continue to operate.

Charter schools are currently limited to the St. Louis and Kansas City school districts, and any that are unaccredited. Roeber says charter schools in St. Louis and Kansas City have helped to improve statewide test scores for public schools there.

“Competition is a wonderful thing. They are competing for those students and I think it can rise the boat for everybody. That’s what we’re trying to achieve here,” Roeber said.

Walker said he does not think there’s enough committee support yet to allow consideration by the full House. Support from House Republicans and Governor Eric Greitens (R) makes Roeber optimistic that her bill will make it out of committee this year. During a recent address to the NAACP, Greitens praised charter schools.

(Missourinet) – A proposal in the Missouri House would require gun owners to report a lost or stolen firearm within 72 hours.

Democrat Bruce Franks Jr. of St. Louis filed the legislation to close a loophole which allows legally purchased guns to be re-sold or given to anyone with no accountability.

He said it would help protect against legal owners transferring their fire-arms to those who might use them when committing crimes.

“That brings some responsible gun ownership,” Franks Jr. said. “And if you have three or four cases where you haven’t reported your gun stolen, that’s a problem. That’s something we need to look a little deeper into, whether it’s a negligent storage of guns or whether you’re doing something you’re not supposed to when it comes to selling a gun.”

He claims his measure ensures responsibility of guns without infringing on privacy or 2nd Amendment rights.

Under it, People who failed to report a lost or stolen fire arm within the allotted time would be fined for the first and second offense, but could face jail time for a third violation. Franks Jr. said the measure establishes liability for people who don’t come forward.

“A vast majority of the people, like myself, are responsible gun owners. But we can’t ignore the fact that we do have some out there who aren’t. And the actions, and their actions, are disproportionately affecting communities where gun violence is high,” he said.

Franks Jr. sent an open letter to the National Rifle Association (NRA) in which he invited the gun rights group to come talk to him about his legislation. The organization has so far expressed opposition to his proposal along with a companion bill in the Missouri Senate.

The NRA and those against the legislation contend it would violate the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms and could subject law abiding gun owners to severe penalties. Franks Jr. counters that his measure establishes accountability without requiring databases of gun sales that fire arm advocates object to.

“What people have a problem with is the government getting into privacy issues. Republicans talk about that a lot. ‘Keep the government out. Keep the government out.’ This is a way to start to move the needle forward on responsible gun ownership without infringing on 2nd Amendment Rights,” he said.

There’s some evidence that illegally obtained guns play a major role in crime.

A study by the University of Pittsburgh used numbers provided by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police to trace the origins of all firearms that police recovered from crime scenes in the year 2008. Roughly 80 percent of the crimes involved people who were not lawful gun owners, but who possessed a gun illegally that belonged to someone else.

Currently 10 states (including Missouri’s neighboring Illinois) and the District of Columbia have laws requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen guns to law enforcement agencies.

“I believe it is essential for your association to protect its members by (1) supporting these bills and (2) prioritizing our duty to protect not only ourselves but also our fellow citizens,” Franks Jr. said in his open letter to the NRA,  During an interview with Missourinet, he said he would be reaching out to the organization this week.

(Missourinet) – The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) says the minimum cost to reconstruct and expand I-70 in Missouri is $2 billion.

To put that cost in perspective, Governor Eric Greitens’ proposed overall budget for MoDOT is $2.3 billion.

No bills have been filed in the Legislature this year regarding I-70, and Missouri House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Reiboldt (R-Neosho) says nothing may happen this year.

“We have talked with all the MoDOT people, and others as well,” says Reiboldt. “We’re looking right now for some direction from the governor’s office, the new governor and seeing what his thoughts might be on that.”

I-70 in Missouri was designed and built between 1956 and 1965. MoDOT says its oldest sections are 60 years old and its youngest sections are 51 years old.

Reiboldt says lawmakers are currently studying all possibilities to replace crumbling I-70 and transportation in general.

“Toll roads aren’t very popular, but they’re popular with some people,” Reiboldt says. “A gas tax increase, perhaps a few fee increases, but these are ideas that we’re all just kicking around right now.”

Reiboldt tells Missourinet a public-private partnership is also a possibility for I-70.

He also says he met recently with Holcim executives, and that they told him transportation is their number one issue. Holcim’s website says its Ste. Genevieve plant is one of the world’s largest cement-producing facilities.

I-70 in Missouri was intended to carry 12,000 to 18,000 vehicles per day. MoDOT says that it now carries 28,000 vehicles daily in rural areas, with about 10,000 trucks.

MoDOT says I-70 at Independence currently carries about 98,000 vehicles daily, while I-70 at Wentzville carries about 75,000 vehicles per day, with 15,000 trucks.

MoDOT says the cost to operate and maintain I-70 in its current condition is about $50 million annually. That includes resurfacing, bridge repairs, pothole patching, snow removal and mowing.

The agency tells Missourinet they still have “conditional provisional” approval from the Federal Highway Administration to rebuild I-70 as a toll road. Voters would likely have to approve that, depending on how any enabling legislation is written.

In 2014, then-Governor Jay Nixon (D) directed the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to provide him with a report on options for tolling I-70.

MoDOT completed that report in December 2014, and it’s posted on the agency website.

The final paragraph in the four-page report reads as follows, in its entirety:

“The use of tolling on I-70 to reconstruct and expand 200 miles of Missouri’s interstate is an important step in meeting Missouri’s transportation needs. However, it does not address the remaining 33,000 miles of highways, 10,000 bridges or other overall transportation needs of the state. Ultimately, a tolled system of Missouri’s primary freight corridors is an option to create additional revenue for Missouri’s other transportation needs.”

(Missourinet) – On average, each of the more than 37,000 inmates within Missouri’s prisons receives medical care five times per month.

That’s according to state Rep. Rick Brattin (R-Harrisonville). He said he wants to reduce the number of what he thinks are frivolous or unnecessary visits by charging prisoners a 50 cent copay each time they seek healthcare services.

“This would allow for medical staff to really give care to the ones who are in need,” says Brattin. “Everyone has to pay a copay when they go. This is no different from anyone else in society. The court challenges and things like that have all been in favor of a copay system.”

Brattin said he hopes the move would save money in the state’s tight budget.

“We do a contract every few years on the medical treatment that’s provided for inmates and that’s roughly around $200 million in cost,” says Brattin.

Governor Greitens has proposed $147 million for state prisoner healthcare in his state budget that begins July 1.

Brattin says copay revenue could go back into the Corrections budget or be used for things like increasing correctional officer pay. Missouri has the lowest paid state workers in the nation.

Rep. Bruce Franks Jr. (D-St. Louis) said he is concerned about inmates with serious health issues.

“I agree with the objective to kind of lessen the burden on the infirmaries I guess,” says Franks. “What I worry about is what will be taken seriously and what hasn’t been taken seriously.”

Some Corrections officials have implementation and logistical concerns about Brattin’s bill. The Corrections department says the changes would cost approximately $500,000 per year for additional staff and resources. Brattin said he doesn’t believe there would be any additional costs and said the fiscal note is zero.

Offenders receive a monthly stipend of about $7.50. Those who don’t have the money to pay for a visit, will not be denied. State law requires that inmates are provided healthcare while behind bars.

Franks questioned what deters prisoners from seeking medical attention if they are going to be cared for regardless.

“For the person that’s indigent and has no funds, I guess nothing is going to stop them,” says Brattin. “Those that are trying to save money to maybe buy things from the commissary, that is something that inmates definitely look forward to, the ability to have those extras. Just like any of us wanting to have those extras within our budget.”

This is the seventh year that Brattin has offered the measure. A House committee is expected to vote this week on his bill.

(Missourinet) – The lawyer for Glasgow Schools in mid-Missouri says a student who committed suicide in December is a tragedy, but his death is not the school’s fault. A coroner’s jury says Glasgow Schools and the teen’s workplace were negligent in the death. Tom Mickes says the school has a strict anti-bullying policy, but nobody told teachers that 17-year-old Kenneth Suttner was being harassed.

“In my opinion, it was a preconceived notion that the coroner wanted to tag the school district and so he cherry-picked the evidence,” says Mickes.

Mickes says the district followed its bullying policies.

“There’s information that the prosecutor had that he did not use that would’ve taken the spotlight off the district, maybe the DQ lady. I don’t know,” says Mickes.

The manager of the Dairy Queen in Fayette where Suttner worked has been charged with second-degree involuntary manslaughter for repeatedly ridiculing the teen.

April Wilson, the special prosecutor overseeing the case, said the school district’s and Dairy Queen’s alleged negligence would not lead to criminal charges but could result in civil actions.

The case has received national media attention.