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Category: brief

Brief: MO Gas Tax; KS and MO Senators on Kavanaugh; More GOP Endorsements for KS Dem

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Kansas’ two U.S. Senators join Missouris’ two Senators in calling for a review after allegations against the Supreme Court nominee.

 

Kansas’ GOP nominee for Governor, Kris Kobach, continues to lose Republican endorsements to his Democratic challenger.

Kobach says he doesn’t mind.

 

The ACLU goes to court over voting issues in Johnson County, KS.

“We aren’t asking to see who they voted for or any private information,” Lauren Bonds, the ACLU of Kansas’ legal director, said in a statement. “That information should be afforded the utmost privacy. However, people should know whether their vote counted or if people faced any unnecessary barriers to voting. The public interest here is just transparency.”

The ACLU filed the suit on behalf of Davis Hammet, president of civic engagement organization Loud Light. The lawsuit filed in Johnson County District Court names Johnson County Election Commissioner Ronnie Metsker as the defendant.

 

Missouri has amongst the lowest gas prices in the country, year after year. Is that about to change?

“If this issue is approved, it will phase in a 2.5 cent annual increase to Missouri’s motor fuel tax over a period of four years… the funds will go to improve our state’s roads and bridges and some of the funding will go to local communities,” Bailey said. “So this is an important issue for Missouri voters and we’re happy that he’s going to be here to talk it out with us and get feedback from our residents.”

The event is free and open to the public. It will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Gallery on Sixth located at 107 S. Sixth St. in downtown St. Joseph.

 

Temps in the low 90s tomorrow and Thursday might be the final 90-degree days of the year. Friday’s high is 73 after thunderstorms Thursday night. Forecast here.

 

The Brief is a daily roundup from St. Joe Post and around the web. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brief: McCaskill-Blunt Kavanaugh Concerns; Trump In MO; Turn Signals

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U.S. Senators grow concerned over allegations against Supreme Court nominee, including both Senators from Missouri.

Before the allegations became public, Blunt touted Kavanaugh’s personal background in a speech on the Senate floor earlier this month and criticized Democratic efforts to slow his nomination.

“He’s a church volunteer, mentoring people at schools. He has been widely supported by those who have dealt with him, his classmates, his colleagues, his clerks, lawyers, legal scholars,” Blunt said.

Trump headed to Missouri to support McCaskill’s opponent Friday.

President Donald Trump is coming to Missouri as he pushes for Republican Josh Hawley to unseat Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in a critical Senate race.

McCaskill is a top target for Republicans seeking to expand the party’s slim 51-49 edge in the Senate. She is among 10 Senate Democrats up for re-election this year in states that Trump won. She’s considered among the most vulnerable incumbents as she faces Hawley, the state’s attorney general.

Trump won Missouri by 18 percentage points in 2016.

 

Moderate Republicans support Democratic candidate for U.S. House.

“While we did not always vote the same way, his door and my door were always open to the other,” Sloan said. “We would talk about issues. We would try to find that common or middle ground in order to advance toward objectives that we both agreed were appropriate for our state.”

The group included a number of mostly former office office holders including former Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, of Lawrence, and former Kansas State Board of Education member Val DeFever, of Independence.

 

Missouri State Senator Rob Schaaf of St. Joe spoke about transparency in campaign dollars.  Schaaf reached his term limit, and won’t be on the ballot in November.

 

90-degree days will fade just in time for the start of Autumn this Saturday.

 

MoDOT goes passive aggressive over turn signals, or lack thereof.

 

The Brief is a daily roundup from St. Joe Post and around the web. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brief: McCaskill-Trump Tax Returns; Affordable Housing Suffers after Greitens; Signs of Autumn on the Road

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It’s tax season in Missouri politics.

“He ran, he won, the people of this state voted for him by 20 points, now Senator McCaskill is running and there are serious questions about how she has profited from her seat in the U.S. Senate, how she’s gotten to be one of the richest members of the Senate,” Hawley said. “So what anybody else has done is immaterial.”

 

Affordable housing projects suffer in the wake of former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens tenure.

“We have the land, it’s tax-exempt,” SAVE, Inc., CEO Blaine Proctor said. “It’s not like we’re paying taxes on it and everything like that.”

Things were thrown into confusion in November, when former Gov. Eric Greitens steered the Missouri Housing Development Commission to put an embargo on the tax credits on the state level. Three of the commissioners who voted to suspend the program had been appointed on an interim basis by Greitens.

“I was at the commission meeting where they eliminated the state tax credits and really sat there sort of shell-shocked because I couldn’t believe what I was watching,” Proctor said.

 

Lock your doors.

A 19-year-old Salina woman has pleaded guilty to charges arising from an incident last year when she entered a stranger’s home after using LSD and repeatedly stabbed him.

…

Rathbun testified during an April hearing that he was awakened by a woman he didn’t know who was demanding to know what he was doing in her house, and she stabbed him as he called police.

 

Signs of autumn appear on roadways.

 

The Brief is a daily roundup from St. Joe Post and around the web. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brief: KC-STL Hyperloop; Will Greitens’ Face be in the Capital Again?

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Local groups hit the road for Hurricane relief.

“So what we want to do is to be able to serve those affected, once it’s safe to do so. We will be feeding, sheltering and providing assistance to those who are affected,” Lipker says.

Red Cross emergency response vehicles from Wichita and Hays left Tuesday and headed east toward the area in the hurricane’s projected path. This way, Lipker says, the crews will be close and ready to respond when needed.

“The ambulance-looking vehicle that has the American Red Cross logo on the side is being deployed to the East Coast to assist in feeding those who are affected,” she says.

 

Will we see Eric Greitens face in the capital again? Uncertain.

In January, then-Gov. Greitens attended a ceremony in a Capitol lounge to dedicate a portrait of Nixon, the Democrat who preceded Greitens. Nixon spent $4,000 in campaign money for a St. Louis artist to paint his likeness.

“I am a little bit envious,” Greitens said in a speech during the dedication. “Because until you get your portrait done, the only people who are drawing your picture are cartoonists.”

…

But not every former governor has his portrait in the Capitol. For example, former Gov. Matt Blunt, a Republican who served from 2005 to 2009, has yet to hang one.

“Fulfillment of my obligation to provide a portrait is delayed but not forgotten,” he tweeted in May.

 

Our region had normal temps for a day.

 

University of Missouri students talk hyperloop.

A Hyperloop route is currently being considered along the Interstate 70 corridor to connect Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis. The Virgin Hyperloop One team estimates that the Hyperloop trip from Kansas City to St. Louis would take around 35 minutes.

According to the Virgin Hyperloop One website, the Hyperloop is a method of transportation where a vehicle called a pod utilizes electromagnetic propulsion to move through a low-pressure tube. With this new technology, the Hyperloop is estimated to be able to reach speeds up to 670 mph.

On your next car, plane, or hyperloop trip to St. Louis, take a tour of the city’s finest restrooms.

 

The Brief is a daily roundup from St. Joe Post and around the web. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brief: Lawmakers Won’t Back Their Candidate for Gov, MO Boy Survives Skewer through the Head

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In the race for Kansas Governor, an enthusiasm gap exists between lawmakers and their respective party’s nominee.

In a Kansas City Star survey of 95 Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate who are either on the ballot or will remain in office next year, 58 percent said they would support Kobach.

…

On the Democratic side, 94 percent of those in the Legislature said they will vote for Kelly in November.

 

President Donald Trump cancels a rally in Missouri.

 

Kansas Senator Jerry Moran gives a lecture at Kansas State University.

You can watch the entire lecture below.

 

Support pours in for a law enforcement accident.

A southwest Missouri group has given $25,000 to the family of a sheriff’s deputy who died when his patrol car was swept away by floodwaters.

The Greene County 100 Club gave a $25,000 check over the weekend to the widow of 35-year-old Greene County Deputy Aaron Paul Roberts. He was killed Friday night when his car was washed into the Pomme de Terre River in Fair Grove.

 

In St. Joe, we are expecting sunny skies and temps in the 80s through the weekend. Meanwhile…

 

Tragedy averted:

Ten-year-old Xavier had been playing in his treehouse in Harrisonville, Missouri, when a swarm of yellowjackets began to attack him and his friends.

As the boys scrambled to get down the ladder, Xavier fell onto a rotisserie skewer the boys had just found in a field and stuck into the ground.

…

Rather than sending him directly to surgery, doctors spent hours gathering information from brain surgeons – ENT’s and other specialists – preparing for a surgery that was about as delicate as it could be.

 

The Brief is a daily roundup from St. Joe Post and around the web. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brief: A Month of Rain, Immigration in KS House Race, American Idol in KC

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Immigration becomes a pivotal issue in one Kansas race for the House of Representatives.

Yoder is under pressure from the right despite an endorsement from Trump, and he backed away this week from supporting a Democratic proposal to ensure that immigrants fleeing domestic and gang violence can claim asylum.

Democrat Sharice Davids continues to battle GOP ads that say she supports abolishing ICE. She did say that during a liberal podcast interview in July but has disavowed that position, including in a recent television ad.

 

Another incident at another prison in the region.

Crossroads Correctional Center in Cameron is struggling to recover from the May 12 riot. The facility houses about 1,500 medium and maximum security inmates.

“Truly, the Crossroads situation is unprecedented in Missouri,” state Department of Corrections spokeswoman Karen Pojmann wrote in an email. “We have never before faced such utter destruction on the scale that occurred … and I’m not aware of any comparable situation in another state.”

 

Abnormal rain totals quenched the region the last month.

 

American Idol auditions were in Kansas City yesterday.

 

The Brief is a daily roundup from St. Joe Post and around the web. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brief: MO’s Meth; Make Steak in Your Car; Chicks Take a Ride

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Here’s a good rundown of Missouri’s meth and opioid problems.

“It’s much higher, because its being produced at a much higher rate, shipped to the U.S. at a much higher rate and consumed at a much higher rate,” Smith says. “That’s why it still remains our No. 1 threat.”

The Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a coalition of law enforcement groups, had its biggest year ever for meth seizures in 2017, removing more than two tons of meth from the region.

 

Tropical Storm Gordon continues to help drench the area. Rain is in the forecast through Saturday. Temps in the 70s.

The warning runs through Monday morning.

The National Weather Service said, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, the stage was 20.2 feet. Flood stage is 17.0 feet. Minor flooding is occurring and moderate flooding is forecast with the river expected to continue rising to near 21.0 feet by Thursday evening. The river will fall below flood stage late Sunday morning.

 

The fight persists against drivers without headlights in the rain.

 

Baby chicks go on a ride.

One woman suffered minor injuries Wednesday morning when the mail truck she was driving rolled onto its side in north Shawnee Co.

The U.S. Postal Service box truck crashed around 11:30 a.m. in the 6000 block of N US-75. No other vehicles were involved.

 

Finally, AAA of Kansas shows a chef cooking a steak in a hot car. Are you going to try this recipe?

 

The Brief is a daily roundup from St. Joe Post and around the web. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brief: MO Minimum Wage; GOP Endorsement for KS Dems; Floods

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The campaign for minimum wage in Missouri intensifies.

A Washington, D.C.,-based nonprofit cut a $3 million check over the weekend to a political action committee seeking to boost Missouri’s minimum wage to $12 an hour.

The Sixteen Thirty Fund, a dark money nonprofit that isn’t required to reveal its donors, already donated $500,000 last year and $500,000 in May to a PAC called Raise Up Missouri, which collected enough signatures to place a minimum wage hike on the November ballot.

 

Democrat Laura Kelly receives a key endorsement from a former Kansas Republican Governor. Graves says Kelly will bring Republicans and Democrats together to solve problems.

 

There is a flood warning in effect until further notice. Rain is in the forecast for every day and night this week until Saturday.

 

MoDOT continues the fight against those who drive in the rain with no lights.

 

The Brief is a daily roundup from St. Joe Post and around the web. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brief: Sprint Campus for Sale? Dole on McCain, Kansas Kids in Need

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Bob Dole looks back on his time with John McCain.

Dole reflected on their relationship Wednesday and the moment years ago when he revealed his POW memorial to McCain. The Arizona senator, who nominated Dole for president in 1996, died Saturday of brain cancer.

“He was a good, close friend and my hero,” Dole said. “We had a special bond.”

 

Missouri Governor Mike Parson wants to revisit two bills. The bills passed earlier this year.

Parson vetoed a wide-ranging bill that dealt not only with drug treatment courts but also with judicial retirement plans and efforts to clean up abandoned property. In a letter to lawmakers, he said the bill appeared to violate constitutional prohibitions on changing a bill’s original purpose and including multiple subjects.

He also vetoed a bill aimed at boosting computer science among Missouri’s high school students by allowing high school computer science courses to count toward math, science or practical art credits needed for graduation.

…

Parson said he objected to a provision creating an online career awareness program for science, technology, engineering and mathematics professions because the detailed criteria for bidders “appear to be narrowly tailored to apply to only one company.”

 

Kansas has had a bad year for kids in need.

The Kansas agency in charge of child welfare failed to meet 16 standards for keeping children safe and giving them a stable home over the past year.

The Department for Children and Families this week disclosed a report tracking 30 performance measurements. On more than half, the agency’s performance didn’t meet federal and state standards.

The shortfall shows the agency still needs to improve after a year of intense scrutiny that led to changes in leadership and a push for better performance. DCF said it has implemented several initiatives to improve.

 

The Lawrence, KS public library debuts an ambitious kids reading program.

While 1,000 books may sound daunting, Allen noted that most children’s books can be read within five minutes. Any book read to the child also counts toward the goal, she said.

“As soon as you start reading to your kid, as soon as they are born, every single word you speak toward your child counts toward their early literacy skills,” she said.

Readers who participate in the program will be able to track their progress with colorful book logs, which are currently available at the library.

 

Sprint’s campus has 6,000 full-time employees, half the number the campus can support.

Sprint CEO Michel Combes said Wednesday in an email to employees that the company is evaluating potential buyers for its Overland Park, Kansas, campus in a deal that would allow the company to lease back the buildings it needs for its employees.

Under the proposed merger with T-Mobile, the Sprint campus would become the combined company’s secondary headquarters.

 

Missouri Highway Patrol throws it back.

 

The Brief is a daily roundup from St. Joe Post and around the web. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brief: Tofurky Strikes Back, Missouri Lightning Deaths, Verruckt Comes Down

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The National Weather Service reports 17 deaths due to lightning in the United States this year.

The man was fishing. It is the second lightning death in Missouri this year. Lightning struck and killed a 23-year-old man repairing a house roof in Kansas City July 5.

 

A tragic reminder is coming down.

A Kansas judge says crews can begin tearing down a 17-story waterslide on which a 10-year-old boy was decapitated when his raft went airborne.

Delays in taking down the slide had stemmed from disagreements over which parts should be preserved as possible evidence.

Attorneys representing the owners of Schlitterbahn said preliminary deconstruction of Verruckt will start soon. The visible slide will likely start to come down by Nov. 1.

 

How is the sausage made?

Tofurky uses names such as “hot dogs” and “artisan sausage” in its packaging, which is considered “misleading” and illegal under the new Missouri law.

“Plant-based meat products that use such terms like ‘deli slices,’ ‘burger,’ ‘sausages,’ or ‘hot dogs,’ with accompanying qualifying and descriptive language, clearly indicate that the products are plant based and accurately convey to consumers the products’ ingredients,” the lawsuit claims.

 

Tracing a religion:

Thus, the idea of divine glossolalia — the concept of speaking in an unknown language, especially in religious worship — was created and spread around the world by Parham’s many students establishing their own Pentecostal mission.

“In 1906 … Seymour visited Texas, where Parham was then teaching, learned to speak in tongues, and went back to Los Angeles where he headed up a massive revival that is often presented as the birth event of Pentecostalism,” Miller said.

…

“We’re really hoping to examine what made Topeka and Kansas – geographically, religiously, economically, demographically, and socially – the place where Pentecostalism was formed and took hold,” Cecil said. “Many people don’t realize that Kansas is the one state, second to Utah, that has probably been most shaped by religion.”

 

Autumn begins September 22.

 

The Brief is a daily roundup from St. Joe Post and around the web. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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