Jefferson City

Whether you subscribe to the News-Leader online or in print, or pick up a copy at retail, you’ll want to keep an eye out for the special Thanksgiving edition that publishes Wednesday.

The Thanksgiving paper traditionally is one of the largest of the year — if not THE largest — and this year’s edition is both stuffed and delivered a day ahead of the holiday.

On the cover, Greta Cross brings us a story about Jason Wendlandt, a Buffalo travel nurse who survived a life-altering car wreck in the fall of 2022. A year into his recovery, Wendlandt shares how his community and church have supported his family and his goals for the future.

Kelly Dereuck, the News-Leader’s statehouse reporter, also brings thankful news, from Greene County’s legislative delegation. Sen. Lincoln Hough, Rep. Crystal Quade and their colleagues elected to represent Springfield and the Ozarks in Missouri’s General Assembly share what they’re thankful for in the past year and some of their goals — including widely-shared calls for bipartisan collaboration — when they head back to Jefferson City in January.

Other News-Leader reporters bring a cornucopia of news you can use, whether your Thanksgiving plans go right or awry. Need to make a last-minute run to the grocery store because Fido got into the stuffing, or worse, overturned the turkey? Health and food reporter Susan Szuch has lists of which grocery stores and restaurants are open or closed on the holiday, as well as a story with emergency contacts and other handy information for when things really go wrong.

Reporter Marta Mieze, meanwhile, has a story telling you where all the biggest Black Friday sales can be found at major retailers. Check out Friday’s paper for a separate story spotlighting Springfield shops ahead of Small Business Saturday. That’s in addition to the stack of ads, coupons and circulars packed inside.

If you feel the need to get out and stretch your legs (without stretching your wallet too much) Cross has compiled a special list of Thanksgiving things to do, from Springfield’s Turkey Trot to karoake to horseback riding.

If you’d rather sit inside with a warm drink and the paper, there will be plenty there for you in a special, 12-page broadsheet section packed with puzzles and games, including a giant, two-page crossword that’s in addition to the half-page crossword in the main section. Other contents include recipes, kids coloring activities and games, gift guides, holiday movies and music to stream and more.

You’ll find a bounty of other great stories and content throughout the week online and in print. Monday and Tuesday include stories about non-traditional Thanksgiving celebrations and recipes, in addition to promising news about progress at Springfield Public Schools, an exciting restaurant expansion and a story from freelancer Juliana Goodwin that involves road-tripping and Bob Dylan.

To allow News-Leader staff to spend time with their families and celebrate the holidays, there will be no print edition Thursday, but there will be an e-Newspaper on the website that morning, along with online coverage of Springfield’s iconic Turkey Trot and more. And be sure to grab next Sunday’s News-Leader, where we’ll launch the 2023 Share Your Christmas effort in partnership with Crosslines. It’s one of my favorite projects to be involved with every year as the folks in the Ozarks show their generous spirit in support of neighbors in need.

As always, you can find breaking news at News-Leader.com, where you can sign up for our email newsletters and news alerts to deliver the latest information straight to your inbox.

In the meantime, we here at the News-Leader wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Thank you all for reading and supporting the pursuit of truly independent news, “without fear or favor,” in our community. ‘Tis a privilege.

Amos Bridges is editor-in-chief of the News-Leader.

Originally Appeared Here

Cope Grass Farm was joined by partners as they were announced as the 2023 Missouri Leopold Conservation Award recipient on November 17 during the Missouri Governor’s Conference on Agriculture in Osage Beach. In Missouri, the award is presented annually by Sand County Foundation, American Farmland Trust, Missouri Farmers Care Foundation, Missouri Soybean Association and Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, Missouri Corn Merchandising Council, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and numerous agriculture and conservation partners. (Courtesy Photo)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Cope Grass Farm of Truxton, located in Montgomery County, Mo., has been selected as the recipient of the 2023 Missouri Leopold Conservation Award®. The award honors farmers, ranchers and forestland owners who go above and beyond to manage soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land.

“In agriculture, our greatest resource is the land, and as farmers, it is our duty to be good stewards of that land for future generations,” said Aaron Porter, chairman of the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council. “Sustainability is one of the top priorities for our organization, and it’s outstanding to see the spotlight on farm families who are truly living the example of stewardship.”

Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust present the Leopold Conservation Award to private landowners in 27 states. In Missouri, the award is presented with the Missouri Farmers Care Foundation, Missouri Corn Merchandising Council, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

“The Missouri Corn Merchandising Council congratulates Cope Grass Farm for being awarded the 2023 Leopold Conservation Award,” says MCMC Chairman Matt Lambert, a corn farmer from Laclede, Mo., and previous Leopold Conservation Award recipient. “The Cope family are proven thought leaders. The research and hard work they’ve done has proven what works best for their family’s operation while improving soil health and conservation methods. We value the role this award has in highlighting the state’s farmers and hope it inspires others to continue making positive advancements for the next generation.”

Given in honor of conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners whose dedication to environmental improvement inspires others. In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold advocated for “a land ethic,” an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.

“Leopold Conservation Award recipients are examples of how Aldo Leopold’s land ethic is alive and well today,” said Kevin McAleese, Sand County Foundation President and CEO. “Their dedication to conservation shows how individuals can improve the health of the land while producing food and fiber.”

Harry Cope and his family received the award during the Missouri Governor’s Conference on Agriculture in Osage Beach on Nov. 17.

“Harry is an innovative farmer and rancher who is willing to share his conservation story with neighbors, agency staff, or any group wanting to learn more about the Cope Grass Farm operation,” said Ashley Johnson, NRCS Missouri Acting State Conservationist. “Whether it is the diversity of conservation practices applied, seed mixes for cover crops and forage plantings, or his pioneering resource management, Harry strives to promote soil health, manage diverse native warm- and cool-season forages, and improve wildlife habitat on all acres of his farm.”

An independent panel of agriculture and conservation leaders reviewed the applications for the award, which comes with a $10,000 cash prize.

“As the national sponsor for Sand County Foundation’s Leopold Conservation Award, American Farmland Trust celebrates the hard work and dedication of the Cope family,” said John Piotti, AFT President and Chief Executive Officer. “At AFT, we believe that conservation in agriculture requires a focus on the land, the practices and the people and this award recognizes the integral role of all three.”

ABOUT COPE GRASS FARM

Cope Grass Farm was established in 1990 with a focus on rotational grazing cattle, sheep and hogs. Today, it’s a partnership between Harry and his daughter Sabrina Cope who heads up marketing for the farm.

A recent audit by the National Audubon Society documented more than 100 species of birds at Cope Grass Farm, one of just seven Missouri farms to receive Audubon’s “Bird Friendly Beef” certification. The audit showed a 30 percent increase in bird species in just three years, including the Henslow’s Sparrow, a species in population decline. Harry Cope sees this as a reflection of his stewardship philosophy and the farm’s ecological health.

During the farm’s evolution, Harry planted some 350 acres of pastureland with a mix of native grasses and forbs. Today, innovative grazing practices coupled with deep-rooted vegetation keep pastures lush, even during drought. That diversity of plant life might include what others would call weeds, but in light of his goals, Harry knows that the diverse mix of forbs brings pollinators, wildlife, and biodiversity—including the Monarch butterflies that are drawn to the farm’s multiple species of milkweed.

Aside from his focus on perennial forage, the Copes graze livestock on milo and cover crops. Grazing standing milo during winter reduces need for hay and cuts labor and equipment costs. Plus, as one of the principles of soil health, incorporating livestock into cropland benefits both the animal and the next crop.

The Copes use another innovative alternative to growing hay—micro-greens. This nutritious approach uses barley seeds placed in six-foot trays and watered for three minutes every hour. After six days, the tray looks like vibrant green turf. Loaded with minerals, sugars, and carbohydrates, the cattle love it.

To address the potential for soil erosion on the rolling farm, the Copes build terraces and grassed waterways, and they use cover crops and no-till practices. Cover crops include sunflowers, turnips, buckwheat, oats, and barley, all of which help improve the soil’s ability to cycle nutrients and infiltrate water.

The health and vitality of the 500 acres of woodlands at Cope Grass Farm is also important to Harry and his family. In the fall, oak trees drop acorns that turn into to a feed source for pigs. Grazing pigs are fitted with nose rings that discourage them from rooting, which would damage the forest floor, but still allow them to forage freely. The Copes employ rotational grazing in the woods to maximize the natural feed source and control the time the pigs are in one spot. Meanwhile, the family thins out certain trees with the help of a certified forester to improve the timber stand and create better habitat for wildlife and bats.

On the farm ground he rents, Harry maintains close relationships with landlords by showing them how conservation practices benefit their land. When margins narrowed for beef producers, Harry and Sabrina decided to sell beef directly to consumers to help the public understand how food is raised. He says this type of interaction is how people will come to understand that cattle can thrive in the same fields as quail, meadowlarks, and the Henslow’s Sparrow.

Aside from perfecting practices on his farm, Harry consults with young and beginning farmers on how to manage their grazing systems. He has hosted several field days to promote grazing and is a member of the Missouri Forage and Grassland Council Board. In fact, as a highly effective communicator and educator, Harry is considered by some to be one of Missouri’s best conservation ambassadors. His uncommon ability to engage people from all walks of life allows him to show others how agriculture and conservation can be compatible.

The Leopold Conservation Award Program in Missouri is made possible thanks to the generous support of American Farmland Trust, Missouri Farmers Care Foundation, Missouri Corn Merchandising Council, Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, Sand County Foundation, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, FCS Financial, MFA, Inc., Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, Missouri Fertilizer Control Board, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Missouri Soil and Water Conservation Program, Missouri’s Electric Cooperatives, The Nature Conservancy in Missouri, and McDonald’s.

For more information on the award, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org.

— Missouri Farmers Care

Originally Appeared Here

JEFFERSON CITY — A challenge to a new photo ID requirement for Missouri voters focused Friday on the difficulty some residents have in obtaining the necessary records.

In the first day of testimony in a Cole County courtroom, lawyers for plaintiffs in the case questioned witness Sara Ruiz, director of St. Louis-based Ashrei Foundation. The group’s North City Photo ID Project helps people obtain IDs.

Ruiz said that in her role, it was “shocking to me” how cumbersome it was to obtain Missouri IDs and underlying documents such as birth certificates.

She recalled a client whose vehicle had allegedly been stolen “and had nothing,” including no photo ID.

The director said the woman was borrowing a friend’s cellphone, that she had recently relocated from Philadelphia, and that her family’s phone numbers were on her cellphone, which had been stolen with her vehicle.

State lawyers objected to the account, calling it hearsay, but Cole County Presiding Judge Jon Beetem overruled the motion.

Ruiz said for the woman to obtain a birth certificate, she needed a photo ID, or, alternatively, two documents with her name on them.

“Coming up with two things with your name on it when you don’t have any possessions at all is really challenging,” Ruiz said.

The Missouri League of Women Voters, NAACP and three voters are suing to overturn the law.

Plaintiffs initially challenged the law last year, arguing the new law made casting ballots unconstitutionally difficult for some voters.

Beetem dismissed the previous case in October 2022, finding neither of the two voter plaintiffs then “alleged a specific, concrete, non-speculative injury or legally protectable interest in challenging the photo ID requirement.”

The Missouri ACLU and Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, who sued on behalf of the plaintiffs, have since added another voter to the lawsuit and asked Beetem again to find the voter ID requirement unconstitutional.

The new law requires voters to show photo identification to cast a regular ballot.

People without a government-issued photo ID can cast provisional ballots to be counted if they return later that day with a photo ID or if election officials verify their signatures.

The law requires the state to provide a free photo identification card to those lacking one to vote.

The newest plaintiff in the case is John O’Connor, a 90-year-old Columbia, Missouri, resident with poor vision who needs help walking. When the law took effect last year, O’Connor had an expired passport and driver’s license, which are not acceptable forms of identification to vote under state law.

His lawyers argued he eventually obtained a non-driver’s license with the help of his wife, but only because officials accepted his expired driver’s license despite guidance from the state Revenue Department that long-expired licenses are not acceptable records to use when seeking new IDs.

“Even when a voter obtains the underlying documentation, voters who lack transportation, cannot get to the DMV or other government agencies during their hours of operation, or have a disability or impairment that prevents them from accessing a DMV, the voter is still unable to surmount the burdens to obtaining a photo ID,” the plaintiffs’ lawyers wrote in a pretrial brief.

Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office is defending the law in court. The state lawyers argue that, so far, no one has been turned away at the polls because of the law.

Missouri provides free non-driver’s licenses for voting to those who do not already have a driver’s license or have a current license. The health department’s Bureau of Vital Records provides free birth certificates to those seeking their first non-driver’s license in order to vote if the applicant does not have a current driver’s license.

“There is not a severe burden on the right to vote as the State has gone to great lengths to help voters obtain IDs,” Bailey wrote in a court brief.

The trial was scheduled to continue next week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, signed a wave of election changes that includes a photo ID requirement for casting a ballot and limits on people who register voters.

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Originally Appeared Here

JEFFERSON CITY — St. Louis officials say they will work “aggressively” to secure state funds for new international flights from St. Louis Lambert International Airport.

They’ll be competing with boosters in Kansas City, who also want in on the action. 

State legislators and Gov. Mike Parson this year set aside $5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to help sweeten the deal for airlines considering direct international flights from Missouri.

The $5 million now available from the Missouri Department of Economic Development is for a minimum revenue guarantee to airlines for new international flights. 

With limited funds, and both cities expected to apply, neither may ultimately land enough state support to cover the entire cost of luring a route — meaning local matching funds could also play a role in drawing any new flights.

In St. Louis, since June 2022, Lufthansa has offered direct service from Lambert to Frankfurt. An incentive package by local officials helped St. Louis land its first direct passenger service to Europe since 2003.

Kansas City currently has no direct passenger flight service to Europe.

Kansas City, which is a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, is also home to a new airport terminal.

Sen. Greg Razer, a Kansas City Democrat and member of the Senate Transportation Committee, said it would be “fantastic” to have international service in place for the 2026 games.

“We need to get people here efficiently,” he said.

Only nonprofits are eligible to apply for the funds, so Greater St. Louis Inc. and the Kansas City Area Development Council were expected to submit proposals.

“We will aggressively pursue any and all tools that will give us a competitive advantage in attracting new international air service, including the state of Missouri’s international flight program,” Jason Hall, CEO of Greater St. Louis Inc., said Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said “we plan to apply and are working with” the Kansas City Area Development Council on a proposal.

Winning a grant award involves a two-step application process, according to the state.

State guidance says a request for proposal should be submitted to the Department of Economic Development once prospective applicants engage an airline and are ready to enter negotiations.

Information sought in the state’s request for proposals includes the name of the airline and the proposed route and award amount, a description of the need and likely demand for the potential flight, potential effects on the community and state, as well as information to “explain sustainability after the Program has ended.”

The Department of Economic Development will then issue a proposal and enter negotiations with the applicant. After the applicant accepts the state’s proposal, both parties will sign a grant agreement.

The state said it would accept applications until all the money has been allocated or no later than July 31.

Frankfurt flight

Lufthansa was offered up to $5 million in subsidies over two years if it maintained an average of three daily flights from Lambert to Frankfurt, the Post-Dispatch reported in 2021.

The St. Louis County Port Authority and the regional economic development group Greater St. Louis Inc. each pledged $2.5 million.

Members of Greater St. Louis that contributed to the effort included the Centene, Emerson, Enterprise Holdings (now Enterprise Mobility), Hunter Engineering, Hermann Companies, Nestlé Purina PetCare, and the William T. Kemper Foundation, tied to the family behind Commerce Bank.

Lufthansa was paid $1.9 million for the first year of the agreement, between June 2022 and May 2023, said Tim Nowak, executive director of the World Trade Center St. Louis, the entity that signed the deal with Lufthansa. The agreement ends in June 2024.

The Post-Dispatch reported in August that Lufthansa was considering expanding its thrice-weekly service to five or seven days per week.

A Lufthansa official said at the time the nine-hour flight was well above the financial break-even point.

Christina Semmel, spokeswoman for Lufthansa, said in an email Thursday that “We are absolutely keen to expand the service to more days per week.”

“We are evaluating this prospect and determining what is the right timing to do this,” she said.

Semmel said she was unable to answer a question about whether additional financial support would be necessary to continue the route at the end of the current agreement.

“By all expectations, the route will continue to be highly successful after the incentive program ends,” said Tony Wyche, spokesman for Greater St. Louis.

St. Louis airport chief Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge said in February that Lambert was in constant negotiations for European carriers and state money could only help bring more flights to the region.

Between July 1, 2022 and June 30 more than 65,000 passengers flew into and out of St. Louis through the route, according to an airport official.

The thrice-weekly outbound flights were around 86% full during their first 11 months, said Hamm-Niebruegge.

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Originally Appeared Here

“Veterans need a voice in the Governor’s Office, and Mike Kehoe is that voice. He has always stood with Missouri service members and their families, and will continue to as our next governor,” said Veterans for Kehoe Co-Chairs, Major General Cassie Strom and Master Sergeant Michael Harris. “Mike understands the sacrifices of those who serve, and Missouri veterans can trust him to have their backs.”

Veterans for Kehoe is the second grassroots coalition the campaign has launched, following the Farmers and Rancher for Kehoe announcement in August.

“I am humbled to receive the support of Missouri veterans and their families,” said Kehoe. “Claudia and I have a great appreciation for our nation’s veterans, and we can never truly repay them for their sacrifices for our freedom. As governor, I’ll ensure that Missouri leads the nation as a veteran-friendly state where we care for the men and women who have served.”

Veterans for Kehoe Co-Chairs

Major General Cassie Strom

Major General Cassie A. Strom retired in 2015 as the Air National Guard Assistant to The Judge Advocate General. In this position, she was the principal advisor and liaison to The Judge Advocate General of the Air Force on Air National Guard legal matters and provided leadership, strategic planning, and management of the Air National Guard Judge Advocate program. She deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina twice and worked a variety of international peacekeeping exercises, served in the Department of Defense Office of General Counsel in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and acted as the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, United States Transportation Command. 

On the civilian side, Strom established the Veterans Advocacy Project under Catholic Legal Assistance Ministry at Saint Louis University Law School, which provides the greater St. Louis area homeless and lower-income Veteran community with legal representation to remove the legal barriers to obtaining housing, employment, and benefits. Strom is involved with various veteran organizations in Missouri, including the Jefferson Barracks Heritage Foundation, the Missouri Veterans Hall of Fame, and the Gateway Community Veterans Engagement Board. She is a member of The American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Strom is a graduate of the University of Kansas, Creighton Law School, and the American Graduate School of International Management. 

Master Sergeant Michael Harris 

Michael Harris enlisted into the Missouri Army National Guard in May 1984 and retired in January 2007, obtaining the rank of Master Sergeant. Harris served with communications and engineer units throughout Southeast Missouri during his career. He deployed to Iraq in June 2005 and served as the noncommissioned officer in charge with the United States Army Corps of Engineers at the Logistical Support Area Anaconda located near Balad, Iraq. Harris completed active duty in June 2006, earning an Iraqi Freedom Campaign Medal, the Overseas Service Ribbon, two Overseas Services bars, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, a Combat Action Badge, and a Bronze Star Medal. 

In addition, Harris has served multiple terms with a variety of not-for-profit boards and committees aimed at improving the quality of life for Missouri residents. A few of those organizations include the Southeast Missouri State University Foundation Board (past president), Mission Missouri, Missouri Bootheel Regional Consortium, Sikeston City Council, and local chapters of the Lions Club, the American Legion, Habitat for Humanity, and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Harris currently serves as the pastor of the Open-Door Fellowship Ministries in Sikeston. In 2022, he was inducted into the Missouri Veterans Hall of Fame. Harris is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State with a B.S. and an M.S.A.

Originally Appeared Here

BY SHEILA HARRIS sheilaharrisads@gmail.com

“Why is the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) allowing Denali Water Solutions to operate illegally in Missouri?”

The question was posed repeatedly by the overflow crowd at Fairview Friday night after a presentation by environmental attorney Stephen Jeffery, who serves as legal counsel for SLUDGE (Stop Land Use Damaging our Ground and Environment).

The SLUDGE-hosted chili supper and informational event in the John Q. Hammons Community Center, where Jeffery spoke, was for the purpose of educating the public about the citizen group’s lawsuit filed against the DNR in Cole County Circuit Court on Oct. 29. The DNR, the group alleges, is allowing Denali Water Solutions — a global waste recycling business — to operate illegally in Missouri by not forcing them to obtain the solid waste permits they say that Missouri law requires.

Friday night’s standing-room-only event drew some 200 residents from Newton and McDonald Counties, including Missouri State Sen. Jill Carter, R-Granby, and State Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, and State Rep. Dirk Deaton, R-Noel. Newton County Commissioner Daniel Swem was also in attendance.

After a warm welcome and a brief presentation by SLUDGE members Vallerie Steele, Taryn Tyler, Korrie Bateman and Adam Perriman, characterizing the types of ingredients in the Denali storage basins located near Fairview and Longview, Jeffery took the lectern, where he enumerated and defined the reasons behind SLUDGE’s allegation that the DNR is failing to uphold Missouri’s Solid Waste Law.

“Solid waste, according to the DNR’s definition, is ‘garbage, refuse and other discarded materials, including solid and semi-solid waste from industrial, commercial, agricultural, governmental and domestic activities,’” Jeffery said. “The ingredients Denali told the DNR that it’s dumping into its two southwest Missouri storage basins include ‘organic solids, semi-solid residues, flocculated solids, animal fats, vegetable oils and grease collected from food and animal processing.”

The ingredients on Denali’s list, Jeffery said, are remarkably similar to the DNR’s own definition of solid waste, and, as such, should require Solid Waste permits from its handlers.

“In Arkansas, Denali possesses 250 operating permits under the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) of ‘Refuse Systems,’ he said.

Jeffery said on its own website, Denali labels itself as a “Waste Disposal and Recycling Business.”

In Missouri, though, Jeffery said Denali classifies itself as a “Soil Preparation” industry, a distinction which may have played a part in allowing the company to operate in Missouri for multiple years with only fertilizer permits issued by the Missouri Fertilizer Control Board (MoFCB). Those fertilizer permits exempted Denali from DNR oversight, although it was still subject to the regulations of the Missouri Clean Water Law.

The days of fertilizer exemptions for Denali, Synagro and several other industries operating in Missouri ended on June 30 of this year, when the MoFCB opted not to renew their fertilizer permits, stating that a fertilizer permit was unnecessary for companies who didn’t charge farmers for the land application of their waste. Denali and Synagro, another company land-applying waste in southwest Missouri, immediately filed suit against the MoFCB also in Cole County Circuit Court, alleging that the Board violated the Missouri Fertilizer Law. They are asking a judge to rule in their favor and reinstate their fertilizer permits.

Without the fertilizer permits, Jeffery said Denali and Synagro are currently operating in a legal vacuum under what the DNR calls its “enforcement discretion.” Such discretion is purely arbitrary and violates the law, alleges Jeffery.

Denali, Jeffery said, has submitted operating applications to the DNR for five sites in Missouri; three of those applications — including for its southwest Missouri storage basins — are for a water permit under the Missouri Clean Water Law, where there would be no accountability to the DNR unless violations of that law were to occur.

“Why would a solid waste company want to avoid obtaining a solid waste permit, and, instead, obtain a water permit?” he asked.

The answer involves time and money, Jeffery said, and lots of both.

Jeffery explained that under the Missouri Solid Waste Law applicants are required to meet several requirements. They must conduct a preliminary site investigation – which includes examinations of soil types and the geological features of what lies below the surface of the land (springs, fault lines, etc.); they must submit a detailed site investigation work plan and a geologic and hydrologic site characterization report; they must obtain construction permits (for basins or other facilities); and they must obtain an operating permit.

“The whole process could take up to five years,” Jeffery said.

The extensive requirements and costs associated with the acquisition of solid waste permits could prove to be a deterrent to Denali and other companies, he said.

The purpose of SLUDGE’s lawsuit against the DNR is to force the state agency to uphold the law by requiring that Denali obtain solid waste permits and to cease its operations until it does.

Jeffery believes the DNR’s reaction to a similar suit filed in Cole County on behalf of Citizens of Randolph County (CRAP) is interesting.

“Instead of [the DNR] stopping and saying, ‘Hey, maybe the citizens of Missouri have a valid argument, and maybe we should rethink this,’ they asked the judge to throw the case out,” Jeffery said.

Randolph County is located in northeast Missouri, where Denali constructed a 15-million-gallon storage basin which has not yet been filled.

Carter finds the Randolph County suit interesting as well.

“Randolph County’s situation broadens the perspective to a state issue, not just a local one here in our area,” she said.

Deaton said he understands fighting battles on a local level.

“This issue isn’t about a particular company, though,” he said. “It goes beyond that. Several years ago, before the company mentioned tonight came on the scene, there was another company committing similar violations in McDonald County. That issue didn’t get much attention, because the storage basins hadn’t been installed in the area yet. If the company talked about tonight wasn’t around, it would be somebody else.”

Deaton encouraged those in attendance to report every incident or suspected violation they see to the DNR and their legislators.

“These things accumulate and catch attention,” he said.

Deaton also encouraged residents to show up in Jefferson City for public hearings regarding legislation.

“When people show up, we notice,” he said.“I don’t want to do anything to harm legitimate agriculture, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to do business, and when a company is not acting in a neighborly way, something needs to change.”

Prior to the legislature’s January session, Deaton said he, along with other members of the House, hopes to introduce some prospective legislative changes regarding the way the DNR conducts business.

The question was asked again: “Why is the DNR allowing Denali to operate illegally?”

Nobody answered.

Deaton did, however, offer a brief Civics 101 refresher.

“The DNR is part of the Executive branch of Missouri’s government,” he said. “It’s Governor Mike Parson’s DNR.”

According to Ballotpedia, during Mike Parson’s Missouri senatorial tenure from 2011-2017, he supported the passage of Missouri’s controversial “Right to Farm,” a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment which passed by a slim margin in 2014. The amendment was sponsored by former State Rep. Bill Reinholdt, who was previously presiding commissioner of Newton County.

Supporters of the “Right to Farm” amendment argued that it would protect farmers from out-of-state business interests.

In practice, among other “rights,” the amendment has paved the way for a law protecting large commercial agricultural enterprises from “nuisance suits.”

While a state senator, Gov. Parson sat on the Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources Committee from 2011-2015. During that time, a law proposing the organization of the Missouri Fertilizer Control Board was introduced by fellow committee member from Clay County, Brian Munzlinger, which became effective Aug. 28, 2016.

By year ending June 2018, according to Cause IQ, the fertilizer board had received grants and contributions pushing $2 million and had a balance, after expenses, of more than $1 million.

With MoFCB-issued fertilizer permits in hand, businesses were exempted from DNR oversight.

Parson assumed the governorship of Missouri in May 2018, after Eric Greitens vacated the office. Parson was then elected at the ballot box in 2020.

Since 2018, four Denali storage basins have been constructed in Missouri without permits or oversight from the DNR: the organization charged with protecting Missouri’s outdoor resources.

Originally Appeared Here

JEFFERSON CITY — As Missouri spends millions of dollars to upgrade its outdated computer systems, a less high-tech threat is challenging state officials.

With the unpredictable Missouri River flowing just a few low-lying blocks to the north, Gov. Mike Parson’s administration wants to relocate its central computing office somewhere less flood-prone.

Parson, as part of a more than $15 million budget request to the Legislature, is proposing to move the digital heartbeat of state government out of the first floor of the Harry S. Truman Office Building to higher ground.

“If disaster strikes or equipment malfunctions, the state risks losing its stored data and may not be able to get applications up and running in an appropriate time period,” the budget request notes.

At issue is “failover capability,” which would give the state the ability to seamlessly switch to a reliable backup system in the event of a flood or other emergency.

According to the proposal, the state does not currently have full failover capability of all of its applications, which run everything from the motor vehicle licensing system to payroll for 50,000 state employees.

The Office of Administration, which manages state operations for the executive branch, says the facility has been at risk during previous flooding.

“The current facility has not been forced to fully close due to natural disaster but had been partially evacuated in 1993 when water was under the floor and needed to be continually pumped out. Equipment was shut down and temporarily relocated until flooding subsided,” administration spokesman Chris Moreland told the Post-Dispatch Tuesday.

In 2019, flood water was within six inches of the data center walls.

“The site remains at risk unless moved to an alternative location. If the data center is impacted it could have catastrophic consequences on the data stored at that site,” the request notes. “This would result in loss of services to citizens and customers.”

The request does not mention human-caused climate change and subsequent severe weather as a factor in seeking a new home for the servers and other equipment.

But state officials have taken steps to address increased flooding in the region.

The Department of Conservation, for example, has altered its approach to managing the Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area north of St. Louis to account for higher water levels.

The department also recently moved to raise the price of certain permits, citing increased costs of goods and services and also “more frequent” flood and drought events.

Conservation Department spokesman Joe Jerek said the state isn’t pointing to climate change as the reason.

“We are not climate experts so we cannot determine what is causing more frequent extreme weather events. Based on extreme weather events that have happened over the past 10 years or so, we expect them to continue over the long term,” Jerek said.

Parson also has acknowledged the effects of weather on the state’s economy. Last year, he lobbied for the creation of a new office designed to improve the state’s ability to predict and monitor floods and drought in Missouri.

The Office of Administration also says the computing facility is 40 years old and needs an overhaul. Officials say it is cheaper to move than to upgrade the current space.

“The cost to upgrade the existing equipment and infrastructure in the primary data center is approximately $25 million, which is more expensive than moving the data center out of the current location to a new location,” the agency said.

Moreland didn’t identify where the facility might be moved, but the state owns various office buildings and leases other space throughout the capital city.

To jumpstart the process, the office is asking lawmakers for an initial investment of $15 million in next year’s budget, as well as $2.8 million for a lease on a secondary data center site.

Once moved, the department wants to hire 12 new workers for a Disaster Recovery and Automation Team.

“The completion of this project will enhance the state’s ability to protect citizens’ data and ensure that the State is able to bring back applications expeditiously in the event of equipment failures and or disasters,” the budget request added.

Webster Groves backs away from flood buyouts for some properties

Plocher still in charge after House GOP caucus. He names former speaker as his chief of staff.

Metro East county considers joining Missouri. Illinois AG says no.

A fly over homes along Wilson Avenue in University City as seen from a drone on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. The homes on the right side of Wilson Avenue were bought out years ago because of flooding. This summer’s flooding on the River Des Peres prompted University City to consider if federally-funded buyouts of homes on the left side of the street should also be offered. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com

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Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher’s new chief of staff is a former legislative leader whose political career was upended more than a decade ago by a federal bribery investigation and allegations of violent sexual assault.

On Thursday, Plocher announced to a closed-door Republican caucus that Rod Jetton will take over as his top legislative aide. Jetton was elected to the Missouri House in 2000 and served four terms, playing a key role in the GOP capturing a majority in 2002 and rising to become House speaker in 2005.

He is joining Plocher’s office as the speaker faces an ethics committee inquiry into allegations of misconduct and calls for him to resign from his fellow Republicans.

Neither Plocher nor Jetton spoke to reporters waiting outside the Missouri Farm Bureau building in Jefferson City where the GOP caucus met last week. Republicans who spoke about the choice after the meeting said they see Jetton’s story as one of redemption and that his past is history that does not impact his ability to do the job.

“My feeling is that Rod Jetton was a great former speaker, he made a series of very bad mistakes, and he took action to correct them,” Majority Floor Leader Jonathan Patterson of Lee’s Summit said. “He’s paid his debt to society. And he is really a story of, of resilience and kind of making amends in life. I think we see the good in that. And I do think it’s unfortunate that people will always want to bring out the worst things that you’ve ever done.”

Democratic Floor Leader Crystal Quade of Springfield, however, said Jetton’s past disqualifies him from the post.

“The speaker’s hiring of a man who pleaded guilty to assault for hitting and choking a woman during a sexual encounter is a gross affront to domestic violence survivors,” Quade said in a statement issued Thursday afternoon. “An admitted abuser of women has no business holding a position of influence in the Missouri House, and his hiring marks a failure of both judgment and leadership by the speaker. Missourians deserve better.”

Jetton was arguably the most powerful politician in Missouri before his personal and political life cratered soon after term limits drove him from office in 2009.

He was charged with felony assaultfollowing a sexual encounter where he was accused of drugging, hitting and choking a woman to the point of unconsciousness. He eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was placed on probation.

The booking photos of former Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton after he was charged with felony assault in 2009.

In 2010, a federal grand jury investigated whether a $35,000 political contribution from the adult entertainment industry was linked to Jetton’s decision as speaker to send legislation regulating the industry to a committee whose chairman opposed it.

Jetton was notified he was a target of an investigation involving bribery, mail fraud and conspiracy, though he denied any wrongdoing. The statute of limitations expired without an indictment.

After stepping out of the political spotlight, Jetton was open about his fall from grace as he launched new pursuits.

He briefly returned to the statehouse as co-founder of the Missouri Times and a pseudo consulting firm in 2012. Two years later he released a book called “Success Can Kill You” about his life, telling St. Louis Public Radio that he hoped it would “maybe be a warning to people: Don’t make these mistakes.”

In 2022, he was once again working for state government when he was hired by the Missouri Department of Revenue. He most recently served as deputy director of the department’s motor vehicles and drivers’ license division.

Jetton takes over the job as chief of staff at a precarious time for Plocher.

Plocher is facing calls to resign from his fellow Republicans over revelations that he filed false expense reports with the legislature going back to 2018 seeking reimbursement for costs already paid for by his campaign.

Submitting false expense reports could be prosecuted as stealing from the state, a class A misdemeanor. It could also be considered false declaration, a class B misdemeanor that involves knowingly submitting any written false statement. The House speaker could also have run afoul of laws prohibiting campaign contributions from being converted to personal use.

Plocher began repaying the reimbursements two weeks after The Independent submitted a Sunshine request seeking his expense reports, blaming the problem on a “checkbook error.”

He was already facing scrutiny — drawing the attention of federal law enforcement — over his push to convince the House to spend $800,000 to hire a private company to manage constituent information. Nonpartisan staff accused Plocher of illegal and unethical conduct in pursuit of the contract, including threatening the employment of the chief clerk.

In the midst of the swirling scandals, Plocher fired his chief of staff, who had served in the position for the previous three Republican speakers. His general counsel submitted a letter of resignation last week.

The Missouri House Ethics Committee helda second hearing about Plocher on Wednesday, which included discussion of a newly filed complaint against the speaker by another lawmaker alleging “ethical misconduct.”

The committee will hold future hearings, said Chair Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, but no date has been set.

This story was originally published by the Missouri Independent, part of the States Newsroom. The Independent’s Rudi Keller contributed to this report.

Originally Appeared Here

Takeaways:

• Developers are proposing a landfill site in south Kansas City, near the border of Raymore and Lee’s Summit.
• A city-commissioned needs study found that regional landfills are at 67% capacity.
• Local residents started a political action committee raise money to oppose the landfill through the General Assembly.
• Lawmakers sponsoring legislation to block the landfill are confident their bills will pass in 2024, after failing in 2023.

Subdivisions, restaurants and retail shops pop up around Lee’s Summit and Raymore amid rising property values as single-family homes spread across what was farmland just a few years ago.

But residents say a proposed 430-acre landfill could threaten that growth.

And they’ve rallied together to block it — raising money and deploying lobbyists to get a state law change that eluded them last year.

The proposed site inside the Kansas City limits sits across the street from some homes. It is less than a mile from a 1,300-home neighborhood in Raymore and 2 miles from an elementary school in Lee’s Summit.

So residents along that south edge of Kansas City have organized to block the landfill that they say could erode their property values and threaten their health.

And they say they’re motivated by what feels like a lack of candor from the owners of the company proposing the landfill.

“We were going to need more than writing letters and making phone calls,” said Jennifer Phanton, treasurer of Kill the Fill PAC. “We would need to unite as a community.”

Politicians and lobbyists at the Statehouse say Missouri has rarely seen so many people become so active over legislation targeted for a narrow geographic area — to keep something out of their collective backyard.

A map featured on Kill The Fill’s website illustrates the proposed landfill site in south Kansas City. (killthefill.org)

Kansas City passed a moratorium on new landfill construction that lasts until June 1, 2024. A Kansas City-commissioned study found that regional landfills are currently at 67% capacity. In the meantime, opponents of burying the city’s garbage in the area have begun lobbying state lawmakers to update a law that would make it harder to channel that solid waste to the site.

One state law requires Kansas City to get approval from cities within half a mile from a proposed landfill. Lawmakers and residents want that barrier stretched to a full mile — effectively blocking the possibility of a landfill at the site in south Kansas City.

Grassroots Kansas City landfill opposition

A Facebook group — now sporting nearly 4,500 members — marked the first step in blocking the landfill. The group shares updates and prompts people to help in the anti-landfill campaign with things like testifying in Jefferson City for the law change.

During the spring legislative session, state Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican, and state Rep. Mike Haffner, a Republican from Pleasant Hill, both sponsored bills that would give Kansas City suburbs the right to increase their buffer from any landfill to a full mile.

Nearly 500 people submitted testimony opposing the landfill last spring for identical legislation in the Missouri House and Senate. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have said that the effort marks one of the most successful examples of grassroots organizing they’ve seen.

“They have worked their tails off, gone nonstop trying to raise money, raise awareness,” Brattin said. “(It’s) unlike anything that I’ve seen since I’ve been in the legislature.”

Phanton, who lives in Grandview, had never been involved with politics before. The same was true for many of those she was working with to block the landfill.

“When it comes to threatening your homes, you will go to any lengths to protect your investment and your children,” Phanton said. “This is new for all of us.”

But after spending some time in the Capitol, Phanton realized that it would take more than testifying. The owners of KC Recycle & Waste Solutions, Jennifer and Aden Monheiser, hired at least 17 lobbyists in Jefferson City. Raymore, the city leading the opposition, had three.

The bill broadening the barrier between suburbs and a Kansas City landfill passed the House almost unanimously. Then Republican state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, who represents a district south of St. Louis, blocked a vote on the legislation with a filibuster.

“I do not support the government picking winners and losers in the private sector,” Coleman said at the time. “We should have a serious policy discussion about setting standards for what the rules should be regarding where landfills should be based on actual environmental impacts.”

Brattin and other senators filibustered budget bills in response. Eventually, the dueling filibusters ended after Brattin and other members cut a deal with Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican, and Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, a Columbia Republican.

But the show of force against changing landfill statutes showed Phanton something: Testimony wasn’t enough.

That meant raising money. And a lot of it. She started a political action committee to hire lobbyists. She tapped the network on Facebook and since then Kill the Fill PAC has raised over $135,000 from more than 740 donors — enough to retain a lobbying firm run by former Missouri House Speaker Steven Tilley.

Lee’s Summit Democratic state Rep. Kemp Strickler said getting a bill to the floor in the state Senate can require help from Capitol insiders.

“To get stuff through the Senate, it takes something additional — the rules are sort of different on that side,” he said. “I don’t know if it’ll be effective or not, but I think there’s so much on the line that I understand why this would be an additional attempt to try to get the attention of some lawmakers.”

The bill had bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. The bill failing in 2023 despite that support is indicative of a larger problem in Jefferson City, Pleasant Hill’s Haffner said.

“The question I get asked all the time is, ‘Why couldn’t you take care of this last year?’” Haffner said. “And it just goes to show the dysfunction that takes place within Jefferson City.”

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How lawmakers plan to kill the fill in 2024

Part of the deal Brattin cut with O’Laughlin and Rowden last spring included a pledge that legislation blocking the landfill would be one of the first to make it to the Senate floor in the 2024 session.

As the metro-area delegation worked to raise the issue in the Capitol in 2023, Brattin acknowledged that many lawmakers in the Capitol were unaware of the proposed landfill and parts of state law geared specifically to Kansas City. When combined with the Senate leader’s promise to bring the bill to the floor before infighting can stall it, Brattin said he feels confident some form of legislation can make it to a vote.

So confident, in fact, that he’s considering expanding the radius for approval needed around the landfill site to a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half.

“I don’t see much capability for any shenanigans,” Brattin said. “At least I hope not.”

Haffner plans to introduce legislation identical to what passed the House last year. He’s also introducing another bill to change how the Department of Natural Resources OKs landfills.

Brattin and Haffner plan to file their legislation when bill prefiling for the 2024 session opens in December.

“This statute has not been looked at in years,” he said. “So we are going to revamp it so that it doesn’t happen to another community somewhere else in Missouri.”

This article first appeared on The Beacon and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Originally Appeared Here

Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher’s new chief of staff is a former legislative leader whose political career was upended more than a decade ago by a federal bribery investigation and allegations of violent sexual assault. 

On Thursday, Plocher announced to a closed-door Republican caucus that Rod Jetton will take over as his top legislative aide. Jetton was elected to the Missouri House in 2000 and served four terms, playing a key role in the GOP capturing a majority in 2002 and rising to become House speaker in 2005. 

He is joining Plocher’s office as the speaker faces an ethics committee inquiry into allegations of misconduct and calls for him to resign from his fellow Republicans.

Neither Plocher nor Jetton spoke to reporters waiting outside the Missouri Farm Bureau building in Jefferson City where the GOP caucus met. Republicans who spoke about the choice after the meeting said they see Jetton’s story as one of redemption and that his past is history that does not impact his ability to do the job.

“My feeling is that Rod Jetton was a great former speaker, he made a series of very bad mistakes, and he took action to correct them,” Majority Floor Leader Jonathan Patterson of Lee’s Summit said. “He’s paid his debt to society. And he is really a story of, of resilience and kind of making amends in life. I think we see the good in that. And I do think it’s unfortunate that people will always want to bring out the worst things that you’ve ever done.”

Democratic Floor Leader Crystal Quade of Springfield, however, said Jetton’s past disqualifies him from the post.

“The speaker’s hiring of a man who pleaded guilty to assault for hitting and choking a woman during a sexual encounter is a gross affront to domestic violence survivors,” Quade said in a statement issued Thursday afternoon. “An admitted abuser of women has no business holding a position of influence in the Missouri House, and his hiring marks a failure of both judgment and leadership by the speaker. Missourians deserve better.”

Jetton was arguably the most powerful politician in Missouri before his personal and political life cratered soon after term limits drove him from office in 2009. 

The booking photos of former Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton after he was charged with felony assault in 2009.

He was charged with felony assault following a sexual encounter where he was accused of drugging, hitting and choking a woman to the point of unconsciousness. He eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was placed on probation.

In 2010, a federal grand jury investigated whether a $35,000 political contribution from the adult entertainment industry was linked to Jetton’s decision as speaker to send legislation regulating the industry to a committee whose chairman opposed it.

Jetton was notified he was a target of an investigation involving bribery, mail fraud and conspiracy, though he denied any wrongdoing. The statute of limitations expired without an indictment. 

After stepping out of the political spotlight, Jetton was open about his fall from grace as he launched new pursuits.

He briefly returned to the statehouse as co-founder of the Missouri Times and a pseudo consulting firm in 2012. Two years later he released a book called “Success Can Kill You” about his life, telling St. Louis Public Radio that he hoped it would “maybe be a warning to people: Don’t make these mistakes.” 

In 2022, he was once again working for state government when he was hired by the Missouri Department of Revenue. He most recently served as deputy director of the department’s motor vehicles and drivers’ license division.

Jetton takes over the job as chief of staff at a precarious time for Plocher.

Plocher is facing calls to resign from his fellow Republicans over revelations that he filed false expense reports with the legislature going back to 2018 seeking reimbursement for costs already paid for by his campaign. 

Submitting false expense reports could be prosecuted as stealing from the state, a class A misdemeanor. It could also be considered false declaration, a class B misdemeanor that involves knowingly submitting any written false statement. The House speaker could also have run afoul of laws prohibiting campaign contributions from being converted to personal use.

Plocher began repaying the reimbursements two weeks after The Independent submitted a Sunshine request seeking his expense reports, blaming the problem on a “checkbook error.”

He was already facing scrutiny — drawing the attention of federal law enforcement — over his push to convince the House to spend $800,000 to hire a private company to manage constituent information. Nonpartisan staff accused Plocher of illegal and unethical conduct in pursuit of the contract, including threatening the employment of the chief clerk.

In the midst of the swirling scandals, Plocher fired his chief of staff, who had served in the position for the previous three Republican speakers. His general counsel submitted a letter of resignation last week.

The Missouri House Ethics Committee held a second hearing about Plocher on Wednesday, which included discussion of a newly filed complaint against the speaker by another lawmaker alleging “ethical misconduct.” 

The committee will hold future hearings, said Chair Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, but no date has been set.

Rudi Keller of The Independent contributed to this report.

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Originally Appeared Here