Jefferson City

Crystal City Hall was packed Monday night with supporters for the James Hardie Industries manufacturing plant to be built on the former Festus Municipal Airport site in Crystal City.

A public hearing on the Airport Road Redevelopment Area Development Plan for the $400 million Hardie facility was held that night before the start of the regular Crystal City Council meeting, when council members ultimately voted to approve the plan.

Surprisingly, Jefferson R-7 Superintendent David Haug was among the supporters at the public hearing and council meeting. Just days earlier he had asked the Crystal City Council to delay voting on the redevelopment plan and put out a call to action to R-7 residents, asking them to attend the meeting and voice their concerns about the plan, which calls for tax abatements for the Hardie project.

Points of contention

After Crystal City held a Sept. 14 informational town hall meeting, Haug posted a now-private, approximately 18-minute-long video to YouTube and the school’s Twitter feed titled “Urgent 11.5 million dollar tax abatement proposal on Jefferson R-7 students.”

In the video, Haug said he still had too many questions about the project and tax abatement plan and wanted Crystal City to delay the vote until he could learn more about it.

Haug referred to the tax abatement as a “projected loss of 11.5 million dollars for our students.”

Crystal City Administrator Jason Eisenbeis refuted that claim in a Sept. 21 letter to Haug.

“There is no loss of revenue to the R-7 School District,” Eisenbeis said in the letter. “The property is currently producing approximately $42,744.90 annually in tax revenue for all tax districts. Even with the abatement, the proposed redevelopment will produce many multiples of additional revenue for the R-7 School District – therefore, referring to a loss of revenue is misleading.”

Eisenbeis said the James Hardie plant site currently is undeveloped and would bring in an estimated $659,852 in revenue for Jefferson R-7 over the 20-year term of the abatement if left undeveloped.

However, if the Hardie plant is built there, even with the tax abatement, the property would produce $10,057,516 in revenue, an additional $9,397,664, for the school district over the 20-year period.

Eisenbeis also reiterated multiple times that the tax abatement would only be for real estate taxes, while personal property tax would remain fully taxed. The 1.25 million-square-foot facility would be filled with high-value equipment and products and likely would have a hefty personal property tax bill, with estimates at around $12 million over 20 years.

In addition to receiving the projected $10 million in real estate taxes, along with its share from the projected $12 million in personal property taxes, the Jefferson R-7 district also will be the largest recipient of PILOT (Payments In Lieu of Taxes) among all the impacted taxing districts, including Crystal City, Jefferson County, Jefferson R-7, Jefferson College, the Festus Special Road District, the Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District, the Jefferson County Health Center, the Jefferson County Community Mental Health Board, Developmental Disability Advocates and the state of Missouri. The amount of the PILOT payments has not yet been disclosed.

As part of the city’s abatement incentive offer, Hardie also agreed to pay an annual charitable contribution to the Crystal City School District or a foundation set up for the benefit of the Crystal City School District. The charitable contribution is a contractual obligation separate from the Chapter 353 abatement and the PILOTs to go to taxing districts.

In Haug’s Sept. 14 letter, he said he was worried the plant could cause an influx of residents and their school-age children to the R-7 district, which he feared the district could not handle, even with the infusion of tax dollars from the Hardie development.

Eisenbeis said Hardie representatives expect most of the 238 new jobs to be filled by current local residents.

“Hardie said 75 percent of their workforce is hired off the street, so where those folks come from, I think it’ll be regional. They could be as far as Cape Girardeau and as far as North St. Louis,” Eisenbeis said. “We’re hopeful they’re Jefferson County residents. Crystal City expects that.”

“When you have an average pay of $34 an hour, you’ll have people commuting in,” Crystal City Mayor Mike Osher added.

Not going through with the tax abatement wasn’t an option if the city wanted the Hardie project to move forward.

Not only was it part of the incentive package for Hardie to come to Crystal City – a package the state, county, city, and Port Authority worked out – but also eligibility for the Business Use Incentives for Large-Scale Development (BUILD) program depended on it.

According to the Missouri Economic Development Department’s website, to be eligible for BUILD, the project requires “Cooperative Effort” from local government: “The political subdivisions benefiting from the project or other local entities must commit significant local incentives relative to their economic benefit compared to the state. Such incentives may include tax abatement, discounted utility fees or others, to the extent allowed by law.”

In Crystal City’s case, tax abatement was the agreed-upon Cooperative Effort.

Resolution found

In a follow-up video Haug posted on Monday, just hours before the Crystal City Council meeting, he said he had changed his stance and was on board with the proposed tax abatement.

“I believe our concerns have been heard and we’ve been able to view a larger view of the project with specific numbers that have been shared with me. The James Hardie project will be an asset to the R-7 School District,” he said. “As a representative of the Jefferson R-7 School District, I will not speak at tonight’s hearing with any more questions or concerns. I believe that process has been worked through. I think there’s a great start and I have nothing left on the table to address at this time.”

Haug said the city and county had met with him and showed him additional information about expected personal property taxes as well as upcoming road construction projects in the area near the school.

“I was impressed with the thoughtfulness of the county to address the roads they need to make James Hardie’s project work, but also the thoughtfulness of the impact of our school district and specifically our students,” he said.

Haug also spoke briefly at the City Council meeting, sharing his support for the project to move forward.

Others who spoke in support of the tax abatement included County Executive Dennis Gannon, Crystal City Board of Education member Linda Schilly, Jefferson County Port Authority executive director Jim McNichols, District 5 County Council Member Scott Seek, as well as a representative from Crown Plastics (a plastic fabrication company also located on Airport Road), and several residents.

In addition, Jefferson College President Dena McCaffrey wrote a letter of support.

Osher said he was pleased to see the positive response from the crowd.

“I think our meeting went very well. It was very professional from both sides. Everybody who spoke was welcomed. The Council listened. It was a good rapport and I look forward to more successful meetings in the future.”

Following the public hearing, the Crystal City Council voted 7-0 in favor of an ordinance that designated certain tracts of land in the proposed development area as blighted; approved the Airport Road Redevelopment Area Development plan; approved a redevelopment agreement in connection with the development plan; and authorized the city of enter into a redevelopment agreement and take certain other actions in connection with the development. Ward 4 Councilmember Winkelman was absent at the time of the vote.

Originally Appeared Here

The Capital City Cavaliers are looking for a bounce back.

The Cavaliers (3-2, 2-2 Central Missouri Activities Conference) have dropped two consecutive games for the first times since the 2021 season and will look to get back in the win column when they go up Stadium Boulevard once again, this time to play the Helias Crusaders (4-1, 3-0 CMAC) in a CMAC matchup at 7 p.m. today.

“Anytime you drop two in a row like that and lose games that we felt like we could win … it kind of breaks your confidence a little bit,” Capital City coach Joe Collier said. “We’re working each day in practice to just build our confidence again.”

Helias will be a tough test for the Cavaliers. The Crusaders have won the CMAC two of the three seasons of the conference’s existence and have a 20-1 record all-time in CMAC play.

The Crusaders enter the week off a 20-10 win against the Rock Bridge Bruins, in which Helias needed to rely on backup quarterback Austin Weaver after starter Sam Wyrick left the game in the first quarter with an ACL injury.

Fortunately for the Crusaders, Weaver had played much of the second half in the first three games earlier in the year with Helias holding big leads.

Weaver is 10-of-18 passing for 176 yards for the season, while rushing for 141 yards on eight carries. He has one passing touchdown and one interception, while rushing for a score.

“He’s a good runner,” Collier said. “We’ve got to pay special attention to him being able to run the ball.”

Collier said he expects having Weaver taking snaps won’t slow down a potent Crusader offense.

“I think what makes Helias ‘Helias’ is each kid on that team understands their job,” Collier said. “They run their offense and it’s the next guy up. He’s gonna run it just like the guy that was in front of him. That’s the expectation and that’s what makes them a tough team to beat.”

The Cavaliers have faced tough passing attacks at points this season and the Crusaders will continue to test Capital City’s defensive backfield.

Luke Swan has been the main target with 12 catches for 163 yards and four touchdowns, while Lucas Bloomer had 302 yards and four touchdowns on 11 catches and Sam Lopez has 10 receptions for 217 yards and two touchdowns. But the Cavalier defense wont be able to even focus on just those three as 15 Crusaders have at least one catch this year.

“We have to be especially attentive to how they’re lined up,” Collier said. “We can’t fall for any of the motions and things of that nature. Just get our eyes in the right place.”

The Crusader rushing attack will also test the Cavaliers, with Mason French totaling 381 yards and five touchdowns on 75 rushes.

“He’s running really hard,” Collier said. “Each time I see him, he’s trying to get those (yards after contact) yards. He’s running through people, he’s running way more confident than he was a year ago and that’s growth.”

The rushing defense has been the Cavaliers’ strength on that side of the ball, with the team allowing an average of only 2.8 yards per carry this season, with the most rushing yards allowed coming at 123 in Week 1.

On the other side, Capital City’s offense, which was averaging 45.67 points per game through the first three weeks, has averaged only 24.5 the past two weeks.

“(Helias) probably feels like they were pretty successful with what they ran against us last year,” Collier said. “So I expect more of that. In general, teams are gonna load the box on us and it’s our job to make sure they can’t load the box and have to play regular defense. … We’ve got to stop bumping our head against the wall every play.”

That offense will face a Helias starting defense that has allowed only six total touchdowns in five games. One against Hannibal in a 49-13 win, one against Hickman in a 42-12 win, none against Battle in a 41-0 win, three against Cardinal Ritter in a 30-29 loss and one against Rock Bridge last week.

“We’ve always planned it in our offense to be multiple, although we line up with two backs in a veer look, we always planned to be multiple with it,” Collier said. “So (last week) is a sign that we need to move forward and trust that we can be multiple and do it. … We need to grow and we needed to do that anyway. In our offensive scheme, we need to open it up a little bit.”

Logan Montoya leads the Crusader defense with 56 total tackles, including six for loss, while Maddox Fisher is second with 36 tackles and five for loss.

“I like (Fisher),” Collier said. “I think everybody watches for (Montoya), but if you watch (Fisher), the other linebacker, he’s really physical, he gets his body in there and he’s the one that’s the first-contact type of guy. … I see that guy around the ball all the time.”

Six more Crusaders have at least 20 tackles this year, while the team has created 30 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. Helias has seven interceptions, led by Weaver and Alex Marberry with two each, and five fumble recoveries with Marberry leading the way with two.

Capital City’s defense has had a strength in creating tackles for loss with 48 total this season, but leader Reyce Turner, with 11, will miss the game after being ejected at the end of the Jefferson City game. Turner also starts at left tackle on the offensive line. The Cavaliers will also miss their starting nose guard and offensive guard in Marques Golliday who exited the Jefferson City game with an ankle injury.

To replace the pair, the Cavaliers will do some mixing and matching.

On the offensive line, Eli Jahr will move from the tight end spot to left tackle, Andy Cubilla will stay at left guard, while Daruis Hendricks will start at center as usual starting center Matt Wiegand will move to right guard and Landen McNeil will stay at right tackle.

On the defensive side, Cubilla will take over at nose guard, while Gideon White and Jahr will play defensive end.

Notes: Capital City has never beaten Helias, with the Crusaders winning 51-6 in 2020, 31-0 in 2021 and 24-22 last season. … Helias leads the Class 5 District 5 standings with 47.6 points, while Capital City is fourth with 35. Camdenton (4-1) is second with 43.8 and North Point (3-2) is third at 35.8.

Originally Appeared Here

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

On Wednesday CVS pharmacists across Missouri participated in a walkout to protest “inhumane working conditions and unsafe patient care.”

This comes after similar walkouts were staged last week.

Sources tell ABC 17 that at least 32 pharmacists in the Kansas City-metro area participated in the walk-out.

ABC 17 News has spoken spoke with several employees of Mid-Missouri CVS locations. All wished to remain anonymous due to the possibility of retaliation. Employees stated earlier this week that complaints stem from CVS scheduling issues, placing extra strain on employees. They claimed CVS also cut the number of hours that a pharmacist can have a technician to help them. Oftentimes, only one person runs the entire pharmacy. 

The Columbia Target location on 2400 Bernadette Drive was among those that participated in the walk-out. A note was left on the counter of the pharmacy that read: 

“Due to chronic under-staffing among a host of workplace issues, this Pharmacy will be closed for today. We are very sorry to you, our patients, for the inconvenience. If you have time, please call and voice your concern about staffing and patient safety.”

This photo shows a note that was left on the counter of a CVS in Columbia during a walkout protest on Wednesday. [Mitchell Kaminski/KMIZ]

CVS responded to the walkouts by pulling pharmacists from other locations to help cover the shifts in an effort to keep all of their locations open. One pharmacist who was pulled from another location told ABC 17 News that they received the call from CVS early in the morning. 

“Though these closed stores are currently open, they are even more short-staffed than before, as CVS was more concerned in having the buildings open for business than for the safety of the patients,” a pharmacist who participated in the walkout but wished to remain anonymous wrote in an email to ABC 17 News. 

“These stores are open but are functioning with extremely limited resources in the majority of the impacted stores, with many only having 1 Pharmacist and 1 or even ZERO Technicians for support,” the source added. “There are stores with 140+ vaccination appointments with only 1 Pharmacist on duty, there are stores 1700+ scripts behind and only 1 Pharmacist on duty to meet that demand.  Would you want your prescription filled in an environment of such extreme stress and chaos?”  

Another pharmacist who was asked to cover one of the locations in Missouri told ABC 17 News that they had to work the entire pharmacy by themselves; and when they arrived there were 300 prescriptions to fill. They expected to fill an additional 70 scripts by the time the shift was over.

CVS — in a statement — claimed patients in Kansas City weren’t impacted and didn’t see “any abnormal activity in other markets.” The company stated it has been meeting with employees in the Kansas City area.

“We want our pharmacy teams to be able to succeed, which is why we’ve taken several actions to support our local teams including providing additional pharmacy resources to support stores that may be at capacity, providing additional support for filling open positions, and increasing staffing levels,” the statement reads. “We recognize that there’s an industry-wide shortage of healthcare providers – including pharmacists – and that this is a busy time of year due to the high customer demand for seasonal vaccinations. We’re focused on addressing the concerns raised by our pharmacists so we can continue to deliver the high-quality care our patients depend on.”

The complaints from pharmacists about the current working conditions are not just limited to Missouri. A former CVS pharmacist who worked in an Oklahoma City location told ABC 17 News that once she became a pharmacy manager, she would work open-to-close and at times have to stay after hours to catch up on duties because of a lack of staffing. She added that she did not get paid for the time she had to stay late. 

ABC 17 News visited three Schnucks-CVS locations in Columbia and Jefferson City. Two of the three stated they did not participate in the walkout, one declined to comment.

A Schnucks employee said they are experiencing similar scheduling issues. According to the employee, other employees had to come in overnight to fill prescriptions. They also said  this did not happen nearly as often before CVS took over.

The employee said that when CVS first signed an agreement with Schnucks in 2020, all the pharmacists who used to work there left within six months.

Originally Appeared Here

As a saltwater wedge makes its way towards the New Orleans metro businesses of all kinds are preparing and keeping cautious.“We’re kind of concerned about the ice and will we be able to cook with the water? I guess only time will tell,” said Jason Seither, who owns Seither’s Seafood in Jefferson Parish.Seither says he has stocked up on bottled water and is considering a move to a limited menu with only food that isn’t cooked in water if needed.The concerns are growing for business owners and tourism leaders as fall festival season and basketball season get ready to ramp up in and around the Big Easy. Kelly Schulz with New Orleans and Company says the city is open for tourism but keeping its ear and options open.“We’re looking at this from the standpoint of preparation, communication, answering out visitors’ questions, making sure that they know that situation and that they know when they can come to the city, and we want to make sure it’s not only about the visitors but all of us who live and work here too,” said Schulz.The ports that use the river to move cargo also say they’re listening to experts but don’t expect to be affected. They even say construction that will raise an underwater sill built by the Army Corps of Engineers to 60 feet will not slow down shipping. A representative from the Port of New Orleans released this statement. “To date, the low river has not impacted vessel traffic or operations at the port of New Orleans. Our waterfront teams will continue to work diligently to conduct sounding and dredging at our facilities in order to maintain river depth for port operations.” The Port of South Louisiana and Plaquemines Port also say they won’t take a hit. The Army Corps of Engineers currently forecasts that the saltwater could begin affecting Orleans Parish on Oct. 22.

NEW ORLEANS —

As a saltwater wedge makes its way towards the New Orleans metro businesses of all kinds are preparing and keeping cautious.

“We’re kind of concerned about the ice and will we be able to cook with the water? I guess only time will tell,” said Jason Seither, who owns Seither’s Seafood in Jefferson Parish.

Seither says he has stocked up on bottled water and is considering a move to a limited menu with only food that isn’t cooked in water if needed.

The concerns are growing for business owners and tourism leaders as fall festival season and basketball season get ready to ramp up in and around the Big Easy. Kelly Schulz with New Orleans and Company says the city is open for tourism but keeping its ear and options open.

“We’re looking at this from the standpoint of preparation, communication, answering out visitors’ questions, making sure that they know that situation and that they know when they can come to the city, and we want to make sure it’s not only about the visitors but all of us who live and work here too,” said Schulz.

The ports that use the river to move cargo also say they’re listening to experts but don’t expect to be affected. They even say construction that will raise an underwater sill built by the Army Corps of Engineers to 60 feet will not slow down shipping. A representative from the Port of New Orleans released this statement.

“To date, the low river has not impacted vessel traffic or operations at the port of New Orleans. Our waterfront teams will continue to work diligently to conduct sounding and dredging at our facilities in order to maintain river depth for port operations.”

The Port of South Louisiana and Plaquemines Port also say they won’t take a hit.

The Army Corps of Engineers currently forecasts that the saltwater could begin affecting Orleans Parish on Oct. 22.

Originally Appeared Here

Tires squealed as two tiny Shriners Indy cars and a golf cart raced around in circles late Saturday morning in the parking lot at Primrose Retirement community.

The tassels atop the drivers’ fez hats flapped in the wind.

The little cars raced back and forth in front of the facility as they zoomed past men grilling hamburgers and hot dogs.

For back-to-back years, the community has partnered with the Shriners to do a fundraising event, according to Primrose Executive Director Brandon McIntire.

The event featured not only the mini cars, but the Missouri River Bottom Band — made up of Shriners and supporters — a barbecue (hamburgers, hot dogs and brisket) and a dunk tank, McIntire said.

“The main part of the event is the dunk tank, where my residents will pay a dollar to be able to dunk the executive director, or some other department heads,” he said. “Last year we raised almost $600 for the Shriners. Coming from a small community like this that has just under 100 people, that’s a pretty good turnout.”

He said the event raised that total $1 at a time — each softball throw to dunk one of the administrators cost a buck.

“I’ve got my dollars!” announced Ronda Gross, a resident at Primrose Retirement Community. “I’ll definitely try (to dunk McIntire). I wouldn’t pass that up for the world.”

Gross said she appreciates the barbecue was raising money for Shriners — who are committed to making a difference in the world. Money raised Saturday was expected to go to Shriners Children’s Hospital in St. Louis.

U.S. Army Col. (ret.) Ben Dennison, a resident at Primrose and the facility’s ambassador to the Shriners, has kept Primrose connected with Jefferson City Shriners, McIntire said.

Dennison said he’s an ambassador for the Shriners Moolah Temple in St. Louis. He has a brick in the wall of fame in the temple, Dennison said.

“Our club has come to like this place because this place relates to them,” he said. “This is the third time they have come here.”

Dennison said he’ll turn 87 this week. He said Primrose holds lots of events for its residents and he’s glad to be there.

Another veteran, Gus Heisler, sat outside for a few minutes, watching the Shriners cars, then slipped back inside for lunch.

“It’s kind of noisy,” Heisler said. Besides, he added, “I look for a little air conditioning now. That makes it much easier.”

He said he was in Paris for about six months during World War II.

“I wasn’t old enough to do any fighting,” the 96-year-old said. “I knew how to type. That’s where I ended up — typing. That was a pain in the neck.”

Heisler said long life is in his genes — his grandparents on both sides all lived into their 90s. He’s got five cousins who are older than him, Heisler said. The oldest is 102 and the next is 101.

Evelyn Baur, the community president, said the barbecue was fun.

“It’s a beautiful day! I wouldn’t like it too much in mid-July,” Baur said. “We’re all looking forward to the dunking booth. I think there are some people here who would like to dunk a few staff people.”

    Joe Gamm/News Tribune photo: About 50 residents eat outside Saturday afternoon during the Primrose Retirement Community and Shriners club barbecue. The community hosted the event to entertain clients and raise money for Shriners Children’s Hospital in St. Louis.
      Joe Gamm/News Tribune photo: The Missouri River Bottom Band entertains as people eat Saturday afternoon during the Primrose Retirement Community and Shriners club barbecue. The band is made up of Shriners and their supporters.
      Joe Gamm/News Tribune photo: Mary Winter, center, visits her mother, Cyrilla Doerhoff, left, as Orvella Wright interacts with them Saturday afternoon during the Primrose Retirement Community and Shriners club barbecue. Wright said she’s like the baby in the room with Doerhoff, who celebrated her 100th birthday in February.
  

Originally Appeared Here

• Port Angeles Business Association — Breakfast meetings with networking and educational programs are held Tuesdays at
7:30 a.m. at Joshua’s Restaurant, 113 DelGuzzi Drive (off U.S. Highway 101) in east Port Angeles.

This week features a candidate forum for Port Angeles City Council Position 7 with Brendan Meyer and Kalli Jones.

There is a $5 minimum charge by Joshua’s for those at the PABA meeting who do not order breakfast.

• Port Angeles Noon Rotary — Meets at noon on Wednesdays at Asian Buffet, 1940 E. First St. #160 (Port Angeles Plaza) in Port Angeles.

This week features John Picker with an update on changes occurring at the William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles.

Lunch may be purchased for $18 or $3 for facility use.

• Port Angeles Nor’Wester Rotary — Meets in person Fridays at
7 a.m. at Joshua’s Restaurant, 113 DelGuzzi Drive (off U.S. Highway 101) in east
Port Angeles.

This week features Steve Wilson and Mirja Lepisto-Wilson discussing adventures in Nepal.

Zoom access is by request. Email info@rotary
norwester.org for information.

There is a $5 minimum charge by Joshua’s for those at the meeting who do not order breakfast.

• Port Angeles Kiwanis Club — Meets in-person noon to 1 p.m. every Thursday at Joshua’s Restaurant, 113 DelGuzzi Drive (off U.S. Highway 101) in east Port Angeles.

This week features installation of new club officers for 2023-2024.

There is a $5 minimum charge by Joshua’s for those at the Kiwanis meeting who do not order lunch.

• Clallam County Economic Development Council — Coffee With Colleen, hosted by Colleen McAleer, on Wednesdays at 8 a.m. The Zoom link is us02web.zoom.us/j/89474510306?pwd=VlIr RHh5RG1nYVh3V3J XRzF SMmRodz09,Meeting ID 894 7451 0306 and Passcode 187447.

• Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce — Monthly luncheon meetings are held Tuesdays at
11:30 a.m. at Sunland Golf Club,
109 Hilltop Drive, Sequim.

This week features Deb Cox with Puppies for the Blind, discussing training dogs to serve people with low vision, as well as rules around allowing service animals into businesses.

Reservations for regular luncheons at $27 for attendees or $10 for attendance without lunch are required. No payments will be accepted at the door. Phone 360-683-6197 or email office@sequim
chamber.com to RSVP and for further information.

• Sequim Sunrise Rotary — Hybrid meetings on Fridays at 7 a.m. at the Dungeness River Center, 1943 W. Hendrickson Rd., Sequim, and online via zoom.

Programs can be found on their website, http://sequimsunriserotary.org. For a zoom invitation, email sequimsunriserotaryclub@gmail.com.

• Sequim Noon Rotary — Weekly hybrid lunch meetings Thursdays at
11:55 a.m. in person at The Big Elk Restaurant, 707 E Washington St., in Sequim and online via Zoom.

Programs can be found on their website, https://www.sequimrotary.org. For your personal invitation to Zoom please email sequimrotary@gmail.com

• West End Business and Professional Association — Meets in person Wednesdays from 7:30 a.m. to
8:30 a.m. at Forks Congregational Church Fellowship Hall,
280 S. Spartan Ave., Forks.

• The Port Townsend Kiwanis Club – Meets in person at noon Wednesdays at the Hwy 20 Roadhouse Restaurant, 2152 W. Sims Way, Port Townsend.

• The Rotary Club of East Jefferson County — Meets at noon Thursdays at the Tri-Area Community Center, 10 West Valley Road, Chimacum.

This week features Ned Luce, discussing preparations for the East Jefferson Rotary Car Show scheduled for Sept. 30 in Port Ludlow.

________

All of the above meetings are open to the public.

Peninsula Daily News

Originally Appeared Here

The Blair Oaks Lady Falcons set the tone from the opening batter of Wednesday’s contest against the Jefferson City Lady Jays at Jefferson City High School.

Baley Rackers led off the contest with a hustle double, a sign of things to come for the Lady Falcons.

Kally Bruce drove in Rackers two batters later with a double to give Blair Oaks momentum it would never give back in a 7-0 victory against the Lady Jays.

“Baley had an incredible game, in the box, on the bases, defensively, she was just very solid,” Blair Oaks coach Sharon Buschjost said. “And then Kally does what Kally has been doing all season, base hit after base hit and hard line drives. That was a great start and a very complete game”

The Lady Falcons continued their aggressive baserunning in the second.

Avery Libbert led off with a single and moved up to second on a groundout to short. Rackers laid a bunt down the third-base line and was able to beat out the throw for an infield single, but Libbert never stopped running on the play and was able to score from second. Rackers also never stopped running and made it to second after the throw from first went home to try and nab Libbert.

“They are huge because those are things you work on in practice,” Buschjost said. “… In order for that to happen, Avery Libbert has to come to me with speed and aggressiveness in order for me to be confident to continue her on. I saw from her what I needed, and the aggressiveness catches teams off guard, they rush throws and it works to our favor.”

The top of Blair Oaks’ batting order continued to deliver following Rackers’ bunt. Chesney Luebbering followed with an RBI triple into shallow right field to score Rackers and Bruce made it a 4-0 game with an RBI single.

The Lady Falcons’ four seniors, Rackers, Chesney Luebbering, Bruce and Morgan Luebbering, controlled the top four spots of batting order and combined to go 9-for-16 with five RBI.

“These seniors set the tone again offensively,” Buschjost said.

A four-run lead was plenty for Ava Willson to protect in the circle as she tossed a four-hit, complete-game shutout.

Willson walked the first batter she faced but didn’t give up a free pass the rest of the way and finished with six strikeouts.

“It was great because this is a very good Jeff City team that has played some really tough games against some really tough opponents,” Buschjost said. “Coming into it, I didn’t anticipate us keeping them off the board.”

“She was probably one of the faster pitchers we have seen so far this season,” Jefferson City coach Zac Miller said. “We struggled with timing and pitch selection. … We had a few balls we squared up well, but we started those innings with two outs. Hard to get them around that way.”

Blair Oaks added another run in the fourth on an RBI single by Chesney Luebbering, but it looked like the Lady Falcons would add another after Morgan Luebbering singled to left field with two outs and courtesy runner Madison Vaughan on second.

But Amelia Cripe did not let that happen, collecting the ball in left and firing to Finley Walker at the plate to get Vaughan trying to score and end the inning.

“That was great,” Miller said. “It helped us get out of the inning there and cut down that runner. She made a good play, got behind it and put a good throw on it. That’s what we want to see.”

The Lady Falcons’ also used a good throw from the outfield to help eliminate Jefferson City’s biggest scoring threat of the contest in the bottom of the fourth.

The Lady Jays got a pair of runners on with two outs and Summer Branch singled up the middle. Miller initially sent Jaela Nickerson around third to try and score, but center fielder Belle Boessen made a strong throw to the plate and Nickerson was forced to head back to third.

Willson induced a groundout to third to the next batter to get out of the inning with the shutout intact.

“You have those players, just like their left fielder threw a strike home and got a runner out, you have those fielders that you know have that strong arm and potential to drill a runner out at home,” Buschjost said. “That was fun to see Belle unload it and keep the runner at third. That was big in keeping them off the board.”

Blair Oaks got its final two runs in the top of the seventh after Libbert singled home Boessen and Willson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Willson closed out the contest in the bottom half with a 1-2-3 frame.

“Tonight I would like to bottle a lot of what I saw and sprinkle it on some upcoming games,” Buschjost said.

Rackers led the way for the Lady Falcons with three hits, two runs scored and three stolen bases, while Bruce, Morgan Luebbering and Libbert all had two hits.

Branch and Nickerson each had two hits to account for the Lady Jays’ four-hit effort.

Blair Oaks (12-6), No. 10 in Class 3 by the Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association rankings, will play Tuesday in a Tri-County Conference matchup against California.

Jefferson City (9-9) will look to rebound at 11 a.m. Saturday when it hosts Central Missouri Activities Conference foe Capital City at Jefferson City High School.

Blair Oaks also won the JV contest 7-3 on Wednesday to improve to 6-5 on the season.

Originally Appeared Here

Jefferson City, MO – Today, joined by all Missouri statewide elected officials and the Missouri Chapter of the Coalition for Jewish Values, Governor Parson proclaimed September as Jewish American Heritage Month in Missouri. While commonly celebrated during May on the national level, Governor Parson chose this month to proclaim Jewish American Heritage Month as several major Jewish holidays are celebrated in September, including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the start of Sukkot.

“Missouri’s own Harry S. Truman was the first world leader to officially recognize Israel as a legitimate Jewish state, and we continue our proud support for members of the Jewish faith today,” Governor Parson said. “While we always want to recognize, honor, and appreciate the contributions members of the Jewish faith make to our culture and communities across the state, we especially want to do so during Jewish American Heritage Month. We also want to take this opportunity to unequivocally reject antisemitism towards Jewish people and bigotry of any kind. Today and every day, we say hate and discrimination have no home in Missouri.”

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In addition to Governor Parson’s proclamation recognizing September 2023 as Jewish American Heritage Month in Missouri, it also adopts the working definition of antisemitism as established by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which more than 1,100 global agencies, 40 countries, and 31 U.S. states have also adopted.

The definition reads: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred towards Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestation of antisemitism are directed towards Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions, and religious facilities.”

“During Jewish American Heritage Month, we celebrate our state’s strong support for Israel and those of the Jewish faith,” Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe said. “We also reaffirm Missouri’s commitment to rejecting antisemitism and discrimination toward the Jewish community.”

“As secretary of state, I am pleased and honored to recognize the faith and fortitude of Jewish Americans and the contributions they have made to the great state of Missouri and this republic,” Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said. “Generations of Jewish people have come to this country; some fleeing oppression and discrimination, others searching for the American dream. I stand together with Jewish Missourians to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month as we push forward to preserve freedom and form a more perfect union.”

“I’m proud to join Governor Parson in recognizing the outstanding contributions made by people of the Jewish faith not only to our state but also to our American principles and way of life,” Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said. “Jewish American Heritage Month offers us an opportunity to honor and learn more about the culture, experiences, struggles, and achievements of the Jewish people and the countless ways Jewish Americans have made our state, our nation, and our world a better place. This is also a time for us to stand together to send a clear message that antisemitism, or discrimination of any kind, has no place in Missouri. Our state will not tolerate hatred or bigotry toward the Jewish people and will always strive to be a place that protects and respects their values, contributions, and culture.”

“I commend Governor Parson for establishing September as Jewish American Heritage Month in Missouri,” State Treasurer Vivek Malek said. “The Jewish Community has a proud and significant history in Missouri, and I’m honored to celebrate this important new tradition.”

“The Attorney General’s Office has a history of standing against antisemitism and taking action to combat anti-Israel bias,” Attorney General Andrew Bailey said. “We will continue to defend Jewish Missourians across the state this month and every month.”
To view the proclamation, click here.

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Originally Appeared Here

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – While the state is seeing a reduction in the number of children in Missouri’s foster care system, the Children’s Division continues to face major staffing challenges.

Currently, there are more than 14,300 child abuse and neglect cases open in Missouri. The Kansas City and St. Louis regions make up about 75% of those cases. The Department of Social Services told lawmakers last week that the way to eliminate that backlog is to hire more investigators.

“You hire someone in the door, they are simply not going to be able to take the caseload on Monday morning from someone that left on Friday afternoon,” Department of Social Services Director Robert Knodell said.

A lack of workers is creating chaos for a state agency. In the St. Louis area, there are 6,125 child abuse and neglect cases that have been open for more than 45 days, compared to 3,590 in the Kansas City region.

“It doesn’t seem like we have enough people to do this task,” DSS Children’s Division Director Darrell Missey told representatives earlier this month. “I think we need to do some calculations because I think we will continually have these challenges so long as this entity is this size trying to deal with a job that is the size of the one that it has been tasked with.”

Parson appointed Missey, a former family court judge in Jefferson County, to head the Children’s Division in January 2022. A consistent goal of Missey’s is to reduce the number of kids in state custody by expanding resources to help families stay together.

According to DSS, there are currently 14,387 open child abuse and neglect cases across the state. On average, it takes roughly 54 days to close a case, but currently there are more than 10,100 cases that have been open for more than 45 days. The oldest report is more than 843 days old. Here is the data broken down by regions:

St. Louis

• 6,712 current open reports
• 6,125 cases that have been open for 45 days or more
• Average number of days to close a report is 134
• The oldest report is 843 days old.

Kansas City

• 4,232 current open reports
• 3,590 cases that have been open for 45 days or more
• Average number of days to close a report is 53
• The oldest report is 745 days old

Northeast Missouri

• Northeast Missouri: 1,005 current open reports
• 240 cases that have been open for 45 days or more
• Average number of days to close a report is 49
• The oldest report is 315 days old

Northwest Missouri

• 601 current open reports
• 51 cases that have been open for 45 days or more
• Average number of days to close a report is 22
• The oldest report is 156 days old

Southeast Missouri

• 900 current open reports
• 84 cases that have been open for 45 days or more
• Average number of days to close a report is 25
• The oldest report is 193 days old

Southwest Missouri

• 937 current open reports
• 70 cases that have been open for 45 days or more
• Average number of days to close a report is 25
• The oldest report is 197 days old

With high numbers of vacancy and turnover in the St. Louis region, investigators from other parts of the state are pitching in to help reduce the backlog of cases.

“What we’re doing is sort of concentrated the St. Louis folks closer into the center of the St. Louis region and having Jefferson County and St. Charles County pick up the slack outside,” Missey said. “Then, we’re having other counties come in and take up the slack for them.”

Funding increase in the state’s budget for the Children’s Division is being used for training and management consultants. Knodell said overdue reports are reducing.

“We’re very hopeful that the challenges that are unique to the St. Louis region that we will be able to address, and I hope to have a much better story to tell you by January,” Knodell said.

The good news, for the first time in years, the number of kids in Missouri’s foster care system dipped below 13,000 but finding that data publicly isn’t easy which is why lawmakers are asking for more regularly updated public data.

“If those are people that aged out, and not reunified that’s not necessarily better,” Rep. Ed Lewis, R-Moberly, said. “It would be interesting to see where the data leads us.”

Even the director of the Children’s Division agrees, more transparency is needed.

“When people ask me these questions, I have to dig for them,” Missey said. “I have to say, ‘okay research people, go find me answers to those questions.’ Would be really nice if we could just look at it and the department is in the process of making all that happen.”

Missey also told committee members that during 2022, there were 6,349 kids that left state care. Of those, 3,119 went home, 463 achieved independence, which means they aged out, 172 went to guardianship, 1,577 were adopted and 59 went to other agencies which means they went to the Division of Youth Services, the Department of Corrections, or to another agency in another state.

“What I’m seeing here is a direct leadership effort by the department to see if something better can happen,” Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, said. “I’m personally hearing from people on the ground who are saying that it is better, that things are going better.”

Kelly, the chairman of the Children and Families Committee, told Missey and Knodell, she appreciated them explaining the problems within the division to representatives. She said it’s the first time since she was elected seven years ago that she’s heard such specific numbers for a solution.

Knodell said the Children’s Division holds a hiring fair every Tuesday at its office on Page Avenue in St. Louis County from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

This year, the General Assembly added about $30 million to help boost salaries throughout the agency.

Originally Appeared Here

By Marjorie Mandel
Post-Dispatch

The state of Missouri on Sept. 16, 1986, announced plans to turn the part of the abandoned Missouri-Kansas-Railroad line into what would eventually become known as the Katy Trail and stretch 240 miles, the longest rail-trail in the United States, with the first segment officially opening in 1990. The following report was published Sept. 17, 1986, in the Post-Dispatch.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources plans to acquire a 200-mile rail line from St. Charles County to Sedalia and to develop two segments as recreational trails.

Frederick A. Brunner, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, said Tuesday that the department would probably develop the sections from St. Charles to the Washington area and from Jefferson City to Rocheport into hiking-biking trails.

The two segments total about 60 miles. If the pilot project proves successful, additional segments may be developed, he said. The rail line runs parallel to the historic route of Lewis and Clark along the northern bank of the Missouri River from Machens in northern St. Charles County to Boonville. It then crosses the river and angles through the countryside to Sedalia.

“I’m very, very pleased.” Brunner said. “For me, it is the realization of a goal. The one thing I felt our state park system needed was a good trail for hiking and biking. It provides freedom and an open feeling, and passes through some of the most scenic communities we have.”

The Missouri-Kansas-Railroad known as the Katy, filed a petition Aug. 21 with the Interstate Commerce Commission, asking to abandon the rail line because it was no longer profitable.

Tuesday was the deadline for the state to express interest in the land.

Brunner said development of the pilot trails depended on the outcome of negotiations between the department and the railroad. “We’re about two weeks away from an agreement,” he said.

The cost of acquiring the rail line and developing the pilot trails would be paid from the sales tax of a tenth of a cent for state parks and soil conservation, Brunner said.

He estimated that it would cost $5,000 a mile to install a 7-foot-wide trail surface of crushed limestone and to plank railroad bridges. Building restrooms and campsites and fencing adjacent land would cost extra, he said.

Brunner said he expected it would take about nine months for the department to get an appropriation from the sales tax and several years to complete the pilot trails.

Brunner said Gov. John D. Ashcroft had sent a him a letter instructing the department to minimize the amount of tax dollars for the project and to protect the interest of adjacent landowners.

“Gov. Ashcroft has instructed us to concentrate in the pilot program only on those portions of the corridor which offer scenic opportunities in populated areas,” he said.

Brunner said he anticipated considering a system of voluntary contributions to defray part of the cost of trail development and operation. “This type of financing has been successful in other areas of the country,” he said.

Brunner said Ashcroft had asked that other parts of the rail corridor not be considered for development until the pilot program could be evaluated properly.

He said that would take two or three years of trail operation.

Aschroft wrote: “Any development beyond the pilot areas would depend on the economic and recreational benefits of the pilot project, the effect of the project on adjacent landowners and General Assembly and administration approval.”

Brunner said the department would hold public meetings in towns along the segments of the rail line proposed for the pilot trails. He said Ashcroft directed the department to give high priority to security.

Ashcroft wrote: “For those portions of the corridor not in the pilot project, I expect the department to do whatever is necessary to make them available for use by the original landowners.”

Brunner said public access to undeveloped parts of the rail corridor will be restricted. He said the department will provide safeguards for adjacent landowners, including fencing, drainage control and levee maintenance.

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Originally Appeared Here