Jefferson City

EDITOR:

Everything in this article is going to be ‘my opinion only.’

A little appraisal humor for Weston that I have picked up: The appraisers appraised a brick building on Main Street that was covered in tin with a brick pattern.

In another example, not knowing how the tough live, one business with no air conditioning was unknown by the appraisers. There are probably more than these two stories.

In Platte County, Weston and Dearborn were never comparable to Parkville or Platte City. Of course in 1968, Platte City and Weston were very comparable in size. That in itself tells you a little about Weston.

Many of the town folk never wanted Weston to explode and grow a great deal. That in itself could be a sign of lack of leadership, as it leads to a few paying a larger share of city expenses due to lack of annexation (for protection) and helping to spread the load on an ever-expanding cost of doing business.

The Hancock Amendment, around for a good while, may be Weston’s saving grace. I believe Hancock was a very intelligent Republican who was able to see down the road.

Weston is a tourist town which makes it a museum for many tourists. Nothing wrong with that as tourism fairly much saved Main Street in Weston. Keep in mind that according to most city figures, sales tax dollars generated in Weston come from roughly 25% downtown and 75% from the Hwy. 45 corridor. That in itself should tell you, as a wise individual and the city itself, where survival lies. How many businesses lie a stone’s throw away from the city limits. That also should tell the city leadership where problems start and why.

A Platte City mayor once told me that Platte City did not want to be like Weston, maybe some merit there.

With the appraisals on Weston city real estate, how far away is the assessor from taking a stab at Platte County agricultural land prices? The assessor’s office had all it could do dealing with towns this year.

Many investors come to Weston for their pre-retirement years. They may pay too much for their investment because they have it. It very seldom shows a true picture of what a building is worth. In this case, they might have been ‘fleeced’ by the assessor’s office and what something sells for. We are all living in a time when every thing we buy costs too much. I am sure that the assessor’s office knows how this works in the other direction.

For the time being, this assessor mess can probably be fixed best in Jefferson City. It certainly isn’t going to get fixed in Platte City.

You have a governor who is a little receptive to change, you have a state representative that promotes 15% increases verses 200% increases, and you have a state senator who can certainly be contacted. Later you have elections.

Not every thing is equal in the assessor business. It you watch the news at all you see the problems in Jackson County and their deadline for appeals was extended to July 31. You also saw how Platte County assessor’s office approached that announcement.

Worth noting, my opinion only with brick buildings bricks were supposed to be able to breathe. Yesterday I drove around Platte City and I found many brick buildings that could breathe. In Weston’s down town and antebellum homes I found may brick buildings that couldn’t breathe even if an accessor thinks they look pretty. I personally think that a painted brick building should have an assessment rolled back from $50,000-$100,000

Difference in opinions, I suppose. Difference in towns, I suppose. Weston bricks were made on site and are soft bricks made by slaves.

–Louis Smither
Weston

Originally Appeared Here

Jefferson City, MO. – Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased by 6,900 jobs between June 2023 and July 2023, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by one-tenth of a percentage point. Private industry employment was responsible for the jobs increase, while government employment was unchanged over the month. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.7 percent in July 2023, up from 2.6 percent in June 2023. Over the year, there was an increase of 58,900 jobs from July 2022 to July 2023, and the unemployment rate increased by one-half of a percentage point, from 2.2 percent in July 2022 to 2.7 percent in July 2023.

UNEMPLOYMENT    

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Missouri’s smoothed seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by one-tenth of a percentage point in July 2023, increasing to 2.7 percent from the revised June 2023 rate of 2.6 percent. The July 2023 rate was five-tenths of a percentage point higher than the July 2022 rate of 2.2 percent. The estimated number of unemployed Missourians was 84,204 in July 2023, up by 2,662 from June’s 81,542.

The state’s not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate increased from 3.3 percent in June 2023 to 3.4 percent in July 2023. A year ago, the not-seasonally-adjusted rate was 2.7 percent. The corresponding not-seasonally-adjusted national rate for July 2023 was 3.8 percent.

Missouri’s labor force participation rate was 63.6 percent in July 2023, one percentage point higher than the national rate of 62.6 percent. Missouri’s employment-population ratio was 61.9 percent in July 2023, 1.5 percentage points higher than the national rate of 60.4 percent. Missouri’s unemployment rate was 2.7 percent in July 2023, eight-tenths of a percentage percent lower than the national rate of 3.5 percent. Missouri’s unemployment rate has been at or below the national rate for eight years.

EMPLOYMENT     

Missouri’s non-farm payroll employment was 3,001,200 in July 2023, up by 6,900 jobs from the revised June 2023 figure. The June 2023 total was revised upward by 2,400 jobs from the preliminary estimate.

Goods-producing industries decreased by 300 jobs over the month. Mining, logging, and construction declined by 600 jobs, and manufacturing gained 300 jobs. Private service-providing industries increased by 7,200 jobs between June 2023 and July 2023. Employment in private service-providing industries increased in private education and health services (3,900 jobs); trade, transportation, and utilities (1,800 jobs); financial activities (1,700 jobs); and leisure and hospitality (700 jobs). Employment decreased in professional and business services (-800 jobs) and information (-100 jobs). Total government employment was unchanged over the month, with increases in state (200 jobs) and federal government (100 jobs) and a decrease in local government (-300 jobs).

Over the year, total payroll employment increased by 58,900 jobs from July 2022 to July 2023. The largest gains were in leisure and hospitality (15,500 jobs); private education and health services (12,800 jobs); professional and business services (8,700 jobs); trade, transportation, and utilities (8,600 jobs); manufacturing (7,800 jobs); other services (5,900 jobs); and financial activities (2,700 jobs). Employment decreased in information (-1,200 jobs) and mining, logging, and construction (-1,000 jobs). Government employment decreased by 900 jobs over the year, with a decrease in local government (-2,000 jobs) and increases in state (700 jobs) and federal government (400 jobs).

Read the full report at https://meric.mo.gov/missouri-monthly-jobs-report.

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Originally Appeared Here

Vibrantly hued sunlight, aromatic smoke and ethereal chants filled a thousand gothic arches, each pointing toward heaven.

Such it was 140 years to the day after the dedication and consecration of the newly renamed Proto-Cathedral of St. Peter in Jefferson City.

“Mindful that we are being built up by the Lord as a temple sacred to him, let us never forget who we are,” proclaimed Father Jeremy Secrist, pastor of St. Peter Parish. “Remember where the Lord has led us, and remember who the Lord is continuing to call us to be as his people.”

“Proto” is Greek for “first” or “original.” The new title recognizes that the church previously served as a cathedral for the diocese.

Bishop W. Shawn McKnight signed a resolution Thursday, calling for the name change and instructing the chancellor of the diocese to update the name in official documents.

Completed and dedicated in 1883, St. Peter Proto-Cathedral served as the cathedral from the Jefferson City diocese’s founding in 1956 until the completion of the Cathedral of St. Joseph in 1968.

The anniversary of the dedication of a parish church is celebrated in that parish each year as a solemnity.

Fr. Secrist offered Mass for the solemnity Saturday at St. Peter.

Concelebrating the Mass were associate pastors, Father Brad Berhorst and Father Thomas Alber. The Rev. Christopher Hoffmann, Deacon Ric Telthorst and Deacon David Thompson assisted. Seminarians served at the altar. The St. Peter Schola, directed by Nicholas Liese and accompanied by organist Leslie Smith, led the singing.

In his homily, Fr. Secrist addressed an often-asked question: “Why do we as Catholics, if we are the Lord’s people, put so much emphasis on structures, on buildings?”

He referred to the reading from the First Book of Kings, in which King Solomon, standing before God’s altar in the newly built temple, recalls his father’s question: “Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?”

“The answer is yes!” Fr. Secrist said. “Because Solomon, at the command of the Lord, has erected this temple in Jerusalem as that place of sacred encounter, wherein the Lord’s people, mindful of their need for God’s mercy, for his pardon, would come before the Lord, and God would make his dwelling among them.”

That, the priest noted, is the extraordinary claim and reality of the Judeo-Christian faith: “that God has sought to make his dwelling among us, and not only just in a particular place, but as we all know and believe, that God made his dwelling in the womb of our Blessed Mother, Mary — that he took on our human flesh and made his dwelling among us!”

That reality is not just spiritual or intellectual.

“It is incarnational, it is sacramental!” Fr. Secrist said.

It is the same bedrock truth that empowered St. Peter to profess to Jesus: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

“And it is on that profession of faith that our faith has its firm foundation,” the priest said.

Fr. Secrist encouraged everyone, therefore, to look ahead, “mindful that anything we do, any effort or endeavor that we enter into in this life is not merely our own — that it is Christ who is meaning to build us up as his living stones, into a temple that is worthy of his dwelling.”

God’s dwelling

The third church for what was once the Capital City’s only parish was built in 1882, when Monsignor Otto Hoog was pastor, with substantial help from the Bender and Dulle families.

Msgr. Hoog offered the first Mass in the Church on Feb. 2, 1883.

Coadjutor Archbishop Patrick J. Ryan of St. Louis, who later became archbishop of Philadelphia, solemnly dedicated the church Aug. 12, 1883.

Fr. Secrist called to mind the thousands of people over the past 14 decades who have been reborn in the baptism in that same church, who have been fortified with the sacrament of confirmation there, united in the sacrament of marriage, and been restored, healed and forgiven in the sacrament of reconciliation and anointing.

He spoke of “the hundreds of thousands of times the Most Holy Eucharist has been offered here as the primary means by which the Lord Jesus continues to feed, nourish, sustain and fortify us, his people.”

He further noted that many priests were ordained in the sanctuary during the dozen years of the church’s service as a cathedral.

“The Sacraments of the Church,” he emphasized, “are the Lord’s answer to the question of King Solomon: ‘Is it possible that God can dwell on earth?'”

“And our faith-filled answer to that question must always be, ‘Absolutely!'” he said.

Lasting significance

Candles mounted to the outside walls, signifying that the walls had been consecrated with Sacred Chrism, flickered through the anniversary Mass.

The priests prayed the Eucharistic Prayer at the early-20th-century high altar, facing the same direction as the people.

In the Aug. 10 resolution, Bishop McKnight noted that Fr. Secrist and the parishioners “have been most dedicated to keeping this house of God both beautiful and worthy of its sacred nature while holding true to its significance to the downtown community.”

It all belongs to God, Fr. Secrist noted.

“As the Psalmist said, ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, in vain do the builders labor,'” he said. “The same is true in our lives of faith. The same is true in any parish, and the same is true for this Parish of St. Peter.”

‘Bells and smells’

During a celebratory brunch in the parish’s Msgr. Hoog Hall, Deacon Telthorst presented to Fr. Secrist a copy of the resolution introduced by state Rep. David Griffith in the Missouri House of Representatives, commemorating the 140th anniversary of the church dedication.

Guest speaker Patrick Murphy of St. Louis, author of Places to Pray: Holy Sites in Catholic Missouri, reflected on the sense of beauty Catholics are fond of bringing to their churches.

“Look around at the detail and the beauty and the craftsmanship that went into churches like this one,” he stated. “When that kind of thing is powered by faith, you can come up with some really beautiful things.”

A grandson of immigrants from Ireland, Murphy talked about the tremendous effort generations of Catholic immigrants have put forth in building things that reflect God’s glory and create a sense of belonging.

“They set out to let everybody know, ‘We’re capable of building things around beautiful ideas,” he said. “And also, along with that, ‘We’re here, baby! And we’re not goin’ anywhere!'”

The author spoke of how centuries-old techniques of art, stonework, carpentry and stained-glass design evolved and grew out of a need to be drawn into a prayerful state of mind and heart.

“We laughingly talk about ‘bells and smells,'” he said. “But there really is something to that — where it appeals to us as living, human beings, occupying and going places where you feel holiness, where you feel spiritual.”

He marveled at the abundance of Catholic culture and architecture within driving distance of the Capital City.

“I tell people all the time, ‘Go to Jefferson City, stay in Jefferson City, and plan around this book an itinerary, and see six or seven different churches,'” he said.

Julie Smith/News Tribune
A layer of incence floated in the sanctuary Saturday during a Mass to mark the 140th year of the dedication and consecration of St. Peter Proto-Cathedral. Fr. Jeremy Secrist offered up the Mass and following the homily, announced that Bishop Shawn McKnight had issued a resolution calling for the name change and read it aloud. When St. Peter opened in 1883, it was the cathedral and served as such until May 4, 1974, when St. Joseph was formally dedicated as the Cathedral of St. Joseph.

Originally Appeared Here

SEDALIA, Mo. – Even with many parts of the state receiving rainfall over the past week, this summer’s drought is still taking a toll on Missouri farmers.

While some might think the recent rain has improved things for the state’s agriculture industry, stakeholders say the impact of the drought will be felt for months and years to come. During a listening session at the Missouri State Fair on Monday, the state told the federal delegation that Missouri needs help.

“We’ve been blessed to have had the rain we’ve recently had, but the reality of it is, for the row croppers, for cattle, for livestock producers, that problem doesn’t stop with the rain,” Gov. Mike Parson said. “Going into fall, we’re going to be short on pasture, we’re going to be short on supply, and we’re going to have to get through the winter somehow.”

After the driest April and May since 1988, farmers across Missouri are left to make tough decisions like sending cattle to market early, due to a lack of hay.

“We were down in Polk and Dade counties and hearing farmers with their overalls on and dirt under their fingernails, almost in tears because of what’s happening on their farms,” U.S. Rep. Mark Alford said. “Not having the foliage and the hay that they need.”

Both state and federal policymakers joined the listening session in Sedalia hosted by Alford Monday morning. Pennsylvania Congressman Glen “GT” Thompson, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, sat in on the listening session with other stakeholders like Parson, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, Republican Missouri Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer, U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) and U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL). The group spent nearly two hours at the fairgrounds fielding questions and requests from the Missouri farming community.

“How we live on the farm, we certainly don’t want to do anything to harm where we earn our living,” dairy farmer Tom Oelrich told the panel. “Farmers have been sustainable before sustainability was cool, and I guess we would like to get some credit for the things we’ve already implemented.”

The reason behind the listening session is to help Congress draft a new farm bill, a multiyear law that governs a handful of agricultural and food programs. The current farm bill is set to expire at the end of September.

“That’s not a calorie consumed that’s not produced by a farmer or a rancher someplace,” Thompson said. “We want to build a 2023 farm bill based on input, just like we heard today at the Missouri State Fair.”

Monday’s event comes just days after Tyson Foods announced it would be closing two chicken processing plants in Dexter and Noel, cutting thousands of jobs.

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“Tyson still has a good relationship with us; they still have five operations going in this state, so we want to make sure we continue that partnership with them,” Parson said. “It was simply a business decision they made. It’s unfortunate; we don’t want to lose any businesses, but at the same time, we have gained businesses in this state by the same decisions by other companies.”

“It’s not something they [Tyson] offered any of the states to get involved in and so what we have to do now is how we help those people,” Kehoe said. “I know our Department of Economic Development, Department of Agriculture and our workforce development people will be sending reaction teams into both markets in McDonald and Stoddard counties to figure out what they can do to help those workers find additional training and the training they need to get them replaced and what we can do with the plants themselves.”

Others who spoke to the panel asked for more money to be spent on expanding internet access in rural parts of the state.

“It needs to happen,” Thompson said. “It’s no longer a luxury, it’s a requirement. It’s a high priority for the committee.”

“Missouri is making some of the largest investments in our state’s history when it comes to broadband,” Parson said. “If you can walk into your house, and you can flip on your electric switch and the lights come on, then we can do the same thing for broadband.”

Later this month, the Drought Assessment Committee, made up of state and federal agencies, will meet again in Jefferson City to discuss what other resources need to be offered in reaction to the drought.

In June, the governor announced emergency plans for Missouri farmers to access water and hay as drought concerns persist statewide. The state is allowing farmers to collect water and harvest hay from state parks.

Farmers can now access emergency water or hay in the following ways:

• Boat ramps at 25 Missouri state parks will be open for farmers to collect water, with almost 700 acres available for haying at 17 state parks.
• Boat ramps at 36 Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) areas are also now open for water collection.
• The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is offering special over-width hauling permits at no charge to help farmers and ranchers move hay.

The Department of Agriculture does offer a mental health resource for the farming community. The AgriStress hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Producers can call or text 833-897-2474 to speak to a healthcare professional.

DNR is asking Missouri residents to submit information about the local drought conditions online. Buntin said this can help the committee create more accurate maps, allowing members to work better with state and federal partners.

DNR also has a variety of resources online and continues to add information on drought mitigation and assistance opportunities.

The committee said it is still monitoring drinking water levels, but currently there are no emergency measures in place. The group plans to meet again in August.

Originally Appeared Here

Doug Harms is the longest active tenured city administrator in Missouri, having served as an administrator for 50 years. | photo by Ursula Ruhl 

The Des Peres Board of Aldermen recently honored City Administrator Doug Harms for his 50 years of service as a city administrator.

Harms, who has been with the city of Des Peres since 1985, began his profession in 1973 when, at the age of 21, he became Normandy’s first city administrator. He next accepted the city administrator position with Glendale in 1979, before making his final stop in Des Peres, where he resides today. 

Harms is the longest active tenured city administrator in Missouri. Bola Akande, city administrator for Brentwood and president of the Missouri City Management Association, presented Harms with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award during a conference at the Lake of the Ozarks in May.

“I have known Doug for the past 18 years, and he is a champion for the city management profession,” Akande said. “He is a friend, colleague, advocate, and mentor to many of us in the city management profession.

“As a leader in local government in the state of Missouri, he has been a city administrator or city manager for 50 years — an achievement that no other Missouri city administrator or manager has reached until now,” Akande said.

Akande added that 50 years of service as “a remarkable accomplishment” in the city management profession, where the average tenure is below eight years with any given community. 

“Doug has proven himself as someone who has mastered those skills as evidenced by his unfailing tenure,” Akande said.

Harms earned his bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Missouri, where he later earned his master’s in public policy and administration.

“I knew early in life what career path excited and inspired me, thanks in part to having experienced the euphoria of the days of Camelot when a government career was viewed as a noble profession,” Harms said. “To this day, I have not regretted that decision.  In city management you don’t accomplish anything alone — achievements are team achievements working with the elected officials, citizens, city employees and with your peers in the region.”

During his time in Des Peres, Harms  has served alongside 41 elected officials, including five mayors and 36 aldermen. He has attended over 1,300 Des Peres Board of Aldermen meetings.   

Harms personally hired all 102 active employees with the city of Des Peres, including four assistant city administrators, five city clerks, seven finance directors, three public works directors, four public safety directors, and six directors of park and recreation.

“I have been fortunate to have been able to work in two great area cities (Glendale and Des Peres) for most of my career, and that the elected officials in both have been committed to doing the right thing even when difficult — an attitude that continues to reinforce my belief in government service,” Harms said. 

“I believe that I have made a difference in both those communities and in the region, generally,” he continued. “While 50 years is a long time to do anything, I remain committed to continuing that work as long as God will allow me, and I believe that I continue to make a difference in the life of Des Peres residents.”

Harms served as former president of the St. Louis Area City Managers Association in 1984, and was president of the Missouri City Managers Association in 1987. He was also the 1991 recipient of the Missouri City Management Association Jay T. Bell Award, the 2010 recipient of the Outstanding Local Government Achievement Award from East-West Gateway Council of Governments, the 2011 recipient of the Buzz Westfall Award for Excellence in Local Government from the St. Louis County Municipal League, and the 2012 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Missouri-St. Louis MPPA Program. 

He served as a member of the board of directors of the Missouri Municipal League, and has also been active in Jefferson City on crucial legislative issues pertaining to local governments in Missouri.  

Current and former city officials —from Des Peres and other municipalities in the region — speak highly of Harms.

“When I came into office and met Doug, I always trusted him, and he was always honest with me,” said Sharon Burkhardt, who served as mayor from 1992 to 2000.

“He had a great amount of knowledge and was willing to share with other city administrators in the state and community,” she added. “He has been a significant addition to Des Peres, and Des Peres would not be what it is now without Doug Harms.”

Current Des Peres Mayor Mark Becker echoed that sentiment and extended his heartfelt congratulations to Harms on his 50th anniversary as city administrator.

“He’s the dean of city administrators, and often, I hear people say, ‘Let’s see what Doug Harms thinks,’” Becker said. “Doug has been an integral part of our management team in Des Peres for decades, and we are grateful for his leadership and endless contributions to our community. It is an award well deserved.”

Pat Kelly is the executive director of the Missouri Municipal League and former mayor of Brentwood.

“I’ve known Doug for at least 25 years, going back to when I was an elected official,” he said. “What stands out is his willingness to help anybody in the public service arena, especially city administration.

“Doug was always there and willing to help those individuals when they needed it,” Kelly continued. “Because of his experience, he is a wealth of knowledge, especially regarding some of the issues that the Municipal League members felt in dealing with St. Louis County taxing issues.”

Originally Appeared Here

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Within the next few months, millions of Missourians could be paying more for electricity.

The Missouri Public Service Commission has moved forward with a new mandate on electric companies, which will lead to rising bills for customers.

Think of supply and demand. The more demand there is, the higher the cost. Because of that price determination, Ameren Missouri and Evergy are now required to use “time of use” rates, an adjustment to the price you pay for electricity based on the time of day it’s used.

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“It allows them to control their energy dollars, save money and really have more control over how much they have to pay for energy,” said Scott Rupp, chairman of the Missouri Public Service Commission.

Starting in October, Evergy customers on the western side of the state will need to enroll in one of four state plans. If you don’t select from one of those four plans, you will automatically be enrolled in the standard peak saver rate. In this case, the price of electricity will spike from nine cents to 38 cents per kilowatt-hour between the hours of 4-8 p.m. in the summer months.

“We’re going to give you a discount on how much your energy is on all the other times of the day, but during these times when it’s more expensive, we’re going to flow the cost through so you have understanding of what it actually costs you to use your energy,” said Rupp.

“In Evergy, the most aggressive plan, the cost does go up quite a bit during the four-hour period of the peak time, but you’re also getting almost a 50 percent discount on the times when it’s not as expensive,” he added.

On Thursday, representatives from Evergy told the Public Service Commission roughly 90 percent of customers will see little change or possibly save annually.

Some Missouri lawmakers are not pleased by this concept.

“So I’m going to work all day, come home, wait until midnight to turn the air conditioner down, so it will be cool enough for me to sleep,” said Missouri State Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin (R-Shelbina). Yet I won’t be sleeping because I’ll have to be up doing my laundry and my household things when I can afford the power. What kind of a system is that?”

O’Laughlin, also the Senate Majority Floor Leader, isn’t an Evergy customer. But she says the Public Service Commission is abusing their power by mandating time of use rates.

“The PSC is really in effect to make sure that Missourians have affordable, reliable power and in my opinion. This steps outside of that,” said O’Laughlin.

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“This is the first time we’ve actually given customers choice, where you actually have multiple rates to pick from and stuff. So this is what we were designed to do,” said Rupp.

O’Laughlin and Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo (D-Kansas City) sent a letter to the commission this week asking them to repeal “time of use” rates. They expect the topic to be top of priority this upcoming session.

“It’s not acceptable to me and I don’t think it’s going to be acceptable to most of the people in the legislature,” said O’Laughlin.

Originally Appeared Here

JEFFERSON CITY — A leading trade organization representing the financial industry sued Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft Thursday over new rules targeting so-called “woke” investing.

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association said the new rules, which went into effect July 30, conflict with federal securities laws, which were created to provide a uniform regulatory regime for investors across all 50 states.

“U.S. capital markets are the bedrock of our nation’s economy. The national nature of our securities market system helps ensure that the U.S. has the deepest, most liquid markets in the world,” said SIFMA President Kenneth E. Bentsen Jr.

Ashcroft, a Republican who is running for governor in 2024, issued the rules — the first in the nation —  after a similar “anti-woke” investing proposal died in the Legislature.

The measure won approval in the House, but went nowhere in the Senate amid opposition from a wide variety of groups, including the Missouri Chamber of Commerce.

The rules require broker-dealers to obtain consent from customers to purchase or sell an investment product based on social or other nonfinancial objectives, such as combating climate change.

It marked the second time Ashcroft has used an obscure rule-making process to highlight a Republican “culture war” issue as he tries to run to the right of Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring.

Earlier, he pushed through a rule change affecting public libraries and pornographic material that was deeply opposed by librarians.

Ashcroft’s maneuver also followed another Republican statewide elected official in making investing a political issue.

Former Missouri Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick, who is now state auditor, pulled $500 million out of pension funds managed by BlackRock Inc. in October, saying the asset manager was “prioritizing” environmental, social and governance over shareholder returns.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, another Republican eyeing the 2024 election, also has weighed in by joining his colleagues in other states in warning asset managers against using climate goals in offering investment advice.

In the latest lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Missouri’s western division, the trade organization said the new Missouri rules fill no void or blind spot that would protect Missouri investors today. 

Under existing federal securities laws, broker-dealers and investment advisers are already required to provide investment advice that is in the best interest of their customers, the group said.

“The Missouri rules are thus unnecessary and create confusion,” the organization added.

The 43-page suit alleges that the rules violate the Constitutional right to free speech by requiring brokers to stick to a script outlined in the new rule.

“The government cannot compel professionals to make policy statements on political issues,” the lawsuit says.

An Ashcroft spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When Ashcroft introduced the rules in January, his office said they were “intended to better protect investors from companies that engage in risky, misleading and sometimes unethical practices when investment models are utilized which are not purely profit based.”

INVESTING FOR A CAUSE: Socially responsible funds, which invest based on environmental, social and governance principles, have attracted $17 trillion in assets, but a new Labor Department rule seeks to slow their use in retirement plans. David Nicklaus and Jim Gallagher explain the arguments for and against such funds.

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Originally Appeared Here

Editor’s Note: This is one of several profiles published in the 2023 Education Guide, which inserts in the Aug. 11 CityBusiness.

Photos courtesy Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy and Dorothy Height Charter School.

Charter schools became the new normal in public education following Hurricane Katrina and many charter networks continue to add schools under their umbrellas. They’ve found success in creating smaller educational communities with more oversight in staffing as well as governance by a non-profit board.

According to the Cowen Institute, there were 71 charter schools in New Orleans during the 2022-2023 school year and even more in Jefferson Parish, although Jefferson Parish still has traditional public school options.

Declining enrollment at charter schools has been a topic of discussion; there are four New Orleans charter schools closing in the 2023-2024 school year, although several schools are adding grades: Hynes UNO will be adding fourth grade (K-4), Delores Taylor Arthur School will add eleventh grade (8-11), Elan Academy will add eighth grade (PK4-8th) and Audubon Gentilly will add seventh grade (K-7th).

Charter schools are open to all students in the New Orleans area, no matter their zip code. Two New Orleans charter schools, International High School of New Orleans, Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans, accept applications from students statewide.

While nearly all elementary and middle charter schools in New Orleans prioritize a percentage of their seats for students who live in the neighborhood surrounding the school, high school students enrolling in charter high schools do not receive geographic priority.

One of the most unique charter school models in the area is the Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy in Jefferson Parish, a partnership between health care system Ochsner and Discovery Health Sciences Academy, where half the seats are reserved for children of employees who work at Ochsner and who live in Jefferson Parish. Another 20 percent is set aside for children living in the nearby Shrewsbury neighborhood.

First opened in the 2020-2021 school year, the Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy will educate approximately 750 students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade when it reaches full capacity this year and integrates health and sciences into the curriculum. It received a “B” grade from the Louisiana Department of Education during the 2021-2022 school year.

The New Orleans Military & Maritime Academy (NOMMA) charter school in Algiers is the only military/maritime open admissions public charter school in the area. It serves 900 cadet students in grades 8-12 as well as children of active military families. Earlier this year, NOMMA signed a $2.8 million purchase agreement for three parcels of land comprising over 10 acres, including over five acres of prime riverfront property, which will allow it to expand its footprint at New Orleans Riverside at Federal City.

Hynes Charter School, a long-standing high-performing K-8 school in Lakeview, broke ground earlier this year on a $28 million Hynes-UNO building which will open in fall 2024 on the Hynes-UNO Campus at 1901 Leon C. Simon Dr. on the University of New Orleans campus. It will serve more than 900 students in K-8 grades. The Hynes-UNO campus is temporarily housed at the Jean Gordon swing space at 6101 Chatham Dr. until the new school is constructed. It currently serves students in grades kindergarten through third grade.

Crescent City Schools, which oversees Harriet Tubman Charter School (grades 3-8), Tubman Montessori (PreK-2) and Dorothy Height Charter School (PreK-8), will add Mildred Osborne Charter School (PreK-8) to its network for the 2023-2024 school year. Mildred Osborne Charter School is a new school created by merging Akili Academy and Mildred Osborne Charter. The school will retain the Osborne name and campus in the Kenilworth neighborhood.

At Dorothy Height Charter School, thanks to a continued partnership with Verizon, Heart of America and Arizona State University, students are able to learn in their very own Verizon Innovative Learning Lab. The immersive media lab is designed to prepare students for future careers through encouraging entrepreneurial mindsets, social innovation and design thinking. Height was chosen to receive an Innovative Learning Lab in early 2022, and the completed lab was officially unveiled in February 2023.

Verizon provided the school with 3-D printing stations, virtual reality headsets, monitors and other necessary equipment for the lab, as well as ongoing training and support to ensure that the lab is of maximum use to the school and its students.

InspireNOLA, which operates eight local charter schools, will celebrate 10 years of operation during the 2023-2024 school year. It announced it will merge McDonogh 42 and Pierre Capdau Charter schools to form the Capdau STEAM Academy on the campus of Pierre Capdau in the Gentilly neighborhood.

In other charter school news, Lusher Charter School, a high-performing school uptown, will now be called The Willow School.

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The deal stands out as a rare addition of workspace at a time when many companies are cutting back on it, given the rise of remote work that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. TQL is also going against the grain by moving from the trendy West Loop office submarket to the heart of the Loop, which has seen a slew of companies decamp from older buildings in favor of newer office properties elsewhere in the city.

The leasing victory comes at a critical moment for the owner of 125 S. Clark, a venture of German real estate investor Commerz Real AG. Co-working provider WeWork was the largest tenant in the building — which is now dubbed the National — but recently shuttered its four-floor, 112,000-square-foot location at the top of the property. Commerz Real filed an eviction lawsuit earlier this year against the shared-office giant to formally retake possession of the space. The landlord also is seeking unpaid rent from WeWork, which had a lease in the building running through late 2033, according to federal court records.

With TQL on board, the building is now 69% leased, according to Transwestern. That’s down from 88% when Commerz Real bought the building in 2018 — mostly a result of WeWork’s exit — and slightly below the 74% average for office buildings in the Loop midway through the year, according to data from brokerage CBRE.

“No other building in the Central Loop is attracting and retaining tenants like The National,” Transwestern Executive Vice President Eric Myers said in the statement. “Even in a struggling market, this building continues to get deals done partly due to its unmatched amenities and competitive pricing. These advantages set The National apart from other buildings in the Central Loop, allowing it to close large new deals that other buildings in the submarket simply cannot match.”

Working in Commerz Real’s favor is that it has no debt on the Clark Street property. Many landlords are trying to find new tenants while they face imminent deadlines to pay off maturing loans, which some are struggling to do after a jump in interest rates over the past year. That has set off a wave of distressed properties in the city, while buildings owned free and clear by their landlords might be more flexible with lease terms to help get a deal done.

It’s unclear what prompted TQL to expand and move to the Loop; a spokesman for the company did not respond to a request for comment. But third-party logistics providers have been a bright spot in an otherwise dreary downtown office market since 2020. Buoyed by demand for their services from companies trying to bolster their supply chains, tenants including Spot Logistics, Traffic Tech, Loadsmart and MoLo Solutions have belied the broader market by expanding their office space downtown over the past three years.

TQL’s departure from its current office sets up a leasing challenge for the venture of Chicago-based Blue Star Properties that owns the 10-story building on Jefferson Street. The logistics firm is the largest tenant in the building, which is 76% leased, according to real estate information company CoStar Group.

It’s perhaps a bittersweet loss for Blue Star, which helped transform 125 S. Clark from an outdated property into one of the most competitive office buildings in the Loop. The developer, led by Sterling Bay co-founder Craig Golden, sold the property to Commerz Real for almost $197 million, a sum that dwarfed the total investment Blue Star and its joint venture partner, Wolcott Group, had put into the building.

A spokesman for Blue Star did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Myers, Kathleen Bertrand and John Nelson of Transwestern negotiated the TQL lease on behalf of Commerz Real. CBRE brokers Jon Milonas and James Otto represented TQL.

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James Fite says the longest he’s gone without being able to go where he wanted was less than 10 hours in his life.

So when the 84-year-old broke his hip in a fall several months ago, his first question to the surgeon was, “What guarantee do you have of me being 100 percent when I get over this?”

When the surgeon wouldn’t give him answer, “I told him I was going to be 100 percent,” Fite said.

The former general contracting business and ranch owner knows the value of “giving it his all,” having spent most of his life running his own construction business, Twin FF Inc., with his twin brother. He operated construction equipment starting at the age of 18 and sold the business in 2010.

“I’d planned on working for a while,” he said.

Fite also had a 400-acre ranch in West Plains, running cattle and horses. At one time, he had more than 2,000 acres.

Although he sold the ranch last year at 83 years old, Fite still finds plenty of ways to stay busy.

Fite is a regular at several restaurants in town, showing up in his 2023 white Corvette for breakfast at Oscar’s Classic Diner every morning, and getting his usual dinner order — a prime rib sandwich — at Ecco Lounge in the evenings, where he is affectionately known as “Big Papa” by wait staff.

He even rents out Oscar’s for his annual birthday parties, which started when he moved to Jefferson City four years ago.

“When I first moved here, I said, ‘I don’t have any friends!'” Fite said. “So my daughter and son-in-law held a birthday party here for me at Oscar’s where 48 people came.”

Fite said he plans on living to be 100 and inviting everyone to his birthday party.

“I don’t know how I’m going to arrive,” he said. “Maybe in a box, but I’m going to have it!”

He intends to get back to his weekly schedule of going out on the town every night and works diligently on his home therapy exercises each day to continue living life to the fullest.

“I’m walking with this cane now, so I’m kind of limited,” he said. “But I don’t care what they say, I’m throwing it away in two weeks.”

When asked about the secret of living a fulfilling life, Fite recommends going after what you want.

“If you have a dream, the way to make it come true is you make it come true yourself,” he said. “Nobody else is going to do it for you, that’s my experience.”

For Fite, that means getting back to his regular social schedule, driving his Corvette around town, making friends and expanding his Jefferson City community everywhere he goes.

“I love life,” Fite said. “I love it, I do. I love that I’m healthy, and I’m happy, and I love every day of it.”

    Shelby Kardell/News Tribune photo: A sign from James Fite’s contracting business, Twin FF Inc., sits in his garage in Jefferson City. Fite owned and operated the construction business with his twin brother.
      Courtesy/Farrah Fite photo: James Fite blows out candles at his 84th birthday party held at Oscar’s Classic Diner on March 26.
      Shelby Kardell/News Tribune photo: James Fite poses for a portrait next to his 2023 Corvette at his house in Jefferson City.
  

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