Jefferson City

Above / Dean’s Fine Clothing, located at the corner of Main Street and Jackson Avenue, is known for its big tent in its parking lot during downtown sidewalk sales. Established in 1959, Dean’s also is known for its participation in sidewalk sales since they began.

Downtown Naperville retail shops are getting ready and set for their annual Sizzling Summer Sidewalk Sales with bargains galore inside and outside for four days, July 13 through July 16.

Make it a day to experience the warm welcome along the avenues east and west and streets north and south, mindful of the rich history around every corner, adorned with Century Walk public works of art—murals, sculptures, mosaics—that showcase community spirit dating back to early days of Naperville. 

– Advertisement –

While selecting great deals so local shops can make room for new autumn arrivals, discover all 19 whimsical and witty strategically-placed colorful dragonfly benches that promote “Flying into Summer” in the heart of the central business district.

(PN Photo)

Include Naperville Municipal Band Concert Thursday at 7:30PM

In addition to shopping and enjoying the tastes available on opening Sidewalk Sale Day Thurs., July 13, also plan to venture over to Central Park to attend the weekly Naperville Municipal Band Concert, set to begin promptly at 7:30PM. The tradition of Naperville Municipal Band concerts in downtown Naperville date back to 1859 when the group of musicians was known as the Naperville Brass Band. Perhaps order dinner to-go from one of the downtown restaurants for a picnic in the park. Or pick up popcorn at Naper Nuts & Sweets. There’s also a bake sale in the Gazebo in Central Park.

(PN File Photo)

For 57 years, the award-winning Naperville Municipal Band has been under the musical direction of Conductor Ron Keller. After this summer, Keller is turning over his baton and he’ll assume the title of “Director Emeritus.”

Central Park is located at 104 E Benton Ave. in downtown Naperville, behind U.S. Bank and Quigley’s Irish Pub, northeast of Washington St. and Jefferson Ave.

Explore downtown sidewalk sales, dating back more than 65 years…

Now with hundreds of shops and eateries, downtown Naperville continues to promise a memorable walkable experience during summer sidewalk days that have grown since the 1960s, recognizing buildings that date back to the 1800s as well as updated streetscape along Main Street and Jefferson Avenue. Whatever your taste— one-of-a-kind boutiques, small independently-owned businesses or national favorites—come discover what’s new among the traditions where you’ll find plenty to whet your appetite, even if you’re “just looking.”

What’s more, North Central College with several art galleries; Naper Settlement, the city’s outdoor history museum; and the Riverwalk are just steps from the central business district.

Plan to spend the day with an itinerary that includes visits to the city’s many cultural amenities and take time to look up to discover distinctive features in the historic buildings. If only all the parapet walls could talk!

(PN File Photo)

 

Chicago Avenue

DASH OF NASH – 32 W. Chicago Avenue

Jefferson Avenue

Chico’s – 131 W. Jefferson Avenue

Costello Jewelry Co – 33 W. Jefferson Avenue

Ellce Home – 21 W. Jefferson Avenue

Gotskind’s Shoes & Clothing – 115 W. Jefferson Avenue

Kerwell – A Premium CBD House – 8 W. Jefferson Avenue

(PN File Photo)

Naperville Running Company – 34 W. Jefferson Avenue

Peace – 143 W. Jefferson Avenue

SaraBoo Creek – 107 W. Jefferson Avenue

Main Street

(PN File Photo)

Dean’s Fine Clothing – 226 S. Main Street

J.McLaughlin – 216 S. Main Street

Paper Source – 215 S. Main Street

Soft Surroundings – 55 S. Main Street

Tinker | A Children’s Boutique – 227 S. Main Street

Water Street

Trails & Tides – 120 Water Street

Antiques of Naperville – 120 Water Street

SixtyFour – Wine Bar & Kitchen – 123 Water Street

Washington Street

Beidelman Furniture – 239 S. Washington Street

Karisma Boutique – 232 S. Washington Street

Little Barn Baby – 123 S. Washington Street

The NOW Massage – 110 S. Washington Street, Suite 108

Treasures – 121 S. Washington Street

Zazu Salon – 135 S. Washington Street

Webster Street

Regenerate Boutique – 124 S. Webster Street

Participating businesses listed above provided by the Downtown Naperville Alliance.

Find plenty waiting for you!

So come on downtown! As Petula Clark would sing, “Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city… Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty. How can you lose? … Things will be great when you’re downtown… No finer place for sure, downtown…”

Everything’s waiting for you—especially during Sizzling Summer Sidewalk Sales under clear skies.

For more information, visit www.downtownnaperville.com.

PN File Photos

Originally Appeared Here

Photo caption: Blue tarps cover roofs in Larose six weeks after Hurricane Ida. Photo courtesy Wes Muller/Louiisiana Illuminator.

Louisiana’s insurance commissioner and state legislators have touted their creation of a new grant program to help homeowners lower their property insurance premiums, but some advocates and lawmakers worry the money won’t go to those who need it the most.

It’s called the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program, and state Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said he expects the application period to open in October. The program will offer grants of up to $10,000 for eligible homeowners to retrofit their roofs to new building codes. They call for better fasteners and seals that allow roofs to withstand winds of up to 150 mph and keep water from leaking through to the wood below the shingles.

Louisiana has been in the midst of an insurance crisis. After a string of costly disasters starting with Hurricane Laura in August 2020, many insurance companies have stopped writing new policies in certain areas of the state, several pulled out of Louisiana entirely and nearly a dozen others went out of business. It has caused homeowner premiums to skyrocket in certain areas.

Homes with stronger roofs should generate fewer property damage claims, and that should translate to lower insurance costs. Property owners who don’t qualify for the grants could still get significant discounts on their insurance premiums if they retrofit their homes or buildings to the fortified standards, and that goes for both residential and commercial buildings.

During their 2023 session, lawmakers set aside $30 million for the grants. At up to $10,000 per recipient, the program should “fortify” at least 3,000 homes statewide. Unlike loans, grants are monetary gifts that recipients don’t have to pay back.

However, the Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) seems keen to give away the money on a mostly first-come-first-served basis. So far, Donelon has laid out only a handful of eligibility requirements, none of which prioritize the grants for homeowners who are poor or who live in areas where insurance costs have skyrocketed.

“That is this commissioner’s philosophy in a nutshell,” said Andreanecia Morris, president of the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance. “When you talk about affordability, he just doesn’t get it.”

Morris said her organization, which is a nonprofit collaboration of advocates for affordable housing, has met with Donelon’s office several times to discuss instituting needs-based eligibility priorities for the grants, but she said the commissioner has shown little interest in the idea.

She said the state should give the money to lower-income folks who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford a new roof.

“If it’s first-come-first-served, you run the risk of wealthy people taking advantage of this program,” Morris said. “You have to be strategic with this. You have to get it to those who need it most.”

Some moderate and progressive lawmakers agree, but Louisiana’s Republican-dominated legislature is generally reluctant to fund initiatives that solely help low-income residents.

LDI Deputy Commissioner John Ford said an income component for the program was discussed during the legislative process but gained little support from lawmakers.

Nonetheless, Donelon has regulatory authority over the program and could possibly institute some eligibility rules, though the legislature can undo them. Morris and even some conservative lawmakers said Donelon should look into narrowing who is eligible to receive the grants. If he can’t or is unwilling to, Morris said she hopes lawmakers will amend the program next year to include such parameters.

So far, the only eligibility parameters are that applicants must have an owner-occupied home in good shape that can pass inspection from a licensed fortified home evaluator.

In a phone interview Friday, Rep. Matthew Willard, D-New Orleans, said LDI should institute an income-cap or at least prioritize low-income applicants and those who live in higher-risk areas for the first round of grant funding.

Donelon has said the areas most affected by the insurance crisis are south of Interstate 10 in Orleans, Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes.

“Below I-10 is really suffering,” Willard said. “If you don’t have any income prioritization, if you don’t have any regional prioritization, those people will continue suffering.”

Rep. Richard Nelson, R-Mandeville, offered similar comments but has less faith in the overall impact of the program. Nelson, who is running for governor on a slightly more moderate platform than his Republican opponents, pointed out that the funding is only enough to help 3,000 homes.

“To me, it would make sense to prioritize those with lower incomes,” Nelson said in a phone call. “Higher-risk areas should also be prioritized … but it’s kind of a drop in the bucket in the whole scope of things … I don’t think it’s going to necessarily address our wider insurance crisis.”

When Donelon pitched the grant program to the Louisiana Legislature, he modeled it after one already in place in Alabama, which has seen more than 35,000 homes built or upgraded to the fortified standard over nearly a decade. Donelon has said he hopes to replicate that success for Louisiana.

However, Morris said Louisiana has different problems and risk factors than Alabama. She also pointed out what she considers a key difference between the two programs. Alabama included a requirement that insurers provide at least a 20% discount to homeowners who meet the fortified standard. Louisiana requires insurers to provide a discount but does not specify an amount.

Willard doesn’t see that as a big problem. The legislation he sponsored that ushered in the discount requirements provides for an actuarially adjusted amount that will reduce premiums at the same rate of risk reduction, he said.

In other words, if a new roof reduces a house’s risk by 20%, then the insurer must reduce the premium by an equivalent amount. It is, however, the insurance company who will perform that calculation, though Willard said a homeowner will be able to challenge the calculation if they don’t agree.

In an emailed statement, Ford, who serves as Donelon’s spokesperson, said a mandate for a specific minimum discount “would be arbitrary and would likely have an adverse effect on the availability of insurance for consumers.” He didn’t elaborate.

Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, a conservative gubernatorial candidate who also worked on Fortify Homes Program legislation, agreed with prioritizing eligibility based on geography but not income. First-come-first-served grant programs are always problematic because the demand often exceeds the funding, she said.

“I would be supportive of a program that prioritized homeowners below I-10 first, as those are the communities with the biggest need for fortified roofs,” Hewitt said in a text message.

o
Originally Appeared Here

The leader of the Missouri House Democrats is running for governor.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade ended several months of speculation on Sunday with a web video making her gubernatorial bid official. Among other things, the video features the Springfield Democrat showcasing her working class background and maneuvering through a roller derby to highlight how she can handle rough and tumble politics.

“When you come from nothing you fight the odds your whole life,” Quade says in the ad.

In an interview, Quade said she chose to run for governor because “Missouri’s government has just become too extreme.”

“I’ve been in Jefferson City for seven years now. And each year, it’s become more divisive and there’s less attention spent on Missourians and more attention spent on politics,” Quade said. “And I decided to jump in just because frankly, folks have had enough of that.”

Quade has represented a legislative district that encompasses part of Springfield since 2017. After getting elected to her second term in 2018, Quade won a contested race to become House minority leader — and has served in that position ever since.

As Democratic leader, Quade has often provided the counterpoint to the GOP majority. That includes advocating for policies like Medicaid expansion and speaking out against the state’s ban on most abortions. And she’s spoken out against Republican efforts to constrict the state’s initiative petition process.

If elected governor, Quade said she would invest more time and attention on bolstering state departments such as the Children’s Division and making sure that license bureaus are more functional. She also noted that she has a track record of working with Republicans, who will almost certainly retain control of the General Assembly after the 2024 elections.

“Every piece of legislation that I have sponsored that’s become law was carried by a Republican,” she said. “I plan to continue that type of across the aisle where it makes sense.”

The ad alludes to her advocacy of legislation that would curtail countries like Russia or China from buying Missouri farmland. It also notes that she’s “leading the fight to restore our abortion rights.”

Quade said she honed in on the foreign ownership of farmland issue because the COVID-19 pandemic prompted more people to become concerned with their supply chains. And she said that emphasizing her support of abortion rights was necessary after the state banned the procedure under most circumstances.

“I’ve knocked on the doors of voters. And we’ve had the discussion around abortion access, and I’ll have folks say: ‘I don’t agree with you, but I appreciate your honesty. And I appreciate you actually living up to what you say that you believe in,’” Quade said. “And so I will continue to do that throughout this race.”

Brian Munoz

/

St. Louis Public Radio

Quade’s ad specifically mentions Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, one of three likely GOP candidates for Missouri governor.

Threading the needle

Quade’s gubernatorial bid is hardly a surprise. She talked extensively about her likely candidacy on a recent edition of Politically Speaking — and has been receiving encouragement from her House colleagues to run for the top statewide office post.

“I am a huge fan of Crystal Quade, she knows that. She and I are friends personally and colleagues professionally,” said Rep. Steve Butz, D-St. Louis, during a recent edition of Politically Speaking. “She would be an awesome candidate for the Democrats and really would serve an awesome governor for the state of Missouri.”

Quade’s ad also takes direct aim at Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, one of the three Republicans seeking to succeed Gov. Mike Parson next year. “I’m not worried about bullies like Jay Ashcroft, because Missouri has never seen a governor like me before,” the ad states. “Ashcroft uses fear to score cheap political points and divide us.”

In addition to Ashcroft, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and likely Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, are seeking the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Quade said she mentioned Ashcroft in the ad because most public polls show that he’s ahead at this point in time.

“His name recognition alone shows us that he’s going to get national attention. And so we do expect him to win the primary,” Quade said. “That’s why we highlighted him.”

But Quade’s focus on Ashcroft in her ad may be a subtle acknowledgement that a general election bid against Kehoe may be more challenging. Butz said that Kehoe possesses cross-party appeal, since he often takes a more pragmatic approach to issues.

“Her better chance is if someone like [Sen. Bill Eigel] or Ashcroft were the Republican nominee,” Butz said. “If it’s Kehoe, I think it becomes almost insurmountable.”

Quade said: “It doesn’t matter if you claim to be a moderate or a conservative, they’re all still voting the exact same way.”

“And I almost laugh anymore at elected officials who say they’re moderate Republicans, because they just simply don’t exist,” she added.

Regardless of who wins the GOP nomination, Quade will face the difficult challenge of piecing together a more geographically diverse coalition for her party.

Both Kehoe and Ashcroft crushed their Democratic opponents in 2020 by racking up huge margins in rural areas and dominating larger counties that were traditionally Democratic like Jefferson and Buchanan Counties.

Missouri Democrats acknowledge they can’t win statewide elections without improving their performance in rural areas and fast-growing suburbs with more conservative-minded voters. In addition to bolstering turnout in Democratic-leaning cities like St. Louis and Kansas City, Quade said her party needs to increase its reach in suburban and rural counties.

“I grew up in southwest Missouri, but I represent the third largest city in the state,” Quade said. “So I do have both perspectives. And my time as the Democratic leader in the House has really proven that I can identify and reach with Democrats, regardless of where they’re from.”

Despite the geographic challenge for Quade, Democrats have expressed excitement about Quade’s gubernatorial bid, contending it’s a welcome development for a party that’s lost enormous ground over the past few election cycles.

“We have some tremendous Democratic leaders in the state House and I am just in awe of them every day — they’ve really stood up and they’ve been that voice of reason so many times when we’ve gotten stuck in these ridiculous debates,” said Rep. Maggie Nurrenbern, D-Clay County, earlier this year. “Obviously I have tremendous respect for Minority Leader Crystal Quade. I’ve been impressed with not only how she leads our caucus, but really is able to negotiate and put the priorities of Missourians first.”

A repeat of 1992?

One thing that Missouri Republicans are monitoring is whether a slew of competitive statewide primaries could foster enough hostility to hurt their general election prospects in November.

That’s what arguably happened in 1992, when a contentious gubernatorial primary for governor likely hurt GOP nominee Bill Webster in his massive defeat against eventual winner Mel Carnahan.

“I absolutely think that the infighting within the Republican Party will contribute to us doing better,” Quade said. “We’ve seen it on the legislative side that when they’re fighting amongst each other, that that makes it easier for us to do our jobs or to stop bad things from happening.”

Both Kehoe and Ashcroft have conceded that in a state that’s gotten more Republican in recent years, it’s not realistic to expect a primary contest for an office as vital as the governorship to be without rancor.

And a bigger factor in the Democrats’ 1992 victories (besides Webster imploding due to revelations of criminal conduct) was Bill Clinton winning Missouri’s electoral votes. That’s not expected to happen in 2024, even though there are some unanswered questions about whether GOP voters would be as enthusiastic about a presidential candidate other than Donald Trump.

“I just think the candidates will have to figure out what the line is for them and how they want to run the race,” said state Rep. Bill Hardwick, a Waynesville Republican who has not endorsed in the GOP gubernatorial contest. “Do you make people feel uplifted? Do you make them feel positive? You make people feel hopeful? Do you think there’s going to be a good future for Missouri?” he added. “Or do you make them feel like politics is miserable? It’s corrupt, it’s dirty and nobody wants to be involved in it? Every single candidate has to decide where they want to be in that process.”

There’s also no guarantee that Quade will get a free pass, as other Democratic primaries — including the one for the U.S. Senate and attorney general — featured multiple candidates. While noting she can’t stop other people from running, Quade added she’s hoping to have a relatively clear field.

“We have a lot of work to do to continue to get Missouri back to a place where we are really competitive,” Quade said. “And we do that by being unified.”

Originally Appeared Here

JEFFERSON CITY — A stunning photo featuring the Missouri state animal is the Best in Show for the 2023 Focus on Missouri Agriculture Photo Contest, hosted by the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The photograph, submitted by Tony Cook of Fayette, Mo., was chosen from photos submitted by photographers across Missouri.

“The photos submitted in this year’s photo contest showcase the depth and breadth of agriculture in Missouri,” Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn said. “These pictures help us tell the agriculture story with accuracy. They are also a beautiful depiction of life on the farm and give viewers a glimpse into our lifestyle to show why we do what we do.”

Holly Brown of Webb City, Mo. won 1st Place in the Everyday Life category for her photo titled “Multitasker.”

Photos submitted by individuals 13 and older were placed in four categories: Beauty of the Farm, Faces of the Farmer, Around the Barnyard and Everyday Life. Photographers age 12 and under entered their shots in the Kid’s Corner category. In total, 21 photos were selected by a panel of three judges from the agriculture industry.

A special award was also given again this year to the photo selected as the First Family’s Choice, voted on by Governor Mike Parson and First Lady Teresa Parson.

The winning photos will be on display in the Agriculture Building throughout the Missouri State Fair, Aug. 10-20, 2023. The 2023 winners are:

BEST IN SHOW:

“Hitched” by Tony Cook of Fayette, Mo.

FIRST FAMILY’S CHOICE:

“Little Future Farmer” by Lacie Ritter of Saint Mary, Mo.

BEAUTY OF THE FARM:

1st Place: “Sunset Planting” by Pamela Thompson of Lohman, Mo.

Runner-Up: “Dusty Bean Harvest” by Pamela Thompson of Lohman, Mo.

Honorable Mention: “High Cotton” by Gage Silman of Lilbourn, Mo.

Honorable Mention: “After a Long Day” by Sherry Schulte of Maryville, Mo.

FACES OF THE FARMER:

1st Place: “When Farming is All You Know” by Tamra McClellan of New Madrid, Mo.

Runner-Up: “Supper from a Sack” by Pamela Thompson of Lohman, Mo.

Honorable Mention: “Feeding Time” by Sherry Schulte of Maryville, Mo.

Honorable Mention: “New to the Farm” by Kayla Colvin of Dixon, Mo.

EVERYDAY LIFE:

1st Place: “Multitasker” by Holly Brown of Webb City, Mo.

Runner-Up: “Waiting Game” by Tamra McClellan of New Madrid, Mo.

Honorable Mention: “Soybean Development” by Charlie Ebbesmeyer of Fayette, Mo.

Honorable Mention: “Triticale Team ” by Karrie Webb of Unionville, Mo.

AROUND THE BARNYARD:

1st Place: “Not in the Mood” by Christina Wheeler of Kennett, Mo.

Runner-Up: “All in a Row” by Makenna Merrifield of Adrian, Mo.

Honorable Mention: “Bok Bok” by Jay Howie of Villa Ridge, Mo.

Honorable Mention: “Feeding Time” by Pam Thompson of Lohman, Mo.

CHILDREN’S BARNYARD:

1st Place: “Funny Farm” by Carleigh Wilson of Warrensburg, Mo.

Runner-Up: “Fresh Harvest” by Erma Evans of Stewartsville, Mo.

Honorable Mention: “Our Red Barn” by Brock Watson of Lentner, Mo.

Honorable Mention: “After the Storm” by Charlot Thornton of Slater, Mo.

All the photos entered in this year’s contest can be found on the Department’s Flickr stream.

For more information on the 2023 Focus on Missouri Agriculture Photo Contest and other Missouri Department of Agriculture programs, visit the Department online at Agriculture.Mo.Gov.

To download a high resolution image of this year’s Best in Show for publication, click here.

Originally Appeared Here

Tick, tick, tick.

The 102-year-old clock perched in the attic of the Cole County Courthouse has started telling the time again and, for the first time since 2006, it’s doing it correctly.

Sean and Nancy Barnes, the owners of S&N Clock Repair, climbed up and down the three-story clock tower Thursday to re-install parts they’d taken back to their shop last weekend.

As part of a $10,000 agreement, the company took several pieces of the county’s historic clock back to their shop in Cape Girardeau for cleaning and repair.

Taking the parts out and bringing them back was no easy task. The “movement,” which is the main mechanism of the clock, sits in the attic of the courthouse, accessible through a small hallway tucked away on the third floor of the courthouse.

Getting to the top of the clock tower where the faces reside is a bigger journey.

To get there, a person has to climb an old, steep, ladder-like staircase to get to the level where the bell resides.

At this height, visitors are given an unobstructed view of much of Jefferson City. Even the taller buildings and church steeples don’t look so tall at this height.

The clock faces and “universal” mechanism reside even higher. Accessing this floor means climbing a 20-plus-foot tall ladder and going through a small hatch at the top.

As Sean Barnes tinkered with a dial on the movement, he and his wife explained this was not a full restoration, though they wished it was. As people who routinely work on clocks hundreds of years old, the couple enjoys getting to fully restore and repaint old clocks and bring them to their former glory.

 Gallery: Courthouse Clock

Often, like in the case of the Stoddard County Courthouse clock, the family business even does pinstriping on the clocks, re-capturing the way the clocks looked in the ’20s and ’30s when they were first made.

Even without a full restoration, however, the Cole County Courthouse clock is nearly unrecognizable. What were once greasy, dirty, blackened clock parts are now gleaming gold and green bushings and gears.

Perhaps the dirtiest piece of the entire clock was the universal.

The universal is a piece that sits at the top of the tower and connects to the four clock faces. As the movement two stories below ticks and tocks, the universal turns the hands of the clock.

Before S&N Clock Repair came, the universal was covered in so much old grease and grime that it looked like tar.

“Oh my God, it was horrible. It was like mud,” Sean Barnes said.

While clocks aren’t meant to be greased, there are meant to be oiled. The Barneses said this clock in particular needs to be oiled quarterly.

However, instead of leaving that responsibility to general county maintenance workers who don’t know about clock maintenance, Nancy Barnes said they were looking into entering a service agreement with the county. That would allow S&N to come oil and perform maintenance on the clock as needed, preventing future harm caused by unknowing hands.

In addition to thoroughly cleaning the clock’s parts, Sean Barnes also made several new bushings for the clock. Bushings are brass or bronze cylinders with a hole in the center found all throughout clocks.

S&N’s ability to make their own bushings and other parts, instead of purchasing them, sets them apart from other clock repair businesses. Nancy Barnes said there are only about 200 clock repair shops in the country doing work at the same level as S&N.

While the clock is finally fixed, the project isn’t finished.

Just since late February, when the Cole County Commission first had S&N come look at the clock, the striker for the bell has fallen into disrepair. The striker is what hits the bell and makes it ring on the hour.

A cord that connected the striker (which looks like a sledgehammer) to the movement rusted out, meaning instead of ringing incorrectly, the clock tower’s bell hasn’t been ringing at all.

The wooden platform that holds the striker has also deteriorated and now wobbles as the striker rises and falls.

A couple of carpenters also climbed up the clock tower Thursday to take a look at the platform and see what it will take to fix it.

Even with the bell temporarily out of commission, the clock itself is back on time. For the first time in years, pedestrians can look up at the tower and know the hands show the true time.

And soon, too, the bell will ring out again.

Originally Appeared Here

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — For two years, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has pushed unsuccessfully to allow government agencies to withhold more information from the public and charge more for any records that are turned over.

According to a 2021 memo obtained by The Independent, one of the architects of Parson’s plan to weaken government transparency laws was Andrew Bailey.

At the time, Bailey was serving as the governor’s general counsel. In January, he was sworn in as Missouri’s attorney general, the office in charge of enforcing the Sunshine Law and making sure government agencies are complying with its provisions on open records and public meetings.

Since he stepped on the public stage for the first time late last year as Parson’s pick to replace Eric Schmitt as attorney general, Bailey has faced criticism from transparency advocates — first over the governor’s office slow-walking the release of documents from his time as general counsel, then for a massive backlog of public records requests within the attorney general’s office.

The 2021 memo, which Bailey brought with him when he moved into the attorney general’s office, has intensified that criticism.

David Roland, director of litigation for the libertarian nonprofit Freedom Center of Missouri, can’t say with certainty that the memo represents Bailey’s true feelings, he said, as opposed to simply putting the governor’s ideas in writing.

“But the very clear consequence of this memo is that someone — whether it’s the governor, whether it’s the attorney general or whether it’s people that are very influential officials — is really intent on ratcheting down the level of transparency in Missouri government,” he said.

Between the memo and his actions as attorney general, it is clear that Bailey “is not a Sunshine Law devotee,” said Jean Maneke, an attorney for the Missouri Press Association. “He’s certainly not dedicated to the public’s right to know.”

Madeline Sieren, spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, said that in 2021, Bailey was instructed as Parson’s general counsel to “collaborate with other stakeholders to propose legislative ideas that would modernize the Sunshine Law.”

Asked about whether Bailey believes the Legislature should implement the proposed changes outlined in the memo, Sieren said that the attorney general “is committed to providing transparency for all Missourians.”

‘More restrictive direction’

In June 2021, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that Parson’s office improperly redacted public records, charged exorbitant fees and knowingly and purposely violated the state’s open records law.

Months later, The Independent reported on a presentation made to Parson’s cabinet about proposed changes to the Sunshine Law that the governor’s office intended to make a priority heading into the 2022 legislative session.

But the outline of Parson’s plan actually came together months before the Supreme Court verdict.

Bailey and Parson’s policy director, Kayla Hahn, laid out in a May 2021 memo a wide array of changes aimed at limiting access to public records. Included was a proposal that would reverse the Supreme Court’s decision by allowing government agencies to charge fees for the time attorneys spend reviewing records requested by the public.

The memo contained myriad other ideas that transparency advocates say would essentially gut the Sunshine Law by closing records and meetings to public scrutiny.

“Government is supposed to be open to the public,” Maneke said. “The public has a right and a need to know what is happening with their tax money and in their name. If this memo is to be believed, the attorney general doesn’t agree with that.”

Sieren said in an email to The Independent that one of the goals of the 2021 memo was to draft a plan to align the Sunshine Law with the guidelines of the federal Freedom of Information Act.

What that really means, Roland said, is making the Missouri Sunshine Law much weaker.

“The Sunshine Law, as currently written in Missouri, provides a greater degree of transparency than is required under the federal Freedom of Information Act,” he said. “The memo makes a great deal about trying to harmonize the two, and it only ever wants to harmonize in the more restrictive direction.”

The Sunshine Law is one of the very few areas of the law, Roland said, where a citizen is supposed to “have a very definitive thumb on the scale in their own favor.”

“That’s not an accident,” he said. “It’s because Missourians, when we adopted the Sunshine Law, recognized the importance of government transparency. We wanted to make that abundantly clear for the courts so that when these issues were disputed in the courts, the courts would understand.”

Bailey’s memo seeks to change that, Roland said, by instructing courts to take a less expansive view of the Sunshine Law.

Many of the provisions in Bailey’s memo found their way into legislation filed during the 2022 and 2023 sessions. None of the bills picked up much momentum, and only one cleared a Senate committee this year with most of the more controversial proposals removed.

Public records backlog

Last month, The Independent reported on a massive backlog of records requests in the attorney general’s office.

As of mid-June, the attorney general’s office was working on 374 pending records requests filed by the public. Of those requests, 150 were filed since Bailey took over the office in January and 224 were inherited from his predecessor Schmitt, who was elected to the U.S. Senate last year.

Last week, the attorney general’s office said the number of pending requests has grown to 389.

The result: The public often has to wait more than a year for requests to be completed and taxpayer-funded records to be turned over.

For example, The Independent filed a request in February asking for documents about the attorney general’s investigation of a transgender care center in St. Louis. The attorney general’s office sent notice last week that the records won’t be made available until Feb. 5, 2024.

Sieren said the attorney general is “adding two more full-time positions to process Sunshine Law requests for our office, in addition to the two full-time employees our office currently has.”

Originally Appeared Here

Senior Health

The Big Picture: Dr. Puja Uppal says, “Another important tool for our toolbelt!”

In the news: Director Rochelle Walensky accepted the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that people ages 60 and over should get the RSV vaccine. The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine will be available in the fall of 2023.

The bulletin does not recommend that every person over the age of 60 get the new GSK or Pfizer RSV vaccine.

Rather, they recommend that the decision to get vaccinated emerge from a “shared clinical decision-making” process. Essentially, work with your healthcare team in Missouri. Get your personal risks assessed. And then, determine what’s the best course of action to take for your situation.

The FDA further clarified that the RSV vaccine is not a replacement or substitute for the common flu vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccines & boosters.

You should know that RSV can seriously harm people who have weakened immune systems. People who have heart or lung conditions and people who have chronic conditions like diabetes are at a much higher risk of getting RSV.

Getting or delaying the RSV vaccine may have direct health consequences for you in Jefferson City.

Doctor’s Expert Insights about the RSV Vaccine and Your Health in Missouri

Know this: “No doubt about it, this is huge news. Both for our seniors and people in general. RSV can be a rather serious condition. RSV can present as the common cold, but for older adults and people who have weakened immune systems, including people who have multiple chronic diseases, RSV can become very dangerous and even deadly. This vaccine will certainly help. Make sure to talk about your concerns with your healthcare team. You should know that RSV is responsible for roughly 60,000-120,000 hospitalizations and 6,000-10,000 deaths per year in the U.S. among adults 65 and older.” Dr. Adriana Davis, Family Medicine.

Next steps to take if you or someone in your life is considering getting the RSV vaccine: Ensure that you’re up to date on other vaccines that you may need–Shingles, the flu, and COVID-19. The NIH has a great resource on the different types of vaccines available and recommended for senior citizens. (Visit Resource Here)

Jefferson City Health Alert

RSV can be dangerous and fatal.

The Health Standard Newswire

Living in Jefferson City, the following health facts impact your health directly!

Did you know there were 884.0 deaths from Influenza/Pneumonia in Missouri in 2021?

6.3% of you in Cole County have COPD.

49.1% of men in Cole County, 65 years and older, are up to date on their core clinical preventative services.

40.4% of women in Cole County, 65 years and older, are up to date on their core clinical preventative services.

All of these variables play an important role in your overall health.

Health Standard Newswire: CDC Recommends Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine For Older Adults. June 2023.

What they’re saying:

“These new vaccines – which are the first ones licensed in the U.S. to protect against RSV – are expected to be available this fall. These vaccines provide an opportunity to help protect older adults against severe RSV illness at a time when multiple respiratory infections are likely to circulate. Healthcare providers should also talk to their adult patients about what other vaccines they will need this fall to help prevent respiratory infections.” (CDC Release)

“RSV is a highly contagious virus that causes infections of the lungs and breathing passages in individuals of all age groups. RSV circulation is seasonal, typically starting during the fall and peaking in the winter. In older adults, RSV is a common cause of lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD), which affects the lungs and can cause life-threatening pneumonia and bronchiolitis (swelling of the small airway passages in the lungs).” (FDA Statement)

Sources:

The FDA News Release published the findings: FDA Approves First Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine Arexvy Approved for Individuals 60 Years of Age and Older (Read it Here)

The Health Standard Newswire

Originally Appeared Here

JEFFERSON CITY — Gov. Mike Parson’s administration wants to open child care facilities for the kids of state employees who work overnight shifts.

The move is aimed at shoring up job vacancies within state government by removing potential barriers to parents who might choose other jobs when their children are young.

Under a request for proposals from potential nighttime operators, the governor’s Office of Administration is looking to establish a list of potential contractors who can provide secure child care services between 5:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday.

The provider would be located near state facilities that operate overnight shifts, including state prisons, mental health facilities and youth detention facilities.

Coverage would be for infants to age 12.

Included in the plan is the possibility that a state agency could assist with startup costs. An overall cost estimate was not available.

The service is among a number of steps being taken by the Parson administration to address a state government workforce plagued by vacant positions.

Workers have seen wage increases of more than 15% over the past two years in an attempt to address high turnover, particularly in residential care facilities, prisons and mental health treatment centers. In some divisions, turnover was as high as 40%, compared to an industry standard of around 10%.

Child care has been a priority for Parson this year.

In February, the governor announced a program aimed at expanding the number of child care providers in the state.

“Access to quality child care for Missouri families is critical to achieving our workforce development goals,” Parson said at the time.

A major part of the problem stems from the closure of many child care facilities during the pandemic.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said prior to the pandemic there were over 4,400 regulated child care programs in the state. At the peak of the pandemic there were only 3,300 providers.

The number has since increased, but there is still a need for child care in many areas of the state, DESE officials said.

According to the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, the state’s economy lost out on $1.3 billion last year due to a lack of child care.

A December 2022 national survey of working parents by the business group ReadyNation found that about two-thirds of parents of infants and toddlers reported being late to work or having to leave work early because of inadequate child care. And 85% of parents surveyed said problems with child care hurt their work effort or their time available for work.

In January, Parson asked lawmakers to approve three new child care tax credit programs for providers and businesses. The tax credits were to help providers improve facilities, support employers who support their workers with child care assistance and allow more child care workers to receive a pay increase.

The Legislature closed out its session in May without having approved the proposal.

{div class=”lee-article-text first-p”}But, they did sign off on a plan that will ask voters next year if lawmakers should be allowed to zero out personal and real property taxes for child care centers.

Placing the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot represented a small win for those pushing to address child care staffing shortages, waiting lists and high prices in Missouri.

Chris Moreland, spokesman for the Office of Administration, said the agency did not have an estimate of how many workers might use the overnight services.

On April 18, President Joe Biden signed an executive order packed with directives meant to increase access to child care and improve the lives of caregivers.

Be the first to know

Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Originally Appeared Here

The five new Jefferson County members of the state House of Representatives may not have pushed a lot of legislation through in the first year of their freshman terms, but they seemed to have made an impression.

Four of the five newcomers – David Casteel (R-High Ridge), Renee Reuter (R-Imperial), Phil Amato (R-Arnold) and Ken Waller (R-Herculaneum) – all spoke at the Jefferson County Growth Association’s annual Legislative Forum, held June 22 at Jefferson College.

They were joined by the sole holdover in the state House – Cyndi Buchheit-Courtway (R-Festus), who is in her second two-year term – as well as state Sen. Elaine Gannon (R-De Soto), who is in the third year of her first four-year term.

The other freshman state rep, Gary Bonacker (R-House Springs), did not attend the Legislative Forum, nor did the county’s other state senator, Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R-Arnold), also in her first term.

Amato noted that Jefferson County representatives were appointed to many major committees, especially Buchheit-Courtway, who succeeded former state Rep. Becky Ruth as chair of the influential transportation committee.

“We’d be walking around together, and people called us the Jeffco Mafia,” Amato said.

He said he employed some sweet treats to get an audience with state Rep. Cody Smith (R-Carthage), who leads the powerful Budget Committee.

“I’d stop by his office, wanting to talk to him about one of the bills I sponsored, on tax credits for donations to local hospital foundations,” Amato said. “There were always 15 people deep and I could never even get to talk to his staff.

“One day, I tried bringing in a tray of cookies. That got me an appointment for the next week with Rep. Smith. The cookies really worked.”

“I’ve found that Krispy Kreme doughnuts are also good for bribes,” Waller said.

In a meeting a few days later with other members of the “Jeffco Mafia,” Amato said he learned about an effort to get $12 million in the state budget to build a road and bridge that would allow trucks in and out of the James Hardie factory to be built in Crystal City, bypassing streets near Mercy Hospital Jefferson on the way to I-55.

“When I heard that they were having trouble getting in to see Rep. Smith, I decided that all of them would come in about 20 minutes in at my meeting,” Amato said. “I was able to get all of us in and we got that road for Jefferson County.”

Waller agreed the strategy worked.

“All six of us spoke up and told (Smith) that this is what we need. I don’t think we were going to leave until we got a commitment for that money,” Waller said. “It was important to our county and important to the state.”

Gannon said she worked with Senate leadership on the same issue.

“That was important to get into the budget,” she said.

Of the 62 bills approved by the General Assembly, only one was sponsored by a Jefferson County representative – Coleman’s legislation clarifying that a person can be charged with homicide if he or she had the premeditated intent to kill, even if the suspect targeted a random victim.

That, along with 50 other approved bills, await Gov. Mike Parson’s signature. He has until July 14 to sign them.

The freshman contingent said they were forewarned that a first-timer doesn’t usually see bills reach the governor’s desk.

“I was told going in that freshmen didn’t get bills passed, so I figured, ‘Why waste my time?’ I could spend it better by helping my constituents,” Waller said.

Bonacker also filed no legislation.

“I hope next session all of us freshmen are going in smarter, and we’ll do an even better job for the people of Jefferson County,” Amato said.

Reuter talked about the transition from her 12 years on the Jefferson County Council to life in Jefferson City.

“A state rep is pretty much gone for a half a year,” she said. “That’s quite a challenge. I’m trying to get more comfortable with that.”

Reuter conceded that the General Assembly approved what seems like a stingy amount of legislation in its session, which ran from Jan. 4 to May 12.

“But it seems to me better to not pass bad bills,” she said.

Casteel, noting that he was the youngest of the newcomers at 40 (39 when the session started) said he was impressed.

“The Capitol is full of amazing people,” he said. “With all of the state’s problems coming right there, it’s easy to lose focus and concentrate on all the things you’re not concerned with.”

Casteel, who is president of the Roofing and Siding Contractors Alliance, said he’s looking to make it easier for contractors to do business in the state, but also focused on repealing a bill that restricts Jefferson County 911 Dispatch from imposing a sales tax of more than .25 percent.

“Sen. Gannon carried the same bill in the Senate,” Casteel said. “We got it done as an amendment to another bill. I was told I was not going to get a bill passed the first time, but I feel very fortunate that I was able to get this done somehow.”

Reuter said a bill that she co-sponsored that didn’t make it to Parson’s desk will be a priority in next year’s session.

“It was for fallen heroes,” said Reuter of the bill that would require the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to foot the bill for the cost of memorial sign designations honoring deceased veterans on roads and bridges.

“It often falls upon the family to put up or raise the money for a sign, around $1,100,” she said. “That’s adding insult to injury.”

A bill Reuter sponsored ended up passing in a different form.

Her bill would allow counties to exempt people 65 or older from increases in real estate taxes.

“It ended up as Senate Bill 190, which was not exactly my bill, but I’ve learned that you can take what you can do.”

The Senate bill also would allow all Missouri residents to deduct all of their Social Security benefits. It, too, awaits Parson’s signature.

Reuter also predicted that better days are ahead for the county’s freshman contingent.

“As we get more experience, we’ll be able to push forward more bills. In the end, we all want to do the right thing,” she said.

Concerning the “Jeffco Mafia,” Waller said he and Reuter, who often clashed while Waller was county executive and Reuter was on the county council, have mended fences.

“It’s everybody’s perspective that Renee and I never got along,” Waller said. “We’ve actually become good friends in the past year.”

Experience shows

Buchheit-Courtway filed 15 bills, none of which made it to the governor’s desk as filed, but some as amendments to larger bills.

One, she said, is a provision that requires authorities to search for grandparents when a child is removed from his or her parents and give preference to grandparents to serve as foster parents.

Another that was approved as part of another bill modifies state law concerning laser surgery.

“A toxic chemical can be released, and this will require hospitals to put evacuation polices in place – not only for the staff, but for the patient,” Buchheit-Courtway said.

A priority bill for her next session, she said, would require that schools provide mental health awareness training for students in grades five through eight.

“This is so near and dear to my heart,” Buchheit-Courtway said. “It’s horrible that children can feel that suicide is their only option. Children need the tools in their toolbox. It did not pass this time, but it will be one of the first things I filed this year.”

Senate

Gannon said that while the debate was often contentious in the Senate this session, “it was constructive.”

Her big win was the passage of a bill that will extend the state’s assistance to low-income pregnant and new mothers from 60 days following the end of the pregnancy to one year.

“Right now, the state of Missouri has the sixth-highest maternal mortality rate. Many conditions, such as anxiety, depression, loss of hair and heart issues many times don’t come up until after five or six months after delivery,” she said.

While Parson has not yet signed it into law, Gannon noted it was a priority for him, so she doesn’t expect any problems.

Gannon said seven other of her sponsored bills met success as amendments to other legislation.

“The governor warned us that he was going to call us back if we didn’t pass a transgender bill,” she said.

Two bills were passed, one prohibiting minors and some adults from accessing puberty blockers, hormones and gender-related surgeries and another banning transgender children from playing on female sports teams, from kindergarten through college.

“I believe this helps to protect our children from gender-transition surgery,” she said of the first. “The other bill ensures a level playing field for young female athletes.

“We’re protecting our children,” she said. “The Legislature certainly made the correct decision there.”

Parson has signed both of those bills.

Event a success

Dan Govero, president of the Growth Association, said the organization has sponsored a legislative wrap-up forum for at least a dozen years. He said 81 people attended this year’s event.

“It’s a chance for our politicians to tell the public about what’s going on,” he said.

U.S. representatives Blaine Luetkemeyer and Jason Smith and U.S. senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt had people from their office speak at the event.

Waller lauded the county’s current state legislative contingent.

“I don’t want to throw any shade on anyone who’s come before,” he said, “but I believe this group of people we have now are the best Jefferson County has ever had. We know how to take care of our districts and the people.”

Originally Appeared Here

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) hosted a public meeting on Thursday to provide information to the public and receive information about road improvements in Callaway County.

MoDOT’s intersection improvements would be at U.S. Route 54 and Old Jefferson City Road/County Road 306 interchange in Fulton.

The project would add offset left-turn lanes at Old Jefferson City Road/County Road 306. The lanes would be on eastbound U.S. Route 54 towards County Road 306 and on westbound U.S. Route 54 towards Old Jefferson City Road.

This project would widen U.S. Route 54 eastbound and westbound with acceleration and deceleration lanes, allowing cars a dedicated lane for getting on or off the roadway.

Land would be raised on both County Road 306 and Old Jefferson City Road between the acceleration and deceleration lanes.

New routes would also be necessary with the crossover intersection getting removed.

Traffic leaving County Road 306 would have to turn right onto U.S. Route 54 westbound. Traffic would then have to exit onto State Highway H and turn around onto U.S. Route 54 eastbound.

The approximate travel time for the 2.2 miles would be 2.5 minutes.

Traffic leaving Old Jefferson City Road would also have to turn right on U.S. Route 54 eastbound. Traffic would exit to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and turn around onto U.S. Route 54 westbound.

The approximate travel time for the 1.9 miles would be two minutes.

MoDOT’s project would also remove the crossover area at the area’s intersection.

The intersection improvements would have impacts on traffic during the daytime. There would be single-lane closures for construction. The crossover at the intersection would be permanently closed once construction begins.

MoDOT’s estimated budget for the project is $1.6 million.

Mia Peters, transportation project manager, said this estimation was made in Feb. and has likely increased or decreased since then.

The project is expected to be included in MoDOT’s Nov. 2023 letting, which is when contractors may submit bids for it.

Construction is expected to begin in 2024.

According to MoDOT, the targeted area has an average daily traffic of almost 15,000 vehicles daily.

Peters said this project will improve traffic flow in the area and improve safety.

“(It will) kind of simplify the intersection, because now you won’t have people crossing over and then people who are also turning and then trying to decide ‘okay, who has the right-of-way,'” Peters said.

She said the traffic department with MoDOT looked over projects where safety could be improved, and this project “kind of rose to the top.”

Peters said the public meeting is the first step in the feedback process. Citizens could submit comments on the project at the meeting.

Comments can also be submitted online on MoDOT’s website.

Comments can be mailed-in as well. To submit comments through the mail, send comments to Callaway County U.S. Route 54/Old Jefferson City Road Intersection Project, 1511 Missouri Boulevard, Jefferson City, MO 65102.

The comment period is open from June 29-July 14.

“We do feel like this is the best design for this intersection,” Peters said.

Jay Rikers, MoDOT’s consultant who worked on the project, said there have been three fatalities in the project area in the past five years. He said this was a big factor for the area being chosen for renovation.

Originally Appeared Here