Alyson E. Raletz
Friday, July 3, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
10-year deal ironed out
Friday, June 19, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Lawmakers pass budget
Friday, May 8, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
H1N1 Flu Confirmed In Platte County
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Biden: Stimulus spurred wind farm
Friday, April 17, 2009
Guns on campus?
Friday, April 17, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Bingo bill stirs gambling debate
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
The Republican primary for a local state Senate seat already is turning into a contentious race, more than a year before the 2010 election.
A St. Joseph doctor and an Iraq war veteran from Platte City are actively fundraising and campaigning for the spot.
Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields, a St. Joseph Republican, vacates the 34th Senatorial District seat at the end of 2010 and he is “extremely interested” in his replacement — so much so that he has endorsed Rep. Jason Brown of Platte City.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
State Sen. Charlie Shields described Missouri as a 30-something state to St. Joseph’s business and community leaders Friday.
Bills crowding governor’s deskFriday, June 26, 2009
Northwest Missouri steered clear of most of Gov. Jay Nixon’s $105 million in budget withholdings Thursday.
The governor said his first vetoes were a move to balance the 2009-2010 state budget the General Assembly approved in May because of updated revenue figures that came in lower than expected. He slashed nearly $23 million from the operating budget and roughly $82 million in capital improvements and other projects.
Fully axed was $16.5 million in projects from former Gov. Matt Blunt’s Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative, while roughly $91 million in projects were restricted, or delayed.
10-year deal ironed out
Friday, June 19, 2009
State and local university officials on Thursday announced — again — that St. Joseph would serve as the 2010 home of the Kansas City Chiefs summer training camp.
Five months after a similar lineup of stakeholders announced they’d clinched a five-year deal with five one-year renewable options between Missouri Western State University and the Chiefs, the Missouri Development Finance Board Thursday morning unanimously approved a second agreement.
This one holds the camp to Missouri for 10 years, specifically at Western’s campus for five.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Gov. Jay Nixon tours the state this week to sign into law a jobs bill with implications on two things there are no shortage of here — animal health companies and old houses. He’s set to visit St. Joseph for a ceremonial signing of legislation state politicians wrangled with all session. The controversy stemmed primarily from a call for tax credit reform from state senators, including Sen. Brad Lager, R-Savannah. The meat of the bill expands a state tax credit for employers who pay high wages and provide health benefits to their workers, known as the Quality Jobs program. The bill raises Quality Jobs’ existing cap of $60 million to $80 million and broadens the definition to include certain technology companies.
Local reps still weighing racesFriday, June 5, 2009
“Jeopardy” music plays in the heads of St. Joseph Democrats as two politicians deliberate over which one will go after a high-profile state Senate seat.
State Reps. Ed Wildberger and Martin Rucker sometime this summer plan to announce who will attempt to fill the upcoming vacancy of Sen. Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph.
They divulged interest in the 34th Senatorial District early this winter, but the pair agreed that they wanted to avoid a bloody primary and would decide among themselves who’d file for the position.
The Democratic primary could be bloody enough, as Rep. Jason Grill, D-Kansas City, also could put his hat in the ring.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Gov. Jay Nixon is banking on a batch of $2 million in small business loans to kick start the state’s economy.
Clock ticking on Chiefs contractSunday, May 31, 2009
The game of chicken between the Kansas City Chiefs and state government has yet to scare away potential builders of a summer training camp facility in St. Joseph.
Contractors are lining up for the project at Missouri Western State University, even though the funding could remain frozen at the groundbreaking, which is a month away.
“There has been an incredible amount of interest in the plans,” said Dave Williams, Western’s athletic director.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Gov. Jay Nixon pushed a new $40 million plan to train health care professionals Thursday that will fund the first nursing program at Northwest Missouri State University since the late 1980s.
The launch of the governor’s “Caring for Missourians” program at two Missouri universities came just as critical lawmakers predicted three weeks ago, when the Legislature approved the 2009-10 state budget.
“We are facing a critical shortage of health care workers in the state of Missouri today,” Mr. Nixon said while at the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus, the Associated Press reported. “These are high-paying, high-demand careers in which motivated students willing to go the extra mile are necessary to stand up to the training.”
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The State Board of Education elected a St. Joseph accountant as its president Thursday.
Numerous legislative measures fall shortMonday, May 25, 2009
The Legislature closed with a balanced budget and a plan to revamp the economy, but it cut short strings on higher education and hazardous fertilizer that still dangled when the gavel fell last week. In addition to legislation that would have expanded state health care to 35,000 Missourians, lawmakers did not adopt a controversial income tax cut or a measure to opt more businesses out of paying minimum wages. “I’m happier about the stuff we didn’t pass,” Rep. Ed Wildberger, D-St. Joseph, said, referring to the latter two proposals when asked of the Legislature’s high points in 2009.
St. Joseph attorney bids on fee officesWednesday, May 20, 2009
James Montee is trying to check into the driver’s license business.
Bingo bill goes to governor’s deskSaturday, May 16, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Dust off the rabbits’ feet and fuzzy-haired troll dolls: Lawmakers are trying to bring back the once-prevalent bingo scene in Missouri.
Jobs bill passes by wide marginSaturday, May 16, 2009
Lawmakers endorsed a jobs-creation bill stacked with incentives for employers Friday in the last hours of the 2009 legislative session.
Earlier Friday, senators ended months of debate over whether the state’s budget could sustain the growth of tax credits and reached a compromise that capped certain credits while expanding others.
The Senate voted 26-8 to support the plan, while the House voted it up 153-2 just before 4 p.m. The General Assembly adjourned from its regular session at 6 p.m.
“This emergency jobs bill couldn’t come at a more important time,” said Gov. Jay Nixon, who in January called on the legislature to send the bill to his desk by mid-March.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — State politicians deemed the 2009 legislative session a success Friday night, touting that successful bills on economic development, crime and education were en route to the governor’s desk.
Education package heads to NixonFriday, May 15, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A legislative step away from teacher tenure protections is going to the governor’s desk.
The push toward a merit-pay system for educators only affects St. Louis City School District employees, but the move could have more far-reaching implications.
The Missouri legislature revived a comprehensive education package from Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, on Thursday despite an overwhelming defeat of a version roughly three times its size in the House earlier this week. While House members wanted to eliminate the voluntary merit-pay system, senators insisted that the measure, controversial among the statewide education community, be included.
Friday, May 15, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — State senators worked to strike a late-night compromise on tax credit reform and measures to jump-start the economy on the eve of the 2009 legislative session’s end.
Rucker wants DNR to test sludgeThursday, May 14, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A St. Joseph Democrat called on legislators Wednesday for more state scrutiny on industrial sludge in response to potential health complications in Cameron.
Guest’s anti-Real ID bill clears AssemblyThursday, May 14, 2009
Missouri lawmakers denounced a federal movement toward national driver’s licenses Wednesday.
The Senate unanimously voted to bar the Missouri Department of Revenue from ever complying with the Federal Real ID Act of 2005, which calls on states to adopt standardized driver’s license requirements by December.
Wednesday evening’s 32-0 vote sends the bill to Gov. Jay Nixon’s desk to sign into law. The House already backed the bill in April, 83-69.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Hope that a laundry list of efforts aimed at Missouri schools would make it to the governor’s desk dwindled Tuesday, but a resurrection could come in the last hours of the legislative session.
Lawmakers pass budget
Friday, May 8, 2009
State lawmakers passed a $23.1 billion operating budget Thursday night that grew $700 million from the current year, despite a lagging economy.
Federal stimulus money helped fill the holes that dips in state revenue left, which fueled heavy debate through the entire budget process. That peaked Thursday among state senators, whose approval in the evening was the last step in final passage constitutionally required by 6 p.m. tonight.
The state now operates under a $22.4 billion budget for fiscal year 2009. The upcoming fiscal year 2010 budget of $23.1 billion uses about $783 million from the federal stimulus package.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Local efforts to name a highway after a fallen Northwest Missouri soldier, dispatch more help during statewide emergencies and a push to keep tractor parades legal only need signatures from Gov. Jay Nixon to become law.
Jobs legislation in jeopardy as session winds downThursday, May 7, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Gov. Jay Nixon today travels to the state’s western side to put last-minute pressure on senators to relent and pass a jobs bill.
Schaaf’s plan for Amtrak study derailed in SenateWednesday, May 6, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Senate budget committee on Tuesday derailed a possible Amtrak study for passenger service connecting Kansas City to St. Joseph on its way to Omaha, Neb.
Amtrak study still chugging alongMonday, May 4, 2009
The Missouri House raised eyebrows last week with a surprise rejection of a $336 million federal stimulus bill, but hope remains for a chance at passenger rail service to St. Joseph.
Project funding up in the airSaturday, May 2, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Core funding for universities in Northwest Missouri is holding steady as lawmakers enter the final laps of the state budget process. But some local higher education money has lost ground or remains in question.
Still up in the air are a $27 million expansion of Potter Hall at Missouri Western State University and a $19.7 million building project at Northwest Missouri State University. The universities could see the funding under an $800 million bonding proposal for higher education construction projects. The House already has backed HJR 32, a constitutional amendment that would go before voters. The full Senate has yet to debate it, however.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Rep. Dr. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, thanked his critics and continued to advise school groups to avoid the Capitol on Friday.
Dr. Schaaf on Thursday wore a face mask on the Missouri House of Representatives floor while asking lawmakers to practice cough etiquette to prevent the spread of swine flu.
On Friday afternoon, Dr. Schaaf backed his comments in a statement to media despite criticism from fellow Republican Rep. Jason Brown for being “insensitive.” Mr. Brown represents Platte County, the origin of Missouri’s first confirmed case of swine flu.
Friday, May 1, 2009
A St. Joseph doctor wore a face mask on the Missouri House floor Thursday to illustrate a point about swine flu that didn’t sit well with all lawmakers.
Missouri health officials discovered the first probable case of the virus Wednesday in a specimen from a Platte County resident. A second suspected case was disclosed Thursday for a 19-year-old Missouri resident who was getting treatment in Nebraska.
“Sometimes the best way to draw attention to a very serious issue is to use a little bit of levity,” Rep. Dr. Rob Schaaf, a Republican, told representatives while donning a mask that covered his nose and mouth during a point of personal privilege. The House procedure allows members to speak on topics of their choice, regardless of the current debate.
Dr. Schaaf urged lawmakers to practice “cough etiquette” to prevent the spread of the virus.
Friday, May 1, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney Dwight Scroggins called on lawmakers Thursday to hold the legal system more accountable to respecting crime victims’ rights.
Schaaf models face mask, attempts swine flu levityThursday, April 30, 2009
A St. Joseph doctor wore a face mask on the floor of the Missouri House of Representatives’ floor Thursday morning to illustrate a point about swine flu that didn’t sit well with all lawmakers.
Missouri health officials discovered the first probable case of the virus Wednesday in a specimen from a Platte County resident.
H1N1 Flu Confirmed In Platte County
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The Swine Flu strain is confirmed as close as 30 miles from St. Joseph.
Psychiatric center funding off the listThursday, April 30, 2009
Even if funding that’s been proposed for the new wing at the Northwest Missouri Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center doesn’t come through, the facility will still continue to operate efficiently.
Swine flu suspected in Platte CountyThursday, April 30, 2009
The global outbreak of swine flu apparently has penetrated Missouri, possibly as close as 30 miles south of St. Joseph.
State health lab officials discovered Missouri’s first probable case in a specimen from a Platte County resident, Gov. Jay Nixon announced Wednesday evening. He declined to divulge where in Platte County, the resident’s age or how he or she contracted the virus because the patient hadn’t yet been notified.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
A St. Joseph lawmaker steered clear of a legislative reprimand Tuesday for equating a proposal to increase children’s health care coverage to slavery. A House ethics committee rejected, 6-4, a remonstrance resolution House Minority Leader Paul LeVota, D-Independence, filed earlier this month that would have formally admonished Rep. Dr. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, for the March 25 comparison. “It’s nice to know I have the freedom of speech to say what I need to do for my job,” Dr. Schaaf told the News-Press.
Schaaf says sorryTuesday, April 28, 2009
Rep. Dr. Rob Schaaf voiced a change of heart Tuesday in the Missouri House of Representatives.
The St. Joseph Republican apologized for his prior statements about slavery and a children’s health care proposal despite repeated refusals to do so.
Dr. Schaaf said as recent as Monday that he wouldn’t apologize for the comments, but the contrition came Tuesday several hours after a morning House ethics committee rejected, 6-4, a remonstrance resolution, or grievance, against the St. Joseph Republican for his controversial comparison.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The House of Representatives panel Tuesday morning voted down, 6-4, a remonstrance Minority Leader Paul LeVota filed against Rep. Dr. Rob Schaaf for comments he’s made this spring concerning slavery and a Democratic health care proposal.
Committee to discuss Schaaf commentTuesday, April 28, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A controversial comparison to slavery a St. Joseph lawmaker uttered a month ago is set to headline a closed legislative ethics committee meeting this morning.
Sewer resolution sees new lifeMonday, April 27, 2009
A call on Congress to bring some relief to St. Joseph’s sewer lament all but disappeared this year, but it may be floating back to the top of legislative attention.
Forward progress on Chiefs campWednesday, April 22, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Doubts that the Kansas City Chiefs’ summer training camp in St. Joseph could fold because of a small business loan program dissolved Tuesday, but the deal has yet to maneuver around another brick wall.
Guest’s anti-Real ID bill passes HouseMonday, April 20, 2009
A King City legislator last week began to see major opposition to his crusade against the Federal Real ID Act of 2005, but he still clinched support from the Missouri House of Representatives.
Biden: Stimulus spurred wind farm
Friday, April 17, 2009
Vice President Joe Biden told a crowd at a mid-Missouri factory Thursday what Tom Carnahan hesitated to admit to himself about a Northwest Missouri wind energy project.
A $300 million, 100-turbine wind farm slated for DeKalb County “was on hold” until recently, Mr. Biden said. Banks and investors were turning away the Wind Capital Group, which has been eyeing a location six miles south of King City for its next farm, because of economic conditions.
Guns on campus?
Friday, April 17, 2009
When Missouri college students head off to class next fall with their backpacks crammed with school supplies, a cell phone and perhaps an MP3 player, they might have the option to stuff a handgun in there, too.
Currently, the boards that govern university campuses have the discretion to allow individuals to carry guns on campus, but a bill passed by the Missouri House on Thursday seeks to make it a legal right. Law enforcement associations are opposing the measure.
By a vote of 105-50, the House approved a bill that would allow people with concealed-carry endorsements to wear firearms on college campuses. Some speakers Thursday said they thought the guns on campus provision would be eliminated in the Senate.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Senators gave a green thumbs-up to legislation aimed at promoting private and public investment in energy efficiency Wednesday.
Western, Chiefs closer to finalized agreementThursday, April 16, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Western State University and the Kansas City Chiefs are on the eve of wrapping up negotiations over the summer training camp, but all signs point to a less-than-straight-10-year commitment in St. Joseph.
Senate OKs money for alternative fuel fundWednesday, April 15, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A St. Joseph ethanol plant that depends on a Missouri incentive to keep its doors open crossed another hurdle in the state budget process Tuesday, despite heated scrutiny.
Chiefs camp continues to spur debateMonday, April 13, 2009
Frustrations over a $25 million state tax credit deal with the Kansas City Chiefs came to a head this week in the Missouri Legislature.
Bingo bill stirs gambling debate
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Competition from a local casino and a flurry of state rules forced a local American Legion post commander to say B-I-N-G-NO in 2007.
The decision to stop the weekly bingo games at the St. Joseph Legion hall on Frederick Boulevard, which had proved a staple fundraiser for 20 years, was a difficult but inevitable one, Jim Laderoute said.
“It was either that or go bankrupt,” he said.
The American Legion isn’t alone. The once-prevalent bingo scene has dwindled in St. Joseph and across the state.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Whether it’s an ice storm in Missouri’s Bootheel or a wildfire in the Ozarks, emergency personnel from the Midland Empire and other outlying regions could end up leaving their borders more frequently to offer help, under pending legislation.
Is Chiefs camp really in danger?Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A dispute over how many summers the Kansas City Chiefs will train at Missouri Western State University could sweeten or endanger the deal for St. Joseph, depending on who’s talking. In recent weeks, Western and Chiefs officials have been wrapping up negotiations on a final contract for the team’s annual summer training camp. Both parties have agreed it will take place in St. Joseph for at least five years, with five one-year renewal options after that. But a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Economic Development said the state won’t issue the $25 million in tax credits to the Chiefs unless they agree to a full 10-year contract with Western.
Chiefs training camp plan runs into obstacleTuesday, April 7, 2009
A hitch has arisen in the Kansas City Chiefs’ plans to move their training camp facility from Wisconsin to Missouri in exchange for state tax credits. At issue is how long the Chiefs must commit to hold their annual camp in Missouri. The Missouri Development Finance Board in December approved $25 million in tax credits for the Chiefs. Part of that money is to help build a Chiefs training facility at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph.
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