St. Joseph gets cold shoulder in Jefferson City
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — You could see the logic of Gov. Mike Kehoe's decision to expand the agenda of a special legislative session beyond the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.
Throw in disaster relief for St. Louis tornado victims and $50 million for University of Missouri research and there's something for the entire Interstate 70 corridor. A cap on property tax assessments makes it easier for the conservative Freedom Caucus to swallow generous incentives for the wealthy team owners.
It's also easy to see who was overlooked. The session did not include $7 million for a University of Missouri dental school on the Missouri Western State University campus. The special session also excluded $2.8 million in improvements for Chiefs Training Camp at Western.
These St. Joseph-related priorities died on the vine when the House failed to take up a $513 million capital spending bill late in the regular legislative session. The governor, who sets the agenda for a special session, did not appear to look north of I-70 when counting votes for a Chiefs and Royals incentive package.
This session was anything but special for St. Joseph, even if the final bill included language requiring the Chiefs to keep training camp in Missouri. For starters, nothing is stopping the Chiefs from moving camp to a renovated Arrowhead complex and creating a fanboy experience with $20 Mahomes burgers at an overpriced team restaurant.
There's also no guarantee the Chiefs and Royals both remain in Missouri. Kansas still has more generous tax incentives on the table – 70% reimbursement compared to 50% in Missouri, and voters in Kansas City need to pass a local tax to keep the teams. A previous election showed that's not a sure thing.
One thing is certain: This special session serves as a bitter reminder of the lack of clout that comes with years of stagnant or declining population in St. Joseph and Northwest Missouri.
It should come as a rude awakening, given all the lobbying for this region every year at Great Northwest Day in Jefferson City.
Maybe elected officials should just show up for the free breakfast at that event.
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Police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades while officials enforced curfews in Los Angeles and Democratic governors called Trump's Guard deployment 'an alarming abuse of power' that 'shows the Trump administration does not trust local law enforcement.' Governors and city officials vowed to protect the right to protest and to show no tolerance for violence. Republican governors in Virginia, Texas, Nebraska and Missouri are mobilizing National Guard troops to help law enforcement manage demonstrations. There will be 'zero tolerance' for violence, destruction or disrupting traffic, and 'if you violate the law, you're going to be arrested,' Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin told reporters Friday. In Missouri, Gov. Mike Kehoe issued a similar message, vowing to take a proactive approach and not to 'wait for chaos to ensue.' Nebraska's governor on Friday also signed an emergency proclamation for activating his state's National Guard, a step his office called 'a precautionary measure in reaction to recent instances of civil unrest across the country.' Organizers say that one march will go to the gates of Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis warned demonstrators that the 'line is very clear' and not to cross it. Governors also urged calm. On social media, Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, called for peaceful protests over the weekend, to ensure Trump doesn't send military to the state. 'Donald Trump wants to be able to say that we cannot handle our own public safety in Washington state,' Ferguson said. In a statement Friday, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, urged 'protestors to remain peaceful and calm as they exercise their First Amendment right to make their voices heard.' Pennsylvania Gov. 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Organizers said they are preparing for millions of people to take to the streets across all 50 states and commonwealths.
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St. Joseph gets cold shoulder in Jefferson City
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