World Abuse Awareness Day is Thursday June 15. Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft says five-million Americans experience elder abuse each year. Secretary Ashcroft tells 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” that some seniors are being abused financially and physically. He encourages anyone with information about elder abuse to call the secretary of state’s vulnerable citizens unit hotline number at (855) 653-7300. Missourians are encouraged to wear purple on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day:
CPS’ Field building to house new health care center for students
Columbia’s school board has given the green light to a 12-page memorandum of understanding to establish a school-based primary care health center for students.
CPS’ Michelle Baumstark tells 939 the Eagle that it will be housed in the district’s Field building on Rangeline. She says this is a unique proposal to create greater access to health care for our students. Baumstark says the health center will provide care in an effort to maximize student success. Primary care services will include vision services, preventative visits and acute visits like sore throat and fever. It will also include in-house lab services like strep tests and influenza. Counseling services will also be available.
Ms. Baumstark notes services will be free to lower-income students and that there will be a sliding fee schedule, as dictated by federal poverty guidelines. Baumstark notes there’s no budgetary impact to the District and that Clarity is responsible for supply expenses, training and travel.
The board also voted Monday evening to approve a $371-million budget, and former CPS teacher Karen Hayes has been sworn-in as the new school board member.
Maylee appointed interim Callaway County sheriff; Chism’s peace officer license suspended
Callaway County Sheriff Clay Chism has been removed from office, at least for now.
The Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS) has suspended Chism’s peace officer license. He cannot work as a law enforcement officer in Missouri without a license.
Judge Brouck Jacobs has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO), prohibiting Chism from acting as sheriff, subject to further order of the court. The chief deputy of the Callaway County Sheriff’s Department, Darryl Maylee, has been appointed interim sheriff.
DPS’ 11-page order alleges that Sheriff Chism consumed alcohol and was impaired, while on active duty. The order alleges that Chism purchased vodka while on-duty on Thursday May 4 at On the Rocks Liquor Wine and Smoke in Fulton. It also alleges that Chism had a difficult time putting on a ballistics vest on Monday June 5, before leaving to look for a murder suspect. According to the DPS report, Chism “smelled heavily of alcoholic beverages,” quoting staff.
Chism also faces an operating a motor vehicle while under the influence charge in Randolph County, for an alleged November 2022 incident that happened in the Moberly Arby’s lot.
Under state law, Chism can petition the administrative hearing commission for an emergency hearing, which they’d have to conduct within five business days.
(AUDIO): Downtown Columbia’s Broadway Hotel hopes to open second tower in late 2024
A Columbia businessman who owns the popular Broadway Hotel in downtown Columbia aims to begin construction in the next 30 days on the hotel’s second tower.
David Parmley tells 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” that he’s been working on the second tower project for five years. He tells listeners that it will also provide much needed meeting space.
“The new tower is going to be the same height as the first one. It’s directly north, a small parcel, about a quarter acre. It will have 80 guest rooms but more importantly we’re adding about three times more meeting space than we have right now. Right now we only have about 3,500 square feet of meeting space,” Mr. Parmlee says.
Mr. Parmlee says the second tower will include walkways on the fourth and eighth floors, connecting the two towers. He predicts that the second tower’s top floor will be popular.
“But the main feature is we’re going to put in is that large ballroom on the top floor on the 8th floor, kind of like the Rooftop bar. It will seat 300-plus, which we don’t have now. Right now, we can max out around 120 for a banquet or a wedding. And most weddings, they are thinking 200 people or so,” says Parmlee.
The Broadway Hotel downtown is a Doubletree by Hilton. The hotel website describes the Roof as “Columbia’s exclusive destination to relax or be entertained.” Mr. Parmley hopes to open the hotel’s second tower by the end of 2024.
Parmlee also owns the Hampton Inn and Suites near Faurot Field. He tells listeners that he modeled the Broadway after a popular hotel in Chicago.
“I really didn’t want to build a cookie-cutter Doubletree for downtown Columbia because downtown is so unique. I found out that there was a hotel in Chicago called the Wit, a Doubletree by Hilton, Rooftop bar and really cool designs. So I called Hilton and said hey, can I do something like that for Columbia and they said yeah probably. I said will I have to follow color scheme A, B or C? No you can do what you want. I said good,” says Parmlee.
The second tower will be built just north of the current tower, just west of the Short street garage. He also addressed inflation issues on the show, telling “Roundtable” host Parry that steel prices have increased by 110 percent in the past two years. Click here to listen to the full interview.
(AUDIO): Columbia city manager says he wants to bring city salary ranges above the market
Columbia’s city manager says a comprehensive city employee pay study will be presented to the city council in the next few months. City manager De’Carlon Seewood tells reporters that the study will compare Columbia to similar markets.
“Our goal is to bring our salary ranges up to actually a percent that’s above the market. Because our goal is we want our employees to feel valued. We want them to feel as if they are important, because they are important,” Mr. Seewood says.
He describes the city’s 1,500 city employees are the city’s most valuable resource. The city council approved Mr. Seewood’s recommendation for a seven percent pay raise for city employees in 2022, three percent in May and another four percent in September.
Meantime, members of Laborers’ Local 955 recently protested outside Columbia city hall, during Seewood’s state of the city address. Union members say Columbia has a staffing crisis that’s getting worse and they’re critical of the city’s most recent wage proposal. As for Mr. Seewood, he tells reporters that his plan is to increase city wages above Columbia’s similar markets.
“I can’t really comment on the negotiation that’s going on. Our city ordinance prohibits that. However, we are negotiating and we are negotiating in good faith. Like I said, our plan is to raise our salaries to a place where they’re above the market,” Seewood says.
Mr. Seewood says the city is focused on compensation and benefits for all city employees. Laborers’ union spokesman Andrew Hutchinson tells 939 the Eagle that the city paid $3.8 million in the last three fiscal years for outside maintenance work on fleet vehicles. He also says they’ve spent $2-million in the last three fiscal years to temporary labor contractors.
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