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(LISTEN): Missouri’s governor, state lawmakers say I-70 expansion will boost safety and economic development

August 16, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

A bipartisan group of lawmakers joined Missouri’s governor for Tuesday’s ceremonial bill-signing for the massive I-70 expansion project. The bill provides $2.8 billion to rebuild and expand I-70 to six lanes from St. Louis to Kansas City.

State Rep. Kent Haden (R-Mexico), who chairs the House Healthcare Reform Committee, has lost hospitals in Mexico and in nearby Fulton. He tells 939 the Eagle this project is crucial, saying that if I-70 is clogged, people die. Representative Haden also says the current interstate is dangerous for motorists.

“It was a death trap, it really had to be fixed, had to be fixed. Such a big deal, it’s all of 70 not just the initial discussions of the urban areas. Because it’s a lifeblood. Mexico, we don’t have hospitals, our ambulances all have to come to 70,” Representative Haden says.

Missouri House Assistant Democratic Floor Leader Richard Brown (D-Kansas City), left, Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe, second from left, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers attended Tuesday’s I-70 expansion bill-signing ceremony in Columbia (August 15, 2023 photo from 939 the Eagle’s Brian Hauswirth)

GOP State Reps. Cheri Toalson Reisch (R-Hallsville) and Tim Taylor (R-Speed) also joined the governor in MACC’s Columbia parking lot, as did Democratic State Reps. David Tyson Smith, Doug Mann and Kathy Steinhoff (all D-Columbia). House Assistant Democratic Floor Leader Richard Brown (D-Kansas City) also attended. That parking lot faces I-70. Governor Mike Parson praises the bipartisan turnout for the ceremony, saying the I-70 expansion plan is bipartisan. He compares it to his two key themes of infrastructure and workforce development.

“To be able to go out there today, being able to do the kickoff of I-70 was a pretty special moment, especially for Columbia. You know that thing’s been there for 67 years I think so it’s good to start to re-overhaul the whole system,” Parson says.

Governor Parson tells 939 the Eagle that the massive project will begin in Columbia. You should prepare for delays.

“So you’re going to see construction now like we’ve never seen it before in this state all over the state to the point where probably people are going to get a little upset because they’re seeing cones all the time and detours. But if I get in trouble for that, it’s okay. I’ll take the heat for that,” says Parson.

Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, Boone County Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick and Boone county commissioners Justin Aldred and Janet Thompson also attended the ceremony, along with numerous MoDOT employees. Former Columbia Mayor Brian Treece, who pushed for I-70 expansion foe several years as governor, was also in attendance.

Motorist who led mid-Missouri authorities on high-speed pursuit is captured

April 20, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri state trooper pulls over a motorist in 2022 (file photo courtesy of Missouri Highway Patrol social media specialist Meghan Basinger)

Charges are pending this morning against the suspect who led authorities on a high-speed pursuit Wednesday afternoon on a highway in mid-Missouri’s Moniteau and Cole counties.

Moniteau County Sheriff Tony Wheatley tells 939 the Eagle that it started when deputies attempted to stop a vehicle on Highway 50 near California. Wheatley says the suspect fled at speeds of 100 miles per hour, heading east into Cole County and then back onto Highway 50 west into California.

Authorities spiked the vehicle, which pulled into a home on Vaughn drive west of California. Sheriff Wheatley says one California officer who spiked the suspect’s truck sustained injuries from deploying strips and had to get stitches in his hand. The sheriff says the California Police Department was also involved in the pursuit and that one of their patrol vehicles was damaged when the light bar flew off the top.

State Rep. Tim Taylor (R-Speed) tells 939 the Eagle that Missouri state troopers were also involved in the pursuit. The suspect was driving a pickup truck and has been captured. The suspect’s name is not being released, pending the filing of charges.

(AUDIO): State lawmaker says MoDOT is already starting to remove dead deer, ahead of legislation

February 20, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

State Rep. Tim Taylor (R-Speed) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on May 14, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

A mid-Missouri state lawmaker says recent legislation approved by a House committee has prompted state transportation officials to prioritize removing dead deer and large dead animals from roads.

State Rep. Tim Taylor (R-Speed) serves on the Missouri House Transportation Accountability Committee, which has approved a bipartisan bill requiring the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to remove and bury dead deer that are large enough to impede traffic.

“All of us who are on the committee got a letter sent to us. MoDOT and Conservation got together and had a meeting. They discussed it. MoDOT said specifically that it’s their responsibility to take care of this and that they will do that,” Taylor says.

Under bipartisan legislation from State Rep. Kent Haden (R-Mexico) that’s been approved in committee, MoDOT would be required to remove the dead deer, with the Missouri Department of Conservation paying those expenses under the one-page House Bill 404. Representative Taylor tells 939 the Eagle that this is important for safety reasons and for appearances.

“It’s more than just the deer to me. It really is trying to get MoDOT to get that cleanup at a higher level on the priority list,” says Taylor.

Representative Taylor notes the World Cup is coming to Kansas City in 2026, bringing large numbers of soccer fans from across the globe. Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo (D-Independence) has predicted that the 2026 World Cup will generate $695-million in economic activity for Missouri. Rizzo compares it to multiple Super Bowls over a 30-day period.

Mid-Missouri lawmaker: Boonville’s Gygr-Gas has left “everybody out in the cold”

December 16, 2022 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor has signed an executive order aimed at helping several thousand customers of Boonville’s Gygr-Gas get propane in their tanks for the winter.

Governor Mike Parson is blasting the company, which is liquidating and is not answering calls from its customers. State Rep. Tim Taylor (R-Speed) tells 939 the Eagle that Gygr has ceased all operations.

“They’ve left everybody high and dry out in the cold, for lack of a better word. The employees have been let go. I know one that’s almost had 20 years of service with them,” Taylor says.

Current state law only allows propane tanks owned by one company to fill the tanks. The governor’s executive order waives that, noting this is a unique situation that requires immediate action.

At least five rural Missouri residents have already filed complaints with the state attorney general’s office against Boonville’s Gygr-Gas. Gygr has not been filling customers’ propane tanks, and many customers have little propane left in their tanks with this cold snap happening. Representative Taylor tells 939 the Eagle that 6,000 customers in 48 Missouri counties are impacted.

A frustrated Taylor met with Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office this week, and says no one can reach the company’s owners.

“When we were there at that conference call (in Jefferson City), the owner lives in St. Louis. So it literally got to the point where the people on the phone happened to be in St. Louis and they were going to try knocking doors to find this owner,” says Taylor.

Anyone who wants to file a complaint with the attorney general’s office should call 1-800-392-8222. The Missouri Propane Gas Association is working with customers to try to get their tanks filled. The association is encouraging customers to file complaints with the attorney general’s office.

UPDATE: Governor Parson says mid-Missouri’s Gygr-Gas has closed

December 15, 2022 By Brian Hauswirth

State Rep. Tim Taylor (R-Speed) listens to testimony during a February 23, 2021 Missouri House committee hearing in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of the Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Missouri’s governor confirms that Boonville’s Gygr-Gas has closed, leaving several thousand rural Missourians without propane with winter and Christmas approaching.

Governor Mike Parson (R) has signed a one-page executive order, which will allow other companies to fill current Gygr-Gas tanks. State law prohibits propane tanks owned by one company to be filled by a different company. The governor’s executive order pre-empts that.

“While that state law is important for safety standards, this is a unique situation that requires immediate action. Gygr-Gas has left its customers without proper recourse, but we won’t. We are issuing this executive order to ensure that former Gygr-Gas customers can keep their homes heated and families warm this winter and holiday season. We know this is a busy time of year for many propane providers, but we encourage them to do all they can to help Missourians abandoned by Gygr-Gas,” Governor Parson says, in a written statement.

The Missouri Propane Gas Association has been encouraging customers of Boonville’s Gygr Gas to contact the state attorney general’s office to file a complaint or to seek restitution. Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s spokesman, Chris Nuelle, tells 939 the Eagle that their office has received five complaints about Gygr-Gas. Mr. Nuelle encourages anyone with a complaint to contact AG Schmitt’s office. You can submit a report online or you can call 1-800-392-8222.

The Propane Gas Association says the attorney general’s office and the Missouri Propane Safety Commission are investigating, now that the company is not answering its phone. 939 the Eagle News has called Gygr-Gas Boonville headquarters and calls go to a voicemail. They’re not being returned at this time.

State Rep. Tim Taylor (R-Speed) tells 939 the Eagle that Gygr employees tell him they’ve all been let go. Taylor has been on conference calls with Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) and with the governor’s office as well. Many of Taylor’s constituents are customers of Gygr, and says they need propane during this cold week. Taylor says Gygr was a solid company until it sold to out-of-towners a few years ago.