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Franklin County, Joplin issue mask orders amid flood of COVID cases
Two local governments in Missouri dealing with hundreds of active COVID-19 cases and dozens of deaths linked to the contagion imposed local mask mandates hours after Gov. Mike Parson repeated his determination to refrain from a state order. Hospitalizations in Missouri have continued to increase rapidly this week, with the verified total, from Tuesday, showing […]
Phelps County standoff: Woman fights order banning her from Missouri city hall
EDGAR SPRINGS — A little over a year ago, Rebecca Varney was walking by city hall and saw vehicles belonging to the mayor and several aldermen parked outside. She’d seen no notice the Board of Aldermen would meet that Saturday, so she looked through a window. Varney, 61, saw then-Mayor William Gallion and board members […]
Gov. Parson reiterates opposition to statewide mask mandate in Missouri
A letter from the Missouri Hospital Association pleading for a state mask mandate was “not surprising,” Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday, as he repeated his opposition to statewide orders to limit the spread of COVID-19. “If you look at it from a medical perspective, they have a different view than what I do as governor […]
Missouri counties hardest hit by COVID plead with residents to wear masks, stay home
In a web broadcast Tuesday night, Bob Bach, chairman of the St. Genevieve County Health Department board, had a dire warning for residents of his county. “We have a local public health crisis that within the past number of weeks has escalated by a significant factor beyond which we experienced in the summer months,” Bach […]
Utilities offer help to Missourians behind on bills. Will that mean rates will increase?
Almost half a million customers of Missouri’s regulated utilities were behind on their bills in September, and 185,000 were working on payment plans to catch up with past-due accounts. That data, from a report published in October by the Missouri Public Service Commission, isn’t complete enough to know if there are more customers now than […]
Lake of the Ozarks-area hospital asks for help from public to reduce COVID patient load
As COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to surge, a small hospital in central Missouri is asking residents of the area it serves to honor the work of health providers and take precautions during holiday events. In a letter posted to the Lake Regional Medical Center website, Dane Henry, CEO of the Lake Regional Health System, said the […]
Missouri GOP Senators weighed risk before Branson retreat, Rowden says
Amid speculation that a Republican state Senator and staff member who tested positive for COVID-19 contracted it at the GOP Senate retreat last week, Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden said members discussed the risk but felt the need to set an agenda for 2021 was too important to delay. The infections in the Senate forced […]
COVID-19 cases force Missouri Senate to delay meetings for special session
COVID-19 cases among members and staff of the Missouri Senate will force it to postpone consideration of an emergency spending bill and pandemic liability protection, Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden announced via tweet Monday. The news was followed a few hours later by Missouri House leaders announcing the annual freshman tour of state government-funded programs, […]
Missouri hospitals plead with Gov. Parson for statewide mask order
Missouri hospitals warned “the wolf is at the door” in a letter to Gov. Mike Parson pleading for him to issue a statewide mask order to combat the rapid spread of COVID-19. Over the past two weeks, hospitals across the state have admitted an average of 65 to 75 more COVID-19 patients daily than they […]
St. Louis County bans indoor dining as COVID growth continues unchecked
St. Louis County will ban indoor dining at restaurants, and Cole County wants people who test positive for COVID-19 to do their own contact tracing, as case tallies and hospitalizations continue to soar across Missouri. St. Louis County has added 6,187 new cases so far in November, according to data posted Friday morning by the […]
Missouri sets new record for COVID cases. Health director warns to avoid holiday gatherings
Missourians should not hold big family Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings this year, but they will likely be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine by the spring, the state health director said Thursday. In an interview on KCMO radio, Randall Williams said the rapid spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, especially in outstate Missouri, is […]
Columbia hospitals launch color-coded system to warn of COVID stress to services
The state Department of Health and Senior Services reported the fourth day of more than 4,000 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday as the coronavirus continued to infect more Missourians faster than it has at any time of the pandemic. Hospitalizations continue to increase rapidly, up more than 31 percent statewide this month and creating stress […]