Wake Up Mid-Missouri On Demand Zimmer Communications

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R), state lawmakers in both parties and state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) officials will be in Columbia Thursday morning for the groundbreaking ceremony for the $405-million project to rebuild and expand I-70 between Columbia and Kingdom City. The work will begin after the Fourth of July east of Columbia. Governor Parson signed bipartisan legislation in August in Columbia providing $2.8 billion to reconstruct and expand I-70 to six lanes from Blue Springs to Wentzville. The first phase will be the 20 miles from Columbia to Kingdom City. "Missouri Times" publisher Scott Faughn joined us live on 939 the Eagle's "Wake Up Mid-Missouri", telling listeners that this will be the largest public works project in Missouri history. Mr. Faughn also says the improvements are critical for America's national defense and for the economy. Mr. Faughn also discussed this past weekend's popular steak fry in Sedalia, which is organized by the Columbia-based Missouri Cattlemen's Association. Faughn says numerous political candidates from both parties attended and talked about Missouri Governor Mike Parson's final steak fry. Mr. Faughn also says he was impressed with House Minority Leader Crystal Quade's (D-Springfield) speech in Sedalia that night, where she talked about the importance of getting things done and growing up in Webster County:

The Columbia Police Officers Association (CPOA) says staffing shortages and increased violent crime are plaguing officers in the department. The CPOA has issued a Facebook post, which says 2024 is on pace to be the most violent year on record in Columbia. CPOA executive director Matt Nichols joined us live on 939 the Eagle's "Wake Up Mid-Missouri". He tells listeners that Columbia has seen ten homicides thus far in 2024, adding that the record number is 15 that was set in 2019. The city has seen four homicides in the past month. That includes two women being shot to death and dumped in a closet, the deadly gun battle in White Castle’s parking lot and an 18-year-old male being shot to death on Rice road. The CPOA says a number of the SWAT team members that responded to Thursday’s deadly standoff at the Links apartments on Clark lane came in during their time off. The CPOA's Nichols tells listeners that CPD officers are exhausted, and he says Columbia could use a full-time SWAT team. He also discussed the bullet-resistant BearCat, which was struck by gunfire from armed suspects twice last week:

We track an ongoing police standoff in Columbia, the second standoff in Boone County this week. Mike Deering with The Missouri Cattlemen's Association previews their upcoming steak fry.

Political consultant with Atlas Strategy Group, Gregg Keller, joins us to discuss the big stories of the day. Missouri House Minority Leader, Crystal Quade, gives us her perspective on how session went and provides an update on her gubernatorial campaign.

Members of the Blair Oaks High School Baseball team joined us in studio with guest host Scott Faughn to show off their first-place state trophy and to talk about their season.

State Rep. Rudy Veit (R-Wardsville), the Missouri House Judiciary Committee vice chairman, admits there are collateral consequences to a bill Missouri lawmakers passed in 2023 involving court secrecy. The bill, which was sponsored by Representative Veit, required the removal of almost all personal identifiers. The Missouri Broadcasters Association and Gateway Journalism Review editor William Freivogel have filed a lawsuit in Cole County Circuit Court, saying the law violates the Missouri Constitution. Representative Veit joined us live this morning on 939 the Eagle's "Wake Up Mid-Missouri", telling listeners that he's heard complaints from both reporters and judges about things being redacted in court documents like probable cause statements. He says there was bipartisan support to have a legislative fix this year, saying the bill died at the end of session in May due to unrelated Missouri Senate filibusters. Representative Veit tells listeners that while it will be up to the courts to determine if the bill is unconstitutional, the 2023 law needs fixing. But he also told listeners that before the bill was passed, people were using online court records to try to get personal information. 939 the Eagle's Brian Hauswirth explained to Representative Veit how the court documents in Columbia's White Castle murder case highlight an issue with the 2023 law: