Tyler and Brittany Blair of Willow Springs, MO, are the parents of a baby boy, Layton Dean Blair. He was born Aug. 23, 2022, at 1:33 p.m. at Ozarks Healthcare. He weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces and was 21 and ½ inches long. His siblings are Addison, 9, Luke, 5, and Levi, 3. more

JEFFERSON CITY – A draft 2022-2026 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) that focuses on taking care of the state’s existing transportation system was presented today to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. A 30-day public review and comment period begins today.Missouri Department of Transportation Planning Director Eric Curtit told commissioners the draft STIP includes 1,417 highway and bridge projects, of which 84% will maintain the system in the condition it is in today. On average, this STIP annually invests in 740 lane miles of interstate pavements, 1,387 miles of major route pavements, 2,733 miles of minor route pavements and 277 bridges.Missouri has the nation’s seventh largest state highway system with 33,832 miles of roadways and 10,397 bridges but ranks 45th nationally in revenue per mile.“MoDOT’s priority is maintaining the existing system of highways and bridges,” Curtit said. “We have developed asset management plans for each district, which focus on preventive maintenance improvements to keep good roads and bridges in good condition. If preventive maintenance investments were not made, the cost of improving the asset in poor condition can cost four to ten times more.”This STIP includes funding for the “Focus on Bridges” program that was initiated by Governor Parson and funded by the Missouri General Assembly in 2019. The first phase authorized $50 million in general revenue to expedite the repair and replacement of 45 bridges that had already been identified as some of the state’s top bridge priorities by local planning organizations. The second authorized $301 million in bonding – to be repaid over seven years from general revenue – to repair or replace another 215 bridges that had been previously prioritized, contingent on Missouri receiving a federal INFRA Grant to replace the I-70 Missouri River Bridge at Rocheport. Missouri received an $81.2 million INFRA Grant in July 2019, which triggered the first of two bond sales which occurred in November 2019. During 2020, 101 Focus on Bridges projects were completed and many more will be completed in 2021.This STIP was developed assuming a federal funding level consistent with the last year of the FAST Act and includes the federal surface transportation funding provided by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), which was enacted on Dec. 27, 2020. Other funding assumptions include redirected CARES Act monies and bond issuances in 2023 and 2026 to be repaid with dedicated motor vehicle sales tax revenue which is deposited in the State Road Bond Fund per the Amendment 3 legislation.The STIP details an annual construction program that averages $1.1 billion per year for the five-year period. But it is insufficient to meet the state’s unfunded high-priority transportation needs that are estimated in MoDOT’s “Citizen’s Guide to Transportation Funding” at an additional $825 million per year.“The STIP represents our commitment to Missourians of the projects that will be developed and delivered over the next five years,” MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna said.The draft STIP also includes detailed project information for non-highway modes of transportation. It includes a section detailing planned operations and maintenance activities for the next three years, alongside expenditures for those same activities in the prior year. This additional information is provided to allow Missourians to more easily see how their transportation funding is invested.The draft 2022-2026 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program lists transportation projects planned by state and regional planning agencies for fiscal years 2022 through 2026 (July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2026). The proposed program is available for public review. Those interested in seeing the program or offering comments can contact MoDOT by email to STIPcomments@modot.mo.gov, by calling customer service at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636), or by mail to Transportation Planning, Program Comments, P.O. Box 270, Jefferson City, MO 65102. The program is also available on MoDOT’s website: more

INCIDENTS more

The Missouri Pork Association is now accepting applications for the 2023 Youth Pork Ambassador Program. more

ARRESTS more

Ozark National Scenic Riverways will be hosting an annual volunteer event in recognition of this year’s National Public Lands Day on Saturday at locations along the Jacks Fork River and middle Current River.  more

Summit Natural Gas of Missouri has filed an application with the Missouri Public Service Commission seeking a waiver from Commission Rule 20 CSR relating to promotional practices. According to the application, Summit Natural Gas seeks a waiver to promote the use of high energy efficiency appliances through implementation of a Trade Ally Rebate.   more

Southbound U.S. 63 in Howell County will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform shoulder work.   more

ARRESTS more

The Howell County Commission will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday to consider and award American Rescue Plan Act requests, approve accounts payable and recognize any guests present. more

Chief Wes Ellison was dispatched to North Harris Street at 8:15 a.m. Aug. 31 for a report of a wandering child. more

During its Monday evening meeting, the West Plains City Council received the city’s audit report with a "clean" opinion, and approved two new members to the West Plains Civic Center Board. more

Todd Alfred Dube, 31, Mtn. View, and Bridget Dee Lorraine Howell, 30, Mtn. View, married Aug. 12, 2022, in West Plains. Officiated by Tabbatha Briann House. more

CALLS FOR SERVICE more

TICKETS more

INCIDENTS more

A 48-year-old Cabool man was arrested in Mtn. View on domestic assault and armed criminal action charges Wednesday after he allegedly slashed a 61-year-old man with a sword. more

Producers are encouraged to tighten biosecurity measures on their farms. more

TICKETS more

The flyover overpass over U.S. 60 and U.S. 63 at the Willow Springs interchange will be reduced to one lane with a 12-foot width restriction as Missouri Department of Transportation crews seal coat bridges. more