Greetings, My Fellow Missourians

This past Saturday was the bi-annual Osceola Heritage Tour and Fish Fry.   Richard “Rick” Reed and his wife, Deona, are very generous hosts to this living history tour.  Rick is the tour guide and accepts pre-registration for 44 people who board a school bus early in the morning for stops that include the Civil War cannon placements on the Sac River Bluff,  the Missouri Brigade Monument at the Roadside Park overlooking the forks of the Sac-Osage River, the Burning of Osceola Monument in the Osceola Cemetery, the burial site of John Younger at the Yeater Cemetery northwest of Osceola, the Monagaw Springs Bluff where the James and Younger Gangs used to hide out, the site of the Roscoe Gun Battle where the Pinkertons and Youngers had a shootout and John Younger was killed, and the trenches on the west side of the Sac River.  The final stop is back at the Reeds’ hand hewn log cabin and barn where everyone enjoys a fish fry and buffet of food.  After a wonderful meal, fully costumed gentlemen portray Frank James and Cole Younger sharing the tales of their infamous lives intertwined with the history of Osceola to a crowd of about 70 people amidst the beautiful fall leaves.

Osceola is a destination for tourists seeking Civil War history and will be listed with 29 other locations throughout the State of Missouri in a newly proposed program by Mel Gilbert to highlight Civil War locations in a passport program with the Missouri State Parks system.  This program will be similar to the passports used by the National Park Service.  Each site will boasts a unique stamp that participants can collect in the pages of their passport books.

Strong voter turnout sustains republican majorities:

An Election Day that saw the highest voter turnout for a midterm in more than 20 years resulted in House and Senate Republicans keeping their supermajorities in both chambers of the Missouri General Assembly. When the 100th General Assembly begins in January 2019, House Republicans will control 116 of the body’s 163 seats. In the Missouri Senate, Republicans will control 24 of the 34 seats.

Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler met with chamber members and community leaders of El Dorado Springs for coffee and discussion at Scooter’s Restaurant on Monday morning.

Republicans also flipped the U.S. Senate seat that had been held by Claire McCaskill. Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley picked up more than 51 percent of the vote to defeat the Democratic incumbent.

Tuesday’s midterm election saw approximately 58 percent of Missouri’s registered voters participate by casting a ballot.

The ballot initiatives approved by Missouri voters include:

Amendment 1 (Clean Missouri) – This amendment to the Missouri Constitution will change the legislative redistricting process so that it is overseen by a state demographer appointed by the State Auditor, and then reviewed by a citizen commission. The current process calls for a bipartisan panel selected by the governor to oversee the process. The amendment also sets campaign donation limits at $2,500 for the state Senate and $2,000 for the House. The current state law sets the mark at $2,600.  Amendment 1 also creates a two-year revolving door ban against legislators becoming lobbyists; eliminates the majority of lobbyist gifts worth more than $5; limits the ability of individuals and organizations to circumvent the contribution cap limits by counting the money from single-source committees toward the totals for the actual original donors; puts an end to legislative fundraising on state property; and requires legislative records and proceedings to be open to the public.

Amendment 2 (Medical Marijuana) – Another constitutional amendment will allow patients with cancer, HIV, epilepsy and some other conditions to have access to medical marijuana. It will change the state constitution to tax marijuana at 4 percent and allocate the $18 million in annual taxes and fees to veterans programs. The measure will cost the state $7 million in annual operating costs. It will also generate $6 million annually for local governments. It will give regulatory authority for licensing the cultivation, testing and sale of marijuana to the Department of Health and Senior Services. The state will be responsible for a “seed-to-sale tracking system” to ensure marijuana only goes to qualified patients.

Amendment 4 (Bingo) – Voters approved a constitutional amendment put on the ballot by lawmakers to change provisions in the Missouri Constitution dealing with the regulation of bingo. The constitutional amendment will allow individuals who have, for at least six months, been a bona fide member of an organization licensed to conduct bingo to participate in the operation of a bingo game. The Constitution currently requires at least two years of membership prior to participation. It will also remove the statutory restrictions on the advertisement of bingo.

Proposition B (Minimum Wage Increase) – A change to state law approved by voters will increase Missouri’s minimum wage, which currently stands at $7.85. Proposition B will increase the minimum wage starting in 2019 to $8.60 and will then increase it each year by 85 cents until it reaches $12 per hour in 2023.

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