POWER OUTAGES

Hundreds of electric cooperative members lost power as storms moved through parts of mid-Missouri on Thursday night.

According to the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives outage map, nearly 1,700 members across Missouri were affected as of 10 p.m.

Of those members, 205 were in Phelps County. Maries County reported 65 customers without power. Another 75 customers were affected in Gasconade County.

Other counties south of Mid-Missouri reported larger outages. Cooperatives in Wright County reported more than 500 customers affected by power outages

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

Missouri voters will decide whether to guarantee a right to abortion with a constitutional amendment that would reverse the state’s near-total ban.

The secretary of state’s office certified Tuesday that an initiative petition received more than enough signatures from registered voters to qualify for the general election. It will need approval from a majority of voters to become enshrined in the state constitution.

ADAIR COUNTY SHERIFF’S RACE

Jason Underwood and Jasone Lene Adair County Sheriff’s race is still not decided. There are 13 ballots that have not been cast. 12 are provisional ballots that were essentially flagged for verification. There is also one curbside ballot that has to be counted. It may take up until Friday to be decided.

STATE BUYS LICENSE PLATE READERS

Gov. Mike Parson’s administration will spend $243,750 to purchase 21 additional license plate readers, to supplement law enforcement during a personnel shortage. A contract with Atlanta-based Flock Safety took effect Aug. 1.

INTERNET ACCESS FUNDING

the Missouri Department of Economic Development announced Thursday its initial proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program was approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

The approval allows the state access to more than $1.7 billion in program funding.

MISS MISSOURI TEEN COMPETITION

Teens from across the state recently competed and earned scholarships in the 19th Miss Missouri’s Teen competition, including students from the Webster Groves and Kirkwood areas.

The Miss Missouri’s Teen class of 2024 includes Miss Heart of the Ozarks’ Teen Autumn Grace Daras, a student at North Kirkwood Middle School, and Miss Central Missouri’s Teen Celia Madeiros, a student at Nerinx Hall High School. Both students received $300 non-finalist scholarships.

ADAIR COUNTY SHERRIFF RACE

The Adair County sheriff’s race officially came down to five votes on Saturday.
Jason Lene beat Jason Underwood, unless a recount is requested, 1,826 to 1,821.

Sheriff’s race still undecided

We’re still waiting for a final call on who has won the Adair County Sheriff’s race. The primary was between Jason Underwood and Jason Lene. Officially, three votes separate them, with Underwood leading by three votes. But, there are 13 ballots to be considered, including 12 provisional ballots. County officials will follow through with the process of settling the race on Friday.

Huntsville woman hurt in single vehicle wreck

A 66-year-old woman suffered serious injuries in a single-vehicle wreck that happened two miles north of Moberly on Route DD on Wednesday afternoon. The Highway Patrol says Susan Karg of Huntsville, MO, was driving an Isuzu Rodeo, and went off the right side of the roadway, hit a culvert, and overturned. She was not wearing a safety device. She was taken to University Hospital Columbia.