Stories from Thursday, March 19, 2020

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announces it will close its nature centers, visitor centers, and education centers around the state to visitors effective Thursday, March 19, to help protect the public amid ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns. The indoor facilities will be closed to the public through April 15 and MDC will reassess the situation at that point. Nature center trails remain open...

Gov. Mike Parson today issued an executive order to relax the hours of operation for motor carriers to give them more flexibility in transporting goods to aid in Missouri’s COVID-19 emergency response. The governor’s executive order supports the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s national emergency declaration to provide hours-of-service regulatory relief to commercial vehicle drivers transporting emergency relief in response to the nationwide coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. ...

As Missouri’s advocate for seniors and veterans, Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe encourages individuals and family members to utilize the following resources for COVID-19 related-health information and reporting related scams. “It is both an honor and a privilege to advocate for Missouri’s seniors and veterans,” commented Kehoe. ...

According to Interim City Manager Mark Mitchell, "Vernon County and the City of Nevada have partnered to offer a a text system to keep citizens informed of time-sensitive information, emergencies, or urgent notifications." There will be administrative training on this system in a few days, but it is recommended that individuals go ahead and sign up for the service...

According to a release sent to the Daily Mail by Nevada Housing Authority Executive Director Carol Branham, "The Nevada Housing Authority in partnership with the YMCA will be providing grab-n-go meals to those 18 years of age and under at Fairground and Chapman Estates beginning today (Thursday, March 19) from 11 a.m. to noon. We are providing this service for those that are not able to access other programs for meals due to transportation issues."...