Articles written by Blake Nelson


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  • Injury on Missouri waterslide highlights lax regulation

    BLAKE NELSON|Jul 6, 2018

    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — No government officials conducted a safety inspection of a new waterslide at Six Flags St. Louis before a woman said she suffered whiplash last month from the force of the "Typhoon Twister" that featured a five-story drop and a "45-foot zero gravity wave wall." Officials said it's no surprise that the slide didn't have to pass a government safety review, even though an estimated 80 million people flock to about 1,000 waterparks in the U.S. every year. The ride is exempt from a Missouri law regulating amusement r...

  • Missouri waterslide injury highlights lax regulation

    BLAKE NELSON|Jul 6, 2018

    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — No government officials conducted a safety inspection of a new waterslide at Six Flags St. Louis before a woman said she suffered whiplash last month from the force of the "Typhoon Twister" that featured a five-story drop and a "45-foot zero gravity wave wall." Officials said it's no surprise that the slide didn't have to pass a government safety review, even though an estimated 80 million people flock to about 1,000 water parks in the U.S. every year. The ride is exempt from a Missouri law regulating amusement r...

  • Ex-state official Kander announces run for Kansas City mayor

    BLAKE NELSON and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH|Jun 24, 2018

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former Missouri secretary of state who garnered national attention during an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate announced Monday that he's running for Kansas City mayor. "I'm running for mayor because I want to make sure no matter where you live in the city or how you grew up, you have a chance to build a successful life right here," Jason Kander said in a statement. It was a surprising announcement for someone often mentioned by political observers as a possible Democratic candidate for president. "Yet the mayoral o...

  • Parson signs first 5 bills as Missouri's governor

    BLAKE NELSON|Jun 22, 2018

    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Mike Parson on Friday signed his first five bills into law since taking office, including one that exempts small farms from parts of the state's clean water law. The legislation said farms would not need a permit to allow water from their property to run into the state's waterways, whether from irrigation or precipitation. The exemption would not apply to larger farms, and the Department of Natural Resources would still be allowed to intervene to stop pollution. The law also restricts the department from applying...

  • Missouri lawmakers pass big tax code changes on last day

    SUMMER BALLENTINE and BLAKE NELSON|May 20, 2018

    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's Republican-led Legislature approved tax cuts for both individuals and corporations and sent a gas-tax hike to voters, just hours before the end of the regular session and beginning of a special one to consider impeaching Gov. Eric Greitens. Lawmakers faced a 6 p.m. deadline to pass bills in the annual regular session. Within minutes of adjournment, they launched a special session to consider discipline against Greitens. He faces allegations of sexual misconduct during an extramarital affair in 2015 and t...

  • Missouri Senate votes to send Harry Truman back to DC

    BLAKE NELSON|May 17, 2018

    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Harry Truman is headed back to Washington. A statue of Truman, the nation's 33rd president who ended World War II after authorizing the use of atomic bombs against Japan, is set to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol next year. Every state gets to choose two statues for the National Statuary Hall Collection, and Missouri has displayed the same two men since the end of the 19th century. Missouri leaders thought it was time that Truman, who they called the most important statesman the state has produced, was represented t...

  • Medical Marijuana groups submit signatures for November vote

    BLAKE NELSON|May 4, 2018

    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Supporters of legalizing medical marijuana in Missouri turned in signatures Friday for two ballot initiatives that would let voters decide the issue in November. A third group has until Sunday to submit its own signatures. Each initiative would allow patients with cancer, HIV, epilepsy and a variety of other conditions to access medical marijuana. The differences among the proposals largely stem from how marijuana would be regulated and taxed, and where those new tax dollars would go. The latter question is e...

  • Missouri House votes to legalize medical marijuana

    BLAKE NELSON|May 2, 2018

    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri voters may have the option to legalize medical marijuana this November. Lawmakers are rushing to get there first. The Missouri House voted Tuesday to legalize medical marijuana and Republican Rep. Jim Neely, the bill's sponsor and a physician, argued that it was important that the Legislature set the rules for the industry. "If we don't take action," Neely said, "voters of this state may very well take the decision out of the hands of the politicians and put it in the hands of the voters." Lawmakers in both c...