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Missouri submits innovative proposal to win Amazon headquarters
Content from Missouri Economic Development news release
Recently the State of Missouri announced its proposal to support Kansas City and St. Louis in their efforts to win the competition for Amazon's second headquarters.
"Amazon is a company full of people who turn big ideas into reality," Missouri Governor Eric Greitens said. "My team fully and equally supported the proposals submitted by our major metropolitan areas, Kansas City and St. Louis. We challenge Amazon to envision what it could achieve by partnering with us to unleash the combined strength of the entire state. We'd love to work with Amazon to build their new home here in Missouri."
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Click above to watch a short video on how Missouri can support Amazon's plan to build a second headquarters.
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"We have been working with both the Kansas City and St. Louis teams to help them be as competitive as possible to attract Amazon's new headquarters to Missouri," said Acting Director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development Rob Dixon. "Missouri is the right home for Amazon because of our connectedness to the global economy, our business environment, our educated workforce, our proven track record of innovation and our high quality of life."
Missouri's proposal encourages Amazon to consider beginning HQ2 in either St. Louis or Kansas City, and then in the years ahead, expand along an innovation corridor to the second city. Access to an ultra-high-speed transportation system, such as hyperloop, would help accelerate Amazon's growth and make this innovation corridor possible.
Missouri was selected as a finalist for the International Hyperloop One competition for a route that includes Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis. CEO of Hyperloop Rob Lloyd understands the viability of the state's route and provided a video to highlight his support.
"We want Amazon to think differently, even more boldly," said Drew Erdmann, Chief Operating Officer for the state of Missouri. "We believe this is a unique opportunity not just for these cities, but for the entire state to show the rest of the world how Missouri is serious about innovation."
Missouri's proposal, along with videos of Governor Eric Greitens and Hyperloop One CEO Rob Lloyd are available on the initiative's website at www.makeMOHQ2home.com.
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Take the challenge: when you get into any vehicle, buckle up your safety belt. If you are a driver, put the cellphone down. Join the 1,720 people (268 of whom represent businesses) who have joined the movement so far.
Click below to accept the challenge!
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MoDOT prepares for winter with statewide drill
The chill in the air and the falling leaves mean winter weather will be here soon. To prepare, MoDOT is stocking salt and preparing equipment to be ready when winter weather is here. To test our crews' readiness, MoDOT will hold a statewide drill on Thursday, Nov. 2.
 Click above to watch a short video - Get Behind the Plow - with MoDOT Senior Maintenance Worker Courtney Jefferson.
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The drill tests MoDOT's winter battle plan to ensure its readiness to get travelers back on Missouri roadways as quickly as possible after winter storms.
"Over 3,200 MoDOT employees are involved in our winter operations, including every maintenance crew across the state," said State Maintenance Engineer Becky Allmeroth. "The annual drill helps to make sure we all know our roles during a storm, and we can do our jobs successfully."
During the drill, MoDOT employees will react to a simulated forecast of significant snow for the entire state. The department's emergency operations centers will activate and maintenance employees will be deployed to MoDOT's 1,500 trucks. Emergency communications systems will also be tested.
"One of the most valuable parts of the drill is to measure our snowplow assignments by driving routes we may have modified since the previous winter season. As we open new roads and lanes we must modify our snow removal plans." said Allmeroth. "It also allows our newest snow fighters the opportunity to drive a snowplow over some of their proposed routes so they are aware of obstacles and obstructions that might be hidden in a storm by snow or ice such as curbs and raised islands."
Motorists may notice increased numbers of MoDOT vehicles on state routes during the drill. In rural areas, crews will deploy after 8 a.m. In urban areas, the drill will not begin until after 9 a.m. The exercise should be completed by 3 p.m.
Read More.
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Gail (left) and Tony Terill (right) support the Buckle Up Phone Down movement by showing the thumbs up and thumbs down gesture and placing the message on the business sign at Tom Boland Tire and Auto Center in Hannibal.
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Join the Buckle Up Phone Down movement
Everyone's doing it - joining the movement and taking the Buckle Up Phone Down challenge! In Hannibal, the Tom Boland Tire and Auto Center showed their support by placing a buckle up safety message on the company sign. Gail and Tony Terill, managers of the tire center, saw one of MoDOT's digital message boards on Interstate 70 and liked it so much they decided to place the same message on their sign.
The sign, which sits on McMasters Avenue and U.S. Business 61 in Hannibal, will hopefully generate more individuals taking the challenge, since approximately 30,000 cars pass the business each day.
Click here to take the challenge! - BUPD.
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Fatality Update
Did you know...
132 people were killed in 2016 crashes involving a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV). Seventeen percent of those were occupants of the CMV - the remaining 83 percent were other drivers, passengers, pedestrians, motorcyclist, etc.
Please give CMV's the room they need and stay out of the "NO ZONE".
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Statewide Fatality Totals as reported on the Missouri State Highway Patrol website as of Oct. 22, 2017:
2017 Totals as of 10-22-17 - 709
2016 Totals as of 10-22-16 - 769
2015 Totals as of 10-22-15 - 680
2014 Totals as of 10-22-14 - 594
2013 Totals as of 10-22-13 - 608
2012 Totals as of 10-22-12 - 677
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Stay safe this Halloween
From the National Safety Council
Kids love the magic of Halloween, but for moms and dads, often there is a fine line between Halloween fun and safety concerns, especially when it comes to road and pedestrian safety.
The reality is that children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year,
Follow these tips to keep your Halloween safe and fun:
Safety Tips for Children
- Put electronic devices down.
- Keep heads up and walk, don't run across streets.
- Properly cross roads and intersections.
- Stay in areas with good lighting and wear light colored clothing.
- Never dart or run into the roadway.
- After dark, fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags, or use glow sticks.
Safety Tips for Motorists
- Put electronic devices down.
- Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs.
- Enter and exit driveways and alleys carefully.
- At twilight and later in the evening, watch for children in dark clothing.
- Discourage new, inexperienced drivers from driving on Halloween.
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Halloween is a dangerous night for impaired driving
 From downtown costume parties to back road bonfires, many celebrations will likely include alcohol. Make your plans for this year's Halloween fun, but keep in mind that one of the best choices you can make is to drive sober or designate a sober driver to get you home safely.
With an increased number of impaired drivers on the road and an increase in pedestrian traffic as children trick-or-treat, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration classifies Halloween as a statistically dangerous night for impaired driving. That danger can be prevented if drivers just plan ahead.
"Every year there are still some people who think they can drive after drinking," says Bill Whitfield, executive chair of the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety. "The only sober driver is one that has consumed no alcohol."
In 2016 there were 11 fatalities and 56 serious injuries from traffic crashes during the Halloween holiday weekend. Eight of those crashes involved impaired drivers, resulting in four fatalities and five serious injuries.
The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety recommends these simple tips for a safe Halloween:
- Before the Halloween festivities begin, plan a way to safely get home at the end of the night.
- Always designate a sober driver.
- If you've been drinking, take a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.
- Walking impaired can be just as dangerous as drunk driving. Designate a sober friend to walk you home.
- If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement.
- If you know someone who is about to drive or ride impaired, take their keys and help them make safe travel arrangements to where they are going.
Enjoy your Halloween holiday and make your memories those of great times with friends and family, not those of tragedy and loss. Don't drive impaired.
For more information on highway safety, go to
saveMOlives.com
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Missouri Dept. of Transportation | (888) 275-6636
P.O. Box 270 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0270
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