Truman Gala a Great Success!
Jackson County Democrats were happy to present the 34th annual Truman Gala earlier this month in Independence. Using safety protocols, we put on a great show featuring messages from Congressmen Ted Lieu, Adam Schiff, Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, Mayor Quinton Lucas and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver.
We also honored this year's award winners Marsha Lerenberg, Rodney Bland, Scott Casey, Antoinette Ramirez and County Legislator Scott Burnett. Read about them HERE.
Thank you to all who attended and to our wonderful sponsors:
IBEW District 11 -- UAW Region 4 CAP Council
Teamsters Local 41
Cleaver for Congress - Pipefitters Local 533 - Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 8 Operating Engineers Local 101
The 34th Senatorial District (Platte and Buchanan Counties) is looking for a a motivated Democrat to serve as Executive Director for their soon-to-be opened office. If you are interested, see their listing and learn how to apply HERE. Direct any questions to dems@plattedems.org
Vaccination Rates Rising But Missouri Well Over 10,000 COVID Deaths
Missouri’s death toll from COVID-19 topped the 10,000 fatality mark on Aug. 12, according to official numbers reported by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. However, because the state undercounts COVID-19 fatalities compared to statistics compiled by local health departments, the state’s total death count from the disease stood at 11,182 that day, according to an analysis conducted by the Missouri Independent.
Because of the undercount, Missouri likely topped 10,000 deaths from COVID-19 in late May or early June, according to the Independent, an on-line news organization focusing on state government. Missouri’s first death from the disease was reported on March 18, 2020. The 10,002 cumulative cases the state reported for Aug. 12 was 1,180 short of what local health departments reported.
The discrepancy is because the state only count fatalities in cases in which a person’s COVID-19 positive status was confirmed by a polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, test and excludes cases confirmed by an antigen test. Most counties include antigen test cases in their fatality counts, according to the Independent. The news site first reported that Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s administration has been underreporting cases total and death counts in March.
Missouri currently ranks in the top third among U.S. states with the most new COVID-19 cases and deaths per capita. It also has among the lowest vaccination rates, with just 43 percent of eligible Missourians being fully vaccinated as of Aug. 19, according to tracking data maintained by The New York Times.
MEANWHILE...Grandstanding Eric Schmitt Demands Halt of Mask Mandates in Public Schools
Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit on Aug. 24 seeking to block Missouri public schools from enforcing mask requirements designed to keep students, faculty and staff safe as the COVID-19 delta variant continues to sweep through state. Schmitt has made his legal efforts to thwart local government responses to the continuing pandemic a central component of his campaign for the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat that’s up for election in 2022.
The lawsuit, filed in Boone County Circuit Court, directly challenges the mask mandate adopted by the Columbia Public Schools. However, Schmitt is seeking class-action status so that a ruling in his favor also would apply all other Missouri school districts. In the lawsuit, Schmitt said he “seeks to protect the welfare of Missouri’s children and the liberty and constitutional rights of the people of Missouri.”
The latest guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends universal indoor masking in schools, including for vaccinated adults. At present, none of the three COVID-19 vaccinations in widespread use in the U.S. have been approved for children under age 12, putting them at particular risk. Although children appeared less susceptible to COVID-19 early in the pandemic, infection rates among children have soared with the highly contagious delta variant.
As The Kansas City Star and other news outlets reported, White House Press Secretary Jennifer Psaki, during an Aug. 24 media briefing, sharply criticized the lawsuit for putting children at risk. “The president thinks that’s completely unacceptable,” Psaki said.
Know of events (live or virtual) that our readers may want to attend? Send information to geoff@jacksoncodems.org and they will be featured in our next edition.
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