Missouri’s 58th governor and all of the other newly-elected statewide officials will be sworn into office on Monday in Jefferson City.
We will have live inauguration coverage on Monday in conjunction with our news partner KMIZ Channel 17 starting at 11 am. ABC-17 anchor Lucas Geisler and 939 the Eagle news director Brian Hauswirth will be live on Channel 17 and on Zimmer’s 939 the Eagle, Newsradio 950 KWOS and on Springfield’s KWTO (AM 560) for coverage of the ceremony, including live interviews and analysis of the event.
Look for tight security at the inauguration ceremony and at the various events Monday in Jefferson City. The Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri National Guard, Capitol Police and Jefferson City Police are a few of the agencies that will be part of a unified command post during Monday’s inauguration events. Capitol Police chief Zim Schwartze tells 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Missouri” that law enforcement has been planning the command post for months:
“It’s a way for the leaders and those appointed to be in that unified command center to talk through any issues so they’re all right there so we can work through anything that comes up,” Chief Schwartze says.
She tells listeners that communications are set up. Here is a detailed timeframe of Monday’s inauguration events:
** 9 am: The Salute to Heroes event begins in the Missouri Capitol’s first floor Rotunda. That runs from 9 to 10 am.
** 10 am: Governor-elect Mike Kehoe will gavel-in the Missouri Senate. He’s still lieutenant governor until the inauguration.
** 11:30 am: The inauguration ceremony begins on the Capitol’s south lawn. Securing Missouri’s Future Inaugural Committee chairman Andy Blunt will welcome the audience, and outgoing Governor Mike Parson will depart.
** 11:37 am: Joint Session of the Missouri Legislature will be called to order by Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin (R-Shelbina).
** 11:40 am: oaths of office administered to Attorney General Andrew Bailey, State Treasurer Vivek Malek, Secretary of State-elect Denny Hoskins and Lieutenant Governor-elect Dave Wasinger. All are Republicans.
** Noon: Oath of office administered to Governor-elect Kehoe by former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, followed by a 19-gun salute and flyover.
** 12:03 pm: Governor Kehoe delivers his inaugural address.
** 12:13 pm: Performance by 135th Missouri Army National Guard Band.
** 12:20 pm: Inauguration ceremony concludes.
** 12:45 pm: Day One action ceremony in the governor’s office.
** 1:45 pm: Promenade of the Budweiser Clydesdales from the Missouri State Capitol to the Governor’s Mansion.
** 2 pm: Meet-and-greet with Governor Kehoe and First Lady Claudia Kehoe at the Missouri Governor’s Mansion.
** 7 pm: Grand March and Inaugural Ball.
All events are open to the public, with no ticket required. The only exception is the day one action ceremony, which is open to the news media.
As for Governor-elect Kehoe, he plans to take time during Monday’s inauguration address to reflect on where he grew up. He grew up poor in the Baden area in St. Louis. Governor-elect Kehoe joined us live on 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Missouri”:
“You know just the opportunities that Missouri and this country can provide somebody. Who, you might think that you don’t have a lot of opportunities here, but the reality is this state offers a lot of opportunities and we want to make sure that Missourians today and in the future and in generations to come know you can do anything you want with a little prayer and hard work as my mom used to say,” Governor-elect Kehoe tells listeners.
Mr. Kehoe’s mother has passed away. He’s focusing on four major areas: crime, tax policy, economic development and agriculture.
