JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A St. Louis Republican has filed a bill during the legislature’s special session that would declare the Cardinals as Missouri’s “official professional baseball team,” as legislators debate potential stadium funding that could keep the Kansas City Royals in the Show-Me State.

Senator Nick Schroer, who represents District 2 in St. Charles County, filed the bill on June 4.

“Any other professional baseball team that is presently in, or may subsequently locate in, the state of Missouri shall be rightfully known and designated as a subpar professional baseball team,” Schroer’s bill said.

The bill’s introduction comes as legislators were in Jefferson City for a special session that Governor Mike Kehoe called in hopes of passing stadium funding that could incentivize the Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs to remain in Missouri.

READ MORE: Stadium incentives plan now in Missouri House’s hands

In the early hours Thursday, the Missouri Senate passed bills, including one that would provide bonds for 50% of stadium construction up to $50 million per year.

The Missouri House of Representatives is expected to take up the stadium proposals next week.

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MARYVILLE, Mo. (KCTV) – An attempt to turn onto a county road from a rural Missouri highway led to a rear-end collision that left both drivers seriously injured.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol indicates that around 11 a.m. on Friday, June 6, emergency crews were called to the area of Missouri Highway 148 and County Road 220, about 3 miles north of Maryville, with reports of a 2-vehicle crash.

When first responders arrived, they said they found a 49-year-old Pickering man had been stopped on the highway in a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado as he attempted to turn west onto County Road 220. However, he was hit from behind by a 32-year-old Maryville man in a 2021 Ford van.

State Troopers indicated that the impact of the crash caused both vehicles to veer off the roadway and crash into a nearby ditch.

Emergency crews said both drivers were taken to Mosaic Life Care in Maryville with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. No one involved had been wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

Investigators noted that both vehicles were extensively damaged as a result. No further information has been released.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A man who had been wanted for a Kansas rape for nearly 5 years was taken into custody after he was found in Kansas City, Missouri.

Jackson County, Missouri, Circuit Court records filed on Wednesday, May 28, indicate that Mario Perez, 38, has been found and arrested in connection to 2020 rape charges filed in Kansas.

Wyandotte County, Kansas, District Court documents revealed that Perez was charged with rape and aggravated criminal sodomy for an incident that happened in November 2019. The charges were filed in August 2020, upon the completion of an investigation by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.

Law enforcement officials noted that a warrant for Perez’s arrest was issued the same day charges were filed, however, he was not taken into custody until he was found in Kansas City, Missouri, nearly 5 years later.

A waiver of extradition was filed in Jackson County on Wednesday, and Perez was transported to the Wyandotte County Detention Facility, where he awaits a 9 a.m. court appearance on June 17.

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