MISSOURI CITY, Texas – A viral video posted by a Missouri City coffee shop owner says he was bullied by a Starbucks shop, right next door, over a sign advertising his products. 

Bean Here Coffee opened its doors at Highway 6 and Oyster Creek about two years ago. The Starbucks is a recent addition, and the strip of land between them became a sort of battleground.

Mike Ouano opened his first of three local Bean Here Coffee shops eight years ago, after learning how to roast the beans and brew the different types of coffee people might want.

“I know there is a market for people who appreciate locally roasted, artisan coffee,” he says, “I figured, you know, why not take the leap?”

The Philippine-native opened his newest location because he says customers wanted a drive-thru. By all appearances, there’s steady traffic even with his new neighbor. Ouano didn’t think there was any trouble, until recently. 

He posted a video on social media that, he says, shows a manager from Starbucks walking into his shop with a yard-sign that Bean Here had posted facing the coffee competitor. The shocked Ouano says the manager’s message was direct.

 “He was instructed by his district manager to remove the sign, bring it back and talk to us about it,” he says, “That was the point I was like, ‘Well, that wasn’t on your side,’ and he said, ‘We’re just trying to protect our property. You’re free to put it back down, but we’ll always pick it back up.”

The sign now hangs on the coffee shop wall, advertising seasonal beverages. It was posted on a thin, grassy median between the two, along with signs that direct customers to tenants in Ouano’s building.

Since then, he’s got an inflatable gingerbread man facing his neighbor, instead, hopeful for a bit of detente and confidence that there’s room for both of them. 

“I honestly feel that people who come here, there’s a reason they skip that line and come here,” he says, “I think I’ll be ok.”

Ouano says his landlord assures him the median between the two properties is safe to post on. 

In a telephone conversation, a Starbucks spokesman did not offer any type of explanation or apology for what happened, but did tell Fox 26 they will not take any further action on any signs that are posted on that property.

The director of Missouri’s Department of Social Services will resign next month, allowing Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe to choose a new leader for the embattled agency.

Robert Knodell’s last day as director of the department — which oversees foster care, Medicaid, other public assistance programs and services for delinquent youth — will be Jan. 13. He accepted a job to be the city manager of Poplar Bluff, his hometown, on Tuesday.

Knodell has been director since Oct. 2021.

Previously, he worked in Gov. Mike Parson’s office as deputy chief of staff and then acting director for the Department of Health and Senior Services.

In an interview last week, Knodell said his biggest accomplishments leading the agency included helping push for staff pay raises, modernizing technology and putting the child welfare system on a more “positive trajectory” by emphasizing prevention.

“We have to continue to try to do everything as a full continuum to make sure that family needs and children’s needs are being addressed and that safety can be assured,” he said, “to prevent children from having to go into the foster system. And the prevention focus is new for the department.”

During his tenure, the department faced criticism over its administration of public benefits. 

A federal judge earlier this year ruled Missourians were illegally denied food aid by the state due to hourslong call center wait times for participants to receive a required interview. 

The most recent monthly data the state submitted in the lawsuit says the average wait time to get through for its general call line was 43 minutes as of November.  The wait time for the interview line for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, was 23 minutes.  

The department in its budget request to the state legislature is asking for $11 million to hire 220 new staff in the Family Support Division to help ensure the agency complies with federal and state rules on timely processing, and “maintains a reasonable wait time in the call centers,” the budget request states. 

The state has also struggled to meet federal guidelines for its processing of Medicaid applications. 

Over the summer, the federal Medicaid agency announced it was intervening to help bring the state back into compliance. According to the most recent federal data, 27% of low-income Missouri Medicaid applications were processed in excess of the 45-day limit in July, which is down from 72% in February.

The department also faced scrutiny for its handling of missing foster kids.

A federal report in 2022 found that there were 1,780 instances of foster kids going missing in Missouri over a two-and-a-half year period that spanned July 2018 to December 2020. The agency last year said it has increased efforts to find missing foster kids. As of the most recent public data, from October, there were 72 foster children categorized as runaways.

That data doesn’t distinguish between missing kids and those whose locations are known but unauthorized, though the department says it collects that data now.

Knodell said one of the challenges has been balancing the desires of those who want as robust a safety net as possible with those who want to control costs. 

“We try to build as strong a safety net as we can, being as responsible a steward of the resources that we have as possible,” he said. “But there is a push and a pull, and there are limits to what the government can do, but certainly we want to do the things that we’ve been tasked as efficiently and effectively as possible. “

Knodell said the social services system in Missouri has “ been underinvested in for so long. But you know, hopefully, we’re pointed in the right direction.”

Parson in a press release Tuesday said “I remain ever grateful that, regardless of the challenges, Robert answered the call to serve in leadership within both DSS and the Department of Health and Senior Services.”

If the Christmas cookies are about to hit the fan, Missouri’s nature centers could be a great way to prevent a holiday meltdown.

The centers are known for showcasing Missouri’s rich natural resources. The hiking trails could help families take a deep breath of fresh air and appreciate the sunshine. A stretch of water capturing reflections of wildflowers blowing in the wind could provide a chance to reset after a stressful day.

On the inside, there might be live animal exhibits, indoor aquariums, and hands-on activities. A host of classes are offered to teach you about anything from soap making, embroidery, and woodcarving, to owls, foxes, and the slithery world of snakes.

Margie Vandeven, the Missouri Department of Conservation’s new education branch chief, said the nature centers are a great place to unwind.

“What a great thing to do on your way home after having a relatively frantic day at the office, or maybe a busy time with your children, and they might be a little sugared up. Get outside and have them play,” she told Missourinet.

Vandeven said you’ll be amazed at the calming effects that nature can have on us.

“We’ve been hearing more and more about the mental health needs that we’re all experiencing right now for a lot of different reasons,” she said. “Nature is just an amazing place to be and helps students in ways that I don’t know that we’re always thinking about, unless we are very strategic in making sure that we’re providing those kinds of opportunities for our kids.”

Missouri’s nature centers are in Cape Girardeau, Jefferson City, Joplin, Springfield, Winona, Lebanon, and the St. Louis and Kansas City areas.

A new Missouri Department of Conservation education center is opening Thursday in Branson. The Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Education Center includes room for two classrooms, a 7,500 gallon indoor aquarium, and new exhibits. It is adjacent to the department’s fish hatchery, where one million trout are raised each year.

The state also has about 100 parks and historic sites to help you reset.

Vandeven, who previously served as the state education commissioner, is now devoting her days to bringing nature into the classroom. Since 2009, more than 1,000 Missouri classrooms have been participating in the Missouri Department of Conservation’s “Discover Nature Schools” program.

The nature schooling curriculum is available to K-12 classrooms and covers a variety of topics, such as wildlife, kayaking, fishing, and the different ecosystems. The teacher and student guides are free and can be ordered through the department’s teacher portal.

Copyright © 2024 · Missourinet