First Orphans, Now Santa

Missouri state Rep. Brian Yates (R., Lee’s Summit) wants to name a section of Missouri Highway 7 after the late Larry Stewart, aka Secret Santa.

Yates made his gesture on the same day that the Pitch ran my column about a couple of asbestos bills that Yates and Bryan Pratt (R., Blue Springs) have sponsored. I questioned whether Yates’ and Pratt’s employment at Shook, Hardy & Bacon — the Kansas City law firm notorious for its work defending tobacco companies – had informed their decision to stifle product-liability suits.