JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Mike Kehoe was sworn in Monday as the 58th governor of Missouri.

Along the Missouri River, the stage was set and the capitol grounds were elaborately decorated for a patriotic ceremony celebrating Missouri’s state leaders and their families.

All eyes were on Kehoe as he addressed Missourians.

“I will always remember and honor the solemn oath I just took,” he said on the podium.

His first moments in office, as promised, were dedicated to fighting crime in Missouri.

He signed into law a number of executive orders in what he calls a comprehensive reformative agenda that gives all law environment officers additional tools to do their jobs.

Kehoe said he’ll follow through by strengthening public education, creating stable jobs, reducing taxes and regulations to attract businesses, and tackling crime.

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“I believe we can work together without sacrificing our core beliefs. Securing Missouri’s future means strengthening public education and expanding school choice so that every single student has the opportunity to get a world-class education. Whether it’s a four-year college or career technical education, schools that teach kids how to think — not what to think — are the key to long-term self-reliance,” Kehoe said. “Securing Missouri’s future means creating stable jobs that provide both a source of income and a sense of purpose.

“My administration will focus on reducing taxes and cutting regulations so families keep more of their own money, and so job creators want to come here, expand here and hire more hard-working Missourians. Finally, securing Missouri’s future means securing our agriculture economy.”

His promise to Missourians is a secure future.

“Too many Missourians don’t feel safe — and too many Missourians aren’t safe,” he said. “When people are afraid for their lives and for their families, they cannot be productive, and they will not prosper. My administration will be relentless in our pursuit to make Missouri a place where it’s easier to be a cop than a criminal.”

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Some of the executive orders signed by Kehoe include:

1. “Operation Relentless Pursuit” is what he explained as a regional anti-crime effort to allow officers to pursue and apprehend “dangerous fugitives” with outstanding warrants.

“No longer will we wait until they are caught in a traffic stop,” said Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.

2. “Blue Shield Program,” which Gov. Kehoe said aims to strengthen community support for all law enforcement agencies. He said communities that participate would receive state grant money.

3. Gov. Kehoe plans to designate specific officers to train on immigration enforcement so “Missouri can assist in immigration enforcement when called upon by President Trump,” Bailey said.

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4. “Immigrant Data Collection,” which Bailey said means anyone being investigated for criminal behavior will also have their immigration status tracked by the state.

5. Gov. Kehoe signed into law a pay grid adjustment to the Missouri State Highway Patrol to reduce the time it takes to reach top salary from 15 years to 12 years of service.

Bailey said they’d look at the staffing levels of various law enforcement agencies across the state and whether or not they choose to opt in.

A spokesperson for the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department said they’d review Kehoe’s crime plan before commenting.

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With the conclusion of his swearing-in ceremony, Kehoe left the crowd with a guarantee.

“Missourians expect results, they deserve results and with my administration, they will get results,” he said. “I will talk to anyone, work with anyone and root for anyone who has a good idea to make our state safer, stronger and better.”

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KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. Share your story idea with Megan.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe will become Missouri’s 58th governor when he takes the oath of office Monday afternoon.

Kehoe, a St. Louis native who rose through business and politics over 30 years in Jefferson City, will accept the office at noon. The ceremony is set to begin on the South Lawn of the Capitol at 11:30 a.m. Andy Blunt, chairman of the inauguration committee Securing Missouri’s Future, will lead the ceremony. Kehoe’s oath of office and speech are set to take place just after noon.

ABC 17 News will have live coverage of the inauguration ceremony starting at 11 a.m. on KMIZ and on abc17news.com. ABC 17 News anchor Lucas Geisler will work alongside Brian Hauswirth, news director at 93.9 The Eagle, at the State Capitol.

Kehoe moved to Mid-Missouri when he was 25 years old, according to his online biography. He bought his first Jefferson City Ford-Lincoln car dealership in 1992, working in the auto industry until his election to the Missouri Senate in 2010. Gov. Mike Parson appointed him lieutenant governor in 2018 to fill the spot he vacated when Eric Greitens resigned and Parson became governor.

Kehoe won a full term in 2020.

Rep. Dave Griffith (R-Jefferson City) said he was proud to see Kehoe take the mantle as governor. He complimented Kehoe’s business history and advocacy.

“I have known Mike for over 30 years and there is no finer man to lead our great state,” Griffith wrote in response to questions. “He has shown his desire to make the lives of those he loves and cares for through his business dealings, his service on the Transportation Commission, as a Senator and Lt. Governor. His work with Senior citizens to recognize their value to the state as well his continued support of our Veteran community has made life for those he has touched more fulfilling.”

Monday’s inauguration will include oaths of office for other statewide officeholders. Lt. Gov. Dave Wasinger, Attorney General Andrew Bailey, Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and Treasurer Vivek Malek will all be inaugurated on the steps of the Missouri Capitol. Wasinger and Hoskins will accept new roles, while Bailey and Malek will continue the jobs Parson appointed them to in 2023.

Kehoe won a resounding victory for governor with 59% of the vote over Democratic candidate Crystal Quade and tallied the most votes of any candidate seeking office statewide. His 1,750,802 votes came 1,184 votes behind President-elect Donald Trump’s total in Missouri.

Kehoe has made his business experience a major part of his campaign for governor, hoping to bring the experience of someone who has “signed both sides of a check” to the executive office. Kehoe hopes to gradually eliminate the state’s income tax and pledged not to raise any taxes while he’s in office.

Kehoe said he would improve incentives for those looking to get hired as a law enforcement officer in Missouri. He told ABC 17 News anchor Meghan Drakas that his administration was looking at models in other states on implementing recruiting and retention benefits for departments.

The inauguration will continue the Republican Party’s hold of all statewide offices since 2023. The party also enjoys a majority in the General Assembly, but the Democratic Party gained seats in both chambers in the 2024 election.

Like most Division I coaches in the transfer portal era, Beth Cunningham had the chore of mixing new and old ingredients in the pursuit of a winning flavor.

Teams don’t marinate like they use to, but Missouri State’s third-year coach appears to have assembled a cohesive, defensive-minded group that’s, yet again, among the best in the Missouri Valley Conference.

The Lady Bears (11-4, 3-1 MVC), winners of three straight after Sunday’s 75-37 demolition of Southern Illinois at Great Southern Bank Arena, are playing with the sort of fluidity you’d see in a team that wasn’t widely assembled in the span of a few months.

Missouri State welcomed eight players this past offseason to mesh with six returners who came a bucket-at-the-buzzer short of an NCAA Tournament berth last March.

From transfers who felt slighted or under-utilized at previous programs to proven returners soured by last season’s finish, Cunningham has been able to employ the chips on their respective shoulders.

“It feels like they’re playing for something every night and had a (bad) taste in their mouth with something to prove, too,” Cunningham said after Sunday’s rout of the Salukis, Missouri State’s seventh win in eight games.

While returners like Lacy Stokes (13.1 points per game, 60 assists), Kyrah Daniels (11.3 ppg, 5.5 rebounds a game), Kaemyn Bekemeier (10.3 ppg) and Paige Rocca (8.1 ppg) picked up where they left off from the 23-win campaign, veteran newcomers like Mizzou transfer Sarah Linthacum (10.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Kiley Bess (5.5 ppg) from Indiana State are getting the most of their final year of eligibility. Cady Pauley (5.1 ppg), a transfer from Virginia, is coming off the bench.

“We’ve been really locked in. We’re reading each other well right now, but it’s all flowing from practice,” said Bekemeier, the former Republic guard who had 12 points and 13 rebounds on Sunday. “You can see it in practice when we’re all getting after it.”

Since going 1-2 in an early-season tournament in the Virgin Islands against the likes of national brands Gonzaga, Florida State and Texas Tech at the end of November, the Lady Bears have been flummoxing teams defensively.

Missouri State has held six of its last eight opponents to 55 or fewer points and forced an average of 18 turnovers during that stretch, its last three games in MVC best conveying the offensively diverse and defensively hard-nosed effort.

Against Belmont (9-7, 4-1 MVC), the Bears were able shorten the court in a 57-55 win over the Bruins. Two days later, the Lady Bears proceeded to run the floor with one of the nation’s highest-scoring teams in Murray Sate (10-4, 4-1), holding the Racers 17 points below their average in a 85-78 win.

On Sunday, Missouri State proceeded to clamp down on one of the worst teams in the Valley and continue its annual dominance against the Salukis, yielding 17 points in the first half.

Linthacum, who was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field on Sunday and filled a major interior void for MSU this season, embraces a defensive identity.

“Our defense has to fuel our wins. We’ve gotten these past few wins because of our defense,” Linthacum said. “We shifted out mindset to focus on our defense no matter what the ball is looking like on the other end. That needs to carry over for this next stretch.”

Similar effort on the glass helps. The Lady Bears have outrebounded all but one opponent this season and rank 35th in Division I in rebounding margin (7.7).

Currently at the top of a parity-riddled MVC is defending champion Drake (11-4, 5-0), who the Lady Bears entertain on Jan. 24.

Through 15 games, Cunningham, who is 30-0 all-time when she holds teams to fewer than 60 points, likes her team’s resolve since suffering a 69-62 upset at UIC to start the new year.

“Collectively, a really great group. They’ve always been exremely hard-working,” she said. “They want to be coached, they want to get better. I don’t have to motivate them to work every day. It’s enjoyable to coach a team like that. I think we have a group of kids that are hungry.”

Missouri State travels to Evansville (4-11, 0-4 MVC) on Friday