Missouri
Missouri education leaders continue teacher recruitment efforts amid shortfall
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/WN3GPYACVRCMVAMU2BVXCTWKUA.jpg)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMOV) – Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education officials are continuing to address an education worker deficit of roughly 3,500 full-time equivalent positions, representing roughly 5% of the state’s public education workforce.
Dr. Paul Katnik is leading the department’s recruitment and retention efforts to fill those vacancies, which he describes as a task vital to Missouri’s education system, and in turn, vital to the state’s future.
“There will come a day when our children grow up and are the main engine for this state and it’s going to be the health, the success of this state really hinges on their future and what they’re able to do,” Katnik said. “For every one of them, it starts somewhere in K-12 education.”
Katnik said the recruitment challenges continue to be more a competitive pay structure on average in Missouri’s bordering states, but other industries are also cutting into the candidate pool.
“We’re not only competing against other states’ teacher pay, but we’re competing against industries and what they pay,” Katnik said. “We don’t do well at that industry is by by far pay more than we do in education.”
The department has several efforts in the works to bring more teachers into the state.
The Grow Your Own grant program brings together current high school teachers who are actively helping encourage their students to consider the career.
The department will soon be launching a new landing page to provide the public with more access to these jobs.
“It’s a navigation page that says, ‘tell us what you want to know. And we’ll show you where to go next,’” Katnik said.
The page is set to go live later this year, according to DESE.
Copyright 2023 KMOV. All rights reserved.

Missouri
Humane Society of Missouri hands out 4,000+ pounds of pet food, water after STL tornado

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – In the aftermath of the deadly tornado that swept through parts of the St. Louis region, one organization is taking a unique approach to recovery, helping both people and their pets.
The Humane Society of Missouri (HSMO) has deployed a fleet of supply-packed vehicles, delivering pet food, water and offering temporary boarding for animals impacted by the severe weather.
For Damian Webb, a North City resident, the storm was a first for both him and his seven-month-old puppy, Juju.
“She was under the bed shaking,” Webb said. “It was her first storm.”
Webb lives in the Greater Ville neighborhood, one of the areas hardest hit by the storms. His home remains standing, but the storm left busted windows, a leaking ceiling and a roof in need of repair.
“You can never prepare for it until you’re actually going through it,” he said.
With money tight and repairs looming, Webb is doing what he can to keep things together, including feeding Juju. That’s where HSMO comes in.
“This is our home, this is where we’re at, so we’re ready to go above and beyond,” said Ella Frank, HSMO Director of the Animal Cruelty Task Force.
Inside HSMO’s downtown shelter, shelves that were once packed with pet food now sit nearly empty. More than 4,000 pounds of food have already been distributed since the storm seven days ago, all donated by Purina.
“In a disaster, in a crisis, being able to keep your pet near you can be such a comfort,” Frank said.
That comfort is exactly what Juju has been for Webb.
“She did good for her first storm,” he said.
And while the damage is overwhelming, Webb says the community response has been just as powerful.
“Neighborhoods and community came out and started helping, that was a wonderful thing to witness.”
The Humane Society of Missouri is currently at capacity and is strongly encouraging fostering to make room for incoming animals. To learn more, click here.
Copyright 2025 KMOV. All rights reserved.
Missouri
Highway Patrol reports 7 arrests in north Missouri May 20–22, 2025

Click the + Icon To See Additional Sharing Options
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a total of seven arrests in north Missouri between May 20 and May 22, 2025. Charges ranged from traffic-related offenses to violent felonies.
It is important to note that, while all the individuals listed below have been reported as arrested, they may not have been physically transported to a detention center. Depending on the circumstances, an individual may be issued a summons, which includes a court date. When the Missouri State Highway Patrol issues a summons with a court date, it is considered an arrest, even if the individual is not physically transported to a detention center.
Jon P. Worrell, a 57-year-old man from Maryville, Missouri, was arrested at 10:15 a.m. on May 20 in Nodaway County. Worrell was taken into custody on multiple felony warrants issued by Coffee County, Georgia. The charges include felony murder, malice murder, aggravated battery involving a firearm, and conspiracy to commit a crime. He was held at the Nodaway County Sheriff’s Department with no bond. These charges are accusations and do not constitute evidence of guilt. Legal proceedings will determine the outcome of the case.
Preston J. Cornelius, age 34, of Country Club, Missouri, was arrested at 4:30 p.m. on May 20 in Daviess County. Cornelius was taken into custody on a misdemeanor warrant related to a traffic violation in Andrew County. He was booked into the Daviess DeKalb Regional Jail and is bondable.
Dewayne M. Taylor, a 55-year-old man from Liberty, Missouri, was arrested at 9:14 p.m. on May 20 in Livingston County. Taylor faced two charges: operating a motor vehicle without a valid operator’s license and failure to register the motor vehicle. He was later released from the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department.
Brandin L. Robinson, 42, of Columbia, Missouri, was arrested at 10:09 a.m. on May 21 in Randolph County. Robinson was charged with felony driving while revoked and also had an active Boone County misdemeanor warrant for the same offense. He was held at the Randolph County Jail and is bondable.
Ezekiel M. Bowen, an 18-year-old man from Monroe City, Missouri, was arrested at 11:32 a.m. on May 21 in Monroe County. Bowen was taken into custody on a felony warrant for failure to register as a sex offender. He was held at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and is eligible for bond.
Brent M. Wilson, 33, of Brashear, Missouri, was arrested at 9:28 p.m. on May 21 in Adair County. Wilson faced multiple charges: driving while intoxicated with alcohol, driving while intoxicated with a person under the age of 17 in the vehicle, and possession of a controlled substance. He was held at the Adair County Jail and was later released.
Mark K. Luntsford, a 53-year-old man from Moberly, Missouri, was arrested at 2:49 p.m. on May 22 in Randolph County. Luntsford was charged with felony DWI involving alcohol and physical injury, as well as driving in the wrong direction on a highway. He was held at the Randolph County Jail and has since been released.
Post Views: 921
Related
Click the + Icon To See Additional Sharing Options
Missouri
College Football Playoff Format Change is Good News for Missouri, SEC

It only took one season until major changes were made to the 12-team College Football Playoff format.
Thursday, the CFP committee agreed to change to a straight seeding format, the comitee announced in a press release Thursday.
This change won’t lead to any different qualifications to make the playoffs. The five highest-ranked conference champions will still earn automatic bids. But, instead of the conference champions being guaranteed a top-five seed, and a first-round bye for the top four of those, the seeding will be determined by ranking only.
However, the change is beneficial to both the Southeastern Conference and the Big 10, who had a combined seven teams qualify for the 2024-2025 CFP. The new format wouldn’t have made it easier for teams on the border like South Carolina and Alabama last year to qualify, but it would mean that all of the at-large qualifiers from both the SEC and Big 10 would have earned higher seeds.
Team |
Actual Seed |
Hypothetical Straight Seed |
---|---|---|
Oregon (Big 10 champions) |
1 |
1 |
Georgia (SEC champions) |
2 |
2 |
Boise State (Mountain West champions) |
3 |
9 (-6) |
Arizona State (Big 12 Champions) |
4 |
11 (-7) |
Texas |
5 |
3 (+2) |
Penn State |
6 |
4 (+2) |
Notre Dame |
7 |
5 (+2) |
Ohio State |
8 |
6 (+2) |
Tennessee |
9 |
7 (+2) |
Indiana |
10 |
8 (+2) |
SMU |
11 |
10 (+1) |
Clemson |
12 |
12 |
For the Missouri Tigers, the path to making the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history remains the same.
However, the door is now open for more than just one school from each conference to earn a first-round bye, and more space created to host a Round 1 game. For the Tigers to do either, they’d have to rank higher than the other highest-ranked conference champions, just like the SEC’s two at-large qualifiers did last season.
Additionally, the committee is moving closer toward expanding the playoff field. For the 2026-2027 CFP, the field will expand to 14 or 16 teams, sources told Brett McMurphy of The Action Network. An expansion would make it even easier for the two heavy-hitter conferences.
The straight seeding, and possible upcoming expansion, adds more fuel to the fire for the conversation of whether or not teams in the SEC or BIg 10 should care about conference championship games.
With straight seeding in place, the only reward to Texas or Georgia in last year’s SEC championship game would’ve been the difference of one seed. Both teams would earn a first-round bye under the new seeding format.
For head coach Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers, the 2025 season might be their best chance yet to qualify for the Playoff. Drinkwitz believes this team is the best he’s ever coached in his time with Missouri.
“Whether we’re talking about offense, special teams or defense, I think there’s a level of excitement because of the level of depth and competition that we’ve created,” Drinkwitz said April 29. “It’s going to be about establishing an identity early and really playing to that identity.”
-
Technology1 week ago
Love, Death, and Robots keeps a good thing going in volume 4
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta asks judge to throw out antitrust case mid-trial
-
World1 week ago
Commissioner Hansen presents plan to cut farming bureaucracy in EU
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Classic Film Review: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ is a Lesson in Redemption | InSession Film
-
Politics1 week ago
Dem senator says 'no doubt' Biden declined cognitively during presidency
-
News1 week ago
Video: Doctors Heal Infant Using First Customized-Gene Editing Treatment
-
News1 week ago
New Orleans jailbreak: 10 inmates dug a hole, wrote ‘to easy’ before fleeing; escape plan found
-
World1 week ago
Leak: Commission to launch PFAS clean-ups in water resilience strategy