Missouri
Missouri unveils plan to fill jobs
Hannibal (WGEM) – There’s a workforce shortage in Hannibal and state officials now have a plan to tackle the problem statewide. This comes as many local businesses and colleges work to attract and train younger people to in-demand jobs.
The state’s strategic plan, put together by the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, is called “Sixty For All.” It’s goal is to help 150,000 Missouri adults earn post-secondary credits like degrees from colleges, apprenticeships, and credentials by the year 2030 to help fill a workforce shortage predicted by that time.
Maria Kuhns, the Executive Director for the Hannibal Regional Economic Development, said a looming concern is the ongoing retirement of the Baby Boomer Generation. It will leave many vacant positions in manufacturing and healthcare. She said it’s good there’s a focus on workers in rural areas, especially to help people take paths to get apprenticeships or certifications.
“People who maybe don’t take the traditional career path of going straight into a four year. Doing that full time and then coming out with a degree. We need to be flexible with people as they are thinking about what credentials they want to attain,” Kuhns said.
The plan looks to use both state and federal funds to help Missouri students either get apprenticeships or college degrees so they can fill those open positions in the workforce.
Kuhns said they are excited about the plan and look forward to executing it and other businesses and colleges can contribute. She said currently, many local employers have focused on upskilling to try to get workers the skills they need to succeed, as well as partnering with colleges to provide internship opportunities to get people experience in the field. It also helps rural areas maintain their workforces and grow their own, which is another part of the plan they like
College degrees are another focus of the plan
Eric Kniel, the Director of Admissions for Culver-Stockton College, said having credentials, ranging from an apprenticeship to a college degree, are more important than they’ve ever been. The plan seeks to encourage students to attend college by removing barriers. He said some barriers for students applying for colleges include cost, but also not having a plan on what they want to do. But the plan also looks to help people finish their degrees in college.
“Circumstances can change where a lot of times we’ll see students who say, they know the value of wanting to finish but maybe something has happened at home and they need to go work full time and just don’t have time to finish school. Maybe they’ve had something happen and grades have dropped or maybe they’ve realized the program they are in, they’d like to do something else,” Kniel said.
Kniel said people who drop out can find it difficult to return to college, so the states plan to find ways to help students finish their degrees is useful to ensure they remain on tract.
He said if more qualified people enter into the workforce they can help to replace the retiring and aging workers, especially in the teaching and medical fields. He said this is good because it can fill gaps in rural areas.
Copyright 2024 WGEM. All rights reserved.
Missouri
Missouri voters form bipartisan group to quash Republican IP changes
ST. LOUIS (First Alert 4) — Missouri Republican lawmakers have once again put forth efforts to curtail the process for citizen-led ballot initiatives following successful campaigns to enshrine abortion rights, raise the state’s minimum wage, and create a legal sports wagering market.
In response, a newly formed political group called the “Respect Voters Coalition” is sponsoring a 2026 initiative to prevent state officials from meddling in the process altogether.
The group’s argument is rooted in the very first section of the first article of the state’s Constitution, which reads as follows:
“[We declare] that all political power is vested in and derived from the people; that all government of right originates from the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole.” – Missouri Const. of 1875, Art. I, Sec. 1.
Ben Singer, who leads Show Me Integrity, co-founded RVC as a measure to push back against efforts to roll back the IP process which, he noted, have been pushed by both parties when they’ve been in the majority.
“When Democrats were trying to attack the citizens initiative process because they didn’t like the Conservatives also used the citizens initiative process, Governor Ashcroft vetoed the Democrats’ attack on the ballot initiative process,” Singer said.
Ashcroft issued that veto in June 1992, writing the following in his explanation:
“It is through the initiative process that those who have no influence with elective representatives may take their cause directly to the people. The General Assembly should be reluctant, therefore, to enact legislation which places any impediments on the initiative power which are inconsistent with the reservation found in the Constitution.” – Gov. John Ashcroft, Veto Message, June 27, 1992.
Efforts to reform the state’s initiative petition process consumed much of the 2024 legislative session, including days-long filibusters by a faction of six Republicans demanding the issue be given priority and Democrats working to block it from passage. The process arguably deprived the House and Senate of sufficient time to perform a final review and amendment of the $51 billion state budget.
“These politicians who’ve taken an oath to protect the Missouri Constitution need to be reminded of that, and so that’s why groups and citizens across the state, in unbelievable momentum I’ve never seen before, are banding together to say enough is enough, and we are going to stop politicians from attacking the will of the people once and for all,” Singer said.
The Missouri House and Senate are set to convene on January 8 to begin the First Regular Session of the 103rd General Assembly.
Copyright 2024 KMOV. All rights reserved.
Missouri
Iowa vs. Missouri Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Music City Bowl
Missouri and Iowa meet in the Music City Bowl, the standalone game on December 30th bowl coverage.
Both teams ended their respective regular season with rivalry game victories in the final moments and will look for a bowl win to build momentum towards the future. In a closely lined spread, and some key players opting out, how should we bet this one?
We have you covered with our Music City Bowl betting preview below!
Spread
Moneyline
Total: 40.5 (Over -110/Under -110)
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Missouri
Brady Cook: This will be Cook’s final game with the Tigers after he returned from a mid-season injury to lead the Tigers to late-season wins against the likes of Arkansas in the team’s regular-season finale. While it wasn’t as productive as the year prior, Cook put up solid numbers this season for Mizzou, passing for 2,248 yards with 14 total touchdowns and only two interceptions.
Iowa
Brendan Sullivan: The hope is that Sullivan is back from injury for this one, the team’s primary backup that showed some upside in the Hawkeyes offense in wins against Northwestern and Wisconsin. Overall, this is a run-first Iowa offense that will be without star running back Kaleb Johnson, putting more pressure on Sullivan as a runner and to create with his arm. He completed more than 68% of his passes in a limited sample this season (35 passes).
There are two notable players out in this game with NFL upside, one for each team.
For Missouri, Luther Burden opted out of this game to prepare for the NFL Draft, which is a blow to the Tigers’ offense, but not as impactful as Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, who was sixth in the country in rushing yards this season.
Johnson was a big part of the Hawkeyes offense that was 93rd in the country in EPA/Pass and 85th in overall success rate. Without the threat of the standout running back on the field, Iowa will rely solely on its defense to stay competitive in this game.
With that in mind, I’ll lay it with the small favorite in Missouri.
While the Tigers fell short of lofty goals set by a strong 2023, the team still has a versatile offense that includes a sturdy run game and a consistent unit that ranked top 50 in success rate. Further, the team can keep up with Iowa in the battle for field position as it ranks top 10 in havoc allowed and is 11th in Pro Football Focus’ special teams grade.
I question how Iowa puts up many points on the board in this one and while the under looks like a worthwhile bet, I’d rather side with the Tigers to win this game by more than a field goal.
PICK: Missouri -3
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Follow Reed on Twitter @ReedWallach and get all his college football bets on betstamp @rw33
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Missouri
Ex-convict pardoned by Missouri governor, wants to continue helping former prisoners get fresh start
KANSAS CITY, Mo — The new year is less than two weeks away and a community advocate is already celebrating.
Kevin Morgan, founder of Sent1One Ministries and Lean on Me Ministries, got a pardon from Missouri Gov. Mike Parson this summer.
He’s been keeping the news private to think about how he wants to make a difference.
Morgan spent nine years on supervised probation for drug crimes.
For the past 11 years, he’s been hoping to get another chance, but the journey there took a lot of work.
He had three cases involving drug possession and drug trafficking but could only pick one to be expunged.
“They said, ‘Hey, in the state of Missouri, you are only allowed one felony to be expunged a lifetime,” Morgan said. “I knew I couldn’t die come back and get another one.”
Morgan spent seven months going through the process for a pardon.
According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, “a full pardon does not remove the conviction from the individual’s criminal record. A full pardon restores all rights of citizenship and removes any disqualification or punitive collateral consequence stemming from the conviction without conditions or restrictions.”
When he received the news that a pardon was granted in the mail, Morgan immediately gave thanks.
“I just got on my knees, prayed and thanked God. I was in amazement. I told God he can have all of me,” he said.
Morgan’s life has always come down to choices.
Now, he’s chooses to continue being example for other men in the community.
“I’m not that person anymore,” Morgan said. “Whatever struggles I was dealing with then — that’s gone. I’m a new man.”
From here on, he wants to continue serving men through his ministries, work with the city on homeless initiatives and eventually create a pathway for other people to have their record expunged or pardoned.
“I can see myself in some of the people I serve so I want to get them to where I am,” he said.
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KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including neighborhoods in Overland Park, Shawnee and Mission. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
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