Job Point YouthBuild participants demonstrated their construction skills and shared their personal stories at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on April 21.

The event, hosted by the Missouri YouthBuild Coalition, brought together trainees, staff and partners from across the state, according to a community announcement. The day included hands-on construction demonstrations, youth-led advocacy and opportunities for participants to engage with policymakers.

A hands-on project

Trainees spent the morning constructing the framework of walls and portable chairs in teams, demonstrating the skills they are developing through YouthBuild programs in Columbia, St. Joseph and Cape Girardeau. At the end of the day, they assembled the walls to create a room, symbolizing the collaboration among trainees from different regions.

“It was a very good day. We had to build the chairs over there. I did a little measurement, cutting, all of that,” one Job Point YouthBuild student said in the announcement.

The experience highlighted not only technical skills, but also the importance of teamwork and communication, according to the announcement.

“Working together as a team, putting things together was exquisite. Communication was key,” another student shared in the announcement.

Sharing personal journeys

The event also provided a platform for participants to share their personal journeys. Many YouthBuild participants have faced significant barriers, including interruptions in education and limited access to employment opportunities. Through programs like Job Point’s YouthBuild, they are reconnecting with education, gaining workforce certifications and building pathways to meaningful careers, according to the announcement.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Supreme Court issued opinions Tuesday in two cases concerning the state’s latest redistricting map.

Both opinions found the map meets constitutional requirements. As it is already in effect, it will stay in effect.

“Today’s Missouri Supreme Court rulings are a huge victory for voters,” Gov. Mike Kehoe said in a statement. “Missourians are more alike than we are different, and our Missouri values — rooted in common sense, hard work, and personal responsibility — are stronger and far more aligned across both sides of the aisle than the extreme left-wing agendas pushed in states like New York, California, and Illinois. The Missouri First Map ensures those values are represented fairly and accurately at every level of government. This August, Missouri voters will head to the ballot box to vote for candidates in these newly drawn districts.”

The opinion in Elizabeth Healey, et al. v. State of Missouri, et al. stated residents failed to meet the burden required by Missouri law to demonstrate the map was unconstitutional.

This case raised an issue with Article III, Section 45 of the Missouri Constitution, which states that districts “shall be comprised of contiguous territory as compact and as nearly equal in population as may be.” But the court found the concerned residents were unable to prove the “legislature improperly deviated from the directives of article III, section 45.”

The second lawsuit, Jake Maggard, et al. v. State of Missouri, et al., took issue with which map was currently in effect. Residents gathered signatures they believed should stop the new map from going into effect until put before Missouri voters.

However, the court ruled unanimously that nothing in the constitution allows a referendum petition alone to automatically suspend legislation. It has yet to be determined if the referendum petition filing was “legal, sufficient and timely,” per the opinion.

Additional redistricting cases remain ongoing.

NAACP, et al. v. Kehoe will go before the Missouri Supreme Court on May 27. This case argues the governor didn’t have the power to call the “extraordinary session” in which the new redistricting map was adopted.

Additionally, People Not Politicians v. Hoskins will go before a judge in July. Though in a lower court, this case concerns the validity of the signatures people gathered to force a statewide vote on the map.

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American Idol‘s latest installment has come to end. After a notable season that brought contestants to Hawaii and featured a tribute to Taylor Swift, Season 24 wrapped with a three-hour long episode that saw hopefuls Jordan McCullough, Hannah Harper, and Keyla Richardson compete for the final spot.

In the end, Missouri native Harper took the crown. In the first round of the finale, Alicia Keys stepped in as a guest mentor for contestants, and Harper performed a bluegrass rendition of the Grammy winner’s chart-topping hit, “No One.” In the second turn, Harper sang a song she wrote herself, titled “Married Into This Town,” and reprised “String Cheese,” another song she penned and memorably sang for her audition, for the last round.