National Agriculture Day

Governor Parson proclaims March 21 – 27 to be National Agriculture Week in Missouri

Governor Mike Parson has proclaimed March 21-27, 2021, to be National Agriculture Week in Missouri. As today also marks National Agriculture Day across the nation, Governor Parson joins the Missouri Department of Agriculture in celebrating the state’s top position nationally in agriculture production.  “Missouri is ranked among the top tier of states in agriculture production, […]

Virtual Job Fair

Audio: Virtual Job Fair, focusing on manufacturing, to be held on Tuesday, March 23, 2021

A Tuesday Virtual Job Fair will feature job openings in manufacturing.     The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development, in partnership with the Missouri Association of Manufacturers, will host a Return Strong Virtual Job Fair on Tuesday.  The fair will feature job openings exclusively from manufacturing companies across the state. The virtual […]

Pigs at a factory

Rural Iowa communities urge more factory-farm regulations

Advocates for family farms, rural neighborhoods, and the environment are asking Iowa lawmakers to find a more equitable balance between the interests of factory farms and of the communities they’re in.  Research has shown higher levels of nitrates and phosphorus in the water, as well as air quality issues, in communities with nearby concentrated animal feeding […]

Sad and lonely old senior woman sitting alone in living room, concept of lonely retirement or retirement home

Women’s wage gap correlates with retirement gender gap

This Wednesday is Women’s Equal Pay Day, the average date it would take a woman working full-time to earn what a man did in 2020. Most women earn less than men throughout their careers, which translates to less financial security in retirement.  According to the National Institute on Retirement Security, median household retirement incomes for women are […]

Candidates Forum

Candidates for Trenton R-9 Board of Education answer questions on recruiting and retention of teachers, and what is expected of board members

One question posed to the five Trenton R-9 Board of Education candidates at March 18th’s forum was what their plans were to address recruiting, and retention in the district and not let Trenton be a stepping stone. Michael Voorhies said teachers coming and going each year was a major issue, and any business does not […]

Justin Webb

Justin Webb recognized as Putnam County School District Career and Technical Education Student of the Month

The Putnam County R-1 School District recently recognized Justin Webb as the Career and Technical Education Student of the Month for March 2021. Student winners are chosen by the vocational faculty based on a set of criteria that includes: attendance, grades, cooperation with fellow students and teachers, enthusiasm for subject(s), attitude both in the classroom […]

Keystone XL Pipeline route

Missouri joins 20 other states in suing Biden administration for revoking Keystone XL pipeline permit

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined 20 other state attorneys general in filing suit on Wednesday, led by Montana and Texas, in United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas challenging President Joe Biden’s cancellation of the permits for the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. The lawsuit argues that President Biden’s administration […]

Power Outage

USDA invests $15 million to improve and modernize electric infrastructure in rural Missouri

U.S.Department of Agriculture Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced the agency is investing $15 million to build and improve electric infrastructure in Missouri through its Electric Loan Program. “For nearly 85 years—since the inception of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936—USDA has played a role in bringing electricity to rural areas,” […]

Governor Mike Parson

Governor Parson announces special funding to help Missouri’s youth

Governor Mike Parson announced a special cycle of the Department of Economic Development’s Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) and Youth Opportunities Program (YOP), making $21.8 million available to assist nonprofit organizations and other entities providing services to at-risk youth. “Missouri nonprofits have been a lifeline for many Missourians throughout the COVID-19 crisis, providing critical services during […]

Jobs Report or unemployment

Missouri unemployment rate drops to 4.3% in January, 2021, down from 4.4% in December, 2020

Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased in January 2021, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by a tenth of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 5,900 jobs over the month, but over-the-year job losses were back above 100,000 following benchmark adjustments to 2020 estimates. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent […]