Out of an abundance of caution and to protect participants amid ongoing COVID-19 concerns, Missouri State Parks and the Missouri State Parks Foundation have canceled the 2020 Katy Trail Ride scheduled to begin Monday, June 22. The five-day, 240-mile annual ride, which takes travelers through many of Missouri’s rural communities, along with open fields and […]
The Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri and the family of Doug Harper have announced the Doug Harper Memorial Scholarship winners. Mckayla Blackburn of Trenton High School and Ryan Cook of Penney High School of Hamilton have been named as recipients of the $500 scholarship. The Community Foundation reports Harper was an announcer and supporter of […]
“I want to assure Missourians that we are prepared,” Governor Parson said. “The overall trends in the data show that we have met the four pillars, and we are ready to safely reopen Missouri.” The “Show Me Strong Recovery” Pillars are designed to give Missouri a benchmark for moving forward: Expand the testing capacity and volume in […]
Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox reports the arrest of a Chicago man after the sheriff’s office responded to calls for service regarding a very fast and careless driver on Highway 36. Twenty-five-year-old Jerome Halsey the Third was arrested for alleged excessive speed and posted bond (no amount listed). He is scheduled for Livingston County Court […]
The University of Missouri Extension and partners recently released a Together We Can toolkit to help rural Missourians access mental health resources. “This presents the resources to help open up conversations about mental health,” says MU Extension health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch. “Making it comfortable to talk about mental health is the first step […]
Multiple faculty and staff members submitted written reports for the North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday evening. One report was from Vice President of Student Affairs Doctor Kristen Alley. She said votes were taken on End of the Year Awards, and Student Senate elections were held. Student Senate officers for 2020-2021 will […]
Although 2020 will not bring on ground commencement ceremonies this year, there is still much to celebrate for our North Central Missouri College graduates. This year marks the largest graduating class in the history of the college and the first-ever virtual commencement ceremony. 2020 marks the first time in the college’s 93 years not to […]
A new state statute requires Missouri’s K-12 districts to start the school year no earlier than 14 calendar days prior to the first Monday in September unless the State Board of Education waives the requirement. Board members are discussing whether to waive the requirement and give districts the option of starting the school earlier this […]
President Trump, at the White House, signed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. The bill, which unanimously passed the Senate on Tuesday, provides additional coronavirus relief funding for small businesses, agriculture producers, and hospitals and health care providers. “More help is on the way for Missouri small businesses and the health care […]
The Missouri National Guard is supporting community food banks in unloading deliveries, sorting, packing, delivery, and distribution of food. Food banks and pantries typically use volunteers to fill orders but have seen a significant decrease in available help, while also seeing an increased need from families affected by COVID-19 for food assistance. “It’s really nice […]
As Missouri moves to reopen the state’s economy while still respecting social distancing measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, city and county government leaders warn of dire financial problems due to Missouri’s lack of an e-commerce use tax. Callaway County Presiding Commissioner Gary Jungermann said the failure of the Missouri legislature to pass an e-commerce […]
University of Missouri Extension swine nutritionist Marcia Shannon says producers can feed more fiber and less fat to slow growth. “This is a good time to move to feeding low-energy, high-fiber diets with an adjusted lysine-to-calorie ratio and remove any growth-promoting technologies,” Shannon says. Fiber, a poor source of energy, is cheap and fills pigs […]
COLUMBIA, Mo. – As summer approaches, Missouri’s estimated 240 farmers’ markets are struggling with how they will comply with COVID-19-related restrictions. Regarded by many as vital and vibrant community hubs, farmer’s markets will need to rethink how to work with their vendors and still serve a public hungry for locally grown food. To help with […]
Late April is a peak season for morel mushrooms in western Missouri, to the delight of people who like to cook them and find them in the freshly greening outdoors. Where they appear, though, is a challenge for those new to seeking the sponge-like fungi, or for those veterans who cannot find them. Morels appear […]
Missouri’s latest unemployment figures have taken another jump. More than 101,000 Missourians filed a jobless claim last week – an increase of roughly 10,000 over the previous week. Since the coronavirus started hitting the state’s economy in mid-March, over 339,000 people have requested unemployment aid. That’s more than all of 2019 jobless figures of 183,000. […]
The Internal Revenue Service, working in partnership with the Treasury Department and the Social Security Administration, announced today that recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will automatically receive automatic Economic Impact Payments. SSI recipients will receive a $1,200 Economic Impact Payment with no further action needed on their part. The IRS projects the payments for […]
Working with the Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service today unveiled the new Get My Payment with features to let taxpayers check on their Economic Impact Payment date and update direct deposit information. With an initial round of more than 80 million Economic Impact Payments starting to hit bank accounts over the weekend and throughout […]
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue unveiled a one-stop-shop of federal programs that can be used by rural communities, organizations, and individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide (PDF, 349 KB) is a first-of-its-kind resource for rural leaders looking for federal funding and partnership opportunities to help address this pandemic. “Under […]
The University of Missouri and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will postpone their annual series of management-intensive grazing schools in 2020 due to safety concerns about COVID-19. Organizers will look at the situation in late May to consider options, said MU Extension forage specialist Craig Roberts. NRCS and MU Extension specialists hold more than […]
University of Missouri Extension food safety specialist Londa Nwadike says that, right now, science is on the side of produce growers. “There is currently no evidence that the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, has been transmitted through food or food packaging,” said Nwadike, who has dual extension appointments with MU and Kansas State University. That’s […]
