Mid-Missouri

Enrollment in Missouri public schools has fallen by 2.2%, or roughly 19,000 students, over the last five academic years, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) education dashboard.

This drop in enrollment mirrors a national trend, according to data released by the National Center for Education Statistics. Between the fall of 2018 and the fall of 2021, public school enrollment across the U.S. dropped by 2.5%, which is roughly 1.2 million students. Over that same time period, private school enrollment increased by 8%, or 450,000 students.  

While Missouri public school enrollment has decreased, it’s unclear where students have gone. This is because Missouri does not track private school enrollment data and does not require parents to notify the state when they choose to homeschool their child.

However, two private schools in Boone County—Columbia Independent School (CIS) and City Garden School—are expanding due to increases in enrollment. Officials at both schools attributed the national increase in private school enrollment to a combination of factors; from disruptions due to the pandemic, a search for more individualized instruction and a desire for a smaller, tight-knit community.

CIS recently acquired 6.85 acres of land to build a soccer field, tennis courts and additional parking. This comes on top of investments made to renovate its current building and construct a new upper school building.

CIS Head of School Bridgid Kinney said the renovation projects will total between $17 million-$18 million. She said the projects are necessary to accommodate additional students.

“We’ve had waitlists in different classes,” Kinney said. “We’ve had families that might want to enroll here, we can’t accommodate them, because we don’t have the physical space to add more classes.”

While Kinney said enrollment at CIS has increased steadily over the last 10 years, she said she thinks the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused parents to reevaluate choices in education.

“COVID forced people in many ways to look at different things,” Kinney said. “We’ve seen increased enrollment, over 10 years for us. But, I think that people started looking at other educational opportunities.”

She said public and private schools have different offerings for students.

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“There are services that they [public schools] offer that we personally do not,” Kinney said. “But, there are things that we can do, because of our smaller class sizes. There’s activities that we can tend to do that make it a little easier here than it would be in a large public school.”

Kinney said the school approaches the curriculum with the “whole student” in mind.

“We’re trying to teach the whole student,” Kinney said. “We want our students to be seen and heard here, to feel like they belong, know that they belong.” 

City Garden School Head of School Jordan Johnson said the school saw a 28% growth in enrollment in the past two years. Next year, the school will also expand to include an eighth grade class. With the additional grade, Johnson said the school is projected to see a 24% growth in enrollment.

Johnson attributes increased enrollment to the pandemic. During the pandemic, the City Garden School was able to pivot to entirely outdoor learning.

“We, like a lot of private schools, had a boom in enrollment during the pandemic,” Johnson said. “And for us, I think that the main factor behind that was we made the decision to totally teach outside during that time.”

Johnson said she is a proponent of public school education. However, she said many public schools are currently not equipped to serve all students.

“Our students who need movement incorporated into their lessons, who need more hands on, who need less screen time, those are students who we see really come into themselves here,” Johnson said. 

Due to some of the unique programs offered in alternative education settings, she said she thinks private school and homeschool enrollment will continue to trend upwards.

“We think that we are serving some families really well, who wouldn’t be served in public education as well,” Johnson said. “So, unfortunately, and fortunately, I do think that that’s going to continue to be like a growing movement.”

Originally Appeared Here

Curbside recycling returns to Columbia Monday after a months-long pause which prompted a lawsuit over the issue. 

Collection will happen every-other-week, according to Matt Nestor, public information specialist for City of Columbia Utilities. The pickup program will work the same way it did before the suspension, Nestor said. 

Columbia suspended curbside pickup in May 2023, because of “ongoing staff shortages.” It promised the service would return by late June, but extended the pause indefinitely.

Columbia’s Solid Waste Utility isn’t fully staffed yet, Nestor said. There are about eight open positions the city is trying to fill.  The city is using a temp agency to until those positions can be permanently filled, according to Nestor. 

Columbia announced the return of curbside recycling in February. Utilities hired seven new workers, which allows the service to return, Nestor said. Utilities has 28 solid waste collection positions. 20 are filled, according to Nestor.

“We have enough [workers] that we can maintain the routes,” Nestor said. “It’s just, you know, getting a couple extra guys who can hop on and off the truck and pick stuff up.”

How does it work?

Recycling will be picked up every other week. Plastic containers go in a blue plastic bag. Fibers, like paper and carboard, will simply be placed on the curb. Utilities asks residents to break down boxes and bundle fibers together. Essentially, that means putting broken down boxes in one large box. Other fibers, like magazine or newspapers, can be put in a paper bag. Workers manually pick up recycling and load it into the truck. 

“If all the boxes are laying around, loose on the ground, it’s less efficient, it’s harder for the workers,” Nestor said. “By breaking down boxes, and throwing them in the truck, that saves room in the truck for more boxes for, you know, everyone else down the line.”

When is my recycling pickup?

There are two collection routes, according to Nestor. The routes are the same from before the service suspension. The ‘green route,’ starts Monday March 18, and the ‘blue route’ starts Monday March 25. Routes are determined based on geographic location. 

The City of Columbia runs an online portal where you enter your address to find out which route you are on. You can click here to access that portal. Recycling collection will happen the same day as trash collection.

How do I get recycling bags?

Columbia mailed bag vouchers for residents in January 2024, according to a city web page. Residents will receive two vouchers for blue recycling bags. 

You can redeem vouchers for free at the following Columbia locations:

– Hy-Vee at 405 E. Nifong Blvd.

– Hy-Vee at 3100 W. Broadway.

– Moser’s Foods at 900 N. Keene Street.

– Schnuck’s at 1400 Forum Blvd.

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– Eatwell at 111 S. Providence Road.

– Utility customer service at Columbia City Hall

Vouchers can only be redeemed once and are tracked by a barcode, according to city utilities. New Columbia residents should receive a voucher within three weeks of moving. 

If you did not receive a voucher, or would like to request additional vouchers, the solid waste utility says you should contact WasteZero, Inc. at 1-800-866-3954.

Could there be recycling roll carts?

Columbia started automated trash collection on March 4 after more than ten years of discussion. Nestor said there will “likely” be a conversation about implementing recycling roll carts. 

That conversation has already begun. Columbia City Council members discussed a consultants report on the city’s recycling program with Director of Utilities Dave Sorrell in January, according to previous Columbia Missourian reporting.

Sorrell recommended maintaining a consistent rate and leaving the recycling program voluntary. That means if recycling carts are implemented, residents could choose not to receive one. 

The city would need about $2 million to purchase 36,000 recycling carts, as well as between $560,000 to $800,000 per year to lease 10 or 12 trucks, Sorrell said.

As for voluntary recycling, cart costs would drop to around $700,000 and yearly truck leasing to around $450,000, Sorrell said.

Utilities needs more staff to handle recycling cart collection, Nestor told KOMU 8. The future Columbia Material Recovery Facility, where recycling is processed, is also a factor. 

Sorrell recommended expanding the facility during the January council meeting, and repurposing parts of the facility to handle other materials like Styrofoam, electronics, and other hazardous materials. Any changes to the facility could impact collection down the line, Nestor said. 

“There’s a lot of steps we have to jump – you know, get through before we even discuss [recycling carts].”

Is there a limit to how much recycling I can put on the curb?

There is not. Utilities asks that you rinse out recycling, like food containers, so it is easier to process. 

Nestor said residents should not attempt to recycle Styrofoam, because utilities cannot process it. It also does not accept plastic film bags, hoses, and ice cream and milk cartons with plastic liquid-proof lining.

Recycling lawsuit

A Columbia resident sued the city in December, accusing Columbia of charging residents for curbside recycling without providing the service. Christine Gardener alleges the city breached its contract with customers and was unjustly enriched, according to previous KOMU 8 reporting. Gardener is seeking class-action status for the suit. 

The city responded to the suit in February, denying it broke a contract with residents. It claims trash collection is not a service offered to residents. Rather, residents are “required to receive refuse service.”

Utilities is excited to move forward with curbside pickup, Nestor said. 

“This is something we’ve wanted to be doing all along.”

Originally Appeared Here

It was the mid-1960s; poverty was running rampant. The overall national poverty rate was 19 percent. The War on Poverty was the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by US President Lyndon Johnson. He passionately proposed this “War” in his state of the Union Speech on Jan. 8, 1964. The legacy of the War on Poverty policy initiative remains in the continued existence of such federal programs as The Foster Grandparent Program, Head Start, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), TRiO (Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search, and Special Services), and Job Corps. 

The Foster Grandparent Program is a simple concept that led to a unique and enduring program Established in 1965, Sargent Shriver developed the Foster Grandparent Program. Shriver was named director of the newly formed Office of Economic Opportunity. Shriver mounted a national effort to eliminate the root causes of poverty and income inequality by pursuing an empowerment approach to government: a comprehensive, targeted strategy designed to insure that all Americans had access to economic opportunity. Shriver’s motto for the War on Poverty was “A hand up, not a hand out,” 

The Foster Grandparent Program of Central Missouri recruits lower income men and women ages 55 and older to offer support to children in educational settings. Our volunteers serve in preschools and elementary schools where they share their love of children and provide academic, and sometimes behavioral and developmental support to the youth in their communities. Central Missouri Community Action sponsors the Foster Grandparent Program and the program is partially funded with a Federal Grant from the agency now known as AmeriCorps. Central Missouri Community Action is the sponsoring agency to the Foster Grandparent Program in Central Missouri and has been since1967. The Foster Grandparent Program through CMCA manages ten counties in Mid-Missouri and currently supports approximately 50 volunteers. Our volunteers touched the lives of 561 children last year by supporting students with academic and emotional guidance. The program has a proven positive impact on both generations.

“We work with 10 school districts, 11 Head Start centers and six non-profit childcare centers,” said a spokesperson. “We pay a small stipend to individuals who meet the 200 percent or below of National Poverty Levels.”

In 2024, that amount is $2,510 per month for a single person household or $3,407 for a two-person husband and wife household. This is not a wage, it is an amount paid to offset any out-of-pocket expenses the volunteer may encounter. This stipend does not interfere with any other benefits a volunteer may be receiving, such as a housing voucher or SNAP benefits. They also pay mileage, supply uniforms, and training and appreciation events.

“We desperately need volunteers in Mexico Mo. and all the counties we cover in central Missouri,” said a spokesperson. “We had volunteers at Williams Family Learning Center, but all have retired,” said a spokesperson. “This included our beautiful volunteer Bernadette who just passed away at 101 years. She only retired because the COVID lockdown stopped her.”

For more information, reach out to the Foster Grandparent Program of Central Missouri Senior Programs at 573-777-5225.

Originally Appeared Here

The city of Columbia has received a $2.1 million grant from the Biden administration to go toward a Business Loop 70 corridor study, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

The study will find ways to improve safety for drivers and pedestrians along the Business Loop between Stadium Boulevard and Eastland Circle, according to a February 2023 city council memo. 

Features proposed to be studied include a complete streets design, intersection improvements, bike lanes and pedestrian connection improvements, ADA accessibility upgrades, aesthetics improvements and stormwater improvements, the memo states. 

The Business Loop Community Improvement District (CID) has already developed a conceptual plan that will start with high visibility projects, including a community pop-up park, bike repair station, and colorful banners, according to its website. 

Business Loop CID Executive Director Carrie Gartner says the funds will allow for in-depth planning to prepare street improvements. 

“It helps us do engineering studies, environmental studies, stormwater management, and traffic studies,” Gartner said. “And it also gives us an opportunity to revisit people of Columbia and people on the street to say, ‘What do you want this street to be? And how are you using it now? And how do you want to use it in the future?'”

Gartner said getting these studies funded has been a long-time goal of the Business Loop CID. 

“It’s difficult,” Gartner said. “It’s been neglected for decades. This grant really gives us the opportunity to move this project forward.”

Gartner said improvements to the Business Loop will benefit Columbia. 

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“Right now, we’re doing okay, we’re doing really well, actually, in spite of the the negative perceptions of the infrastructure and the lack of sidewalks,” Gartner said. “Imagine how successful the street can be when we have sidewalks and beautification.”

Michele Batye, who owns Dave Griggs’ Flooring America in Columbia, said the Business Loop used to be more of a hub in Columbia. 

“Growing up, it was kind of more of the center of where Columbia was,” Batye said. “And, as it’s moved further south, the Business Loop has kind of not gotten the attention and love that it has [previously].”

Batye said she’s excited that the study will involve researching sidewalk infrastructure. 

“We really would like to see sidewalks,” Batye said. “You know, I see people walking past here every day and like we have sidewalks up against our building. And then for a while, they have to go in the street, and then they go back on the sidewalks.”

The grant is part of the Biden admin’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access and Equity Discretionary Grant program, which aims at reconnecting communities that were “cut off by transportation infrastructure decades ago, leaving entire neighborhoods without direct access to opportunity.” 

More than $9.9 million was also distributed to the Brickline Greenway project in St. Louis. 

KOMU 8 Digital Editor Stephanie Southey contributed to this report. 

Originally Appeared Here

The Columbia School Board will discuss potential revisions to its public participation policy at its regular meeting Monday.

The School Board’s Policy Committee has made revisions to the policy since October in hopes of clarifying how people may add items to the agenda and sign up for public comment.

In the suggested revisions, the board could limit public comment to three comments per topic as members see fit. Community members who wish to speak at board meetings must register in person, online or by phone no later than noon the day of the meeting. Under the current policy, on the day of the board’s regular meetings, people have until 2 p.m. to sign up for public comment and until 3 p.m. to submit comments in writing, online or over the phone.

The revisions allow the public to send comments in writing to the board and superintendent online through meeting agendas and a portal. Instructions for submitting written comments to board meetings are included in the revisions.

Bond issue vote

The board will vote on whether to approve a formal resolution to issue a bond of $40 million.

In April 2022, voters approved an $80 million school bond issue to be used for new construction. The bond was to be issued in two increments — $40 million in 2022 and $40 million in 2024. At the board’s regular meeting Feb. 12, members voted to approve a go-to-market resolution to issue the second $40 million this spring.

This vote would be the next step in the process. If approved, the board would agree to final terms for issuing the $40 million, including the designation of the district’s paying agent and the terms for selling the bond, according to district documents.

Attendance area realignment update

Chief Operations Officer Randy Gooch will present a three-phrase timeline of the district’s attendance area realignment process. The multi-year process is the result of the creation of new wings at Russell Boulevard and Battle elementary schools, as well as the new elementary school. Gooch will share a 10-year facilities master plan that considers attendance areas, bonds and building improvements.

Gooch will review the district’s new diversity index that it will use to better understand the attendance area demographics as it works on realignment. The index will measure the racial, socioeconomic and educational levels of census block groups across the district. It was created with consultant Woolpert and introduced at the Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee meeting March 6.

Finance update

Chief Financial Officer Heather McArthur will present data on the district’s key revenue sources and fixed costs for the 2024-25 budget. The board intends to decide on the revenue estimates that will be used in the budget.

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McArthur will present predicted changes in state funding and tax revenues, review the district’s five-year financial model and address concerns over the future of school funding.

At a Finance Committee meeting March 6, McArthur and other committee members expressed concerns about the prospects of charter schools and open enrollment in Columbia, which she said could take significant funding away from the district.

Special recognition

Battle High School student Macey Hansen will be recognized for winning an individual state championship at the 2024 Girls Swimming & Diving State Championship meet. During preliminaries, Hansen set a new state record for the 500-meter freestyle.

Hickman High School students Luke Hayden and Hank Benter will be recognized for winning individual state championships for wrestling.

The board will also recognize its staff of the month:

• Karen Bostrom-Gregg, Parents as Teachers
• Amanda Kinkead, Cedar Ridge Elementary School
• Samantha Keizer, Derby Ridge Elementary School
• Danielle Johnson, Rock Bridge High School
• Trina Warder, Douglass High School

Two Edustaff substitutes will be recognized as substitutes of the month.

• Emma Burton
• Christopher Porter

How to watch

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Aslin Administration Building, 1818 W. Worley St. It will be livestreamed on CPS-TV, which can be viewed on the district’s website and through CenturyLink, Mediacom, Charter Spectrum, Roku, Apple TV and Fire TV.

Public comment registrations will be accepted online, in person or via phone in advance of board meetings up to 3 p.m. the day of a regularly-scheduled board meeting or 4 p.m. on the working day before a regularly-scheduled work session meeting of the board.

Originally Appeared Here

A shift in how federally subsidized housing is managed in Fulton holds the promise of more affordable housing. But it also means some Fulton residents who have been waiting for housing subsidies have lost their place in line.

Beginning this year, the Fulton Housing Authority turned over management of the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program within Fulton to Central Missouri Community Action, a contractor for the Mid-Missouri Public Housing Agency.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program, formerly known as Section 8, is a federal initiative that provides landlords with subsidies if they rent to low-income households. Tenants are then expected to pay the difference between the rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program.

On Dec. 6, the federal department of Housing and Urban Development approved Central Missouri Community Action’s ownership of the voucher program in Fulton. The change took effect Jan. 1.

Before gaining ownership of Fulton’s voucher program, Central Missouri Community Action oversaw similar programs in the rest of Callaway County and five other mid-Missouri counties.

While officials involved in the transfer hope it will ultimately improve access to affordable housing for Fulton residents, Colita Harvey, housing services program manager of Central Missouri Community Action, acknowledged that the change may be a “big shocker” to those previously on the old voucher waitlist.

Harvey said applicants on the housing authority’s waitlist were not automatically added to the new waitlist during the transition and must reapply.

The Fulton Housing Authority notified landlords and residents participating in the program — as well as those on its waitlist — of the changes in December.

Those hoping to receive benefits will be considered in the order that they apply through Central Missouri Community Action. Currently, its waitlist is about a year long.

“It wouldn’t be fair to the people who are already on my waitlist, like how would we mix them in together?” Harvey said. “According to HUD, their waiting list does not roll over to me.”

The housing authority’s board of commissioners explained the rationale for the transition during a board meeting Feb. 15.

“It was an administrative burden to us,” Angie Brown, Fulton Housing Authority executive director, said. “We were understaffed; we were undertrained.”

Alongside issues with staffing, the board also said the transition is an opportunity to provide more resources for Fulton residents.

“Being a small housing authority, our chances of growing the program were very, very slim,” said Harold Siebert, a member of the Fulton Housing Authority Board of Commissioners.

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“The (Central Missouri Community Action) had a much larger base to work from, and their chances of providing more usefulness through the voucher program far exceeded our capabilities,” he added.

There’s one thing about the change he regrets: “It probably should’ve happened years ago,” Siebert said.

Following the transition, Central Missouri Community Action has the ability to pay landlords in Fulton more than they would have received prior.

“Our agency had applied for a waiver for us to use 120% of the fair market rents, which (was) approved,” Harvey said. “We could pay the landlords a little bit more than what Fulton Housing Authority was doing.”

Despite an increase in subsidies, some landlords dropped out of the voucher program following a new round of inspections by Central Missouri Community Action.

“We have high standards,” said Darin Preis, the executive director of Central Missouri Community Action. “So we want to make sure that the properties that we’re moving people into are safe and high quality.”

Callaway Cares CEO April Redman has noticed an increase in tenants being evicted after the change in voucher program administration. Callaway Cares is a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to homeless individuals and people fighting eviction.

“We have seen an influx of people coming in now being evicted from housing for multiple reasons,” Redman said. “We have a little bit of funding to help us (with) legal expenses if somebody’s going through eviction. So that’s about to be tapped out.”

As of February, Harvey said the people currently receiving vouchers from Central Missouri Community Action got on the waitlist in March 2023.

“We are pulling approximately 20 families from our waiting list every month to meet with them,” Harvey said.

Anyone who has applied to Central Missouri Community Action’s voucher waitlist who is “verifiably homeless” is moved to the top of the waitlist, Harvey said. For those without permanent housing, the wait time for a voucher is no more than two months.

Despite potential drawbacks, Harvey sees the transition as an opportunity for both tenants and landlords to benefit from the agency’s additional resources.

“It’s a plus to all of this, even though it’s a big change and a big shocker to the community,” Harvey said. “But it’s a plus because, again, it opens the doors for families to learn about us as an agency and also other resources within the community that they can take advantage of.”

Originally Appeared Here

State Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg) presides over the Missouri Senate on January 19, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Harrison Sweazea at Senate Communications)

A state senator who represents mid-Missouri’s Cooper and Howard counties in Jefferson City is pushing paper ballots as he seeks the GOP nomination for Secretary of State.

State Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg) spoke at the recent Boone County Lincoln Days. He’s been campaigning across Missouri.

“I believe that the most secure elections in the state of Missouri are in-person with a photo ID paper ballot on election day. And no I don’t trust the machines. I think that we should go back to counting paper ballots and hand-counting those ballots. We’ve seen it work in other states, we’ve seen it work in other towns (and) we’ve seen it work in other countries,” Senator Hoskins says.

Current Missouri law permits the usage of automatic tabulating equipment, electronic voting machines and voting machines in elections. Hoskins has filed Senate Bill 917, which is a 62-page bill that repeals those provisions (except for those with disabilities) and would require ballots to be cast in paper form and hand-counted.

Senator Hoskins faces at least three August GOP primary opponents: former Missouri House Speaker Pro Tem Shane Schoeller (R-Willard), State Rep. Adam Schwadron (R-St. Charles) and Valentina Gomez of St. Louis. State Rep. Barbara Phifer (R-Kirkwood) and two other St. Louis-area Democrats are running as well. Incumbent Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft is running for governor.

Senator Hoskins says his campaign for Missouri Secretary of State is going well.

“Been humbled by the amount of support and the Republican central committees that have come out in support of me and especially my Missouri Freedom Caucus colleagues. You know the campaign has been great: we’ve been working our way across the state,” says Hoskins.

Senator Hoskins is finishing his 16th and final year in the Missouri Legislature, due to term limits. He says small businesses in his district need support, describing small business as the backbone of Missouri.

“That’s the reason I filed the Big Government Get Off My Back Act again this year to say hey no more new rules or regulations on our small businesses. So they can focus on marketing and selling their product, not on more government paperwork. So I’m hopeful that we can get that passed this year and give some relief, especially to our small business owners,” Hoskins says.

Senator Hoskins’ Senate Bill 1072 reauthorizes the “Big Government Get Off My Back Act”. It would require that the state of Missouri not increase any user fees for a five-year period starting this August, unless the fee increase is to implement a federal program administered by the state or is the result of a law passed by the state Legislature.

Originally Appeared Here

The second time was the charm. Twice.

Last year, Ratchet Rockers of Wentzville and Team SCREAM of Smith-Cotton High
School were alliance partners in the finals of the FIRST Robotics Central Missouri
Regional, but they came one win short of capturing a championship blue banner. After
dominating through qualifying matches all day Friday and on Saturday morning, the
teams joined forces again, this time winning the 2024 Central Missouri Regional and
ensuring trips to the FIRST World Championships in Houston.

Joining them on their three-team alliance was Cougar Robotics of Shawnee, Kansas.
Ratchet was the top-seeded team after qualifying matches, with Team SCREAM landing
in the No. 2 slot. After Team SCREAM accepted Ratchet’s offer to join their alliance, the
teams were surprised that Cougar Robotics was still available at the last slot of alliance
selections.

Team SCREAM Head Coach Michael Wright said Cougar was “a team that was high on
our list … so they were a steal for us to have. They were a huge part of our success.”
In the finals matchup, the top alliance faced Broncobots of Lee’s Summit, Wildcard
Robotics of Polk City, Iowa; and 3RingCircuits of Lebanon. Ratchet, SCREAM and
Cougar won the first match, 92-77 but initially appeared to have lost the second match.

“It was a tight match, a really close match, and of course when the first results came out
we were all disappointed but ready to go back for a rubber match,” Wright said. “When
we looked at the scores, we said, ‘Something is not right.’ We had all these points in the
end game and they missed it.”

Game officials reviewed the video and found scoring discrepancies. Wright said they
explained to the teams that there are specific rules about arena faults and how they are
handled. Rather than rescoring the match, the second match had to be replayed.
This is where the second time was a charm again.

After a highly competitive battle, the top alliance came out ahead, 77-72, to win the best-of-three playoff and the regional championship.

Sedalia School District 200

Sedalia School District 200

Wright said replaying the match “was frustrating and disappointing, but in the end it was
another opportunity to play in front of our fans. I think we liked the result a little better for
the second match.”

Michael Tran, drive team member for Ratchet Rockers, was grateful to team up with
Team SCREAM.

“Team SCREAM is very versatile … they can do everything we needed to get a win,” he
said.

Team SCREAM Captain Parker Ellison said their alliance worked well together.
“We were able to blend our strategies really well and it really helped us get that win that
we needed,” he said, adding that seeing the winning score go up “felt amazing, like all of your hard work is finally paying off.”

Wright also is head coach for Team SCREAM Jr., which finished qualifying ranked No. 6
and had a solid run in the playoffs. Team SCREAM Jr. was awarded the regional’s Spirit
Award, Team SCREAM was honored with the Gracious Professionalism Award and
Wright was named Volunteer of the Year.

Sedalia School District 200

Sedalia School District 200

Team SCREAM and Ratchet Rockers are more than alliance partners.

“We look up to them, they are good friends of ours,” Wright said. “Last year, we were so close to winning in the finals here at the Central Missouri Regional with them, so it feels really good to get a win together. We are looking forward to going to their house in a couple of weeks and competing at the St. Louis Regional.”

As for the Central Missouri Regional, there is plenty of praise going around. Tran liked the constant positive energy from the packed stands in the Smith-Cotton High School gym, and Ellison liked seeing so many people who are not tied to robotics come out to experience the event and support the program. Wright shared his appreciation for all of the volunteers and everyone else who played a part in making the event a success.

“We take a lot of pride in this event and we absolutely love showcasing how great our kids are, how great our community is,” he said. “We wouldn’t want to have it any other way; we want to keep having this event year after year. It’s a lot of work but it is a labor of love for us.”

In the photos:
Members: Members of Team SCREAM, the Smith-Cotton High School competitive robotics program, celebrate Saturday, March 9, after their three-team alliance won the FIRST Robotics Central Missouri Regional in the S-C gym. Their alliance partners were Ratchet Rockers of Wentzville and Cougar Robotics of Shawnee, Kansas.
Robot: Team SCREAM’s robot, Axl, fires a foam ring into the scoring chute during a playoff match in the FIRST
Robotics Central Missouri Regional.
Drive: Team SCREAM Head Coach Michael Wright, left, talks strategy with robot drivers Jordan Hoover, center, and Jackson Sparks during a playoff match Saturday, March 9, at the FIRST Robotics Central Missouri Regional

LOOK: Unique baby names from the year you were born

Stacker highlighted one of the least-used baby names from each year between 1950 and 2022, using data from the Social Security Administration.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

Originally Appeared Here

Boone County is asking residents’ input in a study it will use to plan the development of future housing opportunities.

The county posted the housing survey on its website and asks questions related to respondents’ current housing situation, hypothetical housing arrangements if a respondent were to move and demographic information.

The survey is three pages long and likely won’t take more than five minutes.

The survey is part of a larger study to assess future housing development in Boone County. The consulting firm Columbia and Boone County hired to analyze the data from the survey says it hopes is to get as many responses as possible. 

“When you reach out to a lot of people with different perspectives, that anecdotal evidence adds up, and it’s very insightful,” said David Boston, owner of Florida-based consulting firm Amarach Planning Services. “You just can’t get that from a lot of the stakeholders we’re talking to.”  

However, identifying keep stakeholders is still crucial in the process. Boston said it’s part of the public outreach phase of the study. 

“We’re talking to elected and other government officials, nonprofits involved in the housing production process, builders, engineers, anybody involved in day-to-day housing work,” Boston said. 

Amarach hopes to develop a list of policy recommendations for Columbia and Boone County by the fall.

Boone County Commissioner Janet Thompson said the data and recommendations will factor in the next county master plan. The data will help the county cater to the needs of all income levels by evaluating what types of housing can be built at different locations. 

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“When you have a subdivision and you it put out way out of other services, you are presupposing that those people have access to either public transit or a vehicle,” Thompson said. 

Boston said his team’s biggest concern is strategizing supplies with a fast-growing county like Boone. 

“Right now, the only sector in Columbia where production is keeping up with demand is student housing,” Boston said. “Strategizing around community needs, long-term trends, … utilities are all things we have to understand before we make our recommendations.” 

Thompson estimates the county will need around 30,000 homes in the next decade.

“That’s a lot of housing to come up with, so we need to be deliberate with where we put our houses,” Thompson said. 

Amarach will be in Columbia for community meetings from April 8-11. The first meeting will take place at the Columbia Public Library. 

The survey remains open until April 14. 

Community Meeting Info

Monday, April 8

• 1-1:30 p.m.
• Columbia Public Library – Friends Room
• 100 W. Broadway, Columbia

Tuesday, April 9

• 1-3 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.
• The Food Bank for Central and Northwest Missouri – Community Room
• 2101 Vandiver Drive, Columbia

Wednesday, April 10

• 5:30-7:30 p.m.
• Hallsville Community Center
• 324 E. Highway OO, Hallsville

Thursday, April 11

• 5:30-7:30 p.m.
• Ashland Optimist Club Building
• 511 Optimist Drive, Ashland

Originally Appeared Here

Saturday, April 13 Car Show Noon to 2 PM followed by Test & Tune Session 5 to 8 p.m. Race #1, Saturday, April 20 Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks Race #2, Saturday, April 27 Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks Race #3, Saturday, May 4 Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks. Plus, Guest Class POWRi Late Models Race #4, Saturday, May 11 Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks Race #5, Saturday, May 18 Cliff Harris Ford Presents the Malvern Bank Super Late Model Series (SLMR), Plus, Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks Race #6, Saturday, May 25 Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks.              
Race #7, Sunday, May 26 Memorial Day Weekend Special Events featuring $2,000-to-Win B-Mods and $1,000-to-Win Midwest Mods. Also running Super Stocks and Pure Stocks.  Plus, Guest Class MoKan IMCA 305 Sprints Race #8, Saturday, June 1 Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks, Plus, Show-Me Vintage Racing (SMVR) Race #9, Saturday, June 8 Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks            Plus, Guest Class MoKan IMCA 305 Sprints Race #10, Saturday, June 15 Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks Race #11, Saturday, June 22 Seeburg Muffler Presents the Cash $ Late Model Series Rumble.        Plus, Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks Race #12, Saturday, June 29 Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks Plus, Guest Class POWRi Late Models Race #13, Saturday, July 6 24th Annual Tom Wilson Memorial featuring $3,000-to-Win B-Mods and $1,000-to-Win Pure Stocks. Also running Super Stocks and Midwest Mods. Saturday, July 13 WEEKEND OFF, NO RACING! Race #14, Saturday, July 20 Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks Race #15, Saturday, July 27 $2,000-to-Win, Seventh-Annual Super Stock Showdown.  Plus, Weekly Championship Points Racing for B-Mods, Pure Stocks, and Midwest Mods Race #16, Saturday, August 3 KID’S NIGHT AT THE SPEEDWAY!  Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks Race #17, Saturday, August 10 Midwest Coatings, LLC presents Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks Race #18, Saturday, August 17 Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks. (No Super Stocks) Plus, Guest Class POWRi Late Models Race #19, Saturday, August 24 Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks Plus, Guest Class MoKan IMCA 305 Sprints    Race #20, Saturday, August 31 Cash $ Late Model Series. Weekly Racing:  B-Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods, and Pure Stocks. Race #21, Sunday, September 1 Plus, Labor Day Weekend Special Events featuring $2,000-to-Win B-Mods. Also running Super Stocks, Pure Stocks, and Midwest Mods. Plus, Guest Class POWRi Late Models Saturday, September 7 WEEKEND OFF, NO RACING! Race # 22, Saturday, September 14 Fourth Annual Hog Roast Nationals featuring $3,000-to-Win Super Stocks!  Plus, Guest Classes POWRi Late Models & Show-Me Vintage Racing (SMVR)

Originally Appeared Here