Stories by Ryan Pivoney

$2.9 million grant to buy Lincoln University students laptops, fund classroom upgrades Lincoln University students can expect laptops and classroom upgrades next year after the federal government awarded the university a $2.9 million grant.The National Telecommunications and Information... December 20, 2022

The Winter Rose returns from pandemic hiatus with packed performance The rich sounds of a cello, piano and harp greeted the masses attending The Winter Rose and Christmas Cantata on Sunday evening at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Jefferson City.The church was pac... December 19, 2022

State cancer program manager promoting screenings for fellow public employees Missouri's Comprehensive Cancer Program manager has put a recent focus on early detection and prevention of the second-leading cause of death in the state.Misty Phillips organized Missouri's f... December 18, 2022

LU academy graduates seven new police officers Lincoln University graduated seven new police officers Wednesday night in Jefferson City, bringing the total number of law enforcement officers to graduate from the nation's first and only police acad... December 16, 2022

Increase in state employee giving benefits United Way Missouri employees donated more than $785,000 to charities this year.The Missouri Office of Administration announced the results of its "Caring is Magical" Missouri State Employees Charitabl... December 16, 2022

State permits propane providers to fill Gygr-Gas tanks Customers of Gygr-Gas can have their residential propane tanks filled by other providers after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed an executive order Thursday.State law prohibits propane providers from f... December 16, 2022

State making progress on two Capitol restoration projects The second phase of a $2.1 million project to replace skylights at the Missouri Capitol building commenced Wednesday.Crews from Prost Builders, a Jefferson City-based contractor, blocked off the front... December 15, 2022

Missouri’s unemployment rate increases for second straight month Missouri's unemployment rate increased for the second time this year in November.The state's unemployment rate was 2.7 percent last month, up from the 2.6 percent recorded for October, accordi... December 15, 2022

Wreaths Across America visits Missouri Governor’s Office Gov. Mike Parson took a moment Tuesday to recognize the sacrifices of those who serve their country.Parson, who served six years in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps and Criminal Investigation Divis... December 14, 2022

Missouri higher education board selects new leader, adds area college presidents to advisory group Missouri's Coordinating Board for Higher Education has a new leader and two area institutions now have a voice advising the state's higher education commissioner. Gary Nodler began presiding over the ... December 14, 2022

Avian flu kills nearly 20,000 Osage County birds Poultry producers are encouraged to tighten biosecurity controls after state and federal officials found avian influenza, a highly pathogenic and deadly virus for poultry, in a commercial turkey flock... December 13, 2022

Missouri gets $3 million to develop internet access Missouri is receiving nearly $3 million from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to boost internet infrastructure and adoption in the state.The Missouri Department of Economic Development and Na... December 13, 2022

Callaway County posts most antlerless deer kills Hunters participating in the antlerless portion of this year's firearm deer season had the best harvest in Callaway County.Approximately 452 deer were killed in Callaway County this season, accord... December 13, 2022

Hundreds attend inaugural Porchfestmas With live caroling, twinkling lights and a visit from Santa Claus, the Christmas spirit was alive and well Sunday night in the Forest Hill neighborhood.Holiday cheer was spread across 16 houses as the... December 12, 2022

Jingle Dash draws nearly 150 to Binder Lake Cookies and hot cocoa aren't typical race fuel.Unless you're preparing for the annual Jingle Dash through the Capital City Festival of Lights at Binder Park.More than 140 people, many dressed ... December 12, 2022

State of Missouri holding millions in lost taxpayer money, property One in 10 Missourians has $300 in lost money or property at the Missouri Treasurer's Office.The state treasurer holds more than $1 billion belonging to about 6 million individual account holders t... December 11, 2022

State announces investments in area colleges, universities Missouri is infusing $20 million into public and private higher education projects to boost workforce innovation.Gov. Mike Parson announced the grant awards, going to 17 private institutions and six p... December 10, 2022

Parson to county clerks: ‘Do what’s right’ Gov. Mike Parson urged Missouri county clerks to "do what's right" during their training Thursday in Jefferson City. "A lot of changing things today with voter registration and all the things that go ... December 9, 2022

$1,250 payment approved for LU employees Most Lincoln University employees can expect $1,250 to be added to their January paycheck. The LU Board of Curators gave final approval for the one-time "retention payment" at a special meeting Thursd... December 9, 2022

Christmas arrives at Missouri Capitol Children from Jefferson City's Apple Tree Academy Daycare helped ring in the holiday season Wednesday at the Missouri Capitol.Gov. Mike Parson and first lady Teresa Parson were joined by a couple ... December 8, 2022

Stopped trains block roadways, emergency responders in Centertown Adam Brown was bleeding from a non life-threatening medical emergency in mid-October and called emergency responders for help getting to the nearest hospital.But a five-mile-long Union Pacific train w... December 7, 2022

MoDOT to close, repair Route 54/50 ramp bridge The U.S. Route 50 ramp and bridge to eastbound Route 54 will close for a month next year as the Missouri Department of Transportation makes repairs.MoDOT released details on the $285,000 project, curr... December 6, 2022

Stringtown church honors veterans with wreath-laying Nearly a dozen children bundled up Sunday to place wreaths at the tombstones of veterans buried at St. John's Lutheran Church in Stringtown.What they often found were the graves of their ancestors."I ... December 5, 2022

Crowd gathers for memorial tree lighting A 70-foot tree composed of 76,000 bulbs is lighting the grounds of Hawthorn Memorial Gardens through the holiday season.The tree is erected annually in remembrance of the late Jack Steppelman, who was... December 5, 2022

Water infrastructure funds flow to several Mid-Missouri communities Several smaller Mid-Missouri communities will benefit from recent state investments in water infrastructure.The Missouri Department of Natural Resources on Nov. 18 awarded more than $410 million in gr... December 4, 2022

LU poised to cut full-time employees extra check Lincoln University is on track to give most of its employees a $1,250 "retention payment" next month. The budget and finance committee of the Board of Curators unanimously passed the measure Thursday.... December 2, 2022

Youth find plenty deer hunting in Osage County Osage County was one of the top yielding areas in Missouri for youth deer hunters this season. Hunters ages 6-15 harvested 367 deer in Osage County between the early and late youth portions of this ye... December 1, 2022

Expired, empty Lincoln University curator seats to remain As the Lincoln University Board of Curators prepares to select new officers, two seats remain vacant and two curators are serving on expired terms.The Missouri Governor's Office is responsible for... November 30, 2022

State's execution of Kevin Johnson inspires multiple protests <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4eMCsEMpliw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerom... November 30, 2022

State, Corps of Engineers to study Missouri River flooding around Jefferson City Management of flood risks in and around Jefferson City may look completely new depending on the results of a three-year partnership between the state and Army Corps of Engineers.Repeated flooding even... November 29, 2022

Parson extends drought alert Gov. Mike Parson extended Missouri's drought alert into next year via an executive order Monday afternoon.The Republican governor originally issued a drought-related executive order in July, decla... November 29, 2022

Holiday travel leaves at least 7 dead on Missouri roadways At least seven people died driving on Missouri highways during the holiday weekend and another 19 were seriously injured.Preliminary traffic crash reports from the Missouri Highway Patrol show more th... November 28, 2022

Governor’s Prayer Breakfast set for Jan. 5 in Jefferson City With just over five weeks to go, more than a third of the tables at the Missouri Governor's Prayer Breakfast have been reserved.Tickets for the annual interfaith event, scheduled for 7 a.m. Jan. 5... November 28, 2022

Governor chooses Bailey as Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, Gov. Mike Parson’s general counsel for the past year, is stepping into Missouri’s attorney general role.The Republican governor announced his selection Wednesday in a news c... November 23, 2022

Parson to name attorney general successor Wednesday Missouri Gov. Mike Parson will announce the state’s new attorney general Wednesday morning.The Republican governor is appointing his second chief law enforcement officer in a news conference at ... November 22, 2022

MoDOT gifting discounted Lyft rides The Missouri Department of Transportation is partnering with Lyft to provide Missourians discounted rides this holiday season.Thanksgiving is one of the most dangerous holidays in the country, accordi... November 22, 2022

Auditor finds few issues with Osage County finances Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway returned a mostly clean audit report to Osage County but notes the county government does not comply with federal accounting procedures.Osage County is in compliance w... November 22, 2022

Jefferson City church gets head start preparing community Thanksgiving meals Preparing a Thanksgiving meal takes hours.Preparing a Thanksgiving meal for about 1,000 people takes days.Volunteers from Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Jefferson City began preparing turkey... November 21, 2022

Versailles woman hurt as car strikes tree A Versailles woman was treated for moderate injuries Saturday when her car struck a tree in Morgan County, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.Cheryl McGinnis-Kalkman, 61, of Ver... November 21, 2022

MRRL hosts work from Missouri printmakers An eclectic collection of prints from Missouri artists is on display at Missouri River Regional Library through December.Artist Shelly Forbis gathered the 24 pieces through several printmaking exchang... November 21, 2022

Lincoln University ROTC cadet learns about ‘followership’ at West Point conference A Lincoln University freshman ROTC cadet spent last weekend at West Point Military Academy for a national conference on ethics.Theleia McCoy, a criminal justice major, attended the National Conference... November 19, 2022

MoDOT engineer shares STEM passion with younger generations Brandi Baldwin is a woman with one of the top state transportation engineering jobs in Missouri.Baldwin was named the Missouri Department of Transportation's statewide construction and materials e... November 19, 2022

Missouri State Museum enlists LU expertise to update Black history exhibit An updated "Missouri Black History" exhibit is on display in the Capitol through the end of the year thanks to a partnership between the Missouri State Museum and Lincoln University.Lincoln,... November 18, 2022

MoDOT seeks feedback on transportation needs The Missouri Department of Transportation's draft list of high priority unfunded transportation needs totals $10 billion.The state agency unveiled the list Wednesday, with more than $528 million i... November 18, 2022

Missouri unemployment rate increases Missouri's unemployment rate increased in October, making a turning point on 10 months of declines.Despite employment gains, the state's unemployment rate rose from 2.4 percent in September to... November 17, 2022

Lincoln University renames Founders Hall after fired president The Lincoln University Board of Curators has renamed Founders Hall after a former president who was fired from the university in the 1980s.The decision, finalized in September, moved at least one Jeff... November 16, 2022

Lincoln University expands with new nursing facility in St. Robert Amid efforts to expand non-traditional student offerings, Lincoln University opened a new nursing facility Tuesday morning in St. Robert.The 11,500-square-foot facility with a "hospital atmospher... November 16, 2022

State Tech moving forward with campus construction LINN, Mo. -- State Technical College of Missouri is moving forward with several campus construction projects following action Monday from the Board of Regents.The board approved State Tech President S... November 15, 2022

Historically Black fraternity chapters award college scholarships to Mid-Missouri students Eight Mid-Missouri high school seniors received $800 scholarships from area fraternity chapters Sunday.Lincoln University and the University of Missouri-Columbia chapters of the Omega Psi Phi incorpor... November 14, 2022

Jefferson City Community Band returns with fall concert in Capitol After the COVID-19 pandemic sidelined the Jefferson City Community Band with a nearly two year hiatus, the group had something to prove at its first full season concert Sunday."Music is back,&quo... November 14, 2022