Local student named 2023 McDonald’s Agriculture Scholarship Award recipient
From McDonald’s
JOPLIN, MO — A local student from Joplin was selected as McDonald’s Agriculture Scholarship Award recipient. Samuel Oakes was awarded a $500 scholarship toward his agriculture studies. Oakes currently attends Crowder College where he is studying Agriculture. He was selected from a pool of over 400 nominations and is one of 10 award winners across 124 McDonald’s restaurants to receive this $500 scholarship.
Local McDonald’s Owner/Operator Alex Maffei and Thomas Nichols are excited to support the future of agriculture with this scholarship.
“At McDonald’s, we rely heavily on agriculture for almost every item on our menu,” said Maffei. “We know investing in the future of agriculture in our local community is important, and we’re thrilled to award Samuel with this honor.”
McDonald’s as a whole is committed to sustainable agriculture practices and locally-owned and operated McDonald’s organizations aim to directly support those in the local community with a future in agriculture through this scholarship award program.
McDonald’s approaches sustainable agriculture holistically and considers its impact on the planet, the livelihoods of the people who produce its food, the communities in which they live and the well-being of the animals it relies on. McDonald’s also aims to help create positive impact, especially with beef farmers, in areas such as improving biodiversity, maintaining native grasslands and capturing carbon, as well as rebuilding soils.
Crowder students earn PTK state and national recognition
From Crowder College
Neosho, MO — Crowder College students, Carl Davies-Kiilu (Nairobi, Kenya) and Michael Kiele (Neosho) received awards at the annual Phi Theta Kappa luncheon at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri earlier this month. The luncheon is sponsored by Missouri Community College Association.
Both students were named part of the All-Missouri team which recognized 57 students statewide. Kiele was named a PTK Coca-Cola National Bronze Scholar. As one of four students in Missouri, Kiele was presented a $1,000 scholarship for his efforts.
Kiele graduates in May and plans to continue to pursue a degree to become an art instructor. Davies-Kiilu is in his first semester of Crowder’s nursing program and plans to pursue a degree to become a pediatric neurosurgeon.
PTK All-Missouri team recognizes high-achieving students at community colleges who demonstrate academic excellence, intellectual rigor, leadership, and service that extends their education beyond the classroom to benefit society.
Students were accompanied by PTK co-sponsor Dr. David Schieffler.
Kansas Board of Regents comes to Pittsburg
From the city of Pittsburg
Pittsburg, KS — On April 19 and 20, higher education leaders from around the state gathered in Pittsburg for the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) meeting. The Regents along with KBOR staff had an opportunity to tour Pittsburg State University, and see the progress happening on campus and in the downtown district.
While most KBOR meetings are held in Topeka, the board sometimes holds these meetings on the campus of a Regents university — this month, Pittsburg State University was chosen to host. Regents and KBOR staff had the opportunity to meet with several groups on campus, and toured the new nursing simulation building and Axe Library renovation. The group also visited Block22, and learned about PSU’s vision for the Gorilla Rising project.
Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce President and City of Pittsburg Economic Development Director Blake Benson serves as one of nine members of KBOR and attended the two-day conference.
“This visit was a great opportunity to have an influential group of state leaders in our community,” said Benson. “KBOR is always focused on showcasing the value of higher education both on campus and off, and I think they felt the incredible connection between Pittsburg State and the community.”
The Kansas Board of Regents is the governing board of the state’s six universities and the statewide coordinating board for the state’s 32 public higher education institutions (six state universities, one municipal university, nineteen community colleges, and six technical colleges). In addition, the Board administers the state’s student financial aid, adult education, high school equivalency, and career and technical education programs. Private proprietary schools and out-of-state institutions are authorized by the Kansas Board of Regents to operate in Kansas.
Max Motors Dealerships’ Future Agricultural Leaders Scholarship
From Max Motors Dealerships
Max Motors Dealerships is proud to announce the winner of the $1,000 Future Agricultural Leaders Scholarship to Mr. Mason Forkner. He is a student of Nevada High School and an active member of Nevada FFA under Bryan Gast, Advisor. Mason is a fourth generation to live and work on his family farm. He is thankful for his family and his biggest role model, his father, Nathan Forkner.
Max Motors Dealerships are proud to support the next generation of Agricultural Leaders in our communities. Congratulations Mr. Mason Forkner.
Visit www.maxmotors scholarship.com to apply for 2023-24 school year.
Missouri Department of Natural Resources expands electric vehicle charging infrastructure
From the Missouri Department of Natural Resources
JEFFERSON CITY, MO — The Department of Natural Resources continues to reach new milestones in its goal of expanding access to electric vehicle charging stations in the Show-Me State.
Within Missouri’s share of the Volkswagen Trust Fund, about $6 million was made available for EV charging infrastructure installations. One of the first steps was to identify areas of the state that would need charging infrastructure. In consultation with stakeholders and electric utilities, the department set a goal of installing 22 charging locations as a part of a minimum practical network of EV charging infrastructure. Eleven EV charging station installations have been completed since July 2021 and are online, one is nearly complete and contracts have been awarded for 10 others.
In a related effort, the department has begun a pilot program to install EV charging stations at state parks and state office buildings throughout Missouri. The first installations are proposed to be located at Montauk State Park in Dent County, Roaring River State Park in Barry County and the Lewis and Clark State Office Building in Jefferson City. The initial projects will include a mix of mid-high power AC Level 2 chargers and fast DC Level 3 chargers.
The department’s EV charger initiatives are adding to the nearly 1,000 public charging stations already available in Missouri. For more information about efforts to expand EV charging infrastructure or the Volkswagen Trust Fund, visit the department’s website at dnr.mo.gov/air/what-were-doing/volkswagen-trust-funds.
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