On any given day, several hundred prisoners are released from Missouri’s prison system. Twice as many people are under corrections department supervision on the outside as are under supervision on the inside. More than 20 counties are sending delegates to a summit meeting next week to find ways to keep ex-convicts from becoming convicts again. Next week’s three-day long Missouri Offender Workforce Summit will look at ways former prisoners can go into a community, get back to their families, find jobs, and keep out of trouble. Organizer Antona Jones says their integration into a community is the key to keeping them from committing more crimes. She says they need support for housing, employment, and medical attention–among other things–or their chances of becoming productive citizens is “almost nil.” She says the state is making strong efforts to provide training for people while they are in prison. But she says educating employers and convincing them to change long-standing policies that they don’t hire ex-offenders is one of the biggest challenges the summit will address. Jones hopes the conference helps those potential employers and helps community organizations learn more about programs available to help them help the former prisoner.(The summit is November 7-9 at the Lodge of Four Seasons at the Lake of the Ozarks. More information is available at www.stlarchs.org or at www.proworkdev.com)
MODOT Revamps Adopt-A-Highway Program
It’s now easier to register groups for “trash patrol” along the state’s highways. The State Transportation Department has streamlined its Adopt-A-Highway program. Rules no longer limit which groups can participate, groups can now register online, and participants must be at least 10 years of age. Spokesman Jeff Briggs says the changes are meant to help streamline the nearly 20-year-old program. Missouri was one of the first states to offer the program. More than 37-hundred participants currently monitor 52-hundred miles of state highway.
President Taking Part in Rallies in SW Missouri
President Bush spends Friday morning and part of the afternoon in southwest Missouri, campaigning for Republicans in general and for Senator Jim Talent, in particular. Steve Walsh reports. The President takes part in two rallies – one in Springfield, the other in Joplin. Republican Strategist John Hancock says this is part of a big “get out the vote” effort, with incumbent Republican Senator Talent seeking reelection in one of the country’s most closely-watched U.S. Senate races. Hancock says the President’s appearance in the Show-Me State underscores the importance of this race. And, he dismisses suggestions the President is visiting because Democrat Claire McCaskill is making gains in the Republican stronghold of southwest Missouri. Hancock points out the President took part in “get out the vote” rallies in Missouri in 2002 and 2004 and has simply returned in 2006.
Related web sites:
Missouri Republican Party
The "Other" Statewide Race on the Ballot
There is another race for statewide office on the ballot other than for United States Senate. Democrat Claire McCaskill left the office to challenge the re-election of Republican Senator Jim Talent and their Senate race has taken up a lot of political oxygen. The stem cell issue is also drawing a lot of attention.
The one issue on which both Democrat Susan Montee and Republican Sandra Thomas agree is that it has been hard for them to get their message out.
Montee is the Buchanan County Auditor. Montee is both a certified public accountant and a lawyer. She says that will help her bring balance to the job which she says has changed to incorporate more performance audits. Montee says small counties need help inbetween the required audits every four years. Montee proposes setting up a liaison system to help small counties address issues before they become a problem.
Platte County Auditor Sandra Thomas, a Republican, says her experience as a CPA has led her to develop a four-year audit plan that will base audits on risk. Thomas says the State Auditor should concentrate her work on the parts of state government in which most of the money is spent. Thomas says the Missouri Department of Transportation, education, conservation and Medicaid deserve more intense scrutiny. She also wants to keep an eye on the court system, because of the amount of cash that goes through the courts.
Both Thomas and Montee pledge their independence, no matter which party controls the governor’s office. Libertarian Charles Baum and Progressive Party Candidate, Terry Bunker, also are in the race.
Interview with Sandra Thomas
sandrathomasint.mp3
Interview with Susan Montee
susanmonteeint.mp3
Related web sites:
Montee for Auditor
Thomas for Auditor
MODOT Stockpiles Supplies for Winter
The State Department of Transportation is plowing ahead with preparations for winter. Spokeswoman Sandy Hentges says the department gears up its plow-trucks, piles up its sand and salt, and pads its staff with seasonal and on-call workers beginning as early as late fall. She adds that keeping roads clear for motorists throughout the icy season gets pricy. The department spends 27 to 30 million dollars to keep roads clear, even if it is a fairly mild winter.
