Eric Schmitt sworn in as Missouri's next US Senator

WASHINGTON, DC — Former Missouri General, Eric Schmitt, 47, was sworn in as the state’s next US Senator today. He is taking over Roy Blunt’s seat after winning the election against Trudy Busch Valentine this last November. He will be the 2,000th Senator in United States History.

“I’m truly humbled and honored by the opportunity to continue to serve the people of the great state of Missouri as a United States Senator,” states Senator Eric Schmitt. “I will continue to serve as a champion for all Missourians, to fight for the farmers, the small business owners, and Missouri parents and families, and will continue to push back on government intrusion and overreach at every step. This is a new day, and I’m excited for what comes next.”

Schmitt was born and raised in St. Louis County. He began his political career in 2005 as an alderman in Glendale, Missouri. From there, he was elected as a state senator and then went on to serve as state treasurer and eventually as Missouri’s attorney general.

Blunt announced that he was retiring in May 2021. The Republican primary to replace the senator turned into one of the most watched races in the nation. Former Governor Eric Greitens entered the fray along with, Congressman Billy Long, Mark McCloskey, and several others.

Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the contest, endorsing “Eric.” It was unclear who he was referring to, with Eric Greitens and Eric Schmitt leading the pack.

Two things Americans love: Pizza and saving money

(Photo Courtesy: Getty Images)

KSNF/KODE — New online research finds “American’s guiltiest food pleasure” by analyzing the number of Google web searches for food coupons.

DoorDash has the most sought-after food delivery coupons in America, a new study has found. It is followed by Papa Johns, Uber Eats and Pizza Hut. Five of the top 10 food spots American residents seek discounts for have pizza as their specialty. The research was carried out by CommonCentsMom.com, a US-based money wellness magazine.

Their study analyzed the number of average monthly Google searches over the past year for coupons for food delivery services in the US. It has found that DoorDash leads among mixed food delivery services, with an average of 591,000 searches per month. Meanwhile, Papa John’s is the single most popular takeout brand that US residents seek coupons for, averaging 441,000 hits every month.

Food Delivery Brand Average Monthly Google Hits For Coupons
DoorDash 591,000
Papa John’s 441,000
Uber Eats 349,000
Pizza Hut 263,000
Subway 200,000
Grubhub 108,000
Chuck E. Cheese 99,000
Burger King 76,000
Little Caesars 68,000
Domino’s 66,000

Discount hunters in America also look to strike a bargain at Subway, which receives 200,000 coupon and promo code-related searches each month, Grubhub averages 108,000 monthly searches, and Chuck E. Cheese averages 99,000 searches per month. Three more honorable mentions entering the top 10 most Googled food delivery coupons in the US include Burger King (76,000 average monthly searches), Little Caesars (68,000), and Domino’s (66,000).

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“Our research gives us an indication of America’s guiltiest pleasures in the realm of fast food. We all love some takeout every now and then and coupons shed some of that guilt off. Now that the results are in, we were surprised to find Papa John’s rank higher than collective food delivery services like Uber Eats and Grubhub. With half of the top 10 most Googled food coupons being a pizza specialist, our study reaffirms America’s favorite — the good old classic pizza slice,” said Katie Ren, founder of CommonCentsMom.

Survey asks citizens to rate Joplin services

JOPLIN, Mo. — Citizens now have a chance to provide their input about city services in an online survey.

It’s all a part of a Benchmark and Level of Service Study currently underway.

The survey is being conducted by city officials through MATRIX Consulting to assess the current level of services provided by the city staff, given the available resources.

“This study will provide an assessment of our current services, staffing levels, and other resources to establish appropriate benchmarks,” said Nick Edward City Manager. “It will help evaluate the level of services provided, including the efficiency and effectiveness of those services in order for the city to provide the highest quality of services to citizens and visitors.”

Joplin residents get the opportunity to provide meaningful feedback on municipal services through this online survey. It will also compare the benchmarks to other comparable and high-growth Missouri and Midwestern cities, as well as national standards.

“The city desires effective, efficient, quality services to attract and retain people and businesses to our community, and this study will help identify our current status in reaching this goal,” said Edwards.

If you’re on a desktop computer, you can take the survey here.

If you’re on mobile (smartphones, tablets, etc), you can scan the QR code below.

The survey is open from January 3rd until January 20th, 2023.

If you would rather complete a printed survey, all you have to do is visit the Joplin Public Library at 1901, East 20th Street in Joplin.

The results of the survey will be reviewed by city staff and presented to city council as a tool for planning resources as the city addresses future projects and action plans developed following the city’s listening tour. For questions or assistance in completing the survey, please contact city administration at 417-624-0820, ext. 1200.

2023 Jasper County budget

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Federal funds are boosting the bottom line in Jasper County. Specifically “American Rescue Plan Act” or ARPA funds pay for everything from the new drug treatment program at the county jail to general operating expenses.

“It’s just a base 10 million that we were able to keep from the American rescue plan, Act funding and that will go to sustain you know, long-term operations and whatever capital projects we have,” said Sarah Hoover, Jasper Co. Auditor.

Costs are also going up for court operations, as the county gets ready to launch its new courts building in Joplin.

“Too early to say that it is too early to say exactly. What we do know is of course, that our insurance has gone up. The cleaning costs have gone up. There’s really a lot. It is quite a bit bigger than our old building, I think three times the size actually. And so of course those things are gonna go up,” said Hoover.

And the Jasper County budget has grown to cover the cost of utility bills and gasoline, trying to keep pace with inflation.

“We do know it is a lot higher than 2022. We have, you know, our road patrol. And it’s out there using a lot of gas and so we did see a big increase there,” said Hoover.

Some county tax revenue is up.

“The latest calculations look like sales taxes are up about 4%,” said Hoover.

But they aren’t planning on any big increases in 2023.

And finally, county employees will also benefit from the new budget.

It factors in a three percent cost of living increase, as well as four months of premium pay.

That means extra pay ranging from $500 to $4,000 depending on years of service and whether they’re full-time or part-time.

Personal Property tax forms are on the way

CARTHAGE, Mo. — You may not be ready to think about paying 2023 taxes, but Missouri tax forms are already in the mail.

Residents will soon receive the document for them to list all the personal property they own as of January 1st.

Common items range from cars and trucks to airplanes and RV’s.

The list, of course, is used to calculate personal property tax bills, which won’t be sent out until the end of the year.

“That would include trailers, motorcycles, boats, motors, livestock, and farm machinery. And even if you have permanent plates on your vehicles, your trailers, you still have to assess for those,” said Lisa Perry, Jasper Co. Assessor.

For Jasper County residents, the form can be filled out online through the assessor’s website, here.

The information is due by March 1st.

Cardiologist discusses Damar Hamlin's injury

KSNF/KODE — There is a lot of discussion around 24-year-old Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsing midway through the first quarter against Cincinnati.

We talked to Dr. Ryan Longnecker with “Freeman Health System,” today.

The focus, “Commotio Cartis”, something that could trigger cardiac arrest following an impact to the area directly over the heart.

“There’s a sensitive time when the heart has done what’s called de-polarization. So, it has sent all the electricity from the bottom, kind of through the rest of the heart, while it’s re-polarizing, trying to get the electricity to kind of reset if you will. The heart is sensitive to arrhythmias at that point. And the speculation is, is that trauma happens to the heart in that situation and it affects the ability to kind of get the electrical charge back the way that it’s supposed to,” said Dr. Ryan Longnecker, Interventional Cardiologist, at Freeman Health System.

Doctor Longnecker also told this is something that can happen to healthy individuals, like Hamlin, and it’s likely part of his family history.

Local nonprofits benefit from Sparklight grants

JOPLIN, Mo. — Sparklight and the Cable One family of brands awarded more than $110,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations in need this holiday season across its 24-state footprint through the company’s Charitable Giving Fund.

The Charitable Giving Fund, which annually awards nearly $250,000 in grants to local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations served by Sparklight and the Cable One brands, concentrates support in the following priority areas:

  • Education and Digital Literacy
  • Food Insecurity
  • Community Development

Twenty-eight nonprofit organizations received grants during this award period, including Texarkana College Foodbank in Texarkana, TX and Citizens About Progress in Springhill, LA.

Food insecurity was already rampant among college students before the pandemic. Nearly 1/3 (29%) of college students have missed a meal at least once a week since the pandemic. The Texarkana College Foodbank is committed to using its $5,000 grant to help fight hunger on campus and reduce holiday stress as college students navigate inflated living expenses and economic shifts, allowing them to focus on successfully completing the fall semester.

“We are so thankful to Sparklight, and their readiness to step up to help us meet this need for our students. This grant will allow us to ensure that students have consistent access to food and enable them to focus on their education without added stress,” said Phillip Parrish, Foodbank Coordinator.

Citizens About Progress (CAP) trains future leaders of the Springhill, Louisiana community through education, enrichment, public service volunteering and mentoring to improve their quality of life. The $5,000 Charitable Giving Fund grant will be used to help fund its afterschool program.

“Citizens About Progress (CAP) is forever grateful for this grant. As with many small nonprofit organizations, funding is always a challenge to keep programs operating at no cost to those in need. Citizens About Progress was at the end of a funding cycle when we got word that our application was approved. This very timely grant funding allows us to continue providing high-quality programming for youth in elementary grades in Springhill. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” said CAP President, Terrell Mendenhall.

Nonprofit organizations have the opportunity to apply for a grant during open application periods each spring and fall. Applications for spring 2023 grants will open between April 1-30, 2023.

You can find more information about the Charitable Giving Fund, HERE.

Joplin Public Library usage statistics

JOPLIN, Mo. — With the start of a new year, the “Joplin Public Library” is gathering usage data of their materials from the previous year.

There were more than 175,000 visitors to the facility in the last year.

The total number of items that were checked out, in one form or another, exceeded 400,000.

More than 3,700 new library cards were issued.

More than 41,000 wifi sessions were logged.

Other services provided at the building in 2022 include more than 900 meals served to area children, 124 vaccines given out, and 147 blood donors.

"Joplin Reads Together" book club

JOPLIN, Mo. — If you haven’t been to a book club yourself, you probably know people who have been.

Getting the entire Joplin community into that habit is the goal behind an initiative called “Joplin Reads Together.”

Sarah Turner-Hill, the adult programming coordinator with the Joplin Public Library, says it works by having as many people read a predetermined book as possible and then holding a huge book club-like event afterward.

“So we’ll announce our book selection January 31st and then in April is when the actual “Joplin Reads Together” will take place, we’ll have programs throughout the month, including like, book discussions and things like that,” said Sarah Turner-Hill, Library Adult Programming Coordinator.

Of course, we’ll let you know what book will be the subject of the activities.

Turner-Hill says community reads might be new to this area but they have taken place in many other cities across the country.

Grove city leaders finalize sale, bringing shopping center to lake community

GROVE, Okla. — Grand Lake residents are getting a shopping mall.

For the past year, Grove city leaders have been negotiating with the Oklahoma City-based Foraker Company selling the 49,000-square-foot Grove Civic Center for $2.5 million.  The Grove Civic Center sits on 5.2 acres.

The shopping center’s three anchor stores will be Marshalls, Ross Dress for Less, and Burke’s Outlet.

“There are plans for a Starbucks to have a separate building in the parking lot,” said Debbie Bottoroff, city manager.

Walmart, the previous business at the site, required a 50-year agreement to not have a competitor located on the property and had to approve any retail development.

“This is such exciting news for Grove and Grand Lake,” Bottoroff said. “This will generate new sales tax, which is what the city survives on.”

A new event center to replace the Grove Civic Center will be built at Wolf Creek Park. 

Preliminary cost estimates several months ago were in the $7 million range, she said.

“We are researching grants and other financial options for construction,” Bottoroff said. “Once the financing and plans are finalized, we will begin construction.”

 The City Council wants to keep the time between selling the civic center and building a new event center to a minimum, she said.

The Foraker Company has completed several similar projects in Oklahoma and Texas.