Jennifer Moore

This week, we bring you our Sense of Community series, Conversations on Race and Racism.  These conversations feature first-person perspectives, memories, and opinions of people in our community whose lives have been impacted by race and racism.   

In this segment, we listen in on a conversation between cousins Mike Elmore and Blake Wilder, who grew up together.  Elmore is an Army veteran, federal loan officer and Jiu-Jitsu teacher in West Plains, Missouri; Wilder is the author of "Random Bars: Poetry By An Original B-Boy" and lives in Las Vegas.

This week, we bring you our Sense of Community series, Conversations on Race and Racism.  These conversations feature first-person perspectives, memories, and opinions of people in our community whose lives have been impacted by race and racism.   You can hear the audio below.

In this segment of our series, we hear from a young couple in Springfield: Christina Harvey and Skyler Smith.

Hear Part 1 and Part 2 of their interview below:

This week, we bring you our Sense of Community series, Conversations on Race and Racism.  These conversations feature first-person perspectives, memories, and opinions of people in our community whose lives have been impacted by race and racism.   You can hear the audio below.

In this part of our series, we listen to husband and wife, Johnathann and Grace Byrd of Springfield.

You can hear Part 1 and Part 2 of their conversation below.

Missouri State University is reporting 141 new, positive COVID-19 cases after its first full week of classes. 

Those 141 cases were tallied between August 17-23, during which time university data shows MSU administered a total of 251 tests.   

The university’s COVID-19 online dashboard says the bulk of those 141 cases came late last week—with 42 student cases and one employee case reported last Friday, August 21 alone.

In our monthly program Engaging the Community with Missouri State University President Clif Smart, we discuss the university's reopening of campus during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Listen below as Smart discusses the factors he and the MSU Board of Governors are keeping a close eye on, including the criteria that could potentially lead to a "pause" on in-person learning.  Those factors include COVID-19 case data, testing resources, advice from local, state and federal health officials, local hospital capability, and above all, safety of students, faculty and staff, Smart said.

The issue of Medicaid Expansion will appear on the statewide Missouri ballot as Amendment 2 in the August 4, 2020 primary election.  Below you can listen to a virtual forum on the ballot issue that was recorded July 21, 2020.

About the Medicaid Expansion forum:

In this month's episode of Engaging the Community, MSU President Clif Smart talks with KSMU's Jennifer Moore about the White House's reversal of a controversial rule regarding international students.  The rule would have required international students to leave the country or transfer if their colleges hold classes entirely online this fall due to the coronavirus.  The Trump Administration reversed its directive after an outcry from universities, business groups and Christian organizations. 

Hear the program here:

With a unified voice, Springfield City Council passed an ordinance late Monday night making it mandatory for people older than 11 to wear a face covering. The ordinance goes into effect Thursday and lasts 90 days.  Violators could be fined up to 100 dollars, and businesses that accommodate the public could see their licenses or permits suspended or revoked if they don’t comply.

The Springfield vote, which was 8-0 with one member abstaining, came on the same day that Greene County saw its highest daily count of new COVID-19 cases, with 49 new positive cases Monday.