East Central College graduate Abigail Kleekamp is the recipient of the inaugural WINGS (Washington's Investment in Great Schools) Educational Foundation ECC Scholarship.

Kleekamp, from Washington, graduated Summa Cum Laude from ECC in May with an Associate of Arts degree and was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. This fall, she will attend St. Louis University to study Criminology and Pre-Law. Plans call for the $1,000 Scholarship to be offered annually.

Kleekamp was an Early College Academy student, attending classes at both ECC and Washington High School for the past two years. She holds cherished memories of her time with the WHS Band.

“I have so many great and amazing memories from my time in band, from winning competitions to making lasting longtime friends from this experience,” she said. “Being able to perform at football games was always fun as it got the student section and cheerleaders involved as well, which gave a positive atmosphere for the football season.”

During the ECC Class of 2024 Commencement, Dr. Jon Bauer, college president, highlighted Kleekamp’s achievements as an ECA student—graduating from both high school and college and actively participating in both communities.

“When Dr. Bauer mentioned me in his speech, I was very shocked because I had no idea that it was coming,” she commented. “I got very emotional because I thought it wasn't a big deal, the accomplishments that I had just completed, but now I know that my accomplishments were a big deal if Dr. Bauer himself thought that they were.”

Memorable Faculty

Kleekamp noted that she enjoyed every class taught by Matthew Gifford, philosophy and religion instructor at ECC.

“I had taken all three of the classes that he teaches in Union during this past fall and spring semesters, and I did not regret it,” she added. “He made teaching fun and enjoyable, and I looked forward to his classes each week because of all the funny things that he says.”

Kleekamp said she learned a lot from Gifford about the subject matter of each class and life lessons she’ll carry with her.

“Getting the students involved in the lesson allows them to remember the topic of discussion better, and that is what Matthew Gifford did for me, and he will continue to do it for his other students.”

WMS Instructor

Kleekamp also made lasting memories in her 7th-grade history class, taught by Ben Hornback.

“He made class fun for his students — we went outside to make a spray-painted map of the world that included all of the major history moments that we had talked about,” she remembered. “Mr. Hornback was a very approachable teacher, and he would always help me with anything that I was struggling with.”

The WINGS Educational Foundation ECC Scholarship will be awarded to a student who attended school in the Washington School District and graduated from ECC. Applications, submitted anonymously, are reviewed by the College president, who makes the final selection.

To learn more about the ECC Foundation and scholarship opportunities, visit www.eastcentral.edu/foundation/new-scholarships-endowments/.

Missouri’s annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, and runs through midnight on Sunday, Aug. 4. During this time, certain back-to-school purchases such as school supplies, computers, clothing, and other qualifying items as defined by statute are exempt from all state and local sales tax.

During the sales tax holiday, state and local sales tax will not be charged on the following items:

• Clothing that does not have a taxable value of more than $100. Eligible clothing items include any article of apparel intended to be worn on or about the body, including footwear and disposable diapers for infants or adults. Cloth and other material used to make school uniforms or other school clothing are also included. Not included are watches, watchbands, jewelry, handbags, handkerchiefs, umbrellas, scarves, ties, headbands, or belt buckles;

• School supplies, not exceeding $50 per purchase, that are used in a standard classroom for educational purposes. School supplies include, but are not limited to, textbooks, notebooks, paper, writing instruments, crayons, art supplies, rulers, book bags, backpacks, chalk, maps, globes, handheld calculators, graphing calculators that do not have a taxable value of more than $150, and computer software that does not have a taxable value of more than $350. Not included are watches, radios, CD players, headphones, sporting equipment, portable or desktop telephones, copiers or other office equipment, furniture, or fixtures; and

• Personal computers that do not cost more than $1,500 and computer peripheral devices that do not cost more than $1,500. A personal computer can be a laptop, desktop, or tower computer system which consists of a central processing unit, random access memory, a storage drive, a display monitor, and a keyboard. Peripheral devices include items such as a disk drive, memory module, compact disk drive, daughterboard, digitizer, microphone, modem, motherboard, mouse, multimedia speaker, printer, scanner, single-user hardware, single-user operating system, soundcard, or video card.

Anyone who makes a qualified purchase may participate in the holiday. You do not have to be a Missouri resident or student to participate and save.

Effective 2023, in addition to the state sales tax, local sales tax will also be waived in all cities, counties and special tax districts.

Therefore, businesses with qualifying retail sales for the Back to School Sales Tax Holiday may use the normal filing method for their August 2024 return. Enter total gross receipts for all sales made, indicating holiday sales as a negative adjustment on the return. You will no longer need to file these sales using a separate item code. For more information visit dor.mo.gov/taxation/business/tax-types/sales-use/holidays/back-to-school/.

East Central College will host an evening of diverse live music at the free ECC Season Kickoff Music Festival on Friday, Aug. 23, from 5-9 p.m., outside in the college’s Quad.

The ECC Music Festival will feature performances by the Funky Butt Brass Band, Woodshine, and the Pamwe Marimba Band. This event marks the beginning of the Music Department’s 2024-25 season.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting the Metallica Scholars Initiative. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Coolers are not permitted.

The festival is supported by ECC’s Music Department and ECC Patrons of the Arts. Proceeds will benefit the Metallica Scholars Initiative, which provides scholarships for students pursuing careers in advanced manufacturing. The college is seeking donations and sponsors for the benefit concert.

The Dive will serve food options, including hot dogs, wraps, chips, beverages, and more. There will also be opportunities to donate to the cause.

Eclectic Music Lineup

• Funky Butt Brass Band: Formed in 2008, this band honors the New Orleans brass band tradition with a fresh, funky twist. Inspired by the Dirty Dozen and Rebirth Brass Band, they blend classic brass tunes with Motown, Southern rock, blues, and '70s funk.
• Woodshine: This bluegrass band from Washington adds a rock twist to their performances. They play at venues throughout the area.
• Pamwe Marimba Band: United by their love for marimba music, this band plays a range of music from traditional Shona songs to original compositions. The marimba is a percussion instrument with wooden bars struck by mallets.

For more information about ECC, the concert, the Music Department, and the Metallica Scholars Initiative, visit www.eastcentral.edu.

The Missouri Department of Transportation’s Traveler Information Map is now accessible through internet browsers on mobile devices. The update allows the map to be displayed on mobile devices without having to download the Traveler Information Map App.

The map provides the traveling public with traffic updates, road conditions and closures, as well as winter road conditions. More customers can now access this information through their mobile device’s browser. The mobile app version will still be available for download and will provide the same up-to-date information. When the app is installed on a device, it will launch in place of the mobile browser version.

“MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map provides a great service to the traveling public, allowing them to check road closures and conditions and plan accordingly to avoid interruptions to their trip,” said MoDOT Safety and Emergency Management Director Chris Engelbrecht. “More importantly, when weather conditions aren’t ideal, it helps our customers stay informed of impacts to the roads and make decisions to remain safe.”

“Customer feedback over the past five years has shown that our users aren’t always able to add the mobile app to their device or would rather not download the app,” said Engelbrecht.  “The mobile update allows us to serve more customers.”

In 2023, the Traveler Information Map and corresponding app saw more than 7 million views and an average user engagement time of 7 minutes.

To view the Traveler Information Map, visit https://traveler.modot.org

Missouri nonfarm payroll employment increased by 14,700 jobs in June 2024, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by two-tenths of a percentage point. Private industry employment increased by 14,600 jobs and government employment increased by 100 jobs. Over the year, there was an increase of 95,700 jobs from June 2023 to June 2024, and the unemployment rate increased by seven-tenths of a percentage point, from 3 percent in June 2023 to 3.7 percent in June 2024.

EMPLOYMENT     

Missouri's nonfarm payroll employment was 3,072,300 in June 2024, up by 14,700 from the revised May 2024 figure. The May 2024 total was revised upward by 6,800 jobs from the preliminary estimate.

Goods-producing industries decreased by 1,100 jobs over the month, with manufacturing decreasing by 1,000 jobs and mining, logging, and construction decreasing by 100 jobs. Private service-providing industries increased by 15,700 jobs between May 2024 and June 2024. Employment in private service-providing industries increased in private education and health services (7,400 jobs); leisure and hospitality (4,200 jobs); trade, transportation, and utilities (3,200 jobs); financial activities (800 jobs); and professional and business services (400 jobs). Employment decreased in other services (-200 jobs) and information (-100 jobs). Total government employment increased by 100 jobs over the month, with an increase in state government (700 jobs) and decreases in local (-500 jobs) and federal government (-100 jobs).

Over the year, total payroll employment increased by 95,700 jobs from June 2023 to June 2024. The largest gain was in private education and health services (28,500 jobs); leisure and hospitality (21,400 jobs); trade, transportation, and utilities (11,300 jobs); mining, logging, and construction (10,300 jobs); financial activities (6,400 jobs); other services (4,200 jobs); manufacturing (2,300 jobs); and information (200 jobs). Employment decreased in professional and business services (-1,100 jobs). Government employment increased by 12,200 jobs over the year, with increases in local (5,500 jobs), state (5,400 jobs), and federal government (1,300 jobs).

UNEMPLOYMENT           

Missouri's smoothed seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by two-tenths of a percentage point in June 2024, increasing to 3.7 percent from the revised May 2024 rate of 3.5 percent. The June 2024 rate was seven-tenths of a percentage point higher than the June 2023 rate. The estimated number of unemployed Missourians was 114,479 in June 2024, up by 5,099 from the revised May total of 109,380. The number of employed Missourians also increased in the month, growing by 4,351.

The state's not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate increased in June 2024 by three-tenths of a percentage point to 4.2 percent from the May 2024 not-seasonally-adjusted rate of 3.9 percent. A year ago, the not-seasonally-adjusted rate was 3.2 percent. The corresponding not-seasonally-adjusted national rate for June 2024 was 4.3 percent.

Missouri's labor force participation rate was 63.6 percent in June 2024, one point higher than the national rate of 62.6 percent. Missouri's employment-population ratio was 61.2 percent in June 2024, 1.1 percentage points higher than the national rate of 60.1 percent. Missouri's unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in June 2024, four-tenths of a percentage point lower than the national rate of 4.1 percent. Missouri's unemployment rate has been at or below the national rate for more than nine years.

Read the full report at https://meric.mo.gov/missouri-monthly-jobs-report. 

The East Central College Testing Center has once again demonstrated its commitment to excellence by being recertified by the National College Testing Association (NCTA).

This prestigious achievement is a testament to the rigorous NCTA Professional Standards and Guidelines, designed to ensure the highest quality testing programs at post-secondary institutions. This recertification is valid for five years and can be renewed upon continued compliance with national standards.

Windy Souders, Testing Services Coordinator, along with her dedicated team, Kalyn Meyer, Testing Center Specialist, and Audrey Schlote, Testing Center Clerk, have maintained high standards in test administration and provided exceptional service to a diverse range of students and community members.

The Testing Center first received NCTA certification in 2020 after an extensive 18-month review process. The criteria for certification are based on the NCTA Professional Standards and Guidelines, which guide post-secondary test centers in delivering quality testing programs.

For more information about the numerous testing services provided by the ECC Testing Center, please contact 636-584-6550 or visit www.eastcentral.edu/testing-center. The Testing Center operates within the ECC Learning Center.

The NCTA, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting professionalism and high-quality service in the administration of testing programs, offers certification to college and university test centers that demonstrate exemplary practices. NCTA membership includes over 2,200 testing professionals from 650 colleges and universities, as well as 50 test companies and organizations offering test-related products and services. For more information, visit www.ncta-testing.org.