Data from the Missouri Coalition of Roadway Safety lists several factors that led to the increase in fatalities. Not wearing a safety device was the major cause. About 64% of fatalities from 2017 to 2021 were due to individuals not wearing seat belts.
“Fatality crashes should not be happening as frequently as they are,” said Sheldon Lyon, executive director of the St. Joseph Safety and Health Council. “Especially under circumstances that can be controlled like simply wearing a safety device. I can’t stress this enough but a seat belt can sometimes save your life even in situations like a rollover crash.”
Distracted driving also has played a role in the increase in fatalities. Data showed that 382 people in the state have died since 2017 due to distracted driving.
“These numbers are concerning,” Lyon said. “Over the course of four and five years, this number may not seem like a lot to people but that’s a lot of lives taken away all because you didn’t put your cell phone down or you were engaging in something that took your focus off the road. These occurrences have to be fixed.”
Lyon emphasized that some traffic accidents can’t be controlled due to factors like severe weather, so drivers should make sure they’re driving with caution at all times.
“It is best to drive five to 10 miles slower than the speed limit, even slower in heavy rain or windy conditions,” he said. “A slight change of direction or a gust of wind could throw your car into a skid so you have to drive with caution in every road condition.”
The Missouri Department of Transportation is aiming to tackle the two most impactful actions a driver can take to prevent crashes through their “Buckle Up, Phone Down” campaign which encourages drivers to buckle up each time they get in a moving vehicle and to put their phone down.
“There’s many ways for drivers to ensure they make it to their destination safely,” Lyon said. “If you know you get distracted by your phone a lot then put it on ‘do not disturb’ mode until you get to your destination.”
Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo, poses for his official headshot. Photo
provided by Smith’s office.
Courtesy of Rep. Jason Smith’s office
Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo, poses for his official headshot. Photo
provided by Graves' office.
Courtesy of Rep. Sam Graves' office
Missourians will head two of the most powerful committees in the U.S. House of Representatives, further establishing the state’s influence in national leadership.
Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo, represents Missouri’s 6th district, which includes Buchanan and Andrew counties and north Missouri. With the GOP controlling the House, Graves is now the chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which is in charge of all modes of transportation, the U.S. Coast Guard, emergency preparedness and wastewater infrastructure. He has served as the lead Republican member of the committee since 2019.
“This is something that I’ve been working a long time to achieve. I fought very hard when I first came to Congress to get on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and it’s always been a passion of mine,” Graves told News-Press NOW. “Transportation: It’s commerce; It’s what makes the country happen.”
In 2023, the committee will focus on reauthorizing the FAA, water resources and pipeline safety, Graves said. It will also work to ensure the $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending bill that Congress passed last year is being dispersed and spent correctly.
“I also want to make sure that it’s going to transportation projects, not to, you know, every other thing or every other pet project that is out there that has nothing to do with transportation or infrastructure,” Graves said. “We’re going to be looking into that. We’ll have a lot of hearings on when it comes to oversight of how that money’s been moved out.”
Graves said having two committee chairs from the same state is good for Missouri.
“It highlights Missouri overall. It obviously brings a lot of credibility,” Graves said. “When it comes to working on many of those projects that our cities, counties and the state are working on — whether that is transportation or taxing issues — and then we have some cross-jurisdiction as well when it comes to things like how we fund the Highway Trust Fund, how we fund the aviation trust, those sorts of things.”Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo, represents Missouri’s 8th district, which is in the boot heel. He was selected to chair the Ways and Means Committees. The committee oversees the tax code, social security, Medicare and other welfare programs.
“It is deeply humbling and an honor to be selected by my colleagues to serve as the next Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee,” Smith said in a written statement. “With our new House Republican majority, we have made a commitment to the American people to build a stronger economy that gives everyone — not just the wealthy and politically-connected — greater opportunity to build a more prosperous future for themselves and their families.”
Education
top story
School district looks to attract employees at job fair
The St. Joseph School District hopes to address some vacancies
in its support and hourly positions at a hiring fair scheduled for
Jan. 18. With a workforce of 1,800, the school district is the
third-largest employer in St. Joseph.
Greg Kozol / Greg Kozol | News-Press NOW
A tight labor market is forcing employers nationwide to consider new strategies for attracting workers.
The St. Joseph School District is no exception. The district is holding a hiring fair next Wednesday, Jan. 18, to address a shortfall in some support positions like paraprofessionals and maintenance workers. The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the district’s administrative offices in the old Noyes School, 1415 N. 26th St.
“The job market is becoming increasingly constrained and so we’re having to do some things that typically we wouldn’t have,” said Brian Kraus, the school district’s assistant superintendent of human resources. “We’re just interested in talking to anybody who thinks at some point in time they might want to work for the school district because if we don’t have an opening now it’s likely in the near future we will.”
Kraus said the hiring fair isn’t geared as much toward teachers because those positions work on contracts that run until the end of the school year. He did say, however, that the district has a pressing need for teachers certified in ESOL, or English for Speakers of Other Languages.
He said every year the district replaces 100 or more teachers, so he would welcome applicants in those areas. More immediately, the district has about 15 openings in custodial maintenance and about half a dozen in both nutrition services and for paraprofessional positions.
“We’re looking for anyone who’s interested in working for the school district,” Kraus said. “It’s an opportunity for us to meet people in the community who might want to work for the school district.”
The district’s hiring challenges are not strictly a local phenomenon. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that schools nationwide will have to hire more than 150,000 paraprofessionals a year over the next decade.
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