The Missouri Senate could vote this month on legislation that would repeal the law that says Mizzou is the exclusive grantor of degrees like medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law and engineering. A Missouri Senate committee has voted to repeal the law. Missourians for Improving Higher Education co-founder Tom Strong, who’s a Mizzou donor, is pushing for repeal. He tells 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Missouri” that repeal would help students in rural southeast Missouri. Mr. Strong joined us live on "Wake Up" on Wednesday, saying Southeast Missouri State would love to have an engineering program. The University of Missouri opposes the bill. Mizzou vice provost Dr. Jim Spain testified at the Statehouse in Jefferson City recently and joined us live this morning on "Wake Up." Dr. Spain tells listeners that this is about efficiency with the funding that is available. He emphasizes that Mizzou's priority has been on student success. Dr. Spain also says all schools compete for students and emphasizes Mizzou is not against the other schools in question like SEMO or Missouri State:

The Missouri Senate Education Committee has voted to approve legislation that would repeal a law that the University of Missouri be the state's only public research university. State Sen. Lincoln Hough's (R-Springfield)

Senate Bill 11 would also repeal the law that says Mizzou is the exclusive grantor of research doctorates and professional degrees like dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine. It would also repeal the law's provision that says degrees in engineering may only be conferred by Mizzou "or a public institution of higher education in collaboration with the University of Missouri." Missourians for Improving Higher Education co-founder Tom Strong is pushing the bill. Mr. Strong, who graduated from Mizzou's School of Law, joined us live on 939 the Eagle's "Wake Up Missouri" and emphasizes it's not an anti-Mizzou bill. He notes he is a major donor to Mizzou and that his name is on a room at the law school in Columbia. Mr. Strong tells listeners that Senator Hough's bill allows other universities to perform as they can perform. He says Missouri State would love to have an engineering school and a pharmacy school, and that Southeast Missouri State in Cape Girardeau would like to have an engineering school. Mr. Strong says high school students who want to pursue engineering are leaving for other states. He also says students in the Bootheel are closer to Ole Miss in Oxford than they are to Mizzou in Columbia. He's hopeful the bill will pass:

NFIB Missouri is a member-driven organization that advocates for small and independent businesses nationwide. One of their top priorities has been workforce challenges and hiring employees. NFIB Missouri's Brad Jones, who has been their state director for 11 years, joined us live on 939 the Eagle's "Wake Up Missouri." Mr. Jones tells listeners that 38 percent of Missouri small businesses currently have jobs they cannot fill. He says it continues to be a challenge. We also discussed Schneider Electric's planned $73-million expansion in Columbia. They plan to add a significant amount of manufacturing lines. Schneider Electric's proposed expansion is expected to create 241 new jobs that would pay above Boone County’s average wage, which means the jobs will pay more than $48,000. While Jones praises the planned expansion, he predicts that the company will have to recruit some employees from elsewhere in Missouri and even in other parts of the country:

Southwest Missouri’s largest employer is pushing state lawmakers for passage of bipartisan child care tax credit legislation. CoxHealth testifies that it is experiencing workforce shortages due to the childcare crisis, adding that their patients can suffer. Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Kara Corches says the bill is also the Chamber’s top priority. Corches tells 939 the Eagle that 80 percent of business leaders in Missouri have struggled to recruit and retain workers due to child care issues. The Missouri House has given final approval to the legislation from State Rep. Brenda Shields (R-St. Joseph) on s 120-34 vote. Ms. Corches says the bill will increase access to safe, affordable and high-quality child care. "Missouri Times" publisher Scott Faughn joined us live on 939 the Eagle's "Wake Up Missouri" to discuss the bill. He says State Sen. Nick Schroer (R-O'Fallon) will play a key role in it. Mr. Faughn is impressed with the way Senator Schroer is conducting himself in Jefferson City this session:

A prominent businessman who founded Midway USA in Boone County 48 years ago is serving again as its chief executive officer. Larry Potterfield joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable.” Midway USA is a shooting, hunting, outdoor and fishing internet retailer, and has about 350 employees. Mr. Potterfield tells listeners that he suffered a stroke in August and was on the floor for about two hours before his wife found him. He says while he speaks a little slower and has a small speech impediment, he’s back at work and is serving again as chief executive officer. Mr. Potterfield says he can still fish and hunt, two things he loves. Mr. Potterfield says he’ll remain as chief executive officer until the new one is hired, adding that the company generally promotes from within. Midway USA’s massive 400,000 square foot distribution center is at 40 and Route J near Rocheport, and anyone who’s driven in that area has seen a two-story brick and limestone building going up called the Roosevelt building, which will house Midway USA’s administration. Mr. Potterfield says he was in the new building last week taking publicity photos and that drywall is going in upstairs. He expects the building to open in November. “We will move in all through the summer. The last move-in date is the first week in November, and there will be no construction people on-crew anywhere the 10th of November,” Mr. Potterfield tells listeners. Columbia-based Coil Construction is handling the massive project. Potterfield praises Randy Coil and his company, saying they do a great job. Midway USA is a private, family business. Mr. Potterfield grew up on a farm in northeast Missouri’s Marion County, near Hannibal. He grew up in Ely. Longtime mid-Missourians will remember that Midway USA started as Ely Arms. Mr. Potterfield is also big on trees and spends top dollars for Midway USA’s landscaping. He’s told 939 the Eagle that the landscaping budget alone at Midway USA is $1.3 million:

You've been seeing increasing egg prices at your grocery store, with prices reportedly up 53 percent in the past year. Bird flu is blamed for some of that. Businessman Dustin Stanton of the cage-free Stanton Brothers Eggs in Centralia joined us live on 939 the Eagle's "Wake Up Missouri." Mr. Stanton tells listeners that Stanton Brothers Eggs has NOT been impacted by bird flu. He also says Stanton Brothers Eggs has not increased egg prices and that they just don't have enough eggs to go around. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg traveled to Centralia in 2017 to visit the Stanton Brothers Eggs facility and praises its operation. You will find Dustin Stanton on Saturday mornings at the Columbia Farmers Market:

A state lawmaker from northeast Missouri's Hannibal doesn't mince words when it comes to highway funding, saying the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) does what it wants. State Rep. Louis Riggs (R-Hannibal) joined us live on 939 the Eagle's "Wake Up Missouri", saying the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) does what it wants. Representative Riggs wants to see more highway funding for northeast Missouri. You'll be voting on a proposed constitutional amendment if Riggs has his way. His House Joint Resolution 46 proposes a constitutional amendment that would grant Missouri lawmakers the authority to veto MoDOT spending plans. Rep. Riggs also is a vocal support of eliminating Missouri's income tax. He's a senior member of the Missouri House:

The Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) is currently in the middle of tax season. DOR director Trish Vincent and deputy director Cheryl Bosch joined us live on 939 the Eagle's "Wake Up Missouri" this morning to discuss tax season. Trish Vincent is a state government veteran who is well-known in Jefferson City. It's her second stint as DOR director. She also served under then-Governor Matt Blunt. Deputy director Bosch tells listeners that DOR will process more than three-million returns by April. She also says the agency has already processed 598,000 refunds for a total amount of about $350-million. Director Vincent and Deputy Director Bosch encourage you to file electronically, saying you can do it 24-7 and that electronically filed returns have fewer errors than paper returns. While 99 percent of Missourians have filed electronically so far, some still file by paper. DOR emphasizes the importance of signing your tax form when you file by paper so you can get your refund. Director Vincent also tells listeners that DOR is building/preparing a mobile license office that can help in critical situations. Director Vincent tells listeners that the mobile driver's license unit will likely be at the Missouri state fair in Sedalia in August:

Unity is a top priority for new Missouri Republican Party chairman Peter Kinder of Cape Girardeau. He joined us live on 939 the Eagle's "Wake Up Missouri" to discuss his priorities and the party's future. He has pledged to revitalize the state party starting with fundraising, noting the party's budget last year was $560,000. Kinder says that's not a lot during an election year. Republicans won every statewide race in November 2024 and maintained veto-proof majorities in both legislative chambers. While he's excited about the idea of eliminating the state income tax, he indicates it's going to take more than a year to get that done. Chairman Kinder says states like Tennessee and Florida that have no state income tax are booming, noting Ford is building a $3-billion plant in Tennessee, not far from the Mississippi River and not far from Missouri. Chairman Kinder is also pledging to work to pass Governor Mike Kehoe's legislative priorities, especially public safety and crime. He also says the Missouri Republican Party is working to update its website and will also increase its social media presence:

Columbia’s city council will hear a presentation Monday at city hall on the convention center feasibility study. It’s an issue that has been discussed in Columbia for about 30 years. The feasibility study discussion will take place Monday at 5 pm at city hall, during the council’s pre-meeting. Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) director Amy Schneider will be presenting that report, and she joined host Fred Parry in-studio this weekend on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” to discuss the issue. The report she will summarize is 131 pages. A company best known as CSL, Conventions, Sports and Leisure International, was retained by CVB to conduct the nine-month feasibility study for the potential development of a convention center in Columbia. The 131-page report notes Columbia’s population is growing at nearly four times the rate of the state of Missouri. Columbia currently offers about 3,600 hotel rooms, and the report notes there are only two hotels downtown. The report says Columbia attracts 1.7 million visitors annually, generating 3.8 million visit nights and more than $615-million dollars in visitor spending. The report also says that to capture 90 percent of the potential event market, a convention center in Columbia would require 13,000 square foot ballroom and 8,800 square feet of meeting space. The report also discusses the issue of funding. Ms. Schneider tells listeners this is about economic development through tourism. She also notes Columbia is missing some of the larger conventions. “Columbia is really good at the small to mid-size meetings, those 50 to 350 size meetings. If they get any bigger than that, the Wyndham Executive Center, they’ve changed flags now, they’re really one of the only places you can hold those larger meetings,” she tells listeners. Amy Schneider grew up in northeast Missouri’s Shelbina, where her father owned a feed and fertilizer store. Her first job was cleaning that store, and she also was a waitress at Shelbina’s popular Skyway Café, which was best known for its biscuits and gravy. She says she’s always wanted to work in hospitality. She and Mr. Parry also discussed this weekend’s busy schedule with True/False and Missouri state high school wrestling championships. They also discussed the 2026 World Cup in Kansas City and what that will mean for Columbia: