The State of the State Address had a theme of “We Are Not Done Yet”. Governor Parson reflected on successes over the last year, including the state’s largest income tax cut and agriculture support.

Governor Parson highlighted items in his proposed budget including funding for the following:

Infrastructure

-       Continue broadband expansion

-       Update railway crossings

-       Major investment to widen and rebuild the I-70 corridor

Workforce Development and Education

-       Fully funding the foundation formula

-       School transportation needs

-       Career Ladder Program expansion

-       Continue Teacher Baseline Salary Program

-       Childcare – Expand Pre-K options and establish three new childcare tax credit programs

Government Reform

-       Increase to state workers’ pay

-       Additional funding for the MO Department of Social Services and Children’s Division

Health and Mental Health Care

-       Expand youth behavioral health liaison program

-       Funding for Certified Nurse Assistant training programs

-       Allocate funding to MO Dept. of Health and Senior Svcs. to implement a new maternal mortality plan

Public Safety

-       Continued support for law enforcement officers

-       School safety grants

For press release and Governor Parson's entire speech, click the link below.

LINK ACADEMY WINS 38TH ANNUAL BASS PRO TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

Three days and 12 games later, the 38th Annual Bass Pro Tournament of Champions finally crowned their deserving champion. And it was no surprise Branson, Missouri’s Link Academy, the number one team in the country, captured the title.



Thanks to four players scoring in double figures, including Ja’Kobe Walter, who led the Lions in scoring, 17 points, and received the Most Valuable Player award, Link Academy backed up the hype heading into the nation’s premiere boys basketball tournament with a 72-66 victory over Sunrise Christian of Bel Aire, Kansas. Congratulations to the Link Academy Basketball team on their big win!

TANEY COUNTY CAREER DAYS EMPLOYER SIGN UP

The 2023 Taney County Career Days is to be held at Forsyth, Hollister, and Branson High Schools March 7, 8, and 9. We are asking employers to sign up to represent one of the industry sectors for all three days. The industry sectors are listed below. To sign up, click the link below and enter the business information in the Google Sheets below. The last day for employers to sign up for Taney County Career Days is March 2.



Industry Sectors:

Architecture, Construction & Trades

Finance & General Business

Government & Public Administration

Health & Sciences

Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment

Information Technology

Marketing & Communications

March 7 | Hollister High School

March 8 | Branson High School

March 9 | Forsyth High School

GRANT WRITING TRAINING IN BRANSON, MO

The Taney County Health Department and Grant Writing USA will present a two-day grant writing workshop in Branson, MO - March 6-7, 2023. This training is for grant seekers across all disciplines. Attend this class and you'll learn how to find the funding sources and write winning grant proposals. Click the link below for event details.

2023 TRAVEL INTENTIONS FOR AMERICANS

This year ended up being a busy travel year despite economic and health concerns. Americans are still planning on traveling in 2023, maybe even more than 2022. According to research performed by MMGY Travel Intelligence, 6 in 10 American adults plan to take a trip in the next 6 months. About 25% of Americans are planning to travel internationally, up from 19% in 2021 and the highest in 3 years. “The relative strength of the U.S. dollar and the fact that foreign destinations are increasingly open and welcoming visitors support the notion that international travel will be an area of strength for the travel industry economy in 2023,” said Chris Davidson, EVP of MMGY Travel Intelligence. Over half of the respondents are interested in going on a cruise in the next 2 years. Travel agencies remain a popular tool as 75% of leisure travelers use at least one tool to help plan their travel.

The top two reasons for not traveling in the next six months were the high cost of travel (45%) and financial situations (41%). Some also mentioned not having enough time to travel (25%). Although the American traveler is changing, the desire to travel and have new experiences remains at the top of people’s list for 2023.