AGP Executive Report

Family Support: Columbia and Boone County will continue offering WIC nutrition services for eligible pregnant and new mothers, infants and children under 5, including food benefits, counseling and breastfeeding support. Workers’ Rights: St. Louis food-service workers are campaigning for a 10-point bill of rights that includes higher wages, paid health care and retirement benefits, as restaurant employees pursue union votes. Campus Voices: Northwest Missouri State student media outlets are finalists for 26 national awards, with winners to be announced at a Kansas City convention in November. Education: More than 10,000 Missouri students received MOScholars funding for the coming school year, totaling $68.7 million; the program drew over 16,000 applications. Community & Tradition: A Kirksville High graduate earned Girl Scouting’s Gold Award for teaching students and educators how to communicate with people who use assistive devices. Hartsburg’s pumpkin festival also drew thousands despite record heat, as Missouri communities gear up for Route 66’s centennial next month.

Youth & Learning: Buchanan County 4-H has a new home at the Easton fairgrounds, with classrooms, a gym and more room for hands-on programs serving area children. Faith & Immigration: The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are backing the St. Louis Archdiocese’s lawsuit seeking better access to Catholic sacraments for people held at a county jail used by ICE. Historic Preservation: Kirksville planners will consider landmark status for Lincoln School, once the area’s only elementary school for Black children; local residents hope to restore it as a Black history museum. Community Traditions: Thousands braved record heat for Hartsburg’s annual Pumpkin Festival, a fall gathering that has drawn visitors since 1991. Arts: Springfield’s Gillioz Theatre marked 100 years with a free celebration recalling its vaudeville roots and long history of film, music and live performance. Education Equity: Seven current and former Lincoln University students are suing Missouri, alleging decades of unequal funding at the historically Black university.

Fall Traditions: Thousands flocked to Hartsburg’s annual Pumpkin Festival, braving record heat for food, family activities and a beloved local tradition. Springfield Arts: The Gillioz Theatre marked 100 years since opening on Route 66, celebrating with a free party featuring live performances and a nod to its silent-film beginnings. Community & Heritage: Missouri River Relief celebrated 25 years at Cooper’s Landing; volunteers have removed more than 2.1 million pounds of trash from the river. Columbia’s Como Comunidad also launched its first Hispanic Heritage Month festival, drawing strong interest from residents. Agriculture & Family Life: The Missouri Chestnut Festival brought families to MU’s research farm for tastings, tours and activities. Higher Education: Lincoln University students and alumni are suing Missouri, alleging decades of unequal funding deprived the historically Black university of hundreds of millions of dollars.

River Community: Missouri River Relief marked 25 years at Cooper’s Landing in Columbia with music, art and food. The group says volunteers have removed more than 2.1 million pounds of trash from the river. Inclusive Recreation: A new tactile map at Riverside’s skate park helped blind and low-vision skateboarders explore the course at the Grind for the Blind event. Farm and Family: The Missouri Chestnut Festival in New Franklin brought families to MU’s research farm for chestnut tastings, orchard tours and kids’ activities. Cultural Celebration: Columbia’s Como Comunidad held its first Hispanic Heritage Month festival, drawing strong interest with a free event celebrating Hispanic and Latino culture. Foster Care: Hope Ranch of Missouri received a 2026 Angels in Adoption Award for its work providing foster children with education, therapy and counseling. Higher Education: Lincoln University students and alumni are suing Missouri, alleging decades of unequal funding for the state’s historically Black university and seeking nearly $550 million.

Foster Care: Hope Ranch of Missouri received a 2026 Angels in Adoption Award for its work supporting foster children with education, therapy and counseling. Jefferson City’s Central Missouri Foster Care & Adoption Association will hold its Legacy of Love Gala on Oct. 17 to support children and families. Education: Lincoln University students and alumni are suing Missouri, alleging decades of unequal funding and seeking nearly $550 million. Arts & Events: St. Louis’s Counterpublic triennial explores links between art and civic life, while West Plains prepares to host the Ozark Heritage Festival Oct. 16–17. Hermann Oktoberfest continues through October, drawing thousands. Mizzou: The university opened four agriculture research facilities, including a new meat science lab named for former Gov. Mike Parson, and launched guaranteed admission for eligible students in five Missouri school districts.

Food & Community: Panda Fest at Kansas City’s Legends Field is drawing growing crowds, with vendors sharing regional Chinese dishes and family traditions; organizers say participation is rising among younger families. Campus Culture: Missouri S&T will start a free outdoor movie series Oct. 29 with Hocus Pocus, food trucks and family activities. Missouri Agriculture: Mizzou opened four research and teaching facilities, including a grape-and-wine fermentation lab and a meat science lab. Fall Traditions: Hermann Oktoberfest continues on weekends, while West Plains will host the Ozark Heritage Festival Oct. 16–17. A Missouri farm’s corn maze also shows how fall attractions can bring working farms extra income. Arts & History: A St. Louis museum and archives leader traces Halloween traditions to Celtic practices focused on ancestors and the coming winter.

Campus Activism: Ten Missouri grassroots groups condemned Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s investigation of Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine, calling it an abuse of power and an effort to intimidate student organizers. Immigration and Community: A 19-year-old McDonald County student detained after a traffic stop is challenging his continued custody in federal court, renewing scrutiny of local cooperation with ICE. Arts and Events: Missouri S&T will launch free community movie nights in Rolla with an Oct. 29 screening of Hocus Pocus, plus food trucks and family activities. Higher Education: Seven Lincoln University students and alumni are seeking $549 million in a lawsuit alleging Missouri underfunded the historically Black land-grant university for decades compared with the University of Missouri.

Labor and Immigration: Three St. Charles County residents were sentenced for forcing an Indian national to work under abusive conditions and taking his immigration documents. Higher Education: Lincoln University students and alumni are seeking $548.7 million from Missouri, alleging decades of unequal funding left the historically Black university with inadequate facilities and student services. College Access: More than 170 Missouri high school seniors have opted into Mizzou’s new guaranteed-admission program for eligible students in five districts. Community Recovery: Black River flood survivors in southern Missouri are still repairing damaged homes months after July’s flooding, with winter approaching. Sustainable Style: Northwest Missouri State will host its first Green Runway fashion show, featuring student designs made with reused and natural materials to spotlight fast fashion’s environmental toll.

Higher Education: Seven current and former Lincoln University students are suing Missouri, alleging decades of unequal funding at the state’s historically Black land-grant university. They seek damages and an order requiring the state to match federal land-grant funds. Women’s Safety: Hannibal’s domestic violence shelter is nearing a “vital” reopening as women seeking refuge are turned away. Arts & Heritage: A St. Louis metal-detecting club helps property owners uncover local history, while a new community report flags both challenges and promise in the Ozarks arts scene. Education: Mizzou will guarantee admission to eligible students in five Missouri school districts. A Joplin teacher is also among 24 educators chosen for the state’s new Show-Me Growth Teaching Fellowship. Ballot Debate: Missouri’s proposed Amendment 3 would repeal abortion protections approved by voters in 2024 and restrict gender-affirming care for minors, putting both issues at the center of the campaign.

Campus & Technology: Northwest Missouri State students are debating AI’s role in education and design, after an AI-generated campus T-shirt drew criticism. Kirksville History: A new installment in a local history series traces the Spencer family home through a devastating 1899 tornado and the years that followed. Higher Education: Lincoln University students and alumni have sued Missouri, alleging decades of unequal funding left the state’s only historically Black land-grant university short by $361.6 million; they seek more than $500 million in damages and a commitment to equitable funding. Small-Town Heritage: Anderson’s profile looks back at its rise as a strawberry-growing center and how the Missouri town balances its history with modern growth.

Higher Education: Seven current and former Lincoln University students and alumni are suing Missouri, alleging decades of unequal funding harmed the historically Black school; they want damages and an order requiring the state to match its federal land-grant funding. Children & Media: St. Louis creator Stacy “Nana” Rolfe’s children’s series, filmed at a Wildwood miniature-horse sanctuary, uses real animals and a slower pace to encourage curiosity and connection. Music: Northwest Missouri State’s Wind Symphony will perform at the state music educators’ conference in January; its free campus concert is Oct. 8. Community & Nature: Boonslick Master Gardeners earned three statewide awards and recently hosted a family event tagging monarch butterflies for migration research. Books & Free Expression: St. Louis Jewish voices are pushing back after Missouri schools pulled Maus, amid broader concerns about book bans. Missouri Roots: Anderson’s profile traces its rise as a strawberry-growing hub and its evolution into a small town balancing historic preservation with modern amenities.

Immigration & Voting Integrity: A Cuban lawful permanent resident, Andrés García, was arrested in Kansas City and charged with illegally voting in federal elections in 2022 and 2024, with prosecutors saying he voted in at least 15 elections over 20 years despite knowing he wasn’t a U.S. citizen. Public Health & Environment: Missouri residents near the Labadie Energy Center are reacting to federal rollbacks that delay and repeal tighter mercury pollution rules, while another report links rising electricity bills in Kansas and Missouri to an aging grid and growing demand. Culture & Faith in the Spotlight: Televangelist Jim Bakker, who built the PTL Club empire and later faced sex and financial scandals, died at 86 in Blue Eye, Missouri. Education & Access: The University of Missouri will offer guaranteed admission to qualifying students from select Missouri districts through an early pathway with no traditional application or fee. Community & Lifestyle: St. Charles County’s Spring Bend Park is set to open this fall, adding a new nature retreat with trails and plans for an education center. Local Agriculture: MU Extension will host a Beginning Farmer/Rancher Educational Event Oct. 21 in Ozark with hands-on guidance on livestock, forage, and financing. Sports & Pride: Illinois State’s Rylann Law earned MVC Player of the Week, and former Redbird Kate Del Fava received her first senior USWNT call-up.

Higher Ed Access: Mizzou will launch a direct admission pathway for students from select Missouri school districts, offering automatic admission for qualifying early-college students who hit a 3.0 core GPA and complete 12 college credits by the end of junior year. Corrections & Workforce Training: Algoa Correctional Center added state-certified barbering and a tattooing program to help incarcerated men build job skills for life after release. Voting & Citizenship Scrutiny: Boone County voters were flagged after a federal citizenship database was used again, raising questions about how local election offices handle lists that may not be actionable. Immigration & Religious Rights: The St. Louis Archdiocese sued the federal government over an ICE policy that blocks priests from providing sacraments to migrants in detention. Community & Outdoors: Missouri Department of Conservation is hosting hunter education certification in northwest Missouri, with a final step class for ages 11+. Local Heritage: Wildwood’s historic Essen Log Cabin has been reconstructed and reopened to the public after years of setbacks. Culture & Sports: A controversy swirled around WNBA player Sophie Cunningham’s “No Cis Just … Woman” hat during Mizzou homecoming. Public Safety & Health: Narcan is expanding access in Cooper County.

Evangelical TV Legacy: Jim Bakker, the Branson-area televangelist who built the PTL Club empire with Tammy Faye before scandals and fraud convictions toppled him, has died at 86. Public Media & Early Learning: Nine PBS (St. Louis) won $11M in federal Ready to Learn funding to expand early childhood literacy for ages 2–8. Campus & Global Exchange: University of Central Missouri leaders met the University of Seoul to deepen faculty exchanges and research ties, building on a partnership that began with student exchanges in 2008. Health & Lifestyle: A Missouri-linked lifestyle medicine group backed a push to treat nature as a core health tool, linking outdoor activity and connectedness to whole-person care. Fall in Missouri State Parks: Halloween programming is rolling out across Missouri parks, including Pomme de Terror at Pomme de Terre State Park and other spooky events. Arts & Community: A documentary tour for “World Without Cows” is set to bring food-and-land conversations to select theaters, including Missouri, starting Oct. 14. Culture in Motion: WWE RAW aired from St. Louis with Roman Reigns returning and setting up major Money in the Bank storylines.

Catholic Rights Fight: The Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis sued the U.S. government over restrictions at the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center, saying priests can only visit during a four-hour Monday window and detainees can’t privately access sacraments like confession and communion. LGBTQ+ Safety: Kansas City police are investigating the theft and vandalism of a Northland pride flag, a case that’s already testing how Missouri hate-crime rules apply. Education & Community: Kansas City’s Whittier Elementary shows literacy momentum through SchoolSmartKC’s Literacy for All Students initiative, pairing classrooms with literacy coaches. Local Journalism: The Maryville Forum won top Missouri Press Association awards, including Gold Cup and General Excellence, for its 2025 reporting. Culture & Pop Life: “Days of Our Lives” actor Robert Kelker-Kelly died at 62 after a cardiac arrest call to his Missouri home. Faith in the Public Square: A pastor’s viral photo with former Newsboys singer Michael Tait sparked backlash and debate over forgiveness and accountability. Ballot Watch: A roundup of midterm ballot measures highlights how states are pushing voter ID, taxes, and reproductive-rights changes.

Outdoor Skills & Food Culture: Hunting and foraging classes are drawing new fans who want a hands-on, nature-first way to learn tracking and connect with plants and animals. LGBTQ+ Community Life: Mid-Missouri PrideFest in Columbia pulled about 10,000 people over two days, with vendors, family activities, and drag performances. Faith & Service in Missouri: Rockhurst University’s Alvin Brooks Center for Faith-Justice highlights “faith that does justice,” pairing worship space with community outreach. World Mission Spotlight: Sisters in Jesus the Lord, co-founded in St. Joseph, Missouri, share their ongoing Catholic mission in Vladivostok, Russia. Local Arts & Memory: A Kirkwood exhibit, “Forgotten: North St. Louis Homes One Year Later,” uses paintings to document tornado damage and the region’s inequality. Surveillance Debate: “Show Me Resistance” protested Jefferson City’s Flock cameras, arguing the system enables mass surveillance and misuse. Public Health Access: Cooper County expanded Narcan availability with six free grab-and-go sites after synthetic opioid concerns. Education Policy Watch: Webster Groves’ school board discussed Missouri’s new A–F grading framework and what districts still need to learn. Music & Events: KU’s Day on the Hill returns Oct. 6 with Turnstile, Slayyyter, and Die Spitz.