Gov. Jay Nixon today applauded state-by-state numbers released last week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showing Missouri’s net gain of 57,100 jobs over the last year led all eight of its neighboring states.

In a news release, the governor’s office said the Show Me State also ranked in the top ten nationwide in new jobs. The same data showed Missouri was tied for the largest statistically significant decrease in the nation in the unemployment rate in November.

“On my very first day in office, I pledged to turn Missouri’s economy around and create good jobs for working families across our state,” said Gov. Nixon. “Over the last eight years, we’ve cut our unemployment rate in half, revitalized our manufacturing industry and made Missouri an internationally-recognized center of high-tech innovation and entrepreneurship. This report showing Missouri leading the region in job growth is more proof that hard work pays off. By balancing budgets and making smart investments in our students and workers, we’ve positioned Missouri to compete and win in the global economy.”

The BLS report also showed Missouri’s nonfarm payroll employment grew by 1,900 jobs in November, reaching a new record high for the state with 2,842,200 jobs. The state’s unemployment rate for November also went down by four-tenths of a point to 4.7 percent.

In August, Missouri was named the 6th best state in the nation for its annual advanced manufacturing industry job growth in a new report from the Brookings Institution. The same report also found that Missouri is the 8th best state in the nation for output growth of its advanced manufacturing industry.

An Arizona man pleaded guilty Monday to using a stolen identity in an effort to buy a $52,000 car from a Wichita auto dealer.

U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said Thomas Rye, 36, Phoenix, Ariz.was one of 13 defendants named in an indictment in May.

The indictment alleges they were part of an organization that attempted to fraudulently obtain a total of $3.5 million in credit and cash. According to the indictment, the conspirators divided up the work of stealing mail from mailboxes, fraudulently applying for credit and shopping with stolen identities.

Rye pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. In his plea, he admitted that on Jan. 2, 2016, he called Eddy’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Wichita and applied for a pre-approved line of credit to purchase a car. He used a stolen identity for a credit check and tried to use the victim’s credit to buy a Dodge Challenger Hellcat valued at $52,725. Mistakes in the credit application paperwork caused employees of the dealership to become suspicious and they called police. Rye was arrested at the scene.

Sentencing is set for March 6. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

When the new Congress convenes in January, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill will serve on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.  The Missouri Democrat will also remain a senior member of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee and will be joining the Senate Finance Committee.

McCaskill was named the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over the federal government’s operations and the Department of Homeland Security. That new role will dramatically expand McCaskill’s role in federal government oversight, protecting the homeland, and guarding taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud and abuse.

“Missourians expect me to fight for them—to make their families and communities more secure, and to strengthen accountability in government,” said McCaskill. “That’s been the bread and butter of my work in the Senate. And these assignments will give me a strong platform to keep fighting for the state I love.”

McCaskill’s continued seniority on the Senate Armed Services Committee will allow her to continue her work to strengthen national security, and her advocacy for Missouri’s military installations and the role the state plays in the nation’s defense—while the Senate Finance Committee has broad jurisdiction over tax policy, trade, and healthcare.