MARYVILLE, Mo. – Women who are looking to rejoin the workforce or advance their careers are invited to a Women’s Economic Empowerment Seminar at Northwest Missouri State University.

The seminar is 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, in the First Ladies Dining Room on the third floor of Northwest’s J.W. Jones Student Union.

It will provide women with an opportunity to review valuable job skills. The Northwest Enactus chapter and the Walmart Foundation are sponsoring the event.

“Whether they have been out of the workforce for some time, are seeking to rebrand themselves, or are simply looking to move up in their current position, our seminar will provide useful skills to help women achieve those goals,” Nathan Powell, an Enactus member and a freshman international business major from Laclede, Missouri, said. “Many similar programs focus on young women fresh out of high school or college, but what makes our program unique is that we are focusing on women who have been out of school and are looking to make a change in their lives.”

Seminar topics will include interviewing skills, dressing professionally and improving a resume. After a free lunch, attendees can participate in mock interview sessions. Enactus also will provide a job-seeking kit to all participants.

The Women’s Economic Empowerment Seminar is free and open to the public. Interested individuals should RSVP to Powell at s523809@mail.nwmissouri.edu or call 660.562.1282 by Saturday, Feb. 20.

The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department along with other statewide law enforcement personnel will be taking part in a seat belt enforcement campaign next week.

The Department announced Thursday its plans to take part in a “Click It or Ticket” mobilization set for Feb. 19. It said it’s an effort to get more motorists to buckle their seat belts and save more lives.

It said despite evidence proving the benefits of wearing a seat belt, 20% of Missouri motorists are still not making it click. Even worse, 63% of occupants killed in crashes in Missouri were unrestrained.

“Local motorists should be prepared for our stepped up “Click It or Ticket” enforcement” said Captain Tiger Parsons. “We’ll be out there to remind you that seat belts can and do save lives!”

A St. Joseph School District middle school teacher was surprised this morning during an assembly with a prestigious award.

Deborah Siebern-Dennis, a 7th grade science teacher at Bode Middle School walked into a school-wide assembly this morning with no idea that she would be walking out an hour later $25,000 richer and the recipient of a prestigious Milken Educator Award.

Siebern-Dennis, who is known around Bode Middle School as the “queen of classroom management,” received the surprise of her lifetime before students, colleagues, media and distinguished officials, including Dr. Margie Vandeven, Missouri Department of Education Commissioner. In true Awards show-style, her name was called out and she was given the prized navy blue envelope by Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Dr. Jane Foley.

She is among up to 40 educators who will receive the prestigious national honor during the Milken Family Foundation’s (MFF) coast-to-coast tour across the country during the 2015-16 Awards season. MFF has been rewarding outstanding elementary and secondary educators with the Award since 1987. Siebern-Dennis is the 45th recipient in Missouri since the program was implemented in that state in 1996.

“It’s evident that Deb relishes her role as a teacher and she has a special gift to teach and inspire middle school students,” said Foley. “Her passion for science, her classroom structure, and her positive attitude motivate her students to be the best they can be. She is a master at using online resources to stretch students’ thinking and explanations in science and she is a true collaborator and mentor to her colleagues. We look forward to seeing her continue to contribute to education with the support and prestige that come with this life-changing Award.”

Kansas City Power & Light customers will be paying a little less for their electricity starting in March.

The Missouri Public Servive Commission has approved a request filed by KCP&L to change the fuel adjustment charged on the monthly bills of its electric customers.

The change take effect on March 1, 2016. In St. Joseph that will mean a decrease of around $1.76 a month for the typical residential customer, in Kansas City that will be a decrease of about $2.42 a month.

The fuel adjustment charge was authorized by the Commission for KCP&L-GMO in a regular rate case in 2007. The FAC tariff allows the company to pass increases or decreases in its net fuel and purchased power costs to customers outside of a general rate case.

The FAC allows the company to recover most – up to 95 percent – of its costs, but not all, to encourage conservation and prudence in fuel use by the company. Any charges resulting from the fuel adjustment clause must appear in a separate category on customers’ bills.

Fuel adjustment charges are intended to help companies deal with volatility in fuel pricing. The FAC tariff requires regular adjustments to reflect changes in prices the company has incurred for fuel and for wholesale power purchased to serve customers.

A Union Star man was taken to the hospital Wednesday night after a one-vehicle crash in Andrew County.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Charles Goss, 22 was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Impala southbound on U.S. 169 about three miles south of Union Star just before 7 p.m. when his vehicle went off the north side of the roadway, hit a tree, rolled-over and hit two fence posts.  Goss was taken by ambulance to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of what was described as a moderate injury.  He was reported to be wearing a seat belt.

Officials say a pair of sales-tax proposals are crucial to the future of the Mozingo Lake Recreation Park near Maryville. A gathering is planned Thursday night in Maryville to educate voters on the proposals, which will appear on the April 5 municipal election ballot.

The first proposal would extend an existing half-cent on the dollar sales tax used to support facilities and operations at the city-owned park, and the second would create a new eighth-of-a-cent per $1 tax earmarked for financing construction of a $4 million conference center and golf course clubhouse.

Both levies would remain in place for 20 years.

The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Maryville Community Center at 1407 N. Country Club Road-Suite 200.