CALGARY, Alberta – Gov. Jay Nixon announced Tuesday he has signed Missouri’s first trade agreement with the province of Alberta to expand exports to Canada, the state’s leading export destination. It is the third trade agreement the Governor has signed with a Canadian province in the past 18 months. In 2014, Missouri exports to Canada reached an all-time high of more than $4.7 billion.

“One of the best ways to create jobs and boost our state’s economy is to expand trade relations and compete fully in the global marketplace, because 96 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the United States,” Gov. Nixon said. “This agreement with Alberta, along with the relationships we’re building on this mission, provides the opportunity to further expand our trade with Canada, Missouri’s top export market and one of the leading nations for investment in the Show-Me State.”

Employment figures released today showed Missouri added another 11,900 jobs in July. It is estimated exports to Canada are responsible for supporting more than 160,000 Missouri jobs.

The agreement with Alberta, signed Monday in Edmonton by Gov. Nixon and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, provides a framework for further collaboration and economic development initiatives to enhance trade and investment between Missouri and Alberta. Alberta is Canada’s leading energy province, and in 2014 bi-lateral trade between Missouri and Alberta surpassed $465 million.

A Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted in federal court today of illegally possessing a firearm.

Wesley Wyatt, 59, of Kansas City, was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Wyatt was in possession of a Davis Industries .38-caliber two-shot derringer pistol on Sept. 18, 2013.

Kansas City police officers responded to a domestic violence call at Wyatt’s apartment on Sept. 18, 2013. The victim of the assault, Wyatt’s girlfriend, told officers that she and Wyatt were arguing when he pulled out a gun, pointed it at her, and said “If you don’t get out of my house I will kill you!” Wyatt was not in the residence when officers arrived, but returned a short time later and was arrested for domestic assault. A firearm was not located at that time.

While Wyatt was being held in the Kansas City detention unit, he called another person to go retrieve his gun from the mailbox. That person, instead, called Wyatt’s girlfriend, who then called the police to come retrieve the loaded gun.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Wyatt has two prior felony convictions for robbery, two prior felony convictions for distributing a controlled substance and prior felony convictions for trafficking in a controlled substance and for possessing a controlled substance.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about 22 minutes before returning the guilty verdict to U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner, ending a trial that began Monday, Aug. 17, 2015.

Under federal statutes, Wyatt is subject to being sentenced as an armed career offender to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

(Missourinet) – Missourinet Reporter Shawn Kober visited the Missouri State Fair and spoke to some of the showing pigs, and some of the people who teach them:

(Missourinet) – A state senator wants to know if an arrangement between a Columbia hospital and a doctor performing abortions could be violating state law.

Senator Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia) chairs the senate committee investigating whether Planned Parenthood is violating any laws in Missouri in its handling of fetal tissue. Now he’s exploring whether the University of Missouri hospital is violating the law by entering into an agreement to allow a doctor who is performing abortions in Columbia to refer patients to it and to follow-up on them.

“If in fact they do have that agreement … it looks like that agreement is what allowed that license to be issued,” Schaefer told Missourinet, referring to the license issued to the Planned Parenthood facility in July that allows it to resume performing abortions.

“It is against the law for the use of public funds to in any way promote or assist in the performance of abortions, and so I think that raises a real question if in fact it is the University that enabled this license to be issued by giving that agreement, I think there are some potential issues there with that law as well as others,” said Schaefer. “Missouri citizens have said over and over they do not want public funds used to perform abortions.”

Schaefer is asking the hospital for more information, “Asking them for a copy of any privilege agreement they have with that doctor who’s performing those abortions at the Columbia facility, or the facility itself.”

After a hearing Thursday, Schaefer has given the Department until Friday to produce documents about that agreement, or he is threatening its director with contempt.

(Missourinet) – The Missouri Department of Education has released testing results that show minority and low-income students scored 13% lower when compared to the performance for all students, statewide.

Spokeswoman Sarah Potter told Missourinet the achievement gap is a continuing issue in Missouri.

“In general, what we are seeing is that the achievement gap continues in this new set of data, as we’ve seen in the past. The gap gives us a metric by which to say this is an area where we really need to focus and we need to catch up,” said Potter.

Potter said curriculum reviews in struggling districts aim to close the achievement gap.

“Our staff at the department would actually take a close look and say this is where you really need to change some things to improve your curriculum. So, it’s things like that at the state level that we can do to support and help those local educators actually improve districts and help them close the gap.”

The assessment covered English, math, science, and social studies for grades three through eight.

The Department of Education released a week ago a report that revealed proficiency data for students in grades three through eight. The report said 60% of Missouri students are proficient in English, while only 28-52% of students are proficient in Math.

A new testing system was used this year for Missouri students, and the testing standards could be changed again next year.

(Missourinet) – There’s an ongoing battle by the National Rural Electric Coop Association in Washington D.C. on the EPA’s new power plant rule. Don McQuitty of Missouri sits on the Association’s board and it opposes the regulations, which aims to reduce power plant emissions nationwide 30% by 2030.

McQuitty said Missouri’s electric rates are more affordable than other states.

“I was on Wall Street a few years back and the gentleman who was questioning us about our bond rating was challenging us on our ability to raise rates and to be able to pay our bills because we are a cooperative and we’re not regulated by the Public Service Commission. I looked at him and said ‘How much a kilowatt hour do you pay?’ He said 26-cents. I think Missouri’s average customer pays 9-cents,” said McQuitty.

Opponents say the new rule would result in much higher electric bills. McQuitty says coal is an important factor in lower rates.

“We forget when people who had to milk cows and do the work we had to do in agriculture didn’t have the luxury of having all the power they wanted,” said McQuitty. “We do now and it’s lost cost. We are predominantly coal-fired. I even worked in the coal mines down in Randolph and Chariton Counties. I fully understand the importance of those jobs and the importance of coal.”
Kansas and 14 other states are suing the EPA because of the new rule. Missouri’s Attorney General wouldn’t say if he will join the effort. Chris Koster says he will begin a thorough review of the issues immediately.

(Missourinet) – A Washington University Professor of Law believes one piece of legislation tied to Ferguson that became law this year didn’t go far enough in reforming municipal courts. That law went into effect August 15.

When Governor Jay Nixon (D) signed Senate Bill 5 into law he described it as having, “real teeth,” and said it would return those courts to their intended purpose, but Washington University Professor May Quinn criticizes it as not being the fundamental, game-changing reform it was billed to be.

Particularly, she thinks it didn’t address issues that come from juveniles in those courts.

“Kids at age 17 across Missouri may be automatically filed both into our circuit court system and into our municipal courts, but you also have kids as young as 16 and 15 in the municipal courts,” said Quinn.

Quinn said there is no requirement that a juvenile have an attorney in municipal court.

“As a matter of practice, frequently you have children negotiating these systems on their own and entering into guilty pleas without necessarily understanding all that they are undertaking and the impacts that those cases may have on their lives,” said Quinn.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Glendale), defended the bill as having been comprehensive.

“I’m very proud of the fact that Senate Bill 5 is a very exhaustive, significant reform that deals with structural, underlying issues that have broken down trust between people and their government,” said Schmitt.

Schmitt said there will always be critics, and there will always be more issues to address.

“There was a report – the Department of Justice issued a report that dealt with St. Louis County juvenile courts that we’ll take a look at and listen, and if there are issues I would encourage … her to engage in the process if she thinks there are additional issues,” said Schmitt. “I will, as many of my colleagues do, take every opportunity to look at the facts and if the facts warrant reform we would certainly look at that. That’s how [the process of passing SB 5] got started.”

Quinn said there are signs that a legislative effort at reform could occur.

“Heartening news out of the Ferguson Commission that through conversations and various working groups, the raise the age issue has been talked about, albeit indirectly, and there is some good language being considered from the various working groups that would provide some counsel for kids,” said Quinn. “The devil, of course, is in the details.”

She said the recent finding of the Justice Department that St. Louis County’s family court system is in need of reform to eliminate bias is an opportunity to take on more of these issues.

(Missourinet) – A delegation of state officials including Governor Jay Nixon will travel to the Canadian province of Alberta next week, August 16-19, to try and drum up additional trade exports. In meetings with business and government leaders, the Governor’s office said he will also seek to strengthen opportunities for additional investments by Canadian companies in Missouri and participate in a conference of energy industry executives and stakeholders.

“The more goods we export abroad, the more jobs we create here at home and that’s why I’ve made it a priority to market the ‘Made in Missouri’ brand worldwide,” says Nixon.

“Canada is Missouri’s leading export partner, and an ideal market to continue to boost exports of the products Missouri businesses and farmers produce,” said Nixon. “Canadian businesses have also made Missouri a leading location for investment and I look forward to expanding our reputation as a state with skilled workers and a business-friendly climate.”

The Governor’s office said Canada purchased more than $4.7 billion in Missouri goods last year. The province of Alberta is one of Canada’s most prosperous provinces, with strong energy, agriculture and technology industries. Missouri’s top exports to Canada in 2014 were transportation equipment ($2.08 billion); chemicals ($657 million); machinery ($438 million); and food products ($392 million).

Joining Governor Nixon on the trade mission will be First Lady Georganne Nixon and Mike Downing, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Travel costs for Governor and Mrs. Nixon will be covered by the Hawthorn Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting economic growth in Missouri