Artists are being sought for the 2018-19 Sculpture Walk in downtown St. Joseph.

According to a news release, the Allied Arts Council in conjunction with the City of St. Joseph is seeking sculpture artists to enter the 5th annual St. Joseph Sculpture Walk! The exhibit is a showcase of outdoor sculptures displayed for one year in downtown St. Joseph.

The Allied Arts Council said, Sculptors receive a $500 honorarium if their piece is selected. The sculptures are also entered into a competition to compete for up to $13,000 in cash prize awards. Each sculpture is for sale to the public. Additionally, one sculpture is purchased to become a permanent part of St. Joseph’s public art collection. The deadline for submission is February 5 with notification of acceptance on or before March 5. CLICK HERE for more information.

A committee is launching efforts to encourage St. Joseph voters to approve a tax levy for the St. Joseph School District on the November ballot.

The Committee to Move St. Joseph Forward is launching its campaign efforts Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 4:30 p.m. at the Felix St. Square Concession Building. Co-Chair Kristi Arthur, said after the launch, the committee will then start making rounds in the St. Joseph community to promote a yes vote on Proposition 1.

“We’ll canvas every Saturday; the 14, 21, 28 and then November 4th,” Arthur said. “We need as many people to turn out to help with those events as possible.”

Arthur said the committee was formed after the St. Joseph School District Board of Education approved putting the $1.15 ta increase on the Nov. 7 ballot. That happened after the 1Vision Special Task Force recommended the tax levy.

“A community group of over 60 community members wanted to come up with a plan to move St. Joseph forward,” Arthur said. “It’s really important for us to lift up that a group of community members developed the plan and pushed the board to put it on the ballot.”

The committee said, if the proposition is approved by voters it would generate $11.5 million each year. According to the St. Joseph School District, approval of the proposal will allow the district to eliminate a projected budget deficit, retain teaching positions, maintain low class sizes, expand the use of technology for all students and support the current educational programs.

CLICK HERE to view a detailed plan on what the funds will be used for on the committee’s website. Arthur said community volunteers are also needed. Volunteer opportunities can be found HERE.

Anyone who wants to vote on the Nov. 7 ballot needs to be registered in Buchanan County by today (Oct. 11).  According to Buchanan County Clerk Mary Baack-Garvey her office will be open until 5 p.m.  Contact the clerk’s office for details regarding voter registration at 816-271-1412 or visit the website here.

The last day for voters in Buchanan County to register to vote in the November Special Election is Wednesday.

According to the Buchanan County Clerk’s Office, voters need to be registered by October 11. The Clerk’s office will be open Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. according to the county’s website. Anyone needing information regarding their voter registration can contact the Clerk’s office at (816) 271-1412.

The only item up for consideration on the Nov. 7 ballot is the St. Joseph School District Levy proposal. The proposition reads as follows:

“In order to replace and offset State funding reductions; meet
the operating expenses of the District; continue existing
programs; address instructional diverse student needs; retain
and attract qualified staff; reduce class sizes; maintain its
facilities; increase student safety; increase early childhood
education opportunities; fund a 1:1 technology initiative; and
continue installing and renovating heating, ventilation and air
conditioning (HVAC) systems at the three High School
gymnasiums and auditoriums and two remaining Middle
Schools, shall the Board of Education of the St. Joseph
School District, Missouri, be authorized to increase the
operating tax levy ceiling to $4.2562 per one hundred dollars
of assessed valuation and to eliminate fully the Proposition C
Sales Tax Rollback in its operating levy under Section
164.013 R.S.Mo.?
(If approved, this proposition would fully eliminate the
Proposition C Sales Tax Rollback and is estimated to increase
the District’s adjusted operating levy from $3.0636, currently,
to $4.2562 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation in
the 2018 Tax Year and to be applied to the assessed
valuation for each year thereafter.)”

CLICK HERE for the Buchanan County Clerk’s website.

Business owners wanting to sell their business or entrepreneurs interested in buying one can utilize a new website through Missouri Western State University to do so.

According to a news release from Western, the Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE) in the school’s Craig School of Business recently launched a website that connects existing business owners wanting to sell their business with prospective buyers.

The Business SUCCESSion web page, csb-cfe.missouriwestern.edu/biz-opps, is essentially a bulletin board of businesses available for sale, according to Annette Weeks, director of the CFE.

“It’s part of the CFE’s mission to promote succession planning and keep small businesses open while making opportunities available for new entrepreneurs,” Weeks said. “Small businesses are integral to our region, and retaining a successful business is an important part of that.”

The CFE, which opened in 2014, trains, mentors and supports business owners and entrepreneurs in the St. Joseph area and beyond. Since it opened, the CFE has provided free consulting services to more than 200 new and existing entrepreneurs.

To learn more or to set up a confidential, one-on-one consultation, email Weeks at aweeks@missouriwestern.edu or call the CFE at (816) 271-4283.