Minimum wage to increase Wednesday; KFVS12 adding channels

Thousands of Missourians will get a raise Wednesday when a new minimum wage rate kicks in, increasing the minimum hourly wage from $8.60 to $9.45.

The wage hike is part of a multiyear plan to incrementally increase the state's minimum wage for non-tipped workers between now and 2023.

Proposition B, approved by Missouri voters in November 2018, increased the hourly minimum from $7.85 to $8.60 effective at the beginning of this year. In 2021, it is scheduled to increase to $10.30 then $11.15 in 2022 and $12 in 2023 in an effort to provide more Missourians with a "livable" minimum wage.

Missouri is one of approximately two dozen states where the minimum wage will increase as of Jan. 1.

Across the river, Illinois' minimum wage will jump a dollar Wednesday from $8.25 an hour to $9.25 and will increase another 75 cents on July 1 to $10. In subsequent years, the Land of Lincoln's minimum wage will increase by a dollar a year until it reaches $15 in 2025. Arkansas is also increasing its minimum wage to $10 as of Jan. 1.

Meanwhile, the federal minimum wage will remain at $7.25 an hour for non-tipped employees. In any state or locality with a minimum wage higher than the federal rate, most employers are required to pay the applicable state or local minimum wage rate.

In Kentucky and Tennessee, the prevailing minimum wage in 2020 will remain at $7.25 where it has been for the past decade.

I suppose today's minimum wage rates are another sign of how the times have changed; it was almost 50 years ago I began my first part-time jobs in my hometown of Chester, Illinois, where I worked retail at a "dime store" and fried hamburgers at a fast-food restaurant. My memory is a little fuzzy, but I think I earned something like $1.25 an hour (and all the french fries I could eat).

Kinda makes me feel "rich" today!

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Because this is my final "Business Notebook" of 2019, I thought it's worth noting a few of the year's major local business stories.

In January, for instance, United Express added seven round-trip flights a week between Cape Girardeau and Chicago, Illinois, giving Cape three daily flights to the Windy City on weekdays and two on Saturdays and Sundays.

In February, it was announced SoutheastHEALTH and Universal Health Services would build a 102-bed, $33 million behavioral health hospital adjacent to the Southeast Cancer Center along South Mount. Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau.

J.C. Penney Co. announced plans in March to close its store in Sikeston, Missouri, effective July 5. The closure was one of approximately 20 stores the company planned to close in 2019.

Several notable business developments occurred in April including the groundbreaking for Liberty Apartments, a 40-unit apartment complex for low-income renters, along Walnut Street in south Cape Girardeau; the announcement Southeast Missouri State University planed to hire an architectural firm to develop renovation plans for Houck Stadium; and Orscheln Farm & Home's announcement planning to move its Cape Girardeau store into the former "Big K" Kmart location at 11 S. Kingshighway. At the time, Orscheln said it hoped the move could take place by the fall of 2019, but as of now, there seems to have been little or no activity at the building indicating the move is in the works.

It was announced in May that Ray's Plaza Banquet Center, near the intersection of South Mount Auburn Road and William Street in Cape Girardeau, would close in early June and would be demolished to make room for future development at the site. It was also announced in May that NextEra Energy Resources of June Beach, Florida, was developing plans to build a $200 million, 1,200-acre solar farm in southern Cape Girardeau County near Delta. The facility, the company said, could be in operation within two-to-four years.

After nearly 40 years in Cape Girardeau, Metro Business College announced in June it would close by the end of the year due to rising costs and declining enrollments. It was also announced in June that Century Casinos of Colorado Springs, Colorado, had agreed in principal to purchase Isle Casino Cape Girardeau from Eldorado Resorts of Reno, Nevada, as part of a three-casino cash transaction between the two companies.

In July, Missouri Main Street Connections recognized a Cape Girardeau landmark preservation project and a pair of businesses for their support of downtown Cape Girardeau redevelopment efforts.

In August, Sears Holdings announced it would close the Sears Grand store in Cape Girardeau by October. Also in August, Procter & Gamble celebrated the 50th anniversary of the company's diaper and paper products plant north of the city.

Saint Francis Healthcare System, working in collaboration with more than a dozen other organizations including SoutheastHEALTH, was awarded a $3 million grant in August from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to enhance prenatal and maternity services in the Missouri Bootheel.

The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri began a capital campaign in October in an effort to raise $3.7 million for a new adoption facility on Boutin Drive in Cape Girardeau. Also in October, Cape Girardeau Regional Airport manager Bruce Loy announced he will retire in early 2020 after 22 years in the position.

Speaking of the airport, it was announced in November more than 10,000 passengers had boarded flights out of Cape Girardeau during the first 11 months of 2019. By reaching the 10,000-passenger plateau, the airport qualified for an additional $850,000 in federal funding, increasing its annual federal assistance from $150,000 to $1 million.

And in early December, the Missouri Gaming Commission gave its approval to Isle Casino's ownership change; the official name of the casino was changed immediately to "Century Casino Cape Girardeau," but it will take several months to change all aspects of the casino's branding.

A more detailed "year in business" review can be found in the latest edition of B Magazine, which is now in distribution and can be found in the link below.

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Now on to the rest of this week's Business Notebook ...

KFVS12 adding channels

KFVS12 in Cape Girardeau will add two over-the-air channels effective Wednesday, bringing the station's free channel offerings to five.

According to a news release from the station, viewers who watch KFVS12 using an antenna will need to re-scan their tuners on or after Wednesday to receive the new channels while those who watch KFVS12 through a cable or satellite service won't need to do anything to receive the channels, although not all of them will be available right away on all systems.

The "digi-net" channels are available over-the-air on channels 12.1 through 12.5 and are all broadcast as part of the primary KFVS12 signal.

Channel 12.1 will remain as the primary KFVS12 signal and 12.2 will remain as WQWQ-TV, also known as The Heartland's CW. Channel 12.3 will become the Circle Network, an all-new 24-hour country music lifestyle channel and is a partnership between Opry Entertainment Group in Nashville, Tennessee, and Gray TV, owner of KFVS12.

Channel 12.4 will be designated as MeTV Heartland, the local MeTV network affiliate, offering classic TV shows 24 hours a day. According to KFVS12, it will not initially be available on satellite services and negotiations are underway to add the channel to Spectrum and Comcast cable systems.

Finally, channel 12.5 will become the local Grit Network affiliate, previously broadcast on channel 12.3 and offering classic Westerns and action movies. It will not initially be available on satellite services and negotiations are underway to add it to area cable systems.

More information is available at www.kfvs12.com/free.

Food Bank benefits from pork distribution

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Southeast Missouri Food Bank recently received 7,292 pounds of pork thanks to a partnership of pork industry organizations and pork producers.

The Missouri Pork Association, Smithfield Foods Inc., Prairie Fresh Pork and Missouri pig farmers teamed up to provide 73,000 pounds of protein and $5,000 to Feeding Missouri. The donation was part of the annual "Hams Across America" program.

"We know that many of our neighbors are in need of extra help this holiday season, with one in seven people in Missouri struggling with hunger," said Chris Chinn, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, who is himself a pig farmer. "Being good neighbors and helping those in need is important to everyone in our industry."

The pork was distributed to six Missouri food banks, including the one headquartered in Sikeston, that are part of the Feeding Missouri coalition.

The Southeast Missouri Food Bank serves food pantries and mobile distribution programs in 16 counties.

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Speaking of pork, today, Dec. 30, is Bacon Day, designed to celebrate crispy strips of salted pork.

Bacon Day is not to be confused with International Bacon Day, which, according to my research, takes place on the Saturday before Labor Day. Residents of Bradford, Massachusetts, claim to have created International Bacon Day in 2000, but a group of former graduate students in Boulder, Colorado, also say they started it in 2004. However, Bacon Day seems to have its roots in the United Kingdom sometime before 2000.

Chamber Notes ...

The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's next First Friday Coffee will not be held on the first Friday of January, but will instead take place next Friday, Jan. 10, at the Event Center at Century Casino Cape Girardeau, formerly Isle Casino. Doors open at 7 a.m. with the program, featuring a panel of local leaders discussing "what to expect in 2020," starting at about 7:30 a.m.

First Friday Coffees are free for chamber members and their guests.

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The Cape Girardeau chamber will host a ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. Jan. 6 in observance of the opening of Nunnery Travels & Associates Dream Vacations' new office in the Marquette Tower, 338 Broadway, Suite 431, in Cape Girardeau.

Do you crave business news? Check out B Magazine, and the B Magazine email newsletter. Check it out at www.semissourian.com/newsletters to find out more.