Nixon to detail jobs plan in Columbia

COLUMBIA — Gov. Jay Nixon will be at Newsy.com in downtown Columbia on Thursday afternoon to detail his 2010 jobs package. The visit is part of a three-city tour that also includes visits to St. Louis and Kansas City.

Nixon’s job package includes three main components:

• Helping existing Missouri employers grow and create jobs: The Missouri First Initiative would give Missouri employers first crack at incentives to help them create jobs.
• The Missouri Science and Reinvestment Act: This act would try to recruit high-tech companies to Missouri by reinvesting some of the taxes paid by existing bio-tech firms into programs to lure new businesses.
• Training Missouri’s workers: The Training for Tomorrow program would help community colleges grow job training programs to ensure Missourians are ready to fill skilled jobs in growing fields.

Newsy.com President Jim Spencer believes the governor contacted the company because of the overlap between Newsy.com and the goals of the job package.

Newsy.com is a video news Web site that produces video clips on global issues that are intended to provide viewers more context by aggregrating news reports from worldwide media outlets.

Those similarities, Spencer said, include:

• Newsy.com follows the governor’s ideals of training, innovation in science and economic development.
• It works with the Missouri School of Journalism to hire students, working both for class credit and as paid employees. About 30 to 40 students per semester work at the company.
• Newsy.com has raised money through state and local economic development programs, including a small grant from Regional Economic Development Inc. in Columbia and tax credits from the Missouri State Department of Economic Development and the Missouri Technology Corp.
• News is presented in video form.