Good morning, Jefferson City.

Downtown Jefferson City is nearly ready for Salute to America — a Fourth of July event where Fogarty Services from St. Louis has installed banners to form an American flag backdrop by the Missouri Capitol.

Organizers advise attendees to check event details to be prepared for a celebration filled with patriotic activities.

A new community garden will supply fresh produce to the First Christian Church Food Pantry and its dedication will be held at 6:30 p.m. today + Community Christian Church and First Christian Church are hosting the event.

Hundreds attended the inaugural Cole County Ready Festival Saturday — drawing community interest — where local residents gathered for emergency preparedness training.

During the event, nine-year-old Henry Peterson learned how to pack a wound during a first aid demonstration — a practical skill exercise — that provided hands-on experience.

Lincoln University's Employment Academy in Jefferson City is a yearlong online certificate program for nontraditional students that offers two eight‑week sessions with a paid internship in the second semester.

The program was developed with input from state agencies—including the DSS, which provided $200,000 seed money—to prepare students for careers in direct care, cybersecurity, accounting and office administration.

Missourians will be able to bet on sports later this year after Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected an emergency process for faster rulemaking, so officials are finalizing new rules with licenses to be issued in August and November.

Some experts warn that online gambling may lead to more bankruptcies and suicides (with about $28 million expected in annual tax revenue) (and at least $5 million set aside for compulsive gambling prevention).

During a council retreat earlier this month, Ward 5 Councilman Shane Kampeter said he is exploring whether hiring more in-house engineering specialists will save money for the city & improve project efficiency.

City officials will review his idea in upcoming meetings to decide if this change should move forward.

State and local officials urge residents to follow the law as the Fourth of July approaches; the Jefferson City Fire Department said—fireworks cannot be discharged in the city.

Today, the Missouri Senate's Insurance and Banking Committee will hold a hearing at 1 p.m. in the Senate Lounge to hear testimony from University of Missouri Health Care, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, and officials from the Commerce and Insurance and Consolidated Health Care Plan as they work to resolve a dispute that has left about 90,000 patients with coverage issues since April 1—MU Health Care asked for an 11—13% rate increase while Anthem offered 1—2%.