THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023
MARYVILLE, MISSOURI
VOL. 111, NO. 27
NWMISSOURINEWS.COM
@THEMISSOURIAN
‘IT’S ON US’
Justin Mallett to part ways with NW for new inclusion job in Arizona SIDNEY LOWRY Managing Editor | @sidney_lowry
After six years of being at Northwest, Assistant Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Justin Mallett is set to part ways with Northwest May 31 for a new position as Vice President of Inclusion, Diversity and Engagement at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. Justin Mallett said while this was a tough decision to make, the position allows him to create an inclusion office from the ground up and serve on the president’s cabinet, and that was too big of an opportunity to turn down. “It’s the hardest decision I ever had to make,” Justin Mallett said. “… I had to factor a lot of things in it. I had to factor my family in it. Because I have a son who was going to be a senior in high school. I had to factor the students here in Northwest and that was a huge component of it. And the community as well because we made a lot of strides in area diversity inclusion.” Justin Mallett said the students are what he is going to miss most. He said he had a gathering to break the news to students. “I told them, and that was the most emotional thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Justin Mallett said. “It was tough. That was very hard, but (I could) also see that they also supported that decision. And no one was angry, no one was mad, and they showed a level of gratitude that really helped ease it. But I’d say there’ve been some hard things I’ve faced in my life. That was the toughest.” Not only will he miss the students, he said the staff and faculty at the University have shown him support and helped him grow within his positions at Northwest. “I pride myself on everyday getting up, putting a smile on my face and making sure that I can have interactions with everybody on a daily basis,” Justin Mallett said. “… Without their belief in me and the support that they’ve also given through their departments, I don’t think I’d be in the running for this position.” The faculty and staff are going to miss him too. Senior Coordinator of Diversity Jessie Peter said she has spent every day with him since she joined the University in May 2021, and that it will be different not seeing him around the office.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DAKOTA WEAVER PHOTO EDITOR
People were invited to the “Take Back the Night” event at 5:30 p.m. April 4 at the J.W. Jones Student Union Living Room. Wellness Services provided pins at the entrance and information tables by North Star Advocacy Center, Engage and University Police Department. Speeches were given by UPD, North Star and a survivor. At the end of the event, candles in bags with messages to survivors were placed on the mantle in honor of those affected by sexual violence.
SEE MALLETT | A5
Maryville passes 3% marijuana sales tax HANNAH CLAYWELL Asst. News Editor | @Hannh_9504
Maryville voted yes on Proposition “M” at the April 4 General Municipal Election. Municipal elections are held to elect local governing officials. After Amendment 3, which allows people 21 or older to recreationally use marijuana, passed Nov. 8, 2022, cities and counties were given the option to charge up to a 3% sales tax. City Manager Greg McDanel gave a presentation on what this would entail and any background information on it. The Maryville City Council passed the ordinance to add Proposition “M” to the ballot at the Jan. 9 meeting. “There’s more than several (cities ap-
plying this tax), there’s probably a couple dozen, at least,” McDanel said. All retail sales in Maryville will now have a 3% tax that will go towards the General Fund. This will not apply to medical marijuana and is estimated to generate around $150,000 or more per year. “The additional revenue would go to the General Fund, which supports critical services — police, fire, street maintenance in the city of Maryville,” McDanel said at the Jan. 9 City Council Meeting. The General Fund is the main operating fund of the city and accounts for revenues. As Maryville voters cast their ballots, the question proposing the sales tax received 505 votes to pass it and 72 votes against it based on unofficial results throughout the four precincts. If the tax
is passed after the official results are released, it will go into effect Oct. 1. “I believe research probably shows in Colorado that the communities that passed the sales tax earlier on were in a better position to go ahead and take advantage of the initial sales tax,” McDanel said at the Jan. 9 City Council meeting. All precincts voted on different representatives for its specific area and the Nodaway County Health representative for all precincts. Council members are rotated on a three year cycle, with only a couple being replaced or rerunning at a time. Two City Council members ran for reelection, Bryan Williams and Benjamin Lipiec.
SEE ELECTION | A5
PROPOSITION “M” RESULTS
3% recreational marijuana sales tax 72 votes
505 votes
Yes
No
TOTAL VOTES: 577 *ACCORDING TO UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
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