Missouri Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler says Missouri’s cattle industry needs more markets and competition. The Missouri Republican has teamed with a California Democrat to introduce a bill that the two lawmakers say will fix regulatory roadblocks that hurt livestock auctions and small meat packers. The “A-PLUS” Act would amend the Packers and Stockyards Act to allow […]
Tag: House
Missouri lawmakers’ heated exchange on transgender athletes’ rules goes viral
A heated admonishment of one Missouri lawmaker to another has gone viral, getting millions of views on social media. An amendment to a bill in the Missouri House of Representatives is not unusual, but the emotional response to a so-called “anti-transgender law” is getting global attention. Republican Representative Chuck Basye, of central Missouri’s Rocheport, added […]
Audio: Former prisoners claim neglect and mistreatment by Missouri Dept of Corrections
A man says he lost both of his legs due to mistreatment by the Missouri Department of Corrections. At a hearing Tuesday night, some ex-cons and their advocates appeared before the Missouri House Special Committee on Criminal Justice. James Naugles served 22 years in prison and claims the loss of his legs after […]
Kansas City man sentenced to 12 years in prison for meth trafficking and illegal firearm
A Kansas City, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm and methamphetamine to distribute after trying to break into a car and a house. Joel L. Redman, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 12 years and seven months in federal prison without parole. On Sept. 15, […]
Audio: Missouri House advances voter photo ID bill with effort to restrict transgender athletes
Missouri’s elections could include a photo ID requirement to vote. The state House of Representatives has given preliminary approval to a bill that would require Missourians to show a photo ID at the polls. State Representative Chuck Basye successfully added language that would let voters within a school district decide if transgender athletes born as […]
Audio: Missouri Senate gives initial approval to effort to freeze property tax rates for senior citizens
The Missouri Senate has given initial approval to a proposal that would ask voters to freeze residential property tax assessments for senior citizens. State Senator Steven Roberts, a Democrat from St. Louis, is co-sponsoring the proposed ballot measure. One more vote of support would send the proposal to the House.
Senate committee approves bill that could overturn Missouri Medicaid expansion
(Missouri Independent) – A constitutional amendment asking Missourians to let lawmakers decide year-to-year whether the state will offer Medicaid to working-age adults moved closer to passage on Wednesday. By an 8-5 vote, the Senate Appropriations Committee sent the House-passed proposal to the full Senate for debate. Only Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, voted with Democrats to oppose the measure, which […]
Legislators weigh blocking COVID visitor restrictions at Missouri hospitals, nursing homes
(Missouri Independent) – State Rep. Ed Lewis had just hours to say goodbye. In March 2020, his 89-year-old mother had to go to the hospital after suffering from a fall. Lewis’ sister was their mother’s primary caregiver, but in the pandemic’s first days as hospitals restricted visitors, family members weren’t allowed to stay with her. Lewis […]
Missouri State Treasurer, MOST 529, and Sallie Mae to hold free webinar about paying for education
As part of Financial Literacy Month, Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick, MOST 529, and Sallie Mae are partnering to bring a free webinar to Missourians focused on paying for higher education. The free virtual event will take place on Tuesday, April 19 at 6 p.m. Those who wish to participate can register here. The webinar will feature […]
Missouri man sentenced to 30 years in prison for crack cocaine trafficking and an illegal Firearm
A Missouri man with an extensive history of violent crime was sentenced in federal court for trafficking crack cocaine and illegally possessing a firearm. Mitchell B. Byrd, 43, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 30 years in federal prison without parole. This sentence is an upward variance from the […]
Obituary & Services: Mary Kathleen “Kathy” Gilliland,
Mary Kathleen “Kathy” Gilliland, age 62, a resident of Chillicothe, Missouri, passed away on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at St. Luke’s Hospice House, Kansas City, Missouri. She was born the daughter of Ralph and Louise (Posch) Wilson on September 11, 1959, in Chillicothe, Missouri. Kathy was a 1977 graduate of Chillicothe High School. She attended […]
Services: Edward Evans
A funeral service for rural Princeton resident Edward Evans will be on April 15th at 10:30 in the morning at the Modena Christian Church. Burial will follow in the Salem Cemetery at Mill Grove. Visitation is on April 14th from 6 to 7 o’clock in the evening at the Slater Neal Funeral Home of Trenton. […]
Trenton High School Principal Kasey Bailey resigns, accepts position with Ozarks Technical Community College
Trenton High School Principal Kasey Bailey has announced his plans after the Trenton R-9 Board of Education accepted his resignation on April 12th. Bailey says he will be the Regional Director of College and Career Advisors for Ozarks Technical Community College based in Springfield. The position will be housed at North Central Missouri College. Bailey […]
Audio: Missouri House leaders support one-time $500 tax credit
Leaders in the Missouri House are supporting a plan to give residents a one-time economic recovery tax credit to help with the increased cost of living. House Budget Committee Chair Cody Smith of Carthage says his bill would provide a $500 credit to anyone who filed a 2021 income tax return and couples […]
Amid curriculum debates, sweeping ‘parents’ Bill of Rights’ wins initial House approval
(Missouri Independent) -As debates over school curriculum rage nationwide, the Missouri House granted initial approval Tuesday to a “Parents’ Bill of Rights” that would allow for lawsuits and funding to be withheld from schools that repeatedly violate the proposed law. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ben Baker, R-Neosho, aims to “to empower parents to enforce” rights […]
Audio: Missouri could have a registry for convicted murderers on probation or parole
Missouri could have a registry for convicted murderers on probation or parole. The state House has given initial approval to a bill sponsored by State Representative Lane Roberts of southwest Missouri’s Joplin. Under his bill, they would be removed from the registry after completing parole or probation. The Democrat from St. Louis, questions […]
Department of Justice rule cracks down untraceable firearms known as ‘ghost guns’
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden Monday unveiled the Department of Justice’s plan to regulate untraceable firearms known as ghost guns, as well as announced his nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The Department of Justice’s final rule bans the business of manufacturing ghost guns, such as “buy build shoot” kits […]
Democrats file suit to keep two-time Republican candidate off ballot for Missouri House seat
(Missouri Independent) – Democrats want to kick a candidate off the ballot in the race for a Kansas City-area Missouri House seat, claiming the Grandview man who filed in the 36th District contest is actually “a longtime Republican and vocal opponent of the Democratic Party.” John D. Boyd Jr. filed for the seat on Feb. […]
Advocates worried more rural kids may go hungry this summer
Federal waivers put in place at the height of the pandemic allowed federal child nutrition programs more flexibility in delivering meals to households because kids were not at school. Those waivers are set to expire in a few months, and in states like Arkansas, groups working to fight hunger warn that more children, especially in rural areas, […]
Hunger concerns spur calls for higher SNAP eligibility
Food insecurity is getting more attention these days, and some working families still have trouble meeting basic needs under mounting living expenses and aid eligibility being out of reach. A Minnesota plan aims to close the gap. Minnesota is one of the states not at the maximum eligibility level for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). […]