The Jamesport City Council accepted a salary ordinance April 11th. City Clerk Shelley Page reports the ordinance added Zack King as a new employee. His pay is $17 per hour. According to unapproved meeting minutes, King advised the council that the street department needed to purchase cold patch, so patching could begin on some hard […]
Tag: NAP
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 […]
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). […]
Missouri business woman pleads guilty to failing to pay $2 million in payroll and employment taxes; faces 5 years in prison
A Missouri business owner has pleaded guilty in federal court to failing to pay nearly $2 million in payroll and employment taxes over four years. Sandra Eller, 59, of Napoleon, Mo., waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Thursday, April 7, to a federal […]
Three separate indictments handed down in Harrison County involving murder, assault and sex crimes involving a child
Grand jury indictments were filed in Harrison County this week on three men. Forty-one-year-old Travis William Gilliland of Ridgeway has been charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. Bail was set at $250,000 for all counts. A probable cause affidavit accused Gilliland of shooting and killing Lynn Trammell in March. Fifty-eight-year-old Stephen Marshall of […]
Teacher and coach at Braymer school facing additional charges of sexual abuse, sodomy, and sexual contact with a student
Additional charges have been filed against a teacher and coach for the Braymer C-4 School District who was originally charged last week after allegedly sending nude photos and videos to students. Additional charges for 29-year-old Zachary Wayman Douglas of Utica include four felony counts of first-degree sexual abuse, two felony counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, […]
Teacher and coach at Braymer School District facing charges after allegedly sending nude photos and videos to students
A teacher and coach for the Braymer C-4 School District is facing charges after allegedly sending nude photos and videos to students. Twenty-nine-year-old Zachary Wayne Douglas of Utica has been charged with one count of felony sexual misconduct involving a child under 15, one count of felony first-degree sexual misconduct, and four counts of misdemeanor […]
GOP senators attack and interrupt Judge Jackson in final day of questioning U.S. Supreme Court nominee
(Missouri Independent) – In the third day of hearings Wednesday on the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, several Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee interrogated her about sentences she handed down for child pornography offenses, disagreeing vehemently with her judicial decisions. Republicans grilled her with questions she had already answered […]
Eric Greitens accused of physical abuse in affidavit filed by his ex-wife
(Missouri Independent) – Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is facing new allegations that he physically abused his ex-wife and children and that in the months before his resignation became so unstable that his access to firearms had to be limited. The accusations are included in a sworn affidavit filed by former Missouri First Lady Sheena Greitens as […]
Medicaid enrollment backlog persists as advocates say Missouri could be doing more
(Missouri Independent) – Applying for health insurance through Medicaid expansion took Raven Cole just 10 minutes. But the wait to see if she’s approved has dragged on for months. The 23-year-old legal assistant applied for coverage, “well over two to three months ago.” “And I haven’t heard anything back,” Cole said. Cole is one of […]
Missouri groups urge federal support for diaper banks
Groups in Missouri are urging Congress to pass a full-year, fully-funded appropriations bill, instead of a parade of stopgap continuing resolutions to fund support programs for low-income and working people across the state. Between 2010 and 2021, many programs serving low-income people nationwide lost ground taking inflation into account, according to the Coalition on Human Needs. Jill […]
California man pleads guilty to smuggling four kilos of meth aboard bus stopping in Missouri
A Desert Hot Springs, California, man pleaded guilty in federal court to smuggling more than four kilograms of methamphetamine from Los Angeles, Calif., to Indianapolis, Indiana aboard a bus traveling through Kansas City, Missouri. Gary A. Aquerrebere, 63, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent […]
Kansas National Guard soldier pleads guilty in Missouri court to sexual exploitation of a child
A man serving with the Army National Guard pleaded guilty in federal court to sexually exploiting an 11-year-old southwest Missouri victim to produce child pornography. Christian Sinclair, 21, of Chanute, Kansas, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of the sexual exploitation of a child. By pleading guilty, Sinclair […]
Governor Parson grants 29 pardons, commutes 1 sentence
On Monday, February 28, 2022, Governor Mike Parson granted 29 pardons and approved one commutation pursuant to Article IV, Section 7 of the Constitution of the State of Missouri. Official documents have been filed with the appropriate government agencies and are being sent to the individuals. Pardons: Robert Midgyett Jeffrey Bragg Sharr Ford Lawrence Tindall Angela […]
The National Superintendent of the Year, Curtis Cain, is from Missouri
Curtis Cain, superintendent of Wentzville School District, in Wentzville, Mo., has been named the 2022 AASA National Superintendent of the Year. The announcement came at the National Conference on Education, hosted by AASA, The School Superintendents Association. The other National Superintendent of the Year® finalists were: Quincy Natay, Chinle Unified School District No. 24, Chinle, Ariz. Kamela Patton, Collier County […]
Video: Biden taps Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as first black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden formally announced the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday afternoon. “President Biden sought a candidate with exceptional credentials, unimpeachable character, and unwavering dedication to the rule of law,” the White House said in a statement. If confirmed by the Senate, Jackson, 51, […]
Audio: Missouri photographer’s snapshot of Mississippi River to be featured on USPS stamp
A Missouri photographer will have one of his photos featured on a U.S. Postal Service stamp. Larry Braun, of southeast Missouri’s Benton, says the photo shows the Mississippi River with the sky in shades of pastel. Braun says he gladly agreed to let his photo be part of a collection of Mississippi River stamps. […]
Man Indicted for sexual misconduct and kidnapping woman with developmental disabilities
A federal grand jury in Portland, Oregon, returned an indictment charging an Oregon Department of Human Services employee with kidnapping a woman with significant disabilities in his care, driving her to a secluded location, and engaging with her in sexual misconduct. Zakary Glover, 28, of Lebanon, Oregon, is charged with depriving the victim of her […]
Wife of nuclear engineer pleads guilty to espionage-related offense; will serve 3-years in federal prison
A woman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to communicate Restricted Data related to the design of nuclear-powered warships. Her husband pleaded guilty to the same offense on Monday, Feb. 14. Diana Toebbe, 46, of Annapolis, Maryland, was arrested on Oct. 9, 2021, for knowingly and voluntarily joining a conspiracy with her husband, Jonathan Toebbe, to communicate […]