(Missouri Independent) – After three months of looking through old marijuana charges, Boone County Circuit Court Clerk Christy Blakemore — along with clerks and judges around the state — has come to a realization. There’s no quick way to wipe those records clean, and, it’s going to take a lot more money for overtime to […]
Over 455,000 Missourians left high school without earning a diploma. Now, through a new program from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, those adults will have the opportunity to finish high school 100% online and at no cost through the Missouri Workforce Diploma Program. Graduation Alliance has been selected as an adult high school diploma provider, made possible with […]
(Missouri Independent) – As the Missouri House debated legislation last week to allow students to transfer out of their home district, rumors about the state’s declining school performance data lingered. When the numbers became public later in the day, lawmakers were quick to voice their opinions. Missouri students scored worse across the board from pre-pandemic levels, and […]
(Missourinet) – A federal judge in Missouri has ruled that the Show Me State’s SAPA law is unconstitutional. The Second Amendment Preservation Act passed in 2021 in which police departments can be sued for violating anyone’s gun rights. U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes says that federal laws take priority over conflicting state laws. House Minority Leader […]
(Missouri Independent) – A class action lawsuit filed in federal court this week seeks to do what law enforcement and legislators have been reluctant to do – shut down Torch Electronics, the vendor behind many of the video machines in convenience stores offering payoffs of hundreds or thousands of dollars. The lawsuit in Missouri’s Western District, which accuses the […]
Missouri health officials and advocates gathered last week to raise awareness of colorectal cancer. Governor Parson proclaimed March 2023 as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in Missouri. Colorectal cancer refers to cancer that begins in either the colon or rectum. In Missouri, colorectal cancer has the second highest incidence and mortality rate among cancers for men and […]
Marson Foods, LLC, a manufacturer of waffle products, announced that it will build a new facility in Hazelwood, investing $35 million and creating 45 new, high-paying jobs. The company’s expansion to the area includes the establishment of a distribution facility and production lines to increase its capacity to nourish communities while raising awareness for hunger […]
CK Power, an industry-leading distributor, manufacturer, and service provider for engines, power generation, powertrain, and off-highway power solutions, announced that it has opened a new St. Louis manufacturing facility for subsidiary Terramac, creating 75 new jobs. Terramac is a prominent rubber-tracked crawler carrier manufacturer. “We’re thrilled to see a world-class manufacturer like Terramac growing and […]
(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri House committee discussed a bill Thursday meant to mirror Illinois’ open-container law for having marijuana in vehicles. The bill from Rep. Kent Haden, R-Mexico, would require all marijuana products in vehicles to be kept in odor-proof and child-proof containers. “I don’t claim to be an expert on marijuana – I’ve never inhaled,” […]
The Missouri House of Representatives this week passed legislation involving open enrollment for public schools. State Representative Mazzie Boyd of Hamilton explains what “open enrollment involves. She voted yes on the legislation that was sent to the Missouri Senate. Boyd says she had calls from parents who wanted to take their children […]
The Missouri Department of Transportation will permanently close the southbound Platte County Interstate 29 (Dearborn) and Clinton County Interstate 35 (Lathrop) rest areas next week as work begins to convert the facilities to commercial vehicle parking. The rest areas, including parking, will be closed to all motorists beginning the morning of Thursday, March 16. As […]
(Missouri Independent) – Eleven versions of a proposed initiative petition seeking to roll back Missouri’s ban on abortion by adding protections for the procedure to the state constitution were filed Wednesday with the Secretary of State’s office. Filed by a St. Louis doctor on behalf of a political action committee called Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, […]
H.J. Res. 27, a resolution to overturn the Biden Administration’s flawed, burdensome “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule, was approved by the House of Representatives by a vote of 227 to 198. The Biden rule would lead to sweeping changes to the federal government’s authority to regulate what is considered navigable water, with enormous […]
A tax preparer from St. Louis County has been indicted by a federal grand jury and accused of falsifying 11 tax returns from 2018 to 2021 by adding a total of $252,577 in fraudulent deductions. Elisa Y. Brown, 57, was indicted on February 22 on 11 counts of assisting in the preparation of a false […]
A man from Montgomery City, Missouri was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison for possessing child pornography. U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp ordered the sentence to run consecutive to whatever Austin E. Pearson, 23, receives on a pending state case. Judge Schelp also ordered Pearson to pay $39,500 restitution to the victims that […]
U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a man from Waterloo, Illinois who embezzled $339,844 from his employer to three years and five months in prison and ordered him to repay the money. Ronald Scott Miller, who was the warehouse and labor supervisor for a small floor-covering business in St. Louis County, worked […]
U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a former nurse at a St. Louis County, Missouri hospital to four years of probation for fraudulently obtaining fentanyl for her own use. From Jan. 18, 2020, to Feb. 2, 2020, Lindsay J. Maupin, of Cape Girardeau, fraudulently obtained fentanyl from a Pyxis machine for her […]
A Missouri husband and wife pleaded guilty in federal court to producing and distributing pornographic images of two child victims. Joshua Paul Goodspeed, 47, and Jennifer Goodspeed, 38, of Gladstone, pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes. Joshua Goodspeed pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography, […]
A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court in two separate indictments for illegally possessing firearms. Yacub E. Williams, 38, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 14 years in federal prison without parole. The court sentenced Williams to 10 years on the indictments plus four years on the revocation […]
(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri Senate’s spring break came a day early this year after Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin adjourned the chamber following two days of a Democrat-led filibuster of a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors. As some departed for a now-extended break, strategizing continued in senators’ offices into the evening over the bill. […]
