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Commercial Vehicle Officer Supervisor II, Gerald W. Johnson, to retire after 29 years with the Missouri State Highway Patrol

Captain Clark N. Stratton, commanding officer, Troop H, St. Joseph, announces that on November 1, 2022, Commercial Vehicle Officer Supervisor II Gerald W. Johnson will retire after serving over 29 years with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Johnson joined the Patrol on October 1, 1993, as a commercial vehicle inspector and was assigned to Post […]

Brook Stewart Booking Photo (Courtesy Buchanan County Sheriff's Department)

Audio: Missouri woman indicted after allegedly using names of prisoners on covid unemployment claims

A St. Joseph woman has been charged with defrauding the federal government out of nearly $80,000 in coronavirus relief aid. Brent Martin reports.     A federal grand jury empaneled in Kansas City handed down a four-count indictment against 38-year-old Brooke Stewart. The federal indictment accuses Stewart of filing false unemployment claims by using the […]

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Audio: Study says Springfield is the 4th most dangerous college town in the US

Springfield, Missouri is the fourth-most dangerous college town in the United States, according to a report published by the Safewise website. Details show Springfield has a violent crime rate of 15-point-one per one-thousand, while the property crime rate is 69-and-a-half per one-thousand. Kareanna Arnoldus-Ray is a student at Missouri State University. She told News-Nation she’s […]

College Graduation or Graduate also education (Photo by Charles DeLoye on Unsplash)

Putting Missouri teens and young adults on the right path to academic success

Understanding future success is closely linked to educational outcomes, organizations in Missouri are helping teens and young adults meet their academic and career goals. The latest Kids Count data showed about 92% of Missouri high schoolers graduate on time, although the percentage is lower in some areas. Robin Hammond, executive director of the St. Joseph Youth Alliance, which […]

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Missouri state employee accused of stealing $140,000 in unemployment insurance funds

A Missouri state employee has been indicted on three federal felony charges and accused of using her position to send about $140,500 in unearned unemployment benefits to friends, relatives, and others. According to the indictment, Vicky Hefner, 63, of Jefferson County, Missouri, began work with Missouri’s Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Division of Employment […]

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Missouri school districts face ongoing teacher shortage

School districts nationwide are struggling to meet student needs with a teacher shortage made worse by COVID. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reports the number of vacant positions or those held by unqualified personnel is more than 3,500. Economists point to the teacher wage gap where teacher pay is calculated against similarly educated, […]

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Missouri Attorney General secures 320 year prison sentence for Missouri man convicted of shooting two police officers

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his office has secured a sentence of 320 years of imprisonment for James Cummings, who was convicted of shooting two police officers. Judge Coleman, of Jefferson County, sentenced Cummings to four life sentences for four counts of Assault in the First Degree on a Law Enforcement Officer and […]

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Missouri Department of Conservation offers new online hunter education ”game” for certification

Missouri hunters in need of hunter education certification now have a new interactive online offering in addition to existing hunter education courses. The Missouri Department of Conservation has expanded its partnership with the hunter safety course provider Kalkomey Enterprises, LLC, to offer new fun and engaging, game-style learning options through the online site “I Learn […]

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt speaks to a gathering of Missouri Highway Patrol officers in April 2021 (photo courtesy of the attorney general’s office)

Eric Schmitt deletes Kanye West tweet after backlash over anti-semitic comments

(Missouri Independent) – Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Eric Schmitt tweeted Tuesday night in praising Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, then quickly deleted it as criticism rolled in over the rapper’s recent anti-semitic comments.  “America needs a @kanyewest @KidRock tour,” Schmitt, Missouri’s attorney general, wrote Tuesday night. “Let’s go!” The tweet drew backlash since it […]