(Missouri Independent) – A higher prevalence of gun ownership in rural America has contributed to increased suicides, raising the overall gun-death rate in rural areas above that of urban communities. Experts say some legal interventions that have broad public support could help lower the risk of people harming themselves or others with guns. In 2020, […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his office has received a third federal grant from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, with this grant totaling $2.5 million. The grant will allow the Attorney General’s Office to continue its work on the SAFE Kit Initiative, which aims to clear the backlog of untested […]
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway released her audit of the city of Rockville, located in Bates County in western Missouri. By petition, city residents requested the audit, which resulted in a rating of “poor,” the lowest possible rating. Auditors identified numerous concerns related to accounting controls and procedures as well as a lack of oversight […]
A jury in U.S. District Court on Wednesday convicted a man from Ferguson, Missouri of a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Due to a series of prior convictions for violent offenses, Anthony Willis, 29, now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison as an armed career […]
The United States Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that Jonathan D. Drury, 37, of Perryville, Missouri, has been sentenced to serve 87 months in federal prison for the offense of possession of child pornography. Drury appeared for his sentencing hearing today before United States District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape […]
A business owner from St. Charles County, Missouri on Thursday admitted using part of the $2.3 million in income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes that he’d withheld from his employees’ paychecks for college tuition and mortgage payments on two houses. Jeffrey M. Bauza, 55, of Weldon Spring, also admitted failing to pay $1 million in […]
A Missouri man on Thursday admitted to being caught in Franklin County, Missouri trying to buy 40 pounds of methamphetamine for $120,000. Richard Treis, 48, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Treis also […]
Two men from Missouri were indicted on murder-for-hire charges Wednesday in connection with the April fatal shooting of a man in St. Louis, Missouri. Ray Bradley, 44, and Moreion Lindsey, 32, were indicted on one count each of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire. The indictment says their conspiracy resulted in the death of Titus […]
A Missouri man who was wearing a court-ordered ankle monitor at the time of the offense pleaded guilty in federal court to robbing a Bank of America branch in Springfield last summer. Michael C. Loyd, 30, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of bank robbery. By […]
Three Missouri men have pleaded guilty in federal court to their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Kenneth James Paulson, 51, of Blue Springs, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Wednesday, Nov. 16, to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from Aug. 11 to Oct. 14, 2020. Co-defendants Louis […]
The Missouri Department of Public Safety announced the availability of up to $3.6 million in grant funding to assist local and state agencies to manage and reducing systemic cybersecurity risks. The Missouri State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) is a competitive grant with individual awards of up to $200,000 to support cybersecurity activities. Interested […]
(Missourinet) – Settlements checks are hitting mailboxes beginning this week for about 22,000 current and former Missouri correctional officers. The move marks the end of a 10-year court battle with the Missouri Department of Corrections for refusing to pay officers for pre and post-shift security clearance work. The checks range from $900 to nearly $5,000. […]
(Missourinet) – The Missouri Attorney General loses a lawsuit against a massage therapy business. A lawsuit alleging prostitution against Blue Lotus Asian Massage Therapy in Jefferson City was dismissed by a Cole County judge. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office failed to provide evidence to support claims that the business, and owner William Porter, […]
(Missouri Independent) – When she was 13, Dakota Hommes felt scared and alone. She was having a crisis, didn’t feel she could talk to her parents about it and was worried about her future. “At 13, I wasn’t sure that I would make it,” she said. Then, at a library, she found the novels “Parrot Fish” by […]
(Missouri Independent) – An Edgar Springs woman won a partial victory Tuesday in her long-running dispute with her city when a judge ruled local officials violated her constitutional rights and the state’s Sunshine Law. The small Phelps County city must pay Rebecca Varney a fine of $600 plus her legal costs for “knowing and purposeful” violations of the state […]
Five home renovation companies in Kansas and Missouri have agreed to pay nearly $132,000 collectively in penalties to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to resolve alleged violations of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act. According to EPA, the following companies failed to comply with regulations intended to reduce the hazards of lead-based paint exposure during […]
A report released by State Auditor Nicole Galloway on the City of Fairview identified numerous concerns in the Newton County community, including overpayments to the former city clerk and conflicts of interest by the former mayor. The review of city operations, which gave the lowest possible rating of “poor,” was initiated through a petition signed […]
Like the majority of the United States, Missouri has been experiencing increased respiratory disease activity caused by multiple viruses, including flu and RSV that is occurring especially among children. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is now offering free testing for flu, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 (virus-causing COVID-19) at several Missouri locations through […]
Clementine’s Creamery, an ice cream parlor in the Greater St. Louis Area, recently announced it will expand its ice cream wholesale and bakery operations by opening a manufacturing facility in North St. Louis City, investing $1.8 million and creating 18 new jobs in the area. Clementine’s Creamery has been serving ice cream to the St. […]
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a Missouri man to 10 years and five months in prison for the armed robbery of an auto parts store in Jennings before he crashed into a funeral procession while trying to escape police. Diven Steed, 27, of St. Louis, robbed the O’Reilly Auto Parts store […]
