Does Missouri need a new State Constitution? Voters will answer that question in November as one of five ballot questions to be decided. If it passes, Missouri would be required to call together a constitutional convention and decide on whether to leave it as-is, make a few changes, or completely rewrite it. Secretary of State […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
A week before Missouri’s annual statewide earthquake drill, more than 329,000 people are already registered to participate in the Great Central U. S. “ShakeOut” on October 20. A total of nearly 2 million people are registered in the 14 central U.S. states that could be impacted by a New Madrid Seismic Zone earthquake. The New […]
Special Olympics Missouri will honor several of its most outstanding athletes, coaches, volunteers, and donors at its 2022 Leadership Summit on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, at the Training for Life Campus. The annual event will begin at noon and is expected to conclude around 2 p.m. SOMO athletes Anna McDaniel and Allen Tobin will emcee […]
A St. Joseph woman has been charged in a 4-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury today with theft of government funds. The federal indictment charges Stewart filed false claims for unemployment benefits, using the names and personal identifying information of incarcerated individuals in the state of Missouri and elsewhere. On March 27, 2020, […]
(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 […]
(Missouri Independent) – Whether student debtors will get the loan relief promised by President Joe Biden is now in the hands of a Missouri federal judge. For nearly two hours Wednesday, attorneys for the six states challenging the plan to forgive almost $500 billion in student debt argued with Department of Justice lawyers over which laws should […]
Congressmen Sam Graves (MO-06) and Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05) authored a letter demanding answers from United States Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on the Postal Service’s failure to reliably deliver mail six days a week in the Greater Kansas City Area, as required by law. “Missourians from all walks of life depend on the United States Postal […]
Eight Senators have signed on to an amendment led by U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (Mo.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act that would remove a provision requiring women to register for the Selective Service System. U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), […]
A retired Missouri priest pleaded guilty to federal charges Wednesday and admitted possessing thousands of images containing child pornography. James T. Beighlie, 72, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp. In his plea agreement, Beighlie admitted that on May 17, […]
U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Wednesday sentenced a Florissant woman who committed coronavirus pandemic fraud to two years in prison and ordered her to repay $787,000. Dionneshae Forland, 51, will be on supervised release for five years after she gets out of prison. Forland pleaded guilty in July to bank fraud, theft of […]
Three more people have been indicted in connection with the fatal fentanyl overdose of a 19-year-old in Jefferson County, Missouri, including those accused of supplying the man who gave drugs to the victim. William Edward Martin, 22, of St. Louis County, appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to five felonies: conspiracy to […]
(Missourinet) – Court documents say a woman escaped a western Missouri home while duct taped and wearing a locked metal collar around her neck. Excelsior Springs police are investigating the case of a 22-year-old woman, who says she had been held hostage since early September and escaped last Friday. The woman ran to a neighboring […]
(Missouri Independent) – The Biden administration announced Tuesday that an additional 11 states will receive up to $1 billion to support small businesses and entrepreneurs — including nearly $100 million in Missouri. Funding for the programs will come from the State Small Business Credit Initiative that Democrats reauthorized and expanded in their $1.9 trillion COVID-19 […]
Terra Star, LLC, a manufacturer of polyethylene pipe products, announced that it will build a new production facility in Rogersville, investing up to $5 million and creating 31 new jobs. Terra Star is locating its manufacturing capabilities in Webster County to meet the growing needs of the construction and utility markets. “Terra Star’s expansion in […]
The U.S. Department of Treasury has approved Missouri’s State Small Business Credit Initiative’s application, representing nearly $27 million to support small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs. The approval represents the first of three tranches of federal funding, totaling $95 million, to be deployed through the Missouri Technology Corporation. “The Missouri Technology Corporation provides vital support for […]
