State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released her audit of the City of St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry. The audit recommendations include improving payroll procedures, better oversight of physical inventory, and reviewing permit fees. The report, which gives a rating of “good,” is part of the ongoing comprehensive audit of the city of St. […]
A former Joplin, Missouri physician pleaded guilty in federal court to falsely certifying that products and tests were medically necessary for more than 2,000 Medicare and Medicaid patients in Missouri whom he never met or examined. “This physician violated his oath and abused his trusted position to support a fraud scheme that cost taxpayers millions […]
(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri Senate gave first-round approval Tuesday to a $335 million income tax cut over objections from liberal members who saw fiscal problems ahead and conservative members who wanted deeper cuts. The bill, which needs a final vote before it moves to the Missouri House, is a pared-down version of the $700 […]
(Missouri Independent) – More than 1,600 book titles across 32 states were banned from public schools during the 2021-2022 school year, with the bulk of the ban requests coming from a handful of right-wing groups pushing for censorship of books that feature LGBTQ+ characters and characters of color, a new report issued Monday said. “What […]
(Missouri Independent) – Did legislators violate Missouri’s constitution when they overruled counties to clear the way for industrial hog farms across the state? Does new legislation prohibiting local regulation apply to counties that already had their own rules? These are some of the questions before the Missouri Supreme Court in a case challenging the state’s attempt […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his office joined a coalition of 24 attorneys general in sending a letter to Stephen J. Squeri (CEO of American Express, Inc.), Michael Miebach (CEO of Mastercard, Inc.), and Alfred F. Kelly Jr. (CEO of Visa, Inc.) vehemently opposing their decision to enact the International Organization for Standardization’s […]
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway issued an audit of Nodaway County that identifies areas of concern and provides recommendations to county officials to address those concerns. The review gave a rating of “good,” the same rating given in the previous audit of Nodaway County. “Audits can help local governments provide service to their constituents more […]
A former high school counselor in St. Louis County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted having sexual contact with one student and having inappropriate contact with nine others. James Q. Jenkins, 38, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to two felonies: coercion and enticement of a minor and transfer of obscene material […]
U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis man to five years and 10 months in prison for using stolen or fake identification documents to buy, lease or steal three cars and a $5,600 puppy. Samuel Stoddard, 26, pleaded guilty in June to eight felony counts in two criminal cases: aggravated […]
A man who is a registered sex offender was sentenced in federal court for downloading child pornography to his cell phone. Michael Ray Jones, 60, of Marshfield, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Jones to serve 10 years on […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for secretly video recording a 14-year-old victim in the victim’s bedroom. Jonathan Rodger Nelson, 42, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 17 years and six months in federal prison without parole. On Nov. 2, 2021, Nelson pleaded guilty to […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a nearly $10 million conspiracy to distribute almost 1,000 kilograms (2205 pounds) of methamphetamine. Jesus Banuelos, 23, Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 18 years and nine months in federal prison without parole. On Aug. 23, 2021, […]
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds deer hunters that it is again offering free voluntary sampling and testing of harvested deer for chronic wasting disease during the entire deer season at select locations in the region, including some MDC offices and participating taxidermists and meat processors. MDC is also offering self-service freezer drop-off locations […]
Christina Andrade Melly, an English teacher at Ritenour High School in the Ritenour School District, was selected by a committee of her peers and education partners across the state as the 2023 Missouri Teacher of the Year. She becomes the 54th Missouri Teacher of the Year since the program’s inception in 1957. Andrade Melly sees […]
The State Senate will begin debate in special session three bills. Senate budget chairman Dan Hegeman gleaned those bills from 13 proposed. Two sets of bills have now been combined into two bills just dealing with income tax rates. One of those bills mirrors what the governor has asked for in this session. Dallas County […]
Another attempt at legalizing sports betting in Missouri. A state House committee held a hearing Monday on a bill that would allow Missouri adults to place bets on sporting events. The state Legislature’s special session that is underway does not include a bill to legalize sports betting and Governor Mike Parson’s Office says that is […]
(Missouri Independent) – Eighty open cases of child abuse and neglect sat on Matt Cordova’s desk in 2017 during the height of the “hole I found myself buried in,” he remembers. Twenty open cases would have been a lot to handle; 80 was impossible. An investigator at Missouri’s child welfare department for two years, Cordova […]
(Missouri Independent) – Two Newton County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a trailer park north of Neosho to evict a man and his wife on Nov. 13, 2017. According to the deputies, the man refused to leave, fought off the deputies, and stole a patrol car that he would later crash in town. The local […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to require TikTok to sever all ties with ByteDance and any other Chinese companies. Senator Hawley wrote, “Last week, the Chief Operating Officer of TikTok testified in response to my questions that […]
A Homosassa, Florida man pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a $223,000 money-laundering conspiracy, which was part of an email hacking scheme that targeted a program at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., as well as victims in Tennessee and Idaho. Franklin D. Huggins, 54, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. […]
