U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced a man involved in the theft and sale of 39 catalytic converters to nine months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $46,001. D’Ante Carter, 38, acted as a lookout as another man stole the catalytic converters, which contain trace amounts of precious metals. […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for the sexual exploitation of two child victims. Billy Rae Clark, 29, of Merriam Woods, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 17 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Clark to 30 years of supervised release following incarceration. On April […]
A Missouri man and woman were sentenced in federal court for the sex trafficking of a child. Joseph W. Gibson, 43, and Danna Marie Rodriguez, 37, both of Springfield, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes. Gibson was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison without parole, followed by 25 […]
Governor Mike Parson awarded Missouri Public Safety Medals to a total of 23 first responders and four civilians for heroic and life-saving actions in 2021. The awards are Missouri’s highest recognition for first responders acting during critical incidents. This year, for the first time, the ceremony included the presentation of Missouri’s new Red, White, and […]
On November 17, 2021, southeast Missouri experienced its largest earthquake in 30 years. The magnitude 4.0 quake was centered near Poplar Bluff and was felt throughout the region, St. Louis, and seven other states. It served as a reminder of the power of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, one of the country’s most active earthquake […]
Housing justice advocates filed suit Tuesday against the state of Missouri and the state’s attorney general. The suit is a challenge to a new law that its filers say will harm people who are unhoused or unstably housed. Among other things, House Bill 1606 law makes it a crime to sleep on state-owned land without […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri investigators over the last four months have substantiated 10 claims of physical abuse at Agape Boarding School, a Christian reform school in Stockton that faces mounting accusations of abuse, lawsuits, and calls for its closure by former students. According to records turned over to The Independent under Missouri’s Sunshine Law by […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has lined up behind a U.S. Supreme Court case legal experts believe could radically reshape how federal elections are conducted by handing more power to state legislatures and blocking state courts from intervening. Ashcroft announced last week that his office had filed an amicus brief in […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that in his lawsuit against top-ranking Biden Administration officials for allegedly colluding to suppress freedom of speech, the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana granted Missouri and Louisiana’s request to compel the federal government to produce records from top-ranking White House and Health and Human […]
A man from St. Louis pleaded guilty Tuesday and admitted carjacking two people, including a grandmother who struggled to free her granddaughter as her car was stolen. Darius Eubanks, 28, pleaded guilty via Zoom in front of U.S. District Stephen R. Clark to two carjacking charges and a charge of brandishing a firearm during a […]
U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a Missouri man who has been living under an assumed name since he used it to enlist in the U.S. Army 37 years ago to 100 hours of community service and the time he’s already served in jail. DeLeo Antonio Barner, 60, will also be on […]
Five people died in traffic crashes, one person died in a boating crash, and one person drowned during the 2022 Labor Day holiday weekend. The Patrol investigated four of the traffic fatalities; Springfield Police Department investigated one traffic fatality. The 2022 counting period for the Labor Day holiday was from 6 p.m., Friday, September 2, […]
(Associated Press) – Police said a suburban St. Louis woman was beaten, stomped, and stabbed to death and her house was soaked in gasoline while two children were inside. Officers responded to a house in Hazelwood early Sunday after a child called to say his mother was dead and his father had fled the scene, […]
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced that seven educators have advanced as finalists for the 2023 Missouri Teacher of the Year award. The finalists are Christina Andrade Melly, Ritenour — English Language Arts, Ritenour High School Dr. Allison Fleetwood, Nixa Public Schools — Theatre, Nixa High School Cotreena Jones, Ferguson-Florissant School District — English Language Arts, Johnson […]
Governor Parson and the Department of Public Safety will honor 23 first responders during a ceremony Wednesday in Jefferson City. The officers and firefighters will be awarded Missouri Public Safety medals for “heroic, life-saving or extraordinary acts beyond the call of duty to protect the public during 2021.” Governor Parson will present Missouri’s […]
The Missouri Department of Social Services has between 900 and 1,000 vacancies. The agency oversees child welfare services, the foster care system, Medicaid healthcare coverage, food stamps help, and other needs. Karen Meyer, the agency’s Human Resources director, says the turnover rate is about 35 percent. She says the department will continue to […]
U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced a man from Florissant, Missouri to 14 years and three months in prison on drug and gun charges. The investigation into Deandre J. White began with the fatal shooting of a 6-year-old boy in St. Louis on Feb. 22, 2020, during which White was identified as a suspect, […]
(Missouri Independent) – A federal report released Thursday shows that Missouri ranks at or near the bottom nationally in terms of processing Medicaid applications in the federally-permitted time. The report, issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, contains the first data covering the period since Missouri expanded Medicaid eligibility late last year. CMS used to […]
(Missouri Independent) – A bipartisan group of lawmakers and activists are calling for Missouri Gov. Mike Parson to include marijuana legalization on the agenda of the legislature’s upcoming special session. The group also announced the launch of a campaign aimed at defeating a marijuana legalization constitutional amendment set to appear on the November ballot. The […]
“Making the best better” for generations of Missouri 4-H club members, 40 volunteers joined the 2022 Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame on Aug. 20 at State Fair Community College in Sedalia. The Missouri 4-H Foundation recognizes individuals who have created a legacy of service to 4-H by honoring them with membership in the Missouri 4-H […]
