The owners of the now-shuttered Circe of Hope Girls Ranch are facing another lawsuit, according to the Kansas City Star. Thirty-year-old Megan Drew of Oklahoma is accusing ranch operators Boyd and Stephanie Householder of sex trafficking, racketeering, fraud, and forced labor. She was sent to live at the fundamentalist Christian camp when she […]
(Missouri Independent) – Ameren Missouri may restart natural gas burners to offset the court-ordered shuttering of a coal-fired power plant that violated federal law, the company told state regulators Wednesday. The St. Louis-based electric utility announced late last year that it would retire its Rush Island Energy Center in early 2024 after a federal court found in 2019 that […]
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased by 24,800 jobs from June 2022 to July 2022, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by three-tenths of a percentage point. Private industry employment increased by 10,500 jobs and government employment increased by 14,300 jobs. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.5 percent in July 2022, down from […]
Mikaela Rojas, daughter of Bryon and Alicia Rojas, is the exhibitor of the 2022 Grand Champion Market Steer at the Missouri State Fair. Mikaela is from New Boston and is a member of the Shelby 4-H Club. Mikaela’s prize-winning steer weighed 1,310 pounds. The Reserve Grand Champion Market Steer honor went to Laurin Dilly of […]
Several new Missouri laws will be going into effect on August 28th, with changes coming to the rules regarding how school children are bused around our state. A new rule modifies the definition of “school bus” to include only vehicles designed for carrying more than 10 passengers, including the driver. It also allows […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is hoping to avoid any special session drama. As he prepares to reconvene the legislature next month to debate a $700 million tax cut — with details about the plan expected to be announced as early as this week — Parson is hoping to avoid pitfalls that undermined a […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that on August 11, 2022, a federal court entered a final judgment requiring the divestiture of certain grain elevators along the Mississippi River before a large asset acquisition could occur between two major agriculture corporations. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office submitted a comment letter supporting the divestiture on behalf […]
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has published its third annual report on the Missouri Medical Marijuana Regulatory Program. DHSS is required to annually submit a report to the Governor regarding the efficient discharge of its responsibilities under Article XIV Section 1 of the Missouri Constitution. Reported activities are based on the program […]
The former assistant manager of a bank in Wellston, Missouri on Tuesday was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to a year and a day in prison for stealing $284,000 in cash. Capri Duvall, 35, of St. Louis, was also ordered to pay back the money. Duvall pretended to be filling the ATM […]
A woman from Missouri was arrested Tuesday on an indictment accusing her of stealing more than $66,000 from her disabled uncle. A federal grand jury in St. Louis on August 10 indicted Jessica Medrano, 41, on one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of access device fraud, and 12 counts of wire fraud. Medrano […]
A former Missouri woman pleaded guilty in federal court to her role in a conspiracy to transport tens of thousands of stolen catalytic converters across state lines as part of a multi-million-dollar business. Danielle Ice, 34, of Columbia, formerly of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to participating in a conspiracy […]
(Missouri Independent) – In its first days of operation in July, a newly revamped, national mental health hotline was already exceeding Missouri providers’ expectations as a wave of people dialed three numbers: 9-8-8. They ranged from the curious to those seeking help, and several providers across Missouri told The Independent calls had already increased by […]
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office released the report for the second inventory of kits across the state undertaken as part of the SAFE Kit (SAFE kit stands for Sexual Assault Forensic Exam kit) Initiative. The inventory, as required by the second Bureau of Justice Assistance grant, indexed untested kits collected between April 30, 2018, to […]
A woman from Ohio on Monday admitted lying about a missing teen in an attempt to recover money that was intercepted on its way to romance scammers. Linda Matson, 61, of Xenia, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Sarah E, Pitlyk to a charge of making false statements to a federal agent. On […]
The Missouri Department of Conservation plans to remove invasive Asian carp from the lower Grand River in a project to serve research and fisheries management. From Sept. 12-16, MDC will close to boaters the Brunswick Access and the final eight miles of the river before it flows into the Missouri River. Crews will net and […]
A new law will allow scrutiny of school materials and books for sexually explicit illustrations. On August 28, a new law will go into effect, that makes it a Class A misdemeanor for anyone affiliated with a public or private school to provide books or any other material with sexually explicit illustrations or […]
(Missouri Independent) – The sweeping Inflation Reduction Act passed by Democrats in the U.S. Senate on Sunday takes on an issue that Americans have been screaming about for years: The high cost of prescription drugs. But while it will bring immediate relief to millions of seniors, several experts have said it may dampen the development […]
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) congratulated the new class of Missourians who accepted appointments to attend U.S. military service academies, including the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and the U.S. Naval Academy. The following 14 individuals were nominated by Blunt: Douglas Michael Moloney of […]
Wyatt Copenhaver, son of Chad and Hannah Copenhaver, is the exhibitor of the 2022 Grand Champion Barrow at the Missouri State Fair. Wyatt is from Lexington, MO, and is a member of the 40-Ville 4-H Club. Wyatt’s prize-winning barrow weighs 273 pounds. The Reserve Grand Champion Barrow honor went to Connor Keithley of Chillicothe. He […]
Miss Elsie Kigar was named the 2022 Missouri State Fair Queen in a ceremony held yesterday, Aug. 11. Miss Kigar received the highest score of 41 contestants vying for the title in the two-day competition, held in the Mathewson Exhibition Center. Miss Kigar will reign over the remaining State Fair events and be an ambassador […]
