More Missourians died last year than were born, according to the state Department of Health. The good news is that there were more births in December 2021 than there were in December 2020, and the number of deaths were lower last December than in December 2020. But preliminary data also shows Missouri’s birth […]
A Ukrainian national who organizes agricultural conferences throughout the world is in the United States, this time raising money to rebuild rural villages devastated by the war. Brent Martin reports from one of his Missouri stops. Roman Grynyshyn, during a stop in St. Joseph, says many with ties to both Ukraine and Russia never suspected […]
The Missouri State Fair is accepting nominations for Veteran/Active Military Honoree of the Day, sponsored by Capital Materials, Retrieving Freedom, Inc., and Starline Brass. Eleven veterans/active duty service members from Missouri will be chosen from the nominations and honored in a Military Flag Retreat ceremony to take place daily in a new location, just outside the Historic Administration […]
(Missouri Independent) – By the time state lawmakers return to the Capitol next year, nearly all abortions could be illegal in Missouri. With a trigger ban already on the books that would go into effect if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the GOP supermajority that controls the Missouri legislature is already mulling what […]
The superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol would like to remind the public about laws pertaining to the use of all-terrain vehicles and utility vehicles. Missouri laws define utility vehicles as any motorized vehicle manufactured and used exclusively for off-highway use, which is more than 50 inches, but no more than 80 inches in […]
Vice President Kamala Harris met with abortion providers from Missouri and other restrictive states Thursday to consider ways the Biden administration can protect and expand access to the full scope of reproductive health care. Even before the leaked draft opinion indicating the Supreme Court intends to overturn Roe v. Wade, Missouri has had among the most barriers to accessing […]
(Missouri Independent – Members of a U.S. Senate panel and election administrators raised a bevy of concerns Thursday about the challenges elections officials will face this fall, saying problems ranging from a lack of paper to coordinated misinformation campaigns could affect confidence in U.S. democracy. A bipartisan panel of current and former elections officials and […]
(Missouri Independent) – Students and teachers told U.S. House members during a Thursday hearing that their right to talk about race and LGBTQ issues in public schools is being silenced due to an onslaught of new state laws as well as pressure on school boards from right-wing advocates. “To be crystal clear, this is about […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced Thursday that his office has filed six new lawsuits challenging school masking requirements. Schmitt’s office hinted during a hearing in Columbia earlier this week that more lawsuits were forthcoming. The lawsuits challenge rules school districts established allowing mask mandates to be reimposed if COVID cases reach a […]
United States District Court Judge Stephen R. Clark sentenced a Ferguson, Missouri man who was shot while trying to find methamphetamine that had been seized by authorities to 165 months (13.75 years) in prison. Cedric D. Baker, 49, flew to Houston, Texas on July 30, 2020, and bought over 10 kilograms of methamphetamine that had […]
United States District Court Judge Stephen R. Clark sentenced Anthony D. Jones Jr. to 45 years in prison for fatally shooting a St. Louis woman in 2019 before stealing her car. In Jones’ plea agreement, he admitted shooting Jessica Vinson in the head and the back on May 4, 2019, in an alley in the […]
A Missouri man who was shot while trying to rob a jewelry store in 2019 was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Audrey G. Fleissig Thursday to eight years and four months in prison. Deven Strauther of St. Louis and at least two others tried to rob the Robinson Jewelry Company on Chippewa Street […]
United States District Court Judge Ronnie L. White sentenced a significant dealer of methamphetamine Thursday to nine years in prison. Anne R. Jekel, 42, of St. Louis County, was caught multiple times in possession of methamphetamine and guns. On Nov. 29, 2016, Maryland Heights police officers arrested her on outstanding warrants and found a pistol, […]
United States District Court Judge Ronnie L. White sentenced Horatio T. Harris Wednesday to 46 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm during a domestic dispute sparked by the death of a toddler. In Harris’ plea agreement, he admitted that on Sept. 4, 2020, a crowd of 15 to 20 people gathered outside a […]
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a fraud scheme that utilized the stolen identities of Johnson County, Kansas, government employees to make fraudulent purchases. Michael B. Becher, 40, of Raytown, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to participating in a conspiracy to commit credit card fraud […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Newton County, Mo. Jason C. Russell, 34, of Joplin, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 24 years and four months in federal prison without parole. On Nov. 17, 2021, Russell pleaded guilty to […]
A Missouri man who led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase was sentenced in federal court for possessing methamphetamine to distribute. Heath E. Yarger, 49, of Republic, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 14 years in federal prison without parole. On Sept. 30, 2021, Yarger pleaded guilty to one count […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing the firearm he used to shoot another person during an argument. Dana Ray Day, Jr., 32, of Jefferson City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The sentence is the statutory maximum penalty for this […]
Missouri has prided itself on being a local control state, but some bills offered over the legislative session and throughout the years aim to take control away from the locals. Examples include one about patient visitation rights, teaching race-based history in schools, and overturning a St. Louis minimum wage increase. State House Speaker Rob Vescovo, […]
(Missouri Independent) – Attorney General Eric Schmitt is preparing for a new round of lawsuits challenging school mask rules if districts reinstate orders in the face of an uptick in COVID-19 cases. During a hearing Tuesday in Boone County Circuit Court, assistant attorney general James Atkins said the new cases would involve districts that have policies triggered […]
