A standing order was issued Tuesday by Missouri’s State Epidemiologist, Dr. George Turabelidze, which entitles individuals to receive coverage for purchased tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This policy authorizes Missouri pharmacies to charge an individual’s insurance carrier, whether it is private insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare coverage, for COVID-19 testing. “Those without a healthcare […]
Category: State News
Missouri man sentenced to 15 years in prison without parole for armed robbery conspiracy
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a series of armed business robberies in Kansas City and Independence, Mo. Henry Simmons, 22, Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 15 years in federal prison without parole. On Sept. 1, 2021, Simmons pleaded guilty to one count […]
Judges release new boundaries for Missouri Senate districts
(Missouri Independent) – A panel of Missouri judges tasked with redrawing 34 state Senate districts released a tentative plan Monday, part of a once-in-a-decade process that reconfigures political boundaries following the U.S. Census. The new map, drawn by the Judicial Redistricting Commission after a citizen commission failed to reach consensus, will be formally submitted to […]
Arkansas man sentenced to 18 years in a Missouri prison for intent to engage in sexual conduct with a minor
An Arkansas man was sentenced to 18 years in prison for traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. On August 12, 2021, Jerrell West, 32, of Forrest City, Arkansas was found guilty by jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. He was sentenced by […]
Missouri groups urge federal support for diaper banks
Groups in Missouri are urging Congress to pass a full-year, fully-funded appropriations bill, instead of a parade of stopgap continuing resolutions to fund support programs for low-income and working people across the state. Between 2010 and 2021, many programs serving low-income people nationwide lost ground taking inflation into account, according to the Coalition on Human Needs. Jill […]
Missouri State Auditor releases 2021 law enforcement federal forfeiture reports
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway has released her office’s compilation of 2021 federal forfeiture reports. Law enforcement agencies that participate in the federal asset forfeiture system must file information regarding federal seizures and proceeds with the State Auditor’s Office. Law enforcement agencies can seize money and property from individuals and organizations involved in illegal activities. […]
Missouri man sentenced to 15 years without parole for meth conspiracy and illegal firearms
A Missouri man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy that, in total, distributed more than 150 kilograms of methamphetamine and more than 10 kilograms of heroin, valued at more than $1.7 million. Matthew John Fabulae, 33, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Friday, […]
Audio: Transportation Security Administration extends mask mandate
Missouri travelers have to continue wearing face coverings on airplanes, buses, and trains for at least another month. The TSA is extending the federal mask mandate through April 18th. It was set to expire next Friday. The one-month extension was based on a CDC recommendation. Most mask mandates have ended as COVID numbers […]
Ethics panel dismisses complaint alleging Greitens funneled money into Senate campaign
(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint against former Gov. Eric Greitens accusing him of illegally using leftover money from his gubernatorial campaign committee to subsidize his quest for U.S. Senate. The complaint, filed in October by Campaign Legal Center, alleged Greitens used money from his state account to pay his eventual […]
Planned Parenthood sues Missouri social services agency over restricted Medicaid funds
(Missouri Independent) – Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit Thursday against Missouri’s Department of Social Services, alleging the agency unlawfully plans to restrict Medicaid payments to the provider. A March 4 notice sent to Planned Parenthood of St. Louis Region cites a supplemental budget bill lawmakers passed last month that bars abortion providers or their affiliates from being […]
Missouri Attorney General announces top 10 consumer complaints for 2021
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office received 126,100 total consumer complaints in 2021, submitted in writing or via phone call. The Consumer Complaint Unit received 86,856 complaints and inquiries and the No-Call Unit received 39,244 complaints. The Attorney General’s Office has advocates who take complaints and work actively to mediate those complaints between consumers and businesses […]
Grand jury indicts former Missouri school principal and co-conspirator in murder for hire plot
A federal grand jury indicted Cornelius M. Green and Phillip J. Cutler on March 9, 2022, for conspiracy to commit murder for hire and murder for hire that resulted in the death of Jocelyn Peters and her unborn child in 2016. The indictment alleges that Green and Cutler had a longstanding and close friendship […]
Judge sentences Missouri man to 11 years in prison for robbery and weapon violations
A Missouri man appeared before United States District Court Judge Henry E. Autrey, and based on a previous plea of guilty, Collis Lee, age 25, of St. Louis County, was sentenced to 135 months (11.25 years) in federal prison for the armed robbery of the O’Reilly Auto Parts store in Jennings, Missouri. According to the […]
Missouri man charged with producing and distributing child pornography
A Missouri, man has been charged in federal court with producing and distributing child pornography. Andrew J. McCardie, 35, of Farley, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Monday, March 7, with one count of producing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography […]
Missouri man sentenced to 13 years in prison for shooting female Z-Trip driver 26 times during robbery
A Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for the armed robbery of a female Z-Trip driver whom he shot approximately 26 times with a rifle from the back seat. Derron D. Nevels, 21, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs on Wednesday, March 9, to 13 years in […]
Missouri fines CAFO, owned by Smithfield Foods, $18,000 for polluting streams with 300,000 gallons of waste
(Missouri Independent) – Regulators ordered an industrial hog farm in northern Missouri to pay more than $18,000 for spilling 300,000 gallons of manure into miles of nearby streams. An advocate for environmentally responsible agriculture called that “pathetic,” noting the fine amounted to less than $0.04 per gallon of waste spilled. “You’re talking about a multi-billion […]
House Republicans renew calls for the Biden administration to drop “Waters of the United States” expansion
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member David Rouzer (R-NC), and Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse (R-WA) are leading 201 House Republicans in renewing calls for the Biden administration to drop its plan to expand the scope of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). House […]