As lawmakers in Congress work to expand access to voting, members of the Missouri Legislature are proposing laws their critics say would limit people’s ability to vote. State legislative committees on elections convened last week to discuss measures that would impose a stricter voter ID law, require election officials to purge voter rolls more frequently, and others. Luz […]
Category: State News
Audio: MoDOT needs emergency snow plow drivers for cold weather months
The Missouri Department of Transportation needs part-time emergency snow plow drivers for the upcoming cold weather months. Without these positions filled when the hardest of winter hits, MoDOT Assistant District Engineer Kevin James says he worries it will affect not only people’s commutes to work but also the transport of goods across Missouri. […]
Missouri trucker sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole, for transporting minors across state lines and sexually assaulting them
A Missouri, truck driver was sentenced in federal court for transporting two Missouri teenagers across state lines and sexually assaulting them. Cleveland Lee Crumsey, 38, of Republic Missouri, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Crumsey to spend the rest of his […]
Missouri business owner who stole from customers, in $4 million fraud scheme, sentenced to 5 years in prison for $768,000 tax evasion
A Missouri business owner who engaged in a $4 million scheme to defraud his customers was sentenced in federal court for tax evasion after failing to pay more than $768,000 in state and federal taxes. “Not only did this defendant steal millions of dollars from his customers, but he stole from the public by evading […]
Report: Missouri receives failing grade for handling of COVID-19 in prisons
(Missouri News Service) – One out of every three people incarcerated in the United States has contracted COVID-19, and a new report shows how state prison systems – including in Missouri – have failed to properly handle the public-health crisis. The Prison Policy Initiative report evaluates how corrections departments have responded in four areas: limiting the […]
‘Clown show’ vs. ‘tyranny’: Missouri Senate GOP divide on display during veto session
(Missouri Independent) – On one side were tyrannical oligarchs. On the other, petulant children. Or at least that was the takeaway from the Missouri Senate’s day-long rules debate Wednesday. Gathered for the legislature’s annual veto session, the demons that have haunted the upper chamber for more than a year didn’t take long to reappear. The […]
$6.8 million from state’s medical marijuana program transferred to veterans fund
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has made the second transfer of funds from Missouri’s medical marijuana program to the Missouri Veterans Commission. The total amount transferred is $6,843,310. Missourians voted in November 2018 to adopt Constitutional Amendment 2, known now as Article XIV. The amendment includes a provision requiring that fees and taxes […]
Find the best places to see fall foliage with Missouri Department of Conservation’s fall color forecast
Missouri is blessed with a variety of trees, shrubs, and vines that make the fall season come alive with color. You can find the best places to view the changing foliage using the Missouri Department of Conservation’s fall color report at this link. “Our fall color report is updated weekly from MDC foresters all over […]
Audio: Kansas City State Senator Greg Razer vows to block all anti-LGBT bills that reach the Missouri Senate
Kansas City State Senator Greg Razer says he will try to block every bill he considers to be anti-LGBT that reaches the Missouri Senate. On the Senate floor Wednesday, Razer, a Democrat who is openly gay, says protecting the rights of the LGBT community will be the goal for the rest of his term. […]
USDA launches resource guide to assist rural communities seeking disaster and recovery assistance
United States Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Justin Maxson today unveiled a resource guide as part of National Preparedness Month to help rural communities seeking disaster resiliency and recovery assistance. This guide follows the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement of the American Jobs Plan, which targets investments to support infrastructure in communities that are most physically […]
Former paraprofessional at Missouri high school sentenced to 22 years in prison for producing child pornography
A former paraprofessional at Blue Springs High School was sentenced in federal court for producing and distributing child pornography. Steven B. Allen, 46, of Independence, Missouri, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 22 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Allen to spend the rest of his life on […]
Missouri lawmakers look to undermine Biden COVID vaccine mandate
(Missouri Independent) – Members of the Missouri House on Wednesday floated the idea of pursuing legislation to undermine a mandate from the Biden administration meant to increase vaccination rates in the U.S. The House Judiciary Committee held what Rep. David Evans said was the first in a series of discussions about vaccine mandates, including an executive order […]
Missouri monthly jobs report for August, 2021
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased from July 2021 to August 2021, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by two-tenths of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 7,300 jobs over the month, with job gains in both goods-producing and service-providing industries. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.0 percent in August 2021, […]
Governor Parson and First Lady to host Bicentennial Inaugural Parade and Ball at the State Capitol
On Saturday, September 18, Governor Parson and First Lady Parson will host the Bicentennial Inaugural Parade and Ball at the State Capitol in Jefferson City. The Bicentennial Inaugural Parade will take place this Saturday, September 18 at 10 a.m. in Jefferson City. The Bicentennial Inaugural Ball will also be this Saturday, September 18 at 5:00 p.m. in Jefferson City. These events are a […]
Audio: Federal worker vaccine mandate expected to drive nursing home workers out the door
The Biden Administration is expected to require nursing home workers to get their COVID-19 vaccination. In Missouri, about 50-percent of nursing home employees have been vaccinated, one of the worst rates in the country, according to federal data. Nikki Strong with the Missouri Health Care Association, which represents nursing homes across the state, says a […]
Audio: Meet Missouri’s 2022 Teacher of the Year, James Young
James Young, a Musical Theatre, Vocal Music, and Guitar teacher at the Johnson-Wabash 6th Grade Center in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, was selected by a committee of his peers and education partners across the state as the 2022 Missouri Teacher of the Year. He becomes the 53rd Missouri Teacher of the Year since the program’s inception […]
Missouri Republicans vow to push again for voter ID law
(Missouri Independent) – With several months to go before state lawmakers return for the 2022 legislative session, Republicans are promising to once again push to require photo identification to vote. Committees in the Missouri House and Senate held hearings Tuesday dominated by discussions of requiring a government-issued ID for both in-person and absentee voting. Secretary […]
Revised voting rights bill rolled out in U.S. Senate, with Manchin on board
(Missouri Independent) – Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a revamped voting rights bill that would expand voter registration as well as create nonpartisan redistricting committees, but the measure is still likely to face an uphill battle in an evenly divided Senate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he will bring the legislation to the floor […]