A Missouri House committee will hold a hearing Tuesday about a new federal report on foster kids going missing and unaccounted for. The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says 978 Missouri foster care children were missing at some point in 2019. According to the […]
Category: State News
Health experts say you should find the best option before open enrollment
Missourians have a little more than a month until open enrollment for healthcare coverage at healthcare.gov, and medical experts say it’s important to understand your options to get the best plan for your needs. More than 215,000 Missouri residents are enrolled in coverage. But Michelle Davis Reed, eligibility and enrollment coordinator with Northwest Health Services […]
Missouri COVID cases for September top July despite waning Delta variant wave
(Missouri Independent) – The coronavirus Delta variant wave that hit Missouri in May and peaked in early August continued to abate in September, but the decline has been slow. There were 1,221 more COVID-19 cases reported statewide by the Department of Health and Senior Services in the 30-day month than the 60,847 cases reported in the 31 days of July, making […]
Motorists give mixed reaction to refund plan for Missouri fuel tax hike
(Missouri Independent) – Pump prices for gas and diesel didn’t change much Friday in Missouri, despite being the first day of a 2.5 cents per gallon increase in the state fuel tax. The cheapest gas in the state was $2.49 a gallon in Springfield, according to GasBuddy.com. That was unchanged from earlier in the week. The […]
Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Take-Back Day is October 23
Law enforcement will collect unwanted prescription drugs during the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Take-Back Day. Medications will be collected at various locations on October 23, 2021, from 10 to 2 o’clock. Area locations in Missouri include the Adair County Sheriff’s Office, Richmond Police Department, and Gower Police Department. Locations in Iowa include the Appanoose County Sheriff’s […]
Hy-Vee launches campaign to provide 5 million meals to families in need
Hy-Vee, Inc. announces its new “Scan Out Hunger” initiative to help address food insecurity across its eight-state region. Beginning today through Dec. 31, Hy-Vee is joining with its customers, suppliers, and community partners to raise funds for Feeding America® with a combined goal of raising $500,000, which equates to 5 million meals. The “Scan Out […]
Missouri man sentenced to 10 years in prison without parole for carrying almost 2.5 pounds of fentanyl aboard a train
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for smuggling more than a kilogram of fentanyl in his luggage aboard a train that stopped in Kansas City, Mo., from Los Angeles, Calif., bound for St. Louis, Mo. Joseph D. Christie, 43, of Poplar Bluff, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 10 […]
Jury convicts Missouri man of meth trafficking at Camdenton, Missouri hotel
A Missouri, man has been convicted by a federal trial jury of possessing methamphetamine to distribute. Anthony Martinez Harris, 48, of Kansas City, was found guilty on Wednesday, Sept. 29, of one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. On Sept. 26, 2019, employees at the Sleep Inn on Highway 54 called Camdenton, […]
Evergy warning customers regarding recent utility scam attempts
Evergy has received customer reports today of individuals placing phone calls to customers and claiming to be Evergy representatives. The individuals are asking customers for immediate payment to avoid service disconnection. These representatives are not employees of Evergy. For past-due accounts, calls from Evergy requesting payment are never made the same day as the disconnection. […]
Missouri Bicentennial Quilt to be in Chillicothe during October
Since the pioneer days of the American Midwest, quilts have been a cornerstone of Missouri culture, fashion, and tradition. In honor of Missouri’s 200 years of statehood, the State Historical Society of Missouri and Missouri Star Quilt Company, in partnership with the Missouri State Quilters Guild, teamed up to create the Missouri Bicentennial Quilt. Using […]
Audio: Starting Friday, drivers will pay a little bit more to fill up at the gas pump in Missouri
Starting Friday, drivers will pay a little bit more to fill up at the gas pump in Missouri. The Missouri Legislature passed this year and Governor Parson signed a bill into law that would increase the fuel tax by two-and-a-half cents annually over the next five years. The law includes a rebate option […]
Prosecutor asks Missouri governor to ignore AG’s demand to be removed from Agape case
(Missouri Independent) – The county prosecutor who Attorney General Eric Schmitt said “does not intend to seek justice” for victims of alleged abuse and neglect at a southwestern Missouri boarding school urged Gov. Mike Parson to not remove Schmitt’s office from assisting in the case. In a letter sent Tuesday, Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney Ty […]
Missouri Attorney General files motion to halt St. Louis County attempt to impose a second mask mandate
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a motion to renew and enforce the preliminary injunction in his lawsuit against St. Louis County following County Executive Page’s attempt to illegally impose a second mask mandate. The motion was filed in the existing case against St. Louis County and asks the court to apply the existing preliminary […]
Congress passes bill to prevent government shutdown, Blunt only Missouri Republican in support
(Missouri Independent) – Congress made a last-minute dash to avert a government shutdown on Thursday, with the U.S. Senate and House approving a short-term spending bill just hours ahead of a midnight deadline. Every Democratic and independent senator and 15 Republicans supported the bill in the 65-35 vote. The GOP senators in the “aye” tally included […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to meth trafficking after high-speed chase
A Missouri man who led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing methamphetamine to distribute. Heath E. Yarger, 49, of Republic, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. By pleading guilty, Yarger admitted that he […]
Missouri observes National 4-H Week, October 3-9
“Find Your Spark” is the theme of this year’s National 4-H Week, observed October 3-9, 2021. The theme celebrates the resilience of young people who have brought about significant innovations in agriculture and technology, says Lupita Fabregas, director of the University of Missouri Extension 4-H Center for Youth Development. “In Missouri 4-H, we offer all […]
Missouri Supreme Court mulls challenge to laws that blocked abortion bill vote
(Missouri Independent) – Making people who want to force a statewide vote on newly passed laws wait while the Secretary of State writes a ballot title undermines the constitutional right of referendum, attorneys for an abortion-rights group argued Wednesday to the Missouri Supreme Court. A ballot title was “not necessary for most of Missouri history,” […]
Governor Parson announces grants to 19 agencies to investigate and prosecute criminals who victimize children
Governor Mike Parson announced the state of Missouri has approved more than $1.8 million in grant assistance to 19 agencies across the state to investigate and prosecute crimes that victimized children. “Criminals who victimize children must be investigated, prosecuted, and brought to justice, no matter when they commit these heinous crimes,” Governor Parson said. “The […]
Governor Mike Parson grants pardons to 12 individuals
On Monday, September 27, 2021, Governor Mike Parson granted 12 pardons according to Article IV, Section 7 of the Constitution of the State of Missouri. Official documents have been filed with the appropriate government agencies and are being sent to the individuals. Pardons: Stacy Brake Scott Nelson Jason Schwermer Matt Musselman Patrick Laughlin Timothy Smith […]
Missouri State Auditor’s office files lawsuit in Cole County against the State Board of Accountancy
the Missouri State Auditor’s Office filed a lawsuit in Cole County Circuit Court against the Missouri State Board of Accountancy to block the Board from misapplying a state statute in a way that could bar the Auditor – current or future – from publically disclosing facts and findings of government inefficiencies, waste, fraud, and abuse. […]