A Las Vegas, Nevada, man was indicted by a federal grand jury for possessing more than eight pounds of methamphetamine in his duffel bag aboard a bus passing through Kansas City, Missouri. Reginald S. Thomas Sr., 52, was charged with possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in an indictment returned by a federal grand […]
Category: State News
Department of Economic Development awards $17.7 million through Neighborhood Assistance Program and Youth Opportunities Program
The Department of Economic Development announced that it will award $17.7 million in 50% and 70% tax credits through its Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) and Youth Opportunities Program (YOP) Special Cycle to 104 nonprofits across Missouri. “Missouri nonprofits have gone above and beyond to provide critical services to Missourians throughout the past year,” Governor Mike […]
Dispute leaves a Ringgold County, Iowa man dead, another faces two counts of murder
The Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call on Sunday evening indicating a male subject was in Kellerton, Iowa, and had displayed a gun in a threatening manner. Ringgold County Deputies located the suspect and attempted to make a traffic stop. The vehicle, driven by Chance Newton, led officers on a high-speed pursuit. During […]
Missouri State Fair opening day is Thursday
The 119th Missouri State Fair begins this Thursday, August 12, in Sedalia. Many are looking forward to the deals on gate admission and at participating concessions and vendors. The Fair’s Opening Day, sponsored by Visit Missouri, offers $4.00 gate admission for fairgoers 13 years and older, $2.00 admission for ages 6-12, and free admission for […]
Audio: St. Joseph School District to require students to wear masks when they return to the classroom on August 23
Students in Pre-K-12, staff, and visitors will be required to wear masks indoors in the St. Joseph School District beginning August 23, 2021, the first day of school for the district, regardless of vaccination status. Masks will not be required outdoors. Following presentations and discussion, the St. Joseph Board of Education voted 5 […]
Secretary of State announces Bicentennial-Day release of the State of Missouri Constitution in audiobook format
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, in commemoration of the two-hundredth anniversary of Missouri’s entry into the United States, has announced that the Constitution of the State of Missouri will be released in audiobook format on August 10, 2021. This 13-hour recording, produced by the Wolfner Talking Book and Braille Library, is the first audio version […]
Ripley County angler swipes rare Missouri state record for American eel
The Missouri Department of Conservation congratulates Carlin Allison of Doniphan on a rare feat, catching a state record American eel. Allison was catfishing on the Current River July 26 when he reeled in the 6-pound, 15-ounce eel on his pole-and-line. This makes the ninth state record fish recorded in 2021. “I was using skipjack bait […]
Missouri seeks to boost prizes in local vaccine incentive program
(Missouri Independent) – Prizes awarded through a vaccine incentive program offered by local public health departments in Missouri may get boosted to $100-per-person under a new federal allowance. After previously rejecting Missouri’s proposal to exceed a $25 limit on prizes paid for with federal funding to incentivize immunizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently […]
Less than half of Missouri nursing home staff vaccinated, reviving fear of lockdowns
(Missouri Independent) – Many of the staff and residents in Shunda Whitfield’s St. Louis County nursing home were sick before they even realized what was going on. It was April 2020, and masks weren’t yet standard practice. Little was known about COVID before it swept through nursing homes, and as a certified nursing assistant, Whitfield […]
Audio: Hatfield expects decision in Missouri Medicaid expansion lawsuit case in a few business days
Missouri’s Solicitor General says the state Department of Social Services needs two months to implement voter-approved Medicaid expansion. D. John Sauer made his comments Friday to Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem, saying DSS needs more employees and computer upgrades for implementation. Attorney Chuck Hatfield, who represents the three low-income women suing Missouri, disagrees. […]
Audio: MoDOT has lost more than half of its 5100-person workforce over the past four years
Like many industries dealing with worker shortages, so is the Missouri Department of Transportation. MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna says his department has had a high turnover rate for several years. The current state budget includes a pay raise for MoDOT workers, but Missouri still has one of the lowest-paid state workforces in the […]
Audio: Chewy is opening a giant fulfillment center near Kansas City this week
Chewy is opening a giant fulfillment center near Kansas City this week. “Online pet product retailer Chewy has announced plans to open a new 800,000 square foot eCommerce fulfillment center in Belton. A press release from Gov. Mike Parson’s office says the company expects to hire more than 1,200 workers. Andrew Pitkin. Missourinet […]
Missouri agency begins implementation of new law to regulate unlicensed boarding schools
(Missouri Independent) – Unlicensed youth residential facilities across Missouri are expected to submit materials notifying the state of their existence by mid-October, but background checks for facility staff required under a new law likely won’t be completed by that time. That’s because the Department of Social Services (DSS) is still working to make hires in […]
Additional ambulances to support hospitals across the state of Missouri
Governor Mike Parson announced that Missouri is tripling the number of mutual aid ambulances that provide long-haul patient transfers to help reduce the rising COVID-19 caseloads straining hospitals. Thirty ambulances and more than 60 trained personnel began arriving in five regions of the state on Friday, August 6, 2021. “The ambulance strike teams we positioned […]
Food insecure urban agriculture matching grant funds now available
The Missouri Department of Agriculture announced the availability of Food Insecure Urban Agriculture Matching Grant funds of up to $50,000 per project. Applications for the grant funds must benefit residents affected by food insecurity in urbanized areas and are due by Sept. 30, 2021. Projects must be complete and ready for verification by April 1, […]
Audio: Cole County judge expected to issue final order on Missouri Medicaid expansion today
We’ll learn new details Friday in Jefferson City about how Missouri will proceed with voter-approved Medicaid expansion. The Missouri Supreme Court’s 14-page ruling includes a conclusion, which requires Friday’s hearing in Cole County Circuit Court. “For the reasons set forth above, the circuit court’s judgment is affirmed only insofar as it overruled the […]
Three from Missouri receive prison sentences for their roles in distribution of methamphetamine
Three Springfield, Missouri, residents were sentenced in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine. Jeremy A. Ingram, 42, Laurie B. Holmes, 39, and Lonnie J. Tinker, 36, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool. Ingram was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison […]
Missouri man sentenced to 10 years in prison for meth trafficking and illegal firearm
A Missouri man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing methamphetamine and a firearm. Charles D. Kessler, 41, of Ava, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on July 29, 2021, to 10 years in federal prison without parole. On July 2, 2020, Kessler pleaded guilty to one count of possessing […]
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services issues closing order to Heng Feng Food Services in Lexington
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has issued a closing order to Heng Feng Food Services, Inc., in Lexington, Missouri. The order was issued to the operators of the food warehouse after recent visits by DHSS inspectors identified ongoing pest control issues. Heng Feng Food Services, Inc. is a distributor of food supplies in […]
Hawley calls on USDA to hold meatpackers accountable for anti-competitive conduct
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) urged U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to leverage the full scope of his statutory authority to hold meatpackers accountable for anticompetitive behavior, including threatening to revoke inspection services for these companies, which would have a major impact on their bottom-line. “After years of consolidation in the beef, pork, and chicken […]