State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released her fifth report detailing the state government’s use of federal stimulus dollars intended for the COVID-19 response. In March, Auditor Galloway announced that her office would examine the state’s distribution and spending of funding received under the CARES Act and other federal assistance programs recently passed by Congress. The […]
Category: State News
Biden wants mask mandates nationwide: ‘We can save tens of thousands of lives’
(Missouri Independent) – President-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus response plan seeks to put a national mask mandate in place by calling on all governors to require face coverings in their states. It’s a move that public health experts say could dramatically reduce the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths. But putting wider mask laws in place […]
Video: ‘The virus is winning’: Health officials call for statewide mask mandate in Missouri
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson needs to issue a statewide mask mandate and “safer-at-home” policy to prevent the state’s health system from becoming overwhelmed, Dr. Alex Garza, the incident commander of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, said Friday. “Unfortunately, as has been painfully obvious to even a casual observer, we are […]
Missouri sets new record for COVID cases; Health director warns to avoid holiday gatherings
(Missouri Independent) – Missourians should not hold big family Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings this year, but they will likely be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine by the spring, the state health director said Thursday. In an interview on KCMO radio, Randall Williams said the rapid spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, especially in outstate […]
Missouri State Highway Patrol Assistant Superintendent, Malik Henderson, to retire after 32-years of service
Lieutenant Colonel Malik A. Henderson, assistant superintendent, will retire effective December 1, 2020, after over 32 years of service. Henderson was appointed to the Patrol on July 1, 1988, as a member of the 60th Recruit Class. Upon graduating from the Patrol’s Law Enforcement Academy in Jefferson City, Henderson was assigned to Troop E, Zone […]
Audio: Pfizer in Chesterfield expects approval, vaccines should be ready by end of year
Pfizer labs in Chesterfield, Missouri are ready to mass-produce a new COVID-19 vaccine as soon as the FDA approves its success rate and safety data. Pfizer and BioNtech have teamed up to develop a successful mRNA-based vaccine and have reached a 90 percent success rate in its studies so far. At a press conference with Missouri Gov. […]
Pilot program brings social services assistance to seven Missouri college campuses
The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development has partnered with the Department of Social Services and seven of Missouri’s postsecondary institutions across the state to make social services easily accessible for college students and staff. This pilot program enables DSS to have a member of the department’s Family Support Division team on campus […]
Missouri receives national “Innovation In State Government” award for professional development
The National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA) awarded one of four 2020 Innovations in State Government Awards to Missouri, the state’s first time receiving the award. Missouri was recognized for its distinctiveness and innovation in the “Personnel Best Practices” category for its professional development transformation. Criteria included program innovation, transferability to other state governments, […]
Audio: Missouri’s Governor Parson wants Missourians to “step up” and wear masks without a mandate
Governor Mike Parson changed rules on school quarantines to allow kids and staff to stay in school after COVID-19 exposure – if both people were wearing masks properly. He will not mandate masks statewide, but he is asking Missourians to QUOTE “Step up.” Parson says relaxing the mask quarantine guidelines will not only […]
Missouri schools allowed to relax COVID-19 quarantine rules if both people properly wearing masks
Governor Mike Parson and state education director Margie Vandeven have loosened the guidelines for making students and staff quarantine after exposure to someone with COVID-19 if both people were properly wearing masks. Vandeven explained at a press conference Thursday: “Under the updated guidance, proper mask-wearing may now prevent individuals from being identified as close contacts in […]
Mizzou classes, exams going online after Thanksgiving
The University of Missouri is temporarily shifting most of its in-person undergraduate and graduate courses to remote learning for the last three weeks of instruction, including final exams, following Thanksgiving break. The move is to help the region manage a surge in COVID-19 cases. Mun Choi, MU chancellor, and UM System president said in a […]
Department of Conservation reminds hunters of hunter orange requirements ahead of firearms deer season
The Missouri Department of Conservation reminds hunters not to forget their hunter orange before heading out the door for the opening weekend of firearms deer season Nov. 14-24. Hunters must wear a hunter orange hat and a hunter orange vest, shirt, or coat. The color must be visible from all sides. Camouflage orange does not […]
Audio: Thirty-six-year-old woman’s remains identified in western Missouri’s Bates County
Human remains found last week in western Missouri’s Bates County have been identified as 36-year-old Nicole Mallatt. The Bates County Sheriff says Mallatt lived in Butler with her longtime boyfriend and children and had been missing for nearly a year. Her cell phone and a backpack were found last December near her home, […]
Audio: Thousands of unemployed Missourians sign up for free online courses
Thousands of unemployed Missourians have signed up for free online courses. Alisa Nelson files this report. In July, the state partnered with a company called Coursera to begin offering free online classes to Missourians unemployed as a result of COVID-19. The state Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development tells Missourinet about 2,300 […]
Missouri House gives initial approval to $1.2 billion supplemental budget
The Missouri House voted Tuesday to give preliminary approval to a proposed $1.27 billion supplemental budget, a supplemental that is the reason for the special session. The supplemental budget includes funding for school nutrition programs, job training grants, $1 million for witness protection funding, and money for child support payments. Governor Mike Parson (R) called […]
“Missouri is fully prepared to start vaccinating people in December,” DHSS promises, including transporting long-term care patients
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Director told Missouri legislators that the state is “fully prepared to start vaccinating people in December” if the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Randal Williams updated the House Special Committee on Disease Control and Prevention on how a vaccine would […]
Missouri education official calls substitute teacher shortage a crisis
Missouri schools continue to struggle with having enough teachers available to educate kids in traditional classrooms this year. The Show-Me State has had a chronic problem with teacher shortages, but COVID-19 has made the can of worms open even more. Missouri has about 70,000 pre-K through 12 teachers instructing roughly 900,000 public school students. Many […]
Missouri Attorney General takes action after Satanic Temple seeks to disqualify Justice Amy Coney Barrett
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a response in Judy Doe v. Michael L. Parson, defending Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s faith after it was called into question by a member of the Satanic Temple. Judy Doe, a member of the Satanic Temple, filed a motion to disqualify Justice Barrett last week. Read the […]
Applications now open for Missouri State Highway Patrol Commercial Vehicle Officer
The Director of the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division of the Missouri State Highway Patrol invites individuals to take the written test for the position of commercial vehicle officer. Examination dates and locations are as follows: 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on December 5, 2020 Troop A Headquarters, 504 S.E. Blue Parkway, Lee’s Summit, MO Troop […]