(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. Department of Education on Friday announced a final rule that will update Title IX regulations governing how schools respond to sexual misconduct, undoing changes made under the Trump administration and former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. “For more than 50 years, Title IX has promised an equal opportunity to learn and […]
Smithfield Foods has achieved significant recognition for its commitment to environmental stewardship and workplace safety at the Meat Institute’s 2023 awards program. Stewart Leeth, Chief Sustainability Officer at Smithfield Foods, expressed pride in the company’s accomplishments. “It’s an honor to be recognized for our achievements and progress across environmental stewardship and workplace safety initiatives,” Leeth […]
In what is being touted as a significant victory for education in Missouri, the state’s General Assembly has passed SB 727 and HB 2287, a set of comprehensive education reform bills aimed at improving elementary and secondary education statewide. These bipartisan bills, both spearheaded in the House by State Representative Phil Christofanelli, mark a substantial […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Colette Peters, Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, expressing opposition to the pending release of Robert Courtney. Courtney, who was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison, had diluted tens of thousands of prescription medications for personal profit. His scheduled transfer to […]
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey directed a letter to Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, informing him that it is a Class D felony to knowingly transport an illegal alien in the state of Missouri. This notification followed comments made by Mayor Lucas that welcomed illegal immigrants to Kansas City amid what is described as the […]
A regularly scheduled audit of Clark County, located in northeast Missouri, is currently in progress, as announced by Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick. The audit commenced on Thursday, April 18, with an initial meeting held with county officials. The State Auditor’s Office last evaluated Clark County in 2016, assigning the county a rating of “fair.” […]
Three men from Florida have been accused of transporting hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen property out of the St. Louis area. Benjamin Andres Ovalle-Taibo, now 31, Jonathan Vejar-Caro, 31, and Henry Jose Ferreira-Perez, 20, were each indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Nov. 1, 2023, on one count of transportation […]
U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a man arrested after a 2023 shooting to 12.5 years in prison. Robert Eutz III, 44, pleaded guilty in January to one felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department stopped his […]
Amy Kay Thomas, 40, from Webb City, Missouri, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without the possibility of parole. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool for her involvement in a conspiracy to commit kidnapping which led to a victim’s death, and for illegal possession of a firearm. […]
A collision involving a 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier and a deer caused moderate injuries to a Missouri man on Thursday evening. The accident occurred on Highway 63, approximately half a mile south of Renick. The driver of the Chevrolet, Brittany L. Crowley, 32, of Moberly, Missouri, was traveling north when her vehicle collided with a deer. […]
A head-on collision involving a 2006 Buick Lucerne and a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach E occurred on Highway 24, approximately five miles south of Palmyra, at 5:33 p.m. on April 18, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The Buick, driven by a 16-year-old from Hannibal, Missouri, was traveling northbound when it hydroplaned and collided […]
Missouri State Fair livestock exhibitors interested in camping can begin to submit their camping reservations starting at 9 a.m. on May 1. Reservations can be made through an online portal or by submitting a downloadable and printable form, both of which are accessible on the Fair’s website. Exhibitors should opt for either the online reservation […]
Missouri FFA members have converged in Columbia for the 96th Missouri FFA Convention, held at the Hearnes Center of MU. This year’s theme, “Open the Door,” emphasizes opportunities in agricultural education and leadership, drawing more than 8,000 students and guests. Keith Dietzschold, Missouri FFA Advisor and Chillicothe native highlighted the awards for outstanding FFA achievements. […]
Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announced that five troopers graduated from the Patrol’s Accelerated Law Enforcement Academy today, April 17, 2024. The ceremony was held at 10 a.m. at the Patrol Academy’s gymnasium. The 119th Recruit Class reported to the Academy on January 2, 2024. The new troopers will […]
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey launched an investigation into illicit vape and marijuana products to ensure compliance with Missouri law and protect Missouri consumers from potentially dangerous products. His office issued civil investigative demands—subpoena power reserved for the Attorney General’s Office—after receiving reports that distributors were potentially violating the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (MMPA), which […]
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a man who recorded his sexual abuse of one pre-teen girl and sexually abused two other children to 35 years in prison. Aaron Pratt, 38, of Webster Groves, Missouri, pleaded guilty in January to one count of production of child pornography and one count of receiving […]
A St. Louis man on Wednesday admitted to committing 12 robberies or attempted robberies that occurred in less than a month in 2021. James Mayes, 61, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to 10 counts of robbery, two counts of possession, brandishing, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of […]
A man from Fairview Heights, Illinois was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday and accused of committing a sexual assault in Gateway Arch National Park. Monte Derrell Boatman, 35, was indicted on one count of sexual abuse. The indictment accuses him of committing the forcible assault on park grounds on Dec. 6, […]
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a man involved in the fatal shooting of a cab driver in Hazelwood, Missouri in 2022 to 17 years in prison. Coron Dees was one of two teens who robbed Dewight Price, 54, at gunpoint on April 24, 2022. Two other teens were also involved. All […]
A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin and for illegally possessing a firearm. John A. Caylor, 55, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Tuesday, April 16, to 13 years and six months in federal prison without […]
