The Missouri Department of Agriculture recently hosted the 2023 Focus on Missouri Agriculture Photo Contest, and a captivating image featuring the state’s beloved animal has emerged as the Best in Show. The winning photograph, titled “Hitched,” was submitted by Tony Cook, a resident of Fayette, Mo., and was selected from a pool of submissions from […]
Though it’s been a drier start to summer than usual, seasonal growth along Missouri’s roadways still needs to be mowed. The Missouri Department of Transportation urges motorists to use caution when encountering tractor-mowers near the shoulders of interstates and other busy roadways. “Mowing roadsides increases visibility for motorists along Missouri roadways,” said MoDOT State Maintenance […]
(Missouri Independent) – The state shouldn’t be responsible for paying people released after their convictions have been overturned, Gov. Mike Parson wrote explaining his veto of a bill that expands who is eligible for compensation for being wrongly imprisoned. Under current law, only someone shown to be innocent by means of a DNA test is eligible for compensation […]
Governor Mike Parson signed 31 pieces of legislation into law and vetoed one legislative bill, Senate Bill (SB) 189, passed by the Missouri General Assembly. With this action, Governor Parson has signed or vetoed all legislation approved during the 2023 Legislative Session. “We took action to close out all remaining bills from the 2023 session, and […]
A woman pleaded guilty to federal charges Thursday and admitted fraudulently applying for a $167,999 Payroll Protection Program loan during the coronavirus pandemic for a Poplar Bluff, Missouri business that she did not run or own. Maxine Michelle Burns, 44, of Willow Springs in Howell County, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape […]
A former youth hockey coach was arrested Thursday on federal charges that include accusations that he produced child pornography involving two juveniles and possessed child pornography of multiple other currently unidentified juveniles. James R. Lambert, 41, of Lake St. Louis, was indicted on June 28 on two counts of production of child pornography, one count […]
A Grovespring, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court for receiving and distributing child pornography. James Michael Justice, 55, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Justice to 15 years of supervised release following incarceration. On Nov. 21, 2022, Justice pleaded […]
An Albuquerque, New Mexico, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for threatening to murder a federal judge. Ryan M. Summers, 44, was charged in an indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield on Tuesday, June 27. That indictment was unsealed and made public today following his arrest and […]
A former bank vice president pleaded guilty in federal court to embezzling at least $550,000 from the People’s Bank of Moniteau County. Angela Flippin, 51, of Jamestown, Mo., waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr. to a federal information that charges her with one […]
Vroom Solar, a solar energy startup company, commenced construction today on its new headquarters and manufacturing facility in Springfield, investing $2.4 million and generating 35 job opportunities. “We’re thrilled that an innovative company like Vroom Solar is starting up and creating jobs right here in our state,” said Governor Mike Parson. “Missouri’s skilled workforce and […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s budget vetoes weren’t necessary to protect state finances and could lead to overrides when lawmakers meet in September, Republican legislative budget leaders said Wednesday. While overrides, both for budget items and other legislation, became common when Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon was in office, a governor has only been overridden […]
(Missouri Independent) – States that have tried to enroll more Black and Hispanic students in universities without using race-based admissions policies have seen the numbers of those students slip — especially at elite institutions. Nine states had affirmative action bans before last week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking it down nationwide. Those states and others […]
(Missouri Independent) – For two years, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has pushed unsuccessfully to allow government agencies to withhold more information from the public and charge more for any records that are turned over. And according to a 2021 memo obtained by The Independent, one of the architects of Parson’s plan to weaken government transparency […]
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana granted his motion to block top officials in the federal government from continuing to violate the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans. The judge’s ruling is 155 pages long and includes 721 footnotes. The judge had […]
A Missouri man who pleaded guilty in federal court is the final defendant convicted for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in Greene County, Mo. James D. Elbert, 41, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin. By pleading guilty, Elbert admitted […]
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports the following 2023 July Fourth holiday statistics for the counting period of 6 p.m., Friday, June 30, through 11:59 p.m., Tuesday, July 4, 2023. Eight people died in traffic crashes and four people drowned over the long Independence Day weekend, according to preliminary statistics from the Missouri State Highway […]
(Missouri Independent) – A proposal to help working Missourians with disabilities access affordable health care is among the bills now awaiting action by Gov. Mike Parson. The legislature this year approved a pair of bills that include tweaks to eligibility for the Ticket to Work Health Assurance Program, which provides health insurance through Medicaid to […]
The resounding theme of the 2023 Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Book is childcare shortages and unaffordability. In Missouri, the number of childcare deserts increased by more than 100% from pre-pandemic days to the summer of 2020. The Casey Report showed the average annual cost of center-based toddler care in the state of $8,900 consumes around 22% […]
Governor Parson announced four appointments to various boards and commissions and filled three county office vacancies. Marcy Anderson, of Holden, was appointed as the Johnson County Circuit Clerk. Ms. Anderson has served in the Johnson County Circuit Clerks Office since 1996 and as Chief Supervisor of the office since 2016. She is a certified notary and a […]
Watkins Mill State Park will host a presentation on Missouri’s involvement in the legislation leading up to the Civil War from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 8. Missouri’s application for statehood and admission to the Union placed Missourians at a confluence of political, racial, and social issues that eventually tore the nation apart. In […]
