(Missouri Independent) – After a blue ribbon commission spent much of 2022 crafting possible solutions for Missouri’s teacher shortage, education advocates entered the legislative session optimistic. And when Rep. Ed Lewis’ legislation raising the minimum teacher salary and creating a scholarship to incentivize teachers to work in hard-staff areas cleared the House in early April with only five “no” […]
(Missourinet) – One Missouri state agency has developed a strategy for combatting drought conditions. The Department of Natural Resources has released its Drought Mitigation and Response Plan, within days of Governor Mike Parson declaring a drought alert. Michael Weller, with the department, gives some examples of how homeowners can reduce water use during these dry […]
(Missouri Independent) – In the fall of 2016, the Connecticut Department of Children and Families began using a predictive analytics tool that promised to help identify kids in imminent danger. The tool used more than two dozen data points to compare open cases in Connecticut’s system against previous welfare cases with poor outcomes. Then each […]
While gathered at the Community Room at HomeBank in Hannibal, Missouri, EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister presented a $700,000 ceremonial check to the Marion-Ralls Regional Port Authority in northeastern Missouri as a Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant selectee. McCollister was joined by Marion-Ralls Regional Port Authority Chairman Brian W. Caldwell, Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council […]
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey joined 22 other states in urging U.S. Senate leadership to pass the HALT Fentanyl Act. The legislation would permanently schedule all current and future fentanyl analogues as Schedule I drugs, giving law enforcement the tools they need to crack down on the epidemic by stopping the flow of the dangerous […]
As the result of a Whistleblower Hotline website submission that raised concerns about possible fraudulent activity, Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick has announced an audit of the City of Desloge Municipal Court, located in St. Francois County. “The whistleblower submission brought to our attention the possibility of funds being embezzled from the court system and […]
Governor Mike Parson confirmed that the state of Missouri will carry out the sentence of Michael Tisius on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, as ordered by the Supreme Court of Missouri. “Missouri’s judicial system provided Mr. Tisius with due process and fair procedures for his brutal murders of two Randolph County jail guards,” Governor Parson said. “Having […]
(Missourinet/KTTN News) – Missouri has sold nearly 14,000 elk and black bear hunting permit applications this year. The application process closed on May 31. The Missouri Department of Conservation reports 8,562 of those are for elk hunting – lower than the 2021 and 2022 applications of roughly 9,700. As for black bear hunting permit applications, […]
(Missourinet) – The U.S. Supreme Court will not stop Tuesday’s scheduled execution of Michael Tisius. The high court has denied the 42-year-old man’s request to block Missouri from putting him to death. The court’s decision follows a Kansas City Star story reporting an appeals court overturned a stay that temporarily blocked the execution. A lower federal court […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey overstepped his authority when he demanded changes to the cost estimate of an abortion-rights initiative petition, state Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick argued in a legal brief filed in Cole County Court last week. Fitzpatrick, Bailey, and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, all Republicans, were sued last month by the […]
Missouri State Highway Patrol, announces the results of the Driver and Vehicle Safety Division’s 2023 annual school bus inspection program. Missouri’s 2023 school bus inspection results are as follows: School buses rated as “approved” upon initial inspection — 9,995 School buses rated as “defective” upon initial inspection — 1,088 School buses rated as “out-of-service” upon […]
Missourians scored some big wins for child care and pre-K programs in the 2023 legislative session, although some said it is just a start. Brian Schmidt, executive director of the group Kids Win Missouri, called it a “really exciting time” for child care and early childhood education in the state. He attributes a lot of the legislative […]
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that his office and 41 other states have negotiated a nationwide $102.5 million settlement with Indivior Inc., the maker of opioid use disorder treatment drug Suboxone. Missouri will receive $1.8 million from the settlement. “My priority as Attorney General will always be to protect Missourians, which is why I’m […]
Governor Mike Parson announced he has named Acting Director Paula F. Nickelson the Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Nickelson was appointed Acting Director on March 1, 2022, with more than 22 years of service with DHSS. Following unprecedented challenges faced by the public health and healthcare workforce over the past […]
A project manager has been sentenced in federal court for misleading federal authorities about lead contamination in a Granby, Mo., city park after he was hired to conduct remediation at the site. Lynn Eich, 65, of Dewitt, Iowa, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Thursday, June 1, to five years of […]
Law enforcement officers seized 82 firearms, including machine guns, during the arrest of three Kansas City, Mo., metropolitan area men charged with participating in a conspiracy to traffic firearms, including machine guns, and with drug trafficking. Alejandro Zavala, 23, and Cody Bonhomme, 30, both of Kansas City, Mo. and Kaleb Acuna, 22, of Independence, Mo., […]
Governor Mike Parson granted 21 pardons pursuant to Article IV, Section 7 of the Constitution of the State of Missouri. Official documents have been filed with the appropriate government agencies and have been sent to the individuals. Pardons: John Watkins Robert White Robert Painter Leslie Buchanan Larry Nave Richard James Robby Montgomery Mark Wilson Edward […]
A devastating collision involving a car and five motorcycles near Aurora, in Southwest Missouri, has resulted in the loss of four lives and serious injuries to seven individuals. The victims, both fatalities and injured, were all residents of Aurora. According to the highway patrol, Theresa Manetzke, a 51-year-old Aurora resident and the driver of the […]
DISCLAIMER: This article is a commentary. The statements and opinions contained in the article are those of the author, Laura Schopp. The opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of KTTN/KGOZ Radio, staff, management, or webmaster. (Missouri Independent) – Wise parents the world over take pride in watching our […]
(Missouri Independent) – Black motorists stopped by Missouri law enforcement are much more likely to end the encounter with a citation or in a jail cell than whites, according to the latest state report of racial data on traffic enforcement. The report also shows that Black drivers away from their home communities – or visiting the state […]
