Health advocates are pressing the U.S. Senate to pass the Build Back Better Act after it passed the House last month. The bill would improve Medicaid and CHIP, the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program, by offering 12 months of continuous coverage to children who qualify and making federal CHIP funding permanent. Casey Hanson, director of outreach and […]
Following the Department of Health and Human Services November 24 decision to rescind the HHS Office of Civil Rights’ authority to affirmatively protect Americans’ conscience rights pursuant to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Senator Hawley penned a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra demanding he reinstate the protections and provides answers on why the policy was rolled back. […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for soliciting images and videos of child pornography from several child victims and others online. Charles Ray Sheppard, 33, Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 17 years and six months in federal prison without parole. On July 8, 2021, Sheppard pleaded […]
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway released the audit of the Greene County Commission that included the involvement of a former Greene County commissioner in a 2017 sales tax ballot measure campaign. Among its findings, the audit found that taxpayers paid more than $25,000 in legal invoices sent to the personal address of now-former Presiding Commissioner […]
A former Missouri, middle school teacher was sentenced in federal court for charges related to enticing one of her students to engage in illicit sex. Amanda Ruth Schweitzer, 42, of Joplin, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Schweitzer to 15 years of […]
(Missouri Independent) – Patients who arrive at an abortion clinic in Overland Park, Kansas, have often traveled long distances. Many began their journeys in Missouri, sometimes driving hours to their appointment. “We’ve heard these stories from Missourians and other people in our region for years,” said Emily Wales, interim president of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. “They […]
The investigation into alleged sex and labor trafficking by a Philippines-based church indicates there could be victims in Missouri. Administrators at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ are accused of coercing girls and women to have sex with their church leader under threats of “eternal damnation.” The federal indictment alleges they brought church members […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released an audit of Sullivan County, located in northern Missouri. The report gave a rating of “fair” and highlighted several controls and procedures in county offices that need improvement. The rating is an improvement from the previous audit, which gave the lowest possible rating of “poor.” “While this audit showed […]
Poverty rates have been released on a county-by-county basis across Missouri. The statistics are based on the most recent U.S. Census data comparing population and income. The information shows Grundy County has a poverty rate of 18.7%, which means eighteen point seven percent of the Grundy County population is at or falls below, 100 percent […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing firearms after leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase from Bolivar, Mo., to Springfield, Mo. Milton W. Sparks, 38, of Aurora, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal prison without parole. On April 15, 2021, Sparks […]
A former Missouri man, who claimed self-defense after fatally shooting another man during a drug deal, was sentenced in federal court for drug trafficking and for illegally possessing 52 firearms he stole from a local pawn shop. Kameron M. Bynum, 26, of Wilson, North Carolina, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to […]
The Princeton R-5 Board of Education on November 8 approved a resolution regarding a United States Department of Agriculture facilities grant and an agreement involving refinancing bonds. The resolution concerned the acceptance and compliance of the grant. The district hopes to purchase an electric school bus if it can secure enough grants to reduce the […]
(Missouri Independent) – The Giffords gun safety organization has sued the National Rifle Association and the campaigns of U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley and U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana, alleging the group used shell corporations to improperly aid the Republican lawmakers in 2018. The suit alleges two NRA affiliates made up to $35 million in illegal […]
A Cameron resident was hurt Sunday morning when the sports utility vehicle she was driving hit a deer on Highway 116 east of Lathrop. Sixty-seven-year-old Terri Neely was taken by Caldwell County Ambulance to Liberty Hospital with serious injuries. The accident happened at approximately 8:30 Sunday morning four miles east of Lathrop as the SUV, […]
Prison sentences were issued on four defendants Thursday in Division One of Grundy County Circuit Court. At a probation violation hearing, evidence was presented and the court found that Juan Gallegos of Spickard had violated conditions of probation. Gallegos was sentenced to eight years with the Missouri Department of Corrections on each of two counts […]
Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol announces the following transfer. Captain Christopher S. Jolly, director of the Criminal Justice Information Services Division, General Headquarters, Jefferson City, transferred to the Missouri Information Analysis Center, General Headquarters, Jefferson City, as director effective November 1, 2021. Capt. Jolly was appointed to the Patrol […]
The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, entering October, said there was a good chance temperatures and precipitation in this area would average above normal for the month. That prediction turned out to be accurate. Rainfall in Trenton totaled 8.78 inches at the water plant where readings are taken. The North Central Missouri College Barton […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released an audit of Maries County, located in central Missouri. The report, which gave the county an overall performance rating of “good,” recommends several changes to policies and procedures to improve accountability and transparency for taxpayers. The most recent previous audit of Maries County was completed in 2017, with the county receiving an […]
Trenton’s Building and Nuisance Board on Monday night advanced four properties of concern while granting extensions of time to three others. The board voted to move 208 East 10th Court from findings of fact to certificate of existence of a dangerous building. Three other locations which had been declared a nuisance were advanced to public […]
A Chula man faces two felonies in Linn County after he allegedly sexually assaulted his daughter at their house in Brookfield sometime between January 2016 and December 2017. Thirty-seven-year-old Michael Lee Cooper has been charged with second-degree sexual abuse involving aggravated sexual offense and sexual misconduct involving a child under 15. A criminal summons was […]
