(Missouri Independent) – Prizes awarded through a vaccine incentive program offered by local public health departments in Missouri may get boosted to $100-per-person under a new federal allowance. After previously rejecting Missouri’s proposal to exceed a $25 limit on prizes paid for with federal funding to incentivize immunizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently […]
Tag: actions
Less than half of Missouri nursing home staff vaccinated, reviving fear of lockdowns
(Missouri Independent) – Many of the staff and residents in Shunda Whitfield’s St. Louis County nursing home were sick before they even realized what was going on. It was April 2020, and masks weren’t yet standard practice. Little was known about COVID before it swept through nursing homes, and as a certified nursing assistant, Whitfield […]
Hawley introduces “Global Force Management Oversight Act” to prioritize China threat
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Global Force Management Oversight Act. This legislation will ensure Congress has the information it needs to help the Department of Defense (DoD) balance between combatant commanders’ seemingly unlimited requests for forces and the need to stay focused on China and the Indo-Pacific. “The Department of Defense says it’s prioritizing the […]
Biden-Harris Administration extends eviction moratorium for homeowners
The U.S. Department of Agriculture extended through September 30 the eviction moratorium for homeowners of properties financed or guaranteed by USDA. “The United States is still reeling from a nationwide housing affordability crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. USDA is taking this important action today to allow individuals and families who face eviction from […]
Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court news for Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Three people accused in spray painting incidents July 5 in Trenton appeared Tuesday in the Associate Division of the Grundy County Circuit Court. Twenty-two-year-old Kelli Danielle Corrigan of Trenton pleaded guilty to an amended charge of second-degree property damage – a misdemeanor. Imposition of sentence was suspended, and Corrigan was placed on two years probation. […]
Presentation on Missouri Sunshine Law to be held in Chillicothe
The Missouri Sunshine Law was introduced in the General Assembly as Senate Bill 1 in 1973. With the passage of Senate Bill 1, Missouri became one of the earliest advocates of ensuring that meetings and records would be open to the public throughout the state. Missouri’s commitment to openness in government is clearly stated in […]
Crash at entrance of Simpson Park injures four; 54-year-old woman arrested on drug allegations
Chillicothe Police, just after 6 a.m. Sunday, responded to a single-vehicle accident that injured four minors. The accident occurred at the Walnut Street entrance of Simpson Park. Officers reported a juvenile driver lost control of the vehicle, traveled off the left side of Walnut Street, and went into a creek. The juvenile driver and three […]
Twenty-two charged in connection with more than $11-million Paycheck Protection Program fraud scheme
Seventeen more individuals have been charged in connection with a fraudulent scheme to obtain approximately $11.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and to use those funds to purchase luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other personal items. According to court documents and statements made in court, between May and August 2020, the defendants submitted or […]
Free Sunshine Law presentation at North Central Missouri College
Casey Lawrence, Director of Sunshine Law Compliance and Records Management from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, will provide a Missouri Sunshine Law presentation and update on the North Central Missouri College campus on August 3, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. in Cross Hall 208. This presentation is at no cost and open to the public. Those […]
Roots N Blues Festival returns to Columbia in September
After more than a year without live music, the driving beat of a snare drum, the pulsing rhythm of a bass guitar, and sweet vocal melodies floating through the air around Stephens Lake Park will be welcome sounds as the Roots N Blues Festival makes its highly anticipated return to Columbia September 24-26, 2021. Missouri’s […]
Missouri Attorney General presents “Back the Blue” award to two St. Charles police officers
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt presented two St. Charles City Police Department officers with his “Back the Blue” award. Officer Dillon Porzel and Officer Christopher Scanga were honored with the award in a ceremony at the St. Charles Police Department headquarters. “Our state’s law enforcement make tough decisions and incredible sacrifices every single day. As […]
Multiple charges filed against Trenton man arrested on Sunday
Charges consisting of two felonies, two misdemeanors, and two infractions have been filed in Grundy County court against the Trenton man arrested early Sunday. The highway patrol arrested 43-year-old Stephan Elliott of Trenton at Highway 6 and Route Y east of Trenton. Bond has been set at $15,000 cash with Elliott to appear July 27th […]
Texas man pleads guilty in Missouri to $1.5 million investment fraud scheme
A Texas man pleaded guilty in federal court to defrauding two Kansas City-area brothers who have also been convicted in the investment fraud scheme. Duc Nguyen, also known as “Doug,” 57, of Houston, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to one count of wire fraud. By pleading guilty, Nguyen admitted that he engaged […]
State auditor issues second report detailing unemployment benefits received in Missouri through federal COVID-19 response funding
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released her second report on unemployment benefits received by Missourians through COVID-19 response funding from the federal government. The report shows that, through April 2021, more than 600,000 Missouri citizens received more than $4.9 billion in benefits made available under several programs. Several federal laws enacted and executive actions taken in […]
Kansas man sentenced in Missouri to 12-years in prison for Payday Loan fraud and tax evasion
A Kansas man was sentenced in federal court for engaging in two separate fraud schemes related to millions of dollars in false payday loan debt and for tax evasion totaling more than $8 million. “After raking in millions of dollars from the victims of his fraud scheme, the defendant lied repeatedly and used every trick […]
Missouri Department of Conservation says no indication of mysterious bird illness in Missouri
At least nine states and the District of Columbia have recently reported numerous unexplained sick and dying songbirds. To date, avian and wildlife health experts with the Missouri Department of Conservation have not received similar reports, and there are no other indications of unexplained death or illness in Missouri’s wild birds. “Though we have not […]
Coalition of Attorneys General files suit against Google for alleged anti-competitive actions in relation to app store
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a coalition of 37 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Google for alleged unlawful antitrust actions. The suit, filed on Thursday, alleges exclusionary conduct relating to the Google Play Store for Android mobile devices and Google Billing. The coalition of attorneys general accuses Google of using its dominance […]
Governor Parson signs SB 51 into law giving healthcare providers and others protections against COVID-19 related civil action
Governor Mike Parson signed SB 51 into law, which protects health care providers, businesses, religious organizations, and others from being held liable in COVID-19 exposure civil actions. “When COVID-19 first struck Missouri, health care providers, manufacturers, businesses, churches, schools, and other entities quickly altered their operations to protect public health and accommodate the needs of […]
Missouri State Auditor makes recommendations to improve spending practices at Western Cass Fire Protection District
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway released a citizen-requested audit of the Western Cass Fire Protection District, which is located in western Cass County. The audit made recommendations related to spending and budgeting to ensure transparent and effective use of taxpayer dollars. “The citizens served by the Western Cass Fire Protection District requested this audit to […]
Endangered fish, leaching ash ponds: Environmental groups oppose Missouri coal plant permit
(Missouri Independent) – For years, Lisa Zerbe said she biked, rode horses, and ran near Ameren Missouri’s largest coal-fired power plant in Franklin County because she “naively believed” state environmental regulators were protecting citizens from pollution. Now, she won’t. “It is truly a disheartening feeling of betrayal from an agency in my younger years I […]