Attorney General Eric Schmitt, on Tuesday, joined a 17-state effort to deter the Biden administration from threatening parents who express their views to school officials on issues regarding their children’s education. “The Biden Department of Justice is weaponizing its resources to go after parents who dare to advocate for their children at school board meetings. […]
Tag: administration
17-year-old girl from Chillicothe believed to have died from taking counterfeit pills; Two suspects in custody
Chillicothe Police on Sunday conducted a suspicious death investigation involving a teenager who is believed to have ingested what police call “Counterfeit Prescription Pills.” Two people of interest from Chillicothe have been arrested and were charged on Monday for their alleged roles in the death of the 17-year-old girl. On Sunday at 11:30, Chillicothe officers […]
Planned Parenthood wants feds to block Missouri rule targeting its Medicaid funding
(Missouri Independent) – Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri is calling for the Biden administration to intervene to block the state’s new emergency regulation that abortion advocates contend could cut off Medicaid funding for its clinics around the state. Without federal action, Planned Parenthood said it may need to turn to the courts. […]
Feds seize property of Kansas City area companies accused of COVID relief fraud
(Missouri Independent) – The federal government has seized two vehicles and is threatening to seize a lake house, allegedly purchased illegally with COVID-19 relief money by a Kansas City-area businessman. The property was seized from several real estate companies incorporated in Kansas by Joseph Campbell, with most operating under a version of the name Titan […]
COVID-19 outbreak at Smithfield plant in Milan, Missouri likely larger than originally known
(Missouri Independent) – The COVID-19 outbreak at Smithfield Foods’ northern Missouri plant — the focus of a worker safety lawsuit that garnered national attention last year — resulted in two worker deaths and was worse than previously thought, according to newly obtained federal documents. Early on in the pandemic, the Sullivan County Health Department told local […]
Lawmaker urges Missouri governor to finally appoint cybersecurity commission
(Missouri Independent) – A day after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson garnered national criticism for his push to prosecute a newspaper reporter who discovered a security flaw in a state website, a Democratic lawmaker is urging the governor to appoint members of a cybersecurity commission created by a bill he signed in July. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch informed […]
Grundy County R-5 Board of Education adopt “Test to Stay” COVID-19 protocol for students
The Grundy County R-5 Board of Education on October 13 approved an option referred to as “Test to Stay” after reviewing the new COVID-19 directive from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Health and Senior Services. Under the option, students who have been identified as a school close contact will […]
Chillicothe City Administrator, Darin Chappell, submits letter of resignation
Chillicothe City Administrator Darin Chappell has submitted a letter of resignation to the Mayor’s office to be effective December 17. In the letter, Chappell indicates he originally planned to retire in March, but he found he was “incapable of devoting the time and attention to the city, [his] family, and [his] future endeavors, sufficient for […]
Missouri governor vows criminal prosecution of reporter who found flaw in state website
(Missouri Independent) – On Tuesday, a reporter with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch alerted the state that Social Security numbers of school teachers and administrators were vulnerable to public exposure due to flaws on a website maintained by Missouri’s department of education. The newspaper agreed to hold off publishing any story while the department fixed the problem and […]
Missouri Attorney General joins 19 state coalition urging Congress to reject legislation that increases energy fees
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a 19-state coalition urging Congress to reject burdensome legislation that would increase fees on energy producers and hit American consumers with even greater price hikes. The two bills in question are the Methane Emissions Reduction Act in the Senate and a provision of the Build Back Better Act in […]
Planned Parenthood wants feds to block Missouri rule targeting its Medicaid funding
(Missouri Independent) – Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri is calling for the Biden administration to intervene to block the state’s new emergency regulation that abortion advocates contend could cut off Medicaid funding for its clinics around the state. Without federal action, Planned Parenthood said it may need to turn to the courts. […]
Online tool now available for drought-stricken farms to estimate compensation for feed transportation costs
An online tool is now available to help ranchers document and estimate payments to cover feed transportation costs caused by drought, which are now covered by the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) updated the program this year to include feed transportation costs as well as […]
Missouri Attorney General files response brief; Oral argument set for November 2 in “Remain in Mexico” case
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a response brief to the Department of Justice’s appeal in the Migrant Protection Protocols or “Remain in Mexico” case brought by Missouri and Texas. The brief was filed in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the oral argument, in this case, is scheduled for November 2, 2021. “While […]
Missouri man sentenced to 10-years in prison without parole for distribution of methamphetamine
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Howell, Greene, and Texas counties. Jose I. Gonzales, 39, of West Plains, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 10 years in federal prison without parole. On July 23, 2020, Gonzales pleaded guilty to […]
USDA Invests $15 million to construct a regional water distribution system in Northwest Missouri
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced that the USDA is investing an additional $15,018,000 to Great Northwest Wholesale Water Commission for the development of a regional water distribution system. This funding brings USDA’s total investment for this project to $46,945,210. “Some areas of rural Missouri suffer significantly […]
Governor Parson announces new Acting Directors for five departments
Governor Mike Parson announced that new Acting Directors will take over at the Department of Economic Development, Department of Mental Health, Department of Social Services, Office of Administration, and Department of Revenue. Department of Economic Development Maggie Kost will take over as DED Acting Director upon Director Rob Dixon’s departure on October 22, 2021. In […]
Missouri State Auditor releases audit of the Office of the St. Louis City Sheriff
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released an audit of the Office of the Sheriff for the City of St. Louis. The audit, which gave the agency a rating of “good,” is part of the ongoing, comprehensive audit of St. Louis City. The Office of Sheriff consists of 7 units including Criminal and Civil Courts, Civil […]
Captain Ryan Burckhardt takes command of Missouri State Highway Patrol, Troop C, in Weldon Spring
Captain Ryan A. Burckhardt, director of the Missouri Information Analysis Center, General Headquarters, Jefferson City, Missouri, is transferring to Troop C, Weldon Spring, Missouri, where he will serve as commanding officer. Burckhardt joined the Patrol on July 1, 1997, as a member of the 74th Recruit Class. Upon graduating from the Patrol’s Law Enforcement Academy, […]
Only 4300 are covered of the 17,000 applicants in the 1st week of Medicaid expansion registration.
(Missouri Independent) – Roughly 4,300 Missourians eligible for health care under Medicaid expansion have been enrolled, a top Missouri Medicaid official said Thursday. That figure represents a little over a quarter of the more than 17,000 applications the state has received since it began accepting applications for Medicaid expansion coverage in August, the Centers for […]
Trump rails against Democrats, repeats election fraud conspiracies during Iowa rally
(Missouri Independent) – Former President Donald Trump ruminated on election fraud and Democratic wrongdoing during a rally on Saturday while teasing a potential 2024 run. Trump gave a warm greeting to Iowans and touted his win in Iowa in 2020 and his latest Des Moines Register/Iowa Poll numbers. “As disastrous as the Biden administration has been, no […]