Governor Mike Parson and the Departments of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Health and Senior Services, and Social Services announced the consolidation of several early childhood programs across state government into a single Office of Childhood. The new office will be housed by DESE and provide a comprehensive approach to early childhood care and education, […]
Tag: adults
Effort to stop charging 17-year-olds as adults has stalled in Missouri
(Missouri Independent) – Khadijah Wilson had a bully during her junior year at Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles. She told her principal and teachers about the name-calling, and how the other girl constantly threatened to beat her up. But no one intervened. It went on for several months. “I reported it more […]
Audio: Missouri social services workers develop plan to help more youth aging out of foster system
Four Missouri Department of Social Services workers have won a state government challenge for proposing a plan to support more foster children aging out of the system. Rene’ Brinkman, Shasta Miller, Bobbie Thomas, and Nicole Robinson head a unit in southeast Missouri helping older youth prepare to transition into independent adults. Brinkman says their plan […]
CDC awards Missouri public water systems for fluoridation quality
Nineteen community water systems have been awarded a Water Fluoridation Quality Award from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fluoridation is the adjustment of fluoride in drinking water to a level that is effective for preventing tooth decay. The award recognizes those communities that achieved excellence in community water fluoridation by maintaining […]
Audio: Senator Hawley won’t consent to vote on defense bill, without vote on direct assistance
Missouri’s junior senator is calling for a vote on two-thousand dollars in direct assistance for Americans before there’s a vote on the defense bill. GOP Senator Josh Hawley tweeted Tuesday that he will not consent to a vote on the defense bill unless the Senate votes on two-thousand dollar COVID relief for working […]
As Missouri deals with ongoing teacher shortage, education leaders want to step up recruiting efforts
The struggle is real for Missouri when it comes to a constant shortage of K-12 public school teachers. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) wants to ramp up its teacher workforce by seizing the opportunity in a relevant setting. Dr. Paul Katnik, the assistant commissioner of the Office of Educator Quality, says […]
Department of Health and Senior Services says COVID-19 testing continues to be important factor in reducing spread
The State of Missouri is now partnering with the Missouri Primary Care Association and MAKO Medical to continue hosting free COVID-19 testing events throughout the state. Missourians can register for events currently scheduled at health.mo.gov/communitytest and continue to check back for future opportunities to be tested at a nearby event. Missouri residency is the only requirement; individuals […]
Officials in Missouri ponder preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic
Hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 have been on the rise in Missouri and other states, and experts say the consequences of being unprepared for an infectious-disease outbreak have never been more apparent. Gov. Mike Parson has cited concerns about staffing levels with the demand hospitals are seeing from the crisis. His comments coincide with calls […]
Audio: Missouri Senator Josh Hawley teams up with Senator Bernie Sanders on stimulus package
U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) are introducing a bipartisan amendment to attach to must-pass legislation to be considered by Congress, which would provide $1,200 in direct payments to working-class adults and $500 to each of their children. This amendment, similar to what was passed in the CARES Act, would be attached to must-pass […]
Audio: Missouri K-12 statewide testing to move forward, but results won’t be used for accountability purposes
The Missouri Board of Education voted Tuesday to avoid using 2021 standardized test results for state and federal accountability. Members still want the state’s K-12 public school students to take statewide tests next year, but they do not want the results to count against schools for funding and accreditation purposes. The move might lower the […]
Environmental Protection Agency proposes new safety measures for Chlorpyrifos
The EPA is taking the next step in its regulatory review of chlorpyrifos, an insecticide used for a large variety of agricultural uses and non-agricultural uses. Today, EPA is proposing measures to reduce the risks identified in the agency’s September 2020 draft risk assessments to better protect human health and the environment. As outlined in the proposed […]
Sullivan County confirms 12 new cases of COVID-19 and 2 deaths; Putnam County 10 new cases of COVID-19
Sullivan County Health Department has confirmed twelve additional positive cases of COVID-19 in Sullivan County. Currently, Sullivan County sits at a total of six hundred and eight, with three active probable cases, seven deaths, and one hundred and sixteen active cases. The positive cases have been determined to be community-related. To maintain confidentiality, no other […]
Milan Old Timers to host Christmas event on the downtown square
A Christmas event hosted by the Milan Old Timers will include a tree lighting ceremony and parade. The event will be held at the Milan Square on the evening of December 5th from 5 to 8 o’clock. The Christmas tree will be lit at 5:30. Businesses, organizations, clubs, and farmers can enter the parade around […]
FBI releases 2019 Hate Crime Statistics
The FBI released Hate Crime Statistics, 2019, the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s latest compilation about bias-motivated incidents throughout the nation. The 2019 data, submitted by 15,588 law enforcement agencies, provide information about the offenses, victims, offenders, and locations of hate crimes. Law enforcement agencies submitted incident reports involving 7,314 criminal incidents and 8,559 related […]
Missouri sets new record for COVID cases; Health director warns to avoid holiday gatherings
(Missouri Independent) – Missourians should not hold big family Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings this year, but they will likely be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine by the spring, the state health director said Thursday. In an interview on KCMO radio, Randall Williams said the rapid spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, especially in outstate […]
Laredo to transition to distance learning at elementary school
The Laredo R-7 school has made an announcement about in-person attendance. Because of an increasing number of COVID-19 cases and quarantine involving students and adults, the Laredo school was not in session on Thursday, November 12, 2020. A decision was made Wednesday night to transition to distance learning for the Laredo Elementary School.
Trenton High School Drama Club to perform “Hallmark of Horror” on November 20th
The Trenton High School Drama Club will perform a play, making fun of things that happen in horror movies. Drama Teacher and Director Tashyana Dowell said “Hallmark of Horror” will be performed in the Rissler Elementary School gym on the evening of November 20th at 6 o’clock and 7:15. The show is anticipated to last […]
Missouri Department of Conservation reports more turkeys harvested this fall than in 2019
Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation shows that hunters checked 2,127 turkeys during Missouri’s fall firearms turkey season in October. Top harvest counties were Greene with 70 birds harvested, Maries with 58, and Franklin with 55. This year’s total is 174 more turkeys than the total of 1,953 during the 2019 fall firearms […]
Young hunters reminded that early youth deer firearms season begins October 31
The Missouri Department of Conservation encourages young hunters to get outdoors and discover nature this weekend for the early portion of youth firearms deer season Oct. 31 – Nov. 1. Shooting hours run one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. To participate, hunters must be at least 6-years-old and no older than 15 […]
Missouri Medicaid expansion: Will it bust the budget or pay for itself?
(Missouri Independent) – When Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August, they were told by the ballot language that the price tag was unknown, with possible costs at $200 million stated alongside $1 billion in potential savings. What is known for certain is that about 250,000 Missourians will become eligible for coverage next year — […]