(Missouri Independent) – After hours of fierce debate that spanned the course of two days, the Missouri House on Wednesday signed off on a prohibition on transgender students participating on the sports teams that match their gender identity. The provision, offered as an amendment by Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, to House Bill 1141 was adopted by a vote […]
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA will open enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program with higher payment rates, new incentives, and a more targeted focus on the program’s role in climate change mitigation. Additionally, USDA is announcing investments in partnerships to increase climate-smart agriculture, including $330 million in 85 Regional Conservation Partnership Program […]
U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) introduced the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2021 to require the Biden administration to declassify intelligence related to any potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origins of the Covid pandemic. “For over a year, anyone asking questions about the Wuhan Institute of Virology has […]
Governor Mike Parson signed HB 429 and HB 430 into law, which both supports Missouri adoptive families and children in foster care. “Every child deserves a family to provide love, support, and a strong foundation,” Governor Parson said. “Missourians who take on this role as foster and adoptive parents are invaluable to the children of our state, […]
The University of Missouri Extension is offering their popular Tai Chi online classes in Mercer, Livingston, and Grundy counties. Tai Chi has been offered face to face and online across the state for the past two years. ‘The online classes allow members of the public to participate in the physical, mental, and social benefits of […]
To celebrate Buy Missouri Day, the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Missouri Grown program announced funding for 14 retail businesses that carry Missouri Grown products. The Missouri Grown Retail Promotion Matching Grant awards up to $1,000 per retail store for reimbursement of expenses associated with promoting Missouri Grown member products. “Our Missouri Grown members have told […]
The Jamesport Tri-County R-7 Board of Education Monday approved steps and an increase in pay. There will be a three percent increase to the base for certified and non-certified staff. Secretary Heather Turner reports the base salary for certified staff is now $31,114. The board approved an internet service allowance for staff that worked remotely […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway announced that her office has begun a regularly scheduled audit of Caldwell County, located in northwest Missouri. The most recent audit of Caldwell County was issued in December 2016, with the county receiving an overall rating of good. “Audits can help government agencies be more efficient and effective with taxpayer dollars,” Auditor Galloway […]
The Wolfner Talking Book and Braille Library recently adopted a new system that greatly enhances its ability to provide audiobooks to patrons. Wolfner Library, a part of the Missouri State Library, is now using a duplication on-demand system, which allows for customized digital cartridges with multiple audiobooks based on a patron’s preferences and requests. The […]
A jury trial on a felony stealing charge for Garland Joseph Nelson of Braymer has been postponed. The Johnson County Circuit Court Office would not say why the trial was postponed. The office reports the jury was to be picked on April 20th, but no jury was chosen due to the postponement. Potential jurors came […]
(Missouri Independent) – A third attempt to get a bill that funds one-quarter of Missouri’s Medicaid program through the state Senate failed Tuesday night when a new anti-abortion issue was injected into the legislation. Sen. Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, brought the bill that has been in limbo since late March to the floor just a few […]
The Biden administration has taken the first steps in the regulatory process to eliminate the domestic gag rule, which forced more than 900 reproductive-health clinics nationwide to leave the Title X family-planning program and lose major amounts of funding. Rachel Fey, vice president for policy and strategic partnerships at the contraceptive-access advocacy group Power to Decide, said the […]
Devlin Rich of Williamsville set a new state record when he caught his spotted gar. Rich was fishing with a pole-and-line at Wappapello Lake on February 25 when he reeled in the 10-pound, 9-ounce fish. His catch is not only the latest Missouri state record, but it beats the current spotted gar world record of […]
The Missouri House debated Tuesday a bill that could include a provision limiting who transgender high school athletes can compete against. The amendment, offered by Rocheport Republican Representative Chuck Basye, proposes to only allow the students to play in coed or sex-separated sports based upon their biological sex. Kansas City Democrat Maggie Nurrenbern […]
Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), along with U.S. Representatives Sam Graves (Mo.) and Emanuel Cleaver II (Mo.), led a bipartisan, bicameral letter urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to quickly and fully utilize the tools and resources Congress provided in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020 and the FY2020 Energy and Water […]
(Missouri Independent) – Help may be coming for Missouri homeowners behind on their mortgage payments because of COVID-19 income losses. The Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday added $150 million in federal mortgage assistance funds to the supplemental spending bill for the current fiscal year, one of several new sections using money from pandemic relief bills passed by Congress […]
(Missouri Independent) – On the heels of a historic cold snap that left thousands across the Midwest without power, Kansas and Missouri residents could soon reap the benefits of a massive high-powered transmission line delivering renewable energy. Grain Belt Express, a project a decade in the making, is starting to acquire land along its route spanning […]
(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri House Ethics Committee voted unanimously on Monday to recommend Rep. Rick Roeber be expelled from the Legislature. The committee, made up of five Republicans and five Democrats, said evidence obtained over the course of its four-month investigation confirmed Roeber had sexually abused two of his children in 1990 when they […]
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Bust Up Big Tech Act, new legislation to restore accountability and competition to Big Tech. Senator Hawley’s bill would break up Big Tech companies seeking to dominate multiple industries simultaneously, by banning companies like Amazon from marketing their own retail goods alongside those of other sellers or providing online hosting or cloud services to an ever-growing swath of the internet—including competitors. The […]
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) reintroduced his legislation to ban all federal employees from using TikTok on government devices. Despite reports that TikTok is a unique threat to data security, the Biden administration shelved plans by the Trump administration to force a sale of TikTok’s American operations. Text of the legislation, cosponsored by Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and […]
