Hydrocodone tablets with prescription bottle

Physician convicted for unlawfully prescribing over 1 million opioid pills in a single year

A physician was convicted for unlawfully prescribing more than one million pills of the opioid hydrocodone.    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, James Pierre, 52, a doctor, of Houston, Texas, unlawfully prescribed controlled substances from June 2015 through July 2016 to individuals posing as patients at West Parker Medical Clinic (West […]

Photo of border wall (Photo via Greg Bulla on Unsplash)

New process for asylum cases at the border unveiled by Biden administration

(Missouri Independent) – The Biden administration announced Thursday steps to expedite asylum cases at the U.S.-Mexico border in an attempt to resolve a years-long backlog, but policy advocates worry the streamlined process could prevent asylum seekers from obtaining legal representation if their cases are denied.  “If somebody is not approved in the first instance, they’re […]

Eric Greitens after filing for Missouri Senate 2022 (Photo by Madeline Carter via Missouri Independent)

Eric Greitens faces calls to drop out of Missouri Senate race after ex-wife’s abuse allegations

(Missouri Independent) – Former Gov. Eric Greitens is facing calls to abandon his campaign for U.S. Senate following accusations that he abused his ex-wife and children that surfaced in a sworn affidavit made public Monday. U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, who has been the only major GOP Senate candidate to publicly criticize Greitens over the accusation of violent […]

A gavel and a name plate with the engraving Lawsuit

Missouri Attorney General files lawsuit against Rockwood School District for alleged Sunshine Law violations

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against the Rockwood School District for alleged Sunshine Law violations. On November 19, 2021, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office sent three Sunshine Law requests to the Rockwood School District seeking public records relating to the Rockwood School District’s decision to publish the FBI’s link to report parents […]

A gavel and a name plate with the engraving Lawsuit

Missouri Attorney General files suit against Missouri School Boards Association for alleged Sunshine Law violations

To kick off Sunshine Week, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed suit against the Missouri School Boards Association for alleged violations of the Sunshine Law. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office previously requested records from the Missouri School Boards Association (MSBA) related to their role in the October 4, 2021 memo from the Biden Administration and […]

Smuggling Scheme News Graphic

Federal correctional officer charged, former prison nurse pleads guilty in bribery and contraband smuggling schemes

A former nurse at Leavenworth Detention Center has pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle contraband into the prison, and a federal grand jury in the District of Kansas has returned an indictment charging a former correctional officer with a similar scheme.   According to court documents, Jeane Arnette, 61, of Leavenworth, Kansas, previously worked at […]

Gavel with word indictment news graphic

Former corrections official indicted for sexually assaulting a dozen female inmates while serving as a nurse

A federal indictment was unsealed in Portland, Oregon, charging a former Oregon Department of Corrections employee with sexually assaulting a dozen female inmates while serving as a nurse at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Oregon’s only women’s prison. Tony Daniel Klein, 37, of Clackamas County, Oregon, is charged with 21 counts of depriving the victims […]

Forfeiture news graphic (Image via Adobe Stock Images)

Missouri State Auditor releases 2021 law enforcement federal forfeiture reports

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway has released her office’s compilation of 2021 federal forfeiture reports. Law enforcement agencies that participate in the federal asset forfeiture system must file information regarding federal seizures and proceeds with the State Auditor’s Office. Law enforcement agencies can seize money and property from individuals and organizations involved in illegal activities. […]

Missouri Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick (photo by Tim Bommel - Missouri House Communications)

Schools left ‘scrambling’ after Missouri treasurer tied bond deals to Attorney General’s COVID demands

(Missouri Independent) – It was just after 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, when the forms arrived from the state treasurer’s office. Without warning, and with little explanation, school superintendents discovered they were now required to certify their district had complied with Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s demands to drop all COVID-19 mitigation measures, such as […]

Delaney Embree and Jordan Jenkins participate in Missouri Governor’s Student Leadership Forum

Delaney Embree and Jordan Jenkins participate in Missouri Governor’s Student Leadership Forum

Delaney Embree and Jordan Jenkins were two of 60 collegiate students nominated to represent North Central Missouri College during the 37th Annual Missouri Governor’s Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values held February 25-27, 2022, in Jefferson City, Missouri. The forum challenges students’ character development by encouraging them to reflect on their decision-making skills, values, […]

Right to Prayer news graphic

Missouri Attorney General joins coalition of 27 states in urging Supreme Court to protect coach’s right to pray after football games

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a coalition of 27 states filing an amicus brief in Kennedy v. Bremerton, supporting a Washington state football coach’s right to engage in his private exercise of religion by praying after football games. Coach Joseph Kennedy was suspended by Bremerton School District after praying while in view of his […]