(Missouri Independent) – After obtaining some relief from lawmakers for revenue cuts likely from a change in the way Medicaid pays for outpatient services, Missouri hospitals are asking the courts for relief from a coming change in payments for inpatient care. The Missouri Hospital Association on Friday filed a lawsuit in Cole County alleging the Department of […]
Tag: avoid
After winter cold snap drove up natural gas prices, utilities grapple with who should pay
(Missouri Independent) – Penalties that Spire Missouri issued to suppliers who failed to provide natural gas during a February cold snap that forced power outages across the Midwest could drive bills for hospitals, schools, and businesses to astronomical levels, according to a trio of complaints pending before state regulators. During the worst of the cold snap in February, […]
Filibusted: Experts say the time has come to end Senate practice
(Missouri Independent) – Even the stuffy, florid name of the procedure, “filibuster” sounds like something conceived around a table of wig-wearing Founding Fathers. While the name has its roots in the 18th Century (with pirates nonetheless), the concept and practice in the United States Senate is much younger, not being implemented in a modern form until […]
Missouri, Kansas utilities may use loophole to charge customers for fossil fuel lobbying
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri and Kansas residents’ utility bills may be helping to bankroll the energy sector lobbying against policies aimed at lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Federal and state rules prohibit utility companies from passing their lobbying costs on to customers through bills. But in both Kansas and Missouri, utilities like Evergy, Ameren, and Spire […]
Audio: Missouri could join 49 other states by improving access to mental health services
In 2008, Congress passed and then-President George W. Bush signed into law a bill requiring health insurance companies to cover mental health the same as any other health problems. Thirteen years after the measure became law, Missouri is the only state not yet enforcing that law. Two bills pass this year would ban insurance companies […]
Audio: NAACP responds to latest Missouri vehicle stops report
An annual statewide report shows Black drivers were 71-percent more likely to be pulled over than white drivers and 25-percent more likely to be arrested in Missouri last year. The percentages improved from 2019, but racial inequalities still exist. Cheryl Clay with the Springfield NAACP tells NewsNation she is still reviewing the numbers. […]
Linneus woman injured in attempt to avoid deer in roadway
The Highway Patrol reports a Linneus woman sustained minor injuries after a deer traveled into the path of a car four miles west of Chula the morning of May 27th. An ambulance transported 58-year-old Kathi Tolly to the Hedrick Medical Center of Chillicothe. The car headed east on Route K before the deer traveled into […]
Livingston County Health Center reports another COVID-19 related death
The Livingston County Health Center reports another death of a resident due to COVID-19, bringing the total to 56. Twenty-two cases were also added since May 18th’s update, which makes that total 1,561. Eighty-four of the cases are active. The Livingston County Health Center asks residents to practice preventive measures and avoid gatherings while the […]
It pays to know what your farm liability insurance covers
Without regular policy checks, farm liability insurance might be like a hospital gown – not enough coverage where you need it most. Thoroughly read your policy regularly and check for gaps and needed updates says University of Missouri Extension economist Ray Massey. “Planning is important, but even the best plans do not always succeed in […]
Livingston County experiences surge in COVID-19 cases; 42 cases reported in May, 2021
The Livingston County Health Department reports it has added 35 new cases of COVID-19 last week. So far in May 2021, there have been 42 positive cases. According to the health department, the cases involve individuals of all ages, the biggest age group being adults 30 to 40. The Livingston County surge in cases hasn’t […]
Audio: Missouri study underway to identify species of ticks and to better deal with tickborne illnesses
A study is underway in Missouri to find out which species of ticks are present here, to better identify the bacterial pathogens they carry. Matt Combes with the Missouri Conservation Department says half of the counties have no information that can be verified. Ticks gathered this summer and next will be tested for bacterial pathogens […]
Coalition of Attorneys General urge Zuckerberg to halt plans for kids’ Instagram
Tennessee’s attorney general is part of a group that wants Facebook to stop its plans to create a kids’ version of Instagram. The group contends using social media can be detrimental to children’s health and well-being, and that kids aren’t equipped to navigate the challenges. Tennessee AG Herbert Slatery signed the letter, along with more than […]
Parson vows to veto crime bill if it includes penalties for lying under oath to Missouri legislature
(Missouri Independent) – The fate of a wide-ranging crime bill was called into question on Tuesday over a provision that would stiffen penalties for lying under oath to the legislature or obstructing a legislative investigation. During a conference committee on Tuesday morning convened to work out differences on Senate Bill 53, House members said the bill […]
Missouri Attorney General files lawsuit against St. Louis County executive over COVID-19 restrictions
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, Dr. Faisal Khan, and the St. Louis County Department of Public Health for the arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable application of COVID-19 restrictions in St. Louis County. Specifically, the suit takes issue with the restrictions on religious institutions, masking requirements for […]
Missouri WIC to see temporary benefit increase
Missouri WIC is temporarily increasing the Cash Value Benefit for Fruit and Vegetable Purchases (CVB) to $35 per month for eligible women and children. WIC is the Department of Health and Senior Services Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. The American Rescue Plan Act gave USDA authority to temporarily increase the CVB […]
USDA awards MDC two partnership projects to enhance cropland acres, restore and protect sand prairies
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will continue initiatives to integrate conservation with agriculture practices and help restore and manage sand prairies after being awarded two partnership projects through the Natural Resources Conservation Service Regional Conservation Partnership Program. Through RCPP, conservation partners work in collaboration with NRCS to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners throughout […]
Grass is growing and mowers are mowing; Be alert and slow down for MoDOT mowing crews
It has been a rainy spring, and that, coupled with warmer temperatures, means seasonal growth on Missouri roadways. The Missouri Department of Transportation urges motorists to use caution when encountering tractor mowers near the shoulder of interstates and other busy roadways beginning this month and throughout the summer. “Even the most aggressive warning lights and […]
Eagleville bicycle rider runs stop sign, crashes into SUV
An Eagleville boy was injured late Saturday afternoon when the bicycle he was riding hit a sports utility vehicle at an intersection in Eagleville. The 14-year old boy was taken by private vehicle to Harrison County Community Hospital in Bethany with moderate injuries. The driver of the SUV, 28-year old Alfred MaCali of Gladstone, was […]
Audio: Lawmakers introduce bill to fund repair of dangerous railroad crossings
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (Wash.), the Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, introduced legislation that will provide $500 million a year for five years to improve safety and reduce congestion at railroad crossings […]
Two from Chillicothe injured when big rig strikes SUV on Highway 65
Two Chillicothe residents sustained injuries when a Peterbilt truck struck a sports utility vehicle in Carroll County on Friday night, April 23rd. Emergency medical services transported the driver of the SUV, James Nauman, and passenger 59-year-old April Nauman, to Carroll County Memorial Hospital in Carrollton with minor injuries. No injuries were reported for the other […]