(Missouri Independent) – The coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need for federal assistance to develop high-speed internet connectivity in all parts of the country, members of a U.S. House subcommittee agreed this week as they reviewed provisions that are likely to be included in the next farm bill. “I represent a largely rural district in north-central, […]
Tag: band
Missouri man sentenced to 13 years in prison for shooting female Z-Trip driver 26 times during robbery
A Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for the armed robbery of a female Z-Trip driver whom he shot approximately 26 times with a rifle from the back seat. Derron D. Nevels, 21, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs on Wednesday, March 9, to 13 years in […]
North Central Missouri College Foundation announces honorees for the Distinguished Alumni Class of 2021
North Central Missouri College Foundation announces the Distinguished Alumni Class for 2021, John Hunolt, Janet (Boyd) Lake and Nick Sottler. Honorees will be recognized during the Pirates Ball on March 26, 2022, at the Ketcham Community Center on the campus of North Central Missouri College. The Pirates Ball is to honor distinguished alumni, Voyage Fund […]
Upcoming winter storm prompts Winter Storm Warning in northern Missouri
A Winter Storm is set to track through northern Missouri tonight (Wednesday) through Friday Morning. Accumulating Snowfall is expected tonight through early Friday morning with the greatest Snowfall into west and northwest Missouri. Periods of moderate to heavy bands of snowfall are possible. Depending on the track of the storm, residents may find their Thursday […]
Missouri man sentenced to 17 years in prison for trafficking crack cocaine
A Missouri, man who twice fled from police officers was sentenced in federal court for possessing crack cocaine to distribute. Eldon M. Cox, 38, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 17 years in federal prison without parole. Cox was sentenced as a career offender due to his prior felony […]
Audio: Mid-America Music Festival moves to August, but features a full slate of artists that will appeal to everyone
Changes have been made to the Mid-America Music Festival at the Black Silo Winery in Trenton. Spokesperson Andrea McKown says the biggest changes for this year were moving the dates of the event and having country music both days. She explains the date change to August 5th through 7th was not made lightly. The festival […]
House grants initial approval to bill that would allow prison nurseries in Missouri
(Missouri Independent) -The House gave initial approval Wednesday to a bill that would allow newborns to remain with their incarcerated mothers for the first year and a half of the baby’s life. The bill would permit the Missouri Department of Corrections to establish nurseries within the state’s correctional facilities, allowing children born to incarcerated women to […]
Missouri Attorney General joins nationwide investigation into TikTok
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a nationwide investigation into TikTok for providing and promoting its social media platform to children and young adults while use is associated with physical and mental health harms. Attorneys General nationwide are examining whether the company violated state consumer protection laws that put the public at risk. Attorney General […]
Missouri receives $42.2 million federal grant through the NTIA’s Broadband Infrastructure Program
The Department of Economic Development (DED) announced today that Missouri has been awarded a $42.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for broadband expansion. The funds received through the NTIA’s Broadband Infrastructure Program will be used for projects benefiting more than 13,000 households in 12 Missouri counties: […]
Video: Biden taps Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as first black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden formally announced the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday afternoon. “President Biden sought a candidate with exceptional credentials, unimpeachable character, and unwavering dedication to the rule of law,” the White House said in a statement. If confirmed by the Senate, Jackson, 51, […]
Mid-America Music Festival organizers announce weekend lineup of entertainment
Mid-America Music Festival organizers have announced the weekend lineup, which features 12 country music artists. Celebrating its fifth year, the festival will be held Friday through Sunday, August. 5 through August 7, 2022, at the Black Silo Winery in Trenton. Headlining Friday, Aug. 5 is country music artist, Lauren Alaina. Alaina was recently inducted as […]
Spickard woman charged with 18 counts of animal neglect turns herself in to authorities
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reports a Spickard woman turned herself in on February 22nd on 18 counts of misdemeanor animal neglect or abandonment. Seventy-four year-old Diana Lee Miller posted a $500 cash-only bond. She is scheduled for the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court on March 8, 2022. Court documents accuse Miller of […]
Wife of nuclear engineer pleads guilty to espionage-related offense; will serve 3-years in federal prison
A woman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to communicate Restricted Data related to the design of nuclear-powered warships. Her husband pleaded guilty to the same offense on Monday, Feb. 14. Diana Toebbe, 46, of Annapolis, Maryland, was arrested on Oct. 9, 2021, for knowingly and voluntarily joining a conspiracy with her husband, Jonathan Toebbe, to communicate […]
Two women, former federal correctional officers, plead guilty to bribery and contraband smuggling scheme
Two former correctional officers pleaded guilty to engaging in bribery and smuggling contraband into Leavenworth Detention Center. According to court documents, Jacqueline Sifuentes, 26, of Laredo, Texas, and Cheyonte Harris, 29, of Raytown, Missouri, previously worked as correctional officers at Leavenworth Detention Center, a privately-run maximum-security federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas. Sifuentes used her position […]
Major Gregory Smith, of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, to retire March 1, 2022
Major Gregory K. Smith, commander of Field Operations Bureau with direct oversight responsibility for all nine troops, the Aircraft Division, and the Water Patrol Division will retire March 1, 2022. Smith was appointed to the Patrol on July 1, 1989, as a member of the 61st Recruit Class. After graduating from the Academy, he was […]
Audio: Missouri on track to expand broadband internet access
Governor Mike Parson has announced plans to use more than $400 million to increase internet access to more Missourians. That money is from the American Rescue Plan Act (or ARPA) to increase broadband internet access, adoption of new programs and offer statewide assistance. BJ Tanksley is the director of the Missouri Office of Broadband Development […]
Federal funds coming to Missouri to plug abandoned oil and gas wells
Missouri is among the states set to receive infrastructure funding for plugging what are known as an orphan, or abandoned, oil and gas wells. Uncapped orphan wells release methane, which is 80 times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide over its first 20 years in the atmosphere. Amber Steele, geological survey program director of […]
Missouri Supreme Court tosses laws that blocked 2019 abortion bill referendum
(Missouri Independent) – In a case that grew out of a law making it a crime for a doctor to perform an abortion after eight weeks, the Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday said those seeking to force a referendum on new laws can begin collecting signatures as soon as the bill is passed. The ruling threw […]