Upward Bound Program Participants

North Central Missouri College Upward Bound Program now accepting applications for new participants

The Upward Bound Program based at North Central Missouri College in Trenton will be recruiting and accepting participant applications. High school students in the Chillicothe, Gallatin, Grundy R-V of Galt, Penney of Hamilton, Trenton, and Tri-County of Jamesport school districts are invited to submit their applications by working through their high school counselor. Students who […]

Missouri GOP vow to push back against Biden’s announced vaccine mandate

(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Republicans assailed President Joe Biden’s push to require employees of private businesses to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing, vowing a legislative response and legal action. Gov. Mike Parson promised to “fight back against federal power grabs and government overreach” in a tweet Thursday afternoon, calling Biden’s plan “an […]

Garrett Hawkins

Audio: Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins addresses members at annual meeting in Trenton

Grundy County Farm Bureau members heard Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins addressed multiple topics at the county organization’s annual meeting in Trenton on September 9, 2021.  One of the topics was climate change.     Hawkins said he is tired of people “pointing fingers” at farmers and ranchers and saying they are the problem. […]

Amaren Missouri

“Simply unconscionable”: Advocates push Ameren to keep electric bills low during pandemic

(Missouri Independent) – Ameren Missouri should not increase its electrical rates for its customers as they struggle to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic fallout, a coalition of environmental, veterans, and tenants advocates said Wednesday.  The St. Louis-based utility filed with regulators in March seeking a rate increase worth nearly $300 million per year to pay […]

Street View Jefferson City Missouri State Capitol Building

Democrats demand LGBTQ exhibit return to Missouri Capitol or other exhibits be removed

(Missouri Independent) – If an LGBTQ history exhibit was removed from the Missouri Capitol because it didn’t get pre-approval from a specific board, then every exhibit on display that didn’t get approved must also be removed, House Minority Leader Crystal Quade argued in a letter to state officials on Wednesday. That would mean, she said, that […]

A gavel and a name plate with the engraving Lawsuit

Virginia’s black farmers push lawmakers to provide debt relief, end lawsuits delaying USDA loan forgiveness

Farmers of color are urging Congress to end a slew of lawsuits delaying a loan-forgiveness program designed to make amends for years of loan discrimination against minority farmers. White farmers are claiming in court Congress’s $4 billion debt relief for Black farmers, part of a COVID-19 stimulus package, amounts to reverse discrimination. John Boyd Jr., president of […]

Medical Marijuana and Veterans

Veterans Administration sending mixed messages to vets about cannabis use to treat PTSD

(Missouri Independent) – Despite increasing legal access to medical and recreational cannabis in states across the U.S., veterans face unfair treatment and stigmatization because the U.S.  refuses to recognize marijuana as a viable treatment option.  While the VA has embraced the federally illegal status of the drug, agency policy does not allow discrimination against veterans […]

Mask Mandate News Graphic

Missouri Attorney General sends letter to KC Mayor and Jackson County executive providing “legal direction” on mask mandates

While litigation over the mask mandates continues, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sent a letter to Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Jackson County Executive Frank White noting the exceptions to the City and County’s mask mandates and providing “legal direction” to the public on these important exceptions, specifically for those with disabilities or those […]

Dr. Weber and Steve

Doctor Maureen Weber receives Service Excellence Champion Program Award

A hospitalist at Wright Memorial Hospital of Trenton and Hedrick Medical Center of Chillicothe received the Saint Luke’s Physician Group Service Excellence Champion Program Award. Doctor Maureen Weber was chosen for the award based on how she communicates with her patients and family members. The Service Excellence Champion Program recognizes Saint Luke’s Physician Group employees, […]

Mask Mandate News Graphic

Biden administration opens civil rights investigation into states banning school mask mandates

(Missouri Independent) – Federal education officials have launched civil rights investigations in five Republican-led states that have prohibited school districts from mandating mask-wearing, saying those policies could amount to illegal discrimination against students with disabilities. The Biden administration notified the education chiefs in Iowa, Tennessee, South Carolina, Utah, and Oklahoma of the investigations through formal letters Monday. The new investigations will examine […]