(Missouri Independent) – Jeff Jones has lived on his family’s land east of Columbia, Missouri, his entire life. Some of the family’s farms are more than 150 years old. And Jones, who raises cattle and grows row crops, has no intentions of going anywhere. But after years of fighting, his community is home to a […]
(Missouri Independent) – Retired St. Louis Judge Evelyn Baker once sentenced a 16-year-old Black boy to 241 years in prison for two armed robberies. No one was seriously injured in the robberies, but the boy “didn’t express any remorse,” Baker said, remembering the sentencing hearing. Now, when she thinks back, Baker deeply regrets the sentence […]
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of two individuals on June 10 and another individual being remanded to the custody of the sheriff. Twenty-six-year-old Samantha Katherine Persell of Kirksville has been charged with the felonies of possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, amphetamine or methamphetamine, and misdemeanor driving while […]
Jail sentences were ordered for several defendants during Thursday’s session of Division One of Grundy County Circuit Court. A Trenton resident, Joshua D. Phillips, pleaded guilty to felony domestic assault in the first degree, causing serious physical injury to another person. He also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor stealing. Both charges stem from an incident in […]
Legislation establishing a Second Amendment Preservation Act will be signed into law Saturday afternoon by Missouri’s governor, in the Kansas City suburb of Lee’s Summit. Governor Mike Parson will sign SAPA Saturday at 2 p.m. at Frontier Justice. House Bill 85 is sponsored by State Rep. Jered Taylor (R-Nixa) and State Sen. Eric Burlison (R-Battlefield). They say […]
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office responded Thursday morning, June 10, to a report of a speeding vehicle on eastbound Highway 36 near the Livingston/Caldwell County line. The vehicle reportedly nearly caused a crash by passing on the right shoulder. Sheriff Steve Cox says Sergeant Dustin Woelfle checked the vehicle going 96 miles per hour in […]
A Trenton man accused of driving a pickup and hitting the side of a business building has been sentenced in the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court. Braden Mark Spicer of rural Trenton pleaded guilty on Tuesday to an amended charge of misdemeanor, leaving the scene of an accident, and to one count of […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a civil lawsuit against an illicit massage business, Royal Day Spa, located in St. Louis County. This lawsuit is the fifth filed by Attorney General Schmitt as part of his Office’s Hope Initiative to combat human trafficking in illicit massage businesses. “Human trafficking is a scourge on our society […]
A representative from SafeDefend presented information to the Trenton R-9 Board of Education on June 8th. Dan Cole demonstrated the system, which he called a crisis management harm mitigation rapid response solution. He said it was created after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012. He explained activation modules allow a […]
(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 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 […]
For years, teachers across the country have advocated for their students regardless of their environment – whether it be in-person, virtual, or hybrid. Agricultural education teachers are no exception. For the past few years, they have worked together to share the story of FFA and agricultural education in their states and communities. This summer, more […]
The Chillicothe Fire Department responded to a grass fire on Route A on Friday afternoon, June 4. Battalion Chief Les Hinnen reports firefighters found approximately one acre on fire in a field and ditch/fence area along the road. Firefighters used a side by side with a water pump to extinguish the fire. Firefighters used around […]
Governor Mike Parson announced fifteen appointments to various boards and commissions. Bryan Atkins, of Rea, was appointed to the Board of Probation and Parole. Mr. Atkins served as the Sheriff of Andrew County from 2009 until his retirement in 2020. Prior to being elected sheriff, he served as a Deputy Sheriff for Andrew County. He also formerly […]
A Honduran national who led police on a high-speed chase after threatening to shoot one victim and carjacking another has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm. Jose Arevalo-Inestroza, 29, of Kansas City, Missouri, a Honduran national who is illegally in the United States, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays […]
A Missouri man who shot a law enforcement officer before shooting himself was sentenced in federal court for drug trafficking and illegally discharging a firearm in Joplin, Mo. E.F. Fitchpatrick, Jr., 47, of St. Louis, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court sentenced […]
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Trenton resident on June 1st on a technical probation violation. Twenty-one-year-old Keylee Vestal’s alleged violation involved special conditions by being terminated from treatment court. She posted a bond of $5,000, 10% allowed. She is scheduled for Division One of Circuit Court on June 10th. Vestal’s […]
Four defendants pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting and conspiracy charges for their roles in an interstate dogfighting network across the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey. The Honorable John A. Gibney Jr., U.S. District Judge in Richmond, Virginia, accepted the following pleas: On June 1, Odell S. Anderson Sr., 52, of the District […]
Six people died in traffic crashes over the 2021 Memorial Day weekend counting period of 6 p.m., Friday, May 28, through 11:59 p.m., Monday, May 31, 2021. Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers investigated the following over the 2021 Memorial Day holiday weekend: Traffic Statistics Crashes — 270 Injuries — 82 Fatalities — 4 DWI — […]
Amid a light but persistent rain this morning, a flag-raising ceremony took place at the flag pole of the one-room Baker School, among the properties of the Grundy County Historical Society. Seven members of the VFW Post 919 in Trenton participated in raising the U.S. flag, the officer of the day, three members took part […]
