(Missouri Independent) – In the first test of a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, drug middlemen last week argued that federal law gives them a right to limit which pharmacies patients with health insurance can use — or at least make it more expensive if patients get their medicine at a shop that isn’t preferred […]
School districts in Iowa and Missouri are reporting bus driver shortages as the academic year gets underway. Transportation officials said more earning potential and a broader appreciation of the job could help address the lingering issue. In a new national survey from a trio of industry groups, 51% of coordinators described the driver shortage as “severe” or […]
The pandemic presents some future funding challenges to benefits for older Americans, according to the 2021 Social Security and Medicare Trustees’ Reports. Walt Dawson, assistant professor in the School of Public Health at Oregon Health and Science University, said the programs are foundational to Americans’ health and economic security as they age. While the reports are […]
Southeast Missouri Congressman Jason Smith says every agribusiness in the state is dealing with worker shortages. Smith, a Republican from Salem, says the biggest problem with the worker shortage is the government is paying more people to stay home than it is for them to get a job. Federal pandemic unemployment insurance ended […]
(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 […]
Native warm-season grasses and wildflowers retain a place in Northwest Missouri pastures because they benefit cattle forage, scenery, and wildlife habitat. The Missouri Department of Conservation and The Nature Conservancy invites the public to enjoy grasslands at a free Prairie Day event on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at Dunn Ranch Prairie and Pawnee Prairie west […]
The Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority (MASBDA) announced the Biofuel Infrastructure Incentive Program (BIIP) to increase the distribution and use of biofuels in the state of Missouri. Funds will be awarded to fuel retailers, fuel distributors, terminal companies, or fleet operations that dispense, or will soon store or dispense, ethanol blends of E15 […]
(Missouri Independent) – Clay LaRue, superintendent of the Van Buren R-1 School District, made a tough decision Sunday. With COVID-19 cases spiking in Carter County in southeast Missouri, and many of those infections among very young children, LaRue shut down the district’s pre-kindergarten program for two weeks. He had previously directed faculty, staff, and students […]
The Cole County Circuit Court sided with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office in our defense of the Governor’s termination of federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits. “As Missouri’s economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are still struggling to hire workers for a large number of open, available jobs. Too often, businesses can’t compete with […]
(Missouri Independent) – Attorneys who successfully sued to force Missouri to enact voter-approved Medicaid expansion argued in a letter to state officials Thursday that delays in implementation violate not only the court order but also federal law. The plaintiffs’ attorneys, Chuck Hatfield and Lowell Pearson joined with Joel Ferber, director of advocacy for Legal Services […]
Missourians who have received COVID-19 vaccinations can enter to win the Missouri Vaccine Incentive Program Lottery – 900 winners will receive $10,000 in cash, in an education savings account or a Missouri ABLE Account, between now and October. Missouri ABLE provides people with disabilities an account to save and invest money without losing eligibility for public benefits, like […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway has released an audit of the Missouri WIC Information Network System. This system manages data for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children — better known as the WIC program — which provides nutritional benefits to more than 90,000 participants. The report made recommendations for improvements in several […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt today filed a class-action lawsuit against school districts forcing a mask mandate on schoolchildren and teachers. The lawsuit, which is a reverse class action that was filed earlier this morning, names Columbia Public Schools, the Board of Education for the School District of Columbia and their board members, and the […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has accepted 2.8 million acres in offers from agricultural producers and private landowners for enrollment into the Conservation Reserve Program in 2021. This year, almost 1.9 million acres in offers have been accepted through the General CRP Signup, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency has accepted over 897,000 acres for enrollment […]
A Missouri attorney has pleaded guilty in federal court to tax and labor violations. Meagan M. Howe, also known as Meagan M. Hasty, 35, of Lebanon, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush on Thursday, Aug. 19, to one count of failure to pay employment tax and one count of making a […]
Organic producers and handlers can now apply for U.S. Department of Agriculture funds to assist with the cost of receiving or maintaining organic certification. Applications for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) are due Nov. 1, 2021. “USDA is here to help all producers, including those who grow our nation’s organic food and fiber. Many farmers have told […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri payrolls added exactly 15,000 non-farm jobs in July as the unemployment rate ticked down 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted data from the federal Bureau of Labor Standards shows. The state’s labor force of 3.08 million, however, declined by 177, and overall employment, which includes self-employed people and farm labor, grew by 4,462 […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missourians who qualify for benefits under Medicaid expansion can begin enrolling. Still, it may take up to two months until they will find out if their eligibility has been verified and their application has been approved. In a news release Wednesday, Gov. Mike Parson announced that in response to a Cole County […]
With the cooperation of several organizations, businesses, and individuals, back-to-school activities are scheduled for Thursday, August 12, 2021, at locations in Trenton plus the Laredo, Spickard, and Grundy R-5 at Humphreys Schools. Bright Futures Trenton hosts activities that include distributions of school supplies, backpacks, mascot gear, haircuts, hygiene items, clothing, and new shoes in a […]
(Missouri Independent) – Legislative leaders of both parties said Tuesday that a special session is likely not needed to appropriate additional funds following a court order to begin covering Missourians who are eligible under voter-approved Medicaid expansion. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, D-Independence, and Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis and […]
