There is no federal or statewide race this fall, but Iowa voters in many cities will still head to the polls for municipal and school elections and county auditors hope they are informed about sweeping changes the state adopted this year dealing with voting. In March, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill, which, among other things, reduces […]
Tag: bill
Revised voting rights bill rolled out in U.S. Senate, with Manchin on board
(Missouri Independent) – Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a revamped voting rights bill that would expand voter registration as well as create nonpartisan redistricting committees, but the measure is still likely to face an uphill battle in an evenly divided Senate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he will bring the legislation to the floor […]
Trenton R-9 Board of Education hears numerous reports, discuss COVID-19 policy and approve bus routes
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, heard a report on the mentoring program for new teachers in the district. District Instructional Coach Doctor Jill Watkins reported she developed the Trenton program based on what she has implemented in the past. She said teachers have to complete first and second-year tutoring. She […]
Spickard Fall Festival organizers announce results of activities at the festival
The Spickard Fall Festival was held on September 11, 2021, with a multitude of activities for residents. Officials at the festival have announced the results of numerous activities and competitions during the festival. Kiddie Parade Winners: Best Electronic Single Rider: 1st Place Cora Brown daughter of Justin and Becca Brown, Princeton 2nd Place Emmitt Chapman […]
Trenton City Council refers dog breed ban to Trenton Administrative Committee, approve hiring of two police officers
After hearing a request from economic developer Scott Sharp of the North Missouri Development Alliance, the Trenton City Council Monday night authorized Sharp to offer parcels of the city-owned Industrial Park land for potential business and industrial development prospects. The council referred a request to the Administrative Committee on whether to repeal Trenton’s breed-specific dog […]
BTC Bank announces purchase of 1st Cameron State Bank
BTC Bank has announced that it has signed an agreement to purchase 1st Cameron State Bank with two locations in Cameron, Missouri. Terms of the purchase provide for BTC Bank to acquire substantially all of the assets, deposits, and liabilities associated with 1st Cameron State Bank. “BTC Bank is excited to welcome 1st Cameron State […]
After receiving “poor” audit rating in 2020, Monroe City making progress, but after follow-up review only 3 changes fully implemented
A report from State Auditor Nicole Galloway finds that Monroe City has implemented some recommendations from a 2020 audit, but that other concerns remain. The June 2020 audit of Monroe City was initiated through a citizen petition, which required 200 valid signatures of qualified voters in the city. That audit highlighted concerns in several areas, including city […]
Former Chillicothe resident sentenced to 20 years in prison on child pornography charges
Sentencing has been held for an Independence man on two counts of possession of child pornography in 2018. 33-year-old Zachary Ryan Kerns was sentenced in Daviess County Circuit Court to serve 20 years with the Missouri Department of Corrections. The sentence was listed as 10 years on each count with the terms served consecutively. Circuit […]
Mercer County Health Department to hold open lab day
The Mercer County Health Department will hold an open lab day next week. No doctor’s order is needed for basic blood work September 17th from 8 to 10 o’clock in the morning. However, an appointment should be made. Labs to be available include CBC for $6.50, lipid $18.50, CMP $10, TSH $10.25, Hem A1C $19, […]
Trenton Rotary Club selling flag sponsorships, which will then be displayed along Missouri Days parade route
The Trenton Rotary Club will be lining the parade route with flags on the opening day of the Missouri Days Festival – October 16, 2021. Both United States and the State of Missouri flags will fly on Main Street, 9th Street, and 17th Street, the route of the big parade sponsored by the Rotary Club. […]
“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 […]
White House seeks at least $24 billion to aid states struck by natural disasters
(Missouri Independent) – The White House is urging Congress to approve at least $24 billion — and likely more — for disaster relief costs, saying that the aid should be included in a short-term spending bill expected this month. That tally includes $14 billion for recovery costs related to extreme weather events, including hurricanes, floods, and wildfires during […]
Judge orders no change – for now – in Missouri’s prisoner health care contractor
(Missouri Independent) – Work to bring a new contractor for prisoner health care services online in Missouri can continue, but the actual transition from Corizon, the current provider, won’t occur until at least early November, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ordered Tuesday. Green issued a temporary restraining order blocking the state from canceling its […]
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 […]
Missouri will become the last state to enforce federal mental health parity act
(Missouri Independent) – Under a new state law that went into effect late last month, Missouri will become the final state to enforce a federal law designed to ensure mental health care is covered by insurance providers the same as treatments for physical ailments. The provisions were included in House Bill 604, an omnibus insurance bill […]
November trial set for lawsuit challenging $1.4 billion Missouri prison health care contract
(Missouri Independent) – A trial will be held in early November to determine whether a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Centene will take over the contract for prison health care in the Missouri Department of Corrections. In a hearing Thursday, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green set Nov. 3 as the first day in the trial where current […]
House reconciliation package would provide path to citizenship for millions
(Missouri Independent) – A provision tucked in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package would direct Congress to chart a path for citizenship for millions of undocumented people. If passed, the House provision would provide a pathway to citizenship for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, often referred to as Dreamers, farmworker workers; those […]
SBA disaster assistance available to Missouri private nonprofit organizations
Low-interest federal disaster loans are now available to certain private nonprofit organizations in Missouri following President Biden’s federal disaster declaration for Public Assistance as a result of severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding that occurred June 24 – July 1, 2021, announced Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Private nonprofits […]
Missouri fielding “high volume” of calls for rental assistance as evictions resume
(Missouri Independent) – Calls from tenants seeking emergency rental assistance are escalating in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that blocked a national eviction moratorium. The Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) has 60 application processors working to distribute hundreds of millions in federal aid and has been fielding about 500 calls and responding to […]