The Trenton City Council is requesting more information before it can decide whether to give an endorsement allowing a public vote to make the Grundy County Prosecuting Attorney position full-time instead of the current part-time. Kelly Puckett is the Prosecuting Attorney and prosecutes cases investigated by Trenton Police that result in felony charges. That’s in […]
Tag: budget
Here’s what you will hear Biden talk about in his debut State of the Union address
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address is set to focus significantly on the economy, with the former member of the U.S. Senate calling on Congress to pass much of the agenda stalled in the so-called Build Back Better bill. During the Tuesday night speech, which begins at 9 p.m. […]
Missouri budget bill blocks Medicaid patients from accessing Planned Parenthood
Missouri’s supplemental budget bill signed into law Thursday includes a provision to block patients who rely on Medicaid from accessing Planned Parenthood health centers. Federal Medicaid law protects patients’ rights to choose their providers, including Planned Parenthood. Michelle Trupiano, executive director of the Missouri Family Health Council, noted because of the Hyde Amendment, Medicaid cannot cover abortions, […]
Trenton City Council, Trenton Finance Committee to meet
The Trenton City Council will discuss endorsing the Grundy County prosecuting attorney’s full-time position. The council will meet at Trenton City Hall on February 28, 2022, at 7 pm. The meeting will also be available on Zoom at us02web.zoom.us/j/86371722505. Other items on the agenda include a mowing bid, an appointment to the Building and Nuisance […]
Governor Parson signs fiscal year 2022 supplemental budget bill
Governor Mike Parson signed the Fiscal Year 2022 supplemental budget bill, HB 3014, that was passed by the General Assembly this morning. The bill allows for current operations of state government to continue through FY 2022. “We are happy to sign the supplemental budget bill into law today,” Governor Parson said. “This bill not only […]
Missouri Senate passes $4.6B spending bill with pay raises, federal school funds
(Missouri Independent) – With a deadline looming that could cost Missouri almost $2 billion in federal education aid, the bill to distribute the money passed the state Senate on Wednesday after Democrats slammed a zero-dollar funding line as a partisan attack on Planned Parenthood. The $4.6 billion spending bill approved on a 25-7 vote is the first legislation requiring […]
North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees hear reports, work continues on former US Bank building
Multiple reports were given at the North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees meeting February 22nd. Vice President of Student Affairs Doctor Kristen Alley reported NCMC’s graduation rate is 42%, and the withdrawal rate is 39%. NCMC is the only community college in the state to have a higher graduation rate than a withdrawal rate. […]
Audio: Shoes vs. masks? Missouri lawmaker and attorney general spar over school dress codes
A state Representative and Missouri’s attorney general sparred over school dress codes. Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, has sued 45 K-12 school districts for requiring masks and quarantining to slow the spread of the coronavirus. During a Missouri House Budget Committee hearing, Democrat Peter Merideth of St. Louis asked if […]
Misinformation fuels false belief that Missouri COVID death figures are being inflated
(Missouri Independent) – On a recent Tuesday evening in southeastern Missouri, John Freeze stood in front of yet another angry group of constituents. Some here believe the number of COVID-19 deaths are being purposefully inflated for financial gain. Among the culprits, in their mistaken view: Hospitals seeking Medicare reimbursements; The federal government, led by Dr. Anthony […]
U.S. House hearing on extremism toward minorities turns into ‘defund the police’ debate
(Missouri Independent) – Leaders of faith organizations and Historically Black Colleges and Universities told members of a U.S. House panel on Thursday how their institutions and places of worship have been roiled by bomb threats and extremism. They talked about the recent waves of bomb threats aimed at HBCUs, a terrifying hostage-taking at a Texas […]
Princeton Board of Education approves school calendar for 2022-2023; changes time school is to begin and end
The Princeton R-5 Board of Education on February 14th approved the 2022-2023 school calendar and changed school hours. The first day of school will be August 23rd, and the last day is scheduled for May 19th, 2023. Snow days are built into the calendar that totals 1,109 hours. For the 2022-2023 school year, the day […]
Audio: Missouri voters could be asked to let Legislature decide whether to fund Medicaid expansion
Missouri voters could be asked in November to let the Legislature decide whether to fund Medicaid expansion. The Missouri House has given initial approval to the proposed ballot measure. Last year, the Legislature attempted to defund the expansion population, but the Missouri Supreme Court ruled against that move. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith says […]
American Farm Bureau Federation claims it’s the ‘voice of agriculture,’ Others beg to differ
(Missouri Independent) – This story was originally published as a collaboration between Investigate Midwest and Watchdog Writers Group. The American Farm Bureau Federation calls itself the “voice of agriculture,” a slogan it trademarked in 2007. But as the divide between agribusiness and small farmers has grown in recent decades, a unified voice of agriculture has become harder to […]
Trenton City Council completes financing on water treatment plant improvements
The Trenton City Council Monday night adopted two ordinances and accepted three bids. Financing is complete on $2,500,000 to make improvements at the Trenton water treatment plant. The council voted six to nothing to enter into a lease-purchase transaction with Central Bank of the Midwest at Kansas City as the lessor and Missouri Association of […]
Trenton Finance Committee to meet on Tuesday
Discussions on the budget will be the topic when the Trenton City Council’s Finance Committee meets Tuesday night, February 15, 2022, at 6 pm. Four council members are serving on the finance committee including John Dolan, Duane Urich, Lance Otto, and Marvin Humphreys. The public meeting will be at Trenton City Hall. The 2022-23 fiscal […]
Princeton R-5 Board of Education to meet on Monday
The Princeton R-5 Board of Education will discuss a 2022-2023 school calendar proposal and the school start time next week. The board will meet in the high school library on February 14th at 5:30 in the evening. Other items on the agenda include updates on the United States Department of Agriculture grant for transportation, the […]
North Mercer R-3 Board of Education to meet on Monday; will consider next year’s school calendar
The North Mercer R-3 Board of Education will consider adopting the 2022-2023 school calendar next week. The board will also consider accepting a resignation at a meeting on February 14th at 6 pm. Other items on the agenda include the March board meeting date, budget review, and planning, and an insurance update. There are to […]
Missouri House refuses to accept Governor Parson’s plan for $15 base pay for state jobs
(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri House approved a $4.6 billion supplemental spending bill Wednesday that would give all state workers a pay raise. But lawmakers refused to go along with Gov. Mike Parson’s plan for a $15 an hour base wage for all state employees, instead offering that salary only to select workers. The bill would also […]
Princeton City Council presented possible changes to water project
The Princeton City Council on February 7, 2022, heard from Philip Wilson of McClure Engineering about possible changes to a water project. City Clerk Cory Willett reports Wilson talked about downscaling the scope of work from what was originally intended. She said this is because Mercer and Rural Water will not be on the water […]