Governor Mike Parson filled five-county office vacancies. Densil Allen Jr., of Knob Noster, was appointed as the Johnson County Presiding Commissioner. Dr. Allen is a former veterinarian and owned and operated Warrensburg Animal Hospital until his retirement. He has also owned and operated Allen’s Auction Service and taught animal science courses at the University of Central […]
Tag: Bureau
Missouri Attorney General opposes reinstatement of overreaching WOTUS rule in Letter to EPA and Army Corps of Engineers
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Army Corps of Engineers, opposing their recent move to reconsider the more limited Navigable Waters Protection Rule, a President Trump-era rule that reversed the 2015 Obama-era Waters of the United States rule. EPA Administrator Michael Regan and the […]
Livingston County 4-H and FFA Fair set to kick off on July 5
The Livingston County 4-H and FFA Fair near Chillicothe will include multiple activities in July. Activities will start with an archery shoot on July 5th. BB/pellet and small bore, muzzleloader, and western heritage shoots will be held at the Beck Home on July 6th. A truck and tractor pull will be held at the Litton […]
Audio: Missouri’s Governor reluctant to call special session on Grain Belt eminent domain issue
The governor is reluctant to call a special session on the Grain Belt eminent domain issue in northern Missouri. While Missouri House Agriculture Committee Chairman Don Rone of Portageville has asked for a special session, Governor Parson says he has to be responsive to taxpayers as well: To be clear, Governor Parson supports […]
University of Missouri report looks at population trends in Missouri
Missouri’s population grew by about 11,000 people from 2019 to 2020. This 0.2% increase is only half the national rate of 0.4%, though it is typical of the modest growth experienced by many other Midwestern states. But the picture gets more complicated when you zoom in to specific regions and counties. “This growth is uneven,” […]
Lawmakers release bipartisan report investigating January 6 Capitol attack
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Ranking Member and Chairwoman of the Committee on Rules and Administration, and Gary Peters (Mich.) and Rob Portman (Ohio), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released a bipartisan report on the security, planning, and response failures related to the violent […]
Audio: Missouri’s Governor to sign prescription drug monitoring program on Capitol lawn in Jefferson City
The governor will sign prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation into law Monday (today) in Jefferson City, making Missouri the 50th and final state to have the PDMP program. Governor Mike Parson (R) plans to sign bipartisan PDMP legislation from State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City) and State Rep. Travis Smith (R-Dora) Monday afternoon, on the Missouri Capitol lawn […]
Governor Mike Parson appoints fifteen to various boards and commissions
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 […]
Missouri man sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole for meth trafficking and discharging a firearm
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 […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to meth conspiracy and illegal firearms; faces 15 years in prison
A Missouri man who illegally possessed nine firearms has pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Greene and Cass counties. Christopher M. Iavolo, 42, of Springfield pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Tuesday, June 1, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine […]
Audio: Midwest economy, including Missouri’s, expected to be back to pre-COVID levels in first quarter of 2022
The Midwest economy, including Missouri’s, is expected to be back to pre-COVID levels in the first quarter of 2022. That’s according to Dr. Ernie Goss, an economist at Creighton University in Nebraska. He says the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows average hourly wages for Missouri’s manufacturing sector is strong with record high price gains […]
Missouri man charged with arson of Kansas City apartment building
A Missouri man was charged in federal court with setting the arson fire of an apartment building in which several residents were injured. Rodney Boyles, 35, of Kansas City, was charged with one count of arson in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. Boyles remains in federal custody […]
Missouri Secretary of State reminds Missourians to beware of payment scams
The Missouri Secretary of State is reminding Missourians that the Business Services Division in his office will never ask for payment by a gift card. Business Services, which oversees filings for all businesses in Missouri, has recently received complaints from some Missourians who have misdialed the toll-free number and been asked to pay for services […]
Attempts to ban teaching on ‘critical race theory’ multiply across the U.S.
(Missouri Independent) – From statehouses to Congress, Republicans have launched into a fight against the teaching of “critical race theory,” which just a year ago was a niche academic term. Experts in critical race theory say it’s about acknowledging how racial disparities are embedded in U.S history and society, and the concept is being mischaracterized […]
Mexican national pleads guilty to selling 14 kilos of meth, 30 firearms to undercover agent
A Kansas City, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a drug-trafficking conspiracy. He sold more than 14 kilograms of methamphetamine and 30 firearms to an undercover federal agent. Jose Alvarado, 28, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of conspiracy to […]
Lawmakers introduce legislation to protect adopted children
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), co-chairs of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, announced that they have reintroduced the Safe Home Act to protect adopted children from unregulated custody transfers. This legislation would add UCTs to the federal definition of child abuse and neglect under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. […]
Missouri eases rules for building CAFOs despite outcry about potential pollution
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri regulators on Tuesday eased the rules governing the design of massive industrial hog facilities in a move critics claim was meant to help one controversial facility. The state’s Clean Water Commission voted 5-1 to narrow the definition of groundwater in the state’s rules governing the construction of “concentrated animal feeding operations” […]
Lawmakers introduce legislation to improve adoption process for those adopting children from other countries
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Adoption Caucus, announced that they have reintroduced legislation to improve the intercountry adoption process. “There are millions of children around the world without a safe, stable home,” said Blunt. “We can help connect these children with the families they deserve by making […]
Advocates fear homeless crisis with federal eviction moratorium on shaky legal ground
(Missouri Independent) – At least once a day, housing advocate Melissa Pashia speaks to someone living in a car. Once the situation gets to this point, it’s hard to get people back into stable housing, said Pashia, a housing resource specialist for the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council. “Landlords don’t want to […]
Trenton’s Convention and Visitors Bureau board members define operation of group
Trenton’s Convention and Visitors Bureau continued discussing how the group will operate, including drafting policies and procedures. Spending authorization has been extended to the board chairman and treasurer in amounts not to exceed $1,000 without board approval. A quorum will consist of a majority of the members. The attendance policy allows no more than three […]