(Missouri Independent) – Unlicensed youth residential facilities across Missouri are expected to submit materials notifying the state of their existence by mid-October, but background checks for facility staff required under a new law likely won’t be completed by that time. That’s because the Department of Social Services (DSS) is still working to make hires in […]
The Missouri Department of Agriculture announced the availability of Food Insecure Urban Agriculture Matching Grant funds of up to $50,000 per project. Applications for the grant funds must benefit residents affected by food insecurity in urbanized areas and are due by Sept. 30, 2021. Projects must be complete and ready for verification by April 1, […]
Three Springfield, Missouri, residents were sentenced in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine. Jeremy A. Ingram, 42, Laurie B. Holmes, 39, and Lonnie J. Tinker, 36, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool. Ingram was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison […]
A Missouri man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing methamphetamine and a firearm. Charles D. Kessler, 41, of Ava, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on July 29, 2021, to 10 years in federal prison without parole. On July 2, 2020, Kessler pleaded guilty to one count of possessing […]
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has issued a closing order to Heng Feng Food Services, Inc., in Lexington, Missouri. The order was issued to the operators of the food warehouse after recent visits by DHSS inspectors identified ongoing pest control issues. Heng Feng Food Services, Inc. is a distributor of food supplies in […]
Four alleged members of La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) have been charged in a federal superseding indictment with a racketeering conspiracy involving multiple murders, kidnappings, and burglaries, as well as drug trafficking. The individuals charged in the superseding indictment are: Luis Reynaldo Reyes-Castillo, 27, aka Molesto; David Arturo Perez-Manchame, 22, aka Herbi, aka Walter Melendez; Joel […]
A Missouri man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for the armed robbery of a Dollar General store in Jefferson City, Mo. Tyler Steven Mitchell Williams, 24, of Holts Summit, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City on Tuesday, Aug. 3. The federal indictment alleges […]
A Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for failing to pay more than $600,000 in federal taxes. Jeffrey Scott Allen, 52, of Sparta, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Tuesday, Aug. 3, to two years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Allen to pay $758,517 in […]
(Missouri Independent) – Melissa Pashia is hoping for any kind of good news today. The federal eviction moratorium ended Saturday, and she’s got her fingers crossed one of her clients will finally get approved for the rental assistance that they applied for in April through the State Assistance for Housing Relief Program (SAFHR). The aid approval […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture extended through September 30 the eviction moratorium for homeowners of properties financed or guaranteed by USDA. “The United States is still reeling from a nationwide housing affordability crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. USDA is taking this important action today to allow individuals and families who face eviction from […]
A federal grand jury in Nashville, Tennessee, has returned a 60-count indictment charging nine members of La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) with a racketeering conspiracy spanning more than seven years. Those charged in the second superseding indictment are Carlos Ochoa-Martinez, 31, aka “El Serio;” Jason Sandoval, 35, aka “Bin Laden;” Jorge Flores, 29, aka “Peluche;” Kevin […]
Two St. Joseph, Missouri, men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute heroin and for illegally possessing firearms. Roderick A. Hughes, 48, and Franklin T. Hicks Jr., also known as “Frankie,” 40, were charged in a seven-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury […]
A Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine in the Springfield, Mo., area. Cheyenne W. Conn, 45, of Everton, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of conspiracy to commit […]
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), along with the entire Senate Republican caucus, sent a letter to President Biden urging him to abandon his effort to impose a capital gains tax increase on family-owned businesses, farms, and ranches. Repealing this part of the tax code would have a devastating effect on multi-generation operations, which could lead […]
Governor Mike Parson announced $4 million in new grant opportunities to combat crimes against children and to provide additional funding to agencies that provide services to crime victims. “The last two years have created hardships and strained resources across the nation, but the reported rise in crimes affecting children and the difficulties experienced by agencies […]
After more than a year without live music, the driving beat of a snare drum, the pulsing rhythm of a bass guitar, and sweet vocal melodies floating through the air around Stephens Lake Park will be welcome sounds as the Roots N Blues Festival makes its highly anticipated return to Columbia September 24-26, 2021. Missouri’s […]
Redistricting reformers urged the people charged with drawing new voting-district maps in Missouri to commit to putting the voters over partisan interests. Governor Mike Parson has appointed a bipartisan group of commissioners to draw state legislative maps. The Legislature draws congressional maps. Caroline Fan, founder and president of the Missouri Asian American Youth Foundation said in […]
(Missouri Independent) – When the attorney general’s office asked a judge in 2019 to lift a temporary restraining order blocking a Missouri law pre-empting county regulations on concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, that were stricter than the state’s, the argument was straightforward. No one was trying to build a large animal feeding operation in Cedar […]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking the public’s assistance with obtaining identifying information regarding an unknown male who may have critical information pertaining to the identity of a child victim in an ongoing sexual exploitation investigation. Photographs and an informational poster depicting the unknown individual, known only as John Doe 44, are being disseminated […]
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to the botched robbery of a Grandview, Mo., auto dealership that ended when he shot an employee while fleeing after a shootout with the owner, who was also armed. Lyndale E. Watson, also known as “Red, “Blood,” and “Stoni Blud,” 36, Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. […]
