A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for carjacking. Robert J. Rule, 38, of Grandview, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Rule to pay $500 in restitution to his victim. On July 9, 2021, Rule pleaded guilty to one count […]
A Missouri woman who was arrested with 19 firearms and quantities of illegal drugs in her home was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm. Robin A. Graham, 38, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to nine years in federal prison without parole. On June 22, 2021, Graham […]
The following is a list of general highway maintenance and construction work the Missouri Department of Transportation has planned in Northern Missouri for the week of January 24 – 30. All road closures and planned roadwork may be viewed on the Traveler Information Map. Inclement weather may cause schedule changes in some of the planned […]
At a meeting of the Gilman City Board of Education, three resignations were accepted and one re-employment was announced. According to information from the Gilman City school, resignations are from Part-time business teacher Karen Sager; part-time elementary music instructor Sarah Clark and from high school softball coach Holly Preston. The board of education re-hired Roger […]
The city of Trenton is the defendant in a lawsuit filed this week by a former employee. Scott Shull is alleging discrimination while he was employed by Trenton Municipal and working with the water and wastewater department The suit was filed in Division One of the Grundy County Circuit Court. According to the suit, Shull […]
Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn announced that 16 youth groups from across Missouri were awarded grants from the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s 2022 Building Our American Communities grant program. Eight local chapters of the National FFA Organization and eight Missouri 4-H clubs statewide have been awarded funds for their community service projects this year. “We […]
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is offering boating safety courses to inform boaters how to prepare for the boating season. These approved courses meet the national boating educational standard. “Missouri’s many rivers and lakes offer a variety of boating opportunities,” said Col. Olson. “Please do your part: Take a boating safety class. Join us in […]
Governor Parson is requesting 250 million dollars to help provide safe drinking water and wastewater. He wants another 150 million to enhance stormwater systems. It’s part of his 47 billion dollar state operating budget for the next fiscal year. The proposal is now in the hands of the Missouri Legislature to decide if […]
(Missouri Independent) – Tracie Engelmeyer was among hundreds of bus drivers who were furloughed in St. Louis County in March 2020 because of the pandemic. School-district authorities told them that even though drivers are contracted labor, they would qualify for unemployment benefits and urged them to apply. Engelmeyer recalled the conversation she had with a […]
(Missouri Independent) – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack faced questions on how his agency is doling out emergency pandemic aid and fostering collaboration with historically Black colleges during a Thursday hearing before the House Agriculture Committee. Committee Chairman David Scott, a Georgia Democrat, asked Vilsack for “critical updates on the implementation of pandemic relief programs, including […]
Missouri could ban hospitals and long-term care centers from restricting visitors, including during an emergency. A state House committee is reviewing the bill sponsored by State Representative Brian Seitz, a Republican from southwest Missouri’s Branson. State Representative Ashley Aune, a Democrat from Kansas City, says medical professionals should be making the health care […]
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft announced that the Notaries and Commissions Unit within his office revoked a St. Louis woman’s notary commission after she pleaded guilty to ordering over 900 fake COVID-19 vaccination cards from China. The Notaries and Commissions Unit appoints and commissions notaries public and authenticates official acts of the governor. Ashcroft believes […]
Senator Josh Hawley wrote to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding answers on the agency’s Climate Change Professionals Program and why they are focusing on woke partisan government programs while ignoring the crisis at our southern border. Senator Hawley wrote, “In a press release, you said, ’The Climate Change Professionals Program will be instrumental in […]
A man was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for possessing images of the sexual abuse of children. Ian Andrew Zearley, 40, of Louisa County, Virginia, pleaded guilty to possession of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children in July 2021. According to court documents, Zearley […]
The Grundy County Health Department reports another COVID-19-related death. That brings the total to 62 since the pandemic began. There have also been 78 new cases added since January 13th, raising that total to 2,181. Seventy-eight cases are active. The Grundy County Health Department asks residents who test positive for COVID-19 with a home test […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for possessing methamphetamine to distribute when officers found large amounts of illegal drugs in his room at a Camdenton, Mo., hotel. Anthony Martinez Harris, 49, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison without […]
A former Kansas man pleaded guilty in federal court to embezzling $3.1 million from his employer and failing to pay nearly $1 million in taxes owed to the federal government and the state of Kansas. Richard Scott Simkins, 56, now residing in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for growing marijuana and illegally possessing dozens of firearms. Darrin Dale Smithee, 56, of Auxvasse, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 10 years in federal prison without parole. On Aug. 31, 2021, Smithee pleaded guilty to one count of manufacturing marijuana and one […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for attempting to meet a law enforcement officer, posing online as a 14-year-old girl, for illegal sexual activity. Darren Wade Lasley, 33, Columbia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 10 years in federal prison without parole. On Aug. 18, 2021, Lasley was found […]
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased from November 2021 to December 2021, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by two-tenths of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 16,700 jobs over the month, with job gains in both goods-producing and service-providing industries. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.3 percent in December 2021, […]
