Julia Child Challenge on Food Network website

Audio: Chillicothe man to compete on new Food Network cooking show inspired by Julia Child

A Chillicothe man will compete on a new cooking show inspired by Julia Child. Dustin Rennells will appear on The Julia Child Challenge, which premieres on the Food Network and Discovery+ March 14th at 8 o’clock at night Central Time. Rennells says he moved to Boston after graduating from high school in 2000. He went […]

Planned Parenthood website

Planned Parenthood sues Missouri social services agency over restricted Medicaid funds

(Missouri Independent) – Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit Thursday against Missouri’s Department of Social Services, alleging the agency unlawfully plans to restrict Medicaid payments to the provider. A March 4 notice sent to Planned Parenthood of St. Louis Region cites a supplemental budget bill lawmakers passed last month that bars abortion providers or their affiliates from being […]

Green Hills Women's Shelter Website 2022

Details released regarding closure of Green Hill’s Women’s Shelter

More information has been released about the Trenton Green Hills Women’s Shelter’s restructuring. Executive Director Lisa Dicks reports one reason for restructuring is because when the shelter moved from the “typical-style residential home” into the new structure, the service delivery model stayed the same. She says that as time passed, needs have changed. Other things […]

Missouri Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick (photo by Tim Bommel - Missouri House Communications)

Schools left ‘scrambling’ after Missouri treasurer tied bond deals to Attorney General’s COVID demands

(Missouri Independent) – It was just after 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, when the forms arrived from the state treasurer’s office. Without warning, and with little explanation, school superintendents discovered they were now required to certify their district had complied with Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s demands to drop all COVID-19 mitigation measures, such as […]

Governor Mike Parson (Photo by (Rudi Keller - Missouri Independent)

Parson digs in against evidence absolving reporter he accused of being a ‘hacker’

(Missouri Independent) – Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday once again refused to accept the conclusions of an investigation by the highway patrol and Cole County prosecutor surrounding a reporter who uncovered a security flaw in a state website.  Speaking to a gathering of reporters and editors in the governor’s mansion for Missouri Press Association Day, […]

White House in Washington DC (Photo by Edoardo Cuoghi on UnSplash)

White House wants $10 billion for Ukraine aid, $22.5 billion for more COVID help

(Missouri Independent) – The Biden administration is asking Congress to provide $10 billion in assistance to Ukraine and $22.5 billion in COVID-19 funding on a fast timeline — within the next week. White House acting budget director Shalanda Young wrote in a letter to lawmakers that this likely won’t be the last emergency funding request for either […]

Right to Prayer news graphic

Missouri Attorney General joins coalition of 27 states in urging Supreme Court to protect coach’s right to pray after football games

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a coalition of 27 states filing an amicus brief in Kennedy v. Bremerton, supporting a Washington state football coach’s right to engage in his private exercise of religion by praying after football games. Coach Joseph Kennedy was suspended by Bremerton School District after praying while in view of his […]

Medical Marijuana

Audio: Missouri senator says family court should not discriminate against medical marijuana

Should a Missouri family court be allowed to tell a person they cannot take their legally prescribed medicine..even if it’s medical marijuana? As Joey Parker tells us, at least one Missouri lawmaker says “NO.”     State Senator Barbara Washington says Missouri’s family courts should not tell someone involved in the court that they must […]

Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, Chair of the House Children and Families Committee speaks during a hearing Oct. 5, 2021. (photo by of Tim Bommel - Missouri House Communications)

Change to bill cutting Missouri sales tax on food transformed it into massive tax hike

(Missouri Independent) – With a change of just a few words, a bill to expand the sales tax exemption for food purchases became a bill virtually ending the exemption, infuriating its sponsor and forcing a Missouri House committee to give it another look. On Monday, the House Rules – Administrative Oversight Committee voted to send state Rep. […]

Planned Parenthood

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, […]

Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority logo

Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority opens grant opportunities for Missouri producers

The Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority (MASBDA) announces the opening of two funding opportunities, while also announcing recipients of the most recent grant cycle. MASBDA is accepting applications for two programs that add value to Missouri agricultural products and aid the economy of a rural community. The Missouri Value-Added Agriculture Grant can be used for […]

North Central Missouri College Website V1 (NCMC)

North Central Missouri College scholarship recipients recognized at reception

The 2021-2022 North Central Missouri College Scholarship Reception was held on Wednesday, February 16th, in the Jeanette Hoffman Robison Auditorium at the Ketcham Community Center. Over 260 students were recognized for receiving an NCMC Foundation, Athletic, SSS, or other institutional scholarships. The North Central Missouri College Foundation hosts this annual event. Phyllis Jackson, NCMC Foundation […]

Recall Alert

WIC formula manufacturer, Abbott, recalls powdered infant formula

Abbott, the WIC infant formula manufacturer, announced the proactive, voluntary recall of some powdered Similac, Alimentum, or EleCare formulas manufactured in Sturgis, Michigan. Missouri WIC, the Department of Health and Senior Services Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, is working to make participating families aware of the disruption. The powdered formula products […]

Second Amendment Preservation Act Graphic Version 2

U.S. Department of Justice sues Missouri over law blocking enforcement of federal gun regulations

(Missouri Independent) – A controversial Missouri gun law that penalizes police for enforcing federal gun laws is facing a new legal challenge from the U.S. Justice Department. On Wednesday, the department filed suit to prevent Missouri from enforcing its Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA), a law that allows citizens to file suit for up to […]

USDA US Department of Agriculture

Agricultural producers have until March 15 to enroll in USDA’s Key Commodity Safety Net Programs

Agricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2022 crop year have until March 15, 2022, to sign a contract. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers these two safety net programs to provide vital income support to farmers experiencing substantial declines in […]

American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvall spoke at the organization’s 2022 annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia (photo provided by American Farm Bureau Federation)

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 […]

18 Wheel Truck or Big Rig

Audio: Missouri trucking industry expert says carriers reject thousands of loads weekly due to driver shortage

A Missouri task force is working to address the state’s supply chain slowdowns. More than 70-percent of Missouri communities rely solely on the trucking industry to get their goods delivered to them. During this week’s task force hearing, Tom Crawford of the Missouri Trucking Association said the ongoing truck driver shortage cannot keep up with […]