Governor Mike Parson celebrated Missouri’s strong economic position as the number of Missourians on unemployment decreases, businesses continue to invest and expand in Missouri, and the state earns several economic recognitions. “Throughout the pandemic, we took a balanced approach that protected the health and safety of Missourians without sacrificing their livelihoods,” Governor Parson said. “We didn’t […]
Tag: challenges
Missouri leads 11 state coalition in filing suit to halt federal vaccine mandate
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt co-led an eleven-state coalition with Montana, Arizona, and Nebraska in filing a lawsuit against Joe Biden and the Biden Administration to halt their vaccine mandate on private employers with more than 100 employees. Missouri and the coalition of states are the first states to file suit against the vaccine mandate […]
Report confirms disparities in getting behavioral health support
Women and young people have faced increased behavioral health challenges since before the pandemic, according to a new report, which assessed the state of well-being for women and children. The study from the United Health Foundation looked at more than 100 measures, from physical health to emotional, social, and behavioral health determinants. Dr. Ravi Johar, chief […]
Audio: United Way is a diverse organization serving your community in ways you probably didn’t know about
The United Way of Grundy County supports 10 organizations in the area through fundraising. Spokesperson Edna Foster says the local United Way organizations share a view that the way to improve lives is by mobilizing the caring power of communities. When monetary donations are given to the United Way of Grundy County, they […]
Increasing access to counseling services for military families is goal of new bill by lawmakers
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) introduced the bipartisan COMFORT Act to solve the current shortage of Military and Family Life Counselors (MFLCs) and increase access to counseling services on military installations. The senators’ bill allows for license portability for MFLCs, so counselors can work outside of the state in which they are licensed. “Families […]
More than 1700 attend the Poosey Fall Driving Tour in Livingston County
The Missouri Department of Conservation’s 35th annual Poosey Fall Driving Tour on Oct. 17 drew visitors in cars, trucks, wagons, carriages, and on horseback. A sunny day attracted more than 1,700 visitors to travel on service roads not normally open to the public. Besides fall color and autumn woods, the tour at MDC’s Poosey Conservation […]
Missouri State Auditor: Local governments can take several steps to safeguard electronic data from hacking, theft and other disruptions
Local government agencies in Missouri can avoid common mistakes and take several steps to safeguard electronic data from hacking, theft, and other disruptions, State Auditor Nicole Galloway said. The Auditor today released her annual summary of the most common cybersecurity risks found by her audits of local governments and courts, along with recommendations those agencies […]
What it takes in getting “to a degree” at North Central Missouri College
What does it take to get “to a degree?” Take a bunch of classes, and pass them? Before I started working at NCMC, that is what I thought. After all, when I have challenges, I solve them and move on to the next challenge. It is not that simple for many of our students. Often […]
How a Mississippi court case could pave the way for new abortion bans across the U.S.
(Missouri Independent) – A six-week abortion ban in Texas enacted in September forced those seeking abortion services in the Lone Star State to look across state lines for care. But the timing couldn’t have been worse for Texans living near the state’s eastern border. The law took effect as neighboring Louisiana was reeling from the […]
Online tool now available for drought-stricken farms to estimate compensation for feed transportation costs
An online tool is now available to help ranchers document and estimate payments to cover feed transportation costs caused by drought, which are now covered by the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) updated the program this year to include feed transportation costs as well as […]
Audio: Blunt pushes against medical licensing barriers to telehealth
Senator Roy Blunt continues to push for health care and mental health care access VIA telemedicine. But the problem is licensing across states. On the commerce committee Friday, Blunt said students are a good example of needed online access to their hometown doctors. “Our two biggest population centers are right on the edge […]
Lawmakers seethe at Missouri agency over failure to report missing foster kids
(Missouri Independent) – Exasperated lawmakers slammed leaders of the Missouri Department of Social Services on Tuesday, accusing them of passing off blame for a federal review that found the state fails to adequately report missing foster children. Tuesday’s hearing of the House Children and Families Committee was spurred by a report issued last week by the U.S […]
USDA to launch loan guarantee initiative to create more market opportunities, strengthen food supply chain
As part of the Administration’s efforts to address food systems challenges arising from the pandemic as well as those going back decades, United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA plans for another $100 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. The funding would leverage hundreds of millions more in […]
Congress passes bill to prevent government shutdown, Blunt only Missouri Republican in support
(Missouri Independent) – Congress made a last-minute dash to avert a government shutdown on Thursday, with the U.S. Senate and House approving a short-term spending bill just hours ahead of a midnight deadline. Every Democratic and independent senator and 15 Republicans supported the bill in the 65-35 vote. The GOP senators in the “aye” tally included […]
Audio: Hawley challenges U.S. Defense Secretary about troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
America’s top military leaders are facing tough questions today from the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee about the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The committee hearing follows the Biden Administration’s plan to withdraw troops before thousands of U.S. civilians and Afghan allies were removed from the country and 13 U.S. service members were killed by […]
Biden administration rolls out new rule to bolster DACA as lawsuit continues
(Missouri Independent) – The Biden administration on Monday unveiled a proposed new rule that would strengthen the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to protect undocumented people in the program from legal challenges. The proposed rule, announced by the Department of Homeland Security, would “preserve and fortify” the DACA program, an Obama administration-era initiative that protects […]
Who will get a booster shot? A Question and Answer about what the feds are saying
(Missouri Independent) – Booster shots soon will begin rolling out to some Americans who received the two-shot vaccine made by Pfizer—after a contentious and confusing federal approval process that isn’t over yet. Determining who exactly should be rolling up their sleeves for an additional dose was tricky. The Biden administration had leapfrogged federal regulatory panels […]
New report says “Restricting abortion access brings big financial trouble”
Limiting women’s access to abortion and other reproductive health care can have a devastating impact on state economies. According to new data from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, restrictions on the books in Nebraska cost the state $1 billion annually in lost income, productivity, and state revenues. Andi Curry Grubb, Nebraska state director for Planned […]
Missouri Republicans vow to push again for voter ID law
(Missouri Independent) – With several months to go before state lawmakers return for the 2022 legislative session, Republicans are promising to once again push to require photo identification to vote. Committees in the Missouri House and Senate held hearings Tuesday dominated by discussions of requiring a government-issued ID for both in-person and absentee voting. Secretary […]