Child Abuse Graphic

Audio: Missouri House committee working to get to the bottom of boarding school abuse allegations falling through the cracks

A Missouri House committee is working to get to the bottom of abuse allegations surfacing about several faith-based boarding schools, but then falling through the cracks. State Representative Dottie Bailey of Eureka says there are too many Missouri Children’s Division managers and not enough frontline workers handling child abuse and neglect allegations. During an oversight […]

Audio: “Kids Win Missouri” praises Missouri House’s $76 million Increase for foster and adoptive children

A coalition that’s dedicated to improving the well-being of Missouri children is praising the Missouri House’s bipartisan approval of a 76-million dollar increase for foster and adoptive children. Kids Win Missouri policy director Craig Stevenson says the House budget includes unprecedented support for the kinship and foster families who care for the 14,000 children in […]

Immunization needle

Audio: Missouri bill would lower school immunization requirements

Missouri children attending daycares, K-12 public schools, or college might not be required to get vaccinated against certain illnesses – if they have a “conscientious belief” opposing the immunizations. Lebanon State Representative Suzie Pollock is proposing the change for vaccinations against polio, rubella, mumps, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, and others. Her bill would also […]

Medicaid

Audio: Will the Missouri Senate back the House’s attempt to defund Medicaid expansion? Senate President Dave Schatz weighs in

The Missouri House has passed the next state operating budget – without funding voter-approved Medicaid expansion. The $34.1 billion budget plan is now in the hands of the Republican-controlled Senate. Missouri Senate President Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, gives his thoughts to Missourinet affiliate KTUI in Sullivan about whether he expects the upper chamber to fund the expansion.   […]

President Joe BIden (Official White House photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Biden to unveil $2 trillion plan to rebuild infrastructure, move to clean energy

(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden on Wednesday will unveil a nearly $2 trillion infrastructure package to rebuild highways and bridges, along with funding programs for housing, broadband, and schools and increasing U.S. manufacturing jobs over the next eight years, an administration official told reporters on Tuesday night. Alongside the expansive infrastructure plan, the president will […]

Obituary for Gerald Howard Avery

Gerald Howard Avery, age 82, a resident of Chillicothe, Missouri, passed away on Monday, March 29, 2021, at his favorite fishing hole. Gerald was born the son of John Henry and Merle Grace (Wolford) Avery on August 12, 1938, in Gladstone, Illinois. He was a 1956 graduate of Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Illinois. Gerald served […]

Jessica Busker

Chillicothe woman accused of operating illegal daycare has bond amended to “own recognizance”

A Chillicothe woman accused of operating an illegal daycare out of a home had her bond amended in the Associate Division of Livingston County Circuit Court on March 29th. Online court information shows 24-year-old Jessica Maurine Busker’s bond was amended to own recognizance posting pending making bond in Greene and Warren counties. No bond was […]

Bomb Threat

Woman threatens to bomb prep school, kill officials and students because school published same-sex wedding announcements

The Justice Department announced today that Sonia Tabizada, 36, of San Jacinto, California, was sentenced to 15 months and 13 days for intentionally obstructing persons in the enjoyment of their free exercise of religious beliefs by threatening to bomb Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Washington, D.C.  In May 2019, school officials announced that Visitation Prep, […]

Hands holding U.S. Flag and sparkler

Lawmakers introduce legislation to close loophole in Child Citizenship Act preventing citizenship from those raised by American parents

U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.), Mazie K. Hirono (Hawaii), Susan Collins (Maine), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) announced that they have introduced the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2021. The bipartisan bill would close a loophole in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA), which has prevented internationally-adopted children, who are […]