(Missouri Independent) – Republican state Senators advanced sweeping legislation early Tuesday morning aimed at penalizing protestors who block streets, while also providing further protections for law enforcement under investigation for misconduct or excessive force. The bill also aims to prevent municipalities from decreasing the budgets for law enforcement agencies in Missouri by more than 12 percent over […]
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond. St. Louis County has made Juneteenth a holiday. The observance on June 19th marks […]
A Tennessee resident with German citizenship was removed to Germany for participating in Nazi-sponsored acts of persecution while serving as an armed guard at a Nazi concentration camp in 1945. In February 2020, Friedrich Karl Berger, 95, was ordered removed from the U.S. based on his participation in Nazi-sponsored persecution while serving in Nazi Germany […]
(Missouri Independent) – The White House on Wednesday indicated that President Joe Biden would support studying reparations for slavery, the same day that House Democrats held a hearing on legislation that would set up a reparations commission. But White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stopped short of saying Biden would sign the bill under consideration […]
FBI Special Agents and members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested the following individuals on federal charges related to the violence on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. William Norman Chrestman, of Olathe, Kansas was arrested on federal charges of Conspiracy, Civil Disorder, Obstruction of an Official Proceeding, Threatening to assault a […]
Sentencing was held in Daviess County on February 10th for a former Coffey city clerk who pled guilty in November to felony stealing and forgery charges. Online court information shows Mary Lou Browning was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for five years each on stealing $750 or more and two counts of forgery. She […]
A gun law bill that passed the Missouri House Wednesday would punish a police department through civil lawsuits if an officer enforces federal gun laws. A twin of the bill is also moving through the Senate. The “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” sponsored by Rep. Jered Taylor, R-Nixa, is aimed at disregarding any federal firearms actions by the […]
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is looking for non-profit organizations throughout the state to help feed thousands of children who would otherwise go without meals during the summer months and during times of public emergencies when children do not have access to free or reduced-price meals at school. The Summer Food Service […]
Grundy County’s unemployment rate has risen to four-point four (4.4) percent in December, up from the November rate of two point seven (2.7%). In December, the Missouri Division of Employment Security reported Grundy County had a civilian labor force of 4,361, with the number of unemployed listed at 191. That compares to 118 unemployed in […]
State Senator Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville, wants to make it a Class E felony for any protester who interferes with or blocks a public road. Drivers would not be held liable for injuring the demonstrators who block traffic. A provision in the bill says the driver is still liable if they are found to be using […]
A former doctor of osteopathic medicine who previously worked at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Beckley, West Virginia, was sentenced for depriving veterans of their civil rights under color of law by sexually abusing them. U.S. District Judge Frank W. Volk sentenced Jonathan Yates, 52, of Bluefield, Virginia, to 300 months in prison and […]
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased again in December 2020, but a large increase in the civilian labor force sent unemployment higher. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 10,400 jobs over the month, and over-the-year job losses from COVID-19 shutdowns fell below 100,000. However, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by 1.3 percentage points from November […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced a settlement that will require Midwest Can Company, one of the largest manufacturers of portable fuel containers in the United States, to pay a $1.7 million civil penalty to resolve Clean Air Act violations. The violations resulted from failure to disclose test […]
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is testing for new troopers. The Patrol is encouraging qualified individuals of all backgrounds to apply and will offer testing at nine different locations in Missouri. Those who successfully complete testing will be eligible to continue in the selection process for the 112th Recruit Class, scheduled to begin training on […]
An FBI memo is warning law enforcement in Missouri and nationwide of “armed protests” at all 50 state capitols and the U.S. Capitol in the run-up to Inauguration Day. ABC News reports the memo indicates threats of an “uprising” if President Trump is removed from office before Inauguration Day. The news follows Trump extremists taking […]
A federal court entered a permanent injunction barring a Georgia company from selling unapproved vitamin D products touted as treatments for COVID-19. In a civil complaint and accompanying court papers filed Nov. 23, 2020, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, the United States alleges that Matthew Ryncarz and his Alpharetta, Georgia, […]
As 2020 comes to a close, Governor Mike Parson highlights the state’s many successes and accomplishments despite the challenges of the past year. “Although 2020 has brought many challenges, we remained committed to serving the people of this state and moving Missouri forward,” Governor Parson said. “We still made great strides in advancing Missouri’s economy, workforce, and […]
The Missouri labor market showed further improvement in November 2020. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 17,400 jobs over the month. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points from October 2020 to November 2020, and the civilian labor force increased more than 23,000. However, the labor market still showed substantial losses from […]
The Justice Department announced that the career prosecutors reviewing the independent federal investigation into the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice on Nov. 22, 2014, in Cleveland, Ohio, found insufficient evidence to support federal criminal charges against Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback. The department notified counsel for Mr. Rice’s family […]
Grundy County’s unemployment rate for November is down when compared to October and November of 2019. The Missouri Division of Employment Security report shows Grundy County’s current rate is two point six percent, based on 114 unemployed out of a civilian labor force of 4,359. This past October, Grundy County’s rate was three point three […]
