Missouri Independent) – In mid-December, Texas’ highest criminal court revoked the state attorney general’s ability to use his office to prosecute election-related cases without the request of a district or county attorney. In an 8-1 opinion, the all-Republican court weakened Attorney General Ken Paxton’s power to independently go after perpetrators of voter fraud, a problem he says […]
(Missouri Independent) – On a recent Tuesday evening in southeastern Missouri, John Freeze stood in front of yet another angry group of constituents. Some here believe the number of COVID-19 deaths are being purposefully inflated for financial gain. Among the culprits, in their mistaken view: Hospitals seeking Medicare reimbursements; The federal government, led by Dr. Anthony […]
(Missouri Independent) – On the Friday before a drawn-out confirmation battle ended with his ouster from office, Missouri state Health Director Donald Kauerauf wrote an impassioned letter meant to convince conservative legislators who were on the fence about his appointment. The message: While he believed in vaccines and data and science, he didn’t believe in vaccine […]
The Spickard Board of Aldermen on February 14th voted to advertise for lagoon hay ground for 2022. Sealed cash bids will be accepted until April 1st. Charles Dunkin discussed a property he recently took over guardianship of in Spickard. City Clerk Amy Chapman reports the building had a water line break in the basement for […]
(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 […]
(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri lawmaker facing a 23-count federal indictment for allegedly selling fake stem-cell treatments and fraudulently using federal pandemic relief funds has settled with the state health department, resulting in three-year probation of her narcotics license while admitting to illegally purchasing and prescribing pharmaceutical drugs. The administrative settlement, signed Jan. 28 with the […]
A former National Football League player was sentenced to five years in prison for orchestrating a nationwide scheme to defraud a healthcare benefit program for retired NFL players. According to court documents, Robert McCune, 42, of Riverdale, Georgia, defrauded the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan (the Plan). The Plan was established […]
A Braymer man has been charged in Daviess County with multiple sex-related charges for incidents that allegedly happened in 2015 when he and his wife were babysitting children in their Jamesport home. Fifty-one-year-old Emmett Dean Campbell has been charged with the felonies of first-degree rape or attempted rape involving a victim less than 12 years […]
(Missouri Independent) – Unsecured creditors will get less than a nickel on the dollar for debts left by a Moberly economic development project that went bust in 2011 as Missouri lawmakers worked on a plan to finance air freight shipments from China. A final report pending before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Dow describes how $2.1 million […]
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s securities division issued a final cease and desist order awarding civil penalties, restitution, and costs against a St. Louis start-up company, Fango, LLC, and its founder Imani Butler. Missouri Securities Commissioner David Minnick issued the order following a contested hearing in October 2021. The commissioner found that between August 2015 […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture provided an update at the Cattle Industry Convention on forthcoming assistance for agricultural producers impacted by weather-related disasters in calendar years 2020 and 2021. “Over the past two years, as agricultural producers have struggled with the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have been hard-hit by more frequent and […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced today that on December 21, 2021, Piney Ridge Center, a residential treatment facility for children suffering from sexual behavior disorders and mental health illnesses, entered into a civil settlement agreement with his office for billing MO HealthNet, the Missouri Medicaid program, for therapy services that it did not provide […]
A former Jefferson County deputy has been arrested for stealing prescription medicine from residents while claiming to be a detective following up on police reports. TV station KFVS reports Michael Filsinger of Arnold, near St. Louis, is charged with four counts of felony stealing, one count of misdemeanor stealing, and one count of […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, along with seven other attorneys general, filed suit against the Biden Administration for their unlawful reinstatement of the ineffective Central American Minors (CAM) Refugee and Parole Program. The lawsuit alleges that illegal aliens with pending asylum claims can petition the government through the CAM Program to allow their minor children […]
A Missouri, man has pleaded guilty in federal court to leading an arson and insurance fraud conspiracy and to illegally possessing firearms. Wandale J. Fulton, 40, Lee’s Summit, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of conspiracy to use fire in the commission of wire and mail fraud, one count of […]
A 90-year-old resident died as the result of a structure fire at 114 Henry Street in Chillicothe on the evening of January 28th. The Chillicothe Police Department reports it appears the individual and a pet dog were overcome by smoke and were removed from the residence. The resident was taken to the Hedrick Medical Center […]
YouTube has removed a U.S. Senate campaign ad of Missouri Congressman Billy Long inaccurately claiming that President Biden “stole” the 2020 presidential election. The Kansas City Star reports the online video company contends the ad violates the site’s community guidelines. During a stop Thursday in southwest Missouri’s Springfield, Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt reaffirmed his […]
(Missouri Independent) – In a rare move, a Missouri commission granted a medical marijuana license to an applicant after discovering irregularities with how state regulators evaluated applications. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) decided to forgo appealing the ruling, announcing Tuesday that it had reached a settlement with the jilted applicant to […]
A Missouri Lottery player won the first $100,000 top prize on a “$100,000 Jackpot” Scratchers ticket after purchasing the new game ticket at 7th Heaven convenience store, 104 West Helm Street in Brookfield. The Missouri Lottery reports after the man uncovered a prize on the first number, he knew it was a winner. But he […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reminds ranchers and livestock producers that they may be eligible for financial assistance through the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) for 2021 grazing losses due to qualifying drought or fire. The deadline to apply for 2021 LFP assistance is Jan. 31, 2022. “Ongoing, widespread drought conditions have resulted in significant financial losses […]
