Governor Mike Parson proclaimed February 20-27, 2021, as National FFA Week in Missouri on behalf of nearly 26,000 members of Missouri FFA. Missouri FFA President Justin Eddy of Columbia received the proclamation on behalf of the 2020-2021 Missouri FFA State Officer team. “Missouri agriculture has a bright future, and you can see that in action […]
Tag: Columbia
Governor appoints Trenton resident to Coordinating Board for Higher Education
Governor Mike Parson has appointed a Trenton resident to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. C. Phillip Hoffman’s appointment was one of five appointments Parson announced to boards and commissions on February 24th. Hoffman worked for his family’s agriculture input supply business since 1976. GFG Agriservices acquired the family business in 2014. He and his […]
Missouri cities, counties in line for millions from federal COVID relief bill
(Missouri Independent) – The plan for distributing money directly to Missouri counties in the current version of the $1.9 trillion federal coronavirus relief bill is pretty simple – each gets $195.44 per person. But for cities, instead of a formula based on population, Congress divvies up the money using the method for determining Community Development Block Grant allocations. […]
Audio: Missouri Senate puts off vote on giant K-12 education package
After about twelve hours of debate, the Missouri Senate refrained from voting overnight on a contentious K-12 public education package. There was some confusion towards the end that appeared to ultimately lead to the plan getting shelved – at least for now. Several changes were made over the course of the day and night. As […]
Audio: Missouri Senate discusses contentious K-12 education package
The Missouri Senate spent about two hours today debating a controversial K-12 public education package today. The plan would expand charter schools statewide and let parents use tax credits to pay for things like private school tuition, tutoring, and school supplies. The comprehensive bill would also set up a process to allow school board members […]
Missouri in line for $4.5 billion from federal stimulus bill
(Missouri Independent) – Last spring, as Missouri businesses shed hundreds of thousands of jobs, Gov. Mike Parson warned that the state was headed for the worst financial crunch since the 2008 recession. Ten months later, Parson presented a budget plan that anticipates a $1.1 billion surplus on July 1, the biggest in state history. And if the $1.9 trillion pandemic […]
Man who had pickup hit by train last week dies in hospital
The highway patrol, in updating an accident report from last week, reported the death of the driver whose pickup slid into the path of a train in Chariton County. Sixty-year-old Leland Linneman of Salisbury died Friday at the University Hospital in Columbia. The crash happened two days earlier on Wednesday, February 17th on Cal Hubbard […]
Tractor Supply Company acquires Orscheln Farm and Home for $297 million
Tractor Supply Company announced on February 17th that it entered into an agreement to acquire Orscheln Farm and Home for about $297 million in cash. Orscheln is based in Moberly and has 167 stores in 11 states. Store locations include Trenton, Chillicothe, Bethany, Brookfield, Cameron, Carrollton, and Kirksville. Tractor Supply Company is based in Brentwood, […]
Outlook for $15-an-hour minimum wage boosted by new government report
(Missouri Independent) – The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office in a report Monday found a gradual increase to a $15 federal minimum wage by 2025 would reduce poverty, add $54 billion to the deficit over a decade and increase pay for millions of low-income workers. The report could help Democrats make a strong case for including a […]
Audio: Missouri Senator wants additional higher education funding to make college affordable for all students
The Missouri House Budget Committee is scheduled to hear today Governor Parson’s state budget proposal for higher education. Kansas City State Senator Greg Razer says state funding provided to Missouri’s colleges and universities is almost identical to what the state gave to them in 1999. Razer says in 1999, 70% of the University of Missouri-Columbia’s […]
Audio: Southern Missouri will see heaviest snowfall with next storm system starting Tuesday night
While most of Missouri is still digging out from a two-day snowstorm, another winter storm is heading for the Show-Me State. The heaviest snow will fall tonight (Tuesday) and tomorrow near the Missouri-Arkansas border, where towns like Branson and West Plains could see three to four inches of snow. National Weather Service (NWS) Springfield meteorologist […]
FBI Terrorism Task Force announces more arrests relating to violence at U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021
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 […]
Audio: Robot deliveries could be coming to a Missouri neighborhood near you
Missouri could allow robots to deliver goods to your home. A bill sponsored by state Senator Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, aims to let robots cruise mainly along sidewalks and crosswalks to deliver items around the state. During a state Senate Transportation, Infrastructure, and Public Safety Committee hearing today, Hough says the effort is a work in […]
Missouri Attorney General reaches settlement with McKinsey & Company for role in opioid epidemic
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his Office and a coalition of attorneys general from 47 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories have reached a $573 million settlement with one of the world’s largest consulting firms, McKinsey & Company. The settlement resolves investigations into the company’s role in working for opioid […]
Man sentenced to 17-years in prison for advertising videos and images of children being sexually abused
A Washington, D.C., man was sentenced to over 17 years in prison for advertising videos and images of children being sexually abused. Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael R. Sherwin of the District of Columbia, and Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson of […]
Audio: Central Missouri vegetable grower is “Organic Farmer of the Year”
A central Missouri vegetable grower is the MOSES Organic Farmer of the Year. Liz Graznak and her partner founded Happy Hollow Farms in Moniteau County, Missouri almost a decade ago. “It’s pretty amazing. I can’t really wrap my mind around it because in the time that I’ve been growing and the farmers that I know who have received […]
Audio: National Weather Service in Springfield issued five Tornado Warnings on Saturday
Saturday’s severe storms and hail across the Ozarks prompted the National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield to issue five tornado warnings. January tornado warnings are rare in Missouri. NWS Springfield officials tell Missourinet there were no deaths nor serious injuries, and there are no reports of damage at this time. Southwest Missouri’s Joplin, […]
Missouri’s Governor Parson says unemployment benefits paid in error must be returned
(Missouri Independent) – Missourians who were mistakenly paid unemployment benefits by the state should be required to pay that money back, Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday. The Missouri Department of Labor told St. Louis Public Radio last week that the state overpaid roughly $96 million in unemployment benefits between January and September last year. The errors were […]
Audio: Medicaid expansion, COVID and early childhood highlight Missouri State of the State Address
Missouri’s governor is pledging to move forward with Medicaid expansion because voters approved it in August. GOP Governor Mike Parson, who campaigned against Medicaid expansion, emphasized the issue during his State of the State Address. Medicaid is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. 53 […]
Audio: Trump pardons ex-U.S. Congressman who lived in northeast Missouri
Former President Donald Trump has granted a partial pardon to a former U.S. Congressman from the state of California who lived in Missouri for many years. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, a Republican from the Shelbina and Columbia areas, served in Congress for 14 years until 2005. He resigned after pleading guilty to receiving $2 million in […]