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 […]
Tag: commit
One of the nation’s largest chicken producers pleads guilty to price fixing and is sentenced to $107 million criminal fine
Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, a major broiler chicken producer based in Greeley, Colorado, has pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to pay approximately $107 million in criminal fines for its participation in a conspiracy to fix prices and rig bids for broiler chicken products, the Department of Justice announced today. According to the plea agreement entered […]
Bishop Hogan Memorial School to hold fundraising auction
The Bishop Hogan Memorial School in Chillicothe is accepting donations for its annual fundraising auction. Merchandise, certificates, and services can be made for the event on April 17th. The “Together We Rise”-themed event will be held virtually for the safety and well-being of participants. Online bidding will be accessible via computers or smartphones. Bishop Hogan […]
Grundy County Commission appoint health officer; participate in conference with NRCS
The Grundy County Commission appointed a county health officer and participated in a conference call with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) representatives regarding a Streambank Stabilization project the morning of February 23rd. Presiding Commissioner Phillip Ray reports Elizabeth Gibson was reappointed as the county health officer. The commission, Marty Comstock and Dennis Speichenger of NRCS, […]
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 […]
Audio: Missouri Conservation Department Director testifies against proposal to increase conservation commission’s size
The Missouri Department of Conservation director has testified against a proposal to increase the size of the Conservation Commission from four to nine, saying it could lead to regional favoritism. Conservation director Sara Parker Pauley testified last (Monday) night during a lengthy House committee hearing in Jefferson City. Conservation director Sara Parker Pauley […]
Audio: Missouri prison system could move officer training from classroom to real-world setting
In 2019, Gov. Mike Parson closed a prison in northwest Missouri’s Cameron. Most staff and inmates transferred to the other prison in town – Western Missouri Correctional Center. Now, Parson wants to reopen the Crossroads Correctional Center and turn it into a training academy for correctional officers. During a House Budget Committee hearing, Trevor Foley […]
WWII Nazi concentration camp guard removed to Germany
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 […]
Audio: Tractor Supply is focusing on regulatory approval involving acquisition of Orscheln, otherwise, “It’s business as usual”
A company that’s acquired Moberly-based Orscheln Farm and Home says it’s business as usual for now. Tennessee-based Tractor Supply Company has purchased Moberly-based Orscheln in an all-cash transaction for $297 million. A Tractor Supply spokeswoman says “That it’s business as usual right now for those stores and that no other plans have […]
Audio: Missouri could soon catch up on its jail reimbursement debt
Missouri could catch up by the end of the next state budget year on its outstanding debt owed to counties for jail reimbursements. For years, the state has been behind in paying counties and the city of St. Louis for a portion of a defendant’s entire local jail stay if the individual ends up going […]
Audio: Parson’s budget proposal would close half of housing units within Missouri women’s prison
The women’s prison in northeast Missouri’s Vandalia could have about half of its housing units permanently closed. Trevor Foley, with the state Department of Corrections, says Governor Mike Parson’s new state budget proposal would make the change. Gov. Parson’s proposed $34.1 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning in July includes about $802 million for […]
North Central Missouri College earns 2021-2022 “Military Friendly School” designation
North Central Missouri College has earned the 2021-2022 Military Friendly ® School designation. Institutions earning the Military Friendly ® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. Over 1,200 schools participated in the 2021-2022 survey with 747 earning the designation. The 2021-2022 Military Friendly® Schools list will be […]
Biden backs reparations study, as House Democrats push for commission
(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 […]
Missouri House committee votes to forgive federal unemployment debts
(Missouri Independent) – Thousands of Missourians facing repayment of mistakenly paid unemployment benefits would get some relief under legislation passed with a bipartisan vote Wednesday in a Missouri House committee. The bill, which will likely be debated on the House floor next week, would forgive debts due to overpayments from federal coronavirus relief programs but would not […]
Audio: Missouri adults less educated today than nationally
Missouri adults are less educated today than nationally. That’s what state House Budget Committee members learned Wednesday during a hearing about Governor Parson’s next state budget proposal for Missouri’s colleges and universities. Higher Education and Workforce Development Department Commissioner Zora Mulligan says there have been many efforts to change this trend. Mulligan says […]
Trenton Utility Committee presented reports involving water treatment plant and water main construction
Reports on current and future projects were given during Tuesday evening’s meeting of the Trenton Utility Committee. The information describes preliminary costs for projects involving Trenton’s water treatment plant. This includes piping for the river and reservoir pump stations as well as the contact basins at the plant on West Crowder Road. Altogether, the cost […]
Trenton Utility Committee to recommend Advanced Metering Infrastructure for use at TMU
Trentons’ five-member Utility Committee is recommending the City Council accept a proposal for an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) for TMU. Two proposals were considered, and Utility Director Ron Urton said the committee recommends the proposal from Tantalus as the city looks to upgrade “meter reading.” This proposal allows TMU to use most of the existing […]
TMU generators gobble 28,000 gallons of diesel generating electricity
Trenton City Administrator Ron Urton reported on Tuesday evening to the Utility Committee about the diesel generation this week at the TMU north substation during the extreme cold weather. Urton said TMU was called by its energy power pool to generate electricity with the use of Trenton’s diesel units. Urton said Monday and Tuesday saw […]
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 […]