Congressman Sam Graves (MO-06) joined more than 200 colleagues today in calling on Speaker Pelosi to direct her committee chairs to look into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic started, the House of Representatives has held zero hearings on the origins of the virus and the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup. “Americans deserve […]
Amid a light but persistent rain this morning, a flag-raising ceremony took place at the flag pole of the one-room Baker School, among the properties of the Grundy County Historical Society. Seven members of the VFW Post 919 in Trenton participated in raising the U.S. flag, the officer of the day, three members took part […]
(Missouri Independent – The simmering division among Republicans over a bill crucial to funding Missouri’s Medicaid program boiled over this week, with the state senator at the center of the debate calling for a change in the chamber’s leadership. Sen. Paul Wieland, R-Imperial, led the charge to include language banning the use of taxpayer money […]
(Missouri Independent) – In the last week of April, the Linn County Health Department signaled that the COVID-19 pandemic had cooled enough that it could discontinue weekly reports on new cases. With only three active cases on April 21, the urgency for frequent updates seemed to have passed. But the coronavirus came roaring back this […]
The Grand River Valley Choir and Orchestra Board of Directors voted to cancel the June 19 Summer Concert due to continued concerns for everyone’s health and safety. It was decided to again provide an encore presentation on YouTube, this time of the 2019 Summer Concert as our gift to the community. This program will be […]
Chautauqua in the Park is expected to return to Simpson Park of Chillicothe on September 11th and 12th. The event was not held last year due to COVID-19 concerns. Chillicothe Area Arts Council Administrator Mary Lou VanDeventer says this year’s event will probably look different. However, there will still be a Traditional Arts Area, as […]
(Missouri Independent) – From statehouses to Congress, Republicans have launched into a fight against the teaching of “critical race theory,” which just a year ago was a niche academic term. Experts in critical race theory say it’s about acknowledging how racial disparities are embedded in U.S history and society, and the concept is being mischaracterized […]
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) announced that he and other lawmakers are co-sponsors of legislation to prevent the Internal Revenue Service from being used as a political weapon against American citizens. “People across Missouri are rightly concerned about the kind of government overreach and political targeting we’ve seen from the IRS in the past,” said […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced seven amendments to the United States Innovation and Competition Act, the Senate’s proposed legislation to increase competitiveness with China, to put American workers first, fight back against Beijing’s trade abuses, stand up for human rights, protect American national security, and crackdown on multi-billion-dollar corporations that are heavily invested in China. […]
The next state budget does not include funding to expand Medicaid healthcare coverage to another 275-thousand low-income Missouri adults. The Republican-controlled Missouri Legislature refused to fund the expansion – setting up an expected court battle. John Rizzo, the top Democrat in the Missouri Senate, says the GOP is more concerned about their next office. […]
(Missouri Independent) – As the case counts of the novel coronavirus began to tick up last March across Missouri, providers who offer tests for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) found their resources were being pulled in two directions. Swabs were in short supply as they became needed for COVID-19 testing. Contact tracers, who reach out to […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri regulators on Tuesday eased the rules governing the design of massive industrial hog facilities in a move critics claim was meant to help one controversial facility. The state’s Clean Water Commission voted 5-1 to narrow the definition of groundwater in the state’s rules governing the construction of “concentrated animal feeding operations” […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway announced today that her office has begun a regularly scheduled audit of the Carter County government. The county, located in southern Missouri, received a rating of “good” from the most recent state audit, issued in September 2016. “Audits can help local officials take steps to make government more efficient and effective […]
Hiland Dairy Foods, a Missouri-based producer and distributor of dairy products, violated federal law when it refused to hire a man to work in its Norman, Okla. plant because he was vision-impaired, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charged in a lawsuit filed. According to the suit, Hiland interviewed the man, toured the plant with […]
(Missouri Independent) – As the state of Missouri battles its second year of the novel coronavirus’ spread, lawmakers on Wednesday sent to the governor’s desk a bill that aims to rein in local public health orders and ban vaccine passports. The provisions were included in House Bill 271, which deals with local government transparency. It grew […]
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education on Tuesday, May 11, discussed non-certified payroll annualization with district Bookkeeper Mona Loyd and Administrative Assistant Susan Leeper. Loyd started by saying she had been willing to try annualization at the time the board originally voted to implement it for non-certified staff. She did not have the forethought to […]
This International Nurses Day, nurses in Missouri are raising concerns about the long-term mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as urging the healthcare industry to prepare for future health crises. Heidi Lucas, state director of the Missouri Nurses Association, said nurses worry about possible future spikes. While more people are getting the vaccine, […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway said her office has begun regularly scheduled audits of Schuyler County and Sullivan County, both located in northern Missouri. Schuyler County received an overall rating of “good” in its most recent audit, issued in June 2015. The most recent audit of Sullivan County was completed in December 2016, with the county receiving an […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, Dr. Faisal Khan, and the St. Louis County Department of Public Health for the arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable application of COVID-19 restrictions in St. Louis County. Specifically, the suit takes issue with the restrictions on religious institutions, masking requirements for […]
To address workforce shortages across the state, Governor Mike Parson directed the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to notify the U.S. Department of Labor that Missouri will end participation in all federal pandemic-related unemployment insurance programs effective Saturday, June 12 at 11:59 p.m. “From conversations with business owners across the state, we know […]
