State Auditor Nicole Galloway has begun a regularly scheduled audit of Grundy County, in northern Missouri. The county received a rating of “fair” from the most recent state audit, issued in September 2015. “My office will review Grundy County operations to ensure taxpayer resources have been used effectively and appropriately, and make recommendations with any […]
Tag: concern
Trenton Board of Education approves addition of reading interventionist for fifth-grade
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education on March 17th approved the addition of a reading interventionist for the fifth-grade level. The vote was taken at a special meeting. Superintendent Mike Stegman recommended the addition of the position. Trenton Middle School Principal Daniel Gott and Instructional Coach Jill Watkins also spoke. Stegman reported the fifth-grade reading […]
Missouri Attorney General files lawsuit against Rockwood School District for alleged Sunshine Law violations
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against the Rockwood School District for alleged Sunshine Law violations. On November 19, 2021, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office sent three Sunshine Law requests to the Rockwood School District seeking public records relating to the Rockwood School District’s decision to publish the FBI’s link to report parents […]
Medicaid enrollment backlog persists as advocates say Missouri could be doing more
(Missouri Independent) – Applying for health insurance through Medicaid expansion took Raven Cole just 10 minutes. But the wait to see if she’s approved has dragged on for months. The 23-year-old legal assistant applied for coverage, “well over two to three months ago.” “And I haven’t heard anything back,” Cole said. Cole is one of […]
St. Louis jail inmates file class action lawsuit alleging guards torture them with mace
(Missouri Independent) – Inmates at St. Louis’ primary jail filed a federal class-action lawsuit Tuesday accusing guards of torture with mace and depriving them of water for days. The inmates are represented by a team of attorneys from the MacArthur Justice Center, ArchCity Defenders, the SLU Law Legal Clinics, and Rights Behind Bars. “They spray chemical agents […]
Missouri Attorney General files suit against Missouri School Boards Association for alleged Sunshine Law violations
To kick off Sunshine Week, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed suit against the Missouri School Boards Association for alleged violations of the Sunshine Law. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office previously requested records from the Missouri School Boards Association (MSBA) related to their role in the October 4, 2021 memo from the Biden Administration and […]
Newtown-Harris Board of Education approves 2022-2023 school calendar,
The Newtown-Harris R-3 Board of Education last week approved the 2022-2023 school calendar. The first day of school will be August 23rd, and the last day is scheduled for May 26th, 2023. A calendar adjustment was approved for 2021-2022. Superintendent Doctor Lucas McKinnis reports a professional development day was moved from April 18th to April […]
Expanded rural broadband likely a focus of federal farm bill
(Missouri Independent) – The coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need for federal assistance to develop high-speed internet connectivity in all parts of the country, members of a U.S. House subcommittee agreed this week as they reviewed provisions that are likely to be included in the next farm bill. “I represent a largely rural district in north-central, […]
Avian influenza cases confirmed in four Missouri counties
Federal officials have confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Stoddard, Bates, Jasper, and Lawrence Counties. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory, in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic influenza in the flocks. Samples are delivered to the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Missouri for testing if […]
Missouri Attorney General announces top 10 consumer complaints for 2021
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office received 126,100 total consumer complaints in 2021, submitted in writing or via phone call. The Consumer Complaint Unit received 86,856 complaints and inquiries and the No-Call Unit received 39,244 complaints. The Attorney General’s Office has advocates who take complaints and work actively to mediate those complaints between consumers and businesses […]
Highly pathogenic avian influenza confirmed in Missouri commercial poultry flock
Federal officials have confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza in a commercial chicken flock in Stoddard County, Missouri. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic influenza (HPAI) in the commercial broiler chicken flock. Samples were delivered to the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Missouri for […]
Missouri State Auditor begins audit of Texas County
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today announced that her office has begun a regularly scheduled audit of Texas County, located in south-central Missouri. The most recent audit of Texas County was completed in November 2017 and gave the county an overall performance rating of “poor,” the lowest possible. “My office will conduct an independent review of government operations […]
Missouri State Auditor gives Clay County Commission’s office rating of “Poor”; details how commissioners obstructed audit process
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway today issued her office’s audit of the Clay County Commission, which was initiated by a citizen petition in 2018. The report follows repeated but ultimately unsuccessful efforts by former county commissioners to impede the completion of the audit. The report, which gave a rating of “poor” – the lowest possible […]
Change to bill cutting Missouri sales tax on food transformed it into massive tax hike
(Missouri Independent) – With a change of just a few words, a bill to expand the sales tax exemption for food purchases became a bill virtually ending the exemption, infuriating its sponsor and forcing a Missouri House committee to give it another look. On Monday, the House Rules – Administrative Oversight Committee voted to send state Rep. […]
Bill that would decriminalize needle exchange programs passes Missouri Senate committee
(Missouri Independent) – A bill that would decriminalize needle exchange programs that aim to reduce the spread of infectious diseases was voted out of the Senate General Laws Committee Tuesday. Needle exchange programs allow drug users to swap out used syringes with clean, new ones in an effort to decrease the chances of contracting or […]
House grants initial approval to bill that would allow prison nurseries in Missouri
(Missouri Independent) -The House gave initial approval Wednesday to a bill that would allow newborns to remain with their incarcerated mothers for the first year and a half of the baby’s life. The bill would permit the Missouri Department of Corrections to establish nurseries within the state’s correctional facilities, allowing children born to incarcerated women to […]
Missouri Attorney General joins nationwide investigation into TikTok
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a nationwide investigation into TikTok for providing and promoting its social media platform to children and young adults while use is associated with physical and mental health harms. Attorneys General nationwide are examining whether the company violated state consumer protection laws that put the public at risk. Attorney General […]