(Missouri Independent) – Hundreds of thousands of Missourians are struggling to get by during our coronavirus public health emergency, including children, according to the recently released U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey. While 40.8 percent of Missouri households report losing income since March, families with children under 18 have been especially impacted, with 51.4 percent reporting […]
Tag: congress
Missouri man pleads guilty to possessing illegal handgun used in shooting
An Independence, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing a firearm that was used to shoot another man in the leg, using the victim’s own illegally-possessed firearm. William D. Fullbright, 29, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lajuana M. Counts to being a felon in possession of a firearm. By pleading guilty, […]
Audio: Congress returns to Capitol Hill today, with a to-do list that impacts Missourians
Congress has 10 days before their next break and lots they COULD do. The House and Senate must tackle government funding before Dec. 12 to avoid a third government shutdown. Missouri healthcare groups, small businesses, and unemployed workers would like to see another COVID-19 relief bill, the question now is the price tag. […]
Grand River Basin Study moves on to Congress for authorization
Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon, USACE Commanding General and 55th U.S. Army Chief of Engineers, signed the Chief’s Report for the Grand River Basin Study on November 19, 2020. The signing of the report progresses the project to Congress for authorization. “I am grateful for the hard work of the entire team and for the […]
Seven charged in connection with COVID-relief fraud scheme involving at least 80 fraudulent loan applications
Seven individuals across two states were charged in an indictment unsealed for their alleged participation in a scheme to obtain approximately $16 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Amir Aqeel, 52, and Pardeep Basra, 51, both of […]
Missouri’s Hawley praises bipartisan movement on duck boat legislation
After being stuck in committee on Capitol Hill for 19 months, bipartisan duck boat legislation from U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) is expected to be voted on Wednesday morning by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. It’s the first bill the committee is scheduled to take up Wednesday, and it comes a little more […]
2020 was a bloodbath for Missouri Democrats. Will 2022 be any better?
(Missouri Independent) – There’s no point trying to spin it: While the 2020 election was a mixed verdict nationally, with Republicans gaining congressional seats and minimizing Senate losses even as Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump, the Missouri verdict was unequivocal. It started atop the ticket with Trump’s dominance. He and Gov. Mike Parson set […]
State Auditor issues 5th report on Missouri’s use of stimulus dollars received through CARES Act funding
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released her fifth report detailing the state government’s use of federal stimulus dollars intended for the COVID-19 response. In March, Auditor Galloway announced that her office would examine the state’s distribution and spending of funding received under the CARES Act and other federal assistance programs recently passed by Congress. The […]
Biden wants mask mandates nationwide: ‘We can save tens of thousands of lives’
(Missouri Independent) – President-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus response plan seeks to put a national mask mandate in place by calling on all governors to require face coverings in their states. It’s a move that public health experts say could dramatically reduce the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths. But putting wider mask laws in place […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to drug-trafficking 12-pounds of meth
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a drug-trafficking conspiracy that distributed at least 12 pounds of methamphetamine in the Joplin area, as well as to illegally possessing numerous firearms. Mark E. Burdge, 50, of Joplin, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of […]
New York man pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of two 8-year-old sisters in Missouri
A Newburgh, New York, man pleaded guilty in federal court to attempting to produce child pornography after soliciting sexually explicit photos and videos of two 8-year-old twin sisters in Missouri. Charles Junious Adams, 38, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr., to one count of attempting to produce child pornography. The father […]
Northern Missouri election results for November 3, 2020
Grundy County experienced a 76 percent voter turnout in yesterday’s general election – favoring Republicans in their races and each of the unopposed Republican candidates for countywide offices. Donald Trump received 81 percent of the presidential vote from Grundy County while Joseph Biden had 18 percent of the vote. Also receiving huge majority support in […]
Election Preview: Voters will decide who stays and who goes in statewide races today
The months of campaigning are over and the fate of each candidate on the Missouri general election ballot today rests in the hands of voters. Here is an overview of some of the top races on today’s ballot: Republican Governor Mike Parson is seeking his first full term as Missouri’s chief executive officer. He faces […]
Missouri medical marijuana trial focuses on alleged role of insiders on license rules
(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri family that was denied a license to grow medical marijuana alleged in court this week that outside groups and individuals had undue access to top state officials — and that access led to an opaque process and contributed to the decision to cap the number of licenses granted. To buttress […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to illegal firearm following shootout at Independence motel
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing a firearm following a shootout at an Independence, Mo., motel. Randy K. McGaugh, 54, of Wellington, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lajuana M. Counts to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. By pleading guilty, McGaugh admitted that he […]
Waterslide owner in Missouri faces a possible three-year prison term for making a false tax return
The owner of a Cassville, Missouri waterslide attraction has pleaded guilty in federal court to making a false tax return. Jerry Don Beebe, 67, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush on Monday, Oct. 26, to one count of making a false tax return. Beebe owned and operated Beebe’s Roaring River Waterslide in […]
Missouri Medicaid expansion: Will it bust the budget or pay for itself?
(Missouri Independent) – When Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August, they were told by the ballot language that the price tag was unknown, with possible costs at $200 million stated alongside $1 billion in potential savings. What is known for certain is that about 250,000 Missourians will become eligible for coverage next year — […]
City of Princeton, PBA, & Princeton R-V await final approval of $250,000 Land, Water, & Conservation Fund grant
During the Spring of 2019, not long after the groundbreaking ceremony for the new ball fields, the City of Princeton with the support of the Princeton R-V School District and the Princeton Ball Association applied for the Federal Land, Water, and Conservation Fund Grant that is administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Created […]
Will St. Louis lead the charge in Approval Voting?
During historically divisive times, one Missouri city could be moving toward a nonpartisan way of electing its leaders. St. Louis voters will decide on Proposition D on the November 3 ballot. It would create a nonpartisan primary system, and implement what’s known as “approval voting” in municipal elections. Mallory Rusch, campaign manager for STL Approves, the group […]