Empire District Liberty Utilities Company

Audio: Missouri to allow state’s third largest regulated utility to move aggressively toward wind power

(Missourinet) – Missouri has given initial approval for the state’s third-largest utility to build a major wind farm to generate power. The plan by Empire District in Joplin is opposed by the state Office of Public Counsel. The Counsel’s Geoff Mark says Empire’s predictions of customer savings is based on unrealistic projections that it’ll be able […]

School Bus

Audio: Missouri school transportation budget running on fumes with $200 million funding gap

(Missourinet) – The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has a 200-million dollar transportation funding shortfall. The department is considering a proposed budget that would ask for more money over a nine-year period to fully fund the expenses, which is 75-percent of a district’s transportation costs. During a State Board of Education meeting in […]

Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

Audio: Livingston County considers whether to join lawsuit against opioid drug makers

(Missourinet) – Livingston County in northwest Missouri is considering whether to join a national lawsuit against opioid manufacturers. Presiding Commissioner Ed Douglas says misleading information has led doctors to improperly prescribe addictive medications.     Presiding Commissioner Ed Douglas tells Missourinet affiliate KCHI in Chillicothe addictive prescription drug overuse is a big problem in the […]

Cut Leaf Teasel

Controlling noxious Cut-Leafed Teasel

Cut-leaved teasel, as well as the closely related common teasel, is a biennial weed and one of the 12 weeds that the Missouri Department of Agriculture classifies as a noxious weed.  Once teasel is established in an area, it can be very difficult to control, making management important before the weed becomes a wide-spread pest. Teasel […]