The federal government plans to deliver more than 150 million rapid COVID-19 tests around the country. Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) spokesperson Mallory McGowin says long term care centers and higher education and K-12 schools will be at the top of the priority list. She expects the tests to come to Missouri […]
The Missouri Board of Education has voted today in favor of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) $8.5 billion proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning next July. The plan is a slim increase over the current budget year – about $26.8 million. “FY22 almost certainly will be a challenging revenue year, […]
While Missouri’s governor is pleased with the special session on violent crime, he’s calling on the House to approve his proposal involving St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s office. GOP Governor Mike Parson told Capitol reporters last week that he will meet with House leaders about it. “We’re encouraging them to pass this to be […]
The state Board of Education is expected to vote today on proposed changes to the Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program, or MOCAP. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) received hundreds of public comments about the proposal. The part that has garnered the most attention deals with the time it takes […]
Missouri’s governor says all of the state’s public schools are in session as of last week … some in-person, some online, and some with a hybrid model. Governor Mike Parson tells Capitol reporters that State Education Commissioner Dr. Margie Vandeven and state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams met Wednesday […]
The state is offering free online courses to 1,000 Missourians laid off or furloughed because of COVID-19. In a press release, the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development says it has partnered with CompTIA, a nonprofit trade association, to provide the on-demand schooling. Enrollment is open through December 4 and the work can […]
Statistics from the state Department of Social Services show the number of Missourians on food stamps has increased by about 120,000 since January. There were about 658,000 Missourians receiving food stamps, at the start of the year. That number increased to about 778,000 as of July, which is the latest number available from DSS’ statistics. […]
The Missouri National Education Association says the state should make a centralized system for the public to see information about COVID-19 exposures in K-12 and higher education schools. It has sent a letter to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education calling on the agency to create one that would “regularly publish” the information and protect […]
The state of Missouri is working with Washington University in St. Louis to offer its new COVID-19 saliva test statewide soon. Officials reportedly hope to launch the tests later this month or in October. During a press conference in St. Louis, Missouri Economic Development Department Director Rob Dixon says the state is working alongside the […]
The Washington Post reports Missouri ranks fifth among all U.S. states for its per capita rate of daily COVID-19 cases over the past week. The state reports 23 new cases per every 100,000 people. Livingston County in northwest Missouri ranks in the top ten U.S. counties reporting the highest rate of cases. The state’s COVID-19 dashboard shows the […]
A congressman who represents northern Missouri describes the Port of St. Joseph as a major economic engine, saying farmers up and down the Missouri River depend on it to get grain to market. U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, met separately last week with both Missouri Farm Bureau and the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River […]
Missouri has paid a consulting firm more than $829,000 so far in federal coronavirus aid to help coordinate the state’s pandemic response. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports payroll records show the McChrystal Group has received federal funding from the state. The contract bypassed the normal bidding process. During a press conference at Washington University in […]
During August alone, nearly 7,000 college-age people in Missouri have tested positive for COVID-19. At a press conference Thursday at Washington University in St. Louis, Gov. Mike Parson urged young people to take precautions to protect their communities. “In some Missouri college communities, positivity rates have soared as high as 45% in one day just […]
Missouri county clerks in both parties say they need additional funding to protect voters and poll workers during the November general election. Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon, a Columbia Democrat, notes November will be a high turnout election during the COVID-19 pandemic. She says county clerks have had unexpected costs. “Having to purchase personal protective equipment […]
The Missouri Senate passed five special session bills about crime in the wee hours of Thursday morning. Members spent more than 16 hours on the legislation with the most time being consumed by House Bill 2. It deals with the admissibility of certain witness statements. The slowdown came when Sen. Bob Onder, R- Lake St. […]
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Kelly Murphy of west-central Missouri’s Warrensburg says he wanted to be on the CBS show Tough As Nails to prove to himself that he can still bring it like his days as a Marine. Wednesday night, there was no doubt. The man, who spent 22 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. and retired […]
Missouri has paid a consulting firm more than $829,000 so far in federal funding for pandemic response coordination, despite Gov. Mike Parson saying a foundation was paying the tab. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports payroll records show the McChrystal Group has received the federal CARES Act funding from the state, instead of Parson saying earlier […]
The Missouri Court of Appeals says part of the summary language for the Amendment 3 November ballot measure has “major problems” and needs new wording. In a written court decision Monday, the three-judge panel says the description, written by the Republican-controlled Legislature, “fails to acknowledge” what the amendment would do, which is to “substantially modify, and reorder […]
The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DOLIR) has received $1.8 million in grants for the shared work program, which allows employers to bring laid-off employees back to the job by dividing available work among employees. DOLIR Director Anna Hui says the grant will enable the Labor Department to build on a 30-year program. […]
Two Missourians are on the first season of the CBS television show Tough As Nails. U.S. Marine Corps veteran Kelly Murphy of west-central Missouri’s Warrensburg and St. Louis roofer Lee Marshall are on the show that has allowed them to earn cash by using their bare hands. The show, centering around blue-collar challenges, is an […]
