Since the first presumptive positive COVID-19 case was detected in Missouri one year ago, Governor Mike Parson and his administration have worked continuously to combat the virus, keep Missourians safe, and move Missouri’s economy forward. “Since COVID-19 struck Missouri one year ago, we have worked nonstop to take a balanced approach, fight the virus, and […]
The Grundy County Commission on March 2nd approved an amendment to Public Administrator Jill Eaton’s resignation which is effective on March 9th. The commission has restarted the process of appointing an interim public administrator. Applications will be accepted for the position at the county clerk’s office until the position is filled. The county commission will […]
December 2021 will mark the 17th year of the North Central Missouri College Foundation-sponsored High School Holiday Hoops. The Holiday Hoops Committee recently met and has set dates for games to be played on December 18th, 20-23, and 27-31, 2021. “We are excited to begin the planning for Holiday Hoops 2021. Canceling the 2020 event […]
The House Budget Committee chairman says Missourians shouldn’t be taxed on federal stimulus checks. Brian Hauswirth spoke with Committee Chairman Cody Smith. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith of southwest Missouri’s Carthage says under the state’s tax code, federal stimulus checks related to COVID are subject to personal income tax. Smith says Missourians […]
Governor Mike Parson has signed HB 16 into law, a bill giving $324 million in emergency aid to help struggling renters and landlords in Missouri. The plan, the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), could cover some rent and utility costs. “HB 16 will provide much-needed assistance to tenants and landlords across the state. COVID-19’s economic […]
A Florida man pleaded guilty for fraudulently obtaining approximately $3.9 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans and using those funds, in part, to purchase a $318,000 Lamborghini sports car for himself. Federal investigators linked the sports car to Hines after he was involved in a hit and run on July 11, the Miami Herald reported. […]
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education were provided with information on various topics the evening of February 9th. Spring parent-teacher Conferences are scheduled for March 11th. School will be dismissed early that day, and the conferences will be held virtually. There will be no school March 12th or 15th. Superintendent Mike Stegman reported the dates […]
An elected Missouri State Representative has been indicted by a federal grand jury for a fraud scheme in which she made false claims about a supposed stem cell treatment marketed through her clinics in southern Missouri, and for illegally providing prescription drugs to clients of those clinics. Derges, a Republican, represents Christian County (District 140) […]
A Nevada man was charged in an indictment Wednesday for his alleged participation in a scheme to defraud multiple financial institutions by filing bank loan applications that fraudulently sought more than $1.9 million dollars in forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Nicholas L. […]
The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD) released an addendum to its third COVID-19 After-Action Report, which was published in December 2020. Much like last December’s report, the addendum focuses on the initial institutional response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As colleges and universities quickly transitioned to online courses, three major problems […]
A Washington man pleaded guilty today to perpetrating a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s […]
An arraignment has been scheduled for a man from Iowa who faces multiple felony charges in Caldwell County after what was described as a road rage incident by law enforcement in December. Forty-two-year-old Ty Matthew Vaughn of Morning Sun, Iowa is scheduled in Division One of Circuit Court on February 9th. Vaughn has been charged […]
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased again in December 2020, but a large increase in the civilian labor force sent unemployment higher. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 10,400 jobs over the month, and over-the-year job losses from COVID-19 shutdowns fell below 100,000. However, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by 1.3 percentage points from November […]
Information has been released from executive sessions held by the Chillicothe City Council in December. The council approved the hiring of a 911 dispatcher, a police officer, and two firefighters/emergency medical technicians during an executive session on December 14th. Jennifer Pyle was hired as a dispatcher, and Kemble Williams was hired as a police officer, […]
A jury trial is scheduled in Livingston County next month for a Trenton man accused of wounding Trenton Police Officer Jasmine Diab in June 2019. Forty-year-old Jamey Aaron Griffin’s trial is set to begin on February 16th. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for February 4th. Ninety jurors were to be ordered. Griffin has been charged […]
(Missouri Independent) – Khadijah Wilson had a bully during her junior year at Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles. She told her principal and teachers about the name-calling, and how the other girl constantly threatened to beat her up. But no one intervened. It went on for several months. “I reported it more […]
As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) extensive efforts to address PFAS, the agency is making new information available about EPA testing that shows PFAS contamination from fluorinated containers. Through a coordinated effort with both the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a pesticide manufacturer, the agency has determined that fluorinated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) containers that are used to […]
A Columbia man has been found guilty of the felonies of sexual abuse—first and second degree—aggravated sexual offense. A jury returned the verdict for 41-year-old Jason Shade after a three-day trial in Sullivan County with the court ordering a sentence and assessment report be completed. Sentencing is scheduled for March 8. Shade’s charges stemmed from […]
The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ Division of Employment Security this week began processing $300 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) payments to eligible unemployed workers under the Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020. Eligible claimants should begin seeing their payments within the next few days, depending on how long their bank […]
Grain bids surged throughout December. Overseas feed demand, the worker strike in Argentina, and weather conditions in South America were significant factors in soybean and corn prices gaining so much ground. Dry conditions in key growing areas in South America have put yield potential into question, however, the true range of crop loss is still […]
