(Missouri Independent) – After an eight-year fight over Medicaid expansion, the arguments are over. The question of whether 275,000 people will receive state-paid health care coverage is in the hands of the Missouri Supreme Court. Oral arguments took place Tuesday in an expedited appeal. The seven judges must decide whether Medicaid eligibility will expand, as directed by the […]
The North Mercer R-3 Board of Education appointed staff members to positions July 12th. Those staff members included Terry Bomgardner as homeless liaison and migrant education director, Lauren Guilkey as foster care point of contact, and Greg Frost as English Language Learners coordinator. Board of education goals were approved. One goal was added that involved […]
In Missouri’s courts, 17-year-olds will now be automatically treated as juveniles rather than adults if they’re taken into custody. It’s the tenth state in the country to raise the age of criminal responsibility. Opponents of “raise the age” laws predicted it would increase juvenile caseloads and overwhelm capacity in youth detention centers. Still, the number […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson vetoed legislation Friday that would have lifted a prohibition on licensed medical marijuana companies deducting business expenses on their taxes. In his letter vetoing the measure, Parson didn’t mention the medical marijuana provisions. He said his decision to reject the bill came down to a section lawmakers included that […]
(Missouri Independent) – A crowded Republican primary is emerging in Missouri’s 4th Congressional District, a solidly GOP seat that is also the only one of the state’s eight districts certain to have a new lawmaker at the end of 2022. State Rep. Sara Walsh, R-Ashland, on Wednesday became the latest candidate to enter the race […]
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden’s key COVID-19 advisers on Thursday defended the administration’s strategies for boosting vaccinations in the states after Missouri’s governor said federal door-to-door outreach efforts are not welcome there. Top Biden adviser Jeff Zients said anyone mischaracterizing the administration’s attempts is “doing a disservice to the country.” Gov. Mike Parson voiced his […]
(Missouri Independent) – As federal officials land in Missouri at the request of the state to assist with combatting a wave of new COVID cases spurred by the Delta variant, Gov. Mike Parson publicly rebuffed outreach strategies President Joe Biden touted. On Tuesday, a member of the newly-created federal surge response team arrived in the […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency began accepting nominations for county committee members on June 15. Elections will occur in certain Local Administrative Areas for these members who make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2021 election must be postmarked or received in the […]
(Missouri Independent) – Bob F. Griffin, who served as speaker of the Missouri House for 15 years until he was forced to resign in the face of a federal criminal investigation, died Wednesday in Columbia. He was 85. Griffin was the longest-serving speaker in the state’s history. During his tenure as speaker from 1981 to 1996, the […]
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced the agency is investing $910,000 to modernize rural drinking water infrastructure in Jackson County, benefitting nearly 3.000 rural Missourians. “Every community, large and small, needs safe, reliable access to necessities like clean water,” Thomas said. “Rural Development congratulates Public Water Supply […]
Adoption of broadband has the potential to boost a community’s economic growth and quality of life. But in much of Missouri, especially rural areas, the high-bandwidth wirelines to connect households and businesses don’t exist. Helping more Missouri communities become digitally connected was the topic of a recent webinar by the University of Missouri System Broadband […]
Director of National Legislative Programs for Missouri Farm Bureau Spencer Tuma will speak at the Daviess County Farm Bureau annual meeting. The event will be at the Spillman Event Center of Jamesport on July 30th at 6 o’clock in the evening. There will be a board meeting and a meal catered by Hy-Vee. Door prizes […]
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway released a citizen-requested audit of the Western Cass Fire Protection District, which is located in western Cass County. The audit made recommendations related to spending and budgeting to ensure transparent and effective use of taxpayer dollars. “The citizens served by the Western Cass Fire Protection District requested this audit to […]
Special Olympics Missouri is celebrating 50 years this year and kicking off its Sponsor an Athlete campaign. Sponsorships make it possible for Special Olympics North Area to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in 18 Olympic-type sports for individuals with mental disabilities in 27 counties. Those counties include those in the Green Hills area […]
North Central Missouri College is assisting students through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds created under the American Rescue Plan to help students with exceptional needs. NCMC will be awarding grants for students to use toward educational costs and other emergency costs that arise due to COVID-19, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including […]
Grundy County is requesting formal qualifications-based competitive sealed proposals from qualified, licensed, and experienced providers for a turnkey project to provide the county a new Conventional Project-25 700/800 Megahertz digital simulcast radio network. Emergency Management Director Glen Briggs reports the radio system is a proposed replacement system for the current fire and ambulance system. The […]
Former Trenton resident Steve Maxey spoke at the Trenton Rotary Club meeting on July 1st. He is a sales manager for the Hy-Vee Arena in Kansas City, which was previously the Kemper Arena. He gave the history and personal stories of the former Kemper Arena, which hosted events including the 1976 Republican National Convention, the […]
The 2021 Sullivan County Fair Queen & Junior Miss Pageant was held on Monday, July 5, 2021. There were 3 young women vying for the Junior Miss title, and 5 women vying for the Fair queen title. Selected as the queen was Miss Jocelyn Perez. She is the daughter of Aurelia Cruz of Milan. Miss […]
(Missouri Independent) – For years, Lisa Zerbe said she biked, rode horses, and ran near Ameren Missouri’s largest coal-fired power plant in Franklin County because she “naively believed” state environmental regulators were protecting citizens from pollution. Now, she won’t. “It is truly a disheartening feeling of betrayal from an agency in my younger years I […]
(Missouri Independent) – During June, as the Delta variant of COVID-19 took hold in Missouri, the seven-day average of new cases doubled. And now that the easily spread mutation has reached every corner of the state, July will be a repeat of June, or worse, according to the University of Missouri professor monitoring wastewater for the […]
