(Missouri Independent) – Exasperated lawmakers slammed leaders of the Missouri Department of Social Services on Tuesday, accusing them of passing off blame for a federal review that found the state fails to adequately report missing foster children. Tuesday’s hearing of the House Children and Families Committee was spurred by a report issued last week by the U.S […]
Tag: DOE
Missouri Attorney General slams Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney General for attempting to intimidate parents
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt today sent a letter to the Department of Justice and Attorney General Garland slamming their decision to publish a memo that directs the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice to work with federal prosecutors to investigate and potentially prosecute parents who show up to school board meetings to […]
Democrats’ vision for free community college would boost undocumented students
(Missouri Independent) – The massive economic policy package Democrats are trying to muscle through Congress could open the door to free community college for undocumented immigrants. But that lifeline for many people now denied access to higher education could also reignite controversies in Republican-leaning states over immigration and federal overreach. The provision on immigrants was […]
Health experts say you should find the best option before open enrollment
Missourians have a little more than a month until open enrollment for healthcare coverage at healthcare.gov, and medical experts say it’s important to understand your options to get the best plan for your needs. More than 215,000 Missouri residents are enrolled in coverage. But Michelle Davis Reed, eligibility and enrollment coordinator with Northwest Health Services […]
Boy riding in field seriously injured when ATV overturns, ejecting him from the vehicle
A 16-year old northwest Missouri boy received serious injuries when the all–terrain vehicle he was operating overturned, ejecting him from the vehicle. The youth, from Faucett, was taken to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph. The crash happened early Sunday on private property five miles south of St. Joseph. The boy was riding the ATV […]
Evergy warning customers regarding recent utility scam attempts
Evergy has received customer reports today of individuals placing phone calls to customers and claiming to be Evergy representatives. The individuals are asking customers for immediate payment to avoid service disconnection. These representatives are not employees of Evergy. For past-due accounts, calls from Evergy requesting payment are never made the same day as the disconnection. […]
Prosecutor asks Missouri governor to ignore AG’s demand to be removed from Agape case
(Missouri Independent) – The county prosecutor who Attorney General Eric Schmitt said “does not intend to seek justice” for victims of alleged abuse and neglect at a southwestern Missouri boarding school urged Gov. Mike Parson to not remove Schmitt’s office from assisting in the case. In a letter sent Tuesday, Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney Ty […]
Missouri Attorney General files motion to halt St. Louis County attempt to impose a second mask mandate
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a motion to renew and enforce the preliminary injunction in his lawsuit against St. Louis County following County Executive Page’s attempt to illegally impose a second mask mandate. The motion was filed in the existing case against St. Louis County and asks the court to apply the existing preliminary […]
Audio: Missouri police chief says many rural law enforcement agencies lack resources, training and experience
A southwest Missouri police chief says many rural law enforcement agencies often don’t have the resources, training, and experience found in bigger cities. A statewide task force is working to improve services for Missouri’s sexual assault survivors and to better respond to these cases. During a virtual taskforce hearing, Bolivar Police Chief Mark Webb says […]
Grundy County Nursing Home District Board of Directors approve pay increases for CNA and CNT staff
The Grundy County Nursing Home District Board of Directors on September 28, 2021, approved a wage increase for nurse aids at Sunnyview Nursing Home in Trenton. Administrator Jerry Doerhoff reports the pay was raised to $14.00 per hour for certified nursing assistants and $15.00 per hour for certified nursing technicians. Different nurse aids made different […]
DEA launches “One Pill Can Kill” campaign
The Drug Enforcement Administration issued a Public Safety Alert warning Americans of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. DEA’s Public Safety Alert, the first in six years, seeks to raise public awareness of a significant nationwide surge in counterfeit pills that are mass-produced by criminal […]
‘A nightmare’: Missouri schools adapt as labor shortages upend school meal supply chain
(Missouri Independent) – Shawndra Taylor had just 12 hours notice when the first truck canceled. The truck contained food to help prepare the 3,000 meals served each day in her school district in Eldon — including items she needed to make dinner for students. Her supplier, Kohl Wholesale in Quincy, Illinois, was too short-staffed. Taylor, […]
Prosecutor files felony charges against five Agape staffers accused of abuse
(Missouri Independent) – Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither announced Tuesday that five staffers members of Agape Boarding School will be charged with a combined 13 counts of third-degree felony assault — a fraction of what Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt recommended. In March, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson directed the attorney general’s office to assist Gaither […]
Judge rules against Missouri Attorney General challenge to masks in Missouri schools.
(Missouri Independent) – Face masks will stay on for students and teachers in districts requiring them, a Boone County judge ruled Tuesday, handing Attorney General Eric Schmitt a defeat in his efforts to use the courts to block mask mandates. Circuit Judge Brouck Jacobs denied Schmitt’s effort to use a single case, filed against Columbia […]
After much discussion, with 20 residents in attendance, Trenton City Council leaves in place the breed-specific dog ordinance
After much discussion, for more than 30 minutes, the Trenton City Council Monday night met with citizens, many of whom were seeking a repeal of the breed-specific dog ordinance. Six members of the council were physically present at Trenton City Hall and another took part via Zoom. Twenty individuals were in the audience at city […]
Senate GOP torpedoes U.S. government funding bill, raising odds of federal fiscal crises
(Missouri Independent) – U.S. Senate Republicans blocked an attempt by Democrats on Monday evening to begin debate on a broad bill that would avert multiple looming fiscal crises for the federal government. The measure to briefly keep the government operating past the end of the fiscal year on Thursday, as well as to increase the […]
Biden administration rolls out new rule to bolster DACA as lawsuit continues
(Missouri Independent) – The Biden administration on Monday unveiled a proposed new rule that would strengthen the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to protect undocumented people in the program from legal challenges. The proposed rule, announced by the Department of Homeland Security, would “preserve and fortify” the DACA program, an Obama administration-era initiative that protects […]
Audio/Video: Dream Factory presents Rhonda Vincent and the Rage in Trenton on October 6
Grammy Award-winning bluegrass singer-songwriter Rhonda Vincent and her band The Rage will perform at a concert in Trenton to raise funds for the Dream Factory of Northwest Missouri. The concert will be held in the Trenton High School Performing Arts Center on October 6th. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the music will start […]
Audio: Attorney General says Moberly is not complying with law in regard to parents recording certain meetings
A new Missouri law bans the state’s school districts from preventing parents or guardians from recording certain meetings. State Attorney General Eric Schmitt says the Moberly School District is violating state law by requiring parents to sign a consent form to record meetings used to determine accommodations for students with special needs. Superintendent, Dr. Dustin […]
Missouri Attorney General’s push to sue every school with mask mandate heads to court next week
(Missouri Independent) – Orders requiring school children to wear masks in class will be tested in court next week when a Boone County judge will be asked to decide if Attorney General Eric Schmitt can sue every district in the state in a single case. Circuit Judge Brouck Jacobs has set a hearing for 9 […]