(Missouri Independent) – A bipartisan coalition of state Senators was unable to stop politically connected Kansas City attorney Todd Graves from winning a seat on the University of Missouri Board of Curators. After a two-round filibuster — three hours last week and eight more hours ending around 1 a.m. Wednesday — the Senate voted 19-13 to […]
A coalition that’s dedicated to improving the well-being of Missouri children is praising the Missouri House’s bipartisan approval of a 76-million dollar increase for foster and adoptive children. Kids Win Missouri policy director Craig Stevenson says the House budget includes unprecedented support for the kinship and foster families who care for the 14,000 children in […]
Missouri’s House Budget Committee learned details today (Tuesday) about a budget blueprint from Chairman Cody Smith to use dollars slated for Medicaid expansion for other programs instead. Funding includes 26-million dollars for adult daycare and home-delivered meals. Chairman Smith testifies the funding also includes 88-million dollars for nursing home care. This involves a […]
In addition to candidates for public office, election ballots in the Green Hills Region today feature numerous ballot issues with polls open until 7 o’clock tonight. The city of Trenton offers the local use tax question which will be decided by the voters of the four wards of Trenton. All voters of Grundy county determine […]
A northwest Missouri state senator who worked to exempt federal stimulus payments from state income tax last year will work to keep the state’s hands off the latest round of checks. Senator Tony Luetkemeyer, a Republican from Parkville, says the state should not be taxing checks meant to help people during a time of crisis. […]
The Missouri House has passed a 34-point-one billion-dollar state operating budget that includes a big pay raise for some hard-to-fill Department of Corrections jobs. On top of the requested two-percent salary boost for all state workers, some Corrections food service workers, officers, sergeants, and lieutenants would get anywhere from a nearly six percent to an […]
Missouri could soon wipe out the debt it owes to counties for housing inmates. State House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith says the House has passed a 34-point-one billion-dollar state operating budget that would get Missouri completely out of debt in county jail reimbursements. Missouri could be the only state in the nation that pays […]
A Washington man pleaded guilty to defrauding Tyson Foods Inc. (Tyson) and another company (Company 1) out of more than $244 million by charging them under various agreements for the purported costs of purchasing and feeding hundreds of thousands of cattle that did not actually exist. According to court documents, Cody Allen Easterday, 49, of […]
A northwest Missouri state senator wants to re-direct federal stimulus payments which might be heading to prisoners who owe money to victims. Senator Tony Luetkemeyer, a Republican from, Parkville, sponsors the measure being considered during the legislative session in Jefferson City. Luetkemeyer’s bill could head to the Senate floor at any time. Congress […]
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Department continues to seek the public’s assistance regarding a missing elderly, rural Livingston County man’s whereabouts. Eighty-two-year-old Gerald Avery has been missing since Thursday afternoon around 12:15 when Avery was seen at the food pantry at 403 Locust Street in Chillicothe. He’s described as a white male, five feet seven, 230 […]
The Missouri House Budget Committee has voted against funding for Medicaid expansion in the next fiscal year. The committee, made up of mostly Republicans, has voted down 1.6-billion dollars in funding for Medicaid expansion in the next state budget cycle. Last year, 53-percent of Missouri voters approved a ballot measure to expand government-funded […]
In response to two proposed budget cuts to the Consumer Directed Services program, Access II Independent Living Center is mobilizing the community to fight back against these cuts. Access II is joining with other Centers for Independent Living in the state to denounce these cuts. The Consumer Directed Services program allows eligible individuals with disabilities […]
A proposed constitutional amendment that would prevent Missouri seniors 65 and older with incomes of less than $45 thousand dollars from paying property tax has been heard by a House committee in Jefferson City. Branson GOP State Representative Brian Seitz testified today (Wednesday) before the Ways and Means Committee. While the proposal’s fiscal […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a coalition of thirteen states in filing suit against the Biden Administration for imposing a moratorium on future oil and gas leasing and drilling permits on federal land. The lawsuit contends that the moratorium on leasing through the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and the Mineral Leasing Act […]
The city council in northwest Missouri’s largest city has approved issuing 25-million dollars in Chapter 100 bonds for a massive new manufacturing plant that will bring 48 new jobs to town. St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce senior vice president Brad Lau tells our St. Joseph affiliate KFEQ that the bonds make the bidding process more […]
Without discussion, the Trenton City Council on Monday night adopted budgets for the city and Trenton Municipal Utilities for the year beginning May 1st. Members of the finance committee have met several times with city officials in recent weeks in developing the two budgets. Salaries have been established by city ordinance for the 2021-22 fiscal […]
The Missouri Department of Mental Health, Division of Developmental Disabilities launched a partnership with StationMD to ensure that all 15,000 Missouri residents with disabilities who are on a Medicaid Waiver have 24/7 access to a doctor anytime they need it. After nine months of successful utilization of StationMD’s specialized telehealth service across the state, the […]
Governor Parson is proposing an even bigger pay raise for some Missouri Department of Corrections jobs. On top of the requested two-percent salary boost for all state workers, some Corrections food service workers, officers, sergeants, and lieutenants will get anywhere from a nearly six-percent to an almost 15-percent pay hike. In a staff […]
One question posed to the five Trenton R-9 Board of Education candidates at March 18th’s forum was what their plans were to address recruiting, and retention in the district and not let Trenton be a stepping stone. Michael Voorhies said teachers coming and going each year was a major issue, and any business does not […]
Webmasters note: This article is a commentary by Tim Gibbons of the Missouri Independent. Tim Gibbons is communications director for the Missouri Rural Crisis Center, a statewide farm and rural organization dedicated to preserving family farms and promoting stewardship of the land and environmental integrity. The comments in the article are those of the author, […]
