(Missouri Independent) – Applying for health insurance through Medicaid expansion took Raven Cole just 10 minutes. But the wait to see if she’s approved has dragged on for months. The 23-year-old legal assistant applied for coverage, “well over two to three months ago.” “And I haven’t heard anything back,” Cole said. Cole is one of […]
(Missouri Independent) – Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit Thursday against Missouri’s Department of Social Services, alleging the agency unlawfully plans to restrict Medicaid payments to the provider. A March 4 notice sent to Planned Parenthood of St. Louis Region cites a supplemental budget bill lawmakers passed last month that bars abortion providers or their affiliates from being […]
(Missouri Independent) – Democrats and Republicans forged an agreement early Wednesday on a spending package that will fund the government for the next eight months, as well as provide billions in emergency funding for COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. The announcement means Congress should be able to avert a government shutdown when a spending […]
Auditor Galloway released her findings from an audit of the city of Cross Timbers in Hickory County. Residents of Cross Timbers, a small town of fewer than 120 residents in west-central Missouri, initiated the audit through the petition process. The audit released, which gives a rating of “poor” – the lowest possible rating – found […]
(Missouri Independent) – It was just after 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, when the forms arrived from the state treasurer’s office. Without warning, and with little explanation, school superintendents discovered they were now required to certify their district had complied with Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s demands to drop all COVID-19 mitigation measures, such as […]
(Missouri Independent) – The Biden administration is asking Congress to provide $10 billion in assistance to Ukraine and $22.5 billion in COVID-19 funding on a fast timeline — within the next week. White House acting budget director Shalanda Young wrote in a letter to lawmakers that this likely won’t be the last emergency funding request for either […]
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway today issued her office’s audit of the Clay County Commission, which was initiated by a citizen petition in 2018. The report follows repeated but ultimately unsuccessful efforts by former county commissioners to impede the completion of the audit. The report, which gave a rating of “poor” – the lowest possible […]
A former mail carrier pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing nearly 100 sports trading cards worth thousands of dollars from the mail. Paul O. Robinson, 26, of Richmond, Missouri, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to a federal information that charges him with one […]
A man was sentenced in federal court for defrauding two Kansas City-area brothers who have also been convicted in the investment fraud scheme. Duc Nguyen, also known as “Doug,” 58, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to five years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Nguyen to […]
The Missouri Republican Party has refused to take a required filing fee from a southwest Missouri lawmaker attempting to run for office. Charlie Dalton, with the Missouri Republican Party, confirmed the move to block Representative Tricia Derges from running for office this year. Derges, of Nixa, has been indicted on federal Medicaid fraud […]
(Missouri Independent) – With a deadline looming that could cost Missouri almost $2 billion in federal education aid, the bill to distribute the money passed the state Senate on Wednesday after Democrats slammed a zero-dollar funding line as a partisan attack on Planned Parenthood. The $4.6 billion spending bill approved on a 25-7 vote is the first legislation requiring […]
A Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to failing to pay more than $2.8 million in payroll taxes from his business and more than $1.1 million in personal income taxes. Rex Tarwater, 66, of Sunrise Beach, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count […]
Missouri could require high school students to fill out a free application for federal student aid, known as the FAFSA, before graduating. The FAFSA is used to consider eligibility for federal grants, federal loans, and state grants. The Missouri Senate Education Committee is considering the requirement proposed by State Senator Karla Eslinger. The […]
A woman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to communicate Restricted Data related to the design of nuclear-powered warships. Her husband pleaded guilty to the same offense on Monday, Feb. 14. Diana Toebbe, 46, of Annapolis, Maryland, was arrested on Oct. 9, 2021, for knowingly and voluntarily joining a conspiracy with her husband, Jonathan Toebbe, to communicate […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri’s state health department has applied to oversee federal family planning funds, a move reproductive health advocates fear would give the state power to cut off funding for providers who refer patients for abortion services. During his confirmation hearing late last month, former Department of Health and Senior Services Director Donald Kauerauf’s […]
The gates at Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge will once again open to the public on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at 6 am. The Refuge is closed annually from late October to the first Saturday of March to allow for undisturbed habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl. Once spring arrives the place becomes a Refuge […]
The Trenton City Council Monday night adopted two ordinances and accepted three bids. Financing is complete on $2,500,000 to make improvements at the Trenton water treatment plant. The council voted six to nothing to enter into a lease-purchase transaction with Central Bank of the Midwest at Kansas City as the lessor and Missouri Association of […]
(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri lawmaker facing a 23-count federal indictment for allegedly selling fake stem-cell treatments and fraudulently using federal pandemic relief funds has settled with the state health department, resulting in three-year probation of her narcotics license while admitting to illegally purchasing and prescribing pharmaceutical drugs. The administrative settlement, signed Jan. 28 with the […]
(Missouri Independent) – This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News. The Biden administration and state officials are bracing for a great unwinding: Millions of people losing their Medicaid benefits when the pandemic health emergency ends. Some might sign up for different insurance. Many others are bound to get lost in the transition. State Medicaid […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) objected to the unanimous consent of several Department of Defense nominations, followed by remarks that outlined the Biden administration’s failures and lack of accountability in the aftermath of the botched Afghanistan withdrawal last summer. He also reiterated how the administration is on the brink of another disaster, this time with […]
