A Missouri legislator is scheduled to go on trial soon in two alleged fraud schemes. Nixa State Representative Tricia Derges is scheduled to go on trial beginning August 16 for 23 felony counts. Last March, a federal grand jury indictment alleges Derges fraudulently received about $300,000 in federal coronavirus aid for nonprofit medical […]
(Missouri Independent) – A bipartisan group of U.S. senators say they have worked through the sticking points on a major infrastructure package, and the Senate agreed on a procedural vote on Wednesday night to advance to debate on the proposal. That announcement came a week after Republicans blocked a test vote on the deal, with GOP […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released an audit of the government of Dade County, located in southwest Missouri. The report highlighted the need for improvements in several county offices and gave a rating of “fair.” “Dade County has made improvements from the 2018 audit which gave a rating of poor, but there are still areas […]
The Trenton City Council on Monday night voted unanimously to reject the designation of the downtown historic district as currently written, which would have created a new section in the city code. On a split vote, the city council defeated a proposed increase in the electric system base rate. Narrow approval was given on another […]
Health-care advocates called on Missouri lawmakers to allocate funds for Medicaid expansion right away after the state Supreme Court ruled they must extend coverage to the 275,000 people who fall into what’s known as the Medicaid gap. That means they have incomes above their state’s eligibility for Medicaid but cannot afford marketplace or employer-based insurance. […]
The theme for this year’s Missouri State Fair is “Our Missouri Celebration.” State Fair Director Mark Wolfe says the theme is tied to the state’s bicentennial celebration, which is what the events at the fair are planned around. August 10 is the actual 200th anniversary of Missouri entering the United States. Missouri State Fair Director […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri must expand Medicaid to 275,000 eligible people who were expecting coverage under a constitutional amendment that took effect July 1, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Thursday. In a unanimous opinion, the court overturned a trial court ruling that the amendment, passed in August 2020 was unconstitutional because it may increase the state’s cost for […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt today announced that his office has received a term sheet from Johnson and Johnson and multiple distributors (McKesson, Amerisource Bergen, and Cardinal Health), setting the stage for the largest victim-centric settlements the State of Missouri has ever seen and tentatively securing roughly just over half a billion dollars of funding […]
While no official recommendation was made due to the lack of a quorum Tuesday night for the Trenton Utility Committee, the City Council will take a look at increasing the base electric rate by seven dollars for residential customers in Trenton. This is primarily a monthly charge for having an electric meter. The current rate […]
In the 1984 film “The Terminator,” a robotic assassin played by Arnold Schwarzenegger warns, “I’ll be back.” If waterhemp could talk, it might say the same thing. Waterhemp can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. The prolific producer of seeds is the state’s No. 1 weed, robbing Missouri agriculture of millions of dollars […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released her second report on unemployment benefits received by Missourians through COVID-19 response funding from the federal government. The report shows that, through April 2021, more than 600,000 Missouri citizens received more than $4.9 billion in benefits made available under several programs. Several federal laws enacted and executive actions taken in […]
A Kansas man was sentenced in federal court for engaging in two separate fraud schemes related to millions of dollars in false payday loan debt and for tax evasion totaling more than $8 million. “After raking in millions of dollars from the victims of his fraud scheme, the defendant lied repeatedly and used every trick […]
The U.S. Department of Economic Development estimates that more than 400,000 Missourians do not have reliable internet access. The American Rescue Plan passed by Congress earlier this year includes giving 16.9-million dollars to Buchanan County in northwest Missouri. Presiding Commissioner Lee Sawyer says at the forefront of his and his commissioner’s minds are using the […]
A number of Missouri’s most influential business groups have filed a legal brief, in support of Medicaid expansion. Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth has the update. The Missouri Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Jefferson City in Missouri’s high-profile Medicaid expansion lawsuit case. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and several business groups in St. […]
Missouri Labor officials have announced that they’re starting a process for Missourians who received unemployment overpayments to apply for a potential waiver. The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations emphasizes that this involves non-fraud FEDERAL unemployment overpayments. St. Louis Democratic State Representative Peter Merideth has been urging DOLIR to waive the federal portion: […]
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 […]
Six Houston, Texas, residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to travel across the country breaking into bank ATMs and stealing the money inside, including at least one theft in Kansas City, Missouri. Deandre J. Gilliam, 19, Ladarious S. Thomas, 28, Jamarkus D. Bogany, 19, J’Korean K. […]
Congressman Sam Graves (R-MO), the Ranking Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, led conservatives on the floor of the United States House of Representatives today in opposing H.R. 3684. “This bill is nothing more than the Green New Deal with a little infrastructure sprinkled on top,” said Graves. “It’s completely unpaid for and it does nothing […]
(Missouri Independent) – With fewer than 12 hours to spare before the start of a new fiscal year, the Missouri House on Wednesday approved a bill extending medical provider taxes essential to balancing the budget, forestalling more than $700 million in cuts planned by Gov. Mike Parson. Divisions over how and whether to add provisions sought by […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has obtained a $150,000 settlement against a former Poplar Bluff Medicaid provider for falsely billing services that weren’t provided. “My Office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit works tirelessly to root out, investigate, and prosecute instances of Medicaid fraud across the state of Missouri,” […]
