(Missouri Independent) – Nursing homes will be required to ensure their staffers are vaccinated against COVID-19, or risk losing federal Medicare and Medicaid dollars, the Biden administration announced Wednesday in a major move on vaccinations as the Delta variant sweeps many states. Under the new nursing home policy, the U.S. Department of Health and Human […]
Tag: Executive Director
AARP calls for vaccine mandates as COVID re-enters Missouri nursing homes
(Missouri Indepentent) – With cases on the rise among both residents and staff, the nation’s leading advocacy group for retirees is calling on nursing homes to mandate COVID-19 vaccines. The number of COVID-19 cases reported each week in Kansas and Missouri nursing homes is rising again for the first time in months. Missouri, where weekly […]
Chautauqua in the Park seeking volunteers
The 36th Annual Chautauqua in the Park will be held September 11-12, 2021 at Simpson Park in Chillicothe, Missouri. This annual event, sponsored by the Chillicothe Area Chamber of Commerce and the Chillicothe Area Arts Council, and presented by Hedrick Medical Center, has a wide variety of entertainment, activities, artists, crafts, and food. “This annual […]
Families and Friends of the Developmentally Disabled has grant applications available
Families and Friends of the Developmentally Disabled, Grundy Co Senate Bill 40, currently has Grant Request forms available for the FY2022. Grant applications will be accepted until Friday, October 1, 2021, at 4:00 PM at the FFDD office located on the 1st floor of the Grundy County Courthouse or by mail at P.O. Box 402, […]
Less than half of Missouri nursing home staff vaccinated, reviving fear of lockdowns
(Missouri Independent) – Many of the staff and residents in Shunda Whitfield’s St. Louis County nursing home were sick before they even realized what was going on. It was April 2020, and masks weren’t yet standard practice. Little was known about COVID before it swept through nursing homes, and as a certified nursing assistant, Whitfield […]
Life Options Green Hills Executive Director Rachael Brothers speaks to members of Trenton Rotary
Life Options Green Hills Executive Director Rachael Brothers spoke at the Trenton Rotary Club meeting on August 5th. She said the center in Trenton has a goal of being the client’s “first choice for information” regarding pregnancy decisions. The facility opened in July of 2020 and has served 67 women and six men from the […]
Advocates say Missouri’s eviction crisis could be a ‘humanitarian tragedy’
(Missouri Independent) – Melissa Pashia is hoping for any kind of good news today. The federal eviction moratorium ended Saturday, and she’s got her fingers crossed one of her clients will finally get approved for the rental assistance that they applied for in April through the State Assistance for Housing Relief Program (SAFHR). The aid approval […]
North Central Missouri College Athletic Director, Nathan Gamet, presents program at Rotary meeting
North Central Missouri College Athletic Director and Ketcham Community Center Director, Nathan Gamet, presented the program at the Trenton Rotary Club meeting on July 29. Gamet talked about his work as a college basketball referee, which was a job he got after leaving college coaching while in Oklahoma. Gamet currently works games in NCAA Division 2 […]
Audio: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education issues COVID-19 guidance
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education issued updated COVID-19 guidance last week. Missouri School Boards Association Deputy Executive Director Brent Ghan, early in the afternoon of July 27, said the association supported the guidance and urged school districts to look at it. He called vaccination a public health prevention strategy to help end […]
Families and Friends of the Developmentally Disabled submit Title 6 Program Plan
The Families and Friends of the Developmentally Disabled submitted the Title 6 Program Plan for 2021 to 2023 after approval was given by the board of directors on July 12. Contact FFDD Executive Director Kayla Graham for a copy of the plan or more information on Title 6. The phone number is 660-359-3285. She can […]
Consolidated Machine and Welding expands in Hannibal, creating 30 new jobs
Consolidated Machine and Welding announced it will expand its facility in Hannibal, investing $4.3 million and creating 30 new jobs in the area. “We’re excited to see Consolidated Machine and Welding grow in Hannibal,” Governor Mike Parson said. “This new facility brings good-paying jobs and opportunities for our citizens in Northeast Missouri. Businesses often find […]
Casey Stout named 2021 Coca-Cola “Leaders of Promise” scholar
Casey Stout, a student from North Central Missouri College, is one of 207 Phi Theta Kappa members named a 2021 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship. The Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship Program helps new Phi Theta Kappa members defray educational expenses while enrolled in associate degree programs. Scholars are […]
Coalition of lawmakers urge Biden administration to drop proposed tax hike on farm families
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), along with the entire Senate Republican caucus, sent a letter to President Biden urging him to abandon his effort to impose a capital gains tax increase on family-owned businesses, farms, and ranches. Repealing this part of the tax code would have a devastating effect on multi-generation operations, which could lead […]
Blunt sponsors bipartisan senate effort to protect wildlife
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Martin Heinrich (N.M.) introduced the bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) of 2021 to invest in proactive, on-the-ground conservation work led by states, territories, and Tribal nations to support the long-term health of fish and wildlife habitat all across America. “Missouri is home to some of the best hunting, […]
Paul Wilson to become Missouri’s next chief justice
Judge Paul C. Wilson assumed the role of chief justice beginning July 1. His term as chief justice will run through June 30, 2023. He succeeds Judge George W. Draper III, who remains on the Court. A Jefferson City native, Wilson earned his undergraduate degree from Drury College in Springfield and his law degree, cum […]
If arrested, 17-year-olds in Missouri now will be treated as juveniles, not adults
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 […]
Tax relief for Missouri medical marijuana businesses vetoed by Governor Parson
(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 […]
Farm Service Agency now accepting nominations for county committee members
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 […]
Groups connect Missouri youth in foster care with life and work skills
Community partnerships in Missouri are working to help young people, either in or aging out of foster care, connect with the resources they need to start their independent lives, and the pandemic has brought added financial hardship for many. DeWayne Bright, Sr., youth advocate for the Local Investment Commission (LINC) in Kansas City, works with […]