USDA US Department of Agriculture

USDA announces 2022 cotton loan rate differentials

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corporation today announced the 2022 crop loan rate differentials for upland and extra-long staple cotton which are applied to the crop loan rate to determine the per bale actual loan rate. The differentials, also referred to as loan rate premiums and discounts were calculated based on market valuations […]

Leonardo DRS website

Leonardo DRS expands in West Plains creating more than 100 jobs

Leonardo DRS, a leading provider of defense products and technologies, has announced the start of the expansion of its manufacturing campus in West Plains. The company’s expansion is expected to create more than 100 jobs and was enabled in part by a cooperative effort to construct a new overpass that addresses concerns affecting logistics and […]

Marijuana Trafficking News Graphic

Missouri man who was arrested after an armed standoff with police pleads guilty to marijuana trafficking

A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing a firearm following a brief armed standoff with police officers. Jamahl D. Jones, 35, Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in relation […]

Jobs Report

Missouri unemployment rate drops to 3.6% in March

Missouri non-farm payroll employment decreased slightly from February 2022 to March 2022, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by one-tenth of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, decreased by 200 jobs over the month. Private industry employment increased by 600 jobs, while government employment declined by 800 jobs. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate […]

Cim-Tek or Cimtek website

Cim-Tek Filtration to expand in Kennett, Missouri, creating up to 77 new jobs

Cim-Tek Filtration, a leading manufacturer of filtration products, recently announced that it will expand in Kennett, creating up to 77 new jobs. Cim-Tek Filtration’s expansion will allow the company to continue to innovate in filtration and develop new products available worldwide. “Cim-Tek Filtration’s expansion in Kennett is an exciting development for the Southeast region and […]

Meth with police banner

Missouri man pleads guilty to $10 million conspiracy to distribute 1,000 kilos of meth

A Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a nearly $10 million conspiracy to distribute almost 1,000 kilograms (2204 pounds) of methamphetamine. Michael B. Becher, 40, Raytown, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from Sept. 1, 2018, to Nov. 5, 2019. […]

Eric Greitens (Photo is screenshot from Eric Greitens YouTube channel)

Eric Greitens’ claims of conspiracy called ‘nonsense’ in new filings in Missouri custody case

(Missouri Independent) – Attorneys for Eric Greitens’ former campaign manager argued in new filings that the ex-Missouri governor is using the court to buttress his claims of conspiracy, harass his political enemies and boost his campaign for U.S. Senate. In a newly public filing in the child custody dispute in Boone County between Eric Greitens […]

Photo of handgun and ammunition (Photo by Thomas Def on Unsplash)

Department of Justice rule cracks down untraceable firearms known as ‘ghost guns’

(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden Monday unveiled the Department of Justice’s plan to regulate untraceable firearms known as ghost guns, as well as announced his nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The Department of Justice’s final rule bans the business of manufacturing ghost guns, such as “buy build shoot” kits […]

John Boyd photo courtesy of John Boyd Junior

Democrats file suit to keep two-time Republican candidate off ballot for Missouri House seat

(Missouri Independent) – Democrats want to kick a candidate off the ballot in the race for a Kansas City-area Missouri House seat, claiming the Grandview man who filed in the 36th District contest is actually “a longtime Republican and vocal opponent of the Democratic Party.” John D. Boyd Jr. filed for the seat on Feb. […]

Jamal Ghazai booking photo courtesy Caldwell County Jail

Lathrop man arrested after pursuit by authorities for marijuana grow operation

The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Department reports a man was taken into custody after a short pursuit on April 5th as a result of the discovery of an illegal homegrown marijuana operation Forty-two-year-old Jamal Ghazai of Lathrop has been charged with felonies of possession of a controlled substance and manufacture of 35 grams or less of […]

Oil rig with American flag background

Coalition of 27 state treasurers and auditors call on the Biden administration to promote American energy production

Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick joined 26 other state financial officers in calling on the Biden Administration to promote American energy production. In a letter to the President, the state leaders emphasized the need to re-establish American energy independence amid the massive increase in the price of gas and diesel, which is contributing to the […]

Guilty Plea

Woman pleads guilty to racketeering conspiracy involving the forced labor of Mexican agricultural workers

A woman in Florida pleaded guilty to a federal racketeering conspiracy that victimized Mexican agricultural workers admitted into the United States under the H-2A temporary visa program. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement. According […]

Democrats block Hawley’s bill to get tough on child sex offenders

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) went to the Senate Floor on Tuesday to call for unanimous consent to pass his “Protect Act of 2022” which protects children from sexual exploitation by enhancing the penalties for possessing child pornography and preventing judges from sentencing offenders below federal guidelines. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) objected and blocked the […]

Missouri State Highway Patrol Dive Team

Missouri State Highway Patrol Dive Team called in to search Elmwood Lake in Milan

A dive team from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri Department of Conservation searched for possible hidden evidence at Elmwood Lake in Milan on April 4th. Public Information and Education Officer, Corporal Justin Dunn, reports the Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control received a tip about possible hidden evidence. Dunn says divers […]

RootED Alliance website

Career, college readiness program in Missouri expands statewide

An increasing number of jobs across Missouri require some level of training or education beyond high school, but rural students are less likely than their urban or suburban peers to enroll in and finish college. The rootEd Alliance wants to change it, by bringing career counselors into school districts to complement the work guidance counselors are already […]

Marijuana leaf

U.S. House votes to decriminalize marijuana in federal law

(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. House passed legislation Friday to legalize marijuana nationally, but its future is much less clear in the Senate. The House voted 220-204 to approve the measure, which would fix the split between federal law and 19 states where recreational marijuana is legal. Three Republicans joined all but two Democrats in approving the measure. […]

USDA Sign

USDA offers CLEAR30 option for producers to enroll land with expiring conservation contracts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is announcing the signup period for its Clean Lakes, Estuaries, And Rivers initiative (CLEAR30) — a nationwide opportunity for certain landowners and agricultural producers currently implementing water quality practices through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to enroll in 30-year contracts, extending the lifespan and strengthening the benefits of important water quality […]

Scott Adams

Hamilton man allegedly attempts to set fire to his home with wife and two children inside

A Hamilton man faces multiple felony charges after he allegedly tried to set fire to his house on March 31st while his wife and two children were inside. Thirty-one-year-old Scott Clay Adams has been charged with first-degree attempted arson, second-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action, and two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a […]

Gas Pumps News Graphic (Photo via Envato Elements)

Biden OKs release of 1 million barrels of oil a day from reserve, calls for supply boost

(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden called Thursday for U.S. energy companies to do their part in lowering gasoline prices by boosting supplies of oil, saying the industry should plow record profits back into increased production. Biden also said he would release 1 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve daily for the […]