(Missouri Independent) – Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri is calling for the Biden administration to intervene to block the state’s new emergency regulation that abortion advocates contend could cut off Medicaid funding for its clinics around the state. Without federal action, Planned Parenthood said it may need to turn to the courts. […]
Tag: FEDERAL
Telehealth going strong even after pandemic closures
The use of telehealth services – a combination of telephone, video, and other online tools – peaked during COVID closures, and Coloradans still are opting for remote visits, according to new data. Social isolation and other disruptions saw mental and behavioral telehealth visits rise dramatically. Cari Frank – vice president for communications with the Center […]
Feds seize property of Kansas City area companies accused of COVID relief fraud
(Missouri Independent) – The federal government has seized two vehicles and is threatening to seize a lake house, allegedly purchased illegally with COVID-19 relief money by a Kansas City-area businessman. The property was seized from several real estate companies incorporated in Kansas by Joseph Campbell, with most operating under a version of the name Titan […]
FBI releases 2020 statistics for law enforcement officers assaulted in the line of duty
According to statistics reported to the FBI, 60,105 law enforcement officers were assaulted while performing their duties in 2020. These assaults were reported to the FBI by 9,895 law enforcement agencies. Based on these reports, there were 4,071 more officers assaulted in 2020 than the 56,034 assaults reported in 2019. Data regarding these assaults were […]
How a Mississippi court case could pave the way for new abortion bans across the U.S.
(Missouri Independent) – A six-week abortion ban in Texas enacted in September forced those seeking abortion services in the Lone Star State to look across state lines for care. But the timing couldn’t have been worse for Texans living near the state’s eastern border. The law took effect as neighboring Louisiana was reeling from the […]
COVID-19 outbreak at Smithfield plant in Milan, Missouri likely larger than originally known
(Missouri Independent) – The COVID-19 outbreak at Smithfield Foods’ northern Missouri plant — the focus of a worker safety lawsuit that garnered national attention last year — resulted in two worker deaths and was worse than previously thought, according to newly obtained federal documents. Early on in the pandemic, the Sullivan County Health Department told local […]
Grundy County Industrial Development Corporation receives $30,000 donation
Smithfield and Roeslein Energy have made a $30,000 donation to the Grundy County Industrial Development Corporation to help the IDC with costs associated with the Thompson River Bank Stabilization Project, taking place on Highway 6 west of Trenton. The IDC has committed to pay for engineering costs associated with the work along with any cost […]
Missouri Attorney General joins 19 state coalition urging Congress to reject legislation that increases energy fees
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a 19-state coalition urging Congress to reject burdensome legislation that would increase fees on energy producers and hit American consumers with even greater price hikes. The two bills in question are the Methane Emissions Reduction Act in the Senate and a provision of the Build Back Better Act in […]
Three Missouri residents indicted for using identities of deceased people to file hundreds of COVID relief claims
Three Missouri residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury in a scheme to use the identities of deceased people to file hundreds of false stimulus claims under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Warren W. Watkins, 39, and Marissia Jackson, 25, both of Kansas City, Mo., and Lamar K. Johnson, […]
Princeton Board of Education approve bus routes and federal programs and homeless coordinator duties for principal
The Princeton R-5 Board of Education on October 11th approved Federal Programs and Homeless Coordinator duties to the elementary principal. Bus routes were also approved. The board allowed public input on an application for a United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant for the purchase of an electric school bus. It was announced parent-teacher […]
North Central Missouri College awarded Talent Search grant
North Central Missouri College has been chosen for a Federal TRIO Talent Search grant among 865 total applications submitted to the U.S. Department of Education. The grant provides funding of $277,375 annually. NCMC is partnering with the St. Joseph School District by directing grant activities toward Benton, Central, and Lafayette High School, and Robidoux, Spring […]
Route B north of Meadville in Linn County to close as bridge over Smokey Branch is replaced
The first bridge to be replaced under the FARM (Fixing Access to Rural Missouri) Bridge Program is Route B over Smokey Branch in Linn County, just west of Missouri Route 139 and north of Meadville. The road will close on Monday, October 25, 2021, for construction and will remain closed until the end of February […]
Planned Parenthood wants feds to block Missouri rule targeting its Medicaid funding
(Missouri Independent) – Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri is calling for the Biden administration to intervene to block the state’s new emergency regulation that abortion advocates contend could cut off Medicaid funding for its clinics around the state. Without federal action, Planned Parenthood said it may need to turn to the courts. […]
Missouri students can now ‘test to stay’ to remain in classroom after COVID exposure
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri students and teachers identified as being exposed to a coronavirus case in school may now be permitted to remain in class if they continue to test negative for the virus and properly wear a mask. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) updated its school reopening guidance Friday to include the new […]
Missouri man sentenced to 10-years in prison without parole for distribution of methamphetamine
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Howell, Greene, and Texas counties. Jose I. Gonzales, 39, of West Plains, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 10 years in federal prison without parole. On July 23, 2020, Gonzales pleaded guilty to […]
Missouri Attorney General obtains two consent judgments in Sunshine lawsuits
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt today announced that his Office has obtained two consent judgments in Sunshine Law lawsuits launched earlier this year. The lawsuit against the Ray County Commission and the lawsuit against the City of Fairview were filed in April of 2021. “Enforcing and protecting the Sunshine Law is an important duty of […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to receiving and distributing hundreds of images and videos of child pornography
A Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to receiving and distributing hundreds of images and videos of child pornography. Chandler Durham, 31, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. On Feb. 5, 2020, a detective with the Southwest Missouri Cyber […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to his role to distribute 551 pounds of meth
A Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a conspiracy to distribute more than 250 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Noah Frazier, 39, of Independence, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to one count of conspiracy to distributed methamphetamine and one count of being […]
Missouri couple plead guilty to selling counterfeit Disney movies on eBay
A Missouri, couple pleaded guilty in federal court to a scheme to smuggle counterfeit Disney DVDs into the United States and sell them on eBay. Tabitha Nicole Rodgers, 42, and her husband, Clint Travis Rodgers, 48, of Columbia, Missouri, pleaded guilty in separate appearances before Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr. Tabitha Rodgers pleaded guilty […]
Judge blocks residency rule for Missouri medical marijuana licenses
(Missouri Independent) – A federal judge last week permanently blocked Missouri from enforcing a requirement that medical marijuana licenses go to businesses owned by residents of the state. Following a bench trial Thursday, U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughrey agreed to grant a permanent injunction. Her written order has not yet been filed. News of the injunction […]