Cutis Cain Superintendent of the Year 2022 (Photo courtesy AASA)

The National Superintendent of the Year, Curtis Cain, is from Missouri

Curtis Cain, superintendent of Wentzville School District, in Wentzville, Mo., has been named the 2022 AASA National Superintendent of the Year. The announcement came at the National Conference on Education, hosted by AASA, The School Superintendents Association. The other National Superintendent of the Year® finalists were:  Quincy Natay, Chinle Unified School District No. 24, Chinle, Ariz. Kamela Patton, Collier County […]

Defund The Police Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

U.S. House hearing on extremism toward minorities turns into ‘defund the police’ debate

(Missouri Independent) – Leaders of faith organizations and Historically Black Colleges and Universities told members of a U.S. House panel on Thursday how their institutions and places of worship have been roiled by bomb threats and extremism. They talked about the recent waves of bomb threats aimed at HBCUs, a terrifying hostage-taking at a Texas […]

Planned Parenthood

Missouri state health agency seeks control of Title X funds that go to Planned Parenthood

(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 […]

American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvall spoke at the organization’s 2022 annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia (photo provided by American Farm Bureau Federation)

American Farm Bureau Federation claims it’s the ‘voice of agriculture,’ Others beg to differ

(Missouri Independent) – This story was originally published as a collaboration between Investigate Midwest and Watchdog Writers Group. The American Farm Bureau Federation calls itself the “voice of agriculture,” a slogan it trademarked in 2007. But as the divide between agribusiness and small farmers has grown in recent decades, a unified voice of agriculture has become harder to […]

Medical Marijuana

Criticism of Missouri medical marijuana system seeps into initiative petition debate

(Missouri Independent) – A handful of Republican lawmakers lashed out at the state’s medical marijuana industry Thursday, lobbing accusations of corruption into a Missouri House debate over whether to make it harder to amend the state’s Constitution.  On a mostly party-line 98-53 vote, the Missouri House signed off on legislation Thursday that would require a two-thirds […]

USDA Market News Mobile app website screenshot

USDA introduces first Market News Mobile Application

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a new USDA Market News Mobile Application, providing producers and everyone else in the supply chain with instant access to current and historical market information. The initial version of the free app includes nearly 800 livestock, poultry, and grain market reports, with additional commodities added throughout the coming year. […]

Rotary Website

North Central Missouri College Director of Marketing and Admissions give presentation at Trenton Rotary Club meeting

North Central Missouri College Director of Marketing and Admissions Megan Pester spoke at the Trenton Rotary Club meeting on February 10. Pester has worked at NCMC since 2008 and has served in multiple roles. She has served in her present position for two years. She oversees marketing, admissions, and the extended campus in Andrew County. […]

North Central Missouri College Website V2 (NCMC)

North Central Missouri College receives continued accreditation

North Central Missouri College received notice that the Higher Learning Commission has continued full accreditation with reaffirmation scheduled for 2031-2032. College employees spent several years preparing materials to document that NCMC meets the standards for regional accreditation through HLC, and the college hosted an evaluation team visit in the fall. Regional accreditation is essential to […]

Josh Hawley Courtesy of Missourinet

Senator Josh Hawley: Ukraine’s prospective NATO membership hurts U.S. interests, we must focus on China

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to seek clarity on the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine’s prospective NATO membership and to express concern that it would threaten U.S. interests by drawing attention away from the China threat. “Today, an increasingly powerful China seeks hegemony in the Indo-Pacific. If China succeeds, it […]