Another session of the Missouri Legislature has come and gone. Of the 1,559 House bills and 689 Senate bills filed this time around, 69 bills will make it to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk. Here are some key bills left up to the governor to sign or veto: Missouri lawmakers vote to pump up […]
The Columbia Police Department, Boone County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Attorney General’s Office, and a multitude of other local, state, and federal agencies conducted a successful joint human trafficking operation at the Holiday Inn East hotel in Columbia, Missouri on Friday night. The joint operation, organized by the Columbia Police Department, the […]
A Milan man has been charged with first-degree murder after his wife was found dead in the couple’s apartment with an apparent gunshot wound to her face. Twenty-year-old Edward James Elijah “Eli” Withey has also been charged with armed criminal action and abandonment of a corpse. He is to be held without bond. A probable […]
The Highway Patrol arrested three individuals in area counties on Friday night of May 14, on various allegations. Thirty-nine-year-old Sandra Crouch of Scottsdale, Arizona, and 40-year-old George Rainey of Pattonsburg were arrested in Harrison County. Crouch was accused of the felonies of tampering with a motor vehicle—first degree and possession of a controlled substance—methamphetamine. Other […]
The Missouri Senate has passed a contentious gun rights bill. The “Second Amendment Preservation Act” attempts to invalidate federal gun regulations. Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo of Independence spoke in favor of an amendment that would have closed a loophole letting convicted domestic violence abusers own a gun. The amendment to the overall bill failed. […]
Bipartisan law enforcement legislation that bans most police chokeholds and eliminates residency requirements for Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) officers is now heading to the Missouri governor’s desk after receiving final House approval Thursday afternoon in Jefferson City. Senate Bill 53 is sponsored by State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer (R-Parkville) and State Rep. Lane Roberts (R-Joplin). Representative Roberts […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri will not expand Medicaid coverage to working-age adults on July 1 because lawmakers refused to include funding for the health care program in the state budget, Gov. Mike Parson announced Thursday. In a news release, Parson said the state was withdrawing documents submitted to the federal government necessary to add the approximately 275,000 […]
As the school year ends, you can expect young people to start applying for summer jobs. For agricultural employers, these young workers can provide extra capacity at a time when farms and agribusinesses often have more work than they have employees to get that work done. “Labor is tight as the economy picks up steam […]
The Gallatin Board of Aldermen approved an ordinance on May 10th authorizing the city to enter into an engineering service agreement regarding a wastewater collection system evaluation facility plan. City Administrator Lance Rains reports the agreement with All-State Consultants involved a Small Community Engineering Assistance Program (SCEAP) grant. The company evaluated the infiltration and inundation […]
Preliminary hearings were waived on Tuesday, May 11, by at least three defendants in the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court. Keith Edward Larson of Bethany is charged with felony stealing of a vehicle. He was bound over to the Division One session on Thursday, May 13, 2021. Trenton resident Tracie Leigh Todd is […]
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education on Tuesday, May 11, discussed non-certified payroll annualization with district Bookkeeper Mona Loyd and Administrative Assistant Susan Leeper. Loyd started by saying she had been willing to try annualization at the time the board originally voted to implement it for non-certified staff. She did not have the forethought to […]
(Missouri Independent) – In a historic vote, the Missouri House signed off Tuesday on legislation creating a prescription drug monitoring program — inching one step closer to ending Missouri’s designation as the only state without one. The bill now heads to Gov. Mike Parson for his signature or veto. Sen. Holly Rehder, a Sikeston Republican who […]
Missouri is designating 50-million dollars in federal coronavirus aid to create K-12 teacher recruitment and retention grants. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will make 10,000-dollar grants available to all Missouri public school districts and charter schools to create or expand local teacher recruitment programs. Currently, 20 percent of Missouri school […]
The Missouri Legislature has passed a proposal that would boost the state’s gas and diesel tax for the first time in about 25 years. The state House of Representatives voted Tuesday night 104-52 in favor of increasing the user fee by 12.5 total cents over five years. The plan would also give most drivers a […]
To address workforce shortages across the state, Governor Mike Parson directed the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to notify the U.S. Department of Labor that Missouri will end participation in all federal pandemic-related unemployment insurance programs effective Saturday, June 12 at 11:59 p.m. “From conversations with business owners across the state, we know […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for transporting child pornography over the internet. Kevin Michael Downey, 35, of Fulton was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 12 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Downey to pay a total of $30,000 in restitution to 10 of his victims. […]
The service and sacrifice of federal, state, and local law enforcement are recognized during National Police Week. This year, the week is observed from Sunday, May 9 through Saturday, May 15, 2021. Acting U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said, “National Police Week provides an opportunity to express our gratitude and to honor the memories of law […]
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports a Kirksville resident, 20-year old Ethan Potter, was arrested Saturday evening in Adair County. Potter was accused of possessing the controlled substance codeine, not having a driver’s license: second offense, and failure to register a motor vehicle. The patrol also reported an Adair County warrant was active for Potter, […]
A Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri. Stephan D. Samons, 31, of Camdenton, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 12 years in federal prison without parole. On Aug. 28, 2019, Samons pleaded guilty to participating in […]
A Brookfield man accused of leading law enforcement on a pursuit starting in Linn County and ending at Marshall in February 2020 was sentenced in Linn County on May 5, 2021. Matthew Guilford was sentenced to 15 years with the Missouri Division of Adult Institutions on a case involving felony charges of trafficking drugs—second degree […]
