The 24th Annual Missouri Day Marching Festival’s sweepstakes award has been presented to the Oak Grove Marching Band. Marching Festival Committee Representative Steve Maxey presented the Buddy and Karla Hannaford Sweepstakes Award to Oak Grove Director Nathan Long and members of the Panther Pride band. Oak Grove also received four Class Four awards: first in […]
The bridge on Highway 190 over the Thompson River in Livingston County reopened to two-way traffic on December 18th. It was the 100th bridge opened through Governor Mike Parson’s Focus on Bridges Program created to repair or replace 250 of the state’s poorest bridges. It was the 21st bridge completed in the Missouri Department of […]
Hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 have been on the rise in Missouri and other states, and experts say the consequences of being unprepared for an infectious-disease outbreak have never been more apparent. Gov. Mike Parson has cited concerns about staffing levels with the demand hospitals are seeing from the crisis. His comments coincide with calls […]
U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) are introducing a bipartisan amendment to attach to must-pass legislation to be considered by Congress, which would provide $1,200 in direct payments to working-class adults and $500 to each of their children. This amendment, similar to what was passed in the CARES Act, would be attached to must-pass […]
President Donald Trump and the White House Coronavirus Task Force invited a small group of private business, state, and health care leaders to the White House to brief them on Operation Warp Speed, the COVID-19 vaccine production and distribution project started earlier this year. Dr. Randall Williams, director of the Missouri Department of Health and […]
The Grundy County R-5 Board of Education approved a proposal for insurance on the evening of December 9th. The Missouri United School Insurance Council’s insurance will cost $36,206, which is an increase of $1,900 from last year. The board also approved an umbrella policy from MUSIC for an additional $5,000,000 of coverage for $1,533. The […]
Governor Michael L. Parson’s Bicentennial Inaugural Committee announced initial plans for an Inaugural Prayer Service and the Inauguration Ceremony in January of 2021. “To kick off Missouri’s bicentennial, we will celebrate our state’s rich heritage with a historic Bicentennial Inauguration,” said Teresa Parson, First Lady of Missouri and co-chair of the inaugural committee. “The strong […]
The Missouri Board of Education voted Tuesday to avoid using 2021 standardized test results for state and federal accountability. Members still want the state’s K-12 public school students to take statewide tests next year, but they do not want the results to count against schools for funding and accreditation purposes. The move might lower the […]
Thirteen (13) more CODIS (DNA) “hits” have been returned as untested sexual assault kits continue to be tested and uploaded to CODIS, which stands for Combined DNA Index System. The hits, like the first round of hits, are from the Southwest Missouri extended area. Those untested sexual assault kits were inventoried and shipped to the […]
Joni Oaks from Newtown, MO, has been selected as North Central Missouri College’s Director of Records and Enrollment/Registrar. Joni, an alumna of NCMC, has worked for NCMC since 2007 and holds a Master’s in Business from Western Governors University. Before moving into the Registrar role, Joni served as the Assistant Registrar. Joni replaces Linda Brown, […]
The U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and six other federal law enforcement agencies announced the completion of the third annual Money Mule Initiative, a coordinated operation to disrupt the networks through which transnational fraudsters move the proceeds of their crimes. Money mules are individuals who assist fraudsters by receiving […]
Edgewood Manor OPCO, LLC, a former owner of Edgewood Manor, a skilled nursing facility in Raytown, Mo., will pay $40,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sex pay discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, 12 female licensed practical nurses (LPNs) who worked at the facility […]
The Chillicothe City Council accepted a bid for health, dental, and vision insurance last the evening of November 30th. City Administrator Darin Chappell reports the insurance was renewed for city employees with a five percent rate increase, however, the deductible was changed, so the city will save $40,000 year. The council set the salaries of […]
The Missouri Office of Workforce Development is continuing its series of Return Strong Virtual Job Fairs from now until the end of the year. Four fairs will be held throughout December, starting with a fair for information technology job seekers, December 1. The Return Strong Virtual Job Fairs are part of the state’s efforts to […]
Chillicothe Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Crystal Narr was recently elected to serve as President of the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Missouri (CCEM) state organization for 2021. Narr has served as Executive Director of the Chillicothe Area Chamber for over six years and previously served in the same role for Main Street Chillicothe […]
The Gallatin Board of Aldermen approved an ordinance on November 23rd establishing rules related to multiple-unit commercial structures to be billed for utility cost of service. City Clerk Hattie Rains explains the ordinance provides a definition and acknowledges that multiple units within the same commercial structure would have to adhere to additional cost of service […]
A Trenton woman has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Foundation Trust for Trenton High School/THS Alumni Association. Debbie Harkins Guffey is a 1975 graduate of Trenton High School and the mother of three THS graduates: Jeremy Hudson, Class of ’94, Jessica Hudson Allen, Class of 1998, and Jenna Hudson Stevens – […]
With just over 50 entries, the 74th Annual Holiday Parade “Home for the Holidays, sponsored by Hedrick Medical Center & HyVee, was carried out in true community tradition. The parade was announced live from the courthouse location on Washington by Dave Rogers and Bill Shaffer. Entries were judged on the use of theme, originality, and […]
A committee composed of four members of the Trenton City Council has voted to recommend a public vote on enacting a local “use” tax for the city. The Economic Development Committee on Monday evening discussed the possibility before voting to send a recommendation to the full city council to put the issue on next April’s […]
(Missouri Independent) – There’s no point trying to spin it: While the 2020 election was a mixed verdict nationally, with Republicans gaining congressional seats and minimizing Senate losses even as Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump, the Missouri verdict was unequivocal. It started atop the ticket with Trump’s dominance. He and Gov. Mike Parson set […]
