Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that on April 27, 2021, Healthy Home & Family, Inc., an in-home health care provider, and its owners, Belinda Bivens and Mary Stockson, have entered into a civil settlement agreement totaling $302,127 in restitution and penalties, with his office for submitting 114 false claims to Missouri Medicaid (MO HealthNet). […]
Tag: funding
USDA awards MDC two partnership projects to enhance cropland acres, restore and protect sand prairies
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will continue initiatives to integrate conservation with agriculture practices and help restore and manage sand prairies after being awarded two partnership projects through the Natural Resources Conservation Service Regional Conservation Partnership Program. Through RCPP, conservation partners work in collaboration with NRCS to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners throughout […]
Bipartisan coalition of lawmakers hope to fund free tampons, pads in Missouri prisons
(Missouri Independence) – In Missouri, incarcerated women’s access to feminine hygiene products depends on where they’re housed. Some are forced to pay to buy tampons and pads to meet their needs, while others are provided with such low-quality products they end up having to make their own. A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers hopes to change that […]
Audio: Missouri’s Senate president says Medicaid and social services consume 46 percent of state operating budget
Missouri’s Senate leader says the state’s operating budget has grown from 21-billion dollars a decade ago to 34-billion dollars today. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz tells Sullivan affiliate KTUI that Medicaid expansion is too expensive. He says the state Department of Social Services’ budget continues to grow. The Missouri Senate and House […]
Audio: Trenton R-9 Superintendent Mike Stegman discusses the pandemic, funding and new Performing Arts Center
Trenton R-9 Superintendent Mike Stegman says COVID-19 has made the 2020-2021 school year unique. It came after the district closed its school buildings in March 2020 due to the pandemic. Stegman explains the administration tried to protect students and staff from something it did not know a lot about. Many decisions were made […]
Audio: Missouri Senate sides with House; chooses not to fund Medicaid expansion
The Missouri Senate has passed a $34 billion state budget proposal without funding an expansion of Medicaid. The upper chamber sided with the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Missouri House of Representatives by rejecting attempts to put expansion funding into the budget that begins in July. Gov. Mike Parson’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2022 […]
Gallatin Board of Aldermen approve final payment on new water plant
The Gallatin Board of Aldermen this week approved payment of the final outstanding invoice for the new water plant. The invoice was for $15,000 to Ross Construction. Authorization was approved for Mayor Barbara Ballew to sign the release agreement between the City of Gallatin and Snyder and Associates regarding the city’s water treatment plant. The […]
Democrats vow court battle if lawmakers don’t fund Missouri Medicaid expansion
(Missouri Independent) – With the Missouri Senate poised for what promises to be a lengthy debate over Medicaid expansion, legislative Democrats said Tuesday that the fight over funding will move to the courts if lawmakers don’t approve money for the new coverage. During a rally on the Capitol Building lawn, Senate Democrats promised to push […]
Missouri KidsFirst announces recipients of 2021 “Standing with Children” awards
Missouri KidsFirst presented the 2021 Standing with Children Awards at a virtual event hosted by the organization at 12:00 PM on Monday, April 26, 2021. The 2021 recipients of the Standing with Children Awards are Laura Bauer and Judy Thomas, investigative reporters with the Kansas City Star, Dr. Linda Shaw, child abuse pediatrician with SSM […]
NCMC Board of Trustees approve renewal of health insurance, presented report from Faculty Senate Negotiations Committee
The North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees heard a report from the Faculty Senate Negotiations Committee on April 27th. History and Spanish Faculty Member Maryellen Harman and Psychology Faculty Member Lindsay Oram presented a proposal for a faculty salary schedule for 2021-2022. The proposal includes adding $1,000 to the salary base and continuing to […]
Trenton City Council presented reports on 17th Street Bridge, work at airport and water plant basins
Construction work is progressing on the new 17th Street Bridge in Trenton. City Administrator Ron Urton told the city council that the bridge deck (or flooring was poured on Monday night). The retaining wall at the west end is what Urton called about 75-percent complete. Work will then involve placing fill for the roadway at both […]
Grundy County Commission sign agreement for streambank stabilization project near Thompson River Bridge
The Grundy County Commission on April 27th signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the Natural Resources Conservation Service Streambank Stabilization project near the Thompson River Bridge on Highway 6. The agreement is with the Grundy County Industrial Development Corporation for providing local match funding in conjunction with the project. The county is the designated sponsor. […]
Missouri pharmacy owner and technician indicted on 34 counts related to Medicaid fraud, forgery and identity theft
Shane Becker, owner of the Old Town Pharmacy LLC, and Montserrat Ortega-Saucedo, a pharmacy technician at Old Town Pharmacy, were both indicted on 34 total counts in Cole County on Wednesday, April 21, 2021. A Cole County grand jury returned 26 counts of Violations Involving Health Care Payments (Class D Felony), 6 counts of Forgery […]
Audio: Missouri Senate leader feeling confident gas tax proposal has enough House votes to pass
With three weeks left to go in the regular legislative session, Missouri Senate President Dave Schatz remains hopeful about his proposed gas tax hike. The Senate has already passed the bill that would boost the state’s fuel tax by twelve-and-a-half cents per gallon over five years. During a Senate press conference, Schatz says if the […]
Audio: Parson responds to full House and Senate committee rejecting his Medicaid expansion funding request
The Missouri House and the Senate Appropriations Committee have voted against Governor Parson’s request to fund Medicaid expansion. Parson, a Republican, asked for more than 100-million dollars to fund the voter-approved measure that would allow other 275-thousand low-income adults to become eligible for government-funded healthcare. During a press conference at the Missouri Capitol, Governor Parson […]
Justice Department releases $58 million in solicitations to combat the distribution of illicit drugs and improve officer wellness
The Justice Department announced that the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) has released approximately $58 million in three grant solicitations that will advance community policing, help combat the dual scourges of opioid and methamphetamine use, and promote the health and safety of our nation’s law enforcement officers. “The grant solicitations announced will […]
Groundbreaking ceremony for new House of Prayer facility in Chillicothe set for April 28
The House of Prayer of Chillicothe will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for a new facility at 209 Henry Street. The event will be at the fundraising sign southwest of the old Garrison School gym on April 28th at 11 o’clock in the morning. Soft drinks and cookies will be available after the event. The House […]
Audio: Senate committee rejects compromise to fund Medicaid expansion on a smaller scale
On a tie vote, the Senate Appropriations Committee has rejected a compromise proposal that would have funded Medicaid expansion on a smaller scale. The effort, led by Springfield Republican Lincoln Hough, would have designated 60-million dollars in state funding to the expansion. Republican Governor Parson requested more than 100-million dollars and the House chose not […]
Audio: Life Options Green Hills provides free and confidential services; Diaper Drive to benefit organization set to kick off April 26
Life Options Green Hills Pregnancy and Health Center of Trenton provides free and confidential services to residents in the nine-county Green Hills area. Services include pregnancy testing, limited first trimester ultrasounds, and pregnancy, prenatal, and parenting education. Executive Director Rachael Brothers says the center also provides a fatherhood education program. She explains that […]
Missouri’s work toward vaccine accessibility for those with disabilities highlighted at national level
Representatives from Missouri’s COVID-19 vaccine planning team will present to a national audience on the state’s efforts toward prioritizing those with disabilities for vaccination. The White House COVID-19 Response Team and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are hosting the virtual forum – Breaking Down Barriers for People Who Have Challenges Accessing COVID-19 Vaccination. […]