(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. House passed legislation Friday to legalize marijuana nationally, but its future is much less clear in the Senate. The House voted 220-204 to approve the measure, which would fix the split between federal law and 19 states where recreational marijuana is legal. Three Republicans joined all but two Democrats in approving the measure. […]
Tag: gains
Teacher and coach at Braymer school facing additional charges of sexual abuse, sodomy, and sexual contact with a student
Additional charges have been filed against a teacher and coach for the Braymer C-4 School District who was originally charged last week after allegedly sending nude photos and videos to students. Additional charges for 29-year-old Zachary Wayman Douglas of Utica include four felony counts of first-degree sexual abuse, two felony counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, […]
Nine indicted for creating blockade to prevent services at reproductive health care clinic; all facing 11 years in prison
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia announced a two-count indictment charging Lauren Handy, 28, of Alexandria, Virginia; Jonathan Darnel, 40, of Arlington, Virginia, Jay Smith, 32, of Freeport, New York; Paulette Harlow, 73, of Kingston, Massachusetts; Jean Marshall, […]
Audio: Candidates for Trenton R-9 School Board answer questions from the public during forum on Wednesday
Three candidates for the Trenton R-9 Board of Education participated in a forum in the Rissler Elementary School Library on March 30th. Incumbent Dorothy Taul, Toby Havens, and Jeff Spencer are running for two three-year terms. The forum was relocated after the evacuation of Trenton High School, where the event was originally to be held. […]
Bomb threat the cause of Trenton students evacuating building on Wednesday
Details have been released regarding a reported incident at the Trenton High School/Middle School campus on March 30th. The Trenton R-9 School District reports it received information concerning the sighting of a suspicious package at or near THS in the afternoon. The Trenton Police Department reports the communication center received a call about the suspicious […]
Missouri House blocks effort to limit access to out-of-state abortions
(Missouri Independent) – A bill that would make it a felony to donate fetal tissue from abortions for research or therapies won first-round approval in the Missouri House Tuesday, but lawmakers blocked an effort to make it illegal to help women obtain an abortion outside the state. The bill sponsored by Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, […]
Another round of COVID booster shots authorized by FDA for those 50 and older
(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized another round of COVID-19 booster shots for people 50 and older, as well as those who are immunocompromised. The decision to amend an earlier emergency use authorization for a second booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine is meant to increase protection […]
Missouri Attorney General joins multistate action to end CDC’s mask mandate on public transportation
The Missouri Attorney General joined 20 other states in a multistate action against President Biden’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s continued use of the unlawful mask mandate on public transportation. The attorneys general argue that the mandate exceeds the authority of the CDC. The Biden administration continues to use a failed interpretation of a […]
Missouri Senate congressional redistricting plan stalls on return to the House
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri House members are not ready to accept the congressional redistricting map approved by the state Senate. The House met Monday without voting on the Senate plan, approved Thursday at the end of a Senate session that lasted almost 24 hours. State Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial and chairman of the House Redistricting Committee, […]
U.S. Senate panel bickers over Supreme Court nomination but sets vote next week
(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee reopened partisan disagreements Monday as members scheduled a vote for April 4 on Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Republicans’ criticisms of Jackson’s record and responses were either untrue or disingenuous. Meanwhile, ranking Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa again raised […]
Supreme Court to hear case against Proposition 12 by National Pork Producers Council and American Farm Bureau Federation
The U.S. Supreme Court at its Mar. 25 conference agreed to hear a case brought by the National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation against California’s Proposition 12, which bans the sale of pork from hogs born to sows that weren’t raised according to the state’s “arbitrary” production standards. “We are extremely […]
Senate winds up grueling Supreme Court hearings on Ketanji Brown Jackson nomination
(Missouri Independent) – Representatives of the American Bar Association reiterated their finding that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is well qualified to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, and law enforcement groups rebutted GOP accusations Jackson is soft on child pornographers during the final day of Jackson’s confirmation hearings Thursday. Republicans, however, called in witnesses to […]
U.S. to accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, levy more sanctions on Russia
(Missouri Independent) – The White House announced a wave of new sanctions against Russia on Thursday while pledging to send more humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and welcome up to 100,000 refugees. The new economic restrictions on Russia and billions more in aid for Ukrainians were detailed as President Joe Biden huddled with the North Atlantic […]
GOP senators attack and interrupt Judge Jackson in final day of questioning U.S. Supreme Court nominee
(Missouri Independent) – In the third day of hearings Wednesday on the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, several Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee interrogated her about sentences she handed down for child pornography offenses, disagreeing vehemently with her judicial decisions. Republicans grilled her with questions she had already answered […]
Jackson County contractor arrested for fraud and financial exploitation of the elderly
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that charges brought by his office resulted in the arrest of Jerry Thompson, Jr., of Blue Springs, Missouri. The arrest warrant asserts eight counts of deceptive business practices and three counts of financial exploitation of an elderly person. “My Office will hold accountable anyone who preys on our society’s […]
Groups criticize racial undertones at Supreme Court confirmation hearing
Black leadership groups are speaking out about what they see as racially charged lines of questioning during the Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman nominated to become a high-court justice. Conservative senators have implied Jackson may be soft on crime, friendly to terrorists at Guantanamo, and a proponent […]
Missouri House approves bill to legalize sports wagering
(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri House gave first-round approval Wednesday to a bill that would allow betting on major college and professional sports. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Dan Houx, R-Warrensburg, is the proposal preferred by the casinos and major sports teams, who would all get a piece of the action. A major part of the […]
Missouri jobs report shows unemployment drops to 3.7% in February
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased from January 2022 to February 2022, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by one-tenth of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 9,200 jobs over the month, with job gains in both goods-producing and service-providing industries. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in February 2022, […]