Hiland Dairy Foods, a Missouri-based producer and distributor of dairy products, violated federal law when it refused to hire a man to work in its Norman, Okla. plant because he was vision-impaired, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charged in a lawsuit filed. According to the suit, Hiland interviewed the man, toured the plant with […]
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Know youth labor laws before hiring summer staff
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 […]
Prison official pleads guilty to accepting bribes to smuggle contraband to inmates
A North Carolina man pleaded guilty to a bribery and smuggling scheme. He abused his position as a prison official to funnel drugs and other contraband into Caledonia Correctional Institution. According to court documents, Ollie Rose III, 62, of Pleasant Hill, worked as a case manager at Caledonia Correctional Institution, a state prison in Halifax […]
Missouri State Fair now accepting entries for livestock and competitive exhibits
Entries are now being accepted online for all State Fair livestock shows and competitive exhibits. Complete rules and regulations for all shows and contests are available in the online Premium Guide. All entrants must complete the vendor input form to receive premium payment(s). Most shows and competitions have entry deadlines. Important competition updates are available […]
Grundy Electric Cooperative awards scholarship to Colten Roy
Grundy Electric Cooperative presented a certificate of scholarship to area high school junior, Colten Roy. The Grundy County youth was selected as a delegate to attend Grundy Electric’s Washington DC Youth Leadership Conference; however, due to COVID-19, the 2021 leadership conference was canceled. The top four Youth Tour winners were awarded a certificate and will […]
Trenton City Administrator reports on 17th Street Bridge and proposed improvements at water treatment plant
On top of reports and public comment, the Trenton City Council agenda Monday night only included one topic. No mention was made last evening of the Planning and Zoning recommendations from last week, one to deny a cell phone tower at a specific location in Trenton and the other to approve the downtown historic district. […]
More than $350 billion in federal recovery cash starts rolling out to states, cities, counties
(Missouri Independent) – States, cities, and counties can begin to tap their share of the $350 billion in federal funds intended to spur a national recovery from the economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, White House officials announced Monday. Missouri will receive $2.7 billion in federal funding, with another $2.5 billion in direct aid for counties […]
Former Missouri corrections officer sentenced to 12 years in prison without parole for transporting child pornography
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. […]
Missouri contractor charged with fraud in Jackson and Clay counties
The Missouri Attorney General’s office has filed charges in Jackson and Clay Counties against Kristofer Bain, 40, for allegedly defrauding consumers in connection with his business, Telos Contracting LLC. According to the allegations, Bain promised to renovate a consumer’s home in Jackson County in exchange for large advance payments. After taking several payments from the […]
Missouri man sentenced to 12 years in prison without parole for transporting a minor for illegal sexual activity
A Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for transporting a Kansas minor across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity. Nathan Roger Belcher, 31, of Carl Junction, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 12 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Belcher to serve 20 years on […]
Missouri man sentenced to 12 years in prison without parole for distributing more than 13 kilograms of meth
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 […]
Central Missouri man pleads guilty to $500,000 CARES Act fraud
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to fraudulently obtaining more than $500,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Brian Ruth, Sr., 44, of Deepwater, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to federal information […]
University of Missouri Extension releases 2021 mental health toolkit
The University of Missouri Extension and Show-Me Farm Safety recently released a new Together We Can toolkit to help rural Missourians access mental health resources. “Missourians are strong and resilient in the face of the challenges and uncertainty that can come with farm life,” says Marshall Stewart, MU vice chancellor for extension and engagement and […]
Chillicothe Chamber of Commerce announces 36th Annual Chautauqua in the Park
The 36th Annual Chautauqua in the Park will be held September 11-12, 2021, at Simpson Park in Chillicothe, Missouri. This annual event, sponsored by the Chillicothe Area Chamber of Commerce and the Chillicothe Area Arts Council, and presented by Hedrick Medical Center, has a wide variety of entertainment, activities, artists, crafts, and food. Vendor registration […]
Two men charged with heroin trafficking; Kansas City officers seize nearly 24 pounds of heroin at bus terminal
Two men traveling through Kansas City, Missouri, were charged in federal court for possessing nearly 24 pounds of heroin aboard a bus en route from California to New York. Darwin G. Morales-Sagastume, 23, and Cristian J. Lopez-Catalan, 28, were charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., with […]
Former paraprofessional at Blue Springs High School pleads guilty to producing child pornography
A former paraprofessional at Blue Springs High School pleaded guilty in federal court to producing and distributing child pornography. Steven B. Allen, 45, of Independence, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to two counts of producing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography over the internet. Allen, who has been […]
Missouri man changes his plea to guilty at the beginning of his trial on child porn charges
A Missouri, man who was scheduled to begin his criminal jury trial instead pleaded in federal court to receiving child pornography over the internet. Scott James Wells, 55, of Springfield, withdrew his plea of not guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool in order to enter a nolo contendre, or “no contest,” plea, neither […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to meth trafficking on the day of his trial
A Union, Missouri, man who was scheduled to begin his criminal jury trial instead pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing six pounds of methamphetamine to distribute. Felix Franz Forjan, 71, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. According to the plea […]
Missouri company, Healthy Home & Family, Inc, settles Medicaid fraud case for $300,000
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). […]