The U.S. has its first fully approved vaccine against COVID-19, with federal health officials announcing Monday the approval of Pfizer-BioNTech’s two-dose vaccine. The green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to move Pfizer’s vaccine from emergency use to full approval is a milestone in the national pandemic response, and one that comes as the […]
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Meatpacking plants have long relied on immigrant labor. Some now turn to foreign visa workers
(Missouri Independent) – Colored hard hats distinguish different roles and jobs at Seaboard Foods, a major meatpacking plant in Guymon, Oklahoma. Senior management have green. Supervisors wear dark blue. Foreign workers on visas don yellow-green. But Seaboard is part of a small but growing trend in the meatpacking industry, which already largely relied on an […]
Putnam County Health Department reports COVID-19 related death
The Putnam County Health Department reports the death of another community member due to COVID-19 complications, bringing the total to 14. Seven cases have also been added since August 11th, making that total 573. Twenty cases are active, and there are 39 hospitalizations. The Putnam County Health Department says the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine delivers a […]
Duane Urich gives presentation on Mid-America Music Festival to Trenton Rotary members
Duane Urich of the Black Silo Winery of Trenton spoke to the Trenton Rotary Club on August 12th about the Mid-America Music Festival. The event was held at the winery in July. It was the fourth year for the festival because it was not held in 2020 due to COVID-19. Approximately 3,000 to 3,300 individuals […]
Missouri agency begins implementation of new law to regulate unlicensed boarding schools
(Missouri Independent) – Unlicensed youth residential facilities across Missouri are expected to submit materials notifying the state of their existence by mid-October, but background checks for facility staff required under a new law likely won’t be completed by that time. That’s because the Department of Social Services (DSS) is still working to make hires in […]
Audio: City of Trenton switching to “Advanced Metering Infrastructure” so water and electric meters can “talk” to each other and city hall
Trenton City Administrator and Utility Director Ron Urton reports Trenton currently has water and electric meters that are at least 20 years old. He says it is “pretty easy” for electric meters to transfer data by radio read. The city is switching to advanced metering infrastructure. Urton explains that technology allows meters to […]
Advocates say Missouri’s eviction crisis could be a ‘humanitarian tragedy’
(Missouri Independent) – Melissa Pashia is hoping for any kind of good news today. The federal eviction moratorium ended Saturday, and she’s got her fingers crossed one of her clients will finally get approved for the rental assistance that they applied for in April through the State Assistance for Housing Relief Program (SAFHR). The aid approval […]
Quick ruling expected from Missouri Supreme Court on Medicaid Expansion
Missouri’s Medicaid expansion lawsuit case is now in the hands of the seven-member state Supreme Court. The court heard about 35 minutes of oral arguments Tuesday morning in Jefferson City. This case will likely come down to the definition of “appropriation.” Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled in June that Missouri’s August Medicaid expansion […]
Audio: Missouri Supreme Court to hear Missouri Medicaid expansion lawsuit case this morning
The Missouri Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday morning, July 13, 2021, in Jefferson City in one of the biggest cases the court has faced in recent memory: Missouri’s Medicaid expansion lawsuit case. Oral arguments will begin Tuesday at 11 a.m. Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled in late June that […]
Steve Maxey gives presentation on Hy-Vee Arena in Kansas City at Rotary meeting
Former Trenton resident Steve Maxey spoke at the Trenton Rotary Club meeting on July 1st. He is a sales manager for the Hy-Vee Arena in Kansas City, which was previously the Kemper Arena. He gave the history and personal stories of the former Kemper Arena, which hosted events including the 1976 Republican National Convention, the […]
Free plant diagnostic services offered during July 8 MU Field Day
Farmers can bring samples of damaged soybean, corn, and wheat crops for free diagnosis at the University of Missouri Extension Pest Management Field Day on July 8. MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic director Peng Tian and other MU scientists will check plants on-site for damage by diseases, herbicides, insects, and weeds, says MU Extension weed specialist […]
Parson gives Missouri Legislature deadline of high noon Tuesday to reach deal on healthcare tax proposal
(Missouri Independent) – Gov. Mike Parson gave lawmakers a deadline of noon Tuesday to strike a deal to renew medical provider taxes vital to funding Medicaid or accept responsibility for more than $700 million in cuts from the state budget that takes effect July 1. If not, the governor says he will freeze funding in Missouri’s […]
Missouri hospitals sue to block changes in Medicaid payments
(Missouri Independent) – After obtaining some relief from lawmakers for revenue cuts likely from a change in the way Medicaid pays for outpatient services, Missouri hospitals are asking the courts for relief from a coming change in payments for inpatient care. The Missouri Hospital Association on Friday filed a lawsuit in Cole County alleging the Department of […]
Missouri Attorney General opposes reinstatement of overreaching WOTUS rule in Letter to EPA and Army Corps of Engineers
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Army Corps of Engineers, opposing their recent move to reconsider the more limited Navigable Waters Protection Rule, a President Trump-era rule that reversed the 2015 Obama-era Waters of the United States rule. EPA Administrator Michael Regan and the […]
Audio: Missouri’s Governor signs Second Amendment Preservation Act into law; House Democratic Leader Crystal Quade slams SAPA
Legislation that declares it’s the duty of the courts and law enforcement agencies to protect the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms has been signed into law by Missouri’s governor. GOP Governor Mike Parson signed the Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA) Saturday in Lee’s Summit, where he was joined by the bill […]
Attorney General says Missouri lawmakers can refuse to fund Medicaid expansion
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri lawmakers were not obligated to fund Medicaid expansion, and the courts cannot force the state to pay the medical bills of people who would be eligible under an initiative that amended the state constitution, the state attorney general’s office argued in documents filed Monday in Cole County Circuit Court. The filing from Attorney […]
Trenton R-9 Board of Education tackles busy agenda at meeting on Tuesday, June 8, 2021
A representative from SafeDefend presented information to the Trenton R-9 Board of Education on June 8th. Dan Cole demonstrated the system, which he called a crisis management harm mitigation rapid response solution. He said it was created after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012. He explained activation modules allow a […]
Missouri State Auditor releases results of Greene County audit; several recommendations made to improve controls
An audit by State Auditor Nicole Galloway gives several recommendations to the Greene County Sheriff to improve the office’s accounting controls and procedures. In his responses, the Sheriff committed to implementing the recommendations of the audit, which gave a rating of “good.” “Audits help point out ways government officials can better serve their constituents, and […]
Consider feeding pigs to higher weights when feed costs, hog prices go up
When feed prices go up, swine producers usually see profits go down. That’s not the case in 2021. This gives producers an opportunity to look at feeding to heavier weights despite higher feed costs, says University of Missouri Extension swine nutritionist Marcia Shannon. Higher market weights result in dramatic net gains per pig under current […]
North Central Missouri College offering tuition paid summer course
North Central Missouri College is providing up to three credit hours, tuition paid, for the first 200 new students enrolled in summer coursework for the summer 2021 semester. The promotion is available to new students only and does not include fees associated with the course or enrolling. Funds are from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II […]