Legislation that requires a photo ID and the use of a paper ballot was given final approval by the Missouri House in Jefferson City on Thursday. The vote, primarily along party lines, was 109-48. House Bill 738 is sponsored by veteran State Rep. Don Rone (R-Portageville), who represents the Bootheel. Rone was unable to make it to the […]
Legislation aimed at keeping registered sex offenders away from state Conservation areas has been given final approval today (Thursday) by the Missouri Senate. Riddle notes current Missouri law bans sex offenders from being 500 feet of public parks with playground equipment, public swimming pools, and children’s museums. The only exception would be a […]
The North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees March 23rd approved tuition and fees as well as room and board rates for the 2021-2022 academic year. The majority of tuition and fees increased by $5 per credit hour. The student development, facility, and technology fees increased by $1 per credit hour. Dual credit increased by […]
(Missouri Independent) – The House Budget Committee will submit its revisions to Gov. Mike Parson’s $34.1 billion state operating budget to the full House this week without the benefit of clear guidelines for spending new infusions of federal cash. The committee must also decide whether and how it will use a record general revenue surplus. The fund’s cash balance […]
The Putnam County R-1 School District recently recognized Justin Webb as the Career and Technical Education Student of the Month for March 2021. Student winners are chosen by the vocational faculty based on a set of criteria that includes: attendance, grades, cooperation with fellow students and teachers, enthusiasm for subject(s), attitude both in the classroom […]
The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year will be automatically extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021. The IRS will be providing formal guidance in the coming days. “This continues to be a tough time for many […]
The state House of Representatives has given initial approval to a bill that would make Missouri an open enrollment state. Representative Brad Pollitt, a Republican from west-central Missouri’s Sedalia, is sponsoring the plan. He served in the public school system for about 34 years, including as a teacher and a former School Superintendent in Sedalia. […]
The Grundy County Commission signed a letter of agency with Granite phone service on March 16th. The letter gives the company permission to contact AT&T on behalf of Grundy County. Presiding Commissioner Phillip Ray says going through Granite for the county is estimated to reduce the cost of three AT&T lines from $500 a month […]
The Missouri Senate has given initial approval on Wednesday to a proposed gas tax hike with a rebate. The vote comes after the upper chamber spent about eight hours Tuesday on the plan before eventually pulling the bill from debate. Senate President Dave Schatz of Sullivan is proposing to boost the tax by 12-and-a-half cents […]
U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) introduced the Significant Transnational Criminal Organization Designation Act, legislation that would subject certain foreign criminal organizations like drug cartels to sanctions, including immigration, financial, and criminal penalties. The process would be similar to the system used for designating entities as […]
Bipartisan legislation that gives Missourians a two-year vehicle registration option is now heading to the Missouri Senate. The House voted 156-1 on Monday to approve Carl Junction State Representative Bob Bromley’s bill, which modifies the vehicle biennial registration option so that all motor vehicles have a two-year registration option. Bromley’s bill also says […]
An audit of the City of Forsyth released today by State Auditor Nicole Galloway gives a rating of “poor” after finding numerous concerns, including more than $1,400 missing from the city’s vault and another $2,000 in utility deposits that were received but never deposited. In addition to the missing money, the audit also found that […]
Spring 2021 Show-Me-Select sale dates are set, says Erin Larimore, coordinator of the University of Missouri Extension program. The sales give beef herd owners from across the nation the opportunity to bid on top replacement heifers. Bidders get a guaranteed pregnant heifer and data on her genetics. They also receive a sales catalog that gives […]
(Missouri Independent) – The plan for distributing money directly to Missouri counties in the current version of the $1.9 trillion federal coronavirus relief bill is pretty simple – each gets $195.44 per person. But for cities, instead of a formula based on population, Congress divvies up the money using the method for determining Community Development Block Grant allocations. […]
Record calf birthdates this calving season to track calving distribution. “Evaluating a calving distribution takes very little time but can provide valuable insight into reproductive performance and productivity of the herd,” says University of Missouri Extension veterinarian Craig Payne. Calving distribution is often expressed as the percentage of calves born at 21-day intervals since 21 […]
A proposed fuel tax increase could come with a rebate option for drivers who fill up in Missouri. State Representative Becky Ruth, R-Festus, has filed legislation that would increase the fee by two cents annually for five years to help to pay for Missouri’s underfunded highway system. She tells Missourinet if drivers turn in their […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending the Conservation Reserve Program General Signup period, which had previously been announced as ending on Feb. 12, 2021. USDA will continue to accept offers as it takes this opportunity for the incoming Administration to evaluate ways to increase enrollment. Under the previous Administration, incentives and rental payment rates […]
Justin and Stephanie Oaks, along with their three boys, are proud to call their Harris, Missouri farm diversified, to say the least. On their 200 acres in Sullivan County, the Oaks family raises cattle, hogs, row crops, and hay. Justin, a fifth-generation farmer, is also a local seed salesman, adding more diversity to their operation’s […]
All classes of Missouri land values grew steadily in the past year, according to the University of Missouri Extension’s annual survey of farmers, rural appraisers, and agricultural lenders. Ray Massey, MU Extension agricultural economics professor, heads the survey efforts. No governmental or public agencies in Missouri require the reporting of land values, said Massey. Despite […]
(Missouri Independent) – Khadijah Wilson had a bully during her junior year at Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles. She told her principal and teachers about the name-calling, and how the other girl constantly threatened to beat her up. But no one intervened. It went on for several months. “I reported it more […]
