The Governor’s Council on Disability is currently accepting nominations for its 2021 annual Inclusion and Youth Leadership Awards. The Governor’s Council on Disability promotes full participation and inclusion of the nearly one million Missourians with disabilities in all aspects of community life by educating citizens, businesses, schools, organizations, and others of their rights and responsibilities under […]
Tag: government
Campaign picked up costs of Missouri Attorney General’s trip to U.S.-Mexico border
(Missouri Independent) – After vehemently defending having the state pick up the tab for Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s trip to the U.S.-Mexico border last week, Schmitt’s office clarified over the weekend that the state only covered travel costs for a staff member. Chris Nuelle, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office, said Schmitt’s U.S. […]
Audio: Hawley pushing back against Biden’s vaccine mandates because of how religious exemptions are handled
Senator Josh Hawley is pushing against President Biden’s vaccine mandates – because of how they handle religious exemptions. The guidance also allows agencies to determine if “the nature of the employee’s job may be such that no safety protocol other than vaccination is adequate.” Hawley says there must be more of a process, even a […]
Trenton City Council approves ordinances and six motions at Monday evening meeting
Actions taken Monday night by the Trenton City Council include approval of two ordinances and six motions. Two of the topics resulted in split votes of the council. With a roll call vote of six in favor and two opposed, a conditional use permit was issued by ordinance to Terry Hearn to operate a used […]
USDA to make up to $1.15 billion available to help people living in rural communities access high-speed internet
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a significant expansion of access to high-speed internet, health care, and educational services for millions of rural Americans nationwide. Today’s announcement continues to move forward President Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda by prioritizing economic growth in rural America and investing in the backbone of our country […]
Cybersecurity expert demands apology from Missouri governor over hacking claims
(Missouri Independent) – A cybersecurity expert targeted for investigation by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is demanding a public apology and payment for his costs for legal help and damage to his reputation. Shaji Khan, an associate professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the director of its Cybersecurity Institute made the demand in a letter sent […]
Missouri State Treasurer joins Missouri bankers voicing concerns about IRS Proposal
Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick joined Missouri bankers across the state to voice concerns about an Internal Revenue Service proposal requiring financial institutions to turn over financial account information for accounts with inflows or outflows totaling more than $10,000. At stops in St. Charles, Jefferson City, and Springfield, the Treasurer and Missouri financial institution leaders […]
Missouri and Texas Attorney Generals file suit to require Biden Administration to build border wall
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, along with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, filed suit against the Biden Administration for refusing to spend money appropriated to continue to build the wall on the southwest border as the border crisis continues to worsen. The lawsuit aims to force the Biden Administration to resume construction on the border […]
Missouri Department of Transportation accepting proposals on Shoal Creek bridge in Livingston County
The Missouri Department of Transportation is accepting proposals until the end of this year for the reuse of the Pony Truss, Warren alternating vertical bridge on Livingston County Route C over Shoal Creek, currently located 1.4 miles northwest of Dawn. The Shoal Creek Bridge is a 1933, rigid-connected, 178-foot long bridge with a 100-foot Warren […]
Missouri unemployment rate drops to 3.8% in September
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased from August 2021 to September 2021, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by two-tenths of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 7,500 jobs over the month, with job gains in service-providing industries. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.8 percent in September 2021, down from 4.0 […]
Feds seize property of Kansas City area companies accused of COVID relief fraud
(Missouri Independent) – The federal government has seized two vehicles and is threatening to seize a lake house, allegedly purchased illegally with COVID-19 relief money by a Kansas City-area businessman. The property was seized from several real estate companies incorporated in Kansas by Joseph Campbell, with most operating under a version of the name Titan […]
Missouri State Auditor: Local governments can take several steps to safeguard electronic data from hacking, theft and other disruptions
Local government agencies in Missouri can avoid common mistakes and take several steps to safeguard electronic data from hacking, theft, and other disruptions, State Auditor Nicole Galloway said. The Auditor today released her annual summary of the most common cybersecurity risks found by her audits of local governments and courts, along with recommendations those agencies […]
COVID-19 outbreak at Smithfield plant in Milan, Missouri likely larger than originally known
(Missouri Independent) – The COVID-19 outbreak at Smithfield Foods’ northern Missouri plant — the focus of a worker safety lawsuit that garnered national attention last year — resulted in two worker deaths and was worse than previously thought, according to newly obtained federal documents. Early on in the pandemic, the Sullivan County Health Department told local […]
Missouri governor vows criminal prosecution of reporter who found flaw in state website
(Missouri Independent) – On Tuesday, a reporter with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch alerted the state that Social Security numbers of school teachers and administrators were vulnerable to public exposure due to flaws on a website maintained by Missouri’s department of education. The newspaper agreed to hold off publishing any story while the department fixed the problem and […]
Three Missouri residents indicted for using identities of deceased people to file hundreds of COVID relief claims
Three Missouri residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury in a scheme to use the identities of deceased people to file hundreds of false stimulus claims under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Warren W. Watkins, 39, and Marissia Jackson, 25, both of Kansas City, Mo., and Lamar K. Johnson, […]
Missouri Attorney General obtains two consent judgments in Sunshine lawsuits
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt today announced that his Office has obtained two consent judgments in Sunshine Law lawsuits launched earlier this year. The lawsuit against the Ray County Commission and the lawsuit against the City of Fairview were filed in April of 2021. “Enforcing and protecting the Sunshine Law is an important duty of […]
Missouri couple plead guilty to selling counterfeit Disney movies on eBay
A Missouri, couple pleaded guilty in federal court to a scheme to smuggle counterfeit Disney DVDs into the United States and sell them on eBay. Tabitha Nicole Rodgers, 42, and her husband, Clint Travis Rodgers, 48, of Columbia, Missouri, pleaded guilty in separate appearances before Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr. Tabitha Rodgers pleaded guilty […]
Governor Parson announces new Acting Directors for five departments
Governor Mike Parson announced that new Acting Directors will take over at the Department of Economic Development, Department of Mental Health, Department of Social Services, Office of Administration, and Department of Revenue. Department of Economic Development Maggie Kost will take over as DED Acting Director upon Director Rob Dixon’s departure on October 22, 2021. In […]
Missouri State Auditor releases audit of the Office of the St. Louis City Sheriff
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released an audit of the Office of the Sheriff for the City of St. Louis. The audit, which gave the agency a rating of “good,” is part of the ongoing, comprehensive audit of St. Louis City. The Office of Sheriff consists of 7 units including Criminal and Civil Courts, Civil […]