Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that the Attorney General’s Office has reached a favorable resolution in a lawsuit the Office filed against Moberly School District over alleged violations of the Sunshine Law. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office filed suit against the Moberly School District in November 2021 for failing to comply with the Sunshine […]
Tag: guidance
Career, college readiness program in Missouri expands statewide
An increasing number of jobs across Missouri require some level of training or education beyond high school, but rural students are less likely than their urban or suburban peers to enroll in and finish college. The rootEd Alliance wants to change it, by bringing career counselors into school districts to complement the work guidance counselors are already […]
Missouri House bill would cut down on poisonous lead in school drinking water
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri children would be better protected from lead poisoning under a state legislative bill to require schools to nearly rid their drinking water of the dangerous toxin. The bill, heard Monday by the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, would require schools to test drinking water, remove old coolers and filter water where […]
Gallatin Board of Education approves salary schedule and health insurance rates
The Gallatin R-5 Board of Education approved the salary schedule and health insurance renewal rates. The 2022-2023 salary schedule has a base of $33,000. Board Secretary Vicki Corwin reports the base was raised from $32,200. Health insurance is through the Missouri Educators Unified Health Plan. The board approved opening a savings account and certificate of […]
Audio: What could Missouri’s lawsuit against school board group mean for other nonprofits?
The state Attorney General’s Office has sued the Missouri School Boards’ Association claiming the nonprofit is withholding open records. The school board group is a nonprofit – and the question is whether it is subject to the state’s open records laws known as the Sunshine Law. The Attorney General’s Office says MSBA is a quasi-public […]
With COVID-19 infection rates declining, Wright Memorial and Hedrick Medical Center relax visitor guidelines
With the decline in COVID-19 infection rates, Saint Luke’s Health System, including Hedrick Medical Center in Chillicothe and Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton, is relaxing some visitor guidelines across the health system. These guidelines are consistent with CDC and OSHA guidelines. Beginning Wednesday, March 16, Saint Luke’s will transition to Level 2 protocols, which include […]
Missouri Attorney General files suit against Missouri School Boards Association for alleged Sunshine Law violations
To kick off Sunshine Week, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed suit against the Missouri School Boards Association for alleged violations of the Sunshine Law. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office previously requested records from the Missouri School Boards Association (MSBA) related to their role in the October 4, 2021 memo from the Biden Administration and […]
North Central Missouri College celebrates TRIO Day
The North Central Missouri College’s TRIO Department celebrated the series of federal grants that make their programs possible during the week of National TRIO Day (February 26). For millions of students from low-income families who strive to be the first in their families to attend and graduate from college, seven federally funded programs called TRIO […]
Misinformation fuels false belief that Missouri COVID death figures are being inflated
(Missouri Independent) – On a recent Tuesday evening in southeastern Missouri, John Freeze stood in front of yet another angry group of constituents. Some here believe the number of COVID-19 deaths are being purposefully inflated for financial gain. Among the culprits, in their mistaken view: Hospitals seeking Medicare reimbursements; The federal government, led by Dr. Anthony […]
Criticism of Missouri medical marijuana system seeps into initiative petition debate
(Missouri Independent) – A handful of Republican lawmakers lashed out at the state’s medical marijuana industry Thursday, lobbing accusations of corruption into a Missouri House debate over whether to make it harder to amend the state’s Constitution. On a mostly party-line 98-53 vote, the Missouri House signed off on legislation Thursday that would require a two-thirds […]
North Mercer R-3 Board of Education to meet on Monday; will consider next year’s school calendar
The North Mercer R-3 Board of Education will consider adopting the 2022-2023 school calendar next week. The board will also consider accepting a resignation at a meeting on February 14th at 6 pm. Other items on the agenda include the March board meeting date, budget review, and planning, and an insurance update. There are to […]
CDC preps guidance for governors on relaxing COVID rules, but states forge ahead
(Missouri Independent) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing guidance for governors about when to relax masking and other measures meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 but doesn’t want to release those instructions just yet. Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday that it’s too soon to begin rolling backmasking and other public […]
Missouri Supreme Court: Medical marijuana application info must be disclosed in appeals
(Missouri Independent) – In a unanimous decision Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that a lower court was justified in ordering the state health department to disclose medical marijuana application info that it had argued was confidential. The Department of Health and Senior Services refused to provide applications of businesses that were awarded licenses to […]
Blunt and colleagues raise concerns with new broadband rule
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released a letter he sent with U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (Kan.) and nine of their colleagues to raise concerns with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen regarding the recently-announced final rule for broadband infrastructure funding through the Coronavirus State and Local Recovery Funds, and to urge the secretary to ensure broadband funding focuses on […]
Missouri State Auditor releases audit of Ralls County with rating of “fair”
State Auditor Nicole Galloway has released an audit of Ralls County, located in northeast Missouri, that finds improvements are needed to the property tax system and to other areas of county government. The report gave a rating of “fair.” “Our audit found several areas where improvements would help ensure greater accountability for the taxpayers of […]
Check out these safety tips for the upcoming winter storm
The American Red Cross of Missouri is offering safety tips ahead of the upcoming snow, ice, and frigid temperatures expected over the next few days. In addition, the Red Cross is coordinating with local emergency management officials and partners in the preparation for potential local community needs. Heavy snowfall is predicted in portions of Missouri […]
Anti-vaccine protesters rally against Senate confirmation of Missouri health director
(Missouri Independent) – State health director Donald Kauerauf adamantly spoke against mandating face masks and COVID-19 vaccines during a hearing Monday, as anti-vaccination demonstrators protested his confirmation in the halls outside. While protesters chanted outside the Capitol hearing room, senators inside grilled Kauerauf for nearly two hours on his views on how best to mitigate […]
Grundy County Health Department reports COVID-related death; Five health departments report on new cases of COVID
The Grundy County Health Department reports an additional COVID-19-related death. That brings the total to 63. The health department will now include reinfections and home tests in its case report. A backlog of 49 reinfections and home test cases that occurred before January 1st has been added to the total number of cases. There have […]
Reversing state’s decision, Missouri panel awards marijuana license to jilted applicant
(Missouri Independent) – In a rare move, a Missouri commission granted a medical marijuana license to an applicant after discovering irregularities with how state regulators evaluated applications. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) decided to forgo appealing the ruling, announcing Tuesday that it had reached a settlement with the jilted applicant to […]
Military medical team heads to St. Louis to support COVID care at Christian Hospital
(Missouri Independent) – St. Louis hospitals straining to keep up with a record-breaking number of COVID-19 cases will get some relief in the form of a military medical team. A 40-member team will begin arriving at BJC-Christian Hospital in North St. Louis County on Wednesday, a news release from BJC HealthCare stated. The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic […]