(Missouri Independent) – Last spring, as Missouri businesses shed hundreds of thousands of jobs, Gov. Mike Parson warned that the state was headed for the worst financial crunch since the 2008 recession. Ten months later, Parson presented a budget plan that anticipates a $1.1 billion surplus on July 1, the biggest in state history. And if the $1.9 trillion pandemic […]
Tag: hate
Audio: Missouri prison system could move officer training from classroom to real-world setting
In 2019, Gov. Mike Parson closed a prison in northwest Missouri’s Cameron. Most staff and inmates transferred to the other prison in town – Western Missouri Correctional Center. Now, Parson wants to reopen the Crossroads Correctional Center and turn it into a training academy for correctional officers. During a House Budget Committee hearing, Trevor Foley […]
Audio: Missouri’s Governor and Health Director say there have been issues with COVID vaccine distribution process
Missouri’s governor announced Thursday in Jefferson City that there have been issues with the COVID vaccine distribution process, and warns that there will be consequences for vaccinators that allow people to jump the line. Governor Mike Parson briefed Capitol reporters during a Statehouse press conference, emphasizing that his administration will vaccinate the most vulnerable and […]
Two off-duty Virginia police officers charged in Federal Court following events at the U.S. Capitol
Two off-duty Rocky Mount, Virginia police officers, were charged in federal court in the District of Columbia in connection with the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. Jacob Fracker and Thomas Robertson were charged by complaint with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without […]
Protests in Missouri calling for Senator Josh Hawley’s resignation
St. Louis labor leaders and good-government groups are coming together to demand U.S. Senator Josh Hawley’s resignation. At the U.S. Capitol last week, Hawley fist-pumped the mob that shortly after stormed the building, putting members of Congress and Capitol staff at risk and injuring Capitol and D.C. metro police – including one officer who later […]
Audio: Missouri Congressman Jason Smith says “Impeaching Trump would fuel more hate and fire”
The U.S. House has voted today to impeach President Trump for the second time. House Democrats have led the effort after Trump urged rally supporters last week to march to the U.S. Capitol and “pressure” lawmakers to object to the election certification process. On the House floor today, southeast Missouri Republican Congressman Jason Smith, a […]
Audio: Should Missouri K-12 teachers get a bonus for sticking around next school year?
Missouri Board of Education President Charlie Shields wants the state to check into whether a bonus can be given to K-12 teachers to help keep them next school year. During today’s board meeting, Shields says he wants the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to do some “serious” exploring of what measures the […]
As Missouri deals with ongoing teacher shortage, education leaders want to step up recruiting efforts
The struggle is real for Missouri when it comes to a constant shortage of K-12 public school teachers. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) wants to ramp up its teacher workforce by seizing the opportunity in a relevant setting. Dr. Paul Katnik, the assistant commissioner of the Office of Educator Quality, says […]
Kansas City, Kansas man indicted with hate crime for racially-motivated threat of a minor
The Justice Department announced that a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, returned an indictment charging Colton Donner, 25, with threatening an African-American male juvenile, because of the victim’s race and because the victim was living in a home in Paola, Kansas, in violation of Title 42, U.S. Code, Section 3631. For a separate […]
FBI releases 2019 Hate Crime Statistics
The FBI released Hate Crime Statistics, 2019, the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s latest compilation about bias-motivated incidents throughout the nation. The 2019 data, submitted by 15,588 law enforcement agencies, provide information about the offenses, victims, offenders, and locations of hate crimes. Law enforcement agencies submitted incident reports involving 7,314 criminal incidents and 8,559 related […]
Missouri medical marijuana trial focuses on alleged role of insiders on license rules
(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri family that was denied a license to grow medical marijuana alleged in court this week that outside groups and individuals had undue access to top state officials — and that access led to an opaque process and contributed to the decision to cap the number of licenses granted. To buttress […]
Trenton Board of Education approve school calendar update, policy involving law enforcement not approved
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education on Tuesday evening, October 13th approved, on a split vote of six to one, a school calendar update involving converting student days to all staff workdays. Board Member Corey Leeper was the only opposing vote. Students will not be in class on October 26th and December 7th, but staff […]