A newly-released map identifies portions of the U.S.-Mexico border wall built by the Trump administration, and for conservation groups and wildlife advocates, it is alarming. The Biden administration halted construction and said it will use federal funds to assess the damage caused by the new, higher walls. Myles Traphagen, borderlands program coordinator for the Wildlands Network who created […]
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the United States Department of Agriculture is investing $307 million to modernize rural drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in 34 states and Puerto Rico (PDF, 224 KB). The investments being announced follow President Biden’s announcement last week of a Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework that will make the largest investment in clean […]
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced the agency is investing $910,000 to modernize rural drinking water infrastructure in Jackson County, benefitting nearly 3.000 rural Missourians. “Every community, large and small, needs safe, reliable access to necessities like clean water,” Thomas said. “Rural Development congratulates Public Water Supply […]
A Blue Springs man has been charged in Daviess County after reportedly leading law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit on Thursday, July 1. Forty-seven-year-old Jerret Michael Hilderbrand faces two felony counts of unlawful possession of a firearm as well as one felony count each of resisting arrest, detention, or stop by fleeing, creating a substantial […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced an interagency agreement to share information about and coordinate the distribution of broadband deployment federal funds. In accordance with the Broadband Interagency Coordination Act, the respective Cabinet and agency leaders announced that their agencies will […]
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended through July 31, 2021, the moratorium on evictions of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who live in multifamily housing communities supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “The United States is recovering from a nationwide housing affordability crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s […]
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced the agency is investing $371,400 to equip, rebuild, and modernize essential services in rural Missouri. The investments will benefit more than 20,000 rural Missourians. “Access to essential community facilities, services, and infrastructure is necessary for all Missourians,” Thomas said. “Today’s announcement […]
Thirty-seven percent of Missourians did not have wired broadband in their homes from 2015 to 2019. Should we be concerned that one out of three Missouri households are not connected to high-speed internet? What does “wired broadband” mean? As governments roll out new broadband initiatives, these are timely questions that Broadband Technologies: A Primer on […]
A Kansas City man faces several felony charges in Caldwell County after he allegedly misidentified himself and fled from police, starting from Polo, in April. Forty-six-year-old Billy Leon McCollum has been charged with first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle; resisting or interfering with an arrest for a felony; resisting arrest, detention, or stop by fleeing, […]
A Honduran national who led police on a high-speed chase after threatening to shoot one victim and carjacking another has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm. Jose Arevalo-Inestroza, 29, of Kansas City, Missouri, a Honduran national who is illegally in the United States, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays […]
During the month of April, GRM Networks kicked off fiber-to-the-premise construction in three rural exchanges. Contractors working on behalf of GRM Networks began fiber construction in the rural exchanges of Bethany and Princeton, while GRM Networks’ own construction department began work in the rural Spickard exchange. “Our employees and board of directors have worked hard […]
A Missouri woman who led police officers on a high-speed chase in a stolen car pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing a firearm. Erin D. Bisby, 29, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, Bisby was […]
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced the agency is investing $35,046,000 in critical infrastructure that will help rural Missouri communities build back better and stronger while prioritizing climate-smart solutions and environmental stewardship. USDA is making the investments under the Water and Environmental Program, the Rural Energy for […]
A new report says Missouri ranks 32nd in the nation in broadband internet access – a positive jump from 41st just a couple of years ago. It says one in four Missouri students still do not have access to high-speed internet and the state ranks in the bottom five for access to low-cost internet. During […]
A small town in northwestern Missouri is one of seven communities in the nation testing experimental technology that could expand rural access to high-speed internet and the opportunities that can bring. Missouri University of Science and Technology is leading a team that has been awarded a one-year, $300,000 grant through the technology nonprofit US Ignite’s […]
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) could be required to report annually about the number of K-12 students with limited or no access to high-speed internet at home. During a House committee hearing, Representative Louis Riggs, R-Hannibal, said he is proposing to require the department to include the total number of students […]
U.S.Department of Agriculture Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced the agency is investing $15 million to build and improve electric infrastructure in Missouri through its Electric Loan Program. “For nearly 85 years—since the inception of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936—USDA has played a role in bringing electricity to rural areas,” […]
A Missouri, woman who led police officers on a high-speed chase down Grand Avenue was indicted by a federal grand jury for two armed bank robberies. Sarah Theresa Watkins, 41, of Kansas City, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. The indictment replaces a federal criminal […]
A Cuba, Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for methamphetamine trafficking following a high-speed police chase. Shannon L. Brim, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Monday, Jan. 25, to 14 years in federal prison without parole. On Sept. 20, 2020, Brim pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine […]
The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office reports it assisted the Highway Patrol with a pursuit on Friday morning, January 22nd that originated on Interstate 35 and ended when the driver crashed. Savana Kaleeba was taken into custody on multiple traffic charges and an outstanding outside agency warrant. The passenger was released from the scene. The pursuit […]
