The Missouri Public Defender System has a waiting list of about 2,000 low-income people requesting legal services. Governor Parson’s next state budget proposal attempts to reduce that list by requesting 1.1 million dollars to hire 16 extra attorneys. During a House Budget Committee hearing this week, Director Mary Fox says the office’s caseload is growing […]
Net farm income is expected to drop this year compared to 2020 but that doesn’t mean your farm won’t see strong profits. In this episode of Managing for Profit, an ag economist breaks down the expected differences from last year to this year and what that could mean for farmers’ bottom line.
There is bipartisan support for legislation ensuring that Missourians cannot be taxed on their federal stimulus checks. Missouri House Budget Committee chairman Cody Smith of Carthage presented his bill Wednesday in Jefferson City, Smith tells lawmakers it’s important to act, noting that under Missouri’s tax code, federal stimulus checks related to COVID are […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced he will introduce new legislation to give blue-collar workers a pay raise. For nearly four decades, workers making below the median wage have experienced stagnant wages, and this past year, the problem has been made worse by unprecedented layoffs, reduced hours, and income disruptions due to the government shutting down […]
(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. […]
(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 […]
During Children’s Dental Health Month, dentists are urging folks to keep up a regular schedule of care to prevent future dental issues, unless they live in an area with uncontrolled or high community spread of COVID-19. By age five, nearly half of all children have at least one cavity – but in the last year, […]
(Missouri Independent) – The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office in a report Monday found a gradual increase to a $15 federal minimum wage by 2025 would reduce poverty, add $54 billion to the deficit over a decade and increase pay for millions of low-income workers. The report could help Democrats make a strong case for including a […]
Governor Parson announced that the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Energy Crisis Intervention Program will improve assistance offered to eligible low-income Missourians. “We are very pleased to announce this improvement to the Energy Crisis Intervention Program, especially given the extreme winter weather our state is currently facing,” Governor Parson said. “Since many Missourians remain […]
If your farm has been in your family since Dec. 31, 1921, you can apply to have it recognized as a Missouri Century Farm. The University of Missouri Extension, the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and Missouri Farm Bureau sponsor the program. To qualify, the same family must have owned the farm […]
Missouri could soon require online retail businesses from out-of-state to pay state sales tax. State Senator Andrew Koenig, a Republican from eastern Missouri’s Manchester, is sponsoring a so-called Wayfair bill. He tells Missourinet his goal is to make the state’s businesses more competitive. Koenig says his bill could bring in roughly 80 to […]
The House Budget Committee chairman says Missourians shouldn’t be taxed on federal stimulus checks. Brian Hauswirth spoke with Committee Chairman Cody Smith. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith of southwest Missouri’s Carthage says under the state’s tax code, federal stimulus checks related to COVID are subject to personal income tax. Smith says Missourians […]
North Central Missouri College TRIO programs will host their annual TRIO Days Celebration from February 17-20th, 2021, in Geyer Hall. TRIO programs like NCMC’s Student Support Services (SSS) and Upward Bound (UB) were the first national college access and retention programs to address the serious social and cultural barriers to education in America. Upward Bound […]
The Gallatin Board of Aldermen approved an ordinance the evening of February 8th regarding a master project agreement for an advanced metering infrastructure system. City Clerk Hattie Rains reported the agreement establishes a partnership with Core and Main LP. The board authorized Administrator Lance Rains and Public Works Director Mark Morey to purchase a utility […]
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 […]
Trenton city sales tax receipts are up around 6% for general purposes, capital projects, and parks in the first ten months of the city’s fiscal year, which is May through February. During that same period, Trenton city sales tax revenues are up by nearly 7% for fire department needs and up 7-1/2% for transportation, which […]
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites offering eligible Missourians free assistance with tax return preparation are open at University of Missouri Extension sites throughout the state through April 14. “During such an extraordinary time, people will certainly have questions about their taxes,” said Andrew Zumwalt, an associate extension professor of personal financial planning. Volunteers have […]
Missouri’s governor is pledging to move forward with Medicaid expansion because voters approved it in August. GOP Governor Mike Parson, who campaigned against Medicaid expansion, emphasized the issue during his State of the State Address. Medicaid is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. 53 […]
A man was convicted by a federal jury for operating a website dedicated to publishing writings that detailed the sexual abuse of children. Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Gregg Sofer, U.S. Attorney of the Western District of Texas; and Luis M. Quesada, Special Agent in Charge of […]
A Mission Hills, Kansas, man pleaded guilty in federal court to a bankruptcy fraud scheme related to his online payday loan company. Del H. Kimball, 53, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to one count of bankruptcy fraud. By pleading guilty, Kimball admitted that […]
