Elderly and cold weather

Elderly at special risk during frigid weather

Frigid weather across the Midwest puts the elderly at special risk, said a University of Missouri Extension safety specialist. “Elderly in poorly heated homes or those of low income may unknowingly keep temperatures in a dangerous range in attempts to lower their heating bills,” said Karen Funkenbusch. As many as 25,000 older adults die each […]

Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri

Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri offers weatherization to low-income households

Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri offers weatherization all year to provide cost-effective energy-efficient home improvements to low-income households, especially for the elderly, children, disabled, and others hit hard by high utility costs. The program aims to lower utility bills and improve comfort to ensure health and safety for homeowners and renters. It is […]

Putnam County Hospital 2019

Audio: Former CEO at Putnam County Memorial Hospital Pleads Guilty to $114 million billing scheme

A former executive of a northern Missouri hospital pleaded guilty in federal court in Florida to a $114 million pass-through billing scheme. The Justice Department in Washington says former Putnam County Memorial Hospital chief executive officer David Lane Byrns pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Byrns pleaded […]

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USDA opens 2020 enrollment for Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage Programs

Agricultural producers now can enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs – two U.S. Department of Agriculture safety net programs – for the 2020 crop year. Meanwhile, producers who enrolled farms for the 2018 crop year have started receiving more than $1.5 billion for covered commodities for which payments […]

Gas Tax

Missouri Lt. Governor says Missourians to decide if gasoline tax increase is needed

The state’s lieutenant governor says Missourians will have to decide whether a gasoline tax increase is needed. Missouri’s 17-cent gasoline tax has remained the same since 1996. Last November, voters rejected a proposed ten-cent gas tax increase. At his campaign announcement, last week at Jefferson City’s Memorial Park, Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe (R) told the audience […]

Disaster Relief

USDA to provide $150 million in help for rural communities affected by natural disasters

U.S. Department of Agriculture Missouri State Director Jeff Case highlighted $150 million in grants available through the Community Facilities Program to help rural communities continue their recovery from the devastating effects of hurricanes, fires, and other natural disasters such as the recent severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding in Missouri. This announcement is in conjunction with […]

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Useful USDA resources available for farmers hurt by 2018, 2019 disasters

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced that agricultural producers affected by natural disasters in 2018 and 2019, including Hurricane Dorian, can apply for assistance through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+). Signup for this U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program began Sept. 11, 2019. “U.S. agriculture has been dealt a hefty […]

Medicaid Expansion

Hospitals, health care advocates launch campaign to authorize Medicaid expansion through statewide vote

Missouri’s hospitals and a coalition of individuals and organizations supporting Medicaid expansion announced the launch of a campaign to let Missouri voters decide the future of expanded coverage to low-income individuals caught in the “coverage gap.” “Missouri is among only a handful of states to not expand Medicaid. As a result, approximately 200,000 citizens of […]

Unemployment Benefits Graphic

Application deadline approaching for disaster unemployment benefits in six Missouri counties

The Missouri Department of Labor’s Division of Employment Security will accept applications for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) for individuals in six Missouri counties through September 5, 2019, whose employment was lost or interrupted due to severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding that began April 29, 2019, and ended July 5, 2019. A disaster assistance amendment was […]