(Missouri Independent – The simmering division among Republicans over a bill crucial to funding Missouri’s Medicaid program boiled over this week, with the state senator at the center of the debate calling for a change in the chamber’s leadership. Sen. Paul Wieland, R-Imperial, led the charge to include language banning the use of taxpayer money […]
COVID-19 cases have increased by six since May 27th for Grundy County, bringing the total to 1,108. The health department reports 28 cases are active. Eight hundred fifty-four cases have been confirmed. There have been 40 COVID-19-related deaths reported for Grundy County. Health Department Administrator Elizabeth Gibson reports there have been three breakthrough COVID-19 cases […]
The Grundy County Nursing Home District Board of Directors on May 27th discussed a proposal from The Wilson Group to address the increased cost of electrical supplies on the construction project. The proposal was to split the cost of $34,445 between the nursing home district, the contractor, and the electrician. The nursing home district will […]
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway released a report that examined funding trends in K-12 education in the state. The report found Missouri ranks near the bottom for the portion of classroom funding that comes from state sources and the formula calculating per-student funding has not kept up with inflation. “The state is not […]
The Missouri Department of Agriculture announced federal approval of the state’s amendment to the Industrial Hemp Plan. With the approval, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Marketing Service affirmed that Missouri’s amended plan complies with federal law and regulations. The entire amended Missouri State Plan can be reviewed here. Key changes include: Increasing the pre-harvest window […]
(Missouri Independent) – The lawsuit seeking to force Missouri to expand Medicaid coverage under a voter-approved constitutional amendment will go to trial June 18 in Cole County. On Wednesday morning, Circuit Judge Jon Beetem met in a conference call with Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office and attorneys for the three people suing for coverage. In an online notation with […]
Saying that there’s a labor shortage across Missouri, Governor Mike Parson (R) has issued a directive to the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to end all federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits. Missouri’s House Democratic Leader is blasting the decision. Governor Parson made the announcement during a Tuesday afternoon briefing at the Statehouse in Jefferson […]
Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick announced he has joined a coalition of 15 State Treasurers to speak out against apparent attempts by the Biden Administration to pressure banks and other large financial institutions to divest from coal, oil, and natural gas companies. “While the pursuit of more renewable sources of energy is a noble cause, […]
The Livingston County Health Center reports 25 COVID-19 cases have been added since May 25th, bringing the total to 1,663. One hundred forty-one cases are active. The health center notes the fully vaccinated rate for Livingston County is 29%, and 33.3% have received at least one dose. Last week, 26.9% were fully immunized, and 32.6% […]
Beginning 2022, North Central Missouri College will be the primary community college for students, school districts, and businesses and industries in Buchanan County. The addition of Buchanan County will increase NCMC’s service region from sixteen to seventeen counties in northern Missouri. Both the NCMC and Metropolitan Community College Board of Trustees approved a memorandum of […]
Grundy County Health Department reports it has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases locally for the past couple of weeks. A Tuesday report shows, since one week ago, 14 new cases of COVID-19 have occurred, with 13 active in Grundy County. The total number of cases since testing began more than a year ago is […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced seven amendments to the United States Innovation and Competition Act, the Senate’s proposed legislation to increase competitiveness with China, to put American workers first, fight back against Beijing’s trade abuses, stand up for human rights, protect American national security, and crackdown on multi-billion-dollar corporations that are heavily invested in China. […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency published the first notice of funding availability announcing loan payments for eligible borrowers with qualifying direct farm loans under the American Rescue Plan Act Section 1005. The official NOFA will be published in the Federal Register early next week and USDA expects payments to begin in early […]
The North Central Missouri Board of Trustees received a consolidated budget update on May 25, 2021. The 2021-2022 budget projection includes total operating revenue of $11,111,547. With auxiliary operations of $12,151,045, the total consolidated income is projected at $13,262,592. Revenues include $7,433,078 for tuition and fees and $2,939,169 in state appropriations. The budget projection also […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missourians voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2018. But under federal law, growing, transporting, or selling marijuana remains a crime. Unsurprisingly, that dynamic has created a lot of headaches for the fledgling industry. One notable example: Unlike every other legal business in the state, marijuana companies are prohibited from deducting business expenses […]
Trenton city sales tax receipts for May are up compared to May of 2020. The increases include general purposes by more than $9,600, capital projects over $4,800, and parks by $5,500. Receipts from the sales tax for fire department needs are up nearly $2,800 this month compared to May 2020. Income from the transportation sales […]
Four COVID-19 cases have been added in Caldwell County since May 19th, which brings the total to 922. The health department reported the afternoon of May 21st that eight cases were active, and there had been 14 COVID-19-related deaths. COVID-19 cases increased by three in Harrison County. The county’s COVID-19 dashboard shows 1,025 cases as […]
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio) introduced bipartisan legislation to require states to report data on all child abuse-related deaths and develop recommendations to prevent child abuse deaths from occurring in the first place. The senators’ bill would provide policymakers and public health officials with a clearer picture of the number of […]
Three years of research in the “MU Certified” Strip Trial Program shows that applying fungicides to soybean at the R3 growth stage reduces foliar disease and increases yield. University of Missouri Extension plant pathologist Kaitlyn Bissonnette said the results come from 33 tests across the state from 2018 to 2020. Trials show that fungicide application […]
The next state budget does not include funding to expand Medicaid healthcare coverage to another 275-thousand low-income Missouri adults. The Republican-controlled Missouri Legislature refused to fund the expansion – setting up an expected court battle. John Rizzo, the top Democrat in the Missouri Senate, says the GOP is more concerned about their next office. […]
