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 […]
Tag: increasing
Biden administration to reverse birth control access restrictions
The Biden administration has taken the first steps in the regulatory process to eliminate the domestic gag rule, which forced more than 900 reproductive-health clinics nationwide to leave the Title X family-planning program and lose major amounts of funding. Rachel Fey, vice president for policy and strategic partnerships at the contraceptive-access advocacy group Power to Decide, said the […]
National Weather Services issues Winter Weather Advisory for northern Missouri
We are into April; however, it is not unheard of to have winter weather this late into spring. Keep in mind, that area forecasts are subject to change depending on the track of the system that will affect the area. FREEZE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING According to the weather service, […]
Audio: Hawley votes against legislation designed to fight hate crimes against Asian Americans
Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley has voted against legislation designed to fight hate crimes against Asian Americans. Hawley, a Republican, was one of only six lawmakers who opposed the measure. Hate crimes against Asian Americans have been increasingly reported during the pandemic and the bill would speed up a U.S. Department of Justice […]
Pleasant View Board of Education approves increase in salaries; approves field trips and announces dates for upcoming activities
The Pleasant View R-6 Board of Education on April 13th approved increasing pay. Non-certified staff wages will go up by 50 cents per hour, and extra-duty contracts will increase by four percent. Base pay for all certified staff will increase by $1,000, which will make the base pay $31,500 for the 2021-2022 school year. The […]
Audio: White House report gives Missouri a “C minus” for the condition of its infrastructure
A White House report gives Missouri a C minus for the condition of its infrastructure. The Biden Administration has rolled out the state-by-state report to go along with the president’s push for a two-point-three trillion-dollar infrastructure funding package. The report says Missouri has a “systemic lack of investment in its roads and […]
State of Missouri establishes weekly COVID-19 testing event schedule
Testing has been a pillar of the State’s response to COVID-19 for the past year. The increasingly widespread availability of testing resources and available laboratories made it possible for the State of Missouri to host intermittent testing events in communities throughout the state to provide greater accessibility to testing options and to learn more about […]
Holding Medicaid hostage over birth control defies law and reason
(Missouri Independent) – While playing politics with healthcare in Missouri is certainly nothing new, holding Missouri Medicaid hostage over basic birth control is a stunning — and consequential — shift. As captured in headlines across the state, state Sen. Paul Wieland has put the entire Missouri Medicaid program in jeopardy with his late-night amendment to a […]
Biden to unveil $2 trillion plan to rebuild infrastructure, move to clean energy
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden on Wednesday will unveil a nearly $2 trillion infrastructure package to rebuild highways and bridges, along with funding programs for housing, broadband, and schools and increasing U.S. manufacturing jobs over the next eight years, an administration official told reporters on Tuesday night. Alongside the expansive infrastructure plan, the president will […]
Man pleads guilty to $244 million ghost-cattle scam
A Washington man pleaded guilty to defrauding Tyson Foods Inc. (Tyson) and another company (Company 1) out of more than $244 million by charging them under various agreements for the purported costs of purchasing and feeding hundreds of thousands of cattle that did not actually exist. According to court documents, Cody Allen Easterday, 49, of […]
Governor Parson announces state-supported mega vaccination site in Springfield
Governor Mike Parson announced that the state will host a Mega Vaccination Site in Springfield with the potential to fully vaccinate up to 10,000 Missourians. The event will be held at Hammons Student Center at Missouri State University (MSU) on Thursday, April 8, and Friday, April 9, 2021, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on […]
Audio: Roll up your sleeves, Missourians, new virus vaccination phases to begin earlier than expected
Governor Mike Parson has announced a new coronavirus vaccination phase will open on March 29 – earlier than originally anticipated. During a Capitol press conference today, Parson says Missouri is well ahead of schedule in its vaccination plan. “The federal government has informed us that COVID-19 vaccine allotments to Missouri are projected to increase significantly […]
Additional vaccines allocated to St. Louis area vaccination events
Governor Mike Parson announced that the state will be able to allocate additional COVID-19 vaccine doses to state-sponsored vaccination events being held in the St. Louis area March 25 – 26, 2021. “With increasing vaccine supply, we are able to allocate additional doses to our vaccination events in the St. Louis area,” Governor Parson said. “These state-supported […]
Three Missouri universities earn nursing grant awards
The Missouri State Board of Nursing recently announced the award of substantial nursing education program grants to three Missouri universities. The Nursing Education Incentive Program (NEIP) grants were established in 2011 in order to increase the physical and educational capacity of professional nursing programs in Missouri. The funding, through legislative appropriations, comes from the Missouri […]
Jay Nixon comeback? Democrats lining up for shot at open Missouri Senate seat
(Missouri Independent) – Roy Blunt’s announcement that he won’t seek a third term certainly shook up Republican politics in Missouri, sparking nearly every GOP elected official in the state to publicly mull jumping into the campaign. Democrats aren’t immune from the speculation. While any Democrat would face an uphill fight, the chance of a messy […]
Grundy County Health Department reminds residents that COVID-19 vaccinations for Phase 1B Tier 3 opens March 15
The Grundy County Health Department reports no new COVID-19 cases since its March 8th report, keeping the total at 1,057. Active cases dropped by one to one. Eight hundred 16 have been confirmed, and 241 are probable. Forty COVID-19-related deaths have been reported for Grundy County. The health department reports the Department of Health and […]
Area high schools compete in Science Olympiad at NCMC
Several high schools recently participated virtually in Science Olympiad hosted by North Central Missouri College in Trenton, Missouri. Those high schools included Maysville, Northeast Nodaway, Pattonsburg, South Harrison, and Stanberry. The event covered several areas of the sciences, including life, earth, space, physical, chemistry, technology engineering, and inquiry. As a few examples, in one event, […]
State agriculture officials recommend enhancements to USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to support the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farmers to Families Food Box program and recommend adjustments to improve the program’s effectiveness. “The Farmers to Families Food Box program has been a critical tool during the COVID-19 pandemic […]
Bradley Schad to take over as CEO of Missouri Corn Growers Association and Missouri Corn Merchandising Council
When Bradley Schad takes over as CEO and executive director of the Missouri Corn Growers Association and Missouri Corn Merchandising Council on March 15, he will bring a variety of agricultural experiences with him, starting with his time growing up on his family’s diversified farm near Versailles. “I grew up on a farm, I was […]
After outrage over unused vaccines at rural clinics, Parson vows more KC, STL events
(Missouri Independent) – Last week, multiple mass vaccination events in rural areas neared the end of the day with hundreds of doses still on hand — prompting health departments to take to social media and encourage anyone to come for fear doses would be wasted. “We have ample vaccine still available that needs to be […]