Orscheln Headquarters Moberly (Photo by Rudi Keller - Missouri Independent)

Controversial bill would have aided Orscheln Products LLC, under scrutiny for contamination

(Missouri Independent) – Two years ago, a company led by an influential Republican businessman faced off with the state’s environmental regulators over whether it needed to do additional testing for a chemical that health officials worried could pose a cancer risk to the company’s workers.  The Moberly manufacturing facility, Orscheln Products LLC, is owned by […]

A gavel and a name plate with the engraving Lawsuit

Missouri Attorney General files lawsuit against Moberly Public Schools for public records on IEP recording policy

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against the Moberly Public School District for alleged Sunshine Law violations for requests for public records from the Attorney General’s Office related to their policy on parents recording Individualized Education Plan meetings. “Parents have a right to know exactly what is being taught to the children and […]

City of Trenton Website

Three police officers hired by Trenton City Council; discussion continues but no action taken on trash service

Three representatives of Rapid Removal Disposal met last night with the Trenton City Council and city officials to discuss issues regarding trash service, particularly complaints that have been received by staff at City Hall. Councilman Lance Otto led a discussion on his research on the banned breed dog ordinance as well as the dangerous dogs’ […]

Patrick McKenna Director of the Missouri Department of Transportation

Billions headed to Missouri transportation fund from gas tax hike, infrastructure bill

(Missouri Independent) – With $6.5 billion on the way from the federal infrastructure bill and a newly increased gas tax, Missouri is ready to take a big bite out of $4.5 billion in unfunded highway needs, Patrick McKenna, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, said this week. But that doesn’t mean the state is ready to tackle […]

Credit Monitoring News Graphic

Missouri to provide credit monitoring for teachers after reporter found security flaw

(Missouri Independent) – Nearly a month after a reporter identified a security flaw in a state website that exposed teachers’ social security numbers, the state announced Wednesday it was offering a year of credit monitoring services to hundreds of thousands of teachers whose personal information was put at risk According to the Department of Elementary […]

Cattle or Cows Behind a Fence in a Field

Agriculture Secretary: Biden Administration ‘protecting animal agriculture’ with methane reduction plans

(Missouri Independent) – Reducing the number of livestock will not be a priority for the Biden administration as it seeks to drastically cut methane emissions to stem climate change, according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Instead, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “climate-smart” initiatives will focus on new types of animal feed and manure […]

Audit News Graphic

Missouri State Auditor releases closeout report for Coronado Drive Transportation Development District in Blue Springs

State Auditor Nicole Galloway today issued the closeout audit of the Coronado Drive Transportation Development District (TDD), located in Blue Springs. State law requires an audit of a TDD prior to moving forward with dissolution. The Coronado Drive TDD was established in 2009 by a vote of qualified voters in the district. The TDD was […]

Kids age 5 to 11 next in line for COVID-19 vaccines as White House rolls out plans

(Missouri Independent) – Smaller needles. Redesigned shipments to ease the storage needs in pediatricians’ offices. And enough vials of the COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate the 28 million U.S. children between ages 5 and 11. Those are among the plans announced by the White House on Wednesday as federal and state officials prepare for a regulatory decision to […]