(Missouri Independent) – About 137,700 registered voters in Missouri did not have a state-issued identification in 2017, according to an analysis from the Secretary of State’s Office. Another 140,000 voters had expired IDs, and 2,000 more voters had forfeited their driver’s licenses. Under a bill passed Wednesday in the Missouri House, those registered voters would either have to […]
Tag: IRS
Audio: Missouri House Committee approves legislation involving concealed firearms in churches
Legislation that would allow Missourians to carry a concealed gun inside churches and other places of worship without the minister’s consent has been approved by a Missouri House committee. House General Laws Committee chairman Curtis Trent announced Thursday afternoon’s close vote. The bill is sponsored by GOP State Representatives Ben Baker of Neosho […]
Governor Mike Parson proclaims National FFA Week in Missouri for nearly 26,000 agriculture students
Governor Mike Parson proclaimed February 20-27, 2021, as National FFA Week in Missouri on behalf of nearly 26,000 members of Missouri FFA. Missouri FFA President Justin Eddy of Columbia received the proclamation on behalf of the 2020-2021 Missouri FFA State Officer team. “Missouri agriculture has a bright future, and you can see that in action […]
Spickard school superintendent unsure when students will be able to return to school
Since last week, Spickard R-2 School students have not met at the school due to a frozen water pipe. Superintendent Kristi Weldon notes the pipe is under the road on city property near the school. Classes were not held on February 19th, and school was held at the Spickard First Christian Church on February 22nd. […]
Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge to open on March 6, 2021
The Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge south of Sumner will open to the public on March 6th. The refuge is closed annually from late October to the first Saturday of March to allow for undisturbed habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl. The visitor center will be closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Only the main office […]
Audio: Trenton High School senior named Star Area Farmer
A Trenton High School senior was named the Star Area Farmer at the Area 2 FFA Proficiency Award Night the night of February 24th. Kidridge Griffin is the president of the Trenton FFA. He will be one of 16 students statewide competing for the State Star Farmer Award at the State FFA Convention in late […]
Interstate 35 pavement repairs to begin in Clinton County
Contractor crews working with the Missouri Department of Transportation will begin pavement repairs soon on Interstate 35 between Route 116 and Shoal Creek. Iowa Civil Contracting was awarded the $2,835,743.79 contract to repair sections of I-35 between mile markers 41 and 49 in both directions. The contractor intends to begin, Monday, March 1, on the […]
Safer Streets Initiative leads to over 500 charges in first two years
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that, to date, his Safer Streets Initiative, which was launched in early 2019, has resulted in 516 charges against 289 defendants across the state. Additionally, 356 firearms have been taken off the streets as a result of the initiative. “Since taking office, prosecuting violent crime in Missouri’s major […]
Major Richard Star Act would allow combat-injured veterans to receive both disability and retirement pay
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) helped introduce the Major Richard Star Act, bipartisan legislation to provide combat-injured veterans with less than 20 years of military service their full benefits. “It’s long overdue that these heroes – who could no longer continue serving due to injuries they sustained in combat – get the benefits they earned,” said […]
Trenton man pleads guilty to bad checks; Spickard man waives preliminary hearing on sexual abuse allegation
Rural Trenton resident Jerry Urick, on a plea agreement in the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court, has been sentenced, fined, and placed on probation in connection with bad checks from late last year. Urick on Tuesday pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor counts of passing bad checks. Five other counts were dismissed according to […]
Senator Josh Hawley introduces alternative to minimum wage hike, a pay raise through tax credits
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 […]
North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees address personnel matters at Tuesday meeting
The North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees approved multiple personnel matters on Tuesday evening, February 23rd. One personnel matter involved the resignation of the Director of Admissions and Marketing Kristie Cross. Her last day on campus will be March 19th. She will then take vacation time, and her official last day will be May […]
One of the nation’s largest chicken producers pleads guilty to price fixing and is sentenced to $107 million criminal fine
Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, a major broiler chicken producer based in Greeley, Colorado, has pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to pay approximately $107 million in criminal fines for its participation in a conspiracy to fix prices and rig bids for broiler chicken products, the Department of Justice announced today. According to the plea agreement entered […]
Trenton Planning and Zoning Commission meeting regarding ordinance related to downtown apartments available on Zoom
The Trenton Planning and Zoning Commission’s meeting regarding review of an ordinance section related to apartments over Downtown businesses will be available to the public on Zoom at us02web.zoom.us/j/89518915489. (copy and paste the Zoom link as errors occur when we try to make it clickable.) The commission will hear the request from the City of […]
Gallatin Board of Aldermen approve motion regarding electric rates; update provided regarding freezing water meters
The Gallatin Board of Aldermen approved a motion regarding electric rates on Monday evening, February 22nd. The motion was to clarify that any business outside of a commercially zoned area that is required to possess a valid business license will be required to pay a commercial electric rate for the property that is used for […]
Bill increasing penalties for protesters wins initial approval in Missouri Senate
(Missouri Independent) – Republican state Senators advanced sweeping legislation early Tuesday morning aimed at penalizing protestors who block streets, while also providing further protections for law enforcement under investigation for misconduct or excessive force. The bill also aims to prevent municipalities from decreasing the budgets for law enforcement agencies in Missouri by more than 12 percent over […]
Missouri in line for $4.5 billion from federal stimulus bill
(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 […]
Brutal weather leads to early pothole season on Missouri roads
Missouri Department of Transportation crews are focusing on pothole repair through April. When you see a MoDOT crew making repairs, motorists should slow down and move over a lane to give them room to work. Crews started working to address the pesky potholes as soon as there was a break in the weather last week. […]
Audio: Missouri Teacher of the Year award winners co-author letter urging immediate vaccination of Missouri educators
Most Missouri K-12 public schools have been offering in-person classes at least partially for several months, yet most teachers are not eligible to get a coronavirus vaccination. They will all be eligible in the next phase but that could be a couple of months away. Darbie Valenti-Huff, with the St. Joseph School District in northwest […]
Audio: Missouri’s St. Louis County makes Juneteenth a holiday
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond. St. Louis County has made Juneteenth a holiday. The observance on June 19th marks […]