A convicted triple killer from Columbia is set to be executed in October at the state’s maximum-security prison in Bonne Terre. The Missouri Supreme Court has scheduled an October 5 execution date for 60-year-old Ernest Lee Johnson. The Supreme Court scheduled the execution date on Tuesday. He’ll be executed by lethal injection at the southeast […]
(Missouri Independent) – In a win for transparency advocates, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that government agencies cannot charge for time attorneys spend reviewing public records that are requested under the state’s Sunshine Law. In a 6-0 decision, the judges ruled that a lower court erred by siding with Gov. Mike Parson in a lawsuit […]
(Missouri Independent) – A Cole County judge has temporarily blocked the state’s new policy for Medicaid hospital payments which was set to take effect Thursday and ordered a hearing July 9 to determine if the order will become permanent. In response to a lawsuit filed by the Missouri Hospital Association, Circuit Judge Cotton Walker on Friday […]
(Missouri Independent) – Former Trump administration officials and conservative and libertarian nonprofits have launched lawsuits to block federal relief funds aimed at Black and minority farmers—a development that House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott of Georgia calls “an evil system at work here.” Suits have been filed in Florida, Wisconsin, and Texas that says it’s […]
Missouri’s high-profile Medicaid expansion lawsuit case will go before the state’s highest court in July. The attorney for the three women suing Missouri over Medicaid expansion says the Missouri Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case on July 13 in Jefferson City. The same two attorneys who argued the case in […]
Grundy County has a new Deputy Sheriff. Trever Ratliff was appointed by Associate Circuit Court Judge Stephen Hudson on June 24. The sheriff’s office reports Ratliff is a native of Grundy County. He graduated from the law enforcement police academy at Missouri Western State University in Saint Joseph on June 17.
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing two firearms that he stole from a car and attempted to sell outside a nearby hotel. Edward J. Kelly Jr., 39, of Independence, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. […]
Fleishmann’s Yeast will sponsor a baked bread contest at the Grand River Museum in Chillicothe. Yeast, savory, and sweet bread entries will be accepted on July 10th from 8 to 11 o’clock in the morning. Judging will be at noon, and winners will be announced at 1 o’clock. A bread tasting for the public will […]
Ahead of President Biden’s Wednesday address on the spiking crime throughout America, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) rolled out his own legislative agenda to hire 100,000 new police officers, boost police morale, and keep American families safe. As violent crime continues to plague the country, communities and law enforcement officers are under siege. Homicides are dramatically increasing across American cities, and violent […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt today announced that his office has recovered $156,000 and obtained a consent judgment against Jim Bakker and Morningside Church Productions. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office filed suit against Bakker and Morningside Church Productions back in March of 2020 for marketing “silver solution” as a potential cure for the Coronavirus. The […]
The push to expand Medicaid eligibility in Missouri was dealt another blow on Wednesday, as a Cole County judge ruled the voter-approved initiative was unconstitutional because it didn’t include a way to pay for 275,000 new enrollees. Plaintiffs, which include three people who would have been eligible for Medicaid on July 1 if the expansion […]
A Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm. Kenneth E. Barbee Jr., 34, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 10 years in federal prison without parole. On Sept. 23, 2020, Barbee was found guilty at trial of being a felon in possession of […]
A Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for drug trafficking and illegally possessing firearms that were linked to several shootings. Marck E. Fristoe, 28, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 15 years in federal prison without parole. On Sept. 9, 2020, Fristoe pleaded guilty to one count of […]
A Missouri, man who led police officers on a chase in a stolen car, causing a collision with another vehicle, was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm. Cameron D. Smith, 25, of Independence, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 10 years in federal prison without parole. On Jan. 27, […]
Among the cases dispensed with on Tuesday in the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court include 19-year-old Alejandro Bruno Cuevas of Paola, Kansas, who plead guilty on two misdemeanor counts and had a felony drug charge dismissed by the prosecution. Cuevas entered pleas to possession of liquor by a minor and unlawful possession of […]
A judge in mid-Missouri’s Cole County expects to issue his decision in Missouri’s Medicaid expansion lawsuit by tomorrow (Wednesday). Brian Hauswirth covered Monday’s hearing in Jefferson City: Three Missouri women are suing the state over the issue of Medicaid expansion. They note 53 percent of Missouri voters approved Amendment Two in August. Their […]
(Missouri Independent) – After obtaining some relief from lawmakers for revenue cuts likely from a change in the way Medicaid pays for outpatient services, Missouri hospitals are asking the courts for relief from a coming change in payments for inpatient care. The Missouri Hospital Association on Friday filed a lawsuit in Cole County alleging the Department of […]
Governor Mike Parson filled five-county office vacancies. Densil Allen Jr., of Knob Noster, was appointed as the Johnson County Presiding Commissioner. Dr. Allen is a former veterinarian and owned and operated Warrensburg Animal Hospital until his retirement. He has also owned and operated Allen’s Auction Service and taught animal science courses at the University of Central […]
Probation has been ordered for two Trenton residents who, on Tuesday, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child on November 9 in Trenton. A sentence of 45 days in the Grundy County Jail were issued to Kyle Nathan Wilson and Lacy Jo Vestal. Judge Steve Hudson suspended the execution of […]
(Missouri Independent) – A trial to determine whether Missouri must expand Medicaid coverage as mandated by a 2020 initiative will take place Friday as scheduled, Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled Tuesday. The ruling against adding new plaintiffs to the case came a day after Beetem heard arguments over whether two people who would become eligible for Medicaid […]
