More than a year after the police killing of George Floyd that sparked nationwide protests, a professor in St. Louis is taking on a project to figure out what support systems Black parents have to talk with their kids about racial violence. Missouri has been a central point of the movement against police brutality after […]
Tag: justice
Man pleads guilty to the sexual abuse of a two-year-old and a seven-year-old child in order to produce child pornography
A man pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography in connection with his sexual abuse of two minor children. According to court documents, Brian Anthony Gilbert, 33, of District Heights, Maryland, uploaded and advertised at least two video files of child pornography depicting an […]
Roadblocks facing Kevin Strickland’s innocence claim is nothing new for Missouri
(Missouri Independent) – Kevin Strickland was hopeful Thursday was going to be his first step towards freedom after 40 years in prison. A new law that went into effect on Aug. 28 gave Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker a legal avenue to free Strickland, who she says is innocent and wrongly incarcerated. But opposition […]
Supreme Court bows out, White House wades into Texas abortion battle
President Joe Biden stepped into the abortion battle in Texas Thursday, tasking federal agencies to see what steps can be taken to, in his words, “ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions.” The law, which took effect Wednesday, bans most abortions after six weeks before most women know they are […]
Audio: Push is on to make Missouri the 20th state to legalize recreational marijuana
There’s a push to make Missouri the 20th state to legalize recreational marijuana. Brent Palm has more on the Legal Missouri 2022 campaign, The group filed a citizens’ ballot initiative with the Missouri Secretary of State’s office that would allow residents age 21 and older to possess, grow and use marijuana. The proposed […]
Supreme Court rejection of eviction ban increases pressure to dole out rental aid money
(Missouri Independent) -The U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of the Biden administration’s last-ditch effort to extend a federal ban on evictions has put hundreds of thousands of American renters at risk of losing their housing — and is increasing pressure on states and localities to get rental assistance dollars distributed faster. In an eight-page majority opinion […]
Audio: St. Louis City and county lose in effort to block Second Amendment Preservation Act.
A county judge has ruled against St. Louis City and St, Louis County – in their argument against the new state law known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act. The law is to stop local law enforcement from helping federal investigators if guns are seized in an operation: St. Louis argued that this […]
Missouri and Texas Attorney Generals prevail at Supreme Court in “Remain in Mexico” Case
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and the Texas Attorney General’s Office have prevailed over the Biden Administration for a 3rd time in their lawsuit over the “Remain in Mexico” policy as the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Missouri and Texas in a 6-3 denial of the Department of Justice’s appeal for an emergency stay. […]
Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court news for Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Three defendants waived preliminary hearings on Tuesday in the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court. Each case was bound over to the September 9 docket in Division One of circuit court in Trenton. Clifford Eric Dean Neff of Spickard is charged with three counts of delivery of a controlled substance or synthetic cannabinoid on three […]
Representative of Green Hills Women’s Shelter to testify at task force hearing on support and treatment of sexual assault victims
A representative of Green Hills Women’s Shelter in Trenton is listed among those planning to give testimony when a task force has a hearing Wednesday afternoon, August 25. The task force is reviewing the treatment and support of sexual assault victims in Missouri. The first of four scheduled hearings are from 1 to 3 o’clock […]
Meatpacking plants have long relied on immigrant labor. Some now turn to foreign visa workers
(Missouri Independent) – Colored hard hats distinguish different roles and jobs at Seaboard Foods, a major meatpacking plant in Guymon, Oklahoma. Senior management have green. Supervisors wear dark blue. Foreign workers on visas don yellow-green. But Seaboard is part of a small but growing trend in the meatpacking industry, which already largely relied on an […]
Iowa woman sentenced to 304 months in prison for hate crimes; Attempted to kill two children because of their race
An Iowa woman was sentenced on two hate crimes charges for attempting to kill two minor victims because of their race and national origin. Nicole Poole Franklin, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 304 months in federal prison on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently to each other […]
Department of Justice asks court to block Missouri’s ‘Second Amendment Preservation Act’
(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri law prohibiting state and local police from enforcing certain federal gun laws has already undermined drug and weapons investigations, the U.S. Department of Justice argued in documents filed Wednesday in Cole County Circuit Court. As part of an ongoing lawsuit set for a hearing Thursday afternoon, the Justice Department is asking Cole […]
Several from Florida charged and convicted of operating sexually exploitive “child modeling” websites
A series of charges and convictions were announced today in connection with an international enterprise based in Florida that operated subscription-based sexually exploitive “child modeling” websites. According to court documents, Kenneth Power (deceased at 58, of Weston), was a principal member of the Newstar Enterprise – an internet-based business aimed at the for-profit sexual exploitation […]
U.S. House Democrats unveil new voting rights bill named for John Lewis
(Missouri Independent) – At the base of the bridge in Selma, Ala., where the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia almost died while marching for civil rights, congressional Democrats announced Tuesday the introduction of legislation that aims to protect voting rights across the country. Rep. Terri Sewell, an Alabama Democrat, unveiled what will be […]
Division One of Grundy County Circuit Court news for Thursday, August 12, 2021
In Division One of Grundy County Circuit Court, Trenton resident Patrick Shaun Michael pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia as of June 30th. Michael was sentenced by Judge Thomas Alley to four years with the Department of Corrections. Execution of the prison term was suspended, and Michael was placed on five years supervised […]
Missouri Attorney General files charges in 2004 Jefferson County murder
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced his office has filed charges against Alice Weiss for the 2004 murder of James Summers. Weiss was charged last night with Murder in the 2nd Degree. The case was handled through the Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit, which was established in December of 2020, with help from investigators with […]
Missouri to accept Medicaid expansion applications; DSS to begin processing applications on October 1
(Missouri Independent) – Missourians who qualify for benefits under Medicaid expansion can begin enrolling. Still, it may take up to two months until they will find out if their eligibility has been verified and their application has been approved. In a news release Wednesday, Gov. Mike Parson announced that in response to a Cole County […]
Missouri man indicted on federal hate crime and firearm charges
A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri, returned a two-count indictment charging a Missouri man with hate crime and firearm violations for shooting a teenager with the intent to kill because of the victim’s sexual orientation. According to court documents, Malachi Robinson, 25, is charged with violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. […]
Judge orders state to immediately allow Missourians to enroll in expanded Medicaid
(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri Department of Social Services must allow newly eligible residents that qualify for benefits under voter-approved Medicaid expansion to enroll and cannot impose greater restrictions on them, a Cole County judge ruled Tuesday. Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem sided with the plaintiffs who urged him to allow Medicaid expansion to take […]