Governor Mike Parson

Governor Parson announces special funding to help Missouri’s youth

Governor Mike Parson announced a special cycle of the Department of Economic Development’s Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) and Youth Opportunities Program (YOP), making $21.8 million available to assist nonprofit organizations and other entities providing services to at-risk youth. “Missouri nonprofits have been a lifeline for many Missourians throughout the COVID-19 crisis, providing critical services during […]

Boyd and Stefanie Householder Booking Photo

Audio: Circle of Hope owners in Missouri, charged with 102 felonies, plead “NOT guilty” in court appearance

The owners of the now-defunct Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in southwest Missouri’s Humansville remain jailed without bond on Thursday morning, after pleading NOT guilty in Cedar County Court. Boyd and Stephanie Householder are from Nevada, near Humansville. Attorney General Eric Schmitt had to stop speaking at one point during his Wednesday press conference, to […]

Apprehended

Daviess County Sheriff’s Department reports suspect who fled crash on Monday has been apprehended

The Daviess County Sheriff’s Department has reported the apprehension of the suspect who allegedly fled the scene of a Monday traffic accident on Interstate 35. It was about noon on Wednesday when officials from several departments mobilized in the Civil Bend area to conduct a “grid search” for 28-year-old Bradley DeWayne Taylor. The sheriff’s office […]

Jobs Report or unemployment

Missouri unemployment rate drops to 4.3% in January, 2021, down from 4.4% in December, 2020

Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased in January 2021, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by a tenth of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 5,900 jobs over the month, but over-the-year job losses were back above 100,000 following benchmark adjustments to 2020 estimates. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent […]

Drug Cartels

Senator Hawley along with lawmakers from Arkansas, Tennessee and Nebraska introduce bill imposing sanctions on drug cartels

U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) introduced the Significant Transnational Criminal Organization Designation Act, legislation that would subject certain foreign criminal organizations like drug cartels to sanctions, including immigration, financial, and criminal penalties. The process would be similar to the system used for designating entities as […]

Trenton R-9 School District

Trenton Board of Education tackles huge agenda including approval of salary schedule for next school year

The Trenton R-9 Board of Education March 9th approved salary schedules for the 2021-2022 school year. One thousand dollars will be added to the base for the certified salary schedule, making the base salary $34,000. This was estimated to cost the district $119,591. Superintendent Mike Stegman noted the base salary for certified staff was “pretty […]

Teacher in front of class or educator or education or school

Audio: Missouri has been reviewing whether it can give teachers a retention bonus, there’s good news and bad news.

The Missouri K-12 Education Department has been reviewing whether federal coronavirus aid can be used to give teachers a bonus next school year if they stick around. The state already has a persistent teacher shortage and COVID-19 has made the problem even worse. During a Missouri Board of Education meeting, Deputy Finance Commissioner Kari Monsees […]