The State Highway Patrol reports 989 lives were lives in Missouri traffic crashes in 2020, up from 881 in 2019. The Missouri Department of Transportation says the preliminary reporting indicates a 12% increase compared to 2019. MoDOT says despite traffic volumes in the state being significantly lower for most of 2020, Missouri experienced its largest […]
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Tractor Supply Company acquires Orscheln Farm and Home for $297 million
Tractor Supply Company announced on February 17th that it entered into an agreement to acquire Orscheln Farm and Home for about $297 million in cash. Orscheln is based in Moberly and has 167 stores in 11 states. Store locations include Trenton, Chillicothe, Bethany, Brookfield, Cameron, Carrollton, and Kirksville. Tractor Supply Company is based in Brentwood, […]
Missouri Department of Natural Resources sells out to foreign factory farms
(Missouri Independent) – I’m an independent Missouri farmer and livestock producer, and JBS, the largest meatpacker in the world and a Brazilian corporation, is attempting to put a 10,500 head hog operation next to my community and the Poosey Conservation Area in Livingston County. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is in the process of giving Missourian’s […]
Audio: MoDOT director Patrick McKenna says 645 MoDOT employees currently have COVID
Missouri’s transportation director says more than 600 of his employees currently have the coronavirus. State Department of Transportation (MoDOT) director Patrick McKenna testified before the Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight on Monday in Jefferson City, delivering MoDOT’s annual report. “As of this moment (Monday afternoon), we’re at about 645 cases of COVID within MoDOT, MoDOT alone,” McKenna […]
Audio: Missouri bill would boost gas tax but offer rebates to drivers
A proposed fuel tax increase could come with a rebate option for drivers who fill up in Missouri. State Representative Becky Ruth, R-Festus, has filed legislation that would increase the fee by two cents annually for five years to help to pay for Missouri’s underfunded highway system. She tells Missourinet if drivers turn in their […]
USDA extends general signup for Conservation Reserve Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending the Conservation Reserve Program General Signup period, which had previously been announced as ending on Feb. 12, 2021. USDA will continue to accept offers as it takes this opportunity for the incoming Administration to evaluate ways to increase enrollment. Under the previous Administration, incentives and rental payment rates […]
Missouri Attorney General reaches settlement with McKinsey & Company for role in opioid epidemic
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his Office and a coalition of attorneys general from 47 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories have reached a $573 million settlement with one of the world’s largest consulting firms, McKinsey & Company. The settlement resolves investigations into the company’s role in working for opioid […]
Audio: Efforts continue to boost Missouri’s gas tax over five years
Missouri Senate President Dave Schatz wants drivers to pay a little more when they get fuel. A Missouri Senate committee is considering whether to ask voters to increase the fee by two cents per year over a five-year period. During a public hearing, Schatz says an increase is necessary to pay for repairs to the […]
Audio: Missouri’s largest school district goes to in-person classes four days a week for high schools
Missouri’s largest school district has switched Monday from two to four days of in-person learning, for high-school students. KOLR-10’s David Chasanov reports from Springfield’s Central High School. Wednesday will be a virtual learning day for high school students. Springfield is Missouri’s largest district, with more than 25,000 students. Parent Ashley McGuire tells our […]
Audio: Missouri GOP Senate President Pro Tem pushing gasoline tax increase
Missouri’s GOP Senate leader says it’s time to increase the state’s gasoline tax. Brian Hauswirth files this report. Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (pronounced like shots) of Sullivan will testify before the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday. He’ll present his bill, which would increase Missouri’s gasoline tax by two cents per […]
Wright Memorial Hospital CEO speaks at Trenton Rotary meeting
Wright Memorial Hospital Chief Executive Officer Steve Schieber spoke to the Trenton Rotary Club on January 21st about the hospital’s response to the pandemic. He reported the number of individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 went from zero in the first and second quarters of 2020 to 141 at Wright Memorial and Hedrick Medical Center during the […]
Increase in labor force sends unemployment higher in Missouri during December, 2020
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased again in December 2020, but a large increase in the civilian labor force sent unemployment higher. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 10,400 jobs over the month, and over-the-year job losses from COVID-19 shutdowns fell below 100,000. However, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by 1.3 percentage points from November […]
United States reaches agreement with Midwest Can for Clean Air Act violations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced a settlement that will require Midwest Can Company, one of the largest manufacturers of portable fuel containers in the United States, to pay a $1.7 million civil penalty to resolve Clean Air Act violations. The violations resulted from failure to disclose test […]
Effort to stop charging 17-year-olds as adults has stalled in Missouri
(Missouri Independent) – Khadijah Wilson had a bully during her junior year at Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles. She told her principal and teachers about the name-calling, and how the other girl constantly threatened to beat her up. But no one intervened. It went on for several months. “I reported it more […]
Scholarships for high school seniors now available through FCS Financial
Since 2004, FCS Financial has provided more than $670,000 to Missouri high school seniors seeking higher education. Up to 35 scholarships, each at $1,500 will be awarded to children or grandchildren of FCS Financial members. The scholarship deadline is March 1 and recipients will be notified in April. Applicants must be a graduating senior at […]
Audio: Missouri’s third-largest city records record traffic fatalities in 2020; half of the victims were on motorcycles
Despite the COVID pandemic and fewer vehicles on the road, southwest Missouri’s Springfield had a record 27 traffic fatalities in 2020. Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams is urging residents to slow down. Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams says 13 of the 27 victims were traveling on motorcycles. He’s urging motorists to slow down […]
Deadline to submit Missouri State Fair Youth in Agriculture Scholarship application is February 1
The Missouri State Fair and the Youth in Agriculture Committee are accepting applications for Youth in Agriculture scholarships for Missouri high school seniors graduating in 2021. The application form can be found on the Fair’s website. Applications should be submitted to the Missouri State Fair and must be postmarked by February 1, 2021. Applicants must […]
Weather summary for 2020 indicates Trenton never broke the 100 degree mark
The weather summary for 2020 in Trenton shows combined highs were four-tenths of a degree below normal while lows were above average by one-point-four degrees. Precipitation for the year was 1.48 inches below normal, with conditions fairly mild overall. The warmest temperature during 2020 in Trenton was 94 degrees on both July 8th and August […]
Missouri monthly jobs report for November, 2020
The Missouri labor market showed further improvement in November 2020. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 17,400 jobs over the month. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points from October 2020 to November 2020, and the civilian labor force increased more than 23,000. However, the labor market still showed substantial losses from […]
Employer survey details employer perspectives on pandemic and skill needs
The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC) released new statewide employer survey results to correspond with its 2020 Missouri Economic & Workforce Report, which was published earlier this fall. The Economic & Workforce Report tracks the state’s economy and workforce by fiscal year (July 2019 – June 2020). The corresponding employer survey results focus […]