(Missouri Independent) – Attorney General Eric Schmitt has determined his office cannot investigate an alleged violation of Missouri’s open records laws by the governor’s office, an interpretation of state law that has transparency advocates alarmed. Missouri’s attorney general’s office is in charge of enforcing the Sunshine Law, which requires meetings, records, votes, actions, and deliberations […]
Tag: law
Missouri lawmakers passed a host of reforms aimed at keeping kids out of jail
(Missouri Independent) – Retired St. Louis Judge Evelyn Baker once sentenced a 16-year-old Black boy to 241 years in prison for two armed robberies. No one was seriously injured in the robberies, but the boy “didn’t express any remorse,” Baker said, remembering the sentencing hearing. Now, when she thinks back, Baker deeply regrets the sentence […]
Bright Futures Trenton to hold Back-to-School event set for August 12
Churches, businesses, organizations, and individuals can help with the Bright Futures Trenton Back to School Event. School supplies, clothing, shoes, hygiene supplies, and haircuts will be available at multiple locations for students of Grundy County schools on August 12th. The goal of the event is to distribute items to students in need from preschool through […]
Authorities report the arrest of two individuals, another remanded to custody of Grundy County Sheriff
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of two individuals on June 10 and another individual being remanded to the custody of the sheriff. Twenty-six-year-old Samantha Katherine Persell of Kirksville has been charged with the felonies of possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, amphetamine or methamphetamine, and misdemeanor driving while […]
Livingston County Health Center in Chillicothe offering reflective address signs
The Livingston County Health Center in Chillicothe provides reflective numeric address signs for rural locations. Sheriff Steve Cox says these signs help paramedics or law enforcement responding to an emergency. A mailbox sign and mount are $15, a sign and mount for a post are $20, and a six-foot post is $15. Cox notes that […]
Audio: Missouri’s Governor to sign Second Amendment Preservation Act on Saturday
Legislation establishing a Second Amendment Preservation Act will be signed into law Saturday afternoon by Missouri’s governor, in the Kansas City suburb of Lee’s Summit. Governor Mike Parson will sign SAPA Saturday at 2 p.m. at Frontier Justice. House Bill 85 is sponsored by State Rep. Jered Taylor (R-Nixa) and State Sen. Eric Burlison (R-Battlefield). They say […]
Governor Parson signs SCR7 and HB 574 into law
Governor Mike Parson signed SCR 7 and HB 574 into law. “I am happy to sign these two pieces of legislation into law, and I want to give a special thank you to Senator Dan Hegeman, Representative Rusty Black, Senator Jeanie Riddle, and Representative Kent Haden for their respective work on these bills,” Governor Parson […]
Princeton R-5 Board of Education to meet on Monday, June 14
The Princeton R-5 Board of Education will accept public input for a Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan. A meeting will be on Monday, June 14 at 5:30 in the evening. The board will also consider approving the Safe Return Plan for 2021-2022 with Continuity of Service as required by Elementary and […]
Annual Unionville Lions Country Music Festival set to kick off on June 10, 2021
Free activities are being held at the Unionville City Park/fairgrounds through June 12 for the 13th Annual Unionville Lions Country Music Festival. June 10th’s activities include a potluck meal at the Lions Building at 5 o’clock. Everyone is invited to bring a dish. Drinks will be provided. There will be Gospel music in the 4-H Building […]
‘Defund the police’ was designed to provoke a response. In Missouri, it worked
(Missouri Independent) – For years after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, activists and community leaders have pushed to “re-envision public safety.” Inspired in part by the Ferguson Commission, which recommended that cities focus more resources on the root causes of crime, organizers across the state echoed these calls. But they largely fell on deaf ears. […]
Audio: Federal court upholds temporary blocking of Missouri’s eight-week abortion ban
A federal appeals court has upheld today the temporary blocking of Missouri’s eight-week abortion ban. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis issued the ruling about the regulations passed by the Missouri Legislature in 2019 for abortions around eight weeks of pregnancy. Under House Bill 126, sponsored by O’Fallon Republican […]
Trenton R-9 Board of Education taking applications to fill vacancy
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education is taking applications to fill a board vacancy. Candidates must meet eligibility requirements for school board candidates under Missouri law. The appointed candidate will serve until the next April board election. Applications are available at the Trenton R-9 district office and will be accepted until June 25. Superintendent Mike […]
Livingston County Route C bridge available for reuse
The Missouri Department of Transportation is accepting proposals until the end of this year for the reuse of the Pony Truss, Warren alternating vertical bridge on Livingston County Route C over Shoal Creek, currently located 1.4 miles northwest of Dawn. The Shoal Creek Bridge is a 1933, rigid-connected, 178-foot long bridge with a 100-foot Warren […]
Two arrested by patrol charged with multiple offenses
Two men arrested in area counties by the Highway Patrol have been charged. Thirty-five-year-old Edward Lee Cates of Bethany was arrested in Harrison County the evening of June 8th. Online court information shows he faces felony possession of a controlled substance as well as misdemeanor charges of operating a vehicle on a highway without a […]
Court news for the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court on Tuesday, June 8, 2021
A Trenton man accused of driving a pickup and hitting the side of a business building has been sentenced in the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court. Braden Mark Spicer of rural Trenton pleaded guilty on Tuesday to an amended charge of misdemeanor, leaving the scene of an accident, and to one count of […]
Missouri State Highway Patrol reports arrests in Harrison and Caldwell counties
The highway patrol has made arrests in Harrison and Caldwell counties. Thirty-five-year-old Edward Cates of Bethany was arrested Tuesday evening in Harrison County and taken on a 24-hour hold to the law enforcement center in Bethany. The state patrol has accused Cates of felony possession of a controlled substance, listed as methamphetamine; possession of drug […]
Attorney General says Missouri lawmakers can refuse to fund Medicaid expansion
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri lawmakers were not obligated to fund Medicaid expansion, and the courts cannot force the state to pay the medical bills of people who would be eligible under an initiative that amended the state constitution, the state attorney general’s office argued in documents filed Monday in Cole County Circuit Court. The filing from Attorney […]
Audio: Missouri’s Governor weighs in on 13 requests for special sessions and on FRA Issue
Missouri’s governor says the only special session he plans to call this year AT THIS POINT involves congressional redistricting, which is required because of the new U.S. Census data. Governor Mike Parson tells Capitol reporters that he currently has 13 requests for special sessions, on his desk: The requests for special sessions include […]
Missouri Attorney General files civil suit against St. Louis County illicit massage business
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a civil lawsuit against an illicit massage business, Royal Day Spa, located in St. Louis County. This lawsuit is the fifth filed by Attorney General Schmitt as part of his Office’s Hope Initiative to combat human trafficking in illicit massage businesses. “Human trafficking is a scourge on our society […]
Lawmakers introduce legislation to maintain rural bridges
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Bob Casey (Pa.) announced that they have introduced the Support for Community Bridges Act. The bipartisan bill would allocate more dedicated funds for bridge repair to states with more off-system bridges in poor condition. Off-system bridges are not on the federal highway system and are often left out of […]