A jury trial on a felony stealing charge for Garland Joseph Nelson of Braymer has been postponed. The Johnson County Circuit Court Office would not say why the trial was postponed. The office reports the jury was to be picked on April 20th, but no jury was chosen due to the postponement. Potential jurors came […]
Tag: law
New anti-abortion effort derails Missouri Medicaid funding bill
(Missouri Independent) – A third attempt to get a bill that funds one-quarter of Missouri’s Medicaid program through the state Senate failed Tuesday night when a new anti-abortion issue was injected into the legislation. Sen. Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, brought the bill that has been in limbo since late March to the floor just a few […]
Biden administration to reverse birth control access restrictions
The Biden administration has taken the first steps in the regulatory process to eliminate the domestic gag rule, which forced more than 900 reproductive-health clinics nationwide to leave the Title X family-planning program and lose major amounts of funding. Rachel Fey, vice president for policy and strategic partnerships at the contraceptive-access advocacy group Power to Decide, said the […]
Pediatricians say failure to fund Medicaid expansion could have long-lasting impacts
Voters in Missouri approved a ballot initiative expanding Medicaid. If the state funds it, Missouri will be on track to receive more than $1 billion in federal incentives. As lawmakers continue their debate on whether to fund voter-approved Medicaid expansion in Missouri, pediatricians say lack of access to high-quality health care can lead to long-lasting […]
Audio: Missouri House Health Committee Chairman says former DHSS Director Williams “Did a fine job”
Two key Missouri lawmakers from opposite parties view Tuesday’s resignation of state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director, Dr. Randall Williams, very differently. Missouri House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Stephens (R-Bolivar) praises Dr. Williams, while House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) says the resignation was long overdue. Chairman Stephens says Williams […]
Arkansas man pleads “guilty” to illegal logging in Missouri’s Mark Twain National Forest
An Arkansas man pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally damaging and removing more than two dozen trees from a national forest. Jamie R. Edmondson, 46, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of depredation of government property. By pleading guilty, Edmondson admitted that he illegally cut and removed […]
Lawmakers press Army Corps of Engineers to quickly implement flood control provisions included in Water Resources Development Act
Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), along with U.S. Representatives Sam Graves (Mo.) and Emanuel Cleaver II (Mo.), led a bipartisan, bicameral letter urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to quickly and fully utilize the tools and resources Congress provided in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020 and the FY2020 Energy and Water […]
Missouri spending bill would offer money for mortgage help, utility bills
(Missouri Independent) – Help may be coming for Missouri homeowners behind on their mortgage payments because of COVID-19 income losses. The Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday added $150 million in federal mortgage assistance funds to the supplemental spending bill for the current fiscal year, one of several new sections using money from pandemic relief bills passed by Congress […]
Grain Belt transmission line forges ahead amid landowner, lawmaker pushback
(Missouri Independent) – On the heels of a historic cold snap that left thousands across the Midwest without power, Kansas and Missouri residents could soon reap the benefits of a massive high-powered transmission line delivering renewable energy. Grain Belt Express, a project a decade in the making, is starting to acquire land along its route spanning […]
Panel recommends Missouri House expel Republican accused of sexually abusing his children
(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri House Ethics Committee voted unanimously on Monday to recommend Rep. Rick Roeber be expelled from the Legislature. The committee, made up of five Republicans and five Democrats, said evidence obtained over the course of its four-month investigation confirmed Roeber had sexually abused two of his children in 1990 when they […]
Hawley introduces the “Bust Up Big Tech” act
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Bust Up Big Tech Act, new legislation to restore accountability and competition to Big Tech. Senator Hawley’s bill would break up Big Tech companies seeking to dominate multiple industries simultaneously, by banning companies like Amazon from marketing their own retail goods alongside those of other sellers or providing online hosting or cloud services to an ever-growing swath of the internet—including competitors. The […]
Lawmakers reintroduce legislation to ban TikTok from government devices
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) reintroduced his legislation to ban all federal employees from using TikTok on government devices. Despite reports that TikTok is a unique threat to data security, the Biden administration shelved plans by the Trump administration to force a sale of TikTok’s American operations. Text of the legislation, cosponsored by Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and […]
Missouri Secretary of State announces 2 initiative petitions approved for circulation
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft announced his office recently approved for circulation two initiative petitions amending the Missouri Constitution. Before circulating petitions for signatures, state law requires that groups must first have the form of their petition approved by the secretary of state’s office. The office then has 23 days after the form of the […]
Milan man arrested on domestic assault allegation
The Milan Police Department reports the arrest of an individual in connection with a domestic disturbance. According to Chief Gail Hayes, police responded Friday night at 7:40 pm to the 200 block of North Pearl Street. David Wayon Smith of Milan has been charged in court with two felonies including domestic assault in the third […]
Audio: Second Amendment Preservation Act to hit Missouri Senate floor for debate
Legislation establishing a Second Amendment Preservation Act is expected to hit the Missouri Senate floor either this week or next week, according to Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz. Schatz spoke to Missourinet Sullivan affiliate KTUI Radio. Battlefield GOP State Senator Eric Burlison’s bill declares that it’s the duty of the courts and […]
Founding member of the Oath Keepers pleads guilty to breaching Capitol on January 6
Jon Schaffer, 53, of Columbus, Indiana, admitted that he breached the Capitol on January 6, 2021, wearing a tactical vest and armed with bear repellent, and pleaded guilty to unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol to obstruct Congress’ certification of the U.S. presidential election results. “On this 100th day since the horrific January 6 assault on […]
Ludlow woman who overdosed on meth charged with endangering the welfare of a child
A Ludlow woman has been charged with a felony after law enforcement responded to an individual possibly overdosing on narcotics in March. Thirty-two-year-old Kayla Sue Bower has been charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, creating substantial risk, first offense. An initial appearance in court is scheduled for May 26th. A probable cause […]
Mercer County Sheriff’s Department arrests Trenton man after serving search warrant
The Mercer County Sheriff’s Office reports a Trenton resident known to be violent and dangerous was taken into custody without incident on April 14th after serving a search warrant. Kenneth Leon Talley was wanted on an active warrant from the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office. Talley faces felony charges in Grundy County stemming from March of […]
Pattonsburg man charged with multiple counts of child molestation pleads “Not Guilty”
A Pattonsburg man charged with multiple counts of child molestation pleaded not guilty in Division One of Daviess County Circuit Court on April 14th. Seventy-three-year-old Steven Dale Lawrence waived formal arraignment and his motion for a change of judge was sustained. The case was assigned to Judge R. Brent Elliott. The case was continued to […]
Purdin couple facing narcotics charges and endangerment of a child after execution of search warrant
Two Purdin residents face several drug-related felony charges after the execution of a narcotics-related search warrant in the 500 block of Third Street in Purdin on April 15th. Forty-three-year-old Valerie Raglenda Coke and 37-year-old Donald Michael Morris have been charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child involving drugs, first offense, possession of a […]