Governor Mike Parson announced an end to the COVID-19 crisis in Missouri and that the state will be shifting to an endemic phase of the pandemic on Friday, April 1, 2022. A whole-of-government COVID-19 emergency response was taken for more than two years, an effort that responded to the needs of all Missourians during the […]
Tag: learned
Grundy and Mercer County authorities investigating stolen vehicles
Sheriff’s offices from Grundy and Mercer counties are investigating several vehicles recently reported as stolen. The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reports a maroon-colored 2006 Chrysler Town and Country minivan was reported stolen from Tindall and was allegedly taken March 22nd in the early morning hours. The minivan has Missouri license plates of CU1 R1G. The […]
Audio: Missouri bill would create grant program to incentivize K-12 learning based on mastery of skills
Missouri’s current K-12 education system goes by chronological age and time in class. State Representative Doug Richey, a Republican from western Missouri’s Excelsior Springs, wants to award grants to eligible school districts to provide competency-based learning. This type of learning is based on students showing that they have learned the knowledge they are expected to […]
Trenton Park Board approves deficit budget
The Trenton Park Board approved a deficit budget for 2022-2023 on March 9th. The budget was approved with an amendment to the petroleum products cost. The cost of petroleum products was originally budgeted for the same price as the current year at $6,500, but it was increased by 50% to $9,750 due to the recently […]
Missouri man sentenced to 17 years in prison for trafficking crack cocaine
A Missouri, man who twice fled from police officers was sentenced in federal court for possessing crack cocaine to distribute. Eldon M. Cox, 38, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 17 years in federal prison without parole. Cox was sentenced as a career offender due to his prior felony […]
Biden in State of the Union urges ‘unmistakable’ support for democracy in Ukraine
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night to reassert America as a leading global voice for democracy and condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin for starting an “unprovoked” war in Ukraine. “Throughout our history, we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price […]
Missouri takes months to process Medicaid applications — longer than law allows
(Missouri Independent) – This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News. Aneka French applied for Medicaid in October, not long after Missouri became the 38th state to expand eligibility for the program. But her application sat for months in a backlog with tens of thousands of others. While she waited, French, 45, an uninsured medical […]
American Farm Bureau Federation claims it’s the ‘voice of agriculture,’ Others beg to differ
(Missouri Independent) – This story was originally published as a collaboration between Investigate Midwest and Watchdog Writers Group. The American Farm Bureau Federation calls itself the “voice of agriculture,” a slogan it trademarked in 2007. But as the divide between agribusiness and small farmers has grown in recent decades, a unified voice of agriculture has become harder to […]
Missouri lawmaker admits illegally selling prescription drugs, says it was unintentional
(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri lawmaker facing a 23-count federal indictment for allegedly selling fake stem-cell treatments and fraudulently using federal pandemic relief funds has settled with the state health department, resulting in three-year probation of her narcotics license while admitting to illegally purchasing and prescribing pharmaceutical drugs. The administrative settlement, signed Jan. 28 with the […]
Video: Senator Hawley demands accountability on Afghanistan, Objects to DoD Nominees
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) objected to the unanimous consent of several Department of Defense nominations, followed by remarks that outlined the Biden administration’s failures and lack of accountability in the aftermath of the botched Afghanistan withdrawal last summer. He also reiterated how the administration is on the brink of another disaster, this time with […]
Federal charges filed against Missouri woman linked to multiple overdose deaths
On February 8, 2022, federal charges were filed against Chuny Ann Reed, age 46. Reed is accused of the distribution of crack cocaine (cocaine base) and fentanyl. These charges were a result of an investigation that began after a series of fatal overdoses that occurred at 4451 Forest Park Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri on February […]
Seven Missouri residents indicted for conspiracy to transport stolen catalytic converters across state lines
Seven Rogersville, Missouri, and Springfield, Mo., residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to transport thousands of stolen catalytic converters across state lines as part of a multi-million-dollar business. “A scourge of catalytic converter thefts on a breathtaking scale had a significant impact on the Springfield community […]
Community leaders celebrated for commitment to learning
Community leaders in six northwest Missouri counties were part of Maximize Northwest Missouri’s 2021 Regional Learning Collaborative that wrapped up late last summer. “Some of the keywords that participants used to describe their learning experience include: enlightening, motivating, empowering, informative, inspiring, insightful, and team-building,” shared Mary Hinde, president of The Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri. […]
Former Kansas City man pleads guilty to bank robbery
A former Kansas City, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to robbing Arvest Bank. Jamarious K. Braxton, 32, of Memphis, Tennessee, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of bank robbery. By pleading guilty, Braxton admitted that he walked into Arvest Bank, 8959 E. 40 Hwy., on Oct. 21, 2017, […]
Missouri couple sentenced to prison for embezzling from businesses
A Missouri husband and wife were sentenced in federal court for their involvement in a five-year-long scheme to embezzle more than $235,000 from a Joplin, Mo., business owner. Jeanine A. Poe, 52, and William Poe, 58, of Carthage, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips. Jeanine Poe was sentenced to […]
Department of Public Safety: Trooper Costley likely prevented kidnapping following traffic stop
Trooper Zachary T. Costley, of Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop D, is the December 2021 Department of Public Safety Team Member of the Month for the thoroughness of his investigative work following a traffic stop, which likely prevented an attempted kidnapping. On Aug. 8, 2021, Zachary conducted a traffic stop for a registration violation on […]
First case of COVID Omicron variant found in Missouri
(Missouri Independent) – The omicron variant of COVID-19 has made its way to Missouri, with the first case announced Friday. In a news release, the Department of Health and Senior Services said it was notified by public health partners of a presumed positive case for the variant that came from a St. Louis resident who […]
Trenton Building and Nuisance Board learns two properties of concern are in the process of being sold
Trenton’s Building and Nuisance Board learned Monday evening that two properties of concern are in the process of being sold. The Walden Apartments at 1010 Avalon Street have Connie Lasher as the general manager representing Action Management and Consulting Services LLC. In an e-mail to the city, she wrote Walden Apartments is being purchased by […]
Missouri Attorney General files lawsuit against city of Moscow Mills for enforcing ticket quotas on police officers
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against the City of Moscow Mills for allegedly enforcing a ticket quota on their officers, in violation of Senate Bill 5 and accompanying reforms. “Missourians should not be treated as cash cows to fill municipal coffers. When I was in the State Senate, I led efforts to […]