During a press conference at the State Capitol, Governor Mike Parson announced that he has selected Paula Nickelson to serve as the Acting Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, effective March 1, 2022. “Today, we are excited to announce Paula Nickelson as the new DHSS Acting Director,” Governor Parson said. “Paula was a […]
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Fire destroys mobile home in Reger
A trailer house in Reger is a total loss after a fire on February 28th. Milan Fire Chief Rick Gardner reports the owner and occupant, Jeff Ledford, was burning grass around the trailer house at 26689 Delta Drive, and the house caught on fire. When the Milan Fire Department arrived, the west end of the […]
Monday afternoon crash on Highway 36 injures Macon woman
A rollover accident on Monday afternoon in Caldwell County injured the Macon resident who was driving the car. Twenty-two-year-old Caitlin Davis received minor injuries and was taken by EMS to Cameron Regional Medical Center. The car was eastbound when it went off the left side of Highway 36, into the median, began sliding, returned to […]
Brookfield man injured in rollover crash on Highway 11
A Brookfield man was taken to a hospital following a single-vehicle rollover accident late Sunday morning three miles east of Brookfield. Sixty-five-year-old Norman Duncan received minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to Pershing Memorial Hospital. The sports utility vehicle was southbound when it traveled off the left side of Highway 11, went down an […]
Residents of Trenton and Salisbury hospitalized after crashing on Highway 41
Residents of Trenton and Salisbury were injured when a sports utility vehicle overturned on Highway 41 north of Marshall. A passenger, 60-year old Vickie Johnson of Salisbury, was taken to University Hospital in Columbia with serious injuries. The driver, 58-year old Michael Markcum of Trenton, was taken to University Hospital with moderate injuries. The crash […]
Video: Biden taps Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as first black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden formally announced the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday afternoon. “President Biden sought a candidate with exceptional credentials, unimpeachable character, and unwavering dedication to the rule of law,” the White House said in a statement. If confirmed by the Senate, Jackson, 51, […]
Crash on Interstate 35 sends two from Oklahoma to hospital
An Interstate 35 crash on Thursday night in Harrison County injured two people from Tulsa, Oklahoma when a sports utility vehicle overturned. The highway patrol said minor injuries were noted for two passengers, 38-year-old Devard Hanna and 56-year-old Leslie Hanna. Both were taken to Harrison County Community Hospital in Bethany. The driver, 57-year-old Scott Carr, […]
Missouri State Highway Patrol Captain David Striegel to retire April 1
The superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announces the retirement of Captain David K. Striegel effective April 1, 2022. Striegel was appointed to the Patrol on January 1, 1996, as a member of the 71st Recruit Class. After graduating from the Patrol’s Law Enforcement Academy, his first assignment was to Troop E, Zone 8, […]
Missouri gun store owner pleads guilty to selling machine gun components, faces 10 years in prison
The owner of a Missouri gun store pleaded guilty in federal court to selling components to convert firearms into machine guns, which he marketed on his website as “cell phone holders.” Charles Lee Weston, 37, of Kansas City, Mo., waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays […]
Major Michael Turner transfers to Field Operations Bureau in Jefferson City
Major Michael A. Turner, bureau commander for the Support Services Bureau, will transfer to the Field Operations Bureau, General Headquarters, Jefferson City, MO. As bureau commander for Field Operations, Major Turner will have direct oversight responsibilities for all nine troops, Aircraft Division, and Water Patrol Division. He will continue serving as a member of the […]
Coalition of 13 attorneys general call for resignation of Alejandro Mayorkas’ at Department of Homeland Security
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, along with 13 other attorneys general are calling for U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ resignation. In a letter, citing the continued failure to enforce federal law and secure the southwest border, the coalition of 14 state attorneys general is demanding that Secretary Mayorkas leave office as his […]
Audio: Missouri could require high schoolers to fill out FAFSA before graduating
Missouri could require high school students to fill out a free application for federal student aid, known as the FAFSA, before graduating. The FAFSA is used to consider eligibility for federal grants, federal loans, and state grants. The Missouri Senate Education Committee is considering the requirement proposed by State Senator Karla Eslinger. The […]
Misinformation fuels false belief that Missouri COVID death figures are being inflated
(Missouri Independent) – On a recent Tuesday evening in southeastern Missouri, John Freeze stood in front of yet another angry group of constituents. Some here believe the number of COVID-19 deaths are being purposefully inflated for financial gain. Among the culprits, in their mistaken view: Hospitals seeking Medicare reimbursements; The federal government, led by Dr. Anthony […]
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 […]
U.S. House hearing on extremism toward minorities turns into ‘defund the police’ debate
(Missouri Independent) – Leaders of faith organizations and Historically Black Colleges and Universities told members of a U.S. House panel on Thursday how their institutions and places of worship have been roiled by bomb threats and extremism. They talked about the recent waves of bomb threats aimed at HBCUs, a terrifying hostage-taking at a Texas […]
Major Gregory Smith, of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, to retire March 1, 2022
Major Gregory K. Smith, commander of Field Operations Bureau with direct oversight responsibility for all nine troops, the Aircraft Division, and the Water Patrol Division will retire March 1, 2022. Smith was appointed to the Patrol on July 1, 1989, as a member of the 61st Recruit Class. After graduating from the Academy, he was […]
Why millions on Medicaid are at risk of losing coverage in the months ahead
(Missouri Independent) – This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News. The Biden administration and state officials are bracing for a great unwinding: Millions of people losing their Medicaid benefits when the pandemic health emergency ends. Some might sign up for different insurance. Many others are bound to get lost in the transition. State Medicaid […]
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 […]
Audio: Missouri prosecutor declines to charge reporter for finding state website flaw
A Missouri prosecutor has declined to file charges against a reporter for finding a data flaw in a state Department of Education website. The Cole County Prosecutor’s Office is not charging a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter for finding the state’s glitch that had the ability to publicly show the social security numbers of […]
Federal funds coming to Missouri to plug abandoned oil and gas wells
Missouri is among the states set to receive infrastructure funding for plugging what are known as an orphan, or abandoned, oil and gas wells. Uncapped orphan wells release methane, which is 80 times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide over its first 20 years in the atmosphere. Amber Steele, geological survey program director of […]