Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway today issued her office’s audit of the Clay County Commission, which was initiated by a citizen petition in 2018. The report follows repeated but ultimately unsuccessful efforts by former county commissioners to impede the completion of the audit. The report, which gave a rating of “poor” – the lowest possible […]
Tag: legal
Audio: Missouri senator says family court should not discriminate against medical marijuana
Should a Missouri family court be allowed to tell a person they cannot take their legally prescribed medicine..even if it’s medical marijuana? As Joey Parker tells us, at least one Missouri lawmaker says “NO.” State Senator Barbara Washington says Missouri’s family courts should not tell someone involved in the court that they must […]
Bill that would decriminalize needle exchange programs passes Missouri Senate committee
(Missouri Independent) – A bill that would decriminalize needle exchange programs that aim to reduce the spread of infectious diseases was voted out of the Senate General Laws Committee Tuesday. Needle exchange programs allow drug users to swap out used syringes with clean, new ones in an effort to decrease the chances of contracting or […]
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 man to spend nine years in prison without parole for illegal firearms
A Missouri man who has been involved in several shootings was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing firearms. Zecheriah D. Stewart, 24, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to nine years in federal prison without parole. On Jan. 20, 2021, Stewart pleaded guilty to two counts of being […]
Push for expanded Missouri gambling puts casinos, video operators in opposing camps
(Missouri Independent) – Approving video lottery would produce more than 10 times the new state revenue of sports wagering and drive cash-prize video games of debated legality out of Missouri, a newly updated report contends. The report, prepared by Morowitz Gaming Advisors LLC and Global Gaming & Hospitality Capital Advisors LLC and paid for by companies that […]
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, […]
Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority opens grant opportunities for Missouri producers
The Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority (MASBDA) announces the opening of two funding opportunities, while also announcing recipients of the most recent grant cycle. MASBDA is accepting applications for two programs that add value to Missouri agricultural products and aid the economy of a rural community. The Missouri Value-Added Agriculture Grant can be used for […]
Governor Parson makes appointments to seven boards and commissions
Governor Mike Parson announced seven appointments to various boards and commissions. Sheriff Jim Arnott, of Springfield, was appointed to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission. Sheriff Arnott has served as the Greene County Sheriff since 2008. He has also simultaneously served as the Interim Chief of the Fair Grove Police Department and Ash Grove Police […]
Missouri man charged with illegal firearms after police pursuit
A Missouri, man who caused an accident while fleeing from a police helicopter, then ran from police officers through the backyards of a residential neighborhood before being apprehended, was charged in federal court with illegally possessing firearms. Jonathon M. Pentlin, 24, of Belton, was charged with one count of being a felon in possession of […]
Trenton R-9 School District to hold preschool and kindergarten screenings
The Trenton R-9 School District will hold preschool and kindergarten screenings for the 2022-2023 school year for students not currently enrolled. Screenings will be held from April 4th through April 6th. Students must be three, four, or five years old by August 1st to be screened. Required documentation includes the student’s legal birth certificate, immunization […]
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 […]
Missouri man charged in failed restaurant robbery, after employees wrestle him to the ground and take his gun
A Missouri man was charged in federal court on Wednesday, February 23, 2022. The man attempted to rob an Independence, Missouri restaurant but was thwarted when employees wrestled him to the floor and took away his gun. Bryan C. Byers, 23, of Kansas City, was charged in a three-count criminal complaint filed in the U.S. […]
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: Shoes vs. masks? Missouri lawmaker and attorney general spar over school dress codes
A state Representative and Missouri’s attorney general sparred over school dress codes. Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, has sued 45 K-12 school districts for requiring masks and quarantining to slow the spread of the coronavirus. During a Missouri House Budget Committee hearing, Democrat Peter Merideth of St. Louis asked if […]
Audio: Missouri lawmaker is trying to make recreational marijuana legal
Is Missouri ready to allow marijuana for recreational use, not just as a medicine? State Representative Ron Hicks, of St. Charles, has filed House Bill 27-04 which is called the “Cannabis Freedom Act.” Not only would it legalize marijuana for adults, but the Republican’s bill would also release all non-violent marijuana offenders from jails and […]
U.S. Department of Justice sues Missouri over law blocking enforcement of federal gun regulations
(Missouri Independent) – A controversial Missouri gun law that penalizes police for enforcing federal gun laws is facing a new legal challenge from the U.S. Justice Department. On Wednesday, the department filed suit to prevent Missouri from enforcing its Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA), a law that allows citizens to file suit for up to […]
Missouri man sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole for $4 million meth conspiracy and illegal firearms
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a $4 million drug-trafficking conspiracy that distributed more than 520 kilograms of methamphetamine over three years. Christapher Dean Parton, also known as “Big Baby,” 32, of St. Joseph, was sentenced by United States District Judge Greg Kays to 15 years in federal prison […]
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 […]