(Missouri Independent) – In the first test of a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, drug middlemen last week argued that federal law gives them a right to limit which pharmacies patients with health insurance can use — or at least make it more expensive if patients get their medicine at a shop that isn’t preferred […]
Tag: lied
Missouri fielding “high volume” of calls for rental assistance as evictions resume
(Missouri Independent) – Calls from tenants seeking emergency rental assistance are escalating in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that blocked a national eviction moratorium. The Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) has 60 application processors working to distribute hundreds of millions in federal aid and has been fielding about 500 calls and responding to […]
Livingston County Deputy certified as Rape Aggression Defense Training instructor
A Livingston County Deputy is now a Rape Aggression Defense Training Instructor. Deputy Jennifer Plummer is now certified to help women learn and put to use techniques if they find themselves in a situation where their physical safety is at risk. Sheriff Steve Cox said Plummer attended RAD training in Grain Valley during August. Cox […]
USDA updates pandemic assistance for livestock, poultry contract producers and specialty crop growers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is updating the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) for contract producers of eligible livestock and poultry and producers of specialty crops and other sales-based commodities. CFAP 2, which assists producers who faced market disruptions in 2020 due to COVID-19, is part of USDA’s broader Pandemic Assistance for Producers […]
Saint Luke’s Health System to require mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for all employees
Saint Luke’s Health System announced it will require all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 30, 2021. The announcement comes as Kansas City has experienced a dramatic surge in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks. Hospitals and health systems across Missouri and Kansas have struggled to find enough ICU beds and staff […]
Kansas man arrested in Daviess County on drug and weapon allegations
The highway patrol reports a Paola, Kansas resident was arrested Saturday evening in Daviess County. Thirty-eight-year-old Patrick Vanlerberg was accused of possession of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a firearm, speeding, failure to display valid plates on a motor vehicle, no proof of insurance, and no motorcycle endorsement. There also was a Buchanan County warrant relating […]
Supreme Court rejection of eviction ban increases pressure to dole out rental aid money
(Missouri Independent) -The U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of the Biden administration’s last-ditch effort to extend a federal ban on evictions has put hundreds of thousands of American renters at risk of losing their housing — and is increasing pressure on states and localities to get rental assistance dollars distributed faster. In an eight-page majority opinion […]
Attorneys argue Missouri is violating federal law, courts on Medicaid expansion delays
(Missouri Independent) – Attorneys who successfully sued to force Missouri to enact voter-approved Medicaid expansion argued in a letter to state officials Thursday that delays in implementation violate not only the court order but also federal law. The plaintiffs’ attorneys, Chuck Hatfield and Lowell Pearson joined with Joel Ferber, director of advocacy for Legal Services […]
Restaurant owner and managers in Missouri among 19 charged in RICO Indictment
The owner of dozens of Mexican restaurants in several states, along with the company’s president, CFO, controller, and sales manager are among 19 defendants charged in a federal racketeering conspiracy to hire undocumented workers. Also among those charged are eight current or former managers of restaurants located in Butler, Springfield, Lebanon, West Plains, Willow Springs, […]
Empire District Gas Company files request to increase natural gas charge
On August 23, 2021, The Empire District Gas Company (d/b/a “Liberty”) filed a request with the Missouri Public Service Commission to adjust natural gas base rates. The new rates would take effect in 2022 and reflect Liberty’s efforts to maintain a safe, reliable natural gas system, enhance the customer experience, and expand support for limited-income […]
As Missouri students head back to class, state launches new COVID testing program
(Missouri Independent) – Monday marks the first day of school for thousands of students across Missouri and it’s also when schools can begin enrolling in a new federally-funded testing program aimed at helping facilitate a safe return to the classroom. The Department of Health and Senior Services announced Friday evening that Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc., a […]
Meatpacking plants have long relied on immigrant labor. Some now turn to foreign visa workers
(Missouri Independent) – Colored hard hats distinguish different roles and jobs at Seaboard Foods, a major meatpacking plant in Guymon, Oklahoma. Senior management have green. Supervisors wear dark blue. Foreign workers on visas don yellow-green. But Seaboard is part of a small but growing trend in the meatpacking industry, which already largely relied on an […]
Missouri Attorney General files suit against Jackson County over mask mandate
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that he has filed suit against Jackson County for enforcing an unlawful, arbitrary, and capricious mask mandate. The suit names Jackson County Executive Frank White, the Jackson County Health Department, and other defendants. “Jackson County’s mask mandate is yet another attempt by government officials to obtain, aggregate, and maintain […]
Gallatin Board of Aldermen set tax levy rates; submit multiple claims to Daviess County Disaster Declaration Grant Program
The Gallatin Board of Aldermen set tax levy rates on August 9, 2021. City Clerk Hattie Rains reports the rates were set at $.6438 for the general revenue fund, $.229 for the parks and recreation fund, and $.02 for the band fund. That totals $.8928. The board agreed to purchase a new blower out of […]
Big rig slides off Route Z east of King City
A King City resident was injured late Saturday morning when the truck he was driving slid off Route Z just east of King City. Seventy-year-old Larry Clark was taken by private vehicle to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph with minor injuries. Clark was driving a conventional semi pulling a flatbed trailer. The eastbound truck […]
Life Options Green Hills Executive Director Rachael Brothers speaks to members of Trenton Rotary
Life Options Green Hills Executive Director Rachael Brothers spoke at the Trenton Rotary Club meeting on August 5th. She said the center in Trenton has a goal of being the client’s “first choice for information” regarding pregnancy decisions. The facility opened in July of 2020 and has served 67 women and six men from the […]
Advocates say Missouri’s eviction crisis could be a ‘humanitarian tragedy’
(Missouri Independent) – Melissa Pashia is hoping for any kind of good news today. The federal eviction moratorium ended Saturday, and she’s got her fingers crossed one of her clients will finally get approved for the rental assistance that they applied for in April through the State Assistance for Housing Relief Program (SAFHR). The aid approval […]