(Missouri Independent) – Missourians who were mistakenly paid unemployment benefits by the state should be required to pay that money back, Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday. The Missouri Department of Labor told St. Louis Public Radio last week that the state overpaid roughly $96 million in unemployment benefits between January and September last year. The errors were […]
Tag: Major
Audio: Medicaid expansion, COVID and early childhood highlight Missouri State of the State Address
Missouri’s governor is pledging to move forward with Medicaid expansion because voters approved it in August. GOP Governor Mike Parson, who campaigned against Medicaid expansion, emphasized the issue during his State of the State Address. Medicaid is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. 53 […]
Video: Governor Parson delivers 2021 State of the State Address
Governor Mike Parson delivered the 2021 State of the State Address to the Missouri General Assembly. Governor Parson highlighted several accomplishments the state has made in combating COVID-19 as well as major successes in infrastructure and workforce development despite the challenges of the past year. Following a recap of 2020, Governor Parson’s speech focused […]
Missouri Department of Higher Education releases report on response of postsecondary institutions during COVID-19
The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD) released an addendum to its third COVID-19 After-Action Report, which was published in December 2020. Much like last December’s report, the addendum focuses on the initial institutional response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As colleges and universities quickly transitioned to online courses, three major problems […]
North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees tackle lengthy agenda including personnel and spring graduation
The North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees approved several personnel items on Tuesday evening, January 26th. Former Board Clerk/Secretary Vicki Weaver was granted emeritus status. She was an employee of NCMC for 36 years. She retired at the end of December. President Doctor Lenny Klaver noted in a nomination letter that Weaver “guided NCMC […]
Audio: Congressman Graves talks about working with Biden Administration and Keystone XL Pipeline
President Biden has issued an executive order canceling the 1,200-mile Keystone XL Pipeline project. The nine billion dollar oil pipeline project was first proposed in 2008 and has been stuck in court battles through the years. It would have stretched from Canada to Texas. Northern Missouri Congressman Sam Graves says Biden’s decision is an economic […]
Audio: Four members of Gangster Disciples from Missouri arrested along with three from Kentucky and Illinois
Seven alleged members of the violent Gangster Disciples gang, including top national and state leaders, are in custody after multiple arrests this morning for their alleged participation in a years-long interstate racketeering conspiracy involving multiple murders, drug trafficking, and other crimes. The case was unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District […]
Biden immigration overhaul would open a door to citizenship for 11 million people
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden is poised to send a sweeping immigration reform bill to Congress Thursday that would lay out a path for nearly 11 million undocumented people to obtain citizenship within eight years. Immigration has been one of the toughest issues for Congress to tackle, and the legislation’s fate is unclear in […]
Increase in labor force sends unemployment higher in Missouri during December, 2020
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased again in December 2020, but a large increase in the civilian labor force sent unemployment higher. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 10,400 jobs over the month, and over-the-year job losses from COVID-19 shutdowns fell below 100,000. However, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by 1.3 percentage points from November […]
Audio: Congressman Emanuel Cleaver gains power, to be named housing panel chairman
KC-area Congressman Emanuel Cleaver will have more power in the new Congress, as a senior Democrat. He will soon become the chairman of the subcommittee of the House Finance Committee, one that oversees Housing and Insurance. Cleaver supported Biden early– and in return, Biden held a major rally in Kansas City at the […]
Teenager issued citation after striking SUV and utility pole in Trenton
The Trenton Police Department reports a Trenton teen was checked by Grundy County Ambulance personnel and issued a citation after the car she drove struck a sports utility vehicle on Wednesday afternoon, January 19th. Sixteen-year-old Lilly Paige Berti reported her right eye was hurting, however, no injuries were reported at the time for passengers in […]
Audio: Hawley blocks quick confirmation of Homeland Security head Alejandro Mayorkas
Sen. Josh Hawley said Tuesday that he would block a procedural move to bypass full committee consideration of the nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas to lead DHS. “Mr. Mayorkas has not adequately explained how he will enforce federal law and secure the southern border given President-elect Biden’s promise to roll back major enforcement and […]
Effort to stop charging 17-year-olds as adults has stalled in Missouri
(Missouri Independent) – Khadijah Wilson had a bully during her junior year at Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles. She told her principal and teachers about the name-calling, and how the other girl constantly threatened to beat her up. But no one intervened. It went on for several months. “I reported it more […]
Audio: Missouri Capitol heightens security after FBI warning of armed protests; House discusses emergency plans
The Missouri Capitol has extra law enforcement keeping an eye on the building after reports of possible “armed protests” at all 50 state capitols and the U.S. Capitol. The increased presence follows an FBI warning of threats of an “uprising” in the days leading up to the January 20 inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden. During […]
Final Jackson County audit report highlights concerns with assessment procedures, other areas of county government
Jackson County needs to improve controls and procedures in its assessment department to ensure effective and efficient future reassessments, an audit released today by State Auditor Nicole Galloway says. Those were some of the recommendations in the final report of the Auditor’s independent review of Jackson County government finances. The county received a rating of “fair.” […]
Audio: Monday’s inauguration in Jefferson City starts celebration of 200 years of Missouri history
About 2,000 people are expected to attend Monday’s inauguration ceremonies at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City. The festivities will help kick off the historic celebration of 200 years of Missouri history. State Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Defiance, plans to bring his children to the 2021 Bicentennial inauguration ceremony. “That’s one of the exciting […]
Audio: Secretary of State Ashcroft says Missouri conducted four safe, secure elections in 2020
Missouri’s Secretary of State is praising poll workers across the state, for their assistance with four major elections in 2020. Republican Jay Ashcroft notes those elections included Missouri’s presidential preference primary, the August primary, and November. The General Assembly in May approved bipartisan legislation expanding absentee voting to those 65 and older or […]
Audio: New Missouri House Speaker focusing on education, foster care and adoption
The Missouri House on Wednesday elected the first Speaker in state history from eastern Missouri’s Arnold. House Speaker Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, was elected Speaker on his 44th birthday, with his wife Amanda and their five children in the chamber in Jefferson City. Education was a primary theme during Vescovo’s address to the House. He says he was […]
$68 million in Federal funding announced for higher education institutions in Missouri
Governor Mike Parson announced over $68 million in Federal Budget Stabilization Fund appropriations for infrastructure and capital improvement projects at Missouri’s public universities and State Technical College of Missouri. Releasing these funds will help address major repairs and restore campus buildings to maintain a safe environment. “Public universities play a major role in their local communities, serving […]