Natural Gas Meter (Photo by Tim Carpenter-Kansas Reflector via Missouri Independent)

After winter cold snap drove up natural gas prices, utilities grapple with who should pay

(Missouri Independent) – Penalties that Spire Missouri issued to suppliers who failed to provide natural gas during a February cold snap that forced power outages across the Midwest could drive bills for hospitals, schools, and businesses to astronomical levels, according to a trio of complaints pending before state regulators. During the worst of the cold snap in February, […]

Charges Filed

Two from Trenton face charges after arrest by Highway Patrol

Two Trenton residents arrested by the Highway Patrol in Grundy County on Wednesday night, June 15, face charges. Online court information indicates 22-year-old Brittany Nicole Roberts and 20-year-old Jalen Kirk Harper have each been charged with the felonies of tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. Harper also faces […]

WOTUS or Waters of the United States

Missouri Attorney General opposes reinstatement of overreaching WOTUS rule in Letter to EPA and Army Corps of Engineers

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Army Corps of Engineers, opposing their recent move to reconsider the more limited Navigable Waters Protection Rule, a President Trump-era rule that reversed the 2015 Obama-era Waters of the United States rule. EPA Administrator Michael Regan and the […]

Digital Photography Photo

Missouri Department of Conservation expands opportunities for photography and filming in conservation areas

The Missouri Conservation Commission gave final approval to the Missouri Department of Conservation on a proposed change to the Wildlife Code of Missouri regulations that would require permits for commercial or for-profit photography and videography on MDC areas. Commercial use is defined as any activity that directly or indirectly results in financial gain, or where […]

Prison Sentence

Couple who falsely claimed to be farmers sentenced to prison in $1.1 million COVID-relief fraud

A couple was sentenced to prison for their participation in a scheme to file four fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $1.1 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.  Latoya Stanley, 38, […]

B.1.1.7 variant of COVID

Livingston County Health Center confirms United Kingdom and Indian variants of COVID-19 circulating within the county

Livingston County Health Center has announced lab confirmation from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services of both U.K. and Indian variants of COVID-19 circulating in Livingston County. B.1.1.7-UK is labeled a variant of concern by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and has shown to be 50 percent more contagious than […]