As the state Senate debates Missouri’s budget for next year, groups are urging lawmakers to learn from the 38 states that have expanded their Medicaid programs. The budget passed by the Missouri House leaves out the $130 million needed to fund expansion. The remainder of the costs would be covered by the federal government. Joan Alker, executive director […]
A Missouri State University survey of eight-thousand K-12 public school teachers says 1 in 10 educators plan to leave the field this year. Doctor Jon Turner, an associate professor at the university, says about 62-percent of those likely to quit point to challenges caused by the coronavirus. He says rural teachers have weathered the pandemic […]
Trenton City Council on Monday night heard a proposal on the placement of a memorial bench downtown to honor the late longtime businessman Elvin Noel. Noel died in March of 2017 after owning and operating Howard’s for about 45 years. Although his home was in Gallatin, Noel also had been an active member of the […]
Apprenticeship programs at community colleges are poised for a big investment under President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan. The plan includes $12 billion dollars for community colleges. At a recent congressional hearing, members from both parties expressed support for targeting some of those funds at apprenticeship programs within community colleges. Shalee Hodgson, associate dean for technology, applied […]
Governor Mike Parson announced that the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Energy Assistance (EA) Program is extending one-time primary heating bill payments through May 31, 2021. In addition, eligibility for both the heating and cooling programs are expanding from Missouri households with incomes up to 135 percent of the Federal Poverty Level to include Missouri households […]
(Missouri Independent) – After hours of fierce debate that spanned the course of two days, the Missouri House on Wednesday signed off on a prohibition on transgender students participating on the sports teams that match their gender identity. The provision, offered as an amendment by Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, to House Bill 1141 was adopted by a vote […]
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA will open enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program with higher payment rates, new incentives, and a more targeted focus on the program’s role in climate change mitigation. Additionally, USDA is announcing investments in partnerships to increase climate-smart agriculture, including $330 million in 85 Regional Conservation Partnership Program […]
United States Senator Josh Hawley is asking federal agency leaders to ramp up operations again at some field offices. He says pre-CVOID 19 services should be restored. Many of these complaints have been directed at the National Personnel Records Center, which is based in St. Louis and houses military records for veterans nationwide. […]
The Putnam County R-1 School District recently recognized Tori Guffey as the Career and Technical Education Student of the Month for April 2021. Student winners are chosen by the vocational faculty based on a set of criteria that includes: attendance, grades, cooperation with fellow students and teachers, enthusiasm for subject(s), attitude both in the classroom […]
The Grain Belt Express project plans to run wind power transmission lines across eight rural counties in northern Missouri—from Buchanan through Ralls. Though the Public Service Commission has approved it and the commission’s approval won a court challenge, agricultural opponents have once again found support in the Legislature. The Missouri House passed HB 527 to stop utility […]
Voters in Missouri approved a ballot initiative expanding Medicaid. If the state funds it, Missouri will be on track to receive more than $1 billion in federal incentives. As lawmakers continue their debate on whether to fund voter-approved Medicaid expansion in Missouri, pediatricians say lack of access to high-quality health care can lead to long-lasting […]
Two key Missouri lawmakers from opposite parties view Tuesday’s resignation of state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director, Dr. Randall Williams, very differently. Missouri House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Stephens (R-Bolivar) praises Dr. Williams, while House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) says the resignation was long overdue. Chairman Stephens says Williams […]
Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), along with U.S. Representatives Sam Graves (Mo.) and Emanuel Cleaver II (Mo.), led a bipartisan, bicameral letter urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to quickly and fully utilize the tools and resources Congress provided in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020 and the FY2020 Energy and Water […]
(Missouri Independent) – On the heels of a historic cold snap that left thousands across the Midwest without power, Kansas and Missouri residents could soon reap the benefits of a massive high-powered transmission line delivering renewable energy. Grain Belt Express, a project a decade in the making, is starting to acquire land along its route spanning […]
Plans are underway for the 2021 Missouri Days Marching Festival in Trenton set for Saturday, October 16th. “This year will be special in many ways,” reports Phil Ray, speaking on behalf of the Marching Festival Steering Committee. “With the cancellation of last year’s festival resulting in the staging of a virtual marching festival, we fully […]
The Battle of the Bands Friday and Saturday night in Trenton resulted in close competition among those who voted. The Friday night winner of the rock battle was “90 Days Band” while Saturday night’s winner of the country battle was “Steven Bankey and the Flatlanders.” Four bands entertained each night for about one hour each. […]
The Trenton High School Band and Choir performed on opening night for the performing arts center at the high school on April 16th. The invitation-only event also included recognition of people who made the PAC a reality. Director of Supportive Services Kris Ockenfels expressed appreciation to project engineers and architects, the board of education, former […]
Crews from Vance Brothers, Inc., working with the Missouri Department of Transportation, plan to seal coat Route 190 between U.S. Route 65 in Chillicothe and 8 miles west of U.S. Route 65, just west of Route N. The work is scheduled for Thursday, April 22, Friday, April 23 and Monday, April 26. During the seal […]
(Missouri Independent) – As bills expanding charter schools and creating new scholarship accounts for private school tuition make their way through the process, one piece of legislation is trying to give students more options within the public schools that already exist. House Bill 543, sponsored by Rep. Brad Pollitt, R-Sedalia, would establish the “Public School […]
(Missouri Independent) – Use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 shot will remain paused for at least a week after a federal vaccine advisory panel said Wednesday that it had too little data on a rare but serious blood-clotting condition reported in at least six women. That means states and federally run vaccine sites will […]
