U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced he will introduce new legislation to give blue-collar workers a pay raise. For nearly four decades, workers making below the median wage have experienced stagnant wages, and this past year, the problem has been made worse by unprecedented layoffs, reduced hours, and income disruptions due to the government shutting down […]
(Missouri Independent) – The plan for distributing money directly to Missouri counties in the current version of the $1.9 trillion federal coronavirus relief bill is pretty simple – each gets $195.44 per person. But for cities, instead of a formula based on population, Congress divvies up the money using the method for determining Community Development Block Grant allocations. […]
The Missouri Senate has passed a bill that would protect some businesses and organizations from COVID-19 exposure lawsuits. The legislation is designed to protect businesses like health care providers, manufacturers, schools, and churches from such lawsuits in many instances. Under the bill, the lawsuits must be filed within a year of an alleged COVID-19 exposure. […]
Senator Roy Blunt is a leader/ranking member on the Senate panel investigating the police response to January 6’s deadly attack on Congress and the Capitol. He says the event caused many types of trauma to Americans. Senators questioned now-resigned leaders of the Capitol Police and Congressional security. The takeaway on Tuesday is that […]
(Missouri Independent) – Republican state Senators advanced sweeping legislation early Tuesday morning aimed at penalizing protestors who block streets, while also providing further protections for law enforcement under investigation for misconduct or excessive force. The bill also aims to prevent municipalities from decreasing the budgets for law enforcement agencies in Missouri by more than 12 percent over […]
(Missouri Independent) – Last spring, as Missouri businesses shed hundreds of thousands of jobs, Gov. Mike Parson warned that the state was headed for the worst financial crunch since the 2008 recession. Ten months later, Parson presented a budget plan that anticipates a $1.1 billion surplus on July 1, the biggest in state history. And if the $1.9 trillion pandemic […]
Missouri Department of Transportation crews are focusing on pothole repair through April. When you see a MoDOT crew making repairs, motorists should slow down and move over a lane to give them room to work. Crews started working to address the pesky potholes as soon as there was a break in the weather last week. […]
A Trenton resident has been arrested on warrants accusing him of failure to appear in court on previous charges. Twenty-year-old Nathan Wayne Hinkle was arrested on Sunday. Hinkle failed to appear in Division One of Circuit Court on October 16th for a probation violation hearing. The original charges involve two counts of stealing from August […]
Trenton High Schools’ FFA Chapter is observing National FFA Week with daily activities plus the rescheduling of two events normally held during this week. Sunday, 23 members attended Laredo Christian Church. Today was designed as “Boots and Bibs” day at TH-S. Tuesday involves FFA members bringing tractors and trucks to school. Kidridge Griffin is the […]
A Tennessee resident with German citizenship was removed to Germany for participating in Nazi-sponsored acts of persecution while serving as an armed guard at a Nazi concentration camp in 1945. In February 2020, Friedrich Karl Berger, 95, was ordered removed from the U.S. based on his participation in Nazi-sponsored persecution while serving in Nazi Germany […]
Joseph Brinser, a 56-year-old Trenton resident, passed away Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at his residence. Brinser is to be cremated under the direction of Slater Neal Funeral Home with memorial services pending at a later date. Memorial donations are suggested to either the Grundy County Rural Fire Department or Maple Grove Cemetery. William Joseph Brinser […]
The Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission recently awarded a contract to Krupp Construction, of Ellisville, Missouri, for an improvement project on Baltimore Street in Kirksville. The project consists of resurfacing, American with Disabilities (ADA) improvements, and drainage improvements. The project will run from just north of Illinois Street to just south of Patterson Street. The […]
(Missouri Independent) – The White House on Wednesday indicated that President Joe Biden would support studying reparations for slavery, the same day that House Democrats held a hearing on legislation that would set up a reparations commission. But White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stopped short of saying Biden would sign the bill under consideration […]
(Missouri Independent) – Thousands of Missourians facing repayment of mistakenly paid unemployment benefits would get some relief under legislation passed with a bipartisan vote Wednesday in a Missouri House committee. The bill, which will likely be debated on the House floor next week, would forgive debts due to overpayments from federal coronavirus relief programs but would not […]
Missouri adults are less educated today than nationally. That’s what state House Budget Committee members learned Wednesday during a hearing about Governor Parson’s next state budget proposal for Missouri’s colleges and universities. Higher Education and Workforce Development Department Commissioner Zora Mulligan says there have been many efforts to change this trend. Mulligan says […]
During Children’s Dental Health Month, dentists are urging folks to keep up a regular schedule of care to prevent future dental issues, unless they live in an area with uncontrolled or high community spread of COVID-19. By age five, nearly half of all children have at least one cavity – but in the last year, […]
(Missouri Independent) – The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office in a report Monday found a gradual increase to a $15 federal minimum wage by 2025 would reduce poverty, add $54 billion to the deficit over a decade and increase pay for millions of low-income workers. The report could help Democrats make a strong case for including a […]
Governor Parson announced that the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Energy Crisis Intervention Program will improve assistance offered to eligible low-income Missourians. “We are very pleased to announce this improvement to the Energy Crisis Intervention Program, especially given the extreme winter weather our state is currently facing,” Governor Parson said. “Since many Missourians remain […]
(Missouri Independent) – I’m an independent Missouri farmer and livestock producer, and JBS, the largest meatpacker in the world and a Brazilian corporation, is attempting to put a 10,500 head hog operation next to my community and the Poosey Conservation Area in Livingston County. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is in the process of giving Missourian’s […]
Legislation has been filed this session that would move some local races and issues, such as fire department and tax increase proposals, from April to later in the year. During a Missouri House Budget Committee hearing this week, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft says he has not taken a position on the idea. However, he […]
