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 […]
Tag: march
May jobs report shows Missouri unemployment rate at 4.2%
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased from April 2021 to May 2021, but the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by a tenth of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 6,000 jobs over the month, with job gains in both goods-producing and service-providing industries. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in May […]
Audio: Fire Department hosts Trenton Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting, tours of training tower
The Trenton Fire Department hosted a Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony and had tours of its training tower on June 15th. Fire Chief Brandon Gibler says the tower can be used in multiple ways and has already been used. Other fire departments can also use the tower. Gibler emphasizes […]
Princeton Board of Education approves bids, presented update on summer maintenance projects
The Princeton R-5 Board of Education on Monday evening, June 14, approved a bid for a passenger vehicle pending availability and final approval of a facility grant. The approved bid was from Suburban Chevrolet of Tulsa, Oklahoma for $45,695. Pettijohn Auto Center of Bethany also submitted a bid for $44,414. Pettijohn’s bid was lower, but […]
Report urges strong eviction moratoriums, robust rental aid
A new study of eviction filings in St. Louis during the pandemic found people within protected classes under the Fair Housing Act, communities of color, women-led households, and families with children are impacted at higher rates than others. The Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council’s report noted even though moratoriums have kept many people unable to […]
Attorney General says Missouri lawmakers can refuse to fund Medicaid expansion
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri lawmakers were not obligated to fund Medicaid expansion, and the courts cannot force the state to pay the medical bills of people who would be eligible under an initiative that amended the state constitution, the state attorney general’s office argued in documents filed Monday in Cole County Circuit Court. The filing from Attorney […]
Woman facing charges in Mercer County after entering a Princeton residence
A Bethany woman faces charges in Mercer County after she allegedly unlawfully entered a Princeton residence in March where a man she previously dated lived. Thirty-eight-year-old Jackie McCrary has been charged with second-degree felony burglary, misdemeanors of second-degree property damage, and stealing with a value of less than $150, no prior stealing offense. Bond was […]
Lawmakers release bipartisan report investigating January 6 Capitol attack
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Ranking Member and Chairwoman of the Committee on Rules and Administration, and Gary Peters (Mich.) and Rob Portman (Ohio), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released a bipartisan report on the security, planning, and response failures related to the violent […]
Grundy County on track to see $500,000 in the coffers for each category of sales tax if trend continues
With an influx of quarterly payments, Grundy County sales tax figures continue to be considerably ahead of the pace of one year ago. The report received today (Monday) shows the year-to-date sales tax collections of nearly $255,000 in each of three categories, general revenue, law enforcement, and the ambulance service. The figures are almost $21,000 […]
Audio: Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce holds annual banquet; recognizes Pillars of the Community, Businesses of the Year
At the Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet on June 4, President Debbie Carman reviewed the last year and acknowledged that plans had been made to hold the banquet in March 2020, and then COVID-19 came along. Carman said it was a tough year, but “the show must go on.” The community […]
Governor Mike Parson appoints fifteen to various boards and commissions
Governor Mike Parson announced fifteen appointments to various boards and commissions. Bryan Atkins, of Rea, was appointed to the Board of Probation and Parole. Mr. Atkins served as the Sheriff of Andrew County from 2009 until his retirement in 2020. Prior to being elected sheriff, he served as a Deputy Sheriff for Andrew County. He also formerly […]
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, […]
Missouri man sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole for meth trafficking and discharging a firearm
A Missouri man who shot a law enforcement officer before shooting himself was sentenced in federal court for drug trafficking and illegally discharging a firearm in Joplin, Mo. E.F. Fitchpatrick, Jr., 47, of St. Louis, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court sentenced […]
Bill requiring Biden to declassify intelligence related to origin of COVID-19 passes senate
The United States Senate unanimously passed Senator Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) bill to require the Biden administration to declassify intelligence related to any potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and the origins of the Covid pandemic. The bill is co-sponsored by Senator Mike Braun. In March 2020, Senator Hawley was the first member […]
COVID-19 surge in north Missouri creates worries for summer as vaccinations decline
(Missouri Independent) – In the last week of April, the Linn County Health Department signaled that the COVID-19 pandemic had cooled enough that it could discontinue weekly reports on new cases. With only three active cases on April 21, the urgency for frequent updates seemed to have passed. But the coronavirus came roaring back this […]
County by county unemployment rates in north Missouri range from 1.9% to 5.9%
County by county unemployment rates in north Missouri range from a low of 1.9% in Gentry County to 5.9% in Linn County. Statewide, the unemployment rate is 4%. Area counties, besides Gentry, with jobless rates for April that are lower than the state average, are Worth at 2.1%; Mercer at 2.3%; Putnam at 2-1/2 %, […]
Video: Bill requiring Biden to declassify intelligence related to origin of COVID-19 passes Senate unanimously
The United States Senate unanimously passed U.S. Senator Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) bill to require the Biden administration to declassify intelligence related to any potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill is co-sponsored by Senator Mike Braun (R-Ind.). In March 2020, Senator Hawley was the first […]
Attempts to ban teaching on ‘critical race theory’ multiply across the U.S.
(Missouri Independent) – From statehouses to Congress, Republicans have launched into a fight against the teaching of “critical race theory,” which just a year ago was a niche academic term. Experts in critical race theory say it’s about acknowledging how racial disparities are embedded in U.S history and society, and the concept is being mischaracterized […]
Judge sets trial date for lawsuit over Missouri Medicaid expansion
(Missouri Independent) – The lawsuit seeking to force Missouri to expand Medicaid coverage under a voter-approved constitutional amendment will go to trial June 18 in Cole County. On Wednesday morning, Circuit Judge Jon Beetem met in a conference call with Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office and attorneys for the three people suing for coverage. In an online notation with […]