State Senator Dan Hegeman has pre-filed Senate Bill 633 regarding election integrity and reform. While it contains some familiar language, Hegeman said it also embraces new technology, with what he called “voter safety” in mind. The legislative proposal would allow a local election official to oversee ballot-counting machines and ensure these machines are not connected […]
The student nursing class of 2021 used class funds to donate an automated external defibrillator for use in Cross Hall on the North Central Missouri College Main Campus in Trenton, Missouri. “We felt that an AED was important to us because we felt there should be one in every building in the case of a […]
(Missouri Independent) – The omicron variant of COVID-19 has made its way to Missouri, with the first case announced Friday. In a news release, the Department of Health and Senior Services said it was notified by public health partners of a presumed positive case for the variant that came from a St. Louis resident who […]
(Missouri Independent) – Attorney General Eric Schmitt will not appeal a consequential court ruling that strips powers from local health departments, despite a request from Missouri’s state health director to do so. In an email to The Independent, Schmitt’s spokesman said the attorney general’s office notified the Department of Health and Senior Services of its […]
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway released the audit of the Greene County Commission that included the involvement of a former Greene County commissioner in a 2017 sales tax ballot measure campaign. Among its findings, the audit found that taxpayers paid more than $25,000 in legal invoices sent to the personal address of now-former Presiding Commissioner […]
(Missouri Independent) – Patients who arrive at an abortion clinic in Overland Park, Kansas, have often traveled long distances. Many began their journeys in Missouri, sometimes driving hours to their appointment. “We’ve heard these stories from Missourians and other people in our region for years,” said Emily Wales, interim president of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. “They […]
(Missouri Independent) – Smithfield Foods agreed this week to pay the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration $13,494 to settle a citation for failing to protect its meatpacking employees in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, from exposure to the coronavirus last year, but the company didn’t admit it did anything wrong. As such, the settlement can’t […]
(Missouri Independent) – The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill isn’t just about roads and bridges — it also spends billions to address wildfire, drought, flooding, and other effects from climate change, Interior Department officials said Wednesday. The $1.2 trillion measure, which is awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature after the House cleared it last week, includes pay […]
Teachers of the first quarter were announced at November 9th’s Trenton R-9 Board of Education meeting. They are Rissler Elementary School First Grade Teacher Abby Gott, Trenton Middle School Art Teacher Sheridan Mounce, and Trenton High School American Government Teacher Derek Bloom. Superintendent Mike Stegman noted the board will choose a teacher of the year […]
(Missouri Independent) – The first seaport to improve its facilities following passage of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill could be in Savannah, Ga., a senior Biden administration official said Tuesday. President Joe Biden has yet to sign the measure, which Congress sent to Biden’s desk late last week, funding improvements in highways, transit, ports, waterways, airports, […]
Governor Mike Parson celebrated Missouri’s strong economic position as the number of Missourians on unemployment decreases, businesses continue to invest and expand in Missouri, and the state earns several economic recognitions. “Throughout the pandemic, we took a balanced approach that protected the health and safety of Missourians without sacrificing their livelihoods,” Governor Parson said. “We didn’t […]
Families in Missouri have been receiving Child Tax Credit payments of $300 to $350 a month per child since the summer, and one local expert says making them permanent could benefit families long-term, across the nation. So far, 45% of Missouri families have reported using their payments for food, 33% for essential bills, and 30% […]
The U. S. Drought Monitor Map for this week indicates hardly any abnormally dry conditions remain in the Green Hills Area. The map was released the morning of November 4 and is based on conditions as of November 2. For the Green Hills, there are only abnormally dry conditions in the northeastern part of Linn County. […]
The Trenton Park Board on November 3, 2021, voted to level the concrete and playable area at the tennis courts at Eastside Park up to a price of $2,410. The vote came after discussion of the condition of the tennis courts and the possibility of putting in one or multiple pickleball courts. Board President Curtis Crawford […]
The Missouri Supreme Court is considering whether local elected officials should be banned from spending public money to campaign in support of or opposition to candidates and ballot measures. Some St. Louis County area elected officials filed a lawsuit in 2019 saying the state law violates the free speech rights of local leaders. Attorney Paul […]
Close to 13,000 people have been enrolled in expanded Medicaid in Missouri, according to the Department of Social Services. In 2020, a majority of Missouri voters passed a ballot measure to expand the government-funded health insurance to about 275-thousand low-income adult residents. The benefits include primary and preventive care, emergency services, prescription drugs, […]
Several measures are on the ballot for a special election in Clinton County November 2. Proposition 1 asks if the county should impose a county-wide sales tax of half of a percent for 10 years beginning April 1st, 2022 and expiring April 1st, 2032 for the purpose to improve county law enforcement services. Additional revenue […]
Women and young people have faced increased behavioral health challenges since before the pandemic, according to a new report, which assessed the state of well-being for women and children. The study from the United Health Foundation looked at more than 100 measures, from physical health to emotional, social, and behavioral health determinants. Dr. Ravi Johar, chief […]
A case heads to the Missouri Supreme Court this week about a state law adding greater protections for sexual assault survivors. The Missouri Supreme Court will hear a case Tuesday about a 2020 law known as the “Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights”. The law streamlines the testing and tracking of rape kits […]
Less of northern Missouri is experiencing abnormally dry conditions this week than last week, according to the U. S. Drought Monitor Map. This week’s map was released the morning of October 28 and is based on conditions as of October 26. In the Green Hills area, Mercer, Putnam, Grundy, and Sullivan counties no longer have abnormally […]
