(Missouri Independent) – Missouri lawmakers must finish work on the fiscal 2022 budget by Friday. And while the biggest spending issue of the session, Medicaid expansion, is off the table, there are other big issues to resolve in the state-run health care program. One of the largest is whether to provide a cushion for hospitals that […]
This past year, the global pandemic forced many to cope with situations never before imagined, and many individuals struggled with mental health as a result. The good news is that there are tools and resources available to support the well-being of individuals and communities. The month of May is recognized as Mental Health Month. This […]
(Missouri Independent) – Evergy, an electric supplier to about 600,000 customers in western Missouri, will retire its coal power plant in Lawrence, Kansas, by the end of 2023, the company announced on Friday. The utility revealed its plan to regulators in a filing with the Missouri Public Service Commission. The “integrated resource plan” lays out Evergy’s next […]
More than $2,100 was raised during the Families and Friends of the Developmentally Disabled’s Walk Against Hunger last week. FFDD Executive Director Kayla Graham and some walk participants April 30th presented a $1,052.50 check to Bright Futures Trenton and another $1,052.50 to Backpack Buddies of Grundy County. Twenty-four Families and Friends of the Developmentally Disabled […]
The following is a list of general highway maintenance and construction work the Missouri Department of Transportation has planned in north Missouri for the week of May 3 – 9. All road closures and planned roadwork may be viewed on the Traveler Information Map at http://traveler.modot.org/map/. Inclement weather may cause schedule changes in some of […]
The Missouri Senate has passed a $34 billion state budget proposal without funding an expansion of Medicaid. The upper chamber sided with the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Missouri House of Representatives by rejecting attempts to put expansion funding into the budget that begins in July. Gov. Mike Parson’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2022 […]
The North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees heard a report from the Faculty Senate Negotiations Committee on April 27th. History and Spanish Faculty Member Maryellen Harman and Psychology Faculty Member Lindsay Oram presented a proposal for a faculty salary schedule for 2021-2022. The proposal includes adding $1,000 to the salary base and continuing to […]
The Missouri House of Representatives advanced a bill aimed to ban transgender kids from participating in girl’s sports, which advocates said is the latest in a growing list of legislative attacks on trans youth across the country. More than 250 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in 2021 alone, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Shira Berkowitz, communications […]
The Justice Department announced that the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) has released approximately $58 million in three grant solicitations that will advance community policing, help combat the dual scourges of opioid and methamphetamine use, and promote the health and safety of our nation’s law enforcement officers. “The grant solicitations announced will […]
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 […]
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced the agency is investing $35,046,000 in critical infrastructure that will help rural Missouri communities build back better and stronger while prioritizing climate-smart solutions and environmental stewardship. USDA is making the investments under the Water and Environmental Program, the Rural Energy for […]
The North Central Missouri Mental Health Center Board of Directors next week will discuss agency services eligible to be provided to incarcerated individuals. The meeting will be held at the mental health center of Trenton and on Zoom on April 27th at 4:30 in the afternoon. The Zoom meeting ID will be 99535808670, and the […]
The University of Missouri Extension is offering their popular Tai Chi online classes in Mercer, Livingston, and Grundy counties. Tai Chi has been offered face to face and online across the state for the past two years. ‘The online classes allow members of the public to participate in the physical, mental, and social benefits of […]
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) – Help may be coming for Missouri homeowners behind on their mortgage payments because of COVID-19 income losses. The Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday added $150 million in federal mortgage assistance funds to the supplemental spending bill for the current fiscal year, one of several new sections using money from pandemic relief bills passed by Congress […]
The Families and Friends of the Developmentally Disabled of Grundy County will hold a Walk Against Hunger to benefit Bright Futures Trenton and Backpack Buddies of Grundy County. FFDD participants will walk around the track at C. F. Russell Stadium of Trenton on April 22nd from 5:30 to 6:30 in the evening. Community members can […]
An hour of your time could save a life as the University of Missouri Extension will offer free one-hour suicide prevention training sessions online in April and May. QPR Gatekeeper Training helps participants “question, persuade and refer” someone who may be suicidal, says MU Extension health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch. QPR was created in […]
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education heard several reports on April 13, 2021. One report was on the At-Risk Evaluation. Trenton High School Assistant Principal John Cowling said the Trenton High School/Trenton Middle School Academic Lab has served 40 high school students and eight middle school students this academic year. Four of the high school […]
