Each October, factories across Missouri open their doors to students as a way to showcase careers in the manufacturing industry. The Missouri Chamber Manufacturing Alliance is taking this annual tradition online with a statewide virtual Manufacturing Day event on October 1, 2021. Nearly 6,000 students are already registered for this virtual event, which will feature […]
(Missouri Independent) – School districts are not subject to the law Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is using to challenge masks mandates in classrooms, attorneys for Columbia Public Schools wrote in a court filing seeking dismissal of a lawsuit initiated last month. The district also challenges Schmitt’s standing to file the lawsuit, argues that he is […]
A Missouri man who worked as a teacher in China was sentenced in federal court for sexually exploiting one of his former students by attempting to blackmail her into sending him pornographic images. Curtis J. Baldwin, 48, Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 41 years and eight months in federal […]
(Missouri Independent) – The number of Missouri deaths from COVID-19 reported since Jan. 1 has exceeded the number reported during 2020. As of Dec. 31, 2020, the Department of Health and Senior Services reported 5,519 deaths from the coronavirus that killed its first Missouri victim on March 18, 2020. On Friday, the total reached 11,046. The grim […]
Wealthy Americans have a message for Congress: Tax us more. More than 200 high-income taxpayers and business owners have sent an open letter urging elected leaders to raise the tax rate for rich people to fund the infrastructure plan now being debated in Congress. Three of the signers are from Oregon, including Sandy Polishuk, a retired […]
A dual national of the United States and Ireland was sentenced to 324 months, or 27 years, in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for conspiracy to advertise child pornography. Eric Eoin Marques, 36, of Dublin, Ireland, pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, 2020, to conspiracy to advertise child pornography. According to court documents, between […]
The Mercer County Health Department and GRM Networks will sponsor a free program on internet and phone safety. The Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force will present the program at the North Mercer gym on October 6, 2021, from 5:30 to 6:30 in the evening. Topics to be discussed include internet safety, photos on the cloud […]
(Missouri Independent) – When news broke that an LGBTQ history exhibit was suddenly and without warning removed from the Missouri Capitol, Gov. Mike Parson contended the reason was that it didn’t get pre-approval from a board he chairs, but at that board’s first meeting in more than a year on Monday, neither the exhibit nor the […]
(Missouri Independent) – Despite increasing legal access to medical and recreational cannabis in states across the U.S., veterans face unfair treatment and stigmatization because the U.S. refuses to recognize marijuana as a viable treatment option. While the VA has embraced the federally illegal status of the drug, agency policy does not allow discrimination against veterans […]
Governor Mike Parson awarded Missouri Public Safety Medals to a total of 15 first responders and 7 civilians for heroic and life-saving actions during 2020. The awards are Missouri’s highest recognition for first responders acting during critical incidents. The civilians, who include a 12-year-old boy who performed a life-saving rescue at age 11, were honored […]
Churchgoers in Chillicothe have reported receiving text messages from their pastor asking for gift cards to benefit cancer patients. Chief John Maples confirmed the text messages were part of a widespread scam, and the Police Department has taken reports of this as well. If a pastor texts or emails asking for money or a gift card, […]
Hy-Vee KidsFit launches a free yearlong program for schools to promote health, fitness, and nutrition. The Hy-Vee KidsFit School Wellness Club allows students to build healthy lifestyles through educational programming and consistency throughout the school year. School administrators can enroll an individual school or a full district into the program now through October 11, 2021. […]
A former assistant principal at Nixa Junior High School in Nixa, Missouri, pleaded guilty in federal court to soliciting sexually explicit photos from a 13-year-old victim by posing online as a teen girl. Colby Fronterhouse, 41, of Springfield, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of receiving child […]
Four alleged members of La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) have been charged in a federal superseding indictment with a racketeering conspiracy involving multiple murders, kidnappings, and burglaries, as well as drug trafficking. The individuals charged in the superseding indictment are: Luis Reynaldo Reyes-Castillo, 27, aka Molesto; David Arturo Perez-Manchame, 22, aka Herbi, aka Walter Melendez; Joel […]
A Kirksville resident has been charged in Daviess County with felony first-degree rape or attempted rape after an alleged incident in October involving a girl who was 15 at the time. Online court information shows bond has been denied for 18-year-old Rabbi Kapeta. A probable cause statement from Daviess County Deputy Loreanna Parker says a […]
(Missouri Independent) – A push by a conservative anti-tax group to force a statewide vote on a gas tax hike approved by Missouri lawmakers earlier this year has been abandoned, the group’s Missouri director said Monday. Jeremy Cady, state director of Americans for Prosperity, confirmed via text message that his organization is no longer working to place the […]
The Union Coon Creek Baptist Church west of Trenton will hold Vacation Bible School next month. “Digging into God’s Word and Building a Foundation” is the theme from August 8 through 15. Kickoff and Enrollment Night will be on August 8th at the church at 5:30 in the evening. There will be an intro to […]
The North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees approved bids and purchases as well as personnel matters July 27th. Athletic insurance was purchased through Dissinger Reed of Overland Park, Kansas for the 2021-2022 sports year at a cost of $31,467. That was for $26,980 for secondary accident insurance and $4,487 for catastrophic accident insurance with […]
(Missouri Independent) – Rolling outages that left thousands without power in February were driven overwhelmingly by fuel shortages — especially in natural gas, executives with the Southwest Power Pool said Monday. This winter sustained frigid temperatures across the Midwest and South forced huge demand for energy while the weather made generators struggle to keep up. The Southwest Power […]
A Webb City, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to the sexual exploitation of two victims, an 8-year old and a 16-year old. Harley Wayne Schrader, 26, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to two counts of the sexual exploitation of a child. By pleading guilty, Schrader admitted that he […]
