Missouri’s municipal electric utilities are encouraged by the outcome of the 2020 General Assembly Among the favorable outcomes was the reconsideration and defeat of parts of SB 782 by the Missouri Senate. Senators found a ‘hidden’ House amendment in the bill that was an attempt to kill the Grain Belt Express transmission line project (GBX). […]
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Water quality report from Missouri Department of Natural Resources shows no violations for City of Trenton
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has released the 2019 Annual Water Quality Report for Trenton Municipal Utilities. The report shows no violations occurred in the 2019 calendar year. The water for TMU comes from the Thompson River as surface water. For regulated contaminants, 90% of water utility levels were less than 0.0142 parts per […]
500K Missourians file for unemployment since mid-March
State unemployment figures out today show 52,000 Missourians filed for unemployment last week – bringing the overall total since mid-March to more than half a million people requesting jobless aid. Last week’s figure represents a small dip from the previous week but it’s still a massive shift in Missouri unemployment numbers. Before the coronavirus fallout, […]
Pfizer facility in Chesterfield, Missouri scaling up operations for COVID-19 vaccine production
Governor Mike Parson was joined by Christine Smith, head of the Pfizer Biotherapeutics and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department and site head of Pfizer’s Research and Development facility in Chesterfield. Pfizer’s Chesterfield facility is one of three Pfizer-owned sites in the United States that has been identified as an initial manufacturing center for COVID-19 vaccine production. “For […]
Missouri to receive $66M for child care assistance under federal CARES Act
Missouri will receive $66 million for child care assistance and $1.5 million for food banks under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Governor Parson was joined by the Missouri Department of Social Services Acting Director Jennifer Tidball and Adjutant General of the Missouri National Guard Brigadier General Levon Cumpton. Child Care […]
Governor Parson highlights “Show-Me-Strong” Recovery Pillars as Missouri prepares to reopen today
“I want to assure Missourians that we are prepared,” Governor Parson said. “The overall trends in the data show that we have met the four pillars, and we are ready to safely reopen Missouri.” The “Show Me Strong Recovery” Pillars are designed to give Missouri a benchmark for moving forward: Expand the testing capacity and volume in […]
Missouri House approves $34.9 billion budget, following heated debate on Medicaid expansion
The Missouri House voted Wednesday afternoon to give final approval to a $34.9 billion state operating budget. GOP leaders say it’s a budget that’s about $146 million less than the current budget. Most House members wore masks during the debate, which got heated during a discussion about Medicaid expansion. Due to COVID-19 concerns, there were just three […]
President Trump signs Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act
President Trump, at the White House, signed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. The bill, which unanimously passed the Senate on Tuesday, provides additional coronavirus relief funding for small businesses, agriculture producers, and hospitals and health care providers. “More help is on the way for Missouri small businesses and the health care […]
Wright Memorial Hospital offers tips to cope with anxiety and isolation during COVID-19 pandemic
Americans of all ages are experiencing increased social isolation and loneliness in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the National Institute on Aging, nearly 14 million older adults in the U.S. live alone and are especially vulnerable during this time. Their research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks for a variety of […]
Missouri Supreme Court hears arguments on overtime pay case for corrections officers
The Missouri Supreme Court heard remote oral arguments on Wednesday in a high-profile case involving the Cole County circuit court’s 2018 decision to award more than $113 million in overtime pay for Missouri corrections officers. It’s a case that’s been working its way through the court system for eight years, and it’s a case that could […]
Audio: Governor Parson restricts another $47 million in current state budget
Governor Parson is freezing another 47 million dollars in the current state budget to help Missouri fight the coronavirus. The largest chunks of funding being withheld are nearly 16 million dollars to K through 12 education and 7.1 million in school bus transportation. During Monday’s virtual briefing, Parson says the restrictions will be felt by […]
Supplemental Security Income recipients will receive automatic Economic Impact Payments
The Internal Revenue Service, working in partnership with the Treasury Department and the Social Security Administration, announced today that recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will automatically receive automatic Economic Impact Payments. SSI recipients will receive a $1,200 Economic Impact Payment with no further action needed on their part. The IRS projects the payments for […]
Treasury, IRS unveil online application to help with Economic Impact Payments
Working with the Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service today unveiled the new Get My Payment with features to let taxpayers check on their Economic Impact Payment date and update direct deposit information. With an initial round of more than 80 million Economic Impact Payments starting to hit bank accounts over the weekend and throughout […]
Trenton City Council to consider budgets and proposed raises for city employees
When the City Council meets Monday evening to consider budgets for the city and Trenton Municipal Utilities, the proposed ordinances also establishes employee and officer positions and compensations. Salary increases have been proposed for the 2020-21 fiscal year beginning May 1st. Each of the following is subject to city council approved of the ordinance adopting […]
Key health committee senators urge making COVID-19 antibodies test free for everyone
Senators Roy Blunt and Lamar Alexander, chairmen of the two Senate committees responsible for health policy and spending said, “Health professionals agree that Americans who have had the disease are almost certainly immune for a time and can go back to work and back to school without contracting the disease again or exposing others. Free […]
Blunt announces $27.7 million in Coronavirus Response Grants for 29 Missouri community health centers
Senator Roy Blunt, the co-chair of the Senate Community Health Center Caucus, announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded more than $27 million in coronavirus response grant funding to 29 Missouri community health centers (CHCs). The funding will help CHCs meet staffing needs, and prevent, diagnose, and treat coronavirus patients. […]
Governor Parson puts the brakes on $180 million in state budget spending
Gov. Mike Parson says the coronavirus has already been hard felt in the state’s economy – more people are staying home, business operations have been limited, many people have lost their jobs and state revenue is down. During Wednesday’s press briefing, he says he is freezing $180 million in spending during the current state budget […]
Grants available to help local public safety agencies address COVID-19
Public safety agencies in the Western District of Missouri are eligible for more than $3.2 million in Department of Justice grants announced today to aid their response to the challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19. The Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding program, authorized by the recent stimulus legislation, will allow eligible state and local and […]
A history of water rate increases in Trenton
The increase in water rates for Trenton Municipal Utility customers is the fourth and final one in a schedule that the City Council adopted in 2017. The council chose to raise the water rates by specific amounts during a four year period to pay for infrastructure and water system improvements. This was described then as […]