The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry have created COVID-19 Hotspot Advisories in light of the rapidly rising case counts in north-central and southwest Missouri, including Adair County which confirmed another 11 cases bringing their case count to 2670. The Hotspot Advisories are designed to keep […]
Tag: Missourian
Vaccine hesitancy in Missouri is more complicated than just party affiliation
This article is a commentary. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of KTTN/KGOZ Radio, staff, management, or webmaster. (Missouri Independent) – No doubt, what is happening to sections of our state is absolutely heartbreaking. Currently, the Delta variant of COVID-19 is […]
Governor Parson launches “MO VIP” campaign, giving vaccinated Missourians a chance at $10,000
Governor Mike Parson announced the launch of a statewide COVID-19 vaccination incentive program, MO VIP, to encourage vaccination among all Missourians age 12 and up. Over the next three months, 900 Missourians who have or will choose to be vaccinated will win cash or education savings account prizes in the amount of $10,000. “We understand […]
Governor Parson announces Donald G. Kauerauf to lead Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
Governor Mike Parson announced that he has selected Donald G. Kauerauf to be the next Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, effective September 1, 2021. “We are excited to welcome Don to Missouri and look forward to the great work he is sure to accomplish in service to all Missourians,” Governor […]
Groups urge those in charge of voting-district maps to put Missouri voters over partisan interests in redistricting
Redistricting reformers urged the people charged with drawing new voting-district maps in Missouri to commit to putting the voters over partisan interests. Governor Mike Parson has appointed a bipartisan group of commissioners to draw state legislative maps. The Legislature draws congressional maps. Caroline Fan, founder and president of the Missouri Asian American Youth Foundation said in […]
State auditor issues second report detailing unemployment benefits received in Missouri through federal COVID-19 response funding
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released her second report on unemployment benefits received by Missourians through COVID-19 response funding from the federal government. The report shows that, through April 2021, more than 600,000 Missouri citizens received more than $4.9 billion in benefits made available under several programs. Several federal laws enacted and executive actions taken in […]
Audio: Parson responds to Chicago travel restrictions on Missouri; says Missouri is not in COVID-19 crisis mode
Chicago has reinstated its COVID-19 travel order for Missouri. The windy city is requiring any unvaccinated people traveling from Missouri to get a negative coronavirus test result no more than 72 hours prior to arrival in Chicago or quarantine for a 10-day period upon arrival. During an event Tuesday in Jefferson City, Governor Parson weighed […]
Missouri Attorney General obtains $26,000 in restitution for victims of Buchanan County contractor
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that Kansas-City-area contractor Brian S. Pummell will pay back over $26,000 in restitution to Missourians who paid Pummell for work he never performed. “Protecting consumers is an important duty of the Attorney General’s Office, and the dedicated investigators, hotline operators, and attorneys in the Consumer Protection Section of my […]
Lawmakers successfully push White House to drop proposal that would hurt small cities and rural communities
Lawmakers are celebrating the decision to drop a proposal before the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to redefine a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The proposal would have raised the threshold for an MSA from 50,000 residents to 100,000, which would have eliminated 144 areas from the designation, including St. Joseph. The move to drop […]
Jobs report for June 2021 shows unemployment creeping up to 4.3%
With the initial wave of COVID-19-related layoffs now more than a year in the past, the six-figure over-the-year job losses that had characterized the Missouri labor market for the last nine months of 2020 and the first three months of 2021 were replaced with an increase of more than 130,000 jobs from June 2020 to […]
Quick ruling expected from Missouri Supreme Court on Medicaid Expansion
Missouri’s Medicaid expansion lawsuit case is now in the hands of the seven-member state Supreme Court. The court heard about 35 minutes of oral arguments Tuesday morning in Jefferson City. This case will likely come down to the definition of “appropriation.” Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled in June that Missouri’s August Medicaid expansion […]
Governor Parson signs SB 262 into law, increasing transportation funding for critical infrastructure projects
Governor Mike Parson has signed SB 262 into law, which will increase transportation funding for critical state and local infrastructure projects across the state of Missouri. “With nearly $1 billion in unfunded transportation needs each year, we can no longer wait for another day or another generation. We must change course and address these problems head-on,” Governor Parson said. “SB […]
Audio: Missouri Supreme Court to hear Missouri Medicaid expansion lawsuit case this morning
The Missouri Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday morning, July 13, 2021, in Jefferson City in one of the biggest cases the court has faced in recent memory: Missouri’s Medicaid expansion lawsuit case. Oral arguments will begin Tuesday at 11 a.m. Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled in late June that […]
Landowners and tenants invited to respond to 2021 Missouri rental rate survey
Landowners lease roughly 35% of Missouri crop, pasture, and woodland acreage to renters every year. Rented acreage has increased in recent years as more land has transitioned to the next generation, interest rates have incentivized land investments, and interest in carbon markets and working land conservation has grown, said Ben Brown, extension economist with the […]
Audio: Missouri county considering whether to use federal aid to boost broadband access
The U.S. Department of Economic Development estimates that more than 400,000 Missourians do not have reliable internet access. The American Rescue Plan passed by Congress earlier this year includes giving 16.9-million dollars to Buchanan County in northwest Missouri. Presiding Commissioner Lee Sawyer says at the forefront of his and his commissioner’s minds are using the […]
Audio: Missouri’s governor opposes federal agents going door-to-door to compel COVID-19 vaccinations
Missouri’s governor is opposed to the idea of federal employees or federal agents going door-to-door to encourage or compel COVID vaccinations. Reporter Justin Fischer at Missourinet Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS has the story. The governor says the state will NOT force residents to take the COVID vaccine. Governor Mike Parson tells Capitol […]
Tax relief for Missouri medical marijuana businesses vetoed by Governor Parson
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson vetoed legislation Friday that would have lifted a prohibition on licensed medical marijuana companies deducting business expenses on their taxes. In his letter vetoing the measure, Parson didn’t mention the medical marijuana provisions. He said his decision to reject the bill came down to a section lawmakers included that […]
Audio: Missouri’s Governor says state is considering incentive program to encourage more COVID vaccinations
The governor confirms the state is considering an incentive program to encourage more Missourians to get vaccinated. Governor Mike Parson tells Capitol reporters that he wants to do what he can to encourage more Missourians to take the COVID vaccine. The details of the incentive program are unclear because it’s still being worked […]
Bob Griffin, longest-serving Missouri House speaker, has died at age 85
(Missouri Independent) – Bob F. Griffin, who served as speaker of the Missouri House for 15 years until he was forced to resign in the face of a federal criminal investigation, died Wednesday in Columbia. He was 85. Griffin was the longest-serving speaker in the state’s history. During his tenure as speaker from 1981 to 1996, the […]
Climate change triggers rare crop diseases in Missouri
(Missouri Info Corps) – New crop diseases pervading Missouri have been linked to climate change, and they’re directly impacting crop production. Climate change has already made Missouri a little more hot and humid but has also caused some diseases for crops like corn and soybeans to become more prevalent. If not treated properly, farmers could […]