(Missouri Independent) – In a rare move, a Missouri commission granted a medical marijuana license to an applicant after discovering irregularities with how state regulators evaluated applications. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) decided to forgo appealing the ruling, announcing Tuesday that it had reached a settlement with the jilted applicant to […]
The Missouri Legislature is getting to work on Governor Parson’s 47-billion dollar state budget proposal for the next fiscal year. State Senator Lincoln Hough has a problem with an item in the fellow Republican’s wish list that would create a 250-million-dollar reserve of funding. Hough represents the Springfield area in southwest Missouri. Hough, […]
Multiple reports were given at the North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees meeting on January 25th. Math, Science, History, and Social Behavioral Sciences Division Chairperson Doctor Lindsay Oram reported the division currently represents 10 faculty members. In the fall, there were 11 faculty members in the division, and they taught 109 course sections and […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri state employees counting on seeing a big raise in their February paychecks may be disappointed, as lawmakers fiddle with a $5.4 billion spending bill pushed by Gov. Mike Parson. When the Republican governor in December proposed a 5.5 percent pay raise for all state workers, he said he wanted it in effect by […]
Trenton city sales tax revenue is up more than eight percent for general purposes, capital projects, parks, fire department needs, and transportation. That’s for the period May through January, which are the first nine months of Trenton’s fiscal year, compared to the same period a year ago. In dollar figures, the city sales tax for […]
(Missouri Independent) – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack faced questions on how his agency is doling out emergency pandemic aid and fostering collaboration with historically Black colleges during a Thursday hearing before the House Agriculture Committee. Committee Chairman David Scott, a Georgia Democrat, asked Vilsack for “critical updates on the implementation of pandemic relief programs, including […]
A former Kansas man pleaded guilty in federal court to embezzling $3.1 million from his employer and failing to pay nearly $1 million in taxes owed to the federal government and the state of Kansas. Richard Scott Simkins, 56, now residing in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty […]
(Missouri Independent) – Gov. Mike Parson proposed massive new spending on infrastructure and college buildings, and still found money to set aside for pensions and future revenue shortfalls, in the budget submitted Wednesday to lawmakers. Missouri will enter the new fiscal year with nearly $3 billion in surplus general revenue, an anticipation of record future tax collections, […]
Carla D. Combs, a former utility clerk for the city of Forsyth, has been charged with one felony count of stealing by the Taney County Prosecuting Attorney for allegedly misappropriating $2,000 in utility deposits from the city. An audit in 2021 by State Auditor Nicole Galloway uncovered that the money was missing between May 2019 and November 2019. […]
(Missouri Independent) – Kansas and Missouri logged their warmest average December temperatures on record last month, according to data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Average temperatures over the last half of 2021 were higher than they’ve ever been in either state — and across the country. Meanwhile, despite a devastating cold snap that forced […]
The Newtown-Harris R-3 Board of Education approved personnel actions on January 12th. Mic Halferty was approved as a substitute and hired to fill the upcoming maintenance position in school year 2022-2023. Samantha Miller was hired to coach elementary basketball. The board approved transferring $50,000 from the General Fund to the Capital Projects Fund. Superintendent Doctor […]
A Missouri man is looking at three federal felonies after being accused of posting video messages threatening people with a flamethrower on Facebook. Authorities say they discovered several weapons, including an AR-15 style rifle, in 19-year-old Levi McCrorey home, He’s accused of multiple charges including illegal firearms possession During their investigation, The Kansas […]
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft identified several investment products and schemes that could potentially trap Missouri’s investors in 2022 and recommended steps investors can take to protect themselves from investment fraud. The list was developed by surveying members of the North American Securities Administrators Association, of which the Securities Division of the Secretary of State’s […]
A drug trafficker and money launderer for the Sinaloa Cartel was sentenced yesterday to 188 months in prison for supervising the smuggling of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin from Mexico into the United States and the smuggling of drug proceeds from the United States to Mexico. Roberto Gallegos-Lechuga, 39, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was […]
Emilia (Rosie) Galbraith from Hamilton, MO, has been selected as North Central Missouri College’s Outstanding Student for January. Emilia is a sophomore in the Missouri Health Professions Consortium pursuing a degree as an Occupational Therapy Assistant. After graduating from NCMC, Emilia plans to enter a career close to home wherever her experience and educational pursuits […]
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education heard evaluation reports on multiple programs on January 11th. Trenton Middle School Principal Daniel Gott presented the Health Services Evaluation Report, which was submitted by school nurses Tasha McCall and Tyann Cox. Gott said health office visits for the 2020-2021 school year included 33 for preschool, 4,237 for kindergarten […]
A Belton, Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing firearms and for drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracies. Maurice L. Sneed, also known as “Sneedy,” 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, to five years and eight months in federal prison without parole. […]
The city of Trenton will use the services of the Missouri Public Utility Alliance regarding financing an estimated two and a half million dollars worth of improvements at Trenton’s water treatment plant. Trenton is among the member municipalities across the state with the Alliance. The city council on Monday night, on a vote of seven […]
A Missouri lawmaker expects several legislative bills proposed this session that would make it harder for cities to ask their voters for tax increases. State Representative Bill Falkner is chairing the state House Local Government Committee. Falkner tells Brent Martin he will focus on helping municipalities address their biggest need, recruiting and retaining quality workers. […]
A Mexican national was sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy that distributed more than 2,600 kilograms (5,732 pounds) of cocaine in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Jesus Salvador Campoy-Estrada, also known as “Chava” and “Chavita,” 27, of Kansas City, Kansas, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 12 […]
