The Livingston County Sheriff’s Department has been awarded six preliminary breath testing instruments from a grant application to the Missouri Department of Transportation Highway Safety and Traffic Division. Sheriff Steve Cox reports the preliminary breath testing instruments are assigned to road patrol deputy sheriffs to assist with driving while intoxicated investigations and can be “a […]
(Missouri Independent – The simmering division among Republicans over a bill crucial to funding Missouri’s Medicaid program boiled over this week, with the state senator at the center of the debate calling for a change in the chamber’s leadership. Sen. Paul Wieland, R-Imperial, led the charge to include language banning the use of taxpayer money […]
FAFSA Frenzy Summer Edition offers Missouri students last-minute help filing their Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Missouri students get a second chance at free help to complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) this summer. It’s all thanks to a series of events called the FAFSA Frenzy Summer Edition, hosted by the […]
The Missouri Secretary of State is reminding Missourians that the Business Services Division in his office will never ask for payment by a gift card. Business Services, which oversees filings for all businesses in Missouri, has recently received complaints from some Missourians who have misdialed the toll-free number and been asked to pay for services […]
(Missouri Independent) – From statehouses to Congress, Republicans have launched into a fight against the teaching of “critical race theory,” which just a year ago was a niche academic term. Experts in critical race theory say it’s about acknowledging how racial disparities are embedded in U.S history and society, and the concept is being mischaracterized […]
(Missouri Independent) – The lawsuit seeking to force Missouri to expand Medicaid coverage under a voter-approved constitutional amendment will go to trial June 18 in Cole County. On Wednesday morning, Circuit Judge Jon Beetem met in a conference call with Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office and attorneys for the three people suing for coverage. In an online notation with […]
Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick announced he has joined a coalition of 15 State Treasurers to speak out against apparent attempts by the Biden Administration to pressure banks and other large financial institutions to divest from coal, oil, and natural gas companies. “While the pursuit of more renewable sources of energy is a noble cause, […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in leading a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in southwestern Missouri. Nathen D. Libertus, 31, of Stella, Missouri, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 21 years in federal prison without parole. On May 20, 2020, Libertus pleaded guilty to participating […]
The North Central Missouri Board of Trustees received a consolidated budget update on May 25, 2021. The 2021-2022 budget projection includes total operating revenue of $11,111,547. With auxiliary operations of $12,151,045, the total consolidated income is projected at $13,262,592. Revenues include $7,433,078 for tuition and fees and $2,939,169 in state appropriations. The budget projection also […]
The Missouri Veterans Commission last held a special meeting to look deeper into its finances because they are in a deficit. Much of its money comes from unpredictable sources, like gaming and medical marijuana revenue, and the latter, medical marijuana, is paying for lawsuits over its licensing. Kelly McClelland is the new MVC Commissioner and […]
A man who was a leader of a $56 million criminal enterprise was sentenced in federal court for his role in the conspiracy that distributed more than 2,600 kilograms (5,732 pounds) of cocaine in the metropolitan area. Jose Luis Armendariz-Rascon, Kansas City, Kansas, also known as “Uncle” or “Rambo,” 40, was sentenced by U.S. Chief […]
Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox reports his office investigated a social media incident in which a local resident’s account was hacked, and information was sent to others about getting money for acknowledging a message. Another resident was scammed out of $200 from the activity, as money was transferred online. Cox says the local resident whose […]
May 16th marked the 30th anniversary of the start of the Trenton Downtown Improvement Association. TDIA Board Member Cathie Smith says the organization began as a partnership between a group of businessmen and the City of Trenton to get a Neighborhood Assistance Program credit grant to redo sidewalks. She considers one highlight of the group […]
(Missouri Independent) – Republicans in the Missouri Senate should move to shut off debate if a filibuster blocks anti-abortion lawmakers from putting their stamp on provider taxes that fund Medicaid, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said in an interview with The Independent this week. The advice was not, however, well received by the Senate’s Republican or […]
An attempted bank robbery in Kirksville on May 18th led to the arrest of a 30-year-old Kirksville man. According to the Kirksville Police Department, officers responded to the Bank of Kirksville at 214 South Franklin Street. Officers were informed the suspect might be armed with explosives. A Highway Patrol trooper was nearby and responded, making […]
(Missouri Independent) – As the case counts of the novel coronavirus began to tick up last March across Missouri, providers who offer tests for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) found their resources were being pulled in two directions. Swabs were in short supply as they became needed for COVID-19 testing. Contact tracers, who reach out to […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri regulators on Tuesday eased the rules governing the design of massive industrial hog facilities in a move critics claim was meant to help one controversial facility. The state’s Clean Water Commission voted 5-1 to narrow the definition of groundwater in the state’s rules governing the construction of “concentrated animal feeding operations” […]
A Braymer, Missouri, man was indicted by a federal grand jury for a $215,000 cattle fraud scheme that he attempted to cover up by murdering two Wisconsin brothers. Garland Joseph Nelson, 27, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. The indictment charges Nelson with one count of […]
When feed prices go up, swine producers usually see profits go down. That’s not the case in 2021. This gives producers an opportunity to look at feeding to heavier weights despite higher feed costs, says University of Missouri Extension swine nutritionist Marcia Shannon. Higher market weights result in dramatic net gains per pig under current […]
(Missouri Independent) – At least once a day, housing advocate Melissa Pashia speaks to someone living in a car. Once the situation gets to this point, it’s hard to get people back into stable housing, said Pashia, a housing resource specialist for the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council. “Landlords don’t want to […]
