Patricia “Tricia” Ashton Derges former State Representative

Missouri lawmaker admits illegally selling prescription drugs, says it was unintentional

(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri lawmaker facing a 23-count federal indictment for allegedly selling fake stem-cell treatments and fraudulently using federal pandemic relief funds has settled with the state health department, resulting in three-year probation of her narcotics license while admitting to illegally purchasing and prescribing pharmaceutical drugs. The administrative settlement, signed Jan. 28 with the […]

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Charges Filed: Man subdued by passengers, flight crew after causing disturbance on flight; plane forced to land in Kansas City

A California man was subdued by several passengers and flight attendants when he tried to open the exit door on an American Airlines flight en route to Washington, D.C., on Sunday afternoon, forcing the plane to land at Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Missouri. Juan Remberto Rivas, 50, was charged with one count […]

Lillian DesMarias Youth Library

Lillian DesMarias Youth Library announces the purchase and installation of “All-In-One Workstations Platinum 2”

The Lillian DesMarias Youth Library announces the purchase and installation of AWE Learning’s All-In-One Workstations Platinum 2. The software programs are for ages 2-12, and deliver 85+ award-winning, pre-loaded educational software titles directly on the workstation. No internet connection is required. All content is STREAM-aligned (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art and Music, and Math). AWE […]

GRM Networks

Federal Communication Commission’s Affordable Internet Connectivity Program provides assistance to qualifying households

GRM Networks is promoting consumer awareness about the Affordable Connectivity Program, a new program from the Federal Communications Commission. This benefit will help lower the cost of broadband Internet service for eligible households. The $14 billion Affordable Connectivity Program provides a discount of $30 per month toward broadband Internet service for eligible households. A household […]

A partially melted tire hangs on a tree near Paradise, Kansas. The surrounding land was scorched by a wildfire in December 2021

December 2021 was the warmest on record in Missouri and Kansas – by a long shot

(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 […]

Arson News Graphic

Pattonsburg woman faces multiple felonies after allegedly setting her house on fire and firing weapon at individual

A Pattonsburg woman faces multiple felonies after she allegedly set her house on fire and shot a gun at someone who stopped to help on January 6th. Online court information indicates 31-year-old Jessica Reid has been charged with first-degree assault or attempt, first-degree arson, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon involving exhibiting. […]

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt (Photo Courtesy Missouri AG Office)

Missouri’s largest counties seek to appeal ruling overturning local health orders

(Missouri Independent) – Jackson and St. Louis Counties requested Monday that they be permitted to intervene and appeal a recent court ruling that they argue has “upended the longstanding public health framework” in Missouri. In a filing submitted Monday afternoon and obtained by The Independent, the two counties asked Cole County Circuit Court Judge Daniel […]

Orscheln Headquarters Moberly (Photo by Rudi Keller - Missouri Independent)

Controversial bill would have aided Orscheln Products LLC, under scrutiny for contamination

(Missouri Independent) – Two years ago, a company led by an influential Republican businessman faced off with the state’s environmental regulators over whether it needed to do additional testing for a chemical that health officials worried could pose a cancer risk to the company’s workers.  The Moberly manufacturing facility, Orscheln Products LLC, is owned by […]

MSHP or Missouri State Highway Zachary Costley

Department of Public Safety: Trooper Costley likely prevented kidnapping following traffic stop

Trooper Zachary T. Costley, of Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop D, is the December 2021 Department of Public Safety Team Member of the Month for the thoroughness of his investigative work following a traffic stop, which likely prevented an attempted kidnapping. On Aug. 8, 2021, Zachary conducted a traffic stop for a registration violation on […]

Tax Credits News Graphic

Three area non-profits receive over $500,000 in tax credits

Nonprofits in Princeton, Chillicothe, and Macon are among 66 organizations across the state that have been approved to issue tax credits for their fundraising efforts. The approval came from the Neighborhood Assistance Program through the Department of Economic Development. Mercer County Area Development Corporation aims to drive community revitalization and business development for the Mercer […]