An annual statewide report shows Black drivers were 71-percent more likely to be pulled over than white drivers and 25-percent more likely to be arrested in Missouri last year. The percentages improved from 2019, but racial inequalities still exist. Cheryl Clay with the Springfield NAACP tells NewsNation she is still reviewing the numbers. […]
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway said today her office has completed an audit of the Stone County Collector’s office. The rating given by the audit was “excellent,” the highest possible. “This audit confirms the Stone County Collector’s Office was run in an efficient and cost-effective manner,” Auditor Galloway said. “This is great news for the taxpayers […]
Livingston County Health Center has announced lab confirmation from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services of both U.K. and Indian variants of COVID-19 circulating in Livingston County. B.1.1.7-UK is labeled a variant of concern by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and has shown to be 50 percent more contagious than […]
Women account for a majority of the U.S. population, but a new report shows they make up less than one-third of high-level government leadership at the local, state, and national levels. A first-of-its-kind study by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University found women hold just over 30% of positions in mayoral […]
A report alleges a northeast Missouri lawmaker used his position as a law enforcement officer to get a sexual favor from an intoxicated 19-year-old woman while on duty in 2015. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Missouri House Speaker Rob Vescovo has forwarded to the House Ethics Committee the information about Bowling Green Republican […]
(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 […]
Among cases in the associate division of Grundy County Circuit Court, Kyle Ray Graves of rural Trenton pleaded guilty to a violation of a protection order for an adult. On a plea bargain, the prosecuting attorney dismissed a burglary count. Graves was sentenced on Tuesday to 60 days at the Grundy County Detention Center with […]
Iowa farmers have been busy with the spring planting season. As operations hire workers for the summer, a nonprofit connects them with aspiring ‘ag’ professionals who could represent the industry’s future labor force. For nearly a decade, the group Practical Farmers of Iowa has carried out its Labor-4-Learning initiative, where participating farms provide on-site training for […]
(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 […]
With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eviction moratorium on shaky legal ground and set to expire at the end of June, legal advocates in Missouri want tenants to know their rights when facing an eviction. More than 90% of tenants in eviction courts go unrepresented, while 90-percent of landlords have representation. Jacki Langum, director of […]
(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 […]
Two individuals, two businesses, and one organization will be honored by the Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce during its annual banquet/meeting on Friday, June 4, at the Black Silo Winery. The five honorees will be recognized for their service to the community, with M.G. Kennedy and Dan Wilford being named Pillars of the Community while […]
Two defendants were sentenced to prison on Thursday, with one of them placed on probation during Division One of the Grundy County Circuit Court. Galt resident Brian K. White pleaded guilty to five felony counts and received sentences of four years each with the Department of Corrections. After original charges of rape were amended, White […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri will not expand Medicaid coverage to working-age adults on July 1 because lawmakers refused to include funding for the health care program in the state budget, Gov. Mike Parson announced Thursday. In a news release, Parson said the state was withdrawing documents submitted to the federal government necessary to add the approximately 275,000 […]
Among action taken at a meeting Wednesday evening of the Spickard Board of Alderman, a hay bid was accepted from John Wagner of Tindall. Council members gave their approval to purchase a chain saw, a weed eater, and the oil mix needed for each. A financial report also was approved. The Aldermen decided to advertise […]
Preliminary hearings were waived on Tuesday, May 11, by at least three defendants in the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court. Keith Edward Larson of Bethany is charged with felony stealing of a vehicle. He was bound over to the Division One session on Thursday, May 13, 2021. Trenton resident Tracie Leigh Todd is […]
(Missouri Independent) – The fate of a wide-ranging crime bill was called into question on Tuesday over a provision that would stiffen penalties for lying under oath to the legislature or obstructing a legislative investigation. During a conference committee on Tuesday morning convened to work out differences on Senate Bill 53, House members said the bill […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, Dr. Faisal Khan, and the St. Louis County Department of Public Health for the arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable application of COVID-19 restrictions in St. Louis County. Specifically, the suit takes issue with the restrictions on religious institutions, masking requirements for […]
The Missouri FFA Association has released names of the winners of numerous proficiency awards at the state convention held at Sedalia late last week. Ninety-two students won either first or second place in 46 proficiency areas. After a review of the list, first place winners among those in area FFA Chapters include Kale Campbell of […]
In 39 days, eight Missouri students will begin competing in the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. This year’s contest will include 209 spellers all vying for the treasured championship trophy. According to the bee, spellers will begin participating virtually in the first of three rounds on June 12. The semifinals are scheduled for June 27. […]
