The Spickard Board of Aldermen voted March 21st to sign the water contract extension to the water purchase agreement with Public Water Supply District Number 1. City Clerk Amy Chapman reports the extension is renewed every year. The board discussed purchasing a degreaser for the sewer pits and chemicals to kill duckweed in the lagoon. […]
This week, the Missouri Department of Agriculture celebrates the state’s position nationally in agriculture production. Missouri is home to 95,000 farms, employs nearly 460,000 people in agriculture, forestry, and related industries, and has an estimated economic impact of $93.7 billion. Agriculture remains the state’s number one economic driver, supporting both rural and urban communities from […]
While the past two years have fueled growth in remote work, most workers in Missouri still commute to their jobs. And some are opting for longer commutes: A new report from the University of Missouri Extension shows that more workers in the state are commuting to jobs outside their home counties compared to 20 years […]
Livingston County Clerk and Election Authority are in the process of canvassing the voter registration records in Livingston County. Federal and state laws mandate that the canvass be conducted every two years. Registered voters whose addresses are current on the voter registration records in the county clerk’s office should expect to receive a new voter […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his office has obtained a consent judgment in his lawsuit against the City of Moscow Mills for violations of Senate Bill 5 and accompanying reforms. The lawsuit was filed in November 2021, after information came to light about alleged ticket quotas and other violations of SB5. “Since taking […]
A Missouri man has been sentenced in federal court for producing child pornography and for receiving and distributing child pornography over the internet. James Crowder, 78, of Marionville, Missouri was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 18 years and four months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Crowder to […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has clarified the definition of a spot market sale and hog eligibility under the Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program (SMHPP), which assists producers who sold hogs through a spot market sale from April 16, 2020, through Sept. 1, 2020. Hog producers will also now be required to submit documentation to support […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced new legislation to continue to fund and restore the jurisdiction of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery so that it can investigate fraud within the Treasury Department’s pandemic programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). This anti-fraud legislation comes as the Biden Administration is lobbying for more federal […]
A federal jury in the Western District of North Carolina convicted two men for the submission of fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $1.7 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. According to evidence presented during a six-day trial, Izzat […]
The Sullivan County Health Department on March 17th confirmed one additional COVID-19 case, bringing the total to 1,702. There was one active case. The Grundy County Health Department reports active COVID-19 cases continue to decline. The number of active cases has dropped by four from March 15th to seven. There have been five new cases […]
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education on March 17th approved the addition of a reading interventionist for the fifth-grade level. The vote was taken at a special meeting. Superintendent Mike Stegman recommended the addition of the position. Trenton Middle School Principal Daniel Gott and Instructional Coach Jill Watkins also spoke. Stegman reported the fifth-grade reading […]
(Missouri Independent) – Applying for health insurance through Medicaid expansion took Raven Cole just 10 minutes. But the wait to see if she’s approved has dragged on for months. The 23-year-old legal assistant applied for coverage, “well over two to three months ago.” “And I haven’t heard anything back,” Cole said. Cole is one of […]
With the decline in COVID-19 infection rates, Saint Luke’s Health System, including Hedrick Medical Center in Chillicothe and Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton, is relaxing some visitor guidelines across the health system. These guidelines are consistent with CDC and OSHA guidelines. Beginning Wednesday, March 16, Saint Luke’s will transition to Level 2 protocols, which include […]
The Princeton R-5 Board of Education on March 14th voted six to one to remain in the Grand River Conference East and to continue to play 11-man football. Board Member Marcie Davis voted no. Superintendent Jerry Girdner says discussion about the potential change to the GRC West and to eight-man football came after Head Football […]
Another Missouri resident is facing charges in connection with the January sixth U.S. Capitol riot last year. The Kansas City Star reports that 39-year-old Lloyd Cruz Junior from the northwest Missouri town of Polo has been arrested and charged with parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building and entering or remaining in […]
(Missouri Independent) – Seventeen Republican members of Congress have sued the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seeking an end to the federal rule requiring passengers on commercial flights and in airports to wear masks. The mandate illegally restricts the lawmakers’ freedom and is not backed by legal authority, they said in the suit filed Monday. […]
The Newtown-Harris R-3 Board of Education last week approved the 2022-2023 school calendar. The first day of school will be August 23rd, and the last day is scheduled for May 26th, 2023. A calendar adjustment was approved for 2021-2022. Superintendent Doctor Lucas McKinnis reports a professional development day was moved from April 18th to April […]
An Arkansas man was sentenced to 18 years in prison for traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. On August 12, 2021, Jerrell West, 32, of Forrest City, Arkansas was found guilty by jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. He was sentenced by […]
Missouri travelers have to continue wearing face coverings on airplanes, buses, and trains for at least another month. The TSA is extending the federal mask mandate through April 18th. It was set to expire next Friday. The one-month extension was based on a CDC recommendation. Most mask mandates have ended as COVID numbers […]
An investigation into an armed and violent drug-trafficking organization led to the arrests of 25 Kansas City, Missouri, area residents this week in an operation that involved more than 200 law enforcement officers from multiple local and federal agencies. “This operation removed a large number of armed and dangerous drug dealers from the streets of […]
