Gallery View of Missouri Senate

Missouri Senate passes $4.6B spending bill with pay raises, federal school funds

(Missouri Independent) – With a deadline looming that could cost Missouri almost $2 billion in federal education aid, the bill to distribute the money passed the state Senate on Wednesday after Democrats slammed a zero-dollar funding line as a partisan attack on Planned Parenthood. The $4.6 billion spending bill approved on a 25-7 vote is the first legislation requiring […]

Major Michael Turner Missouri State Highway Patrol header photo

Major Michael Turner transfers to Field Operations Bureau in Jefferson City

Major Michael A. Turner, bureau commander for the Support Services Bureau, will transfer to the Field Operations Bureau, General Headquarters, Jefferson City, MO. As bureau commander for Field Operations, Major Turner will have direct oversight responsibilities for all nine troops, Aircraft Division, and Water Patrol Division. He will continue serving as a member of the […]

Defund The Police Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

U.S. House hearing on extremism toward minorities turns into ‘defund the police’ debate

(Missouri Independent) – Leaders of faith organizations and Historically Black Colleges and Universities told members of a U.S. House panel on Thursday how their institutions and places of worship have been roiled by bomb threats and extremism. They talked about the recent waves of bomb threats aimed at HBCUs, a terrifying hostage-taking at a Texas […]

Local Emergency Planning Committee

Grundy County Local Emergency Planning Committee approves officers

The Grundy County Local Emergency Planning Committee approved officers on February 15th. They are Chairperson Phillip Ray, Vice-Chairperson Ron Urton, Secretary Kelli Hillerman, and Coordinator Glen Briggs. Alan Barnett was approved to fulfill the representation of LEPC community member. Jim Skipper will be the LEPC hospital representative. The committee voted to pre-approve the Community Emergency […]

Guilty Plea news graphic

Two women, former federal correctional officers, plead guilty to bribery and contraband smuggling scheme

Two former correctional officers pleaded guilty to engaging in bribery and smuggling contraband into Leavenworth Detention Center. According to court documents, Jacqueline Sifuentes, 26, of Laredo, Texas, and Cheyonte Harris, 29, of Raytown, Missouri, previously worked as correctional officers at Leavenworth Detention Center, a privately-run maximum-security federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas. Sifuentes used her position […]

Prison Sentence News Graphic

Missouri man sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for producing child pornography with 6 year old

United States District Court Judge Stephen R. Clark sentenced Andrew Hotchkiss to 27.5 years in federal prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release for the production of child pornography.  Hotchkiss previously pleaded guilty in November 2021.  Between the dates of March 1, 2019, and May 13, 2019, in St. Francois County, Missouri, […]