In Missouri’s courts, 17-year-olds will now be automatically treated as juveniles rather than adults if they’re taken into custody. It’s the tenth state in the country to raise the age of criminal responsibility. Opponents of “raise the age” laws predicted it would increase juvenile caseloads and overwhelm capacity in youth detention centers. Still, the number […]
Tag: OPP
Audio: Missouri’s governor opposes federal agents going door-to-door to compel COVID-19 vaccinations
Missouri’s governor is opposed to the idea of federal employees or federal agents going door-to-door to encourage or compel COVID vaccinations. Reporter Justin Fischer at Missourinet Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS has the story. The governor says the state will NOT force residents to take the COVID vaccine. Governor Mike Parson tells Capitol […]
Livingston County Health Center to offer COVID-19 vaccine as part of Livingston County Fair
The Livingston County Health Center has announced opportunities to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Health center nurses will be in the Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center lobby on July 11 from 6 to 7 p.m. before the Country Music Jamboree as part of the Livingston County Fair. Cold packs will be on hand to use on injection […]
Biden administration defends push to boost COVID vaccinations after Parson criticism
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden’s key COVID-19 advisers on Thursday defended the administration’s strategies for boosting vaccinations in the states after Missouri’s governor said federal door-to-door outreach efforts are not welcome there. Top Biden adviser Jeff Zients said anyone mischaracterizing the administration’s attempts is “doing a disservice to the country.” Gov. Mike Parson voiced his […]
Livingston County Sheriff releases information on recent investigations and incidents
Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox has released information about recent incidents involving the sheriff’s office. One incident involved grandparents reporting a juvenile running away from home. Cox says the sheriff’s office responded to a rural area July 4th, and a deputy located the pre-teen. The youth was caught after a reported foot chase of about […]
Missouri’s First Lady, Teresa Parson, to serve as Grand Marshal for Sliced Bread Day parade
Missouri First Lady Teresa Parson will visit Chillicothe to participate in Sliced Bread Day activities on Saturday, July 10. Mrs. Parson will serve as Grand Marshal of the Sliced Bread Day Parade in Downtown Chillicothe at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The parade route travels Washington Street from Polk to Third Street and then Locust Street […]
“Surge response team” arrives in Missouri amid COVID-19 spike caused by Delta variant
(Missouri Independent) – As federal officials land in Missouri at the request of the state to assist with combatting a wave of new COVID cases spurred by the Delta variant, Gov. Mike Parson publicly rebuffed outreach strategies President Joe Biden touted. On Tuesday, a member of the newly-created federal surge response team arrived in the […]
University of Missouri Extension to offer Master Gardener course
Gardening offers many rewards, according to David Trinklein, state horticulture specialist for the University of Missouri Extension. One of them, he said, is the satisfaction of sharing plant knowledge with others. The MU Extension Master Gardener program has a motto of ‘helping others learn to grow. Trinklein notes it emphasizes service to others as the program’s […]
Biden-Harris Administration invests $307 million in rural water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in 34 states
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the United States Department of Agriculture is investing $307 million to modernize rural drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in 34 states and Puerto Rico (PDF, 224 KB). The investments being announced follow President Biden’s announcement last week of a Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework that will make the largest investment in clean […]
Livingston County reports another COVID-related death
The Livingston County Health Center reports another COVID-19-related death, bringing the total to 68. Eight cases have been added, making that total 2,023. The number of active cases dropped by one to 36.
Bob Griffin, longest-serving Missouri House speaker, has died at age 85
(Missouri Independent) – Bob F. Griffin, who served as speaker of the Missouri House for 15 years until he was forced to resign in the face of a federal criminal investigation, died Wednesday in Columbia. He was 85. Griffin was the longest-serving speaker in the state’s history. During his tenure as speaker from 1981 to 1996, the […]
Climate change triggers rare crop diseases in Missouri
(Missouri Info Corps) – New crop diseases pervading Missouri have been linked to climate change, and they’re directly impacting crop production. Climate change has already made Missouri a little more hot and humid but has also caused some diseases for crops like corn and soybeans to become more prevalent. If not treated properly, farmers could […]
USDA invests $910,000 to improve rural water infrastructure in Jackson County
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced the agency is investing $910,000 to modernize rural drinking water infrastructure in Jackson County, benefitting nearly 3.000 rural Missourians. “Every community, large and small, needs safe, reliable access to necessities like clean water,” Thomas said. “Rural Development congratulates Public Water Supply […]
University of Missouri Broadband Initiative outlines community-driven process for local expansion
Adoption of broadband has the potential to boost a community’s economic growth and quality of life. But in much of Missouri, especially rural areas, the high-bandwidth wirelines to connect households and businesses don’t exist. Helping more Missouri communities become digitally connected was the topic of a recent webinar by the University of Missouri System Broadband […]
White House says executive order coming on labeling beef as a ‘Product of USA’
(Missouri Independent) – The White House will unveil an executive order in the coming days that directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to clarify that meat can only receive a “Product of USA” label if that livestock is raised in the U.S. rather than abroad, press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday afternoon. “The EO […]
Groups say postal reform Bill would benefit rural Missouri
Supporters of the U.S. Postal Service are pressing for passage of a bill to shore up the troubled agency. Twin versions of the bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act of 2021 are winding their way through committees in the U.S. House and Senate. John McHugh, a former congressman from New York who served as Secretary of the Army until […]
Sullivan County Fair officials announce winners of Sullivan County Fair Queen and Junior Miss competition
The 2021 Sullivan County Fair Queen & Junior Miss Pageant was held on Monday, July 5, 2021. There were 3 young women vying for the Junior Miss title, and 5 women vying for the Fair queen title. Selected as the queen was Miss Jocelyn Perez. She is the daughter of Aurelia Cruz of Milan. Miss […]
Endangered fish, leaching ash ponds: Environmental groups oppose Missouri coal plant permit
(Missouri Independent) – For years, Lisa Zerbe said she biked, rode horses, and ran near Ameren Missouri’s largest coal-fired power plant in Franklin County because she “naively believed” state environmental regulators were protecting citizens from pollution. Now, she won’t. “It is truly a disheartening feeling of betrayal from an agency in my younger years I […]
Four injured in two-vehicle crash north of Gower
A Milan man and three other individuals sustained injuries in a two-vehicle crash four miles north of Gower on Sunday, July 4. The Highway Patrol reports 39-year-old Jeremy McAlister of Milan was a passenger in a pickup truck driven by 40-year-old Curtis Faulconer of Smithville. They were taken by emergency medical services to Mosaic Life […]
Trenton and Chillicothe police departments receive complaints on fireworks
Chillicothe Assistant Police Chief Rick Sampsel reports the department received numerous calls of fireworks still being discharged on Sunday night after the designated stopping time of 10 o’clock. Fireworks can be set off on Monday, July 5, in Chillicothe from 8 a.m. until 11 o’clock tonight. Trenton police on Sunday night received a few complaints […]