Ag groups are calling on the Biden administration to provide flexibility for prime farmland in the Conservation Reserve Program as the Russian/Ukraine conflict has the potential to impact global food security. Ag economist Scott Irwin at the University of Illinois tells Brownfield Ukraine produces about 60 million acres of crops which are at risk this […]
Tag: OPP
Missouri Fast Track program helps adults get credentials in high-need industries
A workforce development program in Missouri is set to expire in August, but the state Senate passed a bill to make it permanent. The bill is now in the state House. The Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant Program provides full-tuition scholarships to adults 25 and older who want to get a short-term credential or a degree in an […]
Audio: Missouri House gives initial approval to eminent domain legislation for utility purposes
The Missouri House of Representatives has given initial approval to eminent domain legislation for utility purposes. Lawmakers have been working for years to pass a plan like this due to a high-voltage power transmission line project planned across eight northern Missouri counties. Under the bill, in eminent domain proceedings, just compensation for agriculture or horticulture […]
Audio: U.S. Supreme Court nominee Jackson fires back at Senator Josh Hawley
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley took Wednesday’s opportunity to learn more about Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson to instead hyperfocus on a handful of her sentences as a trial court judge. During the third and final day of Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearings, the Missouri senator continued to laser in on what he calls her lenient […]
Area residents place in 2021 state National Corn Yield Contest
Area residents placed in the state in the 2021 National Corn Yield Contest, sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association. Aaron Landes of Jamesport won first place in the Conventional Non-Irrigated Class with a field entry that yielded more than 321 bushels per acre. He used a hybrid from the Pioneer brand. Jim Schreiner of […]
Juvenile who stole car and went joyriding with friends in the report from Livingston County Sheriff
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office has released information on incidents so far this month. Sheriff Steve Cox reports the juvenile office is handling a matter involving a juvenile too young to be driving and allegedly stealing a relative’s vehicle. The sheriff says Sergeant Dustin Woelfle traveled on Bryan Street on March 2nd when a vehicle […]
Ketanji Brown Jackson defends her record under grilling from U.S. Senate Republicans
(Missouri Independent) – Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday sharpened their criticisms of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, probing her work as a public defender on behalf of terrorism suspects, the judicial sentences she has handed down for child pornography offenses, and her views of critical race theory. Jackson defended her […]
New Eric Greitens abuse allegations reignite GOP fears of losing Missouri Senate seat
(Missouri Independent) – The prospect of Eric Greitens capturing the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in Missouri was already terrifying to his party’s leaders. He had been forced out of the governor’s office in 2018, resigning to settle felony charges and avoid impeachment by a Republican legislative supermajority. Yet despite all that, he’s consistently led […]
Republicans push work requirements for coverage under Missouri Medicaid expansion
(Missouri Independent) – When the Good Samaritan Care Clinic opened in 2006 in Mountain View, only about 5% of the free clinic’s clients were eligible for Medicaid. When it closed late last year, that number had risen to 70%, Dr. John Roberts, one of the clinic’s founders, told the Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. Medicaid […]
Audio: Missouri bill would create grant program to incentivize K-12 learning based on mastery of skills
Missouri’s current K-12 education system goes by chronological age and time in class. State Representative Doug Richey, a Republican from western Missouri’s Excelsior Springs, wants to award grants to eligible school districts to provide competency-based learning. This type of learning is based on students showing that they have learned the knowledge they are expected to […]
Audio: Missouri unemployment benefits could be on the chopping block
The Missouri Senate debated a bill Monday night that could cut unemployment benefits from 20 to 8 weeks if Missouri’s average jobless rate is at or below 3.5-percent. State Senator Mike Bernskoetter, a Republican from Jefferson City, says his bill aims to put more people back to work while so many jobs are open. State […]
Ketanji Brown Jackson vows to decide U.S. Supreme Court cases from a ‘neutral posture’
(Missouri Independent) – Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson began her four-day confirmation process to become the nation’s first Black female associate justice on Monday, listening to hours of opening statements from Senate Judiciary Committee members before giving her own. In her first public remarks since President Joe Biden nominated her last month, Jackson, who grew […]
Eric Greitens accused of physical abuse in affidavit filed by his ex-wife
(Missouri Independent) – Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is facing new allegations that he physically abused his ex-wife and children and that in the months before his resignation became so unstable that his access to firearms had to be limited. The accusations are included in a sworn affidavit filed by former Missouri First Lady Sheena Greitens as […]
Temporary benefit increase extended through September for Missouri WIC participants
Missouri WIC is extending the temporary increase of the Cash Value Benefit for Fruit and Vegetable Purchases (CVB) through September 2022. The increase will continue to be $24 per month for child participants, $43 per month for pregnant and postpartum women participants, and $47 per month for breastfeeding women participants. Standard CVB values range from […]
As CAFO lawsuit heads to Missouri Supreme Court, counties weigh options
(Missouri Independent) – As a fight over who can regulate industrial hog and cattle operations awaits action by the Missouri Supreme Court, counties that sought more stringent protections against them wait in limbo. The Missouri Supreme Court is expected to hear an appeal by county commissioners who sought to regulate concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, […]
Judge sentences Missouri woman to 9-1/2 years in federal prison on drug and gun charges
Kietra R. Studdard, age 44, of Fenton, Missouri appeared before United States District Court Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk and pleaded guilty. Studdard was sentenced to 115 months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. […]
Dates announced for Veterans Service Officer events in Trenton
Four dates in April have been announced for the Veterans Service Officer to be available at VFW Post 919 in Trenton. Officer Wayne Kleinschmidt can meet with veterans on April 1st, 4th, 8th, and 15th, with Each opportunity is from 9 am until 2 pm. The officer can help with VA paperwork and answer questions. […]
Missouri Celebrates National Agriculture Week
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 […]
2022 Missouri Agribusiness Academy participants announced
The Missouri Department of Agriculture has selected 30 high school sophomores to participate in the 2022 Missouri Agribusiness Academy. Selected students will spend a week in June in Kansas City exploring careers in agriculture, building leadership skills, and learning more about farming, ranching, and food production. “Investing in the future generation of agriculture is important […]