Medicaid Expansion in Missouri

Senate committee approves bill that could overturn Missouri Medicaid expansion

(Missouri Independent) – A constitutional amendment asking Missourians to let lawmakers decide year-to-year whether the state will offer Medicaid to working-age adults moved closer to passage on Wednesday. By an 8-5 vote, the Senate Appropriations Committee sent the House-passed proposal to the full Senate for debate. Only Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, voted with Democrats to oppose the measure, which […]

John Boyd photo courtesy of John Boyd Junior

Democrats file suit to keep two-time Republican candidate off ballot for Missouri House seat

(Missouri Independent) – Democrats want to kick a candidate off the ballot in the race for a Kansas City-area Missouri House seat, claiming the Grandview man who filed in the 36th District contest is actually “a longtime Republican and vocal opponent of the Democratic Party.” John D. Boyd Jr. filed for the seat on Feb. […]

Write in candidates news graphic

Grundy County Clerk reports on write-in candidates for Tuesday’s election

Write-in results have been released for Grundy County following April 5th’s election. Information provided by the Grundy County Clerk’s Office shows four individuals received write-in votes for the two Spickard Alderman At Large positions. Tanja Younger received two votes. Mike Yates, J. R. Roberts, and Mike Jaycox each received one vote. Six people each received […]

Budget news graphic

Missouri House signs off on $46.2 billion budget, leaves most of huge state surplus untouched

(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri House gave first-round approval Tuesday to a package of budget bills spending $46.2 billion, with Republicans defeating repeated Democratic efforts to tap the state’s record surplus. The budget includes boosts to higher education funding, both for institutions and scholarships, as well as funding one of last year’s most controversial issues, Medicaid […]

Election Results

Election results in the Municipal Election for Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Three individuals were elected to the Trenton R-9 Board of Education, three for the Grundy County Health Department board, and three members of the Trenton City Council won re-election with a former councilman returning to a council seat. Each of the winners led from start to finish, meaning from the absentee ballots through the final […]

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson photo courtesy Wikipedia

Jackson wins 3 GOP votes as U.S. Senate advances her Supreme Court nomination

(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. Senate advanced Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic Supreme Court nomination in a 53-47 procedural vote Monday evening, hours after the Judiciary Committee deadlocked along party lines. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitt Romney of Utah voted with all 50 Senate Democrats on the procedural […]

Elections (Vote or Voting)

A look at offices across northern Missouri to be filled in Tuesday’s election

Numerous candidates will be elected to office during balloting today. KTTN listed many of the issues on ballots across our listening area on Monday, and today, we’ll focus on offices that have races involving city positions, school boards, and county health boards. Voters within Trenton will select four individuals for Trenton City Council, one per […]

Marijuana leaf

U.S. House votes to decriminalize marijuana in federal law

(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. House passed legislation Friday to legalize marijuana nationally, but its future is much less clear in the Senate. The House voted 220-204 to approve the measure, which would fix the split between federal law and 19 states where recreational marijuana is legal. Three Republicans joined all but two Democrats in approving the measure. […]

Recreatioinal Marijuana news graphic

Audio: Missouri Legislature considering bill to legalize recreational pot

The Missouri Legislature is considering whether to legalize the adult use of marijuana. This comes less than four years after nearly seven out of ten voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing for the use of medical marijuana. The 2022 “Cannabis Freedom Act”, sponsored by Republican State Representative Ron Hicks would authorize the recreational use, taxation, […]

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

U.S. Senate panel bickers over Supreme Court nomination but sets vote next week

(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee reopened partisan disagreements Monday as members scheduled a vote for April 4 on Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Republicans’ criticisms of Jackson’s record and responses were either untrue or disingenuous. Meanwhile, ranking Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa again raised […]

Audio: Karl Rove denies Greitens allegations he and McConnell orchestrated plan to get Greitens out of Senate race

U.S. Senate candidate and former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens says GOP consultant, Karl Rove, knew in advance his ex-wife was going to accuse him of physical abuse. Greitens says Rove and allies of Republican U.S. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell were in on a campaign to drive him from the race since Greitens opposes McConnell being […]

Grain Belt Express News Graphic

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 […]

Republican Party

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 […]

Medicaid Expansion in Missouri

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 […]

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson photo courtesy Wikipedia

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 […]

Trenton R-9 School District

Trenton R-9 Board of Education address personnel in closed session

The Trenton R-9 Board of Education took action on personnel matters in a closed session on March 17th. Mike Hostetter was hired as the Trenton Middle School assistant principal. Hostetter is currently the seventh through 12th-grade principal at Milan C-2. Superintendent Mike Stegman reports current TMS Assistant Principal Jackie Price has been transferred to an English […]

Ectopic Pregnancy news graphic

Audio: Missouri lawmaker seeks to criminalize aborting of nonviable pregnancies

A state representative wants to make it a felony in Missouri for providing abortions to women who could die of pregnancy complications. A state House committee is considering the bill sponsored by Branson Republican Brian Seitz, which would criminalize those who provide an abortion to women with what is called an ectopic pregnancy, or when […]