(Missouri Independent) – Work to bring a new contractor for prisoner health care services online in Missouri can continue, but the actual transition from Corizon, the current provider, won’t occur until at least early November, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ordered Tuesday. Green issued a temporary restraining order blocking the state from canceling its […]
Tag: oppose
Roadblocks facing Kevin Strickland’s innocence claim is nothing new for Missouri
(Missouri Independent) – Kevin Strickland was hopeful Thursday was going to be his first step towards freedom after 40 years in prison. A new law that went into effect on Aug. 28 gave Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker a legal avenue to free Strickland, who she says is innocent and wrongly incarcerated. But opposition […]
Supreme Court bows out, White House wades into Texas abortion battle
President Joe Biden stepped into the abortion battle in Texas Thursday, tasking federal agencies to see what steps can be taken to, in his words, “ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions.” The law, which took effect Wednesday, bans most abortions after six weeks before most women know they are […]
House reconciliation package would provide path to citizenship for millions
(Missouri Independent) – A provision tucked in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package would direct Congress to chart a path for citizenship for millions of undocumented people. If passed, the House provision would provide a pathway to citizenship for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, often referred to as Dreamers, farmworker workers; those […]
Department of Justice asks court to block Missouri’s ‘Second Amendment Preservation Act’
(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri law prohibiting state and local police from enforcing certain federal gun laws has already undermined drug and weapons investigations, the U.S. Department of Justice argued in documents filed Wednesday in Cole County Circuit Court. As part of an ongoing lawsuit set for a hearing Thursday afternoon, the Justice Department is asking Cole […]
Audio: Missouri Chamber of Commerce opposes calls to ban businesses from requiring coronavirus vaccinations
The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry says it opposes calls to ban coronavirus vaccination requirements in the private sector. The Republican-leaning business group’s position follows six conservative state senators calling for a special session to ban public and private sectors from requiring vaccinations. Matt Panik, with the state’s largest business group, says businesses should […]
Missouri to accept Medicaid expansion applications; DSS to begin processing applications on October 1
(Missouri Independent) – Missourians who qualify for benefits under Medicaid expansion can begin enrolling. Still, it may take up to two months until they will find out if their eligibility has been verified and their application has been approved. In a news release Wednesday, Gov. Mike Parson announced that in response to a Cole County […]
Trenton Board of Education discusses COVID-19 protocols during lengthy meeting
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education on August 10th discussed COVID-19-related matters for the upcoming school year. Superintendent Mike Stegman began by going over a list of protocols. They included staff and students attending school in person and using social distancing. Masks will be optional for staff and students inside district facilities. It is “highly […]
Trenton City Council approves $4.00 increase in base electric meter charge
The Trenton City Council on Monday evening approved a $4.00 increase in the monthly cost for having an electric meter. The increased funds are designed to pay off a loan the city has due to additional energy costs incurred during the extreme cold spell in February. The council also voted to reduce by three dollars […]
U.S. Senate agrees to move ahead on $550 billion in new infrastructure spending
(Missouri Independent) – A bipartisan group of U.S. senators say they have worked through the sticking points on a major infrastructure package, and the Senate agreed on a procedural vote on Wednesday night to advance to debate on the proposal. That announcement came a week after Republicans blocked a test vote on the deal, with GOP […]
Trenton City Council defeats proposed electric rate increase; rejects designation of downtown historic district
The Trenton City Council on Monday night voted unanimously to reject the designation of the downtown historic district as currently written, which would have created a new section in the city code. On a split vote, the city council defeated a proposed increase in the electric system base rate. Narrow approval was given on another […]
Missouri Supreme Court rules voter-approved Medicaid expansion is constitutional
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri must expand Medicaid to 275,000 eligible people who were expecting coverage under a constitutional amendment that took effect July 1, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Thursday. In a unanimous opinion, the court overturned a trial court ruling that the amendment, passed in August 2020 was unconstitutional because it may increase the state’s cost for […]
Coalition of lawmakers urge Biden administration to drop proposed tax hike on farm families
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), along with the entire Senate Republican caucus, sent a letter to President Biden urging him to abandon his effort to impose a capital gains tax increase on family-owned businesses, farms, and ranches. Repealing this part of the tax code would have a devastating effect on multi-generation operations, which could lead […]
Quick ruling expected from Missouri Supreme Court on Medicaid Expansion
Missouri’s Medicaid expansion lawsuit case is now in the hands of the seven-member state Supreme Court. The court heard about 35 minutes of oral arguments Tuesday morning in Jefferson City. This case will likely come down to the definition of “appropriation.” Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled in June that Missouri’s August Medicaid expansion […]
Fate of Missouri Medicaid expansion in the hands of the state Supreme Court
(Missouri Independent) – After an eight-year fight over Medicaid expansion, the arguments are over. The question of whether 275,000 people will receive state-paid health care coverage is in the hands of the Missouri Supreme Court. Oral arguments took place Tuesday in an expedited appeal. The seven judges must decide whether Medicaid eligibility will expand, as directed by the […]
Audio: Missouri Supreme Court to hear Missouri Medicaid expansion lawsuit case this morning
The Missouri Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday morning, July 13, 2021, in Jefferson City in one of the biggest cases the court has faced in recent memory: Missouri’s Medicaid expansion lawsuit case. Oral arguments will begin Tuesday at 11 a.m. Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled in late June that […]
Trenton City Council responds to concerns over residential trash pickup
Much of the discussion during Monday night’s Trenton City Council meeting involved discussion on trash service complaints. City administrator Ron Urton provided a list of recent complaint calls received by city hall detailing addresses that experienced issues. Two members of the public, Larry Huffstutter and Gaylon McCorkle voiced their concerns. Responses were provided by Rapid […]
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 […]
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 […]