(Missouri Independent) – With several months to go before state lawmakers return for the 2022 legislative session, Republicans are promising to once again push to require photo identification to vote. Committees in the Missouri House and Senate held hearings Tuesday dominated by discussions of requiring a government-issued ID for both in-person and absentee voting. Secretary […]
Tag: option
Leadership Northwest Music Jam at Black Silo Winery quickly approaching
Country music star, Sunny Sweeney, will be headlining the first-ever Leadership Northwest Music Jam with ticket proceeds benefiting the Leadership Northwest Missouri program. The show will be hosted at Black Silo Winery in Trenton, MO on Saturday, September 25, 2021. Trenton local, Salem Croy, will be the special guest opening the music event. Tickets are […]
North Mercer Board of Education approve boys and girls golf; adopt payment policy for employees on COVID quarantine days
The North Mercer R-3 Board of Education September 8th determined the district will pay employees for all COVID-19 quarantine days that are linked to contact tracing through the school. Superintendent Dan Owens reports the district will also pay for 10 days of quarantine for all other reasons. An amendment was approved to the supplemental salary […]
TierPoint announces plan to build new data center in the St. Louis Area
TierPoint, a leading provider of secure, connected data center and cloud solutions, announced plans to build a new, 23,000 square foot Tier III data center in the Westport area of St. Louis County, Missouri. Backed by an approximately $20 million commitment, the facility will include 14,500 square feet of production or raised floor space. “Missouri […]
“Simply unconscionable”: Advocates push Ameren to keep electric bills low during pandemic
(Missouri Independent) – Ameren Missouri should not increase its electrical rates for its customers as they struggle to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic fallout, a coalition of environmental, veterans, and tenants advocates said Wednesday. The St. Louis-based utility filed with regulators in March seeking a rate increase worth nearly $300 million per year to pay […]
Judge orders no change – for now – in Missouri’s prisoner health care contractor
(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 […]
November trial set for lawsuit challenging $1.4 billion Missouri prison health care contract
(Missouri Independent) – A trial will be held in early November to determine whether a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Centene will take over the contract for prison health care in the Missouri Department of Corrections. In a hearing Thursday, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green set Nov. 3 as the first day in the trial where current […]
Audio: Missouri medical marijuana business offers delivery services
Missouri began selling medical marijuana last fall, and one Missouri business is now offering customers the option of getting those products delivered. Joey Pintozzi, with Besame Wellness, says its North Kansas City store is offering the service and the company hopes to expand delivery to some of its other stores. Besame has stores in Kansas […]
Biofuel Infrastructure Incentive Program created to increase distribution and use of biofuels in Missouri
The Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority (MASBDA) announced the Biofuel Infrastructure Incentive Program (BIIP) to increase the distribution and use of biofuels in the state of Missouri. Funds will be awarded to fuel retailers, fuel distributors, terminal companies, or fleet operations that dispense, or will soon store or dispense, ethanol blends of E15 […]
USDA updates pandemic assistance for livestock, poultry contract producers and specialty crop growers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is updating the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) for contract producers of eligible livestock and poultry and producers of specialty crops and other sales-based commodities. CFAP 2, which assists producers who faced market disruptions in 2020 due to COVID-19, is part of USDA’s broader Pandemic Assistance for Producers […]
Trenton First Assembly of God Church to hold event for 12 to 18 year old teenagers
Purity and sexuality from a Biblical perspective will be discussed at an event for individuals 12 to 18 years old. Unplanned/God’s Plan will be held at the Trenton First Assembly of God gym on October 10th from 1 to 5 p.m. The movie Unplanned will be shown, which tells the story of a former director […]
Biden administration opens civil rights investigation into states banning school mask mandates
(Missouri Independent) – Federal education officials have launched civil rights investigations in five Republican-led states that have prohibited school districts from mandating mask-wearing, saying those policies could amount to illegal discrimination against students with disabilities. The Biden administration notified the education chiefs in Iowa, Tennessee, South Carolina, Utah, and Oklahoma of the investigations through formal letters Monday. The new investigations will examine […]
Lawsuit filed over $1.4 billion contract for Missouri prison healthcare
(Missouri Independent) – The dispute over the $1.4 billion contract to provide prisoner health care in Missouri is moving into the courts. Corizon Health, which has held the Department of Corrections contract since 1992, filed a lawsuit Monday in Cole County alleging that unfair treatment and improper scoring gave the contract to Centurion Health, a Virginia subsidiary of […]
Changes to Missouri’s adult abuse and neglect hotline hours of operation
To better serve those needing to report concerns of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of elderly and disabled Missourians, the Department of Health and Senior Services’ Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline will be revising its hours of operations to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. effective September 1, 2021. In November of 2019, the Department of Health […]
Talking and trusting are key to easing back-to-school stress for teenagers
With new teachers, classmates, and expectations, back to school is full of uncertainties and anxieties. Stressful transitions increase the chances that a teen will turn to drugs or alcohol to cope. Geena Crosby, prevention coordinator for youth and young adult services with the Prevention Action Alliance, said there are many ways to support teens during […]
Creating Entrepreneurial Communities Conference set for September 29-30
How can small towns and rural areas promote entrepreneurship to drive economic growth and revitalize their communities? University of Missouri Extension and partners in the Hannibal area will explore that question at the first Creating Entrepreneurial Communities Conference, Sept. 29-30 in downtown Hannibal. The two-day conference is open to anyone interested in learning more about […]
USDA accepts 2.8 million acres for the Conservation Reserve Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has accepted 2.8 million acres in offers from agricultural producers and private landowners for enrollment into the Conservation Reserve Program in 2021. This year, almost 1.9 million acres in offers have been accepted through the General CRP Signup, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency has accepted over 897,000 acres for enrollment […]
Governor Parson announces $400 million plan to improve broadband infrastructure in Missouri
During a press conference at the Missouri State Fair hosted by the Missouri Farm Bureau, Governor Mike Parson announced plans to deploy more than $400 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to increase broadband internet access, adoption, and assistance statewide. “Investing in our broadband infrastructure is critical to unlocking our full economic potential […]
USDA invests more than $5 million in infrastructure to expand availability of renewable fuels in rural Missouri
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced the agency is investing $5,178,191 to build infrastructure to expand the availability of higher-blend renewable biofuels by 235,810,915 million gallons annually in Missouri. “USDA Rural Development is committed to expanding the availability of higher-blend biofuels to all of rural Missouri,” Thomas […]