Southeast Missouri Congressman Jason Smith says every agribusiness in the state is dealing with worker shortages. Smith, a Republican from Salem, says the biggest problem with the worker shortage is the government is paying more people to stay home than it is for them to get a job. Federal pandemic unemployment insurance ended […]
Tag: people
Audio: Two hundred plus attend vaccine mandate protest at Wright Memorial Hospital
It is estimated more than 200 people attended a rally near Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, to show support for personal choice involving whether to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Spokesperson Nathan Rorebeck said the rally was for the vaccine mandate involving employees for the Saint Luke’s Health System, which includes Wright […]
Seven die in traffic crashes over Labor Day holiday weekend
Seven people died in traffic crashes during the 2021 Labor Day holiday weekend. Last year, there were 18 fatalities. The 2021 counting period for the Labor Day holiday ran from 6 p.m., Friday, September 3, through 11:59 p.m., Monday, September 6. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports the following enforcement activity during the 2021 Labor […]
Missouri will become the last state to enforce federal mental health parity act
(Missouri Independent) – Under a new state law that went into effect late last month, Missouri will become the final state to enforce a federal law designed to ensure mental health care is covered by insurance providers the same as treatments for physical ailments. The provisions were included in House Bill 604, an omnibus insurance bill […]
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 […]
Missouri 4-H’ers donate more than a half-ton of protein to fight food insecurity by donating pigs at Missouri State Fair
This summer, Missouri 4-H youths raised more than 1,100 pounds of protein for Missourians in need by donating pigs at the 2021 Missouri State Fair. The pork contributed through Missouri Farmers Care’s Hogs for Hunger program will provide 5,028 meals for food-insecure Missourians. Hogs for Hunger, previously known as the Missouri Farmers Care Pork Partnership, […]
COVID cases among children rising as Missouri Delta variant wave enters fifth month
(Missouri Independent) – Clay LaRue, superintendent of the Van Buren R-1 School District, made a tough decision Sunday. With COVID-19 cases spiking in Carter County in southeast Missouri, and many of those infections among very young children, LaRue shut down the district’s pre-kindergarten program for two weeks. He had previously directed faculty, staff, and students […]
Missouri fielding “high volume” of calls for rental assistance as evictions resume
(Missouri Independent) – Calls from tenants seeking emergency rental assistance are escalating in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that blocked a national eviction moratorium. The Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) has 60 application processors working to distribute hundreds of millions in federal aid and has been fielding about 500 calls and responding to […]
Audio: Health care system CEO stresses Infusion is free and safe vs. Ivermectin for animals
Bothwell Regional Health Center is the site of a COVID-19 treatment called Monoclonal Antibody Infusion, a proven way to ease the virus and its symptoms. Yet, there are cases of people trying drugs meant for animals instead of these treatments. Center CEO Lori Wightman explained how this is a dangerous choice. Wightman says […]
Daviess County Library to participate in 9/11 Memorial and Education Exhibit
Daviess County Library announces its participation in September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed the World, a downloadable educational exhibition that presents the history of 9/11, its origins, and its ongoing implications through the personal stories of those who witnessed and survived the attacks. Told across 14 posters, this exhibition includes archival photographs and images […]
Trenton Park Board discusses installation of permanent cornhole boards
The Trenton Park Board September 1st discussed the possibility of concrete cornhole boards being installed at Eastside Park. Park Superintendent David Shockley said he had received several requests for cornhole boards. Park Board President Curtis Crawford said cornhole is a popular game, and boards could be put near the horse shoe pitching area at Eastside […]
Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame inducts 44 members
“Making the best better” for generations of Missouri 4-H club members, 44 volunteers joined the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame on Aug. 21 at State Fair Community College in Sedalia. The Missouri 4-H Foundation recognizes individuals who have created a legacy of service to 4-H by honoring them with membership in the Missouri 4-H Hall […]
Audio: FEMA providing financial aid for some COVID-19-related funerals
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing financial aid for some COVID-19-related funerals in Missouri. Bryon Boka, with FEMA, says the agency is covering up to $9,000 per person. The financial relief is just for people who paid the funeral costs for a loved one without life insurance policies or a prepaid funeral. […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to illegal firearm
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing a firearm. Desmond L. Washington, 22, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to possessing a firearm after previously being convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Washington was arrested on Sept. 7, 2019, when Kansas City police officers […]
Governor Parson mobilizes Missouri National Guard to support Hurricane Ida relief effort
Governor Mike Parson announced that he has mobilized the Missouri National Guard to assist in post-Hurricane Ida recovery efforts in Louisiana. In support of the relief effort, the Missouri National Guard will alert, mobilize, and deploy approximately 300 Soldiers to assist. “As our fellow states never fail to come to our aid in times of […]
Saint Luke’s Health System to require mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for all employees
Saint Luke’s Health System announced it will require all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 30, 2021. The announcement comes as Kansas City has experienced a dramatic surge in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks. Hospitals and health systems across Missouri and Kansas have struggled to find enough ICU beds and staff […]
Advocates press for reform before student loan repayment deadline
In January, student loan borrowers will have to start paying off their loans again, as the pandemic-related pause on payment is set to expire. Now, a new report looks at ways to fix problems in the student loan system. Report co-author Michelle Dimino – senior education policy advisor at Third Way, a public policy think tank in […]
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 […]