Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

Video: Biden taps Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as first black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court

(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden formally announced the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday afternoon. “President Biden sought a candidate with exceptional credentials, unimpeachable character, and unwavering dedication to the rule of law,” the White House said in a statement. If confirmed by the Senate, Jackson, 51, […]

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Another candidate files for office of Public Administrator

Another candidate has filed in Grundy County for the August 2nd Primary Election. Adria Moore filed for the unexpired term of public administrator. Moore was appointed to the position following the resignation of previous public administrator Jill Eaton. Previous filings in Grundy County were incumbents Phillip Ray for presiding commissioner, Steve Hudson for associate circuit […]

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Missouri Senate passes $4.6B spending bill with pay raises, federal school funds

(Missouri Independent) – With a deadline looming that could cost Missouri almost $2 billion in federal education aid, the bill to distribute the money passed the state Senate on Wednesday after Democrats slammed a zero-dollar funding line as a partisan attack on Planned Parenthood. The $4.6 billion spending bill approved on a 25-7 vote is the first legislation requiring […]

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Statewide candidate filing period begins today

The candidate filing period begins Tuesday (today) at 8 am for county, district, and statewide officeholders. County candidates file for office with the county clerk at their respective courthouses. Candidates for the district or a statewide position file with the secretary of state’s office in Jefferson City. Candidates will be filing to run in their […]

Defund The Police Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

U.S. House hearing on extremism toward minorities turns into ‘defund the police’ debate

(Missouri Independent) – Leaders of faith organizations and Historically Black Colleges and Universities told members of a U.S. House panel on Thursday how their institutions and places of worship have been roiled by bomb threats and extremism. They talked about the recent waves of bomb threats aimed at HBCUs, a terrifying hostage-taking at a Texas […]

Gallatin Missouri High School FInal

Gallatin Board of Education approves calendar for 2022-2023; board accepts superintendent’s resignation

The Gallatin R-5 Board of Education on February 16th voted to offer the superintendent position to the current Gallatin Middle School principal. Doctor Justin Collins was offered the position with a three-year contract, beginning July 1st. The board accepted the resignation of current Superintendent Doctor Bryan Copple in December. His resignation will become effective June […]

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Laredo Board of Aldermen hold employee evaluations

The Laredo Board of Aldermen held annual employee evaluations on February 14, 2022, for City Clerk Ashley Bonnett and Maintenance/Water and Sewer Operator Adam Cooksey. A three-percent raise was given to both employees. Bonnett’s new rate will be $15.17 per hour, and Cooksey’s rate will be $15.20 per hour. Both positions are part-time.

Donald Kauerauf, the director of the Department of Health and Senior Services, speaks during a press conference at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on July 21, 2021

Before ouster, Missouri health director drafted a letter to senators that was never sent

(Missouri Independent) – On the Friday before a drawn-out confirmation battle ended with his ouster from office, Missouri state Health Director Donald Kauerauf wrote an impassioned letter meant to convince conservative legislators who were on the fence about his appointment.  The message: While he believed in vaccines and data and science, he didn’t believe in vaccine […]

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Two women, former federal correctional officers, plead guilty to bribery and contraband smuggling scheme

Two former correctional officers pleaded guilty to engaging in bribery and smuggling contraband into Leavenworth Detention Center. According to court documents, Jacqueline Sifuentes, 26, of Laredo, Texas, and Cheyonte Harris, 29, of Raytown, Missouri, previously worked as correctional officers at Leavenworth Detention Center, a privately-run maximum-security federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas. Sifuentes used her position […]

American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvall spoke at the organization’s 2022 annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia (photo provided by American Farm Bureau Federation)

American Farm Bureau Federation claims it’s the ‘voice of agriculture,’ Others beg to differ

(Missouri Independent) – This story was originally published as a collaboration between Investigate Midwest and Watchdog Writers Group. The American Farm Bureau Federation calls itself the “voice of agriculture,” a slogan it trademarked in 2007. But as the divide between agribusiness and small farmers has grown in recent decades, a unified voice of agriculture has become harder to […]

Patricia “Tricia” Ashton Derges former State Representative

Missouri lawmaker admits illegally selling prescription drugs, says it was unintentional

(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri lawmaker facing a 23-count federal indictment for allegedly selling fake stem-cell treatments and fraudulently using federal pandemic relief funds has settled with the state health department, resulting in three-year probation of her narcotics license while admitting to illegally purchasing and prescribing pharmaceutical drugs. The administrative settlement, signed Jan. 28 with the […]

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Charges Filed: Man subdued by passengers, flight crew after causing disturbance on flight; plane forced to land in Kansas City

A California man was subdued by several passengers and flight attendants when he tried to open the exit door on an American Airlines flight en route to Washington, D.C., on Sunday afternoon, forcing the plane to land at Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Missouri. Juan Remberto Rivas, 50, was charged with one count […]