USDA US Department of Agriculture

USDA announces 2022 cotton loan rate differentials

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corporation today announced the 2022 crop loan rate differentials for upland and extra-long staple cotton which are applied to the crop loan rate to determine the per bale actual loan rate. The differentials, also referred to as loan rate premiums and discounts were calculated based on market valuations […]

Prison Sentence

Missouri woman sentenced 8 years in prison for meth trafficking

A Missouri woman was sentenced in federal court for methamphetamine trafficking after she received a large package of methamphetamine shipped from California to distribute locally. Cassiopeia Marie Blaise, 37, Columbia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to eight years in federal prison without parole. Blaise pleaded guilty on Aug. 31, 2021, to […]

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Missouri man pleads guilty to $10 million conspiracy to distribute 1,000 kilos of meth

A Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a nearly $10 million conspiracy to distribute almost 1,000 kilograms (2204 pounds) of methamphetamine. Michael B. Becher, 40, Raytown, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from Sept. 1, 2018, to Nov. 5, 2019. […]

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Missouri man sentenced to 13 years in prison, without parole, for meth conspiracy

A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Darrell Lynn Ferguson, 57, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 13 years and one month in federal prison without parole. On Oct. 6, 2021, Ferguson pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy […]

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DEA warns of increase in mass-overdose events involving deadly fentanyl

The Drug Enforcement Administration sent a letter to federal, state, and local law enforcement partners warning of a nationwide spike in fentanyl-related mass-overdose events. Administrator Anne Milgram outlined the current threat and offered DEA support to law enforcement officers responding to these tragic incidents. “Fentanyl is killing Americans at an unprecedented rate,” said DEA Administrator […]

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Missouri man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking 100 pounds of meth and illegal firearms

A Missouri man who sold an assault rifle and methamphetamine to an undercover federal agent has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for illegally possessing firearms. Jacob Michael Richardson, 34, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Tuesday, March 29, […]

Dorothy Kathryn Archuleta

Grundy and Daviess County authorities seek to locate Dorothy Kathryn Archuleta

The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office is seeking help in locating a fugitive. The sheriff’s Department reports 38-year-old Dorothy Kathryn Archuleta is wanted in Grundy County on an active $10,000 cash-only bond warrant for failing to appear in court on original charges of possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. She is […]

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Man traveling through Missouri charged with fentanyl trafficking after authorities find 9 pounds of counterfeit pills

 A California man was charged in federal court with smuggling more than four kilograms of counterfeit pills that contain fentanyl aboard a bus traveling through Kansas City, Missouri, from Los Angeles, Calif. Matthew John Gomez, 27, was charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute in a criminal complaint filed in […]

Gallatin City Hall

Board of Aldermen informed that Gallatin has been granted funding approval for advanced metering infrastructure

The Gallatin Board of Aldermen on March 14th approved an ordinance adopting and enacting a new code of ordinances for the City of Gallatin. City Clerk Hattie Rains reports the new codes are statutory updates approved at the state level. The city recognizes the changes in its code the state already approved. The board approved […]

Smithfield Food Logo

Missouri fines CAFO, owned by Smithfield Foods, $18,000 for polluting streams with 300,000 gallons of waste

(Missouri Independent) – Regulators ordered an industrial hog farm in northern Missouri to pay more than $18,000 for spilling 300,000 gallons of manure into miles of nearby streams.  An advocate for environmentally responsible agriculture called that “pathetic,” noting the fine amounted to less than $0.04 per gallon of waste spilled.  “You’re talking about a multi-billion […]

Three fisherman on a boat with a paddlefish (Photo courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation)

For those that like snagging, paddlefish season begins March 15

Imagine catching a giant, prehistoric fish whose ancestors swam during the time of dinosaurs. That is a reality for thousands of paddlefish snaggers during Missouri’s annual spring paddlefish snagging season. Paddlefish — named for their large, paddle-shaped snouts — are an ancient species that can grow to seven feet and weigh more than 100 pounds.  […]

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Man pleads guilty to smuggling 22 pounds (10 kilos) of meth aboard bus in Missouri

 A man pleaded guilty in federal court to smuggling more than 10 kilograms of methamphetamine aboard a bus traveling through Kansas City, Missouri, from Los Angeles, California, to New York. Douglas D. McDowell, 63, of New York, N.Y., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of possessing methamphetamine with intent to […]

Chillicothe Elks website

North Missouri Sportsman’s Alliance to hold events at Chillicothe Elks Lodge

The North Missouri Sportsman’s Alliance will hold two events at the Chillicothe Elks Lodge on April 9th: a free deer antler scoring program and a Texas Hold ’Em Poker Tournament to raise funds for the alliance to fund the Share the Harvest program. Deer racks will be accepted from 9 o’clock to noon. Certified Pope […]