COVID-19 or Coronavirus Update

Grundy County Health Department to hold vaccine clinic; two health departments report on COVID-19 cases

The Grundy County Health Department will hold a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine clinic on September 7th. Anyone at least 18 years old can receive the free vaccine from 2 to 4 o’clock that afternoon. The health department reminds residents the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend vaccination even if someone has already had COVID-19. Schedule […]

Notice of Eviction

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 […]

Group Photo of Missouri Public Safety Medals

Governor Parson awards Missouri Public Safety Medals to first responders and civilians for heroic actions in 2020

Governor Mike Parson awarded Missouri Public Safety Medals to a total of 15 first responders and 7 civilians for heroic and life-saving actions during 2020. The awards are Missouri’s highest recognition for first responders acting during critical incidents. The civilians, who include a 12-year-old boy who performed a life-saving rescue at age 11, were honored […]

Suicide Prevention

Wright Memorial Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions speaks about the importance of talking about suicide

September is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness month. Wright Memorial Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions program is working to raise awareness and educate the community on the risk factors and warning signs of suicide. Talk of suicide should never be dismissed. If you, or someone you know, are thinking of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention […]

Mask Mandate News Graphic

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 […]

Missouri School Boards Association

Audio: Missouri School Board Association leader responds to attorney general’s lawsuit challenging school mask requirements

State Attorney General Eric Schmitt is suing Columbia Public Schools and any Missouri K-12 public school requiring students and staff to wear masks. Schmitt, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, says a mask mandate “flies in the face of science, especially given children’s low risk of severe illness and death and their low risk of […]

Hospital Bed (Photo by Frederic Köberl on Unsplash)

Missouri ICUs filling as Delta variant wave moves into northeast, southeast regions

(Missouri Independent) – New cases from the Delta variant wave that has killed more than 1,150 Missourians since June 1 have plateaued, but hospital ICUs continue to fill — and small, rural hospitals are among the hardest hit. There were 690 patients in ICU beds across the state on Tuesday, the most recent day reported by the state Department of Health […]

Notice of Eviction

Supreme Court rejection of eviction ban increases pressure to dole out rental aid money

(Missouri Independent) -The U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of the Biden administration’s last-ditch effort to extend a federal ban on evictions has put hundreds of thousands of American renters at risk of losing their housing — and is increasing pressure on states and localities to get rental assistance dollars distributed faster. In an eight-page majority opinion […]

Photo of Ivermectin tablets

CDC issues Health Advisory on Ivermectin and the use of products containing Ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19

The CDC has issued a Health Advisory pertaining to the use of Ivermectin and the use of products containing Ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19. Ivermectin is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA-approved prescription medication used to treat certain infections caused by internal and external parasites. When used as prescribed for approved indications, it […]