Congressman Sam Graves (R-MO) introduced the Small Project Efficient and Effective Disaster (SPEED) Recovery Act to help small communities recover from disasters more quickly by allowing more small recovery projects to proceed under simplified procedures—giving communities more control and more tools to rebuild and recover. “By far, most disaster recovery projects in the United States […]
(Missouri Independent) – A six-week abortion ban in Texas enacted in September forced those seeking abortion services in the Lone Star State to look across state lines for care. But the timing couldn’t have been worse for Texans living near the state’s eastern border. The law took effect as neighboring Louisiana was reeling from the […]
(Missouri Independent) – On Tuesday, a reporter with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch alerted the state that Social Security numbers of school teachers and administrators were vulnerable to public exposure due to flaws on a website maintained by Missouri’s department of education. The newspaper agreed to hold off publishing any story while the department fixed the problem and […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released an audit of the Office of the Sheriff for the City of St. Louis. The audit, which gave the agency a rating of “good,” is part of the ongoing, comprehensive audit of St. Louis City. The Office of Sheriff consists of 7 units including Criminal and Civil Courts, Civil […]
The Patrol is encouraging qualified individuals of all backgrounds to apply and will offer testing at nine different locations in Missouri. Those who successfully complete testing will be eligible to continue in the selection process for the 115th Recruit Class, scheduled to begin training on July 5, 2022. The application deadline is January 15, 2022. To […]
A report from State Auditor Nicole Galloway finds that the city of Edgar Springs in Phelps County has implemented some recommendations from her 2020 audit, but that other concerns remain. The November 2020 audit of Edgar Springs was initiated through a petition of city residents. That audit highlighted numerous problems with the city’s accounting controls and […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released an audit of the 6th Judicial Circuit in Platte County. The Court received an overall rating of “fair”. The audit found the Circuit Clerk’s bank account contained more than $24,000 in unidentified funds, and that those funds have been in the account for more than 20 years. Under state […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway has issued an audit report on Livingston County financial statements for the two years ended December 31st, 2020. The audit by McBride, Locke, and Associates, LLC includes recommendations. One recommendation is that the county adopts an investment policy in accordance with state statutes and review compliance with the policy at least […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a comment letter opposing the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to use “interim values” of the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases to regulate light-duty vehicles through emission standards. “The Biden Administration’s attempts to impose massive federal regulations on Missouri’s farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers could have vast negative impacts. Now, the […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released today her regularly scheduled audit of McDonald County, located in southwest Missouri. The audit report, which makes several recommendations to improve the efficiency of county government, gave a rating of “good.” A prior audit of McDonald County, issued in September 2016, issued an overall rating of “fair.” “My audit identified several areas for […]
(Missouri Independent) – School districts are not subject to the law Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is using to challenge masks mandates in classrooms, attorneys for Columbia Public Schools wrote in a court filing seeking dismissal of a lawsuit initiated last month. The district also challenges Schmitt’s standing to file the lawsuit, argues that he is […]
The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri has asked a state court to let it intervene in state Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s class-action lawsuit seeking to prevent school districts from requiring masks. A press release from the ACLU says under federal law, public schools cannot exclude students with disabilities, denying them equal access […]
After an audit last year determined the former city clerk of Center misappropriated more than $300,000, State Auditor Nicole Galloway has issued a follow-up report measuring the progress made to implement the audit’s recommendations. While officials in the Ralls County town of 500 have taken some measures to better safeguard public funds, the follow-up report […]
(Missouri Independent) – On the final day of the 2021 legislative session in May, Missouri lawmakers passed a “law enforcement bill of rights” that gives officers special legal protections and closes files to police misconduct. When Gov. Mike Parson signed it into law in July, the bill of rights portion was largely overshadowed in press […]
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, heard a report on the mentoring program for new teachers in the district. District Instructional Coach Doctor Jill Watkins reported she developed the Trenton program based on what she has implemented in the past. She said teachers have to complete first and second-year tutoring. She […]
After releasing the findings of a voter fraud investigation involving two St. Charles County voters, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft went on record to make clear his intentions regarding voter integrity by announcing his plan to keep voting secure and accurate in upcoming Missouri elections while making sure no voter is turned away from the […]
The Grundy County R-5 Board of Education on September 13th approved paying for seasonal flu shots and set the graduation date. The district will pay for flu shots for all staff members who wish to participate. The cost will be $18 per staff member. Graduation is scheduled for May 21st, 2022. The fifth-grade graduation will […]
After hearing a request from economic developer Scott Sharp of the North Missouri Development Alliance, the Trenton City Council Monday night authorized Sharp to offer parcels of the city-owned Industrial Park land for potential business and industrial development prospects. The council referred a request to the Administrative Committee on whether to repeal Trenton’s breed-specific dog […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh demanding an explanation of the supposed constitutional basis of the Department of Labor’s planned attempt to use the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to mandate vaccinations for 80 million private-sector workers. Senator Hawley writes that OSHA’s power is “exceedingly limited” in this […]
(Missouri Independent) – Tying quarantine requirements to the Saint Louis University face mask requirement successfully reduced the number of students sent to isolation and helped cut COVID-19 infections this spring, according to a study published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Under the university’s rules, students without masks who had close contact […]
