The Missouri General Assembly has been on spring break this week and will reconvene March 21st. State Representative Rusty Black of Chillicothe says he thinks the House of Representatives did good work in the first part of the session. Black is in his sixth year as a State Representative. He enjoys being involved […]
Tag: process
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 […]
Missouri Attorney General files lawsuit against Rockwood School District for alleged Sunshine Law violations
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against the Rockwood School District for alleged Sunshine Law violations. On November 19, 2021, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office sent three Sunshine Law requests to the Rockwood School District seeking public records relating to the Rockwood School District’s decision to publish the FBI’s link to report parents […]
Missouri State Auditor releases annual report examining state’s financial reporting processes
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released her office’s annual report on the state’s financial reporting processes. The report examines Missouri’s annual statewide financial statements and makes recommendations to ensure accurate financial reporting, which better protects and accounts for taxpayer resources. Auditors found that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations needs to improve controls in the […]
Medicaid enrollment backlog persists as advocates say Missouri could be doing more
(Missouri Independent) – Applying for health insurance through Medicaid expansion took Raven Cole just 10 minutes. But the wait to see if she’s approved has dragged on for months. The 23-year-old legal assistant applied for coverage, “well over two to three months ago.” “And I haven’t heard anything back,” Cole said. Cole is one of […]
Newtown-Harris Board of Education approves 2022-2023 school calendar,
The Newtown-Harris R-3 Board of Education last week approved the 2022-2023 school calendar. The first day of school will be August 23rd, and the last day is scheduled for May 26th, 2023. A calendar adjustment was approved for 2021-2022. Superintendent Doctor Lucas McKinnis reports a professional development day was moved from April 18th to April […]
Judges release new boundaries for Missouri Senate districts
(Missouri Independent) – A panel of Missouri judges tasked with redrawing 34 state Senate districts released a tentative plan Monday, part of a once-in-a-decade process that reconfigures political boundaries following the U.S. Census. The new map, drawn by the Judicial Redistricting Commission after a citizen commission failed to reach consensus, will be formally submitted to […]
Pressure ramps up to halt Trump-era policy that expels migrants at the border
(Missouri Independent) – Senate Democrats and immigration advocates are pushing the White House to end a controversial Trump-era immigration policy enacted during the pandemic that allowed U.S. officials to expel migrants and asylum seekers at the border. “I continue to be disappointed, deeply disappointed, in the administration’s response,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York […]
Trenton Park Board approves deficit budget
The Trenton Park Board approved a deficit budget for 2022-2023 on March 9th. The budget was approved with an amendment to the petroleum products cost. The cost of petroleum products was originally budgeted for the same price as the current year at $6,500, but it was increased by 50% to $9,750 due to the recently […]
Congress reaches deal on massive spending package with billions for COVID aid, Ukraine
(Missouri Independent) – Democrats and Republicans forged an agreement early Wednesday on a spending package that will fund the government for the next eight months, as well as provide billions in emergency funding for COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. The announcement means Congress should be able to avert a government shutdown when a spending […]
Audit of city of Cross Timbers finds more than $44,000 misappropriated by former city clerk; city finances in poor condition
Auditor Galloway released her findings from an audit of the city of Cross Timbers in Hickory County. Residents of Cross Timbers, a small town of fewer than 120 residents in west-central Missouri, initiated the audit through the petition process. The audit released, which gives a rating of “poor” – the lowest possible rating – found […]
Trenton Board of Education approves 2022-2023 salary schedule which sets base pay at $36,000
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education on March 8th approved, on a vote of five to one, salary schedules for the 2022-2023 school year. Approval was given after hearing a proposal from Charley Crimi with the Salary and Welfare Committee and a recommendation from Superintendent Mike Stegman. The certified salary schedule for next school year […]
11 Missouri school districts receive a total of $535,000 in school bus rebate opportunities
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the winners of two school bus rebate opportunities which include the 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP) Electric School Bus Rebates, and the 2021 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) School Bus Rebates. The $7 million in ARP funding is directed toward school districts in underserved communities to replace old diesel […]
Man arrested after fleeing from law enforcement near Chillicothe
A 37-year-old man was arrested near Chillicothe on Sunday night, March 6 after he allegedly failed to yield to law enforcement and fled. Chillicothe Police Sergeant Jeremy Stephens reports officers conducted a traffic stop near Mitchell Road and Corporate Drive, but the vehicle continued to the area of the 600 block of Corporate Drive. He says […]
Missouri State Auditor gives Clay County Commission’s office rating of “Poor”; details how commissioners obstructed audit process
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway today issued her office’s audit of the Clay County Commission, which was initiated by a citizen petition in 2018. The report follows repeated but ultimately unsuccessful efforts by former county commissioners to impede the completion of the audit. The report, which gave a rating of “poor” – the lowest possible […]
Bill that would decriminalize needle exchange programs passes Missouri Senate committee
(Missouri Independent) – A bill that would decriminalize needle exchange programs that aim to reduce the spread of infectious diseases was voted out of the Senate General Laws Committee Tuesday. Needle exchange programs allow drug users to swap out used syringes with clean, new ones in an effort to decrease the chances of contracting or […]
Groups push back against attempt to repeal Medicaid expansion
Groups advocating for health-care access for all Missourians urged the state Senate to reject a proposed constitutional amendment to undermine Medicaid expansion passed by the House. House Joint Resolution 117 would empower the Legislature to block services to the hundreds of thousands of newly eligible residents who are signing up, by repealing expansion and making it […]
January 2022 Missouri jobs report shows a drop in unemployment to 3.8%
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased from December 2021 to January 2022, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by one-tenth of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 9,100 jobs over the month, with job gains in both goods-producing and service-providing industries. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.8 percent in January 2022, […]