Governor Mike Parson and First Lady Teresa Parson

Governor Parson to embark on trade mission to United Kingdom and Ireland promoting Missouri

From March 11 – 19, Governor Mike Parson and First Lady Teresa Parson will travel to the United Kingdom and Ireland for their third international Trade Mission. The U.K. and Ireland are key trade partners for Missouri, with nearly $354 million and more than $130 million in exports in 2021, respectively. Consistent with Governor Parson’s […]

Syringes on table (Photo by Jeremy Bezanger on Unsplash)

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 […]

Video Poker Machines from Missouri Independent (Photo by Rudi Keller - Missouri Independent).

Push for expanded Missouri gambling puts casinos, video operators in opposing camps

(Missouri Independent) – Approving video lottery would produce more than 10 times the new state revenue of sports wagering and drive cash-prize video games of debated legality out of Missouri, a newly updated report contends. The report, prepared by Morowitz Gaming Advisors LLC and Global Gaming & Hospitality Capital Advisors LLC and paid for by companies that […]

Gallery View of Missouri Senate

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 […]

Wright Memorial Hospital

Wright Memorial Hospital Foundation seeking donations for charity auction

The Wright Memorial Hospital Foundation will be hosting their second annual virtual charity auction, with proceeds going to support the Oncology Nurse Navigator Program, as well as the Foundation’s general fund, which supports Wright Memorial Hospital in a variety of ways. The event is scheduled to take place from May 4 through May 16, with […]

Diana Lee Miller booking photo courtesy Trenton Police Department

Spickard woman charged with 18 counts of animal neglect turns herself in to authorities

The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reports a Spickard woman turned herself in on February 22nd on 18 counts of misdemeanor animal neglect or abandonment. Seventy-four year-old Diana Lee Miller posted a $500 cash-only bond. She is scheduled for the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court on March 8, 2022. Court documents accuse Miller of […]

Leadership Northwest Missouri Patterson Family Check Presentation

Leadership Northwest Missouri receives donation from Patterson Family Foundation

Leadership Northwest Missouri recently received a charitable gift from the Patterson Family Foundation in the amount of $2,000. These funds will greatly assist with sustaining our mission to build, strengthen and inspire leaders through training and networking experiences. The Patterson Family Foundation is a family-led foundation extending the legacy of Neal and Jeanne Patterson. They […]

Law and Settlement scroll with gavel

Missouri Attorney General announces finalization of opioid settlement

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his Office has finalized opioid settlements with Johnson & Johnson and major opioid distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen. The Attorney General was joined by families of victims of opioid overdose and representatives from treatment centers and nonprofits across the state. Combined, these settlements bring a total of […]

Sex Trafficking

Man convicted of sex trafficking adult and minor victims, faces 20-years to life in prison

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke and U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea of the Western District of Wisconsin announced the conviction of Cory Hereford, 50, of Beloit, Wisconsin, on charges of sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, maintaining a property to distribute and use controlled substances, and of having committed sex trafficking of a minor […]

Planned Parenthood

Missouri state health agency seeks control of Title X funds that go to Planned Parenthood

(Missouri Independent) – Missouri’s state health department has applied to oversee federal family planning funds, a move reproductive health advocates fear would give the state power to cut off funding for providers who refer patients for abortion services. During his confirmation hearing late last month, former Department of Health and Senior Services Director Donald Kauerauf’s […]

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 […]

Maysville science olym 2022 at NCMC

Science Olympiad results from the North Central Missouri College campus

Several high schools participated in Science Olympiad on the campus of North Central Missouri College in Trenton, Missouri, on Saturday, February 12, 2022. Schools participating for 2022 included Stanberry, South Harrison, King City, Northeast Nodaway, Maysville, Princeton, and Pattonsburg. Individuals from each team who placed first in their event(s) may advance to the state competition […]

A Certificate of Appreciation and Outstanding Service Award was presented to Daughters Barbara Smith and Mary Lynn Griffin

DAR hold monthly meeting; two awarded certificates for volunteer work

The Dorcus Richardson Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution held its monthly meeting on February 7, 2022, at the BTC Bank meeting room.   Scott Sharp with the North Central Missouri Development Alliance presented a program on local community development.   A program was given by Tony Ralston and Sam Smith about the VFW Memorial […]

Screenshot of USDA or United States Department of Agriculture website

United States Department of Agriculture pledges $1B for ‘climate smart’ ag products

(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to spend up to $1 billion to foster the creation of climate-friendly agricultural and forestry products by offering grants to facilitate their production and the markets to sell them. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon in those industries. “Agriculture is such […]