(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden is meeting with congressional Democrats on Capitol Hill Thursday morning to pitch lawmakers on a new slimmed-down framework for what would be included in a massive social reform package, according to senior administration officials. The $1.75 trillion blueprint that Biden is presenting to Democrats includes a universal pre-K program for 3-and-4 […]
Tag: progress
Audio: Grundy County Emergency Management Director, Glen Briggs, on Sunday’s severe weather in north Missouri
Severe storms with radar indications of rotational winds capable of producing a tornado prompted the National Weather Service to issue a tornado warning late Sunday afternoon for southeast Harrison County, northern Grundy County, and southern Mercer County. There was no known touchdown. Grundy County Emergency Management Director Glen Briggs reports tornado sirens in Trenton were […]
Missouri Department of Transportation sets statewide winter weather drill for October 21
Snowy weather is just around the corner. In preparation, the Missouri Department of Transportation will hold its annual winter operations drill on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021. With high turnover rates and many positions still open, the training is more critical than ever. “With nearly 20% of our plow operators with less than one year of […]
FBI releases 2020 statistics for law enforcement officers assaulted in the line of duty
According to statistics reported to the FBI, 60,105 law enforcement officers were assaulted while performing their duties in 2020. These assaults were reported to the FBI by 9,895 law enforcement agencies. Based on these reports, there were 4,071 more officers assaulted in 2020 than the 56,034 assaults reported in 2019. Data regarding these assaults were […]
Missouri State Auditor releases audit of the Office of the St. Louis City Sheriff
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 […]
Missouri State Auditor finds in follow-up report of Edgar Springs community that serious concerns remain
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 […]
Missouri Department of Agriculture announces availability of industrial hemp processing grants
The Missouri Department of Agriculture announced funding for the processing of industrial hemp fiber. The Department will award grants of up to $200,000 for reimbursement of expenses associated with the expansion of processing capacity for industrial hemp fiber in Missouri. The Missouri General Assembly appropriated $700,000 to help build Missouri’s industrial hemp fiber processing infrastructure. […]
Congress passes bill to prevent government shutdown, Blunt only Missouri Republican in support
(Missouri Independent) – Congress made a last-minute dash to avert a government shutdown on Thursday, with the U.S. Senate and House approving a short-term spending bill just hours ahead of a midnight deadline. Every Democratic and independent senator and 15 Republicans supported the bill in the 65-35 vote. The GOP senators in the “aye” tally included […]
Video/Audio: Missouri’s effort to get thousands of rape kits tested is making progress
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt gave an update on the SAFE Kit Initiative, reporting positive progress in clearing the backlog of untested sexual assault kits through the initiative. The Springfield Police Department also announced that they have completely cleared out their backlog, leaving zero untested sexual assault kits in their inventory. “As a husband, father, […]
Recommendations by Missouri State Auditor not fully implemented by City of Center, after former city clerk misappropriated $300,000
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 […]
Struggle over tax break for inherited farmland churns below surface in reconciliation bill
(Missouri Independent) – Agricultural groups and farm-state lawmakers notched a significant win when U.S. House Democrats chose not to touch a big tax break for inherited property, avoiding, for now, a confrontation. But opponents remain wary that the idea could come back at any time as Democrats shape their massive $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package, and […]
Missouri business owner who stole from customers, in $4 million fraud scheme, sentenced to 5 years in prison for $768,000 tax evasion
A Missouri business owner who engaged in a $4 million scheme to defraud his customers was sentenced in federal court for tax evasion after failing to pay more than $768,000 in state and federal taxes. “Not only did this defendant steal millions of dollars from his customers, but he stole from the public by evading […]
Hawley demanding answers from Google about pro-life censorship
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai demanding an explanation as to why ads placed by Live Action and Choose Life Marketing have seemingly been censored. Choose Life Marketing is a Missouri company that works with pregnancy resource centers throughout the country by developing and circulating online ads detailing women’s […]
After receiving “poor” audit rating in 2020, Monroe City making progress, but after follow-up review only 3 changes fully implemented
A report from State Auditor Nicole Galloway finds that Monroe City has implemented some recommendations from a 2020 audit, but that other concerns remain. The June 2020 audit of Monroe City was initiated through a citizen petition, which required 200 valid signatures of qualified voters in the city. That audit highlighted concerns in several areas, including city […]
House reconciliation package would provide path to citizenship for millions
(Missouri Independent) – A provision tucked in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package would direct Congress to chart a path for citizenship for millions of undocumented people. If passed, the House provision would provide a pathway to citizenship for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, often referred to as Dreamers, farmworker workers; those […]
USDA updates pandemic assistance for livestock, poultry contract producers and specialty crop growers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is updating the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) for contract producers of eligible livestock and poultry and producers of specialty crops and other sales-based commodities. CFAP 2, which assists producers who faced market disruptions in 2020 due to COVID-19, is part of USDA’s broader Pandemic Assistance for Producers […]
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 […]
Governor Parson ends existing State of Emergency by terminating Executive Order 2002
Governor Mike Parson terminated Executive Order 2002 ending the State of Emergency that had been in effect since March 13, 2020. “In the nearly 18 months we operated under this Executive Order, we have responded to the COVID-19 crisis by providing unprecedented levels of resources and support,” Governor Parson said. “This Order enabled us to respond to the […]