(Missouri Independent) – A trial to determine whether Missouri must expand Medicaid coverage as mandated by a 2020 initiative will take place Friday as scheduled, Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled Tuesday. The ruling against adding new plaintiffs to the case came a day after Beetem heard arguments over whether two people who would become eligible for Medicaid […]
Tag: propose
As massive livestock operations move in, fighting them gets harder for rural neighbors
(Missouri Independent) – Jeff Jones has lived on his family’s land east of Columbia, Missouri, his entire life. Some of the family’s farms are more than 150 years old. And Jones, who raises cattle and grows row crops, has no intentions of going anywhere. But after years of fighting, his community is home to a […]
‘Defund the police’ was designed to provoke a response. In Missouri, it worked
(Missouri Independent) – For years after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, activists and community leaders have pushed to “re-envision public safety.” Inspired in part by the Ferguson Commission, which recommended that cities focus more resources on the root causes of crime, organizers across the state echoed these calls. But they largely fell on deaf ears. […]
Governor Parson to be in Milan to sign resolution regarding East Locust Creek Reservoir
Thursday’s visit to Milan by Governor Parson is to sign a House-Senate resolution that enables the state to join in a debt service arrangement supporting the construction of the East Locust Creek Reservoir. That’s the large lake proposed north of Milan to serve as a regional water supply and offer recreational opportunities. The resolution enables […]
Missouri Department of Conservation expands opportunities for photography and filming in conservation areas
The Missouri Conservation Commission gave final approval to the Missouri Department of Conservation on a proposed change to the Wildlife Code of Missouri regulations that would require permits for commercial or for-profit photography and videography on MDC areas. Commercial use is defined as any activity that directly or indirectly results in financial gain, or where […]
Audio: Missouri Supreme Court issues unanimous decision in major corrections officer overtime case
The Missouri Supreme Court issued a 6-0 decision on Tuesday in a case filed by corrections officers seeking $113,000,000 in overtime pay. Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth has our report. Longtime Cole County Judge Pat Joyce, who’s since retired, had found the Missouri Department of Corrections liable for paying for all the officers’ pre and […]
Missouri needs free market marijuana reforms now
(Missouri Independent) – In 2018, 66% of Missouri voters voted to legalize medical marijuana, picking a Constitutional amendment proposal floated by a group called New Approach Missouri. Two and a half years later, access to medical marijuana remains limited, due to both a cap on the number of licenses and the extremely high regulatory compliance […]
Hawley pushes for amendments to Senate China bill to put american workers first, fight Beijing’s trade abuses
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced seven amendments to the United States Innovation and Competition Act, the Senate’s proposed legislation to increase competitiveness with China, to put American workers first, fight back against Beijing’s trade abuses, stand up for human rights, protect American national security, and crackdown on multi-billion-dollar corporations that are heavily invested in China. […]
Conservation Commission approves CWD regulation changes by Missouri Department of Conservation
The Missouri Conservation Commission recently approved proposed regulation changes from the Missouri Department of Conservation related to chronic wasting disease surveillance and management efforts. The changes were approved at the Commission’s May 21 open meeting. They add four counties to the CWD Management Zone and reinstate mandatory CWD sampling requirements. The approved MDC regulations add […]
Free testing aims to curb STIs that went unchecked as COVID spread in Missouri
(Missouri Independent) – As the case counts of the novel coronavirus began to tick up last March across Missouri, providers who offer tests for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) found their resources were being pulled in two directions. Swabs were in short supply as they became needed for COVID-19 testing. Contact tracers, who reach out to […]
Missouri eases rules for building CAFOs despite outcry about potential pollution
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri regulators on Tuesday eased the rules governing the design of massive industrial hog facilities in a move critics claim was meant to help one controversial facility. The state’s Clean Water Commission voted 5-1 to narrow the definition of groundwater in the state’s rules governing the construction of “concentrated animal feeding operations” […]
Trenton Utility Committee meets with engineer to review plans for water-related projects
Trenton’s Utility Committee met Tuesday evening with an engineer to review preliminary plans for water-related projects. The committee reviewed details and saw cost estimates for work at the reservoir pump station and the river pump station. Members also learned costs would be forthcoming from a specialized company regarding upgrades or rehabilitation of the clarifier basins […]
Missouri’s Governor Parson abandons plans to implement voter-approved Medicaid expansion
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri will not expand Medicaid coverage to working-age adults on July 1 because lawmakers refused to include funding for the health care program in the state budget, Gov. Mike Parson announced Thursday. In a news release, Parson said the state was withdrawing documents submitted to the federal government necessary to add the approximately 275,000 […]
Parson vows to veto crime bill if it includes penalties for lying under oath to Missouri legislature
(Missouri Independent) – The fate of a wide-ranging crime bill was called into question on Tuesday over a provision that would stiffen penalties for lying under oath to the legislature or obstructing a legislative investigation. During a conference committee on Tuesday morning convened to work out differences on Senate Bill 53, House members said the bill […]
Audio: The Parson administration seems to be laying the groundwork for the funding of Medicaid Expansion.
Missouri’s GOP-controlled Legislature has refused to provide money to add more people to the state’s Medicaid program, but the governor seems to be preparing for the voter-approved expansion. The St. Louis Post Dispatch says in a proposed rule change filed with the Missouri Secretary of State’s office, the Department of Social Services is […]
Trenton City Administrator reports on 17th Street Bridge and proposed improvements at water treatment plant
On top of reports and public comment, the Trenton City Council agenda Monday night only included one topic. No mention was made last evening of the Planning and Zoning recommendations from last week, one to deny a cell phone tower at a specific location in Trenton and the other to approve the downtown historic district. […]
More than $350 billion in federal recovery cash starts rolling out to states, cities, counties
(Missouri Independent) – States, cities, and counties can begin to tap their share of the $350 billion in federal funds intended to spur a national recovery from the economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, White House officials announced Monday. Missouri will receive $2.7 billion in federal funding, with another $2.5 billion in direct aid for counties […]
Public comment period opens on Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
A draft 2022-2026 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program that focuses on taking care of the state’s existing transportation system was presented today to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. A 30-day public review and comment period began on Wednesday, May 5) Missouri Department of Transportation Planning Director Eric Curtit told commissioners the draft STIP includes 1,417 […]
Trenton Planning and Zoning Commission recommends ordinance be drawn up for Downtown Historic Preservation District
The Trenton Planning and Zoning Commission May 3rd denied a request regarding a conditional use permit for construction of a 150-foot monopole at 212 East Seventh Street for wireless coverage. It also voted to recommend an ordinance be drawn up for a proposed Downtown Historic Preservation District. Deputy City Clerk Tracy Maberry reports the commission […]
Missouri hospitals lobby for changes to new Medicaid payment system
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri lawmakers must finish work on the fiscal 2022 budget by Friday. And while the biggest spending issue of the session, Medicaid expansion, is off the table, there are other big issues to resolve in the state-run health care program. One of the largest is whether to provide a cushion for hospitals that […]