(Missouri Independent) – Last spring, as Missouri businesses shed hundreds of thousands of jobs, Gov. Mike Parson warned that the state was headed for the worst financial crunch since the 2008 recession. Ten months later, Parson presented a budget plan that anticipates a $1.1 billion surplus on July 1, the biggest in state history. And if the $1.9 trillion pandemic […]
Tag: public
Audio: Missouri Conservation Department Director testifies against proposal to increase conservation commission’s size
The Missouri Department of Conservation director has testified against a proposal to increase the size of the Conservation Commission from four to nine, saying it could lead to regional favoritism. Conservation director Sara Parker Pauley testified last (Monday) night during a lengthy House committee hearing in Jefferson City. Conservation director Sara Parker Pauley […]
Trenton City Council table “right of way” agreement with MoDOT, discuss generation of power at Monday meeting
The Trenton City Council on Monday night tabled an ordinance, approved a resolution, accepted a bid, and agreed to buy a riding lawnmower locally. More details also were presented on TMU’s use of diesel generators during the cold weather. The council voted to table a “right of way” agreement between the city of Trenton and […]
Audio: Missouri Teacher of the Year award winners co-author letter urging immediate vaccination of Missouri educators
Most Missouri K-12 public schools have been offering in-person classes at least partially for several months, yet most teachers are not eligible to get a coronavirus vaccination. They will all be eligible in the next phase but that could be a couple of months away. Darbie Valenti-Huff, with the St. Joseph School District in northwest […]
Audio: Missouri’s St. Louis County makes Juneteenth a holiday
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond. St. Louis County has made Juneteenth a holiday. The observance on June 19th marks […]
Audio: Missouri prison system could move officer training from classroom to real-world setting
In 2019, Gov. Mike Parson closed a prison in northwest Missouri’s Cameron. Most staff and inmates transferred to the other prison in town – Western Missouri Correctional Center. Now, Parson wants to reopen the Crossroads Correctional Center and turn it into a training academy for correctional officers. During a House Budget Committee hearing, Trevor Foley […]
Sullivan County Health Department reports additional COVID-related death
Sullivan County Health Department reported one additional death related to COVID-19 raising the total number of death to 15. The number of active cases has dropped to two and the total number of cases since testing began at 847 for Sullivan County. The Sullivan County report on Thursday night also shows 845 confirmed cases have […]
Trenton City Council agenda includes agreement with MoDOT on right-of way of Business 65 and Oklahoma Avenue
The Trenton City Council will consider an ordinance that would approve an agreement with the Missouri Department of Transportation accepting right-of-way per a July 22nd, 2019 agreement. The ordinance involving right-of-way being deeded to the city for portions of Business 65 and Route AA (also known as Oklahoma Avenue, East 28th Street, and Princeton Road) […]
Audio: Missouri could soon catch up on its jail reimbursement debt
Missouri could catch up by the end of the next state budget year on its outstanding debt owed to counties for jail reimbursements. For years, the state has been behind in paying counties and the city of St. Louis for a portion of a defendant’s entire local jail stay if the individual ends up going […]
Mercer County Public Water Supply asking customers to conserve water; lifts boil advisory for Hawk Place
Mercer County Public Water Supply District Number 1 asks its customers to conserve water. Customers are also asked to daily check for signs of leaks at all water sources, including livestock waterers, as floats will stick, as well as hydrants, spigots, and water lines. Mercer County Public Water Supply District has also lifted a boil […]
North Central Missouri College earns 2021-2022 “Military Friendly School” designation
North Central Missouri College has earned the 2021-2022 Military Friendly ® School designation. Institutions earning the Military Friendly ® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. Over 1,200 schools participated in the 2021-2022 survey with 747 earning the designation. The 2021-2022 Military Friendly® Schools list will be […]
Biden backs reparations study, as House Democrats push for commission
(Missouri Independent) – The White House on Wednesday indicated that President Joe Biden would support studying reparations for slavery, the same day that House Democrats held a hearing on legislation that would set up a reparations commission. But White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stopped short of saying Biden would sign the bill under consideration […]
Missouri House committee votes to forgive federal unemployment debts
(Missouri Independent) – Thousands of Missourians facing repayment of mistakenly paid unemployment benefits would get some relief under legislation passed with a bipartisan vote Wednesday in a Missouri House committee. The bill, which will likely be debated on the House floor next week, would forgive debts due to overpayments from federal coronavirus relief programs but would not […]
Audio: Missouri adults less educated today than nationally
Missouri adults are less educated today than nationally. That’s what state House Budget Committee members learned Wednesday during a hearing about Governor Parson’s next state budget proposal for Missouri’s colleges and universities. Higher Education and Workforce Development Department Commissioner Zora Mulligan says there have been many efforts to change this trend. Mulligan says […]
Putnam County Health Department reports 15 new cases of COVID-19
The Putnam County Health Department reports 15 additional cases of COVID-19 since its last update on February 5th, which brings the total to 479. One person is being actively monitored by public health. Thirteen individuals have died from complications associated with COVID-19. The Putnam County Health Department reports it will not receive vaccine this week […]
Milan man charged in Adair County with “Enticement of a Child”
A Milan man has been charged in Adair County after an investigation into tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in reference to social media profiles suspected of sending child pornography. Thirty-eight-year-old Billy Schrepfer faces felony enticement or attempted enticement of a child. The Kirksville Police Department reports a Kirksville Police/Kirksville Regional […]
TMU generators gobble 28,000 gallons of diesel generating electricity
Trenton City Administrator Ron Urton reported on Tuesday evening to the Utility Committee about the diesel generation this week at the TMU north substation during the extreme cold weather. Urton said TMU was called by its energy power pool to generate electricity with the use of Trenton’s diesel units. Urton said Monday and Tuesday saw […]
Former public administrator accepts position as clerk for Grundy County court
Jill Eaton reports she accepted a position as the clerk for the probate division of Grundy County Circuit Court. That position is at the Courthouse and within the office of Associate Circuit Court Judge Steve Hudson. Mrs. Eaton was elected public administrator for Grundy county in 2012, taking office in January of 2013. She was […]
Grundy County Commission accepts resignation of Public Administrator
The Grundy County Commission Tuesday morning, February 6th, accepted the resignation of Public Administrator Jill Eaton and heard from the Grundy County Industrial Development Corporation regarding a Natural Resources Conservation Service Streambank Stabilization project. Presiding Commissioner Phillip Ray reported the commission would pursue an appointee for Eaton’s position in the next 14 days. That person […]
Rapid Removal trash pickup to be two days behind
The City of Trenton reports Rapid Removal has reported trash pick up for February 15th and 16th will be two days behind due to the landfill being closed. The company thanks residents for their patience and public service workers who are out in the cold weather. Questions about when trash may be picked up should […]