(Missouri Independent) – Tracie Engelmeyer was among hundreds of bus drivers who were furloughed in St. Louis County in March 2020 because of the pandemic. School-district authorities told them that even though drivers are contracted labor, they would qualify for unemployment benefits and urged them to apply. Engelmeyer recalled the conversation she had with a […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that Navient, one of the nation’s largest student loan servicers, entered into a civil settlement agreement with his office and 38 other states for abuses originating in predatory student loans. The agreement resulted in a $53 million settlement for Missourians: $2.5 million in restitution and $51 million in private […]
The Princeton R-5 Board of Education approved a resolution to extend COVID-19 leave through June 2022 during a closed session on January 10th. The resolution supports the extension of paid leave for all employees instructed not to report to work and who did not exhaust the former Emergency Paid Sick Leave. The Families First Coronavirus […]
Governor Mike Parson announced the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved his request for a major disaster declaration in response to severe storms and tornadoes in Missouri on December 10. Seven Missouri counties will receive federal assistance as a result of the Governor’s December 28 request, which included $27 million in identified qualifying disaster-related expenses. […]
The GEC Community Foundation, Inc. is currently accepting grant applications. The application deadline is January 1, 2022. Qualified applicants may apply for a grant by completing a grant application with supporting information. The grant application is available by visiting the Grundy Electric website or calling the Cooperative at 1-800-279-2249, extension 23. Applications will be reviewed […]
(Missouri Independent) – Faced with over a year’s delay from the state social services department on implementing extended mental health care for new moms, a bipartisan effort now aims to expand health care coverage more broadly for low-income pregnant women. Legislation filed last week by Sens. Elaine Gannon, R-De Soto, and Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, would extend […]
Health advocates are pressing the U.S. Senate to pass the Build Back Better Act after it passed the House last month. The bill would improve Medicaid and CHIP, the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program, by offering 12 months of continuous coverage to children who qualify and making federal CHIP funding permanent. Casey Hanson, director of outreach and […]
Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick today sent a letter to President Biden expressing his concerns about Saule Omarova’s nomination for Comptroller of the Currency. The Treasurer was joined in the letter by 20 members of the State Financial Officer’s Foundation. “The Comptroller of the Currency is a position that likely few outside of the […]
The Trustees of the GEC Community Foundation met on October 13, 2021, and awarded 10 grants totaling $6,034.00. All grants are funded by member donations called Operation Round Up where members voluntarily round up their utility bills each month to fund grants to eligible entities. Education grants were awarded to Pleasant View R-VI School District, […]
The federal health insurance marketplace is now open, and this fall, there’s more help to guide Ohioans through the process of finding coverage. After cutbacks over the past few years, the federal government has quadrupled the number of navigators to help people find health insurance for 2022. Zach Reat is the director of health initiatives with […]
(Missouri Independent) – After a historic cold snap depleted natural gas reserves in February, prices for heating could be as much as 30% higher this winter, prompting concerns about increasing bills for Kansas and Missouri customers. Kansas is already grappling with the $1 billion fallout from this winter’s cold snap when natural gas prices rose by […]
The Board of Directors of the Gene Kauffman Scholarship Foundation, Inc. has announced that scholarship applications will be available for the Spring, 2022 semester, beginning Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. The Board encourages all who meet the following qualifications to apply for this scholarship. As per the wishes of Kauffman, the scholarship is available to female, […]
An online tool is now available to help ranchers document and estimate payments to cover feed transportation costs caused by drought, which are now covered by the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) updated the program this year to include feed transportation costs as well as […]
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education approved an adjustment to after-school tutoring pay on October 12, 2021. The pay rate was changed from $25 to $30 to match the quarantine tutoring program. Trenton Middle School Principal Daniel Gott said teachers select students to be tutored in the after-school program. Superintendent Mike Stegman reported there were […]
The Livingston County Health Center reports four COVID-19 cases have been added since October 6th, making the total 2,342. There are 17 active cases. The Sullivan County Health Department October 8th confirmed four additional COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 1,199. Seventeen cases were active. The Putnam County Health Department reports 12 COVID-19 cases have […]
(Missouri Independent) – The massive economic policy package Democrats are trying to muscle through Congress could open the door to free community college for undocumented immigrants. But that lifeline for many people now denied access to higher education could also reignite controversies in Republican-leaning states over immigration and federal overreach. The provision on immigrants was […]
Missourians have a little more than a month until open enrollment for healthcare coverage at healthcare.gov, and medical experts say it’s important to understand your options to get the best plan for your needs. More than 215,000 Missouri residents are enrolled in coverage. But Michelle Davis Reed, eligibility and enrollment coordinator with Northwest Health Services […]
GRM Networks has been certified a Smart Rural Community by the NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association. Smart Rural Community is a national program that promotes rural broadband and its role in supporting innovative economic development, access to education, state-of-the-art health care, and other important issues for rural America. To qualify as a Smart Rural […]
(Missouri Independent) – With several months to go before state lawmakers return for the 2022 legislative session, Republicans are promising to once again push to require photo identification to vote. Committees in the Missouri House and Senate held hearings Tuesday dominated by discussions of requiring a government-issued ID for both in-person and absentee voting. Secretary […]
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, heard a report on the mentoring program for new teachers in the district. District Instructional Coach Doctor Jill Watkins reported she developed the Trenton program based on what she has implemented in the past. She said teachers have to complete first and second-year tutoring. She […]
