As the state Senate debates Missouri’s budget for next year, groups are urging lawmakers to learn from the 38 states that have expanded their Medicaid programs. The budget passed by the Missouri House leaves out the $130 million needed to fund expansion. The remainder of the costs would be covered by the federal government. Joan Alker, executive director […]
Apprenticeship programs at community colleges are poised for a big investment under President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan. The plan includes $12 billion dollars for community colleges. At a recent congressional hearing, members from both parties expressed support for targeting some of those funds at apprenticeship programs within community colleges. Shalee Hodgson, associate dean for technology, applied […]
The Missouri House of Representatives advanced a bill aimed to ban transgender kids from participating in girl’s sports, which advocates said is the latest in a growing list of legislative attacks on trans youth across the country. More than 250 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in 2021 alone, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Shira Berkowitz, communications […]
Voters in Missouri approved a ballot initiative expanding Medicaid. If the state funds it, Missouri will be on track to receive more than $1 billion in federal incentives. As lawmakers continue their debate on whether to fund voter-approved Medicaid expansion in Missouri, pediatricians say lack of access to high-quality health care can lead to long-lasting […]
(Missouri Independent) – On the heels of a historic cold snap that left thousands across the Midwest without power, Kansas and Missouri residents could soon reap the benefits of a massive high-powered transmission line delivering renewable energy. Grain Belt Express, a project a decade in the making, is starting to acquire land along its route spanning […]
Cows need to conceive and calve early to earn their keep. University of Missouri Extension beef cow-calf specialist Jordan Thomas says managing for a short or even an “ultra-short” calving season should determine which cows get to stay on the farm. Late-conceiving cows should go to market. Thomas and MU Extension beef nutrition specialist Eric […]
COVID-19 vaccination eligibility to all Missourians that are 18 years and older opens on Friday, April 9. Wright Memorial Physicians’ Group in Trenton and Saint Luke’s Mercer County Clinic in Princeton are now scheduling appointments for multiple mass vaccination events for established patients 18 years old and above. The next scheduled COVID-19 vaccination clinics at […]
Erica Williams, the founder of a nonprofit urban agriculture program in North St. Louis County, had a vision of how to reclaim a community that had suffered through disinvestment and neglect. Across the state in Clay County, Smithville’s mayor hoped amenities like a farmers market would help reinvigorate the small city 20 miles north of […]
A rise in speeding and other reckless driving behaviors continues to be a disturbing trend in 2021. During the first quarter of the year, there were 176 fatalities in Missouri as a result of traffic crashes. Though down slightly from the first quarter of 2020, officials remain concerned increases in speed observed during the early […]
A New York man and Alabama woman were arrested at a seaport in Newark, New Jersey, on criminal charges related to their alleged attempt to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq Al-Sham (ISIS). According to court documents, James Bradley, 20, of the Bronx, New York, and Arwa […]
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) could be required to report annually about the number of K-12 students with limited or no access to high-speed internet at home. During a House committee hearing, Representative Louis Riggs, R-Hannibal, said he is proposing to require the department to include the total number of students […]
(Missouri Independent) – The House Budget Committee will submit its revisions to Gov. Mike Parson’s $34.1 billion state operating budget to the full House this week without the benefit of clear guidelines for spending new infusions of federal cash. The committee must also decide whether and how it will use a record general revenue surplus. The fund’s cash balance […]
Beginning in April 2021, prospective jurors in Livingston County can choose to communicate with the court by text or e-mail, as the Livingston County circuit court implements the new Show-Me Jury system. The Livingston County circuit court will mail new Show-Me Jury questionnaires starting April 1, 2021, for jury service beginning June 8, 2021. “A […]
Donnie Hays farm in northeast Missouri is where his identity lies and where he makes his dreams come true. Hays is the sixth generation to farm the land on his family farm outside of Monroe City where he raises corn, soybeans, and pigs. Like many Missouri farms, Hays’ operation is a family business. “Working with […]
(Missouri Independent) – Legislation creating a path to citizenship for undocumented people brought to the U.S. as children face a new border crisis and old partisan objections, diminishing the chances it will become law despite full Democratic control of Congress and the White House. On Thursday, the U.S. House is poised to pass the American […]
A reset of the Renewable Fuels Standard will take place in 2022 as part of the original law. Gary Marshall, the former CEO of the Missouri Corn Growers, tells Brownfield the EPA Administrator will have to assess the RFS program. “The RFS (will) all of a sudden has to be under the guidelines of the […]
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden’s massive pandemic stimulus law pumps a welcome infusion of federal aid into state and local government coffers — but one brief section is raising questions about whether states are barred from cutting their own taxes if they accept the federal help. The Senate added language to the COVID-19 relief package […]
A 20-year chapter ends today for Missouri Supreme Court Judge Laura Denvir Stith. After serving on the high court for two decades, Stith is retiring. The photos have come down off her office walls. Stith has packed up her certificates and awards she proudly showcased in her third-floor office along West High Street in Jefferson […]
Tyler Jones has known his entire life that farming is what he was called to do. Even after attending college and getting a degree, Jones, a fourth-generation farmer, returned to the farm to work alongside his family raising row crops and beef cattle in Dawn, Missouri. “Everybody works together to help each other, and it […]
Last year, at the 2020 FFA National Convention (held virtually), the Braymer FFA chapter was named a top 10 chapter in the Model of Excellence division. Braymer was one of three Missouri chapters, along with Ashland and Troy, to earn the honor, which recognizes the top 10 chapters in the nation. Paityn Hall, a senior […]
