COVID-19 has added to the stress of farmers who are encouraged to talk about their stress and to reach out and check in on others. Jeff Dizenberger, a Wisconsin farmer and certified mental health coach, says the number one thing farmers can do to help their mental health and that of others is to talk […]
North Central Missouri College Main campus in Trenton, MO, kept its recent holiday tradition of lighting the tree and lights located in front of Geyer Hall for the second year in a row. Although looking significantly different than 2019, NCMC still launched the holiday season on campus with a welcome from President Dr. Lenny Klaver […]
(Missouri Independent) – Amid a battle with breast cancer, Kari Rawley found herself combating a second potentially fatal condition — COVID-19. The Kansas City resident thought she had done everything right to help herself in her immunocompromised state. Her family wore masks and practiced social distancing, but after a small going away party for her […]
(Missouri Independent) – As state lawmakers mull the idea of restricting police use of chokeholds or no-knock warrants, they are facing pushback from law enforcement organizations who contend decisions should be made at the local level. The House Special Committee on Criminal Justice met for three hours on Monday to explore the possibility of passing […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missourians should not hold big family Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings this year, but they will likely be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine by the spring, the state health director said Thursday. In an interview on KCMO radio, Randall Williams said the rapid spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, especially in outstate […]
Missouri schools continue to struggle with having enough teachers available to educate kids in traditional classrooms this year. The Show-Me State has had a chronic problem with teacher shortages, but COVID-19 has made the can of worms open even more. Missouri has about 70,000 pre-K through 12 teachers instructing roughly 900,000 public school students. Many […]
(Missouri Independent) – Despite dozens of students coming forward sharing allegations of abuse they suffered at Christian reform schools across Missouri, the state Department of Social Services said Monday that they have no oversight over such facilities. That’s because they’re unlicensed — and allowed to be under a Missouri law that exempts facilities operated by religious organizations. […]
(Missouri Independent) – Cortaiga Collins doesn’t know how much longer her childcare center will survive. Only about a dozen children have been attending regularly amid the pandemic. Under normal circumstances, she used to serve as many as 100. She’s already had to reduce the hours that Good Shepherd Preschool and Infant/Toddler Center in St. Louis […]
(Missouri Independent) – State governments are unique political bodies that allow for experimentation in how rules and laws affect political outputs. As Justice Louis Brandies pointed out – states are laboratories of democracy. State governments have broad jurisdiction to “tweak” institutional rules and laws. Through this system of government, we can observe the aftermath of […]
(Missouri Independent) – Two minutes into our interview, I counted five yawns as the young teacher from southwest Missouri caught herself, and apologetically assured me that my questions weren’t dull. “I just feel like I am working all the time,” she added. “I don’t know how I am going to keep doing this for the […]
The University of Missouri has inducted Mizzou’s first Black graduate student into the school’s Hall of Fame. Dr. Gus Ridgel was admitted to the university in 1950 after civil rights groups won a court ruling to desegregate the university. During a virtual ceremony, Former Deputy Chancellor Mike Middleton says Ridgel was an inspiration for a […]
During historically divisive times, one Missouri city could be moving toward a nonpartisan way of electing its leaders. St. Louis voters will decide on Proposition D on the November 3 ballot. It would create a nonpartisan primary system, and implement what’s known as “approval voting” in municipal elections. Mallory Rusch, campaign manager for STL Approves, the group […]
Both sides in the debate on Missouri’s Amendment Three November ballot measure presented their case to voters Wednesday evening, in a virtual forum hosted by Springfield’s Drury University. Missourians approved “Clean Missouri” in 2018, which required a nonpartisan demographer to draw state legislative districts. Amendment Three transfers that responsibility to governor-appointed bipartisan commissions. State Sen. […]
The Missouri Association of School Nurses says school nurses are playing an even more critical role during the COVID-19 crisis. The state had about 1600 school nurses among Missouri’s more than 500 K-12 public school districts. Linda Neumann (pronounced newman), executive director of the association, says school nurses have been going above and beyond the […]
Missouri’s hills might not be alive with the sound of music, but they soon will transition into a kaleidoscope of color. The foliage of trees, shrubs, and vines is about to burst into its full glory. Colors usually peak around the third weekend of October, but Mother Nature is a woman of mystery. “It’s always […]
The Missouri Department of Conservation recently awarded $366,446 to Missouri communities through its Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) grant program. TRIM grants offer cost-share funding for government agencies, schools, and nonprofit groups to manage, improve or conserve trees on public lands. “TRIM grants help communities with tree management-related activities that help keep neighborhood trees […]
With fall firearms turkey season running Oct. 1 – 31 and archery turkey season underway, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) advises turkey hunters it could be another challenging season. According to MDC, turkey production in Missouri steadily increased during the 1990s before declining during the 2000s. While production began to increase throughout much of […]
This flu season may look different than any we have had before. The combination of a global pandemic and influenza season happening at the same time may lead to confusion since there are many similarities between Influenza and COVID-19. Some of these similarities include patients who are asymptomatic to those experiencing the severe onset of […]
COVID-19 has put a spotlight on the importance of many Missouri industries, including those sitting behind the wheel of big rigs. Dave Pfiffner, the director of the Des Moines Area Community College Transportation Institute, says truckers have been going the distance to try and get essential items to consumers. “There were shortages of a lot […]
The city of St. Joseph has issued an emergency order requiring individuals to wear masks or face coverings at all indoor public places. The order began today and will be in place for 30 days. St. Joseph Mayor Bill McMurray says the number of COVID-19 patients at Mosaic Life Care is what prompted the expansion of the […]
