The Federal Communications Commission announced a new Emergency Broadband Benefit program. This temporary benefit program will lower the cost of broadband service for eligible households during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The $3.2B Emergency Broadband Benefit program provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 […]
Missouri is designating 50-million dollars in federal coronavirus aid to create K-12 teacher recruitment and retention grants. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will make 10,000-dollar grants available to all Missouri public school districts and charter schools to create or expand local teacher recruitment programs. Currently, 20 percent of Missouri school […]
The Princeton R-5 Board of Education approved a health insurance proposal on May 10th. The proposal from Thomas McGee includes no increase in premiums for employees. The base HSA for an employee will remain at $516.63, and the base PPO will stay at $607.35. The district cap will remain at $600. This is the third […]
The city of Trenton and its municipal utility expect to save money on interest costs with the re-financing of three long-term debts. It was announced the savings amounts to $658,000 over the length of the loans. Two involve 2012 issued bonds and the 2014 issued bonds for Trenton Municipal Utilities projects done at the water […]
The Missouri Legislature has passed a private schooling tax credit bill. The measure would let donors provide scholarships to students to attend a private Missouri K-12 school. In return, they would get state tax credits. Senator Andrew Koenig of eastern Missouri’s Manchester carried the House bill that would prioritize special needs students and those who […]
As demand for the COVID-19 vaccine has significantly decreased in recent weeks, Governor Mike Parson announced the Missouri National Guard (MONG) has begun scaling back its involvement at mass vaccination site locations in May. The drawdown of National Guard members is set to be completed by June 1, 2021. “We are in a far different […]
Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton is the only critical access hospital in the state of Missouri to receive a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The new ratings were released by CMS on April 28. There are 35 critical access hospitals in Missouri. The rating also places Wright Memorial in the […]
(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 […]
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released a citizen-requested audit of Excelsior Springs, located in western Missouri. The audit, which received an overall rating of “fair,” recommended improvements to several of the city’s financial practices to make sure taxpayer dollars are used effectively. “Taxpayers asked for this audit to ensure the city is utilizing their […]
Missouri is facing a teacher shortage, and for Teacher Appreciation Week, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is working to inspire more high school and college students to consider becoming educators. Halley Russell a government teacher at Jackson High School, said the shortage is nothing new but is getting more attention with the […]
(Missouri Independent) – Evergy, an electric supplier to about 600,000 customers in western Missouri, will retire its coal power plant in Lawrence, Kansas, by the end of 2023, the company announced on Friday. The utility revealed its plan to regulators in a filing with the Missouri Public Service Commission. The “integrated resource plan” lays out Evergy’s next […]
DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day collected 839,543 pounds (419.7 tons) of unused, expired, and unwanted medications across the country. Americans once again showed their dedication toward helping prevent addiction and potential overdose by removing prescription pills from their homes. The April event included 4,425 community partners at 5,060 collection sites throughout the country. “DEA’s […]
Trenton R-9 Superintendent Mike Stegman says COVID-19 has made the 2020-2021 school year unique. It came after the district closed its school buildings in March 2020 due to the pandemic. Stegman explains the administration tried to protect students and staff from something it did not know a lot about. Many decisions were made […]
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (Wash.), the Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, introduced legislation that will provide $500 million a year for five years to improve safety and reduce congestion at railroad crossings […]
Due to weather, crews from Vance Brothers, Inc., working with the Missouri Department of Transportation, have postponed the start of the seal coat project on Livingston County Route 190 between U.S. Route 65 in Chillicothe and 8 miles west of U.S. Route 65, just west of Route N. The work is now scheduled to begin […]
The North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees heard a report from the Faculty Senate Negotiations Committee on April 27th. History and Spanish Faculty Member Maryellen Harman and Psychology Faculty Member Lindsay Oram presented a proposal for a faculty salary schedule for 2021-2022. The proposal includes adding $1,000 to the salary base and continuing to […]
The Drug Enforcement Administration announced a new initiative, Project Wave Breaker, to disrupt the flow of deadly fentanyl into the United States. Project Wave Breaker will direct interdiction, enforcement, and outreach efforts to high-impact areas to disrupt the flow of fentanyl in and around the United States. The initiative will also employ analytical intelligence assets […]
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA will open enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program with higher payment rates, new incentives, and a more targeted focus on the program’s role in climate change mitigation. Additionally, USDA is announcing investments in partnerships to increase climate-smart agriculture, including $330 million in 85 Regional Conservation Partnership Program […]
Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), along with U.S. Representatives Sam Graves (Mo.) and Emanuel Cleaver II (Mo.), led a bipartisan, bicameral letter urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to quickly and fully utilize the tools and resources Congress provided in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020 and the FY2020 Energy and Water […]
Crews from Vance Brothers, Inc., working with the Missouri Department of Transportation, plan to seal coat Route 190 between U.S. Route 65 in Chillicothe and 8 miles west of U.S. Route 65, just west of Route N. The work is scheduled for Thursday, April 22, Friday, April 23 and Monday, April 26. During the seal […]
