If Gov. Mike Parson does not make changes to the Missouri Public Defender System’s next budget, the office is on track to get its largest staffing increase since about 1989. Director Mary Fox tells Missourinet 53 new public defenders would be hired statewide. “This is going to make a huge difference in terms […]
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway today announced her office has begun an audit of the city of Town and Country, located in St. Louis County. Residents of Town and Country requested the audit through the petition process. “My office will conduct an independent review of the financial practices of Town and Country government to ensure […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Governor Mike Parson sent a letter to President Biden’s Department of Justice fighting back against potential federal overreach and encroachment on Missourians’ Second Amendment rights. The full letter can be found here “Missourians’ and Americans’ Second Amendment rights are enshrined in the Constitution – I will defend those rights […]
(Missouri Independent) – After obtaining some relief from lawmakers for revenue cuts likely from a change in the way Medicaid pays for outpatient services, Missouri hospitals are asking the courts for relief from a coming change in payments for inpatient care. The Missouri Hospital Association on Friday filed a lawsuit in Cole County alleging the Department of […]
(Missouri Independent) – Penalties that Spire Missouri issued to suppliers who failed to provide natural gas during a February cold snap that forced power outages across the Midwest could drive bills for hospitals, schools, and businesses to astronomical levels, according to a trio of complaints pending before state regulators. During the worst of the cold snap in February, […]
The Gallatin Board of Aldermen approved two ordinances on Monday, June 14 that authorized entering into service contract agreements. One involved a telemetry system with Micro-Comm for the water plant supervisory control and data acquisition system. The other involved a uniform service contract agreement with Aramark. The board agreed to hire Decker Construction to insert […]
The Grundy County Hazard Mitigation Plan has been approved. The plan was approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on June 3 after it was submitted on April 28. The plan’s expiration date is June 3, 2026. FEMA defines hazard mitigation as “any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human […]
Landowners and agricultural producers currently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program now have a wider opportunity to enroll in a 30-year contract through the Clean Lakes, Estuaries, And Rivers initiative, called CLEAR30. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is expanding CLEAR30, a water-quality focused option available through CRP – to be nationwide now. Interested producers with […]
The Department of Economic Development announced it will award more than $15.8 million to 38 recipients through its Community Development Block Grant Program to help communities with infrastructure improvement and other projects across Missouri. “Strengthening infrastructure and improving our workforce remains my administration’s top priorities,” said Governor Mike Parson. “Whether repairing roads, upgrading facilities, or […]
The Princeton R-5 Board of Education on Monday evening, June 14, approved a bid for a passenger vehicle pending availability and final approval of a facility grant. The approved bid was from Suburban Chevrolet of Tulsa, Oklahoma for $45,695. Pettijohn Auto Center of Bethany also submitted a bid for $44,414. Pettijohn’s bid was lower, but […]
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and Dick Durbin (Ill.), as well as U.S. Representatives Joyce Beatty (Ohio) and Ann Wagner (Mo.), introduced legislation that would commission a study reviewing current homelessness and housing services for survivors of trafficking. “We can […]
Governor Mike Parson signed HB 271 into law, which establishes greater accountability for local leaders when imposing public health orders and prohibits local COVID-19 vaccine passports. “This legislation I am signing today requires local leaders to be more transparent in their reasoning and accountable for their decisions when it comes to public health orders,” Governor Parson said. “It […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Army Corps of Engineers, opposing their recent move to reconsider the more limited Navigable Waters Protection Rule, a President Trump-era rule that reversed the 2015 Obama-era Waters of the United States rule. EPA Administrator Michael Regan and the […]
Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick is launching an annual effort to return Unclaimed Property to Missourians. Beginning Tuesday, the names of more than 112,000 individuals, small businesses, and non-profit organizations with Unclaimed Property will be listed in over 100 publications across the state. This year, for the first time, Missourians can also search and view […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has set a July 23, 2021, deadline for agricultural producers and landowners to apply for the Conservation Reserve Program General signup 56. Additionally, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will accept applications for CRP Grasslands from July 12 to August 20. This year, USDA updated both signup options to provide greater […]
Work is progressing on the 17th Street Bridge project in Trenton with City Administrator Ron Urton telling the council Monday night that if weather conditions allow, he anticipates the new bridge can be opened by late this month or by the July 4th weekend. In his report, Urton noted base rock and curbing have been placed […]
The governor is reluctant to call a special session on the Grain Belt eminent domain issue in northern Missouri. While Missouri House Agriculture Committee Chairman Don Rone of Portageville has asked for a special session, Governor Parson says he has to be responsive to taxpayers as well: To be clear, Governor Parson supports […]
(Missouri Independent) – Attorney General Eric Schmitt has determined his office cannot investigate an alleged violation of Missouri’s open records laws by the governor’s office, an interpretation of state law that has transparency advocates alarmed. Missouri’s attorney general’s office is in charge of enforcing the Sunshine Law, which requires meetings, records, votes, actions, and deliberations […]
(Missouri Independent) – Retired St. Louis Judge Evelyn Baker once sentenced a 16-year-old Black boy to 241 years in prison for two armed robberies. No one was seriously injured in the robberies, but the boy “didn’t express any remorse,” Baker said, remembering the sentencing hearing. Now, when she thinks back, Baker deeply regrets the sentence […]
The Putnam County Health Department reported on June 11 that it received notification of another COVID-19 case. That brought the total to 523. One person was being actively monitored by public health, and 509 had been released from public health monitoring. Thirteen COVID-19-related deaths had been reported. The Putnam County Health Department noted that some […]
