Missouri Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick (photo by Tim Bommel - Missouri House Communications)

Schools left ‘scrambling’ after Missouri treasurer tied bond deals to Attorney General’s COVID demands

(Missouri Independent) – It was just after 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, when the forms arrived from the state treasurer’s office. Without warning, and with little explanation, school superintendents discovered they were now required to certify their district had complied with Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s demands to drop all COVID-19 mitigation measures, such as […]

Sleeping Baby in dark room (Photo by Kevin Keith on Unsplash)

House grants initial approval to bill that would allow prison nurseries in Missouri

(Missouri Independent) -The House gave initial approval Wednesday to a bill that would allow newborns to remain with their incarcerated mothers for the first year and a half of the baby’s life. The bill would permit the Missouri Department of Corrections to establish nurseries within the state’s correctional facilities, allowing children born to incarcerated women to […]

Medicaid

Groups push back against attempt to repeal Medicaid expansion

Groups advocating for health-care access for all Missourians urged the state Senate to reject a proposed constitutional amendment to undermine Medicaid expansion passed by the House. House Joint Resolution 117 would empower the Legislature to block services to the hundreds of thousands of newly eligible residents who are signing up, by repealing expansion and making it […]

Northwest Missouri Regional Spelling Bee set for Saturday

Mosaic Life Care Foundation will host and sponsor the Northwest Missouri Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at emPowerU, 518 South 6th St. Registration for the spelling bee will begin at 12:30 p.m., followed by the competition at 1 p.m. Upon arrival, Mosaic Life Care Foundation will follow appropriate guidelines with visitors including […]

Generic City Water

Amount of copper and lead in water lines to have significant impact on operation of Trenton Municipal Utilities

At Monday night’s meeting of the Trenton City Council, Utility Director Ron Urton presented information that he says will have a significant future impact on Trenton Municipal Utilities, particularly with operations, projects, and funding. Urton said he’s been viewing webinars on the new EPA lead and copper rule regarding underground mains. Urton indicated an inventory […]

WIC or Women Infant Children Logo

Missouri WIC receives formula waiver from USDA

Missouri WIC announced Friday the proactive, voluntary recall of some powdered Similac, Alimentum, or EleCare formulas manufactured by Abbott. Missouri WIC, the Department of Health and Senior Services Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, announces a new program waiver to help participants replace their previously redeemed, recalled formula, even if the Abbott […]

American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvall spoke at the organization’s 2022 annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia (photo provided by American Farm Bureau Federation)

American Farm Bureau Federation claims it’s the ‘voice of agriculture,’ Others beg to differ

(Missouri Independent) – This story was originally published as a collaboration between Investigate Midwest and Watchdog Writers Group. The American Farm Bureau Federation calls itself the “voice of agriculture,” a slogan it trademarked in 2007. But as the divide between agribusiness and small farmers has grown in recent decades, a unified voice of agriculture has become harder to […]

Medical Marijuana

Criticism of Missouri medical marijuana system seeps into initiative petition debate

(Missouri Independent) – A handful of Republican lawmakers lashed out at the state’s medical marijuana industry Thursday, lobbing accusations of corruption into a Missouri House debate over whether to make it harder to amend the state’s Constitution.  On a mostly party-line 98-53 vote, the Missouri House signed off on legislation Thursday that would require a two-thirds […]

Burn Workshop (Photo courtesy MDC)

Missouri Department of Conservation to offer free Prescribed Burning for Missouri Land Managers workshop near Chillicothe

The Missouri Department of Conservation will offer a free Prescribed Burning for Missouri Land Managers workshop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Poosey Conservation Area in Livingston County. This workshop will teach the skills and techniques to safely and effectively use prescribed burns as a habitat or forage management […]