(Missouri Independent) – Missouri state employees counting on seeing a big raise in their February paychecks may be disappointed, as lawmakers fiddle with a $5.4 billion spending bill pushed by Gov. Mike Parson. When the Republican governor in December proposed a 5.5 percent pay raise for all state workers, he said he wanted it in effect by […]
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is offering boating safety courses to inform boaters how to prepare for the boating season. These approved courses meet the national boating educational standard. “Missouri’s many rivers and lakes offer a variety of boating opportunities,” said Col. Olson. “Please do your part: Take a boating safety class. Join us in […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that Navient, one of the nation’s largest student loan servicers, entered into a civil settlement agreement with his office and 38 other states for abuses originating in predatory student loans. The agreement resulted in a $53 million settlement for Missourians: $2.5 million in restitution and $51 million in private […]
(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared unconvinced Friday of the Biden administration’s authority to impose a vaccine-or-test mandate on private businesses, casting doubt on a key piece of the White House COVID-19 response. The justices seemed potentially more comfortable with another Biden administration rule to fight the virus that requires certain […]
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Missouri and Caldwell County Commission announced the award of a contract to construct the Little Otter Creek Reservoir. The contract for $14,400,486.75 was awarded to Phillips Hardy, Incorporated of Booneville. Under the contract, a 345-acre reservoir will supply 1.24 million gallons of raw drinking […]
(Missouri Independent) – Jackson and St. Louis Counties requested Monday that they be permitted to intervene and appeal a recent court ruling that they argue has “upended the longstanding public health framework” in Missouri. In a filing submitted Monday afternoon and obtained by The Independent, the two counties asked Cole County Circuit Court Judge Daniel […]
(Missouri Independent) – The Supreme Court is weighing potentially sweeping changes to the right to an abortion, after two hours of arguments Wednesday morning on a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The court’s conservatives, who hold a 6-3 majority, appeared through their questions to be sympathetic to Mississippi’s arguments […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against the Moberly Public School District for alleged Sunshine Law violations for requests for public records from the Attorney General’s Office related to their policy on parents recording Individualized Education Plan meetings. “Parents have a right to know exactly what is being taught to the children and […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt earlier this month filed a comment letter during the comment period of a proposed USDA rule change that would affect the labeling of “fake meat” products. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office has been successful in defending a Missouri state statute that prohibits the labeling of “fake meat” products as meat. […]
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft announced that the Missouri State Library will partner with Gale, part of the Cengage Group, to offer adult residents in Missouri the opportunity to earn a high school diploma through participating libraries in the state. The state library has subscribed to “Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School,” an online accredited […]
Two Mexican nationals have been convicted by a federal trial jury for their roles in a $2.1 million conspiracy to distribute over 100 kilograms (220 lbs) of methamphetamine in the Kansas City metropolitan area and in northwest Missouri. Juan Guzman, also known as “Flaco,” 40, of Kansas City, Missouri, and Maria De La Cruz Nava, […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt co-led an eleven-state coalition with Montana, Arizona, and Nebraska in filing a lawsuit against Joe Biden and the Biden Administration to halt their vaccine mandate on private employers with more than 100 employees. Missouri and the coalition of states are the first states to file suit against the vaccine mandate […]
Hy-Vee, Inc. announces that select Hy-Vee pharmacy locations are now administering free Pediatric Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 5-11 without a prescription, per the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for this age group. Due to limited supply, these vaccines are available […]
The Trenton Police Department checked residences of sex offenders on Halloween night to ensure all were compliant with the regulations a sex offender is required to adhere to. The law requires offenders to avoid all Halloween-related contact with children and stay inside their homes between the hours of 5 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Offenders are […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released an audit of Maries County, located in central Missouri. The report, which gave the county an overall performance rating of “good,” recommends several changes to policies and procedures to improve accountability and transparency for taxpayers. The most recent previous audit of Maries County was completed in 2017, with the county receiving an […]
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden is meeting with congressional Democrats on Capitol Hill Thursday morning to pitch lawmakers on a new slimmed-down framework for what would be included in a massive social reform package, according to senior administration officials. The $1.75 trillion blueprint that Biden is presenting to Democrats includes a universal pre-K program for 3-and-4 […]
The Missouri Public Service Commission’s Cold Weather Rule, designed to help customers with heat-related utility bills, begins on November 1, 2021. The rule will remain in effect through March 31, 2022. It has been a part of the Commission’s rules and regulations since 1977. The Cold Weather Rule applies to natural gas and electric utilities […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released an audit of the Greene County Collector. Missouri law requires an audit to be performed when a vacancy occurs in a county collector’s office. The previous collector resigned from the office in February and a new collector was appointed on March 1. The audit, which gave the office a rating […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today issued the closeout audit of the Coronado Drive Transportation Development District (TDD), located in Blue Springs. State law requires an audit of a TDD prior to moving forward with dissolution. The Coronado Drive TDD was established in 2009 by a vote of qualified voters in the district. The TDD was […]
Actions taken Monday night by the Trenton City Council include approval of two ordinances and six motions. Two of the topics resulted in split votes of the council. With a roll call vote of six in favor and two opposed, a conditional use permit was issued by ordinance to Terry Hearn to operate a used […]
