State Attorney General Eric Schmitt is suing Columbia Public Schools and any Missouri K-12 public school requiring students and staff to wear masks. Schmitt, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, says a mask mandate “flies in the face of science, especially given children’s low risk of severe illness and death and their low risk of […]
Tag: respond
Audio: Red Cross deploys Missouri responders to help with Hurricane Ida relief efforts
The American Red Cross of Missouri and Arkansas is deploying teams to Louisiana to help respond to Hurricane Ida. Ten Red Cross responders from the Missouri and Arkansas region have been deployed to help with hurricane relief efforts, with more expected to leave this week. The group is helping with sheltering hurricane victims […]
Missouri ICUs filling as Delta variant wave moves into northeast, southeast regions
(Missouri Independent) – New cases from the Delta variant wave that has killed more than 1,150 Missourians since June 1 have plateaued, but hospital ICUs continue to fill — and small, rural hospitals are among the hardest hit. There were 690 patients in ICU beds across the state on Tuesday, the most recent day reported by the state Department of Health […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to shooting female Z-Trip driver 26 times during robbery
A man pleaded guilty in federal court to the armed robbery of a female Z-Trip driver whom he shot approximately 26 times with a rifle from the back seat. Derron D. Nevels, 20, of Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of robbery and one count of […]
Governor Parson ends existing State of Emergency by terminating Executive Order 2002
Governor Mike Parson terminated Executive Order 2002 ending the State of Emergency that had been in effect since March 13, 2020. “In the nearly 18 months we operated under this Executive Order, we have responded to the COVID-19 crisis by providing unprecedented levels of resources and support,” Governor Parson said. “This Order enabled us to respond to the […]
Attorneys argue Missouri is violating federal law, courts on Medicaid expansion delays
(Missouri Independent) – Attorneys who successfully sued to force Missouri to enact voter-approved Medicaid expansion argued in a letter to state officials Thursday that delays in implementation violate not only the court order but also federal law. The plaintiffs’ attorneys, Chuck Hatfield and Lowell Pearson joined with Joel Ferber, director of advocacy for Legal Services […]
Chillicothe man pleads not guilty to armed criminal action and assault after stabbing incident
A Chillicothe man faces two felonies after he allegedly stabbed another man earlier this month. Thirty-one-year-old Colbi Dillion Stottlemyre has been charged with first-degree assault or an attempt involving serious physical injury or a special victim and armed criminal action. No bond is allowed. He entered a plea of not guilty on August 25, and […]
Charges filed in homicide investigation of Northwest Missouri State University student and her daughter
Charges have been filed regarding a homicide investigation involving the death of a Northwest Missouri State University graduate student and her daughter. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office reports 45-year old J. T. McLean, the long-term boyfriend of 43-year-old Allison Abitz, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the murder of Allison and […]
State of Missouri expands access to COVID-19 treatment for high-risk individuals
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has activated a state contract with SLSCO of Galveston, Texas, to provide monoclonal antibody (mAb) infusion treatment for 30 days at sites in the following counties: Jackson, Pettis, Scott, Butler, and Jefferson. This contract follows Governor Mike Parson’s August 11 announcement that $15 million would be committed to staffing, equipment, and […]
Livingston County Deputies respond to call of man jumping from a moving van and a call about a partially nude man
Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox reports his office responded to calls involving a man who allegedly jumped from a moving van north of the Chillicothe Correctional Center the afternoon of August 24. He says dispatch received a call from a woman reporting her adult grandson jumped from the van and walked into a field. The […]
Audio: White House responds to Missouri Attorney General’s lawsuit vs. Mask Mandates
The Missouri Attorney General’s lawsuit against mask mandates, in any school district, got the attention of the White House Tuesday. Schmitt says a mandate “flies in the face of science, especially given children’s low risk of severe illness and death and their low risk of transmission. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a press […]
Children’s Mercy Hospital doctor responds to Missouri Attorney General’s lawsuit banning mask mandates in schools
A children’s hospital doctor is responding to the Missouri Attorney General’s lawsuit that aims to ban schools from requiring students and staff to wear masks. Dr. Jennifer Watts of Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City says the hospital is strongly advocating to keep children in school. Attorney General Eric Schmitt is suing Columbia […]
Northwest Missouri State University reports student death; Boone County Sheriff conducting homicide investigation
Northwest Missouri State University reports a student pursuing her educational specialist degree through Northwest Online was found dead at her home in Boone County on August 22. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a homicide investigation and has identified the victims as 43-year-old Allison Abitz and her daughter, 11-year-old Jozee Abitz. The sheriff’s office […]
USDA accepts 2.8 million acres for the Conservation Reserve Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has accepted 2.8 million acres in offers from agricultural producers and private landowners for enrollment into the Conservation Reserve Program in 2021. This year, almost 1.9 million acres in offers have been accepted through the General CRP Signup, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency has accepted over 897,000 acres for enrollment […]
Meatpacking plants have long relied on immigrant labor. Some now turn to foreign visa workers
(Missouri Independent) – Colored hard hats distinguish different roles and jobs at Seaboard Foods, a major meatpacking plant in Guymon, Oklahoma. Senior management have green. Supervisors wear dark blue. Foreign workers on visas don yellow-green. But Seaboard is part of a small but growing trend in the meatpacking industry, which already largely relied on an […]
Fire damages home at Lake Wittona west of Trenton
Fire Saturday evening extensively damaged the Brad Middleton residence at 60213 Northwest Highway 146 west of Trenton, which is a Lake Wittona address. Grundy County Rural Fire Protection District Chief Kenny Roberts said no one was home at the cabin at the time of the blaze, and there were no injuries. The cause of the […]
Mosaic Life Care Healing Garden named for the Heckman family
Mosaic Life Care was recently awarded a $100,000 gift from Dan and Kerry Heckman. The gift will name Mosaic Life Care’s Cancer Care Healing Garden the “Heckman Family Healing Garden” in memory of Dan’s parents, Daniel and Carol Heckman. The Heckman’s financial support is in honor of the courageous cancer battles that Daniel and Carol […]
Jury convicts Missouri man of enticing a minor for illicit sex
A man was convicted at trial by a federal jury of attempting to meet a law enforcement officer, posing online as a 14-year-old girl, for illegal sexual activity. Darren Wade Lasley, 32, of Columbia, Missouri, was found guilty of attempting to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. On June 14, 2017, Lasley […]
Highway Patrol provides a summary of new laws related to public safety, transportation, watercraft, & protection of children
The abbreviated descriptions below are intended to make the public aware of some of the new legislation enacted by the Missouri General Assembly, which is related to crime and motor vehicles. The listed legislation has been signed into law. Unless otherwise noted, these laws will go into effect on August 28, 2021. SB 26 PROVISIONS […]
Missouri unemployment rate drops to 4.2 percent in July
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased from June 2021 to July 2021, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by a tenth of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 15,000 jobs over the month, with job gains in both goods-producing and service-providing industries. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in July […]