(Missouri Independent) – Kendra Findley had thought the Springfield area had seen the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic in December — a month when cases regularly surpassed 200 a day and that saw a record 98 residents die of the virus. Looking back, that was when the Alpha variant, first identified in the U.K., was […]
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Missouri Senate approves FRA, rejects push to ban Planned Parenthood from Medicaid
(Missouri Independent) – A bipartisan coalition handed anti-abortion activists a rare defeat in the Missouri Senate Friday night, rejecting a push to ban Planned Parenthood as a Medicaid provider as it passed a bill to secure billions for the state’s Medicaid program. And only a restatement of the state’s already existing ban on using public funds to […]
Audio: Missouri State Highway Patrol recommends caution this weekend for drivers and boaters.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol wants to remind Missourians that thunderstorms are expected to continue over the next several days, which may lead to flooding in certain areas. Flooding, especially flash flooding, is dangerous and can be fatal. Drivers and boaters are encouraged to make smart decisions. Drivers Drivers are urged to avoid […]
USDA, FCC, and NTIA announce interagency agreement to coordinate broadband funding deployment
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced an interagency agreement to share information about and coordinate the distribution of broadband deployment federal funds. In accordance with the Broadband Interagency Coordination Act, the respective Cabinet and agency leaders announced that their agencies will […]
Missouri corn and Missouri FFA are helping to build future leaders
Missouri’s top 30 FFA high school seniors completed the seventh annual Helping Youth Prepare for Excellence (HYPE) FFA Academy June 22-24, in Jefferson City, Mo. The three-day intensive program is designed to inform and empower students to effectively engage on pressing agriculture topics. Since 2015, the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council has sponsored and facilitated the […]
Missouri Senate set to debate dueling bills extending tax crucial to Medicaid funding
After about three hours of testimony Thursday, the Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee approved two bills to extend medical provider taxes vital to funding the state’s share of Medicaid. The first bill brought up for a vote would extend the taxes for five years, limit the types of contraceptives available to women on Medicaid and block Planned Parenthood from […]
Senator Hawley introduces legislative agenda to hire 100,000 new police officers
Ahead of President Biden’s Wednesday address on the spiking crime throughout America, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) rolled out his own legislative agenda to hire 100,000 new police officers, boost police morale, and keep American families safe. As violent crime continues to plague the country, communities and law enforcement officers are under siege. Homicides are dramatically increasing across American cities, and violent […]
Some of Missouri’s largest CAFOs are seeking less stringent state regulation
Eleven of Missouri’s largest concentrated animal feeding operations are working to reduce the state’s oversight of their hog facilities despite a record of manure spills and clean water violations. Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, has 11 CAFOs seeking new state permits. The facilities, dotted across northern Missouri, combined are capable of raising more […]
Judge strikes down Missouri Medicaid expansion as unconstitutional
The push to expand Medicaid eligibility in Missouri was dealt another blow on Wednesday, as a Cole County judge ruled the voter-approved initiative was unconstitutional because it didn’t include a way to pay for 275,000 new enrollees. Plaintiffs, which include three people who would have been eligible for Medicaid on July 1 if the expansion […]
Blunt congratulates 16 Missourians accepted to service academies
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) congratulated Missourians who accepted appointments to attend U.S. military service academies, including the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and the U.S. Naval Academy. The following 16 individuals were nominated by Blunt: Aubrey Nicole Boatwright of Aurora Jackson Wesley Brawner of […]
Macon man charged with 118 counts of child sex crimes pleads “Not Guilty”
A Macon man pleaded not guilty in Linn County on June 23 to 118 felony counts, including multiple counts of child molestation, statutory sodomy, and statutory rape. The court denied a bond request for 54-year-old Kenneth Harper. A bond hearing is scheduled for July 1st. The alleged incidents happened from 1996 to 2010. The court […]
Macon man charged in Linn County with 118 counts of child molestation, sodomy and rape
A Macon man has been charged in Linn County with 118 felony counts related to child sex crimes. Fifty-four-year-old Kenneth Harper’s charges include multiple counts of child molestation, statutory sodomy, and statutory rape, stemming from 1996 to 2010. An arraignment is scheduled for June 23rd. The court ordered that the probable cause statement be kept […]
Plans underway for Bright Futures Gallatin Back to School Bazaar
Plans are underway for the annual Bright Futures Gallatin Back to School Bazaar. Businesses, organizations, and individuals are invited to help with the in-person event, which will be on August 5th at 5:30 in the evening. Help is needed with things planned at the event, including a hot dog supper, school supplies based on need, […]
Audio: St. Louis region fights “Second Amendment Preservation Act”
The St. Louis region is pushing back against a new state law that prohibits local police from working with federal investigators – in cases involving gun ownership rights. Bill sponsors named it the Second Amendment Preservation Act, which among other things opens local law enforcement to be sued if they join in a […]
Lawmakers pen letter to ATF in defense of Americans’ Second Amendment rights
U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) sent a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) and Explosives expressing concern over two of their newly-proposed gun rules that could threaten Americans’ Second Amendment rights. The rules, 2021R-05 and 2021R-08, would require the retention of firearms transaction records forever, paving the way to […]
Parson gives Missouri Legislature deadline of high noon Tuesday to reach deal on healthcare tax proposal
(Missouri Independent) – Gov. Mike Parson gave lawmakers a deadline of noon Tuesday to strike a deal to renew medical provider taxes vital to funding Medicaid or accept responsibility for more than $700 million in cuts from the state budget that takes effect July 1. If not, the governor says he will freeze funding in Missouri’s […]
Carroll County Memorial Hospital Honors Staff with a High Performers Social
To honor and recognize their employees, Carroll County Memorial Hospital typically holds departmental appreciation weeks throughout the year. Employees are categorized into five groups and are traditionally recognized during one of these five special weeks. However, COVID-19 has continued to create a challenge for traditional recognition activities. “The CCMH Rewards & Recognition Team worked hard […]
Wright Memorial Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions announces new Program Director
Wright Memorial Hospital is pleased to welcome Shelby Todd, RN, as the new program director for the hospital’s Senior Life Solutions program. Senior Life Solutions, an intensive outpatient group therapy program, is designed to meet the unique needs of seniors struggling with age-related depression, anxiety, difficult life transitions, a recent health diagnosis, or the loss […]
Missouri prison healthcare contract won by a company accused of bid-rigging in Tennessee
(Missouri Independent) – The long-time contractor for medical services in Missouri’s prisons is protesting the state’s decision to award the business to a company that will charge more than lawmakers appropriated and is accused of bid-rigging to obtain a contract in Tennessee prisons. Centurion Health, a Virginia subsidiary of St. Louis-based managed care company Centene, beat […]
Two injured in crash east of Princeton on Highway 136
Two people from Carthage, Illinois, were injured on Sunday at 5 pm, one of them seriously, in a single-vehicle accident about two miles east of Princeton. A westbound sports utility vehicle dropped off the north shoulder of Highway 136 overcorrected, causing the vehicle to cross the road and go off the south side, where it […]