Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a 20-state coalition led by West Virginia and Arizona in arguing against the Biden administration’s proposed regulation of firearm parts. In addition to joining the coalition’s comment letter, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office filed a separate, but similar, comment letter. The coalition’s comment letter can be found at this […]
Tag: rights
Representative of Green Hills Women’s Shelter to testify at task force hearing on support and treatment of sexual assault victims
A representative of Green Hills Women’s Shelter in Trenton is listed among those planning to give testimony when a task force has a hearing Wednesday afternoon, August 25. The task force is reviewing the treatment and support of sexual assault victims in Missouri. The first of four scheduled hearings are from 1 to 3 o’clock […]
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 […]
Iowa woman sentenced to 304 months in prison for hate crimes; Attempted to kill two children because of their race
An Iowa woman was sentenced on two hate crimes charges for attempting to kill two minor victims because of their race and national origin. Nicole Poole Franklin, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 304 months in federal prison on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently to each other […]
Biden mandates nursing homes require COVID vaccine or lose Medicare, Medicaid funds
(Missouri Independent) – Nursing homes will be required to ensure their staffers are vaccinated against COVID-19, or risk losing federal Medicare and Medicaid dollars, the Biden administration announced Wednesday in a major move on vaccinations as the Delta variant sweeps many states. Under the new nursing home policy, the U.S. Department of Health and Human […]
Department of Justice asks court to block Missouri’s ‘Second Amendment Preservation Act’
(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri law prohibiting state and local police from enforcing certain federal gun laws has already undermined drug and weapons investigations, the U.S. Department of Justice argued in documents filed Wednesday in Cole County Circuit Court. As part of an ongoing lawsuit set for a hearing Thursday afternoon, the Justice Department is asking Cole […]
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 […]
U.S. House Democrats unveil new voting rights bill named for John Lewis
(Missouri Independent) – At the base of the bridge in Selma, Ala., where the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia almost died while marching for civil rights, congressional Democrats announced Tuesday the introduction of legislation that aims to protect voting rights across the country. Rep. Terri Sewell, an Alabama Democrat, unveiled what will be […]
Audio: Missouri Chamber of Commerce opposes calls to ban businesses from requiring coronavirus vaccinations
The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry says it opposes calls to ban coronavirus vaccination requirements in the private sector. The Republican-leaning business group’s position follows six conservative state senators calling for a special session to ban public and private sectors from requiring vaccinations. Matt Panik, with the state’s largest business group, says businesses should […]
Man charged with 118 felony counts of child sex crimes bound over to Division One of Linn County Circuit Court
A case has been bound over to Division One of Linn County Circuit Court for a Macon man charged with 118 felony counts. Online court information shows 54-year-old Kenneth Harper faces multiple counts of child molestation, statutory sodomy, and statutory rape. Harper waived a preliminary hearing on August 12, 2021. An arraignment is scheduled in […]
Missouri man indicted on federal hate crime and firearm charges
A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri, returned a two-count indictment charging a Missouri man with hate crime and firearm violations for shooting a teenager with the intent to kill because of the victim’s sexual orientation. According to court documents, Malachi Robinson, 25, is charged with violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. […]
Commentary: COVID brings front and center the tug between individual rights and the public good
This article is a commentary. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of KTTN/KGOZ Radio, the staff, management or webmaster. (Missouri Independent) – It seems that getting control of the coronavirus has brought front and center the question: When should an individual’s right […]
Senator Hawley announces 15 amendments to budget, calls to pass parent tax credit, hire 100,000 new police, and reopen schools
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced he will introduce 15 amendments to the Democrats’ newly-proposed $3.5 trillion budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2022. Senator Hawley’s amendments would allow for the hiring of 100,000 new police officers, restrict federal funding for K-12 schools that refuse to fully reopen, fight back against critical race theory, and protect the […]
Ripley County angler swipes rare Missouri state record for American eel
The Missouri Department of Conservation congratulates Carlin Allison of Doniphan on a rare feat, catching a state record American eel. Allison was catfishing on the Current River July 26 when he reeled in the 6-pound, 15-ounce eel on his pole-and-line. This makes the ninth state record fish recorded in 2021. “I was using skipjack bait […]
Missouri seeks to boost prizes in local vaccine incentive program
(Missouri Independent) – Prizes awarded through a vaccine incentive program offered by local public health departments in Missouri may get boosted to $100-per-person under a new federal allowance. After previously rejecting Missouri’s proposal to exceed a $25 limit on prizes paid for with federal funding to incentivize immunizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently […]
Less than half of Missouri nursing home staff vaccinated, reviving fear of lockdowns
(Missouri Independent) – Many of the staff and residents in Shunda Whitfield’s St. Louis County nursing home were sick before they even realized what was going on. It was April 2020, and masks weren’t yet standard practice. Little was known about COVID before it swept through nursing homes, and as a certified nursing assistant, Whitfield […]
Advocates say Missouri’s eviction crisis could be a ‘humanitarian tragedy’
(Missouri Independent) – Melissa Pashia is hoping for any kind of good news today. The federal eviction moratorium ended Saturday, and she’s got her fingers crossed one of her clients will finally get approved for the rental assistance that they applied for in April through the State Assistance for Housing Relief Program (SAFHR). The aid approval […]
Missouri notifying individuals of possible waiver of recovery from federal unemployment overpayments
The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has implemented a process for claimants to apply to the Division of Employment Security for potential waiver of the recovery of non-fraud federal pandemic program unemployment benefit overpayments. Notices to eligible claimants began mailing out last week and are available in the “Correspondence” tab of UInteract, Missouri’s […]
State task force invites Missourians to complete survey on rights of sexual assault victims and survivors
A new state task force is seeking comments and suggestions from the public on how to strengthen protections and services for Missouri sexual assault victims. Comments and suggestions are being gathered through an online survey at this link. The survey closes on September 30, 2021. The Missouri Rights of Victims of Sexual Assault Task Force […]
Missouri Attorney General joins coalition of 26 states in defending second amendment and right to self-defense in SCOTUS
Missouri Attorney General joins a coalition of 26 states to protect Americans’ right to self-defense at the United States Supreme Court. The states filed an amicus brief in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, urging the justices to declare New York’s subjective-issue, or “may issue,” firearm license regime unconstitutional and reverse the […]