The Biden administration has taken the first steps in the regulatory process to eliminate the domestic gag rule, which forced more than 900 reproductive-health clinics nationwide to leave the Title X family-planning program and lose major amounts of funding. Rachel Fey, vice president for policy and strategic partnerships at the contraceptive-access advocacy group Power to Decide, said the […]
(Missouri Independent) – On the heels of a historic cold snap that left thousands across the Midwest without power, Kansas and Missouri residents could soon reap the benefits of a massive high-powered transmission line delivering renewable energy. Grain Belt Express, a project a decade in the making, is starting to acquire land along its route spanning […]
Jon Schaffer, 53, of Columbus, Indiana, admitted that he breached the Capitol on January 6, 2021, wearing a tactical vest and armed with bear repellent, and pleaded guilty to unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol to obstruct Congress’ certification of the U.S. presidential election results. “On this 100th day since the horrific January 6 assault on […]
(Missouri Independent) – As bills expanding charter schools and creating new scholarship accounts for private school tuition make their way through the process, one piece of legislation is trying to give students more options within the public schools that already exist. House Bill 543, sponsored by Rep. Brad Pollitt, R-Sedalia, would establish the “Public School […]
United Hog Systems, LLC has withdrawn its permit application to build a concentrated animal feeding operation in northern Livingston County. Presiding Commissioner Ed Douglas says the Livingston County Commission got word April 14th from the Department of Natural Resources. Douglas explains United Hog originally applied for a CAFO in February 2020 but withdrew that application. […]
Missouri State Fair exhibitors interested in competing at the State Fair this year can now access the Premium Guide, a comprehensive tool for State Fair exhibitors, on the Fair’s website, mostatefair.com. The Premium Guide includes important rules and regulations for the Fair’s numerous livestock shows and competitive exhibits. Exhibitors are encouraged to explore the Premium […]
(Missouri Independent) – The Department of Justice will distribute model “red flag” legislation to states so they can enact laws that would allow courts to temporarily remove a firearm from an individual who is distressed, according to senior Biden administration officials. “The president will not wait for Congress to act before the administration takes our […]
The Gallatin Theater League will perform Independence Day at Happy Meadows later this month. The play by Laura King will be performed at the Courter Theater in Gallatin from April 22nd through 24th at 7 o’clock each night. It will also be live-streamed each night. The play is about women from a nursing home who […]
The following employees being recognized for their actions in 2020 by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. This year’s award ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. April 10, 2021, via Facebook Live. The video will become available when the event begins. Last year’s award ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic, so both the 2019 […]
Dr. Beth Ann Caldarello, Library Director from Trenton, MO, has been selected as North Central Missouri College’s Outstanding Employee for April. Beth Ann, an NCMC Alumni, has been employed at NCMC for eight years and holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and a Masters in Library Science. Dr. Caldarello, along with her team Shellee, […]
(Missouri Independent) – The biggest item in a $1 billion supplemental spending bill would set aside money for a new method of making Medicaid payments, but exactly how it would work or how much it would cost is unknown. The House Budget Committee on Tuesday held a public hearing on the bill that would also […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency announces the availability of $2 million to establish partnerships with organizations to provide outreach and technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The funding was made possible by USDA’s new Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative, an effort to distribute resources more broadly and to put greater […]
The death of a Kansas man whose body was found in a creek in La Cygne, Kansas, in 2004 was a homicide, according to a new report by a federal forensic examiner. As part of a continuing federal investigation of Alonzo Brooks’ death, his body was exhumed and transported to Dover Air Force Base for […]
The Missouri House has unanimously passed a resolution condemning the 1852 state Supreme Court ruling to deny Dred Scott his freedom. The high court ruled against Scott, a slave, in his bid to seek freedom for his family. On the House floor, Representative Raychel Proudie, a Democrat from Ferguson, gave a tearful speech about her […]
In 2019, the Missouri Supreme Court began restricting when judges can require bail. Currently, judges can only charge bail fees for safety reasons or to help ensure defendants appear in court. The Missouri House has given preliminary approval to Lake St. Louis State Representative Justin Hill’s bill that would undo the high court’s bail rules. […]
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (Md.) introduced the No Fencing at the United States Capitol Complex Act. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC) previously introduced the legislation in the House. Their bipartisan, bicameral bill prohibits funding for permanent fencing […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Senate leadership pulled a bill vital for funding the state’s Medicaid program from floor debate Tuesday after adopting an amendment barring the use of public money for common contraceptive treatments. The amendment, sponsored by Republican Sen. Paul Wieland, could endanger the state’s entire Medicaid program by eliminating a health care service required by federal […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a coalition of thirteen states in filing suit against the Biden Administration for imposing a moratorium on future oil and gas leasing and drilling permits on federal land. The lawsuit contends that the moratorium on leasing through the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and the Mineral Leasing Act […]
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Mark Warner (Va.) introduced legislation to prevent further financial instability for rural health clinics and safeguard the care they provide to underserved communities. The bipartisan Strengthening Rural Health Clinics Act of 2021 would make a technical fix to protect existing rural health clinics from a sudden and unexpected Medicare […]
The head of the Missouri Department of Social Services is scheduled to appear before a panel of lawmakers Wednesday about the agency’s handling of abuse investigations within boarding schools. The Missouri House Special Committee on Government Oversight has called a Wednesday afternoon hearing to question the department’s acting director, Jennifer Tidball. The Kansas City Star has […]
