Budget news graphic

Missouri House signs off on $46.2 billion budget, leaves most of huge state surplus untouched

(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri House gave first-round approval Tuesday to a package of budget bills spending $46.2 billion, with Republicans defeating repeated Democratic efforts to tap the state’s record surplus. The budget includes boosts to higher education funding, both for institutions and scholarships, as well as funding one of last year’s most controversial issues, Medicaid […]

Grain Belt Express News Graphic

Missouri Senate committee takes up bill targeting Grain Belt Express transmission line

(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri Senate is poised to take up a long-running effort to stymie the Grain Belt Express, a massive transmission line meant to carry wind energy from southwest Kansas across three states.  The $2 billion project would carry 4,000 megawatts of energy, dropping some off in Missouri before ending at the Illinois-Indiana […]

Missouri Treasurer's Financial Literacy Portal website

Missouri State Treasurer kicks off Financial Literacy Month with new resources for Missourians

Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick recognized April as Financial Literacy Month, a month dedicated to promoting the importance of financial literacy and financial education. The Treasurer kicked off the month by announcing that new free resources for Missourians are now available on the Financial Literacy Portal. These engaging resources include helpful and concise articles on […]

Girl Scouts

Area residents to be honored with National Girl Scout Award

Area residents will be recognized at a ceremony in May for earning a National Girl Scout award. Libby Hall of Trenton and Cynthia McWilliams of Carrollton will receive the award, which recognizes an individual’s service in Girl Scout leadership. Service Unit 820 Manager Abigail Looney says Hall and McWilliams have nurtured the Girl Scout program […]

Planned Parenthood website

Planned Parenthood sues Missouri social services agency over restricted Medicaid funds

(Missouri Independent) – Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit Thursday against Missouri’s Department of Social Services, alleging the agency unlawfully plans to restrict Medicaid payments to the provider. A March 4 notice sent to Planned Parenthood of St. Louis Region cites a supplemental budget bill lawmakers passed last month that bars abortion providers or their affiliates from being […]

Missouri Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick (photo by Tim Bommel - Missouri House Communications)

Schools left ‘scrambling’ after Missouri treasurer tied bond deals to Attorney General’s COVID demands

(Missouri Independent) – It was just after 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, when the forms arrived from the state treasurer’s office. Without warning, and with little explanation, school superintendents discovered they were now required to certify their district had complied with Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s demands to drop all COVID-19 mitigation measures, such as […]

Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, Chair of the House Children and Families Committee speaks during a hearing Oct. 5, 2021. (photo by of Tim Bommel - Missouri House Communications)

Change to bill cutting Missouri sales tax on food transformed it into massive tax hike

(Missouri Independent) – With a change of just a few words, a bill to expand the sales tax exemption for food purchases became a bill virtually ending the exemption, infuriating its sponsor and forcing a Missouri House committee to give it another look. On Monday, the House Rules – Administrative Oversight Committee voted to send state Rep. […]

Sleeping Baby in dark room (Photo by Kevin Keith on Unsplash)

House grants initial approval to bill that would allow prison nurseries in Missouri

(Missouri Independent) -The House gave initial approval Wednesday to a bill that would allow newborns to remain with their incarcerated mothers for the first year and a half of the baby’s life. The bill would permit the Missouri Department of Corrections to establish nurseries within the state’s correctional facilities, allowing children born to incarcerated women to […]

Law and Settlement scroll with gavel

Missouri Attorney General announces finalization of opioid settlement

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his Office has finalized opioid settlements with Johnson & Johnson and major opioid distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen. The Attorney General was joined by families of victims of opioid overdose and representatives from treatment centers and nonprofits across the state. Combined, these settlements bring a total of […]

Trenton R-9 School District

Trenton Board of Education hears presentation from Trenton Teachers Association on 4-day school week

Joel Hultman with the Trenton Teachers Association presented preliminary research regarding a four-day school week during the Trenton R-9 Board of Education meeting February 8th. The board took no action on the matter. Hultman reported a survey of teachers showed many wanted more information on a four-day school week. None of the questions specifically asked […]

Kids Heart Challenge 2022 Website

S.M. Rissler physical education students to host “Kids Heart Challenge”

The physical education program at S.M. Rissler Elementary School is hosting its annual Kids Heart Challenge event to raise money for the American Heart Association, which funds lifesaving heart and stroke research and community and educational programs for our youth. The students will start asking for donations starting this week. Rissler school students will be accepting […]

Task force rescues 57 dogs from “horrific conditions” at Missouri site

The Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Cruelty Task Force rescued 57 dogs, including Corgis, German Shepherds, Border Collies, and several other large and smaller breeds from a property in Newton County, Missouri. The rescued dogs are being transported to HSMO’s Macklind headquarters in St. Louis, where the animals will receive health evaluations and emergency veterinary […]

Missouri Secretary of State website

Missouri Securities Division Partners with CFTC and 26 states to stop $68 million precious metals scheme

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s Securities Division announced that it is participating in a consolidated enforcement action to stop a $68 million fraudulent precious metals scheme that, to date, has allegedly defrauded at least 450 investors nationwide, including eighteen investors from Missouri. A complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Central District […]

Princeton R-5 School District website 2021 -2022

Princeton Board of Education approves general obligation bond refunding

The Board of Education of the Princeton R-V School District of Mercer County, Missouri approved a parameters resolution at a regular meeting on November 8, 2021, that authorized a final terms committee consisting of Rick Ellsworth, Board President, Jerry Girdner, Superintendent, and Larry J. Hart, CEO of L.J. Hart & Company. The resolution approved the […]

Governor Parson talks with lawmakers as he leaves House Chamber after State of the State address (Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel - Missouri House)

Governor proposes record $47.3B Missouri budget as he taps surplus and federal aid

(Missouri Independent) – Gov. Mike Parson proposed massive new spending on infrastructure and college buildings, and still found money to set aside for pensions and future revenue shortfalls, in the budget submitted Wednesday to lawmakers. Missouri will enter the new fiscal year with nearly $3 billion in surplus general revenue, an anticipation of record future tax collections, […]