Several action items were approved during a recent meeting of the Spickard R-2 Board of Education. Information from School Principal Kristi Weldon notes flooring will be replaced with nylon carpet tiles at the appraised price of $37,618. This involves over 3,700 square feet on the main floor and 4,000 square feet on the third floor. […]
Tag: services
Audio: Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri offers a multitude of services including LIHEAP and services for women
The Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri provides various services in the Green Hills area. One of those services is the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps households in need with utilities. Executive Director Chris Small reports Community Action works with more than 40 utility vendors. Some of the vendors are municipal […]
Furious lawmakers demand answers from Missouri DSS for undercount of abuse reports
(Missouri Independent) – Lawmakers slammed the Department of Social Services on Thursday for underreporting the number of substantiated cases of abuse and neglect at youth residential facilities during a previous legislative hearing. For nearly an hour-and-a-half on Thursday, the House Special Committee on Government Oversight pressed DSS officials on why the number of findings of […]
Missouri WIC to see temporary benefit increase
Missouri WIC is temporarily increasing the Cash Value Benefit for Fruit and Vegetable Purchases (CVB) to $35 per month for eligible women and children. WIC is the Department of Health and Senior Services Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. The American Rescue Plan Act gave USDA authority to temporarily increase the CVB […]
Missouri WIC income guidelines updated for 2021-2022
Missouri WIC announces the release of the updated Income Eligibility Guidelines (IEGs) effective April 1, 2021. WIC is the Department of Health and Senior Services Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. The United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) releases annual adjustments to the IEGs used in determining eligibility […]
Governor Parson announces Missouri National Guard to scale back COVID-19 vaccine support
As demand for the COVID-19 vaccine has significantly decreased in recent weeks, Governor Mike Parson announced the Missouri National Guard (MONG) has begun scaling back its involvement at mass vaccination site locations in May. The drawdown of National Guard members is set to be completed by June 1, 2021. “We are in a far different […]
University of Missouri Extension releases 2021 mental health toolkit
The University of Missouri Extension and Show-Me Farm Safety recently released a new Together We Can toolkit to help rural Missourians access mental health resources. “Missourians are strong and resilient in the face of the challenges and uncertainty that can come with farm life,” says Marshall Stewart, MU vice chancellor for extension and engagement and […]
Livingston County Sheriff’s Department begins move to police department building
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office on May 6 began the move to the south part of the Chillicothe Police Department building. Sheriff Steve Cox says the move is to be completed by May 10th. The sheriff’s office’s administrative office will remain closed until May 17th. To access the sheriff’s office at that time, enter through […]
Audio: Missouri Legislature’s state budget negotiators recommend the hiring of 53 public defenders
The Missouri Legislature’s state budget negotiators are recommending the hiring of 53 attorneys for the state Public Defender System. During negotiations, Senate Minority Floor Leader John Rizzo of Independence says his wife corrects some cases handled at the local level by overworked attorneys. The system has nearly 400 lawyers handling about 90,000 cases […]
Audio: Missouri’s marriage and divorce counts declined in 2020
A new state report says the number of marriages and divorces declined in Missouri last year. The provisional report from the state Department of Health and Senior Services says about 34,400 people were married in Missouri in 2020 – the lowest Missouri marriage count since 1959. The figure represents a six-point-one percent decline […]
Missouri company, Healthy Home & Family, Inc, settles Medicaid fraud case for $300,000
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that on April 27, 2021, Healthy Home & Family, Inc., an in-home health care provider, and its owners, Belinda Bivens and Mary Stockson, have entered into a civil settlement agreement totaling $302,127 in restitution and penalties, with his office for submitting 114 false claims to Missouri Medicaid (MO HealthNet). […]
Wright Memorial Hospital earns five-star rating from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton is the only critical access hospital in the state of Missouri to receive a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The new ratings were released by CMS on April 28. There are 35 critical access hospitals in Missouri. The rating also places Wright Memorial in the […]
Audio: Legislature passes fee collection to bring DOR computer systems up to speed for car services
The House and Senate passed an add-on to a bill to collect millions in unpaid sales tax on cars to try to update the department of revenues antiquated computer system. Rep Travis Fitzwater of Calloway County fought for the amendment and won. These fees are not always collected by car dealers, but they […]
Chillicothe man faces two felony charges after threatening to shoot neighbors
A Chillicothe man faces two felonies after an incident in the 600 block of Webster Street in Chillicothe on May 3rd in which he allegedly threatened to shoot his neighbors. Thirty-five-year-old Chamen Richard Bell has been charged with first-degree burglary and first-degree harassment. Bond was set at $50,000 cash only, no surety, and Supervision Services. […]
Brylee Williams of Princeton FFA Chapter named Area 2 Star in Agribusiness
The Missouri FFA Association recognized Brylee Loren Williams of the Princeton FFA Chapter as the Area 2 Star in Agribusiness and one of four finalists at the 93rd Missouri FFA Convention. Her parents are Bryan and Joni Williams of Princeton. Her advisor is Bryan Williams. Area Stars in Agribusiness are selected based upon outstanding work […]
Missouri hospitals lobby for changes to new Medicaid payment system
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri lawmakers must finish work on the fiscal 2022 budget by Friday. And while the biggest spending issue of the session, Medicaid expansion, is off the table, there are other big issues to resolve in the state-run health care program. One of the largest is whether to provide a cushion for hospitals that […]
Missouri State Auditor recommends improvements to financial practices in City of Excelsior Springs
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released a citizen-requested audit of Excelsior Springs, located in western Missouri. The audit, which received an overall rating of “fair,” recommended improvements to several of the city’s financial practices to make sure taxpayer dollars are used effectively. “Taxpayers asked for this audit to ensure the city is utilizing their […]
Audio: Missouri’s Senate president says Medicaid and social services consume 46 percent of state operating budget
Missouri’s Senate leader says the state’s operating budget has grown from 21-billion dollars a decade ago to 34-billion dollars today. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz tells Sullivan affiliate KTUI that Medicaid expansion is too expensive. He says the state Department of Social Services’ budget continues to grow. The Missouri Senate and House […]
High speed chase ends in arrest of Illinois man in Linn County
A vehicle pursuit that started west of Wheeling on April 24th resulted in the arrest of an Illinois man in Linn County. Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox reports 30-year-old Terrence Turner of Country Club Hills, Illinois has been charged in Livingston County with felony resisting arrest, detention, or stop by fleeing and creating a substantial […]
Man from Coffey facing a multitude of charges after Department of Social Services investigation
A Coffey man faces multiple charges after a Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division investigation at a residence in Coffey on April 28th. Forty-five-year-old David Jonathan Girsch has been charged in Daviess County with the felonies of possession of a controlled substance, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, and two counts of […]