(Missouri Independent) – This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News. The Biden administration and state officials are bracing for a great unwinding: Millions of people losing their Medicaid benefits when the pandemic health emergency ends. Some might sign up for different insurance. Many others are bound to get lost in the transition. State Medicaid […]
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Missouri health centers continue to vaccinate, despite staffing shortages
As Community Health Centers (CHCs) mark a year of administering vaccines to underserved Missourians, the needs of the pandemic have strained their services. More than 40% of centers report they do not have enough staff to keep up the vaccination pace. Rodney Hummer, vice president of strategy for the Missouri Primary Care Association and a registered nurse, […]
Audio: Missouri trucking industry expert says carriers reject thousands of loads weekly due to driver shortage
A Missouri task force is working to address the state’s supply chain slowdowns. More than 70-percent of Missouri communities rely solely on the trucking industry to get their goods delivered to them. During this week’s task force hearing, Tom Crawford of the Missouri Trucking Association said the ongoing truck driver shortage cannot keep up with […]
Newtown-Harris Board of Education approves health insurance plan; hold discussion on coop for football
The Newtown-Harris R-3 Board of Education approved the district health insurance provider on February 9th. The provider will be the Ozarks School Benefits Association, and the district will pay $575.82. Contract extensions were approved for Superintendent Doctor Lucas McKinnis and Kindergarten through 12th Grade Principal Kim Palmer. Counselor Megan Brown’s resignation was approved. The board […]
Audio: Senator Roy Blunt expresses concern of police officer shortages
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt says he’s concerned about the shortage of law enforcement officers in Washington, D-C, and here in Missouri. The Republican says the U.S. Capitol Police force is about 200 officers below the authorized level of two thousand, but it’s not just a problem there. The city of St. Louis and […]
Missouri House refuses to accept Governor Parson’s plan for $15 base pay for state jobs
(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri House approved a $4.6 billion supplemental spending bill Wednesday that would give all state workers a pay raise. But lawmakers refused to go along with Gov. Mike Parson’s plan for a $15 an hour base wage for all state employees, instead offering that salary only to select workers. The bill would also […]
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 on 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 […]
House committee scales back governor’s pay raise plan for Missouri state workers
(Missouri Independent) – Hundreds of custodians, clerks, and cooks working for state agencies would not get the raises Missouri Gov. Mike Parson promised in December under a spending bill approved Monday by the House Budget Committee. On a party-line vote, with Republicans supporting the bill and Democrats opposed, the committee approved a spending bill that sets […]
Fire damages Days Inn Motel in Chillicothe
A fire Saturday morning damaged an exterior wooden staircase and siding at the Days Inn Motel in Chillicothe. Captain Derrick Allen reported smoke and flames were coming from two levels of an exterior staircase when firefighters arrived. The fire was on the second level and a first level porch. About 500 gallons of water were […]
Senator Hawley: DOJ’s lenient sentencing for BLM rioters exposes “Toxic ideology of critical race theory”
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland this week demanding answers on the Department of Justice’s decision to pursue a lenient sentence for a BLM rioter because of what he was protesting. Last year, Montez Terriel Lee, Jr. broke into the Max It Pawn Shop in Minneapolis, Minn., and poured fire accelerant throughout the store. […]
Governor Mike Parson’s pick to lead state health department rejected by Missouri Senate
(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri Senate refused to confirm Donald Kauerauf as Gov. Mike Parson’s health director on Tuesday, leaving Kauerauf banned from the position for life. Hours later, Parson named Richard Moore, the Department of Health and Senior Services’ general counsel, as acting director of the agency. He slammed senators who blocked Kauerauf’s nomination […]
Governor Parson appoints temporary acting director of Department of Health and Senior Services
Governor Mike Parson accepted the resignation of Department of Health and Senior Services Director Don Kauerauf. Governor Parson has temporarily appointed Richard Moore to lead the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) as Acting Director. Richard serves as General Counsel for DHSS. The Governor will further evaluate the state’s options in the coming days. Governor Parson released the […]
Missouri AG files suit against Biden Administration for unlawful reinstatement of ineffective Central American Minors Refugee Program
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, along with seven other attorneys general, filed suit against the Biden Administration for their unlawful reinstatement of the ineffective Central American Minors (CAM) Refugee and Parole Program. The lawsuit alleges that illegal aliens with pending asylum claims can petition the government through the CAM Program to allow their minor children […]
Ketanji Brown Jackson considered among Biden’s top candidates for the U.S. Supreme Court
(Missouri Independent) – With the retirement of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer by this summer, President Joe Biden has said he will fulfill a campaign promise of appointing a Black woman to an open seat on the highest court in the land. A top contender, who was even vetted by the Obama administration in 2016 as […]
Seven Missouri residents indicted for conspiracy to transport stolen catalytic converters across state lines
Seven Rogersville, Missouri, and Springfield, Mo., residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to transport thousands of stolen catalytic converters across state lines as part of a multi-million-dollar business. “A scourge of catalytic converter thefts on a breathtaking scale had a significant impact on the Springfield community […]
North Central Missouri College awarded Teacher Recruitment Grant
North Central Missouri College has recently been awarded a $10,000 Teacher Recruitment Grant from the U.S. Department of Education through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to help address teacher recruitment. “Placing high-quality educators in classrooms is a high priority amongst all administrators in Missouri,” said Cassie Cordray, NCMC Teacher Education Instructor. “Administrators […]
German national sentenced to 23 years in Missouri prison for meth trafficking and illegal firearms
A German national was sentenced in federal court for methamphetamine trafficking and illegally possessing firearms. Manuel Poludenyj, 36, of Springfield, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 23 years in federal prison without parole. On June 24, 2021, Poludenyj pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine to distribute and one […]
DHSS investigating Legionnaires’ disease cases possibly linked to Missouri hospital
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is investigating four cases of Legionnaires’ disease among previously hospitalized patients at Phelps Health in Rolla, Missouri. The first case occurred in May 2021. The source of the bacteria that caused these individuals to acquire infection is under investigation. Out of an abundance of caution, DHSS is […]