The Trenton R-9 Board of Education on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, heard a report on the mentoring program for new teachers in the district. District Instructional Coach Doctor Jill Watkins reported she developed the Trenton program based on what she has implemented in the past. She said teachers have to complete first and second-year tutoring. She […]
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Gallatin Board of Aldermen approve water meter replacement policy, set water rate for water supply district
The Gallatin Board of Aldermen approved a damaged water meter replacement policy on September 13th and set the wholesale water rate for Public Water Supply District Number 2. The damaged water meter replacement policy states that the City of Gallatin has been installing automated metering infrastructure meters at city properties. The meters consist of a […]
Missouri Governor condemns Biden’s vaccine mandate, vows legal fight against federal overreach
Governor Mike Parson announced that his administration will reject the Biden Administration’s attempt to enforce an unconstitutional, federal vaccine mandate for Missourians and private businesses. The Office of the Governor has been in communication with leadership from the Missouri General Assembly and the Attorney General’s Office to align resources for a pending legal fight. “This […]
Putnam County Health Department to host free flu-shot clinic
The Putnam County Health Department will host a free seasonal flu shot clinic for Putnam County residents who are at least 18 years old. The clinic will be at the office in Unionville on September 29th from 7:30 in the morning to 6 p.m. or while the supply lasts. The quadrivalent high-dose vaccine will be […]
White House seeks at least $24 billion to aid states struck by natural disasters
(Missouri Independent) – The White House is urging Congress to approve at least $24 billion — and likely more — for disaster relief costs, saying that the aid should be included in a short-term spending bill expected this month. That tally includes $14 billion for recovery costs related to extreme weather events, including hurricanes, floods, and wildfires during […]
Better pay and community trust linked to school bus driver shortage
School districts in Iowa and Missouri are reporting bus driver shortages as the academic year gets underway. Transportation officials said more earning potential and a broader appreciation of the job could help address the lingering issue. In a new national survey from a trio of industry groups, 51% of coordinators described the driver shortage as “severe” or […]
New report indicates pandemic will cause Social Security funding shortage
The pandemic presents some future funding challenges to benefits for older Americans, according to the 2021 Social Security and Medicare Trustees’ Reports. Walt Dawson, assistant professor in the School of Public Health at Oregon Health and Science University, said the programs are foundational to Americans’ health and economic security as they age. While the reports are […]
Audio: Congressman says every agribusiness in Missouri is dealing with worker shortages
Southeast Missouri Congressman Jason Smith says every agribusiness in the state is dealing with worker shortages. Smith, a Republican from Salem, says the biggest problem with the worker shortage is the government is paying more people to stay home than it is for them to get a job. Federal pandemic unemployment insurance ended […]
Missouri will become the last state to enforce federal mental health parity act
(Missouri Independent) – Under a new state law that went into effect late last month, Missouri will become the final state to enforce a federal law designed to ensure mental health care is covered by insurance providers the same as treatments for physical ailments. The provisions were included in House Bill 604, an omnibus insurance bill […]
November trial set for lawsuit challenging $1.4 billion Missouri prison health care contract
(Missouri Independent) – A trial will be held in early November to determine whether a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Centene will take over the contract for prison health care in the Missouri Department of Corrections. In a hearing Thursday, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green set Nov. 3 as the first day in the trial where current […]
Employee of Trenton Hy-Vee is recipient of Legendary Customer Service Award
An employee at the Trenton Hy-Vee received the Legendary Customer Service Award at a surprise ceremony on September 2. Meat Manager Keith Herring was presented the single highest honor given to a Hy-Vee employee. He has provided 34 years of service. Family and friends attended the ceremony. Past and current employees also attended, including retired […]
Shortage of bus drivers creating difficulties for Trenton R-9 School District
Trenton R-9 Director of Supportive Services Kris Ockenfels reports the school district and Apple Bus Company are experiencing difficulty providing drivers for all bus routes. The difficultly is due to multiple factors, the most prominent of which is an area-wide driver shortage for public school transportation. Ockenfels asks patrons to bear with the district and […]
Audio: Judge upholds Governor Parson’s decision to terminate pandemic-related unemployment benefits
The Cole County Circuit Court sided with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office in our defense of the Governor’s termination of federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits. “As Missouri’s economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are still struggling to hire workers for a large number of open, available jobs. Too often, businesses can’t compete with […]
Missouri ICUs filling as Delta variant wave moves into northeast, southeast regions
(Missouri Independent) – New cases from the Delta variant wave that has killed more than 1,150 Missourians since June 1 have plateaued, but hospital ICUs continue to fill — and small, rural hospitals are among the hardest hit. There were 690 patients in ICU beds across the state on Tuesday, the most recent day reported by the state Department of Health […]
Supreme Court rejection of eviction ban increases pressure to dole out rental aid money
(Missouri Independent) -The U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of the Biden administration’s last-ditch effort to extend a federal ban on evictions has put hundreds of thousands of American renters at risk of losing their housing — and is increasing pressure on states and localities to get rental assistance dollars distributed faster. In an eight-page majority opinion […]
Governor Parson ends existing State of Emergency by terminating Executive Order 2002
Governor Mike Parson terminated Executive Order 2002 ending the State of Emergency that had been in effect since March 13, 2020. “In the nearly 18 months we operated under this Executive Order, we have responded to the COVID-19 crisis by providing unprecedented levels of resources and support,” Governor Parson said. “This Order enabled us to respond to the […]
Biden administration to restart oil and gas leasing
(Missouri Independent) – The Interior Department will make significant steps toward restarting its leasing programs for onshore and offshore oil and gas development in the coming months, the Biden administration said in a court filing Tuesday. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management anticipates holding a sale for offshore leases in October or November, the administration […]
USDA accepts 2.8 million acres for the Conservation Reserve Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has accepted 2.8 million acres in offers from agricultural producers and private landowners for enrollment into the Conservation Reserve Program in 2021. This year, almost 1.9 million acres in offers have been accepted through the General CRP Signup, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency has accepted over 897,000 acres for enrollment […]
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 […]