(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. […]
(Missouri Independent) – A bill that would decriminalize needle exchange programs that aim to reduce the spread of infectious diseases was voted out of the Senate General Laws Committee Tuesday. Needle exchange programs allow drug users to swap out used syringes with clean, new ones in an effort to decrease the chances of contracting or […]
On Dec. 10, 2021, severe storms and six confirmed tornadoes in Missouri killed two people and destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes and buildings, as well as 20 large transmission towers and lines that move power between Missouri and Arkansas. The storm system serves as another reminder that deadly tornadoes can strike any time of […]
Governor Mike Parson announced seven appointments to various boards and commissions. Sheriff Jim Arnott, of Springfield, was appointed to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission. Sheriff Arnott has served as the Greene County Sheriff since 2008. He has also simultaneously served as the Interim Chief of the Fair Grove Police Department and Ash Grove Police […]
Major Michael A. Turner, bureau commander for the Support Services Bureau, will transfer to the Field Operations Bureau, General Headquarters, Jefferson City, MO. As bureau commander for Field Operations, Major Turner will have direct oversight responsibilities for all nine troops, Aircraft Division, and Water Patrol Division. He will continue serving as a member of the […]
(Missouri Independent) – A beef processing facility 40 miles southeast of downtown Kansas City polluted at least a mile of nearby streams and allowed septic tanks of sewage and entrails to overflow, state regulators found this month. The facility, the former site of a beef operation that neighbors felt threatened a nearby botanical garden, was referred […]
(Missouri Independent) – On a recent Tuesday evening in southeastern Missouri, John Freeze stood in front of yet another angry group of constituents. Some here believe the number of COVID-19 deaths are being purposefully inflated for financial gain. Among the culprits, in their mistaken view: Hospitals seeking Medicare reimbursements; The federal government, led by Dr. Anthony […]
(Missouri Independent) – This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News. Aneka French applied for Medicaid in October, not long after Missouri became the 38th state to expand eligibility for the program. But her application sat for months in a backlog with tens of thousands of others. While she waited, French, 45, an uninsured medical […]
Major Gregory K. Smith, commander of Field Operations Bureau with direct oversight responsibility for all nine troops, the Aircraft Division, and the Water Patrol Division will retire March 1, 2022. Smith was appointed to the Patrol on July 1, 1989, as a member of the 61st Recruit Class. After graduating from the Academy, he was […]
(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 […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) objected to the unanimous consent of several Department of Defense nominations, followed by remarks that outlined the Biden administration’s failures and lack of accountability in the aftermath of the botched Afghanistan withdrawal last summer. He also reiterated how the administration is on the brink of another disaster, this time with […]
(Missouri Independent) – A handful of Republican lawmakers lashed out at the state’s medical marijuana industry Thursday, lobbing accusations of corruption into a Missouri House debate over whether to make it harder to amend the state’s Constitution. On a mostly party-line 98-53 vote, the Missouri House signed off on legislation Thursday that would require a two-thirds […]
The Grundy County R-5 Board of Education will discuss the senior trip next week. The board will meet on February 16th at 6 pm. Other items on the agenda include a transportation report, COVID-19 information, Elementary, and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding, an insurance update and total wellness evaluation, a social worker for the district, […]
(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 […]
(Missouri Independent) – Cannabis dispensaries throughout the country came one step closer to using banks the way many other businesses can when the U.S. House on Friday cleared a bill with sweeping changes to banking regulations. Colorado Democrat Ed Perlmutter and Ohio Republican Dave Joyce, co-sponsors of the legislation, said Friday their proposal would allow […]
The Lillian DesMarias Youth Library announces the purchase and installation of AWE Learning’s All-In-One Workstations Platinum 2. The software programs are for ages 2-12, and deliver 85+ award-winning, pre-loaded educational software titles directly on the workstation. No internet connection is required. All content is STREAM-aligned (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art and Music, and Math). AWE […]
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 […]
Legislation that would make it easier for state lawmakers to block funding for abortion clinics is moving through the Missouri House. The bill would make it illegal for any public funds, including federal dollars, from being spent on abortion clinics or any facility with ties to abortion providers. It would also bar the […]
Northwest Missouri State University will host retired NASA astronaut Capt. Scott Kelly at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 8, at the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts as the next featured speaker for the University’s Distinguished Lecture Series. Kelly’s presentation centers on the remarkable story of his year in space – and how personal determination made […]
(Missouri Independent) – In a rare move, a Missouri commission granted a medical marijuana license to an applicant after discovering irregularities with how state regulators evaluated applications. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) decided to forgo appealing the ruling, announcing Tuesday that it had reached a settlement with the jilted applicant to […]
