(Missouri Independent) – U.S. Senate Republicans blocked an attempt by Democrats on Monday evening to begin debate on a broad bill that would avert multiple looming fiscal crises for the federal government. The measure to briefly keep the government operating past the end of the fiscal year on Thursday, as well as to increase the […]
(Missouri Independent) – School districts are not subject to the law Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is using to challenge masks mandates in classrooms, attorneys for Columbia Public Schools wrote in a court filing seeking dismissal of a lawsuit initiated last month. The district also challenges Schmitt’s standing to file the lawsuit, argues that he is […]
The Daviess County Health Department will offer flu shots for adults at drive-up clinics. No appointment is necessary for the clinics in the parking lot of the health department in Gallatin on October 8th and 29th from 9 o’clock to 11:30 and 1 o’clock to 3:30. High-dose flu shots will be available. Insurance accepted will […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt gave an update on the SAFE Kit Initiative, reporting positive progress in clearing the backlog of untested sexual assault kits through the initiative. The Springfield Police Department also announced that they have completely cleared out their backlog, leaving zero untested sexual assault kits in their inventory. “As a husband, father, […]
(Missouri Independent) – Activists are ramping up the pressure on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to move on his chamber’s version of a voting rights bill, even though there’s no sign there will be enough Republican support to advance it. Alternatively, they’re pressing for an end to the filibuster, though there’s no indication there would […]
The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri has asked a state court to let it intervene in state Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s class-action lawsuit seeking to prevent school districts from requiring masks. A press release from the ACLU says under federal law, public schools cannot exclude students with disabilities, denying them equal access […]
A woman pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing a vehicle at gunpoint from the parking garage at the Country Club Plaza. Maricela Delores Lozano, 21, of Kansas City, Kansas, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of […]
Mosaic Life Care Foundation’s e2 Fellowship high school leadership program will begin Tuesday, September 28, 2021. e2 Fellowship is a high school intergenerational leadership program that meets four times throughout the academic year. This year, emPowerU welcomes 14 regional schools for the program. In 2020, The Foundation’s Board of Trustees approved funding to make the […]
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Department reports the arrest of three area residents on Tuesday, September 21, 2021, on various charges. Thirty-six-year-old Zachary Lee Wilson of Spickard has been charged with the felonies of unlawful use of a weapon involving exhibiting, first-degree property damage, and armed criminal action. He also has been charged with misdemeanor unlawful possession, […]
After an audit last year determined the former city clerk of Center misappropriated more than $300,000, State Auditor Nicole Galloway has issued a follow-up report measuring the progress made to implement the audit’s recommendations. While officials in the Ralls County town of 500 have taken some measures to better safeguard public funds, the follow-up report […]
The Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick announced he has joined a coalition of 22 State Treasurers and state financial officers to speak out against proposals that would require financial institutions to turn over private citizens’ personal bank account information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) if they exceed $600 of inflows or outflows from the […]
(Missouri Independent) – Agricultural groups and farm-state lawmakers notched a significant win when U.S. House Democrats chose not to touch a big tax break for inherited property, avoiding, for now, a confrontation. But opponents remain wary that the idea could come back at any time as Democrats shape their massive $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package, and […]
As lawmakers in Congress work to expand access to voting, members of the Missouri Legislature are proposing laws their critics say would limit people’s ability to vote. State legislative committees on elections convened last week to discuss measures that would impose a stricter voter ID law, require election officials to purge voter rolls more frequently, and others. Luz […]
A Missouri, truck driver was sentenced in federal court for transporting two Missouri teenagers across state lines and sexually assaulting them. Cleveland Lee Crumsey, 38, of Republic Missouri, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Crumsey to spend the rest of his […]
A Missouri man who worked as a teacher in China was sentenced in federal court for sexually exploiting one of his former students by attempting to blackmail her into sending him pornographic images. Curtis J. Baldwin, 48, Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 41 years and eight months in federal […]
(Missouri Independent) – The number of Missouri deaths from COVID-19 reported since Jan. 1 has exceeded the number reported during 2020. As of Dec. 31, 2020, the Department of Health and Senior Services reported 5,519 deaths from the coronavirus that killed its first Missouri victim on March 18, 2020. On Friday, the total reached 11,046. The grim […]
Wealthy Americans have a message for Congress: Tax us more. More than 200 high-income taxpayers and business owners have sent an open letter urging elected leaders to raise the tax rate for rich people to fund the infrastructure plan now being debated in Congress. Three of the signers are from Oregon, including Sandy Polishuk, a retired […]
A dual national of the United States and Ireland was sentenced to 324 months, or 27 years, in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for conspiracy to advertise child pornography. Eric Eoin Marques, 36, of Dublin, Ireland, pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, 2020, to conspiracy to advertise child pornography. According to court documents, between […]
The Mercer County Health Department and GRM Networks will sponsor a free program on internet and phone safety. The Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force will present the program at the North Mercer gym on October 6, 2021, from 5:30 to 6:30 in the evening. Topics to be discussed include internet safety, photos on the cloud […]
Missouri is blessed with a variety of trees, shrubs, and vines that make the fall season come alive with color. You can find the best places to view the changing foliage using the Missouri Department of Conservation’s fall color report at this link. “Our fall color report is updated weekly from MDC foresters all over […]
