U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (Screenshot via USDA Facebook page)

Biden administration announces boost for rural health care in midterm election push

(Missouri Independent) – As the midterm election season ramps up, the Biden administration wants rural Americans to know it’ll be spending a lot of money to improve health care in rural areas. It has tasked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack with delivering the message that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed long-standing problems with health care infrastructure in […]

Trudy Busch Valentine (Submitted photo)

In Senate race full of millionaires, Missouri must wait to see finances of the newest entrant

(Missouri Independent) – There are several millionaires seeking Missouri’s open U.S. Senate seat, financial disclosure reports show. But voters won’t see the finances of the only likely billionaire in the race until July. Trudy Busch Valentine, a Democrat and Anheuser Busch beer heiress who jumped into the race during the final days of filing, on […]

Missouri State Highway Patrol

Missouri State Highway Patrol reports two additional arrests over the weekend

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports a Kansas City, Missouri resident was arrested early Sunday in Clinton County. Twenty-nine–year old Jacob Lantz was arrested on five misdemeanor warrants from Clay County, and accused of possessing methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, exceeding the posted speed limit, and failure to display valid plates. Lantz was transported to the […]

Mentally disabled woman and nurse or caretaker wearing a surgica

Missouri launches apprenticeships for direct-support professionals

Missouri is launching an apprenticeship program to expand talent pipelines for Direct Support Professionals, who work with people with developmental disabilities. The Show-Me State, like many others, is facing a serious direct-care workforce shortage. To answer the need, the program Missouri Talent Pathways was recently approved by the U.S. Department of Labor. Duane Shumate, the state coordinator […]

Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority website or MSASBDA

Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority announces funding of projects

The Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority announced it has invested more than $2 million in projects that increase the distribution and use of higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel in the State of Missouri. Expenses incurred during the construction, installation, upgrade, or retrofit of fuel dispensers/pumps, storage tanks, and other infrastructure located in Missouri […]

Second Harvest Food Bank

Second Harvest Community Food Bank receives $211,000 grant

The Second Harvest Community Food Bank has received a $211,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to assist the food bank with increased expenses due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Emergency Rural Health Care Grant will also facilitate mobile food distributions in Northwest Missouri. Emergency Rural Health Care Grants are part of […]

Jobs Report

Missouri unemployment rate drops to 3.6% in March

Missouri non-farm payroll employment decreased slightly from February 2022 to March 2022, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by one-tenth of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, decreased by 200 jobs over the month. Private industry employment increased by 600 jobs, while government employment declined by 800 jobs. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate […]