(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 […]
Tag: States
Judge orders no change – for now – in Missouri’s prisoner health care contractor
(Missouri Independent) – Work to bring a new contractor for prisoner health care services online in Missouri can continue, but the actual transition from Corizon, the current provider, won’t occur until at least early November, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ordered Tuesday. Green issued a temporary restraining order blocking the state from canceling its […]
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 […]
Mercer County reports a COVID-related death; area health departments report 25 new cases of COVID-19
The Mercer County Health Department reports is has been notified of a COVID-19-related death, which was the first one for 2021. That brings the total number of deaths to 10. The health department notes there has been an influx in cases in the last couple of weeks. The number of confirmed cases rose by two […]
Audio: Two hundred plus attend vaccine mandate protest at Wright Memorial Hospital
It is estimated more than 200 people attended a rally near Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, to show support for personal choice involving whether to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Spokesperson Nathan Rorebeck said the rally was for the vaccine mandate involving employees for the Saint Luke’s Health System, which includes Wright […]
Missouri woman pleads guilty to sex trafficking a child, faces 15 years in prison
A Missouri woman pleaded guilty in federal court to her role in the sex trafficking of a child. Danna Marie Rodriguez, 36, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of the sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of the sex trafficking of a minor. By […]
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 […]
House reconciliation package would provide path to citizenship for millions
(Missouri Independent) – A provision tucked in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package would direct Congress to chart a path for citizenship for millions of undocumented people. If passed, the House provision would provide a pathway to citizenship for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, often referred to as Dreamers, farmworker workers; those […]
Child Passenger Safety Week is September 15 through 21
The Missouri State Highway Patrol joins the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Safety Council, Safe Kids Worldwide, and other safety advocates to commemorate National Child Passenger Safety Week which is September 15-21, 2021. The primary goal of this program is to remind all parents and other adults responsible for children traveling in motor […]
Two from Missouri plead guilty to meth trafficking
Two Missouri residents have pleaded guilty in federal court to methamphetamine trafficking after they received a large package of methamphetamine shipped from California to distribute locally. Bryan Patton Tullous, 39, of Columbia, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr., to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Co-defendant Cassiopeia Marie Blaise, 36, […]
Missouri fielding “high volume” of calls for rental assistance as evictions resume
(Missouri Independent) – Calls from tenants seeking emergency rental assistance are escalating in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that blocked a national eviction moratorium. The Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) has 60 application processors working to distribute hundreds of millions in federal aid and has been fielding about 500 calls and responding to […]
Livingston County Deputy certified as Rape Aggression Defense Training instructor
A Livingston County Deputy is now a Rape Aggression Defense Training Instructor. Deputy Jennifer Plummer is now certified to help women learn and put to use techniques if they find themselves in a situation where their physical safety is at risk. Sheriff Steve Cox said Plummer attended RAD training in Grain Valley during August. Cox […]
Dr. Tracy Thomas announced as Missouri Days Marching Festival judge
Dr. Tracy Thomas is the most recent judge announced for the 2021 Missouri Days Marching Festival on October 16th in Trenton. Dr. Thomas is an educator/percussionist/adjudicator based out of Troy, Missouri. Since his collegiate years, Tracy has been an active clinician throughout the region. He has degrees from Missouri Western State University and the University […]
Wright Memorial Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions speaks about the importance of talking about suicide
September is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness month. Wright Memorial Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions program is working to raise awareness and educate the community on the risk factors and warning signs of suicide. Talk of suicide should never be dismissed. If you, or someone you know, are thinking of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention […]
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 man pleads guilty to marijuana grow operation and dozens of illegal firearms
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to growing marijuana and illegally possessing dozens of firearms. Darrin Dale Smithee, 55, of Auxvasse, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps Jr. to one count of manufacturing marijuana and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On Sept. 21, 2018, […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to illegal firearm
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing a firearm. Desmond L. Washington, 22, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to possessing a firearm after previously being convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Washington was arrested on Sept. 7, 2019, when Kansas City police officers […]
Governor Parson mobilizes Missouri National Guard to support Hurricane Ida relief effort
Governor Mike Parson announced that he has mobilized the Missouri National Guard to assist in post-Hurricane Ida recovery efforts in Louisiana. In support of the relief effort, the Missouri National Guard will alert, mobilize, and deploy approximately 300 Soldiers to assist. “As our fellow states never fail to come to our aid in times of […]