(Missouri Independent) – While playing politics with healthcare in Missouri is certainly nothing new, holding Missouri Medicaid hostage over basic birth control is a stunning — and consequential — shift. As captured in headlines across the state, state Sen. Paul Wieland has put the entire Missouri Medicaid program in jeopardy with his late-night amendment to a […]
A New York man and Alabama woman were arrested at a seaport in Newark, New Jersey, on criminal charges related to their alleged attempt to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq Al-Sham (ISIS). According to court documents, James Bradley, 20, of the Bronx, New York, and Arwa […]
Missouri children attending daycares, K-12 public schools, or college might not be required to get vaccinated against certain illnesses – if they have a “conscientious belief” opposing the immunizations. Lebanon State Representative Suzie Pollock is proposing the change for vaccinations against polio, rubella, mumps, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, and others. Her bill would also […]
Casey’s General Stores is kicking off a giving campaign to support Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners across 16 states. From now until April 15th, Casey’s customers can round up their purchases to provide funding for the Special Olympics athletic, health, school, and leadership programs that affect the lives of thousands of athletes and partners […]
(Missouri Independent) – Republicans in the Missouri House finalized their plan to block funding for voter-approved Medicaid expansion on Thursday, giving final approval to its version of the state’s budget and sending it to the Senate. What happens next remains unclear. House Democratic Leader Crystal Quade said she’s confident the Senate will restore the $1.9 […]
Twenty point four percent of Grundy County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. That is according to Missouri’s vaccination website. Two thousand thirteen first doses have been given to all age groups, and 3,363 total doses have been given. The Grundy County Health Department’s report from March 25th indicated 1,869 […]
A use tax will be on the City of Trenton ballot on April 6th. If approved, the use tax would be 2.625%, which is the same amount as the city’s sale tax. Trenton Third Ward Council Member Cathie Smith explains the use tax is a sales tax that would be applied to internet sales. It […]
Final results from the 2020 Alumni and Resident Survey are in, telling a story of hope and promising potential. Survey participants provided reasons why residents stay in, return to, or move to northwest Missouri, prompting key takeaways for what leaders in northwest Missouri can do to keep and bring talent to the region. Within the […]
Gerald Howard Avery, age 82, a resident of Chillicothe, Missouri, passed away on Monday, March 29, 2021, at his favorite fishing hole. Gerald was born the son of John Henry and Merle Grace (Wolford) Avery on August 12, 1938, in Gladstone, Illinois. He was a 1956 graduate of Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Illinois. Gerald served […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of the Treasury and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen over the interpretation of a mandate in the American Rescue Plan Act that would force states to choose between accepting COVID-19 relief funds or exercising their sovereignty over state tax policy. “As a […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his Office has prevailed in federal appeals court in the case Turtle Island Foods, SPC v. the State of Missouri, otherwise known as the fake meat labeling case. Earlier this morning, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the District Court’s ruling in the […]
The trial of Derek Chauvin enters a new phase today, as opening statements are scheduled in the case of the former Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd. Those demanding diversity among juries sees this trial as a step in the right direction. The 12 jurors and 3 alternates seated over the past couple of […]
Roughly 44 states allow K-12 open enrollment and Missouri could become the next. The Missouri House has passed Sedalia State Representative Brad Pollitt’s open enrollment bill. He served in the public school system for about 34 years, including as a teacher and a former school superintendent in Sedalia. Representative Mark Sharp, a teacher […]
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.), Mazie K. Hirono (Hawaii), Susan Collins (Maine), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) announced that they have introduced the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2021. The bipartisan bill would close a loophole in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA), which has prevented internationally-adopted children, who are […]
Additional charges have been returned by a federal grand jury against an elected Missouri state representative for a nearly $900,000 COVID-19 fraud scheme, following her indictment last month for a separate fraud scheme in which she made false claims about a supposed stem cell treatment marketed through her clinics in southern Missouri, and for illegally […]
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (Md.) introduced the No Fencing at the United States Capitol Complex Act. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC) previously introduced the legislation in the House. Their bipartisan, bicameral bill prohibits funding for permanent fencing […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a coalition of thirteen states in filing suit against the Biden Administration for imposing a moratorium on future oil and gas leasing and drilling permits on federal land. The lawsuit contends that the moratorium on leasing through the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and the Mineral Leasing Act […]
The head of the Missouri Department of Social Services is scheduled to appear before a panel of lawmakers Wednesday about the agency’s handling of abuse investigations within boarding schools. The Missouri House Special Committee on Government Oversight has called a Wednesday afternoon hearing to question the department’s acting director, Jennifer Tidball. The Kansas City Star has […]
The North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees March 23rd approved tuition and fees as well as room and board rates for the 2021-2022 academic year. The majority of tuition and fees increased by $5 per credit hour. The student development, facility, and technology fees increased by $1 per credit hour. Dual credit increased by […]
(Missouri Independent) – The House Budget Committee will submit its revisions to Gov. Mike Parson’s $34.1 billion state operating budget to the full House this week without the benefit of clear guidelines for spending new infusions of federal cash. The committee must also decide whether and how it will use a record general revenue surplus. The fund’s cash balance […]
