City officials in Forsyth have implemented or are in the process of implementing the recommendations of a state audit from March that gave the lowest possible rating. State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released a follow-up review of the city’s progress on the audit’s 12 recommendations. The audit, which gave a rating of “poor,” found numerous […]
Following the Department of Health and Human Services November 24 decision to rescind the HHS Office of Civil Rights’ authority to affirmatively protect Americans’ conscience rights pursuant to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Senator Hawley penned a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra demanding he reinstate the protections and provides answers on why the policy was rolled back. […]
(Missouri Independent) – Undocumented workers and immigration advocates are pushing for Democrats to keep work permits and protections from deportations in the final version of the $1.85 trillion social spending and climate package that the U.S. House is set to vote on as soon as Thursday night. Those immigration provisions face elimination when the bill […]
A Missouri, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for the sexual exploitation of three child victims. Jake Ethan Patterson, 26, Rogersville, was charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Wednesday, November 17. The federal indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed against Patterson […]
(Missouri Independent) – Attorney General Eric Schmitt alleges in a newly filed lawsuit that Springfield Public Schools wants to avoid scrutiny of its curriculum and training materials — and is violating the Missouri Sunshine law to do it. The district improperly demanded a deposit of more than $37,000 to search its records for instances where it incorporated elements […]
(Missouri Independent) – Smithfield Foods agreed this week to pay the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration $13,494 to settle a citation for failing to protect its meatpacking employees in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, from exposure to the coronavirus last year, but the company didn’t admit it did anything wrong. As such, the settlement can’t […]
A Marceline man faces four sex-related felony charges after four alleged separate incidents in May and June 2018 involving a girl younger than 14 years of age. Forty-three-year-old James Thurston has been charged with three counts of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of statutory sodomy or attempted statutory sodomy involving deviate sexual intercourse. In […]
(Missouri Independent) – As federal energy regulators prepare to decide the fate of a St. Louis natural gas pipeline, Spire Missouri is warning customers their gas service could fail this winter. Business industry groups and the utility maintain their responsibility to keep customers informed. But environmental groups and some local elected officials — who note federal regulators seem […]
People are being urged to check with their healthcare providers about getting a flu shot, to help protect them from an illness during the holiday season. Seasonal flu activity dropped dramatically last year at the height of the pandemic, but as life gets back to near normal, researchers are also expecting a return of influenza. The Centers […]
In addition to frigid temperatures and snow and ice, winter brings dangerous driving conditions and the potential for damaging and deadly storms. That’s why the National Weather Service, the State Emergency Management Agency, and Missouri’s local emergency managers are teaming up to promote Nov. 15-19, 2021, as Winter Weather Preparedness Week in Missouri. “Most Missourians have […]
Missouri Recycling Association Executive Director Angie Powell spoke at the Green Hills Regional Planning Commission’s Annual Meeting at the Trenton Rock Barn on November 9, 2021. The meeting also included an award presentation and an election of officers. Powell said the Missouri Recycling Association has been around since the 1980s, is a 501(c)(3), and has […]
(Missouri Independent) – It’s clear that lead exposure is a problem for Missouri’s children. An estimated 4.5% have elevated levels of lead in their blood, more than almost any other state in the country. What’s far more difficult is figuring out where children are getting exposed to lead, said Carlton Waterhouse, President Joe Biden’s pick for […]
Families in Missouri have been receiving Child Tax Credit payments of $300 to $350 a month per child since the summer, and one local expert says making them permanent could benefit families long-term, across the nation. So far, 45% of Missouri families have reported using their payments for food, 33% for essential bills, and 30% […]
‘Tis the season for thieving. With the calendar turned to November and the holidays coming up, Missouri law enforcement agencies are reminding people who purchase items online to make sure they have a safe area where the package can be delivered. Grant Bissell, with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, says porch pirates could come to […]
The following students have been selected as November “Courtesy” Students of the Month at Trenton Middle School. 5th grade Emma Welch, daughter of Tara & Eric Hoffman and Jarred & Stephanie Welch Jackson Black, son of Laura & David Black 6th grade Morgan Smith, daughter of Jesse & Jeff Smith Jerry Shirley, son of Amber Draper […]
The Highway Patrol arrested a Cameron man in Clinton County on Thursday afternoon, November 4, 2021, on multiple allegations. Fifty-two-year-old Stephen Michael was accused of driving while intoxicated as a prior offender, careless and imprudent driving, and leaving the scene of an accident. The Patrol reports there were no injuries in the accident. Michael was taken […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson once again on Sunday took aim at a reporter who notified the state of a security flaw in one of its websites, questioning the journalist’s motives and noting he’d support the prosecution of any state employee found to have assisted the reporter. In a TV interview with Scott Faughn, […]
The Drug Enforcement Administration, along with its law enforcement partners, has removed close to 745,000 pounds of unneeded prescriptions from medicine cabinets across the country as part of DEA’s ongoing commitment to turn the tide against the U.S. opioid epidemic. Following last month’s 21st National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, the program has removed more than […]
Two individuals sustained injuries when a pickup truck and a car struck head-on three miles west of Darlington Thursday morning, October 28. Emergency medical services took the car driver, 50-year-old Stephanie Deen of Albany, and the car passenger, 50-year-old Sherry Kelso of Darlington, to Mosaic Medical Center in Albany. No injuries were reported for the […]
Missouri WIC is temporarily increasing the Cash Value Benefit for Fruit and Vegetable Purchases during November and December to $24 per month for children, $43 per month for pregnant and postpartum participants, and $47 per month for breastfeeding participants. Standard CVB values range from $9-11. WIC is the Department of Health and Senior Services Special […]
