(Missouri Independent) – On the final day of the 2021 legislative session in May, Missouri lawmakers passed a “law enforcement bill of rights” that gives officers special legal protections and closes files to police misconduct. When Gov. Mike Parson signed it into law in July, the bill of rights portion was largely overshadowed in press […]
(Missouri Independent) – In a win for transparency advocates, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that government agencies cannot charge for time attorneys spend reviewing public records that are requested under the state’s Sunshine Law. In a 6-0 decision, the judges ruled that a lower court erred by siding with Gov. Mike Parson in a lawsuit […]
A Maryland man was sentenced Monday to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution for defrauding a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program dedicated to rehabilitating military veterans with disabilities. According to court documents, Francis Engles, 65, of Bowie, was the owner and operator of Engles Security Training School (Engles […]
(Missouri Independent) – An effort by lawmakers to require disclosure of ownership information for businesses granted medical marijuana licenses was derailed on Thursday when state regulators suggested a possible gubernatorial veto. On Tuesday, the Missouri House voted to require the Department of Health and Senior Services provide legislative oversight committees with records regarding who owns […]
(Missouri Independent) – The fate of a wide-ranging crime bill was called into question on Tuesday over a provision that would stiffen penalties for lying under oath to the legislature or obstructing a legislative investigation. During a conference committee on Tuesday morning convened to work out differences on Senate Bill 53, House members said the bill […]
A Missouri state lawmaker is calling for a state investigation of potential price-fixing in the cattle market. Representative David Gregory, a Republican from St. Louis, is chair of the House Special Committee on Government Accountability, “There’s some pretty strong circumstantial evidence that the meatpackers are coordinating efforts to suppress the price of fed cattle. And […]
Prince Bixler, 41, of Lexington, Kentucky, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Wier to 36 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $333,100 in restitution to three sex trafficking victims. In September 2020, a federal jury convicted Bixler of 15 federal felonies related to his […]
As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) extensive efforts to address PFAS, the agency is making new information available about EPA testing that shows PFAS contamination from fluorinated containers. Through a coordinated effort with both the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a pesticide manufacturer, the agency has determined that fluorinated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) containers that are used to […]
(Missouri Independent) – The head of Missouri’s medical marijuana program testified under oath that a grand jury subpoena his agency received late last year was likely connected to an FBI investigation in Independence. The revelation by Lyndall Fraker, director of medical marijuana regulation at the Missouri Department of Health and Seniors Services, is the first […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office dismissed accusations that his office and the state department of health illegally concealed records and violated the Sunshine Law during the course of a medical marijuana lawsuit, calling the charges “frivolous” and “baseless.” The accusation arose last week in a motion seeking sanctions against Schmitt’s office and […]
(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri family that sued after being denied a medical marijuana license is alleging the state department of health and Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office illegally concealed documents and violated open records laws in order to undercut their lawsuit. The allegations — which are included in a 28-page motion seeking sanctions against […]
The Worth County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announces a missing person investigation has come to a close. Prosecuting Attorney Janet Wake Larison reports that the Worth County Sheriff’s Office received a tip of the location of the deceased, Melissa Lynn Chapman, the evening of Monday, September 14th. An ongoing homicide investigation continues. Law enforcement assisting includes […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released a report that looked into whether former Attorney General Josh Hawley used state resources for political purposes. The review determined that coordination between political campaign consultants and Attorney General staff gave an appearance of impropriety, and the Attorney General used a state vehicle for political and potentially personal purposes. This […]
In an unprecedented move, Clay County staff failed to appear at 10 a.m. on Monday morning as required under a subpoena issued more than two weeks ago by State Auditor Nicole Galloway. The lawfully executed subpoena required records and testimony associated with a citizen-mandated audit of Clay County to be provided to the State Auditor’s […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway has issued another subpoena to Clay County demanding the county turn over documents associated with a citizen-mandated audit. This is in addition to a previous subpoena issued on November 8, 2019. Auditors were onsite in Clay County conducting audit fieldwork and making standard requests for information routinely and readily provided in […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway issued a subpoena to Clay County to require the county to turn over documents associated with a citizen mandated audit. An Oct. 24 court ruling confirmed the Auditor’s legal authority to conduct performance audits and dismissed the County Commission’s lawsuit against the Auditor. Clay County officials have yet to produce documentation […]
The former bookkeeper of a northwest Missouri road district misappropriated more than $286,000 during the seven years she served as the district’s secretary/treasurer, State Auditor Nicole Galloway said today. The Auditor’s Public Corruption and Fraud Division released the audit of the Plattsburg Special Road District in Clinton County, with the district receiving a rating of “poor.” […]
A Cole County circuit judge heard about 45 minutes of arguments on Friday in Jefferson City on Missouri Senator Josh Hawley’s motion to quash an attorney’s subpoena for a deposition. Hawley’s lawyer, Brian Barnes, tells Capitol reporters this is a dispute over whether a $3,600 fee is appropriate to review 13,000 documents. But […]
Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley’s office has responded to allegations that he illegally used public resources to help his U.S. Senate campaign. It said the accusations are a “frivolous act of political harassment” from a well-known Democratic operative who heads a leftist political organization. Fellow Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has launched […]
As part of her audit into potential fraud in the Plattsburg Special Road District, Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway has issued subpoenas to obtain records being held by the district’s former secretary/treasurer. The Auditor is authorized by Missouri law to issue subpoenas to compel testimony and evidence as necessary to conduct an audit. “My office issued these […]
