The Missouri House on Wednesday elected the first Speaker in state history from eastern Missouri’s Arnold. House Speaker Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, was elected Speaker on his 44th birthday, with his wife Amanda and their five children in the chamber in Jefferson City. Education was a primary theme during Vescovo’s address to the House. He says he was […]
Highway Patrol Superintendent Colonel Eric Olson announces that 31 troopers will graduate from the Patrol’s Law Enforcement Academy. The ceremony will be by invitation only due to COVID-19 guidelines and can be watched live on the patrol’s Facebook page on the morning of January 20th at 10 o’clock. Members of the 110th Recruit Class with […]
The Jamesport Tri-County R-7 Board of Education will discuss a preliminary school calendar as well as COVID-19 response and planning. The board will meet in the old gym Monday evening January 11, 2021, at 6 o’clock. Other items on the agenda include a certificate of deposit renewal, a hazard mitigation plan resolution, and technology. An […]
Many Missouri K-12 school students are back to learning today. The Kennett School District in far southeast Missouri is now requiring a doctor’s note for students who want to learn remotely. Superintendent Chris Wilson says COVID-19 positives and quarantines are declining around the Kennett area. Wilson says a specific diagnosis for a student […]
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released an audit of the City of Berger located in Franklin County. Residents of the city requested the audit through the petition process. “This audit was a thorough review of city operations and financial practices, and the report details several areas where improvements can be made to better safeguard taxpayer […]
Governor Mike Parson granted pardons to 24 individuals who have demonstrated a changed lifestyle and desire to move on from past behaviors. “If we are to be a society that believes in forgiveness and second chances, then it is the next chapter in these individuals’ lives that will matter most,” Governor Parson said. “We are encouraged and […]
The superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announces Major Lance M. MacLaughlin is being promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel effective January 1, 2021, and will serve as the assistant superintendent. In addition to acting in the superintendent’s absence and at his request, Lieutenant Colonel MacLaughlin has direct oversight over the Professional Standards […]
Death from COVID-19 has visited now every county in Missouri. Tiny Worth County along the border with Iowa has about 2,000 people. The Department of Health and Senior Services reported over the weekend that Worth was the last of 117 local health jurisdictions to have a death recorded on the department’s COVID-19 dashboard. The report, […]
The North Mercer R-3 Board of Education approved a resolution at a special meeting the night of December 14th related to COVID-19. Superintendent Dan Owens reports $750 will be paid to each district employee for additional work and expenses due to the pandemic. The board also voted to keep the health insurance benefit the same […]
The Newtown-Harris R-3 Board of Education the evening of December 14th approved Missouri Consultants for Education as its service provider for district policies, regulations, and forms. There was discussion of the results of a four-day week teacher survey, COVID-19, and shifting contracted transportation pay to payroll for full-time employees. The board reviewed the district report […]
A federal grand jury has returned a 147-count superseding indictment against 40 defendants across South Carolina in the largest federal racketeering conspiracy in South Carolina history. The indictment alleges a sprawling criminal enterprise whereby inmates with the South Carolina Department of Corrections, often through the use of contraband cell phones, orchestrated murder, kidnapping, firearms distribution, […]
The Grundy County R-5 Board of Education approved a proposal for insurance on the evening of December 9th. The Missouri United School Insurance Council’s insurance will cost $36,206, which is an increase of $1,900 from last year. The board also approved an umbrella policy from MUSIC for an additional $5,000,000 of coverage for $1,533. The […]
The Pleasant View R-6 Board of Education approved providers for the district’s insurance and trash removal service on the evening of December 8th. The Missouri United School Insurance Council will be the insurance provider. WCA of Chillicothe will be the trash removal service provider. The board also approved the 2019-2020 financial audit and the Title […]
Researchers at the University of Missouri’s Southwest Research Center are inviting beef producers to take part in a program to identify beef cows that use feed efficiently. MU Extension researchers will mine data from the GrowSafe system to help producers select breeding stock cows that eat less than other cows while producing calves with similar […]
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education approved a scholarship recipient and grant requests during a meeting on Google Meet the evening of December 8th. Carly Spencer was named as the John T. Belcher Scholarship recipient. Four essays were submitted for the $250 scholarship. She will go on to compete at a regional level for a […]
The Missouri Board of Education voted Tuesday to avoid using 2021 standardized test results for state and federal accountability. Members still want the state’s K-12 public school students to take statewide tests next year, but they do not want the results to count against schools for funding and accreditation purposes. The move might lower the […]
Implementation of three technological innovations in the Missouri Department of Corrections aims to cut COVID-19 infection rates in Missouri state prisons and other facilities. These strategies: Kill the virus in the air Kill the virus on surfaces Detect the virus in wastewater The department now has ionization generators — air purifying devices that destroy 99.4% […]
State Senator Cindy O’Laughlin of northern Missouri’s Shelbina wants to limit pay for Missouri’s K-12 public school superintendents. Under a bill she has pre-filed, total compensation could not exceed 3.5 times the average total compensation provided to all certified, full-time teachers employed by the district. Missouri has about 551 public and charter schools. The Missouri […]
A project manager employed by a major retailer was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for fraudulently seeking more than $8 million in forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. […]
The Pleasant View R-6 School library will be the location for a Board of Education meeting Tuesday evening, December 8, 2020. The agenda for a 6 o’clock meeting includes public comments from Tiffany Haffner, discussion regarding third through fifth-grade classrooms; the 2019-20 financial audit; a Title 9 policy; and renewal of insurance. There also will […]
