A former Kansas man pleaded guilty in federal court to embezzling $3.1 million from his employer and failing to pay nearly $1 million in taxes owed to the federal government and the state of Kansas. Richard Scott Simkins, 56, now residing in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R.Mo) announced he will introduce the Banning Insider Trading in Congress Act, which would prohibit Members of Congress and their spouses from holding or trading individual stocks. The bill will require Members found in violation to return their profits to the American people. Senator Hawley said, “Year after year, politicians somehow manage to outperform […]
A Missouri business owner who failed to pay taxes on nearly $1.5 million of income pleaded guilty in federal court to filing a false tax return. “When businesses and individuals don’t pay their fair share in taxes, they are breaking the law and cheating their law-abiding neighbors,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore. “This business owner […]
The Trenton Convention and Visitors Bureau on January 12th voted to have a request for proposals for photography to start as soon as possible for a website gallery. Bureau Member Jordan Ferguson will work on the RFP for review. The vote was taken after a discussion on the hiring of a photographer to fill missing […]
A Missouri lawmaker expects several legislative bills proposed this session that would make it harder for cities to ask their voters for tax increases. State Representative Bill Falkner is chairing the state House Local Government Committee. Falkner tells Brent Martin he will focus on helping municipalities address their biggest need, recruiting and retaining quality workers. […]
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Missouri and Caldwell County Commission announced the award of a contract to construct the Little Otter Creek Reservoir. The contract for $14,400,486.75 was awarded to Phillips Hardy, Incorporated of Booneville. Under the contract, a 345-acre reservoir will supply 1.24 million gallons of raw drinking […]
The Daviess County Courthouse in Gallatin will observe the federal holiday for New Year’s Day on December 31st. Daviess County Collector-Treasurer Lacey Corwin advises taxpayers that the collector’s office will close on December 30th at 4 p.m. and will not reopen until January 3rd. Mailed tax payments for Daviess County must be postmarked by December […]
(Missouri Independent) – If school districts want to take advantage of a lower interest rate on bonds, Missouri Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick is requiring them to certify compliance with a recent court ruling targeting local health orders before his office will approve of the deal. Fitzpatrick detailed the decision he described as “unprecedented” in an interview Wednesday […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released the report of her regularly scheduled audit of Lawrence County, located in southwest Missouri. The report, which gives a rating of “fair,” is the first audit of the county since a 2016 audit gave the county a rating of “poor” – the lowest possible – and the subsequent 2017 follow-up report Auditors […]
Defendants involved in a romance fraud scheme that victimized a Taney County, Missouri, woman and an email hacking scheme that targeted a program at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., were indicted in federal court in the Western District of Missouri as part of the Department of Justice’s fourth annual Money Mule Initiative. The Money Mule Initiative […]
The GRM Networks Board of Directors has authorized the return of approximately $3 million in patronage capital credits to its member-owners. This includes $2.5 million paid to members with service in 1998 and $500,000 paid to members with service in 2020. This year, GRM Networks has also returned more than $2.4 million to the estates […]
A Missouri woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for a wire fraud scheme in which she embezzled more than $362,000 from her Springfield, Mo., employer. Carrie Leigh Long, 52, Ash Grove, was charged in a 24-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Wednesday, Nov. 17. […]
(Missouri Independent) – With $6.5 billion on the way from the federal infrastructure bill and a newly increased gas tax, Missouri is ready to take a big bite out of $4.5 billion in unfunded highway needs, Patrick McKenna, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, said this week. But that doesn’t mean the state is ready to tackle […]
All votes were unanimous Monday night when the Trenton City Council adopted four ordinances and approved a resolution. Faced with two dozen additional, documented complaints on trash service, at least two members of the council called for a change in trash hauling companies. The city of Trenton’s contract with Rapid Removal Disposal doesn’t expire until […]
State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick is pushing back on the Biden Administration’s proposal to track bank transactions being made to avoid taxes. It calls for banks, credit unions, and some state treasurers to report bank transactions and accounts of $10,000 or more. Fitzpatrick, a Republican running for State Auditor, says giving the IRS more personal information […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a 19-state coalition urging Congress to reject burdensome legislation that would increase fees on energy producers and hit American consumers with even greater price hikes. The two bills in question are the Methane Emissions Reduction Act in the Senate and a provision of the Build Back Better Act in […]
A Biden Administration proposal attempts to track cash transactions being made to avoid taxes but has drawn strong opposition by the Missouri Bankers Association. Executive Vice President of Member Services Jackson Hataway says it makes no sense to require banks to keep track of every $600 transfer and every $600 account.
(Missouri Independent) – Agricultural groups and farm-state lawmakers notched a significant win when U.S. House Democrats chose not to touch a big tax break for inherited property, avoiding, for now, a confrontation. But opponents remain wary that the idea could come back at any time as Democrats shape their massive $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package, and […]
A Missouri business owner who engaged in a $4 million scheme to defraud his customers was sentenced in federal court for tax evasion after failing to pay more than $768,000 in state and federal taxes. “Not only did this defendant steal millions of dollars from his customers, but he stole from the public by evading […]
Wealthy Americans have a message for Congress: Tax us more. More than 200 high-income taxpayers and business owners have sent an open letter urging elected leaders to raise the tax rate for rich people to fund the infrastructure plan now being debated in Congress. Three of the signers are from Oregon, including Sandy Polishuk, a retired […]
