DISCLAIMER: This article is a commentary. The statements and opinions contained in the article are those of the author, Tim Gibbons. The opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of KTTN/KGOZ Radio, staff, management, or webmaster. (Missouri Independent) – Last month, Missouri Rural Crisis Center held a telephone town […]
Missouri’s Senate leader says the state’s operating budget has grown from 21-billion dollars a decade ago to 34-billion dollars today. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz tells Sullivan affiliate KTUI that Medicaid expansion is too expensive. He says the state Department of Social Services’ budget continues to grow. The Missouri Senate and House […]
Missouri’s trucking industry is struggling to keep up with demand during the pandemic. Ann Bauza, with MTC Truck Driver Training, says the industry continues to deal with a truck driver shortage. Bauza tells KFVS-TV in Cape Girardeau that trucking companies are finding ways to recruit new drivers, including pay increases and bigger bonuses. […]
The Missouri House gave initial approval to a bill limiting police use of a chokehold and other changes. Ballwin Republican Shamed Dogan’s bill includes more background checks and tracking excessive use of force. Dogan explained to fellow lawmakers that after the Chauvin killing of George Floyd, it was more important to have clear […]
A Missouri State University survey of eight-thousand K-12 public school teachers says 1 in 10 educators plan to leave the field this year. Doctor Jon Turner, an associate professor at the university, says about 62-percent of those likely to quit point to challenges caused by the coronavirus. He says rural teachers have weathered the pandemic […]
A jury listened to two vastly different stories during opening statements Monday in Jefferson City, in a high-profile northern Missouri murder case. 54-year-old James Addie’s murder trial is being broadcast live nationwide on Court TV. Addie and the victim, Molly Watson, both worked at the Moberly Correctional Center. The case has been moved from […]
Two key Missouri lawmakers from opposite parties view Tuesday’s resignation of state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director, Dr. Randall Williams, very differently. Missouri House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Stephens (R-Bolivar) praises Dr. Williams, while House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) says the resignation was long overdue. Chairman Stephens says Williams […]
Bipartisan legislation aimed at protecting sports referees, officials, and umpires will be heard Monday before a Missouri House committee in Jefferson City. Raytown State Representative Jerome Barnes, who’s been a high school football and basketball referee for 27 years, tells Missourinet that officials are being threatened by parents and fans. Barnes says a […]
The chairman of a Missouri House oversight committee says the case of a bus driver who won his appeal with the state Department of Labor over unemployment overpayments will have large implications. Missouri House Special Committee on Government Oversight Chair Jered Taylor of Nixa tells the state labor director there are hundreds of cases just […]
Legislation aimed at protecting Missouri firefighters and first responders will be heard today (Tuesday) by a Missouri House committee in Jefferson City. Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth has this report: Independence Democratic State Representative Robert Sauls will testify today before the House Public Safety Committee about his bill, which would allow Missouri firefighters and first […]
Bipartisan legislation creating a hypodermic needle exchange program will be heard by a Missouri House committee Tuesday afternoon in Jefferson City. State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City), who has sponsored the bill for several years, will testify before the Missouri House Emerging Issues Committee. Her two-page Senate Bill 64 has already received final approval from the Missouri […]
The U.S. Department of Education says Missouri’s K-12 schools will get 1.95-billion total dollars in federal aid from the latest coronavirus plan. Linda Neumann, with the Missouri Association of School Nurses, hopes the state’s school districts will consider using some of the federal funding to hire school nurses. Neumann tells Missourinet a 2020 state Education […]
A northern Missouri state lawmaker is chairing a brand-new House subcommittee on federal stimulus spending. Excelsior Springs GOP State Representative Doug Richey is humbled by the appointment. The subcommittee will hold its first meeting in Jefferson City today (Monday) and will hear public testimony on capital improvement needs that could be eligible for […]
A state lawmaker who represents four northern Missouri counties is warning about the lack of gas stations near the Missouri-Iowa border. Newtown State Representative Danny Busick, the Missouri House Special Committee on Small Business vice chair, says regulations make it difficult to operate small gas stations. But Busick tells our Moberly affiliate KWIX […]
There is controversy in northeast Missouri’s Hannibal over the city council’s efforts to change the town’s 100-year-old animal ordinance. WGEM’s Frank Healy reports from City Hall. Hannibal Mayor James Hark tells our Quincy affiliate WGEM that the current ordinance talks about how to auction cattle off if they’re found roaming around Hannibal unclaimed.
Missouri’s Senate leader says the state operating budget will get a lot of attention in his chamber during the next five weeks. The House has approved a 34-billion dollar budget, that does NOT include funding for Medicaid expansion. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (pronounced like shots) notes the budget now heads to the Senate. […]
Former Governor Eric Greitens says he’ll need the support of southeast Missouri to win the GOP U-S Senate nomination next year. That region was crucial to Greitens’ upset win in the 2016 gubernatorial race against Democrat Chris Koster: Greitens spoke to Missourinet Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS. Greitens and Attorney General Eric Schmitt […]
The Missouri House has passed the next state operating budget – without funding voter-approved Medicaid expansion. The $34.1 billion budget plan is now in the hands of the Republican-controlled Senate. Missouri Senate President Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, gives his thoughts to Missourinet affiliate KTUI in Sullivan about whether he expects the upper chamber to fund the expansion. […]
After a heated floor debate that included numerous biblical references, the Missouri House voted Thursday afternoon to give final approval to a $34.1 billion state operating budget. The House budget does not contain funding for Medicaid expansion. The operating budget now heads to the Missouri Senate, and Medicaid expansion supporters hope senators will include the […]
The full Missouri House plans to get to work this week on the next state operating budget. Tensions could flare when lawmakers discuss a budget bill intended to defund a voter-approved Medicaid expansion effort. Missouri Hospital Association spokesman Dave Dillon tells Missourinet the fate of this effort has yet to play out. Governor […]
