Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson photo courtesy Wikipedia

Ketanji Brown Jackson vows to decide U.S. Supreme Court cases from a ‘neutral posture’

(Missouri Independent) – Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson began her four-day confirmation process to become the nation’s first Black female associate justice on Monday, listening to hours of opening statements from Senate Judiciary Committee members before giving her own. In her first public remarks since President Joe Biden nominated her last month, Jackson, who grew […]

WIC or Women Infant Children Logo

Temporary benefit increase extended through September for Missouri WIC participants

Missouri WIC is extending the temporary increase of the Cash Value Benefit for Fruit and Vegetable Purchases (CVB) through September 2022. The increase will continue to be $24 per month for child participants, $43 per month for pregnant and postpartum women participants, and $47 per month for breastfeeding women participants. Standard CVB values range from […]

Typical pen style CAFO ( Photo by Darrell Hoemann - Investigate Midwest)

As CAFO lawsuit heads to Missouri Supreme Court, counties weigh options

(Missouri Independent) – As a fight over who can regulate industrial hog and cattle operations awaits action by the Missouri Supreme Court, counties that sought more stringent protections against them wait in limbo.  The Missouri Supreme Court is expected to hear an appeal by county commissioners who sought to regulate concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, […]

Elections (Vote or Voting)

Livingston County election authorities are cleaning up voter registration records

Livingston County Clerk and Election Authority are in the process of canvassing the voter registration records in Livingston County. Federal and state laws mandate that the canvass be conducted every two years. Registered voters whose addresses are current on the voter registration records in the county clerk’s office should expect to receive a new voter […]

Stanley Depee Found

Chillicothe police cancel Silver Advisory after missing 81-year-old man is found

An 81-year old man reported missing was found safe in a field southwest of Chillicothe early Saturday afternoon. Stanley Depee had last been seen at 1414 Clay Street in Chillicothe on Friday evening. Chillicothe police issued an Endangered Silver Advisory after authorities said he left his home to drive to a house about one block […]

Jewett Norris Library

Audio: Grundy County Jewett Norris Library staff announces building improvements, readies for Summer Reading Program

Grundy County Jewett Norris Library Director Theresa Hunsaker says a lot has been done at the library in Trenton since it was closed due to the pandemic and now that it has reopened. One of those things was replacing elevator boards, which took about six weeks and another was the addition of curbside service, which […]

Josh Hawley Courtesy of Missourinet

Hawley introduces bill to strengthen investigations of fraud in COVID-19 relief programs

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced new legislation to continue to fund and restore the jurisdiction of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery so that it can investigate fraud within the Treasury Department’s pandemic programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). This anti-fraud legislation comes as the Biden Administration is lobbying for more federal […]

Fentanyl news Graphic

Man traveling through Missouri charged with fentanyl trafficking after authorities find 9 pounds of counterfeit pills

 A California man was charged in federal court with smuggling more than four kilograms of counterfeit pills that contain fentanyl aboard a bus traveling through Kansas City, Missouri, from Los Angeles, Calif. Matthew John Gomez, 27, was charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute in a criminal complaint filed in […]

WIC or Women Infant Children Logo

Missouri WIC announces waiver allowing the purchase of larger containers of baby formula

Missouri WIC announces a new, temporary waiver that will allow the purchase of larger containers of formula using WIC benefits during the Abbott infant formula recall event. This temporary waiver allows Missouri WIC participants to purchase larger containers of formula if standard-size Similac formula is not available at authorized WIC retailers. Participants may begin to purchase […]

Gallatin City Hall

Board of Aldermen informed that Gallatin has been granted funding approval for advanced metering infrastructure

The Gallatin Board of Aldermen on March 14th approved an ordinance adopting and enacting a new code of ordinances for the City of Gallatin. City Clerk Hattie Rains reports the new codes are statutory updates approved at the state level. The city recognizes the changes in its code the state already approved. The board approved […]

Audio: Report says Missouri needs to boost its level of workers caring for the elderly

A new report says Missouri needs to boost its level of workers caring for the elderly, and soon.     The Alzheimer’s Association says Missouri’s long-term care centers and home healthcare companies will need thousands more workers over the next few years to care for the state’s aging population. A report authored by the nonprofit […]

Mask Mandate News Graphic

Republicans in Congress file suit to end mask mandate for air travel

(Missouri Independent) – Seventeen Republican members of Congress have sued the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seeking an end to the federal rule requiring passengers on commercial flights and in airports to wear masks. The mandate illegally restricts the lawmakers’ freedom and is not backed by legal authority, they said in the suit filed Monday. […]

Coronavirus or COVID-19 Testing news graphic

Missouri policy allows pharmacists to provide easier access to free or low-cost COVID-19 testing

A standing order was issued Tuesday by Missouri’s State Epidemiologist, Dr. George Turabelidze, which entitles individuals to receive coverage for purchased tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This policy authorizes Missouri pharmacies to charge an individual’s insurance carrier, whether it is private insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare coverage, for COVID-19 testing. “Those without a healthcare […]

President Joe Biden - (Official White House photo by Cameron Smith)

Biden urges city leaders to take advantage of billions in federal relief funds

(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden on Monday urged local and city governments to continue to use the $130 billion in funds allocated to them from the American Rescue Plan to help during the pandemic. The president of the National League of Cities, Vince Williams of Union City, Georgia, introduced the president to attendees of […]

2022 Judicial Redistricting Commission - (Photo by Rudi Keller - Missouri Independent)

Judges release new boundaries for Missouri Senate districts

(Missouri Independent) – A panel of Missouri judges tasked with redrawing 34 state Senate districts released a tentative plan Monday, part of a once-in-a-decade process that reconfigures political boundaries following the U.S. Census. The new map, drawn by the Judicial Redistricting Commission after a citizen commission failed to reach consensus, will be formally submitted to […]

Hospitalist Byron Thornton, MD

Hospitalist Byron Thornton, MD joins staff at Wright Memorial Hospital

Wright Memorial Hospital is pleased to welcome hospitalist Byron Thornton, MD, to the medical team. Hospitalists are physicians and advanced practice providers who specialize in hospital-based care. They coordinate all aspects of care for patients who are in the hospital. The hospitalist, along with the patient’s primary care provider and other specialists involved with treatment, […]

Planned Parenthood website

Planned Parenthood sues Missouri social services agency over restricted Medicaid funds

(Missouri Independent) – Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit Thursday against Missouri’s Department of Social Services, alleging the agency unlawfully plans to restrict Medicaid payments to the provider. A March 4 notice sent to Planned Parenthood of St. Louis Region cites a supplemental budget bill lawmakers passed last month that bars abortion providers or their affiliates from being […]