U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Ranking Member and Chairwoman of the Committee on Rules and Administration, and Gary Peters (Mich.) and Rob Portman (Ohio), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released a bipartisan report on the security, planning, and response failures related to the violent […]
Tag: thousand
Missouri, Kansas utilities may use loophole to charge customers for fossil fuel lobbying
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri and Kansas residents’ utility bills may be helping to bankroll the energy sector lobbying against policies aimed at lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Federal and state rules prohibit utility companies from passing their lobbying costs on to customers through bills. But in both Kansas and Missouri, utilities like Evergy, Ameren, and Spire […]
Grundy County reports 7 new cases of COVID-19; Putnam County to hold COVID-19 vaccine clinic
The Grundy County Health Department reports seven more COVID-19 since June 3, bringing the total to 1,126. Twenty-five cases are active. Of the active cases, four are between the ages of zero and 19, 10 are 20 to 39, 10 are 40 to 59, and one is at least 60 years old. Twenty-six point three […]
Linn County leads other north Missouri counties with 46 new cases of COVID-19
COVID-19 cases have increased by 46 in Linn County since May 28th. The health department reports there have been 1,528 total cases. The number of active cases dropped by six to 179. As of June 2nd, 4,042 Linn County residents had initiated a COVID-19 vaccine series. Three thousand four hundred sixty-one residents had completed a […]
Online map and text number will help families locate summer food programs
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has been helping families in need during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Through the Summer Food Service Program, thousands of meals have been provided and will continue to be provided all summer. The program is designed to provide breakfast, lunch, and/or snacks to children living in eligible […]
Livingston County Sheriff’s Department receives six breath testing instruments
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Department has been awarded six preliminary breath testing instruments from a grant application to the Missouri Department of Transportation Highway Safety and Traffic Division. Sheriff Steve Cox reports the preliminary breath testing instruments are assigned to road patrol deputy sheriffs to assist with driving while intoxicated investigations and can be “a […]
Missouri needs free market marijuana reforms now
(Missouri Independent) – In 2018, 66% of Missouri voters voted to legalize medical marijuana, picking a Constitutional amendment proposal floated by a group called New Approach Missouri. Two and a half years later, access to medical marijuana remains limited, due to both a cap on the number of licenses and the extremely high regulatory compliance […]
Audio: North Missouri businessman sentenced for role in largest organic fraud scheme in American history
A north Missouri businessman who was involved in the largest organic fraud scheme in American history has been sentenced to probation and fined. Federal prosecutors in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, say Steven Whiteside has been sentenced to three years probation and fined 45-thousand dollars. Whiteside lives near Chillicothe, which is east of St. Joseph. […]
Audio: Lawsuit filed over Missouri defunding Medicaid expansion
A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of three people who would become eligible for government-funded healthcare on July 1. It seeks an order for the state Department of Social Services to allow them to enroll and receive the same coverage as Missourians currently enrolled in the program. The lawsuit argues there is no legal […]
Audio: Top MO Senate Democrat says anti-Medicaid expansion Republicans are more concerned about their next office
The next state budget does not include funding to expand Medicaid healthcare coverage to another 275-thousand low-income Missouri adults. The Republican-controlled Missouri Legislature refused to fund the expansion – setting up an expected court battle. John Rizzo, the top Democrat in the Missouri Senate, says the GOP is more concerned about their next office. […]
Audio: Governor announces $3 million expansion at plant in eastern Missouri’s Moscow Mills
The governor traveled to eastern Missouri’s Moscow Mills on Tuesday to help cut the ribbon on a three-million-dollar expansion project at one of the town’s largest manufacturers. Governor Mike Parson says the expansion at Elite Tool is creating 20 new jobs. The new jobs will pay an average salary of more than 41-thousand […]
Medicaid provider taxes imperiled as compromise on abortion issues eludes lawmakers
(Missouri Independent) – The pathway to renewing provider taxes essential to funding Medicaid before Missouri lawmakers adjourn for the year became much narrower when issues raised by abortion opponents forced removal of the taxes from a health care bill. When a conference committee met to work out differences between the House and Senate on the bill, […]
Audio: Missouri Senate passes “Second Amendment Preservation Act” gun rights bill
The Missouri Senate has passed a contentious gun rights bill. The “Second Amendment Preservation Act” attempts to invalidate federal gun regulations. Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo of Independence spoke in favor of an amendment that would have closed a loophole letting convicted domestic violence abusers own a gun. The amendment to the overall bill failed. […]
Gallatin Board of Aldermen approve ordinance regarding wastewater collection
The Gallatin Board of Aldermen approved an ordinance on May 10th authorizing the city to enter into an engineering service agreement regarding a wastewater collection system evaluation facility plan. City Administrator Lance Rains reports the agreement with All-State Consultants involved a Small Community Engineering Assistance Program (SCEAP) grant. The company evaluated the infiltration and inundation […]
Audio: Missouri designates $50 million in federal aid to help reduce its K-12 teacher shortage
Missouri is designating 50-million dollars in federal coronavirus aid to create K-12 teacher recruitment and retention grants. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will make 10,000-dollar grants available to all Missouri public school districts and charter schools to create or expand local teacher recruitment programs. Currently, 20 percent of Missouri school […]
Governor Parson announces Missouri to end all pandemic-related unemployment benefits
To address workforce shortages across the state, Governor Mike Parson directed the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to notify the U.S. Department of Labor that Missouri will end participation in all federal pandemic-related unemployment insurance programs effective Saturday, June 12 at 11:59 p.m. “From conversations with business owners across the state, we know […]
Lawmakers approve Missouri operating budget
Missouri foster care advocates are praising Friday’s passage of the $35.1 billion state operating budget, saying it provides unprecedented support for the foster families who care for the thousands of children in Missouri foster care. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) tells Missourinet that the budget provides a $90 million increase for foster and adoptive […]
Audio: Missouri Legislature passes private schooling tax credit bill
The Missouri Legislature has passed a private schooling tax credit bill. The measure would let donors provide scholarships to students to attend a private Missouri K-12 school. In return, they would get state tax credits. Senator Andrew Koenig of eastern Missouri’s Manchester carried the House bill that would prioritize special needs students and those who […]
Audio: Missouri Legislature approves bill to let robots on wheels deliver goods to your door
Robots on wheels could soon be strolling down Missouri’s sidewalks and roads to deliver goods to your doorstep. The Missouri Legislature has passed a bill that would allow personal delivery devices to travel up to 10 miles per hour. During the debate, Senator Bill Eigel discusses the bill with the sponsor, Springfield area Senator Lincoln […]