(Missouri Independent) – Jeff Jones has lived on his family’s land east of Columbia, Missouri, his entire life. Some of the family’s farms are more than 150 years old. And Jones, who raises cattle and grows row crops, has no intentions of going anywhere. But after years of fighting, his community is home to a […]
(Missouri Independent) – Attorney General Eric Schmitt has determined his office cannot investigate an alleged violation of Missouri’s open records laws by the governor’s office, an interpretation of state law that has transparency advocates alarmed. Missouri’s attorney general’s office is in charge of enforcing the Sunshine Law, which requires meetings, records, votes, actions, and deliberations […]
(Missouri Independent) – Retired St. Louis Judge Evelyn Baker once sentenced a 16-year-old Black boy to 241 years in prison for two armed robberies. No one was seriously injured in the robberies, but the boy “didn’t express any remorse,” Baker said, remembering the sentencing hearing. Now, when she thinks back, Baker deeply regrets the sentence […]
(Missouri Independent) – Vicky Hartzler made her entry into the 2022 U.S. Senate race official Thursday, kicking off her campaign at a firearms store surrounded by supporters. One day before Republicans gather in Kansas City for their annual Lincoln Days meetings, Hartzler said her experience in Congress will make her the best candidate over the […]
Missouri’s population grew by about 11,000 people from 2019 to 2020. This 0.2% increase is only half the national rate of 0.4%, though it is typical of the modest growth experienced by many other Midwestern states. But the picture gets more complicated when you zoom in to specific regions and counties. “This growth is uneven,” […]
The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office is seeking help in finding a combine reported as stolen from Braymer. The sheriff’s office reports a 1982 John Deere 7720 combine was taken from the area of Route F and Sparks Road sometime between May 7 and June 6. The combine is described as not having a head, having […]
(Missouri Independent) – For years after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, activists and community leaders have pushed to “re-envision public safety.” Inspired in part by the Ferguson Commission, which recommended that cities focus more resources on the root causes of crime, organizers across the state echoed these calls. But they largely fell on deaf ears. […]
A representative from SafeDefend presented information to the Trenton R-9 Board of Education on June 8th. Dan Cole demonstrated the system, which he called a crisis management harm mitigation rapid response solution. He said it was created after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012. He explained activation modules allow a […]
Due to prosecutions and convictions obtained by the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, four Missouri providers were added to the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s exclusion list, meaning that they are excluded from participating in all government healthcare programs. “My Office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit works tirelessly to root out, […]
Governor Mike Parson announced fifteen appointments to various boards and commissions. Bryan Atkins, of Rea, was appointed to the Board of Probation and Parole. Mr. Atkins served as the Sheriff of Andrew County from 2009 until his retirement in 2020. Prior to being elected sheriff, he served as a Deputy Sheriff for Andrew County. He also formerly […]
The Missouri Secretary of State, Securities Division ordered Cryotherm USA, Inc., John (Jianxin) Wang, and Dennis R. Di Ricco to cease and desist after allegedly issuing more than $2 million in unregistered, non-exempt promissory notes. Between December 1, 2015, and October 31, 2020, the Florida-based Cryotherm USA allegedly sold the promissory notes through a Las Vegas, […]
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is testing for new troopers. The Patrol is encouraging qualified individuals of all backgrounds to apply and will offer testing at nine different locations in Missouri. Those who successfully complete testing will be eligible to continue in the selection process for the 113th Recruit Class, scheduled to begin training on […]
The Missouri Supreme Court issued a 6-0 decision on Tuesday in a case filed by corrections officers seeking $113,000,000 in overtime pay. Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth has our report. Longtime Cole County Judge Pat Joyce, who’s since retired, had found the Missouri Department of Corrections liable for paying for all the officers’ pre and […]
The Missouri Supreme Court has struck down a state law about public labor unions. The ruling involves a 2018 Missouri law requiring public employee unions to get annual written permission to deduct union fees from workers’ paychecks. In the 5-2 ruling, the state’s highest court says the law, known as “paycheck protection” by […]
Six people died in traffic crashes over the 2021 Memorial Day weekend counting period of 6 p.m., Friday, May 28, through 11:59 p.m., Monday, May 31, 2021. Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers investigated the following over the 2021 Memorial Day holiday weekend: Traffic Statistics Crashes — 270 Injuries — 82 Fatalities — 4 DWI — […]
It was a somewhat complicated weather story in the month of May. Trenton officially had measurable rainfall on 17 of the 31 days including 14 straight days from May 15th through May 28. The amount of precipitation on several of those dates was very little or relatively small. As a result, rainfall for the entire […]
Amid a light but persistent rain this morning, a flag-raising ceremony took place at the flag pole of the one-room Baker School, among the properties of the Grundy County Historical Society. Seven members of the VFW Post 919 in Trenton participated in raising the U.S. flag, the officer of the day, three members took part […]
The Missouri Department of Agriculture announced federal approval of the state’s amendment to the Industrial Hemp Plan. With the approval, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Marketing Service affirmed that Missouri’s amended plan complies with federal law and regulations. The entire amended Missouri State Plan can be reviewed here. Key changes include: Increasing the pre-harvest window […]
The Chillicothe Fire Department responded to a semi-truck fire on Highway 36 east of Chillicothe on May 26th. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find a Peterbilt truck and its flatbed lowboy trailer on fire. The lowboy had a dozer on it, but it was not on fire. The fire was contained to the running […]
(Missouri Independent) – The lawsuit seeking to force Missouri to expand Medicaid coverage under a voter-approved constitutional amendment will go to trial June 18 in Cole County. On Wednesday morning, Circuit Judge Jon Beetem met in a conference call with Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office and attorneys for the three people suing for coverage. In an online notation with […]
