A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing methamphetamine and a firearm. Michael Allen Dicks, Jr., 32, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Dicks pleaded guilty on Feb. 23, 2021, to one count of possessing methamphetamine to distribute […]
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Missouri Attorney General sues Springfield schools in quest to find critical race theory documents
(Missouri Independent) – Attorney General Eric Schmitt alleges in a newly filed lawsuit that Springfield Public Schools wants to avoid scrutiny of its curriculum and training materials — and is violating the Missouri Sunshine law to do it. The district improperly demanded a deposit of more than $37,000 to search its records for instances where it incorporated elements […]
Missouri man sentenced to 15 years in prison for illegal firearms
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing firearms after leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase from Bolivar, Mo., to Springfield, Mo. Milton W. Sparks, 38, of Aurora, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal prison without parole. On April 15, 2021, Sparks […]
Missouri man sentenced to 2-1/2 years in prison for threatening two Congressmen
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for threatening two members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Kenneth R. Hubert, 63, of Marionville, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to two years and six months in federal prison without parole. On June 17, 2021, Hubert pleaded guilty to two counts of […]
Missouri gives nursing homes a way to temporarily close in face of federal vaccine rule
(Missouri Independent) – With over 40% of Missouri’s nursing home staff still unvaccinated, the state health department is giving long-term care facilities a route to avoid losing their license if they shut down due to staffing shortfalls after a federal vaccine requirement kicks in next month. On Friday, the Department of Health and Senior Services […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to illegal firearms
A Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing three firearms that he sold to an undercover law enforcement officer. Robert E. Shepherd, 50, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. By pleading guilty, Shepherd admitted that […]
Climate funds in infrastructure bill aimed at drought, wildfires, floods
(Missouri Independent) – The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill isn’t just about roads and bridges — it also spends billions to address wildfire, drought, flooding, and other effects from climate change, Interior Department officials said Wednesday. The $1.2 trillion measure, which is awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature after the House cleared it last week, includes pay […]
Audio: Evidence hearing grew tense during testimony in Kevin Strickland case
An evidence hearing grew tense about a man convicted of killing three people in Missouri in 1978. Day three of Kevin Strickland’s hearing continues in western Missouri’s Jackson County. Strickland has maintained his innocence and has said he was not at the crime scene. Jackson County prosecutors say a woman shot during the murders later […]
Missouri among first states to file suit challenging CMS vaccine mandate
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson led a coalition of 10 states in challenging the vaccine mandate propagated by the Biden Administration’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on healthcare workers across the nation, becoming the first states to file a lawsuit challenging this mandate. Attorney General Eric Schmitt […]
Jury convicts two Mexican nationals, living in Kansas City, of distributing 220 pounds of meth
Two Mexican nationals have been convicted by a federal trial jury for their roles in a $2.1 million conspiracy to distribute over 100 kilograms (220 lbs) of methamphetamine in the Kansas City metropolitan area and in northwest Missouri. Juan Guzman, also known as “Flaco,” 40, of Kansas City, Missouri, and Maria De La Cruz Nava, […]
Audio: Convicted Missouri triple murderer takes the stand in hearing that could lead to exoneration
After more than 40 years in prison, a man convicted of a 1978 triple murder in Missouri headed to court for a hearing in which he maintained his innocence. Kevin Strickland took the stand for his first-ever hearing since being convicted. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, who says the man is innocent, questioned Strickland […]
Missouri Attorney General files motion for preliminary injunction in border wall lawsuit
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and the Texas Attorney General’s Office filed a motion for preliminary injunction in their lawsuit against the Biden Administration for refusing to continue construction on the Southwest border wall. Missouri and Texas filed suit in late October to require the Biden Administration to continue construction on the border wall using […]
Unusual incident in Chillicothe on Halloween results in arrest
Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox has released information about an incident the night of October 31, 2021, which resulted in a man being taken into custody. Cox reports Deputy Nicholas Leadbetter and K-9 Zaki were leaving the sheriff’s office side of the law enforcement center in Chillicothe when the deputy observed a person wearing a […]
Missouri leads 11 state coalition in filing suit to halt federal vaccine mandate
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt co-led an eleven-state coalition with Montana, Arizona, and Nebraska in filing a lawsuit against Joe Biden and the Biden Administration to halt their vaccine mandate on private employers with more than 100 employees. Missouri and the coalition of states are the first states to file suit against the vaccine mandate […]
Corizon loses challenge to Missouri prisoner medical care contract award worth $1.4 billion
(Missouri Independent) – The company providing health care to state prisoners failed to prove a competitor misled state purchasing officers to win the $1.4 billion contract, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ruled Thursday. Corizon Health, which has been the state’s vendor for prisoner medical needs since 1992, accused the state Purchasing Division of giving the contract […]
Missouri Attorney General announces he will sue to halt latest Biden Administration vaccine mandate
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that he will sue to halt the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate on private employers first thing on Friday morning when OSHA’s ETS is officially published in the federal register. “The federal government does not have the authority to unilaterally force private employers to mandate their employees get vaccinated or […]