The U.S. Marshals say the final two jail escapees from southeast Missouri’s Iron County have been captured in Colorado. The U.S. Marshals say Dwight Abernathie was captured Sunday at a Denver-area Walmart after trying to shoplift from the store. Samuel Gillam was captured Monday at a Denver Salvation Army homeless shelter. It’s unclear […]
Tag: trying
Biden immigration overhaul would open a door to citizenship for 11 million people
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden is poised to send a sweeping immigration reform bill to Congress Thursday that would lay out a path for nearly 11 million undocumented people to obtain citizenship within eight years. Immigration has been one of the toughest issues for Congress to tackle, and the legislation’s fate is unclear in […]
Audio: Missouri soybean yield champion, Gary Porter of Mercer, “Thrilled to death”
The top yield in the Missouri Soybean Yield Contest is the result of trying new growing techniques. The contest winner, Gary Porter of Mercer County, in Northern Missouri, topped the competition with his dryland yield of 106 bushels an acre. “We were just thrilled to death,” Porter told Brownfield Ag News. “I know the combine […]
Health departments in Missouri fighting a lack of vaccine as new tiers open up on state COVID-19 plan
Wondering where to go to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Missouri? On Friday, the state launched an interactive map detailing where over 1,100 providers are located across the state. But not all locations identified on the map as providing the vaccine, actually have vaccines on hand to administer. And reports that the federal government has already exhausted its […]
Audio: Missouri Capitol heightens security after FBI warning of armed protests; House discusses emergency plans
The Missouri Capitol has extra law enforcement keeping an eye on the building after reports of possible “armed protests” at all 50 state capitols and the U.S. Capitol. The increased presence follows an FBI warning of threats of an “uprising” in the days leading up to the January 20 inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden. During […]
Laclede man charged with first-degree felony assault
A Laclede man accused of attempting to cause serious physical injury to someone by choking and hitting the person at a residence on Linn County Route FF on December 27th has been charged. Twenty-one-year-old Ryan Scott Schneider faces a first-degree felony assault charge. A probable cause statement from Stacy Walton with the Linn County Sheriff’s […]
As Missouri deals with ongoing teacher shortage, education leaders want to step up recruiting efforts
The struggle is real for Missouri when it comes to a constant shortage of K-12 public school teachers. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) wants to ramp up its teacher workforce by seizing the opportunity in a relevant setting. Dr. Paul Katnik, the assistant commissioner of the Office of Educator Quality, says […]
Missouri families face added pressure to meet basic needs
The ability to meet basic needs is out-of-reach for many Missouri families because of the pandemic. The challenges facing households with children are detailed in a new national report. This week, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released findings for all states, using weekly Census survey data on such topics as food insecurity and housing instability. One […]
Missouri lawmaker: State employees and teachers should receive pay raises, not elected officials
A veteran state lawmaker from southeast Missouri will file a resolution this week, aimed at blocking proposed pay increases for state lawmakers and for statewide elected officials. State Rep. Andrew McDaniel, R-Deering, was first elected to the Missouri House in 2014 and will be a senior member in January during his final House term in […]
2020 was a bloodbath for Missouri Democrats. Will 2022 be any better?
(Missouri Independent) – There’s no point trying to spin it: While the 2020 election was a mixed verdict nationally, with Republicans gaining congressional seats and minimizing Senate losses even as Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump, the Missouri verdict was unequivocal. It started atop the ticket with Trump’s dominance. He and Gov. Mike Parson set […]
‘Won’t be able to survive’: Childcare centers serving low-income Missourians face closure
(Missouri Independent) – Cortaiga Collins doesn’t know how much longer her childcare center will survive. Only about a dozen children have been attending regularly amid the pandemic. Under normal circumstances, she used to serve as many as 100. She’s already had to reduce the hours that Good Shepherd Preschool and Infant/Toddler Center in St. Louis […]
Missouri medical marijuana trial focuses on alleged role of insiders on license rules
(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri family that was denied a license to grow medical marijuana alleged in court this week that outside groups and individuals had undue access to top state officials — and that access led to an opaque process and contributed to the decision to cap the number of licenses granted. To buttress […]
Connecting to Careers: Helping veterans transfer value and skills to civilian life.
Scott Hoad was at a low point this spring, trying to piece together a decent living after being laid off from a job painting commercial aircraft. Then Hoad crossed paths with Amy Patillo, a University of Missouri Extension labor and workforce development specialist based in Springfield. Hoad’s brother owns the ranch where Patillo boards her […]
Galloway bashes Parson on Right-to-Work stance
State Auditor Nicole Galloway made a stop in southwest Missouri’s Joplin Monday afternoon. Galloway, a Democrat who is running for governor, criticized her opponent, Republican Governor Mike Parson, about his stance on making Missouri a right-to-work state. In 2018, voters overwhelmingly opposed passing such a law that would ban mandatory union fees in the workplace. […]
Trump administration extends free meals for kids for entire school year
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending flexibilities to allow free meals to continue to be available to all children throughout the entire 2020-2021 school year. This unprecedented move is part of USDA’s unwavering commitment to ensuring all children across America have access to nutritious food […]
Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission to require annual de-escalation and implicit bias training
The Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission has voted to require annual training in de-escalation techniques and recognizing implicit bias for all Missouri law enforcement officers. Missouri officers will take a one-hour course in each area as part of their required 24-hours of annual continuing education training. “At its June meeting, I challenged the […]
“Freedom to Read” still under attack in Missouri
Bookworms and literature buffs in Missouri are celebrating freedom of choice, of reading materials, and denouncing attacks on what they say is their First Amendment right to read. Banned Books Week, which spotlights attempts to censor books, recently took place. Banned Books Week brings to light more than 600 books, films, and other literary materials […]
Audio: Senator Josh Hawley is ready to go to Senate floor to seek unanimous consent on duck boat legislation
A Missouri senator who serves on the Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill is frustrated that his duck boat legislation remains stuck in the Commerce Committee. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley says the bill is bottled up in committee. The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is chaired by U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi. “I […]