A Missouri woman was sentenced in federal court for her role in a conspiracy to distribute substantial quantities of methamphetamine in the Henry County, Mo., area. Vita P. Hurt, 67, of Blairstown, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 13 years and two months in federal prison without parole. On Aug. 11, 2021, […]
Tag: U.S.
No signs of support for Greitens in Missouri county where abuse charges will be heard
(Missouri Independent) – A smattering of giggles greeted the name of former Gov. Eric Greitens Friday evening when emcee Branden Rathert called for the U.S. Senate candidates invited to speak at Boone County Republican Lincoln Days to come forward. Up to that point, there had been no trace of Greitens or his campaign at the […]
MoDOT planned road work in North Missouri for the week of April 11, 2022
The following is a list of general highway maintenance and construction work the Missouri Department of Transportation has planned in North Missouri for the week of April 11 – 17 All road closures and planned roadwork may be viewed on the Traveler Information Map. Inclement weather may cause schedule changes in some of the planned […]
Missouri business woman pleads guilty to failing to pay $2 million in payroll and employment taxes; faces 5 years in prison
A Missouri business owner has pleaded guilty in federal court to failing to pay nearly $2 million in payroll and employment taxes over four years. Sandra Eller, 59, of Napoleon, Mo., waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Thursday, April 7, to a federal […]
Four Missouri men indicted for a fentanyl conspiracy that resulted in overdose death
Four Missouri-area men have been indicted for their role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, which resulted in an overdose death. Dmitry Cattell, 22, Joseph Burgess, 21, and Jordon Simmer, 20, all of Kansas City, Mo., and Kelton Hill, 22, of Parkville, Mo., were charged in a nine-count indictment returned under seal by a federal […]
Audio: U.S. Senator Josh Hawley says duck boat safety law must happen
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley spoke to Missourinet after a judge dropped the criminal charges in the 2018 deadly duck boat tragedy in Branson. Senator Hawley was Missouri’s attorney general when the amphibious craft capsized during severe weather on Table Rock Lake killing seventeen people. In one of his first official duties in Congress, […]
Jury convicts University of Kansas researcher for hiding ties to Chinese government
A former University of Kansas (KU) professor was convicted by a federal jury on three counts of wire fraud and one count of false statements after he deliberately concealed that he was also employed by a government-affiliated university in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) while working on U.S. government-funded research at KU. Feng Tao, […]
Pause on federal student loan repayments extended by Biden through August 31
(Missouri Independent) – The Biden administration Wednesday announced its plans to extend the pause on federal student loan repayments until the end of August. “I recognized in recently extending the COVID-19 national emergency, we are still recovering from the pandemic and the unprecedented economic disruption it caused,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “If loan […]
Hawley rips Biden administration over plans to allocate veteran resources to illegal immigrants
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, expressing deep concern with the administration’s decision to rescind the Title 42 order amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis – with numbers surging at the southern border. Senator Hawley also inquired about disturbing new reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) […]
Woman pleads guilty to racketeering conspiracy involving the forced labor of Mexican agricultural workers
A woman in Florida pleaded guilty to a federal racketeering conspiracy that victimized Mexican agricultural workers admitted into the United States under the H-2A temporary visa program. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement. According […]
Former pain management clinic owner sentenced to over 16 years in prison for unlawful opioid distribution
A Florida man was sentenced today in the Southern District of Florida to 200 months in prison for illegally distributing opioids at his pain management clinic in Miami, Florida. According to court documents, Habib Geagea Palacios, 40, of Miami, owned General Care Center Inc., a cash-only pain management clinic in Miami. At General Care, Palacios […]
Missouri Senate committee takes up bill targeting Grain Belt Express transmission line
(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri Senate is poised to take up a long-running effort to stymie the Grain Belt Express, a massive transmission line meant to carry wind energy from southwest Kansas across three states. The $2 billion project would carry 4,000 megawatts of energy, dropping some off in Missouri before ending at the Illinois-Indiana […]
Democrats block Hawley’s bill to get tough on child sex offenders
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) went to the Senate Floor on Tuesday to call for unanimous consent to pass his “Protect Act of 2022” which protects children from sexual exploitation by enhancing the penalties for possessing child pornography and preventing judges from sentencing offenders below federal guidelines. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) objected and blocked the […]
Coalition of legislators introduce resolution to protect family farms and small businesses
Congressman Sam Graves (MO-06) joined Representatives Tracey Mann, Jason Smith, Bob Latta, and a bipartisan coalition of more than 70 members of Congress in introducing a resolution recognizing the important role of the stepped-up basis in preserving family farms and small businesses. “If the President gets his way and guts the stepped-up basis, it would […]
Jackson wins 3 GOP votes as U.S. Senate advances her Supreme Court nomination
(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. Senate advanced Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic Supreme Court nomination in a 53-47 procedural vote Monday evening, hours after the Judiciary Committee deadlocked along party lines. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitt Romney of Utah voted with all 50 Senate Democrats on the procedural […]
Women within Missouri GOP speak out against Eric Greitens as party remains silent
(Missouri Independent) – In just two weeks since allegations of domestic violence surfaced, Eric Greitens’ campaign for the U.S. Senate has been under siege from fellow Republicans urging him to drop out of the race. With one notable exception. The state party, which in recent years has denounced several candidates running under the GOP banner for […]
Missouri, Arizona and Louisiana sue Biden administration for rescinding Title 42
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry are suing the Biden Administration for rescinding the public health policy, Title 42, during the worst border crisis in decades. The revocation will result in an unprecedented crisis at the United States southern border that will have a devastating […]
Missouri man pleads guilty for his role in drug trafficking and murder, faces 20 years in prison
Jerell Henderson, 31, of Saint Louis, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance; one count of conspiracy to possess one or more firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking; and one count of possession, brandishing, and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking […]
Audio: Missouri U.S. Senators announce votes against Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson
It’s two Missouri thumbs down from our state’s U.S. Senators on the possibility of the nation’s first black female Supreme Court associate justice. Joey Parker tells us why our federal delegation is saying “nay” even before today’s (Monday’s) Senate Judiciary Committee vote. (Audio credit ABC News) U.S. Senator Roy Blunt announced his intent on […]