The owner of dozens of Mexican restaurants in several states, along with the company’s president, CFO, controller, and sales manager are among 19 defendants charged in a federal racketeering conspiracy to hire undocumented workers. Also among those charged are eight current or former managers of restaurants located in Butler, Springfield, Lebanon, West Plains, Willow Springs, […]
The Putnam County Health Department reported on August 25th that it was notified of five additional COVID-19 cases for community members since August 23rd. One of the new cases resides in a home with at least one other positive person. The cumulative total is 584, and seven individuals are actively monitored by public health. There […]
The Gallatin Board of Aldermen approved matters on August 23 regarding repairs at Dockery Park. The park board recommended the action. Jones Power Washing Services, LLC was hired to complete power washing and painting on the grandstand and the deck behind the shelter house for $3,100. Matthew Barlow was hired for concrete flatwork at the grandstand […]
The North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees heard reports on housing and other matters on August 24. Resident Life Director Donnie Hillerman reported one new residence hall is open, and he hopes the other new residence hall will open September 1st. There are some displaced students currently staying in Selby Hall in the wing […]
A children’s hospital doctor is responding to the Missouri Attorney General’s lawsuit that aims to ban schools from requiring students and staff to wear masks. Dr. Jennifer Watts of Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City says the hospital is strongly advocating to keep children in school. Attorney General Eric Schmitt is suing Columbia […]
The Livingston County Health Center reported August 24 another COVID-19-related death, bringing the count to 77 since the pandemic’s beginning. The health center reminds the public that those individuals who lost their lives were friends, neighbors, and acquaintances and not just a number on a board. Four COVID-19 cases were added since August 23rd, which […]
Northwest Missouri State University reports a student pursuing her educational specialist degree through Northwest Online was found dead at her home in Boone County on August 22. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a homicide investigation and has identified the victims as 43-year-old Allison Abitz and her daughter, 11-year-old Jozee Abitz. The sheriff’s office […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt today filed a class-action lawsuit against school districts forcing a mask mandate on schoolchildren and teachers. The lawsuit, which is a reverse class action that was filed earlier this morning, names Columbia Public Schools, the Board of Education for the School District of Columbia and their board members, and the […]
Trenton’s Building and Nuisance Board last night took action on three properties and heard reports on other locations of concern. The fire-damaged house at 208 East 10th Court was advanced to a public hearing, and 604 Linn Street was moved to the next category called findings of fact. 511 East 9th Court was removed from […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has accepted 2.8 million acres in offers from agricultural producers and private landowners for enrollment into the Conservation Reserve Program in 2021. This year, almost 1.9 million acres in offers have been accepted through the General CRP Signup, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency has accepted over 897,000 acres for enrollment […]
A representative of Green Hills Women’s Shelter in Trenton is listed among those planning to give testimony when a task force has a hearing Wednesday afternoon, August 25. The task force is reviewing the treatment and support of sexual assault victims in Missouri. The first of four scheduled hearings are from 1 to 3 o’clock […]
The U.S. has its first fully approved vaccine against COVID-19, with federal health officials announcing Monday the approval of Pfizer-BioNTech’s two-dose vaccine. The green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to move Pfizer’s vaccine from emergency use to full approval is a milestone in the national pandemic response, and one that comes as the […]
(Missouri Independent) – Colored hard hats distinguish different roles and jobs at Seaboard Foods, a major meatpacking plant in Guymon, Oklahoma. Senior management have green. Supervisors wear dark blue. Foreign workers on visas don yellow-green. But Seaboard is part of a small but growing trend in the meatpacking industry, which already largely relied on an […]
An early morning wreck in Carroll County has injured a resident of Unionville. Thirty-one-year-old Matthew Whitlock received serious injuries and was taken to University Hospital in Columbia. Whitlock was driving southbound when his pickup left Highway 65, struck an embankment, and came to rest against a tree. The pickup was demolished and towed from the […]
A Missouri, man has pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing the firearm he used when he was shot in a rolling gun battle. Odell J. Jackson, 31, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner on Thursday, Aug. 19, to one count of being a felon in possession of […]
A Missouri pharmacy is prohibited from continuing its past practice of filling prescriptions without verifying whether they were issued by a DEA-authorized practitioner under a consent decree approved yesterday in federal court. Spalitto’s Pharmacy, L.C., of Kansas City, a retail pharmacy at 3801 Independence Avenue operated by Peter A. Spalitto as the pharmacist in charge, […]
The Missouri State Fair celebrated youth in agriculture on Saturday, Aug. 21. The annual Sale of Champions highlighted the day, breaking records from previous sales, raising a total of $185,948 for Youth in Agriculture. The Grand Champion Steer was exhibited by Payton Rodgers of Savannah, MO. Payton is the daughter of Blaine and Melissa Rodgers, […]
The Grundy County Health Department on Friday reported 28 new cases of COVID-19 since Wednesday’s update. There were 61 active cases in Grundy County as of Friday. There have been 1.499 cases of COVID-19 in Grundy County since testing began, with 43 deaths attributed to COVID-19. The Grundy County Health Department asks people to stay […]
The state Public Defender System is on track to have its largest staffing increase since 1989. The Missouri Legislature passed a state budget this year that includes hiring a total of 53 new public defenders statewide. The Missouri Public Defender System has already filled 32 of those positions. The System has been understaffed […]
A former assistant principal at Nixa Junior High School in Nixa, Missouri, pleaded guilty in federal court to soliciting sexually explicit photos from a 13-year-old victim by posing online as a teen girl. Colby Fronterhouse, 41, of Springfield, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of receiving child […]
