(Missouri Independent) – Missouri will enter the new budget year with a record budget surplus and no restrictions on appropriations. The $35.6 billion budget includes rate increases for some Medicaid providers, higher funding for colleges and universities, and new mental health crisis centers. A few hours after lawmakers passed an extension of provider taxes vital to funding […]
Tag: VA
2020 “Focus on Missouri” Agriculture Photo Contest winners announced
A breathtaking photo featuring a glimpse into the life of a Missouri cattle rancher is the Best in Show for the 2021 Focus on Missouri Agriculture Photo Contest, hosted by the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The photograph, submitted by Holly Brown of Webb City, Mo., was chosen from nearly 900 photos submitted by amateur photographers […]
GRM Networks awards $3,750 in community improvement grants
GRM Networks awarded a total of $3,750 as part of the company’s Community Improvement Grant program. Organizations receiving funding in the 2021 semiannual distribution included the Missouri organizations of the City of New Hampton, the Princeton Chamber of Commerce and the Bethany Kiwanis Club, and the Leon Little League from Iowa. Through the grant program, GRM […]
Three Missouri residents indicted for drug trafficking and illegal firearms
Three Missouri residents were indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine after law enforcement officers seized 28 firearms from a residence during the investigation. James Jacob Johnson, 23, Amber Marie Lawson, 36, and Eric Ryan Janes, 36, all of Sedalia, were charged in a five-count indictment returned […]
Man pleads guilty to possessing and training dogs for dog fighting
A Louisiana man pleaded guilty to possession of an animal for use in an animal fighting venture. According to court documents, beginning as early as June 22, 2017, Clay Turner, 61, of Loranger, possessed and trained dogs for the purpose of having them participate in animal fighting ventures. On telephone calls obtained via court-authorized wiretaps, […]
Missouri woman pleads guilty to sexually assaulting children and producing child pornography; faces 15 years in prison
A Missouri woman pleaded guilty in federal court to sexually assaulting two children to produce child pornography and to receiving and distributing child pornography. Tara Sau Millman, 41, Merriam Village, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of the sexual exploitation of minors and one count of receiving and distributing […]
Grundy County Nursing Home District Board of Directors to hold a special meeting
The Grundy County Nursing Home District Board of Directors will hold a special meeting to discuss the construction project and lawsuit involving the nursing home district. The closed meeting will be held on July 1, 2021, at 1 p.m. The agenda also includes a discussion of employees. Raines Heating and Cooling of Princeton filed a petition […]
US Department of Labor cites grain facility for workplace safety failures following dust explosion that severely injured worker
Had MFA Enterprises Inc. – operating as West Central Agri Services – addressed potential dust ignition sources, an explosion that seriously injured an employee and caused the destruction of the main elevator at an Adrian grain loading facility might not have happened. OSHA cited the grain-handling facility for one willful and six serious safety violations, […]
U.S. House votes to remove bust of Supreme Court justice who wrote Dred Scott decision
(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. House voted Tuesday to remove from the Capitol a bust of the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney, who in 1857 wrote the Dred Scott decision (Dred Scott pictured above article) that stripped all Black Americans, free or slave, of their citizenship. The legislation passed on a vote of 285-120 with only 67 […]
Groups connect Missouri youth in foster care with life and work skills
Community partnerships in Missouri are working to help young people, either in or aging out of foster care, connect with the resources they need to start their independent lives, and the pandemic has brought added financial hardship for many. DeWayne Bright, Sr., youth advocate for the Local Investment Commission (LINC) in Kansas City, works with […]
Missouri Supreme Court: State can’t charge attorney fees for Sunshine Law requests
(Missouri Independent) – In a win for transparency advocates, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that government agencies cannot charge for time attorneys spend reviewing public records that are requested under the state’s Sunshine Law. In a 6-0 decision, the judges ruled that a lower court erred by siding with Gov. Mike Parson in a lawsuit […]
Governor Parson signed four bills into law on Tuesday afternoon
Governor Mike Parson signed four additional bills into law on Tuesday afternoon. SB 36 – Capitol Complex Tax Credit: Creates a $10 million tax credit for rehabilitation or renovation of buildings in the Capitol Complex. SB 57 – Funding for Criminal Behavior Deterrence: Creates the Economic Distress Zone Fund, which provides funding to nonprofits that […]
Street closures in Downtown Trenton announced for July 2
Streets will be closed July 2, 2021, for the Main Street Trenton event in Downtown Trenton leading up to the Trenton fireworks display. Streets closing at 1 o’clock that afternoon include the 900 block of Main Street to Tinsman Avenue, the 1000 block of Main Street, and East 10th Street near Five Points. Street parking […]
Grundy County Health Department reports on COVID Delta Variant, breakthrough cases and spread of COVID by water
As of June 29th, 16 breakthrough cases of COVID-19 had been reported in Grundy County since vaccination began in the county. One of the 38 active cases on June 29th was a breakthrough case. Health Department Administrator Elizabeth Gibson says that is about typical for breakthrough cases. Two thousand four hundred eighty-four Grundy […]
Area health departments provide updates on COVID-19 cases; new COVID related deaths reported in two counties
The Livingston County Health Center on June 29th reported nine COVID-19 cases had been added since June 28th. There were 1,993 total confirmed positive cases, and the number of active cases had dropped by 10 to 31. COVID-19 cases had increased by 12 since June 25th for Linn County as of June 29th. The health […]
Eagleville man facing burglary charges
An Eagleville man faces felony charges after a burglary investigation at Tools Plus of Bethany on June 20th. Forty-year-old Jeffrey Parham has been charged with second-degree burglary and stealing $750 or more. Bond is $50,000 cash only. He is scheduled for an initial appearance in court on June 30th. A probable cause affidavit from Bethany […]
Gallatin Board of Aldermen approve 2020 financial statements audit, presented a multitude of reports
The Gallatin Board of Aldermen approved the 2020 financial statements audit on June 28th. CPA John Gillum presented an audit report. The Friends of Gallatin fundraising event to be held on June 26th was rescheduled for July 17th due to forecasted rain. The board of aldermen agreed to grant the picnic liquor license request to […]
Second District State Representative J. (John) Eggleston plans run for Missouri Senate
Second District State Representative J. Eggleston of Maysville has announced his intention to run for the State Senate in 2022. Other media outlets report Republican Eggleston is seeking the seat currently held by 12th District State Senator Dan Hegeman of Cosby, who is also a Republican. Hegeman cannot run again due to term limits. Senate […]
Niagara Bottling announces new manufacturing facility in Kansas City, creating nearly 100 jobs
Niagara Bottling, LLC, a family-owned beverage manufacturer headquartered in Diamond Bar, California, announced it will invest approximately $156 million in a new production facility in Kansas City, Missouri. This new facility will initially create nearly 100 jobs. “Niagara Bottling is excited to establish a second manufacturing facility in Kansas City, Missouri,” said Brian Hess, Executive […]
Chillicothe Board of Adjustments to hold public hearing
The Chillicothe Board of Adjustments will hold a public hearing to consider a variance application involving 96 Virginia Avenue. The hearing will be at the Chillicothe City Hall on July 6, 2021, at 5:30 in the evening. The variance application by Pat Scott and John Graber involves constructing a deck with a roof within six […]