Governor Mike Parson named Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Knodell as Acting Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services effective immediately. Mr. Knodell has served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Parson since 2018. Over the past year, he has played an integral part in the state’s COVID-19 response efforts and […]
Tag: Williams
Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine paused in Missouri until further notice
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine administration is being paused in Missouri until further notice. “In an abundance of caution and as per federal guidelines, we are pausing vaccination with Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine until further notice in Missouri,” said Dr. Randall Williams, director of the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). “We […]
Brookfield woman charged with child neglect and domestic assault
A Brookfield woman accused of injuring a girl has been charged with the felonies of domestic assault—third degree and abuse or neglect of a child—no sexual contact. Online court information shows 59 year old Virginia Dean Williams posted bond of $500. An arraignment is scheduled in Linn County May 13th. A probable cause statement from […]
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports state’s first confirmed case of South African variant
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is reporting the first identification in a Missouri resident of the COVID-19 variant, B.1.351, which was first identified in South Africa in December 2020 and began being reported in the United States in late January. The B.1.351 variant was identified in a sample from an adult living […]
Todd Graves approved for University of Missouri curators despite bipartisan filibuster
(Missouri Independent) – A bipartisan coalition of state Senators was unable to stop politically connected Kansas City attorney Todd Graves from winning a seat on the University of Missouri Board of Curators. After a two-round filibuster — three hours last week and eight more hours ending around 1 a.m. Wednesday — the Senate voted 19-13 to […]
State of Missouri establishes weekly COVID-19 testing event schedule
Testing has been a pillar of the State’s response to COVID-19 for the past year. The increasingly widespread availability of testing resources and available laboratories made it possible for the State of Missouri to host intermittent testing events in communities throughout the state to provide greater accessibility to testing options and to learn more about […]
Election results in northern Missouri for the Tuesday, April 6, 2021 election
There will be two new members each for the Trenton R-9 Board of Education and the Trenton City Council following the election on Tuesday. Voter approval was given to the local use tax for the city of Trenton and brush control for Grundy County. It was a 17% voter turnout (992 votes out of 5,859 […]
Trenton High School Choir students take part in Virtual Solo and Ensemble Competition
Trenton R-9 High School Choir students participated in a virtual Solo and Ensemble Contest. Trenton Choir Director Tyler Busick notes that instead of the district and state-level events, the contest was considered state-level. At the state level, students receive gold, silver, or bronze. Gold choir ensembles for Trenton included two mixed double quartets, a women’s […]
Missouri EATs helps communities strengthen local food systems
Erica Williams, the founder of a nonprofit urban agriculture program in North St. Louis County, had a vision of how to reclaim a community that had suffered through disinvestment and neglect. Across the state in Clay County, Smithville’s mayor hoped amenities like a farmers market would help reinvigorate the small city 20 miles north of […]
Audio: 15 million doses of Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine ruined. How will that affect Missouri’s supply?
Workers at a Baltimore plant accidentally mixed up ingredients – ruining about 15-million doses of Johnson and Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine. The state plans to host a mega vaccination event next week in southwest Missouri’s Springfield with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. During a Capitol press conference, Missouri Health Department Director Randall Williams explains if the […]
Audio: Missouri Senate passes bill that would ban police chokeholds
Police chokeholds could be banned in Missouri. The Missouri Senate has overwhelmingly passed a wide-ranging bill that would ban them. Parkville Senator Tony Luetkemeyer’s plan would also let Kansas City police officers live outside of city limits, and ban officers from having sexual contact with someone they have detained or jailed. The plan […]
Missouri updates demographic estimates used in vaccination dashboard
Missouri’s COVID-19 vaccination dashboard was updated this afternoon to reflect the current state of COVID-19 demographics among Missourians. When Missouri’s vaccination dashboard was initially created, the method used relied on national population demographic percentages which were attributed to Missouri, and not taking into account the differences between Missouri’s demographic landscape and national averages. Going forward, Missouri-specific demographic […]
Area students to receive Missouri FFA Degree at state convention in Sedalia
Numerous area students are eligible to receive their Missouri FFA Degrees at a recognition-only ceremony on May 1st during the state convention in Sedalia. The two-day convention on April 30th and May 1st will be held at the Matthewson Exhibition Center on the campus of the state fairgrounds. According to the Missouri FFA Association, state […]
Jay Nixon comeback? Democrats lining up for shot at open Missouri Senate seat
(Missouri Independent) – Roy Blunt’s announcement that he won’t seek a third term certainly shook up Republican politics in Missouri, sparking nearly every GOP elected official in the state to publicly mull jumping into the campaign. Democrats aren’t immune from the speculation. While any Democrat would face an uphill fight, the chance of a messy […]
Essie Williamson selected as NCMC’s Outstanding Student
Essie Williamson from Gilman City, MO, has been selected as North Central Missouri College’s Outstanding Student for March. Essie, an A+ student, is currently pursuing her ADN (RN) degree and plans to graduate in May. After graduation, Essie intends to continue her education to obtain her bachelors of nursing and begin work as a registered […]
Detection of COVID-19 variant in wastewater, during second round of testing, found 1 location with detectable levels of virus
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) continues to partner with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, University of Missouri – Columbia, wastewater operators, and others to monitor trends of the COVID-19 by testing wastewater in communities around the state. Recently, the team has been testing wastewater to look for the presence of […]
Missouri adds county-level antigen test data to online public health dashboard
On its online public health dashboard, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) began posting county-level data showing “probable” COVID-19 cases detected by antigen testing. Last fall, DHSS began reporting statewide numbers of reported negative and positive antigen tests. DHSS will follow the guidance of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) […]
Twelve Months Later: Despite pandemic, Missouri moved forward
Since the first presumptive positive COVID-19 case was detected in Missouri one year ago, Governor Mike Parson and his administration have worked continuously to combat the virus, keep Missourians safe, and move Missouri’s economy forward. “Since COVID-19 struck Missouri one year ago, we have worked nonstop to take a balanced approach, fight the virus, and […]
Audio: Federal government to prioritize teachers in retail pharmacy vaccine program
All Missouri K-12 public and private school workers will be eligible to get vaccinated beginning March 15. Nonprofit PreK-12 staff, state-licensed childcare center workers, some food production employees, as well as grocery and convenience stores workers, will also become eligible at the same time. During a webinar hosted Wednesday by the Missouri Department of Elementary […]