Farmers of color are urging Congress to end a slew of lawsuits delaying a loan-forgiveness program designed to make amends for years of loan discrimination against minority farmers. White farmers are claiming in court Congress’s $4 billion debt relief for Black farmers, part of a COVID-19 stimulus package, amounts to reverse discrimination. John Boyd Jr., president of […]
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Better pay and community trust linked to school bus driver shortage
School districts in Iowa and Missouri are reporting bus driver shortages as the academic year gets underway. Transportation officials said more earning potential and a broader appreciation of the job could help address the lingering issue. In a new national survey from a trio of industry groups, 51% of coordinators described the driver shortage as “severe” or […]
Linn County Health Department investigating possible COVID-19 exposure at Bell Game in Brookfield
The Linn County Health Department has released a potential COVID-19 exposure advisory involving the Bell Game in Brookfield on September 3rd. As part of COVID-19 contact investigations, the health department advises anyone who attended the game to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19. Anyone who feels they may have been exposed should call the Linn County […]
Audio: Two hundred plus attend vaccine mandate protest at Wright Memorial Hospital
It is estimated more than 200 people attended a rally near Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, to show support for personal choice involving whether to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Spokesperson Nathan Rorebeck said the rally was for the vaccine mandate involving employees for the Saint Luke’s Health System, which includes Wright […]
Missouri woman pleads guilty to sex trafficking a child, faces 15 years in prison
A Missouri woman pleaded guilty in federal court to her role in the sex trafficking of a child. Danna Marie Rodriguez, 36, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of the sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of the sex trafficking of a minor. By […]
Missouri will become the last state to enforce federal mental health parity act
(Missouri Independent) – Under a new state law that went into effect late last month, Missouri will become the final state to enforce a federal law designed to ensure mental health care is covered by insurance providers the same as treatments for physical ailments. The provisions were included in House Bill 604, an omnibus insurance bill […]
Bosworth woman injured in Monday afternoon crash
A resident of Bosworth was taken to the hospital following an accident on Monday afternoon west of Missouri Street. Twenty-eight-year-old Eboni Ervin received minor injuries, and emergency medical services took her to Carroll County Memorial Hospital. The eastbound car went off the right side of Highway 24 in Carroll County. The driver over-corrected, causing the […]
November trial set for lawsuit challenging $1.4 billion Missouri prison health care contract
(Missouri Independent) – A trial will be held in early November to determine whether a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Centene will take over the contract for prison health care in the Missouri Department of Corrections. In a hearing Thursday, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green set Nov. 3 as the first day in the trial where current […]
Roadblocks facing Kevin Strickland’s innocence claim is nothing new for Missouri
(Missouri Independent) – Kevin Strickland was hopeful Thursday was going to be his first step towards freedom after 40 years in prison. A new law that went into effect on Aug. 28 gave Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker a legal avenue to free Strickland, who she says is innocent and wrongly incarcerated. But opposition […]
Daviess County Library to host author D. L. Diane Rogers
The Daviess County Library will host author D. L. (Diane) Rogers on Friday, September 17, 3 pm, in the basement Community Room for cake, coffee, and a book talk about her historical fiction, “Perils On the Missouri: A Tale of Life and Death Along the Big Muddy.” The novel includes the sinking of the Steamboat […]
Audio: Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce Poker Run set for Saturday, September 11
A poker run and a 50-50 raffle are among events Saturday, September 11, 2021, during a fundraiser for the Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce. The 180-mile poker run is open to motorcycles plus what promoters call classic, custom, and other fund vehicles. Stops are planned at five locations. Chuck Jones discusses the route, with stops […]
Protest against vaccine mandate by St. Luke’s Health System to be held on Tuesday
Organizers expect a peaceful rally on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, to show support for what they consider a personal choice on whether hospital employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine. St. Luke’s Health System of Kansas City has mandated all employees receive a vaccine injection in September or October. This includes those that work at Wright Memorial […]
Supreme Court bows out, White House wades into Texas abortion battle
President Joe Biden stepped into the abortion battle in Texas Thursday, tasking federal agencies to see what steps can be taken to, in his words, “ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions.” The law, which took effect Wednesday, bans most abortions after six weeks before most women know they are […]
Attendance down for a second year as COVID takes it toll on the THS Alumni Reunion
Although numbers were down in attendance, many individuals and classes celebrated THS Alumni Reunion weekend and, as always, had a great time.” Speaking on behalf of the THS Alumni Association, Secretary Steve Maxey reported COVID took its toll for the second straight year with many classes canceling while others shared “good participation.” A Friday night […]
Parson’s rationale for removing LGTBQ exhibit from Missouri Capitol called into question
(Missouri Independent) – Fireworks, this week over the sudden removal of an LGBTQ history exhibit from the museum in the Missouri Capitol caught the attention of John Cunning. For 24 years before he retired in 2018, Cunning oversaw the museum as part of his job at Missouri State Parks. So when he read Gov. Mike […]
Patrol arrests Liberty resident on multiple allegations
The highway patrol reports a Liberty resident was arrested early Sunday in Clinton County. Thirty-six-year-old Thomas Aikmus was accused of felony driving while intoxicated, speeding 113 miles an hour in a 70 zone, and failure to register a motor vehicle. There also was a Clay County warrant accusing Aikmus of failure to appear on an […]
Area health departments report on COVID-19 cases; announce dates of vaccine clinics
The Putnam County Health Department reports it has been notified of two female residents dying from complications of COVID-19. That brings the total number of deaths to 16. There have been 589 total cases, and five are active. Forty-three COVID-19-related hospitalizations have been reported for Putnam County. The Grundy County Health Department reports it received […]
Salvation Army the topic of latest meeting at Trenton Rotary Club
The Salvation Army was the topic of a program presented to the Trenton Rotary Club at its meeting on Thursday, Sept. 2, at the BTC Bank. Lynda Snuffer, social service director and Pathway of Hope case manager with the Salvation Army, discussed changes within the organization. She noted the office at Chillicothe has been reorganized […]
Big rig overturns injuring driver from Illinois
On Friday evening, the Highway Patrol reports a Springfield, Illinois man sustained serious injuries when a semi-truck overturned one mile south of Omaha, Missouri. An ambulance took 72-year-old Russell Wake to the Northeast Regional Medical Center of Kirksville. The truck traveled north on Highway 149 before running off the right side of the road, overcorrecting, […]