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High COVID case counts sending some Missouri students into virtual classrooms
Missouri continued its string of days reporting 1,000 or more new coronavirus infections on Friday, adding 1,811 new infections amid growing difficulties for school districts trying to maintain in-class instruction. While one of the state’s largest districts, Columbia Public Schools, opened doors for elementary students for the first time on Monday, the small Maries County […]
Missouri governor calls special session as CARES Act spending deadline looms
With Missouri in its 13th consecutive week of reporting an average of more than 1,000 COVID-19 cases per day, and facing a Dec. 30 deadline for using federal relief funds, Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday called a special session to begin just after the Nov. 3 election. On Thursday morning, the Department of Health and […]
Missouri Medicaid expansion: Will it bust the budget or pay for itself?
When Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August, they were told by the ballot language that the price tag was unknown, with possible costs at $200 million stated alongside $1 billion in potential savings. What is known for certain is that about 250,000 Missourians will become eligible for coverage next year — and the next […]
Report: Missouri prison system records 2nd staff death from COVID
There are more than 1,000 active cases of COVID-19 among Missouri prison inmates, and a staff member at the Tipton Correctional Center is the second employee of the Department of Corrections to die of the disease, a central Missouri television station reported Tuesday. KMIZ-TV in Columbia reported that Tim Cutt of the Missouri Corrections Officers […]
Kauffman Stadium, KC Convention Center concessions contractor laying off 577 workers
Aramark, the contractor who operates concessions and catering services at Kauffman Stadium and the Kansas City Convention Center, is laying off 577 employees because there is not enough business at either venue. In mass-layoff notices dated Friday to the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, Aramark reported it is also reducing the work hours […]
Morning COVID-19 report: 1,524 new Missouri cases, hospitals report strain on services
Missouri recorded 1,524 new cases and 25 additional deaths from COVID-19 Tuesday, the sixth consecutive day with more than 1,000 new cases, as hospitalizations remained at near record levels. The morning update from the Department of Health and Senior Services showed there was at least one new case in 102 of the 117 local health […]
Missouri highway patrol investigating hoax text claiming Rowden quitting politics
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating a hoax text message sent Saturday night claiming state Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, was quitting his re-election campaign. The text, sent from a telephone with a 573 area code, began “Dear Voter” and reported that “family matters” that required “my immediate and undivided attention” were forcing […]
Missouri budget bouncing back from COVID, but experts warn economic weakness remains
When a drug store customer selects a promotional package offering a free toothbrush with a new tube of toothpaste or two extra razors in a bag of shavers, there’s a good chance the sale display was assembled in a sheltered workshop. Located throughout the state, the 87 workshops employ around 5,600 people with a developmental […]