News

This is the latest installment of Harvest Public Media’s Field Notes, in which reporters talk to newsmakers and experts about important issues related to food production.

Missouri motorcycle riders had several favorable bills sent to Gov. Jay Nixon during this year's legislative session, but a big priority still did not pass.

Lawmakers passed bills that would declare May motorcycle awareness month and would prevent police from setting up "motorcycle-only" checkpoints.

A low-flying military jet from a western Missouri Air Force base clipped several power lines, but officials said no injuries were reported.

The A-10 Thunderbolt military jet from Whiteman Air Force base hit several power lines that cross Stockton Lake, near Bona, about 30 miles northwest of Springfield. A-10 Thunderbolts are single-seat, twin-engine attack jets.

Crews have been working to mark the lake to keep boaters away from submerged power lines.

A Columbia lawyer says Boone County sheriff's deputies patrolling within city limits isn't following local ordinance that treats marijuana possession as a municipal violation.

In 2004, Columbia residents voted to amend a city ordinance and treat possession of up to 35 grams of marijuana as a misdemeanor. Violators are usually released with a summons to appear in court rather than placed under arrest.

But the Columbia-based Missouri Civil Liberties Association says the sheriff and the county prosecutor are disregarding the intent of city voters.

Consumers may soon know more about where their meat comes from because of a long-debated change made by the US Department of Agriculture on Thursday.

Updated 4:12 p.m. with quotes and graphics

 The University of Missouri announced today that all employees working in MU's main administrative building, Jesse Hall, will be moved to a new location to allow for the installation of sprinkler systems, improvements to the heating and cooling systems, and an additional elevator. Nearby Swallow Hall which houses MU's Museum of Anthropology, will also undergo repairs including an increase in classroom, lab and office space totaling up to 5,000 square feet.  The project, called "Renew Mizzou," will cost more than $22.8 million.

  Missouri's 2013 legislative session came to a close Friday evening after deliberation of state Medicaid expansion, tax credit reform and gun control.

  Two years to the day that an EF-5 tornado ripped through Joplin, killing 161 people, the city was greeted with near perfect weather, as thousands came out Wednesday to honor the lives of those lost, and reflect upon the continuing recovery effort.

In the small town of Staunton, Ill., the new $9 million water plant is a welcome addition. After all, when the 80-year-old facility it replaces seized up last year, the community’s 5,000 residents were without water for five days. 

But for Staunton’s part-time mayor Craig Neuhaus, the plant represents more than water security. He expects the water system upgrade to help bring business to this town about 40 miles north of St. Louis.  

Dozens of Ste. Genevieve County residents met Tuesday night with the company applying to open up a sand mine in their neighborhood. Locals fired questions at Mark Rust, owner of Summit Proppants, for four hours about the mine’s potential impact on the community.

The biggest points of contention between locals and the company included regulation on air and water quality, the 50 semis traveling in and out of the facility daily, the possible decrease in property value and a guarantee that the company would only operate during the day.