In Kansas News
With two and a half months left in the federal fiscal year, the Trump administration has Workers for Kansas and Missouri clinics run by Encompass Medical Group picketed in Kansas City, Missouri, today/MONDAY demanding higher wages. Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga has more for the Kansas News Service.
"Monique Clark, a medical assistant at Encompass for almost four years, says she makes less than $20 an hour. But new hires are earning about $6 more per hour. Clark says the company has offered existing employees a 1.5% raise. That gets her less than 30 cents more an hour.
“We do a lot, we’re overworked, and we still get the job done. And we need to have something to show that they see us and they respect what we’re doing.” 8 seconds
The group’s union, SEIU, says raising wages would lower turnover rates and help boost staff levels. Representatives for Encompass did not immediately respond to a request for comment.For the Kansas News Service, I’m Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga"
And in Missouri News
The decision by Congress last week to claw back $1 billion dollars in funding for public media hits rural stations in Kansas and Missouri especially hard. Ozarks Public Radio and Ozarks Public Television serve communities in southern Missouri.
General manager Rachel Knight says the stations are losing a combined $1.3 million of annual funding. That’s 10 PERCENT of the radio budget and one-third of the television budget.
“Like with any budget gap, you have to look at it as a combination of decreasing expenses, which we will have to do, and also increasing revenue.”
Knight says it’s been difficult hearing claims about biased reporting in public radio from Republicans.
The Missouri Public Service Commission held a public hearing yesterday (Monday) for Liberty Utilities’ proposed rate increase. If approved – it would increase monthly bills by 30%. Concerned residents filled the lecture hall at Missouri Southern State University. They could ask Liberty Utilities their questions and give public testimony. Tammie Walker with the Economic Security Corporation said the rate increase will impact low-income households the most.
"Any rate increases for the economically disadvantaged and our most vulnerable populations, which are our elderly and disabled households, is too much."
Joplin’s hearing was the first of four in the Southwest Missouri region this week – Liberty’s biggest service area in the state.