A bill to move school board elections to November and extend members’ terms got a public hearing Tuesday in the Missouri Senate Committee on Education. Sponsored by state Sen. Adam Schnelting, a Republican from St. Charles, the bill would align school board elections with four-year general elections and extend board members’ terms to four years, […]
WASHINGTON — Department of Justice attorneys said during a Wednesday hearing in federal court that a final decision will be made by May as to what kind of death penalty charges could be pursued for the suspect accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members in the nation’s capital, killing one and seriously wounding […]
April ballots in 97 Missouri counties will include a question asking voters if they want to cap property tax bills. Whether the caps will take effect if approved remains an open question. Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh on Tuesday denied a motion asking for a summary judgment that lawmakers improperly enacted the caps during […]
The conversion of Missouri farm land from food to solar power production creates feuds among neighbors, pits residents against developers and raises questions about property rights. Those tensions were on full display Tuesday in the Missouri Senate Commerce Committee, which held hearings on two bills aimed at halting solar power development and a third that […]
Missouri lawmakers have been pushing regressive and shortsighted tax policies that undermine everyday workers and sabotage the Show-Me State’s ability to raise revenue. Within a few months, Missouri ended taxation of capital gains, poised itself to cut property taxes across the state and reignited the Kansas City border war. To make matters even worse, the […]
President Donald Trump restated a call Tuesday for federal control over election administration across the country, undermining the structure outlined in the Constitution that empowers states to run elections. For the second time in as many days, Trump indicated he wanted the federal government more involved in elections. The issue renews concerns over Trump’s expansion […]
WASHINGTON — The partial government shutdown that began this weekend ended Tuesday when President Donald Trump signed the funding package that both chambers of Congress approved within the last week. “We’ve succeeded in passing a fiscally reasonable package that actually cuts wasteful federal spending while supporting critical programs for the safety, security and prosperity for […]
WASHINGTON — Dozens of U.S. House Democrats and leaders of several caucuses rallied on a chilly Tuesday morning outside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in the nation’s capital, demanding the resignation, firing or impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Democrats criticized Noem for the monthslong immigration operation in Minnesota in which federal immigration agents […]
Democrats won changes to the Missouri Senate’s rules Tuesday, cutting a deal with GOP leadership that ended two weeks of filibusters blocking dozens of gubernatorial appointments. The changes make it harder to cut off debate and require the Senate to wait a day before acting on bills that return from the House with amendments. Both […]
The Missouri Senate Education Committee debated proposals Tuesday that would allow students to enroll in public schools in neighboring districts, but public-education groups say they prefer a version of the bill filed in the House. This is the sixth consecutive year that state lawmakers have considered opening school districts’ boundaries, with a House bill by […]
As small-business owners, Sonya Andrews and her husband are used to uncertainty. Sonya runs a business offering graphic and web design services, while her husband is a commercial photographer. They also own a studio in Kansas City’s West Bottoms and have one employee who works remotely from Florida. Every month is different for them when […]
February has been set aside as Black History Month. It presents an educational opportunity that can assist in closing many divides between Blacks and whites. Designating February as Black History Month is the nation’s attempt to correct its lack of acknowledgement of the contributions of Black Americans in the normal annals of America’s history. While […]
Companies profiting from unregulated convenience store slot machines would have two years to pull their games off the market under a bill advanced Monday in a Missouri House committee. The bill — the latest in a years-long effort by law enforcement and legislators to rein in the games — would create a state-run video lottery […]
A Missouri man fighting a calculation that could keep him in state prison for more than 40 years on a 23-year sentence lost the first round of a court battle seeking to be released. On Friday, Cole County Circuit Judge Brian Stumpe refused to order the Missouri Department of Corrections to change how it calculated […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education exhausted millions in taxpayer dollars trying to eliminate a chunk of its Office for Civil Rights, a government watchdog found in a report released Monday. The department spent between roughly $28.5 million and $38 million on the salaries and benefits of the hundreds of Office for Civil Rights, […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House is expected to vote as soon as Tuesday on the government funding package that will end the ongoing partial government shutdown once it becomes law. The Senate voted Friday evening to approve the legislation after President Donald Trump and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., brokered a deal to remove the full-year […]
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Monday closed the lawsuit Planned Parenthood filed last summer after Republicans’ “big, beautiful” law blocked Medicaid patients from visiting its clinics for any health care appointments for one year. Planned Parenthood filed notice with the court Friday that it had dismissed “without prejudice all claims against” the Trump administration […]
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked a Trump administration policy that prevented members of Congress from making unannounced oversight visits at facilities that hold immigrants. The temporary restraining order from U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb of District of Columbia federal court blocked a seven-day notice requirement that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem established […]
Missouri Republicans are pushing a change that would move most high-profile legal fights — including ballot initiative challenges — out of the Western District Court of Appeals and into the Eastern District. They are also hoping to block any challenges to state law or the constitution from being filed outside of Cole County. While framed […]
A coalition of marijuana companies is filing lawsuits against businesses across Missouri, accusing dozens of stores of illegally selling marijuana under the guise of “THCA hemp flower” and undercutting the state’s regulated cannabis market. The lawsuits target nearly 40 stores in St. Louis County and 17 businesses in the Kansas City area, including major hemp […]
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