Police departments’ “clearance rates” — the percentage of cases they declare closed — are one of the most widely cited benchmarks for how effectively they combat crime. Lawmakers reference clearance rates in hearings, mayors cite them during police budget debates, and community members often use them to judge how well their local department is functioning. […]
A 34-year-old man has been waiting 472 days in the Greene County jail for services and treatment from Missouri’s mental health department that could enable him to stand trial. A 31-year-old man in the Jackson County jail has been waiting 445 days for treatment. A 64-year-old man in the Buchanan County jail has been waiting […]
The question of whether the use of state funds for private education helps or harms taxpayers was central to day one of arguments on Monday in a trial that will determine the fate of Missouri’s voucher program. The Missouri National Education Association is challenging the state’s $50 million appropriation to MOScholars, a program overseen by […]
WASHINGTON — A three-judge federal appeals panel grilled lawyers for a former White House official and The Associated Press Monday in a case that could significantly overhaul press access to the Oval Office and Air Force One. The two sides sparred over whether the president, in this case President Donald Trump, has sole discretion over […]
A senior federal judge dismissed charges Monday against two public officials with long-running public disputes with President Donald Trump, saying the controversial appointment of the president’s former personal attorney as a prosecutor doomed the cases. Senior U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, whom former President Bill Clinton appointed to the bench in South Carolina, wrote […]
WASHINGTON — The Department of Defense announced on social media Monday it’s looking into “serious allegations of misconduct” against Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, one of several lawmakers who posted a video last week telling military members they are not required to follow orders that violate the law. The video spurred anger from President Donald […]
In a tacit admission that U.S. food production requires foreign labor, the Trump administration is making it easier for farmers to employ guest workers from other countries. At the same time, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent months appears to be refraining from conducting agricultural workplace raids, even as it scours Democratic-led cities […]
As more private equity firms buy health care physician practices and facilities, states are pushing back on acquisitions that some critics say could potentially gut health care infrastructure. This year alone at least seven states, including California, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington, have enacted laws requiring more oversight over private equity acquisitions […]
As corporate ownership of residential property across the country rises nationwide, researchers from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Center for Geospatial Solutions, which is housed at the institute, warn this rising trend has complicated the housing market for first-time buyers. According to a joint “Who Owns America” report, nearly 9% of residential […]
The younger children of Mohammad Ali Dadfar believe their father is away, working. That’s what they’ve been told. Only the oldest, an 11-year-old girl, and Dadfar’s wife know the truth. The father of four, an immigrant from Afghanistan who helped the U.S. military fight the Taliban, is in a Springfield, Missouri, jail — held with […]
Missouri’s social services department has in recent years been reprimanded by a judge for illegally denying food assistance and scrutinized by the federal government for massive Medicaid application backlogs. And for more than a decade, the agency has vowed to tackle these problems by overhauling the computer systems that help determine whether people qualify for […]
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ call for a close reexamination of the 42 million people who receive federal food aid has befuddled advocates and lawmakers, coming mere days after recipients began to see benefits that had been stalled during the government shutdown. Details remain scant a week after Rollins during an interview on the right-wing […]
Opponents of a referendum on Missouri’s gerrymandered congressional map are offering “huge sums of money” to signature gatherers in an effort to undermine the petition drive, according to accusations in a federal lawsuit. Advanced Micro Targeting of Dallas, Texas, was hired by a PAC called People Not Politicians to help collect the signatures needed to […]
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway on Thursday joined a growing number of government agencies investigating the makers and sellers of a product called 7-OH for engaging in what she called “unlawful” practices. The name, 7-OH, is short for 7-hydroxymitragynine, and it’s made by chemically converting the main opioid-inducing element in kratom. 7-OH is sold as […]
WASHINGTON — A new U.S. Department of Education regulation to narrow eligibility for a key student debt relief program for public service workers has drawn strong opposition from advocates who argue the regulation is an attempt to target organizations whose missions do not align with President Donald Trump’s agenda. Under a final rule slated to […]
As states strive to curb health insurers’ use of artificial intelligence, patients and doctors are arming themselves with AI tools to fight claims denials, prior authorizations and soaring medical bills. Several businesses and nonprofits have launched AI-powered tools to help patients get their insurance claims paid and navigate byzantine medical bills, creating a robotic tug-of-war […]
The constitutionality of Missouri using general revenue to fund private-school scholarships will be debated Monday and Tuesday in Cole County Circuit Court. The Missouri National Education Association is seeking to stop the state from distributing more tax dollars to private schools, saying the $50 million appropriation of general revenue to the MOScholars program is illegal. […]
A St. Louis jury awarded a California cannabis consultant $3 million on Thursday, following a four-day trial where he argued a 2022 lab accident ended his career in the marijuana industry. The incident happened when Mark Avent of Escondido, Calif., was helping build out the cultivation and manufacturing facility at 5401 Bulwer Ave. in St. […]
A day after President Donald Trump took office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a new directive to its agents: Arrests at courthouses, restricted under the Biden administration, were again permissible. In Connecticut, a group of observers who keep watch on ICE activity in and around Stamford Superior Court have since witnessed a series of […]
The trucking industry is a major economic driver supporting multiple sectors, but lately it is facing challenges due to a lack of freight to haul and labor constraints. The Missouri Department of Transportation estimates that over 985 million tons of goods pass through Missouri annually, with a net worth of $1.1 trillion. About 87% of […]
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