Last year, when COVID vaccines were still free, barely one in five Americans rolled up their sleeves for the latest dose. Now that some people will have to pay $100-plus for the shot, health officials expect even weaker demand when the next version of the vaccine comes out this fall. Meanwhile, a surprisingly strong summer […]
WASHINGTON — The 2024 battle for control of Congress centers on just a handful of Senate races and about two dozen House seats, putting considerable pressure on those candidates to win over voters as party leaders and super PACs funnel millions of dollars into their campaigns. The incumbents representing those states and congressional districts will […]
Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher’s arguments to dismiss a whistleblower lawsuit filed against him earlier this year don’t withstand scrutiny and are an effort to “mislead this court,” attorneys for Chief Clerk Dana Miller wrote in a motion filed this week. Miller’s lawsuit, filed in May, accuses Plocher and his chief of staff, Rod Jetton, […]
Six months after Gabriella Magers-Darger’s legs were burned by sparks from a ricocheted bullet at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade in February, the 14-year-old is ready to leave the past behind. She is dreading the pitfalls of being a high school freshman, even as she looks forward to being back with friends and […]
The dismissal of its bankruptcy case in Florida is not stopping the Gateway Pundit from seeking a continued delay in the defamation case against it by two Georgia poll workers. But the case may be moving ahead soon regardless. In a motion filed Aug. 5 in the St. Louis Circuit Court, lawyers for the Gateway […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to embark on a year-long study beginning next month that will test samples for evidence of highly pathogenic avian influenza from former dairy cattle moved into meat production. Emilio Esteban, the under secretary for food safety at the USDA, told reporters on a call Tuesday the new […]
TOPEKA, Kan. — A special prosecutor in court documents filed Tuesday says former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody “induced a witness to withhold information” in the days after Cody led a raid on a newspaper office, the publisher’s home and the home of a city councilwoman. Special prosecutor Barry Wilkerson, of Riley County, charged Cody […]
An end run around the Missouri General Assembly has the nation’s two largest sports books driving hard to their goal of crossing home plate with a big payday. A constitutional amendment to legalize sports wagering will be Amendment 2 on the Nov. 5 ballot, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office said Tuesday, after finding that […]
Abortion will be on Missouri’s statewide ballot in November. An initiative petition to enshrine the right to abortion up until the point of fetal viability received final approval Tuesday, securing a place on the general election ballot. If the measure receives a majority of votes, Missouri could become the first state to overturn an abortion […]
The ballot language written by lawmakers for a proposed constitutional amendment stating “only citizens of the United States” can vote and banning ranked-choice voting is fair and should be on the Nov. 5 ballot without changes, a Cole County judge ruled Monday. The “fair ballot language” summary written by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft also […]
Navy veteran Jennifer Badger enlisted in 2001, was deployed to the Persian Gulf in 2002 and came home with post-traumatic stress. After years battling addiction and homelessness, she found a refuge at the recently opened Guardian Hills Veterans Healing Center north of Columbia. She calls it “a different type of healing” where veterans can spend […]
There’s an image that’s stayed with me for weeks: A sea of people holding up “Mass Deportation Now” signs at the Republican National Convention. Since then, I’ve been plagued with nightmares of mass raids by the military and police across the country. I see millions of families being torn apart, including families with citizen children. […]
Jackson County officials said Monday they are evaluating potential legal challenges to an order by the State Tax Commission they argue was only issued to cover for Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey. The Missouri State Tax Commission last week ordered the county to roll back most of its 2023 property valuations, finding that they had […]
Both the overall number of abortions and the use of telehealth abortion care continue to increase in the United States, according to the latest #WeCount report. Telehealth made up 20% of all abortion care in the first three months of 2024, and the monthly total of abortions exceeded 100,000 for the first time since the group […]
Oliver Lackey opened a pharmacy in his hometown of Fairview, Oklahoma, so he could “provide the best patient care.” He set up shop a decade ago in the local grocery store with “zero prescriptions.” Before long, business took off — yet he was still struggling. “I was getting more patients and was filling more prescriptions,” […]
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Inside a white-walled conference room, a speaker surveyed hundreds of state lawmakers and policy influencers, asking whether artificial intelligence poses a threat to the elections in their states. The results were unambiguous: 80% of those who answered a live poll said yes. In a follow-up question, nearly 90% said their state laws […]
Walking into Total Wine stores in Missouri this summer, it was impossible not to see the display for hemp-derived THC infused beverages. Total Wine, the country’s largest liquor retailer, set the tone for the alcohol industry in June when it began carrying the products at its seven Missouri stores. “It has been amazing for us,” […]
What happened to Evelyn? What happened to Marsha? These questions still come up among my friends from high school 55 years later. Both disappeared from our high school class after they became pregnant. The question of how their teenage pregnancies impacted their lives is increasingly on my mind, living in Missouri after the fall of […]
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft believes his third place finish in Tuesday’s GOP gubernatorial primary can be explained by his rival’s massive fundraising advantage. In an email message to supporters Friday, Ashcroft noted that polls had him tied for the lead with Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe going into the campaign’s home stretch. But when […]
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith was granted more time on Friday before having to give an outline on the next steps his office is taking in the 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee. The delay pushes the case proceedings further into the thick of the presidential race, […]
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