The cool morning spring breeze hit Saundra Traywick “like a punch to the face.” Walking through her wooded 38-acre donkey farm in central Oklahoma, Traywick suddenly found it hard to breathe as the air smelled “toxic” and “like death.” Less than a mile away, a truck was spreading a chunky dark fertilizer on a hay […]
This story is part of a series by Kansas Reflector and The Handbasket to examine the one-year anniversary of the raid on the Marion County Record. Support independent journalism by subscribing to The Handbasket or donating to Kansas Reflector. MARION, Kan. — Marion County Record editor and publisher Eric Meyer began speaking out about the […]
BOONVILLE – U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said Thursday that he will participate in moderated television debates with Democrat Lucas Kunce, but first he wants Kunce to agree to debate without moderators at the Missouri State Fair. In response, Kunce said he will take part in the Lincoln-Douglas style debate Hawley wants, but first the incumbent […]
Missouri students are showing progress on standardized tests administered by the state, with results in some categories approaching — and even exceeding — pre-pandemic levels. But in other areas — most notably English language arts — students continue to struggle. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education revealed preliminary scores in the Missouri Assessment […]
Several U.S. senators have called on the Social Security Administration to take steps to make it easier for people with Long COVID to access disability benefits, actions that disability rights advocates and patients say are desperately needed. Sens. Tim Kaine , Ed Markey, Tammy Duckworth, Bernie Sanders, Tina Smith, Angus King, and Richard Blumenthal signed the letter […]
WASHINGTON — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Thursday he has agreed to debate Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Sept. 10, a reversal from his position last week that he would not participate in the ABC News event. During a press conference at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, the former president said […]
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey narrowly avoided being questioned under oath about his contact with a Jackson County official when he was granted a motion to dismiss his lawsuit against the county on Thursday. Bailey, who filed suit against the county late last year over its property tax assessment process, was ordered by the judge […]
The question of when – or whether – Missouri’s U.S. Senate candidates will debate opened up the fall campaign, with incumbent Republican Josh Hawley challenging Democratic nominee Lucas Kunce to an outdoor clash without moderators and Kunce calling for five televised events. Kunce, who is making his second run for the Senate, easily won the […]
The right-wing Freedom Caucus fared well in Missouri’s GOP primaries Tuesday, grabbing its first statewide nomination and displaying the reach of its message in other races. State Sen. Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg emerged from an eight-person field to get the Republican nomination for Secretary of State. Freedom Caucus member state Sen. Bill Eigel finished second […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education said Wednesday it will use a phased rollout to launch the 2025-26 form to apply for federal financial student aid, which will make the application fully available two months later than usual. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid — better known as FAFSA — will be available to […]
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey wants to dismiss his lawsuit against Jackson County a day before he was set to answer questions under oath about a potential ethical breach in the case. Bailey, who is suing the county over its property assessment process, on Tuesday asked the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District […]
Patrick McKenna, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, on Wednesday said he will leave his post after almost nine years on the job. McKenna announced his decision near the end of a meeting of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission in Poplar Bluff. He did not give a date for his departure and did […]
WASHINGTON — Congress plans to spend just 35 days between now and the end of the year in the nation’s capital, a fitting end to one of the least productive sessions in decades. The deeply divided 118th Congress so far has placed just 78 public laws on the books, a fraction of the hundreds enacted […]
Evictions are a window into America’s rental housing crisis: In 2022, more than half of all renters spent over a third of their income on housing, and millions of tenants who miss rent payments are evicted each year. When renters are kicked out of their homes, the consequences can be disastrous. Families might lose their […]
Every incumbent Missouri senator challenged in Tuesday’s primaries won renomination, but Republican voters rejected sitting House members in five districts. In the Senate primaries, a big money advantage generally, but not in every case, carried the day. One notable exception was in the 31st District of western Missouri, where incumbent state Sen. Rick Brattin of […]
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson wasn’t on the ballot Tuesday. But he was still one of the biggest winners of the night. Watching from the sidelines as election results poured in — barred from running again because of term limits — Parson’s legacy was before voters in the form of the three men he appointed to […]
I’ve always thought that true political talent is rooted in dexterity: the ability to appeal to a wide variety of constituencies without significant internal contradictions. Every politician starts with his or her base. Sometimes that base is ideological. Other times it is, racial, geographic or generational. Candidates with dexterity are not only able to expand […]
Dave Wasinger secured the Republican nomination for Missouri’s lieutenant governor on Tuesday, emerging out of a crowded primary where candidates spent millions seeking the office. With all precincts reporting, Wasinger led state Sen. Lincoln Hough of Springfield by just under 7,500 votes. Wasinger is an attorney from St. Louis who has not previously held elected […]
Missourians on Tuesday voted to require Kansas City to spend more of its municipal budget on policing, reinstating a policy that had been overturned by the state supreme court. The race was called by the Associated Press at 11:30 p.m., with the amendment winning 51% to 48%. That means the Missouri Constitution will be amended […]
Missouri voters on Tuesday rejected an attempt by lawmakers to exempt child care facilities from paying property taxes, an incentive supporters hoped would help with the state’s day care shortage. When the Associated Press called the race at 10:30 p.m., more than 54% of Missourians had voted against amending the Missouri Constitution to offer the […]
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