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The phrase “El Niño” can conjure up images of horrendous weather: severe storms in the southern U.S. and droughts in Asia and Africa. But for Kansas and Missouri, El Niño, a months-long weather pattern that typically brings warm winters and extra precipitation to the central U.S., brings hope.  Both states have been stuck in a […]

The post Why a ‘Super El Niño’ could help drought-stricken Kansas, Missouri this winter appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Given the feelings of unease that often punctuate our daily lives in many areas, the holiday season provides an opportunity for us not only to celebrate, but to discover lasting meaning that could carry us to new heights of understanding and rejuvenation. Lasting meaning can be found in many ways, but three ways in particular:  […]

The post How can we make the most of this holiday season? appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Subdivisions, restaurants and retail shops pop up around Lee’s Summit and Raymore amid rising property values as single-family homes spread across what was farmland just a few years ago. But residents say a proposed 430-acre landfill could threaten that growth. And they’ve rallied together to block it — raising money and deploying lobbyists to get […]

The post Suburbs braced to use the legislature to block a south Kansas City landfill appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Traffic deaths are lingering near historic highs in most states despite less driving overall, prompting policymakers to consider deploying more police or installing automated monitoring such as speed cameras to curb speeding and reckless driving. People are driving fewer miles than they were in 2019, but more are dying on roadways. Traffic deaths spiked 18% […]

The post Less driving but more deaths: Spike in traffic fatalities puzzles lawmakers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Promptly at 5 p.m., every day, rain or shine, blizzard or heat, a volunteer bugler wearing a period World War I U.S. Army uniform stands at attention near the flagpole at the National World War One Memorial not far from the White House in Washington D.C.  On a brilliant autumn day, I watched as a […]

The post Taps’ mournful tune sets the right tone for Veterans Day remembrance appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III announced Thursday he does not plan to run for reelection come 2024, giving Republicans an opportunity to pick up a seat and increasing their chances of flipping Senate control. A centrist who has long frustrated his party’s leadership and outside advocacy groups with his views on fossil […]

The post Democrats’ struggle to keep U.S. Senate majority complicated by Manchin decision  appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Sharday Hamilton, a 28-year-old advocate for foster youth, homeless youth and runaways, still bears her own scars from running. There’s one near her left knee. She got it as a little girl, running away from her foster mother, who was trying to hit her with a bag of frozen food but who sometimes used a […]

The post States lose track of thousands of foster children each year appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Even during his reign atop the Missouri political world, former House Speaker Rod Jetton’s life was a looming disaster. He’d lost the discipline of his Southern Baptist upbringing and his Marine training. He was drunk on Southern Comfort and power, and it is not hard to see how both inebriations impaired his judgment.   Over a […]

The post Why I think a scandal-plagued speaker is wise to hire a scandal-scarred former speaker appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The big news out of Tuesday’s elections was wins for Democrats and for reproductive rights in Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. But small “d” democracy also had a good night: Virginians elected pro-voting majorities in both chambers, stymieing efforts to pass restrictive new voting laws. Ohioans turned out in large numbers to pass two popular […]

The post State, local elections offer good news for democracy appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Ahead of Veterans Day, Biden administration officials said Friday the Department of Veterans Affairs will expand health care coverage for certain groups of veterans and their families and create new programs meant to make care more accessible. The VA will make coverage of certain toxic burn pit-related conditions available sooner than anticipated. Family members of […]

The post Veterans’ health care coverage expanded by Biden administration appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher scurried away from waiting reporters Thursday rather than answer questions about the events that have launched an ethics inquiry and caused some members of his party to ask for him to step down from his powerful post.  Plocher spent most of the afternoon in a closed-door Republican caucus meeting at […]

The post Missouri House GOP caucus sticks with Plocher as speaker – for now appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher’s new chief of staff is a former legislative leader whose political career was upended more than a decade ago by a federal bribery investigation and allegations of violent sexual assault.  On Thursday, Plocher announced to a closed-door Republican caucus that Rod Jetton will take over as his top legislative aide. […]

The post Rod Jetton’s political career ended in scandal. Now he’s Dean Plocher’s chief of staff appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Five Republican candidates for president tussled over support for Ukraine and abortion policy at a debate in Miami Wednesday evening, while the leading contender for the nomination, former President Donald Trump, sought Latino votes in an event across town. Trump, who consistently garners more than 50% in polls of Republican voters, once again declined to […]

The post GOP presidential candidates brawl in Florida debate, while Trump rallies nearby appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A federal lawsuit filed Monday alleges repeated sexual and physical abuse of children at The Lord’s Ranch, a residential treatment facility in Northeast Arkansas that closed in 2016. Lawyers for the plaintiffs — eight former residents who were reportedly abused as boys — said this is the first of several lawsuits they will file on […]

The post Lawsuit alleges years of child sex abuse at politically connected Arkansas treatment facility appeared first on Missouri Independent.

TWO HARBORS, Minn. — Perched high on rugged cliffs overlooking Lake Superior, Split Rock Lighthouse dominates the shoreline. Visitors from across the country make the 113-year-old beacon one of the most-photographed lighthouses in the country. The most spectacular view, many say, is from Pebble Beach, reachable only by a steep, winding forest trail that snakes […]

The post More states strive to make parks, trails accessible to people with disabilities appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Anti-abortion leaders woke up Wednesday to the sobering reality that abortion rights remain the nation’s predominant political issue. Decisive wins in swing and red states in two national election cycles since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year have given momentum to reproductive rights groups, who aggressively campaigned and fundraised in key states across the […]

The post Abortion-rights victories cement 2024 playbook while opponents scramble for new strategy appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers debated the freedom of speech of students on college campuses during a committee hearing Wednesday. The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee held the hearing amid a rise of antisemitism on college campuses following Hamas attacks on Israel. Many Jewish students and others showing support for Israel have been targets of violence since […]

The post Free speech on college campuses as tensions rise examined by U.S. House Judiciary appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri House Ethics Committee appears to be prepared to advance an investigation over House Speaker Dean Plocher’s personnel actions and expense reimbursement requests. The panel met behind closed doors for more than two hours on Wednesday. The discussion is confidential, but afterward Chair Hannah Kelly told assembled reporters that another hearing would be scheduled, […]

The post Missouri House ethics panel to hold further hearings in Plocher investigation appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments over whether the state’s move to block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid reimbursements was constitutional — the second time in three years the issue has reached the state’s highest court.  After the state legislature voted to block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid reimbursements last year, the organization […]

The post Missouri Supreme Court weighs state’s push to defund Planned Parenthood appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A small Missouri city’s attempt to “intimidate and silence” a critic violated both her First Amendment rights and the Missouri Sunshine Law, a judge ruled Tuesday. Edgar Springs, a town of 200 in southern Phelps County, must pay a nominal fine of $150 to Rebecca Varney for banning her from city hall for four years, […]

The post Phelps County judge rules Missouri city tried to ‘intimidate’ woman with ban on city hall visits appeared first on Missouri Independent.