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St. Louis Judge David Mason is still reviewing Lamar Johnson’s wrongful conviction case and working toward a decision on whether or not to set aside his 1995 murder conviction, a court spokesman told The Independent Wednesday. “There’s no date set yet to issue his ruling, but he is planning to set a hearing to provide […]

The post St. Louis judge in Lamar Johnson innocence case still reviewing evidence appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Political prognosticators fill thousands of column inches and hours of airtime making predictions, and love to say “I told you so” when they’re right.  It would be helpful if more pundits stepped up to confess – and reckon with – their misfires.  In that vein, here are five of my mistaken predictions from the 2022 […]

The post Five things I got wrong in 2022 — and what (if anything) my mistakes mean for 2024 appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The $1.7 trillion federal spending bill President Joe Biden signed last week ushers in expanded protections for workers who are pregnant or nursing. Proponents of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act — both included as amendments to the spending bill — say the measures clarify rights for these workers, who weren’t […]

The post Here’s what you need to know about new workplace protections for pregnant, nursing workers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In the final weeks of 2022, the Democrat-led U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, attack on the Capitol disclosed thousands of pages of transcripts of interviews the panel’s members and staff conducted with key witnesses. The transcripts were central to a committee report released in December that held Donald Trump responsible for the 2021 […]

The post Trump fixation on Wisconsin, Ginni Thomas text regrets and more from the Jan. 6 panel appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans’ stalemate over who should lead the chamber for the next two years dragged on Wednesday, with Kevin McCarthy failing to get the votes needed to become speaker on three more ballots.  The chamber then adjourned until 8 p.m. Eastern to give the House GOP a chance to meet privately, though House […]

The post U.S. House paralyzed following second day of GOP failure to elect a speaker appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri’s top lawmaker opened the 2023 legislative session Wednesday by proclaiming that the state’s massive budget surplus should translate into more tax cuts.  House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, noted that Missouri lawmakers approved a nearly $800 million tax cut in September. But with a projected state budget surplus of $6 billion, Plocher believes “there […]

The post New Missouri House speaker says massive budget surplus should mean more tax cuts appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri’s social services department will resume conducting Medicaid eligibility renewals on April 1 — allowing the state to once again remove people from its rolls after a three-year pause during the COVID-19 state of emergency. Since March 2020, states have been barred from removing enrollees from Medicaid during the federally-declared public health emergency in exchange […]

The post Some Missourians could lose Medicaid coverage as eligibility renewals restart April 1 appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Before the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 27, GeoComply defeated 82,000 attempts by Missourians to access sports gambling sites. Missouri hasn’t legalized sports wagering, and a gambler must be in a state that has, like Kansas or Illinois, to make a legal bet.  The blocked bets before the Chiefs’ game […]

The post Missouri lawmakers reconvene focused on sports betting, teacher pay, initiative petitions appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Republican control of the U.S. House got off to a rocky start Tuesday when the party was unable to decide who should become speaker amid a sharp disagreement within the party’s more conservative faction. California Rep. Kevin McCarthy didn’t clinch the backing of the 218 lawmakers he needed to become the head of the […]

The post U.S. House adjourns as conservatives block Kevin McCarthy bid to be speaker appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri Attorney General’s office will operate in “unyielding pursuit of victory,” Andrew Bailey said Tuesday as he was being sworn into office.  Bailey, in a short speech before a crowd of about 150 gathered at the Missouri Supreme Court building, said he’s grateful to Gov. Mike Parson for appointing him. Speaking to reporters afterwards, […]

The post Andrew Bailey officially takes over as Missouri’s new attorney general appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The deadly winter storm, christened Elliott by the Weather Channel, that tore through much of the United States over the Christmas weekend placed a huge strain on the American electric grid, pushing it past the breaking point in some places. Frigid temperatures, in some places setting records, drove a surge in electric demand while also causing […]

The post As another winter storm strains the electric grid, it’s time to fix transmission, experts say appeared first on Missouri Independent.

MONROE CITY — As beautiful as a tallgrass prairie in bloom is, establishing one is equally unglamorous.  First invasive species, like autumn olive or bradford pear trees, have to be ripped out and burned off. And even after prairie grass seeds are thrown, it won’t be pretty at first.  “And next year, you look out […]

The post ‘Everybody can do their part’: Naturalists working to reestablish prairies in Missouri appeared first on Missouri Independent.

With the passing of Amendment 3 in November, parents in Missouri now have a new conversation to navigate: Adult cannabis (marijuana) use. As someone who works in alcohol and drug education, I’ve seen firsthand the impacts of substance use disorder in our communities, particularly on young people. Talking about drugs and alcohol with your kids […]

The post Recreational cannabis is now legal in Missouri. Here’s how to talk to your kids about it appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Whew… what a year. If you closely follow ag doings, you know there’s plenty to talk about. If not, well let me get you caught up. First, three stories that fall just a wee bit short of the most impactful agricultural story of 2022. The question of what waters the Environmental Protection Agency can regulate […]

The post The most impactful agricultural story of 2022 appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The fall of 2023 will be the 50th anniversary of the legislative birth of Missouri’s Sunshine Law that provides the public with sweeping rights to documents, voting records and meetings of state and local governments. The Sunshine Law’s foundation has a long history. The 1972 Watergate scandal of President Richard Nixon contributed to election of […]

The post Capitol Perspectives: The 50th anniversary of Missouri’s Sunshine Law appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Most Missourians have never heard of Alan Pratzel or the system he led for 15 years. To lawyers in Missouri, however, Pratzel was often considered the profession’s top cop.  But that’s not how he looked at his role of chief disciplinary counsel, a job focused on making sure the state’s lawyers abided by legal ethics […]

The post Alan Pratzel urged education and diversion as Missouri’s chief disciplinary counsel appeared first on Missouri Independent.

When he read the news back in September that Missouri had moved to shut down Agape Boarding School, Allen Knoll felt a sense of vindication.  ”For me personally,” he said, “but also for current victims.”  It was over a year and a half after Knoll had traveled to Missouri from Washington state to testify in […]

The post ‘Emotional roller coaster’: Delays in effort to shut down Agape dishearten former students appeared first on Missouri Independent.

There have been more bills prefiled for Missouri’s 2023 legislative session regarding transgender athletes than there are transgender athletes currently competing according to their identity in public schools. Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate have combined to file 10 bills seeking to restrict the ability of transgender minors to play in youth sports. […]

The post Missouri GOP renews push to limit transgender athlete participation in school sports appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In the midst of holiday festivities with family and friends — and the anticipation of a new year — it is unlikely we are able to totally escape the sense of unease about our personal situations, or feelings that our nation and the world seem unmoored. While the holiday season offers a brief respite from […]

The post During the holiday season, make time to assess, adjust and commit appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Jan. 6 committee late Thursday published its findings in a nearly 850-page report that accused former President Donald Trump of inciting an insurrection and recommended Congress consider how to determine whether those found to be insurrectionists should be barred from holding office ever again. The report caps 18 months of work for […]

The post U.S. House Jan. 6 panel report finds Trump incited insurrection, demands accountability appeared first on Missouri Independent.