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More than 13,000 farmers have benefited from nearly $800 million in federal debt relief, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Tuesday. The assistance came from a new federal initiative to erase farmers’ loan delinquencies to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and private lenders or to resolve their remaining debts after foreclosure. Going forward, the […]

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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday promised that if Democrats keep control of the U.S. House and gain a few more Democratic seats in the Senate, then “the first bill that I will send to Congress will be to codify Roe v. Wade.” He also told supporters at a Democratic National Committee event that […]

The post Biden vows codifying Roe v. Wade will top his agenda if Democrats expand control appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A state commission Tuesday laid out its recommendations to improve teacher recruitment and retention in Missouri, including a push to raise starting salaries that currently rank among the lowest in the nation.

The post Commission recommends salary increases to address Missouri teacher shortage appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News.  Starting Monday, consumers will be able to buy hearing aids directly off store shelves and at dramatically lower prices as a 2017 federal law finally takes effect. Where for decades it cost thousands of dollars to get a device that could be purchased only with a […]

The post Hearing aids available without a prescription, as 2017 law takes effect appeared first on Missouri Independent.

I did not grow up in a serious hunting family, but I married into one. Early on, I learned that for hardcore hunters, the time between October and December is sacrosanct. And for true devotees, the rituals of the season start much earlier: getting licenses in order, target practice, and shopping for gear – all […]

The post It’s camo season in the Midwest appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon.  Kansas City Public Schools is proposing a far-reaching reorganization that would close 10 schools, build or expand others and — leaders say — free up funds for academic goals. But the district knows that the plan could tank without community support. Disgruntled families could leave. […]

The post Proposal to close 10 schools in Kansas City, improve academics hinges on community support appeared first on Missouri Independent.

PORTLAND, Ore. — President Joe Biden promoted Democrats’ efforts to bring down health care costs over the weekend in a visit to a normally Democratic state three weeks before midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for the next two years. Speaking on the first day of Medicare open enrollment, Biden touted a $750 […]

The post Biden pitches to the middle class as Democrats fight for support in advance of midterms appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story originally appeared in Investigate Midwest.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will ban the sale of flea and tick collars containing a chemical linked to neurological damage in children, the agency announced last week. The collars, which contain the chemical tetrachlorvinphos, make up more than half of flea and tick collars sold in the U.S., according […]

The post EPA to ban flea and tick collars linked to brain damage in children appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Almost all of Kansas and nearly half of Missouri are in severe enough drought to activate a federal program meant to help ranchers who have lost grazing acres for their herds, triggering millions of dollars in assistance. Eighty-five of Kansas’ 105 counties have been eligible for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s livestock forage program, which […]

The post Severe drought triggers assistance in nearly all of Kansas, half of Missouri appeared first on Missouri Independent.

For some families, the delayed benefits were a missed opportunity for much-needed relief during the summer, and have been a source of concern and confusion.

The post Missouri families still waiting for summer food benefits for low-income children appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In today’s environment, one could argue that social media has become a primary source of information just as much as the traditional press — regardless of whether the content is reliable or not. The press, free from government control and oversight, has long been referred to as the fourth estate because of its watchdog role […]

The post The destructive power of the ‘fifth estate’ appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story originally appeared in Investigate Midwest.  Two of America’s largest meat companies — JBS and Tyson Foods — have invested in a smartwatch application that allows managers to monitor workers’ movements. The startup behind the application, Mentore, claims to improve worker productivity while reducing injuries. The repetitive, fast and taxing work of cutting and packing protein […]

The post JBS, Tyson Foods invest in smartwatch app that monitors workers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Reparations is often something people hear about in an international setting — such as ongoing reparations that are paid to Holocaust survivors or reparations South Africa paid to apartheid victims. This weekend, elected officials — including St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones and Congresswoman Cori Bush — will gather for a “Reparations Block Party and Teach-in” […]

The post St. Louis advocates optimistic the city’s reparations effort will advance appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Each year, the Missouri General Assembly appropriates billions of dollars in public school funding using a formula built in 2005. Given the age of the current funding formula and the level of investment made by the state, are we ready to trade it in for a newer model or is it just time for a […]

The post Missouri’s public education funding formula is due for a tune up appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol voted unanimously Thursday to subpoena Donald Trump, saying the former president must be held accountable as the “central cause” of a violent attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The panel’s seven Democrats and two Republicans voted  to authorize a subpoena […]

The post Trump to be subpoenaed by Jan. 6 panel as the ‘central cause’ of Capitol insurrection appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Wednesday night announced new guidelines for Venezuelan migrants, under which some will have a pathway to temporary residence in the United States and others who crossed the border without authorization will be sent back to Mexico. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced an agreement between Mexico and the […]

The post New plan for Venezuelan migrants will accept some into the U.S., send others to Mexico appeared first on Missouri Independent.

With less than a month to go before voters head to the polls, the campaign to legalize recreational marijuana is getting a financial boost from the medical marijuana industry.  Legal Missouri 2022 — the political action committee supporting a marijuana proposal that will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot as Amendment 3 — has raised […]

The post Medical marijuana companies pour money into legalization PAC in campaign’s homestretch appeared first on Missouri Independent.

American watchers of the U.S. Supreme Court keep looking for the one phrase that strikes terror into the hearts of those who want courts to make law rather than leave it to the legislatures. That phrase is: “We should reconsider our jurisprudence in this area.” It’s a siren call to judicial review, where five members […]

The post An absence of malice: Free speech precedent could be up for grabs in shifting media landscape appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The U.S. House committee investigating a pro-Trump mob’s attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is back. It will hold its first hearing in nearly three months Thursday—and potentially its last. In a break from most of the panel’s previous eight hearings in June and July, Thursday’s meeting will not drill down into one […]

The post Four things to watch for at the upcoming Jan. 6 hearing appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Whether student debtors will get the loan relief promised by President Joe Biden is now in the hands of a Missouri federal judge. For nearly two hours Wednesday, attorneys for the six states challenging the plan to forgive almost $500 billion in student debt argued with Department of Justice lawyers over which laws should govern […]

The post Missouri judge hears lawsuit challenging Biden student debt relief plan appeared first on Missouri Independent.