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States are seeing an alarming surge in cases of congenital syphilis, a preventable infection that can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, newborn death — or lifelong complications such as blindness or deafness. Congenital syphilis, which occurs when a pregnant mother infected with the sexually transmitted infection syphilis passes it on to her fetus, disproportionately affects Black and […]

The post Congenital syphilis rates are soaring, but resources to stem infections are lacking appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Earlier this year, Oregon Democrats pushed through state legislation that allows local governments to require setbacks between neighbors and factory farming operations. The law prohibits farms from drawing unlimited amounts of free groundwater and requires farmers to apply for a permit before applying manure to their fields. It’s the kind of state regulation at risk […]

The post Congress takes aim at state animal welfare laws appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The federally-funded organization responsible for protecting the rights of people with disabilities in Missouri believes a proposed change in how the state pays for at-home care could violate the law.  Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services, which was established in 1977, said in a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that it is […]

The post Advocacy group tells feds Missouri’s proposed disability changes could violate law appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Complaints about student debt relief scams are increasing as the date approaches for borrowers to restart payment on their student loans after more than a three-year pause. Consumer protection advocates say that the Biden administration’s student debt relief efforts, the subsequent halting of those policies by the courts, and the restart of student loan payments […]

The post Student debt relief scams on the rise. Here’s what borrowers need to know appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The next legal wrestling match over what Missouri voters would see if an abortion-rights initiative petition makes next year’s ballot is scheduled for Oct. 30 before judges of Western District Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel will hear oral arguments that day on Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s appeal of Cole County Circuit Judge Jon […]

The post Appeals court sets hearing date on Missouri abortion rights initiative ballot title appeared first on Missouri Independent.

St. Louis’ largest health system, BJC HealthCare, plans to merge with Kansas City’s second-largest, Saint Luke’s Health System, uniting more than 28 hospitals on both sides of Missouri by the end of this year. The merger, which would span markets 250 miles apart and include facilities in neighboring Kansas and Illinois, is just one of […]

The post Who polices hospitals merging across markets? States give different answers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators said during a Wednesday hearing that foreign ownership of farmland is a national security threat that should be further examined. The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry discussed foreign ownership of the nation’s agricultural lands, with testimony from experts and Senate colleagues who have been taking the lead on […]

The post Foreign ownership of farmland probed at U.S. Senate hearing appeared first on Missouri Independent.

KANSAS CITY, Kansas — A sea of red surrounded the local United Auto Workers union Wednesday afternoon. The UAW Local 31 hosted a “red shirt rally” and food drive in support of local auto workers who have been laid off because of the national strike against major car makers. Hundreds of supporters came out to […]

The post ‘This is what democracy looks like’: Kansas City rally supports laid off union autoworkers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Artificial intelligence could be used to disrupt U.S. election campaigns, members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration said during a Wednesday hearing. But the hearing showed that imposing laws and regulations on campaign content without violating constitutional rights to political speech will be difficult. Elections pose a particular challenge for AI, an […]

The post U.S. Senate panel weighs free speech and deep fakes in AI campaign ads appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A state law raising the minimum funding Kansas City must provide its police department doesn’t impose any cost on the city or violate the state constitution, the Missouri attorney general’s office argued Wednesday. Deputy Solicitor General Jeff Johnson, representing the state auditor and secretary of state, told the Missouri Supreme Court Wednesday that legislation forcing […]

The post KC mayor argues police funding mandate should be tossed by Missouri Supreme Court appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments over the constitutionality of a wide-ranging law passed by the legislature last year banning sleeping on public land. Missouri lawmakers made sleeping on state-owned land a Class C misdemeanor, along with a slew of other provisions such as restricting state funding for permanent supportive housing in favor […]

The post Missouri Supreme Court weighs constitutionality of law banning sleeping on public land appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A law requiring cities to cover costs of damages when individual officers are found liable in police misconduct cases should be thrown out because it illegally imposes new duties and expenses on local governments, lawyers for St. Louis argued to the Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday. In defense of the law, Assistant Attorney General Jason […]

The post St. Louis asks Missouri Supreme Court to overturn police ‘bill of rights’ law appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Recalls on cannabis products have become common in other states where marijuana is legal.  But when Missouri regulators issued their first recall last month, veterans of the industry were surprised. While recalls most commonly involve a company cooperating with regulators to understand the issue — was there bacteria in the product, or perhaps a wrong […]

The post Opposing sides of Missouri marijuana recall to face off in administrative hearing appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — As the deadline for Congress to pass a new farm bill looms this weekend, staff members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees say it will be months – if not longer – until they reach agreement on a new bill. Lawmakers must rewrite the sweeping farm bill every five years to set […]

The post The farm bill is on the verge of expiring. Congress is months away from a new version appeared first on Missouri Independent.

National parks and nearby communities could forego millions of dollars per day during a partial government shutdown that could start this weekend. Would-be visitors will likely see restrictions on park access, though the extent of those restrictions was still unclear just days before a potential lapse in federal appropriations set to begin Sunday. Parks would […]

The post How a looming government shutdown could hit national parks appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — More than a dozen U.S. Senate Democrats are calling on New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez to resign following his indictment on corruption charges for the second time. Among the 18 senators on the record as of early Tuesday afternoon was New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, who said in a statement that Menendez’s […]

The post Menendez urged to step down by a growing number of U.S. Senate Democrats appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Ameren Missouri announced plans Tuesday to burn more natural gas in the coming years, though it claims the decision doesn’t undermine pledges to reduce its carbon emissions.  The St. Louis-based utility, which serves more than 1.2 million Missouri customers, says it is still planning to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2045.  Ameren announced its plans […]

The post Ameren Missouri plans new natural gas plants along with clean energy additions appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Another 12,833 children were removed from the state’s Medicaid program in August  — more than three-quarters of whom were terminated because of paperwork issues rather than being determined ineligible. August was the third month of the state reassessing the eligibility of every Medicaid participant, after a three year COVID-era pause on the practice. The process […]

The post Nearly half of all Missouri Medicaid terminations in last three months have been children appeared first on Missouri Independent.

SEARCY, Ark. — In the decarbonized future envisioned by many states, utilities and the federal government, expect more power plants like Entergy Arkansas’ facility here, where thousands of gleaming panels and banks of batteries spread across 800 acres about 50 miles northeast of Little Rock. The Searcy Solar Energy Center, a 100-megawatt solar and storage […]

The post Battery storage seen as ‘backbone’ of reliable electric grid but adoption uneven across U.S. appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Harry Castilow said his family did “all the things you’re supposed to do” when his teenage son Jay came out as transgender. Jay began his social transition in 2021 when he was 15, choosing his name and living as a teenage boy. He went to therapy throughout that first year and got appointments with a […]

The post As Missouri providers halt transgender care for minors, some feel duped by legislative deal appeared first on Missouri Independent.