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Lesser-known candidates struggle for spotlight in Missouri Senate primaries

2 years 5 months ago

You know Eric and Eric and David and Billy, Mark and Lucas and Trudy and Vicky. But do you recall the rest of the field at all? If not, it might be surprising to find out that Missouriā€™s Senate race this year drew 34 entrants. Only four will make it to the general election, including […]

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Rudi Keller

If competition would kill Amazon Prime, maybe itā€™s not that great | Opinion

2 years 5 months ago

Amazon and its lobbyists are claiming that passing Sen. Amy Klobucharā€™s Big Tech bill would lead to the end of Prime, or at the very least, significantly impair the service. This is such an absurd, desperate lie. What the bill actually does is force Amazon to compete in ways that will benefit consumers and small […]

The post If competition would kill Amazon Prime, maybe itā€™s not that great | Opinion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Stacy Mitchell

5 things we learned about Jan. 6 and Trump from the first hearing

2 years 5 months ago

The opening U.S. House hearing in a series on the Jan. 6 attack included some eye-opening new details about the events of the day and the broader plot to halt the peaceful transfer of presidential power. The nine-member investigative committee put former President Donald Trump atĀ the center of the plot, while accusing leaders of two […]

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Jacob Fischler

As Juneteenth nears, St. Louis organizations call for reparations

2 years 5 months ago

Residents living in some majority Black neighborhoods in St. Louis have a 18-year lower life expectancy than residents of majority white neighborhoods less than 10 miles away, a regional health studyĀ found. For over a century, Black St. Louis residents have experienced housing policies and development strategies that have trapped generations in segregated and disinvested neighborhoods, […]

The post As Juneteenth nears, St. Louis organizations call for reparations appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Rebecca Rivas

Kansas City moves ahead with study of massive solar farm at KCI airport

2 years 5 months ago

Thousands of undeveloped acres near Kansas City International Airport could one day house one of the nationā€™s largest airport solar farms, capable of powering as much as one-third of Kansas Cityā€™s homes. Kansas City has completed a feasibility study that outlines steps and challenges to bring a utility-scale solar farm to KCI. In the coming […]

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Allison Kite

Jan. 6 panel says Trump, far-right groups responsible for insurrection

2 years 5 months ago

A widely anticipated hearing Thursday by the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol alleged two groups supporting then-President Donald Trump planned the riot to stop the transfer of presidential power ā€” while Trump tacitly endorsed the insurrection and was indifferent to calls to hang then-Vice President Mike Pence. […]

The post Jan. 6 panel says Trump, far-right groups responsible for insurrection appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Jacob Fischler

U.S. House passes ā€˜red flagā€™ gun control bill with only five Republicans in support

2 years 5 months ago

WASHINGTON ā€” The U.S. House on Thursday passed a ā€œred flagā€ gun control bill that would allow federal courts to temporarily remove a firearm from an individual who is adjudged to pose a threat to themselves or others. In a 224-202 nearly party lineĀ vote, the House passed Georgia Democratic Rep. Lucy McBathā€™s bill, known asĀ the […]

The post U.S. House passes ā€˜red flagā€™ gun control bill with only five Republicans in support appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Ariana Figueroa

Missouri poised to remove unenforceable discriminatory housing restrictions in deeds

2 years 5 months ago

Realtor Shari Asherā€™s clients were in the process of listing their home in Monett in 2019 when they saw something in the deed that rattled them. ā€œWhen I sat down at their dinner table, I could tell they were both very embarrassed,ā€ Asher said. ā€œThe wife slid a stack of papers across the table to […]

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Rebecca Rivas

Bipartisan U.S. Senate bill aiding veterans exposed to burn pits edges toward passage

2 years 5 months ago

WASHINGTON ā€” The U.S. Senate is set to approve a sweeping bill in the coming days that would expand health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits overseas ā€” though a few final details linger. Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill were negotiating behind the scenes Wednesday to determine how many amendments will […]

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Jennifer Shutt

Missouri governor to sign compromise legislation after efforts to stymie Grain Belt Express

2 years 5 months ago

Gov. Mike Parson plans to sign legislation requiring electrical transmission line developers to pay farmers more for easements on their land, his office announced Wednesday. Parson will be in Sedalia Saturday for a Missouri Cattlemenā€™s Association steak fry and plans to sign the legislation, requiring that landowners be paid 150% of fair market value for […]

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Allison Kite

Fourth grade survivor of Uvalde shooting tells Congress: ā€˜I donā€™t want it to happen againā€™

2 years 5 months ago

Content Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions related to gun violence.Ā  WASHINGTON ā€” A fourth grader who survived the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting where 19 students and two teachers were murdered told lawmakers Wednesday that she is afraid to go back to school. ā€œI donā€™t want it to happen again,ā€ 11-year-old Miah Cerrillo said in […]

The post Fourth grade survivor of Uvalde shooting tells Congress: ā€˜I donā€™t want it to happen againā€™ appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Ariana Figueroa

Missouri attorney general subpoenas school districts over student surveys

2 years 5 months ago

Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced Wednesday that heā€™s issued subpoenas to seven school districts across the state as part of his ongoing investigation into school districtsā€™ curriculum and practices. Schmitt, who is running in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate, said in a news release that the subpoenas target student surveys that his office characterized […]

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Tessa Weinberg

What to know about Thursdayā€™s public hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol

2 years 5 months ago

The U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol will launch the first in a series of public hearings Thursday night in the hopes of drawing a major prime-time national television audience. The Democratic-led committee, which includes two Republicans who defied their party leadership to join, has been tight-lipped about […]

The post What to know about Thursdayā€™s public hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Jacob Fischler

Eric Greitensā€™ ex-wife seeks records from governorā€™s office detailing ā€˜abusiveā€™ behavior

2 years 5 months ago

Sheena Greitens’ attorney thinks the governor’s office may have proof to bolster claims that her client’s ex-husband, Eric Greitens, was prone to violence.Ā  As part of the couple’s child custody battle in Boone County court, attorney Helen Wade filed a records request with the governor’s office asking for documents regarding Eric Greitens losing access to […]

The post Eric Greitensā€™ ex-wife seeks records from governorā€™s office detailing ‘abusive’ behavior appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Rudi Keller

Growing up with school shootings hardened my generation in ways you donā€™t understand | Opinion

2 years 5 months ago

When the voices of 70 elementary school students flooded the speakers of Busch Stadium in St. Louis last week, I was haunted by the ghosts of my own childhood fears. Four days earlier, 19 children about the same age were murdered in their own classroom, along with two teachers, at Robb Elementary School in Texas.Ā  […]

The post Growing up with school shootings hardened my generation in ways you don’t understand | Opinion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Sam Bailey

ā€˜My momā€™s life matteredā€™: Son of Black shooting victim urges Congress to act

2 years 5 months ago

WASHINGTON ā€” The son of a Black woman shot and killed by a white supremacist begged members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to take action against such domestic terrorism. The gunman in Buffalo, New York, wasĀ motivated by the ā€œgreat replacement theory,ā€Ā a racist conspiracy theory that claims growing numbers of immigrants and people […]

The post ā€˜My momā€™s life matteredā€™: Son of Black shooting victim urges Congress to act appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Ariana Figueroa

Appeals court finds Greitensā€™ use of self-destructing text message app wasnā€™t illegal

2 years 5 months ago

Though the use of self-destructing text-messaging apps has the practical effect of ā€œside-stepping the reach of Missouriā€™s Sunshine Law,ā€ their use by former Gov. Eric Greitens and his staff was not illegal, a panel of appeals court judges ruled Tuesday. While Greitens was still serving as governor, he and his staff used a text-messaging app […]

The post Appeals court finds Greitensā€™ use of self-destructing text message app wasnā€™t illegal appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Jason Hancock

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson backing Kalena Bruce in crowded 4th District GOP primary

2 years 5 months ago

SEDALIA ā€“ Gov. Mike Parson waded into the crowded 4th Congressional District Republican primary Monday, citing long-time family friendship and past political support for backing Kalena Bruce. Bruce, an accountant and cattle farmer from Stockton, is making her first bid for public office, and the help from Parson will boost her profile in the seven-candidate […]

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Rudi Keller

The elephant in the room is destroying family farms, rural communities and our democracy | Opinion

2 years 5 months ago

I love farming and have been doing it all my life, but I told my kids not to come back to the farm, because thereā€™s no future in it. Thatā€™s the sad truth. Over the last year on Capitol Hill, there have been multiple hearings and bills and even an executive order to address what […]

The post The elephant in the room is destroying family farms, rural communities and our democracy | Opinion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Darvin Bentlage

How Missouri helps abortion opponents divert state taxes to crisis pregnancy centers

2 years 5 months ago

This story was originally published by ProPublica. In the final days of Missouriā€™s legislative session in May 2019, lawmakers turned their focus to a bill that would outlaw abortion in the state if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade. The abortion ban passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Mike […]

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Jeremy Kohler