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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, […]

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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.

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators at a Tuesday hearing pushed for bipartisan legislation to protect children online. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law heard testimony from whistleblower Arturo Bejar, who served as Facebook’s director of engineering for protect and care from 2009 to 2015. Committee members discussed paths forward for holding […]

The post U.S. Senate panel debates how to protect children on social media platforms appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court justices during Tuesday’s oral arguments seemed to lean toward upholding a federal law that prevents the possession of firearms by a person who is subject to a domestic violence protective order. Liberal and conservative justices appeared to side with the Biden administration’s position that the 1994 federal law is in […]

The post U.S. Supreme Court considers case dealing with gun rights and domestic violence appeared first on Missouri Independent.

More than 52,000 Missouri children have been kicked off of Medicaid in the first four months of renewed eligibility checks, though the state isn’t sure how many of those kids have managed to re-enroll. At Tuesday’s quarterly meeting of the board that oversees Missouri’s Medicaid program, the MO HealthNet oversight committee, concerns about the number […]

The post More than 52,000 kids were kicked off Missouri Medicaid from June to September appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Democrat running for the same statewide office as Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher will not participate in a House Ethics Committee inquiry into the speaker. House Assistant Minority Leader Richard Brown of Kansas City, who is running for lieutenant governor, was replaced Tuesday on the committee by Rep. David Tyson Smith of Columbia. In […]

The post Democrat leaves ethics inquiry into Dean Plocher to avoid conflict of interest appeared first on Missouri Independent.

For residents in some Pennsylvania communities, flushing the toilet has suddenly gotten much more expensive. In many townships and counties, rates have spiked as private water companies have bought up wastewater systems from local governments. The new push to privatize sewer services follows the passage of a state law in 2016 that allows the dollar […]

The post Sewer rates soar as private companies buy up local water systems appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missourians spend billions every year in pursuit of instant riches. They buy lottery tickets, play casino games and dab bingo cards.  And increasingly in recent years, they play games of questionable legality in convenience stores, truck stops and small gaming parlors. Everyone involved in the industry thinks people would spend more, if given the chance. […]

The post Players in Missouri gambling debate chase stakes worth billions appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Branson-area Christian summer camp accused of covering up years of sexual abuse of its students is suing its insurance company, claiming it threatened to deny coverage if information about abuse was made public. Kanakuk Kamps filed a cross claim last month against ACE American Insurance Co. as part of a 2022 lawsuit filed by […]

The post Missouri-based camp blames its insurance company for withholding info about sexual abuse appeared first on Missouri Independent.

MARION — Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody enlisted the support of local and state law enforcement officials in the days before he led raids on the local newspaper office, the publisher’s home and the home of a city councilwoman. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Kansas Department of Revenue, Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the […]

The post Kansas officials downplayed involvement in Marion newspaper raid. Here’s what they knew appeared first on Missouri Independent.

As older adults begin to outnumber young people in the United States in the coming decade, advocacy groups are challenging states to shift away from single-family zoning in favor of housing solutions that allow older adults to “age in place.” By 2035, the U.S. will have more people over the age of 65 than under […]

The post Older adults want to ‘age in place,’ but their options are limited in most states appeared first on Missouri Independent.

U.S. House Republicans are continuing to use government spending bills to engage in culture war battles, with legislation debated during the past week that would ban pride flags on some federal buildings, strip funding from a new museum for Latino history and target certain LGBTQ and racial equity policies and programs. The hot-button provisions in […]

The post U.S. House GOP in spending bills takes aim at federal LGBTQ, racial equity policies appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Whether Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher can survive the storm of scandals that has engulfed him over the last month could start to come into better focus after two meetings this week.  The first is on Wednesday, when Plocher will for the second time be the subject of a hearing of the Missouri House Ethics […]

The post Ethics hearing, GOP caucus could determine fate of embattled Missouri House speaker appeared first on Missouri Independent.