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Applying for health insurance through Medicaid expansion took Raven Cole just 10 minutes. But the wait to see if she’s approved has dragged on for months. The 23-year-old legal assistant applied for coverage, “well over two to three months ago.” “And I haven’t heard anything back,” Cole said. Cole is one of 72,657 Missourians who […]

The post Medicaid enrollment backlog persists as advocates say Missouri could be doing more appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Despite being struck down twice as unconstitutional by the Missouri Supreme Court, legislation restricting who can vote is again being considered by state lawmakers. These laws would prohibit eligible voters from casting a ballot unless they present a government-issued ID with a photo of the voter. This is even though current forms of ID have […]

The post Democracy grows stronger when every eligible voter can vote | Opinion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

COLUMBIA — Two former Missouri senators believe it would be a good thing for democracy if everyone went out to lunch with someone who holds a different political view. “Take a Republican to lunch and don’t talk politics,” suggested John Danforth, a Republican. “Find someone who doesn’t agree with you, and treat that person as […]

The post ‘Not giving up on this democracy’: Danforth, McCaskill plea for civility in politics appeared first on Missouri Independent.

“People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball,” second baseman Rogers Hornsby once said. “I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” For a while, it was looking like the start of spring would come and go without any baseball on the horizon. But […]

The post MLB’s collective bargaining agreement fails to address players’ biggest grievances | Opinion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A panel of Missouri judges tasked with redrawing 34 state Senate districts released a tentative plan Monday, part of a once-in-a-decade process that reconfigures political boundaries following the U.S. Census. The new map, drawn by the Judicial Redistricting Commission after a citizen commission failed to reach consensus, will be formally submitted to the Secretary of […]

The post Judges release new boundaries for Missouri Senate districts appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need for federal assistance to develop high-speed internet connectivity in all parts of the country, members of a U.S. House subcommittee agreed this week as they reviewed provisions that are likely to be included in the next farm bill. “I represent a largely rural district in north-central, northeast Florida, and […]

The post Expanded rural broadband likely a focus of federal farm bill appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Most of the enormous surplus accumulating in Missouri’s general revenue fund will be off-limits to members of the House Budget Committee when it prepares a fiscal year 2023 spending plan for floor debate. Gov. Mike Parson’s $47.3 billion budget proposal projects a $1.6 billion general revenue surplus at the end of June 2023. But the […]

The post Record surplus, massive federal aid mark Missouri budget set for committee work appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats and immigration advocates are pushing the White House to end a controversial Trump-era immigration policy enacted during the pandemic that allowed U.S. officials to expel migrants and asylum seekers at the border. “I continue to be disappointed, deeply disappointed, in the administration’s response,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, […]

The post Pressure ramps up to halt Trump-era policy that expels migrants at the border appeared first on Missouri Independent.

We have lots of problems in regards to energy. Community solar should be part of the answer. One issue is energy infrastructure. Having a massive grid makes customers susceptible to outages from extreme weather and cyberattacks. A centralized grid where power is produced hundreds of miles away requires big, expensive transmission lines. Lawmakers in Missouri […]

The post Community solar offers grid relief, energy independence | Opinion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Vulnerable lawmakers from throughout the country are set to rake in federal cash for home-state projects after a major spending bill included the first round of earmarks in more than a decade. Members from both political parties began requesting thousands of projects last year when U.S. House and Senate leaders resurrected what’s called […]

The post Return of earmarks a boon for members of Congress facing midterm battles appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Six years ago, Sal Valadez’s mother decided she wanted to take a U.S. citizenship test after living in the country for more than 60 years. “I said, ‘Mom, you’re 80 years old. Your English isn’t fantastic. Why?’” said Valadez, co-chair of the language access committee with the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition. “And she goes, ‘Because […]

The post Hispanic leaders ask for Missouri governor’s support in fighting voter ID laws appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The owner of several large newspapers in the Midwest on Thursday rebuffed the latest attempt at a takeover by a hedge fund known for gutting the news outlets it buys. Lee Enterprises shareholders voted to re-elect three board of director nominees at its annual shareholder meeting. That fended off a campaign by Alden Global Capital that aimed […]

The post Shareholders for Post-Dispatch owner reject hedge fund’s effort to shake up its board appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story was originally co-published by KCUR and Kaiser Health News.  When Russell and Sharis Lewis want to unwind, they pack up their guns and drive from their home in a suburb north of St. Louis to an indoor range called the SharpShooter on the city’s south side. Russell dons big protective headphones, carefully lays […]

The post More Black Missourians are buying guns. Is it driving up Black suicide rates? appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats in Congress can agree on sleep, or more precisely, the inconvenience of losing or gaining an hour of it each year thanks to going on and off daylight saving time. “I believe that any justifications for springing forward and falling back are either outdated or are outweighed by the serious […]

The post Congress hates changing the clocks just like everyone else appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A bill meant to tie the hands of St. Louis-area officials who want to require building owners to install electric vehicle chargers cleared the Missouri House Thursday.  If passed, it would prohibit cities from passing building codes requiring businesses to install chargers unless the municipalities pay. “I’m all for electric cars. Bring them on. I […]

The post Bill targeting St. Louis-area EV charging mandates clears Missouri House appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit Thursday against Missouri’s Department of Social Services, alleging the agency unlawfully plans to restrict Medicaid payments to the provider. A March 4 notice sent to Planned Parenthood of St. Louis Region cites a supplemental budget bill lawmakers passed last month that bars abortion providers or their affiliates from being reimbursed […]

The post Planned Parenthood sues Missouri social services agency over restricted Medicaid funds appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A new study being conducted by Kansas State University researchers is looking at ways to reduce the risk of exposure to lead in soil in the hopes of finding affordable methods that could be replicated around the country. Ganga Hettiarachchi is a professor of soil and environmental chemistry and is leading the research with her […]

The post Kansas State to study cost-effective ways cities can reduce exposure to lead in soil appeared first on Missouri Independent.

If there were any doubts that the Missouri Senate was broken, they were put to rest on Wednesday. After yet another night of GOP infighting — this time over a bill pertaining to sexual assault survivors and an amendment banning “obscene material” in schools — Senators returned to the Capitol Wednesday to take turns blaming […]

The post ‘Begging for civility’: GOP infighting in Missouri Senate boils over yet again appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A pair of education bills supported by school-choice advocates narrowly passed out of the Missouri House Wednesday, overcoming a diminished GOP majority that had threatened to doom their chances earlier in the legislative session.  The bills, which deal with charter school funding and establishing an open enrollment system, both earned 85 votes in support — […]

The post Missouri House narrowly sends open enrollment, charter funding bills to the Senate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Regulators ordered an industrial hog farm in northern Missouri to pay more than $18,000 for spilling 300,000 gallons of manure into miles of nearby streams.  An advocate for environmentally responsible agriculture called that “pathetic,” noting the fine amounted to less than $0.04 per gallon of waste spilled.  “You’re talking about a multi-billion dollar, multinational company […]

The post Missouri fines CAFO $18,000 for polluting streams with 300,000 gallons of waste appeared first on Missouri Independent.