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With U.S. democracy plagued by extremism, polarization and a growing disconnect between voters and lawmakers, a set of reforms that could dramatically upend how Americans vote is gaining momentum at surprising speed in Western states. Ranked choice voting, which asks voters to rank multiple candidates in order of preference, has seen its profile steadily expand […]

The post How a new way to vote is gaining traction in states — and could transform US politics appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri lawmakers return next week to Jefferson City for their annual session with a new fight brewing between House and Senate Republicans that may have hastened a change in duties for long-time House GOP political strategist Jonathan Ratliff. Ratliff, who leveraged his success building a legislative supermajority into a political consulting firm with a variety […]

The post Missouri House GOP changes campaign leader amid row with Senate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The great philosophers in history have often asked, what is a community without a proper education? In St. Louis, our public schools have always provided a quality education through professionally trained teachers, a caring staff and adequate support resources. For more than a few years, the St. Louis Public School District has faced a host […]

The post Public dollars should be focused on funding Missouri’s public schools appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Republican state senator has filed legislation to renew last spring’s failed effort to regulate intoxicating hemp products in Missouri, such as Delta-8 drinks and edibles. Delta-8 THC products can be sold in stores in Missouri because the intoxicating ingredient, THC, is derived from hemp, not marijuana which is a controlled substance. And hemp is […]

The post Missouri lawmakers renew push to regulate ‘delta-8 THC’ hemp products appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A bill to allow home-educated students to participate in Missouri public school activities is back for the upcoming legislative session — and has been coupled with provisions rolling back state oversight of homeschooling families. Sen. Ben Brown, a Washington Republican, pre-filed a 52-page bill that largely resembles the version he sponsored that cleared the Senate […]

The post Bill would open Missouri public school sports to homeschool students appeared first on Missouri Independent.

After the holiday celebrations and respite, hopefully we will be ready to face the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities the new year will bring. It often boils down to our perspective. Given any challenging situation, do we perceive the glass as half empty or half full? Do we believe in the power of […]

The post The new year offers us a time to recharge and get ready for what’s ahead appeared first on Missouri Independent.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Taya Sullivan, 20, is a freshman at West Virginia University, double majoring in neuroscience and Spanish. She also has a campus job in a linguistics lab, building on her majors and earning money she needs to continue her studies. Next semester, both her Spanish major and her job will be gone. Sullivan […]

The post Flagship public universities likely to cut more humanities, staff — especially in rural states appeared first on Missouri Independent.

HOUSTON — When a lightning storm knocked out power in Doris Brown’s Northeast Houston neighborhood this summer, her solar-powered home suddenly became a refuge for frantic neighbors left without electricity. The impromptu guests were able to charge their cellphones, power up their CPAP and portable oxygen machines, and take hot showers. A party vibe prevailed […]

The post Solar energy and its cheaper bills are coming to more disadvantaged communities appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Christmas is a special time of year, but it can be difficult for political professionals. While normal people are out shopping to find that perfect gift for their very special someone or touring wondrous Christmas light displays with their children, political pros are often privately occupied with more profane thoughts. “If I can just get […]

The post A Christmas gift guide: What do you get for the Missouri politico who has it all?  appeared first on Missouri Independent.

SPRINGFIELD — Angela Crawford was desperately trying to get pregnant when her niece was born.  The first time she held the infant, a cascade of tears fell. She quickly handed the baby back to her mother, fled to the bathroom and became catatonic. Loved ones tried to console her with well-meaning platitudes, but it was […]

The post ‘Not alone’: Missourians experiencing infertility say insurance is a major hurdle to care appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Eight months after states started dropping millions of low-income families from Medicaid rolls, grassroots groups say they are leading the push to re-enroll people denied coverage for bureaucratic reasons. Nationwide, more than 12.5 million people have lost coverage since April. That’s when the federal pandemic provision that had required states not to drop anyone from the rolls expired and states […]

The post Grassroots groups across the country help Medicaid recipients regain lost coverage appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri education and social services officials have not yet made a decision on whether to participate in a federal food assistance program next summer, weighing their ability to execute it after years of administrative challenges and delays. Participating in the program, called Summer EBT, would provide approximately $51.5 million in food benefits to 429,000 Missouri […]

The post Deadline approaching for Missouri to opt in to federal summer food program appeared first on Missouri Independent.

For four years, state Rep. Mike Stephens occupied prime real estate on the third floor of the Missouri Capitol. His office in room 306B certainly wasn’t the biggest in the space-starved statehouse, where staff often work out of musty, windowless rooms, and many lawmakers are stacked on top of each other in non-ADA compliant mezzanines.  […]

The post In a statehouse short on space, Dean Plocher converted an office into a liquor ‘pantry’ appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Congress is staring down a funding cliff in mid-January and a second one in early February, but neither of those deadlines have inspired House and Senate leaders to broker agreement on the dozen bills that were supposed to become law by Oct. 1. Appropriators are concerned the upcoming election year and competing legislative priorities […]

The post A ‘chaotic’ January? Congress faces two shutdown deadlines with no action yet on spending appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In 2024, former President Donald Trump will face some of his greatest challenges: Criminal court cases, primary opponents and constitutional challenges to his eligibility to hold the office of president again. The Colorado Supreme Court has pushed that latter piece to the forefront, ruling on Dec. 19, 2023, that Trump cannot appear on Colorado’s 2024 […]

The post Does 14th Amendment bar Trump from office? A constitutional scholar explains Colorado ruling appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Senators attempting to clinch a bipartisan agreement on immigration and border policy gave the clearest indication yet Tuesday they’ll work into the new year, further delaying aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. “We are closer than ever before to an agreement, but … we need to get this right,” said Connecticut Sen. Chris […]

The post US Senate negotiators see progress in immigration talks, but no deal likely until 2024 appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered former President Donald Trump to be barred from the state’s 2024 presidential ballot under a Civil War-era insurrection clause, in a historic ruling certain to be promptly appealed to the nation’s highest court. Six Republican and unaffiliated Colorado voters, backed by the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics […]

The post Colorado Supreme Court blocks Trump from 2024 ballot in historic insurrection ruling appeared first on Missouri Independent.

One of Missouri’s highest-ranking lawmakers hopes to stop state regulators from forcing electric utilities to charge a premium for power used at times of high demand. The legislation filed by Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin was inspired by Evergy’s roll out of time-of-use pricing plans to its customers last summer, which included a plan that […]

The post Missouri legislative leader files bill targeting time-of-use utility pricing plans appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators late Monday said they are closer to an agreement on changes to immigration policy in order to clear a multi-billion-dollar global security package, but any timing on a deal or details of that framework remained elusive. “While the job is not finished, I’m confident that we’re headed in the right direction,” […]

The post Hopes dim even more for immigration agreement in US Senate before holidays appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Next year is packed with potential shifts in the economy but many economists and investment analysts expect that the country will likely avoid a recession in 2024 even as growth slows in the first half of the year. States Newsroom talked to economists about their expectations for some key metrics as well as their concerns about what could […]

The post The US avoided a recession in 2023. What’s the outlook for 2024? appeared first on Missouri Independent.