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The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is barred from moving forward with a permit for an animal waste lagoon north of Columbia following a judge’s ruling Thursday. Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green issued a writ of prohibition in a case Randolph County residents filed against the state. The department can’t take further action without […]

The post Judge bars Missouri from moving ahead on Randolph County waste lagoon permit appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In recent years, some states have invested in air quality monitoring, applied extra scrutiny to permitting decisions and steered cleanup funding to minority communities that have borne the brunt of pollution for decades. Now, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down race-conscious college admissions policies, state lawmakers are facing a […]

The post It may have just gotten harder to protect minority communities from pollution appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Nearly 40 years ago, Victoria McMullen and her husband traveled from St. Louis to Sikeston to adopt a six-year-old boy with severe developmental disabilities named Ron.  Now 44, Ron has cerebral palsy, autism and intellectual disabilities. He’s unable to live independently and for the last 23 years his parents have relied on a state service […]

The post Missouri advocates decry proposed change to at-home disability care funding appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit that sought to shut down Torch Electronics, owner of thousands of video games offering cash prizes in retail locations throughout Missouri. U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes, in a decision issued last week, decided that the seven plaintiffs lacked standing under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations […]

The post Federal racketeering suit against Missouri gaming company dismissed over lack of standing appeared first on Missouri Independent.

TOPEKA, Kansas — Police Chief Gideon Cody arrived at the Marion County Record and handed a copy of a search warrant to Deb Gruver, the veteran reporter who had questioned him about alleged misconduct at his previous job. As Gruver read the search warrant, she told Cody she needed to call her publisher and editor, Eric […]

The post Kansas reporter sues Marion police chief, alleging retaliation in newsroom raid appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A federal rule limiting agencies’ power to regulate water pollution will severely restrict protections for waters and wetlands throughout the country, but could also be subject to challenges from conservative groups that maintain the new rule exerts more federal jurisdiction than the U.S. Supreme Court intended in a May decision. With the rule published Tuesday to redefine […]

The post New federal water pollution rule draws mixed reaction appeared first on Missouri Independent.

State education officials continue to cautiously move ahead with a plan to implement social-emotional learning standards for all Missouri students, though concerns about possible political blowback hang over the process. The Missouri State Board of Education agreed earlier this month that K-12 social-emotional-learning standards are an essential part of the school day. But members were […]

The post Missouri education board moves forward with social-emotional learning standards appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Six new initiative petitions were filed with the Missouri Secretary of State’s office Wednesday seeking to add exceptions to the state’s abortion ban for rape, incest, fatal fetal abnormalities and the health and safety of the mother.  Three of the six initiative petitions would also legalize abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Each […]

The post New initiative petitions seek to add rape, incest exceptions to Missouri abortion law appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Kansas City activist has filed a lawsuit alleging Mayor Quinton Lucas attempted to intimidate her into withdrawing a request for public records from his office. Lora McDonald, executive director of the Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity, or MORE2, sued the city earlier this month over alleged violations of the Missouri Sunshine Law. […]

The post Lawsuit alleges Kansas City mayor tried to intimidate activist over request for records appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In response to growing public concern over crime, cities and counties throughout the United States are returning to a familiar tool: curfews for young people. Proponents argue curfews curb crime and protect youth by keeping them off the streets. But research suggests curfews are ineffective, and some juvenile justice advocates and experts warn of unintended […]

The post Cities are embracing teen curfews, though they might not curb crime appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The state began the process of doling out small-scale cannabis business licenses on Monday, announcing the winners of a lottery determining who gets to participate in Missouri’s microbusiness program.  Six winners were selected in each of Missouri’s eight Congressional districts.  Of the six in each district, two will be microbusiness dispensaries, and four will be […]

The post Missouri announces lottery results for microbusiness cannabis licenses appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey believes a push to allow St Louis and Kansas City to enact their own gun regulations would cost the state hundreds of millions and lead to a massive increase in rape and murder.  And his argument, made in a July letter to Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, is now a key piece […]

The post Suit targets gun initiative over Missouri AG claim it would spike rape and murder, cost millions appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri attorney general’s office crossed an ignominious milestone last week.  Nearly nine months after taking office, Attorney General Andrew Bailey and his staff finally completed work on public records requests submitted in 2021.  “We fulfilled the last remaining open request from 2021, of which there were 18 when Attorney General Bailey came into office,” […]

The post Pile of public records requests swells as Missouri AG works through stack from 2021 appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In the wake of the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, education has been at the forefront of societal concerns. As we grapple with the daunting task of educating our children and bridging the learning gaps exacerbated by the pandemic, we cannot overstate the crucial importance of a well-funded and robust education system. However, […]

The post A fiscal cliff looms with the impending end of the education windfall appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The fight over the Missouri abortion ban begins with language. Eager to once again legalize the procedure in the state after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year made way for the General Assembly to ban it, abortion-rights supporters have been floating 11 versions of a petition to ask voters for a change in November […]

The post Missouri groups look for the strongest abortion-rights ballot measure voters would back appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Every now and then, a voice can matter. Mahalia Jackson had one of them. Known around the world as the “Queen of Gospel,” Jackson used her powerful voice to work in the Civil Rights Movement. Starting in the 1950s, she traveled with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. throughout the South and heard him preach in […]

The post Mahalia Jackson’s suggestion to Martin Luther King Jr. changed a good speech to a majestic sermon appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Call center workers that help Americans navigate the ACA marketplace and Medicare are demanding more paths for advancement, higher pay, and more breaks between calls at this year’s March on Washington. They’re looking to bring government attention to their cause after previous efforts to get the attention of officials with the Department of Labor and […]

The post Federal call center workers join March on Washington to call attention to workplace inequities appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Eight Republican hopefuls took the stage Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee for the first debate of the 2024 presidential primary campaign. The eight-way faceoff, generally chaotic and contentious, included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy; former Vice President Mike Pence; U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.); former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; Trump […]

The post Republican debate highlights candidates’ views on abortion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Despite federal warnings to slow down, both red and blue states have cut off Medicaid coverage for nearly 4 million people because they lack the proper paperwork. In at least four states, half of all the people who have lost coverage for any reason are children. During the pandemic, the federal government directed states not […]

The post Despite federal warnings, red and blue states aggressively cull Medicaid rolls appeared first on Missouri Independent.

At the end of a historic week at the Fulton County jailhouse, the criminal case against former President Donald Trump and his 18 allies also accused of subverting Georgia’s 2020 presidential election is just beginning. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged Trump and the rest of the group – which include lawyers, former federal […]

The post One for the books as Trump and rest of Fulton 19 enter Georgia justice system over 2020 election appeared first on Missouri Independent.