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This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News and KSMU. At the Access Family Care clinics in southwestern Missouri, the next available nonemergency dental appointment is next summer. Northwest Health Services, headquartered in St. Joseph, is booked through May. The wait is a little shorter at CareSTL Health in St. Louis — around six […]

The post Missouri’s thin dental safety net stretched amid Medicaid expansion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

One of the top Republican lawmakers in the Missouri General Assembly filed paperwork Monday declaring his intention to run for the U.S. Senate. Senate President Pro Tem David Schatz, a Franklin County Republican, told The Independent in April that he was considering running to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt. At the time, he said […]

The post Missouri legislative leader joins crowded U.S. Senate race appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law his $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill during a ceremony at the White House packed with some 800 supporters, heralding what he said was a “truly consequential” spending bill that will improve Americans’ day-to-day lives. But Democrats also emphasized that there is more to come—a $1.85 trillion […]

The post Biden signs $1.2T infrastructure bill: ‘America is moving again’ appeared first on Missouri Independent.

An environmental organization is demanding Spire Missouri cease and desist its campaign warning customers of dire consequences this winter if the Spire STL pipeline is shut down.  The Environmental Defense Fund, which challenged the pipeline’s permit to operate, wrote to Spire on Friday saying the company’s “false and defamatory” comments had inspired area residents to […]

The post Environmental group demands Spire halt ‘false and defamatory’ messaging about pipeline appeared first on Missouri Independent.

With over 40% of Missouri’s nursing home staff still unvaccinated, the state health department is giving long-term care facilities a route to avoid losing their license if they shut down due to staffing shortfalls after a federal vaccine requirement kicks in next month. On Friday, the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) published an […]

The post Missouri gives nursing homes a way to temporarily close in face of federal vaccine rule appeared first on Missouri Independent.

State Sen. Rick Brattin became the fifth Republican to enter the 4th Congressional District Republican primary on Monday, announcing his bid by declaring that his conservative record outshines his GOP rivals. As he announced his campaign, Brattin said he didn’t believe Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election and that he would have voted against […]

The post Cass County lawmaker joins crowded GOP contest in Missouri’s 4th Congressional District appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Just as the school year was ending this past spring — and with it, free school lunches — Erin Bay learned that her monthly food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was cut off.  She was informed by the state that her son’s federal disability assistance put her about $65 over the income […]

The post Missourians say they can’t get federal food assistance due to long call wait times appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt wants to know what four Democratic executives in Missouri’s largest metro areas said in emails, texts and other communications about mask mandates to fight the spread of COVID-19. His office said Friday seeking the records is part of Schmitt’s determination to fight “tyrannical government overreach.” A spokesman for St. Louis […]

The post Missouri Attorney General seeks texts, emails about metro mask mandates appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Is it safe to say that most Americans are sick and tired of all the partisan fighting dominating the national political landscape, causing gridlock and preventing virtually any progress in the halls of Congress? No matter what side of the political spectrum you land, you must be feeling at least a sigh of relief, if […]

The post Celebrate the bipartisan infrastructure bill for more than new roads, bridges, jobs | Opinion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Denial, said Missouri’s greatest export to the world, Mark Twain, ain’t just a river in Egypt. It’s also a problem plaguing major factions of both of our political parties. A lie that a politician tells publicly can be dangerous, as we all witnessed on January 6. But lies that politicians tell themselves — wishcasting, if […]

The post The biggest lies Missouri politicos tell themselves (and others) | Opinion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

With $6.5 billion on the way from the federal infrastructure bill and a newly increased gas tax, Missouri is ready to take a big bite out of $4.5 billion in unfunded highway needs, Patrick McKenna, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, said this week. But that doesn’t mean the state is ready to tackle […]

The post Billions headed to Missouri transportation fund from gas tax hike, infrastructure bill appeared first on Missouri Independent.

As federal energy regulators prepare to decide the fate of a St. Louis natural gas pipeline, Spire Missouri is warning customers their gas service could fail this winter.  Business industry groups and the utility maintain it’s their responsibility to keep customers informed. But environmental groups and some local elected officials — who note federal regulators seem […]

The post Spire Missouri’s warning of natural gas outages a ‘manufactured crisis,’ critics say appeared first on Missouri Independent.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Mo. — It was already 1 p.m., and Sheri Noble’s Monday was just getting started. There were prescriptions to call into the pharmacy, times to coordinate for people to pick up donated supplies, and a schedule of about 30 patients she had to prepare for.  In many ways it was business as usual […]

The post After more than 17 years, a free health care clinic in southern Missouri shuts its doors appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Violence against Indigenous women in the U.S. is a crisis, but the extent of the problem remains unknown, according to a report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. “There’s no one single database that has all this information,” said Gretta Goodwin, the director of GAO’s Homeland Security and Justice team. “So the full scope […]

The post Violence against Indigenous women is a crisis in the U.S., report finds appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill isn’t just about roads and bridges — it also spends billions to address wildfire, drought, flooding and other effects from climate change, Interior Department officials said Wednesday. The $1.2 trillion measure, which is awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature after the House cleared it last week, includes pay raises for wildland […]

The post Climate funds in infrastructure bill aimed at drought, wildfires, floods appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Today, people across America will thank veterans and active-duty military personnel for their service. But many members of the public don’t have a clear understanding of what service means to people in the military. How do they honor their own? What kind of spaces and activities help them reflect and remember — beyond one day […]

The post Veterans Day: How crosses and mementos help these Marines remember fallen comrades appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A pair of political action committees connected to a Missouri lobbyist under FBI scrutiny have begun taking steps to account for nearly $170,000 in cash that went unreported on disclosures to the state ethics commission. The discrepancies with PACs connected to Steve Tilley, a former lawmaker and longtime adviser to Gov. Mike Parson, were first […]

The post PACs tied to controversial Missouri lobbyist scramble to account for missing cash appeared first on Missouri Independent.

As entry restrictions lifted on Monday on U.S. border crossings for some tourists from Mexico, the Biden administration is continuing to deny entry to asylum-seekers from Mexico and Central America under a Trump-era emergency public health rule. Lisandro, a migrant from southern Mexico using a pseudonym to protect his identity, tried to request entry to […]

The post American borders reopen to tourists, but remain closed for those seeking asylum appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Federal officials on Tuesday offered details about how money from the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill would be spent, emphasizing the pending law’s potential to add clean energy capacity. Department of Transportation officials highlighted the $1.2 trillion bill’s record funding for public transit like buses and subways, as well as for Amtrak. They […]

The post White House touts clean energy, transit, rail projects in sprawling infrastructure bill appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Workers accusing management of a St. Louis nursing home of unfair labor practices returned to work Tuesday morning after walking out last week.  Their union, SEIU Healthcare Missouri, released a statement following the end of the strike, which sought to secure higher wages and levels of staffing and stronger safety protocols for workers at Blue […]

The post St. Louis nursing home workers back on job following strike over wages, safety appeared first on Missouri Independent.