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Dean Plocher’s last year as speaker of the Missouri House wasn’t supposed to go this way. The Republican from Des Peres was riding high at the end of the 2023 legislative session, able to point to big wins while pinning any disappointments on continued dysfunction in the state Senate. And he had amassed an impressive […]

The post ‘Dark cloud’: Ethics investigation of Dean Plocher continues to hang over Missouri House appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A lawsuit challenging the estimated cost of an initiative petition that sought to add rape and incest exceptions to Missouri’s abortion ban has been dismissed, with plaintiffs saying there was no reason to continue the fight now that the campaign behind the proposal is no longer active. The lawsuit was filed late last year by […]

The post Missouri auditor declares victory after plaintiffs drop suit over cost of abortion petition appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In September, the mom of a 4-year-old boy made national news when she used ChatGPT to diagnose her son’s pain, teeth grinding and leg dragging, a diagnosis that had eluded 17 doctors over three years. It’s an increasingly common scenario: Patients are looking to artificial intelligence for health care answers. And so are medical pros. […]

The post Artificial intelligence already plays a part in Kansas City health care, without much regulation appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Washington University in St. Louis — criticized a decade ago for rock-bottom low-income enrollment — says it has carved out spaces for economically disadvantaged students as part of a new plan to increase need-based aid. Late last year, the university announced that 21% of its freshmen were Pell eligible, meaning they showed financial need after […]

The post Wash U. prioritizes need-based aid after years of low socioeconomic diversity appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Sadly, the question is not how many more innocents need to become victims of senseless mass gun violence. The real question is: When will enough of us relentlessly demand that legislators pass sensible gun laws? Laws that will not only address the growing incidents of mass shootings, but the growing epidemic of gun violence. Clearly, […]

The post Citizens must relentlessly demand sensible gun safety laws appeared first on Missouri Independent.

State Treasurer Vivek Malek on Friday accused a southwest Missouri lawmaker of making claims without facts about advertisements for the state Unclaimed Property program on unregulated cash prize games that proliferate around the state. On Wednesday, State Rep. Scott Cupps, chairman the House Subcommittee on Appropriations – General Administration, excoriated Malek for failing to appear […]

The post Missouri treasurer fires back at critic of ads on unregulated slot machines appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Biden administration will impose a new round of economic sanctions targeting Russian fuel exports and military-industry imports, the Treasury Department announced Friday. Coming one week after Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in the custody of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government and one day short of the two-year anniversary of the country’s invasion of […]

The post More than 500 new Russia sanctions levied by White House after Navalny death appeared first on Missouri Independent.

For six straight years, Democratic state Rep. Gretchen Bangert has filed a bill that would require cursive handwriting to be taught in Missouri public schools. The bill has failed each time, never making it out of the House and only twice getting initial approval. Yet Bangert, of Florissant, isn’t letting the issue go. In December, […]

The post Lawmaker makes final bid for cursive writing requirement in Missouri schools appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Legislation to add a new barrier to amending the Missouri Constitution by initiative petition passed the state Senate Thursday on a party line vote. With 22 Republicans in favor and nine Democrats opposed, the Senate sent the House a proposal that would require a statewide majority and a majority vote in five of the state’s […]

The post Missouri Senate passes bill making it harder for voters to amend the constitution appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Crime is shaping up as a potent election issue, and one of the key points of debate is over bail: Which suspects should be jailed before trial, and which ones should be released on bond — and for how much money? Some conservatives argue that lenient bail policies put suspects who are likely to commit […]

The post Bail clampdowns don’t match what research says about suspects, experts say appeared first on Missouri Independent.

After weeks of flirting with the idea, state Sen. Lincoln Hough of Springfield jumped into the Republican Primary for lieutenant governor on Thursday. Hough, who is serving his second term in the Missouri Senate, joins a field that includes a colleague, state Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder of Scott City, House Speaker Dean Plocher, Franklin County […]

The post Springfield Sen. Lincoln Hough joins race for Missouri lieutenant governor appeared first on Missouri Independent.

President Joe Biden expanded his push to eliminate student loan debt Wednesday, saying during a speech the initiative is part of a campaign promise to address the “broken” system. “While a college degree is still a ticket to a better life, that ticket is too expensive,” Biden said. “And too many Americans are still saddled […]

The post Biden unveils latest round of student loan cancellation to aid 153,000 borrowers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A southwest Missouri lawmaker blasted state Treasurer Vivek Malek Wednesday for refusing to answer questions about new ads for the state Unclaimed Property Program appearing on unregulated games that offer cash prizes. Malek declined to appear at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Appropriations – General Administration, angering Chairman Scott Cupps.  Cupps said he […]

The post Missouri Treasurer faces scrutiny over state advertising on unregulated slot machines appeared first on Missouri Independent.

As sports stadiums built in the 1990s show their age, many professional sports teams are looking for new facilities — and public money to pay for them. “We are just in the heating up phase of the next stadium construction wave,” said J.C. Bradbury, a Kennesaw State University economics professor who has researched the issue. […]

The post More taxpayer money benefits pro sports owners amid ‘stadium construction wave’ appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Inflation is slowing and job growth has surged, but many Americans still feel the burden of expensive housing — fueled in part by high demand, low inventory and mortgage rates. Home prices across the U.S. rose 5.5% over the past year in December 2023 and they are projected to increase 2.8% year over year by […]

The post When will housing affordability improve? Spoiler alert: It will take some time appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Built in 1910, James Elementary is a three-story brick school in Kansas City historic Northeast neighborhood, with a bright blue front door framed by a sand-colored stone arch adorned with a gargoyle. As bustling students and teachers negotiate a maze of gray stairs with worn wooden handrails, Marjorie Mayes, the school’s principal, escorts a visitor […]

The post How tax breaks siphoned millions from Missouri public schools that serve poor students appeared first on Missouri Independent.

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Robert Tracy’s appointment as St. Louis’ police chief came with a sweetener: In addition to a $175,000 annual salary from the city, a nonprofit organization made up of local business leaders pays […]

The post St. Louis police chief gets third of pay from foundation, raising concerns of divided loyalties appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Democratic filibuster that stretched more than 20 hours ended Tuesday when Senate Republicans stripped provisions critics derided as “ballot candy” from a proposal to make it harder to pass constitutional amendments proposed by initiative petitions. By an 18-12 vote, with nine Republicans joining nine Democrats in the majority, language that stated non-citizens could not […]

The post Democrat filibuster forces removal of ‘ballot candy’ from Senate initiative petition bill appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday again urged U.S. House Republican leaders to hold an up-or-down vote on military assistance for Ukraine and said a new sanctions package against Russia is on the way, citing the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as placing new pressure on Western democracies to rally against the […]

The post White House preps new sanctions package against Russia after Navalny death appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Local governments in the St. Louis area could request radioactive waste testing from the state under a Missouri House bill that would appropriate money to a long-unfunded program.  The Missouri House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee on Monday heard testimony on a bill that would transfer $300,000 to a radioactive waste investigations fund created six […]

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