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KANSAS CITY — A coalition of counties and local health centers on Tuesday urged judges on the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals to review a lower court’s ruling that struck down state health regulations regarding the control of infectious diseases. Attorneys for St. Louis County, Jackson County, the administrator of the Cooper County Public […]

The post Court weighs appeal of Missouri ruling that struck down local power to impose COVID-19 orders appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A new law that went into effect this week seeks to improve how Missouri combats child sex trafficking by preventing underaged survivors from being charged with prostitution, and requiring law enforcement to immediately report suspected cases to the state.

The post Advocates praise Missouri’s new child trafficking law as promising first step appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In September 2017, the site of a former auto parts shop officially became a concert venue and opened its doors to Kansas City. At 601 E. Truman Road in Kansas City, Missouri, the Truman sprang to life on the site of what used to be Sterling Engine Parts. While the walls still feature nods to […]

The post The Truman celebrates five years of bringing music, community to Kansas City appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune.  EL PASO, Texas — Willian woke up before dawn on a recent Tuesday, packed his legal documents into a blue folder and got in a van with other migrants to one of the international bridges that connect El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. At the port of […]

The post Asylum-seekers allowed to enter U.S. after ‘Remain in Mexico’ ends appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Voters in at least three states will determine at the polls in November what abortion access looks like for their neighbors, colleagues, friends and family — becoming some of the first Americans to deliver their own verdicts on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Residents of California, Kentucky and […]

The post Abortion access is on the ballot in November in these states appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Boone County Circuit Court judge on Monday sided with the Missouri School Boards’ Association and dismissed a lawsuit that argued the organization was subject to the state’s open records laws. Southeastern Legal Foundation, a Georgia-based legal nonprofit that filed the lawsuit, argued the Missouri School Boards’ Association (MSBA) violated the Sunshine Law by not […]

The post Judge dismisses lawsuit alleging Missouri School Boards Association violated Sunshine Law appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Pickle Creek runs two miles through Ste. Genevieve County’s sandstone valleys. It carries some of Missouri’s cleanest water, but residents worry that could change if NexGen Silica gets full approval to mine sandstone on a 249-acre plot of land along nearby Highway 32. They don’t have to look very far to see the outcome they […]

The post Fight over silica mine rekindles fears about Missouri’s Old Lead Belt  appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This summer marked the 10th anniversary of the Miller v. Alabama, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision banning mandatory sentences of life without parole for children. The decision recognized that youth are both less culpable for theirs crimes and more capable of rehabilitation than adults, because of significant differences in their brains and behavior. The […]

The post Missouri poised to execute man convicted of crime he committed at 19 years old appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Where the state stands regarding Medicaid wait lists was just one topic Friday of a wide-ranging media briefing held by leaders within the Missouri Department of Social Services, or DSS. 

The post Missouri Medicaid wait list averages 90 days. The state has a month to cut it in half appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Thousands of years of Jewish scripture make it clear that access to abortion care is a requirement of Jewish law and practice, according to Rabbi Karen Bogard. “We preserve life at all costs,” she said in an interview with States Newsroom. “But there is a difference between that which is living, and that […]

The post Jewish congregations mount legal challenges to state abortion bans appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missourians are disgruntled with their government and pessimistic about the economy, a new poll from Saint Louis University and YouGov suggests. They also want tighter gun laws, fewer abortion restrictions and seem poised to send Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt to the U.S. Senate. The poll of 900 likely voters conducted between Aug. 8 and […]

The post Poll shows strong lead for Eric Schmitt in Missouri U.S. Senate race appeared first on Missouri Independent.

COLUMBIA — To pass a $700 million tax cut plan in a short special session, an important consideration is to “keep it simple,” Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday morning. That’s why Parson’s proposal accelerates income tax cuts already set to be phased in over several years rather than reduce other tax sources, he told […]

The post Missouri governor calls tax cut plan a defense against ‘pet project’ spending by lawmakers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Republican candidates who claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump have been nominated for governor in four critical swing states, raising concerns that if elected they could try to sway election results in 2024 and beyond. In Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, Republican primary voters elected a candidate who has denied the […]

The post How election-denying GOP governors could tilt the 2024 presidential election appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Nearly every day, Crystal Quade is somewhere in Missouri knocking on doors.  As Democratic leader in the Missouri House, Quade is hoping to help her party put a dent in the GOP supermajority that’s dominated the state legislature for more than a decade.  And when she heard the news earlier this month that a proposed […]

The post Missouri Dems expect boost from marijuana campaign, but split on whether it’s good policy appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will distribute up to $550 million to expand certain farmers’ access to land, money and markets and to create educational opportunities for the students of higher-education institutions that cater to racial and ethnic minorities. “The idea here obviously is to enlarge the number of people that are engaged in this […]

The post USDA plans ‘historic’ funding to help struggling farmers, develop new ag leaders appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he will cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt for Pell Grant borrowers and up to $10,000 for all other borrowers with an income of less than $125,000 for an individual and $250,000 for a household. Biden also announced his administration is extending a pause […]

The post Biden to wipe out $10,000 in student loan debt for many borrowers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Voting-rights advocates filed a lawsuit Tuesday arguing that a new law requiring Missourians to present a government-issued photo ID to vote is unconstitutional. While lawmakers have approved voter ID laws numerous times, and voters signed off on putting it in the state constitution in 2016, the proposal has never withstood a legal challenge.  The voter […]

The post Missouri’s new voter ID law faces lawsuit claiming it’s unconstitutional appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Columbia attorney hoping to enshrine abortion rights in the Missouri Constitution is suing Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft to force a review of his initiative petition prior to the November election. In the case filed Aug. 10, Jeff Basinger wrote that he submitted his proposal with all the required paperwork on July 29, only […]

The post Lawsuit seeks to force Jay Ashcroft to begin review of 2024 Missouri initiative petitions appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Despite assurances that the outcome of the Republican U.S. Senate primary would not alter his plans to run as an independent, John Wood announced Tuesday he was ending his campaign.   The reason: Former Gov. Eric Greitens did not win the GOP nomination. “I made the decision to run for the United States Senate when Eric […]

The post Citing Greitens defeat, John Wood abandons independent run for U.S. Senate in Missouri appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This article was originally published by Energy News Network. Smaller, regional banks and credit unions are increasingly looking to help homeowners finance solar installations in a sign of growing recognition of the opportunities in clean energy finance. In the Midwest, Iowa-based Decorah Bank & Trust is among the latest to begin marketing loans for solar […]

The post More Midwest banks see opportunity to finance solar, energy efficiency projects appeared first on Missouri Independent.