The desire for artificial intelligence skills in new hires has exploded over the last five years, and continues to be a priority for hiring managers across nearly every industry, data from Stanford University’s annual AI Index Report found. In 2023, 1.6% of all United States-based jobs required AI skills, a slight dip from the 2% posted in […]
The number of people languishing in Missouri jails in need of court-ordered mental health treatment currently stands at 344 — and the wait time for a hospital bed averages one year. That’s up from 254 people this time last year, according to Missouri Department of Mental Health data provided to The Independent. A spokeswoman for the […]
Superintendent Jennifer Collier understands why families weren’t inspired by the last Kansas City Public Schools building plan. “It really just felt like … trying to convince people why they should be OK with us taking away their school,” she said. A new plan to build at least two new schools and renovate others, reshuffle students […]
Being civil seems like the bare minimum of what we owe each other, yet studies show that incivility is on the rise in our country. A 2019 Pew Research survey found that 68% of those surveyed wanted elected officials to exhibit a tone of civility and respect in politics. Yet we watch politicians talk past each other […]
CHICAGO — United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain told reporters Tuesday that working-class people can see themselves in the new Democratic presidential ticket. “There’s a very distinct difference in these two people and where they stand with working-class people,” Fain said of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. […]
Organizers behind an abortion-rights amendment that will appear on Missouri’s November ballot filed a lawsuit last week alleging the “fair ballot language” written by the secretary of state’s office is “intentionally argumentative” and bound to create confusion for voters. Amendment 3 asks voters if they want to legalize abortion up until the point of fetal […]
As renters and would-be homeowners struggle with the high cost of housing, the Biden administration has announced policies to address this strain on household budgets. That includes $100 million in funding for a program to incentivize affordable housing production and streamlining loan application processes to expedite building more housing. Some of those proposals – such […]
A group hoping to build a new casino near the Lake of the Ozarks filed a lawsuit Tuesday arguing it collected more than enough signatures to earn a spot on the November ballot. The Osage River Gaming & Convention Committee is asking a judge to reverse a decision by the Missouri secretary of state’s office […]
The typical U.S. worker’s pay is about the same as it was in late 2019, after accounting for inflation. But workers in some states have seen sharply higher earnings, especially in scenic areas that are appealing to remote workers and have labor shortages. In Montana, for example, average pay has increased 28.3% since before the […]
Agribusiness giant Bayer won a legal victory last week in long-running litigation over whether its popular Roundup pesticide has caused cancer. The case started in 2019, when a husband and wife in Pennsylvania sued Missouri-based Monsanto, which Bayer purchased in 2018, and alleged the company had violated state law by not including a cancer warning […]
In his re-election campaign, Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley wants to use Democratic nominee Lucas Kunce’s successful fundraising effort as a weapon. Since the start of 2023, Kunce has collected $11.2 million, all but about 3% from individuals giving in amounts ranging from less than $1 to the maximum contribution of $3,300. Hawley, who […]
CHICAGO –– The leader of Democrats’ U.S. Senate campaign arm projected confidence Monday at a Politico event organized outside the Democratic National Convention, saying the party would sweep competitive races this cycle and retain control of the chamber with a win in the presidential race. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, who chairs the Democratic […]
CHICAGO — State legislators from across the country mingled Monday during a Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee meeting at the Democratic National Convention, where they overwhelmingly agreed that the new Harris-Walz presidential ticket has reenergized the party base. “I think that there is a collective opportunity to bring a whole new set of Democrats, and voters […]
Missouri’s social services agency announced Monday that it is officially launching a federal food program that could provide aid to over 400,000 kids in the state. Each eligible child will receive a one-time benefit of $120, loaded onto a card that can be used like a debit card to buy groceries. It’s part of a […]
It became much harder this month for Missourians to change the gender marker on their driver’s licenses following a quiet move by the state Department of Revenue. The department, which issues state driver’s licenses, switched from requiring the signature of a physician, therapist or social worker to approve a change in gender designation to mandating […]
Last month, the Federal Trade Commission released a scathing report suggesting that pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen in the drug supply chain known as PBMs, are “profiting by inflating drug costs and squeezing Main Street pharmacies.” The FTC found that because of consolidation in the industry, the three largest PBMs now manage nearly 80% of […]
This story was originally published by ProPublica. On a recent Saturday outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Fairview Heights, Illinois, a woman wearing a reflective orange vest and body camera flagged down a car pulling into the facility. “Hi, can I talk to you a second?” the woman, Sheri King, said to the driver, reaching […]
PITTSBURG, Kan. — A new Planned Parenthood clinic opening Monday in southeast Kansas will be the closest abortion access point for many people in the South and expects to have patients from six states in its first five days — Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana. Kansas saw a 369% increase in abortions in […]
While busy with his own campaign for Missouri attorney general, Republican Andrew Bailey also loomed large in the primary race for prosecutor of the state’s second largest county. He popped up repeatedly in Jackson County in forums and interviews, sometimes by name and sometimes not, but always as a menacing presence. After a lively and […]
Democrats will gather in Chicago for their once-every-four-years convention, beginning Monday. Here’s a rundown: National political conventions are large gatherings of party officeholders, candidates and allies. They meet every four years to officially nominate candidates for president and vice president; to adopt a party platform, the list of policy proposals most party members agree on; […]
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