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This story was originally published by The Beacon.  It wasn’t long after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, sending more than a million civilians scrambling for safety, that resettlement organizations around the Kansas City area began receiving offers of refugee support. The messages were almost universally well-meaning. People offered financial donations and even volunteered to […]

The post Goodwill for Ukrainian refugees is abundant in KC. But what about other refugees? appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON – Representatives of the American Bar Association reiterated their finding that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is well qualified to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, and law enforcement groups rebutted GOP accusations Jackson is soft on child pornographers during the final day of Jackson’s confirmation hearings Thursday. Republicans, however, called in witnesses to continue […]

The post Senate winds up grueling Supreme Court hearings on Ketanji Brown Jackson nomination appeared first on Missouri Independent.

An impasse on lines for Missouri’s eight congressional districts broke Thursday when the Missouri Senate approved a proposal that is likely to produce no changes in the partisan makeup of the state’s delegation. The issue stymied the Senate for weeks as the seven-member conservative caucus sought to win support for a map likely to give […]

The post Missouri Senate breaks deadlock on congressional redistricting appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Congressman Billy Long, trailing several of his major rivals in this year’s Republican Senate primary, received a boost – but not an endorsement – Wednesday from former President Donald Trump. The statement, issued Wednesday afternoon, came after a Tuesday evening call that was initiated by Trump to ask Long about allegations of child and spousal […]

The post Trump gives boost, but not endorsement, to Billy Long in U.S. Senate primary appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — In the third day of hearings Wednesday on the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, several Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee interrogated her about sentences she handed down for child pornography offenses, disagreeing vehemently with her judicial decisions. Republicans grilled her with questions she had already answered […]

The post GOP senators attack and interrupt in final day of questioning U.S. Supreme Court nominee appeared first on Missouri Independent.

An ex-FBI agent who conducted the criminal investigation of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens in 2018 pleaded guilty Wednesday to evidence tampering and was sentenced to a year of probation. William Tisaby, 69, was hired by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner to assist in the investigation of allegations that Greitens threatened to release a […]

The post Investigator in Greitens’ case pleads guilty to evidence tampering appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Bills that would bar government entities from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations and require private employers to grant religious exemptions continued to face pushback from business associations Wednesday. But the business groups and healthcare associations who testified against the bills during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment, said they’re […]

The post Bills providing exemptions to COVID vaccine rules face opposition in Senate committee appeared first on Missouri Independent.

After the state spent tens of millions of dollars through emergency, no-bid contracts at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers debated a pair of bills Tuesday that aim to increase transparency and ensure emergency contracts aren’t extended in perpetuity. The bills, sponsored by Republican Reps. Doug Richey of Excelsior Springs and Brad Hudson of […]

The post Missouri spent millions on pandemic no-bid contracts. Lawmakers now debating reforms appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON – Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday sharpened their criticisms of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, probing her work as a public defender on behalf of terrorism suspects, the judicial sentences she has handed down for child pornography offenses and her views of critical race theory. Jackson defended her record […]

The post Ketanji Brown Jackson defends her record under grilling from U.S. Senate Republicans appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Former Missouri First Lady Sheena Greitens said Tuesday that she stands by her allegations against her ex-husband of physically abusing her and their children and denies any insinuation that her motivations are political. Greitens released a written statement Tuesday after her ex-husband — former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens — alleged she had been working with […]

The post Sheena Greitens stands by allegations of abuse against her ex-husband appeared first on Missouri Independent.

When the Good Samaritan Care Clinic opened in 2006 in Mountain View, only about 5% of the free clinic’s clients were eligible for Medicaid. When it closed late last year, that number had risen to 70%, Dr. John Roberts, one of the clinic’s founders, told the Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.  Medicaid expansion means […]

The post Republicans push work requirements for coverage under Missouri Medicaid expansion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The prospect of Eric Greitens capturing the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in Missouri was already terrifying to his party’s leaders. He had been forced out of the governor’s office in 2018, resigning to settle felony charges and avoid impeachment by a Republican legislative supermajority.  Yet despite all that, he’s consistently led in polls of […]

The post New Eric Greitens abuse allegations reignite GOP fears of losing Missouri Senate seat appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson began her four-day confirmation process to become the nation’s first Black female associate justice on Monday, listening to hours of opening statements from Senate Judiciary Committee members before giving her own. In her first public remarks since President Joe Biden nominated her last month, Jackson, who grew up […]

The post Ketanji Brown Jackson vows to decide U.S. Supreme Court cases from a ‘neutral posture’ appeared first on Missouri Independent.

There is no evidence of foul play in the death of former state lawmaker and St. Louis County official Cora Faith Walker, and there is no continuing investigation, St. Louis Director of Public Safety Daniel Isom said Monday. Walker died March 11 at age 37. News of her passing sent shockwaves through the St. Louis […]

The post St. Louis official: Inquiry finds no wrongdoing in death of Cora Faith Walker appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is facing new allegations that he physically abused his ex-wife and children, and that in the months before his resignation became so unstable that his access to firearms had to be limited.  The accusations are included in a sworn affidavit filed by former Missouri First Lady Sheena Greitens as part […]

The post Eric Greitens accused of physical abuse in affidavit filed by his ex-wife appeared first on Missouri Independent.

As a fight over who can regulate industrial hog and cattle operations awaits action by the Missouri Supreme Court, counties that sought more stringent protections against them wait in limbo.  The Missouri Supreme Court is expected to hear an appeal by county commissioners who sought to regulate concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, after a […]

The post As CAFO lawsuit heads to Missouri Supreme Court, counties weigh options appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s campaign will continue selling merchandise featuring a photo of him pumping his fist in support of protesters the day a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol to overturn the outcome of the presidential election. The photo in question was taken by a photographer for an energy and environment trade publication owned by […]

The post Josh Hawley refuses to stop selling mug featuring pre-riot Jan. 6 fist pump appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story was originally published by The Kansas City Beacon. After serving time in prison, Christine McDonald found herself living on the streets of Kansas City and in a pay-by-the-week motel. Robert Richardson, who also has a felony record, settled for a bug-infested apartment with an open hole in the front. They are far from […]

The post Formerly incarcerated Missourians struggle for decades to find stable housing appeared first on Missouri Independent.

As we near the end of another Women’s History Month, it is abundantly clear that one month is woefully inadequate to celebrate, let alone cover, the myriad of contributions women have made and continue to make in fostering the well-being of this nation and society. The fact that we set aside a month to recognize […]

The post Women make indispensable contributions every day in sustaining this nation and society | Opinion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

After more than two weeks of private meetings with nearly half the U.S. Senate, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden’s pick for the U.S. Supreme Court, will field questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee in highly anticipated public hearings that begin Monday. Members of the panel will question Jackson for two full days, following […]

The post U.S. Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson to start Monday appeared first on Missouri Independent.