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Missouri students did worse across the board on the latest round of standardized testing released Tuesday, with 112 districts and charter schools scoring low enough to be classified as provisionally accredited.  But the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, or DESE, said it would not downgrade any districts this year because it is the first […]

The post Latest testing data show K-12 student performance dropped dramatically across Missouri appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A federal grand jury issued three subpoenas to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services in December demanding records about a pair of St. Louis-area nonprofits and their involvement in a federal child nutrition program.  The state turned over the subpoenas to The Independent as part of a request under the Sunshine Law. Issued […]

The post Federal subpoenas target records of Missouri nonprofits involved in child nutrition program appeared first on Missouri Independent.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday announced new steps the Department of Agriculture is taking to recenter U.S. agriculture and benefit small and midsized operations, including a proposed new “Product of USA” labeling rule and an $89 million expansion of the USDA intermediary lending program. At the National Farmers Union conference in San Francisco, […]

The post U.S. agriculture secretary unveils initiatives aimed at small and midsized operations appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri will no longer participate in a voluntary system aimed at helping states combat voter fraud by maintaining accurate lists of registered voters. Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft announced Monday afternoon that Missouri, along with Florida and West Virginia, were withdrawing from the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC.  The system was established in 2012 […]

The post Jay Ashcroft withdraws Missouri from group designed to help combat voter fraud appeared first on Missouri Independent.

President Joe Biden on Sunday praised the courage of civil rights activists and condemned efforts to restrict voting and attack the election process in a speech commemorating the 58th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama. In his 20-minute address delivered at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where a law enforcement posse attacked […]

The post In Selma, President Joe Biden vows to continue work on voting rights appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The prospect of a landfill on the edge of Kansas City and a stone’s throw from a golf course community has pitted half a dozen Missouri mayors against a private company with an army of Jefferson City lobbyists. And that’s all before the would-be owners even approach the city with a plan.  For more than […]

The post Outrage over proposed Kansas City landfill sets up showdown in Missouri Capitol appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The recent revelation that multiple hosts on Fox News deliberately misled their audience — reporting and promoting the lie that there was rampant voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election when they knew there was none — may not be surprising but is definitely damning. Every American who cares about the role of the press […]

The post When major news sources report and promote lies, what is the public to do? appeared first on Missouri Independent.

For more than three months, Denise Davis waited to receive federal food benefits in Missouri. Health issues late last year left Davis unable to work. She is also experiencing homelessness, has no income or savings and has significant medical debt.  But she could not get through to Missouri’s call center to receive the required interview […]

The post Federal lawsuit over Missouri’s ‘dysfunctional’ SNAP call center adds two new plaintiffs appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri Senate passed its version of postpartum Medicaid extension Thursday, but new language in the bill threatens its implementation. Sponsored by Sen. Elaine Gannon, R-De Soto, the legislation would extend coverage for women receiving Medicaid benefits through pregnancy and for a year after the pregnancy ends. Currently, coverage ends 60 days after a pregnancy […]

The post Postpartum Medicaid extension clears Missouri Senate with anti-abortion amendment appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri’s Gov. Mike Parson has engaged in escalating restrictions against journalists covering Missouri’s Capitol. His hindrances on statehouse reporters is unprecedented in the five decades I’ve covered Missouri state government. From Warren Hearnes until now, governors of both parties I’ve covered went out of their way to facilitate the efforts of journalists covering state government. […]

The post Capitol Perspectives: Mike Parson’s attacks on statehouse reporters appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The expanded child tax credit that families received in 2021 helped reduce child poverty across the country, but particularly in the South where families lack a sufficient safety net, according to a paper released on Wednesday. The report by the Hamilton Project, the Brookings Institution’s economic policy initiative, comes as some Democrats appear ready to attempt another […]

The post Child poverty dropped to a record low last year. A new report shows how to keep it that way appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Republicans determined to strip the Highways and Transportation Commission of its long-standing control of the multibillion-dollar state road fund are closer to getting their chance. On Wednesday,  the House gave initial approval to legislation making the fund that combines fuel taxes, license fees and vehicle sales taxes to maintain highways subject to annual appropriations. It […]

The post Missouri House advances plan for lawmakers to take control of MoDOT funding appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missourians of all races, classes and political persuasions want safer schools and stricter gun laws, according to a poll released Thursday. The latest St. Louis University YouGov poll shows support ranging from 63% to 83% for policies that include metal detectors, dedicated police officers, pre-approval of visitors and video security systems in schools. The survey […]

The post New poll shows broad support in Missouri for gun controls, school safety measures appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Republicans on a U.S. Senate panel raised several objections Wednesday to President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, while Democrats indicated their support and called the objections “fake scandals” meant only to create a political controversy. The Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s confirmation hearing for Phil Washington, CEO of Denver International Airport, […]

The post U.S. Senate Democrats back FAA nominee, despite GOP attacks at confirmation hearing appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The picture painted by whistleblower Jamie Reed of how patients were treated at the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital doesn’t match Jess Jones’ experience. Jones worked alongside Reed for two years as the center’s educational coordinator before resigning in 2020. The allegations of misconduct laid out by Reed — both on […]

The post Families dispute whistleblower’s allegations against St. Louis transgender center appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Their project, called De Veras, aims to increase the accessibility of information about immigration legal services, education and health to Missouri’s Latino community, among other services. 

The post Mizzou students launch project to provide bilingual news to state’s Latino communities appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Members of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee listened to agribusiness executives on Tuesday rail against federal regulations, and lobby for new markets and reinforced crop insurance programs in the panel’s first hearing of the new Congress. With the 2018 farm bill expiring this fall, lawmakers who will shape the next version of the […]

The post U.S. House Ag panel hears industry complaints on regulations, scant crop insurance appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Doctors would no longer be required to test young children living in high-risk areas for lead poisoning under a Missouri House bill heard in committee Tuesday. But supporters of the bill, including the Missouri chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, say the legislation would increase access to lead testing and education and streamline requirements […]

The post Missouri bill eliminates mandatory childhood lead testing in hopes of increasing access appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. District Court judge who could end more than two decades of legal access to medication abortion underwent extensive questioning about LGBTQ equality at his December 2017 confirmation hearing — and very little about his views on abortion. Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk, appointed by former President Donald Trump earlier in 2017, spent much […]

The post How the judge who could ban the abortion pill won confirmation in the U.S. Senate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

An episode of GOP infighting in the Missouri Senate this week may be a squall that melts in the spring sunshine or the first flurry of a storm that once again immobilizes the chamber. On Tuesday, Sen. Mike Moon used a parliamentary maneuver to take control of the floor to vent frustration over the short […]

The post Dispute over transgender care bill brings factional fights to the surface in Missouri Senate appeared first on Missouri Independent.