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For the first time, a state official has publicly vowed to push for a demographics survey of cannabis business owners — addressing a key criticism of the medical marijuana program that the Black community was left out of the burgeoning billion-dollar industry. At a June 22 outreach event in St. Louis, Abigail Vivas, chief equity […]

The post Missouri official vows to conduct survey on cannabis business demographics appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WELDON SPRING — U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley on Thursday decried the federal government’s “negligence” that allowed radioactive waste to sicken St. Louis-area residents for decades and invited Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to visit the community still suffering from the legacy of the atomic bomb. “You all have had enough of it,” Hawley said. “I’ve had […]

The post Hawley demands St. Louis nuclear cleanup, faces questions on his environmental record appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund is on track to run out of money as soon as next month, though the agency’s administrator told Congress on Thursday that she’s working with the White House to find a solution. “Our current projections on the disaster relief fund is that we will go […]

The post FEMA disaster relief fund faces August shortfall as feds scramble to find cash appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it has approved the country’s first daily birth control pill that can be used without a prescription, a move that reproductive health advocates celebrated after more than 20 years of advocating for an over-the-counter option. The contraceptive, called Opill, is a progestin-only oral pill that could soon become available […]

The post FDA approves first over-the-counter oral contraceptive appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri’s school districts are struggling not just with a teacher shortage but a scarcity of bus drivers, custodians and other essential personnel. In the 2022-2023 school year, teachers with inadequate teaching certification taught over 8% of Missouri public school classes, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The crisis has led larger […]

The post New law tackles Missouri teacher shortage by encouraging retirees to return to classroom appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators debated Wednesday how best to resolve a funding cliff within Social Security that will lead to a quarter reduction in benefits in about a decade, absent action from Congress. Democrats on the Budget Committee, led by Chair Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, called for lawmakers to increase taxes on the country’s […]

The post Higher taxes on the wealthy would bolster Social Security, U.S. Senate Dems argue appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Residents of five Missouri Senate districts – and perhaps a sixth – will have to wait until this fall to learn if the boundaries will be revised. At the end of a day-long trial Wednesday, Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem directed attorneys challenging and defending the map drawn last year to submit final briefs […]

The post Judge hears challenge Missouri Senate redistricting plan splitting Buchanan County, Hazelwood appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Revelations that government officials and private companies downplayed or failed to fully investigate the dangers of radioactive waste in St. Louis sparked outrage among state and federal lawmakers Wednesday and a promise from U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley to seek funding for residents who have become ill. At the heart of the bipartisan calls for action […]

The post New findings inspire state, federal lawmakers to demand action on St. Louis radioactive waste appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday focused on how former Attorney General Eric Schmitt handled a case that pronounced local health authorities’ efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 “null and void” in 2021. Attorney Neal Perryman represented two counties and three health centers who argued Wednesday that they should have been able to […]

The post Missouri Supreme Court to decide if counties can appeal ruling striking down COVID orders appeared first on Missouri Independent.

For kids like Sandy Mitchell, Ted Theis and Janet Johnson, childhood in the North St. Louis County suburbs in the 1960s and ‘70s meant days playing along the banks or splashing in the knee-deep waters of Coldwater Creek. They caught turtles and tadpoles, jumped into deep stretches of the creek from rope swings and ate […]

The post Records reveal 75 years of government downplaying, ignoring risks of St. Louis radioactive waste appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri Independent and MuckRock spent months scouring thousands of pages of government records about St. Louis’ involvement in the race to build an atomic bomb during World War II and decades of environmental contamination that followed. Journalists sought to lay bare the degree to which government officials knew of the spreading contamination and the […]

The post Five revelations about St. Louis’ history with radioactive waste appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A political activist who spent much of the past six years in the fight over how Missouri legislative districts should be drawn will be the prime witness in a case challenging the state Senate map. Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem on Monday denied an effort to exclude testimony from Sean Nicholson, principal at GPS […]

The post Trial this week to decide boundaries of five Missouri Senate districts appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Amid the growing acceptance and legalization of cannabis use across the country, a concerning reality has emerged: The state-by-state patchwork of safety regulations can leave marijuana consumers wandering through a haze of uncertainty, exposing them to potential risks. Under federal law, marijuana is illegal — period. So, it’s up to individual states to determine their […]

The post As more states legalize pot, their uneven safety rules can pose a risk appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Employers grappling with a nationwide labor shortage gave low-wage workers the largest pay increases in most states between 2019 and last year. But even so, many of those workers — more than 40% of all U.S. households, by one estimate — are struggling to cover the inflated costs of basic expenses. In the past several […]

The post Despite pandemic pay boost, low-wage workers still can’t afford basic needs appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The headquarters of the Herzog Foundation sits on the edge of Smithville, in an 18,000-square-foot stone and glass building on a corner lot across the street from a cornfield on a gravel-lined highway. Few Missouians have likely heard of the Stanley M. Herzog Charitable Foundation, or the organization’s namesake. But the unassuming locale masks what […]

The post Nonprofit near Kansas City seeks to become ‘epicenter of the school-choice movement’ appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday signed the tax cut he said a week earlier was responsible for his decision to veto most of the 201 spending items he cut from the state budget. The bill, exempting Social Security benefits and public pension payments from income tax, would reduce state general revenue by an estimated $309 […]

The post Missouri will exempt Social Security, public pension payments from state income taxes appeared first on Missouri Independent.

  WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced new initiatives Friday that could reduce health care costs, though none will take effect immediately. The changes include a proposed rule that would reduce the amount of time short-term health insurance plans can last and require companies that offer the plans to be more transparent about what is covered […]

The post Biden administration to crack down on ‘junk’ health insurance plans, surprise billing appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri’s marijuana businesses will have fewer obstacles when it comes to accessing banking, but they must now get fingerprint background checks from all their new employees and contractors, under legislation that the governor signed on Thursday. Few banks nationwide serve cannabis businesses and their owners — or even their auxiliary partners  — because most want […]

The post Missouri governor signs bills impacting cannabis banking, employee background checks appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Supporters of student loan debt cancellation are organizing to hold GOP lawmakers “accountable” in the 2024 election cycle following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling blocking President Joe Biden’s debt relief plan. The left-leaning Protect Borrowers Action will target 13 U.S. House districts across California, Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania where […]

The post Vulnerable U.S. House Republicans who opposed student debt plan targeted in 2024 appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Postpartum Medicaid coverage will expand from 60 days to one year under legislation signed into law Thursday evening by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.  Missouri had the 12th-highest maternal mortality in the nation from 2018 to 2020, and three-quarters of pregnancy-related deaths in the state — or roughly 138 people — were preventable, the Missouri Pregnancy […]

The post Governor signs bill extending postpartum coverage under Missouri Medicaid appeared first on Missouri Independent.