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MoInd šŸ“°

St. Louis prosecutor asks court to free Lamar Johnson after nearly 30 years in prison

3 years ago

It’s been three years since Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner asked a St. Louis circuit judge to set aside the 1995 murder conviction of Lamar Johnson.Ā  It was the first exoneration case Gardner’s conviction-integrity unit had brought forth — and a case that prosecutors statewide were watching closely. But Gardner hit a major roadblock when the […]

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Rebecca Rivas

Sheena Greitens scores victory with order shifting custody case to Texas, attorney says

3 years ago

A Boone County judge granted former Missouri First Lady Sheena Greitens’ request to move the child custody dispute with her ex-husband to Texas, her attorney confirmed Wednesday. The ruling, issued Friday but still under seal by order of Associate Circuit Judge Leslie Schneider, gives Sheena Greitens the thing she asked for soon after her ex-husband […]

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Rudi Keller

Biden touts public safety record, knocks GOP defenders of Jan. 6 attack on U.S. Capitol

3 years ago

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. —  President Joe Biden knocked defenders of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol while touting his recent public safety policy wins in a visit to Pennsylvania on Tuesday. ā€œYou can’t be pro-law enforcement and pro-insurrection,ā€ Biden said. The president also referenced the FBI search at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago residence […]

The post Biden touts public safety record, knocks GOP defenders of Jan. 6 attack on U.S. Capitol appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Patrick Abdalla

Missouri Supreme Court fines Kim Gardner $750 for professional misconduct

3 years ago

The Missouri Supreme Court reprimanded St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner Tuesday and fined her $750, finding that she violated professional misconduct rules during the investigation of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens.Ā  The court’s decision marks the final step in an ethics probe that began in July 2018. It aligns with the recommendation from a […]

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Rebecca Rivas

Court weighs appeal of Missouri ruling that struck down local power to impose COVID-19 orders

3 years ago

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.

Tessa Weinberg

Advocates praise Missouri’s new child trafficking law as promising first step

3 years ago

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.

Clara Bates

The Truman celebrates five years of bringing music, community to Kansas City

3 years ago

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.

Lucie Krisman

Asylum-seekers allowed to enter U.S. after ā€˜Remain in Mexico’ ends

3 years ago

This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune.Ā  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 JuĆ”rez. At the port of […]

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

Uriel J. Garcia

Abortion access is on the ballot in November in these states

3 years ago

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 […]

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Jennifer Shutt

Judge dismisses lawsuit alleging Missouri School Boards Association violated Sunshine Law

3 years ago

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 […]

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Tessa Weinberg

Fight over silica mine rekindles fears about Missouri’s Old Lead BeltĀ 

3 years ago

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 BeltĀ  appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Niara Savage

Missouri poised to execute man convicted of crime he committed at 19 years old

3 years ago

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.

Megan Crane

Jewish congregations mount legal challenges to state abortion bans

3 years ago

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. ā€œWe preserve life at all costs,ā€ she said in an interview with States Newsroom. ā€œBut there is a difference between that which is living, and that […]

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Ariana Figueroa

Poll shows strong lead for Eric Schmitt in Missouri U.S. Senate race

3 years ago

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.

Rudi Keller

Missouri governor calls tax cut plan a defense against ā€˜pet project’ spending by lawmakers

3 years ago

COLUMBIA — To pass a $700 million tax cut plan in a short special session, an important consideration is to ā€œkeep it simple,ā€ 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.

Rudi Keller

How election-denying GOP governors could tilt the 2024 presidential election

3 years ago

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.

Kira Lerner

Missouri Dems expect boost from marijuana campaign, but split on whether it’s good policy

3 years ago

Nearly every day, Crystal Quade is somewhere in Missouri knocking on doors.Ā  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.Ā  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.

Jason Hancock

USDA plans ā€˜historic’ funding to help struggling farmers, develop new ag leaders

3 years ago

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. ā€œThe idea here obviously is to enlarge the number of people that are engaged in this […]

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

Jared Strong

Biden to wipe out $10,000 in student loan debt for many borrowers

3 years ago

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 […]

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Ariana Figueroa