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For better than half a lifetime, I’ve studied media and its effects on the public psyche. Teaching broadcast history and directing a student radio station, the larger picture seemed pretty clear. But one question always frustrated and perplexed me: How did AM talk radio, in particular, come to program such venomous, outrageous programming? Why do […]

The post How venomous voices from right-wing radio radicalized America appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Republican state policymakers’ efforts to boost fossil fuels by prohibiting their governments from doing business with companies that take sustainability into consideration has the potential to cost states millions, according to a study released Thursday. Researchers looked specifically at the possible effects on Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and West Virginia if they passed Texas-like legislation limiting […]

The post States that limit business with banks that ‘boycott’ fossil fuels could pay high cost, study says appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The White House revealed Thursday morning that more classified documents from President Joe Biden’s time as vice president were discovered outside of secure government facilities, this time in the garage at his Wilmington, Delaware home. The files have since been turned over to the U.S. Justice Department, which opened a special counsel investigation into […]

The post U.S. attorney general names special counsel for classified docs found in Biden’s garage appeared first on Missouri Independent.

U.S. House Republicans wrapped up their first week in the majority Thursday by passing with bipartisan support a bill to prohibit the Energy Department from selling the nation’s stockpile of crude oil to China or affiliated entities. The bill, written by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington, would prevent releases […]

The post U.S. House passes legislation barring sales of strategic reserve oil to China appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Lee’s Summit R-VII School District spent $72,824 last year fighting the Missouri Attorney General’s office. It is the last district standing in an onslaught of civil suits former Attorney General Eric Schmitt brought against school districts who enforced mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly all the lawsuits were dismissed, most at the request […]

The post Lee’s Summit school district’s countersuit against Missouri AG seeks to set a precedent appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Wednesday approved its first abortion-related measures under a new Republican majority, eliciting strong support from GOP members and opposition from Democrats, who rejected the legislation as misleading and incomplete. Republicans, who secured a four-seat majority during the November midterm elections, said the bill setting medical standards on a national level […]

The post U.S. House Republicans push through two anti-abortion measures in first work week appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Better grades, improved health and higher lifetime earnings are why Missouri should join the growing list of states that provide universal school meals to all public school students. In 2017, researchers at Syracuse University published a study on the impact of free school lunches on all New York City middle school students. The findings showed […]

The post Missouri should consider the Rocky Mountain road to universal school lunch appeared first on Missouri Independent.

State workers would get their biggest pay raise in living memory under a plan proposed Wednesday by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson. In a news release, Parson said he wants to boost all state workers by 8.7% and to offer a $2 an hour night shift differential to employees in four agencies responsible for people under […]

The post Gov. Parson proposes raise for Missouri state employees, extra pay for night work appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Agape Boarding School, the Stockton-based Christian residential facility under scrutiny for alleged abuse of its students over decades, announced it will shut down Jan. 20. According to a statement provided to The Independent Wednesday afternoon by John Schultz, an attorney for Agape, the school has “made the decision to stop providing services to the boys […]

The post Agape Boarding School will close its doors this month after years of abuse allegations appeared first on Missouri Independent.

One of the largest electric utilities in Kansas and Missouri says inflation and plans to add more renewable energy are to blame for the ever-rising estimated cost of its next few years of infrastructure investments. Evergy’s Kansas capital plan, which outlines investments in the grid and energy production, is more than $1 billion higher than […]

The post Evergy blames renewable plans, inflation for $1 billion rise in infrastructure plans appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Days after the death of baseball legend Hank Aaron in January 2021, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went on social media to seemingly suggest — without evidence — that his passing could be connected to the COVID-19 vaccine. Kennedy, the nephew of the former president, has been a major figure in the anti-vaccine movement for more […]

The post Missouri attorney general’s social media lawsuit rallies anti-vaccine activists appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education unveiled a proposal Tuesday that would overhaul a federal student loan income-driven repayment plan, and, if implemented, could help millions of low-income borrowers. However, it’s unclear how the agency would be able to finance the program. Many student debt relief advocates also criticized the proposal for leaving out […]

The post New federal student loan repayment plan aimed at low-income borrowers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon.  Kansas City is the only major city that lacks control over its own police department. The oft-stated rationale for state control is to prevent local partisan politics from interfering with the workings of the department. Champions of the unusual setup often cite the political corruption under […]

The post State control of Kansas City’s police has roots in the Civil War appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Marijuana companies will be able to deduct business expenses on their state taxes for the first time this year, a Missouri Department of Revenue spokeswoman confirmed to The Independent.  Missourians voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2018. But under federal law, growing, transporting or selling marijuana remains a crime. Because of this dynamic, marijuana companies […]

The post Missouri marijuana companies can now deduct business expenses on state income taxes appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Christopher Dunn has served over 30 years in prison for a murder he vehemently claims he did not commit. He stands not only on his word but on evidence that supports alibi witnesses and the recanted statements of trial witnesses in his case. However, the most substantial support for Dunn’s case may come from the […]

The post In Missouri, the truth doesn’t always set you free appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Newly inaugurated State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said Monday that auditing federal COVID-19 relief funds and how local school districts spend money will be his top priorities during the coming four years. Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Shell Knob in southwest Missouri, was sworn in at noon Monday to replace Nicole Galloway, a Democrat who did not […]

The post Scott Fitzpatrick says COVID relief, school spending will be focus as Missouri auditor appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A handful of proposals to raise the state’s minimum wage have been submitted to the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office to potentially put the issue on the 2024 ballot.  Other proposals would guarantee paid sick leave for Missouri’s workers or establish ranked-choice voting. And rumblings of a possible constitutional amendment that would roll back Missouri’s […]

The post With abortion fight likely looming, Missouri GOP looks to raise bar to change constitution appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Ask around the Missouri Capitol, and there is one trait people bring up over and again to explain how Cindy O’Laughlin became one of the most influential lawmakers in the state. “She has the ability to tell me I was an idiot,” said Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, “and tell those guys they were […]

The post ‘She doesn’t have a tribe’: Cindy O’Laughlin’s new role tests ability to bridge factions appeared first on Missouri Independent.

While our two-party system of government has never functioned perfectly, in recent years it has become more and more dysfunctional — not only in Washington but in many state houses. Why? Have both the Republican and Democratic parties been weakened and crippled by extreme ideological factions in their ranks? Has each party lost its core […]

The post Our two-party system is broken. Can anything fix it? appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House elected Kevin McCarthy speaker early Saturday after most of the chamber’s Republicans finally gathered behind him, ending a four-day stalemate that led to the most rounds of voting for a speaker since before the Civil War. The California Republican was able to clinch the gavel on the 15th ballot by turning many of the 20 conservative […]

The post U.S. House GOP backs McCarthy as speaker after tense and chaotic late-night session appeared first on Missouri Independent.