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Missouri will enter the new fiscal year Saturday in its best financial shape ever. But there are unmistakable signs that the massive surplus, now approaching $8 billion, has likely peaked. Revenues have fallen by double-digit amounts during the last three months, and the state will meet the general revenue projection made in December only because […]

The post Missouri surplus peaking at $8 billion as governor prepares to act on state budget appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Despite voters’ attempts to tighten Missouri’s campaign finance laws, many former state legislators keep control of tens of thousands of campaign dollars without running for public office again. A review of hundreds of former Missouri legislators’ campaign finance reports shows that some of them drew from their candidate committees to spend on campaigns that never […]

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WASHINGTON — Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively scrambles the role affirmative action plays in the college admissions process cannot let the country slide “backwards,” President Joe Biden said just hours after the majority justices released their opinion. Meanwhile, Republicans seeking to challenge him in 2024 praised the decision. Issues of race and higher education will […]

The post ‘This is not a normal court,’ says Biden as GOP opponents praise affirmative action ruling appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that two prominent universities’ consideration of race in acceptances violated the U.S. Constitution, effectively reshaping the role of affirmative action in the college admissions process throughout higher education. In a 6-3 decision, Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, wrote that the admissions processes at […]

The post U.S. Supreme Court strikes down use of affirmative action in college admissions appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Cole County judge on Wednesday ordered the state to pay more than $240,000 in legal fees as part of a ruling that found the attorney general’s office “knowingly and purposefully” violated open records law while it was being run by now-U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley. “A big win for transparency, election fairness and the rule […]

The post Sunshine Law violations by AG’s office under Josh Hawley will cost Missouri $240K appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — In a summer of drought, smoke and haze, wildfires could flare up in unusual locations in the United States over the next few months — including New England and the Midwest, according to federal forecasters. “The predominant threat looks to be the Northeast, which is not normal,” said Jim Karels, the fire director […]

The post Summer wildfire threat could imperil unexpected U.S. regions: The Northeast and Midwest appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Local education leaders around Missouri say the formula that determines state funding of public schools hasn’t kept up with inflation and other pressures districts face in 2023. At least 35 school boards have passed resolutions asking the State Board of Education to convene a blue ribbon commission to study the formula, which each year adds […]

The post Missouri school boards request commission to adjust funding formula for inflation appeared first on Missouri Independent.

During his presidency, Donald Trump said, “We’re putting America first … we’re taking care of ourselves for a change,” and then declared, “I’m a nationalist.” In another speech, he stated that under his watch, the U.S. had “embrace[d] the doctrine of patriotism.” Trump is now running for president again. When he announced his candidacy, he stated that he […]

The post What is the difference between nationalism and patriotism? appeared first on Missouri Independent.

When wildfires and smoke swept through Oregon in 2020, Lyra Johnson’s family made plans to evacuate their home near Portland. Johnson, then 14, was told she might have to quickly learn to drive — despite not having a license — in order to get her grandmother to safety. Thankfully, the danger passed before Johnson was […]

The post ‘This is the existential crisis’: A push for climate change education appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri’s cannabis industry is the new “gold rush,” said St. Louis couple Tiffany and Anwar Lee, and they’re considering buying a ticket for the lottery to get in. Their ticket is a $1,500 application fee for a spot in a lottery making them eligible for a limited number of cannabis microbusiness licenses, and it’s refundable […]

The post Missouri holds outreach events in run up to cannabis microbusiness license lottery appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In the Winter of 1993, I was fortunate to travel to Russia as a graduate student at Marquette University with several other students. Unfortunately, we arrived in the aftermath of a Russian coup attempt, where chaos reigned as the country lurched toward 1994. And that was even before the invasion of Chechnya. To outsiders, and […]

The post Russian chaos: The puppets almost take Moscow appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan bill that would establish standards for recreational rock climbing on federal lands is one step closer to becoming law. The Protecting America’s Rock Climbing Act was approved by the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources in late June, giving a boost to the millions of climbing advocates working to safeguard the thriving sport […]

The post Recreational rock climbing on federal lands would be regulated under bill in Congress appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected North Carolina Republican legislators’ argument that state courts cannot review laws legislatures pass governing federal elections. Republican lawmakers claimed the Elections Clause in the U.S. Constitution makes legislatures the sole state authorities on federal elections law, including congressional redistricting. Critics said the high court’s endorsement of the independent state legislature […]

The post U.S. Supreme Court rejects theory that would have radically reshaped election rules appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Monday announced $42.45 billion to connect all Americans to high-speed broadband internet by the end of the decade, likening the ambitious goal to FDR’s New Deal-era rural electrification program that brought the then-modern technology to farms and rural areas across the United States. Missouri will receive $1.7 billion. The […]

The post White House unveils $42.5B to connect every American to high-speed broadband internet appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The median age rose in almost every state last year, census estimates show, continuing a long-term trend that is pushing states to prepare for aging populations. Seventeen states had median ages over 40 in 2022, according to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates of the age at which half of residents are older and half are […]

The post We’re older than we used to be, especially in these states appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Cole County judge on Monday rejected a call from the ACLU of Missouri that he direct Attorney General Andrew Bailey to comply with a court order to certify the fiscal summary on an abortion rights initiative. Circuit Judge Jon Beetem last Tuesday gave Bailey 24 hours to certify the fiscal summary to the auditor’s […]

The post Citing appeal, judge declines to order Missouri AG to comply with order on abortion initiative appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The 2024 Republican presidential primary marks the first time in half a century that candidates will debate whether abortion should be restricted or banned at the federal level without the Roe v. Wade ruling making most of their proposals moot. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last summer to overturn the nationwide, constitutional right […]

The post Where the GOP presidential candidates stand on national abortion bans, restrictions appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Hal Dempsey wanted to “escape Missouri.” Arlo Dennis is “fleeing Florida.” The Tillison family “can’t stay in Texas.” They are part of a new migration of Americans who are uprooting their lives in response to a raft of legislation across the country restricting health care for transgender people. Missouri, Florida, and Texas are among at […]

The post Medical exiles: Families flee states amid crackdown on transgender care appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Democratic governors and state lawmakers across the country are mobilizing against a surge of Republican restrictions on transgender health care by establishing their states as sanctuaries for gender-affirming care. Earlier this month, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore signed an executive order making Maryland the 11th state, plus the District of Columbia, to declare itself a sanctuary. […]

The post More blue states declare themselves sanctuaries for transgender health care appeared first on Missouri Independent.

One day in November 2022, I received a phone call from my mom urging me, excitedly, to come home for the weekend. She had a surprise. As a junior computer science major at Purdue University living two hours away from my family, I quickly booked a bus ticket for that Friday. When I arrived home, […]

The post Recruit the parents. Deport their kids. This is the fate of 200,000 legal immigrants appeared first on Missouri Independent.