A bill that would require public schools to offer extracurricular activities to local homeschooled students is gaining traction after more than a decade of consideration by Missouri lawmakers. High school senior Lydia Meredith, whose family annually drives from Joplin to testify in favor of the bill, told the Senate Education Committee in February it was […]
WASHINGTON — Two separate coalitions of advocacy and labor groups each filed suit against the Trump administration Monday over its sweeping efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. The National Education Association, NAACP, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Maryland Council 3 and public school parents filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District […]
The abuse that state Rep. Cecelie Williams survived from her former husband wasn’t physical at first. “It didn’t start with him hitting me,” said the Republican from Dittmer, describing the ways he increasingly demanded and controlled her two decades ago. “Once I became a shell of the person I once was, the yelling started, then […]
A longtime state employee is accusing Missouri officials in a new lawsuit of subverting competitive bidding laws in order to steer lucrative technology contracts to a well-connected company, then demoting him when he raised red flags. In a lawsuit filed earlier this month in Cole County against the Missouri Office of Administration, Rodney Rice alleges […]
The Missouri House Budget Committee on Monday will debate a spending plan that eliminates one of Gov. Mike Kehoe’s major initiatives, adds dozens of new earmarked projects and dips into state general revenue reserves for about $1 billion. The annual markup session, where committee members seek changes in the revised budget unveiled March 12 by […]
Historically, there has been the proverbial argument about whether the United States is a democracy or republic. The answer is the United States is both. But that question pales in comparison to the one looming over Americans today. Will America remain a democracy, a democratic republic? You might become indignant at the very question. Given […]
WASHINGTON — Americans living in rural communities throughout the country could see their access to health care diminish if Congress changes eligibility for Medicaid or significantly reduces its federal funding. While rural residents who depend on the state-federal program for lower income people would experience the most substantial impacts, those who have private health insurance or […]
Black children do better in school if during their academic journey they can connect with a teacher who looks like them. The same goes for Latino students and children from other minority groups. “The data is clear,” said Cornell Ellis, executive director of Brothers Liberating Our Communities, a Kansas City nonprofit known as BLOC that […]
Antitrust watchdogs are blasting President Donald Trump’s attempt on Tuesday to remove two Democratic-appointed members of the Federal Trade Commission. Trump’s attempted firing of commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter are illegal usurpations of congressional authority, they say, and raise serious questions about whether Trump is doing the bidding of big corporations the commission was […]
When the Missouri House signed off on a $1.3 billion tax cut package last week, it included a provision creating a 100% tax credit for donations to pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes and diaper banks. The credits — allowing up to $50,000 in donations to be accepted in place of taxes owed — are seen […]
WASHINGTON — In new court briefings Thursday, attorneys for several Venezuelan immigrants say their clients either had no criminal record or had cases before an immigration judge when they were deported under the Trump administration’s wartime authority — despite a federal judge ordering the return of the flights to the United States. Attorneys for four […]
In health care, we know the cost of a lack of access to care, we see the daily impacts people suffer from. We frequently see patients with illnesses that have progressed beyond simple interventions. We often wish we could have seen them sooner. When Missouri voted overwhelmingly in November to pass Proposition A, this was […]
Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges Thursday against the husband of former Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush alleging he defrauded pandemic-era relief programs. Cortney Merritts, 46, faces two counts of wire fraud for allegedly filing sham applications in 2020 and 2021 with the Small Business Administration, enabling him to collect money aimed at helping struggling businesses make […]
President Donald Trump signaled his continued support for cryptocurrency, saying at an industry conference Thursday morning he wanted to see the United States lead the world in digital asset technology. In a brief recorded video broadcast to the Digital Assets Summit in New York, Trump, who launched his own meme coin in January that held […]
WASHINGTON — In a sweeping executive order signed Thursday, President Donald Trump called on Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure” of the U.S. Education Department. Trump signed the order at a major White House ceremony, flanked by children seated at desks. It directs McMahon to “return authority over education to […]
The Central and Northern Missouri chapter of Catholic Charities will end its refugee resettlement program March 31. In an email to supporters, Executive Director Litz Main said the nonprofit had to end the program due to the lack of federal funding. “We deeply appreciate your partnership and shared commitment to serving those in need,” Main […]
With national attention focused on immigration issues, Missouri legislators have joined in efforts to address the issue at the state level but have seen little progress midway through their annual session. More than a dozen bills have been introduced, but the main activity on immigration has been two executive orders Gov. Mike Kehoe signed when […]
Lawmakers are once again pushing for Missouri to join more than 30 other states that have enacted protections against frivolous litigation aimed at silencing free speech. The proposal targets strategic lawsuits against public participation, or “SLAPPs,” which are often filed without any expectation of winning in court and are instead simply an attempt to intimidate […]
Missouri journalists know the Sunshine Law because we use it every day. We push to keep government records and meetings open and accessible because it is necessary for our reporting. But what about the general public? Most Missourians don’t realize they rely on the Sunshine Law just as much as journalists do. Whether checking school […]
WASHINGTON — Among the flurry of executive orders President Donald Trump signed on the first day he returned to the White House are five that lay out the use of military forces within the U.S. borders and extend other executive powers to speed up the president’s immigration crackdown. The administration has engendered huge controversy in […]
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